Freyd

"I know a place. Up on the thirteenth floor. It used to be... home." Freyd seemed wistful as he spoke. "It's a nice enough place, and on the edge of the safe zone, so no guards will bother us. But you should definitely get some rest before we go. I wouldn't dare travel through the void with you in this condition, which means we'll need to hoof it." Cleaning up up as best he could, Freyd swore to burn the soiled sheets afterwards as a precaution. Scooping her up in his arms he carried her delicately upstairs, assuming a bed might be waiting. The house itself was too tiny for it t

"Hrm. That's right. You haven't seen me fight in a while. I started tanking a few raids back, and really, really know how to piss off a mob. Somehow, I doubt this is a surprise." A scoundrel's grin perched itself on his lips, one arm still wrapped around her for as long as she needed, the other scouring scruff for ideas. "If closing off the void kept it at bay, I wonder if I could similarly coax it out at a time of our choosing. It.. wouldn't be pleasant, but..." He shrugged, basically making it all up as he went. Best laid plans, and all that. At this point, they were winging it w

Freyd half expected her to shatter into a thousand shimmering orange shards, like he'd once done. Wiping tears frozen to her cheeks away, he had a notion of where she was, even if their roads there had been very different. A smile, creasing youthful eyes masked behind a veneer of bearded age and sorrows. "I'm happy to hear you want to live," he whispered back, still holding her close and letting her soak up whatever heat she needed or wanted. This wasn't romance or lust, nor sordid scandal claiming purchase over the desire to merely help a friend in need. It felt... good, to know he

Holding her close, Freyd soothed her as best he could without truly knowing how. Giving comfort was still alien to him in so many ways… though.. .there had been lessons in tenderness along the way. Channeling memories of warmth and joy, he dismissed his armor and gauntlets to let her feel whatever seeming of human contact he might manage to offer. Eyes downturned, he watched one of his oldest friends suffer - for that’s what she truly was to him, though he’d never known precisely how to pin it down. Wiping her brow. Clearing the vile vomit spewing from her core, Freyd nursed her again

Holding her, as gently as he could while she convulsed atop his folded legs, Freyd ceased the skill’s flow as soon as he was able. “Did I do it wrong?” he wondered aloud, puzzled by the reaction. Was it working and the thing inside her was writhing as it withered, or was he making things worse? Does it feed on her pain too? No wonder it’s gotten so strong. It hurts…. Takeshi this hurts… “I’m trying Amari, but I don’t know what to do or how to make this better. This is different than before." Probably because they were different - both of them. So much had happe

“Don’t have daughters.” Spoken lightly, the comment slapped him harder than expected, as if the possibility of children had never even occurred to him. When? How?! Thrust aside just as quickly, Freyd felt he’d make a terrible father in any case. “Ahh…I probably fainted because I didn’t eat.” Right. Sure. It couldn’t possibly be the evil goop goblin you have guzzling up your darker impulses like a glutton at an all-you-can eat buffet? Freyd kept quiet, slathering up a wafer with some leftover Hollandaise and ramming it down his gob to keep his trap shut. “I’m like a ch

Sensing the strain building inside Elora without even having to look at her, Freyd’s hand reached out to cradle hers with surprising tenderness. Slowly scooping a mixture of granular sludge to his lips with his left, his eyes creased at the edges with wear while a calloused thumb ran reassuringly over her far fairer and daintier digits. She trembled even as her frustrations grew at the defensive gambits of a clever bit of sausage. Gentle, like the bliss of a lover’s press, the whorl of his thumb ran around and between the tension in her knuckles, easing with touch what clumsy words woul

"Hai!" A cheerful short bow given to his fellow captain's orders, it seemed only fair to show such respect after messing with her. This was their way, and he wouldn't change it for the world. "We'll find this butcher at a slaughterhouse about a mile from Glyndebourne - just far enough to keep the wind from carrying the smell. And gird your stomach's if you're at all squeamish. This place is quite the sight." Last time he visited Freyd defeated the Midnight Ripper, only to find himself what could only be described as a horde of meat golems. Creatures of all shapes and sizes, all had b

Watching and listening as Mari played show and tell like they were in arms dealer kindergarten, Freyd measured his responses by opening and closing cupboards he knew would be empty. Returning to the fire’s edge with a smattering of mismatched second hand dishes, he laid them out between them. The wasp thing just sounded unnecessarily complex. Wouldn’t a smoke bomb or modest irritant do the same trick? Why bother with the insects? Maybe it played against some subtle coding technicality that enabled it to avoid categorization as an environmental effect, and bypassed the over-relied up

“That happens sometimes.” "Sometimes? This has been happening more often?" Part of him wanted to scold her for being so dense to the threat she was incubating in her own self-inflicted blind spots. That was how it always started with her. She did because it was neat, fun or enticing, thought being relegated to later consideration. References to the absent-minded professor trope plagued his mind, with considerably enhanced lethality. "And what is that smell?!" Waving his hands before him while she removed her overgarments, he was too distracted by the stench to appreciate the wom

Eyes widening at the implausible sight playing out before him, he'd long since hoped to have put this behind him. And maybe he had, but clearly not Mari. Her baggage never seemed to leave, endlessly cycling back around like it was on some sort of infernal airport carousal that simply defied any effort to reclaim or remove it. Everyone was just along for the ride. “You can’t stop this.” "Like Hell, I can't." Freyd's voice sounded more certain than he felt, especially knowing the toll and time it had taken him to overcome what had followed. That catharsis had nearly killed him, mor

Midnight in Ilridge. Less a town than a fortified camp, its hollow ruins remained little more than the frontlines' vanguard outpost and toe hold on a floor seemingly designed to devour their sanity. Worse yet were the irreplaceable losses, compounded by constant grievous injuries. Too many players were rushing in overconfident and unprepared, returning mauled to within a sliver of total deletion. They had scouts enough. What they lacked were healers. Confronted with a need, Freyd did what he always did: he adapted. Skulking about in heavy armor was a waste of effort anyway, even if the ski

Elora’s tongue-lashing, through predicted, cut like the barbs of a devil’s nine-tailed whip. It was enough to see Freyd brace himself against the counter to endure it, palms spread out wide as if to distribute the withering scold. Eyes closed, he tried not to wince, knowing he’d earned what he was getting, regardless of best intentions. It still hurt. Breathes seething through clenched teeth, he heard her shuffling about, his own attention still solemnly focused on the sensation unjudging cabinetry upon which he had let his head rest. He’d done so many worse things deserving of scorn,

Yoink!

The rasping wretch reared back, all remaining chain whips ready to lash and bludgeon Wulfrin to pieces for his boasting, no matter how warranted. What should have been a danger had proven little challenge for the two of them, its health bar clinging to hope with the thinnest of cellophane. Ready to heave, the Pallid Mask's hood suddenly jerked back exposing a mess of rotten flesh once called its head, the worst of it concealed behind a grimacing porcelain face. Yanked roughly, it teetered, all four arms flailing and failing to find purchase as it fell backward toward the greetings of a keen

"That would be Reliq," Freyd replied, watching as the gaunt horror resumed its movements to the clink and clatter of bells and chains. "Elora and I found him in my workshop, playing in all the unidentified gear I keep laying around." He left out the bit about how Elora had freaked out, thinking their home was somehow haunted because of all his clandestine puttering around. It had taken nearly a week to clear out all the anti-voodoo tchotchkes she'd layered all over the place. "I think he's some sort of mimic, but can't get him to sit still long enough to be sure." A flash of deep blue

“Oww! Dammit, Mari!” Perpetually predictable panic visible in the tangerine, even from his current vantage. Freyd reached out with still-ensnared arms and snagged her ankle before she could get away. “We’re not doing this.” Preferring a solution to dignity, Freyd dismissed his cloth prison and solidified his grip. “You’re a guest in our house and not leaving until we’ve at least served you a decent breakfast. Not ‘buts!” Releasing his tenure on the woman’s dainty feet, before she kicked him in the face for his trouble, Freyd winced from previously delivered pain. His head h

Thread Closing: Freyd receives: X EXP (Word Count [X/5*20] + 5% Guild Rank bonus) X col (Loot [972411] + 15% P5 Reward [X] + 5% Guild Rank bonus) 244 Materials (Loot [244]) +12 Demonic Shards +52 Gleaming Scales 1 Mon Random Dungeon Maps: 246856 | 246857 | 246858 | 246859 | 246864 | 246865 | 246866 | 246867 | 246872 | 246873 | 246874 | 246875 | 246880 | 246881 | 246882 | 246883 | 246888 | 246889 | 246890 | 246891 | 246896 | 246897 | 246898 | 246899 | 246904 | 246905 | 246906 | 246907 | 246912 | 246913 | 246914 | 246915 | 246921 | 246922 | 246923 | 246924 | 246929

ph *** Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 24 EN - (Stamina) = 22 EN. Freyd | EN: 32/168 +4-22 = 14 (other stats are irrelevant) BD: X+8(AA) = (can't miss). DMG (18*37=666, plus crits, so always dies) Attack rolls: 246973, 246974, 246975, 246976 Elite Knight of Gaia 29 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 30 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 32 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 33 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Loot Elite Knight of Gaia 29: ID #246977 | LD: 20 | CD: 6 | +2 mats | +17615 c

ph *** Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 21 EN - (Stamina) = 19 EN. Freyd | EN: 47/168 +4-19 = 32 (other stats are irrelevant) BD: X+8(AA) = (can't miss). DMG (15*37=555, plus crits, so always dies) Attack rolls: 246965, 246966, 246967, 246968 Knight of Gaia 29 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Knight of Gaia 30 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Knight of Gaia 31 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Knight of Gaia 32 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Loot Knight of Gaia 29: ID #246969 | LD: 15 | CD: 1 | +6 mats | +12765 col | Dungeon Map | +1 Demonic S

ph *** Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 24 EN - (Stamina) = 22 EN. Freyd | EN: 65/168 +4-22 = 47 (other stats are irrelevant) BD: X+8(AA) = (can't miss). DMG (18*37=666, plus crits, so always dies) Attack rolls: 246957, 246958, 246959, 246960 Elite Knight of Gaia 25 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 26 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 27 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 28 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Loot Elite Knight of Gaia 25: ID #246961 | LD: 2 | CD: 2 | +2 mats | +17615 co

ph *** Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 21 EN - (Stamina) = 19 EN. Freyd | EN: 80/168 +4-19 = 65 (other stats are irrelevant) BD: X+8(AA) = (can't miss). DMG (15*37=555, plus crits, so always dies) Attack rolls: 246949, 246950, 246951, 246952 Knight of Gaia 25 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Knight of Gaia 26 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Knight of Gaia 27 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Knight of Gaia 28 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Loot Knight of Gaia 25: ID #246953 | LD: 12 | CD: 6 | +2 mats | +15318 col | Dungeon Map | +1 Demonic S

ph *** Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 24 EN - (Stamina) = 22 EN. Freyd | EN: 98/168 +4-22 = 80 (other stats are irrelevant) BD: X+8(AA) = (can't miss). DMG (18*37=666, plus crits, so always dies) Attack rolls: 246941, 246942, 246943, 246944 Elite Knight of Gaia 21 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 22 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 23 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 24 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Loot Elite Knight of Gaia 21: ID #246945 | LD: 18 | CD: 10 | +2 mats | +17615

ph *** Post Action | AoE-I (x15, 11 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 21 EN - (Stamina) = 19 EN. Freyd | EN: 113/168 +4-19 = 98 (other stats are irrelevant) BD: X+8(AA) = (can't miss). DMG (15*37=555, plus crits, so always dies) Attack rolls: 246933, 246934, 246935, 246936 Knight of Gaia 21 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Knight of Gaia 22 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Knight of Gaia 23 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Knight of Gaia 24 | HP: 0/555 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Loot Knight of Gaia 21: ID #246937 | LD: 1 | CD: 1 | +6 mats | +12765 col | Dungeon Map | +1 Demonic S

ph *** Post Action | AoE-II (x18, 14 EN, +2 shift, +2/hit): 24 EN - (Rested 1/2; Stamina) = 21 EN. Freyd | EN: 140/168 +4-21 = 113 (other stats are irrelevant) BD: X+8(AA) = (can't miss). DMG (18*37=666, plus crits, so always dies) Attack rolls: 246925, 246926, 246927, 246928 Elite Knight of Gaia 17 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 18 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 19 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Elite Knight of Gaia 20 | HP: 0/666 | DMG 150 | ACC 3 Loot Elite Knight of Gaia 17: ID #246929 | LD: 5 | CD: 5 | +6 ma