Freyd

Freyd's grimace softened to a wry smirk at Wulfrin's boldness and consideration. 'Maybe this one's a better egg than most,' he thought to himself, before nodding in agreement. "Yeah. Sure. Why not." A shrug dismissed his prior frustrations as he reached out to firmly grasp and shake the offered hand. "There's nothing to buy here until Zack's stock gets refilled, so that seems like a reasonable plan." Slipping his hand into a pocket made invisible by the black on black clothing still partially layered in darkness, Freyd pulled out a small, plain brown paper bag. Scrawled messily on t

Massive as it was, the lumbering metal giant remained oblivious of both players as they debated. "Well, normally I'd agree, but in this case I'm going to have to insist on taking point." Grinning broadly at the twisting of his friend's intent, Freyd rushed forward and leapt hard to the left, bouncing back and forth off the parallel maze walls to build his momentum and height. Having reached a point level with its gaze, he zigged one more zag and smashed the golem across its nose with a resounding clang. Reverberating off the high stone walls, the echo nearly burst their ear drums, yet

He was late, but what did it really seem to matter? Freyd's inventory remained fully stocked and prepared for whatever might come next. His meticulous nature would ensure readiness. Everything else was gravy. Every month or so, he made the trek, adding yet another something to the pile. Maybe it would amount to something. More likely it would be wasted for the sake of preparing for the unknown. "Just in case," he muttered to himself, selecting an item that he'd avoided during past visits. Maybe it would grant him more options when it came to his next raid build, if he chose to pa

"Look, all I'm saying is that I've been here at least two dozen times to help collect the very same debt. At some point, the guy is either just blackmailing you or you've become an indentured servant, and slavery doesn't sit right with me." The speaker's voice came from a darkened alcove by the front door of Zackariah's, where a pair of oddly disembodied hands gesticulates wildly to express their owner's frustration at the mob's seemingly maligned predicament. "He's using you, Zack. And you just keep letting him do it!" Upon closer inspection, one could see the hands attached to arms,

*HACK* *COUGH* *SPEW* *WHEEEEEEZE* "SALE?!" Spitting out a mouthful of congealed lurker goo nearly caused him to retch as the lingering flavour lingered in the back of his throat. It might have caused him to turn green, but the plankton LED's someone had flicked on were thankfully masking his pallor. "That's not a sale," came his groaning, muttering reply as he deftly sat upright thanks to countless ab crunches and a system that had somehow recognized past efforts. "Those buffoons don't have sales and wouldn't recognize a bargain if you slapped them in the face with it u

Wheels were already turning behind Freyd's eyes, time permitting little other than action before any opportunity slipped beneath the wave. Physics and calculus procced internally to do what the Whisper was best at: come up with a plan. "Kat, don't hold on." Without giving any opportunity to let the oddity of the instruction sink in, Freyd gathered the pulsing energies of a sword art into his balled fist, spun, and smashed the bow of their tiny boat with enough force to pile drive a teeter-totter. With his full weight behind it, his companion staring confusedly at him from the stern

"Oh, hunting the big boi, are we? Yeah. He and I tangled a few weeks ago. It didn't end well for him. Fortunately, that'll make him really easy to find." Features disappearing into his cowl, as if the darkness within was swallowing him whole, Freyd turned his head creepily far to the right, and more than his neck should probably allow. The cut of his jacket stretched in protest, as if not meant to be turned or twisted to such an extent while worn. "He's this way. Five hundred yards, moving southward at his usual lumbering pace. We're lucky; he's close. This place is large enough

Scrambling for room to maneuver, Freyd flipped perspectives along with himself. Pressing a hand against stalwart Hirru's shoulder, his darkened form sprung up high. Grabbing briefly onto a nearby sconce for purchase, Freyd spun and flailed in furious motions that scattered shadows along with the shattered crystalline forms of broken limbs. Crackling lightning flashed amidst a cloud of indigo miasma, like some sort of brooding thunderstorm was suddenly erupting directly overhead. Just as suddenly, the chaos stopped and orange snow, like some sort of strange fractal residuum, drifted down ar

"Big bois are my specialty!" Freyd facepalmed, forgetting that his fists were covered in slimy fossil fish guts and instantly slathered himself in regret. "Phrasing," he muttered, cheekily, doing his best to keep his mouth closed while trying to wipe the gunk away from his eyes by leaning into his shoulders, to little avail. Too much of him was already covered in the gelatinous goo secreted by the fallen fish-fiends to do anything more than make a bad situation worse. "Blerch... are they dead? Please tell me they're dead. I'm seeing everything through a trippy night vision ka

The streets of Fortaleza were always quieter in the mornings, most of the locals still rousing themselves or arguing to a designated guardian to have five more precious minutes under the covers. Desert nights were frequently colder than most expected, with so little cloud above or vegetation and moist ground to lock in the heat. Everything bled into the starry night sky only for the sun to return and scorch every surface anew the next day. Having just completed a circuit through the Devil's Pass, he and Persi had stopped to visit her family along their way back. Twin blue eyes glowed in th

Peeling himself off the deck, Freyd gave a thumbs up while resisting the urge to groan like an old man. This fish was going down. Katoka had already seen to that, by the look of things, but he was not about to let himself be sidelined in yet another fish fight. 'The curse must be broken,' he silently vowed to himself. Reeling back, the familiar tingle of a sword art building around his fist gave way as he stepped forward to unleash it, and slipped. Eyes wide with surprise, the infamous Whisper fell forward like a total noob, ending up in the reverse position he had just sought to escape.

Shrugging without hesitating, the Whisper pulled back his arms and felt the familiar buildup of a sword arts charge. It wouldn't take much. This critter was mostly dead already, though he'd appreciated its tenacity. Well fought, friend. Maybe we can do this again sometime? It had no eyes left to see the blow coming. What few limbs were still functional were too far or badly damaged to retaliate. The creature was essentially helpless. Freyd couldn't leave it that way. It needed a chance to respawn and regain its former, deadly glory. Aus was still scraping sludge from his helm's v

The keening wails of Samael's Pride pierced the rage and maddening haze that was screaming through Aus' head as the slammed every part of the creature he could still see. Orange sparks filled the air around him and as he came out of it, he realized why. Freyd had sundered most of its limbs on the nearer side, along with the accompanying row of legs. Try as it might, the creature struggled and failed to right itself, its strength having been lost with its limbs. Now it was just a big fat tube of toothy blubber flailing pathetically on the shore and waiting to die. Wandering over to what he'

"I got it!" He didn't. The moment Freyd made his move, the Sweetwater Devil contorted and swatted him aside with its tail, while also spewing forth some sort of inky, black bile that covered half the stone they were standing on. Even worse, it was nearly the same colour as the basalt and practically impossible to discern. Ripping off his helm, Aus's steely grey hair was matted down and half his face covered in a combination of blue squid blood and black spit-ichor. He did not look happy. Releasing his grip on his blade, the knight started flailing about much as the field boss had don

"It's going for the water!" Doubling down on his efforts, Aus stomped his metal shot boots onto another tentacle, slamming his shield down to try and pin a third. "Get it, Freyd, or we're gonna lose this thing." Hoofing the thing's squid-like tail with as much power as his sword art could muster, the Whisper actually managed to grant it some brief airtime before it landed on its back. Its squawked again, many of its appendages still pinned in place by his partner, now twisted over themselves and stretched to the point of tearing. Greenish blue goo spilled forth from its many wounds, m

Seizing his momentary advantage, Freyd plowed his fist into a narrow opening, striking like a torpedo into another submarine's open tube. Threading the needle hardly seemed adequate. Catching the Sweetwater Devil in the eye, the creature reeled and rolled away from him to protect itself, releasing its multiple grips on Aus and his gear and restoring him with momentary mobility. "Quick! Get on it before it retreats into the water, or we'll never catch it." Racing forward, Austerlitz swung his sword overhead and pierced it through one of its thicker legs, wedging the blade between

"Persi!" A streak of black lightning shot towards the massive creature as it assaulted his companion only to be slapped away and deflected by one of its many flailing limbs. Persistence never made a sound, but sailed helplessly into the nearby drink not making some much as a blip or a bloop and her shadowy form plunked below the surface. "Dammit." Freyd unleashed his own onslaught, but struggled to get close enough or find any purchase against the thing. 'What is this going to take,' he wondered, simultaneously pondering whether the creature's designer had somehow been inspired by

"So what does this thing look like? Some sort of fish or something? We gonna need to drag it out of the water?" Aus surveyed the rippling surface wondering aloud about what he'd gotten himself into following Freyd into yet another ridiculous excursion. "I should really set myself some sort of daily limit for your nonsense. There has to be a legitimate limit beyond which your mayhem causes brain damage by exposure." "Would you prefer it if I gave you a safe word?" "Don't..." "Maybe, Cucumber... no. Eggplant! I'm sure that would comfort you greatly." Aus just groaned a

"Aus! I'm wounded and disappointed," he feigned in mock indignity, pressing his open palm against his heart. "When is time spent together with friend and fellow spooks not a worthwhile endeavor? And most sell for five to ten grand in col on the open market, last I checked." That one actually got a laugh. Aus could be a tough crowd, but persistence paid off in the end. More than anything, Freyd wanted the man to continue valuing his time working with O&I. Allies with a mercenary nature were dangerous, precisely because they could be bought. Constant reinforcement of the benefits

"You know that field bosses drop special rewards, right?" That got his attention. Aus looked about to protest but felt his objections wither before the appeal to personal gain. "Both of us?" "Everyone who participates." Freyd gleefully pressed his advantage, knowingly pushing the right buttons to manipulate the bigger man into doing something he already knew he'd enjoy. "Check your inventory, you should already have the drop from the Maze Weaver. I'm not even sure that this one grants." The metal gauntleted hand previously raised in objection slowly recoiled to its res

Clapping the hilt of his sword against his shield, Aus created as loud a ruckus as he could while Freyd faded into the background behind him. The boar hissed, its breath coming out like steam from an overtaxed engine that was nearly ready to blow. "That's right, beastie. Come to Austerlitz. I've got a fist full of plate mail ready to shove down your throat. See how you like swallowing that!" Stomping forward aggressively, clanging metal against metal for further effect, the knight gave it pause and even managed to make the boss step hesitantly back a step or two. "Now!" D

"Now! While it's dazed." Both men dashed to close the distance, Persi having already scampered off in chase of whatever squirrel-like critter had captured her attention. So far as she was concerned, her bit was done and the players could do the rest. Typical. Aus slashed mightily with his blade but found little purchase through the boar's thick hide. Freyd wasn't having much luck either on the far side. Recovering from its stupor, the boar bucked wildly while slashing its tail around to clear itself room enough to maneuver. Frantic melee ensued with each side seeking some advan

Something large squealed ominously in the distance, following by thundering footsteps shuddering the ground with every step. "Ugh... not again." Freyd cupped his brow with a single gloved hand for the briefest moment. "This has to be one of the most common bosses. Every player has some latent bad experience with these things - some trauma. You'd think they'd have found something new by now. Maybe we should be glad that they haven't?" A spectral boar broke from the underbrush, glowing an eerie translucent red while its seething form swelled to twice its size before them. Twin bl

Wailing in the key of caterwauling, the mobs fell prey. Each of them fell in turn while Aus and Freyd carved a relentless path forward, but to where? "What are we even after?" "Nothing, probably. At least, nothing beyond whatever boss this map summoned forth. That's usually the key. Find the boss. Kill it. EXP, loot the bodies. Not really all that much to it, ultimately. I've done so many of these that it's practically become routine." "So, nothing to be worried about then?" "I didn't say that," came the Whisper's languid response. "The boss still deals a whopping

Traveling from Ogo'mathas to Coral took little effort as the Labyrinth encroached over the vast majority of its floor. Little room was left for the only known settlement in the remaining narrow strip of land beyond its borders, and thus little travel was required to reach its teleportation portal. Placing a gloved hand onto the alabaster arch, Freyd spoke the name of his destination clearly. Muttering carried the risk of ending up somewhere you didn't intend and was highly discouraged. It was generally considered to be equally uncouth to go about yelling at the top of your lungs, annoying