Freyd

“Callisto was a nymph in Greek mythology, wasn’t she? Transformed into a bear for the transgressions and duplicity of others, as I recall. My parents went on about these things at length,” he added, with a mirthless chuckle. “She was later cast into the sky as the constellation of Ursa Major to prevent her son from hunting her. And all of this occurs just as another Tanabata-like event beings? The coincidence seems unlikely and concerning.” Keeping pace as each group moved forward into position, his muse was racing ahead of his steps. “All of the oddities and mutations I’ve obse

He could see the signs though the welling glaze over her sea-blue eyes, their downturned edges warning of a pending collapse. Keep talking. Don’t let her sink into that darkness. As Elora’s knees wobbled beneath her, his arms were there to cradle and support her. No crashing. Not this time. She was not alone. He knew her. Trial end tribulations, shared, had fostered him out of the denseness of his own dimmed awareness just enough to know one heart in this world: hers. In that moment he finally knew for certain: he would die to protect it. When did that happen? For a

Still slightly dozy, Freyd was slow on the uptake, struggling to find his footing and get in on the fight. Maybe is was the beachwear? The ladies were killing it, after all. Fortunately, that also include the giant fish monster threatening to ruin their day. A weak-hearted blow was all be managed to get in, his loafers catching on some of the deck boards and nearly spilling him into the drink in the process. "Ugh. Just not my day, I guess." he grumbled, trying to unwrench his leg from an uncomfortable looking pose. "Good thinking with that stun, Ciela. Someone want to finish this t

"That's a neurological thing, isn't it?" Medicine and biology had never really been his strong suit, though he recalled that it could be quite debilitating. A flash of concern across his face was soon suppressed. That sympathy struck him at all was remarkable, though perhaps best set aside to be considered when a giant undead quest boss wasn't trying to kill him. "Does it have any impact in here, or have you basically been freed from its effects?" Yup. Big mistake. Seizing on his distraction, the Forgotten Time King slammed him back with the flat of his axe. Partially parried, Fr

"Alright then, Ty. Keep this in mind too: we're fixers, which means that O&I are also home to support-style players. Healers, leaders, and the like, fall under our protective umbrella. None of us can stand alone against everything. We need each other. Whether that's crawling around some dusty dungeon, a back alley, or even the front lines. We're all working together, even when we're apart. And, occasionally, that means helping the newbies face something that would otherwise be impossible." A subtle gesture set them on a rocky trail up to the shattered ruins, climbing along precariou

Something stirred in the clearing beyond. Everyone could feel it as much as hear its approach: the hour of battle was nearly upon them. What more appropriate moment could there be for a ghost to emerge, as if from raids past. "Baldur?!" Not who he'd expected, in the slightest. A quick use of tracking confirmed that it was indeed the legendary swordsman himself. A wry grin crept up the side of Freyd's face, despite himself. Herein lay the capstone, added to an already solid team that was as ready as they could be to face off against whatever festering malignance waited for them just ar

"Already got things set up for others huh, Freyd?" Grinning as the Jade Hunter passed, offloading his comment in passage, Freyd offered his friend a wry grin. "I'll know you'll take care of your team, Vice-Commander. You always do. Just remember to watch out for yourself while you're at it." A quick two-fingered salute was about as formal as he ever offered, yet was also well-earned. Hirru was more a veteran than most here would realize, though quite a few familiar faces were making appearances. Not all had attended the pre-raid meeting, as was expected. He could only hope that

Freyd snorted at his companion's admission. "So, now I guess we know why there were torches along this trail in the first place. But I'd have expected to hear a lot more metallic cliff-bowling sounds if those knight couldn't see in the dark. Also sounds like it would have been a bit of a fatal flaw in Tesseleth's chief minions, given the... you know... dark." Freyd was waving his hands all around them, forgetting for a moment that Jomei couldn't see him, then mentally slapping himself for the dumbkof move. "I have a stash of glowstones in my inventory, if we need them. The floor

"Actually, Firm Anima is one of the larger guilds. We're just scattered all over the place doing all the stuff that needs doing, at virtually all hours. You'd be amazed. And Freyd is fine, or 'hey you'. I answer to a lot of different names." She had no idea how many, but time would reveal all things, unless he did his job right. Then it would only reveal the appointed things at their appointed times. Time could be a really uncooperative bitch about such things. "Do you go by any other nicknames? TyphoonFlame is lovely, but also a bit of a mouthful. Ty? Flame? Ty-fly? Work with me

It pained him to be making this much noise wandering through the same misbegotten woods that had dragged him through his original creepy sojourn from Glyndebourne, to Magistrate Aldenbrook's sordid manse, eventually landing in the fight against Owij'be and its prickly head prongs. So far, this floor was not endearing itself. Gone were his days of slinking around in spoopy pajamas, trailing foes from the shadows, killing them. Now he had to do it the old fashioned, noble way: by staring them in the face first. He could feel his eyes' eyes rolling in their metaphorical heads, but said nothin

"Ah. TyphoonFlame, yes? We faced off against Terra Firma not too long ago, as I recall." Dresses in black on black armor, Freyd's welcoming smile was an odd pairing to the strangely slick surface like roiling fog over a sleepy lake in the wee hours of dawn, "The others have been called away on other matter, so it looks like the two of us will be making this trek on our own." A casual gesture suggested their route through the fungal forest the clung to the edge of Tomoika. Being underground, this murky growth of moss, lichen and other unpleasant-smelling flora served as the town's primary

A quick polite entry led to footwear set aside out of courtesy and a bee line approach to finding the desired goods. No time for banter. Not today. If he was lucky, the shelves would not yet be completely bare, though that might be a more likely proposition were this shop devoted to consumables. NIGHT was always thoughtful to keep herself stocked with items to help out new players, which was precisely what he required. Cocking an eyebrow, the specific motif for this latest round of crafts was oddly more evocative than he'd expected. "Is it Harry Potter month, or something? Maybe

"Oh, Persi's a clever one alright. But I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm her familiar, and not the other way around." Freyd's grin was visible even in the dim darkness of the underdark. Jomei was already deep into his next scheme, yoinking a hunk of what looked like pyrite from his inventory and dressing it up as a fancy lure. "Hah! Nice plan," came a whispered reply, appreciating the cunning and appeal to draconic greed - one of Aincrad's seemingly universal truths. Fantasy tropes were truly hard to shake, making his companion's notion to prey upon such expectations all the more idea

News of the pending training mission had gone out to all members of Firm Anima. The guild would be facing its old nemesis: The Time Forgotten King. The proud and terrifying mob seemed to have lost of its luster, from the hey day when Raidou had famously fought it to a standstill, only to have the rest of the guild swarm the monster and bring it to ground. Freyd knew it to be one of his friend's greatest triumphs and a validation of the principles upon which the guild had been founded. Waiting just outside the gates of Tomoika, Freyd had encouraged newer members of the Operations &

The tray vanished into the shadows of Freyd's appointed cubby, prompting the appearance of twin azure orbs with telltale horizontal slotted pupils. Persi gulped down the awaited good, possibly storing them for collection to her master. She was just as likely to have devoured the things, possibly making it very unwise for anything or anyone to stand in her was as she returned to her self-appointed lummox. The tiny shadow mongoose already had a reputation for decimating entire field bosses. Blinking her acknowledge satisfaction - probably the closest she ever offered as thanks - Freyd's sass

Entering Ronbaru, Freyd only just realized how little time he'd spent here since the floor had been unlocked. The whole floor carried a vibe similar to Shitennoji temple, back home, but with its own unique blend of aesthetic. Advancing to the edge of the event grounds, it was instantly apparent that final preparations were being rushed as participants were already actively gathering. Several booths and tables had attracted small groups of hooting and hollering players, some admiring wares while other engaged in good-natured contests and games. A panicked gasp on his left drew one hand to h

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A wound in his soul that felt self-inflicted gnawed as it festered from its moment of inception. Why was his pride and ego so devastated, where he'd so recently been devoid of both? That change was wrought by her efforts. Was this how he repaid that caring? Was he also sordidly quick to discard the very flower that had taken ages to nurture into beautiful bloom? Would he destroy it by childishly callous self-doubt? Everything he'd become was thanks to her. Freyd knew, deep down, what terrifying doom had lain in his opposing path. It lingered in his dreams, burning a hole through the pag

"Sounds like they gave you considerable grief. If you want my help searching for them, you'll have it." Jomei struck him as a decent, caring person, who'd struggled through something nasty and been denied any sense of closure. That description might apply to most of the players still surviving in Aincrad to this day, but the measure of each was in how they dealt with it. Here was one willing to take steps to protect the rest, and that counted for something in the Whisper's damnably dark, inherited book. "Once Charko is protected, of course. We still have business here." A quick gest

Eyes widening slightly at the heaving wheeze of her breast, her hand clutching thereto like she was having some sort of episode, Freyd was about to pounce and deliver the Heimlich on instinct when words finally eeked through her lips. Well… more sounds than words. Distraught, troubled, caught-off-guard-in-a-not-so-good sort of way sounds that made his heart fall low enough to bypass the pit of his stomach and taste the insides of his toes. “Oh…” Not that he’d planned any of this, but it wasn’t quite the reaction one might aspire to. Like, not even remotely close, even in the are

“Ah. More of an off-the books sort of crew. Yeah. I know the type.” Possibly the understatement of their entire journey so far, but those details were not especially germaine. “The Four Pointed Star? Can’t say it rings a bell, though, I may be able to look into it further if you’re interested. I’m no broker or Jade Hunter, but have been known to track down a wayward thing or two in my time. Did they operate on a particular floor or area? Even a single name might be enough to track them.” Wondering whether Jomei truly wanted the group found or just forgotten, he let the subject d

"Always up for more trouble," Freyd replied, watching his counterpart drift into the distance while he transferred equivalent funds his way from his own accounts. Even a modest, perfectly reasonable debt wasn't something he could stand for long. It wasn't in his nature to allow himself to remain in that state, like some sort of IOU-based sword of Democles was hovering over his head. It was irrational, yet also hyperrational, in the upside down world of spies and spycraft where favours were worth more than platinum. Besides which, he already had other responsibilities of a kind that were fa

"Agreed," came Freyd's reply, his gaze still locked on their informal nemesis. Freyd swore he saw wisps of steam trailing from Abdullah's over-gelled pink anime-punk reject hairdo as he stormed out of his private box. "As entertaining and informative as this has been, we've likely pushed our luck to its limits. Best to take our winning and go. He'd probably calling in every merc and assassin on this floor, right now, placing bounties on the heads of whoever he thinks we are. The precision of his surmise will tell us more, but you might want to sleep in a safe place tonight, nowhere near h

Raging at the loss of one of its limbs, the thing called Scarface twisted and flailed in frenzy, ready to lunge forward and lay waste to the entire area. Whatever reason might once have held sway over the thing's distorted mind had gone, replaced by an overwhelming impulse for death and destruction. Preparing to flense and devour whatever stood in its path, ithe monster coiled as it to lunge, then froze. Looking down at its chest with a half-dozen misshapen eyes, each its own unique brand of ugly, it spotted the tiniest of black spots where its heart previously beat. Like ink blotting from

Winded disorientation reigned, Freyd struggling to figure out which way down had ended up facing. He knew that Troll's Blood inflicted a toll upon its user, but had normally managed to deflect the drawbacks with cunning gear selection. Granted, he'd not done so for this outing, and this might be the consequence, but something felt off. He was still moving, not paralyzed, just in a wibbly-wobbly sort of way that would prove utterly useless in combat. Combat? COMBAT! Sitting up from where he lay, Freyd found Samael's Pride still gripped in his right hand, its seal humming with the sati