Freyd

"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, most of them coating the knight in slime that only made his task harder.  

"It's like trying to nail Jell-O to the friggin floor!  Gah!  Iff's in mai mouf!"

A childish giggle floated out from the roiling mass of shadows still engulfing most of the beast's body.  At least it isn't me, for a change.

***

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 segments of basalt below and pinning it in place.  Try as it might, the beast could not break free, or at least refused to cut off its own limb in the process.  

"Make it quick.  This thing has legs to spare and won't need long to figure that out."  Aus, now weaponless, focused on beating back the other appendages as they sought to loosen his hold.

Unleashing a flurry of blows, Freyd tried to deal as much damage as possible, but it felt like beating a sponge with a wet noodle.  The thing was simply too... gummy?

***

"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 the Hecatonchire.  "Hang in there, Aus.  I'll get you out as soon as I can reach it."

"I'm hanging," came a muffled reply, "but this thing seems really keen to chew off my fleshier bits.  I don't suppose you could speed things up?"

The fiendish beast flailed faster than Freyd's own impressive speed, lashing out in multiple directions at once and parrying most of his attempts to counter.  

"Let's see how you do without sight."  Reaching out to the menagerie of shadows cast by its many limbs, Freyd congealed them into a coating over the creature's tubular core.  It let out some awful, burbulent version of corrupted whale song, which he took as a good sign.

***

"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 and shook his head, knowing he'd opened the door for the latest round and silently cursing himself for voice his thoughts aloud.

"So, what are we... hey.  I think I see - GAH!!!"

A gaggle of flailing prehensile spikes attached to a giant maw leapt out of the water and nearly engulfed the knight in a single bound.  Only his shield saved him, which he managed to lift just in time to block most of the grasping appendages.  Meanwhile, the rest of the massive creature hauled itself onto the basalt pier revealing something that looked like a giant squid and lamprey had a horrible, horrific child.

***

"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 of working 'for and not against' was required.  Walking as they bantered, the two had wandered back out of the woodlands and one to the shores of the Lake of Reflection.  Its surface beamed brights, mirroring the azure sky above as sunlight danced across the shimmering waves the rode its surface to ripple upon the beach.  Heavy basalt crystal formations could be seen farther north, projecting from the water and creating twin piers that rounded and joined along the shoreline to create a pen or enclosure.

"An arena?  Bit obvious, don't you think?"

"Floor 22 wouldn't have its shiny reputation if all the most deadly beasts were randomly roaming free, would it?  Sometimes, a pretty-looking cage works just as well.  Besides, as we've already seen today, people can be convinced to go chasing into danger's very maw if they think it's worthwhile."

***

EN Recovery 2/2

"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 resting state.  

"Wonder how well they sell on the open market?"

"See!  This is why we get along so well.  Birth of like mind, with feathers and stuff."  The metaphors got lost in rough mixing.  

"I get yours as well," Aus tried to negotiate.

"I can do this solo.  You can't.  Tag along or not, but that's up to you.  You could always crawl back to the guild hall and let them know how you let me go do something so stupid on my own while you headed off for that manicure you care so much about."  Touché.  Freyd could practically feel the other man's eyes narrow beneath his helm, even as his lips curled at the taunt.

"Alright, captain.  You win.  Let's go do this thing.  But it better be worth it."

***

EN Recovery 1/2

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!"

Dashing forward with surprising speed, Aus crashed headlong into the boar driving his armored forehead down onto its snout to great consternation and surprise.  Running up from behind, Freyd leaped and stepped onto the man's back to gain momentum, arching high above before hurtling down like a missile onto the humped back of a very confused and battered boss.  The effect was devastating.  Cutting short the mob's death squeal, it exploded like a pizza pocket being run over by a bus and spraying orange motes in every lateral direction.  It took a full minute for the shards to stop falling and have peace and light return to the clearing.

"See?  Back to normal," Freyd touted, scraping his knuckles against a raised knee braced against a conveniently located boulder.  "Nothing to it.  And, actually..."

"No.  I hate it when you get that look."

"Oh, come on.  I've never actually fought the field boss on this floor.  Why not try it while we're here?"

***

Loot Vestige of Boardom: ID #218800 | LD: 14+10=24 | CD: 12
32000 col (HP[2000]*16 - incl. +4 CD/LD even, +6 from roll, +3 Prosperity)
T4 Perfect Consumable 218800

"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 advantage against the other, but neither gaining much ground.  Freyd rolled and moved aside to regroup with his ally instead.

"Flanking it means nothing with that tail.  We're better off making it choose which end it wants to attack with and limiting its options."

"Agreed.  I'll get its attention, you get ready to do that thing you do."

***

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 black tusks billowed trails of ash and smoke behind it as it ran, hoofs barely touching the ground and leaving no trace of its passage. A razor-like tail, barbed and sinister, whipped around behind it as it charged into the clearing.  Eyes like black pearls set narrowly to either side of an oversized snout glared towards them in their beadiness.  

"It's like some sort of messed-up running gag..."

Freyd could hardly disagree, and never got the chance.  Something dark and oily slithered up from his collar and streaked in counter to the boar's advance, meeting it head on with a thunderous crash.  Persi has just woken up, yet sprung readily into action.

***

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 amount of damage when it connects.  Not raid boss levels, mind you, but enough to grab your attention.  I've dipped my health bar down into the yellow a few more times than I'd have liked going up against these things.  The Cardinal system also loves to use dungeons as a special psychological torture device.  See?"

Pointing directly ahead, two additional forms shuffled out of the darkness.  It was Aus' turn to gasp as their features became clear.

"You knew them, did you?  Former friends, perhaps?"

The black knight nodded, but seemed stricken at the sight of his former companions, reduced to moaning spectral shades suffering in eternal anguish.

"These are not your friends, Aus.  They are just projections cast by the system and designed to inflict maximum suffering.  Whatever befell their true selves, these are not them, but they still deserve to be out out of their misery."

Swiftly executing a lethal kata, Freyd smeared their fractured forms across the forest floor without hesitation.

"They're just mobs..."

'So are players,' he told himself, 'they just don't think of themselves that way.'

***

Loot Tortured Spirit 1: ID #218791 | LD: 15+10=25 | CD: 10
+2 materials (+2 LD odd)
5600 col (HP[700]*8 - incl. +2 LD even, +3 Prosperity)
+1 Demonic Shard
Random Dungeon Map 218791

Loot Tortured Spirit 2: ID #218792 | LD: 4+10=14 | CD: 2
7000 col (HP[700]*10 - incl. +4 CD/LD even, +3 Prosperity)
T4 Rare Trinket 218792

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 the vendors and regulars who most often crowded the nearest spaces.

Greeting a few locals as he passed, Freyd guided them out of town by the gate nearest the docks.  He never chose the same exit twice in a row, preferring to remain unpredictable.  The town's new palisade was yet another reminder of the importance of vigilance.  Two separate attacks had marred past festivities in the small town on the shores of the Lake of Reflections and tarnished its reputation as a popular vacation spot for players.  No paradise was safe in this world.

Meandering through the grasslands surrounding Coral, it didn't take long to reach the familiar woodlands the housed the guild hall of Firm Anima.  Both men knew it well, but also how it had a penchant for changing on a whim or the moods of those that darkened its boughs.  Like the nearby lake, it reflected, but only the burdensome memories players foolishly brought along.  There were few innocents left anywhere in Aincrad who didn't carry any such baggage.  Reaching the referenced location, Freyd activated the map, which promptly disintegrated in his hand.

"That confirms it.  This was the right place."

"Yeah.  Okay.  So now what?"

"Judging by where we are, we face something from one or both of our pasts.  That's usually how it works around here."

Figures began to gather along the darkened outskirts at the edge of their small clearing.  Dozens of red eyes glowering in the darkness called accusingly their way.  Were they the souls of fallen mobs?  Maybe those of all the fallen players since Kayaba revealed his trap?  It didn't really matter.  They were in the way, so Freyd let loose his sword art without any hesitation.

***

Freyd uses Floor 22 Dungeon Map | ID 167511

Note: mobs do not meet loot minimums.

"Do you really believe he was dumb enough just to go in there on a dare?"

"Yes," Freyd replied, "because he gave me this."  Holding up a small scroll, his companion recognized it instantly.

"A dungeon map?  I don't get it."

"It's the one he was dared to use, only the people who gave it to him told him this was the correct floor.  It isn't."  Rolling open the parchment, the Whisper noted key abstract characters that made it look like the map was intended for a particular corner of the Labyrinth.  "I've traveled across many areas most people have never seen in the castle, especially on floor 22.  It helps to know the lay of the land around your home base, especially."  Turning the map sideways, he folded it like an accordion.  Lines matched the image contained was suddenly completely changed.  "This is a location beyond the Forest of Memories, not far from the Cathedral of the Lost.  It is also a potential security risk."

"Hrm.  Another mission, then?  There goes my manicure appointment."  Sarcasm.

Freyd chuckled in response, appreciating his companion's dedication and humour.

"We can do each other's hair afterwards, if it'll make you feel better."

A hollow snort from within the man's helm was confirmation enough.

***

Freyd uses spyglass (from https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/20786-general-merchant/?do=findComment&comment=640849).  Next field boss can now be spawned on post #15.

EN Recovery 2/2

Freyd consumes Mega-Duper Anti-Everything Sauce (Salve) | Antidote 3 | ID [197134]

Revised stats:

Freyd | HP: 1311/1311 | EN: 152/152 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 120 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 6 | BH: 66 | LD: 9 | PROSP 3 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | V.D.: 144 | DOTE 3/3 | FRSTBT 40 | TXV 32 | TRLBLD

"Uh... ladies?  Need I remind you that electricity and wat..zzzz...YOUCH!  That smarts!"

He'd seen the familiar forms rising from the water mere moments before Katoka responded, with Elora right behind them.  Both instantly sent sparks a'flying, fraying his nerves at the potential consequences of a rickety raft full of soaking wet players might dish out against themselves as much as the monsters.  The darkness wasn't helping, though constant near-miss flashes of lightning might have helped if he didn't already have nightvision.  Instead, it was like being blinded by highbeams set loose from both side.  Something large and hefty humped at the raft from his right, prompting Freyd to roll and strike only to whiff at the tail end of the Lurker's tail.  The thing was large, but had already pass beneath them on its way to the far side.

"Kat!  Big boi headed your way.  Be ready!"

Three more fishy figures rose from the dark behind Elora as she flung one of their mates in a manner to make any trebuchet proud.  Grabbing onto the raft's edge, Freyd spun himself around in a whip kick that flung two of the offending fish-things from the ship.  The third dangled its lure just a little too close, getting it snatched and head beaten against the deck for good measure.  Using his momentum, regained his footing while ramming a knee into the thing's already-mashed maw, causing it to flop over backwards while groaning in pain.

"I'd really hoped these things wouldn't be up here, out of the swamp.  So much for that idea..."

***

Note: Slain mobs do not meet loot minimums.

Tick, tock, tick, tock... Just like clockwork, the Whisper came at the appointed hour, by a different route and under a different guise to maintain his Machiavellian charades, but punctual nonetheless.  Were anyone clever enough to track the timing, they'd be disappointed to see yet another mundane mob wandering through the Champion's Hall, gold-plated broom and dust bin in tow.  The place had standards, after all, and appearances had to be maintained.  It was a good thing they left these things laying around all over the place.  Truly, the place was void of any need for maintenance or janitorial services of any kind.  NIGHT was the only other person he'd ever notice entering the place - a useful gauge of other players' progress.  Surely, others must be nearing the required threshold by now?

Snaring a prize and stuffing it under his arm like an overpriced plushy at a carnival, Freyd pivoted to exit promptly the same way he had entered.  "Same time next month?"  The words echoed in the hollow, hallowed halls.

***

2023-12-28

Die For Me! (1) | ID 218763
Applies BLEED I to one's weapon for a single thread.

"Me?  A free spirit?  I suppose I should be flattered if you thought that to be the case.  I try my best to be unpredictable.  But, it's hardly the truth.  There's almost always method to my madness, whatever form it might take."  Parts of his mind sought to shutter the conversation, to reveal nothing of himself to anyone, but Hirru had proven himself time and again. Dawn had risen on the realization that they could not simply brute force their way through Kayaba's trap - and certainly not alone.  Elora was first, but not alone, among those who had taught him the value in people.  The term was apt and deliberate.  Freyd was an appraiser, after all, and the callous machine mind behind all of his decision making had been forced to enter new variables.  People were an irreplaceable commodity in this world, and they were losing too many, too fast.  Better bonds were needed, and could be forged in moments like these.

Drifting back to the present conversation, Freyd noted the Hunter's gaze upon the stone arches and details, peering along to discern what might be lingering.  Sconces lit as they approached the upward spiral, Freyd's fists flexing reflectively at his sides.

"I guess they want us to continue."

"Yeah," he muttered, unconvinced that the spontaneous provision of lighting was in any way a good thing.  He'd have been just fine in the dark.  This felt too much like a pair of giant spotlights telling every foul thing nesting in the nooks and crannies of this dungeon exactly where they were.  Pings triggered alertness in both warriors as the walls and floors began to writhe, then grasp, then claw at everything within reach.  "No way out, save through them," came the Whisper's retort to his companion's self-repudiation.  

Red limbs ending in misshapen and  sinister-looking black talons slashed with more awareness than they should, 'til Freyd spotted the yellow bloodshot eyes lining the seams between sinews along the demonic musculature.  "It couldn't be a plain old deer, or slimy used wagon salesmen, of something equally benign?  No, someone upstairs has to come up with this shit!"  Parrying wildly, the black clad martial artists wove, twisted and dodged impossibly, wreaking what havoc he could as he went.  A final explosive strike sent a shockwave of energy rippling out from the point of impact and seemed to do them in.  Health bars dipped to nothing, or not quite, then instantly the flailing resumed as the Whisper cursed his luck.

"Oh, come on!  That just figures," he grumbled, sliding back to his companion's side.  "Feels an awful lot like the last pin denying us a strike, don't you think?"  Three of the arms still flailed and flopped around, but the slightest breeze might be all that was needed to end each one of them.

***

Loot Malediction's Grasp 4: ID #220325 | LD: 7+9=16 | CD: 8
+2 materials (+2 LD odd)
2000 col (HP[400]*5 - incl. +2 CD even)
T4 Rare Consumable 220325a
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 220325b

"Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you both so very much.  I was sure I was a goner... so sure..."  The weeping started over again as part of an ongoing meltdown that had already lasted over an hour.  Freyd wasn't the most overtly caring person anyone might ever encounter, and whatever patience and understanding his friends might have nurtured in him had long since worn thin.  Aus had been blatantly annoyed from the get-go.

"Look, uh... Riku," it had been tough to confirm through all the tears and Freyd was already wishing he could stuff the entire escapade into the trash folder of his memories.  "You're going to be alright.  You're alive and relatively unscathed.  Just, please, don't take on any more stupid dares, alright?  That could easily have gotten you killed, and we might not be able to reach you in time.  You also owe your friend Mai a big one for putting us onto your trail in the first place.  How about you start there?"  Patting the poor kid on the back as they emerged from the notorious Labyrinth, Freyd forcibly resisted the urge to roll his eyes as their rescue shuffled away into the town, still mostly blubbering to himself but also nodding his understanding.

"We put our lives on the line for that?"  Standing a few paces with arms crossed over the golden eagle crest on his black chestplate, Aus practically oozed with disdain.

"It's the job," Freyd replied curtly, "not to mention that folks like him are going to be needed if there is any hope of surviving this place.  He broke, today, but that doesn't mean he can't recover and be stronger for the next time.  Because there will be a next time.  Consider this enlightened self-interest.  The fewer players there are left in the game, the worse the odds get for those that remain."  Aus didn't react, which in itself signaled an acceptance of the explanation, morbid as it might be.  Neither man was far from squeamish about such things.  Beyond that, Freyd considered it an investment.  The more people owed him favours when future shit hit future fans, the better his own odds of survival.  Win-win.

***

Searching for exit | ID 218783 | LD 17+9=26 (Success)

EN Recovery 1/2

"Took you long enough." 

Freyd just grinned at the complaint, content that the two of them had bested such a formidable beast so effectively.  He'd heard of the maze weaver, mostly through gossip and reports filtered through O&I's many back channels, but this was his first direct encounter.  Considered to be a field boss, no one had yet encountered any on floors cleared above the twenty fifth.  Maybe they stopped spawning above that point?  Unlikely.  Nabbing the knight's fallen blade on his way, he used it to better cut the webbing and release his friend from his awkward plight.  While the game might technically respond to damage dealt by his hands, it just felt weird to do so.  Such was the challenge of a martial artist in a game that fondly favoured swords.  A litany of past weapons, including the bladed form of his current implement, swiftly passed through his mind while he helped Aus get down and back on his feet.

"Thanks."  The big man plucked strands of glowing good strewn all across his body, clearly irked by the marring of his previously pristine appearance.  "Ugh... always with the gunk.  I swear that this only happens when I go out on missions with you."

"I'm honoured," Freyd replied, his gaze already scanning the vast network of lines spanning to all corners of the maze.  It would be impossible to check it all, and more mobs were also likely lurking about.  A pair of shadows emerged from webbing behind him as he spoke; normally of little concern to a man who literally controlled such things, save that the owners were still attached and carrying ill intent.  Dodging to the left evaded the first darkling's attack, the grey-skinned beast-man's form fully revealed as it swung.  Its companion was luckier, dealing the Whisper a glancing blow with its claws.

Sweeping his right leg wide while recovering from the roll, Freyd caught them both by surprise, toppling them onto their backsides.  Each landed with a little bark of surprise only to watch a roundhouse follow the trick that had lain them both prone.  The would-be assassins shattered into glittering clouds of crystalline shards showering over a still startled Aus, who'd not even managed to raise his shield in defense.

"You're kinda scary sometimes.  You know that, right?"

Scratching at the back of his cowl, like searching for some hidden itch he could never quite find, Freyd only shrugged in response.

"Yeah.  I've been told."  Pointing almost directly overhead, he drifted immediately back to the business at hand.  "Dude's up there.  Let's get him down and get out of here."

***

ID 218772 | CD 2 | LD 8 | Spawn 2 Darklings in stealth 

Loot Darkling 1: ID #218781 | LD: 8+10=18 | CD: 5
+2 materials (+2 CD odd)
3,564 col (HP[396]*9 - incl. +2 LD even, +1 from roll, +3 Prosperity)
T4 Rare Trinket 218781

Loot Darkling 2: ID #218782 | LD: 20+10=30 | CD: 6
6,732 col (HP[396]*17 - incl. +4 CD/LD even, +7 from roll, +3 Prosperity)
T4 Perfect Weapon 218782a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218782b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218782c

Desperation fueled the beast's frenzy and it threw the entirely of its size and weight directly against its jailor.  Aus braced has best he could against the onslaught, countless pinging strikes flailing against his plate and battered shield.

"I'm gonna need a polish after this," he yelled, almost gleefully, over the din of battle.  Freyd learned long ago that the man was at his more congenial in the throes of combat.  It was weird, but reliable.  The weaver was far less amused, grasping the edge of his shield with its pincered maw, seeking to wrench it from his grasp.  The straps held, but even Aus' impressive size and armored weight struggled against the sheer force of its efforts.  Stabbing its needle-like legs into the ground for extra purchase finally gave it the leverage the weaver required, its prison broken as its captor's form was sent sailing into a nearby mass of glowing strands.  Landing sideways, the knight struggled but found his previous advantage reversed as he hung helplessly from the glowing strands.  His sword had inconveniently failed to follow his trajectory and sat glaring at him from two arms lengths away.

"Freyd!  Anytime now would be good."  Even in dire circumstances, the man's dour pragmatism shone strong.  

Meanwhile, the enraged arachnid that had thrown him across half the battlefield sought to make good on his misfortune and was already scrambling towards him.  Two missing legs, and another pair barely functioning, hampered its progress as it bobbled towards him with maximum murderous effort.  Its eight, soulless, beady, black eyes remained honed on him the entire time, mandibles chomping at the air and dripping with venomous hunger.  Concealed by his closed helm, Aus' eyes grew wider with concern as the giant digital can opener closed the distance between them.  'Where the hell is Freyd,' he wondered.

Suddenly, from all around, every layered bit of shadow cast by the illuminating strands woven by the weaver twisted and coiled towards the mob at its centre, wreathing it in a cocoon of foreboding darkness and impending doom.  It was a distraction, but effective as a singular figure leapt high into the air from behind and came crashing down on the offending creature with a power and impact of a meteor.  Closing his eyes at the brightness of the flash, Aus felt the impact waves and pelting of sand-like pixels buffeting his armor.  The weaver was dead.  So completely dead that nothing of it remained when the knight re-opened his eyes, save a Whisper wandering towards him, casually dusting off bits of shattered mob from his sleeves.

"Quit hanging around," he quipped, smirking.  "There's still work to be done."

As annoyed as he was at his predicament, his boss had delivered once again.  Aus only grunted, grudgingly offering thanks and irksome bother in a single sound.

***

Loot Maze Weaver: ID #218746 | LD: 16+9+1=26 | CD: 4
31500 col (HP[3150]*10 - incl. +4 CD/LD even, +3 from Prosperity)
T4 Perfect Consumable [218746a]
T4 Perfect Consumable [218746b] 
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield  [218746c]
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield [218746d]

Next field boss may be spawned on post #20.

"Pin it against that corner.  Take away its mobility!"  

Aus moved instantly, despite having lost the thread of the combat to date.  His leader's orders were all he needed: tactics and direction with intent.  Hulking in his blackened steel armor, the man swung and slashed for effect, rather than damage.  One of the weaver's own webbed platforms stretched overhead to prevent its own easy escape.  

"Oh no you don't."  A quick smash and shove from his shield kept in hemmed in despite the mob's apparent awareness of its predicament.

"Not sure how long I can keep it here," Aus replied, the game's filters struggling to translate his thick German accent and lagging for a moment.  Another ear-splitting wail was Freyd's only response as he darted in on the right, spraying the walls with fractal shards as his fists carved another groove across the spider's bulbous central mass.  Hissing, lashing and a flailing flurry of ineffective stabs followed as its retort, finding no purchase when its two previously disintegrated limbs failed to support its efforts.

***

"It likes to play in the shadows, does it?"  Glancing at the orange slash on his leg, Freyd could already see the wound closing as his healing skills kicked in.  Chimes from the webbing became a cacophony as their assailant skittered across and above them seeking advantage of its own, but it had gotten its freebie and revealed itself in the process.  The Whispers features seemed to retreat into the shadows of his own cowl, eyes concealed in its darkness while he peered through it - through shadow.  

"There you are."

Resembling some demonic giant spider, the maze weaver had moved to strike at Aus from above - where the man's helm had a blind spot.  Clever, and perfect.  When the beast sprung it found a fist waiting and smashing into its hearty carapace.  Keening screeches unleashed the void through Samael's Pride and Freyd's strike cleaved two legs off like a blazing hot knife through butter on its was to carving the main body.  Squealing at the audacity, the mob rolled itself into a protective ball and bounced off the armored knight.  Its own attack had been foiled.

***

Purchasing 4 of the the following items:

Water Canister (x3) | [400col] 
Grants +(5 *Tier) health regeneration while out of combat. Effect lasts for one thread.

Total Cost: 1600 col

Fortunately, Freyd's tracking skills still functioned within the maze, albeit to a more limited degree.  Reports received by O&I contained a name, which proved enough to find the poor fellow's whereabouts even if their condition was far from hospitable.

"Did this idiot actually come here willingly?"  Aus' sarcasm was on point.  Every inch of wall and floor was covered in thick, luminescent webbing, even extending to form layered platforms and an unofficial ceiling overhead.  Freyd was already wondering whether they might be used to reach and traverse the labyrinth atop its own partitions.  "You're doing that thing again, aren't you?"

"Looking for advantages," the Whisper counter-queried, volume matching his moniker.  "You bet your ass I am.  The guy we're looking for either failed to do the same or never got the chance."

Grunted acknowledgement was his companion's only response, the plates of his heavy armor chafing against the unnatural silence.  An innocent turn was all it took to break it, something invisible snapping against his shin and reverberating like wind chimes all about them.  

"Oh, crap..."

They couldn't make it out, at first, as if the very wind had mobilized against them in full fury, lashing out in all directions at once.  The webbing sang its eerie song as it swayed giddily in tune with the motions of its maker.  The maze weaver had found them, or vice versa.  The distinction no longer mattered.  And it was quick.

Freyd spun with the speed of a flitting shadow and failed to connect, the skittering darkness dodging low and slashing at his bracing leg instead for a point.  Through gritted teeth, he sensed the makings of a worthy opponent before them - one not to be underestimated.  Little effort was required to turn the grit into a grin.

"Game on!"

***

A 'scree' to rupture eardrums; or it would have been if he'd actually had any to burst.  Katoka's high pitch squeal would have scared off every fishing within a league, save one, as it turned out.  As the spiffy blonde samurai leaped lightning fast into the air, the boat's balance shifted instantly in response to the suddenly absent weight.  Freyd's eyes barely had time to widen before joining the mass of his flailing arms and shadows tumbling backwards into the drink.  Some cursing might have been involved, but was drowned out by inelegant splashing and the roar of an injured mob whose cinematic ambush had just been ruined.  Katoka had stolen its moment.

Twisting and turning to right his sense of direction, Freyd had barely managed to cling to the stern when his partner slipped casually onto the prow, teetering his totter and sending him ass over tea kettle back towards the fore.  Had she looked up, Katoka might have spotted his airborne self glaringly wickedly while offering her two specific and twinned fingers as he sailed overhead to flop face first into the  already dazed flounder. Fortunately, the system still registered it as an attack dealing enough damage that it left a Freyd-shaped imprint in the monster's dorsal blubber. 

"ACME should consider sponsoring me," he muttered, as gravity slowly peeled him from the thing's back, dumping him back onto the ship's tiny deck.  "I swear, a fish will be the death of me some day."  Looking slightly drowned and fully soaked, the Whisper just wheezed and groaned while laid out on his back, wondering why the universe so hated him being near the water.

***

"It took quite some time to run through the previous stock." Leaning over the collected products in the display case, Freyd was careful not to touch.  He'd witnessed the compound's effects many times, to the extreme detriment of the recipients.  Priorities were shifting.  Roles and systems had to adapt accordingly.  A waving hand adjusted ownership.  Transaction complete.  The commitment was made and new path chosen.  Who would have ever guessed?

"Thank you, Bistro, for always being prepared."  Unorthodox words from the calculating mob murdering machine.  "Take care of yourself."  A strangely sympathetic nod, a turn, and then slow and silent departure.

***

kintsugi. | TIER 4 PERFECT SALVE | TOXIC VENOM 
gold venom. coats weapons in translucency. leaves cracks in the enemy's form.

price: 3,000col x20 = 60,000 col

"How long?"

"Six hours."  Spoken with utmost pessimism, Aus' sizable, armored form made it clear that already considered the missing players to be gonners.  "Mobs don't often take prisoners, certain specific quests aside.  I guess it takes up too much RAM, or something."  Gruesome, but also not wrong.  Freyd flipped a short stick of white chalk into the air, catching it deftly on its descent and stuffing the thing into one of his seemingly infinite pockets.  The labyrinth on twenty five was notoriously fickle to those plumbing its depths. Even the strongest and most experienced players rarely went in unprepared.  This wasn't a wise place to tempt Fate.

"Why call it 'the Labyrinth?'" It didn't make much sense.  Every floor had a Labyrinth.  Technically, did this one have two - one within the other?  Who could tell?  "It just seems redundant and confusing.  Why not 'Ye Grand Ole' Maze' or 'There Be Monsters' or something?  Was it dubbed this way by the system, or did players add the nickname?"  Aus' closed-face helm swiveled silently to stare, conveying wondrous disdain at the Whispered rambling musings and how little any of it mattered to him personally.

"Don't know.  Don't care." Finality.  "We going to look for these poor bastards?"

"Yes.  I think that's the general idea.  Be the good guys... yada, yada, yada."

"Are we getting paid, at least?"  The man certainly had a mercenary streak about him, but Freyd dismissed his question with a shrug.

"Do you really need the money?  Really?  Consider this alleviating boredom."

The larger man just groaned and elbowed open the gates.

***

Freyd consumes:

Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6)
Armageddon Juice (Potion) | Damage 3 | ID 179909
Madlad Muffin | Tierless Rare Meal | EVA 2 | ID 215232 + Filled
Sweet and Sour Licorice Bites | Tierless Perfect Snack | Loot Die 3 | ID 215012
Stalwart's Stew | T4 Perfect Meal | T4 MIT 3 | ID 215251a
Shrimp Gumbo | Tierless Perfect Meal | Overhealth 3 | ID 216722
Mousse (Snack) | PROSPERITY 3 | ID 196144-1
Troll's Blood | ID 202544a
Snowfrost | ID 214158b
Terra Firma Scale | ID 214159b
Kintsugi | T4 Toxic Venom | (https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19383-f01r10-alchemist-cintamani-open/?do=findComment&comment=676877)
Water Canister |(https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/20786-general-merchant/?do=findComment&comment=676888)

Freyd | HP: 1311/1311 | EN: 152/152 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 120 | EVA: 5 | ACC: 6 | BH: 66 | LD: 9 | PROSP 3 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | V.D.: 144 | FRSTBT 40 | TXV 32 | TRLBLD