Freyd

Their glow stone revealed a terrified young girl, her clothing torn from crawling around in the darkness and hiding from critters she could only hear flapping about around her.  Hair caked with mineral muck dripped down from stalactites overhead, she had a few bruises and would need a good wash, but was otherwise intact. 

"Hey," Freyd began gently, speaking slowly not to spook the poor child. "You're okay, kiddo."  Kneeling down and reaching out a hand, he made sure to keep Ty visible within the sphere of light.  "I know, I might look a bit scary, right?  That's why my friend Ty came with me.  She's super nice and really pretty, just like you.  Your mom asked her to come find you.  So she's going to help us get out of here.  What do you say?  Are you ready to go home?"  

Nodding, shyly.  Koko's face was marred with the etching of tears through the soot and dirt smeared all over her face.  Reaching out with the glow stone, rather than the cold black metal wreathed around his hand, he thought its humble light would better as an anchor to guide her to the exit.

"Lead the way, Ty.  Koko and I will have your back, right?"

Joyful tears of unspeakable relief pooled around the child's eyes as she nodded in agreement, still unable to find her voice for fear that it might spoil the moment or cast her back into the darkness.

***

Howl CD 2/2

[Note: The following an annex to the main Witherwind Rest estate in Elora's name, per https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/15355-housing-evaluation/?do=findComment&comment=691351.  Doubling up because standard housing doesn't actually allow enough slots for two players to get all of their housing buffs.  Also, courting but not married means house goes poof if one dies, so this is protection against that.]

House Name: Witherwind Rest (Annex)
Location: Floor 2, In a small valley nestled in the cliffs on the outskirts of the plateau that marks the High Fields of Crossing (Safe Zone)

Plot Size: Estate (15 room slots, 4 storey max, 3 yard slots)

Thread where Freyd and Elora found the location together:
https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/39318-pp-f01-a-place-to-call-home/?tab=comments#comment-676434

Yard(s): 
Yard 1: The Piling System (Storage Shed, upgraded to Extended Workshop) [Freyd]
Yard 2: Big Puddle (Fishing Pond, upgraded to Ornate Fishing Pond) [Freyd]
Yard 3: Memorial Yard (Slime Farm, upgraded to Mega Slime Farm) [Freyd]

1st Floor Rooms: 
Room 1: Basic Kitchen [Freyd]
Room 2: Skeleton Closet (Storage Closet) [Freyd] 
Room 3: Living Room [Freyd]
Room 4 & 5: Dining Hall [Freyd] (Dining Room upgraded to Dining Hall)
Room 6: Guest Room [Unassigned]
Room 7: Guest Room [Unassigned]
Room 8: Guest Room [Unassigned]

2nd Floor Rooms: 
Room 9: Breakfast Nook [Freyd] (Dining Room)
Room 10: Reserved
Room 11: Reserved
Room 12: Bedroom [Freyd]
Room 13: Bathroom [Freyd]
Room 14: Attic (Bedroom): Expertise +1 Searching [Freyd]

Basement: 
Room 15: Basement [Freyd]

Room Images - Ground Floor

Spacious Kitchen

Skeleton Closet

Living Room 

Dining Hall 

Guest Rooms 

 

Room Images - Second Floor

Room Images - Cellar

Room Images - Yard

Cost Breakdown:

Freyd merely smiled as the rest of the group bantered in the aftermath of their victory, contented by their shared achievement and the ensuing comradery.  Wulfrin went on to lay out their next steps, and what would surely prove to be an utterly devastating afternoon nap for a three-headed fire-breathing puppy dog.  Having experienced much of the content before, it seemed only fair to let others soak in the full potential of their first run-through at their own pace and choosing.  

Persi reacted to Ciela's self-deprecation and doubts before he could even say a word.  The spoopy little mongoose leaping onto the woman's shoulder to nuzzle her cheek in a way that roused confusion and admiration in equal measure.

"Mina has it right. And you must be doing okay, Ciela.  Persi never shows that kind of affection to anyone."  A quickly pointed finger guided them in the direction of the volcanic flats, Freyd silently offering himself as vanguard and scout.  "I'd also encourage you to accept Mina's offer.  She's a good cook, and and even better confidant."  Not a word he once would have considered associating with the woman, but she'd consistently proven true to her word and intentions.  The quiet compliment was well-earned and acknowledge with a brief catching of stray gazes.  

"This lot will be easy for us to carve through."  Always back to business was the Whisper, though each of them had started to see another side of him peek through from time to time.  One less focused on the absolute devastation of content, and caring more about the people by his side.

***

Grappling Famiiar 2/5
EN Recovery 1/2

"Gods, I hate that prick," Freyd muttered as he exited Abdullah's abode, his appearance shifting from that of a pink-haired waifu with a too tight skirt and proudly bouncing boxum funbags to his far less attention-seeking usual self.  Pink became black, skin turned to oily-black plate armor, and a keen black katana sprouted from his back to complete the ensemble.  "There must be a way to trigger this quest without having to suffer through that NPC's insufferable ego every, single, time."

Rolling his eyes as gauntleted hands pulled the soft woolen cowl over his head, the locals stared at him with wonder and confusion.  Wrapping yourself in metal, in this desert heat, was a death sentence, at least so far as they were concerned.  Only fools and demons would dare don such attire.

"Don't worry," came a cocky reassurance.  "It's air conditioned."  No better way to deal with confusion than by adding a splash of the absurd.

"Alright.  One last stop before we go, for old time's sake, right Persi?"

A slinky black shadow with slotted azure eyes slunk out from behind the same beaded curtain as he'd just left behind.  Barely as tall as his shin guards, the tiny mongoose looked pleased as punch with herself, having just eaten all of Abdullah's prize caviar while Freyd had buttered him up with his breasticles.  The suddenly stream of expletives behind them made it all worthwhile.

"Should we grab a coffee before we go?  Might be a few stragglers still crazy enough to let me serve myself as sharkbait for their benefit."

Persi was already guzzling the dregs out of someone's half-finished booze, the owner passed out or possible dead a half dozen yards away.

"What a lovely place for a last minute vacation before a raid.  Wonder if the mobs charge by the minute?"

***

@3ulogy @Kandy

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) and CSA (Beckon the Void) are in use.  If any other player objects to these, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.
Note: Freyd has previously completed this quest.

Freyd consumes and shares:

Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6) - takes 1 portion [filled]
Draft of Keen Edge | Tierless | Perfect Potion | Damage 3 | 235946
Madlad Meatloaf | Tierless Rare Meal | EVA 2 | 230509e
[Draught of Safeguard] - T4 Perfect Potion | Mitigation 3 | 218167-2

Freyd | HP: 1280/1280 | EN: 160/160 | DMG: 24 | MIT:212 | ACC: 8 (incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:70 | VAMP-D: 70 | VAMP-O: 141 | PARA-V | LD:5

Taking the blood of the vilest of the vile, combined with quasi-convincing yourself you’re a digitally spawned sentient construct, tends to skew your perspective on a lot of things.  Mobs and monsters, for example, made of the same shards of shattered glass and code and painted with a skin veneer no thicker than a pixel.  Or, the physical manifestations of the deepest, darkest parts of a wounded girl’s soul. As strange as it might seem, these were not unknowns to Freyd, nor frightening.  It was why he often seemed trivially calm, even while facing down the worst of Kayaba's horrors.  His own demons were just as bad as the worst in any others, and came from a similar dark.  A few details and the context were always different, but his instincts instantly recognized the same taint of negative influence had ensnared them both.

What Freyd had never shared with anyone was the uniqueness of his connection to Shadow the Malevolent, the uber-raid boss from his first foray into that deadliest of arenas.  All raid bosses were powerful entities, but Shadow had fought the frontlines even as he reach out into the broader world of Aincrad and swallowed it whole.  Most watched it though the lens of an inky reflective flood rising to swallow everyone and everything.  Through whatever void connected them, Freyd had felt and seen every one of them die.  Thousands of final, desperate breaths.  Thousands of petty, desperate actions driven from a drive to save one's self at the expense of others. Thousands of noble sacrifices, including those of dearest friends. It had nearly broken him, mid-raid, and he’d spent every minute since trying to wrestle with the ethics and moral morass of that moment.  If anything, it had helped him understand people better, in their darkness and their light, and the need for equilibrium between the two - especially in himself.

Watching the interplay between Elora and the corrupted vision of her mother hurt, not just because of the pain and grief at watching it flail her soul, but especially because it felt so familiar. He’d actually been the burden framed by the accusations viciously hurled at Elora, deserving of the ravages that had eaten her up inside.  

Why lash out at the innocent when there were so many others more deserving?  Like me…

Both factions were right.  None of it was fair.  Life wasn't fair.  Whether these were his own memories or a fallen Takeshi’s didn’t really matter.  They granted a vision - a perspective - to the casual brutality and insidious fragility of human existence wracked by the disparate and agonizing fury of fickle fate and circumstance.  Compelled by compassion he had never known, yet learned to understand though the same eyes now staring into his own, Freyd called out, inviting her to let loose the festering tether.  

“Let it go,” he added, and her words flowed like a current driving the stars.

Where her eyes and efforts had always been met with self-inflicted distortions of scorn and disdain, real and imagined, his now projected unconditional recognition and tenderness.  He saw her.  Even Freyd couldn’t quite fathom its source, save his heart's desire to be for her what she most needed and had always faithfully seen in him. I can be worthy of this, for her, because of her.

Unexpected acceptance, granted to him a bounty over their shared journey.  It was his turn to gladly grant her back the same gift she had given him. Gasping in wonder as light swirled up and around them,  it joined the spiraling beauty he had witnessed in darkness’ horrors, the chaos of Elora's past fractured her illusion to reveal the same sense of inner self he’d only just bared himself, its very essence on the verge, yet made even more perfect in all its frailty.

"How can I ever hope to undo the pain that I've caused...?"

Wrapping his hands around hers, his features solidifying back into the same familiar Freyd she’d come to know like no other, he peeled the dainty petals back from her face and brought his lips to hers, sharing the yielding warmth of forgiveness over self, his breath the only evidence of movement amidst the stilled celestial madness of writhing rage forgotten all around them, dwindling and soon fading to black.  They were left alone as the stars resumed their dance, all masks and pretenses stripped from them.  Two souls laid bare, alone beneath the light of the universe.

“You start by remembering all the good you’ve done, and can still go on to do,” he replied, his faith in her blazing behind devoted eyes that once again captured hers. “You face your deepest  darkness and let it wash through you with acceptance.  It’s the only way.  And, last but most important, you admit to yourself that you are not alone, and never need to be.”

Kissing her hands, then pressing them to his chest and heart, Freyd smiled - genuinely smiled with every mote of sincerity adeptly carved into his being by those who had taught him the concept's very meaning.

“I came to the same conclusion for myself, only a few moments ago, and it sounds like a good idea.  The woman I love showed me how to do exactly that.  Maybe, if she'll let me, I can do the same for her?”

Nod returned, Freyd raises a single eyebrow to take in his companion's new duds.

"Suits you."  Delivered deadpan, Kyoto couldn't tell if the captain was joking or not - which was probably the point.  Freyd had a mildly annoying habit of messing with people to let them guess his intentions.  Handy tool for a spymaster.  Not great for social interactions.  And likely also a hardwired part of his personality that wouldn't soon or easily be shaken off.

"The bandits haven't gone far.  Without a steady source of supplies, they survive by raiding the mining camps."  A general wave of his hand pointed them in an easterly direction.  "Just follow the flow of magma.  Shit burns downhill, or something."

Once they were clear of the mines, he could speak more plainly.

"The bandits have a boss.  I can't even remember his name, if I ever knew it, but he's just a bigger version of the same.  Thing is, we'll need to wade through multiple waves of his minions to convince him to appear.  Two dozen or so, if I recall.  Our best bet would be to find one of their base camps and go to own.  Kinda like that one."

Before Kyoto could blink, Freyd has stepped through his own shadow and reappeared in the midst of the enemy camp.  A single booted stomp alerted the sentries to action, all of them standing, just in time to meet the Whisper's arcing black blade, literally losing their heads.

***

Suppressing the urge to laugh, lest it be taken in the wrong light, Freyd merely grin proudly.  

"Well done, Ty.  Just keep practicing and you'll have the hang of it in no time."  Sheathing his blade, Freyd reached into the ether before him and drew forth a small black sphere about the size of his fist.  Shaking it briefly, wondering if the magic might have done out for lack of use, a dim willowy light blinked into existence within.  Bathed in its increasing, pale light made his features seem pasty, like he'd lived his entire life underground.  The look was more than a little ironic, given how he'd only just moved into a home on the surface, the pallor having barely faded from his complexion.

"This should help us a bit.  I'll try to refrain from howling again, just in case there are any more of those bats around.  Unfortunately, the game will not allow me to equip a weapon so long as I hold the glow stone.  Watch my back, alright.  We'll be cast into the dark again, but deep inside the cave, if I need to rejoin battle."

Guiding them around various twists and turns that might have proven perilous without a proper source of light, Freyd served as an adequate guide, though it was clear that he wasn't quite accustomed to playing bait in this way.

"Koko!  Your mom sent us to find you.  Can you hear us, kiddo?  Call out if you can and we'll come find you."

***

Searching for Koko | ID 239099 | LD 6+5=11 (failed)

Howl CD 1/2

"We don't have a choice," he called back.  "Koko's inside and this thing isn't likely to follow us into the light.  We have to fight it here."  The giant critter's claws raked across his back, but failed to find any true purchase.  It was simply too weak to actually hurt him, but that had never been the point.  Freyd wanted to see how Ty fared in a real fight where she had to make her own decisions.  Trial by fire, so to speak.  He'd keep the threats off her back, but wanted her to feel pressure nonetheless.

"You need to use your sword arts.  Basic attacks won't cut it.  Call out its name, or concentrate on it intensely to charge and release it.  The system is highly intuitive and will pick up on your queues."  A second bat came streaking out of the darkness, only to find itself cut down with a solid slice from Freyd's blade.  "Like that, yes?  Your rapier will favor thrusts of shallow slashes, with the former far more likely to be effective.  It's all about timing."

Physically throwing himself in the path of the remaining bat, he forced it to swerve and turn in Ty's direction.

***

Callisto's claws raked across his upper arm, drawing a string of parallel red gashes that would surely have led to fatal infection if not outright blood loss in a different world.  Fortunately, their berserker healer had his back - all of theirs, really.  The wounds closed nearly as soon as they opened, thanks to Zandra's ongoing and watchful efforts.

Still struggling to find and keep his bearings, Freyd's eyes scanned over adjacent groups as well as his own.  Senses still discombobulated, some things didn't feel quite right.  It was like part of him was missing, left behind and fumbling around in some miasmic void.  With all the time he's spent navigating through shadows, they had become as if second nature to him.  

Parrying several more blows, he managed to do little more than inflict a mix of superficial wounds upon their foe, it's bony carapace littered with bright orange gashes and punctures as players piled on the hurt.  

"Not much left of its mesh, or its last health bar.  Keep it up!"

Stabbing aches in his chest grit his teeth with pain that shouldn't be possible, yet he pushed through.  All I need to do is keep it mad at me.  i can do that.  If not much else, I can always do that...

***

Freyd regains +4 EN +2 HORN

Post Action | TECH-B (x12, 12 EN): 12 EN - (Stamina) = 10 EN.  
Free Action | None

ID #239062 | BD: 7+7=14 (hit).  DMG (12*12=144-65=79) vs Callisto.  Delay applied. | CD 11 | ST-B unlocked

[20] Macradon | HP: 1115/1115 | EN: 46/130 | DMG: 25+(4) | MIT:179 | ACC:7 | PHASE | RHINO 2.6 (40%) [1/1] | F-SPIRIT | FR.AURA: 8 | FR.THORNS: 8/16 | BH:61 | VAMP-O: 123 | REC: 4 | HLY: 16 | LD:5 | PROB:36 | HORN 
[20] Wulfrin | HP: 829/829 | EN: 67/108 | DMG: 28+(4) | MIT:92 | ACC:9 | AA | EVA:1[+1, -1 (RH)] | BLD-IM (N) | BH:27 | REC: 8 | FRB: 40 | TXC-V: 32 | FRZ: 64 | LD:3 | BIZ-DOTE: 1/3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | STNG [x1] | PROB:36 | JEWEL | HORN | Clean
[46] Freyd | HP: 1512/1512 | EN: 163/178 (169+4-10) | DMG: 8+(4)| MIT: 315 | ACC:7 | AA | TAUNT 3 | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | THORNS: 40 | BH: 83 | VAMP-D: 83 | VAMP-O: 166 | BLD: 96 | ENV-O: 32 | FRB: 40 | FRZ: 64 | PARA-V | LD:8 | DOTE 2/3 | PROB:48 | CAIN: 50 | HORN | Clean
[18] Zandra | HP: 1127/1127 | EN: 86/130 | DMG: 18 | MIT:195 | ACC:3 | FRZ-IM | PARA-IM | FL.AURA: 16 | MENDING: 2 | FLN: 16 | BRN: 56 | DOTE: 1/3 | PROB:48 | HORN | Clean
[14] Baldur | HP: 1053/1053 | EN: 94/128 | DMG: 28+(4) | MIT:8 | ACC:8+1[+1] | AA | KEEN: 1 | EVA:4 | THORNS:40 | BH:58 | REC: 8 | FLN: 8 | BRN: 56 | BLT 32 | LD:3 | HELLSTORM: 80 | DOTE: 1/3 | STNG [x1] | HORN
[6] Crozeph | HP: 840/840 | EN: 51/102 | DMG: 22+(4) | MIT:104 | ACC: [3] 7 | AA | PHASE | EVA: [-2] 2 | PARA-IM | BH:46 | REC: 4 | RISK: 8 | FLN: 16 | LD: [-3] 1 | HORN | [Blind 2] | [Madness I 12/3]

Callisto the Tainted | DMG: 300[+150] | MIT: 65 | ACC: -1[+3][-1] | EVA:0 | BLIND 2 (8-10) | RAMPAGE [3/6] | Iron Flesh | [TXC-V 64/1] | [ENV-O 32/2] | [ENV-O 32/2]

Thread Closing:

Xena receives:

2,270 EXP (Word Count [6059/10*3*0.7] + Quest [1000])
400 col (1 page [400])
Monkey Agility | Uncommon Consumable [potion] | A strange potion that boosts the user's Evasion by 1. Lasts for one thread. This item does not stack with existing Evasion Consumables.
TECH-D collected sword art unlocked.

Freyd receives:

7,623 EXP (Word Count [6059/10*18*0.7] + Quest [0])
1,143 col (1 page [0] + 15% P5 Reward [1143])

"Alright, so first we have to go tolerate an absolute and total ass-wipe of a mob boss, who thinks he's literally the hottest shit in this entire bloody desert and... Wulfrin?"

Freyd had agreed to bring Xena along for a quick run through Terra Firma territory, acknowledging with silent satisfaction that his old Sharkbait placard was still leaning against the nearby crates, albeit considerably more sun bleached.

"Wait... are you doing the thing?"  He'd noticed the young woman standing next to his counterpart, raising an eye at the potentially compromising catch and useful tool for causing future mischief with Ciela, if ever needed.  Not that he actually would, but he could, and that was enough to sate the worst of his inner impulses.  Besides, he could hardly claim any sort of moral high ground given the lovely young catwoman at his side.  Right, Freyd, stop being a dumbass.  He's your friend, and doesn't need your usual brand of nonsense right now.  Be nice.

"Oh... sweet.  Did you just pick up the quest?  Quick, share it and we'll tag along.  Anything that spares me speaking with that dickhead again is worth its weight in col."

Halting abruptly, the Whisper only suddenly seemed to recognize the awkwardness of the instantly familiar exchange.

"Err... right.  Hi," he added to his friend's companion.  "Freyd and Xena," as if this was sufficient introduction on the fly.  "Mind if we tag along?"

***

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) and CSA (Beckon the Void) are in use.  If any other player objects to these, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.
Note: Freyd has previously completed this quest.

Freyd consumes and shares:

Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6) - 1 portion [Filled]
Draft of Keen Edge | Tierless | Perfect Potion | Damage 3 | 235945
Madlad Meatloaf | Tierless Rare Meal | EVA 2 | 230509d
[Draught of Safeguard] - T4 Perfect Potion | Mitigation 3 | 218167-1

Freyd | HP: 1280/1280 | EN: 160/160 | DMG: 24 | MIT:212 | ACC: 8 (incl. AA)  | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:4 | BH:70 | VAMP-D: 70 | VAMP-O: 141 | PARA-V | LD:5

"How do you know?"  An honest question.  "I've done more impossible things than you might suspect, or ever imagine.  Would you at least let me try?  I can only do that if you let me know what's going on."  

Others might have given up by now, but the Whisper had a persistence about him.  Literally and figuratively.  Persi, his little black shadow mongoose familiar slunk out from beneath his armor and took on an inky solid form.  Her blazing blue slotted eyes revealed her nature as she tilted her head to assess the feline woman balled up before her.  Deciding to seek her own sustenance instead, she pranced along beneath the furniture and towards the kitchen where mayhem would undoubtedly ensue.

"Sharkbait?"  Freyd laughed aloud, trapped into having to explain his own absurdity.  "It's a quest involving a mutant sand shark named Terra Firma.  I drag newbies along to face it and basically fight it for them, but it gives them a massive experience boost at absolutely no risk.  The boss can only attack single targets, and I'm annoying enough to keep it from ever looking sideways at another player.  We could go run it, if you want.  Maybe it would help build up your confidence?"

"So he's been giving you trouble again?  I can't say that I'm surprised.  It's been quite a while, and old grudges have a habit of popping up again like some inevitable plague, or a birthday."  How else was one supposed to explain a respawning nemesis to an NPC?  Freyd found that providing them with a plausible explanation tended to make the AI more cooperative, like it appreciated the cues.  "I'm sure we can help each other out again, Kirk.  My associate and I," he added, pointing toward Kyoto, "will be quite happy to deal with your bandit problem, in return for the usual fee."

The two men shook hands, Kirk's shoulders visibly relieved of some invisible burden as he turned to give his fellow miners the good news.  Freyd took the opportunity to close the distance to where Kyoto stood, a dusting of ash and soot having already accumulated on the Whisper's pauldrons.  Tracking was such a useful and underestimated skill, especially when it came to maintaining an illusion of punctuality.

"Ready to beat up some bad guys?  This one's a good old-fashioned romp.  Oscar taught me how to leap like a superhero in this quest, if I recall."  The grin shining from his captain's face might have belonged on a Cheshire cat.

***

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) and CSA (Beckon the Void) are in use.  If any other player objects to these, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.
Note: Freyd has previously completed this quest.

Freyd consumes and shares:

Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6) - takes 1 portion
Draft of Keen Edge | Tierless | Perfect Potion | Damage 3 | 235944

Freyd | HP: 1280/1280 | EN: 160/160 | DMG: 24 | MIT:152 | ACC: 8 (incl AA) | TAUNT | F-SPIRIT | EVA:2 | BH:70 | VAMP-D: 70 | VAMP-O: 141 | PARA-V | LD:5

Signaling the bartender for two of whatever seemed most appropriate for their collective mood, he received an understanding nodded response.

"A corner it is," he replied, stoically, hooking the foot of a chair with his boot and dragging it back for his companion to be seated.  Folding himself into an opposing spot, Freyd sat back and listened as Xena struggled to get her words out, seeming to shrink in on herself with every revelation.

"Brokers don't share easily, do they?  Guess I can't say that's surprising, given what I know of them.  Would it surprise you to learn that I once considered following the same path?  It was back when we first started out.  I admired how brave you were for daring their shark-infested waters.  But it's hard to swim there indefinitely without getting bit, isn't it?"  Part admission, part outreach, Freyd had long wondered at the price of entry to that exclusive club.  People treated the brokers as valuable and resourceful sources of information, but rarely regarded the fleeting and perilous nature of their game.

"If you need help with any of those factions, let me know.  I have some dealings with various brokers, but our relationships are more mutually beneficial.  Barter is far better than blackmail, in my experience, and too many try to extort every penny they can for data that can save lives."  Pausing, as if to gauge her reaction and assess a possibility, Freyd spoke more slowly and deliberately when he resumed.  The note about her new store had garnered special interest.

"If you want out, we can find a way.  But I'll probably need to know more about what's been happening than you will want to admit.  Offer still stands, and will remain open."

Their drinks arrived, the waitress veteran enough to know when not to hang around.

"Why do you think I still patrol the lower floors, hang around with Marv to help newbies, or even run people through the Sharkbait training program?  Because people paid it forward for me.  Now, I do it for others.  That includes old friends, or anyone else who might feel left behind."

Lifting his mug, he offered her a silent toast and chugged back half its contents like wishing alone might actually turn it into beer.

Of course, it would happen here.  Diwali, being the festival of lights, might have helped her suppress her inner darkness, but catharsis for both of them could only inevitably occur at the Eyvinsung.  Here, where the contrast of darkness laid alongside clarity and introspection.  It was ground Freyd had already traveled, a journey made with her undeniable guidance.  Maybe... maybe those days in the dark were the very thing she needed to come to terms with her own.

The Thing Behind All Lies was a weapon, both literal and figurative.  It was the truth of all existence and the power of belief, of faith in one's self to choose who to become.  In another. Both their broken souls were in need of that epiphany, to transcend the bindings each had forged upon themselves.  

"I always thought I needed to be a light, like you were to me."  Eyes blazing furiously with the reflected image of her idealized self, an unreachable perfection serving as a beacon and tether to latch onto that part of her struggling against the monster, reaching like a distant lighthouse in a storm to bring her ship home.

"But where I'd built a monster around my soul to keep the world at bay, you've been struggling to hold yours in for too long."  

That beast fought with unbridled, animalistic fury - a rage born of cornered desperation fed the feedback of a lifetime's negative emotions.  Doubt.  Loathing.  Pettiness.  Fear.  Lies.  All had been eating her up for so very long, but found no purchase over him.  He'd already overcome those demons by her example, patience, and love.  Where once his hollow heart struggled to settle whether it should even exist at all, here, in the clarity of night that made all light so bright, he finally knew why.

"We're the opposite, Róisin.  And we're the same.  Two halves of the same sort of fractured self, struggling to find a way to fulfill something it  just can't understand.  But, it's not in ourselves.  The answers lay in our other half."

Reaching out his arms to bind and cradle her ravenous darkness, Freyd drew it into the vast emptiness within himself.  The very thing that had always terrified him, the truth of his being, became the very essence she required to temper and complete her own.  And, in so doing, he found what he'd always found lacking in himself.

"No wonder,"  he added, smiling and serene amidst all that chaos, finally realizing what had kept drawing them back together over and over again.  A perfect yin and yang, ever locked in each other's orbits, yet never quite ready to meet until destiny intervened.  There could be no stronger bond.

"Let it out," he whispered softly from his own shadow, offering her the key while raking claws and gnashing teeth of the gruesomeness she kept within failed to find purchase.  Instead, each flailing limb became entangled, mired in the infinite ocean of silent void he'd constructed to protect the tiny mote of his humanity - that fledgling thing.  Elora had found and fostered it, nurtured it and made it strong enough to be there when she needed it - to be here now, as it had always wanted to be.  So the very trap required to change the current of a maelstrom was ready and waiting in the stillness within him.

No wonder they said there was dancing.  No wonder I didn't think it was for me.  It wasn't.  The paradox.  The stillness and the current.  The silence and the song.  They belong together.

"Neither one of us can survive without the other.  We've been dancing around it for so long.  Maybe, with this, we can both find peace, if our hearts can just finally let it happen."

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

Hesitating at her reaction, Freyd waited a breath to let Sewallus get farther ahead and out of earshot.

"Look," he began, "I'm not sure what's going on, but if you don't want to talk in front of the NPC, I can understand.  What I'm not clear on is why an old friend is talking to me like she's trying to glean information for the next potluck at Brokers'R'Us, while telling me nothing about where she's been the last few years."  His smile inferred that he wasn't offended, just curious.  "I know it's just your way, but it risks putting people on their back foot and ready to walk away.  What you really seem to want is someone to have an honest conversation with, without negotiation or leverage required."

Tilting his head, Freyd sought to gauge her reaction and see how far off the mark his guess might be. 

"You're still alone, Xena, so far as I can tell.  And that can take its toll.  I know.  I spent a lot of time in self-inflicted solitary.  That price is paid over a thousand installments, but it can hollow you out without you ever knowing it."  Features softening from their usual edge, he did the same as he was asking of her and extended an olive branch.

"Look.  I can spare a bit of time now, because it's you, and you matter.  Why don't we find a corner in Florenthia and chat, about anything you want.  Or not.  We can just stare at each other for thirty minutes if you prefer."  The corners of his eyes and lips smiled in unison.  "For old time's sake?"

Guiding them along an assortment of twisted,barely used trails that look like they might have been made by animals rather than people, Freyd kept mostly silent during the brief journey.  He knew what was coming, the possibilities of what they might find.  Reaching the broad, unguarded cave mouth within a half hour, the two players could easily see its appeal to overzealous curiosity, as one might find in a child.   Pointing to particularly sizable droppings off to the side, he gestured for Ty stand ready while he approached the opening.  

"KOKO!"  Roaring like the crash of a waterfall into the depths, the booming sound reverberated throughout the cave, echoing repeatedly off the walls.  After a moment, a piercing cry replied, too loud to belong to a human child.

Crouching into a low guard with katana held high, Freyd barely blocked the wicked claws of an immense black pair of wings that came streaking out of the black.

"Take it out, Ty!  I'll hold here in case any more try to come through."

***

"Actually, I was being a tank there, just one able to deal damage.  If I hadn't been, he'd have come after you and plastered your pretty face all over the walls.  McDude doesn't care who he targets, as long as he gets to wallop someone."  Smiling at how Ty had immediately taken his comment to the absolute, he clarified by mentioning how most players were a combination on the spectrum of roles.  "I can probably count on one hand the number of players I know who were so dedicated to tanking or healing that they gave up all capacity to deal any damage in combat, even passively.  Mostly, it just means it takes longer to win a fight.  Support or not, you need some way to hold your own, if you ever get caught out in the open alone, yea?"

Smiling awkwardly as Ty dubbed him a professional, he couldn't help but wonder 'at what?'  Troublemaking?  Shit-disturbing?  Serving as a mob chew-toy?  Maybe just 'all of the above'?

"Don't worry, Choshi," he added, for whatever reassurance it might be worth, placing a heavy gauntlets upon the woman's slender shoulders with surprising tenderness.  "We know how much she means to you, and will bring her home."  

Together, they managed to get the woman's promise to remain in Urbus, and avoid imperiling herself.  Freyd even sent a message to a guild mate, who arrived minutes later to watch over her.  Older in appearance, with white hair and a trim beard, he quickly and formally introduced himself as Foyle, nodding at Freyd's brief instructions.

"Understood.  We'll be safe here," he replied, nodding in greetings to Ty.  She'd recognize his name from the Firm Anima's O&I roster.

"Thanks for making it here so quickly.  We shouldn't be long."  Nudging Ty gently by the crook of her elbow, he nodded them beyond the gate, trusting that they were leaving the NPC in capable hands.

"An affectionate nickname, graciously granted by the elves for services rendered."  Freyd offered Sewallus a small, courteous bow, as if out of some unspoken bond or respect.  The NPC returned it, offering no alternative explanation, and seeming content to consent by his silence.  "And I'll gladly join you for a drink, after the raid.  Call it a raincheck.  Too many people are waiting and counting on me to be late due to a social call.  But, please, make sure you don't become a stranger.  Aincrad isn't especially kind to solo players.  I would know."

Their elven escort, taking his cue from the personal exchange, had already started making his way back to Florenthia along the same path that brought them here in the first place.  High overhead, the silver lady smiled at seeing her woods protected and threats kept at bay.  

"Where will you go from here?  Maybe we could set a time and place to meet again before we split up again?  I'd ask you to message me, but everyone says that and then never does.  Maybe if we met by Marv, in the Town of Beginnings, in a week's time.  Do you remember the place?"

In the wake of three concussive waves rocking Ravana's grand moment, Freyd sought not to disappoint.  Stepping from one shadow to another, he reappeared to the mob's left and sliced down hard.  Screeching tore open the silence of Bizarro Ronburu as Samae'l Pride opened its maw and bit down, hard.  Black void within the blade carved its way through the mob's digital flesh like a vacuum, consuming every congealed dust bunny compressed into the demon's ridiculous-looking overstuffed outfit.  A stitch on its left side gave out, billowing like a dessicated fart could that the weapon conveniently devoured.  Eyes burning at his own embarrassment, Ravana struggled to recover from their overwhelming assault, will fighting against system-imposed constraints.

"Aww...boys.  I think we made the wee demon lad mad.  Nicely done, all of you."

He was also short about two thirds of his health in a span shorter than flame's lifespan outside of Snowfrost.  This demon wasn't long for his world. 

***

Freyd's Action:

Enemy's Turn:

Shaking his head to ward off her quick dismissal at the accomplishment fading to dust before them, Freyd wouldn't have it.

"Let yourself enjoy the win, Xena.  You earned this.  Yeah.  it was quick, because this boss needs to go down quick or he can cause some serious mayhem.  And, while I believe you could have taken him down alone, you might have come back to town with some fairly serious wounds.  My point is: things are always easier in a group, no matter who you are."

Knowing that she'd long been a loner, he had no expectations of breaking her solitary habits overnight.  Baby steps.  Positive reinforcement.  Demonstrable benefit and value.  These seemed more likely to appeal to a broker's mindset.  

"And that sword art you just unlocked is one of the best in the game, especially for a TECH shift.  You can deal some serious harm with it, and be a real asset to a bigger team by using it.  I just got a lucky hit, and so we got off light this time around.  Dunno about you, but I'm absolutely fine with that."

Still recovering from having watched his nemesis blown to bits before his eyes, and before he could even act, Sewallus was late to join the conversation.

"You're right, Daedhrog.  At least in so much as I understand your meaning.  It's wise to seek strong allies when bound for battle.  I've learned that the hard way, more times than I can count."

"Appreciated, but that's basically my chosen role.  I'm a tank, Ty.  I stand in front and take the hits while others work to take down our enemies."  It felt really weird to actually say that out loud, especially given how long he'd spent as one of the ground pounders dealing out the damage, but it was true.  This was the job he'd volunteered for.

A frantic woman, the same that had set Ty on her way in the first place, met them by the town gate.  It took a few minutes and calm steady voice to get her settled enough for any meaningful information to emerge.  

"Koko, my daughter, went with a friend to explore one of the local caves... how many times have I told her to stay away?  Something trapped them there.  Her friend, Lirya, escaped and returned to warn me of the danger, but my daughter's still trapped.  Please.  PLEASE!"  Her hands pawed at Freyd's armor, frantic waves of panic threatening to overwhelm her once more.  

"I know the cave," Freyd reassured her, his eyes matching Ty's to let her know she'd need to help get Choshi in a better mindset before they left.  "Don't worry.  We'll head straight there and make sure she's safe."

Stepping into the strange, ominous circle, Freyd found their surroundings suddenly swirling.  Everything turned a deeper, nastier, creepier shade of red as if every element had been completely marinated in blood.

"Someone needs to talk to their decorator... and the health department.  This can't possibly pass muster.  Hey!  Ravana?  Lilith wants her decor back!"  Nodding to the others to follow, the demon's herald had unwittingly given them an edge.  "Not sure if we're supposed to wander aimlessly around here for a bit, but we already got what we needed. Dude's this way, about five hundred yard out." 

An appreciative wink was sent Foyle's way, the elder having prodded the NPC at just the right time and just the right way.  Not quite good-cop/bad-cop, but just as effective, when used right.

"Alright.  I'm guessing we're in for the fight you all predicted, so let's play this by the numbers.  Wulfrin goes in first and disables, if bad-ass makes a move.  You two go in next and flank him, taking out any adds he might have.  I'll seal the deal in whatever way makes anything still standing mostly mad a me.  Sound like a plan?"

***

LD Searching for Crimson Fairgrounds | ID 238924 | LD 9+5=14 (Found!)

Freyd uses Tracking on Ravana.

"Loose lips sink ships.  Isn't that the phrase?  Not that I have any concerns about you spilling what few strategies we have to others, but it seems like information best left to those intending to use it, at least until the battle it done."  The sad truth was, Freyd couldn't actually know what Xena would do with the information and past raids were replete with occasions where players had killed other players.  It was all long before his time, but not worth the risk of repeating.  Something about her subtle prods for information was sitting well with his professional duties in service to his guild, though without any actual evidence to support what were little more than awkward suspicions.  Hopefully, that's all they are.

"Handle himself?  Oh, Sewallus?  I haven't lost him yet, but he's damned good at being squishy.  I'll send Persi in after he makes his big intro spiel.  Hopefully we can stun the Monkey King and keep it from acting at all.  If she misses, I'll need to you try the same.  Otherwise, we'll have little choice other than to burn through his health bars as quickly as possible."

The armored elf marched into the clearing, slamming his sword against his shield to make the loudest possible racket imaginable.

Subtle.

Something large rumbled through the underbrush at the tree line at far side of the clearing, bowling over a pair of massive oaks to burst out into the open.  The immense and raging gorilla barely cleared the last leaves before something dark zipped from beneath Freyd's clothing like a missile, smashing the mega-monkey full in the chest.  Eyes bulging from their sockets, the mob crumbled like a sack of potatoes only to find Freyd's katana cutting down as a follow up.  Instantly, its health dropped by ninety percent, presenting Xena with a perfect opportunity for the kill.

"Now!  Finish him before he recovers!"

***

"Yeah.  That was an NPC.  They do a good job of hawking that one and snaring player feels before you can figure out what's going on.  Don't feel bad.  It does you credit that you cared."  Crossing his arms and leaning against a nearby lamp post, chomping on his own share of dessert, he waited casually as Ty organized herself. 

"Freyd, please, or 'hey you'" he clarified, politely.  "We don't need to be so formal, and it reveals more about who we are than might be wise to otherwise let on."  A single eyebrow raised as she donned the armor, as it adapted itself to fit her far curvier form than its own.  "Doubt if that ever looked as good on me.  Best you keep it, I think.  And, you shouldn't feel bad for caring about that woman or her child.  It's actually important to do so.  Just bear in mind that the system knows that too, and won't be afraid to tug at your emotions to tease, test, or even trap you.  Cardinal's not really known for its sense of fair play, let alone Kayaba."

With a nudge, he pointed down the main  thoroughfare towards the nearest gate.  Most of Urbus' medieval streets were narrow and winding, even the largest of them.  Pulling his cowl up over his head, Freyd's features seemed to melt into darkness beneath the soft woolen hood as its draped and settled casually into place.  The fabric had become so much a part of his persona that few could actually envision him without it.

"Alright scout.  This is your outing.  How do you want to handle this?  Just pretend that I'm only here as a meat shield."