Freyd

With the last of the mischievous cats clawed off him, Freyd found himself scratched to pieces. Frayed bits of black cloth lay strewn about the landscape, in magnitudes greater than the clothes on his back could possibly yield. There were even a could of toys laid about that must have been lost under a couch and somehow resurfaced. "I think I finally appreciate how my grandmother's furniture felt." Covered in hair and slender lacerations, the calico mobs had somehow done a number on him, without actually doing any damage. "I don't recall a cat-nado being on the agenda for this tri

"Holy hell. Oliver? Now there's a twist for ya!" He barely got the words out while keeping his face straight. Even the mob was stunned, though perhaps also literally after Acanthus' deft blow. "And if there's a dad, does this make him a mini-boss? I mean, if the diaper fits, right?" Stumbling in a stupor, the mob reminded Freyd of someone he'd fought many times before. "He kinda looks suspiciously like Ugzeke - a floor boss down on twenty one. Which could either mean he's part troll, or Ug'zeke is part baby, or both. Or, I could just be rambling. All I'm saying is, there's a

Thread Closing: Morningstar receives: 2,960 EXP (Word Count [4233/10*7*0.5] + Quest [0] + 100% Recruitment Drive Bonus) 8,544 col (1 page [100] + Loot [8000] + 15% P5 Reward [444]) 2 Materials (Loot [2]) 1 mon (from Shield Art Playtest) T4 Rare Trinket 231913 Omen receives: 5,846 EXP (Word Count [4233/10*1*0.5] + Quest [2500] + 100% Recruitment Drive Bonus) 8,100 col (1 page [100] + Quest [8000]) 15 Materials (Quest [15]) Photosynthesis Extra Skill unlcoked 1 mon (from Shield Art Playtest) Circe receives: 5,846 EXP (Word Count [4233/10*1*0.5] + Ques

Freyd's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when Montjoy lifted the the cup and make him another drink, and just as he preferred it too. The Whisper was pale at the best of times, and not easily caught off guard, but it took every nugget of willpower to keep from leaping to his feet and scrambling backwards at the unexpected twist. How long have you been able to do that?! The featureless shadow 'stared' back in his direction. The shades lacked all detail and were merely voids in the light, or a balloon filled with absence. Without substance, they'd never been able to interact with

"Dine and dash? Why not" This place was a virtual buffet. "And tomato garden does sound weird." Placing their discussion on hold, his two companions decimated the grove guardians, slicing them to pieces with extreme culinary prejudice. Acanthus had been going on about something or other when they were interrupted. Freyd was only half-paying combat half his attention, the rest of it reserved for the sea of little back dots clustered all over the surrounding shrubs. "Jackpot! I can't believe you actually found some!" The guardians were being predictably rude, flailing after them with

That last part brought a gentle, wistful smile to Freyd's lips. How long had he thought himself mad? Maybe he'd actually finally gone over the edge and just learned to adjust better. That was the real catch, wasn't it? You could never be sure of anything in this world, save one immutable truth. Sighing and sipping his tea, the pause between then seemed to drag on while the Whisper's gaze locked onto the water's surface like he was clinging to some elusive memory. Refractions on a disturbed mirror casting false doubts shading layers of depth and mystery beyond. When the world rode on suc

Freyd's face was inscrutable, until he allowed it to relax. The mask was too practiced to let slip by accidently and required conscious effort. Wulfrin had earned that privilege. What revealed itself was a mixture of knowing serenity, sadness and nostalgia, harshness fading from his normally stern expression. Someone had once called it resting cowl face. Apt. "They can be quite convincing, can't they?" In the background, Freyd's shadow shifted against the direction of the sun, as if leaning closer to snoop, like the local neighborhood busybody might on a park bench, pretending to

"We'll get to business once enough players have arrived," Freyd replied to Morningstar and Wulfrin, the duo having performed admirably through the ceremony. "Gathering this many players tends to be chaotic, at best. If we start too soon, we'll repeat the same info a dozen times over." Other players soon entered the pavilion, some from the wedding and others having just caught wind of the event through various respective grapevines. Covering his left eye, he winked to Koga with the other, the two having last seen each other outside of raids in their efforts against the game's persistent pir

"Used to have?" Omen's comment snared his attention. "Care to explain?" Neither of their escorted players were particularly potent, just yet, judging by what they'd seen and said to date. It was purely a factual assessment, without demeaning their courage at having come out here in the first place. "You seem like an older player, so I'm curious to learn what you meant." Accepting Circe's offers with a friendly smile and nod. He extended the same courtesy to Omen with the same hand. Thunder grumbled ominously in the distance, reminding them that this wasn't the best place to linger

"Holy shit... they actually did it!" Freyd's initial reaction was to watching Ty take up a defensive position over their floundering teammate - an impressive feat in the desert, yet apt to their foe. A single hit from the vicious sand shark would have obliterated her from existence, and she knew it. She'd been warned, and chose to stand anyway. Acanthus, meanwhile, shows off one of the gutsiest moves he'd ever seen by a newbie across all the many runs of the Sharkbait training program, using herself as an improvised spike chain for the beast to rake itself across. Essentially, she'd u

"I swear to god, Star, if you landed us in a Fruit of the Looms commercial.... I am not fighting against animated underwear!" Freyd groaned and laughed at the same time, wondering what he'd done to deserve this day, and half-convinced this was still some sort of fever dream like that one with the three meme-geddon bosses from years back. "My money's either on a masquerading broccoli crown or some sort of angry pineapple. Those spikey things at the top always seem like they belong to royalty." He shrugged, grinning despite himself and the absurdity of their circumstances. "Between you

"Hrm. Yeah. I'm not seeing any, so I guess it's time to poke around." Acanthus boggled him slightly by her odd comments and sudden production of citrus, her general quirkiness deemed amusing, until... "Wait. You're a forager?!" It was like the heavens had just opened up and sent pure fortune and radiance shining down upon them. Fishing was useless at this sort of thing. Olives, sadly, never took the bait. "And, your schedule is unusually regimented." It wasn't exactly a compliment, nor truly an insult. Freyd was more anal retentive than most in his habits and had filled lite

Watching Morningstar do his thing with style, Freyd wondered whether his earlier quip about entertainment might not be far off. The man knew his business, and could be counted on reliably in any fight. Sadly, it wasn't a trait all players in Aincrad possessed. Since he'd started pretending to the role of tank, starting in the last raid, such details became increasingly obvious to him. "Nicely done!" Encouragement rarely hurt - usually, the opposite. The larger fellow they'd snagged and brought along for the trip went next, smiting the mob with a clever move meant to provide advanta

"It feels strange to be heard." That onion had so many layers on, it could cook itself in open sunlight. "And thanks. It's going to take time to become accustomed." Serving Wulfrin first , Freyd followed the rites with strangely specific formality, like he'd been trained in another life. "I am always busy, it seems. Yet, I will always come, if called." The paradox was so Freyd it hurt. Their current contrast, Freyd staring at a near-spitting image of himself, without looking or feeling like himself, was hardly lost. When Wulfrin's pensive tone returned, it took an unexpected turn,

"What the heck is she doing? Did her weapon get stuck or something?" Without the luxury of standing still for any length of time, the best Freyd could manage was tumble sharply to the left, forcing the mob to veer and shake his ally loose in the opposite direction. Contorting his body like it was made of rubber, the Whisper snared the sand shark by the snout, if only barely. It was enough. The sword art unleashed shattered the forefront of the mob's avatar, granting him the greater purchase required for a better grip. As his feet returned to ground, he whirled with momentum and flung

Watching their angles of attack, Freyd monitored the mob's health and condition closely, waiting to make his move. Morningstar raced in, fast, hitting the lounging lion like a speeding bus and sending it skittering with an indignant roar, paws and flower petals flying everywhere. Acanthus followed suit, sensing her opportunity to add insult to injury, pummeling the poor mob to the extent that hardly anything was left of it. How the mighty had quickly fallen. "Forgive us, Ki'Raion. You deserve better." The words were spoken to no one in particular, the others likely too distant to hea

Freyd's mood dimmed substantially as they passed over and through the bastion wall, enduring the droning tales of the elders whose only job it was to tell them then beg them for alms. By the time they reached the shrine on the far end of the bridge, light was streaming in line directly between the sixteen statues arrayed on either side. Paying the stone figures no mind, his gaze was locked one the beam splitting their ranks, mental calculus factoring seasonal shifts, travel constraints and the difficult terrain. "I assume the two of you are here for Photosynthesis? Few people wander ou

Setting aside a dozen other crowded scrolling screens from his user interface, shoving them into the background to better read Wulfrin's message, something about it had caught Freyd's attention. This either meant very good news, or very bad. People didn't retrace their steps in this way without a need for nostalgic connection, often including a time when the world made more sense. "How many times have I found myself searching for the same." Azure eyes drifted to the rack in the corner of the room, new armor waiting to be donned - a new life to begin. "I set him on his current

"Plans? Does that mean beach volleyball or another card game? I seem to keep catching you in the middle of some sort of leisure activity, unless you're just... yanno... lost?" Freyd waved his hands around randomly, gesturing to the entirety of the floor around them. "And don't you pay him," he counseled Acanthus. "That's like feeding pigeons. Next thing you know your house will be covered in poo and Morningstar will be nesting in the attic. Besides, it's good for him to do this sort of thing every once in a while. It keeps his scoundrel rating manageable. That's in your third tie

Big feels go with this one. 1. Applying Free Skill Respec from Paragon level 25. 2. Applying Cluster of Stars [ID 202751b] to change Samael’s Pride from handwraps to Katana, then appl Nametag [202753b] to change Samael’s Pride description from: Samael’s Pride (T4 Demonic Weapon (MA, Crafted) – Fallen 2, Holy 2) Acquisition ID [167646c] | Roll ID: 168850, 168851, 168852 Between all good and evil, or light and dark, there is a line drawn by the pride of Samael, the fallen angel. It is a line from which said pride fervently hungers to stray and yet paradoxically seeks to sus

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"Thank you sensei." Freyd's usually casual and flippant demeanor always made it more poignant when he chose to be formal. There was weight behind the words, conveying unspoken gratitude for far more than the lessons they had shared. "But, I worry that you might be substituting one type of pain for another," he added, glancing in the direction of the missing sword. She'd know what he meant without the need to make it any more blatant. "And you never answered my earlier question about your past." It was a statement of observation, intended only to provoke more introspection on he

Freyd waited patiently, watching Katoka make her way to the change rooms from the corner of his eyes. Sitting patiently, he turned his gaze back towards the troublesome blade that seemed so bothersome to his adopted sibling. Its features were unchanged. Though no smith, he'd forged its amalgam in ways no steelmonger ever could, wielding the mystic essence inherent to such items as only appraisers could. It was like playing with the soulstuff of items, yet remained relatively unknown given its recent addition as a game feature. "What if I messed something up? Could it be taunting its

Freyd just blinked, dumbfounded at finding himself in the same situation in as many days, both times with Morningstar stumbling into the scene in a similar fashion. "Are you stalking me or something?!" Said in jest, it was nonetheless weirdly coincidental to run into each other twice in as many days in precisely the same place and equal manner. Freyd nearly jumped onto the ceiling, or would have if one existed, at the sound of Acanthus' voice prodding at him from behind. "Who the... you know Omen? And when the heck did you get all growed up?! You were still wearing sharkskin diaper

"Oh good! You're here. Glad you got my message." Freyd walked and talked, snaring Morningstar by the shoulder and guiding him towards the edge of the village, making shit up as he went along. "Look, there's a thing needs doing and it involves hunting down the only reason anyone comes to this godforsaken floor. Ki'Raion's the key, so we've got to take him down ASAP, capiche?" It was pure bullshit, but the Whisper had a talent for spinning a tale that even Morningstar might believe, and the two of them had lived through enough craziness that it was all perfectly plausible. Who neede