Freyd

His foe would be more hesitant to try another tail strike after Freyd's latest slash had nearly cut it off.  The scorpion switched to relying on its two large pincers instead, which were admittedly still formidable.  Freyd's metal blade clanged loudly as it repeatedly clashed against the thing's heavy shell.  Persi had also returned to dancing about, further infuriating the beast and causing it.

He had also neglected to consider the risk posed by its mandibles, until they nearly cut his arm in half.  Thank goodness for his vambraces.  He had to beat it with a the hilt in the head a few times before it finally let him go.

Things improved once he managed to get some distance between them again, where he could swing more cleanly.  Several parts of its chitin had cracked, leaving the pulpy, underlying flesh exposed and vulnerable.  They made tempting targets, if you could land a few well-placed thrusts.

"Yup.  I just spent all my luck again finding that familiar, didn't I?"

Freyd was flat on his back again after another heavy swat from the back of the scorpion's pincer.  A quick roll to the right just dodged the strike of its tail.  Scrambling back to his feet again he caught the same blue eyes staring quizzically at him, this time from behind a boulder.

"Don't judge," he clamored, "you have no idea what I had to go through before we found each other."  Persi did, actually; she had been trailing him stealthily since this whole misadventure began.  Freyd either wasn't a particularly good fighter, or he was often in over his head.  It could be both.  It was his good heart and determination that had garnered her attention.

"I swear that the random number generator just has it out for me."  He deflected another tail strike and batted away another pincer with a pommel blow.  It occurred to him how it was strange that he was suddenly willing to speak his thoughts out loud now that he felt like someone was listening.  The scorpion didn't care.

The two handed straight sword proved a good match against the long reach of the scorpion's tail, but the addition of its two massive claws complicated the odds.  Freyd parried the former only to be knocked prone by one of the pincers.  He was saved, unexpectedly, when Persi leapt onto the monster's back, scratching and biting at its more vulnerable joints.  The mongoose couldn't penetrate its hardened exoskeleton, but it was enough of a distraction to let him get back on his feet.  Persi darted back into shadows under a nearby cactus the moment Freyd recovered.

"Good timing!"  he said, gratefully.  "You've got pretty good timing.  I can't wait to see how well we work after some actual training - though I suppose this would also count."

A par of bright blue eyes appeared from the shadows and blinked once, before vanishing again.  The irritation on its back having gone, the scorpion turned its beady gaze back to its original target.

Freyd was on alert the moment Persi froze, then came darting back to stand beside him.  She might have caught a scent or felt vibration of its approach while wandering ahead of him.  The sudden emergence of a giant scorpion before them would have been a complete surprise, had it not been for her warning.

The chitinous grey stinger burst forth from beneath a patch of what had previously looked like compacted sand.  Its aim was wide, perhaps thrown off by the amount of surrounding rock.  Freyd managed a series of quick darting strikes against the thing before it fully extracted itself from the sand.  Persi danced around it, distracting the scorpion and forcing it to focus on two targets at once.  Freyd doubted that the mongoose could do much against its thick, armor-like shell, but appreciated the unsolicited help.  It was a promising start to their partnership that his little blue shadow friend so eagerly worked her actions in concert with his.

They soon occupied each other with an assortment of games as they walked.  Persi favoured the one where he used a polished silver buckler he'd picked up some time back to shine a spot on the ground.  Interestingly, whenever she covered the spot with her shadow-covered paw, it would vanish completely.  Whatever the nature of her shadow aura, it completely blocked the passage of light.

When Persi grew tire of chasing the vanishing spot, they switched to chasing sticks and small pebbled.  One skittered under a nearby pile of rocks and kept her attention long enough for Freyd to investigate.  Perhaps it had once been home to a group of smaller creatures, but he found nothing else of interest.  Collecting a fresh stash of pebbles, their game continued as they wandered back towards Fortaleza.

By this point, Persi had taken the lead and left him to follow her along, which was fine as she kept going in the intended direction.

Freyd camped alongside the mongooses in their den that night.  It was an odd experience.  Now that Persistence had accepted him, the rest were more willing to approach.  Next thing he knew there were twenty of the things nuzzling at his sides or laying on top of him.  It was remarkably comfortable, like having an especially fluffy silk blanket thrown over you, and mixture of cool shade with body heat.  Despite the bizarre circumstances, he slept soundly for the first time since his arrival in Aincrad.

There were no parting issued the next morning.  The rest of the pack went off to scrounge themselves a morning meal.  He and Persi simply wandered away from the den, then the canyon, without either of them looking back.  She was quite content to follow along, though often by trailing behind him and darting between rocks, dry scrub brush or other areas of cover.  Once the reached the main road on the pass, she remained at his side.  There was a cat-like quality to her actions, which probably made sense.  Freyd vaguely recalled reading somewhere once that the two species were related in some way.  

Familiar Name: Persistence

Description:

A blue shadow mongoose, Persistence is roughly two feet of long, with a physical form that consists of slick blackness as dark as a void, or starless sky, wrapped in an aura of roiling shadows that emanates within about of foot of its body.  Two large, bright blue eyes with the same horizontal pupils common to all mongooses are its only other distinguishing feature.  Cool to the touch, its fur feels like the softest silk over coiled muscle.  Frequently underestimated due to their small size, all blue shadow mongooses are cunning predators that rely on lighting agility and reflexes to outmaneuver foes several times their size and subdue them with unexpected, crippling strikes using their sharp claws and wicked bite.  They are resistant or outright immune to most venoms, making them natural enemies to serpents of every kind.

Freyd found Persistence after an extensive search of the species' natural habitat in the desert canyons of floor 5 - or perhaps she finally let him find her?  The ordeal was certainly in keeping with her standard approach: to exhaust her prey, or any predator foolish enough to threaten her.  She had first observerd him in secret as he sought to save another of her kin from a trio of iron vipers, then as he drove off several local predators, and finally dealt with other lumbering invaders in her den.  Having proven that he was trustworthy, and assured that should could leave the rest of her pack in good condition, Persistence willingly accepted Freyd.  Which one of them is truly the master in this arrangement remains to be determined.

Thread Link: [F5-SP] <<Feeding Your Enemy>> - Freyd (still in progress)

Familiar found on roll ID#153005

Familiar tamed on roll ID#153006

Familiar Mastery Skill: <<Training your Friend>> not complete
 

"Well," he said quietly, fearful that he might scare it off if he spoke in anything louder than a barely perceptible whisper.  

"You're a rather difficult one to find," he added with a small smile.  "Maybe I just needed to let you find me instead."  It was a comforting thought.

The mongoose blinked, causing its eyes to vanish momentarily, as if swallowed by the darkness of its ever-changing body.  The sun had already touched the horizon, enriching the contrast between that darkness and the terracotta red of the surrounding stones.  

Summoning the gypsy's bag near his other hand, where it stood less chance of startling his new friend, he reached inside with his left hand and pulled forth some of its contents.  Slowly reaching his arm around, he held out his open palm, presenting them to the mongoose.  He could feel the pin-pricks of its claws on his right hand, as it stretched itself out to sniff at his offering.

It turned to gaze at him again.  Freyd felt like he was being evaluated, and dropped all pretenses.  He was vulnerable, and made no attempt to conceal it.  His fears and doubts flooded to the forefront of his mind and he felt again as he had when this infernal trap had first closed around him.  His eyes welled with tears that threatened to overwhelm him.  But, this time, he had the experience and determination that had previously been missing.  Closing his eyes and swallowing the rising tide of emotions, he re-opened them a moment later and faced its scrutiny.

They sat there staring at each other for a good long while.  The mongoose was the first to break off contact.  Having apparently made its decision, it curled itself up on his lap and start nibbling at the food in his outstretched hand.

Freyd took a deep breath, then gently stroked its back with his other hand.  It felt cool and soft, with a consistency of iced silk laid over coiled muscle.  Its shadowy aura engulfed his hand, masking it below the wrist.

Persistence.  

The name was apt, recalling the journey that had been required to get here, but also to remind them of what lay ahead.  "What do you think, Persi?"  The mongoose responded only by nestling deeper into his lap, craning its head over his knee to watch the setting sun, and exposing its belly for a proper rub.

"How the hell is something that big also that nimble?"  Freyd wondered as he tumbled back to his feet, his weapon having not even come close to making contact with the gigantic, freaky pig-dude.  His options were limited, and so was his damage output compared to most others on the field.  Where could he best contribute?  Nearby, some lady who REALLY liked orange seemed to be saying something about splitting up damage.  Not a bad idea, but the swine’s speed was going to make dealing even damage tricky at best.

Noticing the icon above her head, he couldn’t help wonder if she’d PKed just to change it to match the rest of her appearance.  Maybe he’d get a chance to ask, if he lived.

*uRKK*

The same gut-wrenching sensation returned as the two bosses at the forefront respawned and repeated their attacks.  Freyd fell to one knee, but was more focused on looking about to see if anyone else had been knocked out completely.  He was hardly a veteran, but there were others here worse off than himself, who might not last much longer.  That last notion steeled his resolve.

“On it!” he yelled back in the orange direction, confirming her command.  He had no idea whether she was actually in charge, or if anyone was, but it seemed like a practical course of action.  Forgiven Disobedience slashed before him in two wide arcs, sending glimmering white shockwaves in an outward blast, hoping to catch all three foes, if he was lucky.
 

Freyd woke with a start as his body began leaning forward towards the vast opening and fall of the void before him.  He'd fallen asleep, or something akin to it.  Thank goodness the shift in equilibrium had awoken him.  An impact with the canyon floor would have been far less kind. 

He had braced his arms on the edge of the ledge to catch himself, and suddenly felt a cool, tingling sensation on his right hand.  Turning only his eyes, slowly, he discovered a simmering patch of black shadow sniffing silently at his fingertips.  Two azure eyes with unusual, black, horizontally-slotted pupils carefully examined his hand.  The creature was about two feet long, with a body as black as night and wreathed in roiling, silent shadows.  It was like staring into a void, or starless night, save for those two brilliant eyes.  

The blue shadow mongoose paused, then turned its head slowly upward, gazing directly at him as he did the same. 

No.  The wind is a voice without words.  I am like the whisper implicit in all shadows.  I am the untold, and thus unknown.  How can I be?  I cannot sense myself, nor find my way in darkness.  I am lost, and yet wanting to be found.  Who will find me?  Shall I find myself?  Yes, that may be best, so that I can know who I am.  All shadows chase the light, or flee from it.  I am not the shadow.  It is merely where I've lost myself.  I think I'm an idea - or the beginnings of one.  What are such things called?  I am potential, like what remains of all the others here.  Some have grown bold and forged themselves into legends - endless tales woven together to create people.  They have learned and earned identity.  I must do the same.

But, I am the whisper in the shadows.  How do I become more?

It is simple: you step into the light.  

Alone with his thoughts, Freyd drifted through his recent memories and experiences.  Faces of the people he had met flashed before him, and the countless others he had seen while hiding in the Town of the Beginnings.  Here he was, finally away from the prison he had created within another, stretching his wings and finding his spirit once again.

"Do I even remember who I was?"  He'd lost himself, deliberately, for so long that he struggled to recall.  Who was Takeshi Sanamoto, anymore?  What had become of him?  Did he still exist, somewhere, as little more than a husk connected to tubes and wires, lying in a hospital bed?  Did anyone still trapped in here exist in any other way?  At what point did this world become more real than the old one?  His racing mind was avoiding the one true questions that nagged at it incessantly, until it rose, unbidden and unwanted to the surface.

"Am I still sane?"

The scouring, hot wind bouncing of the parched walls of the canyon before him was his only response.  

I am like the wind.

Glancing around at the surrounding area, he was surprised to see no loot nodes anywhere in the canyon.

"Someone must farm this area on a regular basis," he thought aloud, dangling his legs slowly in the wind.  The hot air currents bounced off the surrounding rocks and were channeled towards the broader valley and oasis he had found farther 'downstream.'  It amused him to consider it as such, given the parched nature of this level. 

Strange that he hadn't seen anyone else around.  Floor five was hardly anywhere near the front lines, but the so-called 'lost lands' were still said to be regular grinding areas.  Something was suddenly hurting his eyes, forcing him to blink.  The sun had caught the bracer on his right arm in just the right way to reflect its glare, like a reflection on a glass-covered high rise or freshly washed car.  Turning his arm reminded him of the people whose names were engraved upon the steel surface of his new gear.  They were all strangers to him.

She collapsed forward, the bleed still eating her away from within.  Her axe lay beside her, but she could no longer wield it.  One hand reached forward, haltingly, and grabbed his leg.  There was no strength behind it.  She looked up with hatred in her eyes, staring at Freyd.  A casual thrust finished her off, but he swore he saw her eyes turn red in the final instant before her body shattered.  The same malice-driven red as the thief/assassin outside of Zackariah's shop during his first 'Lessons' quest.  They haunted him still.

For all the trouble they had caused, the gnolls garnered him relatively little loot.  

"Seems to be the way my luck is going today," he griped.  

Swinging his legs over the side of the ledge, he let his sword slip back into storage and decided to just enjoy the view while he recovered.  Between the tumbleweed, viper, jackal and gnolls, it had already been a fairly hectic day.

Could it really be that easy?

Focusing on the patterns and movements of his blade, Freyd brought it to a sudden stop with the tip touching the surface of the ledge at his side.  The gnolls paused, wary of a ruse.

"Time's up, manling!"  Their leader hefted her greataxe high, cackling menacingly as she did. Her lackeys did the same.  

One flash of angelic flash and four instantaneous thrusts later, her minions' lanky forms collapsed to the ground.  The pack leader's eyes bulged awkward as she grappled with the realization that a gaping hole had suddenly appeared in her abdomen, and that it was oozing viscous white fluid from where her internal data lay exposed.  Her health bar crashed down towards zero, the final few ticks slowing just enough to let him register her expression.

"Hrgh...how?!" she stammered.  "We had you!"  Her axe clanged to the floor as the other gnolls disintegrated around her.  Her hands tried desperately to keep her liquefied bytes from spreading outward, but to no avail.

"Now, you fools!" the alpha shrieked in rage.  "First dibs to whoever chops off his lips!"  Personal hygiene was definitely a sore spot. 

Hygiene... Hyen... 

All four gnolls attacked at once with overhead strikes, interrupting his daydream word-association and causing Freyd to make a series of acrobatic dodges - essentially pulling a Neo.  He'd never been so glad to have spent so much time watching The Matrix.  The cassock added to the similarity, he supposed, but he'd always thought of himself as a Morpheus, more than a Neo. 

'Not who I'd chose to model myself after,' he pondered, 'but I'll settle for the effective defense, even if only barely.'  All the other kids wanted to be Neo.  He had always been searching for something deeper.

He kept his blade moving and swirling around him, parrying strikes as they came.  It actually felt like it was getting easier, which was some small comfort.  At least the hyena-headed gnolls hadn't landed any hits in a while.

OWWwww.  Bad move!

His insult had garnered him a swift strike to his left arm and nearly sent his weapon sailing to the bottom of the red canyon.  

'I really don't want to have to go back down there to pick it up', he cursed, recalling the tedious climb.  The female gnoll he'd insulted turned out to be their alpha, and far better with her axe than Freyd had anticipated.  A quick pommel-driven counter to the chest forced her back, but Freyd's position was poor.  Four on one would wear him down too quickly, and the gnolls had been determined enough to track him most of the day.  They would not give up easily now, especially while they had the advantage.

"What took you so long to get here," he jested unconvincingly.  "I've been killing time all afternoon, waiting around for you to catch up.  Are your fleas dragging you down?  Why don't we give you a shave to help with that?"

As eager as they were to jeer and threaten, none of them had enough guts to rush him alone.  They pokes and prodded, and sought to drive him towards the edge of the ledge.

"What's the matter?" he taunted.  "Too chicken to actually commit?"  They barked and growled in reply.

"Watch your step, meat stick!" the tallest of them replied.  He had a mangy look about him and had a long scar over his right eye.  He wheezed and coughed as he spoke.  Freyd noticed the marks of several old small puncture wounds at his ribcage.  This one had fought players before.  

"We'll be feasting on your innards soon enough," teased another.

"Wait? You're female!?" sniped Freyd.  "I wouldn't have guessed it."

The other gnolls laughed with him, for a moment, before the snap of her pearly teeth refocused them on their task.  Dissension in the ranks could be useful, if he could time it right.

Freyd burst out into a sudden and violent fit of hacks and coughs. He nearly doubled over before catching himself and his balance, leaning on a nearby porch rail for support.  His skin was beet red, threatening purple if he got much worse.

"I'm sorry," he choked out hoarsely, flailing his left hand about and then pointing at his neck before adding: "Something... caught in my... throat."  He held a single finger up as he tried swallowing, even calling up a health potion, in case he needed to seem more convincing.

After several deep, gulping breaths, he managed to stand straight again.  The timer on the party offer was near expiring.  Turning back toward Assassin, he had a mischievous grin splitting his still-pinkish face ear to ear. With a surprisingly steady hand, and only a second left on the timer, he pressed 'yes'.

"Tell me honestly,"  he added, his voice returning to the previously soft if slightly more jovial tone, "did I oversell it?"

His once more unassuming eyes had resumed their explicitly simple demeanor.

"I've been told I have a rather dark sense of humour."  He hoped his prank would not come across as mocking or cruel, but then, someone named 'Assassin' needed to be able to take a joke.

Freyd had to rush his first few steps to catch up with her, but then had no trouble keeping pace.

"That sounds good," he replied, a friendly smile finally rising upon his face.  "The first quest took me a lot longer to complete solo than I expected.  I'm sure we can blitz through this thing more quickly together.  I'd be quite happy to have some company for the next two parts."

Genuine relief overcame Freyd at his new companion's proposal.  He glanced at his white-bladed sword, with its intricate rose gold accents snaking around its silver guard and pommel, before holding it against his back and letting it disappear into storage.  Its origins remained a mystery to him.

"I don't think I'm much higher level than you are,  but am trying to get these quests done before they become obsolete."  He blushed slightly.  "It could also just be the completionist in me.  I always tried to explore all of a game's content, often at the expense of advancement."

He shrugged his shoulders, as if accepting that it was just his way, and it wasn't likely to change.

"Who's Nee-Chan, by the way?"

@Assassin

"Fre... " he started, but abruptly cut himself off.  His voice was unexpectedly soft and disarming, though his stance suggested a degree of social awkwardness.

"Nevermind,"  he said, laughing softly.  It wasn't worth it.  He might offend her, and she'd likely be happier calling him whatever she wanted.  Changing the topic seemed prudent.

"I thought I was the only one still wandering around the starter areas and quests," he added, taking a new approach.  "You seem to be pretty good with that dagger, Sin-chan, how is it that you're still hanging around here?"  Her conservation of effort had not gone unnoticed.  Freyd's nature compelled him to endlessly analyze everything and everyone around him.  Even now, he was scrutinizing the details of her face, dwelling on her scars without staring.  Were they the result of some past altercation, or perhaps abuse?  Was she more practiced than she let on?  

This is why you don't have any friends, came the pesky internal commentary that inevitably felt it necessary to contribute.  

@Assassin

"Oh, uh," Freyd stammered, apparently caught off guard by both her speed and intensity, plus the snow leopard. 

"Hi," he finally managed to sputter, "I'm, ah... Freyd - I mean - Freyd, yes, that's me."   It wasn't the most impressive introduction.  In fact, it was really the opposite.  He might have been reasonably competent with a sword, but words were apparently still above his skill rank.

"If you've collected all your items, I thought we could walk back to Lyle's together," he added, slowly increasing the coherence of his speech. 

"Nice familiar" he then blurted out, in a more normal-person tone that actually revealed some capacity for emotion.  He seemed genuinely interested.  "I've been meaning to go search for one myself.  Where did you two meet?"

Freyd had deliberately made no sudden moves of provocations, treating the girl and her pet as potential predators.  His instincts still defaulted to considering himself as prey in Aincrad, though that was slowly changing.

@Assassin

She was impressively fast - enough to ensure that Freyd kept his sword out, leaning its long blade over his shoulder.  The penchant for dagger-wielders to turn out to be PKers was also enough to make him wary.  Knowing the conditions of the quest, out of courtesy, he dared not interfere with her attacks.  Freyd had met very few other players in the game, so far.  Given that they were both working on the same quest, it seemed reasonable to walk back to Lyle together.  Perhaps she was a newly progressing player, like himself?

He waited patiently, allowing a small, pleasant smile to settle onto his face.  Another boar pup spawned at his feet while he waited.  Thinking to check her reflexes, he gave it a swift kick, launching the startled beast through the air bound towards her general direction.

This should prove interesting, he thought to himself, watching to see what she would do with the incoming, flying pig.

@Assassin

One particular pup had barely escaped his first sweep.  Freyd was about to follow it when he heard another squeal behind him.  Turning, he saw the young girl that had just pounced upon another foolishly ambitious piglet that had dared to try sneaking up behind him.

"Oh," he said, rather blandly, "Uh... thanks?"  He raised one eyebrow, awkwardly, not really sure what to say.  Other than his ornately detailed, white two-handed sword, with its red trim and filigree, Freyd's appearance was rather plain and unassuming.  He wore a black, featureless cassock, looking much like a catholic priest from the 1950s, but without a collar, dark leather boots.  Other than his sword, only the pair of gleaming steel vambraces on his forearms made any impression.  His tussled hair and eyes were brown, albeit with a slight hint of red in the latter.  Probably no older than his mid-twenties, he seemed remarkably unremarkable.

A pathetic series of snorts and squeals sounded from behind him.  The little board pup had called in some reinforcements.  It, and four others, were making a nearly adorable charge towards Freyd, with murderous intent in their cute little eyes.  There was a flash of white, and the pup's three allies were cleaved in half, it somehow having survived a second time, like he was toying with it.  Freyd's head simply tilted slightly, but his expression didn't otherwise change.  A quest progression pop-up appeared beside him, confirming that he had all of the required tusks. 

Only the one defiant boar pup remained, and the mysterious girl.

Freyd was mildly annoyed that Lyle was sending him right back out into the fields he had just left.  For him, that meant no perceptible change in his facial expression or body language.  The man just didn't show emotion.  He'd discarded his mud-splattered cloak and sword and donned a fancy new black cassock he'd picked up from one of his recent kills, thinking fondly of his lessons with Billy.  The kid, demon - whatever he actually was - was a con artist, but his roguish character was actually endearing.  Freyd always had a bit of a soft spot for people who knew how to play games of intrigue.  

For now, he'd have to content himself with splattering more digital pig-guts all over the grasslands just outside the Town of Beginnings.  It seemed wise to get these starter quests out of the way sooner, rather than later.  He spotted another player out in the fields, and thought it best not to interrupt.  Picking a nearby group of clustered boar pups, he launched himself without warning landing in their midst with a series of surprised and fatal squeals.  

"Heh," he mumbled aloud while gathering the loot scattered by his impact, "this might not take long."

@Assassin