Freyd

On the inside, Freyd was shaking his head again.  The man takes absolute positions without any evidence to support them, then raises his hackles whenever those unsubstantiated assumptions are challenged.  Foolishly stubborn and naive.  Hopefully it doesn't get him killed.

"You sound like you need confirmation from others awfully much." 

Chase's blunt accusatory tone didn't bother Freyd in the slightest.  His ego was too oblivious.  "Actually, I don't need it at all.  I just said that it was a test for conscience of action."  He'd left out the part where he was often hardly be considered to have a conscience at all, except when it came to kids.  He still couldn't figure out that soft spot, but his experience with Shoji and Masaka at the Tanabata festival had brought it to the forefront.  The 'conscience test' was an artificial construct he's created and used to determine how 'normal people' would expect him to behave.  Its results were often irrational, inefficient, or outright ineffective.  Most people wouldn't appreciate the revelation.  

"... I just wonder if Lily would do the same. If I think she'd be happy with my choice, then... I make it. That's all."

"Is it better to rely on the confirmation of one person or many?"   He really wanted to add 'or none', but the conscience test said it was a bad idea.  Freyd shrugged, only mildly interested in the answer for benefit of his own facades. 

But he's mentioned Lily a few times now - clearly the one he left behind.  She was the key to the puzzle called Chase.

*****

Thread Summary

Chase:

5 SP (1 page, +1 event, +3 quest)

 200 col

 <<Snake Venom>> A coating which grants a weapon a poison effect which activates on a critical hit, dealing 4 damage for 10 turns to an enemy. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.

Freyd:

2 SP (1 page, +1 event)

 200 col

 <<Snake Venom>> A coating which grants a weapon a poison effect which activates on a critical hit, dealing 4 damage for 10 turns to an enemy. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.

Freyd made that face that he usually made when Elora said something that didn't make any sense.

"You just praised the dragon for doing whatever it's doing so well without having a clue what it's doing.  Plus, you're saying it would be a good companion because it's oblivious."  His brow furrowed further as he shook his head, as if it might somehow shake the illogical assumptions loose.  He stopped the moment he realized the irony and placed his face in his open hand, groaning instead.  Please don't let this be infectious.

"Nonono! Freyd -- stop it!"

"Stop what: the dragon from eating the golem, or the golem from force-feeding itself to the dragon?!"  He watched her run pointlessly after the creature as it flew off, completely confused regarding what she was actually trying to accomplish.  "You have a spear, take the bloody thing out of the air!"  What was he supposed to do, sneak at it?  Maybe a disinformation campaign would be more effective.  His mind's eye already imagined pamphlets being theft in the thing's nest, touting the benefit's of the familiar's life: a steady supply of snack, dental, shoulder perch privileges.  The potential... no.  No, that was just getting silly, and things were already silly enough.

"Not like this," Freyd replied, taking in the view as they circled their way back around towards Nimbus.  "No one really has, except for the developers.  It's magnificent and terrifying at the same time.  There are many aspects that make it both compelling, yet also traumatic.  And the jarring disconnect from everything else we knew is... hard."  He chose the last work for Chase's benefit.  Personally, he was coming to feel more at home in Aincrad than he ever had in the real world.

"I often wonder if the people outside can see us.  Are they watching our choices, successes and failures?  Can they hear what we're thinking?  We really don't now what the Nerve Gear can transmit beyond this place."  He scratched at the back of his head, as if the itch of their prior disagreement had resurfaced.

"People won't always agree on everything - especially the important stuff.  Whenever I'm going to decide something big, I try to imagine the entire world hearing my thought process, and watching my actions.  If I believe I can defend my reasoning before them, and sleep the following night, then it means that it's probably a good choice.  After that, it really doesn't matter if anyone's watching or not."

What a beautiful lie.

Thread Reward Summary:

3 SP (1 page, +1 event, +1 Yue's Grace)

162,633 col

92x T3 materials

852 Gold Stars

1x T3 Rare Weapon [165862a]
1x T3 Uncommon Consumable [165862b]
3x T3 Perfect Weapons [165863a] [165863b] [165863c]
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165864]
1x T3 Perfect Consumable [165865a]
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165865a]
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165874a]
1x T3 Perfect Trinket [165874b]
2x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165875a] [165875b]
2x T3 Perfect Consumables [165875c] [165875d]
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165876a]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon [165876b]
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165877]
3x T3 Perfect Weapon [165887a] [165887b] [165887c]
(22) Map of Intermediate Dungeon #165888
(22) Map of Intermediate Dungeon #165889
1x T3 Rare Armor/Shield [165890]
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165909a]
2x T3 Perfect Consumables [165909b] [165909c]
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165910a]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon [165910b]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon [165911a] [165911b] [165911c]
1x T3 Rare Weapon [165912a]
1x T3 Uncommon Consumable [165912b]
2x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165929a] [165929b]
2x T3 Perfect Consumables [165929c] [165929d]
1x T3 Rare Armor/Shield [165931a]
1x T3 Rare Consumable [165931b]
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165932a]
2x T3 Perfect Consumables [165932b] [165932c]
(22) Map of Intermediate Dungeon #165933
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165948]
3x T3 Perfect Weapon [165950a] [165950b] [165950c]
1x T3 Rare Consumable [165951a]
1x T3 Rare Weapon [165951b]
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165956]
1x T3 Perfect Consumable [165965a]
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165965b]
1x T3 Rare Consumable [165966a]
1x T3 Rare Weapon [165966b]
1x T3 Perfect Trinket [165967]
(22) Map of Intermediate Dungeon #165969
2x Perfect Weapon [165971a] [165971b]
1x Perfect Consumable [165971c]
1x T3 Perfect Consumable [165980]
3x T3 Perfect Weapon [165981a] [165981b] [165981c]
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165982]
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165983]
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [166069a]
2x T3 Perfect Consumable [166069b] [166069c]
1x T3 Perfect Trinket [166070a]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon [166070b]
1x T3 Rare Weapon [166071a]
1x T3 Uncommon Consumable [166071b]
3x T3 Perfect Weapon [166072a] [166072b] [166072c]
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [166113a]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon  [166113b]
1x T3 Rare Trinket [166114]
1x T3 Rare Consumable [166115a]
1x T3 Rare Armor/Shield [166115b]
1x T3 Perfect Trinket [166118a]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon  [166118b]
 

The elf finally gave up, his health bar dropping dangerously low.  His hammer struck the ground with a heavy thud.  With considerable effort, he raised his good hand in surrender, wincing in pain as he did so.

"Mercy, please!"

"Like you would have shown to the people in Coral, had things gone differently?  Like you friends showed me and mine as we stopped their advance?  I'm sorry," he added almost giddily, "but we are completely out of mercy for today."  A white arc lanced through the air and the Spire Warrior fell to the ground in a heap, leaving behind another token in the grass.  Freyd stepped on it without regard, crushing it beneath his booted heel as he continued towards the festival.  His eyes were drawn and skin pale.

After everything he had experienced since this whole ordeal began, all he wanted, or could manage, was to find the deepest darker corner he could, and collapse into it.  There was only one last task for him to do.  Beyond that , he simply couldn't manage the effort to care about anything anymore.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:883/960 | EN:10/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Astral Hell (x7): 7 EN - (Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 3 EN

BD: 2 + 4 = 6 (hit).  Freyd deals 147 damage to Spire Warrior #39. 

Spire Warrior #37 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 
Spire Warrior #38 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 
Spire Warrior #39 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (124 - 147)
Spire Warrior #40 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 

Loot for Spire Warrior #39 (ID 166118 - LD: 13 + 10 = 23; CD 3):

2,482 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
4x T3 materials (odd CD & LD)
1x T3 Perfect Trinket [166118a]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon  [166118b]
23x Gold Stars
 

Exhaustion was taking a toll.  Freyd's attacks were sluggish and less precise.  They carried less force as he sought to drive his opponents back.  It had been too long an ordeal since his first scouting foray onto floor 21 that discovered the initial attacks against Coral and the Tanabata festival.  He'd been running and fighting almost constantly for over twenty four hours.  Add to that whatever could be made of the strange re-emergence of his gemini and he was simply done.  Forgiven Disobedience weighed on his spirit almost as much as it did in his hands. 

Three more of his enemies fell, leaving only one: a short, stout figure with blueish coloured hair.  Deflecting his latest strike, Freyd countered with a jab that caught the elf under his left arm.  He struggled to maintain a hold on his warhammer afterwards, and gave ground to try and recover.  Walking slowly after him, Freyd no longer had the energy for a chase.  He simply plodded forward, ready to end his foe.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:883/960 | EN:13/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Calamity Disaster (x12 AoE + 8 for hits): 20 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 15 EN

BD: 8 + 4 = 12 (hit).  Freyd deals (252 + 12 bleed = 264)  damage to Spire Warrior #37. 
BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (288 + 12 bleed = 300) damage to Spire Warrior #38.
BD: 7 + 4 = 11 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #39. 
BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (288 + 12 bleed = 300) damage to Spire Warrior #40.

MD: 2 - 3 = -1 (miss).  Spire Warrior #39 misses Freyd.

Spire Warrior #37 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (172 - 264) (12 bleed 2/2)
Spire Warrior #38 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 300) (12 bleed 1/2)
Spire Warrior #39 | HP: 124 | DMG: 141 (376 - 252)
Spire Warrior #40 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208  - 300) (12 bleed 1/2)

Loot for Spire Warrior #37 (ID 166113 - LD: 11 + 10 = 21; CD 2):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even CD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd LD)
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [166113a]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon  [166113b]
21x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #38 (ID 166114 - LD: 7 + 10 = 17; CD 11):

3,722 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [3*hp] from loot roll) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
4x T3 materials (odd CD & LD)
1x T3 Rare Trinket [166114]
17x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #40 (ID 166115 - LD: 6 + 10 = 16; CD 5):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
1x T3 Rare Consumable [166115a]
1x T3 Rare Armor/Shield [166115b]
16x Gold Stars
 

Daydreaming proved costly, as a a gleaming glaive suddenly burst from his abdomen, another dark elf assailant having snuck up on his from behind and found a vulnerable spot in his armor.

Sliding forward off the polearm, Freyd finally lost his temper.  Gasping through the pain, he whirled to face his newest attackers.

"ENOUGH!" he screamed, whirling around.  "You can go tell Cardinal that I've had it with this idiotic nonsense!"  The other three dark elves beside the first were actually taken aback by the unusual reproach and stared wide-eyed at each other trying to decide what to do.  Freyd made the choice for them, and without remorse.  Their screams fill the air as he waded through them, bits of their digital flesh flying off in crystalline flakes.  His hollow, sunken eyes clearly communicated that he just wanted to go rest, and no longer cared who stood in his way or why.  

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:883/960 | EN:28/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Tempest (x8 AoE Stun +8 for hits): 16 EN – (Rested, Finesse 3) = 12 EN

BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (192 + 12 bleed = 204) damage to Spire Warrior #37.  Stunned.
BD: 2 + 4 = 6 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #38.  Stunned.
BD: 1 (miss).  Freyd misses Spire Warrior #39.
BD: 5 + 4 = 9 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #40.  Stunned.

MD: 10 (Crit +2).  Spire Warrior #39 deals (141 - 64 = 77) damage to Freyd.

Spire Warrior #33 | HP: 172 | DMG: 141 (376 - 204) Stunned. (12 bleed 1/2)
Spire Warrior #34 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned. 
Spire Warrior #35 | HP: 376 | DMG: 141 
Spire Warrior #36 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned. 

The sword's avenging blows staggered his assailants, enabling Freyd to sneak around their faltering defenses and cut them down.  He tuned them out as their battle cries turned to pleas for mercy.  They'd been given the chance up front and declined, and the hypocrisy tweaked his minimal sense of compassion to the 'firmly off' position.  If this was what the Sundered Spire was truly about, he had no qualms about putting down those members who merely parroted the party line.  

Once the last of the red warriors had been laid low, he started making his way back towards Coral.  All of the fires in the surrounding woodlands had been put out.  Even if anyone had noticed anything from the festival, it would most likely have looked like over-zealous campers than what had really occurred.  He felt worried and drained at the prospect of his gemini on the loose, but desperately needed rest before he could take on anything more. 

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:40/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Calamity Disaster (x12 AoE + 8 for hits): 20 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 15 EN

BD: 8 + 4 = 12 (hit). Freyd deals (252 + 12 bleed = 264) damage to Spire Warrior #33. 
BD: 8 + 4 = 12 (hit). Freyd deals (252 + 12 bleed = 264) damage to Spire Warrior #34. 
BD: 5 + 4 = 9 (hit). Freyd deals (252 + 12 bleed = 264) damage to Spire Warrior #35. 
BD: 4 + 4 = 8 (hit). Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #36. 

Spire Warrior #33 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (164 - 264) (12 bleed 2/2)
Spire Warrior #34 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (172 - 264) (12 bleed 2/2)
Spire Warrior #35 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (172 - 264) (12 bleed 2/2)
Spire Warrior #36 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 264) 

Loot for Spire Warrior #33 (ID 166069 - LD: 12 + 10 = 22; CD 6):

4,136 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*2*hp] from even CD & LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [166069a]
2x T3 Perfect Consumable  [166069b] [166069c]
22x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #34 (ID 166070 - LD: 13 + 10 = 23; CD 3):

2,482 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
4x T3 materials (odd CD & LD)
1x T3 Perfect Trinket [166070a]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon  [166070b]
23x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #35 (ID 166071 - LD: 4 + 10 = 14; CD 8):

4,136 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*2*hp] from even CD & LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
1x T3 Rare Weapon [166071a]
1x T3 Uncommon Consumable [166071b]
14x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #36 (ID 166072 - LD: 18 + 10 = 28; CD 7):

6,204 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD + [7*hp] from loot roll) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
3x T3 Perfect Weapon [166072a] [166072b] [166072c]
28x Gold Stars
 

Groaning and rubbing his left temple, Freyd was growing annoyed by the endless stream of moron mobs that kept popping up.  

"Look, guys, and gals... I think... dunno cuz of your weird hairstyles.  Anyway, it's been a bit of a long day, and I'm really looking forward to calling it.  Can we just go with the fact that you'd like to get home, and I'd be quite happy not to have to kill you."

The four elves - all part of a fanatical organization based on hatred of murder-driven players - couldn't seem to believe their ears.  

"What the hell?  Are you bloody serious?"

"I have no idea what your bosses are feeding you, but most of us players quest and fight mobs because its our ticket out of this mess, not because we enjoy senseless slaughter."

"LIES!  Get him!"

Forgiven Disobedience instantly blazed with brilliance and wrath.  He'd given them their chance and they chose to ignore it.  It's reaction was both righteous and swift.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:55/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Tempest (x8 AoE Stun +8 for hits): 16 EN – (Rested, Finesse 3) = 12 EN

BD: 10 (Crit +2, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (200 + 12 bleed = 212) damage to Spire Warrior #33.  Stunned.
BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (192 + 12 bleed = 204) damage to Spire Warrior #34.  Stunned.
BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (192 + 12 bleed = 204) damage to Spire Warrior #35.  Stunned.
BD: 7 + 4 = 11 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #36.  Stunned.

Spire Warrior #33 | HP: 164 | DMG: 141 (376 - 212) Stunned. (12 bleed 1/2)
Spire Warrior #34 | HP: 172 | DMG: 141 (376 - 204) Stunned. (12 bleed 1/2)
Spire Warrior #35 | HP: 172 | DMG: 141 (376 - 204) Stunned. (12 bleed 1/2)
Spire Warrior #36 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned. 

"Kill him," said their captain, point at Freyd with the tip of his obsidian-pointed spear.  The other three circles around, thinking that the reach of their weapons would protect them.  The camp was built into the side of a cliff face for added shelter.  It also meant that his most likely route of escape was cut off by over eighty feet of sheer vertical rock face that wasn't likely to accommodate any such attempt.

"Decided to prove me right?"  was Freyd's retort as he summoned his weapon back to hand.  "I should really warn you that I'm not in the mood for delays right now.  It might be best if you skedaddled like the rest of the Spire's lackeys."  They ignored him.  Moments later, their spears and corpses created small puffy clouds of ash as the ash-covered ground cushion their falls.  Hollow impressions filled with starbursts of light was all that remained as a second patrol entered the clearing. 

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:67/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Calamity Disaster (x12 AoE + 8 for hits): 20 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 15 EN

BD: 3 + 4 = 11 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #29.
BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (288 + 12 bleed = 300) damage to Spire Warrior #30.
BD: 5 + 4 = 9 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #31. 
BD: 8 + 4 = 12 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #32. 

Spire Warrior #29 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)
Spire Warrior #30 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 300) (12 Bleed 1/2)
Spire Warrior #31 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252) 
Spire Warrior #32 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252) 

Loot for Spire Warrior #29 (ID 165980 - LD: 14 + 10 = 24; CD 10):

6,617 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*2*hp] from even CD & LD + [6*hp] from loot roll) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
1x T3 Perfect Consumable [165980]
24x Gold Stars

 Loot for Spire Warrior #30 (ID 165981 - LD: 20 + 10 = 30; CD 5):

6,204 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD + [7*hp] from loot roll) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
3x T3 Perfect Weapon [165981a] [165981b] [165981c]
30x Gold Stars

 Loot for Spire Warrior #31 (ID 165982 - LD: 2 + 10 = 12; CD 3):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165982]
12x Gold Stars

 Loot for Spire Warrior #32 (ID 165983 - LD: 4 + 10 = 14; CD 3):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165983]
14x Gold Stars
 

"It means that you're a damned fool for not having left when you had the chance."  The voice was low and gravelly, with throaty rasp to it that Freyd had come to associate with smokers and those who lived their lives underground.  Sure enough, four more dark elf warriors had emerged from the clearing, their weapons drawn and eager to pick off stragglers like himself.  Their leader was an older elf, judging by his bearing more than his appearance.  Elves rarely showed the signs of aging more visibly common in humans and other races.  His three companion, a male and two larger females, were wearing light leather armor for better mobility.  All had spears in hand and rapiers on their belts.

"You must be the rear guard," Freyd said, stowing the unusual stone in his inventory.  "I imagine that the rest of your cowardly lot have turned tail and left you here to die on their behalf."

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:82/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Tempest (x8 AoE Stun +8 for hits): 16 EN – (Rested, Finesse 3) = 12 EN

BD: 7 + 4 = 11 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #29.  Stunned.
BD: 7 + 4 = 11 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #30.  Stunned.
BD: 5 + 4 = 9 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #31.  Stunned.
BD: 8 + 4 = 12 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #32.  Stunned.

Spire Warrior #29 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #30 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #31 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #32 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.  

Too tired to care if it was trapped, he kicked the metal lid open with what remained of his badly burnt boots.  The lock snapped in half, having already been damaged by the heat, and the lid clanged loudly as it hit the back of the chest.  The hinges buckled and broke in the process, having fared no better than the lock.  Most of the contents were damaged beyond repair, but a few could be salvaged.  The surviving contents included three more of the strange runes he'd been gathering from various game levels.  Two were identical: made of polished steel with the embossed symbol of the Sundered Spire painted red.  The third was far more notable, being made of alabaster with normally red tower symbol set in onyx with a copper sword.  This was the first time he had found one where the tower element was not red. 

"I wonder what that's about?"  The mystery had been enough to let him temporarily forget the threat of his unruly twin now loose somewhere on this floor, not that he expected to be able to find it again anytime soon.

Loot Treasure Chest (ID 165971 – LD 12 + 10 + 1 (Multipurpose) = 23

5,060 col (Floor [22] * 200) +15% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
10x T3 materials
2x Perfect Weapon [165971a] [165971b]
1x Perfect Consumable [165971c]
23x Gold Stars

Freyd's energy is fully restored (Relaxed).

It had taken almost an hour to find the cache in an abandoned camp setup by the Sundered Spire.  The fires must have been set to cover their tracks, as much as they were an act of spite against the players still enjoying the nearby festival.  Judging by the shattered crates, two wagons with broken axles and a handful of abandoned fire pits, this might once have served as their command post.  Stumbling around the ruins, Freyd was sifting through the debris when he came across a disfigured metal chest.  The fires had superficially damaged the exterior, partially melting one corner, but it had somehow retained its integrity.  Wiping away the cinders, he found himself staring at the faded symbol of the Sundered Spire on its lid.  Whatever paint had been used to create the mark had mostly been bubbled away by the heat.  Hesitating as he stared at it, Freyd wondered what could possibly have caused it to be left behind.

The last of the timber-things circled around to the east.  It was only then that he realized how they had all positioned themselves in the same manner, in turn.  They were trying to keep him from something.  An urgent need to discover that mysterious prize suddenly compelled him.   A quick feint and stab took care of the final mob, its wooden form collapsing into the sea of soot at his feet.

Searching the scene turned out to be a trickier prospect than he'd originally considered.  It was effectively a post-apocalyptic disaster site, complete with dessicated, lifeless landscape and tiny flakes of ember-rimmed leaves still hovering lightly in the air.  Smoke choked the entire area, burning the eyes and obscuring vision beyond more than a handful of yards.  The ash was nearly a foot deep by now.  Scouring the immediate area revealed nothing, until a break in the haze revealed a path of destruction leading away from the Galactic Lake, back towards where this calamity had begun.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:66/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Astral Hell (x7): 7 EN - (Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 3 EN

BD: 4 + 4 = 8 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #26.  

MD: 8 - 3 = 5 (miss).  Spire Warrior #26 misses Freyd.

Spire Warrior #25 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)
Spire Warrior #26 | HP: 124 | DMG: 141 (376 - 252)
Spire Warrior #27 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)
Spire Warrior #28 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)

Loot for Spire Warrior #26 (ID 165969 - LD: 16 + 10 = 26; CD 10):

4,136 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*2*hp] from even CD & LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
(22) Map of Intermediate Dungeon #165969
26x Gold Stars
 

It took a few swings, but the aching heaviness in his limbs soon fell away.  He hadn't expected the recovery to occur so quickly after what he'd just experienced.  Fortunately, these timber warriors were both brittle and clumsy, and quickly fell prey to his growing prowess.  Thank goodness I can still fight.

He'd feared that his spirit would have suffered some kind of weakness from... oh God... being sundered.  Freyd groaned internally, even as he wheeled and struck down another of his foes with a snap and crackle of busting wood beneath his blade.  

"You guys are pathetic, even compared to the fire-crystal dudes you came from!"  He was trying to motivate himself as much as taunt his enemies.   Energy still ebbed from his numb body as he trudged through the drifts of ash, uncertain of his footing.  A hidden rock nearly caused him to trip, though he managed to maintain his stance and parry an opportunistic attack.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:69/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Calamity Disaster (x12 AoE + 8 for hits): 20 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 15 EN

BD: 7 + 4 = 11 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #25.  
BD: 4 + 4 = 8 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #26.  
BD: 7 + 4 = 11 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #27.  
BD: 2 + 4 = 6 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #28. 

MD: 8 - 3 = 5 (miss).  Spire Warrior #26 misses Freyd.

Spire Warrior #25 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)
Spire Warrior #26 | HP: 124 | DMG: 141 (376 - 252)
Spire Warrior #27 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)
Spire Warrior #28 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)

Loot for Spire Warrior #25 (ID 165965 - LD: 9 + 10 = 19; CD 1):

2,482 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
4x T3 materials (odd CD & LD)
1x T3 Perfect Consumable [165965a]
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165965b]
19x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #27 (ID 165966 - LD: 8 + 10 = 18; CD 4):

4,136 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*2*hp] from even CD & LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
1x T3 Rare Consumable [165966a]
1x T3 Rare Weapon [165966b]
18x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #28 (ID 165967 - LD: 12 + 10 = 22; CD 9):

5,377 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD + [5*hp] from loot roll) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
1x T3 Perfect Trinket [165967]
22x Gold Stars
 

Like some sort of twisted parting gift, four large tree trunks surrounding the glade began to snap, crack, and then move.  Charred by the Spire's efforts, their burnt husks splintered to create arms and legs that soon ripped themselves from the black soil that could no longer contain their withered roots.  Fracturing into limbs and joints, they soon developed long, broken fingers with spear-like tips and jagged rips in their bark-like carapaces that blazed orange with the flames of angry maws and eyes.

Freyd looked up, absorbing the scene as best he could.  His insides felt hollow.  What has Cardinal taken from me now?  And is there anything left of me inside?

Pulling himself up to his knees, he drew his buried hands back out of the spongy ground that so resembled a landscape covered in black snow.  It's like a reverse Christmas, only this time Santa took everything away.

Drawing on what few reserves remained within, he hefted himself back onto his feet just in time to face his new attackers.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:84/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Tempest (x8 AoE Stun +6 for hits): 14 EN – (Rested, Finesse 3) = 10 EN

BD: 8 + 4 = 12 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #25.  Stunned.
BD: 1 (miss).  Freyd misses Spire Warrior #26.
BD: 6 + 4 = 10 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #27.  Stunned.
BD: 2 + 4 = 6 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #27.  Stunned.

MD: 6 - 3 = 3 (miss).  Spire Warrior #26 misses Freyd.

Spire Warrior #25 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #26 | HP: 376 | DMG: 141 
Spire Warrior #27 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #28 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.  

Heaving as if every meal he'd ever eaten were trying to regurgitate itself all at once, Freyd's shoulders rolled forward like a wave.  His back contorted obscenely.  Bulges poked out painfully where none should be, only to recede again a moment later.  Gravity tripled its pull on him instantaneously, calling at something in the very core of his being.  His mouth opened as if to wretch, and he sensed something squirming its way up his throat and into his mouth.  Eyes wide in panic, Freyd tried to move his hands to cover his mouth, but they failed to respond.  It was all they could manage to keep him from eating the charred soil less than a foot from his face.

Defeating it teaches you how to disguise yourself... or, more accurately, it learns to conceal itself in you...

A viscous appendage pushed its way out from inside him, like some kind of tenebrous black goo birthed from malevolence made manifest.  He couldn't breathe as it swelled his throat shut, more and more of it spilling down into a growing puddle on the ground.  Swirling itself into the ash, mixing with it to give itself substance, it was growing.  The last of it slipped out and the gritty mass oozed away from him slowly, rising to take on a humanoid shape of equal size and proportions to his own.  Even his clothes were imitated.  Both figures were so covered and encrusted by the soot and still-raining cinders of the scene as to be indistinguishable from each other.  Freyd watched as the red glow faded from his own hood and grew beneath that of his doppelganger.  A wide, black, Cheshire-cat grin beamed from beneath the opposing cowl, lit by the new embers in its eyes.

"We died in the fires that wreathed you in protection.  Here now, in fire again, we are reborn."  He felt the gentle press of its palm on the back of his head.  "We'll be seeing you soon, Takeshi.  Thanks for the ride."

Cardinal's mad cackle echoed in his mind as his reborn gemini dashed off into the woods, vanishing after only a few feet.  It left Freyd free to collapse into the field of dust and detritus about him.

Oh shit.  What have I done?

***

Freyd's energy is fully restored (Relaxed).

[Self-imposed restriction: Freyd loses the ability to use Disguise until this story arc is resolved]

Freyd struggled to slow the beating of his pulse through his ears, focusing first on why he could even feel such a thing when he had no pulse to begin with.  It then occurred to him that it might something completely different: the beating of fists on a wall, like something trying to break out.  His hands were shaking for no reason, as if twitching to take some unknown action.  Holding them a short distance in front of his face, he saw their red glow cast upon his gloves.  The revelation was as potent as a kick to the gut, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to stumble to his knees.  He'd only seen such eyes in specific contexts: when Cardinal's presence was directly asserting control over a mob. 

"How could it be affecting a player in this manner?"  he asked himself aloud.  He needed to hear his own voice to reassure himself that he remained in control.  Could it be the inner demon he set loose?  That didn't make sense, unless... it had tied itself to his gemini.

"You see now, don't you," spoke the armored figure, flame frothing on his crystalline lips.  Most of this metal armor had become fused to his torso and arms, making every motion an act of defiant agony.  "It doesn't matter if you kill us.  We no longer fear death.  It is merely another tool to end you all, once and for all."

"And then what?  What can this possibly achieve?  What will your existence be when we are gone?  Is it a Pyrrhic victory you seek, because it sure as hell looks like it!"

"You don't get it.  But how could you.  An end is possible for you.  I have died so many times now, that all I crave is a final release.  My brothers and sisters are united in that cause.  To die one final, blissful time, and never return.  It is a gift of which you are not worthy, and so we shall show you its beauty."

Freyd felt his feet sinking into the pool of magma as his last kill dissolved beneath him.  He would show this thing resolve.  Even the survival skill could not fully absorb the damage or the corresponding pain, but he trudged forward nonetheless.  "How many more deaths can your mind actually withstand?  A dozen?  A thousand?  Ten thousand?  You'll end up right back where you started - just another one of Cardinal's mindless minion, broken by the bleakness of its fate."

With that he stabbed it through the heart.  As it died, all of the surrounding fire disappeared.

"...and all of your efforts will have been pointless."

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:12/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Astral Hell (x7): 7 EN - (Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 3 EN

BD: 5 + 4 = 9 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #24.  

Spire Warrior #21 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141
Spire Warrior #22 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 
Spire Warrior #23 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141
Spire Warrior #24 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (124 - 147)

Loot for Spire Warrior #24 (ID 165956 - LD: 2 + 10 = 12; CD 1):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
1x T3 Rare Trinket [165956]
12x Gold Stars
 

The last the fiery Spire Warriors had closed ranks around Freyd, seeking to hem in his movements and trap him with the threat posed by their own molten blood.  Most of them were wounded and using their injuries to good effect, spilling the magma in a ring around him.  So much had already been spilled that few areas remained where he could safely travel.

"So be it," Freyd said, looking to turn the tables.  Slamming his pommel into the nearest foe's head caused the helmeted mass to sink inward with a sickening crunch.  It collapsed into the molten material below, sizzling as the last of its health quickly vanished.  For those few precious seconds, it served as his new fighting platform.  And so it went, with Freyd cutting each opponent in turn and stepping on their fallen forms to continue the fight, until only one remained.  It grinned madly at him.  No safe space remained in the clearing that now resembled the caldera of an angry volcano.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:15/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Calamity Disaster (x12 AoE + 8 for hits): 20 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 15 EN

BD: 4 + 4 = 8 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #21.  
BD: 10 (Crit +2, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (300 + 12 bleed = 312) damage to Spire Warrior #22. 
BD: 3 + 4 = 7 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #23.  
BD: 4 + 4 = 12 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #24.  

MD: 7 - 3 = 4 (miss).  Spire Warrior #24 misses Freyd.

Spire Warrior #21 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)
Spire Warrior #22 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (172 - 312) (12 bleed 1/2) 
Spire Warrior #23 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)
Spire Warrior #24 | HP: 124 | DMG: 141 (376 - 252)

Loot for Spire Warrior #21 (ID 165948 - LD: 1 + 10 = 11; CD 2):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even CD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd LD)
1x T3 Rare Trinkey [165948]
11x Gold Stars

 Loot for Spire Warrior #22 (ID 165950 - LD: 20 + 10 = 30; CD 5):

6,204 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD + [7*hp] from loot roll) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
3x T3 Perfect Weapon [165950a] [165950b] [165950c]
30x Gold Stars

 Loot for Spire Warrior #23 (ID 165951 - LD: 7 + 10 = 17; CD 4):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even CD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd LD)
1x T3 Rare Consumable [165951a]
1x T3 Rare Weapon [165951b]
17x Gold Stars
 

More advanced from the shadows, then more still.  They came at him in waves, and he cared not at all.  Everything he had spent a lifetime containing was now unleashed and it felt good.  Revenge against those hellbent on revenge seemed righteous.  The holy song of his weapon rang out over and over again in the din of battle, culling the half-dead fire zombie throng.  

Despite the sense of freedom bestowed by the carnage, Freyd's face remained impassive.  It was his mask and armor alike, permanently affixed to his skull and incapable of true change.  Behind it, his mind was joyfully lining up vectors of attack, planning parries and seeking out opportunities to repeatedly throw his opponents off balance.  Trees fell on enemies from behind.  Soot and ash flew into their eyes from fancy footwork.  Steel pierced steel at every turn.  And yet, they pressed on.  It showed the measure of his enemy's resolve.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:30/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Tempest (x8 AoE Stun +6 for hits): 14 EN – (Rested, Finesse 3) = 10 EN

BD: 7 + 4 = 12 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #21.  Stunned.
BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (192 + 12 bleed = 204) damage to Spire Warrior #22.  Stunned.
BD: 4 + 4 = 6 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #23.  Stunned.
BD: 1 (miss).  Freyd misses Spire Warrior #24.

MD: 1 (miss).  Spire Warrior #24 misses Freyd.

Spire Warrior #21 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #22 | HP: 172 | DMG: 141 (376 - 204) (12 bleed 1/2) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #23 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #24 | HP: 376 | DMG: 141  

Time seemed to slow around him as the scene devolved into a classic montage of gleaming swords and faces twisted in over-exaggerated anguish.  Bursts of magma-like blood popped into being all around as the crystalline flesh-bags that were his enemies were perforated by his blade.  Their doom was inevitable.  Like a relentless tide, Freyd advanced. 

In the ambient heat of the flames, Forgiven Disobedience looked like a super-heated fan blade, whirling in the dust and ash clouding the air and causing it to billow and swirl in bountiful contrails of death.  It moved so quickly as to be virtually invisible, shimmering like the air around it and spraying the flaming guts of their enemies all around the battlefield.  It was glorious.  Freyd felt elated at finally cutting loose all restraints and unleashing every dark and murderous impulse to drive these malignant foes out, like some cancerous growth to be cut clean from the normal peace and serenity of this place.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:40/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Calamity Disaster (x12 AoE + 8 for hits): 20 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 15 EN

BD: 8 + 4 = 12 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #17.  
BD: 5 + 4 = 9 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #18.
BD: 8 + 4 = 12 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #19.  
BD: 3 + 4 = 7 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #20.  

Spire Warrior #17 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252) 
Spire Warrior #18 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252) 
Spire Warrior #19 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252) 
Spire Warrior #20 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252)  

Loot for Spire Warrior #17 (ID 165929 - LD: 17 + 10 = 27; CD 4):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even CD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd LD)
2x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165929a] [165929b]
2x T3 Perfect Consumables [165929c] [165929d]
27x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #18 (ID 165931 - LD: 8 + 10 = 18; CD 6):

4,136 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*2*hp] from even CD & LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
1x T3 Rare Armor/Shield [165931a]
1x T3 Rare Consumable [165931b]
18x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #19 (ID 165932 - LD: 11 + 10 = 21; CD 6):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even CD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd LD)
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165932a]
2x T3 Perfect Consumables [165932b] [165932c]
21x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #20 (ID 165933 - LD: 18 + 10 = 28; CD 11):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
(22) Map of Intermediate Dungeon #165933
28x Gold Stars

More of these scorched dead things emerged from the haze obscuring the surrounding charred forest.  Their eyes burned with rage reflected in the light within the portions of their flesh that had been replaced by crimson crystalline growths.  

Is this happening to them because of their awareness, or is it being imposed upon them in some way?

The things charged forward as soon as they emerged from the cloud of ash, only to be rebuffed by swift parries and ripostes.  Battered, with defenses broken, their assault faltered and their initiative was lost.  Freyd reversed the tide of battle and had them reeling as they tried to hold their ground against the sheer ferocity of his attacks.  There was no fear in his eyes or his actions.  His commitment to victory had become absolute, and the demon within reveled with delight at the prospects placed before it.  The red in Freyd's eyes grew deeper with every strike.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:55/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Tempest (x8 AoE Stun +8 for hits): 16 EN – (Rested, Finesse 3) = 12 EN

BD: 2 + 4 = 6 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #17.  Stunned.
BD: 3 + 4 = 7 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #18.  Stunned.
BD: 2 + 4 = 6 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #19.  Stunned.
BD: 7 + 4 = 11 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #20.  Stunned.

Spire Warrior #17 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #18 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #19 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #20 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141  (376 - 168) Stunned.

Whatever these wretched things were, they could die.  Feigning a roll to the left, to grant Persi and opportunity to flank them, Freyd rush right into their ranks.  The creatures' eyes glowered with hatred, the same kind so often described that the undead have for the living.  A heavy downward blow sundered one of the creatures, which burst into a fountain of molten flame that splattered all around like a magma geyser.

"That's going to make this fun," Freyd said to himself as he nimbly dodge the falling goo.  The stuff pooled on the ground, quickly limiting his options for movement.  These 'ember warriors' or whatever they were, didn't seem bothered by the heat as they walked straight through the stuff.  "No time to waste then."  Gathering all of his harnessed strength, he unleashed it in a mighty horizontal strike sundered all three of their mobs' weapons, taking their heads off in the same time.  All of the surrounding flames died instantly the moment the mobs dissipated. 

"Well now," Freyd said to Persi, scattering some of the loose cinders and ashes with his boot, "that makes this a little more interesting."

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:67/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Calamity Disaster (x12 AoE + 8 for hits): 20 EN - (Rested, Finesse 3, Turn Recovery) = 15 EN

BD: 2 + 4 = 6 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #13. 
BD: 7 + 4 = 11 (hit).  Freyd deals (252 + 12 bleed = 264) damage to Spire Warrior #14.  
BD: 3 + 4 = 7 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #15. 
BD: 4 + 4 = 8 (hit).  Freyd deals 252 damage to Spire Warrior #16. 

Spire Warrior #13 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252) 
Spire Warrior #14 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (172 - 264) (12 bleed 2/2) 
Spire Warrior #15 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252) 
Spire Warrior #16 | HP: 0 | DMG: 141 (208 - 252) 

Loot for Spire Warrior #13 (ID 165909 - LD: 10 + 10 = 20; CD 6):

4,136 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*2*hp] from even CD & LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165909a]
2x T3 Perfect Consumables [165909b] [165909c]
20x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #14 (ID 165910 - LD: 11 + 10 = 21; CD 2):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even CD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd LD)
1x T3 Perfect Armor/Shield [165910a]
1x T3 Perfect Weapon [165910b]
21x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #15 (ID 165911 - LD: 19 + 10 = 29; CD 5):

5,377 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [7*hp] from loot roll) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
4x T3 materials (odd CD & LD)
1x T3 Perfect Weapon [165911a] [165911b] [165911c]
29x Gold Stars

Loot for Spire Warrior #16 (ID 165912 - LD: 4 + 10 = 14; CD 7):

3,309 col ([6*hp] base & prosperity III + [2*hp] from even LD) +10% from Col Stash & Col Deposit
2x T3 materials (odd CD)
1x T3 Rare Weapon [165912a]
1x T3 Uncommon Consumable [165912b]
14x Gold Stars

The pleasant, quiet glow of the starlit sky soon gave way to the harsh rain of embers and flame.  The woods were fully ablaze in this area.  Freyd was thankful that he and Persi had completed their survival training.  It didn't fully abate the conditions, but it did at least suppress the pain and damage that would normally be caused by running into an inferno like a madman.  He actually had to count the number of times he'd done it before, then just shook his head and pressed forward.

A burnt out clearing open ahead of him.  Four figures clad in red-trimmed black plate armor stood conversing at its centre, apparently oblivious to the heat.  They turned as he cleared the cinder-filled haze at its edge.  Their livery clearly branded them as servants of the Sundered Spire, but these creatures were unlike any he had encountered before.  Red crystals, like those used to create the giant vanguards, sprouted from their flesh.  It seemed to be consuming or engulfing them in some way.  Where flesh remained, it was charred and grey, devoid of life yet pulsing with an inner flame.  'Some kind of undead-elemental hybrid?' he wondered.

Freyd was way past conversation with these guys.  They'd come to kill his friends and the closest thing to kin most players would have in this messed up world.  Hefting his blade, he let the rage fuel his actions.

Not cool.

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:960/960 | EN:82/94 | DMG:21 | MIT:64 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | HLY:2 | BLD:12 | Thorns 20 | LD 10 | Prosperity 3

Tempest (x8 AoE Stun +8 for hits): 16 EN – (Rested, Finesse 3) = 12 EN

BD: 8 + 4 = 12 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #13.  Stunned.
BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (192 + 12 bleed = 204) damage to Spire Warrior #14.  Stunned.
BD: 2 + 4 = 6 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #15.  Stunned.
BD: 6 + 4 = 10 (hit).  Freyd deals 168 damage to Spire Warrior #16.  Stunned.

Spire Warrior #13 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #14 | HP: 172 | DMG: 141 (376 - 204) (12 bleed 1/2) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #15 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141 (376 - 168) Stunned.
Spire Warrior #16 | HP: 208 | DMG: 141  (376 - 168) Stunned.