Freyd

"It's still highly irregular!  And I'm responsible for unlocking this skill.  How the heck am I supposed to explain this to Cardinal?"

That caught Freyd's attention.  He'd never considered the manner in which the NPCs interacted within the system, expecting that it was all just coded in the background.  What if it was more elaborate?  Could there be some sort of NPC forum or hidden floor where they socialized and interacted, apart from those areas accessible to players.  He practically salivated at the notion of gaining access to such a place, if it existed.

"Wait.  How exactly would you have to do that?  Does he have an office.. or a church or something?"  The mysterious inaccessible cathedral in Angel's Point immediately sprung to mind.

"What?"  The hidden sensei had been caught off guard by the question.  Adding in all of the other flustrations Freyd had leveled at the man, he was struggling to remain cogent and coherent.

"Look," he started, closing his eyes and burying his still-smoking forehead in a open palm, "there really isn't any precedence for this sort of thing."

"Dude! Just write her name on the writ and let the system sort it out.  Why are you so hell-bent on owning this problem?"  Freyd coughed out the words, wondering if his meal had just dared to be impertinent or displayed an uncanny ability to read the situation.

"But the rules-"

"...are being followed.  Everything is out in the open, and we did technically hit the thing at least a few times."  Freyd's eyes spared a glance behind the man, where the snake venom had already eroded a substantial rift through the central mass of the stone.  It wouldn't be long before they accomplished their goal.  Once that was done, there would be little more that the sensei could do to obstruct them.  He just had to keep him distracted for another sixty seconds or so.

"No!  I simply cannot allow this!  You will cease this nonsense imm-"

With her shadowy paw, Persi struck and flipped her bowl of ether into the air, while her tail forcefully flicked a loose bit of flint.  It struck and ricochet off of the boulder, sending sparks flying through the air and lighting the spilled ether into a fireball that singed off half the sensei's overly manicured beard and most of his eyebrows.  The man blinked, trying to understand what had just happened, finally lowering his gaze to stared at a pair of blue eyes in shadow that seemed to be daring him to challenge her again.

Freyd stifled a laugh only by artfully choking on his sandwich.  Slapping the ground as he tried to get the sensei's attention.  A double-take at the mongoose and a hearty black slap to Freyd later, the sensei found himself at a complete loss regarding how to handle the situation.

The sensei was simply aghast, his face a mixture of utter confusion, frustration and denial all bundled into a single expression that made him look like he was struggling with a particularly nasty bout of constipation.  His hands were held upright before him, as if pleading for someone to restore his shattered calm and sanity by ushering away the two cretins before him.  Birds chirped away around him, one of them unleashing a well-timed plop directly into the palm of his hands, causing his eyes to shift and a vein to pulse in an angry shade of purple from his forehead.  The universe had just shat on his zen.

Next to him, the massive boulder continued to dissolve with a sizzling sound like well-marinated steaks grilling on a Hibachi.  The odour was far less pleasant, but it wasn't like they were planning on actually cooking their meals on the stone.

"You can't train a... whatever that is... in martial arts!"

Persi's shadowy head perked up, as if she was aware that her status was in question.  It was more likely that she was just irked at someone interrupting her napping intentions.  A low threatening growl was enough to give the hidden sensei pause, but only for a moment.

"Look, I don't know what to tell you," Freyd replied raising his hands and shoulders in a full body shrug.  "She's complied with your requirements, and the rock will be broken without the use of any of the prohibited items.  I would have thought you'd be pleased by the application of wit and guile to defeat the challenge?"

"It's supposed to be about will, determination and persistence!!!"

Freyd's eyes lit up and he raised a finger to hold him at that thought while he toggles on his familiar's name tag: 'Persistence.'  He beamed with pride, as if he'd just found the perfect loophole in the man's logic.

"Dragons are often depicted as proud creatures," Freyd offered, thinking that Elora could be equally stubborn in her own way.  Maybe they were a better pairing than he had originally considered?  "Maybe you need to show it who's the alpha?  Try wrestling it to the ground and force feeding it, but... uh... you may want this, just in case."  He tossed her spear back to her.  The bizarre stone  clinging to the spearhead fell loose as she caught the shaft, thumping and bouncing off the ground and then clattering with a splash into the edge of a small bubbling stream.  It was now difficult to spot among the other pebbles beneath the surface of the fast-flowing water.

Despite thinking that this wasn't going to end well, Freyd settled himself onto the river bank.  Summoning a half-finished smoked meat sandwich, he lifted one knee and braced his back against a large tree root behind him in preparation to watch the show.  

He had a point.  If Kayaba was somehow the key to escape, it would be self-defeating to kill him.  There was no way to be sure, but it sounded very much like a poison pill the mad genius might have implemented.  Freyd also very much doubted that defeat in Aincrad would mean Kayaba's death.  Nothing he had experienced to date gave him any sense that the man would fight fair or honour his word, even if the players succeeded at the challenge placed before them.  Plus, Chase's flustered altruism was starting to grate on his nerves.  Or, maybe Freyd had become too jaded and no longer believed that this sort of naive innocence could truly exist.  All of these thoughts were worth further consideration. 

"I appreciate the discussion, and our disagreement.  I suspect that both have things to think about.  Find me when you feel the need to pick it up where we are leaving it."

His black cowl flapped defiantly in the wind gusts as Freyd's hand reached out and extended a friend offer.  This was far from over.

***

Thread Summary:

Chase:

4 SP (1 page, 2 quest, 1 event)

<<Snowfrost>> This incredibly potent alchemical salve can be applied to a piece of armor, increasing resistance to Fire Damage for one battle. [The wearer will only take half damage from the burning damage over time effect].

Freyd:

2 SP (1 page, 1 event)

<<Snowfrost>> This incredibly potent alchemical salve can be applied to a piece of armor, increasing resistance to Fire Damage for one battle. [The wearer will only take half damage from the burning damage over time effect].

Taking a moment to consider Chase's question, Freyd weighed the magnitude of it and his response.

"It's his control that I want to end, not the person."  He raised a hand to pause any response and allow him to finish.  "All I want is to break free of the shackles that bind us to this damnable system.  SAO can continue, for all I care, so long as people are free to choose when they come and go. But, if it came down to a choice between killing him to free the rest of us... I think I would try."  Chase's emotions were clearly still raw.  Freyd had faced this line of self-questioning before, and now approached it from a purely rational perspective.  

"This isn't about moral high ground, or even justice.  It's about freedom and survival.  Kayaba has put our very existence at risk, and caused untold trauma and suffering in the process.  He's had years to change his mind, and done nothing."  Freyd shook his head, though it was hard to tell what emotions lay within, if any.  "No, if there were answers to be sought or any humanity left in the man, they faded away long ago."

"Of course he knows what he's done."  Freyd did his best not to sound harsh, but the blunt reality of it would likely sting anyway.  Any notion of ignorance on the part of Kayaba was unfathomable to Freyd.  The man was a sociopath - perhaps even a full psychopath. 

"No one invests this much energy and effort without a very clear and deliberate intent, or without having long since come to terms or dismissed any moral quandaries."  He shook his head, as if trying to slough off Chase's desperate need for reason, on his behalf.

"You've suffered and sacrificed.  But, dreaming that Kayaba is even capable of explaining or justifying his actions is futile.  He can't, and he won't.  Whether he wants us as pawns, playthings or just as victims to torture, our only option is clear: we must deny him."

It tore at him to hear Chase's plea for answers, knowing there could be none.  Clenching his fist tightly around the grip of his weapon, he made the red cloth creak beneath the biting cold.  How fitting.  Freyd silently renewed his vow to shatter Kayaba's dreams and turn them into into nightmares ten thousandfold worse than those he had inflicted - one notch for every soul that he had tortured in this place - even if that meant becoming a monster himself.

Watching the scene develop from afar, Freyd couldn't help feel like the dragon wasn't really her type.  But what did he know about these things?  Some of the pairings he had seen made no sense at all.  Grabbing Elora's spear, he yanked it out of the ground, pinning a reminder to the back of his mind about her leaving her weapon out of arm's reach when she could just have placed it in storage.  These sorts of mistakes could get her killed.

The scene unfolding before him reminded him of a youtube video he'd watched once, where a zoo attendant got mauled by a tiger while trying to pet it.  At least the dragon was only a wyrmling.  If anything went wrong, it was likely to be Elora's pride that suffered the worst injuries.  It was then that he noticed the strange spear stuck to the head of her spear.  He tipped it down and shook it a few times, but the darned thing didn't want to come loose.

"Is it magnetized, or something?"

Freyd watched the entire scene play out without any hint of surprise, including Elora's frantic run into the forest.  He just rolled his eyes and stretched his arms, as if warming up for a workout.  At least it wasn't happening to him, for a change.  Checking all of his gear, as if he was about to enter the mouth of hell on some sort of suicide mission, he cracked his knuckles then his neck, and started walking after her.

Wandering after her at a casual pace, hands firmly in his pockets, Freyd did his best to enjoy the scenery.  He collected a few, thin, smooth-worn pebbles for skipping along the shores of floor 22, whenever he got back there.  Flashes of green and brown skirted the edge of his vision, along with a lot of crashing and protests about the injustice of something or other.  It was a sure sign that Elora was 'enjoying' herself.  Placing the collected pebbles into his storage, he replaced them with a light sandwich he had pick up a while back and indulged.  He'd jump in whenever he was needed.

Freyd hadn't moved an inch.  His white blade stood planted like a battle standard in the snow, it's red and gold hilt jutting up like some kind of defiant banner in the bleak frozen landscape.  The man himself was like a black hole in a field of arctic white.  His chin and the tiniest slit that could only be his mouth were exposed.  He stood like a statue as he watched the scene unfold before him.  He knew that rage, all too well.  It had nearly consumed him, until he chose to consume it first.  Freyd had faced his anger and taken its power away, making him its master.  Chase's wounds, he saw, remained raw.  There was considerable risk in what he was about to attempt.  Waiting until the last of the monster's crystalline shards had vanished into the snow, he watched him without judgement or sympathy in his eyes. Silence drifted over them, along with the snow.

"The hate, I understand, but what possible benefit can be served by any explanation Kayaba would provide?  Is there any answer he could give you that wouldn't just inflame your anguish anew?  If not, then there is no purpose in your plea.  Solve the maze.  Make him fail.  Have your vengeance against him."

"There's someone waiting for me. I dreamt that when I got out, they were..."

Freyd remained still, his gaze deliberately redirected towards the sound of the approaching avalanche.  His eyes closed when he heard those words, and a hint of revelation about Chase's pain, or at least some semblance of it.  How had Kayaba attracted so many broken people?  Maybe the truth was that all people were just broken, or in need of some manner of mending.  He had to include himself in that gross generalization.  As hollow as he often felt inside, his recent experiences had given him hope.  It was only right to offer some of the same to others.

"No one here really knows what is happening outside.  This place could be a dream, wherein we live lifetimes in a blink of real world time.  Those who die here could simply awaken."  His voice continued in a sincere and serene manner.  "It could all be much, much darker.  The point is: we don't know.  We have only what we choose to believe.  Your nightmares will linger until you make that choice."

Despite their superficial differences, Freyd was starting to feel a certain kinship with Chase.  His reserved and elusive nature suggested the same inward focus to which he also subscribed.  He suspected that the man had far deeper character than his casual surface demeanor revealed.  It was something he could respect, and so gave his questions due consideration.

"You do the best you can.  I know how hollow that sounds, but there are no magical salves to appease a troubled soul.  Find someone you trust.  Talk it out, regardless of how long it takes.  My mistake was always thinking I had to do everything alone.  It's why I still travel to these floors and help random strangers."  A small smile appeared beneath careworn wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.  Freyd was only a few years older than Chase, but there was an aged quality about him that came through in the way he spoke and carried himself.  "I waited in the Town of Beginnings myself, for way too long, struggling to figure out what I should do.  Eventually, you find your courage.  If you've already come this far, it safe to assume that you're already found yours."

A cascade of falling snow could be heard through the nearby woods.  Freyd finally summoned his weapon to hand - a gleaming white blade set in a hilt and cross guard of crimson red and gold.  The faint whisper of an angelic choir could be heard on the wind.

"When you're ready, and not before, go complete the <<Calming the Soul>> quest.  It made a huge difference for me."  He was pensive for a few moments.  "Do you want tell me what's been bothering you?"

"Finally!"  Freyd pronounced with a hint of cold and callous pragmatism.  "Someone who finally understands the reality of our situation.  Raidou is the only other player I've met whom I can honestly believe has come to the same conclusion."  Epiphany might have been a better word, but it implied an even more depressing level of awareness that added nothing to the conversation.  Tension was clear in Freyd's tone, as if he were on the verge of some cathartic release of pent up frustration.  "How tragic is that?  Ten thousand people are trapped in this digital box.  Half of them were clueless kids faced with the terrifying choice to mentally crack or grow up real fast.  Another quarter are sensory junkies and self-indulgent godmodders too busy enjoying the fluffy aspects of the content or their own pleasures and delusions.  That leaves the rest of us to pick up the pieces, and take most of the risks and casualties in the process."

Freyd realized that his fists had clenched and had to mentally command them to relax.  "Every once in a while, some few souls from the other groups wake up and join the real game."  He counted himself among those, but didn't dare admit it so casually.  "In the meantime, Akihiko Kayaba's experiment is really being played against a much smaller group."  His eyes met Oscars as he spoke his next words.  "He doesn't need ten thousand names on the Monument of Life.  A few more hundred will guarantee that he will own them all."

Freyd shrugged.  "Sure, I guess?" 

Everybody had or wanted dragons.  It was practically cliche.  He'd deliberately steered away from anything so obvious, though he had to admit that he had seen a reasonable array of different types that gave him some hope.  If Elora wanted such a beast, what did it matter to him?  It was her choice.  He busied himself watching the creature's odd behaviour and pondering the chromatic excess of this particular floor.  It made him long for the simpler palettes used on the likes of floor nine and thirteen.  This place carried an air of rainbows and unicorns that creeped him out in a sickly-sweet sort of way that implied death by teddy bear hugs, heart-stopping cuteness or some other equally sadistic twist.  It was far from the way he'd prefer to go, if his time came.

Watching Elora approach her chosen beast, he checked his storage to ensure that he still had suitable first aid supplies, in case it tried to gnaw her face off or amputate something.  Cute was rarely just cute, at least in Aincrad.

'That was an abrupt twist,' he thought to himself.  'And how has he gotten to this level without even knowing which boss he's after?'

"You mean other than the constant waking one we're all sharing?"  Freyd replied with a chuckle.  "It seems like a bit of an odd and personal question, but yeah, sure: I have."

He didn't react upon seeing Chase's name, and couldn't recall having heard it anywhere before.  With thousands of players still active in the game, it wasn't overly surprising.  Accepting the party invite meant that the could afford to lessen his guard.  Pulling back his cowl, he revealed a surprisingly plain face with few memorable details.  Freyd had wide, disinterested brown eyes with hints of red within them.  His tussled hair was mousy brown and looked like it might aggressively defend itself to resist any comb or brush.  He just seemed... blank?

"Is there something in particular that you're meaning to ask about, or is this just your default topic of conversation?"

Freyd looked askance at the man  from beneath his hood as asked about the Easter egg comment.  It was a throw-away line.  What caught his attention was that he genuinely didn't seem to get the reference.  With only ten thousand copies of SAO available, it seemed odd for a non-gamer to have bothered to chase after a rare and valuable copy.

"Oh, I just meant some secret that the game designers might have buried in the content for players to discover.  They call it an Easter egg because it's meant to be a surprise."  Freyd watched his reaction carefully, wondering if this was some kind of angle to make him drop his guard, even as he extended a party invitation.

"A field boss, you said.  Is it for Avalanche or Essence of Steel?  I can't imagine you'd want to try your hand at Absolute Zero solo?"  He eyes the man's gear with his merchant's eye, assessing its properties and capabilities.

"Name's Freyd, by the way."

He really didn't need to give this guy the full run down and history on a complicated multi-level player killing conspiracy fostered by disgruntled semi-sentient computer programs within the first few seconds of their meeting.  That might be a bit much, and his last three attempts to do so with others hadn't gone so well.

"Yeah... I guess it could be; the informal, unofficial kind.  It's something I stumbled onto a while back.  Maybe it's some kind of forgotten easter egg or something."   He shrugged, then motioned with his hand, requesting that the token be returned.  "I'm heading into the wilds to check for clues.  Do you need a hand with anything?"  

His offer was genuine.  Freyd was so nonchalant as to be dismiss-able as non-existent.  Helping other players only helped the overall group.  Neither of them had orange icons over their heads, which also kept things simpler.  Besides, if things were churning in the direction he expected, they were all going to need each other at full strength soon enough.

Freyd's neutral expression returned as he processed the problem at hand.  Billy had been the one to set him on his search for a familiar by helping him understand more about himself.  Could that help with Elora?  So much about her remained a mystery to him.  She could be flighty, whimsical, occasionally explosive and certainly emotional - basically the full spectrum opposite to himself.  He also had less than zero experience with members of the fairer sex, and couldn't account for other variables that might apply, much less even fathom them.  This was all likely to translate in him taking about the worst possible approach to helping her as he tried to figure who she was instead of what she wanted or needed.

"Hrm..."  His red eyes scanned her from green hair to brown boots, as if that was somehow going to reveal some obvious sign or connection.  They lingered on her hands as he recalled her passion for art during their brief visit to Hannah during her third lesson quest.  The mischief in the boat also came to mind, along with several temperamental blowouts.  He snapped his gloved fingers.  She needed something to help keep her grounded.  For once, he had the foresight not to say it out loud.

"Yeah... I think either of those floors could do."

Freyd was busy skulking because that seemed to be what did most often, and best.  His latest tip had led him to the frozen wastelands of floor four, though he struggled to figure out what he could possibly hope to find in such a place.  Trails literally went cold here, and any sigh of them vanished in the howls of the blowing winds as they covered up tracks and erased any evidence of passage.  His dark traveling leathers and charcoal-coloured cowl also made him stand out more in the wilderness, though many people tended to forget how common shadows could be in, even in places that seemed to offer nothing but white.  

A heavy overnight snow had added thick fresh powder all over the settlement and surroundings, trailed by a few persistent flurries that played like children in its aftermath.  The cold didn't bother him at all, but he seemed to be at a bit of a loss for direction when he noticed a man watching him with weapon drawn.  Oblivious to any threat he might represent, or simply disregarding it, Freyd trudged towards him without bothering to summon his own blade.

"Pardon me, but have you seen this symbol anywhere around here?"  He flicked a stone token about six inches in diameter towards him.  It was made of polished black onyx with the etching of a tower on side flickered bright red as if reflecting a fiery core within.  The tower's profile resembled that of Aincrad, save that it had the embossed profile of an obsidian blade plunged through it, blade pointed down.  He watched curiously to see whether the man would catch it or retain his grip on his sword.

Thread Summary

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

129,005*Col
70*T3 Materials

T3 Rare Consumable #165367a
T3 Rare Armor/Shield165367b
T3 Rare Weapon #165368a
T3 Uncommon Consumable #165368b
T3 Rare Weapon #165369a
T3 Uncommon Consumable #165369b
T3 Rare Trinket #165370a
(21) Intermediate Dungeon Map #165413
T3 Rare Armor/Shield #165412a
T3 Perfect Weapon #165413a
T3 Perfect Weapon #165413b
T3 Perfect Weapon #165413c
T3 Rare Consumable #165414a
T3 Rare Armor/Shield165414b
T3 Perfect Consumable #165424a
T3 Perfect Consumable #165424b
T3 Perfect Armor/Shield #165424c
T3 Perfect Armor/Shield #165424d
T3 Perfect Weapon #165425a
T3 Perfect Weapon #165425b
T3 Perfect Weapon #165425c
T3 Rare Armor/Shield #165426a
T3 Perfect Trinket #165427a
T3 Perfect Weapon #165427b
T3 Rare Armor/Shield #165436a
T3 Perfect Armor/Shield #165437a
T3 Perfect Consumable #165437b
T3 Perfect Consumable #165437c
T3 Rare Weapon #165438a
T3 Uncommon Consumable #165438b
T3 Perfect Armor/Shield #165439a
T3 Perfect Weapon #165439b
T3 Rare Weapon #165448a
T3 Uncommon Consumable #165448b
T3 Rare Weapon #165449a
T3 Uncommon Consumable #165449b
(21) Intermediate Dungeon Map #165450
T3 Perfect Armor/Shield #165451a
T3 Perfect Weapon #165451b
T3 Perfect Weapon #165451c
T3 perfect armor/shield #165453a
T3 rare consumables #165453b
T3 rare consumables #165453c
T3 Perfect Armor/Shield #165464a
T3 Perfect Weapon #165464b
T3 Perfect Weapon #165464c
T3 Perfect Consumable #165465a
T3 Rare Trinket #165465b
(21) Intermediate Dungeon Map #165466
T3 Rare Trinket #165467a
 

"Shame."  A lightning quick slash sent her axe soaring from her hand over and into the chasm behind her.  With only her shield left to protect her, the dark elf gave ground until she was cornered against the very same drop.  

"The name and location of the Sundered Spire's leaders.  It's all I want."

"Never."  He could see in her eyes that she was a believer.

"You think you've won, but I can't die.  Every time you strike me down, I will inevitably return until, one day, it is your turn."  A mad, cackling laughter rose from her chest and throat as her eyes suddenly began to glow a brilliant red.  Cardinal...

"We'll be seeing you again, very soon."  

He watched her fall, her gleaming, possessed eyes shimmering through the darkness well beyond the point where the rest of her body had been engulfed by the shadows of the depths.  This was the true measure of the Sundered Spire's resolve.  They would die untold deaths in order to achieve victory, whereas each player had but one life to lose.  Those were not good odds.

"Help me find another way to end this, and I will gladly consider it.  For now, Kayaba and Cardinal offer us few other options."

She sneered at his poor excuses, launching herself forward and batting his weapon aside with her shield.  Her axe found purchase in his exposed left arm before he recovered his guard, having given ground and taken the blow deliberately to pull her away from the edge.

"I'm not looking for an out!  I want payback against you all.  And you're all so stupid that you haven't yet realized that you're fighting against an invincible foe!"  She grunted as she beat her axe against his blade repeatedly.  "Every time you strike us down, we return, angrier and more committed in our resolve than the last time.  It's only a matter of time until we overwhelm you all - even if it takes another thousand deaths"  There was a hint of madness in her eyes, and frothing berserker rage on her lips as she kept up her battering attacks.  Freyd knew instantly that she was too far gone.

The other sentinels fell swiftly, leaving Freyd to face off against their commander.  She had watched him devastate her troops with his relentless advance, shouting futile commands to her men who could do nothing against the rising tide of darkness moving through their ranks.  Now, it was just her, with her shield and axe at the ready.  He pulled back his cowl in respect for her efforts, and to better the odds of conversing.

"I only need answers.  Provide me those, and I will leave."

"Are you insane?!" The female spat back at him.  "I'm already here because one of you robbed me of my honour by decimating my clan.  You think I'm going to endure that a second time?"

Freyd glanced at the carnage behind him, slowly evaporating into clouds of glittering light.

"We can do it the hard way, if you prefer."  He had few options.  The only path was forward.