Freyd

"Why the glasses?"  Freyd asked, once they were out in open water.  "I doubt that your eyesight would actually require them here.  There must be some other story, as you never seem to be without them."   It put him at an unusual degree of ease that he and Raidou could hold their conversations without requiring constant eye contact, leaving the balance of his awareness free to busy itself with vigilance and other duties.   His hands worked to assemble and prepare their fishing gear as his eyes scanned the depths and horizon for anything of interest.  Most of it he was able to accomplish by feel alone, remarkably avoiding sticking himself in the process.

The clear blue sky improved visibility through the water, which could prove useful when the time came.  Pulling his hood back as he worked, he accepted that it would only work against him out here in the open.  

Interesting tactical choice. 

The crystalline branches offered a less trackable path, but the resonance of her footfalls, however slight, still left a perceptible trail.  Choosing another method of travel would only leave a second means by which they could be tracked, so he followed her chosen course, matching her step for step.  Her speed and agility were impressive, and admittedly better than his own - a strength worthy of note.  

She was better suited to this arena, her pale skin and silver hair blending in with her surroundings.  He could have used the available shadows, but only at a slower pace.  This was a test, not an escape.  In a way, she was asking to dance a most unusual dance to prove his merit for his assigned post.  It was something he might do himself, were their roles reverse, and so could give no objection.  He admired her efficiency, though something more lurked inside that he couldn't quite figure out yet; something fierce.

"Wait... what?"  His shoulder sank as his eyes rolled towards the sky, knowing that he was virtually guaranteed to end up getting soaked.  Fate had it in for him - or more likely Cardinal - but the end result was that he invariably ended up embarrassing himself in the most spectacular ways possible.  His pattern of misfortune defied the odds by a wide margin, on that particular count.

'Right.  Yeah... okay.  Let's do this.  Haven't really fished yet, unless you count that bit with Ol'Pete on the first floor."  Gods, that felt like a lifetime ago now, and he had gotten soak during that incident, though he had only himself to blame for it.

Raidou's use of a notebook had not gone unnoticed.  He often kept important records and analysis in the same manner.  It wasn't necessary any more secure than the cipher he used for his UI-based records, as Cardinal could just as likely hack anything in this world, regardless of media.  It was a more... human touch.  Strange that they both shared the habit.

"I suppose we'll need rods, lure and other related paraphernalia."  He made his way to a nearby merchant on the dock to obtain the required supplies.

He watched her slide over the ledge with a look of confusion on her face, then land with unsurpassed grace on the limb of one of the crystalline trees below.  Ah, so the frozen heart still beats, does it?  Good.  It needs to be able to do so, when logic fails.  Stepping forward off of his hidden ledge, Freyd had calculated his safe path to grade through the razor-like mesh of icy knives by watching her movements.  He dove feet-first through the narrow opening, landing with a small impact cloud in the fluffy powder below, crouching so soften the blow, his palm hovering an inch above the surface to help maintain his balance.

A void beneath his cowl looked up at her as his hand pointed towards the darkness of the deeper wood, and waited.  She would find what she sought reflected in the wood's frozen heart, whatever that might be.  Billy might have been a bit more literal when he put Freyd onto his mongoose theme, but he'd since come to appreciate that she was so much more about attitude than about form.  Setsuna needed to find the same.  At best, as he discovered more about her, he was learning more about whatever traits their final quarry would need to possess.

"That's literally insane," Oscar had said.  How many times had Freyd heard that?  How many times had he questioned his own sanity?  It was easiest just to let Oscar talk his own way through it, especially since the pendulum actually could swing both ways at the same time on this one.  Paradoxes suck, but it doesn't mean they can't exist.  His face betrayed no emotion, because there were none to betray.  This was a simple matter of clinical analysis of the available facts.

"In this case, my choices appear to be that I might be right, I might be insane, or I might be both."  He scratched his head as if shopping each options around for consideration.  "My wickedness, at least, I can confirm."  His hood looked towards the west, into a series of deep canyons etched out of black basalt cliffs, the wind howling through them like a chorus of badly tuned banshees.  Small rivulets of lava tricked from each mouth.

"We might as well try that way.  Careful though, you might be crazy to follow me."

Used: Crafting Respite (161585-2)

Item #1

Name: Jackpot Pretzel
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163928
Roll Result: LD 5 (No Unique)
Item Type: Consumable (Snack)
Tier: T3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: LD 3
Description: A gigantic super-salty pretzel.  Guaranteed a win if you can finish the whole thing.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19856-sp-f22-event-dont-be-koi/?do=findComment&comment=617531

Item #2

Name: Jackpot Pretzel
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163929
Roll Result: LD 6 (No Unique)
Item Type: Consumable (Snack)
Tier: T3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: LD 3
Description: A gigantic super-salty pretzel.  Guaranteed a win if you can finish the whole thing.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19856-sp-f22-event-dont-be-koi/?do=findComment&comment=617531

Item #3

Name: Assortment of Fuzzy-Looking Meatballs
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163930
Roll Result: LD 20 (No Unique)
Item Type: Consumable (Meal)
Tier: T3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Protein 2
Description: A package of oddly coloured meatball, each infused with different and unusual flavours.  
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19924-sp-f21-natures-treasure-the-sentient-mob-conundrum/?do=findComment&comment=618805

Item #4

Name: Cotton Candy Puffs
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163931
Roll Result: LD 11 (No Unique)
Item Type: Consumable (Snack)
Tier: T3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: ACC 2
Description: An assortment of marble-sized balls of cotton candy of myriad colours and flavours.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19924-sp-f21-natures-treasure-the-sentient-mob-conundrum/?do=findComment&comment=618805

Item #5

Name: Red Velvet Meringue
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163932
Roll Result: LD 14 (No Unique)
Item Type: Consumable (Snack)
Tier: T3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: EVA 2
Description: A super-rich, chocolatey treat that spreads warmth and comfort within anyone who eats it, taking them to their emotional happy place and rendering them untouchable to lesser slights.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19924-sp-f21-natures-treasure-the-sentient-mob-conundrum/?do=findComment&comment=618786

Item #6

Name: Mega-Duper Anti-Everything Sauce
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163933
Roll Result: LD 3 (No Unique)
Item Type: Consumable (Salve)
Tier: T3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Antidote 3
Description: A small container of golden coloured goo that soothes the nostrils, mind, and provides a panacea of any ailment. Smells like angel farts.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19924-sp-f21-natures-treasure-the-sentient-mob-conundrum/?do=findComment&comment=618786

Item #7

Name: Red Velvet Meringue
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163934
Roll Result: LD 11 (No Unique)
Item Type: Consumable (Snack)
Tier: T3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: EVA 2
Description: A super-rich, chocolatey treat that spreads warmth and comfort within anyone who eats it, taking them to their emotional happy place and rendering them untouchable to lesser slights.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19924-sp-f21-natures-treasure-the-sentient-mob-conundrum/?do=findComment&comment=618786

Item #8

Name: Endless Supply Pack
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163935, 163936
Roll Result: LD 2, 3 (No Unique)
Item Type: Light Armor
Tier: T2
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: REC 2
Description: A mundane-looking leather satchel that invariably has whatever you need to keep going.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19605-f13-sp-clearing-the-outskirts/?do=findComment&comment=611752

Item #9

Name: Green Beret
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163937, 163938
Roll Result: LD 11, 7 (No Unique)
Item Type: Light Armor
Tier: T2
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: Light Momentum 1, EVA 1
Description: Smooth green wool beret with the name ‘Sadler’ written inside.  Helps to make you untouchable  as you relentlessly push forward.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19745-f13-sp-rotten-flesh-apocalypse/?do=findComment&comment=614756

Notes: 

Rank 4 Merchant (Base: BD 10, CD 9+ for unique, 8 identifications per day)
+1 to CD from Hermes’ Scale
+2 EXP: Hard Working (also +1 crafting attempt per day)
+2 EXP: Lucrative (Firm Anima)
+1 EXP: Custom Ambition Tool (bought from own shop 2020-07-16)
+1 EXP from Ambition (148177) – still in effect

Costs:

Total Cost to Identify:  8,600 col
 

Item #1

 Name: Bloodletter
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163901, 163902, 163903
Roll Result: LD 13, 4, 1 (No Unique)
Item Type: Weapon (2HSS)
Tier: T2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Keen 2, Bleed 1
Description: Essentially an oversized saber, its thin steel blade cuts deep and is most suitable for deep thrusts.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19745-f13-sp-rotten-flesh-apocalypse/?do=findComment&comment=614801

Item #2

Name: Bloodletter
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163904, 163905, 163906
Roll Result: LD 2, 3, 11 (No Unique)
Item Type: Weapon (2HSS)
Tier: T2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Keen 2, Bleed 1
Description: Essentially an oversized saber, its thin steel blade cuts deep and is most suitable for deep thrusts.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19745-f13-sp-rotten-flesh-apocalypse/?do=findComment&comment=615001

Item #3

Name: Scion’s Blade
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163907, 163908, 163909
Roll Result: LD 15, 16, 1 (No Unique)
Item Type: Weapon (2HSS)
Tier: T2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Keen 1, Damage 2
Description: An ornate, ceremonial blade decorates with the heraldric markings of a long lost noble house.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19745-f13-sp-rotten-flesh-apocalypse/?do=findComment&comment=615001

Item #4

Name: Flashy Slashy
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163910, 163911, 163912 
Roll Result: LD 1, 6, 5 (No Unique)
Item Type: Weapon (2HSS)
Tier: T2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Keen 2, Taunt
Description: Heavily decorated with gold filigree, this highly polished steel blade is meant to attract as much attention as possible on the battlefield.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19745-f13-sp-rotten-flesh-apocalypse/?do=findComment&comment=615001

Item #5

Name: Grunt’s Blade
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163913, 163914, 163915
Roll Result: LD 11, 4, 14 (No Unique)
Item Type: Weapon (2HSS)
Tier: T2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Keen 1, Bleed 1, Accuracy 1
Description: An unadorned heavy iron blade commonly salvaged from humanoid warrior mobs.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19745-f13-sp-rotten-flesh-apocalypse/?do=findComment&comment=615001

Item #6

Name:  Gutrender
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163916, 163917, 163918
Roll Result: LD 3, 18, 5 (No Unique)
Item Type: Weapon (2HSS)
Tier: T2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Keen 2, Accuracy 1
Description: Favoured by barbarians throughout Aincrad, this six-foot crude steel blade has no guard and only a cloth-wrapped hilt.  Most who wield these don’t last long.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19745-f13-sp-rotten-flesh-apocalypse/?do=findComment&comment=614756

Item #7

Name: Grunt’s Blade
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163919, 163920, 163921
Roll Result: LD 2, 10, 16 (No Unique)
Item Type: Weapon (2HSS)
Tier: T2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Keen 1, Bleed 1, Accuracy 1
Description: An unadorned heavy iron blade commonly salvaged from humanoid warrior mobs.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19745-f13-sp-rotten-flesh-apocalypse/?do=findComment&comment=615028

Item #8

Name: Grunt’s Blade
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163922, 163923, 163924
Roll Result: LD 14, 7, 2 (No Unique)
Item Type: Weapon (2HSS)
Tier: T2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Keen 1, Bleed 1, Accuracy 1
Description: An unadorned heavy iron blade commonly salvaged from humanoid warrior mobs.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19745-f13-sp-rotten-flesh-apocalypse/?do=findComment&comment=616478

Item #9

Name: Aezelwryth
Your Profession:  Merchant
Your Rank: Rank 4
Roll ID: 163925, 163926, 163927 
Roll Result: LD 17, 18, 20 (No Unique)
Item Type: Weapon (2HSS)
Tier: T3
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: DMG 3
Description: A five-foot-long double-edged greatsword of polished black-coloured steel with an elongated hilt and cross-guard. The Litany Against Fear is engraved in decorative script in both of the blade’s fullers, sized to fit just right.
Post Link: http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19856-sp-f22-event-dont-be-koi/?do=findComment&comment=617503

Notes: 

Rank 4 Merchant (Base: BD 10, CD 9+ for unique, 8 identifications per day)
+1 to CD from Hermes’ Scale
+2 EXP: Hard Working (also +1 crafting attempt per day)
+2 EXP: Lucrative (Firm Anima)
+1 EXP: Custom Ambition Tool (bought from own shop 2020-07-16)
+1 EXP from Ambition (148177)

Costs:

Total Cost to Identify:  11,600 col
 

Tugging at the ribbon behind his head, Freyd released the mask from his face, letting it de-materialize into his storage.  Somehow, he didn't feel like it was needed at this moment.  Gently placing a comforting hand on Elora's shoulder, he felt her wince slightly at his touch. 

"Relax," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.  It was meant only as advice.  His eyes eased, small worry lines visible atop his cheek bones.  He seemed older, suddenly, as if untold recent events might have taken some silent toll upon him.  Tilting his head, he raised a curious eyebrow as he spotted a bright orange strip of paper stuck in the chestnut-coloured hair sticks she had used to put up her long, silken green hair.  Reaching up from her shoulder to grasp it, he whispered into her ear.

"You're more than a match for any of the other women here.  Be proud of yourself, and fearless."  Pulling back the strip, he nodded reassuringly, though his face hardened again as he noticed the hand of the script upon the Tanzaku.  It was his own.  Something flashed across his face, like a painful memory of loss or regret.  It was unusual for him, who usually  expressed so little that many wondered aloud whether he even had any feelings.

He managed a forced smile.  

"Please, enjoy yourself.  Many from the guild are here.  This is a good opportunity to get to know them and others better."  There was something behind his eyes as he summoned back the mask he'd only just removed.  It was needed again.  Putting it back into place, he politely excused himself and wandered back over the special bamboo trees.  Pausing to re-read his third wish again, he ran a thumb across the crinkled surface of the paper as he did, reinvesting his devotion.  Fastening it to the tree once again, he also assured himself that the others were secure.  Turning to over his shoulder and pausing in thought for a minute, Freyd then slowly turned away and wandered towards a nearby exit. Obscured in shadow, he disappeared into the crowd without making another sound.

[Needed a separate, third post to hang Tanzaku]

@Elora

"Huh," Freyd whispered, taking in the view.  "Don't think I've been to this particular floor before.  It looks like fire and water, waiting to dance with each other at a moment's notice, while the sky watches and laughs, wouldn't you agree Bob?"  The portal guardian didn't respond.  They never did, but it hadn't stopped him from rambling quixotically to them from time to time.  It was fantastic stress relief, and instantly crafted a public persona as a total loon.  That suited him just fine.  People ignore the fools, usually to their own detriment.  He really needed to pick up a cosmetic skin that could be applied to his existing garb to make it look more like a harlequin.  The potential uses and benefits were nearly limitless.  Maybe I should practice doing that with Disguise, he mused to himself.

Raidou had already found his bearing and was making ready to depart.  "Sorry Bob.  Nice chatting.  Gotta run."  He pat the guard on the pauldron and swaggered down off the platform with a light bounce and swagger in his step.  Maybe it was the sea air, but he felt considerably more at ease here than the floor they had just left.

Freyd stood at the very edge of the sheer drop atop the exposed face of an ice ridge, surveying the frozen landscape below.  A long, broad valley lay exposed before him, most of it filled with  translucent crystalline trees made entirely of ice and glittering in the endless play of light reflecting off their infinite surfaces.  Their canopy made a deadly ice-shard briar patch that would shred anyone foolish enough to try falling through it.  "That's where I'd hide something good," he said to himself just loudly enough to carry in the crisp cold air.

Turning to face away from the cliff's edge, he surveyed the terrain from whence he'd come, suspecting that his wayward companion was not far behind.  Persi remained where she would be most useful, cleverly disguised in the shadows.  Closing his eyes, he took a blind step backward and fell as silently as a snowflake down the face of the ridge into the razor woods below.

Except that he didn't.  Freyd had plenty of tricks up his sleeve as well and had taken the time required to study the size of the narrow shelf about ten feet below the top of the ridge.  Using his own doppleganger's trick, he made it appear that he had foolishly stepped to his demise, while, in truth, he now stood concealed on that ledge, watching and waiting patiently for her next move.  He could see movement below the trees.  So there is something down there...

He was content to skulk in the shadows as Raidou took the lead.  It really was where he felt most comfortable.  Having watched Yuki and now Raidou serve in the role, he had no aspirations to be a tank.  His function was better suited to the versatile - a jack of all trades - adaptable to any circumstance.  What a range he had already encountered.  Where most fancied the swift and deadly bite of a dagger, Freyd loved the notion of a big-ass angry sword blazing to life and biting at his foes from the darkness.  He'd never admit it, and might even realize it, but It was about the visceral thrill of the reveal - the moment where stealth, intrigue and subtlety ended, and what came next felt righteous.  It overwhelmed him when it happened, so unaccustomed was he to dealing with such raw emotions.

Something of that same surge had been floating behind Raidou's eyes.  Freyd was sure of it, at least in his own mind.  It was just more data, and tucked away appropriately for future consideration.

"It looks like we'll be heading to floor sixteen next."  The statement gave away nothing of the roaring analytical engine at work within his mind, as usual.

Ice.  More ice.  Oh look, even more ice.  How novel...

He'd already spotted a half dozen elemental creatures wandering aimlessly in the frozen wastes through which they traveled, but all were too large.  During their limited interaction, Freyd had pegged her as cold and calculating, disciplined yet harsh, occasionally to the point of cruelty.  A woman after his own heart, some might say.  Truly, he wasn't so different himself, though she likely came at it for different reasons.  Her whispered reference to him as 'master' had caught his attention.  There was a taunt there, he suspected: an opportunity to earn the title.  It seemed a worthwhile game to play, and the potential benefits were plentiful.  

He'd hardly forgotten their brief interaction when he first attended Firm Anima's guild hall.  Though he didn't know her name, at the time, there was a hardness and severity to the girl which immediately struck him.  She judged people, by strict measures and standards.  It meant that there was a way to earn that trust, albeit likely with constant repetition.  That likely meant that she held herself to the same strict standards.  What familiar would appeal to such a person?  He looked around.  A hard one, and also cold as ice.

[Begins immediately after completion of SoW2 on floor 10]

Freyd recovered the image from Raidou, wistfully returning it to his storage.  The kids' plight had touched him enough to go running after them without hesitation.  Quaestor had only to mention that they had run off and he ran off like some sort of hero.  That was the very last thing Freyd had ever considered of himself.  Feeling any pain for Maeve's lost soul felt like borrowing someone else's grief.  They had never met.  But he'd lived their experience of the loss, which was bad enough.  His face recovered its inscrutable mask and the tension in his stance eased as he returned to his normal, desensitized state.

"And I laid still like the dead within this crypt for far too long before finally stirring myself from torpor.  I'll be glad to go down with ice and focus in my veins, rather than simply succumbing, if the time ever comes."

The mists that had been scattered by the force of their attacks during their recent battle with the Leech Lich and its minions was slowly starting to close in once more.  Red eyes watched the wanderers flaring anger from beneath their darkened sanctuary.  There was more at play inside the man than he liked to let on.  Freyd was sure of that now and wondered what had triggered such a response?  The photo?  Everyone had a past.

"We should move on.  There are other tasks left undone."   And there always would be.  He would make absolutely certain of that.

@Raidou

Freyd Consumes:

Yue’s Grace (+1 SP for thread)
Armageddon Juice (+3 DMG) – 161688
Red Velvet Meringue (+2 EVA) – 162627
Assortment of Fuzzy-Looking Meatballs (Protein 2) – 159102 (+1 Filling)
Pixie Sticks (ACC 1) - 162340
 

Freyd watched silently as the exchange played out, his body still as a statue yet poised for action.

"You want this potion so bad? You'll have to earn it. Half-Loss Duel." Vigilon had declared, then turning to him and asking whether he wanted to teach them a lesson.

"No," Freyd replied, flatly and completely serious.  "They're taunting you and you're taking their bait - picking their fight for them.  I have better and more important things to do than engage in wasteful combat with a bunch of self-important thugs and blowhards."  He clearly meant the other two players.  Without waiting for a reaction, Freyd continued in the direction of the forest village of Krycim, leaving Vigilon in the awkward position of having just challenged two other players to a duel.  Freyd's party icon and stats vanished from Vigilon's UI a moment later.

"Don't slip on any branches this time.  Good luck."  And then he was gone.

***

Thread Summary:

Freyd:

5 SP (1 page + 3 quest + 1 event)
200 col
<<Tiger Rage>> A potion which grants +2 damage. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.

Vigilon:

5 SP (1 page + 3 quest + 1 event)
200 col
<<Tiger Rage>> A potion which grants +2 damage. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.
 

Ah, so that's how it's going to be.  Good.  We can work with this.

Sword instantly in hand, Freyd slapped the flat of the two-handed white blade against its stout trunk, empowered by a mild sword art.  Its roots protested loudly as every branch shook, dumping a large quantity of snow and ice across a wide area surrounding where Setsuna had disappeared.  While he hoped to reveal her location and at least partially spoil her challenge, the movement was a feint in and of itself.  Persi darted out from his back, her presence equally obscured by the same falling snow the would hopefully upstage Setsuna while placing another piece on the field for future use.

"Names are very important," he replied, "especially depending on whether they were given, chosen, or taken."

Without waiting to see whether her cover was blown, Freyd walked out into the wilderness and let the haze envelop him as well.  The cold troubling him not at all.

Freyd summoned a small, framed digital image from his personal storage, and handed it to Raidou.  It showed three people: a young boy, young woman and younger girl.  They were likely siblings, based on shared facial features, hair colour and most especially their eyes.  They were dressed in assorted gear that suggested they had just made the transition to Tier 2 play.  Freyd's glove pressed against the back of the semi-transparent image, naming each in turn: "Dingo, Quip, and Maeve."  The last one was a dead ringer for the last of the Stygian Warrior to fall.  

"She died about a week after this photo was taken.  A good friend tipped me off that the other two had embarked on a fool's errand, trying to recover an object that could restore her to life from an elite area on floor thirteen.  It was a death trap for the desperate and gullible.  I managed to get them out, with a bit of help.  They actually tend my shop whenever I'm not around, which is fairly often these days.  I gave them a home."

His hooded face turned to watch the last of the mobs' motes vanish into the blackness of the Styx.

"Some days, I really fucking hate this game."

Freyd stilled, his hands still tugging at his left boot, the supple leather slipping slowly through his gloved hands.  His hooded head turned slowly towards her, with his features remaining cloaked in darkness underneath.  She could nearly hear the creasing of his forehead in the accompanying silence.

"I would have thought that obvious: I want you to go get a familiar."

Righting himself slowly, he stood steady yet relaxed as he watched her.

"We haven't met, have we? I would have remembered."  His head tilted like a curious hound confronted with a new potential plaything.  "I'm Freyd, the new captain for Operations & Intelligence division.  They sent the previous guy down to make sandwiches, or something."  His shoulders shrugged, though it was true that Kil had been working on his cooking skill.  "I'm told that you're assigned to that group, AND that you don't yet have a familiar.  So, as my first official act should be to help you correct that oversight."  His tone was completely deadpan, making it impossible tell whether he was serious or poking fun.  It actually seemed like it might be the former.

"Business is starting to pick up, but I've barely had a chance to spend any time in the shop over the last few weeks.  I'm trying to take the O&I duties as seriously as I can, and have spent most of my time traveling between floors to make contacts and build an information network.  There's rumour of something sinister stirring in the shadows, but, really, when is there not?"

Stubbing his foot on something buried in the mud, Freyd bent down and pulled a large scale from the muck.  On its opalescent surface was a marking reminiscent of a red tower with a black sword laid over top of it, tip down.  He stared at it for a moment, pensively, flipping it over to examine the rear and scratching at the surface, running his gloved finger over the sword.

"I have to go," he said, abruptly.  "Thanks for the run, both of you.  I'll catch up soon."  He placed the scale into storage and vanished through the use of a teleport crystal before anything more could be said.

Thread Summary:

Haine: 

2 SP (1 page + 1 event) – previously completed this quest
133 col
<<Lightning Rod>> Grants a weapon a one turn paralysis effect on a critical hit. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.

Kiluia:

7 SP (1 page + 3 quest + 1 event +1 slime farm +1 Yue’s grace)
133 col
1x T2 material
<<Lightning Rod>> Grants a weapon a one turn paralysis effect on a critical hit. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.

Freyd:

5 SP (1 page + 3 quest + 1 event)
133 col
<<Lightning Rod>> Grants a weapon a one turn paralysis effect on a critical hit. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply.
 

Two more spectral guardians manifested, one on either side of the skeletal lich, its gaunt, unnatural arms flailing as it recoiled from the red wanderer's attack.  A downward strike of the white blade clove through its sickly flesh and cut it down before the vile creature could restores itself by sacrificing its servitors.  One of the newly summoned minions suffered the same fate an instant later, its ectoplasmic form splattering towards the river and bits of pixelating light skipping on its dark glassy surface.  The third eluded his strike, but seemed keenly aware of its desperate plight.  It couldn't last long against either captain, and they knew it.  

Freyd blanched when finally got a proper glimpse of the thing's face - that of a young girl with tightly braided light blonde hair.  "Maeve?!"  His sword hesitated as his arm refused to act.  "No... not like this."  He couldn't bring himself to strike.

Freyd was leaning against a nearby tree trunk, blending in surprisingly well with the shadows cast by the surrounding greenery.  He watched the exchange from beneath his cowl with the appearance of disinterest, but his ears focused intently on their words.  He had no interest in giving these people anything for free.  Merchants didn't stay in business long if they operated that way, and he'd only just opened up his shop a few weeks ago.  Vigilon didn't strike him as the foolish type either.  Surely, he wouldn't part with his newly acquired prize so easily?

"Maybe you two should just go collect your own, if you have such grand plans," he added.  Something clearly wasn't right with these two.  The woman, with her red hood, gave him an especially creepy vibe.  Lifting his sword to rest on his shoulder, he urged Vigilon onward towards the Amazon settlement.  "We can't afford to linger," he added in a voice barely above a whisper.

Tossing Forgiven Disobedience in the air, Freyd caught its hilt and unleashed his sword art in a white blinding arc to Raidou's right, spinning the follow up with another wave on the opposite side.  The choral splendor of angel song what accompanied the blade's mightiest blows seemed to resound more proudly here, in the deepest of darkness.  Four ancient specters of heroes long lost manifested from the red haze, as if drawn into the light by the white blade's calling.  Saluting in respect, each crumbled into a shower of dazzling dust that collected at Freyd's back like a pair of gossamer wings.  He drove the blade into the ground and they flapped once before disappearing, beating back the mist and revealing their true opponent, the Leech Lich, hovering before them.  Hefting the blade in an upward guard, he let its light loose to illuminate their target before speaking to his companion.

"Your turn."

"I'd like the token back, if you don't mind.  It's proof of something that I'm seeing across various unrelated corners of Aincrad, related to our earlier conversation.  I'd really rather not have found it, but since it was here, I can't just ignore it.  At least, if you haven't seen it before, it suggests that whatever may be happening is keeping to the shadows, for the moment."  Freyd stood and dusted off his dark leathers.  So little of him was actually exposed that he could easily have been a ghost himself.  

"Do me a favour,"  he opened a quick UI and extended Vigilon a friend request, "if you see or hear anything related to this, give me a shout.  I'm going to need more information before I can draw any firm conclusions, or even begin to determine how to deal with whatever may be going on."  He held open his hand, waiting for the token's return, reddish eyes gleaming beneath his cowl.  Their shape suggested candid appreciation and hope, despite the more dour appearance of his garb.

"Ah!  Good, Setsuna, you're here.  Let's get started then, shall we?"  Freyd made no introductions, no banter or small talk. Pulling on his gloves and connecting the last of the buckles on his boots, his dark cowl was still draped around his neck so that she could see who he was.  "This familiar won't find itself."   He pulled up the wayward hood into proper position and quickly scanned the surrounding landscape.  "What type were you looking for again?"  

It was all staged, of course.  He'd been tipped off that Setsuna had been delinquent in completing this particular task and thought it might make a suitably unorthodox introduction for a member of the O&I division.  Firm Anima relied on them, and he needed to be able to rely on her, which meant understanding who and what he had to work with.    His own experience finding Persi had been extremely lengthy.  Hopefully, this would wrap up faster, but quality could not be rushed.

"Not a problem I ever expected to have, and yet encounter more frequently these days."  Freyd skulked along, lightening his steps unconsciously as he sought to minimize any sign of their presence.  The leather of his gloves creaked softly as he tightened his grip on his weapon.  "I suppose it has to happen to all of us eventually. Though I truly wasn't expecting to reach this point so quickly."  The mist was beginning to swirl in different patterns than before.  Most would have missed it completely, but his analytical mind read the world in accordance with the weave of its patterns and exceptions.  Something was out there, or several somethings.  The same play in the subtle breeze recurred at multiple points around them.

"I'd wager that we won't be left alone much longer.  The dark is starting to look hungry."  He drew a quick X in the sand, indicating the four directions of the shades seeking to encircle them.  "You might want to finish preparing any of those preparations, if you haven't already done so."

"Oi!  No man-handling the goods, lady!"  a short, stocky-looking woman with thick, braided blond hair and bright green eyes wandered over, appearing from beneath one of the other tables.  "Ye wouldn't be Elworra, would ye?"  She pointed at her green hair and elfin ears.  "Freyd said ye might come around at some point, and that I wus to look after ya."  She grasped Elora's hand and shook it vigorously, nearly knocking the spyglass out of her other hand.  

"Ooo... careful, dearie.  Ye break it, ye bought it, eh?"  She winked at her, wiping her hand on her badly soiled apron notably after their handshake.  "I'm Quip.  This here's Dingo."  She grabbed a nearby broom, slamming it with surprising strength on the loft above them.  A startled yelp was heard above, just as a scrawny, brown-haired youth came crashing down into an adjacent hay bale.  

"Whatdya do that fer?"  He rubbed his eyes as if warding off sleep, or possibly urge it to return.  He had the same green eyes as Quip, suggesting that they might be kin. 

"Over here, lassie, and we'll get to business."  Quip's cheerful demeanor shone through, but Elora could see heavy careworn lines around her eyes.  Both of them notably had green icons over their heads, denoting their status as players.

@Elora