Freyd

"We found ourselves a perfect little valley carved out of the bedrock by some waterfalls on the outskirts of the High Fields of Crossing."  The others would never know it, but it took a lot for him to disclose even that limited amount of information.  Naturally cautious, Freyd's past behaviour bordered on the paranoid, though mostly about Cardinal's perceived vendetta against him.  It had kept him hidden away for years in the Town of Beginnings, chatting only with Marv and a limited selection of players, doing little more than skulking among other shadows lost in back alleys.  Beyond that, his role within Firm Anima required a considerable amount of discretion - the kind that didn't mesh well with posting your address in fully public view.

"I hear you," he piled on, regarding Morningstar's litany against refuse and the sheer amount of crap appraisers tended to collect.  Finding diamonds in the rough left you with a whole lot of useless rough. 

Watching Wulfrin engage the next group, Freyd playfully dodged and wove his way in the wake of his red surcoat, suppressing a grin at once having followed another much like it.  His momentum suffered, but most of the mobs had been caught off guard and staggered by Wulfrin's initial assault.  Softening them up was all he needed to do, knowing the rest of their crew would mop up behind them.

"What trade did you choose, Wulfrin?  Or Nari, for that matter?  I can't recall whether I ever asked."   Cleaving through foes hardly seemed the ideal time to ask, and might explain why he could have forgotten if previously told.

***

"Yeah, sometimes nodding is all it takes for pickup the quest, though there is often also a pop-up with 'yes' and 'no' options."  It was a little surprising that Xclear hadn't seen it yet, but the prompts could occasionally be laggy.  Dorian himself moved on, scurrying away from Freyd, wide eyed and sweating profusely as he struggled against his own girth, clearly unaccustomed to the exertion.  

"Sorry.  I've been through this quite a few times, and you start to notice patterns in the actions of certain NPCs over so many repetitions.  I used to believe that Dorian was an innocent, if slightly befuddled and forgetful, old man, but have seen him wield his influence with a masterful subtlety.  You'd be amazed what he gets away with just because people think he's an old fuddy-duddy."  Sparing his companion a slew of unnecessary details, he moved on to point the way to Zackariah's shop.  "How about we just focus on getting this done so that you can catch up with those friends of yours?"

Wandering back to the flaming nightmare that had been left behind in the wake of War's utter embarrassment, Freyd found it to have simmered down to a more manageable midnight coal.  Its eyes were still red, watching him with curiosity even as it chewed upon the last vestiges of its previous rider's fractured fractal form.  Bits of orange dust disintegrated as they fell from its scorched and blackened maw.

"Spoils of War, eh?  How'd those taste?"  A snuffling neigh and sneeze were his reply.  "That bad? Maybe too much hot sauce.  Why don't we rebrand a bit and give this job a touch of Whisper's flare?"  Grasping the reigns and thereby donning the mantle of War, Freyd channeled his intimate knowledge of the gemini's talents to alter his form to better suit his adopted role.  His cowl, so long a symbol of concealment and mystery, shifted to spill down his shoulders and sides like a cloak and draping to shroud both rider and horse.  All traces of living humanity vanished from his appearance, skin subsumed and replaced by the very fabric embodying his inner struggles - the war within himself.

Freyd could fathom no more apt a manner to face off against the darkness blighting the floor he long called home than by confronting it with his own.  Wrath agreed.  Furious rage fading from the mount's features was soon replaced instead by a cold and infinite void; an insatiable and ineffable hunger that would annihilate any obstacle to its relentless advance.  It was like watching destruction manifest itself, a cloud of miasmic black haze billowing out from their combined figure to scourge the very substance of surrounding reality as if its presence was anathema.  

Here rode the true terror of Aincrad: its Faceless Lord summoned from the shadows girded by wrath and ready for battle; nay, victory.  Stretching out a cloth-bound hand, Freyd held his arm aloft, watching as liquid nothingness dripped from his open palm and stretch until its vanguard nearly touched the ground.  Clenching his fist to the sound of absent yet shattering glass, a blade took form lacking in one dimension yet bounded by none. It broke the rules just by existing.  Samael's Pride, restored in vision to the truth of its origins, cleaved to its master and wielder's bidding.  This was an instrument incapable of yielding: unstoppable and unforgiving.  This, what lay in the coldest depths of the Whispers heart against which he'd struggled for so long.

"Hello, old friend," Freyd whispered to his weapon, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable, seeming to echo from the hollows dwelling behind all things.  A kick of his heels and instantly they had rejoined the rest of their companions, ready for epic, imminent confrontation. 

"Nice looks," he added for each of them in turn.  "What say we give all this a whirl and see what happens?"

***

Freyd (the Faceless Lord) | HP: 1500/1500 | EN: 152/152 | DMG: 50 | MIT: 220 | ACC: 8 | EVA: 6 | HLY: 16 | FLN: 16 | VD: 165 | BH: 82  | REC: 8 | Para.Imm | LD: 6 

• War (Passive):  On a CD 10-12, Receives another Attack. Can only activate once per turn. This CD is determined on his first attack's roll. 
• Devils Smite - Will deal an extra 100 DMG on MD 9-10. 

*cough*

"The lady may want to relax a bit, before she ruptures something.  That level of rigid can't be good for your digestion."  Stepping out of a darkened area just inside the doorway through which both had entered, Freyd emerged into the lit centre of the room where light drifted through an oculus in the roof.  It wasn't exactly like this floor saw a lot of rain.  Black on black casualwear struck a stark contrast to the more practical desert attire worn by all the locals.  Little more than cargo pants matched with a hoodie, Freyd's appearance was notably unremarkable, which was precisely the point.  Hand wraps looking like a pair of holes in space clad each of his hands, leaving only barest portions of his wrists and fingertips exposed.  A smirking grin adorned the lower half of a pale face of simple and fair complexion, though the blue in his eyes was barely visible beneath the arching of his trademark woolen cowl.

"You found a friend or two, I see," he added, nodding to the bird scorching its perch just by standing on it.  Persi would surely have been inching towards it to poke if she wasn't already enraptured by their other new arrival.  "Another Knightess, eh?  Seems a term and a theme that's become far more common of late.  Good!  We could always use more strong arms and backs around to get us through this heaping mess."

Wrapping his left foot around a nearby vacant chair, he did a thing that both other players would struggle to describe but somehow resulted in the piece of furniture folding itself inside out, its seat now facing the other way.  Maybe he just turned it really fast?  Before either of them could question it further, the man known as the Whisper in Shadows plunked himself unceremoniously on said chair and gestured at the table between them.  A strange amulet appeared, with bizarre Nordic-looking runes scrawled all across its heavy iron surface, which instantly opened to reveal some sort of platter with six individual portions of... crème brulée?

Only once he was seated could they both see faint traces of a hundred different teeth marks, glaring angry orange at them in a half-moon bite pattern that encompassed most of his left shoulder.  Whatever caused it must have been massive, albeit matching the beast Wulfrin had so recently mentioned.

"Shark bait, eh?  Yeah.  We could do that.  I just finished taking someone else through it, not long ago.  Seems like it's becoming a popular outing.  What do you say, Persi?  Shall we have another go?"

The mongoose flicked its strange, slotted eyes sideways towards the one she thought of as her lummox.  He might be graceful for a biped, but lacked her kin's agility and style.  Her disdain was made painfully clear in her expression.  But the metal-clad one?  She had fire in her eyes.  Maybe the bird had ignited it?  Pawing her way across the table without making a sound, Persi placed a paw upon KnightessCiela's breastplate and braced herself upon for a deeply invasive and curious sniff.

"Huh," Freyd said, softly, watching the exchange with genuine surprise.  "She's not usually... nice, like that."  

"Better eat up," Freyd added, nudging them towards the desserts already on the table.  "You won't want to do this on an empty stomach."

***

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) is in use.  If any other player objects to this, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.

Freyd consumes:

Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (6/6) - Takes 1 portion [filled] - shares the rest with the party
Armageddon Juice (Potion) | Damage 3 | 197181
Madlad Muffin | Tierless Rare Meal | EVA 2 | 216703
Stalwart's Stew | T4 Perfect Meal | MIT 3 | 215313

Freyd | HP: 1160/1160 | EN: 154/154 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 7 | BH: 63 | LD: 6 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 | V.D.: 127     

"Hrm.  Fickle fortunes of fate, huh?  Yeah. That's way more common than most of us would like.  Well, if we can get you through the first few lessons, maybe you can close the gap and rejoin them?"

Pointing ahead at the sleepy rural hamlet on a shallow rise, white smoke drifted slowly from a series of hearths and shops.  Even at this distance, there was a certain wafting scent of fresh bread in the air, sullied slightly by the odour of the various boars roaming randomly in the surrounding fields.  They stayed clear of the roads, and weren't naturally aggressive.  Freyd steered them clear, just in case, and soon to safe harbour in Tolbana's central courtyard.  It didn't take long for Dorian White to wander their way, his frumpy, bumbling manner appearing as a cross between indecision and ceaseless worry draped over a kindly, elderly face.  Freyd didn't buy it for an instant, thinking him an agent of the system sent to lull players into false senses of security, but the man did have his uses.

"You there! Stop, please!"

"Here we go again," muttered the Whisper, under this breath, waiting patiently as the NPC repeated the same spiel Freyd had already heard a thousand times.  "Yes, yes," he interrupted more testily than intended, "You loaned someone money and can't remember who.  Xclear, here is going to help you out and you will reward him handsomely when he does, RIGHT?"  What began as a dismissive rant became borderline threatening near the end, with Freyd pressing his cowled head right into the man's face.  Blanching, Dorian nodded fervantly.  He might also have soiled his pants.

Persi rounded the nearest street corner while devouring the last of her pilfered snack, ensuring that no evidence remained of her shenanigans.  Half-expecting an angry merchant to be chasing after her, Freyd was pleasantly surprised to find a pair of youngish looking players instead.

"What have you found there, Persi?  A pair of wayward souls in Fortaleza?  They'll fit right in," he added with a charming and sympathetic grin.  Dressed in a more dusty version of his normal if spoopy attire, he'd allowed himself to go a bit local over time.  Visits here had become a staple, of sorts, fulfilling a purpose and need to which few still paid attention: filling the ranks with capable, competent players.  For those few still occasionally trickling out from the Town of Beginnings or other shelters, this was a daunting world - as it had been for him.  A stranger had helped him, and he'd been paying that practical gift forward ever since.

"You're looking a little parched there, my friend," he added to the male.  "Can I offer you some refreshment?"  Conjuring a glass of ice-filled lemonade, it crackled and popped the instant it appeared as the floors oppressive heat immediately attacked its alien contents.  "Don't linger.  It won't last long around here.  You look like you might have just wrapped up the survival quest, or perhaps just underestimated the intensity of the local climate?"

Persi wrapped herself affectionately around Bee's leg, providing an oddly cooling sensation as the void within her drew tentatively against all ambient heat.  She was made of shadows, after all.  Typically aloof, bordering on snobbish, his familiar wasn't usually one to offer such gestures.  Freyd immediately took note, still wondering if she might be the kebab merchant.  Bee definitely didn't look the part, but appearances were frequently deceiving and meant nothing to the Whisper.  "And who might you be?"  Manners were always a preferable option.

Nodding politely in accepting Nari's thanks, Freyd would normally have dismissed it and thought it completely unnecessary.  Fighting in crazy circumstances and aiding players in need was just 'what he did'.  But, in this case, he would play along for the always better reason of helping a friend save face.  She'd made a bad call and fortune had intervened in their favour.  Wulfrin was alive.  So far as he was concerned, the matter was settled and done.  What remained was an opportunity. 

"It's not Earth-shattering or anything, but the Cave of Wonders does grant a notable bonus to loot and col, even if it is just more of the same.  I don't think anything remarkable has dropped to date, but I tend to auto-sort the stuff as it gets hoovered up and review it later."  He laughed, picturing the massive piles of junk strewn all over his brand new workshop.  "I just finished putting together a new place recently and my workshop is an even worse disaster area than the one at my actual shop.  Elora would likely threaten to throw it all out, if her spaces weren't just as horribly messy."  Groaning, he shook his head at the Herculean task of sorting his inventory.  

Making an elaborate show of eeny, meeny, miny, moe, Freyd finally just gave up and went left after Persi sauntered casually in that direction.  It was as good a way to choose as any, meandering them about a series of endlessly looping and interconnected tunnels that would baffle the bravest of navigators.  "Reminds me a bit of the labyrinth on 25," Freyd added randomly.  "Or maybe the black iron dungeon?  That place is always a treat."  It didn't take long for them to find another pack of mobs, this time in the guise of fellow ghostly players who were busily looting their own disintegrating corpses.  Their greedy gazes turned towards the party with agonizing longing.

"Stuuuuuffffff...."

"Huh... well... that's a little on the nose, but I suppose it fits.  Beggars and choosers, etc."  Without further consideration, Freyd waded forward, obliterating their front ranks.  Fortunately, there were plenty more already gathering behind.

***

Loot Spectral Looter 1: ID #220708 | LD: 15+10+2=27 | CD: 3
+4 materials (+4 CD/LD odd)
7200 col (HP[1200]*6 - incl. +3 Prosperity)
T4 Perfect Consumable 220708a
T4 Perfect Consumable 220708b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 220708c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 220708d

Loot Spectral Looter 2: ID #220709 | LD: 5+10+2=17 | CD: 9
+4 materials (+4 CD/LD odd)
10800 col (HP[1200]*9 - incl. +3 from roll, +3 Prosperity)
T4 Rare Trinket 220709

Loot Spectral Looter 3: ID #220710 | LD: 18+10+2=30 | CD: 8
20400 col (HP[1200]*17 - incl. +4 CD/LD even, +7 from roll, +3 Prosperity)
T4 Perfect Weapon 220710a
T4 Perfect Weapon 220710b
T4 Perfect Weapon 220710c

"Well, we do have to head back to Fortaleza at some point, but it doesn't have to be right away.  I guess that depends on what you have in mind?  I routine patrol this floor with Persi.  There are less notable sand sharks and other beasts around to be fought, not to mention bandits, carnivorous cacti and a whole slew of different scorpions.  Can't say that I favour any one floor over the rest, you know?  I just go wherever the action happens to be."  Stuffing his hands into a pair of concealed pockets in his hoodie-like top, Freyd strode casually as they chatted, seeming neither rushed nor overly concerned by the slowly healing injuries on his left shoulder.

"What's your deal, anyway, Kyoto? Are you rushing to get to the front lines, like so many others, or do you have some other plan in mind?"  He kicked a loose rock ahead, causing it to rebound off a larger boulder and go skittering into a small fissure in the stony ground of their surroundings.  Persi darted after it, like it was meant for her to chase, her shadowy form flitting by so fast that you could blink and miss it.

"I'll be fine," Freyd replied, not even bothering to look at the injury.  It wasn't clear whether he wasn't feeling it, or somehow simply managed to fight through whatever pain seeped through the suppressor algorithms.  "But I need to borrow this for a second."  Snapping his fingers, he summoned Kyoto's shadow to his side, pairing it with his own and directing them both to flank the sand shark from opposite direction.  The beast was virtually blind and shadows made no sound, but all it took was contrast between light and dark for it to recognize a threat or meal.  Thrashing violently as the two silhouetted danced and darted around it, independent of their owners, Freyd used the distraction to close the distance.

Terra Firma's beady eyes went wide as something grabbed hold of its tail and everything went white.  Snaring the beast, Freyd spun and flung it clear across the sand pit, smashing it hard against the rocky wall face on the opposite side from where he stood.  The mob popped like a pinata or water balloon, incapable of withstanding that sort of impact. Soon after a shower of blue fractal motes rained down open them, looking a bit like digital chum of their very own making.

"Good job there, Kyoto," Freyd said, his shadow back where it should be.  Kyoto's had also returned.  "You never know what you're going to get with this thing, but I think we can call that a relatively easy win for today.  We just need to go tell Abdullah about it, preferably in the most annoying way possible."

***

Loot Terra Firma: ID #220670 | LD: 8+6=14 | CD: 11
+2 materials (+2 CD odd)
7600 col (HP[950]*8 - incl. +2 LD even, +2 from roll, +1 Prosperity {multipurpose])
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 220670

Sparing a moment to share a thumbs up for his ally was all it took.  He'd taken his eyes off the ball, and it rose up and bit him, literally.  Terra Firma burst forth from the sands, doing what no one ever wants to see from any shark, and flew through the air to chomp down on Freyd's shoulder.  

"GAH!  Get off!" 

The thing's sheer weight toppled the Whisper head over heels backwards and flat onto his back.  Instinct drove him.  Before he could even think, Freyd reeled back and drove his forehead straight into the beasts midnight eye, his sword art miraculously triggering in the process.  Nasty orange grooves in the patterns of its teeth ripped out of his shoulders as the mob was sent flying into the far wall of the arena, sinking back into the sands in a dazed state, but ready to resume their combat.

"Darnit," Freyd muttered, poking his already healing shoulder and wrenching it back into its socket with a sickening crunch.  Wiping his nose with his good arm, he spat on the sands and resumed his fighting stance, daring the shark to come at him again.  Whatever happened, he could not let it focus on his companion.

"Give it another love tap, will ya?"  The grin he gave Kyoto looked almost feral from beneath his cowl.

***

The dark, brooding fellow - notably not Freyd for once - was muttering to himself by the lift's gate, not having bothered to spare Katoka so much as a glance.

"Eh... Ryland: Kat.  Kat, this is Ryland. He's the skyport's harbourmaster and resident nanny.  Everything that takes place here is on his watch."

"Right," the gruff former sailor interrupted.  "Which means that every time our supposed security forces cut a deal with another band of pirates, it comes out of my paycheck, and the higher ups take it out of my hide!  I've had it!  Calas and her goons keep taking bribes to look the other way - or worse, a cut of the profits.  We're putting an end to this."  The man was sporting neither armor, nor weapon, making his appointed task very unlikely to end well if the ruffians they were rushing to meet carried either or both.  Turned up into a sneer, his beard twitched in barely controlled rage, ready to unload upon whoever they were about to meet.  Freyd turns his cowl to Katoka's ear to better muffle his words.

"This is really weird," he began, voice laden with surprise and uncertainty.  "I've faced off against Calas and her goons like this before, but I swear that it wasn't a quest. Could Cardinal be-"

"A-hah!"  The lift lurched to a stop, Ryland throwing around slurs and accusations before he'd even opened the grille.  "Calas, you corrupt Razwellian [censored]!  What the hell do you think you are doing!?"

There were dozens of men and women on the dock, most of them heavily armed pirates by the looks of them and busy carting ill-gotten booty back to their sky skiffs.  A handful of dock workers were huddled together and tied up nearby, four Ladonian guardsmen and their lady captain standing over them like jailors, instead of protectors.  The woman, who was busy speaking with a tall, ornately dressed pirate, turned a cold and callous stare their way, rolling her eyes.  "I'll deal with this," she said to the broad-chested pirate, and then to her patrol added: "No witnesses."  The deck hands died instantly as their captors icons bled from orange to crimson red.  Those of the pirates were already starting to turn.

"Shit."  Freyd had lived this before and knew what was about to happen.  Despite their combined strength, there were too many foes here for them to taken on at once.  Trying to send the lift to another floor proved fruitless.  Its controls had already been disabled.  Grabbing Ryland by the scruff of his jacket, he tossed him towards the far end of the span.  "There's a rescue skiff at the end," he added through clenched teeth.  "You know the one.  Run.  Now.  And for goodness' sake, keep your damned mouth shut while you do!"

Thread Closing:

Freyd receives:

21,287 EXP (Word Count [11087/10*16*1] + 20% Mega-Slime Farm &  highest contributor bonus)
71,393 col (2 page [800] + Loot [67400] + 15% P5 Reward [3193])
24 Materials (Loot [24])

+1 Demonic Shard
Random Dungeon Map 218897
T4 Perfect Consumable 218895a
T4 Perfect Consumable 218895b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218895c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218895d
T4 Perfect Consumable 218914a
T4 Perfect Consumable 218914b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218914c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218914d
T4 Perfect Weapon 218921a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218921b
T4 Perfect Consumable 218921c
T4 Perfect Consumable 218921d
T4 Perfect Weapon 218943a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218943b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218943c
T4 Perfect Consumable 218947a
T4 Perfect Consumable 218947b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218947c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218947d

Hugging Freyd had always been like hugging a tree.  It didn't hug back.  Unexpectedly, though, Kat actually felt the tender press of a hand upon her back in the moment where she gave the spoopy shadow man his compressive greeting.  There was also an uncharacteristic ease in his eyes, which so often looked like they were permanently set in predatory-sarcasm mode.  Not today.  

"Actually, Elora and I have been spending quite a bit of time together.  I think I'd told you we were thinking of moving in together, right?"  He honestly couldn't recall with certainty, but if he'd told anyone it was likely Kat, and he felt like he had.  Felt.  That felt weird.  Feeling stuff.  But such was the measure of change befalling the Whisper in Shadows.  "We're actually doing it.  The house itself is up.  We're just getting it all filled up with our respective junk."  He chuckled at the disparity between them, on that count.  Each had their own version of excess and organization that neither of them had quite figured out how to blend.  Time would sort it all out, or so he believed.

"It's... really weird, but in a good way?"  Seeing his comment's reaction reflected upon her face, Freyd placed a heavily wrapped hand tenderly upon her shoulder.  "I'm sorry.  I know she worries and that things haven't been simple.  It was thoughtless of me to bring it up.  Why don't you come over to the Witherwind, when you have a moment?"  Her face instantly told him that she had no idea what she meant.  "Witherwind Rest.  It's what we've called it.  Not far from Urbus, but also out of the way.  I'll send you the coordinates, though please keep them confidential."  Kat would understand why the captain of O&I wouldn't want his new address posted all over Aincrad.  He was about to deflect the question about his travel times when fate played its hand.

"Freyd?!"  The arm slipped off Katoka's shoulder, flexing into a fist at the calling of his name.  "Than goodness you're back!  Calas is at it again.  Her and her gaggle of sycophants are up on the span letting those pesky pirates help themselves to MY goods.  NOT HAPPENING!"  Grabbing the Whisper by his sleeve, he started dragging a very confused looking Freyd to the nearby elevator, clearly intending to have him help with policing a few unruly, wayward souls.

"Wait.  What?  Ryland?  I did this already. When the fuck did it become a quest?!  Kat, get your butt over here!"

Watching his companion and foe alike, Freyd darted around the natural desert arena like a veteran, dodging and weaving around the angry mobile maw that was Terra Firma.  He'd fought this beast many times - enough to learn to respect the thing's remarkable agility.  Heavily armored and fast, there were few mobs in the game that could match it without being considered field bosses or higher tier quest mobs.  Randomly changing directions, as easily as a shadow might, Freyd's movements were erratic and unpredictable, and served to good advantage.  As quick as the sand shark was, it tended to charge repeatedly in straight lines.  As long as he kept himself mobile, there was a chance he could keep out of its reach.

"Kyoto, huh?  I had an uncle there.  Worked all the time.  My dad liked him.  I never got to know him.  Hope you're not like the city."  Chuckling as he spoke, breathing steady but lungs burning at the pace he was being forced to keep, this place was rapidly becoming his personal practice dojo, except the test dummies had more teeth than a great white.  "Watch it!  He's veering."  Rolling left, then leaping and tumbling by the mob's flank, Freyd managed to tag it hard enough to leave a nasty orange streak along its side.  "That's it, big boi.  Keep your attention on me and let my man Kyoto, here, do his thing." 

***

Wulfrin and Morningstar were acting precisely according to the plan, and each to his strength.  While the first couldn't dish out the raw numbers, the system didn't care whether you could crush stone with your bare hands or barely flick a flea: a stun was a stun.  Tall, bright and greedy had just learned that painful and humbling lesson.  Star was also just really good at breaking things that deserved breaking, and this thing was overqualified as a candidate.  Nari looked pissed.  The question was whether that anger was directed against the boss or herself.  Freyd's money was on both.  There was a certain set in her jaw that he'd seen during their travels aiding the elves of Ellesmora.  The knightess had earned his respect that day, which was partly why this mattered to him so much now.  That, and he'd helped both Wulfrin and Morningstar get their feet wet as well.  Something told him Raidou would be pleased, not that it was a prerequisite to his actions.  For him following in the wanderer's footsteps was just a bonus action.

A blackened silhouette rocketed high over the mob's head, drawing its illuminated gaze.  The rest of the party must have thought it looked like a reverse game of cat and light, with the shadow darting all over the gilded cavern's walls while the spotlight tried to catch it.  Wulfrin's blow already had it dazed.  Now the Avatar's head was just wobbling aimlessly.

Meanwhile, his shadow keeping his dazzled foe distracted, Freyd himself casually sauntered up to stand at its side, staring upwards and shaking his head.  A giant ear-splitting grin spread beneath his cowl, just before he wound back end built up power around his hands and unleashing it straight into the Avatar's groin. All illumination in the room momentarily dimmed, like someone had flicked the breaker on the dungeon's power panel.  Avarice folded in half from the sheer force of the strike, its centre mass crumbling into a cloud of fragmentary shards that spilled all over the room like a ruptured piggy bank.  The rest of its body joined its meltdown a moment later.

"Yeah.  Cheap shot.  I know.  Sorry bud, but lives were at stake."

Throwing a thumb over his shoulder, Freyd pointed to a series of smaller sub-tunnels on the far wall. 

"Cave of Wonders, right?  Anyone want to explore a bit more, 'til our EN runs out?  Maybe build Wulfie, here, a bit of a college fund?"

***

Vanity Tag: @Raidou

Loot Avatar of Avarice: ID #220527 | LD: 4+10+2=16 | CD: 7
+2 materials (+2 CD odd)
10000 col (HP[2000]*5 - incl. +2 LD even)
T4 Rare Consumable 220527a
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 220527b

Wave 3 Dungeon Reward: ID 221320 | LD 8 | T4  Perfect Weapons x2, T4 Perfect Armor/Shield x2

It had taken quite a bit of time and effort, but Witherwind Rest's final touches were nearly complete.  For weeks, Freyd had been shirking his other duties because some secluded part of him told him that this was important.  He and Elora were finally moving in together.  His better half, by far, she had already gone off to gather all the seeds and herbs for her gardens and pharmacy.  'If she ever actually steps foot in it,' he thought, laughing.  She talked a big game, but he'd never seen her actually devote much energy toward her alleged profession.  Still, she had insisted on having it, and seeing it rouse her passion for their joint project had melted something internally that would undoubtedly require fixing at some later date.

Having unceremoniously dumped half his inventory into the space selected as his future workshop, Freyd reluctantly had to admit that the carefully crafted mess lacked... something.  Probably shelves.  Elora had told him it was shelves, but he furiously defended the rigors of his piling system.  Turns out, what he really needed was shelves.  And not just any shelves, but the very best, industrial-grade shelves, so that he could unceremoniously dump epic stuff into them without them buckling.  Only one place carried such vaunted wares, and it had gone out of business.  So he was heading to the discount bins on the ass end of Ladonia instead.  Freyd always imagined it as the Taiwan of Aincrad, producing all of the very best quality junk.  As a certified madlad appraiser, you got to know this sort of thing.

And so it was, by the purest of chances, that he received Katoka's message while perusing piles of discarded shelves amidst heaping piles of wreckage probably blasted out of the sky by Celeste and her ignoble crew.  Or maybe those pesky Skyrat pirates he'd encountered a while back.  

"Skyport, eh?  Yeah.  I could do that.  There will be plenty of better palettes and logistics equipment up there.  Maybe Ryland can point me in the right direction, if he hasn't gotten himself killed thanks to his big mouth and bigger principles."  Rolling his eyes and tossing the latest bits of flotsam he'd been pondering back over his shoulder, he quickly blended in with shadows only to reappear by his companion's side a short while later.

"Does Sam know you hang around the port, staring at the sailors all day?  Without her along, I mean."  Grinning widely, his form shifted from that of a random deckhand to her irrepressible friend and fellow captain, cowl draped casually overhead and hands tucked firmly in his pockets.  "You here doing a thing, or are you also looking for housewares?"

***

Vanity Tag: @Elora

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) is in use.  If any other player objects to this, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.

Freyd consumes:

Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (5/6) - takes one share [filled] and offers rest to party
Armageddon Juice (Potion) | Damage 3 | 197176
Madlad Muffin | Tierless Rare Meal | EVA 2 | 216702
Jackpot Pretzel (Snack) | Loot Die 3 | 197259
Stalwart's Stew | T4 Perfect Meal | MIT 3 | 215312a
Hearty Soup | Tierless Perfect Meal | Overhealth 3 | 195559a
kintsugi. | TIER 4 PERFECT SALVE | TOXIC VENOM | (4/20) https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19383-f01r10-alchemist-cintamani-open/?do=findComment&comment=676877

Freyd | HP: 1334/1334 | EN: 154/154 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 6 | BH: 73 | LD: 9 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | TXV: 32/3 | REC: 8 | V.D.: 146

Racing across the battlefield to join a second fray, Freyd felt suddenly sluggish about halfway along.  His legs felt laden down, as if someone had instantly poured lead into his pockets - and he had a LOT of pockets.  Staggering through the next few steps, but eventually recovering, he spotted Nari ahead.  The purple-haired knightess was holding her own, as he expected.  Spreading themselves out as they had just made it impossible for her to properly pull and hold all of the riders' attention as a tank normally would.  From their time in the last raid, he knew that Nari could certainly hold her own, but most tanks would lack the damage output required to quickly put one of these mobs down. Famine's unusual leeching aura was also likely affecting her.

"Nice work," he barked, trying to draw the mob's attention to no effect.  Nari'd clearly locked her presence in its sights, as any good tank should.  A new tactic was required.  

"Hey, buddy, why the long face?" Throwing his full weight against Drought's flank was enough to jostle it out of position to threaten his comrade and better expose the rider.  "Famine!  Ooof.  Buddy... you need to eat something.  You're looking half-dead!"  The gaunt figure opened its toothy maw as if to hoarsely roar defiance, possibly intending to overwhelm the Whisper with its breath alone.  Instead, its eyes bulged wide as Freyd leapt high, twisting in mid-air to cram a full  and hastily materialized honey bun forcefully into the horseman's gullet.  What was surely meant to be an intimidating moment devolved rapidly into comedy as the darkly cowled attacker clenched his other hand around Famine's cloak and used his own body weight and momentum to flip the mob violently head over heels. Freyd landed two feet from Nari with a hefty puff of dust, joined a second later by the bowled over crash and shattering of their common enemy.  Famine's brittle bones lacked the digital calcium required to sustain that kind of impact, helped along by Nari's pre-existing needling and the flaring of Freyd's hungry hand wraps.  

"Good job keeping him distracted." 

A quick wink to Nari, and he was already racing to aid with the last remaining horseman, seriously doubting he would even make it halfway before the others finished it off.

***

Freyd's stats adjusted to remove effects of consumable, per Famine effect.

Loot Famine: ID #220483 | LD: 11+7=18 | CD: 2
+2 materials (+2 LD odd)
4500 col (HP[900]*5 - incl. +2 CD even)
T4 Rare Weapon 220483a
T4 Rare Consumable 220483b

With Famine defeated, buffs are restored.

It had virtually become routine for Freyd to visit Fortaleza's sweltering heat in recent weeks.  In truth, he did it so that Persi could visit her family's den in the desert.  His tiny shadow mongoose familiar was a surprisingly familial creature, though you would never have guessed it by her arrogant attitude.  Actually, that wasn't quite accurate.  She was only arrogant and pretentious towards him.  Everyone else got nuzzles and cuddles.  Freyd was convinced that she was just trying to scam anyone she could into parting with their snacks.  Being made of void and shadow apparently meant an unending appetite.  Who knew?

 Routine visits also meant repeated opportunities to pester the local gang boss, some preening fop named Abdullah who thought himself above the rest of the residents in floor five's backwater streets.  Backwater?  Like there was even such a thing in a place like this.  Barren, crusted earth, searing winds and scouring sands were about all this place amounted to.  Barely a waypoint for local trade caravans, the local capital's only real claim to fame was the presence of its teleportation arch, making it the primary source of player traffic.  Its deep and ancient wells were likewise essential for what scrabbling sustenance was possible here. Abdullah controlled those wells, at least Freyd suspected he did, wielding them as weapons against the local populace and lavishing in wealth while the rest wallowed.  So Freyd prodded and taunted him regularly, under the guise of accepting one of the local quests that mandated some interaction with the gaudily dressed mob mobster.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it.  Kill the mutant sand shark, thingy.  It's not exactly rocket... err.. camel... science?  Nevermind."   Waving a hand dismissively even as he slid surreptitiously through the beaded curtains that served as barbicans to Abdullah's abode, his appearance was all wrong.  Deliberately, actually.  Freyd had irked Abdullah enough to provoke him sending his goons after he and Wulfrin during his last visit.  They'd trounced the thugs, of course, but Freyd had taken on one of their appearances and fooled their boss into thinking they had succeeded.  As far as Abdullah was aware, Freyd was dead, and it tickled him to no end to maintain that deception.  There were other reasons, but those were his own business and never openly shared.  

And so he stood, wandering about the central square, dressed like some Bedouin scout, and looking entirely native to the area, a large placard propped up against a nearby building that read:

If he was going to have to keep doing this quest in order to push Abdullah's buttons, some other players might as well benefit along the way.  Persi, meanwhile, hand already mangled someone's woefully unprotected leftover kebabs.

***

@Oli  @Bee

Freyd consumes:

Gugnir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Crème Brûlée Tray | ACC 2 | Feast (5/6) - takes one portion and shares the rest with the party [filled]
Armageddon Juice (Potion) | Damage 3 | 197173
Madlad Muffin | Tierless Rare Meal | EVA 2 | 216701
Divinity's Wait (Meal)| T4 Mitigation 3 | 188391-1

Freyd | HP: 1160/1160 | EN: 154/154 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 105 | EVA: 4 | ACC: 8 (inc. AA) | BH: 63 | LD: 6 | HLY: 16 | FLN: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8 

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) is in use.  If any other player objects to this, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.

Don't hold back, huh?  Alright.

A rueful grin spread across the Whisper's face while watching Mina do whatever lewd thing she was doing on the mob's back.  Winding up like a trebuchet, he felt the power building around the seals containing the dark energies swirling about his clenched fists.  When the troll raised its club again, for what would surely be its final time, he unleashed.  A forward lunge, tumble and roll brought him just beneath its bony chin, too close for it to strike in its few remaining seconds.  Coming out of the roll, Freyd sprung and bounced off the thing's shoulder, redirecting his attack to catch it by surprise and squarely in the ear.  The giant's face contorted, wrapping itself around Freyd's fist like its head was made of rubber before a brilliant white pulse slowed time, then rapidly accelerated it once more.  It was like watching the universe get stretched like an elastic band, then snap back into shape.  The mob just... failed.  Utterly.  Its skin and mesh gave up the ghost, fractured and melted into an orange smear that stretched out for several dozen feet, with a cloud of hovering sparkles that were once an overgrown troll scintillating in the air above.  Mad cackling could be heard from beneath a certain cowl.

"Ride's over," Freyd added, grinning madly, even as he reached into the collapsing pile of fractal motes to pull out his companion.  "I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted."

***

Loot Mutant Troll: ID #220456 | LD: 12+9=21 | CD: 12
28,000 col (HP[2000]*14 - incl. +4 CD/LD even, +6 from roll +1 Multipurpose)
T4 Perfect Trinket 220456

Thread Closing:

Dungeon Wave #1: 2 materials (each)
Dungeon Wave #2: 28,000 col (each)
Dungeon Wave #3: 100,000 col (shared)

Dungeon Reward: ID 220484 | LD 19 | CD 11 | T4 Demonic Weapon (each)

Note: Freyd shares half of looted col and mats with Mina because it doesn't seem right that fortune had him deliver the killing blow on all the mobs.

Mina receives:

3,841 EXP (Word Count [5690/10*5*0.7] + Quest [500] + Dungeon [1350])
100,576 col (1 page [400] + Loot [21600] + Dungeon [78000] + 15% P5 Reward [576])
9 Materials (Loot [7] + Dungeon [2])
Nature's Tablet
Unlock Scents of the Wild quest line
T4 Demonic Weapon 220484b

Freyd receives:

15,972 EXP (Word Count [5690/10*16*0.7] + Quest [n/a] + Dungeon [9600])
101,995 col (1 page [0] + Loot [21600] + Dungeon [78000] + 15% P5 Reward [2395])
9 Materials (Loot [7] + Dungeon [2])
T4 Demonic Weapon 220484a
1x Demonic Shard
Random Dungeon Map 218160
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218081a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218081b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218081c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218082a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218082b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218082c
T4 Perfect Consumable 218083
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218084a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218084b
T4 Perfect Consumable 218161a
T4 Perfect Consumable 218161b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218161c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 218161d
T4 Perfect Trinket 220456

House Name: Witherwind Rest
Location: Floor 2, In a small valley nestled in the cliffs on the outskirts of the plateau that marks the High Fields of Crossing (Safe Zone)

Plot Size: Estate (15 room slots, 4 storey max, 3 yard slots)

Thread where Freyd and Elora found the location together:
https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/39318-pp-f01-a-place-to-call-home/?tab=comments#comment-676434

Yard(s): 
Yard 1: The Piling System (Storage Shed, upgraded to Extended Workshop) [Freyd]
Yard 2: Big Puddle (Fishing Pond, upgraded to Ornate Fishing Pond) [Freyd]
Yard 3: Memorial Yard (Slime Farm, upgraded to Mega Slime Farm) [Freyd]

1st Floor Rooms: 
Room 1: Basic Kitchen [Freyd]
Room 2: Basic Kitchen [Elora]
Room 3: Storage Closet [Freyd]
Room 4: Living Room [Freyd & Elora]
Room 5: Pharmacy [Elora] (Basic Workshop, upgraded to Extended Workshop)
Room 6 & 7: Dining Hall [Freyd & Elora] (Dining Room upgraded to Dining Hall
Room 8: Guest Room [tbd]

2nd Floor Rooms: 
Room 9: Breakfast Nook [Freyd & Elora] (Dining Room)
Room 10: Bedroom [Freyd]
Room 11: Bathroom [Freyd]
Room 12: Bedroom [Elora]
Room 13: Bathroom [Elora]
Room 14: Attic (Bedroom): Expertise +1 Searching [Freyd]

Basement: 
Room 15: Basement [Freyd]

Net Total Cost: 75,000 col

Room Images - Ground Floor

Room Images - Second Floor

Room Images - Cellar

Room Images - Yard

Cost Breakdown:

Could he do it?  Was it actually even possible for him to let down his guard, even for a single moment?  If there were people with whom ever he'd consider it, two of them were sitting with him now.  Akame was an issue.  He didn't know or trust the man in the slightest, and the fellow seemed quite keen to keep it that way.  The best he managed was to actually show that he was considering it.  That, alone, was a monumental achievement.  Turning to gaze at Montjoy as Mina spoke her theories... or questions.  It was a nice trick, and one he often used himself.  Twice he half-turned, tempted to redirect and obfuscate, but couldn't.  Both times, words melted away in his mouth like a tasty au jou, savoury and seasoned to perfection to capture one's palate; too tempting to pull oneself away.

"A mirror of the heart?" There was no disbelief.  Freyd actually sounded like he was questioning himself more than anything.  Repeating the words didn't make them compute any better, but the idea had definitely landed  its tender hooks.  Haltingly turning away to look at Elora instead, confusion and doubt were plain upon his face, but over what was unclear.  A quick flinching of his brow settled it.  Freyd was uncertain - a feat so rare that he could probably count its instances on a single hand without having to sprout any fictional bonus digits.

"I mean... he's damnably inconvenient in his timing, but...I'm not even sure that I get what you mean."  There it was.  Never show weakness, he'd always been told, then told himself.  Never show doubt.  Never hesitate.  Always have an answer... except he didn't, and wouldn't layer on another in a series of infinite veils forever cast around him... like a cowl.  To do so felt like a betrayal.  He would not betray his friends.

Even to keep a vow?

A haunting thought.

"How do you both do it," he asked, sounding winded without apparent reason.  ''Deal with overwhelming tides of emotion, I mean.  I've always just smothered everything down... so far down."  Without thinking or realizing it, Freyd had placed a hand over Elora's.  His head tilting for greater scrutiny upon noticing that Montjoy had moved the same way.  Could the puppet move the master?  What a terrifying prospect, especially to someone... something... like him.  When Mina turned to ask Elora her opinions on the matter, all he could do was look on strangely, like a lost puppy, which is precisely what he was when it came to this particular topic.

"Real is what we make it, Nari, and I share your sentiment.  It's been a pleasure to get to know you too.  These aren't subjects that everyone cares to discuss.  It might be safe to say that you have to have seen a certain side of Fate to be open to it."

Dropping off the rune was surprisingly underwhelming.  While Treants treasure their traditions, they don't tend to stand for much in the way of ceremony.  Ned merely nodded, confirming that they'd brought the right object, instructing them to return it to Queen Haelia with his blessing.  He would know that the task was done by the blooming of the woods.  If they failed to keep their promise, it was made abundantly clear that the Treants intended to march on Ellesmora in force, and that nothing could stop them if they did.  There was no doubt in their minds that he meant every word.

Making their way back to the elven capital as swiftly as they could, Freyd was able to find them a few shortcut by retracing some familiar backwood trails.  So much had been said up to this point that their travels were filled this time with silent appreciation of the smallest elements of life surrounding them.  Perhaps the world was reacting to the rune itself.  Freyd preferred to think that they were just more open to the beauty native to it, yet often concealed behind the cluttering noises of daily drudgery.

"Something, something, smelling and roses," as he put it.  Dusk was nearing twilight by the time they reached the elven gates.  "Would you like to do the honours," he asked, offering to carry the Mourning Guard's head, but let Nari conclude their promise to the Queen.  "It seems only fitting, given our last encounter.  Something tells me she would appreciate it more if it was you."

Rushing past Nari even as she spoke her warning, Freyd needed to keep up his pace and momentum to maximize their odds of success.  He also didn't want anyone dwelling on the dangers any longer than necessary.  People didn't often do well left to their own thoughts while under stress, and this world placed a heavy enough burden on its occupants as it was.

Broad and brilliantly glowing with a warm, golden hue, the cave's central chamber promised a vast treasure hoard - which it was sorely lacking.  Instead of ornate artwork, glistening gems and scintillating jewelry, all laid over a sprawling carpet of coins, the room was occupied by a single massive humanoid figure.  Standing nearly twenty feet tall with radiant skin that cast the room's only true source of light. The giant was girded in multiple layers of the finest purple cloths embroidered with translucent silver thread.  Its sandals were clearly dragon hide, black raked with golden frills.  A platinum laurel crown topped it off, to produce the single most gaudy mob any of them had ever seen.  In the absence of a face, a giant swirling morass gazed down upon them, hungry and eager to devour anything and everything foolish enough to seek out its purported treasures.  The Avatar of Avarice had lured many to its lair with false promises, appealing to humanity's boundless sense of greed.  It expected them to be no different.

There was a time when he'd have been baited by it - possibly.  Freyd's natural paranoia about such things might have kept him safe.  He had been here before, after all, though the circumstances and details were ever-changing.  Today, things were different.  He was different.  What would once have been a prize to add to his collection was now purely a threat to a friend who needed to be kept safe.  That was his purpose and his promise - one he would never break.

So, instead of a band of casually strolling looters, Avarice got a face full of angry Freyd with the maws wrapped around his fists eager to devour the devourer.  Shooting like a missile from the breach, he shot right through the giant's torso to the high pitch keening wail of a chorus of banshees chomping their way through digital flesh like a vac truck.  In his wake, a much smaller shadow with brilliant azure eyes clung to the raw opening and ravaged it, clawing in every direction at once and overwhelming the boss with her own diminutive fury.  Persi was just as angry as her lummox, and didn't care who saw her in that state.

"Pile on," Freyd call back to the rest of the party, skidding to a halt on the far side of the chamber.  "Persi will keep it occupied.  Just be ready with another stun when she breaks away."

Theirs was a race against time and Fortune, and he would do everything in his power to skew it in their favour.

***

Katoka muttered some quip about poop that made him look under his boots, wondering whether he'd stepped in something.  

"Really?!  Even on digital beaches?  Have people no sh....OWWWW!"

Something pointy had just tried to spear whatever Katoka must have seen, but hit his leg instead.  The pain was expected more than real, recording a notable drop in his health, but suddenly not that much worse than he'd suffered on multiple occasions.  He just hadn't been expecting it, still being in a bit of a daze from yet another fishing venture gone horribly, horribly wrong.  Freyd winced as the giant watery spike dissolved, leaving a gaping hole where his thigh should have been.  A jolt of adrenaline shot through him, bulging his eyes wide open and covering them fully in an inky blackness as consuming as the void within his weapons.  Peering down at the wound again, he found it healing rapidly, as if pure shadow rushed to fill the void - or become it?  Sneering, and now very much awake, Freyd flexed his fists to trigger a change.  Gone were the wispy, pulsing wraps of Samael's Pride, replaced by the crackling violet miasma of The Thing Behind All Lies.

Launching himself skyward in a blitz of motion to rival even his companion's blazing electric strikes, she watched him lunge like an absolute maniac straight into the heart of the roiling storm.  His silhouette blazed as the entire creature flashed bright white, washing out everything else in sight.  By the time the dots cleared from her eyes, Freyd was casually walking back towards her, eyes back to normal and hands stuffed casually into a pair of clandestine pockets.

"I don't know about you," he joked, "but I think I've had my fill of fishing for a while.  What say we call it a day?"

***

Loot Elemental Vortex: ID #220388 | LD: 15+9=24 | CD: 4
+2 materials (+2 LD odd)
10000 col (HP[2000]*5 - incl. +2 CD even)
T4 Perfect Trinket 220388a
T4 Perfect Weapon 220388b

Thread Closing:

Dungeon Wave #1: 32 materials (each)
Dungeon Wave #2: 28,000 col (each)
Dungeon Wave #3: 100,000 col (shared)

Dungeon Reward: ID 220389 | LD 17 | T4 Perfect Weapon with one guaranteed Unique Enhancement (each)

Katoka receives:

6,861 EXP (Word Count [7296/10*6*0.7] + Quest [2000] + Dungeon [1800])
96,179 col (1 page [400] + Loot [13750] + Quest [3000] + Dungeon [78,000] + 15% P5 Reward [1029])
34 Materials (Loot [2] + Dungeon [32])
Mōretsuna Key
T4 Perfect Weapon with one guaranteed Unique Enhancement 220389a
T4 Rare Trinket #219744a
T4 Rare Weapon #220393a
T4 Uncommon Consumable #220393b

Freyd receives:

17,764 EXP (Word Count [7296/10*16*0.7] + Quest [n/a] + Dungeon [9600])
111,764 col (1 page [0] + Loot [31100] + Dungeon [78,000] + 15% P5 Reward [2664])
38 Materials (Loot [6] + Dungeon [32])

T4 Perfect Weapon with one guaranteed Unique Enhancement 220389b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218831a
T4 Perfect Weapon 218831b
T4 Perfect Weapon 218831c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 220218a
T4 Perfect Consumable 220218b
T4 Perfect Consumable 220218c
T4 Rare Consumable 220219a
T4 Rare Weapon 220219b
T4 Rare Trinket 220217
T4 Perfect Trinket 220388a
T4 Perfect Weapon 220388b

"Yeah," Freyd replied, weaving around the thing's jerky movements as it regained elements of control over itself.  "All bark, no bite, I guess."  The mob opened its many mouths as if to protest, giving him the perfect opportunity to kick it in the teeth several times over.  By the time he was done, there was nothing left of the last Utterance, its polygons dissolving into nothingness  "We should be near the exit, barring whatever other parts of Malediction will try to stop us next.  My money is on 'Malediction's nose hairs'... also.. eww."  Grimacing as he spoke, Freyd winced and stuck out his tongue at the prospect of doing battle with such a thing.  

"You and I find the weirdest places."  Pausing to steady himself before they resumes their climb, Freyd looked over at his companion to make sure that everything was fine.  "Looks like we hit a bit of a gruesome one this time.  All good there, vice-commander?"  Taking but a moment to tug at the wraps around each hand, he couldn't have them slipping off at the wrong moment and attempting to devour one of his own fingers.  That would definitely be bad.

***

Loot Malediction's Utterance 1: ID #220321 | LD: 11+9=20 | CD: 4
+2 materials (+2 LD odd)
2000 col (HP[400]*5 - incl. +2 CD even)
T4 Perfect Consumable 220321a
T4 Rare Trinket 220321b