Freyd

"Oh, hunting the big boi, are we? Yeah. He and I tangled a few weeks ago. It didn't end well for him. Fortunately, that'll make him really easy to find." Features disappearing into his cowl, as if the darkness within was swallowing him whole, Freyd turned his head creepily far to the right, and more than his neck should probably allow. The cut of his jacket stretched in protest, as if not meant to be turned or twisted to such an extent while worn. "He's this way. Five hundred yards, moving southward at his usual lumbering pace. We're lucky; he's close. This place is large enough

Scrambling for room to maneuver, Freyd flipped perspectives along with himself. Pressing a hand against stalwart Hirru's shoulder, his darkened form sprung up high. Grabbing briefly onto a nearby sconce for purchase, Freyd spun and flailed in furious motions that scattered shadows along with the shattered crystalline forms of broken limbs. Crackling lightning flashed amidst a cloud of indigo miasma, like some sort of brooding thunderstorm was suddenly erupting directly overhead. Just as suddenly, the chaos stopped and orange snow, like some sort of strange fractal residuum, drifted down ar

"Big bois are my specialty!" Freyd facepalmed, forgetting that his fists were covered in slimy fossil fish guts and instantly slathered himself in regret. "Phrasing," he muttered, cheekily, doing his best to keep his mouth closed while trying to wipe the gunk away from his eyes by leaning into his shoulders, to little avail. Too much of him was already covered in the gelatinous goo secreted by the fallen fish-fiends to do anything more than make a bad situation worse. "Blerch... are they dead? Please tell me they're dead. I'm seeing everything through a trippy night vision ka

The streets of Fortaleza were always quieter in the mornings, most of the locals still rousing themselves or arguing to a designated guardian to have five more precious minutes under the covers. Desert nights were frequently colder than most expected, with so little cloud above or vegetation and moist ground to lock in the heat. Everything bled into the starry night sky only for the sun to return and scorch every surface anew the next day. Having just completed a circuit through the Devil's Pass, he and Persi had stopped to visit her family along their way back. Twin blue eyes glowed in th

Peeling himself off the deck, Freyd gave a thumbs up while resisting the urge to groan like an old man. This fish was going down. Katoka had already seen to that, by the look of things, but he was not about to let himself be sidelined in yet another fish fight. 'The curse must be broken,' he silently vowed to himself. Reeling back, the familiar tingle of a sword art building around his fist gave way as he stepped forward to unleash it, and slipped. Eyes wide with surprise, the infamous Whisper fell forward like a total noob, ending up in the reverse position he had just sought to escape.

Shrugging without hesitating, the Whisper pulled back his arms and felt the familiar buildup of a sword arts charge. It wouldn't take much. This critter was mostly dead already, though he'd appreciated its tenacity. Well fought, friend. Maybe we can do this again sometime? It had no eyes left to see the blow coming. What few limbs were still functional were too far or badly damaged to retaliate. The creature was essentially helpless. Freyd couldn't leave it that way. It needed a chance to respawn and regain its former, deadly glory. Aus was still scraping sludge from his helm's v

The keening wails of Samael's Pride pierced the rage and maddening haze that was screaming through Aus' head as the slammed every part of the creature he could still see. Orange sparks filled the air around him and as he came out of it, he realized why. Freyd had sundered most of its limbs on the nearer side, along with the accompanying row of legs. Try as it might, the creature struggled and failed to right itself, its strength having been lost with its limbs. Now it was just a big fat tube of toothy blubber flailing pathetically on the shore and waiting to die. Wandering over to what he'

"I got it!" He didn't. The moment Freyd made his move, the Sweetwater Devil contorted and swatted him aside with its tail, while also spewing forth some sort of inky, black bile that covered half the stone they were standing on. Even worse, it was nearly the same colour as the basalt and practically impossible to discern. Ripping off his helm, Aus's steely grey hair was matted down and half his face covered in a combination of blue squid blood and black spit-ichor. He did not look happy. Releasing his grip on his blade, the knight started flailing about much as the field boss had don

"It's going for the water!" Doubling down on his efforts, Aus stomped his metal shot boots onto another tentacle, slamming his shield down to try and pin a third. "Get it, Freyd, or we're gonna lose this thing." Hoofing the thing's squid-like tail with as much power as his sword art could muster, the Whisper actually managed to grant it some brief airtime before it landed on its back. Its squawked again, many of its appendages still pinned in place by his partner, now twisted over themselves and stretched to the point of tearing. Greenish blue goo spilled forth from its many wounds, m

Seizing his momentary advantage, Freyd plowed his fist into a narrow opening, striking like a torpedo into another submarine's open tube. Threading the needle hardly seemed adequate. Catching the Sweetwater Devil in the eye, the creature reeled and rolled away from him to protect itself, releasing its multiple grips on Aus and his gear and restoring him with momentary mobility. "Quick! Get on it before it retreats into the water, or we'll never catch it." Racing forward, Austerlitz swung his sword overhead and pierced it through one of its thicker legs, wedging the blade between

"Persi!" A streak of black lightning shot towards the massive creature as it assaulted his companion only to be slapped away and deflected by one of its many flailing limbs. Persistence never made a sound, but sailed helplessly into the nearby drink not making some much as a blip or a bloop and her shadowy form plunked below the surface. "Dammit." Freyd unleashed his own onslaught, but struggled to get close enough or find any purchase against the thing. 'What is this going to take,' he wondered, simultaneously pondering whether the creature's designer had somehow been inspired by

"So what does this thing look like? Some sort of fish or something? We gonna need to drag it out of the water?" Aus surveyed the rippling surface wondering aloud about what he'd gotten himself into following Freyd into yet another ridiculous excursion. "I should really set myself some sort of daily limit for your nonsense. There has to be a legitimate limit beyond which your mayhem causes brain damage by exposure." "Would you prefer it if I gave you a safe word?" "Don't..." "Maybe, Cucumber... no. Eggplant! I'm sure that would comfort you greatly." Aus just groaned a

"Aus! I'm wounded and disappointed," he feigned in mock indignity, pressing his open palm against his heart. "When is time spent together with friend and fellow spooks not a worthwhile endeavor? And most sell for five to ten grand in col on the open market, last I checked." That one actually got a laugh. Aus could be a tough crowd, but persistence paid off in the end. More than anything, Freyd wanted the man to continue valuing his time working with O&I. Allies with a mercenary nature were dangerous, precisely because they could be bought. Constant reinforcement of the benefits

"You know that field bosses drop special rewards, right?" That got his attention. Aus looked about to protest but felt his objections wither before the appeal to personal gain. "Both of us?" "Everyone who participates." Freyd gleefully pressed his advantage, knowingly pushing the right buttons to manipulate the bigger man into doing something he already knew he'd enjoy. "Check your inventory, you should already have the drop from the Maze Weaver. I'm not even sure that this one grants." The metal gauntleted hand previously raised in objection slowly recoiled to its res

Clapping the hilt of his sword against his shield, Aus created as loud a ruckus as he could while Freyd faded into the background behind him. The boar hissed, its breath coming out like steam from an overtaxed engine that was nearly ready to blow. "That's right, beastie. Come to Austerlitz. I've got a fist full of plate mail ready to shove down your throat. See how you like swallowing that!" Stomping forward aggressively, clanging metal against metal for further effect, the knight gave it pause and even managed to make the boss step hesitantly back a step or two. "Now!" D

"Now! While it's dazed." Both men dashed to close the distance, Persi having already scampered off in chase of whatever squirrel-like critter had captured her attention. So far as she was concerned, her bit was done and the players could do the rest. Typical. Aus slashed mightily with his blade but found little purchase through the boar's thick hide. Freyd wasn't having much luck either on the far side. Recovering from its stupor, the boar bucked wildly while slashing its tail around to clear itself room enough to maneuver. Frantic melee ensued with each side seeking some advan

Something large squealed ominously in the distance, following by thundering footsteps shuddering the ground with every step. "Ugh... not again." Freyd cupped his brow with a single gloved hand for the briefest moment. "This has to be one of the most common bosses. Every player has some latent bad experience with these things - some trauma. You'd think they'd have found something new by now. Maybe we should be glad that they haven't?" A spectral boar broke from the underbrush, glowing an eerie translucent red while its seething form swelled to twice its size before them. Twin bl

Wailing in the key of caterwauling, the mobs fell prey. Each of them fell in turn while Aus and Freyd carved a relentless path forward, but to where? "What are we even after?" "Nothing, probably. At least, nothing beyond whatever boss this map summoned forth. That's usually the key. Find the boss. Kill it. EXP, loot the bodies. Not really all that much to it, ultimately. I've done so many of these that it's practically become routine." "So, nothing to be worried about then?" "I didn't say that," came the Whisper's languid response. "The boss still deals a whopping

Traveling from Ogo'mathas to Coral took little effort as the Labyrinth encroached over the vast majority of its floor. Little room was left for the only known settlement in the remaining narrow strip of land beyond its borders, and thus little travel was required to reach its teleportation portal. Placing a gloved hand onto the alabaster arch, Freyd spoke the name of his destination clearly. Muttering carried the risk of ending up somewhere you didn't intend and was highly discouraged. It was generally considered to be equally uncouth to go about yelling at the top of your lungs, annoying

"Do you really believe he was dumb enough just to go in there on a dare?" "Yes," Freyd replied, "because he gave me this." Holding up a small scroll, his companion recognized it instantly. "A dungeon map? I don't get it." "It's the one he was dared to use, only the people who gave it to him told him this was the correct floor. It isn't." Rolling open the parchment, the Whisper noted key abstract characters that made it look like the map was intended for a particular corner of the Labyrinth. "I've traveled across many areas most people have never seen in the castle, especial

"Uh... ladies? Need I remind you that electricity and wat..zzzz...YOUCH! That smarts!" He'd seen the familiar forms rising from the water mere moments before Katoka responded, with Elora right behind them. Both instantly sent sparks a'flying, fraying his nerves at the potential consequences of a rickety raft full of soaking wet players might dish out against themselves as much as the monsters. The darkness wasn't helping, though constant near-miss flashes of lightning might have helped if he didn't already have nightvision. Instead, it was like being blinded by highbeams set loose fr

Tick, tock, tick, tock... Just like clockwork, the Whisper came at the appointed hour, by a different route and under a different guise to maintain his Machiavellian charades, but punctual nonetheless. Were anyone clever enough to track the timing, they'd be disappointed to see yet another mundane mob wandering through the Champion's Hall, gold-plated broom and dust bin in tow. The place had standards, after all, and appearances had to be maintained. It was a good thing they left these things laying around all over the place. Truly, the place was void of any need for maintenance or janitor

"Me? A free spirit? I suppose I should be flattered if you thought that to be the case. I try my best to be unpredictable. But, it's hardly the truth. There's almost always method to my madness, whatever form it might take." Parts of his mind sought to shutter the conversation, to reveal nothing of himself to anyone, but Hirru had proven himself time and again. Dawn had risen on the realization that they could not simply brute force their way through Kayaba's trap - and certainly not alone. Elora was first, but not alone, among those who had taught him the value in people. The term was

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you both so very much. I was sure I was a goner... so sure..." The weeping started over again as part of an ongoing meltdown that had already lasted over an hour. Freyd wasn't the most overtly caring person anyone might ever encounter, and whatever patience and understanding his friends might have nurtured in him had long since worn thin. Aus had been blatantly annoyed from the get-go. "Look, uh... Riku," it had been tough to confirm through all the tears and Freyd was already wishing he could stuff the entire escapade into the trash folder of his memori

"Took you long enough." Freyd just grinned at the complaint, content that the two of them had bested such a formidable beast so effectively. He'd heard of the maze weaver, mostly through gossip and reports filtered through O&I's many back channels, but this was his first direct encounter. Considered to be a field boss, no one had yet encountered any on floors cleared above the twenty fifth. Maybe they stopped spawning above that point? Unlikely. Nabbing the knight's fallen blade on his way, he used it to better cut the webbing and release his friend from his awkward plight. Wh