Freyd

"People are weird," Freyd added, shrugging his shoulders. "Without knowing more about your friends, it's tough to offer any kind of meaningful opinion. What was your relationship with them? Did you know them outside the game or meet them in here? Everyone has had to find a way to deal with the trauma of being trapped in here." He paused, suddenly, as if the obvious had just slapped him upside the head. "Have you tried messaging them and just asking them where they are? If they are your friends, shouldn't they want to hook back up and help you catch up with the rest of them?" It had

This was a test, in Freyd's mind. Would the mob get the better of him a second time, or would he maneuver into better results. Some would argue that repetition with expectation of difference was a definition for madness. Perhaps. He chose, instead, to treat it as an exemplar of hope. Few ever saw his actions for what they were, which was fine. Randomness served him for many purposes, most of them quite deliberate, but it was often more convenient to let people simply think him odd and to play the fool. And so it was that Freyd stood completely still, choosing to test a theory as he

Resigning himself to the unfamiliar role of obedient bloodhount, Freyd focused solely on the task at hand: leading them to Alvion to do whatever was going to need doing next. Standing silently aside as Vigilon and Krysta bantered, he simply led the way only to once again encounter Alvion and his Cinnabon Menace (tm). Watching the two bumbling knights unleash another pair of elementals, Freyd smiled slightly as he pictured the whole lot having giant twirled mustachios. Outrageously ornate top hats worn on top of their helmets might also have worked. Watching Morningstar spring into ac

"Well then," he added, smiling as Ciela blushed a little at not yet having opened her shop. "Please be sure to let me know when you have. I'll be glad to support a new business. In the meantime, I'll be sure to let Freya know that you like her cooking." Watching Wulfrin wander over to Abdullah's abode, Freyd tugged down his cowl a little tighter, preferring to keep himself concealed a while longer. "Abdullah's a mob boss, in every sense of the word. He's a jerk, a killer, and also quite accustomed to sending NPC minions to do his bidding. Simply put: he's a threat. I prod him

"Solaris? Good name." Craning his neck to an awkward angle, he glanced again upon the bird as if assessing its potential. Freyd spent more time appraising people and their regalia these days, than actual equipment. The man's hawkish eyebrows arched, then furrowed, at Wulfrin's mention of Abdullah's goons. "That's... interesting. Never a good thing when a forever respawning mob starts sending his equally re-spawnable thugs after you." Pressing two gloved fingertips to his lips, he seemed to be pondering possible options, before abruptly changing course in their conversation to focus on t

"Too well," Freyd replied with regret, addressing Sora's last statement first. "Persi's people can be found in the deep desert on this floor, though they are very reclusive. It took quite a bit of persistence to find her." Emphasis was clear, suggesting that he name might have been inspired by the same word. "Familars can be found just about anywhere. It depends on what you want. If you're looking for a stoat, search the biomes where you might expect to find them in the real world, but consider any more fantastic elements that pique your interest. An elemental stoat, for example, might

"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

"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 slig

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 Whis

*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 precis

"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,

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, fulfil

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

"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 ove

"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 tw

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 proce

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

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 21

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 wa

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 charg

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 w

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

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 h

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 un

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, r