Freyd

"You misunderstand. This book serves the opposite purpose. It has spared more lives than it has taken by its contents. And it is not Raidou's book, but belonged only ever to the Faceless Lord." Flipping open its deceptively small and lightweight pages, their bleached white purity was stained with digital blood in quantity enough to overflow the banks of the lake at their feet. This book was death, and also life. It was a recipe for controlling chaos by embracing chaos. Its wielder sat at the tiller, or held the puppet strings. Freyd had been given the book - no small gesture or obl

He winced when she described the meaning. He'd known it all along, but it took on a different meaning when she added her history to the mix. "Red eyes?" It was a rhetorical question, drawing him back to his own origins in the game. Holding his right palm up, his left summoned a HUD and called up the tiniest pair of trinkets, resembling twin crimson marbles. "I started the game with these. They were already equipped when I spawned." Equipping the ancient vanity items, Freyd blinked twice and his eyes shifted from blue to red, even his hair lightening from midnight black to mousy brow

"Then tell me about them both. Isn't it fair and reasonable to think that you need this moment even more than I do," he added, gesturing to the serenity of their surroundings. "What happened to him? What did he mean to you? Why name your pet after him? You wanted me to open up and take care of myself, to express my feelings. This is me doing that Violet. Right now, I choose to try to care about you. Will you deny me the opportunity to follow your advice?" Gently pushing the mask back down, Freyd's eyes were pleading, if confused, as if he were trying to piece the scene back toge

Completely out of his element and wondering whether he'd just been drugged or blacked out, Freyd was utterly confused by whatever was happening. A soft laugh bubbled in her throat, her grip tightening for just a moment. "Shush, let me enjoy this for just a little bit longer." Eyes suddenly wide as saucers with a chill sprinting through his spine, Freyd instantly felt Elora's memory shooting daggers at him through his hippocampus. It was a good sign: realizing that she might misinterpret their current disposition and think the worst of him. Even better: that he cared that she cared

Freyd's hands were still shaking, dragon bits flaking off and fading into nothing. A tiny topaz wyrmling wormed itself against his leg affectionately rubbing its nape against its mammalian rescuer. Something about the little lizard seemed to calm the rage roiling around inside him. "Are the kids okay," he repeated, more for his own internal benefit and no longer distinguishing them as dragons. Turning to spot Kat and Elora caring for the wounded youngling, Freyd's adrenaline visibly faded. His limbs went limp. Up became down and sideways interjected its own special brand of confusion as h

Sliding past Katoka's feet, driving a spray of mucky grey water before him, Freyd used the same environment that had given them such trouble against their foe. Momentarily blind as it closed its many eyes against the splash, it recovered just in time to see the man barreling into its torso and unleashing a series of crippling strikes. Each blow jarred the massive mob's form, forcing it backwards step by step until its back was to the wall. Tensing every muscle such that the veins and tendons on his throat surged to the surface, Freyd thrust his fist hard into its midsection, folding the mob

A nasty slam into his ribs sent Freyd reeling backwards. Thanking the pain suppression apps, he was equally grateful that he'd kept up on those ab crunches and managed to see it the blow coming. Things would be going that much worse if this thing started stunning or winding them with its attacks. Jaw clenched, Freyd swept back into offense. Grabbing the creature's arm as it tried to sucker punch him, a twist, a wail and a horrible snapping sound paired with a shower of shimmering shards. Coming out of his spin, the Whisper now wielded a massive, severed arm that was in the process of disi

Mildly disoriented by whatever sudden shift had just occurred, Freyd's focus was instantly on the voices heard and spoken. "Those sound like references to Ronbaru and the surrounding territories. Does anyone know much about them? I never really got around to spending time on floor 27." Even a whisper could only be so many places at once. Like beneath a titanic dragon's foot, for example. "Yeah, yeah. We get it. Discord and disharmony ruin all. Yada, yada, yada." Freyd taunted the surrounding entity deliberately, intent to focus its attention back on him and keep it there as long

Freyd wandered to the counter himself, Dingo being busy hosting his visiting sister. Quip had finally left the nest and settled out on her own, for which he was grateful on multiple levels. If nothing else, his house and shop would be that much quieter. Hardly could he get a word in before the patron pummeled his poor improvised counters with a mountain of consumables. Freyd just laughed, having pulled the same trick on another shop owner recently himself. A quick swipe of his hand was all the system to recognize the decomposition command. Confirmation was provided nearly as quickly and t

Junking items at cost. Please send col rewards directly to Randal. Request: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19871-f13-appraiser-freyd-edges-open/?do=findComment&comment=675182 T1 Uncommon Consumables (@50 col x 47 = 2,350 col): IDs: 130748, 130911-1, 130911-2, 130913, 132751-1, 132751-2, 188433, 188436, 188733, 188866, 189025, 189026, 189027, 189029, 189217, 189220, 189221, 189486, 189933, 189933-1, 189935, 190362, 190362-1, 190794, 190794-1, 190796, 191203, 191204, 191204-1, 191205, 191205-1, 191205-2, 191207, 191207-1, 191310, 191314, 191314-1, 191314-2, 191315, 191315-

"Thank you, Mina, for your understanding and professional discretion. I'm sure you can appreciate that Freyd keeps this information confidential for a reason. Give him time. Trust that he has faith in you by having faith in him, and Raidou by extension. Neither would have helped you get raid ready if they didn't think you were ready. That means psychologically, as well as physically." With tender care beyond anything that Freyd could ever have delivered, Montjoy wrapped his arms around her to return her hug. It was as if warmth and serenity blanketed her anguish without judgment; a simp

"Do... do you have a grudge against doctors..?" "Me? Certainly not. But I have the luxury of not having to worry about such things anymore. Freyd... and Takeshi... to the extent that they are the same..." He sighed, trying his best not to add any more to the confusion she was likely already feeling. "Let me put it this way. Takeshi was a very insular, unsociable boy and a natural target for the bullies that surround everyone in their early teens. Your earlier diagnoses were not far off. However anyone chooses to categorize it, Takeshi was a seriously detached child. There we

Sent flying through a nearby wall, desiccated mortar stone sprayed like shrapnel across the battlefield as Freyd passed right through them to impact the wall on the far side. Peeling himself out of a Whisper-shaped crater, there was a near feral glint of glee in his eyes and he came dashing back through the very same hole just made by his sailing frame. The keening of his weapon's hunger matched the missile impact as he smashed through the mutant monstrosity's side, leaving a trail of disintegrated mob bits in his wake. "Maybe it's not that hard after all," he joked, skidding to a stop

"I noticed, thanks!" Freyd was struggling with footing. The usually agile Whisper was flopping around all over the place like a fish out of water, unable to right himself despite all of his efforts. Every time he got close, the 'thing' would swipe at him, forcing him to tumble out of the way. Thinking he might just barrel it over to expose its underbelly, Freyd's latest plan went wrong the moment he snagged his armor on an old weapon halft sticking out of the local debris. Lucky not to have speared himself in the process, his efforts amounted to naught as the fiend they were fighting

Something flashed across Freyd's face, akin to the ripples they'd been watching on the water. His eyes winced and brow dipped in either pain or anger. It was difficult to be sure which. Features frozen in place, the sound of a mirror breaking somewhere in the distance distracted, giving his shadow time to rise. Like the malevolent dark that swallowed Aincrad whole during a not so distant raid, a veil of black spread from Freyd's shadow to engulf the rest of his form. There was a kinship to watching a gemini transform, for those rare few who had ever witnessed the act. Yet here was someth

Wushen was just draining their energy and hate like it was getting ready to use it back against them. Having returned to ground, the Whisper was getting bored and frustrated in equal measure. This all seemed pointless. All they could do was wait and react, wailing away against a giant bag of hit points barely inclined to recognize their presence. Part of him wondered whether it was all some sort of illusion and scanned every minute detail, but to no avail. Instead, he played the part for which he'd volunteered and provided guidance and reassurance to his team. "@tricolor_mina, stick

"Let's just agree on having different perspectives on people and their perspectives on life and living. That would probably be for the best and allow us both to move forward." Realistically, both were just too stubborn to allow the other to define their worldviews, their own being too dominant and necessary for their sense of identity. Mina would not be Mina without looking at people the way she did; nor would Freyd. Listening as she described her own personality issues, it was hard to find anything off point, though something did catch his attention. "Sounds like things are getti

"I'm just trying to run through some possible disorders that could be making you feel that way." "Sure," he added, feigning interest for Mina's sake but ticking the fully anticipated mental box. Medical professionals followed their own predictable pattern: everything had to have a medical explanation. Most experts in any given field fell into the same trap. Acupuncturists just needed to find the right place to poke. Mechanics had to find the worn gear, bad wiring or low fluid. Doctors were just the worst. The poor lad is just confused,' they might say. Maybe just a few more pills wi

Definitely wouldn't miss it

"Freyd, you're human. Stop trying to convince yourself otherwise." Freyd's silence was his only response, his face remaining blank though his jaw was visibly set and locked. She isn't hearing me, and doesn't seem able to. Eyes drifting to Montjoy's blurry outline rippling on the water's surface, the sun had drifted with time to sit at their backs. His disappointment was buried and left for dead beneath the waves. Mina needed to be right in this. Therapists always needed to be right and convince their patients of their version of the truth. It was a battle he'd fought so many times,

Monstrous as its appearance may be, Freyd knew better than to underestimate the capabilities of Cardinal's rejects. Their very natures defied the rules that governed all of Aincrad's other mobs, including tolerable minimums and maximums. They were lethal, which was why he'd instantly been on alert the moment he recognized the telltale signs. "Quaestor was beside himself for years, barely more than a hollowed shell and broken spirit. Most of his guild had been wiped out and his wife lost. I stumbled across the whole mess by accident." Spinning sideways, Freyd caught the enemy wit

Freyd felt like he should be taking notes, but he was just here to fish. A mental post-it would have to cut it for the time being. "But..." he hesitated, wondering whether the subjects of his disturbingly recurring dreams would be appropriate fodder for fish therapy, as this seemed to be the emerging purpose of their time together. "What if you are a robot?" There was no jest behind the question. It was a serious ask. Freyd almost felt a palpable effort required to keep the icon over his head from changing to another colour. The consequences would be unfathomable. And yet? He had l

"There's a blacksmith in Tomoika on floor 21 who helps out players in need of starting equipment. You might start there." Freyd had overheard the bunny girl's plight and self-directed commentary, cluing in that she might be in need of assistance. "Look for the tall, white-haired fellow with golden eyes. His name is Ren. It's actually a lot longer than that, but just run with it or your brain will rebel. For your own sake, don't ask him to explain. You'll be there for hours. He runs The Knight Shift on one of the lower platforms and will be willing to kit you out." Clad in his

Where is she hiding the bag of cats? By this point, Freyd was convinced that Mina's entire being was one entire giant sack of kitten craziness, and he was struggling to keep up with the chaos. Smile. You don't actually need to smile, but should. Except don't do it right now. Except do it right now because you never smile enough. WHY ARE YOU SMILING?! Don't be sad. The entire conversation playing out in his head seemed to be circling back on itself in a maelstrom of contradictions, but whatever. She was happy-er, and that was good enough. Just smile and nod, and squint real

"I've only heard rumours about such a place, but the very prospect that it might actually exist in-game is disconcerting." Freyd's form was taut as a coiled spring, ready to unleash at the first sign of movement in the darkness. "I had a few episodes a while back where I fell through some code glitches and ended up between floors. Turns out my neighbour's wife got stuck there back near the beginning of the game. He thought she was dead, but instead she was just lost in the code." Something dripped, causing them both to freeze dot a moment. When no onslaught came, Freyd eventually c