Freyd

"Agreed," came the response between sighs and the sounds of quickly shifting cloth. Freyd danced between his assailants with something akin to elegance as they clumsily charged and swung their weapons without guile or talent. Abdullah really needed higher standards if he thought these goons were going to stand a chance, but then no one could be sure how long the mobster had been pressing Fortaleza under his thumb. Part of him wondered whether these were the same men who offered the town what little protection it had from the denizens of the desert. Depriving them of that might be a problem

"Well," Freyd started, disappointed at seeing that the box had remained shut after its tipping, "that was anticlimactic." Leaning against it while the Cinnabon Lords monologued, he was too busy imagining them growing long flowing mustaches that twirled to ever-growing levels of ridiculousness the longer they droned on. "Yeah, yeah, end of the world, supreme conspiracy, you lot are the chosen of whatever... blah, blah, blah. Dude. You really need to watch less Pokemon." Suppressing a laugh while one of them struggled with the locking mechanism might have been the hardest part. "

"Uh... to be perfectly honest, it rarely actually goes that smoothly." Scratching at the back of his cowl, Freyd was a little perplexed at the fact that the mob had already fallen. "Unfortunately, I don't think we managed to get you the skill unlock, but we can always come back and try again once you're ready to smoke this thing on your own." He patted Wulfrin's shoulder, jovially, proud to see that the man was coming along so quickly. "Not too many decent fishing spots near Fortaleza." The burning desert wind and overwhelmingly arid, barren landscape slapped Wulfrin in the face as th

Donning his usual, maddening grin seemed to be the best retort to Katoka's jibes, not to mention the most effective way to bolster her spirits against any doubts or second guessing. "Don't worry," he added. "You're gonna have a halibut time." Hands raised in defense and proclaiming innocence, he daren't mock or challenge Nari's claims. Besides, he knew her to be among the most capable tanks currently serving in the front lines. Making wise cracks about your tank's waistline was a great way to wonder why your hate values were suddenly awry in the middle of a boss fight. Freyd was far

Like a dervish whirling into being from a breeze, Freyd spun into action instantly. Scouring their foes with a burst cloud of sand to cover his initial assault, he knew that he tactic could only be so effective. These things lived in the stuff and their shells were too resilient to be affected for more than a moment. But that was all they needed. Trusting that the mobs themselves could become their own worst enemies, he bashed their oversized and unwieldly claws against each other. With a few well-placed kicks, he managed to turn their greatest strengths against them, piercing and shreddin

From the moment of Nari's backhanded endorsement of his worthiness as a leader, Freyd knew where the rest of the conversation was going. Only people who'd suffered the most grievous of losses or injuries could see such necessities with selfless clarity. Though some might debate it, the Whisper also knew when to keep his mouth shut. He just listened. It was clear that Nari needed to get this in the open, and that she trusted him enough after such a short time to lay bare the burden seething within her was both stark and striking. He offered no apologies. They were not his to give an

"Wouldn't it be nice if it were impactful...if it were consistently changing?" "Most of chose to leave that world behind in favour of this one. What does that tell you?" Freyd waits patiently while Nari digests and processes his comments. "Each of us came to be here by different means and for different reasons. You're not wrong in your assessment. So many of us were fundamentally broken before this prison ever snared us. So what are we to do about it? This fight isn't about freedom. It's about proving our ability to overcome and endure, together. Some will just fight for t

"If you don't have anything more pressing than helping me solve a war, then you're welcome to come along." Pursing his lips pensively, Freyd looked down at his wrist. He wore no watch. "Sadly, the best we are likely to manage is to pause it for awhile, but I'd argue that's still very much worth the effort. My calendar is, fortunately, presently clear." His eyes drifted once more to the youngsters manning the city gates as they passed, a subtle handwave raising their excited eyebrows and encouraging a swift activation of their ancient mechanisms. Nari took the lead in their co

A swift nod and pivot to reposition. Wulfrin had reaffirmed his promise by finding guts enough to face this monster. Freyd gladly resumed his guard as the beast shook off the daze from their previous assault. A nod was all to be spared. Freyd dare not take his eyes or attention from their foe, not even for an instant. It's recover would be no less speedy. Better to take it down while they had the opportunity, and not take any chances. Triggering the skill by mental command, the void surround Freyd's hands faded, along with its keening, to be replaced by the more familiar purple miasma t

"It isn't you," Freyd clarified, regarding custom skills. "Those things have just brought out the worst in people since they were first introduced. You wouldn't believe half the nonsense, not to mention outright murder, those things have caused." Waving a hand dismissively at the topic, he clearly preferred to move on. "Glad to hear you have a crystal, though. That's survival gear 101. Anything goes wrong here, you use it, and don't hesitate. This thing won't give any quarter." Assured that he'd made his point, Freyd guided them towards a small, poorly used side path down beside the cr

"Don't even go near the whole 'unique skill' debacle." Pinching the bridge of his nose at the thought of the anguish those damnable skills had caused, Freyd swore they had only ever been crafted to sow mistrust and breed envy among the player base. The entire concept seemed fatally and deliberately flawed. A quickly sent party invite helped him better assess Wulfrin's progress. "You're doing great, especially in such a short time, but this mob can be downright lethal. Your assessment is also correct: it would eat you alive while you could only gum at its tenders and still likely prove to b

"Oh, apparently someone peeled Abdullah's grapes the wrong way, or something equally meaningless," Freyd replied, waving his hand dismissively towards the overdressed fop in the corner. The getup was a bit much, looking like a sultan, wrapped in heavily patterned silks studded with gemstones and precious metals. The mutual dislike between Wulfrin's friend and the NPC was palpable from the moment he'd parted the beads. "Come to seek permission to hunt in my domain again, pleb? Why should I grant you such an honour?" A local peasant girl wearing threadbare rags held a tray out with offeri

"Fishing, right? I swear, a fish will be the end of me someday." Freyd groaned with an exaggerated aura of gloom about him, as if past experiences had taught him to expect the worst from such sources - ironic, given that Wulfrin had watched him sitting and fishing through most of his first lesson. "So, I can definitely help with one of those goals, but not necessarily the other. Terra Firma's actually the easy one. I have that all lined up and will give you a should when it's time to meet me in Fortaleza... err, Floor Five. As to Freya's cooking, you might be out of luck. I think s

"Hold up, you're an Elf?" The resulting smile and laughter were more heartfelt than she would have expected. Freyd found her reaction delightful. "That...explains a lot, actually. Surprising, still...but explains a lot. I feel like you and I are going to have some very, very interesting conversations going forwards..." Waiting until they were out of sight and earshot, he let his borrowed elfin traits recede to normal human length - as she had seen them at the gate earlier in the day. The cowl returned to its customary resting place just as quickly to maintain the corresponding

Freyd stood behind Nari, looking relaxed with hands stuffed into his black hoodie-like top, legs spread wide for stabler stance. He truthfully wouldn't know how to relax if he was required to do so, and was equally ready to spring into action, especially if Arun did something impulsively stupid. Watching the plates of Nari's armor grind and shift against each other was like watching a coiled spring winding near the point where it would either be forced to release or break under its own stress. Intensity was good, but this level and extent tended to carry some downsides. Fortunately, the ne

"The hardest part of starting out is accepting that you can't do it all yourself. Some have, and succeeded. Vastly more failed, some selling their lives to feed their egos. It isn't worth it. It's been my pleasure to help, and we'll go smash Terra Firma into avocado paste as soon as you feel you're ready. Let me take the carry on that one, and then I suspect you'll be more than ready to stand on your own." Freyd smiled appreciatively as Wulfrin bowed with respect. As odd as it seemed, given his often irreverent attitude, Freyd deeply respected such gestures and returned in turn. "

"Go!" Freyd shouted as harshly as he dared, pushing Morningstar to run faster down the alley. "I've got this and will meet up with you later." Before he could protest, the player watched Freyd's features shift, his cowl melting into draping long hair and form changing proportions to matching those of the fairer sex. Sally's broken form was still sinking into the cobblestones as the Whisper assumed her guise and stepped out into the open street to greet the guards. When he spoke, he did so with her voice, matching her intonations perfectly. Few truly appreciated the extent to which the man

"Sounds like you might actually have learned a valuable lesson after all," Freyd mused aloud, chuckling to himself. "Who knew these old quests could still do that?" Pulling his hands out of his pockets, Wulfrin saw that they were wreathed in a blue-black cloud of vapours that roiled like dark plasma - almost like a halo orbiting his palms. "This? Heh. This is one of several weapons that I carry, each tailored to different needs. These happen to be called The Thing Behind All Lies. They have a penchant for inflicting particularly punishing misery on any soul unfortunate enough to feel th

That stung... Spinning to pin Sally's whip against the alley wall with his uninjured leg, Freyd used his body weight's momentum to close the gap and hammer the possessed mob with a series of strikes. It was enough to knock her momentarily to her knees, her health bar dipping dangerously low. "Yield!" Freyd's command went ignored, the battered woman's haggard appearance and bulging bloodshot eyes making her look like she'd gone completely insane. "We do not yield. We infest and consume, and you will be next. All shall be our feast, in time!" Her cacophonic multi-layered vo

Sally slumped, the wind having been literally knocked from her sails and subsequently rent sheer through by Morningstar's follow-up. Unfortunately, he overreached in his zeal and did precisely what they didn't need by bursting back through the tavern door. Inside, the patrons of the Naughty Pigeon paused their drinking for the second time in mere minutes to see the blonde swordsman come crashing in once more. "Sally?" A wizened man sitting at the bar spilled beer all over his long white beard seeing Freyd and their favourite bartender tangling with supreme lethality. "Wha... What's go

"Dangerous killers?" Freyd repeated Kyo's words hoping that doing so might offer greater clarity. "As opposed to the not-so-dangerous ones?" He laughed at the absurdity, knowing what she'd actually meant. It just sounded funny in his head. "You're not wrong about the insidious types, mind you. I've met a few in my time, and am still trying to figure out whether Dazia counts as one." A shrug signaled that the jury was still out, preferring to lean into the more esoteric topic of professions. "Nothing forces you into any particular combination. Mats are mats, at the end of the da

Decapitated, the sole remaining mob's body collapsed under its own weight and converting into a pile of stardust on the ground. Once more, everything about them vanished saved their long coats, Even pierced and cut to ribbons, they somehow lasted beyond the deaths of their wearers, denying another Cardinal rule. "Glad to hear you're alright," Freyd offered, not believing it for a second, but accepting that he'd probably deny the seriousness of such injuries himself if their roles were reversed. "I don't know what the hell is going on around here, but I don't like it in the slightest."

"Wait a sec... Knights of Cinnabon?" Something jarred deep in the recesses of Freyd's memories, urging him to ask Vigilon for clarification. "Aren't these the same jokers you picked a fight with back when we first met on Floor 8, or wherever? That time when I walked away from a pointless and unnecessary fight. Please tell me this isn't some sort of persistent personal vendetta you've got against them. We do have a raid to get to, after all." Freyd hoped that highlighting their status as frontliners might give the two mooks pause. Meanwhile, his thoughts drifted to other intruding m

"Trying to make me look bad by actually showing up on time?" "Why would I bother? Your fancy new getup must take hours to put together." Freyd's instantaneous retort to his guild mate was accompanied with widespread teasing grin to match his backward compliment. The 'Cerulean Storm,' as he'd once dubbed her, had certainly grown into her own. His manner left no doubts about his pride in her accomplishments. "Besides, I needed time to find my fish repellant." Returning Nari's nod respectfully, it hadn't surprised him in the slightest to see the invite come from her. The woman was

Furious at Cardinal's flagrant violation of its own rules, Freyd grabbed the butt end of the nearer attacker's halberds as they drew it out of Morningstar's gut, sympathy pains flashing through the back of his mind as he recalled suffering such grievous injuries himself. Fortunately, Morningstar was made of sterner stuff and withstood the treacherous blows where a lesser player might have expired instead. 'Thank goodness,' Freyd sighed silently in relief. Yanking downward and pulling back, the blade on the redcoat's polearm caught the mob in his own abdomen while Morningstar leapt a