Freyd

Pressing his advantage, Freyd punched her straight in the boob, following up with a practiced, lightning speed flurry that systematically staggered her, forcing her back step by step. As the kata reached its final moves, Freyd dug deep within himself, channeling his focus into a final strike. Lilith was caught under the chin and launched back across the room with the same degree of force she had just used against him. Her limp body impacted the far wall hard enough to leave a waifu-shaped imprint in the block and a gasping groan as the vampiress struggled to re-combobulate herself. Lif

Freyd replied to her vampiric tantrum by grabbing Lilith's wagging finger and twisting it in a painful joint lock until it snapped out of its socket. The resulting blood frenzy wasn't quite the effect he'd hoped for, causing her to lunge with reckless abandon and overwhelming speed. She slammed him into the granite block wall on the far side of the room with enough force to dislodge a cloud of dust and scattering of stone chips from the ancient and crumbling masonry, threatening to bring the cross-vault above down on both their heads. "I might have miscalculated a bit on that one," he

The incubus sprang first, leaping towards Freyd in a frenzy with desperate hopes to buy his patron some time to recover. His mate came swiftly after, the pair of them hissing and screeching as they clawed against the whirling dervish of shadows that was the Whisper. Snaring an outreached arm, Freyd brought his elbow down hard even as he turned the joint to bend in the wrong direction. A sickening crunch and howl as the man's arm shattered. Dropping to a knee Freyd fell just under the second minion's outstretched claws and managed to snare her collar as she flew by. Bracing a leg against a

Lilith paced relentless back and forth in the central audience chamber of her claimed demesne, a pair of sycophantic spawns trying but failing to entice her back to the lavish bed that sat where a throne might once have been. The male and female, likely both Red Cloaks once, tried every manner of taunt and tease, but their mistress remained fuming. "Damn that Harkens and his stupid oaths and powers! We should have finished them all off by now! Beelzebub will be furious if they are allowed to survive any longer." Several lewd poses from her pets momentarily distracted her from her rant

Razsak Castle. Forboding. Ominous. Excessively gothic. The whole thing just screamed 'Castlevania' as you approached it, especially with all those flying buttresses, gargoyles and other clichéd yet architecturally appropriate details. As always, the front gate lay open and unguarded. Lilith was overconfident, or just too lazy to close it. Or maybe it had broken and she just wasn't handy with tools. Never a good ghoul minion around when you need one, was there? "Perhaps the road less traveled, this time?" Steering clear of the main gatehouse, Freyd circled around to the far side o

The bundle of 'whatever-it-was' floated like a ball of white light, hovering just above the dais, or work table. This place was looking more and more like some sort of pseudo-mecha hangar the longer he stared at it. Reaching out, the glowy thingy pulsed as if it was requesting some sort of input and a UI interface immediately popped up requesting a selection from all of the available weapon types in the game. After making certain that there were no unusual Easter eggs hidden somewhere in the menu, Freyd selected martial arts and promptly dismissed the item, leaving it ready for later use.

Both revenants lunged forward, clumsily, but still forcing Freyd to tumble sideways to escape them. That was when he felt it. Some sort of charge was building in the ground, focused around the nearest of the constructs, which flickered and buzzed with unwholesome energy - that kind implying that it will smash you into next week if it it allowed to reach full power. "Oh. So they actually do a thing? Huh. Well, now probably isn't the best time to be checking that out." Using the momentum granted him by his roll, Freyd drove a fist into the gut of the nearer mob, unleashing the por

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" There was no point in being coy. Freyd knew the revenants would be milling about in the various niches, nooks and tunnels surrounding the main central chamber in the heart of the ruined keep. A broad assortment of mechanical constructs lay or sat in various states of disrepair around a large open hall. It must have once had a ceremonial overtone, but now looked like nothing more than a devastated repair garage, half-buried beneath debris rained down by the collapse of the former floors above. He'd never actually seen any of the constructs do a

The journey south to the Ashen Keep was relatively easy, especially when travelling through various gullies and gulches that Freyd had mapped in detail during previous visits - ancient stream beds long since run dry as a result of whatever catastrophe was said to have befallen these lands. Floor fourteen's unusual Zack Snyder-esque colour scheme worked to his advantage. Covered in blacks and charcoal, further blended with the sheer amount of ash and dust in the wind, Freyd resembled every other bit of flotsam riding the harsh winds scouring the broken ground. A litany of ancient forgott

Freyd stood on the outskirts of the Red Cloak's encampment, the stalwart figure of their Knight Captain Harkens standing stoically at his side. The older NPC watched on as the vampiress decimated his men in the valley below, as if he was somehow silently hoping that one of them might pull off a miracle and hold his ground or rally the rest. It wasn't happening. Freyd had completed this quest enough times to know that those men were doomed, which was why he had one leg propped up on a soot-covered boulder and a ham sandwich firmly held in his left hand. "You might want to get in there s

Arms crossed in front of him, Freyd listened in silence and without reaction, letting Lium tell it as he saw it. When he was done, Freyd just gazed at the crystal, recalling what it had done to the likes of Mari. At least she had earned it in the worst possible fashion. Lium had just stolen a ship? And now Celeste and some other players were along for the ride? Who was he kidding? Celeste would have led the charge, damning the consequences as she went. "Reckless." He shook his head, disappointment clear on his face. "But you've made your own bed. I just hope it doesn't get y

"Dustin? Dustin. Dustin? Nope. Nothing." Freyd shrugged, unable to place the name. "Knew a kid named Dustin back in elementary school. He was one of the glue-sniffers, and always had wisps of the gunk trailing out of his left nostril. But I'm guessing that's not you. He was shorter and a lot rounder, and black. So, definitely not." Leaning forward from his seated lotus, Freyd unfolded his legs beneath him to rise like some sort of humanoid scissor lift, all lanky and wiry beneath endless folds of dark cloth. The man's face was pale and unremarkable, a pair of stormy blue eyes

"We both suffer from the same problem, my friend. It's in our nature to avoid being known. Add to that a degree of professional obligation and it is easy to forget that there are situations where we actually need to be able to let down our guard, at least a little." He tossed the two miniature carrot bits randomly behind him, one snagging a drape and falling into some large, ornately decorated vase with a solid 'thong' sound. The other caught the rim of someone's neglected, half-empty tea cup and skipped into a nearby pond, teasing some poor unassuming koi with its wibbly-wobbly dance.

Wondrous, deliberately crafted chaos erupted as the Ifrit's guns turned and started firing upon their own. Razwell's order suddenly shone as betrayal to those who would come to their emperor's aid. Some would surely fall back on faith and point out that only the starboard batteries had turned against them, until the same happened to port. Blazing arcs of energy-infused metal filled the air all around the flagship, ripping through the frigates and destroyer escorts all around. Some took evasive action out of self-preservation. Others took the hits out of confusion. Freyd just watched all

Having put his waiting to good use, Freyd was chatting up one of the local academic pseudo monk dudes when Lium arrived through the portal. "Thank you kindly for the information," he said, bowing slightly to the woman, who returned the gesture, then turned to walk away. Her deep blue robe verged on the edge of violet in colour and seemed unusually vibrant for such dark cloth, and she seemed to be getting carried away by a soft breeze rather than actually walking. "Long time man, how goes it?" Freyd's demeanor soured at the sight of the man's icon paired with a carefree, jovial

"Yeah. I know a few places," he replied, already meandering his way back towards town. Freyd tipped his cowl at a certain guard as they passed through the out gates, thankful that he hadn't required a rescue this time around. That would have been embarrassing in the extreme. Even beneath the clear blue sky and beaming sun of the first floor, Freyd felt like a certain gloom remained between himself and his old friend. Her winds changed direction too swiftly and suddenly for him to offer her the blind trust that she seemed to want, but he was still willing to give things a chance to work out

A nod of understanding and a door left open to future possibilities. They'd managed it. This time had been different. Not perfect. Never perfect. But different, and they had both lived. Progress. It took every ounce of will not to rip her in half when she wrapped her arms around him. The machine wanted blood before information. Betrayal! 'No,' he replied, arguing against himself. No harm done. No harm given. Give her a chance, or she could be lost forever. A gentle pat on the back instead, offering encouragement and hope. Freyd was keeping his promise and taking a cha

Freyd sipped silently at his tea, watching Kodo out of the corner of his eyes and trying to puzzle his way through the problem. Scenarios played out behind his mind: logical arguments and philosophical reasonings. Glancing over at Lium, he took a deep breath and simply tossed them all aside. "It's okay not to know." Porcelain clinked against porcelain as his cup returned to base. "As much I regret having to point is out, your sister is gone. You know this, and it sounds like it has been more than a while. You need a new rock to cling to, or else to become a rock yourself. F

Freyd laughed. Not in a mocking manner, but because he had been in Xena's shoes. "Yeah. Cardinal can be really weird. Don't overthink it." Walking over to her side, he hoofed the original target like a football, punting the digital pig skin high into the air. It came crashing down to the ground several dozen yards away and exploded into a messy pile of pixels. Snorting at the comparison between their original venture, he looked around the scene for drops. "Oh. They must have gotten rid of the part where you had to gather the boar tusks. Well isn't that nice. You have no idea

Freyd frowned one of those 'are you kidding me now' kinda frowns. "Seriously?" He couldn't quite keep all the frustration out of his deadpan voice. If Xena had meant to be playful, her reaction was having the opposite effect. Freyd wasn't the type of man who appreciated having his time and efforts wasted, and that was what this was starting to feel like. Nor did he have enough emotional wherewithal to let this slide off his back. He'd invested too much in the effort and was struggling with the notion of just cutting his losses and walking away. But Xena deserved better. She'd helpe

Glancing through the shadows just over Koga's shoulders, the Whisper reassured his companion. "She's not far, and perfectly capable. I'm sure she'd find her way, given enough time. You and I can improve the odds for others to do the same if we take the nearby cannon emplacements and shoot Ladonians out of the sky using their own ship." Turning to his left, Freyd then gave instructions over his own shoulder. There was no one else present. "I'll need you to do the same, on the port side. We'll regroup on the bridge afterwards. Save as many as you can." A slight, lilting

Freyd returned to the seating area where Raidou had remained, several platters full of food and drink carefully balanced in his arms. Eyes blinked as the logistics of setting down all of these items suddenly dawns. "Hrm." With a wiggle, all the items in his left arm are suddenly dispatched to inventory, freeing up one hand to assist the other. The process repeated itself in the reverse with items recalled and soon the low table between them was bedecked with all manner of snackage and goodies. "Where did the girls go," he asked aloud, wondering how they could have already bond

"My experiences with Mari were... complex. I can honestly say, given her reputation, that I'm surprised that I never got stabbed." Freyd looked disappointed. "She had such great potential to be a leader among players, but I wonder if too many burnt bridges and too much baggage had simply worn her down. Wherever she is, now, I wish her well and hope that she's found some manner of peace, and sleep to match." Mari had certainly been unique, in her attitude and stubbornness as much as her capacity for caring. It was the latter that had kept her going, but the toll would seem to have proven t

"Actually, you'd be surprised." How could he explain in a way that didn't reveal too much? He stopped advancing, lest she feel the need to bolt. That wouldn't help anyone here. "I spent a long time jumping at my own shadow, worried that it was gonna shiv me when I wasn't watching. It was terrifying when I finally pulled together enough nerve to step beyond the starting city and take my chances in the wilds - Cardinal be damned. I never felt safe then, and still don't now. Being a frontliner just paints a different kind of target on your back." He also wanted to reveal how the p

"It wasn't a thread. Not even close." " Freyd spoke softly, steadily, his arms resting at his sides without threat. Few moments could be more sensitive than those where truths were exposed. Sometimes, just ripping off the bandage was the only option, even at the risk of tearing open old wounds. "I know Laughing Coffin, and how they operate. I know that no one pisses them off and is simply left to walk away without paying some sort of a price. I know that there are ways for orange players reach into the safe zones and cause harm without ever wielding a knife. They never forget,