Freyd

The figure tilted its cowl-covered head in an oddly puppy-like gesture, like a hound struggling to make sense of its quarry's odd behaviour. Under different circumstances, she might have imagined a pair of big floppy beagle ears dangling from either side, but her current predicament was considerably less conducive to imagining phone app dress-up skins. "Well, you're still nimble, but you spook worse than I recall." The voice was spot on for Freyd. As he leaned forward, a few stray beams of light managed to pierce the canopy and illuminate enough of his face for a proper look. It was

"Baldur? A mentor of yours? No shit?" He seemed truly surprised, but pleasantly so. "Given what I saw you and Mari do against those crystalline behemoths, I figured you both for Frontliners from the start; no disrespect to @Baldur. He's as fine a swordsman and leader as can be found in Aincrad, but you never struck me as the type to belong in anyone else's shadow." Chuckles followed an outstretched hand suggested they might find themselves suitably comfortable seating at a nearby balcony facing away from the dojo towards the manicured serenity of the estate's outer grounds. "He and I

The message was so unexpected that Freyd struggled to believe that it was even authentic. He and Xena had shared more than a few frantic adventures in their early days, until that incident with the boars had triggered his paranoia so bad that he'd nearly had a breakdown in the process. If that guard hadn't... if Marv hadn't saved him. Well, he'd be a nothing but a pile of pixels in the wind now, wouldn't he? They'd parted ways after that, but not because he'd wanted to. Freyd was afraid. No. Crippled, but by scars they ran straight through his psyche. Sitting in a sparsely decorated st

Freyd remained still as the stone upon which he sat, pondering the significance behind Bismuth's unspoken words. He had his own demons of his own and the trauma to back it up. Watching the junior player scurrying through the underbrush, he saw himself from the not-so-distant past. Could he really blame him for being elusive? He'd been ten times worse and far more skittish as his earliest self. "Yeah," he add, lifting his head to stare at the distant edge of the floor, that strange false horizon leading to an endless, empty sky beyond. "That's fair. I've been there too. Just promi

"Many thanks," Freyd whispered with unexpected humility upon arrival to collect his parcel. "And my appreciation for completing the work so quickly. I know that it's... unusual. That's just the way with memories, isn't it?" No further details were provided, but the odd man carried an uncharacteristic sense of peace and joy as he tenderly lifted the package and stepped lightly towards the exit. He paused upon reaching the door, the knob twisted open and leaf slightly ajar. Words hung unspoken as his cowl twisted in serpentine fashion back towards the counter, but hesitation snared

As the chaos of battle simmered down, the magnitude of silence and absence reigned. The inevitable had clashed against the impossible. In a paradox of improbabilities, a legend had fallen. Not the boss, of course. Those died constantly - almost inevitably. No, this felt like the crushing oblivion of unimaginable loss exposing the thing that lays beyond the last shred of salvation. Despair had taken the field in the form of a Pyrrhic victory. Wind, like the last gasp of hope, carried the acrid scent of brimstone across the blasted field, broken by the sound of a booth crunching upon

"Huh... so this is what all the hubbub was about? Big. Tall. Kinda mostly empty." Strolling casually through the massive arched hall, Freyd felt dwarfed by the giant colonnades and statues lining the walls. Most were generically nondescript, as you might expect from a space that didn't seem to be linked to the lore of any particular floor. Altars lined niches between the ornaments, each displaying some form of reward. Many looked familiar by sight or description, triggering vague recollections of pre-flood quests and events that had somehow become inaccessible. "The is an awful lot

"Spoken like someone who's been burnt in the past. I know. I've been there too." A single arched brow countered any surprise. Freyd crossed his arms over his chest before consciously making the effort to break down that barrier and place them on his knees instead. "It's not easy to let people get close, or take the risks that trust requires. It leaves you exposed, and almost inevitably hurt." He licked his lips, clearing his throat as if trying to clear hesitation away. "It also doesn't leave you with much a life, cut off from everyone and everything." Freyd pointed at the fields

He was back again, and far sooner than expected, but rumours told that The Evening Star’s goods had recently been restocked, and there were a few convenient items he needed replenished. Unexpected encounters had let him to hand out more freebies than expected. ‘Investments’ he kept telling himself. Raidou would hand the world every tool available for its own sake. Freyd’s nature required more convincing. These seemed like good deals, as were NIGHT’s wares. It was time to connect the two. "For an old friend," Freyd muttered, seeming lost in wistful thoughts that hadn't quite run thei

Freyd snorted, unable to contain his agreement, but his smile returned in the process. The cowl remained to conceal most of his features and expressions, like a sort of shroud behind which the many details of his own exploits and adventures would likewise remain a secret. "Yeah. Foraging is not my thing, at all. Doesn't really bother me much, though fishing is better suited for me, I think." Had he misread the man? Not likely. But this approach was likely to rub others the wrong way, despite his assertions. Freyd was more inclined to believe that he had figured Bismuth out - classi

He'd had his ass handed to him, and was completely ecstatic about it. Even as @Astreyacalled false foul, with a lilt of playful laughter in the distance, he waved himself off the field of battle with unusually nonchalant grace. Thanks and praise were given freely to the victor and those who had setup this mashup in the first place. His ribs still hurt. Not from the impact of @Baldur's specialized toys, but sheer laughter at the absurdity of the battle before them. It was just puerile fun, of a kind the man they called the Whisper never allowed himself, yet so desperately needed. Grab

"The man's going to start to think we have something going on the side. You know that right?" Blue eyes wrapped in creased weariness stared sympathetically at her from behind a steaming mug that he'd partially hoped would iron out the growing number of wrinkles in his brow, or else at least this tangled mess of interconnected tales. "Gaius has come a long way, but this sort of thing is exactly the type to set him off, and probably with good cause." He nabbed another honey bun from the package laying open between them. Freya seemed to have an endless supply of the things and it made her hap

The end results were all that mattered, in the Whisper's eyes. Gratitude was not required for resources provided, and he cared little for the etiquette that others relied upon to sustain their fragile social structures. In other words, Freyd didn't need people around to be nice, so long as they got the job done. Whether Bismuth had figured it out or not, Freyd was tagging along for one simple reason: to evaluate him. "She definitely has her uses, if you can manage her attitude," he said, softly, his grin pairing off against her narrowed gaze. "And, if I had any compunctions about tagg

"Relax," he added, still laughing. "There were way too many people around to tell who did that, right guys?" A clatter of chuckles sounded from the other players around the room. Freyd had just made their lives easier. They weren't about to rat them out for it. "If you're serious about the broker thing," he added, clearly believing that she was, "you're gonna need to pull tricks like that, or at least spot them when people try to pull them on you. There will be no shortage of people willing to take advantage, or just to stiff you for their own shits and giggles." A systems p

Their pace slowed once they reached the village proper. Tolbana still bustled with activity, dozens if not hundreds of players crowing the starter zone as they scrambled to complete their quests. Zackariah's hut was absolutely swamped, blocking any sight of the NPC. "Huh. Well, that's a problem." Freyd stood with his left hand on his hip and his right scratching at his unruly mop of mousy-brown hair. A mischievous grin spread across his lips as the beginnings of a plan formed in his head. "You may want to stand off to the side, behind that fence," he said to Xena, nodding towards a

Freyd felt something when the man mentioned a lackluster existence beyond the confines of their imprisoned existence. It was his reality also, but not something he shared casually. Instead, his used it as fuel to motivate him in the game. If getting everyone out who wanted it accomplished something, then it was a goal worth pursuing. He'd also made promises to that effect, and didn't easily abandon oaths once given. "Persi? Actually, Persistence is her full name. Wait until you do the familiar quests and you will understand." The lean, inky creature gave Freyd a knowing glance that

"Yeah. Yes, I am. Thanks for putting up with me. I'm still really freaked out, but just keeping busy has helped." A small smile returned to Xena better expressed his gratitude. "Oh! Hey, that's it! Come on. Let's get this stuff back to Zackariah and we can get our rewards. I hope it's something really good, but these are starter quests, so I probably shouldn't be getting my hopes up, yanno?" Bouncing off ground like it had just turned to lava, Freyd scampered back towards Tolbana with renewed vigor. Panic wasn't gone. In fact, it was just below the surface, but he was doing hi

P.S. Please ensure that all modifiers (CD tool) are clearly noted in future eval posts.

"I once watched a friend of mine turn several lumps of coal, shards of glass and a bowl full of purple goo into the best-tasting sandwich I've ever tasted in this place. The point being: don't limit yourself to what seems to make sense. However real and immersive it may feel, this world is still an MMO, with all the various oddities and inconsistencies that usually entails. I have several dragons' hoards worth of materials available at my fingertips, for example, none of which I can provide to you to help finish this quest. Because the system won't allow it. You could use them as mats you

Something must have gotten caught in Freyd's throat at that precise moment. An awkward gurgling-mewling-choking sound eked its way from his mouth and his whole chest inexplicably constricted. His face turned a blushing shade of red so deep that it actually threatened the nature of purple, doubling him over into a spasmic coughing fit. *cough* *HACK* *wheeze* *cough* "I'm good!" He waved off, his eyes so wide and bulging that they looked ready to pop out of his head. "Something... in my throat..." he rasped again, looking like he'd accidentally tried to swallow his sword in a s

"Hrmmm? Didn't know that they had a mechanic for such a thing. Wonder how it works." There wasn't, of course, but Freyd was still too much of a newb to understand such things. "Still, if you can make it work, that might be a really good idea. Info will be super useful in the days ahead. Getting it the right people will be key, or possibly just selling it for the right price?" Morality wasn't the issue so much as risk and reward. The goal was to get out of here, and there was a tipping point beyond which it hurt business to try and hold too many cards to one's own chest. "I guess b

"Nice!" he responded over his shoulder, turning and walking back over towards where she continued her search. "It makes a good argument for the benefits of buffs and gear I guess." Turning his weapon over, he held it up for closer inspection. "I hear that there's a profession for appraising items in the game. I might look into that one myself. Being able to easily identify items would be worth its weight in gold. It also makes me wonder whether it can be used to analyze mobs for their weaknesses. If so, that could generate some very real coin." He caught he folding her claws back i

Freyd laughed aloud as she unleashed her fury upon the poor defenseless sod. Player rage at its best, and apparently producing results as she claimed their first victory. He waved off her earlier suggestion. "Nah! You don't need me. Looks like you're on a roll. Besides, you just ate my best chance to find anything." He beamed another goofy grin in her direction. "Besides, how are you going to boast being this totally awesome info broker if you can't even find stuff in grass." That might have been pushing his luck, but tensions finally seemed to be bleeding out. They both needed t

Wandering about as if on some sort of improvised boar patrol, Freyd eyed the various critters with a wary eye. It was the other players around that made him far more nervous. The fields were positively crawling with people, all staring at their feet and scouring for the same things they were. It reminded him of the launch of so many other MMOs where the starting zones were completely overwhelmed and a strange resource race developed just to progress to the later content before anyone else. He'd read about similar things happening in the beta for SAO, but everyone was too tight lipped over

Surprise. It was the only way he could react to the offer when it popped up in a 2D display bright and bold in front of him and completely unmissable. Tension bled from his face once he recognized what it was and meant. "Thanks," he offered with surprising sincerity, gladly accepting the request. It made an unexpectedly huge difference to have someone reach out like that. Sure, he'd had countless connections on various social media platforms prior to joining SAO, but those were more like contacts for networking purposes. Maybe that's what this was too, but somehow it felt far more mea