Freyd

Wandering through the forest, catch in hand, Freyd had spent the better part of the day forcing himself to honor a promise. The memory of his grandfather had come to signify an anchor, or better yet a foundation upon which a person could be built; one not grown from a kernel of rage and hate, but its total opposite. Fishing helped him find peace that so often eluded him, and had become his guilty pleasure - a form of self-inflicted therapy, gladly accepted. A ping. Freya? Eyes of blue, devoid of the usual tension that stretched them to a natural suspicion, opened and reviewed t

"Meh." Freyd's blunt and callous blurt dismissed her argument. "I know strength of will like few others, but it won't protect my face from a solid smashing or slay my enemy with bare hands and glares alone. Tools are the means to exceed our limitations. To dismiss them is to consign yourself yourself to lesser potential. What you describe are traits and talents, innate in nature. They are the intangibles that drive the tools, but they are finite and constrained." He shook his head in response to her assertions. "In battle, the man with the sword carries hope of victory. The

Rank 5 Appraiser (Base: BD 10, CD 8+ for unique, 10 identifications per day) +1 to CD from Hermes’ Scale +2 EXP: Hard Working (also +1 IDs per day) +2 EXP: Lucrative (Firm Anima) (also +2 IDs per day) +1 EXP: Custom Ambition Tool (bought from own shop 2020-07-16) Consuming: Crafting Respite [173258] Witch's Brew: none Identifications: 5x T4 Perfect Items (@3040 col) = 15200 col +75000 col for re-rolls. (5 * 15,000 for 4 rerolls apiece) Total Cost: 90200 col Junking: 4x T4 Perfect Item (@1900) = 7600 col Total Value of Junking: 7600 col

"Doubt is the doorway to understand: recognition of that limits can be breached and the unknown beyond explored." Freyd's expression was flat. He was falling into his machine self, cunning and clinical all at once - ruthlessly practical in all things. Watching her refusal accept Zackariah's reward, a notion came to him. "You choose not to choose on the grounds that it will bias the outcome of fate's design, but that act is a choice in and of itself." A flaw, unexpectedly exposed. A contradiction that could only be excused as an act of blind faith - something the Whisper could never accep

"I am the colour of doubt." The statement came, unbidden, from no fathomable source. Freyd just blurted it out like it was supposed to be self-evident. His voice was flat and cold, as he spoke. It carried no malice or frustration, yet felt as if imbued by an overwhelming undercurrent of truth. Hands stuffed firmly into pockets, he wandered several steps behind her, committed by his choice yet wondering how long his interest would endure. For now, mere observation would suffice. He had to admit that it might also be his only option. This woman would not reveal her secrets lightly, or qu

"Sure," he replied, "Whatever you say, Joan." A scene played through of his head, from an old movie titled 'The Messenger'. It was a rendition of the tale of Joan of Arc. Nessa fit the bill, almost too perfectly. She seemed oblivious to her reality, yet tied to some grander fate. Freyd was beginning to doubt whether she was a player at all and perhaps just some mischievous quirk of Cardinal let loose to confuse the absolute shit out of everybody. Her tactics were actually brilliant, but drastically unconventional, to the extent that he struggled to imagine anyone employing th

(I'll put him in, if people at the meeting can convince him.)

"This wasn't here before." Standing on the lower slopes of the lee side of the hill occupied by Snowfrost, this area was usually better sheltered yet somehow less popular for visitors. Having spent an inordinate amount of time on this floor, it occurred to him that he'd never spent much time away from the areas most directly connected to the its many quests, or the homes of his acquaintances. That he could even call some friends warmed his thoughts. Memories of Fortaleza's blazing heat would do the trick, along with Survival skill. Instead of the quiet refuge he had sought, Frey

No. It wasn't. And Freyd was glaring at the source, unimpressed by the boney figure's sudden appearance in the middle of the fight. Neither he nor Hirru were slouches when it came to spotting fine details. The Jade Hunter was arguably the better, and yet this anonymous stranger had snuck up on both of them. And to interrupt with that pun. "Actually, that wasn't half bad," he had to admit. The thing had no visible crystal hovering over its head, no name label, which instantly put Freyd on guard. It was a talent he had deciphered himself, not long ago, though the damned skill seemed

"That's no chain," Freyd spoke, his voice carrying a hint of awe as they approached their destination. What had first appeared to be a massive loop of metal proved to be something far more worrisome. "It's some sort of gigantic metal sea serpent!" Even beneath layers of flotsam and jetsam built up over time by the relentless lapping of waters upon the shore, glimmering silver-like scales could be seen behind the detritus. This thing was massive, and also apparently dead. "It looks... dull? Like it could really use a polish or something. Look up high. There's its head!" Coiled ar

Watching the Jade Hunter's reactions in silence from beneath his cowl, Freyd busied himself by examining the ruins around them. Who had this king been? What tragedy or calamity had led to his downfall? Who was hit interior decorator, and had be been buried somewhere around here for allowing this travesty? Such were the thoughts running through his head. The place had a dry, stale odour, like a giant loaf of hardened bread grown as solid as a brick, yet begging for a bit of moisture so that it might achieve true pungent decay by blooming in mold instead. A few light taps on the ston

Grabbing a thick coil of hemp rope from under the greenhorn's table, Freyd sprung into action, fashioning a pair of improvised grappling hooks. Tossing one to his companion, he dragged his own to the barge's edge and spun it forcefully around. His first toss failed, falling short and forcing him to haul it back. "Where did you find it, and who else was there with you? It sounds like it was quite the fight." Readying the hook for his second attempt, he aimed it at the edge of its upper shell, near the edge where its neck emerged. "So, we're hoping that this thing doesn't just roll

Rarely one to claim any form of moral authority, Freyd felt justified in taking on such a mantle in this rare case. Lun'Rael was an abomination. She betrayed her land, her people, rose again through corruption and filled the heads of her cult-like following with false promise of infinite rebirth. That deserved some seriously deep notches on the 'bad' side of the cosmic ledger, no matter how you kept score. Despite the tragedy of her own tale, she committed herself to this course of action and thereby placed herself beyond any hope of redemption. Watching his guild tearing the monster's fo

His sojourn through the sparse woods of the Forest of Memories took little time, especially given the proximity of Ariel’s dojo to Firm Anima’s guild hall. Freyd had just finished reviewing his daily reports when the message first arrived. Having recently learned from Hirru that the labyrinth had been cleared; the news was met with mixed reception and concern. Were they ready? Shadow’s defeat had taken personal tolls and left a heavy burden on all of Aincrad’s remaining players. Though no one he knew personally had fallen in recent memory, names still steadily appeared on the Monument of

"Another floor raid, already?" Freyd seemed skeptical, an eyebrow arched to reinforce the point. "It feels like we barely just cleared our way through that inky little shi...err... Shadow." "I was fresh off the pier when that raid happened, never even having attended the planning meeting for it, though I heard through the grapevine that it was a bit of a mess. Aincrad's players are at their best when they've actually united behind a common goal, not so much when talking about it." Gloved fingers absentmindedly stroked his chin as he spoke, mental gears grinding beneath his woole

"For Fonsa," Freyd whispered for his own benefit and only to himself, "I gift you a lesson in despair." The nearest maw, having failed to find purchase against the crimson robed captain at his side, rolled and smashed the rocky surface where the Whisper stood. Hissing like a steaming geyser, it rose from a cloud of dust of its own creation. Few people can appreciate how great a pleasure it is to see a villain's self-satisfaction shattered. Firm Anima was so gifted in that moment, when the same dark figure that should just have been smeared beneath the serpentine queen still stoo

All-Consuming Shadows Cost: 10 SP [Custom Skill] Energy Cost: +2 EN per target hit, plus Shift cost if applied Cooldown: 3 Turns (0 Turns) Requirement: [Disguise], [AoE Shift] Effect: Apply the AoE tag on any sword art. The sword art in question becomes eligible to benefit from the AoE Shift at the cost of the usual EN surcharge. If the player has unlocked TECH-F, TECH-A becomes an AoE sword art, permanently eligible to be upgraded with AoE shift. Description: The void tolerates no boundaries, manifesting everywhere all at once and between all things. Sundering their own f

"Nicely done." A rare compliment and satisfied smirk perched upon the Whisper's lips as he watched the mob disintegrate by Ariel's side. The pervasive gloom dominating the slain monarch's chamber lessened as a few stray strands of light penetrated through tiny, distant windows unaccustomed to fulfilling their intended functions. "I'll buy them off you, if you've no use for them." Directed at Hirru, the two of them had taken on Ugzeke together in the past, and Freyd was constantly grinding the field boss for its infamous buff. "Also, let me know what weapon you're seeking and I

Confused, more than anything, Freyd was left standing in the middle of a dungeon, the dregs of fallen wraiths and ghosts decomposing all around him. The rest of his squad had pulled his own trick against him and vanished, albeit strangely. Sam had proven herself competent, but in need of seasoning. Freya had proven herself Freya and jaunted off, leaving calamity in her wake. Eruda, supposed to be the rock in the group, had run off from trauma with unspoken emotional scars. So, there he was, standing alone in the dark, wondering what the heck had just happened. Eyes narrowing beneath

Stepping into the very blind from which the mobs had sprung, Freyd reappeared from the final mob's shadow. The fish-man's mouth opened in surprise, but any outcry was swallowed along with his guts as the staff protruded from his chest. The entirety of his form vanished inward towards the void, until nothing remained but the distant cawing of gulls and other avian scavengers. The immediate threat had been dispatched. Clamoring back onto the boat, Freyd signaled safe passage to the Captain, who had been waiting following Hirru's instruction. "Right. This was just basic warmup," F

He watched her rambling reactions in silence, his facade fixed in place to reveal nothing. Eyes like mirrors reflected the firelight as Celeste bobbled awkwardly about the site, playing her part with reckless bravado. It wasn't false. Freyd had figured that much out about her, and had no trouble accepting it. He had no expectations, save that people be true to themselves. In her own way, Celeste embodied that principle, writ large. That was probably why he had no issues with her demeanor. Let her rant and rave. Let her bounce off the walls and rage at their existence. She could be an

*SMASH* *CRASH* Eruda hadn't even finished her thought when something lunged beneath her guard catching the spirit completely unaware. A thin outline from its spectral presence hovered above the tank's shield, but the rest of it sat half-imprinted into the far wall. The bulk of its torso was now little more than a gaping hole, pixel fragments sprinkling down the rest of its body from the crumbling cavity, even as its head rolled and hung limply. The ghost's crippled form tumbled forward and sprawled with a soft thud as its semi-corporeal form sloughed all over the cold chamber flo

"Look!" Freyd didn't point or actually give any indication whatsoever to signify his point. He just kinda vanished. An instant later, cries of alarm sounded from behind a rocky shoal near where their sordid excuse for a ship was meant to pass. Fish guts sailed through the air, dematerializing soon after being severed from their host body. The fact that Freyd was technically using a blunt weapon made it that much more disturbing, but the sheer amount of hellish shrieking that came from the seaweed coated rocks quickly confirmed his weapon's handiwork. Something metallic clanked

Sliding past Hirru's still form, Freyd smashed the taller undead monster smartly on the rib cage beneath his left arm. Crunching bone resounded even as the Whisper pressed his attack. He was no tank, but The Forgotten Time King would not be permitted another strike against his ally. Planting the butt of his staff firmly against a block of broken masonry lingering from the glories of days long absent, Freyd flipped and spun high into the air. Samael's Pride opened its maw wide, unleashing the void within, and struck with the crushing appetite of a dying star as its exposed void it melted th

"Two more, eh? That won't take long. Gimme a minute." Launching himself at the next wave, a pattern of rapid swings and strikes shatters bones and turns digital mesh into splatters across the floor. Three smears laid themselves out around the sole survivor, spread in a radial pattern away from Freyd's position. A chuckle slipped through his lips as he steadied his breathing upon completion of his kata. Another wave of enemies laid low, decimated by a ruthless assault. "Dungeon? Yeah. They shouldn't be too tough to find around here, especially with your talents." Freyd