Freyd

Eyes wide at Hirru's revelation, Freyd instantly called up his inventory, surveying the list of loot gathered to date. After so many grind runs, he practically knew the standard loot drop patterns by heart. Recognizing patterns was part of what made him a good appraiser in the first place. A few of the drops were definitely larger than expected, and by a very direct order of magnitude. "Huh," he sputtered, stoically and in muted mockery of the glee that might have escaped from anyone else's mouth. A raised eyebrow was about the extent of any further emotive reaction. The man was a co

A pulse of gravitic force slammed into the space on Hirru's left flank, popping the tricky Sahagin that had sought to exploit an unexpected opening. Freyd's staff struck with such momentum that it passed clean through the mob, but could get clear in time to snag a second target. An instant later, Freyd stood on the far side of their foes, his method of travel unclear and catching another pair of advancing fish-men off guard. Already beaten and battered from their foolish faceoff against the Jade Hunter, the first fell into fragments with but a gentle tap. Spinning the weapon around, tight

A sly grimace spread across Freyd's pursed lips. Somehow, you couldn't stun this bag of bones, but you could still poison it? Such were the inconsistencies of a digital world, where the system governed over all and lingered just beneath the surface of everything. Logic dictated, but not the type you might think. It all boiled down to programming. And, despite the apparent futility, the Whisper chose to test it anyway. Veering right while his companions drew the king's ire, a second, smaller shadow scurries loose from beneath his armor and dashed straight between the feared mob's leg

Thunder boomed in staccato bursts from the broken marble arcade that line the edge of the ruined square. Intermittent flashes of brilliant whites and blues preceded each, highlighting the shadow of a figure in motion as it darted from one kill to the next, yet never quite quick enough to snare its true image. Freyd had been here before, several times. Once, of note, was to save the hide of Firm Anima's noble vanguard captain, who'd foolishly sought to take on the black monarch alone. The canny bastard had nearly pulled it off too. As his fellow captain, Freyd admired the cunning and ingen

"Fishing," Freyd said, flatly. "This never ends well." Visions of being propelled through the air while attempting to flense a giant flounder flooded to mind from his memories Oscar, bellowing like a madman, as they tried not to be drowned in the process. Or that one with the rowboat, where he taunted fate, knowing that it would summon the beast right behind him to nip him sharply on the backside, or fling him from his dinghy in despair. Freyd didn't mind fishing, strangely enough. He'd even picked up the skill and found peace in the activity, along side images of his grandfather.

A shower of shattered red crystalline shards rained down around him. Some mob had just died, violently. It was a frequent occurrence around him. So much so that he'd come to tune it out and was already reading Hirru's message, received a moment earlier. This particular outing had just drawn to a close and he wasn't needed elsewhere for a few more hours. Pulsing thrums in his hand slowed as Samael's Pride slowly returned to its more nominal state. The weapon could never truly be sated, but it was at least satisfied with the outcome of their battle. It was so like its master. "Word f

"Your poison has proven more useful than anticipated." Freyd's furrowed brow denoted consternation at his mouth's clumsiness. "What I mean to say is: your goods are very effective. I'd like to replenish my stock." Something seemed off about him. His edge had softened in some imperceptible way. The usually abrupt harshness of his speech carried a less grating tone. Hardly sociable at the best of times, he'd just made his own version of an attempt at a compliment. It was weird. Sorting through the bounty on offer throughout the shop's well-stocked shelves, Freyd pulled down batches

"Lead the way," Freyd chimed in, his gaze set upon a distant ridge, beyond the tree line. Some distraction kept his attention elsewhere, though enough focus remained to have followed the completion of Marius' transaction. "The quest imposes limitations on how much help you can receive. They," he pointed at the sky, or more likely at some unseen entity beyond it, "don't want us experienced types walking newbies through all the content." Grasping his staff firmly, Freyd braced it against a nearby log and used it to push himself up to the top of a nearby crop of stone. It would be easier

A hint of red cloth at the edge of her vision and the glare of light reflected on lenses. Something hazily familiar glinted at the outskirts of Eruda's vision just as another shadow closed in at her side. Freyd understood enough to know what might grant her comfort. "You're distracted," he whispered from pursed lips. "This is neither the time, nor the place. These bosses are most unforgiving. Firm up, Eruda. Distractions are for later." The words were deliberately crafted, as his so often were. Dashing forward, he tapped Sam lightly on her left shoulder as he darted past on her right.

"Tracking." He spoke as if the single word explained everything, then slowly registered that more details might be required. "Err.. the Tracking mod under the Search skill. Sorry. Force of habit. I'm never quite sure how familiar people are with the game, and tend to just assume it. After so many years, it's rare to encounter players who haven't heard it all a thousand times." Reaching up, slowly, Freyd pulled back his cowl to reveal a plain and fairly unremarkable face adorned with pale skin and steel-blue eyes. The latter played hide-and-go-seek behind loose strands of hair from an

Finding his way back to the smith's forge, the Whisper had finally gathered all components required for the latest addition to his arsenal. This wasn't a matter of power, but options. The more tools he had available, the easier it became to fulfill his appointed role. Function and flexibility governed over all, especially for Firm Anima's captain of 'weird, crafty strategic shit.' He'd thought the unofficial title up himself, but didn't like the acronym and so tossed it back onto the mental discard pile. O&I had a simple convenience to it, and a strange appeal in that most people hadn

"Yup. Totally," he responded to Sam, his cowl partially concealing his face. Turning towards her, he shook a negative for her eyes only. Mixed messages was just so much fun. "O&I isn't for the faint of heart. I need to know that you can be relied upon when things go wrong." A wailing screen rose from the back of the chamber they had just entered, an ancient altar of dry set stone blocks neatly stacked and fitted together dominated the dais in that area. Wisps of black and purple rose from the stones, which fractured and crumbled as the thing within fought its way free from its ancie

Freyd regarded Marius with casual curiosity, seeming to ponder options before making up his mind. "Oh, you mean Lady-what's-her-face? Yeah. She hops around between floors quite a bit." The shadowed cowl swiveled loosely, scanning their surroundings before coming to rest in a particular direction. "You're on the right track, actually. She's a few hundred feet that way." Pointing with death's walking stick towards the sound of the waterfall, upstream from their position, Freyd had already fathomed what the man was after. "I'll tag along, if you don't mind. It's always nice to meet

Frowning confusion marred the Whisper's face, brow furrowing as his finger jerked his thumb behind him and back in time. "The... wraiths? I mentioned, like... just... " He could have sworn he's just said what they were, but whatever. Freyd shook his head, making a forward lunge that caught one of the already battered creatures off guard. A pulse of light flashed between them as Samael's Pride flared, spearing the nearest wraith and bursting it open like an overinflated semi-tangible balloon. Appearing and disappearing across the battlefield, he emerged momentarily like the very cre

Jerking his arm up to point a thumb behind him, Freyd muttered something about a rare field boss spawn that he'd been camping on for awhile. "It took forever for that bloody thing to spawn. Good thing, too. It might have wreaked quite a bit of havoc on this floor." A pair of cold blue orbs, not unlike his diminutive pet's looked out at his companion from beneath his cowl. "You'd be a newbie, judging by your gear? Or you lost a bet?" He shrugged while turning his attention to the little inky horror. "Persi, what they heck were you thinking? You nearly hit this old man. No more t

“Nope!” Freyd said, hopping down to land upon an outcrop of the city’s ruined architecture - this one part of familiar royal barracks he’d visited once before with Fonsa and witnessed the price exacted from her for unrequited loyalty. “You’ve used that line before, Lun’Rael. It caused this tainted mess in the first place, fostered by mutual elven ambitions.” He wagged a scolding finger in time with the swaying serpentine heads rising from the rubble. “You don’t get to use it again.” Glancing around at the Vale of Ruin, Freyd had pieced together enough of this site’s history to know t

A crash of thunder erupted from the tree line to the west of Marius' position, followed an instant later by the form of a massive green dragon erupting from the woods and flying directly towards him. Except that its head was point in the wrong direction, and one of its wings looked to be mauled to the point of crippling. There was also that giant gash in its abdomen and the fact that its lower jaw was completely missing. Something dark and tiny was also sitting atop the maligned mob's mauled body, riding it like a surf board. Only a pair of brilliantly burning azure eyes could be seen as t

Freyd arched a single eyebrow, uncertain of what to make of their comments, but convinced that the dark elf in question had met a most unfortunate fate. "Not all dark elves are like that. I've met a few of the more decent sort." The man seemed pensive for a moment, his right hand fetching a small stone of highly polished obsidian from his pocket, the symbol of a red tower glowing upon its side. Though they caught but a glimpse of it, both Plini and Astreya noted a sliver of white, like a sword, plunged through the tower from top to bottom. Freyd thought of the tragedies that had befal

“I know your name because he does.” Montjoy’s smiling face turned slightly to point at Freyd with a flicker of his pale azure eyes. His voice was calm and soothing, no hint of threat or alarm carried in its tone. "You haven't answered my question. Who the hell are you -- or -- what are you? Are you a Gemini?" “I answered honestly: he calls me Montjoy, though I am as much Freyd as we are both Takeshi.” The man spoke simple truth wrapped in such a tangled, convoluted weave of context and fate that made it sound more like an unintended riddle. "Give me that! You -- I don't kn

Knees caving in, a backwards fall was timed to appear as fluid motion just ahead of the haft reaching his chest. If he timed it right, the system would interpret it as sparring or some alternate form of contact - anything but an attack. Frazzled as his heart might be, the machine-mind inside was always on, processing every input and dispatching responses to be executed with cold, calculated precision. Yet, in this moment, its only motivation was to spare her the consequence of an accidental orange marker. That dark thing at his core screamed for retribution. They had been attacked.

As Freya followed the others down into the newly found dungeon, Freyd's gaze fixated upon the black square into which all three had vanished. His façade was too practiced to shatter, or even slip, but she had been right. She knew very little about him. Perhaps it was because there was little actual 'him' left to know? Perhaps it was because the void he was staring at reminded him too strongly of the one that had been gnawing away, hollowing him from within? Red eyes drifted from secrets revealed to the equally dark weapon he wielded. When it shrieks, Montjoy, is it only the weapon's

Freyd watched the exchange, comfortable amidst a background of silence and shadows. He knew enough of the tension between these three not to stray into the middle of it. They needed closure. Whether this moment proved sufficient would be decided at a later date, but it made for good progress. O&I, indeed, all of Firm Anima, could only function if its members were in sync - nonsensical ramblings and quirks aside. The image of Shiina running screaming into the room, whacking someone in the face and somehow revitalizing their energy reserves before vanishing out a window came to mind. I

Surveying the scene through narrowed eyes, Freyd was pleased. Competence and confidence were powerful traits, and all three of these guild members had achieved them both. It shone through Eruda's bearing as she strode forward into the Witch's chamber, completely unafraid of what she might face. Her strength was known, her steel tempered along with her nerves. Freya's demons now fueled her passions instead of suppressing them. She had learned to trust in them - in the strength that Tuatha had fostered within. All the creepy aspects aside, the dead man had done her some big favours and a l

Jabbing his staff into the rubble-strewn crater beneath his feet, he felt as much as heard the screech of the void unleashed. The ground heaved a good six inches before collapsing, a small geyser of fractal motes spraying into the air when he pulled the weapon back. "Heh. It's like an Ugzeke depth-charge," Freyd said, making light of the moment. This was no time for somber brooding. It was a moment of celebration and elation. A quick impulse made him feel like he should dance. Let's not over-do it. I'm not sure that the Underdark is quite ready for that, and we've made quite

Thinking his enemy distracted, the raging troll burst forth from his entombment, ready to wage war on a personal scale. His reception was instantaneously applied. A swift and sudden counter, unimaginably delivered with even greater force than the last two blows, sent him back into the ground. The wind left the mob's lungs even as a fresh cascade of stones re-buried him deeper than before. Freyd practically giggled at the comedic contrast to his earlier confrontation, Ugzeke getting the distinctly shorter end of the stick in this particular bout. He'd come away without any injuries, bu