Freyd

Quaestor just chuckled as he leaned back and watched Freyd go to town on the poor mob, which promptly fell apart beneath an unforgiving onslaught of blows that utterly shattered its form. 'The things surely can't be that fragile,' he thought to himself, watching the pinata-like creature flail in a failed attempt at self-defense. He and the rest of the Madrigal would eventually encounter the same creatures, and it was worth studying how they fared against his friend - which meant poorly. Somehow, he suspected that any attempt to tackle such a foe in the their current, degraded states wo

"Sounds a bit like Gaius, but in a different vein." Quaestor didn't get the reference, and Freyd casually dismissed the comparison as irrelevant. "Let's just say that I know the type. Dump ten thousand teens and young adults into a deathtrap MMO, and you're bound to find some common qualities and patterns before long." "True, but he's a good mate; just a bit of a loner is all. We give him his room and he always comes back to us, and is always there when we need him." Freyd sensed movement in the water. A pattern was already becoming familiar, even as his staff materialized back

Another chest popped into existence at his side, and a casual bop on the top of the box yielded up its contents. Persi purred with glee as it did so. "What about Typhon? He's the one I really know the least about." "Oh, Cooper? He'd alright. Just our resident wild-child, is all. For everything that's happened, he seems to be taking it all in stride. The guy's only real attachments are to those crazy monster-getups he so loves to make. Miri calls him her 'cosplay maniac,' and she's not far off the mark. It wouldn't surprise me if he's spent every minute since his return scouri

Persi pawed playfully a few times at his knee, as he returned to his seat. Her rock was still nice and warm, though, and she had no intention of leaving her prized spot in the sun. "What have Miri and the others been up to?" A change of topic was both warranted and welcome. 'Too much drama spoils the fish', as his grandfather used to say. The man was a saint. Too bad Freyd only realized it after he got trapped in here. Quaestor caught the drift and went with it. "She's been redecorating my place for three weeks straight. I hardly recognize my own home anymore." There wasn't a

Without bothering to do anything but treat it as a target, Freyd charged the hand and beat it silly with a flurry for forceful blows so vicious that it fell within seconds of completing its spawn. It was Quaestor's turn to let his eyes go wide. "Uh, I don't recall you managing to do that very easily against the glitches." Freyd smiled, retuning to his seat after plundering the thing's loot. "The odds of it occurring seem to have improved." "Huh," Quaestor replied, coming to grips with the growth he'd seen since first meeting the man who sat beside him now. "I suppose you'

"You'd have that, regardless of my answer." Freyd turned his head to catch Quaestor's eyes with his own. The intensity of his gaze communicated everything that latter would ever need to understand the depth of his devotion. "But, I've already made other commitments that can't so easily be broken or dismissed." His words were slow and measured, even well-considered, given the suddenness of the request. "Firm Anima have become my family, in much the same way as you are trying to rebuild yours. What would it say about my loyalty and responsibility if I just cast them casually aside?"

"What are you working very hard at not asking me, Quaestor?" There was no point in beating about the bush. If his friend needed resources, in the way of mats or col, he would gladly provide... "We'd all like you to join." Persi's head popped up, her blue eyes instantly alerted by the sudden tension set to Freyd's shoulders. To his credit, the rod in his hands didn't so much as twitch. The gravity of the request was still sinking in. Slowly, Freyd reached up and pulled back his cowl. Such was the magnitude of the moment that he did so willingly, though his eyes remain deadlocked

"We're thinking of putting the Madrigal back together." The statement ended abruptly, like a follow-up was waiting, but refusing to emerge. "That's good?" Freyd's confusion mixed with caution, given the touchiness of the subject. The original Madrigal guild had fallen apart - been picked apart by PKers and other guilds in the aftermath of Miri and Typhon's vanishing. Quaestor had been too heartbroken, and Jeeves too meek, to do anything to prevent it. One tragedy compounded another and both men were soon left with shattered worlds. For Jeeves, it meant joining the Brokers, secretly

"Problem?" Quaestor handed Freyd back the rod. "No? Not especially, I think. More of a possibility to be explored to good potential effect." He cast the line again, wondering what the drop rate for these mobs might be. Between the plentiful chests and gloriously blinged out mobs, fishing was turning out to be nothing like what he'd expected. But, this was Aincrad, and things didn't always need to be predictable, or even make any sense at all, if he was honest with himself. "So, how did you end up in here?" "I found some weirdo hanging around my stock room. Nearly pummeled

It almost looked like some sort of proto-mob, not quite fully developed or resolved. Even its graphic resolution seemed a bit off. He seemed prepared to dismiss it as insignificant when the blue mask that portended to be its face twisted into a thing of horror and its painted digit-like limbs sought to thrash him. It lacked sufficient, which proved to be a fatal error. A quick and brutal jab from the blunt end of this quarterstaff crashed into the mask, shattering and causing the rest of the mob's form to dissolve upon its demise. Freyd frowned, still a bit confused, until he noted th

Freyd and Quaestor looked at each other, wondering what drug the designer was on when they came up with this one. "They really need to stop with the kiddy stuff," Freyd griped, imagining an endless ream of pseudo-Pokemon cast-offs salvaged from the cutting room floor and repurposed for whatever this thing is meant to be. The mob swung and punched him in the face with its pinky. That was enough. Freyd's weapon swung, making contact and sending the golden figure flying with the force of a freight train, smashing into a tree trunk two dozen feet away. Quaestor just put his hand out to st

"Look," Freyd said. "You saved Quip, Dingo and I back during that thing in Valehaven, when you didn't have to." "I sent you there in the first place," Quaestor replied, laughing heartily. "It seemed only fair to get my butt in gear and help you drag those poor kids out. I'm just glad it worked out." Freyd smiled, nodding, as much to himself as to the bigger man at his side. "As am I, and for everyone. They're getting back on their feet, you know? Quip's got the spark back in her eye, and Dingo's a smarter man than she gives him credit for. He's a thinker and could go far, if p

Freyd tapped the stone with his left as the right re-cast his line. His companion sat and stared in silence for awhile, content to enjoy the pastoral ambience and relaxing atmosphere. Freyd could tell that there was something on his mind, but chose not to push. Fishing was about patience, after all. Finally, Quaestor cleared his throat, staring down to his breastplate when he spoke. "I can't possibly thank you enough for everything you did for Miri, Typhon, Jeeves, and most especially myself. You gave us back lives that were stolen, and thought gone. That's a miracle, Freyd."

Persi tapped at the chest to open it while Freyd and Quaestor conversed on the side. The slightest swish of her tail was all it took for the system to acknowledge contact and unpack the contents. Freyd frowned, noticing the container's pop-up confirming the deposit into his inventory, but kept his main focus on his friend. "Is the Madrigal back up and running? Does this mean you're all going about questing again?" There was a tone of optimistic zeal in Freyd's voice that he had no desire to contain. Quaestor just laughed, raising both palms to temper his eagerness. "Relax! We'r

No sooner had the bobber struck the water and resurfaced, than another treasure box appeared at his side. "Wow. What's the drop rate on these things? It's a damned good thing that they vanish after opening, or we'd be having some practical storage problems." A hearty laugh and barritone voice boomed suddenly off to his left. "Freyd? Is that you?" An older man, at least by SAO standards, approached him. Being in his late twenties put him at the tail end of the pack, compared to most of the player base. Clad in an ancient style of armor that made him look like some sort of h

"Another map!? Does each chest contain one of these things? Not gonna lie... that would be amazing." The box disappeared even as the contents were automatically transferred to his inventory by the system. Already bored by a single instance of repetition, Persi scanned the rest of the rock to determine the best spot to warm herself under the sun, then promptly plopped herself there. A few twists and rolls were inevitably required to help her find the optimal position, because that was always the way of things. Her azure eyes closed, confirming that she had found her perfect spot, leaving

"Seriously," he said to no one in particular, gleefully surprised. "I had no idea that fishing could deliver dungeon maps!" Persi snuck out from her nest, cradled in the tiny folds of his black leather jacket, where she could suck up warmth and avoid unwanted attention. Freyd's ruckus had roused her. Peeking out, her eyes grew wider as Freyd fished out another box from the stream. "What have I been missing? Hey, Nemo! I'm loving this place already!" Slinking free from his clothing, completely, Persi wandered over and sniffed at the mysterious box, wondering if it might

Other than a recent experience with Setsuna, Freyd had never actually fished with any other intent than relaxation in the game. He knew about the fishing skill, but materials were of no real value to a merchant, save as an alternate form of currency that could be traded. Sam apparently had a nasty habit of finding boss monsters whenever she used it, which prompted him to keep his weapon handy. A notion to try using it as a fishing rod crossed his mind until he pictured it getting snatched away by some pesky aquatic monstrosity. That quashed any appetite to attempt it rather quickly.

"Oh, hey Freyd!" Dingo waved as he spotted the Whisper's approach to the edge of the mega slime farm. It was little more than an overgrown low point at the back of the monastery they all called home, nearly constantly obscured by the thick fog that permeated floor thirteen. Beside his meek and unfocused apprentice was another man, this one and NPC. "Meet Nemo." As if that was supposed to explain everything. Freyd raised an eyebrow and glanced at the newcomer. "Oh, uh... hello. I was just mentioning to Dingo here, that your pond as a special connection, here, where it touches th

This thread has been abandoned due to significant modifications to the Fishing skill and Nature's Treasure mechanics. Completed narrative posts have been transferred to a new thread, but all expended consumables, including slime farm activation have been considered lost. New thread can be found here:

"FREYD! Och, thank goodness ye'r alive! how come did ye hae tae gang 'n' mak' us hawp otherwise, ye eejit!" Quip's squat, but brawny figure had him in a bear hug almost instantly the moment he arrived on the grounds of his shop. Blond hair, thick and coarse like straw, pressed itself against the underside of his chin, even as her hefty middle threatened to suffocate him. "Yes, yes, I'm fine, Quip. Relax! Please, at least just a little? I'm not as tough as I once was." Stepping back, she quickly matted down her weathered apron and set a fist on either hip as she glared at him with

"Ladies," Freyd offered to his mysterious companions. "You are both as reliable as ever. I thank you for your diligence and assistance in this matter." A nod to each was all he required to conclude their business before returning his attention to the woman he'd unintentionally dragged into this mess. "You're right. This never should have happened, but it did, and you did well." His form lengthened by a few inches and morphed in colour back to his previous monochromatic fashion, most of his features still shrouded beneath his cowl, which he unexpectedly drew back. Exposed, his face w

A shadow fell in behind the farther mob while both remained focused on Freyd's silhouette still lingering behind his flagging allies. A sliver of black burst through the front of one's chest, screeching as it devoured the very digital fragments of the mob's form, leaving a fist-sized hole as Freyd yanked sideways and sent it sprawling into its companion. A quick spin and Samael's Pride found solid purchase on the other man's foot, crunching bone and crippling his mobility. Deking low, the Whisper dodged a flailing riposte, dancing around them with grace and lethality in equal measure. They

Looking genuinely puzzled at Ariel's request, Freyd halted his withdrawal. "Riled? Oh, this isn't riled, it's 'business concluded' with a sprinkle of 'disinterested'. We know who's coming and have generally sorted out who will be working with whom. There intel on the boss room is too sparse to be of much use, and guessing is more likely to lead us to the wrong assumptions than the right ones. I favour the effective use of my time, Ariel. There are no small number of other duties still requiring attention." He glanced back towards the ongoing discussion. "These meetings need to

A double-take performed as some blue-clad nurse approached him with expressions of concern. "Sir?!" Freyd looked behind him, on the assumption that the figure meant to address somebody else. A shake of his head cleared his vision while unleashing a clatter of metallic clanks and clangs. Locking the swivel at his neck, Freyd's eyes curled upwards with dread. Fuck. The thing even had bells. Shoulders slumped in a semblance of defeat, but his focus restored itself. "Baldur?" Tilting left, with more jingling annoyance, he looked beyond the self-styled samurai and recognized a