Freyd

Watching realization dawn in eyes of speckled green that grew wide before brows furrowed, telltale markers emerged one after another in her posture and mannerisms. Mari had no idea she’d been out that long. But, how could she not? Breaking gazes, she swiveled like a bobblehead, as it some crucial detail had eluded them both. “I wanted to help with the Spectral Knights.” Hesitation turned to doubt, then outright confusion. “No…wait…I came here looking for Beat.” “Why would Beat be here, of all places? Didn't you say this was your shop?” “Instead …I found someone else - r

"What? No... McGuff...aww, forget it." A brief flash of darkness swapped on black blade for another made of pure nothingness - a void, ever-hungry for destruction given the illusion of form. Bending back at an angle uncomfortable for the others to watch, Freyd's armor wrenched plate against plate as he performed some sort of limbo dance move to dodge the broad swing of the lone remaining matriarch's tail. "Oww..." Squinting eyes confirmed it. The move didn't just look painful, it actually was. In the wake of the titan tail's passage, Freyd swung upward with the hole he held in his h

Was everyone around him shacking up in the middle of a war zone?! Feeling like an even more redundant fifth wheel, watching the surrounding couples bolstering each other's flagging morale... or possibly trying to kill each other.... or making up after the attempt. Honestly, it was all a bit much to sort out while another one of these blasted mirror mobs kept trying to skewer his spleen with its fingertips. Maybe still, giving them a little time.. a few seconds, could make all the difference. Trading blows with the giant glass monolith, Freyd had figured out their pattern more than well

"A day..." he whispered, brow furrowed and wondering where the discrepancy could have come from. Instantly shedding grogged up exhaustion for mania, Mari gleefully demonstrated her makeshift centrifuge, winding the rope and spinning it wildly. Eyes darting to the vial she'd used as a sample, he instantly wondered what it was and where it might have come from? Had she conjured the thing herself? By reputation, she certainly had the skills. A cold shiver reminded him of her original trade as an alchemist and poisoner of no small renown. "Yes... I...err... it's brilliant, I love the

Freyd receives with great thanks.

Cowl nodding his acknowledgement, Freyd spun and dove in the opposite direction to the hounds, as if to conceal himself behind a shaded outcropping. Confusion gave way to more as he reappeared a moment later, falling from a shadowy ledge above the braying bunch of fire mutts and landing among they with celestial force. Fur-patterned red scales sprayed out in all directions, their bark eliminated along with their bite, neither having proven to be particularly fearsome. "Done." Simple, brief and matter of fact. Just as the Whisper ordered. A momentary tug on the tip of his cowl seemed

"I swear you trade fashions more frequently than most women I know," Freyd chuckles with playful mockery, as he stepped from the shadows behind the nearest booth to join them. The man just never seemed to use doors, like normal people. Even the barkeep seemed thrown off, unaccustomed to patrons being in his bar whom he hadn't see arrive, and doling out a skewering stink-eye towards the Whisper for having escaped his sentinel gaze. "It suits you," the hints of a smirk creeping along the edges of his lips. "Always nice to see kids growing up." The metal mitt over his hand mussed up Katok

How long had it been since the first sighting? Hours? Days? Pausing only to help struggling players to their feet or interpose his blade between them and an assailing mob, Freyd had carved a path front one end of the front to the other and back again. Where lines faltered, he bolstered them. Where shields buckled, he'd step in and hold until fresh mettle could reinforce. Where spirits waned, he'd offer a grizzled veteran's stoic resilience. It all felt... really weird. He still wasn't used to being the guy in the vanguard. Firm Anima had a whole other division for martyrdom. Sneaky

"Okay... so then I step here," Freyd wasn't even watching the Spectral Knight as he pivoted through what must have looked like a series of choreographed steps playing out in slow motion. "Then I duck in three, two, one..." Glassy shards shot over his head, shattering against a nearby rubble wall that might once have been a hearth, utterly decimating the remains into a final state of ruin. "Then it will step there, so I slide right..." Every action was performed with precise movement and timing akin to the sort of muscle memory one might develop playing video games, matching beat to

Freyd receives the order with thanks.

Pinching the bridge of his nose as Sam frantically revved back up to full caffeine-fueled brain zoomies, hands waving manically about. "Sam," he finally interrupted, fingers splaying as if he could seize some intangible spectral reins and put on cerebral brakes for a second. "This is definitely a better track, but... three days? Get some sleep. Maybe a relaxing bath? Preferably not both at the same time. You're unfocused and that can only hurt your end goal. I'll go do some digging of my own and return with some food in a few hours. Maybe then we can come up with plans relying slight

It took him exhaling to even realizing he'd been holding his breath, shoulders bleeding away tension at what he might have had to do. By the time Mari's hand touched the blade and pushed it away, he was already satisfied. Not entirely foolproof as a test, but the best he could improvise on the fly - as was too often the case. Relief was palpable in his voice. "Mari. Thank goodness." Sword returned to its sheath with a suitable snikt, he helped her find her footing, with a steadying hand on her hip. "I'm sorry. I had to know it was you. I'm just glad you're alive!" Leaning left and

"Good question. Still working that one out, but then aren't we all?" Something skittered beneath the table, offering a high pitched giggle you might have expected from a cocaine addict after his fix, but also disturbingly child like. Something slurped, then thumped with hollow popping sound, like the bounce of a rubber ball inside a sealed container. Her sentinel paid it no mind. Her voice sounded sluggish, similar to how she'd been before they reached his home. Had she been on some sort of drinking binge since? A distinct possibility, but here were no signs. "You had a drink t

Thread Closing: @Simmone rceived 1 Guild Token as treasurer of Firm Anima (3 members) 3 non-combat support actions for F1-F29 ] Fatal Error - Act 1 Freyd receives: 19,886 EXP (Word Count [5524/5*18]) 2,982 col (0 page [0] + 15% P5 Reward [2982]) 1 Guild Token 1 Mon Elora receives: 5,524 EXP (Word Count [5524/5*5]) 828 col (0 page [0] + 15% P5 Reward [828]) 1 Guild Token 1 Mon Katoka receives: 7,733 EXP (Word Count [5524/5*7]) 1,160 col (0 page [0] + 15% P5 Reward [1160]) 1 Guild Token 1 Mon

Four days. Four long days without a word, a note, a sarcastic comment or even explosive misadventure gone wild. Just... silence. Tracking Mari herself using any form of direct approach was impossible. She'd been on the run from too many people for far too long to make it that easy, which was mildly amusing considering how much of a walking calamity the woman could be. Gear worn or equipped by players was often extended the same protection, for obvious reasons. But the Whisper had other means at his disposal. Sitting in his workshop on the grounds of Witherwind's Rest, Freyd gazed be

Memories flooded thicker than the viscous water, the moment he touched the silver socketed stone. A presence, ancient and disturbingly familiar swelled from the gleaming crystal and pressed against him with such force that Freyd felt pushed to the back of his own cowl, darkness subsuming his features and cloaking his semblance with that of another. Phantom limbs, like featherborn wings felt like they belonged behind him, though he was certain none were there. And... the weight of chains... Vision blurred and replaced by that of an hourglass, full at the top, he felt more than watched a

"Really?!" Freyd's voice sounded only half-concerned, the balance carrying that same morbid curiosity you might find in a child you'd just told about something gruesome. Or perhaps it was that same trait that attracted people to watch horror movies? Freyd didn't seem like the latter, likely getting bored and falling asleep at the supposed 'scary bits'. If anything, time spent in purest survival mode on the front lines of Aincrad will have dulled most of their panic instincts. Then he though about some of the other players he knew and wondered whether that assuming was entirely true.

The whole affair was beginning to feel a tad formulaic, mostly because he'd long since cracked the code on how to shatter the Knight's defenses, quite literally. An initial surge would see the giants falter, Reliq's unique talents providing an effective internal counter as he wrought destruction on their innards. Freyd just needed to provide the little mimic with access. Mayhem would follow. Maybe it was his familiar's natural talents for infiltrating and possessing objects that protected him but he seemed completely immune to the Knight's corruptive abilities. Maybe he's just too zan

Rencesvals gives the following to @Mari: Paralytic Contagion +3 | T4 Demonic Weapon (Polearm) | Absolute Accuracy | Paralytic Venom I | Envenom (Off) I | Blight I Fusion ID: 245076 A long spear with an orange handle. Its tip looks like a miniature axe, seeming to bubble with black miasma and regrets. Source: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/39172-rencesvals-evaluations/?do=findComment&comment=697028 Infernal Shadow - Redemption | T4 Demonic Armor (Cloth) | EVA III | MIT I Crafting ID: 230002 Dark brown leather harness covering most of the torso but still leaving maximum dex

Freyd gives the following to @Mari: Glasses. | T1 Trinket (Jewelry) | ACC III Crafting ID: 231543 A glasses frame lacking lenses. Source: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/18303-f01r10-artisan-the-evening-star-open/?do=findComment&comment=697031

Quick item purchase (3 mats): glasses. | TIER 1 JEWELRY | ACC III [desc.]: a glasses frame lacking lenses. [ids.]: 231543

Placing order: Item Name: Infernal Shadow - Redemption Item Type: Cloth Armor Tier: T4 Quality: Perfect Enhancements: EVA III Description: Dark brown leather harness covering most of the torso but still leaving maximum dexterity for the wearer. Supple and laden with an underlying essence of pure sass. Upgrade: Upgrade to Demonic using Bunny Stamp, adding MIT I enhancement. Payment: Bunny Stamp - Increase the Rarity of a single item by one stage, up to Demonic, selecting a normal Enhancement in the process (Limit 1) 5 mats (Perfect item, custom order)

Freyd gives Rencesvals: Death's Mocking Laughter +3 | T4 Perfect Weapon (Polearm) | Taunt | Keen I | Paralytic Venom Acquisition ID 215844a | Roll IDs: 244927, 244928, 244929 | Reroll IDs: 244930, 244931, 244932 A black steel war glaive affixed to a black walnut haft. Source: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19579-freyds-evaluations/?do=findComment&comment=696969 Bitter Point +3 | T4 Perfect Weapon (Polearm) | ACC I | Absolute Accuracy | Bleed I Acquisition ID 215844b | Roll IDs: 244933, 244934, 244938 | Reroll IDs: 244935, 244936, 244937 An adamant ahlspiess with an exten

Nodding as she pondered her perspective on the significance of sharing one’s true name, Freyd had long ago felt the exact opposite - until Elora had shared hers. In that moment, the universe unfurled its grand design, revealing how the simplest of deeds can forge the very strongest of bonds. A simple copper rose, for example, fostered into so much more than he could ever have expected or hoped. Taking the glass upon its return, something in her grip on his hand spoke volumes to the loss of contact and personal connection she’d suffered in her exile. Freyd was no romantic sap viewing th

A single look at the doubt in his beloved's face was enough to light the wick of fury within. Elora was afraid. And, while the frontliners who'd answered his call would surely triumph, players across the floor were floundering. Rolling onto his side, Freyd caught sight of Katoka comforting his partner, ever the stalwart in a storm. They all needed an extra boost of her cerulean spirit, something to bolster flagging morale across their struggling ranks. "Time for the gloves to come off..." While the others sprung back and forth, harrying the enemy with hit and run attacks from every