[F13-SP] <<Training your Friend>> Clearing the Outskirts

[Freyd 0]

They crossed several more roads and caught sight of much larger settlements scattered around floor thirteen.  The extent of the devastation was most apparent as they crested a small hill with an abandoned checkpoint.  Most of the surrounding lands were visible, though clouded in enough fog to obscure specific details.  There was no shortage of ruins to explore.  Even the small number of diseased they had cleared would inevitably respawn behind them.  Not so long ago, Freyd would have despaired at the insurmountable challenge before them.  Now?  Now it was an opportunity, to be exploited to the fullest possible extent.  Nothing could restore this place.  It was designed to be this way and never existed as the better place hinted at beneath its crafted tragedy - just like Aincrad.  The only way out was to win.  

Freyd craned his neck to look up at the illusion above, concealing another 87 floors.  Only twenty-five had been conquered to date.  Persi climbed onto his right should and looked up as if trying to figure out what he was watching.

[Freyd 0]

Several roads met at the checkpoint.  Freyd considered exploring farther east, but reminded himself that this was only meant to be a training exercise.  They weren't ready to dive into more dangerous content, just yet.  Spotting the distinctive stained-glass patterns of the cathedral at Angel's Point to the north, they started off in that direction.

Circumstances soured about a half-mile down the road.  The way was blocked by a teeming horde of diseased shambling aimlessly in a dense pack.  There were far too many to fight, and the sun was starting to dip low in the sky.  Circling back the way they came would take too long, and the mobs they'd fought to get here would likely have respawned.

"Any ideas," he asked Persi.  She was sniffing at the wind, but gave no indication of a better approach.  Grimacing, Freyd led them into the woods on the left, hoping that they might find a thinner patch, or be able to avoid them altogether.

Spoiler

Training requires CD 7+ roll.  3 of 4 successes.

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Persi charged through their ranks, weaving between their legs in her bid to reach the other side of the swarm.  Like falling dominos, their eyes turned after her and they shambled to follow.  From behind, Freyd cut into them with wide arc swings from Forgiven Disobedience, annihilating the first few ranks while they were distracted.  Even out here, away from the main road, the throng was deep.  He'd have to keep his momentum to cut a path through them before he was overwhelmed.

"As least these aren't the fast ones," he told himself.  He'd probably be dead already if they had been.  

Persi was enjoying the chase.  These things were too tall and too slow to actually grab her, allowing her to race between their legs with impunity.  It was just enough to catch their pathetic poor attention and start shuffling after her.  Freyd saw the opening she'd created and tried to carve his way towards it.

Spoiler

[1] Freyd: 285/285 | 20/24 (-4) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 2 | SAV 1 | BLEED 1 | HOLY 1 | KEEN 1 | THORNS 10 -> rested, trig KEEN 1, trig SAV 1

Diseased Horde: HP 90/130 (-40) | DMG: 39 

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Another dozen zombies fell as Freyd pushed deeper into the horde, but they were starting to congregate around him.  It was getting harder to manage full swings due to the crush of foul-smelling bodies pressing in against him.  Persi was doing her best to keep those farther off from joining the press, but she wasn't as obvious or pressing a target as he was.  

Another head lopped off, then another limb.  Body parts were flung about as the horde essentially juiced itself against the blade spinning in his hands, but they kept coming.  Their collapsing corpses were starting to act like flash banks as so many of them de-materialized around him.  Charging forward, the speared three of them like a club sandwich, then watched them explode into light before they could strike back.  

"The trees!  Use the trees!"  He called out, hoping that Persi could still hear him.  Spotting twin oaks up ahead with a narrow gap between them, he struck down the diseased directly in front of him and pushed off their backs as a spring board, hoping that it would be enough.

Spoiler

[2] Freyd: 260/285 (-25) | 18/24 (-4 +2) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 2 | SAV 1 | BLEED 1 | HOLY 1 | KEEN 1 | THORNS 10 -> rested, trig REC 1, spent and re-trig KEEN 1, spent SAV 1

Diseased Horde: HP 40/130 (-40 -10 thorns) | DMG: 39 

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Freyd slid through the gap between the trees perfectly, tumbling and rolling back to his feet with a wide slash that cleared the remaining zombies and opened a way out.

"Persi!  Now!"  The mongoose darted between tree limbs, skirting over the danger and landing firmly on Freyd's back as he cleared the last remnants of the horde.  They had somehow made it through.  Even as her sharp claws dug into his back, he trusted that she was watching behind them for any signs of pursuit or other dangers.  He concentrated on moving them away from this area as swiftly as possible.  The treeline cleared ahead and they found themselves at the forest's edge with only a few hundred feet of rolling, grassy between them and the gates of Angel's Point.  

He felt Persi nuzzling against his back and knew that they had made a successful escape.  She would never let her guard down otherwise.  

"Good work back there," he said aloud, certain she could hear him.

Spoiler

[3] Freyd: 260/285 (-25) | 18/24 (-4 +2) | DMG: 8 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 2 | SAV 1 | BLEED 1 | HOLY 1 | KEEN 1 | THORNS 10 -> rested, trig REC 1, spent and re-trig KEEN 1, spent SAV 1

Diseased Horde: HP 0/130 (-55) | DMG: 39 

Loot:

682 col ([3*hp] + ([2*hp] even LD) +5% col stash

2x T1 mats (Odd CD)

1x T1 Perfect Armor/Shield
1x T1 Perfect Trinket

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

The sun's final rays dipped below the horizon just as they reached the gates.  It was too dangerous to remain in the wilds in darkness.  Glow rods also tended to draw the diseased like moths to a flame.  Freyd regularly watched Angel's Point's militia beat back random attacks from creatures attracted by the same lights they relied on to protect themselves.  

"We picked a hell of a place to call home," he said, knowing that he would have it no other way.  Persi was already sniffing at the night air, trying to determine which inn's fare would prove most appealing that night.  The NPC's menus never changed, but the few rare players who ran such establishments here tended to mix things up for the sake of variety.  They'd become regular visitors over the last few weeks, though Persi kept an especially low profile.  The big people were often too loud and clumsy for her liking.  Freyd was inclined to agree.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

As they made their way back to the Liminal Blind, Persi had wrapped herself around Freyd's shoulders and fallen asleep.  Her soft purring was soothing after their long day's excursion.  The feel of her silky soft fur on his neck was as welcome as the steady rhythm of her breathing.  She wasn't a fearsome or majestic beast as other players sought and trained as their familiars, but she was still a fighter - cunning and relentless in her dedication.  He'd come to appreciate how their strengths and weaknesses complimented each other.  They had refined that into a successful partnership over the last few weeks, and he looked forward to future adventures.  In her mind, he felt like they had finally formed a new pack to replace the one she'd left behind.  It was a good feeling.

She stirred as they approached his shop - Freyd Edges - that amounted to little more than a ramshackle shack with paltry living quarters at the back.  The deliberately meager decor ensured that they got little business.

Spoiler

Training requires CD 7+ roll.  4 of 4 successes.

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Persi jumped soundlessly to the ground, circling the grounds to ensure that no one else had visited during their absence.  It had become her habit.  Freyd knew the benefit and simply stayed out the way.  Wandering around the barren tabletops of the workshop it occurred to him that he should probably, eventually put this place to use.  Their recent adventures had garnered them some loot that needed to be identified, but also stressed the importance of finding other players that could supplement their own abilities.  Elite content, labyrinths, higher level quests, and maybe even floor bosses, someday - all would require the help of others to complete.  His instincts balked at the thought of joining a guild.

"Let's not go crazy," he muttered, as he wandered into the cellars, towards the entrance to his hidden lair.  Persi's blue eyes blinked into existence beside him.  The rest of her presumably was too, but it was too dark to see her.   She darted and paused several times, clearly want to show him something.

"Found another rat's nest, have you?"  Freyd followed, indulging her excitement.

[Freyd 0]

Yup.  Nice, big juicy rats, all slaughtered at the hands of a very gleeful mongoose.

Freyd smiled, despite the gory sight.  Like the time his parents had adopted a stray cat in their neighbourhood, and it started depositing dead samples of the local wildlife on their porch as gifts, he could think of no better confirmation that Persi had committed.  

"Finish your dinner," he added, gesturing towards the gutted critters.  "They won't stick around like that forever."  Afterwards, they would head into the blind and find a nice comfortable bed.  He was looking to a peaceful night's rest, for a change.  Exhaustion didn't quite work the same way here.  Maybe it was simply relief.  It didn't matter.  He just wanted to turn off his brain completely for a while.

Instead, Freyd would experience the most surreal, delusional experience of his entire experience in Aincrad so far, filled with giant flexing pig-gods, pimped out fish, a cultist musical and a battlefield full of players driven to madness by the chaos around them. 

So much for sweet dreams.

Spoiler

Requires LD 15+.  No chest found.

 

Edited June 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Thread reward summary:

4 SP (2 for pages, 1 for quest, 1 for event)

Familiar Mastery: Fighter (Rank 1)  - will add to familiar eval thread.

8,987 col (Col stash bonus included)

24x T2 materials

1x T2 Rare Armor/Shield

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19605-f13-sp-clearing-the-outskirts/?do=findComment&comment=611752

3x T2 Rare Trinket

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19605-f13-sp-clearing-the-outskirts/?do=findComment&comment=612527

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19605-f13-sp-clearing-the-outskirts/?do=findComment&comment=612547

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19605-f13-sp-clearing-the-outskirts/?do=findComment&comment=612556

1x T2 Perfect Armor/Shield & 2x T2 Rare consumables

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19605-f13-sp-clearing-the-outskirts/?do=findComment&comment=612531

1x T2 Perfect Armor/Shield & 1x T2 Perfect Trinket

http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19605-f13-sp-clearing-the-outskirts/?do=findComment&comment=612617