[F02-PP] <<The Venomous Warg>> Once more unto the... OUCH

[Freyd 0]

Freyd had only been to floor two once before, and it didn't really count.  He'd tip-toed around every obstacle and conceivable threat on his way to floor four, still being only first level and with starting gear to boot.  It had been a foolhardy choice, but it set him on his current path and had opened his eyes to the truth.  Now, he strove to make up for lost time, furiously taking on as many quests as possible.  He'd mapped out his plans in elaborate detail, or course, as was his way.  This little sojourn would clear off the last of the starter quests, just in time to sneak under the level cap for its rewards.  After that, it was on to bigger and better things, or, more likely, extensive gear grinding.

He'd been uncannily fortunate in acquiring decent gear early on, and was heart-set on finding the mysterious benefactors that had supported him.  Good fortune had also paired him up with several excellent companions.  He was sure to see them again, once he was ready to reach for latter tier one content.  Until then, he found himself in Urbus, searching for the appropriate quest giver in a nearby tavern.

 

Spoiler

Name: Freyd
Level: 15
HP: 330/330
EN: 30/30

Stats:
Damage: 7
Mitigation: 14
Accuracy: 2
SAVVY:1
HLY:2
KEEN:1
BLD:12

IMM 10

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Forgiven Disobedience (T1-2HSS, ACC 1, HOLY 1, BLD 1)
Armor: Enduring Guile (T1-LA, MIT 1, SAV 1)
Misc: Justicar's Vambraces (T1-Trinket, ACC 1, KEEN 1)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 3]
Light Armor [Rank 1]

Extra Skills:
Disguise

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potion (50 hp)*3

Empty Slot
Empty Slot
Empty Slot

Consumed:

• Potion (IMM 10 for one thread)
• Field Rations (+30hp max for one thread)
• T1 Damage potion (+1 DMG)

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

 

Edited June 17, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[NIGHT 0]

In truth, the only reason NIGHT was up in Urbus this day was because Basuke was a nigh untraceable beast. Didn't he want to hang out? Why couldn't he just stay in one place for most of his time in Aincrad? The low-leveled hard headed adventurer had spent a majority of his time on Floor 2, and though it might've been traumatic for him, NIGHT had hoped that some part of him might've chosen to remain here, in comfort's safety blanket.

What she found instead was another lost newbie struggling their way through town. In other words -- a perfect victim.

Things wouldn't have to be this way... if the system just let them repeat one of the first few quests a novice would ever take. But that's not what Aincrad was about, so neither would NIGHT play by its rules fairly.

"Hey," the woman called out to him, an arm hanging out over the windowsill. She'd seated herself right near the tavern's front entrance, peering into the main road of the settlement. After her search through the different floors ended up fruitless, NIGHT positioned herself near the quest NPC's location, spamming the 'Send Mail' button on her interface hoping her messages would go through. Hey, she might as well have been killing two birds with one stone, right? "Brown-hair! Generic guy! You looking for a quest? It's in here!"

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

	NIGHT   | HP: 1085/1085 | EN: 104/104   | ACC: 3 | DMG: 19 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 99 | LD: 6   | Stealth Detection: 3
[Examine] [Equipment] Maneki-Neko Figurine -- [ Loot Die III | +3 LD. ] Reinforced Steel Plate Armor -- [ Mitigation III | +81 MIT. ] Silver Crescent Necklace -- [ Accuracy II | +2 ACC ] -- [ Evasion II | +2 EVA ] [Battle-Ready Inventory] [T1E3] Teleport Crystal (2) -- [ Teleport | Use a post action to teleport the player to the town or designated teleportation area they specify. ] Skills Skills Mod Count: 4/5 Two-Handed Straight Sword | Passive | RANK 5/5 > Ferocity, Precision, Finesse Heavy Armor | Passive | RANK 3/5  > Athletics Searching | Passive | RANK 3/5 [Extra] Survival | Passive  Concentration | Active -- CD: 3 Familiar Mastery: Fighter | Passive | RANK 3/3 Misc. Buffs Spoiler Dimensional Backpack, Item Stash | +2 Battle-Ready Inventory Slots. Well Rested | -1 EN for the first three expenditures of each combat.  Col Stash | +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests.  Relaxed | +(5 * Tier) HP per out-of-combat post. Full energy restoration occurs after two turns out of combat. Squeaky Clean | -25% DoT damage taken from the first DoT applied to this player in a thread. Filling | +1 T1 slot to a food consumed by this player in a thread. Can exceed Cook enhancement caps.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd raised a single eyebrow as he was hailed by the woman leaning out the window of the tavern he'd just been approaching.  The real world hadn't been especially kind to him regarding interactions with the opposite sex, and suddenly he was getting attention from every direction.  It was perplexing, and was starting to put him on edge.  His luck simply wasn't that good.  Combine that with his perpetual, underlying paranoia and recent, strange encounter with Sin-Chan, the assassin-child, he thought it best to play to his apparent noobness.

"Thanks," he stated, an awkward warble in his voice.  Walking around in a black cassock already earned him weird looks, despite the absence of a collar.  The polished steel vambraces on his forearms gleamed brightly in contrast, highlighting the many names engraved upon them - the same names shown on the Monument of Life.  Most took him for the religious type, which couldn't be farther from the truth.  She didn't seem overly interested in the quest herself, so Freyd walked in and made his way over to Gatsly, who droning on about how poor he was, while also promising pay.

"Bad form," Freyd muttered to himself.  "You're giving merchants a bad name.  No one lures in customers by pleading riches and poverty at the same time.  You just sound like a used car salesmen."  Well aware that the NPC wasn't paying attention, he waited for the standard spiel to end and then accepted the quest.

[NIGHT 0]

--You mean he wasn't just wearing a jacket--?

Did she accidentally call over a member of the church or something? A priest, maybe? It was hard to say. But priests didn't look so lost or young, usually, and neither would they heed her words had they been an NPC. No, she hadn't accidentally mistaken the cursor over his head for yellow instead of green. Moreso, whatever this player had in store for thematics, NIGHT was at best curious, and at worst wanted nothing to do with the gospel of someone else's deity.

Still, the moment he'd accepted the quest, NIGHT slipped out of her seat, nearly blocking the exit out of the building with her (diminutive) form. "Hold up," she'd start just as the newbie approached her, on their way to leave. With a hand clad in black leather, she'd place it upon her chest right before she continued with her speech. "Here's an offer for you -- on me. The wolves you're about to slay -- they've got a nasty poison up their sleeves. I can take them out easy for you, a safe and near danger-free experience..."

"...If I get dibs on their last-hit item. A weak poison, I'm sure it'll be nothing to you in the long run once you start getting up in levels. How about it, fresh face? Deal, or no deal?"

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Freyd kept his 'stupid' face on.  Clueless and disinterested was his default, and so not particularly difficult to maintain.  Tugging at his cassock's collar with his right hand made it seem as if he were suddenly warm or something was missing.  People expect odd behaviour around the devout, especially the most simple or zealous.  His garb suited his ruse well.  Even in Aincrad,  imagining his face should be turning red usually made it do so.  Good.  Scratching at his unruly brown hair, he seemed at a loss for words.

"Oh... uh... wow.  Me?" he stammered, stumbling over each syllable.  "Su... sure!  That would be... uh... great!"

'She's either trying to play me, or looking like she's trying to play me,' his inner thoughts asserted.  Either one led to interesting possibilities.  No orange icon was a good sign, but she might just be the bait.  A pretty face, sweet smile and seductive voice would likely go a long way around here.  Freyd was always calculating, whether or not it was necessary.

She could just be a tease.  It wouldn't be the first time.  

No!  Too many coincidences.  Cardinal's claws touch everything in the system.  We should be wary.

I'M DONE HIDING!

Freyd opened his menu and shared the quest, his hands shaking as he did so, but his eyes never parted from hers.

[NIGHT 0]

Touchy. Was she like this as a newbie too? And here NIGHT was about to pile on another word of agreement, but her words had been chased away by his anxieties, just a little. The player shot him a confused look as he'd brought his menu up to send her quest details. One glance of the information --

-- Just kidding. She'd been dragged by another player not too long ago, so the route to their targets was still fresh in her mind. NIGHT had already turned around to move in the blink of an eye, sending the other player a party invitation of her own.

Imagine the woman's surprise when she'd saw the newbie's name turning out to be a familiar one, sliding underneath her own in the interface. "Freyd," she repeated, squinting at it right as they'd passed an exit of Urbus. Didn't Yuki mention a 'Freyd' once? NIGHT glanced towards him, before deciding to commit to her walking backwards scheme, arms folded behind her head as she faced the man directly. "Huh. Were you out on Floor 4 recently?"

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"Err..." 

He nearly missed a step when he heard the question.  "That's an oddly specific question."  His voice was flat, but he was intrigued by the motive behind the question.  Had she been shadowing him all this time?  Was he marked by some murderous guild fooled into doing the bidding of this vile game's dark master - his nemesis?!

"Yes," he replied, after a moment's hesitation. " I ran into a pink paladin on level four." The similarity of that first encounter to this one was striking, and lowered his guard, albeit only slightly.  "A rather energetic young player named Yuki helped me get started there." 

Play the pious altruist.

"It was very generous of her," he added, sounding wholly sincere.  "I remain indebted to her for it."  Retracing his thoughts to the moment before she's interrupted them, he ask his originally intended question.

"Why are you walking backwards?" 

Having left the safety of Urbus behind, he summoned Forgiven Disobedience to hand, resting the flat of the bleached white blade upon his shoulder.

 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[NIGHT 0]

So this was the man she'd been talking about. What did Yuki say about him again? To her memory, nothing about her description seemed to explain how on edge the player had seemed during their first meeting. Maybe it was simply faulty, or she hadn't been paying her fullest attention at the time. They were on...

-- Oh, that was why. Floor 10.

"Why are you walking backwards?" 

"For fun. It's not like anything here could hurt me, anyway. Don't need to watch where I'm going."

As soon as they'd entered monster territory, the man pulled out his weapon to his ready in a weave of light.

 

 

 

 

 

Yuki also didn't mention the sword Freyd had wielded.

NIGHT eyed it carefully, the first sign of annoyance properly showing through on her face. Tell tale embellishments, its dazzling silver and blinding whites. If only she could examine the item even further, or better, have had her or her merchant's name stamped on it if it ever came into her possession once again. But maybe this was just the machinations of Cardinal playing against her better judgement. After all, duplicate items were nothing new with regards to video games.

So... what...? Well, if you were NIGHT, here was an idea.

"Quick question, how'd you get that sword...?"

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Freyd pursed his lips and shrugged.

"It was the strangest thing, actually."  Her explanation for her manner of stride had apparently satisfied him.

"After Yuki and I finished with the Frost Golem on floor four, I headed back to the Town of Beginnings to get my act together and play through the starter quests."  He brushed sliced an offending branch out of the way with his blade as they walked, giving her a better look at it.

"I had literally just taken my first step through the outer gates when this thing fell from the sky and landed tip-down in the ground before me."  He flipped the blade over while cradling it between outstretched hands.  "It's a fine blade - especially considering that it replaced my starter sword - and has served me well since that day."  

The howl of wolves from up ahead suggested that their destination was near.  Freyd hauled the sword into a proper grip.  Night seemed to live up to her boasts, but it would be foolish for him to be caught off guard unnecessarily.

[NIGHT 0]

NIGHT nearly tripped when Freyd dropped his revelation, the same way the blade likely fell from the heavens above. How'd that happen? The way he'd shown off its slicing ability earlier was enough proof to her memory that it was Forgiven Disobedience-- but she hadn't actually used the blade, either. The best way to investigate was probably to lob a few monsters at the man.

She did promised him a near danger-free experience. Hmm...

As she'd contemplated finding and luring over the nearest batch of nasties, the wargs announced their presence with a number of cries. NIGHT turned to face the front of the road this time, hands kept casually in her track suit's pocket. True to expectations, she was unfazed, but her seriousness for the job at hand was more for her reward and keeping a fellow player alive rather than concern for her own well-being.

Investigations could come later, when they were safe from (more serious, more major) harm.

Into a forest, down a grassy, canopied road. NIGHT stopped herself as they neared the edge of a clearing, gesturing to Freyd to take the lead. "Take your shot. I'll clean up the mess soon after, don't worry."

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Knife in the back! Knife in the back!  DANGER!!! DANGER!!!

KNIFE.  IN.  THE.  BACK!!!!!

This was a test, wasn't it?  Here was his pinnacle moment of choice.  It was always the littlest things.  Could he turn his back on a stranger?  Could he risk death at the hands of an agent of his tormentor?  Was this to be his ignoble end, trapped between wolves and assassins?  Or, was it all in his mind?  Had he turned against himself in lament and fear and become some pathetic withering thing, that jumped at every shadow and turned tail at every hint of adversity?  How rarely are our destinies so clearly laid bare before us?

Freyd faltered, turning to glance back over his shoulder at Night, then down at himself and the sword in his hands.  His eyes were obscured by shadow.  Ahead of them, four wolves crested the ridge, one vile and twisted into some monstrous thing with green bile frothing at the edges of its maw.

"Time to choose," he whispered to himself. 

Tightening his grip on the sword, Freyd charged.

Spoiler

[0] Freyd | HP: 330/330 | EN: 29/30 (-2 +1) | DMG:7 | MIT:14 | ACC:2 | SAVVY:1 | HLY:2 | KEEN:1 | BLD:12 | IMM: 10 -> triggered Rec 1

[0] NIGHT | HP: 1085/1085 | EN: 104/104  | ACC: 3 | DMG: 19 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 99 | LD: 6

Venom Snapper: 150/150 | DMG 35 (Crit 50) | EVA 1
Wolf #1: HP: 40/40 | DMG 25
Wolf #2: HP: 40/40 | DMG 25
Wolf #3: HP: 40/40 | DMG 25
 

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[NIGHT 0]

He'd missed.

Roll credits, everyone.

 

Just kidding. NIGHT went after him.

She hadn't bothered to bring Jack's Executioner whilst she was residing in Aincrad's lower echelons; that sword was better off saved for the larger rabble. A quick Calamity Disaster was all NIGHT needed to execute to nearly blow apart the entire clearing in half. As the trees shook around them and leaves began to bluster about the circular arena, three of the four figures had fallen backwards and exploded violently into fragments of data clusters. Only one wolf was left standing in her vicious wake -- snarling, when it should've been cowering had it had half a brain.

NIGHT sunk her blade tip first into the soil, lazy purple eyes scanning her new inventory window for any signs of the loot she'd set out to obtain. Indeed, she'd gotten what she'd wanted, and so NIGHT set herself to nearly topple over her sword's hilt, looking upon the field unamused. "Here," she gestured, waving Freyd over closer to their lone enemy. "Practice on that. You're using a two-handed straight sword, aren't you?"

--I have to see if that blade sings the same way mine was supposed to.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Spoiler

ID: 153915 | BD: 11 (9, +3 -1)
<<Calamity Disaster>> vs Venom Snapper.
19 + 1 = 20 DMG | 20 * 12 = 240 DMG

ID: 153916 | BD: 7 (4, +3)
<<Calamity Disaster>> vs Wolf #1.
19 * 12 = 228 DMG

ID: 153917 | BD: 13 (10, +3)
<<Calamity Disaster>> vs Wolf #2.
19 + 2 = 21 DMG | 21 * 12 = 252 DMG

ID: 153919 | MD: 4 (6, -2)
Wolf #3 missed!

Venom Snapper | HP: -90/150 (-240) | DMG: 35 | EVA: 1
Wolf #1 | HP: -188/40 (-228) | DMG: 25
Wolf #2 | HP: -212/40 (-252) | DMG: 25
Wolf #3 | HP: 40/40 | DMG: 25

[2, 1, 2, 0] NIGHT | HP: 1085/1085 | EN: 90/104 (-14) | DMG: 19 | MIT: 99 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | LD: 6
[0, 0, 0, 0] Freyd | HP: 330/330 | EN: 29/30 | DMG: 7 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 2 | HOLY: 2 | BLD: 12 | SAVVY: 1 | KEEN: 1 | THRNS: 10

[Freyd 0]

Freyd was bowled over by the force of NIGHT's attacks, but somehow ended up back on his feet in a staring contest with the remaining wolf.  The surrounding area was completely leveled.  If he ever needed a visual reminder of the power difference between the highest level players and his own, he'd just received it.  Swinging the white blade in a set of wide arcs, he sought to lure the wolf in for a quick pommel strike and follow-up slash, but he stumbled over the dissipating corpse of one of its kin.  

The wolf barked and growled at him, but made no advance.  They just remained locked together in their duel, each circling and waiting for an opening.  Forgiven Disobedience cut swift and light in his hands, but its choir wouldn't sing without a suitably significant strike.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?"  he asked without losing sight of his foe.

Spoiler

Whiffed.

[2, 1, 2, 0] NIGHT | HP: 1085/1085 | EN: 90/104 (-14) | DMG: 19 | MIT: 99 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | LD: 6
[0, 0, 0, 0] Freyd | HP: 330/330 | EN: 29/30 (-2 +2) | DMG: 7 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 2 | HOLY: 2 | BLD: 12 | SAVVY: 1 | KEEN: 1 | THRNS: 10 -> triggered Rec 1

Wolf #3 | HP: 40/40 | DMG: 25

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[NIGHT 0]

"Uh, NIGHT," she shot back, watching the wolf pace in Freyd's opposition, stepping on ground where he had tread before. An elbow propped up on the guard of her sword, her chin was cupped in her hand in a lackadaisical fashion, watching the stare off unfold. "We're in a party; you can see that, I'm pretty sure..."

The idea that her companion shouldn't be able to was intriguing at best, even beckoning the woman to call forth her menus and look through the available mods she could pick up at the moment's notice. Alas, it closed with a shutter when the warg gave her a toothy hit-and-run; barely making a dent in her armor, but enough to annoy her just so that she'd kick it away and back towards Freyd. NIGHT sighed and roused from her position, choosing to switch over to lean her back against her support, pulling open her stats again facing a direction where she wouldn't be distracted by one (1) lesser dog.

"While we're trading questions, here's one for you. What's the name of your weapon?"

Spoiler

ID: 153921 | MD: 6 (8, -2)
NIGHT does nothing.
Wolf #3 attacks NIGHT!
25 - 99 = 1 DMG

Wolf #3 | HP: 40/40 | DMG: 25

[0] NIGHT | HP: 1084/1085 (-1) | EN: 104/104 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 99 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | LD: 6
[0] Freyd | HP: 330/330 | EN: 29/30 | DMG: 7 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 2 | HOLY: 2 | BLD: 12 | SAVVY: 1 | KEEN: 1 | THRNS: 10

[Freyd 0]

"Yeah... no... I got that.  Your name plate is pretty obvious."  He dodged a nip from the canine, spinning and cutting deep into its flank, a white goopy liquid oozing out.  Not quite the spectacular display he'd been hoping for, but at least it demonstrated that he wasn't useless.

"I meant more along the lines of: are you a frontliner, or a guild officer, or something?  Perhaps a wandering solo player, looking for a mook she can bum a walk with to get the loot drop from this quest?"  There is was.  Now to see her reaction.  He kept up the pace of conversation just to deny her the likely quip.

"The sword's name is Forgiven Disobedience, and when I can manage a decent enough hit with it, it blazes with holy light and the song of angels, and whatever I'm fighting dies pretty quickly afterwards, usually while bleeding out this milky white goo."

Spoiler

Wolf #3 | HP: 5/40 (-35)| DMG: 25 

[0] NIGHT | HP: 1084/1085 (-1) | EN: 104/104 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 99 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | LD: 6
[1] Freyd | HP: 330/330 | EN: 29/30 (-5 +2)| DMG: 7 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 2 | HOLY: 2 | BLD: 12 | SAVVY: 1 | KEEN: 1 | THRNS: 10

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[NIGHT 0]

There was the mod she was looking for. Unfortunately for her it was locked behind Hiding. And she could only have so many game-changing mechanics on her loadout at any given time...

"I meant more along the lines of: are you a frontliner, or a guild officer, or something?"

NIGHT's ears had picked up on the 'frontliner' term, though she hadn't shown any signs of shifting from her stance on the matter. 

"Perhaps a wandering solo player, looking for a mook she can bum a walk with to get the loot drop from this quest?

"The last one." What fun conversation. Her gaze occasionally flickered from her menus to Freyd's health gauge off to the side. As long as the sound of battle continued and the man's health wasn't dipping into the orange (or red, if he was so unlucky), she'd probably be fine dropping her guard down around a newbie. With one hand she'd been typing, a message to a broker she was familiar with; the other was set unmoving shoved deep into her jacket's pockets.

When she'd finally heard the reply to her query, her focus started to shift.

NIGHT turned her head from the interface to the wolf on back, its mane now smothered with a layer of white liquid plaster. Song of angels? Striking with a holy light? With a scowl, she pulled away from her rested poise, letting her menus close on her with a shrink and finally hitting that mail's send button. In the next second, she'd drawn her standard blade, and in one blink, the noisy mutt was gone.

The woman had landed on the other side of the clearing, allowing her sword to vanish under the shade of a few trees.

"That's my sword...!"

NIGHT was facing the foliage when she'd yelled, somewhat shaking, partially furious.

"That-- It's so. stupid--"

A part of her wanted to demand the sword back to her inventory -- but it wouldn't be put to use with Jack's Executioner proving a stronger counterpart. No, she wanted proper compensation; a name behind whoever had done this, whatever--

Oh. Oh she knew. Slimy bastard was the last reason she'd ever let anything of value out of her inventory for even a second in her household again. Goddamned brat.

"Whatever. Forget it." NIGHT finally spat to Freyd, her words coming out a harsh growl. The seconds she'd spent in pause gave her time to simmer. Her anger didn't need to be this cutting; Freyd wasn't the target of her actions anyway. "You said it fell from the sky? More likely story than having it stolen from me at this point. I'll walk you straight back to town."

"But I--" With a finger pointed towards Freyd, she started to move towards the clearing's exit point. "--I'm going to need your assistance, just in case anything like that ever happens to you ever again."

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Spoiler

ID: 153927 | BD: 11 (8, +3)
<<Straight>> vs Wolf #3.
19 * 2 = 38 DMG

Wolf #3 | HP: -33/40 (-38) | DMG: 25

[1] NIGHT | HP: 1084/1085 | EN: 104/104 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 99 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | LD: 6
[1] Freyd | HP: 330/330 | EN: 29/30 | DMG: 7 | MIT: 14 | ACC: 2 | HOLY: 2 | BLD: 12 | SAVVY: 1 | KEEN: 1 | THRNS: 10

[Freyd 0]

Freyd's eyes boggled.

"Wait.  What?!"  This wasn't even close to where he expected this conversation to go.

"Hold on a sec," he called, taking long strides to try and catch up with her.  "How in blazes did your sword end up at my feet?!"  His mind was still reeling at the possible explanations.  It had never occurred to him that the sword might be stolen.  It was naive of him not to have considered that possibility.  Could she have fallen victim to the red ninja, as he had back during Zackariah's quest?  That mob had reached directly into his inventory to steal the quest items he was delivering.  This was getting very weird.

"And what could I possibly do to be of any help to you?!"  She'd cleared half a grove with a single sword art.  It still seemed an impressive feat, given his still-limited awareness of upper rank combat skills.

"Night?  Night!  Hold up!  What is going on!?"

[NIGHT 0]

She'd stopped as the newbie seemed to panic, frown made apparent and bolded by the darkening shadows as clouds began to pass them overhead. For someone so fresh to the scene, Freyd sure was talkative -- and curious. Good. Any adventurer worth their salt needed to be so cautious to begin with to remain standing at the end of their days.

"I'll tell you what's going on," NIGHT began, slowing her paces down so that she was with even footing with the novice. "Cardinal did it. Cardinal stole it from me. You ever seen an entity smart enough to speak with you, to interact or hassle you in unexpected ways before? That's exactly how." Not that she'd actually expected Freyd to respond with any situation of his own; NIGHT hadn't even expected most adventurers to come running into their Geminis just yet in the first place. Hell, if there were any more of those miscreants in other forms running about the castle, she'd do well to be careful further into the future...

"You've seen things happen to you. How else would you have that sword? Even if it was just a one-time fluke, word gets around about items lost and found. I bet someone would really appreciate information about this; me being one of them. So..."

"If you see something strange, speak up about it."

A tinkling of bells, NIGHT pulling up her friends list for the first time today. She'd pulled open a prompt to keep Freyd within her contacts list. Better be safer than sorry, she supposed.

"You said you know Yuki, right? She's a friend too. You need help, you call her. Say it's on my favour. If I have time, I'll be there too."

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"Strange?" The word blurted out of his mouth like someone had just slapped him across the face with a half-skinned halibut. 

"You want to know about strange?!"  Freyd had been paranoid since day one of this tragic mess that Cardinal had been out to get him, but realized now the possibility that it truly was out for all of them.  He'd even doubted that the other 'players' were anything more than NPCs with different coloured icons - sleeper agents for an insidious systems hell-bent to warp his mind until it snapped like an over-wound spring.  Here, at least, was a suggestion that they too might be real and just as trapped by its maddening webs.

"A foul doppleganger - that Gemini-thing - that somehow copies every player."  It had been his very first encounter after leaving the Town of Beginnings and wandering up to floor six for reasons he still couldn't really explain.

"Ninjas in red pajamas that can steal items directly from your storage!"  That one had come from The First Lesson.

"Billy the demon-child merchant trainer, with secret access to the wasteland where all junked items go!"  Earning a living.  Actually, Billy turned out to be okay, even if he was a total crook and scammer.  That encounter had also put Freyd on track to seek out Persi.

"I'm also convinced that Cardinal has some sort of core processing hub in a cathedral on floor thirteen.  Players can't access it, and there's a ton of weirdness emanating from it."  He already had that one covered, but wanted someone else to be aware of his suspicions.

"I've seen more than my share, for how short a time I've been out here!"  He slammed his fist down on the friend request, accepting it with inexplicable ferocity.  His anger was fueled by a self-perceived realization of his worst nightmares, not Night's confirmation of them.  He hoped that she could sense that it was directed elsewhere.  The window closed with a pleasant 'plink' sound. 

Returning the sword to its storage, he stormed back towards town with his jaw firmly set, seething as he moved.  Night caught a hint of a red glow from his left eye, but couldn't be certain as his lowered gaze obscured it with falling brown bangs and shadows.  As he brushed past her, some black thing she hadn't noticed before shifted on his back - like darkness concealed over black cloth, until it turned its head and opened two, small, brilliant blue eyes and stared directly at her.  They seemed more curious than malicious.  It crawled deftly onto Frey's left shoulder, with feline grace and silence, its small head with pointed ears rising up like a silhouette.

"If you ever need to find me, I have a shop at Angel's Point."

Edited June 18, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[NIGHT 0]

Frey'd spiel was nothing more than a confirmation of her worst suspicions. His first mention of a doppelganger was already enough to catch her attention; but while everything else beyond that had fallen to the wayside, his sightings of Cardinal entities acting strange and bending reality was more than enough to solidify her opinion of the novice. This early on, he'd emphasized? Whatever Freyd happened to find himself running into, NIGHT wanted -- needed to know more about it.

At least she wasn't alone on spotting Cardinal's vehement activities now.

"Cathedral, on Floor 13... Got it." She'd repeated it to etch the information into her memory, but no doubt if she was heading in there, it'd be at the behest of her brokers once they'd found several more leads that demanded a closer investigation. Plus, of course, she owed them for the hunts they'd provided her. There was no need to hoard the intel for herself alone.

The two returned to Urbus. NIGHT watched the mongoose slink about the man's form, nodding at its blank, ghastly visage. A familiar to watch his back? The newbie might as well have been set for his journey further into Aincrad.

"If you ever need to find me, I have a shop at Angel's Point."

"Mine's on Floor 1. Artisanry. Let me know if you'll need anything -- there's a chef within that area too in case you need to buff up."

She took down Freyd's information further while she had the chance. A small window by her fingertips opened off to the side, NIGHT noted down his shop's locale, not recalling the landmark's name off the top of her head. "I'll stop by if I need anything. As for the sword..."

"... Keep it. It-- fits you, actually." With a scoff and the slightest hint of a smile, NIGHT finally folded her arms as they'd stopped right outside the tavern's entrance. "You look like a priest. More power to you from that sword then, church boy."

A dip of her head and a wave farewell, NIGHT finally took her leave, giving up her long-forgotten search for her other friend for today.

---

THREAD SUMMARY

Quote

[Total]
Freyd
+ 3SP
+ 700col
+ Tier 1 Materials (4)

NIGHT
+ 2SP
+ 200col
+ [T1E1] Venom Vial

Spoiler

[Quest Reward]
Freyd
+ 1SP
+ 500col
+ Tier 1 Materials (4)

NIGHT
+ [T1E1] Venom Vial | On a natural BD roll of 9-10, apply a DoT that deals 10 unmitigatable DMG, lasting for 4 turns. Lasts for one thread per use. Takes post action to apply to weapon.

[Thread Progression]
+ 1SP
+ 200col/participant

[Misc.]
Quarantine SP Bonus!
+ 1SP