[F2-PP] <<Let There Be Light>> A Deep Dark Cave

[Astreya 0]

Astreya sat outside the Town of Beginnings, mostly just relaxing for the moment.  There was a lot of things going on, but for right now, she was ready to just take a little bit of a break.  It was nice, once in awhile, to step away from the grind and to actually take some time to smell the flowers, as it were.  She glanced back over her shoulder at the gate guard who stood impassive as always, and she thought back to the meeting she had briefly where she had learned that another player had also 'made friends' with the fellow, but had named him 'Marv' of all things.

She still hadn't ever referred to the NPC by name, but all the same, she had taken more time in making sure that she was spending some amount of time greeting him.  If nothing else, there was a strange sense of wonderment to be found in such an NPC, given the fact that there was another who had taken the time out of their life to spend some time in greeting and talking to an NPC, much as she had.  Hers was little more than a wave to him each time she left the town and each time she returned.

"Come on, Ris.  It's time to move on a bit.  You can come back here in a little while, but we need to see some of the upper floors," she spoke to herself, mostly just curious as to see what some of the upper floors were like.  She was getting steadily more confident in herself in what she could do and the fights she could handle, and so she wanted to see just how far she could push herself.  And going to the upper floors seemed like a good idea.  Besides, the paths to the next floors were all cleared out, right?

---

Some time later, she exhaled softly, glancing around Floor Two, seeing the town raised up in the hills in the distance.  The trek hadn't been nearly as bad as she had expected... but there were a lot more bugs here on the Second Floor than there had been on the first.  She wrinkled her nose a bit, not really expecting such a thing... especially with how much the First Floor was just kind of a stereotypical game world.  This one was a whole lot more... buggy.  

She made her way toward the town, carefully avoiding any of the creatures that were looking to make a meal out of her, as she approached the town.  "Urbus..." she noted on the indication that came over her HUD as she picked her way through the forest, careful to avoid anything in this landscape that might decide she'd make a good target.  Before too much longer, the girl stood outside the main gates.  "This is way more defended than the Town of Beginnings.  Dang," she commented out loud as she looked to the guards who were watching her as she came closer, but made no move to do anything.  She swallowed, beginning to step foot within.
 

TWC: 513

@Freyd

Spoiler

--Level 11
--HP: 220
--NRG: 40

--Base Damage: 8
--Mitigation: 30
--Regeneration: 1% (Currently 2)
--Accuracy: 3
--Thorns: 18
--Taunt: 1

---

Skills:
Battle Healing: Novice
Fighting Spirit
Howl
|-> Focused Howl

2H Straight Sword: Journeyman

Heavy Armor: Expert
|-> Impetus

Concentration

---

Gear:
»Silver Frost [2H Straight Sword] | Rare T2
[Damage] - Gain +2 base damage per slot.
[Accuracy] - Add 1 onto your BD rolls (Cannot cause crits)

»Battle Dress | Rare T2 Heavy Armor
[Mitigation] - Prevent 12 damage from successful attacks against you.
[Thorns] - Successful non-critical attacks against you deal 18 unmitigated damage to the attacking enemy. Only activates on damage dealing, melee attacks.

»Dodgeball | Rare T1 Trinket
[Accuracy II] - Add 2 onto your BD rolls (Cannot cause crits)

»Spotlight | Rare T2 Trinket
[Taunt] - Adds 1 Hate generated from successful attacks, Howl and Furious Howl.
[Recovery] - Regain 2 additional energy on natural CD rolls of 7+. 

---

Consumables:
»Starter Healer Potions | Heals 50 HP
[3 Total]
»Tier One Damage Potion of Uncommon quality. (+1 Damage)
[1 Total]
»Tier One Health Potions of Rare quality. (+10% HP)
[3 Total]
»Tier One Immolation Potion (+10 Thorns Damage)
[1 Total]
»Fixer Upper (Salve) | Antidote I
[1 Total]

 

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Astreya
Starting stats

[Freyd 0]

"PERSI!  YOU GET BACK HERE WITH THAT!"  Something parted the thin, market-day crowd accompanied by the sound of catastrophe.  It looked like a wake in the water, heading straight for Astraya.  All that was missing was a giant shark's fin.  Maybe, on Floor Two, it would be a bug-shark?  A raving madman seemed to be the cause, all dressed in black, he resembled so many other edgelords in the game, though perhaps less flashy or moody than some.  Mothers clutched and pulled back their children from his path.  Merchants interposed themselves between the racing lunatic and their wares. All that was missing was an old lady with a pram, and it could have been a Hollywood car chase.

Something dark, fast and slinky shot between Astraya's legs so fast that she barely saw it.  The thing's movements were so fluid that it might have been a passing shadow, save for a pair of brilliant azure eyes and a half-eaten sandwich sticking out of its mouth.  A few stray slices of lettuce-crowned bologne ended up on her boot as the tiny creature made a sharp left turn into a nearby alley.  The heckler giving chase suddenly bowled over a stack of crated fish in his haste, knocking over the top box and sending himself into a tumble.  Somehow, he came up on his feet with surprising, cat-like grace and kept up his pace, only to come skidding to a stop before her.

"Where'd you go with my lunch, you little scallywag!  Damn, I wish I still had Tracking."  Freyd's eyes peered all around passing over Astraya's face twice before returning for the triple take.  "Oh, uh... it's you!  The Marv lady, right?  Did you see a shadow mongoose with a bologne sandwich run by here?"

***

TWC: 807

Freyd | HP: 900/900 | EN: 124/124 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 66 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 4 | BH: 45 | LD: 5 | | FLN: 8 | HLY: 8 | V.O.: 90

Spoiler

Freyd,
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 60
HP: 900/900
EN: 124/124

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 66
Evasion: 1
Accuracy: 4
Battle Healing: 45
Loot Dice: 5
FLN: 8
HLY: 8
V.O.: 90

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride (T4-WH, VO 1, HOLY 1, FLN 1)
Armor: Skirmisher's Garb (T3 LA, MIT 2, EVA 1)
Misc: Night Shades (T3-Trinket, ACC 3)

Skills:
War Hammer R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R5
Battle Healing R5
Charge
Energist
Extended Weight Limit

Active Mods:
Large Pockets
Ferocity
Stamina
Meticulous
Resolve

Inactive Mods:

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Meditation
Forgotten King’s Authority

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:Teleport Crystals: Gungnir: T3 Perfect HP Rec [Instant]: Mass HP Rec [Instant] (+30*Tier HP): Antidote 3:

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
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: Bialas Statue [Uncommon Item] Grants +1 Taunt for a thread

Wedding Ring:

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Freyd

[Astreya 0]

Astreya blinked as she heard the sudden commotion from down aways in the marketplace area, the girl having made her way into the town just to relax for a moment.  The walk up here was way longer than she had expected it to be- it was a lot like the climb up to that mountain where she'd learned martial arts... although that one was arguably worse because of how much more steep it was.  This one though, she didn't have a friend to keep her company during the trip, so it was one of those 'worse but better' sort of situations.

However, as she saw the crowd beginning to part, she blinked, not sure what she was looking for when suddenly enough of the bodies had moved out of the way to show a small, shadowy little creature with... a sandwich..? in its mouth. Before she could even think to get in its way it darted between her legs and shot behind her, turning down an alleyway.  She frowned slightly as she looked down at her heeled boots, noting the bits of lettuce that were still stuck to her.  No- wait, there was bologna too.  "Oh ew," she frowned, standing precariously on the foot while she used her other boot to push the food off.  "That is disgusting."

By then, a crashing sound brought her attention back up and a familiar dark-garbed individual managed to keep his balance and keep running directly where the thing had gone- which was at her.  He seemed to realize she wasn't going to move and instead skidded to a halt, looking around several times.  Astreya's eyebrow slowly and steadily raised as she watched him.  Right.  The Marv-guy was really weird.  She'd forgotten about that- not that he felt dangerous or anything or any of that- he just seemed to be a little bit... off.

Still, he finally realized it was her it seemed like as recognition dawned on his face.  "Hi," she spoke to him, waiting for his brain to change gears from pursuit of what she now assumed was his pet.  "What, that thing was yours?" she asked, frowning as she took a step to the side out of his way, gesturing back toward the alleyway that she'd seen it go.  "It went scurrying down that way," she spoke, "took a left at the end of the alleyway."

She glanced back at him then for a moment, not sure if he was going to just take off after it or not.  He seemed the type to- and given that he was someone that made long-standing friends with NPCs that didn't talk, that wasn't exactly unexpected for him or not.  So rather than let him make that choice, Astreya was already moving toward the alleyway.  "C'mon!" she called, beginning to head that way.  "I'll show ya!" she added, presuming, of course, that Freyd was going to want to actually continue chasing down the creature for his sandwich.  Or whatever still remained of it, anyway.

TWC: 1013

@Freyd

[Freyd 0]

Surprised by her impulsiveness, Freyd took off after her running flat out to make up for lost time. "Be ready.  She's damned clever and literally quick as a shadow."  Pale-faced and red-eyed, Freyd wasn't exactly the most welcoming-looking person around, which had its uses in this case.  Leaping onto and up from a nearby wagon, he was on an adjacent rooftop an instant later pointing and screaming at something up ahead. 

"PERSI! I see you hiding under those eggplants!  Give it back!"  Astreya heard more than saw the clinking of booted feed on terracotta roof tiles as Freyd raced along the open rooftops, jumping down as they came to the next open plaza.  Tumbling again, the threw himself at his hidden familiar, revealing a long and lanky frame even as he missed his mark by less than a palm's width.  Their quarry vanished under nearby market stands where the sheer amount of clutter would make her virtually impossible to find.

Shaking dust from his garb as he rose made him look a little like a chimney sweep.  Freyd's cowl had fallen back onto his shoulders as he dove, to reveal a head of mousy-brown hair and plain features that were easily overlooked.  Only his red eyes were notable, though even those weren't that rare in the game.  

"Hah!"  Was that defiance or triumph?  It was hard to tell until she noticed that poor, battered sandwich in his hand.  It was the true victim here.  "Better luck next time, girl!  This round is mine." Eyes wide as saucers, Freyd gleefully bit into the questionable meal, looking suspiciously like the proverbial cat.  "Don't worry," he added, his cheeks puffed up with bread.  "She doesn't actually eat this stuff anyway."

Before either of them could say another word, some distraught NPC came racing into the square pleading for assistance.

"Choshi?!"

TWC: 1614

Edited April 8, 2021 by Freyd

[Astreya 0]

"Got it!" Astreya called to the one known as Freyd, the man not seeming to ask any questions about her sudden willingness to embark on this wild chase for something that she really had no understanding of.  All she knew, thus far, was that the creature was small, quick and nimble, and beyond that it was difficult to catch given how quick it was.  From Freyd's words, she added the concepts of the creature being female, clever, and as quick as a shadow- whatever that meant.  She would just stick with it being really fast- she'd barely even had time to react to it when it had zooted beneath her earlier.

She glanced at him going up onto the rooftops and the young woman debated going up there as well but decided to take her chances on the ground.  The creature was just ahead of her, but before she could get too much closer, it darted toward an eggplant stall, something that Freyd was able to spot fairly easily as the man gave a call out to the creature.  "If you go right at her, she's probably going to-" Astreya began, but Freyd was already moving, seeming to use his own judgment as he darted in at the little shadowy creature.

It didn't stay put for very long, darting away from them and toward another set of stands that seemed to hide the creature quite well.  Astreya glanced that way and frowned slightly as she looked, unable to see where it had gone.  "I don't see-" she started again, before the call of success came from Freyd and she blinked, glancing over at the cowlless individual as he held the sandwich high overhead as if it were a prize worth fighting dragons over.  And knowing what she did about Freyd, he very well might.

"Yeah I wasn't really worried, if I'm being honest," Astreya responded, wearing an amused little smile as she saw the fellow happily munching on the sandwich.  Unbeknownst to her, as both times she'd come across this fellow, she'd seen him without his cowl on, this was actually a fairly rare look for him.  The red eyes were a touch unsettling, but the rest of him was so weirdly normal compared to how he acted that it was, much like before, a little off-putting to see.  It was like getting a jelly bean you were sure was that fake grape flavor and it ended up being black licorice.

Well, except Astreya liked black licorice, but the point remained.

She glanced to the stalls, trying to see if she could see the creature moving around at all. She was about to ask why the creature had taken his sandwich when another entered the scene, this one clearly an NPC.  "Um, no, I'm not Choshi, but maybe we can help?" Astreya asked, glancing briefly to Freyd to see what his take on all this was.

"No, no.  I'm Choshi- can you please help me?  I've been trying to find someone to help me all day.  My daughter Koko, she was playing in the caves nearby.  I told her not to go but she...she..." the woman spoke, clearly on the verge of tears.

"Woah woah, hey.  Yeah I can go and see if I can find her," Astreya responded, lifting her hands up in defense as the woman's attitude turned completely around, seeming ecstatic that someone was actually helping her.  Her gaze flickered to Freyd, arching a brow, curious on if he'd help in return for her tracking down his sandwich or not.

TWC: 1,606

[Freyd 0]

The bizarre demeanor that had thus far marked every encounter between them faded instantaneously.  Freyd's brow furrowed with a mixture of seriousness and badly hidden pain as Choshi told her tale.  He'd heard it before, and it sent pangs through his heart every time.  Frivolous Freyd, that awkward, child-like side of him that he so often kept inside, was back under lock and key.  She hadn't even seen his cowl go up, but there it was in place again like some sort of shield to whatever might be rattling loosely inside that strange old head of his.

"Yeah," he whispered softly, as much to himself as to Astreya.  "I always help Choshi whenever we run into each other."  The cowl dipped downward for a moment, as if swallowing something inside.   He'd sounded wistful.

"Persi."  A harsher, colder tone clearly implied a limit to tolerance, meant for their previous prey.  The small, black creature they had been chasing popped its inky head up above a row of neatly stacked eggplant.  Two brilliant azure eyes with wide horizontal slots gazing in their direction.  The slender little thing gingerly sauntered over, rubbing her sides against Astreya's leg before coiling around Freyd's boots.  It was like having the fluffiest marshmallow imaginable pressed up against you - like it was there, but not really there.

"Forgive my poor manners.  Persistence has a playful spirit that I must occasionally indulge, though truth be told I think it does me as much good as her, or even more."  As he spoke, the tenebrous creature flattened itself like a true cast shadow and oozed amorphously up his legs to end up under his jacket.  "She's a shadow mongoose, you see, and a damned good familiar.  We've been together for awhile now."  A gentle pat to the chest piece of his leather armor produced a subtle purr within.  Freyd simply offered Astreya a shrug by way of further explanation.  "Aincrad is full of strange and wondrous creatures.  I wish you good luck in finding your familiar, someday, if you haven't already."

The prize sandwich, left on the nearby table, popped into a small burst of blue pixels.  Its duration had expired, and Freyd had already had his fill.  Choshi's plight was also more important to him.  

"Koko will be in a cave, along with a handful of giant bats, unless the quest changed dramatically during the update."  He grunted to himself.  "I need to start carrying glow stones around again."  His eyes met hers, recognizing the pending question.  "A lot has changed since the aftermath of the floor boss raid on twenty-five.  Some abilities were lost, or are no longer affordable.  Have you been affected much, yourself?"  

TWC: 2654

Edited April 8, 2021 by Freyd

[Astreya 0]

It was true that Astreya hadn't seen the man's cowl return- she'd been focused on responding to Choshi, the woman seeming distraught over the potential loss of her daughter in a genuine way that made Astreya's own heart clench slightly.  She knew it was just a game and that this was a quest that had probably been done a hundred times or more by all the players, but that didn't really matter.   All she knew right now was that this woman was in front of her and needed help.   So when she looked back to Freyd to see if he was willing to assist, the man's cowl returning felt a little odd, to her.  She wasn't sure why he wore it as he did.

But as he agreed (albeit in an exceedingly cryptic way that made Astreya wonder just how often he'd done this quest), she nodded at him, before looking back to Choshi.  "Sure.  We'll go and find your daughter and bring her back," the woman agreed, and at that, the mother seemed more than grateful, before agreeing to find something to pay them back before she began to head back off into the city to allow the two heroes to get ready for this endeavor.  

It was then that Freyd spoke to his familiar, the little creature darting out, nuzzling affectionately at Astreya's legs before seeming to meld in with the darkness that Freyd wore, vanishing completely.  "Poor manners?  I wouldn't call it that," Astreya responded, a very different side than what she'd seen of Freyd so far coming out, now.  "I don't think there's anything wrong with letting yourself have fun once in awhile, y'know?  Like, it totally helps to calm the spirit," Astreya responded, giving him a wide grin for a moment.

"No, I don't have one yet.  I've been looking for that gypsy lady but so far I haven't had any luck in finding her.  Maybe someday I'll run into her.  I've heard about the quest from some others so I've been kinda keeping an eye out, but no luck so far," the young woman spoke, shaking her head.  "But maybe one day- she's cute though- like, in a weird, shadow monster sorta way," she added with a small grin.

It was here that Freyd let slip that he was well aware of this quest.  Astreya'd already picked up on that, but him mentioning it meant that he wanted her to know that he was familiar with it.  That or perhaps he was just letting her know how to complete the quest so it was going to be done most expediently.  But while the young woman had a somewhat ditzy way of talking, she could be rather perceptive.  "Ugh, I hate bats.  I totally had one caught in my hair when I was younger and they had to cut it out because it got so tangled up.  I had the dorkiest haircut for, like, ever," the young woman spoke, shaking her head as she began to move toward the gates, glancing over her shoulder for Freyd to come along.

"It actually did pretty well for me.  I had, um... like almost thirty Skill Points before the update, and then-" she paused, blinking.  "Wait wait, is that what caused the update?  Beating the 25th boss?  So we're like... a quarter of the way there?" she asked.  That was both better and worse than she'd thought.  "Anyway, afterward I had over fifty.  My gear seemed to upgrade too- so all-in-all I think I made out pretty okay," she spoke, giving Freyd a grin.  "How about you and Persi?  How'd you two make out?" she asked.

WC: 608 / 2,214 (Astreya running total)
TWC: 3,262 

[Freyd 0]

"It sounds like the greatest benefit was directed towards some of the lower level players, while most of the frontliners diminished a bit.  That said, I can't really complain.  This was my first outing against a floor boss and I came back alive.  Persi and I are chalking that up as a success."  Something undulated on his chest.  "Okay, well, maybe just me, but still a good thing."

Choshi led them to the promised cave.  It was a shallow, wide-mouthed thing lined with so many stalagmites and stalactites that the mouth looked to be ringed with teeth and ready to devour them both upon entry. 

"Don't worry, that renderer just outdid himself on the detail.  The bats are annoying, but they're nothing that either of us should be worrying about."  No sooner had he spoken the words than an immense, thrashing flap of skin covered in brown fuzz dropped the the ceiling and made to buzz over them.  Reaching into empty space, Freyd's hand vanished from reality until he pulled it back, drawing a long stick-like rod of pure nothingness that he was somehow able to hold.  A thing white layer of light surrounded it, encapsulating the darkness within that otherwise seemed to hunger for everything all around, eager to devour it.  That seal broke for the briefest moment, just as Freyd swung the staff quickly overhead.  It screeched like a breach in the universe had momentarily opened and literally disintegrated the bat, passing through its tiny central body.  The beast's two wings crashed to the cave floor on either side of them, Choshi screaming in fright as they shattered into separate bursts of light that faded nearly instantly.

"Stay here, Choshi.  We'll find your girl."  Tapping at the ground before him like a blind man with a cane, Freyd's strange paradoxical nature played out again in full.  Here was a man wielding a weapon bearing both dark and holy power, stumbling around in the dark for the same of helping a child.

"Yes, I know," he finally admitted out loud.  "I'm a bit of a weirdo, but I'm mostly harmless.  Now, let's go help this kid."

TWC: 3619

Spoiler

Boom (x10, 8 EN): 8 EN - (Rested 1/2, Stamina) = 5 EN.  (CD 0/2)

ID #187770 | BD: 8+4-1=11 (hit, Fallen +8).  DMG (10*32=320)

Freyd | HP: 900/900 | EN: 119/124 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 66 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 4 | BH: 45 | LD: 5 | | FLN: 8 | HLY: 8 | V.O.: 90
Astreya | HP: 220/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 30 | THORNS: 18 | ACC: 3 | BH: 2

[1,0] Bat #1 | HP: 0/100 | DMG: 35 (100-320)

Environmental Effect:

• It's Dark in There | Players without a glowstone, the Night Vision mod, or some other means to aid with sight will suffer a -1 to ACC.

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Freyd

[Astreya 0]

Astreya blinked as Freyd gave his explanation on the fact that he'd gone up to the front lines and had managed to come back alive- that was something that she found impressive on its own... but then again, he had mentioned that he was leaving to go up to the main party, before the update had dropped.  He must have been part of the crew that was clearing the boss for the 25th floor.  "Yeah, definitely.  Coming back alive is always a good thing- no matter what," the young woman spoke, her eyes narrowing in slight determination at the words.  She wasn't particularly angry at him or anything- but it was simply the fact that there would be anything other than success counted in those words.

Even if they'd failed against the boss, if they had still come back alive, that meant they could always try again.  It was no doubt a long, and difficult struggle against those sorts of monsters up there.  She was having trouble dealing with just regular stuff, and here people were, going all the way up to the Front Lines. 

She was quiet after that on their way to the cavern, and as they arrived, her eyes widened slightly at the rather foreboding nature, before her companion made note that she shouldn't be too taken in by its appearance.  "Bark worse than its bite, eh?" she asked, about to take step inside when the bat showed itself.  

Astreya gave a little squeak, reaching her hand back over her shoulder to grab the handle of her blade, when Freyd began to move.  The sequence of events that followed honestly baffled the young woman- she hadn't seen anything like this in the game so far.  What was that... sword?  Stick?  She wasn't really sure what it was, aside from the fact that it seemed to be pure void energy held in check by some sort of holy power.  Before she could even fathom what she was seeing, the weapon split the air, the bat, and reality all at once for a moment before the bats wings fell to the ground, vanishing in a burst of light.

She heard Choshi scream, but Astreya's eyes widened instead as she pulled both of her hands back toward her body, clenching her fists near her face.  "Weird?  No way!  That.  Was.  Awesome!" she cheered, hopping along now beside Freyd as he began to tap the ground with his stick, tapping away at the ground as he tried to feel his way through.  She nearly tripped in her side hops, stumbling for a second before she caught her balance and righted herself.  "What was that?  How did you do that?  Is that what all the people on the Front Lines are like?  Oh man I've gotta get stronger," the girl chattered away, the darkness that surrounded them not seeming to bother her much, even if it was getting exceedingly difficult to see.  

As she was going on, she paused, glancing out into the darkness as she reached out, setting a hand on Freyd's shoulder (or trying to) as she held her breath.  

A sniffle.

"I think that's her.  Koko!" she called out, beginning to head toward the sound of the girl's sniffling.
 

---

WC: 540 / 2,754 (Astreya running total)
TWC: 4,159

 ID# 187776 results:
Loot: 17 [Koko Found on 15+.  Got her!]

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Astreya
WC

[Freyd 0]

Something shifted in the darkness.  Freyd heard, but couldn't see it, and called out a warning.  "Get down!"  It echoed off the cavern walls, repeating endlessly and confusing his bearings even further.  Fortuntely, Astreya's fumbling touch upon his shoulder told him just enough to be able to orient himself between her and the incoming mob, though the wild swing of his staff went nowhere near its mark.  Something big and flappy crashed into his forearm, causing the barest of wound before the creature screeched and veered off again, into the void.  

"It's just the one, I think."  His voice was low to keep it from bouncing off the walls and pounding into their ear drums.  "Can you get the girl safely on her feet and start to backtrack?  I'll keep our little winged friend occupied while you do so."  It felt strange to be so blind in the dark after having spent so many months comfortable in its embrace.  

Tides turn, it seems.

Not now, Montjoy.  I'm a little busy.

"Don't worry, Koko.  We'll get you back to your mom."  A tender squeeze on Astreya's shoulder conveyed the same sentiment, though he doubted that she needed it.  Offering hope and comfort to people was rarely ever a bad idea.

TWC: 4,368

Spoiler

Freyd regains +1 EN
Boom (CD 1/2)
Post Action | Lift Asunder (x11, 9 EN): 9 EN (Rested 1/2, Stamina) = 6 EN (CD 0/2) - Miss (-2 EN)

ID #187805 | BD: 1 (miss)

ID #187805 | MD: 8-1=7 (hit).  DMG (35-66=1)

Freyd | HP: 899/900 | EN: 118/124 (119+1-2) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 66 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 4 | BH: 45 | LD: 5 | | FLN: 8 | HLY: 8 | V.O.: 90
Astreya | HP: 220/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 30 | THORNS: 18 | ACC: 3 | BH: 2

[0,0] Bat #2 | HP: 100/100 | DMG: 35 

Environmental Effect:

• It's Dark in There | Players without a glowstone, the Night Vision mod, or some other means to aid with sight will suffer a -1 to ACC.

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by Freyd

[Astreya 0]

Astreya wasn't used to caves- and she was further unused to the creatures that lived within.  Her call out into the darkness for Koko had caused her voice to hit the walls and reverberate, echoing around several times- which had given their precise location to yet another winged friend.  She hadn't heard it- but Freyd had, and had her get down just in time for the man to take the brunt of the attack from the creature.  

The man was skilled in battle- she'd already seen that- but even he wasn't immune to the darkness it seemed.  She felt him lash out against the creature and the telltale sign of his weapon whistling through the air, coupled with the heavy wings of the bat leaving, told her that he'd missed his target.  "I was just thinking that," she agreed, nodding at his plan.  Not that she couldn't deal with the bat (or so she thought- she supposed she hadn't actually gone into combat against one of them) but with Freyd being far more of a combatant, it only made sense to have him go after it.

She did her best to ignore the flapping wings, coming closer to the sounds of sniffling, before she heard movement coming toward her, and before too long a little body had gripped her about the middle.  Her heart immediately went out to the poor dear, NPC though she might be.  She had a hard time swallowing that down- if this little NPC was part of a quest to be found in the depths of these caves each time, that would mean that her existence was basically tied here.  Did she get to live with her mother throughout the rest of the time?  Was it only when the quest was started that she was put into these caverns?

Astreya frowned, shaking her head.  This wasn't the time for those thoughts.  "C'mon, Koko.  Let's get you out of here.  We'll let Freyd deal with the big mean bat, okay?" she asked, giving the girl a small smile before she reached her left hand down to the girl's back, beginning to guide her back out of here.  The woman's right hand went to the hilt of her blade, keeping a hand on it just in case anything tried to come at them in the darkness.  She didn't know how well she'd be able to fight against it, but she'd be damned if she was going to let any harm befall the girl.

Light began to show from the entrance, and she exhaled slowly, pausing to look back into the cave, even as Koko held onto her, trembling.  Freyd was all right- wasn't he?  She doubted that he'd be defeated by such a simple thing like a bat, but there were flashbacks of what happened to Zack starting to pulse in the back of her brain.  Emotional responses fought rational ones as she peered into the darkness, feeling her own heartbeat beginning to race despite herself at the possibility of something happening.

---

Pass Combat Turn- escorting Koko

[Freyd 0]

Hearing Astreya take charge of Koko eased his concerns.  This wasn't about pride or ability, but simply who was where.  She'd found the child.  He hadn't.  If his night vision still worked, this might have been a lot easier, but those days were gone.  Closing his eyes actually seemed to help.  They were useless in this darkness, but his mind better focused on his other senses.  The telltale beat of flapping circled the room and reminded him of that night when a bat had entered his room while he was sleeping, a crucial exam waiting for him in the morning.  That had been a sleepless eve involving an epic battle against the bat while armed with a broom and sporting a conveniently close hockey helmet on his head.  It was a lifetime ago.

Koko must have bumped against something in the darkness and let out a small squeak.  The pattern changed and veered in his direction.  Knowing how fast and agile these critters could be, Freyd opted to try a different approach.  Twisting and turning the staff in his hands, he set the thing spinning in front and to either side.  It was a blender, of sorts, or a rather brutal web that also brained you if you tried to sneak by.  

"Just keep walking steadily forward," he called out to the others.  "We didn't come that far in.  It shouldn't be too long a go to find our way out."

The giant bat struck his staff as it tried to fly through his spinning net and got wrapped around one end of the stick.  Freyd spun his weapon one more time, overhead, feeling the creature's weight on the other end, then brought it down hard on the cave floor.  A cloudburst of blue exploded around him, briefly lighting up the cave and showing them the route to light and safety.

"There.  One less critter to worry about.  It's easy from here on in.  Are you two okay?"

TWC: 5,200

Spoiler

Freyd regains +1 EN
Boom (CD 2/2)
Lift Asunder (CD 1/2)

Post Action | Crash (x5, 5 EN): 5 EN - (Rested 2/2; Stamina) = 2 EN.  (CD 0/1)

ID #187822 | BD: 4+4-1=7 (hit).  DMG (5*24=120)

Freyd | HP: 899/900 | EN: 117/124 (118+1-2) | DMG: 24 | MIT: 66 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 4 | BH: 45 | LD: 5 | | FLN: 8 | HLY: 8 | V.O.: 90
Astreya | HP: 220/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 30 | THORNS: 18 | ACC: 3 | BH: 2

[1,0] Bat #2 | HP: 0/100 | DMG: 35 (100-120)

Environmental Effect:

• It's Dark in There | Players without a glowstone, the Night Vision mod, or some other means to aid with sight will suffer a -1 to ACC.

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by Freyd

[Astreya 0]

It was then that Astreya heard Freyd speak, reminding the pair of them that they hadn't come all that far in- and that it wasn't going to be all that difficult to get back to the entrance.  Of course, she knew that, but walking blindly in the darkness was not her idea of a good time- and not to mention the sobbing child around her middle wasn't helping her emotional state at all.  There were hormones going that she didn't even know she had from the girl clinging to her as she was, but she had kept moving.  

And then Freyd had caught the bat on the end of his weapon, or somewhere on his weapon, to Astreya's ears before there was the telltale show of the creature dying, the light briefly showing the cavern.  She saw Freyd's lithe form over it, holding his weapon with a practiced ease as the creature vanished, and the light that it had given off in its demise slowly fading as well, returning them both to darkness.  Of course, in that brief time, Astreya had seen him for that moment, and it was an almost surreal mental image that she didn't expect to leave any time soon.

He spoke then, just as easy as he ever had, and the young woman couldn't help but to let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in.  She felt the hammering in her heart for Freyd's safety (as foolish and emotional as it may have been) starting to taper off as she mentally chastised herself.  They were on the second floor- and Freyd was someone who had gone up to the Front Lines of the 25th floor and had come back.  These bats weren't going to kill him, that was for sure.  

"We're fine.  Koko and I got out of range of you and your weird stick," the girl called back to him, before she set a hand down on the girl's head.  She still couldn't really see anything further in the cave where Freyd was, but glancing over her shoulder, she could see where the entrance was.  That was good at least.  Once Freyd found them, it wouldn't be much of a walk back to the entrance.  Still, she couldn't help but to feel that this whole experience hadn't been good for her heart... but it was a rather good experience for her to realize just how strong those who fought on the front lines were.

[Freyd 0]

Eerily slow clapping greeted them as Astreya and Koko emerged into the light.  The sudden glare was blinding, making it hard to find the source.  Eventually, their vision cleared to the sound of a pair of unfriendly, chuckling male voices.

"Well, well, looky here!  Seems like someone's a little lost, eh?"  Three days worth of stubble and a nasty scar that ran down from his left ear, past his jaw and under his raggedy jacket were the speaker's most immediately obvious features.  Dull brown eyes, bulging with a mixture of mischief and paranoia paired well with the twitchy grasp he had on his dagger.  Even more threatening was the glaring orange icon floating over his head, spinning slowly, like an unspoken but inevitable threat of violence.

"I told you, Xin, there'd be easy pickings over here.  Only newbs come do this quest, or those who can't actually fight."  The second figure was no more genial or comforting in appearance than the first.  Mostly bald and disfigured by heavy scar tissue on the right side of his face, only a few spotty patches of hair stood out and not in any flattering manner.  "Come on, girl.  Make this easy.  Hand over your gear and col, we'll let you walk away."

"Yeah, yeah... walk away," parroted Xin, the grin across his face casting the offer into even deeper doubt. 

"Leave the girl, too," Patches added, looking far too eager.  "We'll make sure she gets back to her mother."  A hand axe swung casually in Patches' hand, at his side, while the other clutched a battered round shield tightly.  It looked like it might have one belonged to some valiant knight fallen on hard times - or more likely accosted by these two twerps.  The two had positioned themselves at the cave mouth in such a way that it would be impossible to simply run away.  In all likelihood, they'd pulled this particular ploy before.  How many players had never survived?  There was nothing coming from the cave behind them.  Had Freyd spotted their foes and decided to keep quiet, or had he just lost his way?

"Come on, now!  Don't keep us in suspense.  We ain't the patient type."  Dual chuckling resumed.

TWC: 5,981

Edited April 9, 2021 by Freyd

[Astreya 0]

Astreya wasn't exactly sure what she had expected when she had come out of the cavern.  Well, no that wasn't exactly true.  She had expected to see Koko's mother, who had led Freyd and her to the cavern.  However, as she came out into the light and was greeted with a slow clap, she was immediately on her guard.  The young woman's eyes narrowed at the two figures that stood just outside the cavern.  Neither of them looked particularly kind, and as they began to speak, Astreya could tell that she was right on that.  These guys were bad news.

Her gaze flickered up to the marker over their heads, and realized that it was orange... which portended even bigger trouble.  Player Killers.  She swallowed slightly, her gaze flickering between the two of them as they went back and forth, like some sort of really bad impromptu sketch comedy.  

"Okay, so one- no way," Astreya responded to their 'request' to have her hand over her gear and Col and walk away.  "Are you guys even for real?  Did you, like, choose to look like a pair of Saturday Morning Cartoon bad guys or what?" she asked, her bravado far outstripping her actual confidence in the moment.  

Right now she was terrified.

Monsters were one thing- they were generally predictable and you could tell exactly what they were going to do because they had a scripted AI segment for their actions.  Other players were another thing entirely- they didn't have set commands or controls and could do whatever they wanted.  And if that involved killing her, that was a very real possibility.  But despite the absolute terror rushing down her spine, her father's words echoed in the back of her mind.  If she showed them fear, if she fed into it, that would only give them strength.

If she could intimidate them back, then maybe she could get them to stand down and let her leave safely.  That wasn't likely, but it was a possibility.  If she could piss them off though, that could also work in her favor.  Especially given that Koko was an NPC, Astreya could draw them back into the darkness of the cavern.  While she couldn't see any better than they could, she could at least potentially separate them and deal with them that way.  

She'd already seen that loud sounds within had been extremely disorienting- it was possible that she could make a bunch of noise and get around them to escape, which would be even better.  

"And two, get your own quest!  Koko's my responsibility," she spoke, adjusting her footing to allow her to duck back into the cavern if needed.  "Quit being a bunch of vultures and buzz off."

[Freyd 0]

Hearing voices helped Freyd find his way towards the exit, only to discover the nature of the potentially deadly scene playing out under the pastoral beauty of the surrounding woodlands.  Birds chirped as threats were exchanged.  It was all a little too surreal, and a perfect microcosm of Aincrad itself.  Astreya held her own better than he'd have imagined, especially given her current odds.  The girl had balls.  If she survived this, he'd have to tell her so.  For the moment, he was struggling with his own quandary. There was no way to tell, with certainly, how powerful these player killers might be, but there were enough clues around to make a reasoned deduction.  Their own equipment was of laughably poor quality, amounting to little more than vanity and uncommon fare.  Freyd had appraised hundreds of pieces of equipment and could recognize most items traits by sight.

This wasn't a physical dilemma, but a moral on.  Freyd had never killed another player, let alone even attacked on.  He had acquaintances who had earned the dreaded icon, at least one of which he thought of as a friend.  Then there was that one time that Assassin stabbed him by accident, and ChaseR... yeah.  It had always been something detached that he could choose to analyze from a distance.  But here, now, a companion was in danger.  If he didn't act, and she died as a result...

That was enough to convince him.

Freyd came racing out of the cave, but at an oblique angle that made it look like he was trying to flee.  Patches moved to intercept, but his quarry vanished as it passed behind a tree.  Freyd - the real Freyd, and not a false shadow dispatched to distract - charged headlong into Xin, bringing his staff around like an oversized baseball bat aimed at the man's head.  The results might well be compared to smashing a pinata with a six-foot stick of lit dynamite.  Xin's eyes went wide just in time to make contact and fracture along with the upper half of his body, the rest spraying out into the woods in a wide arc.

"Stay safe,"  Freyd replied, his voice cold and detached.  "Protect the girl."  The latter statement carried a softer edge of concern, clearly meant for them both.

TWC: 6,817

Edited April 9, 2021 by Freyd

[Astreya 0]

The two opposite her seemed, at first, taken aback by her words as she told them off, even if she was getting ready to flee back into the cave at the first sign of actual danger.  She didn't know what level these two were at, but there was a very real sense of danger from them as her hand moved up to the hilt of her two-handed blade.  She didn't want to have to defend herself against other players- she hated the thought of having to attack someone else like this, but she sure as hell was going to defend herself if they came at her.

However, she didn't get much of a chance to really get into that.  She was about to say something further to them, to try and get them to back off, when Freyd darted past her, seeming to be fleeing.  "Freyd!?" she asked aloud, not really sure what the heck he was doing, running off and leaving her here alone with these two men.  Some ally he was.

She swallowed as he vanished behind some trees, and her hand on her blade began to white knuckle as her heartbeat once more began to steadily increase in her fear.  But then something happened that she wasn't expecting.  Apparently, neither was Xin.

Freyd shot forth from the cave- somehow back- and struck at the fellow with his weapon.  Astreya blinked as she looked on at the man's body going from a stereotypical bandit to... what more resembled a meat processing plant's export.  Immediately nausea washed over her, the woman lifting a hand to her mouth, her sapphire eyes keyed in on Xin's body, or rather, what remained of it.  

His words drew her from her reverie, the tone with more than enough of an edge to it to bring her back to reality.  "But-" she began, when he continued, telling her to keep the girl safe.  She glanced down at Koko, the young woman still gripping Astreya tightly around the waist.  "O-okay," she agreed, the knot in her throat not receding as she moved past the other bandit, who seemed to be absolutely frozen after watching what had happened with his partner in crime.

Astreya... didn't know what to do, or what to think.  Everything had come at her so quickly that she wasn't quite sure how to process everything that had happened yet.  Her initial, gut reaction was to be absolutely horrified at what Freyd had done- that was another player, a human being just like them.  And he had just...   She closed her eyes and shook her head, before forcing her eyes back open and slowing herself down, coming to a stop after a few moments.  

Relax.  

Focus.

Concentrate.

The words from her father flooded back into her mind as she looked back up toward where the cavern was, although by now it was out of sight from her.  The two men were Orange.  They had killed before, and there was a very real chance they were going to kill her.  It was justice, what these men had received.  It wasn't pretty, and if they were in the real world, there would have needed to have been a court of law, right?  But the markers above their heads denoted them as murderers.  

"Let's...just wait for Freyd, okay?" she spoke, the woman stifling the emotional responses and letting the woman that she had been raised as come to the surface.  Not cold, not disinterested, but logical.  See the bigger picture.  "Just breathe, Iris," she spoke to herself, struggling to get her heart and mind both under control.

[Freyd 0]

Advancing slowly, but steadily towards the lone remaining villain, Freyd started spinning his staff as he walked, gaining increasing speed as he walked.  It was a distraction, Astreya realized, watching from behind.  Patches  hand't puzzled it out, and was too busy wondering if he had a spare pair of pants or some viable options for retreat.  The same lithe shadow that had started this whole escapade slunk down from Freyd's jacket while the player killer's eyes remained high.  Persi sped like a cloud's shadow, flattened against the ground as she circumnavigated around to blend in with the man's own shade.

"Look, if she's with you, I'm really sorry.  Xin was a bit of a moron.  I just did what was needed to survive."

The cowl just shook to the negative.

"It's too late for that.  Much too late.  We both know that you were just trying your luck for my companion's loot.  Her fate would have been the same whether she gave it you or not.  And that's why we're at this point now.  Aincrad has two unspoken rules:  players only ever gain in power, and the only way to prevent it is death.  Even if I'd let you go, one or both would have taken this encounter as a slight and wanted revenge.  That leave me with only one option.  And for that, I am actually truly sorry."

Patches' weathered face blanched at the realization that his doom had come, all for the sake of a little PK fun.  But it hadn't really just been a little, had it?  He and Xin had been pulling this sort of stuff for years, and they resented ever having to face any consequences for the lethality of their thrill-seeking.  Hefting his shield high and taking on a stance reminiscent of one that might have better suited a fledgling tank, Freyd wondered what had happened to this man to make him fall so far.  It didn't matter.  If there was any chance that his death in Aincrad might be false, there would be a reckoning beyond.  If not, then justice was served anyway.  He cared little whether it was to be doled out by his hand, or not.

"Persi."

"Huh?  What are you... GAHH!!!"

Launching herself upward like some sort of reverse parachute, Persistence engulfed her target from the one direction where he had no defense.  Gnashing teeth and viciously deadly claws flitted in a montage-like manner: there, then not again.  Patches was frozen beneath her onslaught, panicked eyes wide with terror.   Freyd's head half turned back towards Astreya, just enough to see his chin and hear his words.

"Cover her eyes.  Please."

Suddenly breaking the near-invisible pattern of his spin, Freyd thrust Samael's Pride forward with such force that it pierced the man's chest, unleashing a horrific screeching sound as reality poured into the void.  The seal had broken, just for a moment.  Patches fell apart into fractals a moment later, all of them suctioned into the staff, and then the abhorrent sound stopped just as instantly as it had begun.  Freyd remained in the stance for a few seconds, even as Persi slunk back to her nesting place under his vest.  Standing slowly upright, Freyd bowed his head against the staff in contemplation, and what might have seemed like prayer, from a distance.  Then he turned and walked back towards his two companions, the eyes of downcast red eyes only barely visible beneath that neutral cowl.

"Come on, Koko," he said softly, maintaining his distance to avoid frightening her.  "Let's get you home."

Back in the Town of Beginnings, on the long slate wall of the Monument of Life, two additional names appeared along with that of their killer.

TWC: 8,036

Edited April 9, 2021 by Freyd

[Astreya 0]

Astreya had stopped in her fleeing to just sit and wait, but it was a morbid curiosity that was starting to well up within her as she made her way back to where she could see Freyd and the other guy still talking.  She swallowed slightly as she listened in, beginning to catch the tail end of their conversation as she and Koko came into view for him.  She could already feel what Freyd was about to do before the man had even begun to do it.  

There was a strange sense of... something, when she was watching this play out in front of her.  The young woman had never seen death.  Not of another person.  Sure, growing up there were the news reports when someone had been killed or some such thing, but she had never actually seen the act of it happening.  She'd never watched one person take the life of another.  

She understood- and she did, genuinely- that these men were not good people.  That they had murdered others up until this point for gear and profits to survive on.  And it was also entirely possible they got off on the joys of killing and hurting other people.  She didn't really know what the full... capabilities were of the nerve gear but she also wouldn't put it past men like these to perhaps take advantage of some of the sensations that might be available from it.  But all the same, having them killed like this was startling to her.

Persi leapt forward, and began to aggressively attack the man at Freyd's words, before he uttered a single sentence to Astreya.  The young woman nodded, ensuring that Koko couldn't see what was happening, here.  She didn't think that the girl would actually be able to fully react- she was just an NPC, wasn't she?  But it was really hard to discern whether or not she was, especially with how (she was starting to see a pattern here) Freyd treated all of the NPCs in this game.  Marv, Choshi, and now Koko.  He treated them as if they were all living, breathing people with their own lives and thoughts.  She wondered, briefly, if maybe he was right, on that note, and her own approach wasn't.

She wasn't a gamer- she didn't do much with this sort of thing, and so she had, at first, seen this game as a little too real for her.  But then in conversations with the NPCs (the ones that talked anyway) the recycled dialogue, the patterns, everything had led her to believe that none of them were real.  But Freyd pushed so much realism and character into them, with such gentle fervor, that it was difficult to not buy into his point of view.

But those thoughts froze as she saw Freyd wield his weapon without reservation, striking through the man's chest.

The horrid sound that emerged from the act vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving the pair simply standing on the path up to the cave mouth, Freyd standing a short distance away.  Astreya swallowed slightly, but held her ground as he approached.  His words then were to the NPC, not to her, and there was another... sort of odd thought path that followed those words as they began to move, heading toward the Village.

She didn't know if he was addressing Koko because he felt some sort of... shame, for what he'd done, and thought that Astreya might be holding it against him, thus it was easier to talk to the NPC?  Or it could be that he saw the NPCs as someone he could relate to more than another Player, given how easily he had killed those two and how much he protected the NPCs she'd seen thus far. Or it could simply be her overthinking things, that he had overheard her talking to the two and that Astreya had enough mental fortitude to not be fearful by his display.  

She didn't know, and asking felt... wrong, right now.

Instead... "Thank you.  For stepping in," she spoke, glancing to Freyd, giving him a small smile.  Not her usual, overly cheerful grin- but a more reserved, and genuine, show of appreciation.

[Freyd 0]

"I'm sure you would have done the same if our roles were reverse.  I just happened to have the benefit of concealment and you were nearest to Koko.  It made sense for each of us to play our roles as they were given to us."

Freyd felt an unusual need to pull back his cowl, like his thoughts were stuffed too tight inside his head and needed room to spread out without causing another messy explosion.  He locked eyes with Astreya for a moment, speaking with a silent nod to acknowledge he smile.  No expression showed on his face, and his eyes reflected a sort of merciless resolve that could led to a path that straddled the high precipice between salvation and damnation.  If he should ever fall...

Bending to one knee next to Koko, he extended her an open palm, which she took with hesitation, though the gentle smile and softness that returned to his face seemed to ease the tension in her shoulders.  The truth was that Freyd had always had an inexplicable soft spot for children.  Emotionally, they were about at the same stage of development.  To the fledgling heart inside his machine-driven brain, it was a level of outreach it could understand.

"I need a feel like people right now, and... I think I've lost my way.  Could you help us find the way back to your mom?"

The two statements were linked, but clearly meant separately.  Koko just nodded her ascent, chewing on her lips as a coping mechanism for not understanding some of what he said.  Finding her mom she could do.  Standing to his full height, Freyd dismissed his weapon and stuffed his free hand into one of a seemingly infinite number of hidden pockets.  

"There's only one thing you need to know to understand why I do whatever I do, Astreya.  I'll committed to getting you all out of this game, at any cost."  Koko squeezed his hand and gave him a tug, setting them both to bobbling playfully down the low slope back towards Urbus.  It was an odd contrast to the brutality they had just seen, yet entirely fitting to the paradox that was Freyd. Here was a man who could be callous monster and innocent child is equal measure.  What tempered such a soul, or kept it from becoming fully unhinged?

Koko's reunion with her mother was as heartwarming as you might expect, with a raucous mixture of anguish and joy in equal measure.  Choshi mouthed her thank you as she handed a small satchel to Astreya as thanks.  Freyd's cowl had found its way back into place on their way back to town.  By the time Astreya turned, he was gone.  All that was left of him was an open window with a flashing friend request.

TWC 9,205

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by Freyd