[F22-PP] Investigating Fate

[Freya 0]

Sitting on the couch with her Scythe lying across her lap. This entire Nisa thing was made a reality now. A burned out flame, that is what her mist was. A damaged flame that has yet to light because of the stupid decision that she made in high school. The recent run in with Nisahime did in fact answer more than enough. It was weird though, how did this woman in white know what happened to her back then. This woman knew more than she had told anyone. The question was how? The only thing that she could come up with was that this person, this icon was not human at all. With the conversation had, Freya no longer regretting what happened in that cave. They had to die so that she could stay alive. Picking up her Scythe and making it vanish into her inventory, she goes to her kitchen and begins to make honey rolls. Brewing coffee for two, Freyd and her had to have this conversation. Freya no longer doubted that fate was myth. Weighing the options of the chance that Fate herself was guiding this guild through the death game. 

Setting a large plate of hot honey buns on the guild table with two coffees, she began to drought down what she knew. Taking a blank piece of paper and a pen, she began to write.

Nisahime: Claims to be Fate, an icon of this game Is she human Tuatha is a part of her, a ghost from a path, Sommone's dead brother, Sorrow Is her Friend or Foe? Looking like more Friend than Foe at this point If Freya got Tuatha and others of the guild are involved, do they hold ghostly figures inside them as well When tracked, so many dots on map, what happens if we track Morrighan herself and not Nisahime Freya: Tuatha gave her strength to stay alive in a cave Tuatha also helped build her up, Leveling quickly Tuatha is connected to Nisahime, HOW Nisa knew what happened in high school, HOW The black mist that is held is a burnt out flame Eruda: Connecting HOW, Freyd tracked something inside of her, WHO Burning sensation in her chest that won't go away, WHAT is it? Shiina: Hair turns blond when things get serious, WHY Gaius?

The pen rises from the paper, opening her HUD, A message to Freyd:
Meet me at the Guild Hall, I have started some notes that maybe you can add to.

With the message sent, it follows a chime. Closing her HUD and taps a sip of her coffee. Staring at the paper, something was happening with Nisa and this guild. What was she trying to do, what was Nisa's main goal, where did she come from. So many questions, so little answers. It was time that they started to think outside the box, maybe then they would seek the answers that they had about Fate herself...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Freya | HP: 760/760 | EN: 114/114 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 4 | BH: 41 | LD: 6 | AA | BLD: 48 | PHASE | REC: 4 | V.O.: 83

Spoiler

Freya, Sorrow 
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 39
HP: 760/760
EN: 114/114

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 20
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 4
Battle Healing: 41
Loot Dice: 6
AA
BLD: 48
PHASE
REC: 4
V.O.: 83

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Final Calamity - Remorse (T4/Demonic/2HBA): Absolute Accuracy, Vampiric Offensive 1, Bleed 1, Phase
Armor: Dark Embrace - Sacrifice (T4/Perfect/Light Armor): Evasion 2, Recovery 1
Misc: Ebon Band - Truth (Tierless/Perfect/Trinket): Accuracy 3

Skills:
Axe R5
Cloth Armor R5
Charge
Energist
Searching R5
Battle Healing R5

Active Mods:
Athletics
Tracking
Night Vision

Addons:
Nimble
Stamina
Precision
Ferocity

Active Extra Skills:
Concentration
Survival

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal x1
Numbing Hymn - Falter [T1/Rare/Debuff/Instant] -2 Evasion x5
Numbing Hymn - Falter [T1/Rare/Debuff/Instant] -2 Evasion x5
Flash of Rejuvenation [T1/Perfect/Crystal] Mass Heal x5

Housing Buffs:
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]

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.

 

Edited November 20, 2021 by Freya

[Freyd 0]

Surveying the devastated landscape of the vale, Freyd's icy gaze swept the ruins laid was by Lun'Rael's pride, ambition and self-loathing.  The elven queen had chosen suicide as a vessel for vengeance in defeat, and been denied her accepted fate.  Twisted into some malevolent, reincarnated thing, she turned upon her own kin, infecting and exploiting them and any other mob desperate or gullible enough to follow.   He couldn't help but see a risk that Nisa could bear the same curse, but targeting players instead of mobs, and starting with those closest to him.  She wanted something, or different somethings, from those with whom she connected.  Tuatha may have saved Freya's life, but at what cost?  What burden would she bear for the rest of her days?  The girl was sweet, full of vigor and intensity, but she burned so brightly that Freyd wondered if her star was doomed to nova prematurely.

"Just like this place."

Harsh winds scoured the plains, bringing a curtain of rain that pelted the ashes of a society consumed by similar passions.  His mood was affecting things again, he noted.  This floor had a habit of modifying itself around the emotions of players who traveled through it.  Most of the time he avoided the effect by keeping to the Underdark, but today... today he needed to see the vale for what it was, and remind himself of the perils of blind faith.

A screen warbled into existence at his side, bearing his friend's request for aid.  Tears fell from the sky, passing through the interface as if it simply didn't exist.

"Or vice versa," he reminded himself.  "One must keep their perspective flexible to avoid calcifying one's vision upon a set image and direction."  The words fell randomly from his lips, uncertain about their source or intentions.  Freya could not suppress her feline urges, even if it might lead her to her death.  Freyd sighed.  He could not suppress his need to doubt the uncertain, meaning everything.  Montjoy stood at his side, watching and waiting, uncharacteristically silent on this matter.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friend, once more..."

***

Stepping from the shadows upon entry to the vaunted guild hall of Firm Anima, his guise and demeanor were mixed.  His face was relaxed and joyful at the sight of a thoughtful drink, yet his bearing meant business and foul weather for anything that meant to obstruct them, whether Fate or Fortune alike.  Freyd had made it his mind to find answers, for the sake of those in his charge, and those who would one day fight and even fall at their sides.  Nothing would stop him.  Nothing would slow him.  Even the absurd and impossible would be overcome.  Such was the manner of resolve in the steel behind his eyes.  Freya would surely sense it, but it mattered not.  She had asked him here to help.  He would help them all.  

"Ah!  You brought coffee!  Thank you kindly.  I hadn't managed a sip yet this morning."

Seating himself at the blonde's side, he realized how much he must stink of ashes and rain, like the first touch of water on dusty roads to end the summer's drought.  There were far worse odours he could and had carried with him in his travels.  Somehow, this one suited the moment.

"Looks like you've already got us started.  Why don't we see if can't narrow the field, or at least clarify a few points.  You scan for Nisahime.  I will glean for Morrighan instead.  I saw her not long ago in a vision through Simmone's crystal orb.  Her trail should still be warm."

***

Freyd | HP: 1020/1020 | EN: 136/136 | DMG: 24 | MIT: 78 | ACC: 5 | BH: 56 | LD: 5 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8

Full Stats:

Spoiler

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadow
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 90
HP: 1020/1020
EN: 136/136

Stats:
Damage: 24
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 5
Battle Healing: 56
Loot Dice: 5
FLN: 16
HLY: 16
PARA IMMUNE
REC: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride (T4 MA | Holy 2 | Fallen 2)
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb (T4 LA | Mit 2 | Rec 2)
Misc: The Shadowed Rose (T3 Trinket - ACC 3 | Para Imm)

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Battle Healing R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change
CM: Damage R3
AoE Shift
Grappling Familiar

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Untraceable

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Survival
Disguise
Forgotten King’s Authority
Hiding R2

Inactive Extra Skills:
Meditation
Brawler
Photosynthesize

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic WH, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off)) x1

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)
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
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: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring:

 

[Freya 0]

"Of course I did, couldn't do this type of thinking without it." Freyja was having issues wrapping her head around it. Just everything was so confusing to say the least and it was just so hard for her to fully understand the objective here. Freyd mentions that he saw her just recently. "Well, that is a bit of a surprise. I had a dream, but I don't think that it was actually a dream from how it turned out." Thinking about everything that happened, "The Gemini area is where she showed and it being the first time actually talking to her, it was shocking. She said that I was on the right path and I can feel her just outside of my grasp. I feel like that has to do with my connection to Tuatha..." Pushing a hand through her hair as her hair falls against her cheek. A deep, disturbing sigh, "On that note that black mist that follows me around is not Tuatha at all." Sitting up in her chair and bring a leg to her chest. Taking a sip of her coffee, as she continued, "It is actually my very dead flame. Like Eruda and my father, I have a fire within me, but it is snuffed out." Rubbing her hands against her face, "It was because I abandoned Eruda in a time that she needed me the most. I put friends before my family and as much as I want to think I did it for the right reasons, it was the worst possible thing that I could have done. Leaving Eruda to deal with our father being gone. I can't even imagine what Eruda was feeling..." She started wondering how she could fix this.

After a moment she rubs her eyes as her mind raced at that very thought. With a sigh, she focuses on Nisahime as her pupils flash yellow. A crap ton of blips was added to her map. Writing this in her notes, she needed to figure this out. Everything, it was starting to drive her up a wall. She wanted to believe in this fate thing, but how could she? There was so much to this because she liked her knowledge based on those facts, and right now they had nothing that actually made since to a single mind. Pushing the paper toward Freyd after a few notes written. "Anything from Morrighan?" Taking another sip of coffee and taking a roll in her hand, staring at the notes.

Using Tracking on Nisahime

Edited November 25, 2021 by Freya

[Freyd 0]

Picking up the list, Freyd's eyes scanned over it while Freya was spilling out a seeming stream of consciousness, which was fine.  Being head of O&I meant being accustomed to multiple threads of data floating around you at the same time, be they the constant pinging of messages, physical documents in hand, live conversation and the distraction of a shadow-induced vision quest.  You just get used to it.

"What's this about old flames, and your family?  Huh?"  You got used to it.  It didn't mean that you suddenly developed four additional sets of independently functional ears.  

"Wait.  What?  What are you talking about?  Are you all extra combustible, or something?  Because, not gonna lie, that would explain an awful lot."  His ribs tensed, expecting a shot.  "So, this is some kind of noble devotion passion-flame kinda thingy?"  He really had no idea what she was talking about, but this from a dude who could step through his own shadow.  Allowances had to be made.  "Slow down... actually hold up completely for a second and fill me in a bit more on that one, because I'm not sure I'm following you."

Scribbling his own set of notes while she struggled to explain her unique brand of familiar weirdness, Freyd's hand busied itself by replying to her notes already made.

Nisahime: Claims to be Fate, an icon of this game  F: Not buying it, but could be interpreted many ways.  Need more data. Is she human  F: Thinking more likely AI.  Might be Cardinal, or something else. Tuatha is a part of her, a ghost from a path, Sommone's dead brother, Sorrow  F: Honestly not sure what to make of the souls of the departed affecting us in here.  Sounds like Kayaba making malicious psychological plays.  Also, it's Simmoné.  She'll crucify you if you spell it wrong. Is her she Friend or Foe? Looking like more Friend than Foe at this point  F: Too dangerous to assume that.  We have no idea what her goals are, or whether anything we're being told is a lie. If Freya got Tuatha and others of the guild are involved, do they hold ghostly figures inside them as well  F: I don't think it's just 'ghosts'.  Looks like it might also be items. When tracked, so many dots on map, what happens if we track Morrighan herself and not Nisahime F: Tried.  Got a single ping.  It's like Morrighan is the true 'person' or source, whereas Nisahima is a construct built around her. Freya: Tuatha gave her strength to stay alive in a cave Tuatha also helped build her up, Leveling quickly Tuatha is connected to Nisahime, HOW Nisa knew what happened in high school, HOW  F: What happened in high school? The black mist that is held is a burnt out flame F: You gots some 'splaining to do on that one. Eruda: Connecting HOW, Freyd tracked something inside of her, WHO  F: Another echo or blip off Nisa.  Like a fragment of a greater whole. Burning sensation in her chest that won't go away, WHAT is it?  F:  What burning sensation? Shiina: Hair turns blond when things get serious, WHY  F: Another ghost? Gaius?  F: Likely connected.  Think I got a double ping from Freya's place that one time.  It would add up.  Think Simmoné got a blip too, unless that was Sam? Why are we all so fucked up?!

 

[Freya 0]

Making a weird, playful face as she throws the roll in her hands at Freyd's face. "I think it mainly means that they have always put family first, regardless of the circumstances, which makes sense why I don't have that same fury flame that they have. I really fucked up in high school." Giving a rough sigh as she looked at the added stuff on this paper. "When that thing with our mother happened, you know taking us away over night from our father, it was a life changer for both me and Eruda. I lashed out and rebelled against my mother and hated my father with a passion because of the lies that our mother fed us. I was just pissed all the time and found school pointless and just a way to see my friends. Eruda became completely mute. Only spoke to me and sometimes mother when needed, but even them spoke very little. From that time on we were inseparable. We did literally everything together beside shower and what not. When High school started that all changed. Eruda must have over heard a conversation that was had between my friends and I, it would make sense why she became so distant from me so quickly over night. I chose my friends over her because I felt like it would help her be less stressed but that was not the case at all. We stopped talking completely and it pained me to see..." Making a face at just the pure thought of her failed attempt to help. 

"I left Eruda to morn in her own pain, but in the back round I became hostile to anyone that I saw was fucking with her. It wasn't till I became violet toward these individuals that the bullying toward Eruda stopped in high school. I was feared for the simple fact that I wasn't afraid to punch a dude when Eruda's name was even mention in a conversation. I was very protective over my sister from a distance and I am not sure that Eruda knew what was going on because I never told her. From her perspective, the most important person in her life just vanished from her life. I can see where she would think that but I was helping, just in the worst possible way. I kinda wish that I did it differently and just punched my friends for disrespecting my sister like they did." Leaning against her arm and elbow against the table now. "That flame is inside of me but I am not entirely sure how to get it back. I could talk to Eruda and say sorry but I really don't thing that something that simple would be enough. I fucked up big and I am not sure how to fix it Freyd..." A sigh as she stares down at the paper... "Really your correcting my grammar." Glancing at her map still seeing the blimps on the map she realized that there was 2 right where they sat. "So fitting," Looking around the room to make sure no one else was here as she raised a brow and sets eyes on Freyd. "So you failed to mention that you were one of those blimps on the map when tracking Nisa..."

[Freyd 0]

"No, I didn't.  It isn't technically me." 

Turning his hands to that the palms faced upwards, Freya would have recognized the pitch black nothingness that had become his hands.  Samael's Pride was subtle in some things, but not others.  A flick of his wrist breached the silver seal that separated his bun from oblivious vanished instantly, dooming the poor pastry to an eternity of devouring by something could never actually eat.  The void only knew infinite hunger, but hadn't a clue of how to digest.  Screeching was the tell.  Whenever its wards fell, first as a sword, then a staff, it revealed its inner nature.  Freyd always wondered whether it was a symbol or manifestation of his own.  But, to watch your own hands turn into literal emptiness, that could stir even the most stoic of souls.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you and your family, but most especially for the consequences that have harrowed you since.  Give your sister more credit.  She's tougher than you can imagine, and more forgiving.  And, that was the lesson of the wall: accept your past and the burdens it foists upon you.  They have made you who you are.  Never regret that.  Learn from it.  Use it.  Become better by it."

Flexing his hands into fists, Freyd reinstated the wards just in time to keep their list from falling into nothingness.  Turning and spreading his hands over the paper's weathered surface, he flattened the page once more.  His hands were nothing but hands again.

"I don't know who or what she is, Freya.  Maybe Fate.  Maybe not.  Probably not.  But she behaves like something that we have encountered before: a virus.  Now, viruses are just code trying to change other code.  Potentially, they are symbiotic, offering mutual benefit and synergy.  But they can also create monsters like Lun'Rael.  One might even label Cardinal as a form of digital parasite."

Leaning back caused his stomach to groan, expressing displeasure at the sacrifice of the lost honey bun.  Freyd chuckled softly in response, thinking over his notes in his head.

"Have you ever heard of the Tenth Man Rule?"

[Freya 0]

"Having time to think about everything and knowing what I do now, I do not regret a single thing that I have done. Everything in life, even in here has a consequence or a reward depending on the situation. Yes, I killed players, no people, but if I didn't, I would not be alive right now. I don't regret what I did back in high school because if I didn't disconnect from Eruda when I did, I would have most likely never been able to do what I had to protect her in a different way. In doing it that way I lost that flame but maybe it was because Eruda didn't know what was going on. She never knew what I was doing to those kids that bullied her or why it stopped so suddenly. I had to keep up appearances and I wasn't sure how Eruda would have felt about the way I was dealing with shit. That I guess was my bad, but I do not regret it. I will talk to her and see if that makes a difference." Taking a deep breath as she contemplates what Freyd just said.

"You could be right and I am on the same page. I use to think that Fate was completely bogus, but I have been thinking differently because of recent crap that has happened. Also Tekeshi, is that your real name or just an image still that you prefer to keep hidden?" Pushing that plate of honey roll to Freyd hearing his stomach growl, she chuckles a bit. "Also," she sits up in her chair to glance at the paper. "If you got a double ping that one time, and one from Sam or Simmone... Nisa or rather Tuatha mentioned that Gaius was there just before me... Tuatha was a real person at one point, Simmonè has proved that, but how is it that they are connected. Both Tuatha and Nisa were in that dream thing... Not a dream thing..." shaking her head... "They were both there and she made him vanish with just a twist of her hand. If they are connected, then how, and how is Tuatha here now... Is he a ghost??" Freya starts to think out loud, trying to figure out how it was all connected as she takes another roll and a sip of her coffee.

 

[Freyd 0]

"What even is a ghost?  Is it an after-image or an echo created from the memories of the living?  How is that really any different in the real world or in here?  They're just 'something else' that we don't understand.  Tuatha and other similar entities we've encountered could be nothing more than skinned bits of code wrapped in veneers of familiarity drawn from psych profile.  Hell, Cardinal could be hacking our brains.  Who knows that the Nerve Gear was truly capable of, given that it led to this.  It's hard to assume that Kayaba and his digital minions couldn't know us better than we know ourselves."

There is was: the very reason Freyd had buried himself in the back alleys of the Town of Beginnings for years before finally daring to venture forth, beyond the Marv.  It had taken that long for him to convince himself that Cardinal wasn't singling him out for retribution or punishment - to see that it maligned everyone evenly.  But that didn't mean it was harmless, or unbiased, or even just not evil.  He couldn't trust blindly, which was what Nisa was requesting.  Between the incident with Kyle, become trapped in Cardinal's hollow and witnessing the transformative curse of the Sundered Spire, his skepticism was well-founded.

"I can't just accept Nisa's words at face value, which makes me the natural candidate to be the tenth man - the devil's advocate whose duty is it to challenge accepted conventions.  Descartes would be proud: I am a doubting thing, and in here, even more so than in the real world, the only thing I can be sure of is that my senses can be fooled."  Where the hell had that come from?  Freyd groaned internally as snippets of past philosophy classes bled into his rant.  "Sorry.  Old habits die hard.  I had that stuff drilled into me when I was a kid."

The Whisper's features flickered, then shifted, as if his shadow had swallowed him whole, then spat him back out again.  Takeshi sat in his place. 

"This is me - who I was.  But it's really more him."  He points towards his own shadow, which waves back.  By the time Freya's gaze returned to Freyd, he was himself again, as if the other guy was a fleeting afterthought.  "We might consider just gathering everyone who has been 'touched' or otherwise contacted by her together and seeing what we can add to your list.  I'd rather have as many facts under our belts before we encounter her again."

[Freya 0]

"A person that has died and entered the afterlife... But that still makes no fucking sense why he is here in this game with Nisa... FFF," Freyja pushes the papers slightly forward on the table. Watching Freyd shift into Takeshi then back was a bit odd, but not unexpected in the least. To Freyja, Freyd seemed like a dude with three different people. Takeshi, which she was unsure what he was like, happy go lucky Freydo and then there is that dark side. It was an odd thing to think about, but in her mind it made sense. She has seen 3 completely different sides, yet she accepted Freyd as a friend. In more ways than one he seemed equally fucked up or more than Freyja was. It was sorta nice to have someone that understood what she was going through.

"You are probably not far of from the virus thing. There is just to many things that don't add up and it seems like the most likely thing at this moment. I really do want to believe its something more than just being that simple..." Leaning back in her chair now, glancing at the sheets that lay there. "Yeah, I think that it has come to that point too. We should interview them singly, though. So that they don't feel so overwhelmed with what we are going to ask them. Go down the list of people starting with Eruda, that we know is involved in some way. Even if they deem us crazy after this, at least we will know what they know. Maybe we will finally get some answers this way..."

Opening her HUD she starts a message to her sister.

To: Eruda From: Freya Please come to the Guild Hall, Freyd and I need to ask you some questions.

A chime of her HUD as the message was sent, "And now we wait" saying as she takes a sip of her lukewarm coffee.

[Eruda 0]

In the snow, completely out of breath. Eruda was practicing what Kasumi had taught her. Eventually she would get her balance sturdy enough to try this on the ice. Leaning against a tree, head back, eyes closed, as sweat drips down her forehead. Taking a deep inhale with a slow exhale, with her mist coming from her mouth from the cold. It really didn't bother her, she was hot blooded. A chime of her HUD, it was early, wondering who it was. Lifting her head as she sees a message from Freya. "Hmm... I wonder what this is about." Sending a quick message back saying she would be there in a few minutes. She would go back home and take a shower first. 

Hair still damp as she didn't bother brushing it, pushing it out of her face with a hand as she walks into the Firm Anima building. A sun dress worn as her eyes peer at the two sitting at the table. "So what questions do you need to ask me?" Pulling out a chair as the duo's were sitting where her and Raidou usually sat. Eyeing the notes that sat in front of them both as she became curious.

Spoiler

Eruda, The Blazing Lily
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 39
HP: 820/820
EN: 94/94

Stats:
Damage: 8
Mitigation: 179
Battle Healing: 45
BRN: 56
BRN IMMUNE
FL. AURA: 16
FL. THRN: 8
REC: 8
TAUNT
THRNS: 72

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Consuming Pyre - Surt T4: (Burn 2, Taunt)
Armor: Reinforced Plate - Lily T4 Demonic: Flame Aura 2, Flameproof, Recovery 1
Misc: Stalwart Defender T4 Demonic: (Thorns 2, Recovery 1, Flame Thorns 1)

Skills:
Curved Sword R5
Heavy Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Fighting Spirit
Howl

Addons:
Iron Skin
Focus
Rampart
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Block R5
Concentration
Survival

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal x1
Crippling Composition - Lullaby [T1/Rare/Debuff/Instant] -2 Accuracy x5
Crippling Composition - Lullaby [T1/Rare/Debuff/Instant] -2 Accuracy x5
Flash of Rejuvenation [T1/Perfect/Crystal] Mass Heal x5

Housing Buffs:
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.

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.

 

[Freyd 0]

"Hello Eruda," Freyd began, casually, his knee up on the chair as leaned deep against the seatback, partially slouched or possibly seeking to hide within its confines.  One could never be sure when it came to the Whisper's intentions.  "Thank you very much for joining us."  A black gloves hand offered her a seat from any of the many available options.  Waiting for her to take whichever caught her fancy, Freyd's gaze traced every motion in silence from beneath the shadows of his cowl.

"Freya and I have been swapping stories about recent adventures, and the same figure and name keeps popping up; Nisa."  He paused, gauging her reaction, but knowing full well her familiarity with it.  "We've both had encounters with her, some in real life and others in the strangeness of dream.  We also had a good conversation about her, you and I, while escorting what's-his-face from Fortazela to find his hidden treasures on floor five.  She gave you a white lily, as I recall.  Do you still have it?  Also, has the burning sensation you described in your chest persisted?"  

Freyd's gaze shifted to Freya as he spoke.  Her recent description of her own feelings about a snuffed flame, combined with the significance of the lily as a symbol within the context of their exploration on the subject of viruses were more than a little coincidental.  He'd even noted the mention of lilies, at the time, without realizing its potential significance: Lun'Rael's final defeat had just occurred.  The ever-reincarnating mob, know as the Lily, then the Crimson Lily, had finally been defeated, and then the same flower passed to Eruda by Nisa's hands, rekindling a flame.  The timing also fit too conveniently for his liking.  Fate?  Not likely, but events could be planned.  Eruda had accepted a gift. Freya had accepted Tuatha, out of desperation. Had he bound himself in the same by wielding Samael's Pride?  

"There a puzzle in play - a big and complicated one, and this woman is clearly connected to every part of it.  Freya and I are trying to weave together the threads we can see, and hopefully find some more.  Anything you can offer, by way of additional information, would be much appreciated."

Something flashed behind his eyes.

"Do you still have that flower?"

[Eruda 0]

This was about Morrighan, she couldn't help but smile. 'Can I see that paper," holding out a hand, Freya nods and gives her the info that they have come up with. Glancing at this, reading through what they have gathered, "I would like to start by saying I can assure you that Nisa is not a threat to our guild. From what I know she is a direct attack on the Cardinal system for this unjust game." A pause as she sets the page down. Leaning back in her chair as she combs her hair back from her face. "That lily I mentioned to you Freyd, I do have sort of. That burning sensation that I have it a direct connection to that. The moment I took that Lily from her grasp, it burst into flames and that is when this feeling I have started. That dream that you state, I can assure you that it was as real as us sitting here right now." Right then she lifts her right hand, a small blue flame lights within her palm. "Something that you also both need to know is that I have formed a contract with Morrighan, a messenger as she had called you Freyd, we are one in the same like that." Another pause to watch their reaction to such words as she closes her hand into a fist causing the flame to disappear.

"Ghost keeps popping up in your text. We like to think of them as souls, one with a heroic act and a certain courage and strength of thy heart before passing, will live on through Morrighan. I am not sure what it was like for you or our guild mates when meeting with Morrighan if it even occurred for them, but I saw and heard her very clearly. It even went as far as Tuatha," a glance at Freya, "and our sister Anna..." a small breath, "appearing in that same chamber that was holding me back. That blond hair that we keep seeing from Shiina, Anna is able to walk in this world because of Shiina. That is why our father was so distracted that one time by Shiina's transformation because he was seeing Anna. It was the same for you, an extreme event happened, a piece of Morrighan was sent to you Freya to keep you standing."

Reading through more of those notes, trying to correct what was written. "Freya, that conversation that we had about your burnt out flame, I saw that you were unsure at the time. Simply because I did not give you a straight answer. I was shocked, the best way to put it. I forgive you Freya, for everything. What you did, made me stronger. I would have not come into this game if it was not for you Freya. Nothing that I have gained from this would have ever happened. Everything happens for a reason. I whole heartily believe in fate." Eruda could see tears starting to swell up in her sister's eyes. Eruda just smiles.  

"Those dots on the map are most likely Nisahime's soul splits which happened during the Tanabana event. That meteor shower we saw, I couldn't take my eyes off of it. By us, our guild gathering those pieces, those souls. Who knows what will happen. But it is only the strong willed and courageous of hearts that can hold such forms inside, she is here to help, pure and simple. By believing in fate herself and forming a contract, she will give us the strength to get out of this unjust game. Morrighan does not think that Kayaba would let us out any other way. We need every advantage that we can get and this, this is a huge one." Eruda watches their reactions as she find Freya in a shocked state... She couldn't help but smile.  

[Freyd 0]

He sat, unmoving, listening, yet slouched with his spindly black fingers interlaced in his lap before him.  What at first appeared to be relaxed reclining soon resembled a withdrawn, distanced poise, like a wary spider prepared to pounce if its web was inconveniently wobbled.  Freyd's expression never changed as she spoke.  The slightly jovial curl remained in his eyes, and at the edges of his lips, but the wheels inside were spinning like one of Willy Wonka's contraptions, ready to explode.

"What proof can you offer to confirm your assurance that she is no threat to this guild or the players of Aincrad?  How do you know this, or that she is a direct attack against Cardinal?"  The machine between his ears was screaming, internally, yeeting error codes resulting from its insistence of faulty logic or figments presented as facts.  Freyd, amazingly, preferred to give his friend the benefit of the doubt and an opportunity to explain.  That's what Montjoy would do.  He had to willfully restrain his breathing when she mentioned the lily and Nisa's reference to them both as her 'Messengers.'  A torrent of antivirus pop-ups spawned in his head, screaming about risks of contamination and corruption.  He ignored them.

The leather seat creaked loudly as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table to listen intently at the news of Shiina, Anna and Griswold.  Shrewd eyes puzzled jagged bits of data together, weaving a tapestry in his mind, with threads made of people and the stories of their lives, including beyond Aincrad.  Even as Eruda professed her faith in Fate, he remained unmoved.  It was his nature to doubt.

"Tanabata..." he muttered, echoing her connection to the meteor shower, which had ended with... Skalaugh.  Those were his formative days.  Freyd had been too busy blunting a Sundered Spire vanguard in the woods around Coral to really notice, though he'd heard it was a wonder to behold.  Fragments.  Lilies.  Rebirth.  A flame, rekindled.  The symbolism was too prominent to ignore.  The dots fit, whether he liked that they did, or not.

"I'm exceedingly well-versed in contracts, Eruda.  They rely, first and foremost, on a simple principle of consideration.  Putting it another way: both sides have to get something out of the deal.  So, if we're receiving strength, or some form of blessing, what does she get out of the deal?"

For a moment, the urge to put his red eyes back on nearly overwhelmed him.  That same paralyzing paranoia that had kept him locked up in the back alleys of Town of Beginning, bound by his own irrational fears, threatened to take over.  Montjoy, cast against the cold stone at his side, turned towards his master, stricken with sudden and grave concerns.

[Eruda 0]

"-Think of it naught of possession, but an extra set of hands to help you pick yourself up and carry on.- This is something that Morrighan said to me when I asked about the guild. We are still us, it just maxes out our power that is within us to its fullest capability. I cannot make you believe in fate Freyd, but I can tell you what I've been through since that day that I met her." Turning her eyes to her sister. "Why don't you go collect yourself. I do not want to overwhelm you with information. I know how you can get," Freya wipes her eyes, she was clearly emotional. Eruda knew how much she had wanted to meet Anna and how much they were both looking forward to it once the got out of this game. Eruda was a bit bothered by it, but she knew that Anna was in a better place and from what she was told, Anna wouldn't have it any other way. Freya gets up from her chair glances at Freyd saying "Sorry, I uuh... Need a minute..." Walking out those doors, Eruda waits about a minute when she knew that Freya was gone. Looking to Freyd now with a more serious demeanor.

"I have already told you by getting that flame, that constant burning sensation in my chest, I gained my voice. I have no doubts about anything that I use to, and if I speak on behalf of something that I am passionate about it will either get through or tossed aside but I know that in my heart I said the right thing. It may sound silly, but I am not afraid to speak my mind anymore." Eruda knew that Ruri might be somewhere in this building, but it was not her concern, because she was there when the conversation between her and Raidou took place. "I felt like Raidou was hiding something, some of what he had told me was not adding up and I wanted to know what..." Readjusting in her chair, pulling a leg up, she had shorts under her dress. "I made him angry amongst other things and he told me that he loved me, that he could not involve me with something of extreme measures, he loved me too much to hurt me like that."

Biting her bottom lip as she thought about that day like it just happened yesterday, but it had been weeks. "That was when I knew that I had to keep pushing, but I saw that transformation of his with Jubilex. I was not scared in the slightest and that is when I touched Raidou's face. It was almost like Jubilex felt that extreme set of emotions and acted without command." Those sad, sad eyes of his peering from that goo that shaped his form. "The moment that I touched Raidou, Jubilex tried to latch to me, but fell into a pile a black slimed liquid on the floor instead, it reformed into a slime on the ground next to us. Watching, smiling... It left Raidou speechless. I could tell that Raidou was in so much pain, but also full of so many different mixed emotions. After that we had a very long conversation about some things."

"The point is Freyd, I got through to Raidou and you know how stubborn he can be first hand. I would have not been able to do this without Morrighan's help Freyd. I would have normally been terrified seeing something like from Raidou but I wasn't. Something in me has shifted at a bigger level and I feel it, everyday waiting for something larger that life to happen. I have felt more alive in this game, right now, than I ever have in my entire life. You cannot get that feeling from something that would be evil. It would be an entirely different feeling, more or less the craving of ones death or pure power, but nothing else. I am telling you that I know for sure with every bone in my body and with my heart that Morrighan is not by any means evil. She is on our side Freyd..." A deep breath was given, "If you can't believe in fate herself, then believe in me. You will not regret it, I promise..."

Edited November 27, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

“When a cold tells me that it’s a nasal lubrication agent, I don’t believe it.  Whoever or whatever she is, and what her actual intentions may be, we have only her words to go on.  Words can lie.  Code can lie, if programmed to do so.  All that I can believe, so far, is that she’s bits of code drawn from sources that could very well be ourselves, and our friends, even our loved ones.  You may be prepared to take the chance that she is sincere.  I cannot.  I must not.”

He reclined again, disengaging by body language and signaling to Eruda that he remained unconvinced, yet continued to listen, especially drawn to her comments about Raidou.

“Love.”  The word was spoken as a pregnant statement under his breath, as if a verbal concoction of frustration and wonder, and its cause and consequence undecided.

“What was it that Raidou had hidden from you?”  The way he said it suggested that he already knew.  Eruda would know that the Whisper was privy to innumerable secrets.  It sounded like a test, to see if she would be willing to share.

“Curious.”  Another statement born into limbo, or the void, lacking attachment to context.  Freyd had never even considered making contact with the strange symbiote that seemed to both exaggerate and constrain the Wanderer’s considerable passions. Nor had the strange creature ever showed any interest in him.  Curious, indeed.  Another mystery brought up amidst a conversation that would lead to him choosing his own fate.

"You have always had my trust, Eruda.  You earned it all those days ago when I witnessed you first howl against the Hoya, the first time we ever met.  While I appreciate your appeal, my trust in Nisahime is not a matter based on me trusting you.  It is about whether I can be convinced to trust her, her goals and intentions.  They remain too clouded for my liking, and too sinister in potential.  I will reserve my judgement until I hear from the others she has touched."

[Eruda 0]

Getting up from her chair with a smile. "That is not something I can discuss, I will not dishonor the trust that he has put in me. I do suggest though if you want to know, you talk to him as I have. He will need Allies," a voice that was yet to be heard from Eruda. A mix between understanding and wishful thinking that Freyd would at least consider this. Walking toward the door with her head hung a bit low, she starts thinking about that event that was mentioned.

"I have one more thing to add. The reason why I started really believing it fate in general. Not the person, not Morrighan but everything happens for a reason statement. Those wishes that I hung at that event a very long time ago, I wrote what I deemed nearly impossible from the way I was before. Everything that I wrote on those cards came true. More so from the recent events that has transpired. I understand why you feel the way you do about it all, I would like to think that you heard something out of what was spoken..." A sigh, as she opens the door and meets Freya face to face. A smile given, as she walks past her sister. Continuing her day, with a few errands that needed to get done.

Edited November 28, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

Entranced in the comfort of solitude, for a moment before Freya would return, Freyd's gaze lingered on the void left by Eruda's departure, like an imprint of her soul had been left behind to be read by those gifted with the right, arcane sight.  The irony of her request, met by her own refusal to reciprocate, did little to enhance her arguments.  If anything, she had only proved Freyd's point.  Faith... trust... goes both ways.  But her advice was telling in its own way.  Raidou's talent for deflection rivaled his own.  That she had managed to pierce it and pin him down amounted to no small achievement.  Eruda had clearly found her voice and it burned with indignation at the mere notion that her words could be denied.  It spoke volumes to the Whisper.  His fellow captain definitely did more than dither with plants in his spare time, and enough pings from the shadows told of the Wanderer's frequent wanderings.  They revealed a pattern that might be construed and deciphered like an alchemical formula: a routine of mundane normalcy not at all in keeping with a mundane man.  It was too practiced.  The time for that conversation would come, but not yet.  Nisa remained the bigger fish, which was telling.

"Isn't it amazing," he started, as Freya re-entered the room, recognition of identity born in the rhythm and tone of her footfalls, "how those most gifted in faith will clutch to convenient coincidence as universal truth, yet stubbornly refuse to trust others with equal blindness when confronted with an equivalent choice?"  Too wordy, he scolded himself.  Stop trying to sound smart and speak plain.  "That wasn't like your sister, but seems in keeping with her recent changes, and this thing about your family flame.  I wonder if that isn't a greater clue to Nisa's influence, overall."

Freyd sighed.  Eruda's response had been predictable, and he was moderately insulted that she had dared make such a request without a willingness to reciprocate.  She had failed his test of faith.  But, he never believed that she would succeed, and the people behaving predictably was no cause for a grievance.  Another gambit launched by his words, these ones aimed at the twin.

"Are you alright?"  Concern slipped into his voice, as he turned to look upon Eruda's mirror.  "I take it that you weren't ready for the details of her revelation?"

Halt your pursuit for but a moment, inquisitor, and take care to remember the needs of a friend.  Or, at the very least, don't be an ass, if you can help it.

[Freya 0]

Before she could say a word, her sister was gone. "I really wasn't.." walking back to the table, grabbing her coffee. Taking the last sip, "Refresh on caffeine?" Freyd simple nods as she walks through a door that mimicked a kitchen that she was all to familiar with. Brewing coffee as she leans against the counter. Freyja didn't know what to think about any of it. Her best thoughts came from just talking about the issue at hand. Taking a deep breath as she makes up those cups and walks back out. Sitting in that chair next to Freyd, setting the goodness down in front of him while taking a drink of her own. Silence falls into the room as she sits there for a moment thinking. 

Turning in the chair locking eyes with her friend. "Eruda has changed so fast in so little time, as have I." A pause, taking another sip, "I don't not think that Eruda is wrong, it just seems like she didn't know how to get it all out on paper. That influence, it sorta seems like Morrighan takes that passion they already have and dials it up to 100%. With this being said I do not believe that we are wrong either. There is very valid pointers between us all, but this is why we are here. To match and find information that is not known yet." The split, the dead flame, the meteor shower, Anna... "I think that we need more information." Without turning her head away, her eyes peer down.

Freya was mixed on pretty much everything. Shit had happened to her that makes Freyja want to believe, but at the same she was being pulled in the other direction. She believes that shit don't happen unless you make it happen and it couldn't be just as simple as Fate telling her how it was. Was that even the case... Freya at this point is highly confused and needed to know more before making that final decision... 

Edited November 28, 2021 by Freya

[Freyd 0]

Silence as the Whisper struggles to fathom with how best to take on such a disparately scattered mystery.  He would normally prefer to gather evidence in isolation, but it felt like he was chasing a match for something that had grown into a bonfire.  This was too slow, and taking too long.  His attention was needed in too many places to the detriment of any given single issue.  Fingers rapped against the redwood table before them.  

"You're right."  Fingers paused mid-rap, a quirk of confusion at the eureka tone in his voice.  "No, Freya, you you're absolutely right.  Think about it: Eruda's sudden confidence, your own passions in flux over Tuatha and his aftermath, Simmone's composure fractured by the same, Celeste's rage unusually focused, the sudden rash of hookups, even Rai's increasingly conflicted moods.  I've been looking for a pattern in reasons, but the pattern may lay more in the guise of passions."  Fervor filled his words as he spoke, like a sleuth stumbling over a promising lead and provoked to furious action to resolve what seemed like a dead-end case.

To: Firm Anima From: Freyd This is going to sound weird, but I'm playing a hunch.  If any of the following mean anything to you, please come to the guild hall immediately, and let me know why. A white-haired woman (seen in life or in dreams) Nisahime Morrighan Promises made from or to Fate A recent surge of ghosts, visions, or other formative memories from your past, including before you entered SAO. Apologies for the cryptic nature of this message, but I believe it best to let each person reveal their perspective without bias.  We need the truth.  Firm Anima's future, even all of Aincrad's,  may rest on the telling of it. (Marked urgent)

"We're gonna cut to the chase, and hopefully pick up some ground.  And if this fails, I'm going to hunt her down and get answers myself."

[Freya 0]

"Celeste and Raidou too. Damn..." Watching Freyd compose a message and sending it. Her HUD chimes, opening up the message so she knew the content. Freyja's eyes widen, "Damn straight to the point." Sitting upright in her chair, she cleans up the papers on the table that got scattered around. "I wonder if people will take this seriously. At this point it is really no joke." Freyja was really 50/50 on it all and she wanted those answers, just as much as Freyd did. It was a bit extreme to send out a guild wide message, but maybe that was what needed to be done to get to the bottom of this. If this didn't work like they planned, then he would be going after her directly, she didn't know if she should be there for that but only time would tell for sure. Suddenly a message comes in through the chat. It was Raidou, of course it was. Freyja and Freyd both open their HUD check. They locked eyes with each other, "Let's get this shit figured out."  

Thread Complete:

8354/30=278*5=1390 EXP
8354/300=28 Seeds

Freya:
1390*8=11120*1.25=13900 EXP
28 Seeds

Freyd:
1390*13=18070*1.25=22587 EXP
28 Seeds

Eruda:
1390*7=9730*1.25=12162 EXP
28 Seeds

Simmonè (Guild Treasurer):
13900*.15=2085 Col (Freya)
22587*.15=3388 Col (Freyd)
12162*.15=1824 Col (Eruda)
400
Total Col: 2085+3388+1824+400=7697*1.3=10006 Col

10*1.5=15 Materials (Freya)
10*1.5=15 Materials (Eruda)
Total: 30 Materials

T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #202354a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #202354b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #202354c

Tags:
Freya:
ID:202349 | Battle:2, Craft:1, Loot:18
ID:202350 | Battle:10, Craft:9, Loot:19
ID:202351 | Battle:1, Craft:5, Loot:13
Tags 1
10 materials, +5% EXP to the party

Freyd:
ID:202360 | Battle:10, Craft:3, Loot:6
ID:202361 | Battle:6, Craft:7, Loot:20
ID:202362 | Battle:5, Craft:3, Loot:9
Tag 0

Eruda:
ID:202353 | Battle:3, Craft:10, Loot:5
ID:202354 | Battle:9, Craft:10, Loot:15
ID:202355 | Battle:3, Craft:7, Loot:13
Tags 2
10 materials, +5% EXP to the party, 
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #202354a
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #202354b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield #202354c

Edited November 28, 2021 by Freya