[Pt-PP-F11] Black Bile

[Mari 1]

It had been around three days since she last spoke to Freyd. The first day he followed her around, constantly checking in on her and making sure she was okay. She only had the one coughing fit - it seemed their nights spent talking and planning helped curb some of her gemini’s attempts to escape. Freyd finally let her have her space - with the promise that Mari would track every single coughing fit, even if no bile came from it. He needed to spend time with Elora. And Mari, being a solitary creature, needed time to think on her own without a doting friend  following her around.

It was funny… just a few days ago…Mari didn’t have a ‘happy place’ Now, she did - in a way? It wasn’t exactly a happy place, but one she looked on favourably. Just over a day ago it was where she had her last encounter with Lancaster. Lancaster… an interesting character to be sure. Someone she kept finding herself drawn to, someone who did nothing but shower her in cfompliments - who despite all the warnings, and knowledge that they shouldn’t even be around each other couldn’t help but be drawn. Like moths to a flame.

                                                                  Anima gemella

So…

Mari picked here. A small clearing on the 11th floor, a half hour walk from Taft, just off the beaten path. There was once a circle of flowers, but they were gone. Replaced with charred earth. In typical Aincrad fashion new life was already growing. It was pretty.. Little green blades of grass and flower buds pushing up from the darkened earth. Mari sat, surprisingly calmly on a large, flat rock that hung over the field. Clearly a spot designed to sit and view the once vibrant flowers. There Mari sat, one leg up to her chest, the other splayed out straight. She was wearing the plague jacket, but not completely. It hung loosely on her shoulders. Smelling of sulfur and acrid chemical, a scent she was used to but knew Freyd wasn’t. 

Freyd…

Mari opened up her messaging system.
 

Quote

To: Freyd
From: Mari
Subject (None)
Here are the coordinates to a place I have fond memories of XXYYZZ,
I’m here now.

 

Once the message was sent Mari drew in a deep breath. She felt…oddly peaceful despite what was inevitably going to happen. She thrummed her fingers against her knee. The nerves were beginning to kick in…would it be as bad as last time?

Would she pass out? Would her gemini try to hurt Freyd?
Maybe this was a bad idea…

No…No she had to do this. She had to do this before things got out of control. Redemption was something Mari wanted to do. But she knew her chances of survival were slim to none. Especially with whatever sickness was stirring within her. This would be different. This time she had friends she could rely on and reach out to. This time Freyd would be there. They had a plan. All Mari had to do was wait.


Vanity tag: @Lancaster HURHRUR
 

Mari | HP: 960/960 | EN: 130/130 | DMG: 21 | MIT:44 | ACC:5 | AA | EVA:4 | BH:53 | BLI: 32/-20 | ENV-O: 32 | PARA-V | LD:1

 

Spoiler

 

 

Name: Mari True Tier: 10 Level: 34 Paragon Level: 63 HP: 960/960 EN: 130/130 Stats: Damage: 21 Mitigation: 44 Accuracy: 5 Evasion: 4 Battle Healing: 53 Loot Die: 1 Stealth Rating: 5 AA BLI: 32/-20 ENV-O: 32 PARA-V Equipped Gear: Weapon/Armor/Trinket: - Paralytic Contagion | T4 | Absolute ACC I | Paralytic Venom I | Envenom OFF I | Blight I Armor/Trinket: - Infernal Shadow-Redemption | T4 | EVA III | MIT I Shield/Armor/Trinket: - Glasses | T1 | ACC III Combat Mastery: - Combat Mastery: Damage R3 Combat Shift: - AOE Shift Familiar Skill: - Rending Familiar Custom Skill: - Skills: - Battle Healing R5 - Charge - Cloth Armor R5 - Energist - Polearm R5 Extra Skills: - Survival - Hiding R5 - First Aid R3 Inactive Extra Skills: Addons: - Focus - Nimble - Precision - Resolve - Stamina Mods: - Athletics - Night Vision - Surpise Attack: Trickster - Untraceable - Vanish Inactive Mods: Battle Ready Inventory: Housing Buffs: - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Guild Hall Buffs: Scents of the Wild Totem: Wedding Ring: Crafting Profession: - Alchemist[exp] R10 Gathering Profession:

 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Mari

[Freyd 0]

Pantry restocked, dust bunnies hunted to extinction, dried wood and kindling freshly chopped and stacked, Freyd was surprised by how much effort such a small house required after so long an absence. Devoting his uniquely obsessive resolve to housekeeping ensured the results were beyond meticulous.  He'd even left a stash of Hollandaise and honey buns in a basket on the counter and a note under her sheltered mirror that read: 'It's here when you're ready.'

Time spent with Elora had taught him to value the simpler pleasures of domestic life and how the littlest touches could hold power beyond imagination.  Every bit of linen had been laundered, freshly folded or spread - no mean feat on a frozen floor that never thawed.  There was even a sprig of fresh daffodils left on her pillow for whenever she next returned, the flowers first to bloom and mark Winter's segway into Spring.  This was Mari's home and should bring her the warmth and happiness which she'd been denied, by choice and circumstance alike.  An air of renewal was overdue.

Locking up from inside, Freyd stepped through shadow to leave her home as secured as possible.  It had taken him a whole morning just to repair the lock he'd busted open with a swift kick fueled by flaring desperation.  Barely finished reprovisioning in Urbus, the Whisper was about to head home himself.  Three days was a long time to be away from reams of regular activities best kept beyond the realms of  public awareness and scrutiny.  So much in play at all times.  So much secret scheming and maneuvering.  So many pieces in play across a thousand, thousand boards.  It had been nice to set it all aside, even for the briefest of sojourns through the valley of normalcy.

Another message, instantly flagged by filter settings set to monitor for a certain sender.  

"Hrm.  Sooner than expected, but probably best not to leave things to linger longer."  Groceries would keep in his inventory.  Staring with sudden longing at the comforting wisps of lazily drifting smoke from his distant home in the misty valley below.  Freyd sent word to Elora.  He'd be a short while longer, but promised to make it up to her with dinner when he returned.  The raid looming.  She would understand.

"That woman is too good for me."

Denying himself her succor, Freyd turned back the way he came.  Storm clouds were brewing on the horizon, crackling with pending precipitous anger. Staring at them a second, blue eyes searching for meaning where none was to be found, a flick of resolve from his wrist snapped his cowl back into place.  He'd take the long way to Taft, heading for the portal plaza and forsaking the void for a change.  Facing Mari's demons also meant facing his own, again.  Not something to be relished or rushed into with all the skeletons still cluttering his layered closet full of closets.

*Sigh*

"It's going to be one of those days, Montjoy.  I can feel it in my bones."

***

Note: CS (Shades of the Gemini) and CSA (Beckon the Void) are in use.  If any other player objects to these, please state in first post and it will be considered inactive.

GUILD RANK 5 (+5% col, +5% EXP)

Freyd | HP: 1360/1360 | EN: 168/168 | DMG: 21 | MIT:152 | ACC:4 | AA  | F-SPIRIT | EVA:2 | BH:75 | VAMP-D: 75 | HLY: 16 | FRZ: 64 | LD:5

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, Bara no kuro kishi
True Tier: 20
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 159
HP: 1360/1360
EN: 168/168

Stats:
Damage: 21
Mitigation: 152
Accuracy: 4
Evasion: 2
Battle Healing: 75
Loot Die: 4
Stealth Rating: -5
AA VAMP-D: 75 HLY: 16 FRZ: 64
Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Memento Mori | T4 | AA | FREEZE | HOLY II
Armor/Trinket: 
  - Negare Omnia | T4 HA | MIT III | VD I
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Night Shades | T3 Trinket | ACC III | EVA I

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - AOE Shift

Familiar Skill:
  - Grappling Familiar

Custom Skill:
  - Shades of the Gemini (CS)
  - Beckon the Void (CSA)

Skills:
  - Battle Healing R5
  - Charge
  - Energist
  - Extended Mod Limit
  - Extended Weight Limit
  - Fighting Spirit
  - Heavy Armor R5
  - Howl
  - Katana R5
  - Quick Change
  - Searching R4

Extra Skills:
  - Disguise
  - Survival
  - First Aid R5

Inactive Extra Skills:
  - Meditation
  - Forgotten King's Authority
  - Lady Luck
  - Photosynthesize
  - Brawler
  - Assault Mode
  - Frozen Hide
  - Hiding R2

Addons:
  - Field Medic
  - Focus
  - Focused Howl
  - Hyperactive
  - Iron Skin
  - Precision
  - Reveal
  - Stamina

Mods:
  - Barrier
  - Detect
  - Emergency Recovery
  - Impetus
  - Night Vision
  - Purify
  - Tracking

Inactive Mods:
  - Untraceable

Battle Ready Inventory:
  - Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Bear Trap (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable 1/thread) x1
  - Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+10% HP) x7
  - Meathook (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Ordsea Crystal-B (Reusable 1/combat) x1
  - Teleport Crystals x7
  - Tue Light Lantern (+1 ACC, +1 LD to party) x1
  - Veritas | T4 Katana) | AA, PVO I, VO I, Taunt x1

Housing Buffs:

  - Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
  - Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.
  - Extended Workshop: +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
  - Ornate Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to fishing attempts.
  - Dining Hall: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed. Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
  - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Guild Hall Buffs: [Firm Anima] 

  - Guild Hall II: Allows a Guild the ability to create up to two Guild Quests. Narratively, it also allows players to teleport back to the Guild Territory when using Teleport Crystals.  
  - Storage Vault: Allows a guild to create a Storage Vault in their Guild Page. Members can use this thread to store and withdraw items. Any items that have trading restrictions cannot be moved to a Storage Vault.
  - Trading Hall III: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (9+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters and Rank 4 merchants/performers receive +1 crafting/identification attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters and Rank 5 merchants/performers receive +5 crafting/identification attempts per day. Appraisers gain an initial additional reroll per identified item at no cost.
  - Treasury: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.
  - Laboratory I: Once per charge, when receiving single-use consumables from Quest Rewards, if a Guild Treasurer were to receive additional tokens, one guild member may claim 1 x (Additional Token / 2) copies of the consumable.
  - Bureau II: Once per charge, if two or more Guild members are present in a thread, allow two dungeons to be spawned/explored in that thread, regardless of Dungeon-searching cooldowns. This buff may only apply once per thread.
  - Library I: Once per charge, if a Storyteller is eligible to claim a Guild Token, their character gains +10% bonus EXP at the end of the thread. This buff may only apply once per thread.
- Armory II: Once per charge, players may submit a Skill Refund evaluation regardless of the 30 day cooldown window. In addition to Armory buffs, when submitting a Skill Refund evaluation, guild members have the option to pay an additional Token to refund up to 30 additional SP.
- Menagerie III: Guild members undertaking <<Feeding Your Enemy>> gain +1 LD to familiar searching rolls and +1 to familiar taming rolls. In addition to Menagerie II buffs, the maximum number of familiars guild members can tame narratively is five (5). Guild officials may also appoint a familiar mascot, shared between their guild members to accompany them narratively in their threads.

Scents of the Wild Totem:
  - Tanos
Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
 - Appraising[3478exp] R5
Gathering Profession:
 - Fishing[576exp] R5
 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Freyd