Freyd

"Well, to be fair," he began, grateful for her tender touch, yet also impressed by the sheer wall of gathered goods arrayed against them, "my shop actually used to be my backyard, and surrounded by a zombie-infested wilderness. It didn't feel right leaving all of this stuff stacked out in the open in Urbus, when I relocated. And you wouldn't want to see everything else I already keep in my inventory." Sheepishly scratching at his own bearded grimace, Freyd hesitated momentarily. "I might also have stirred the old Angel's Point mess on purpose, occasionally, just to drive Quip crazy an

That she didn't simply dismiss his philosophical musings spoke volumes, but she'd already proven the sharpness of her wit and mind by their interactions to date. Few rose so quickly in the Whisper's esteem. Even the formal tone by which she transacted with this world had loosened, likely the result of peril shared. Life did that when it rattled you and another in the same cage. If there was common ground between all Aincrad's players, that was most likely the vector to find it. Some, sadly, would simply never bother listening. "This place reminds me of a sociology experiment I heard

As Kandy charged, forcing the sand shark to veer wide to avoid her spear, Eulogy and Sable both found purchase and pride as they plunged their weapons into the beast's thick hide. Blood spurted across the sands as Terra Firma frenzied, its giant gnashing maw chomping its way into overdrive in a most terrifying way. His last blow had hurt it, but also left him exposed. Freyd knew the drill, and how much the system loved as temptingly vulnerable target. That was the whole point. Thrashing wildly as its slapped away the other players with sheer bulk, the mutant sand shark flailed itself

"Yue Hua?" He seemed surprised and caught slightly off guard by the drastic change in her appearance. "I suppose this explains some of your distaste for the desert, but also much more common ground with Xena than I might have previously thought." She might have thought him just as much in costume by the beard and added bleaching of his nominally unruly mop, the black having been inexplicably drained to white by Callisto's near-fatal blow. "D&D, you say?" Brow furrowed yet buoyed by a broadening smile as he picked up his preferred molds of prismatic forms for inspection. "I haven't

ph *** 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. Note: Freyd has previously completed this quest. Freyd consumes: Gungir’s Shard (Untradeable/Unique/Reusable Consumable): Smokin' Hot Honey Bun Tray | ACC 2 | EVA 2 | Feast (6/6) + [ACC filled] Freyd | HP: 1300/1300 | EN: 162/162 | DMG: 21 | MIT:152 | ACC: 7 | F-SPIRIT | EVA: 4 | BH:72 | VAMP-D: 72 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | LD:5

Preoccupied by the fog of war waging its way through the backalleys of his own mind, Freyd was moving on instinct, following steps retraced a thousand times over through the thinning crowds and familiar streets of the Town of Beginnings. He'd been to the Hummingbard more times than he could count, knew the way like the back of his hand, even having tried it in his sleep once or twice, though that was more often on the return trip after his business had been concluded. Thus it was, with great surprise, that he found himself standing in some place utterly and complete not where he expected to

Sheer determination drove him, tempered by care that no action might further endanger the poor souls within, Player and NPCs alike. Lines and distinctions faded daily, wrapping around each other like the din of steel on stone to create the background fleshing out the meat of their digital existence. Ever since the first clues and evidence found of the accursed Sundered Spire, a noobish, fledgling Freyd had struggled to think of mobs as naught but disposable things. Especially if they could remember their treatment at players' hands. Some had. Some did. Ferocious conviction in that belief

A wry smile was Xena's only reward, this particular case of cat and mongoose having played out over several recent escapades. Too many raids had gone horribly lethally wrong to be spreading that kind of information around freely. If she kept pressing, he'd have to make up some intricate lie for her to feast upon, enough to sate the woman's relentless curiosity. From Pollux's comments, he managed to discern her trade as an alchemist, making mental note to add her to the list when his potion and crystal stock ran low. Finding a reliable source could prove difficult, especially in the rus

"Sticking to the shadow, eh? Good. That might actually make it easier to spot." Whoever or whatever this thing was had chosen to conceal itself in that which was brightest and most vivid in his sights, save a certain green beacon whose guiding light had always steered him right. But she was already visible, having laid herself bare, in heart and soul, beyond anything he might ever have hoped. Even as Elora followed him into the quaint and cozy depths of their handcrafted home, Freyd scoured every nook, cranny, crack, crevice and hole that might somehow conceal an intruder. Plumbing the v

"Am I okay? What the fuck was that thing!?" All things considered, he thought it quite reasonable a question, even if his eyes had widened more than he'd meant and voice cracked awkwardly in the process. Elora was worried about ghosts and ghouls of a brand you might find in advertisements for children's breakfast cereal, but he'd encountered far worse in this world. Freyd's version of Aincrad carried perils the likes of which would terrify most players by their horrific natures and motives alike. Having just come from a newly unlocked floor entirely overcome by nightmares wasn't exactly h

"Up until Mina addressed you, I thought you were just a manifestation of the custom skill. My own shadow has been strangely silent after the raid." Unphased by the comment, any response of speculation remained locked tight behind an inscrutable facade. Not because it wasn't a fair point. Freyd was just too uncertain about his own fate to offer any real insights, and that was gnawing at him. Whispers like secrets. They also dislike when secrets about themselves are kept from them. Wincing at Mina's kind words for Persi, he still hadn't come to terms with the loss. Pursing his lips, a

Freyd glanced over his shoulder to check on their passengers. Between the heat, gentle rhythmic motion of the wagon, or the trauma of their recent ordeals, all had been overwhelmed and passed out. Tugging lightly on the reigns to keep their reptilian locomotives from driving off a cliff, he chuckled as she wondered what they were. "I dunno... mega-geckos? It has a certain ring, and they seem genuinely harmless. The name might stick," he added with a laugh. that dimmed into a more pensive smile as she revealed her concerns. Fortunately, the blazing sun above was already in it

Admirable courage, and smart. She hid it well, but anyone would have had at least a moment's hesitation before entering. Anyone who didn't wasn't suited tot he task. Morrigan was truly starting to impress him, and in a way not frequently encountered. The administrative angel on his shoulder was already hinting at potential for recruitment to Firm Anima. A compelling suggestion, but hardly the time to enact it. Ah…would it be wise to clear from the inside? Considering the instability out here, it’s plausible that we may room some of the main supports that are holding this up as it is…

Freyd remained silent as she posed her questions about Cassim's potential fate, helping the man up into the wagon along with the others. If anything, he seemed to be assessing her reactions, the dance of her eyes on the others as they ambled across the courtyard with difficulty. Imagination alone couldn't fill all gaps with how her existence here in Aincrad compared to what she'd lived beyond it. Hope offering some reprieve from those difficulties. "If anything happens, keep your heads down and stay in here," he offered as reassurance to their wards. "It will be the safest place for y

Genuinely surprised by her clever suggestion to use her familiar in such a manner, he'd never encountered one that could be relied upon to communicate in any detail. "Impressive," he added, brow already caked with an encrusted mixture of sweat and stone dust, eyes assessing the avian as he readied to bark orders to his assistants. "Is it a scouting familiar, by any chance? That degree of intel gathering is better than I've seen from any other." A small shower of rocks broke loose from the cliff face, Freyd tossing aside one of the NPCs on impulse to take the blow against his armored hi