Freyd

Flailing his fist into the stone, wishing he'd had a jackhammer instead, Freyd spotted Katoka as the flew by in another part of the giant golem while it went to scratch at an itch: meaning him. Pausing just long enough to wave and keep from being plucked like some pesky mosquito, it was clear that his friend was struggling a bit with the mobile dynamics of this particular fight. "Come on, captain. This is what the big leagues are all about!" She probably couldn't see him grinning, but if any part of his message got through she'd certainly be picturing it. Just as surely as she'd be im

There were simply too many gathered for him to greet everyone personally, Better to keep things moving. Every gathered soul in this room had congregated for the same purpose and he had no desire to waste any more of their preciously fleeting time. Kayaba’s clock was ticking relentlessly against all of their lives and today’s business was meant to help dislodge them from that madman’s delusions, or at least delay his chokehold a while longer. “Friends,” Freyd called out, his voice booming surprisingly loudly for a man who’d come to be known as ‘The Whisper.’ “If you could each find a sea

"Hang in there, everyone. Slog, remember? It's true tactic is to wear you down." Watching the others flagging, Freyd wondered how fists were supposed to fare better than blades against a gauntlet of Jell-O monsters, but cast aside his doubts. They needed to rally and punch through this thing, knowing that the boss had not yet even split yet. Maybe we save that news for when it happens? The rest of the crew were already getting weary. Charging his most potent sword art, Freyd focused on Wulfrin's beleaguered weapon, unleashing the power of his attack into driving the weapon through t

Claimed by Freyd.

"Bold of you to assume that Ug'zeke actually knows any words at all." Dodging low, then tumbling to the mob's far side, Freyd kept up their conversation like the gathered melee was little more than parlour chat during a morning constitutional, begging the question: what did the darkly clad madman actually do for his breakfast routine. "If you think he's bad, or his potential dommy-mommy, I should take you up against the Colossus from the Scents of the Wild totem hunt someday. That's a wild one." Star was struggling to find purchase with his blade, but doing a fine job of tantalizing th

Rank 5 Appraiser (Base: BD 10, CD 8+ for unique, 10 identifications per day) +1 to CD from Hermes’ Scale +2 EXP: Hard Working (also +1 IDs per day) +2 EXP: Lucrative (Firm Anima) (also +2 IDs per day) +1 EXP: Custom Ambition Tool (bought from own shop 2020-07-16) Crafting Respite | Dragon's Breath | 174618 Witch's Brew (+1 DC) | 199898-2 | https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/41037-narby-narb-narb/?do=findComment&comment=687681 Identifications: 26x T4 Perfect Items (@3040 col) = 79,040 col 26x 1st Rerolls (@1,000 col) = 26,000 col 26x 2nd Rerolls (@2,000 col) = 52,000 co

With the last of the mischievous cats clawed off him, Freyd found himself scratched to pieces. Frayed bits of black cloth lay strewn about the landscape, in magnitudes greater than the clothes on his back could possibly yield. There were even a could of toys laid about that must have been lost under a couch and somehow resurfaced. "I think I finally appreciate how my grandmother's furniture felt." Covered in hair and slender lacerations, the calico mobs had somehow done a number on him, without actually doing any damage. "I don't recall a cat-nado being on the agenda for this tri

"Holy hell. Oliver? Now there's a twist for ya!" He barely got the words out while keeping his face straight. Even the mob was stunned, though perhaps also literally after Acanthus' deft blow. "And if there's a dad, does this make him a mini-boss? I mean, if the diaper fits, right?" Stumbling in a stupor, the mob reminded Freyd of someone he'd fought many times before. "He kinda looks suspiciously like Ugzeke - a floor boss down on twenty one. Which could either mean he's part troll, or Ug'zeke is part baby, or both. Or, I could just be rambling. All I'm saying is, there's a

Thread Closing: Morningstar receives: 2,960 EXP (Word Count [4233/10*7*0.5] + Quest [0] + 100% Recruitment Drive Bonus) 8,544 col (1 page [100] + Loot [8000] + 15% P5 Reward [444]) 2 Materials (Loot [2]) 1 mon (from Shield Art Playtest) T4 Rare Trinket 231913 Omen receives: 5,846 EXP (Word Count [4233/10*1*0.5] + Quest [2500] + 100% Recruitment Drive Bonus) 8,100 col (1 page [100] + Quest [8000]) 15 Materials (Quest [15]) Photosynthesis Extra Skill unlcoked 1 mon (from Shield Art Playtest) Circe receives: 5,846 EXP (Word Count [4233/10*1*0.5] + Ques

Freyd's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when Montjoy lifted the the cup and make him another drink, and just as he preferred it too. The Whisper was pale at the best of times, and not easily caught off guard, but it took every nugget of willpower to keep from leaping to his feet and scrambling backwards at the unexpected twist. How long have you been able to do that?! The featureless shadow 'stared' back in his direction. The shades lacked all detail and were merely voids in the light, or a balloon filled with absence. Without substance, they'd never been able to interact with

"Dine and dash? Why not" This place was a virtual buffet. "And tomato garden does sound weird." Placing their discussion on hold, his two companions decimated the grove guardians, slicing them to pieces with extreme culinary prejudice. Acanthus had been going on about something or other when they were interrupted. Freyd was only half-paying combat half his attention, the rest of it reserved for the sea of little back dots clustered all over the surrounding shrubs. "Jackpot! I can't believe you actually found some!" The guardians were being predictably rude, flailing after them with

That last part brought a gentle, wistful smile to Freyd's lips. How long had he thought himself mad? Maybe he'd actually finally gone over the edge and just learned to adjust better. That was the real catch, wasn't it? You could never be sure of anything in this world, save one immutable truth. Sighing and sipping his tea, the pause between then seemed to drag on while the Whisper's gaze locked onto the water's surface like he was clinging to some elusive memory. Refractions on a disturbed mirror casting false doubts shading layers of depth and mystery beyond. When the world rode on suc

Freyd's face was inscrutable, until he allowed it to relax. The mask was too practiced to let slip by accidently and required conscious effort. Wulfrin had earned that privilege. What revealed itself was a mixture of knowing serenity, sadness and nostalgia, harshness fading from his normally stern expression. Someone had once called it resting cowl face. Apt. "They can be quite convincing, can't they?" In the background, Freyd's shadow shifted against the direction of the sun, as if leaning closer to snoop, like the local neighborhood busybody might on a park bench, pretending to

"We'll get to business once enough players have arrived," Freyd replied to Morningstar and Wulfrin, the duo having performed admirably through the ceremony. "Gathering this many players tends to be chaotic, at best. If we start too soon, we'll repeat the same info a dozen times over." Other players soon entered the pavilion, some from the wedding and others having just caught wind of the event through various respective grapevines. Covering his left eye, he winked to Koga with the other, the two having last seen each other outside of raids in their efforts against the game's persistent pir

"Used to have?" Omen's comment snared his attention. "Care to explain?" Neither of their escorted players were particularly potent, just yet, judging by what they'd seen and said to date. It was purely a factual assessment, without demeaning their courage at having come out here in the first place. "You seem like an older player, so I'm curious to learn what you meant." Accepting Circe's offers with a friendly smile and nod. He extended the same courtesy to Omen with the same hand. Thunder grumbled ominously in the distance, reminding them that this wasn't the best place to linger

"Holy shit... they actually did it!" Freyd's initial reaction was to watching Ty take up a defensive position over their floundering teammate - an impressive feat in the desert, yet apt to their foe. A single hit from the vicious sand shark would have obliterated her from existence, and she knew it. She'd been warned, and chose to stand anyway. Acanthus, meanwhile, shows off one of the gutsiest moves he'd ever seen by a newbie across all the many runs of the Sharkbait training program, using herself as an improvised spike chain for the beast to rake itself across. Essentially, she'd u

"I swear to god, Star, if you landed us in a Fruit of the Looms commercial.... I am not fighting against animated underwear!" Freyd groaned and laughed at the same time, wondering what he'd done to deserve this day, and half-convinced this was still some sort of fever dream like that one with the three meme-geddon bosses from years back. "My money's either on a masquerading broccoli crown or some sort of angry pineapple. Those spikey things at the top always seem like they belong to royalty." He shrugged, grinning despite himself and the absurdity of their circumstances. "Between you

"Hrm. Yeah. I'm not seeing any, so I guess it's time to poke around." Acanthus boggled him slightly by her odd comments and sudden production of citrus, her general quirkiness deemed amusing, until... "Wait. You're a forager?!" It was like the heavens had just opened up and sent pure fortune and radiance shining down upon them. Fishing was useless at this sort of thing. Olives, sadly, never took the bait. "And, your schedule is unusually regimented." It wasn't exactly a compliment, nor truly an insult. Freyd was more anal retentive than most in his habits and had filled lite

Watching Morningstar do his thing with style, Freyd wondered whether his earlier quip about entertainment might not be far off. The man knew his business, and could be counted on reliably in any fight. Sadly, it wasn't a trait all players in Aincrad possessed. Since he'd started pretending to the role of tank, starting in the last raid, such details became increasingly obvious to him. "Nicely done!" Encouragement rarely hurt - usually, the opposite. The larger fellow they'd snagged and brought along for the trip went next, smiting the mob with a clever move meant to provide advanta

"It feels strange to be heard." That onion had so many layers on, it could cook itself in open sunlight. "And thanks. It's going to take time to become accustomed." Serving Wulfrin first , Freyd followed the rites with strangely specific formality, like he'd been trained in another life. "I am always busy, it seems. Yet, I will always come, if called." The paradox was so Freyd it hurt. Their current contrast, Freyd staring at a near-spitting image of himself, without looking or feeling like himself, was hardly lost. When Wulfrin's pensive tone returned, it took an unexpected turn,

"What the heck is she doing? Did her weapon get stuck or something?" Without the luxury of standing still for any length of time, the best Freyd could manage was tumble sharply to the left, forcing the mob to veer and shake his ally loose in the opposite direction. Contorting his body like it was made of rubber, the Whisper snared the sand shark by the snout, if only barely. It was enough. The sword art unleashed shattered the forefront of the mob's avatar, granting him the greater purchase required for a better grip. As his feet returned to ground, he whirled with momentum and flung

Watching their angles of attack, Freyd monitored the mob's health and condition closely, waiting to make his move. Morningstar raced in, fast, hitting the lounging lion like a speeding bus and sending it skittering with an indignant roar, paws and flower petals flying everywhere. Acanthus followed suit, sensing her opportunity to add insult to injury, pummeling the poor mob to the extent that hardly anything was left of it. How the mighty had quickly fallen. "Forgive us, Ki'Raion. You deserve better." The words were spoken to no one in particular, the others likely too distant to hea

Freyd's mood dimmed substantially as they passed over and through the bastion wall, enduring the droning tales of the elders whose only job it was to tell them then beg them for alms. By the time they reached the shrine on the far end of the bridge, light was streaming in line directly between the sixteen statues arrayed on either side. Paying the stone figures no mind, his gaze was locked one the beam splitting their ranks, mental calculus factoring seasonal shifts, travel constraints and the difficult terrain. "I assume the two of you are here for Photosynthesis? Few people wander ou

Setting aside a dozen other crowded scrolling screens from his user interface, shoving them into the background to better read Wulfrin's message, something about it had caught Freyd's attention. This either meant very good news, or very bad. People didn't retrace their steps in this way without a need for nostalgic connection, often including a time when the world made more sense. "How many times have I found myself searching for the same." Azure eyes drifted to the rack in the corner of the room, new armor waiting to be donned - a new life to begin. "I set him on his current

"Plans? Does that mean beach volleyball or another card game? I seem to keep catching you in the middle of some sort of leisure activity, unless you're just... yanno... lost?" Freyd waved his hands around randomly, gesturing to the entirety of the floor around them. "And don't you pay him," he counseled Acanthus. "That's like feeding pigeons. Next thing you know your house will be covered in poo and Morningstar will be nesting in the attic. Besides, it's good for him to do this sort of thing every once in a while. It keeps his scoundrel rating manageable. That's in your third tie