Freyd

Showing his friend into the living room, without grand ceremony or any semblance of a tour, it was blatantly obvious that Freyd didn't entertain, didn't care too, or - more likely - didn't have a clue that people did such things. That he'd even thought to pour her a hot beverage was progress. Gesturing for this fellow captain to take a seat, the Whisper practically flopped into his own, his eyes flickering repeatedly back to the crystal on the table. "You're looking good, as always, Kat, but something tells me you haven't been getting much sleep lately." Any subtext was left as such

Sitting in the living room at Witherwind Rest, Freyd stared ponderously at an idle bit of crimson crystal in a bell jar sitting at the centre of the heavy oak table. He'd been staring at it for nearly an hour, packaging and unpackaging every bit of data his labyrinthine brain had every squirreled away about an existential threat that had marked his own rise to the ranks of the front lines, and also nearly cost hundreds of fellow players their lives. Katoka would have received his invite by now, coordinates provided with a request for discretion. Though he hated the necessity, Freyd wasn't a

Wheezing out of one nostril, congealing batter assaulting his unruly hair - and possibly actually winning against this otherwise intractable foes - Freyd coughed to clear his lungs as best he could. "Yeah... okay. Not my best plan," he admitted, his voice sounding like it was being compressed through a Victorian sadist's tiniest corset. Blinking and recoiling at the self-inflicted mental image he'd just conjured, he pressed one index finger against the working half of his nose, held his breath and exhaled. The results looked like silly string flailing out the other side and felt even weird

"A memory? Something familiar about this fight?" Freyd wasn't normally one to hold conversations in the midst of battle, unless they were meant to distract his opponents. In this case, the serpent seemed to have achieved the same against his friend without having to say a word. Knowing something of Hirru's past, he chose to reach out and make certain that everything was alright. Elora, he knew, would want him to. Sidestepping several more serpent swipes, he managed to twist and turn its agility against it, but with limited success. It was just too fast, too agile, for him to pin do

Standing on the outskirts of the Forest of Memories, Freyd's stern gaze pierced the distant foliage with a jumbled mixture of emotion. He'd fought too many enemies in those woods, and too many friends. Firm Anima's guild hall lay within its bounds, yet he found himself there less frequently these days. Too many tasks required him to remain active in the field, or carving out a path for the front lines. He'd never truly envisioned himself as the tip of the spear in such things, but fate could be a fickle bitch. He should know, having met her in person more than a few times. The gentle

It had been too long since Freyd had actually travelled to Angel's Point and visited the paltry arrangement of derelict furniture that passed itself off as Freyd Edges. Honestly, he might have renamed it as Dingo Nap Nook, if the boy hadn't actually taken better to his duties since his sister's departure. Sorting through the carefully crafted mess that was his piling system, something soon caught the Whisper's eye as out of place. "What's this?" A furrowed brow and burgeoning consternation mixed with potential for alarm to form a noxious and deadly concoction. The name alone merited c

Evals: Fusion #1 (Cost 1 gleaming scale) Fusion #2 (Cost 1 gleaming scale) Upgrade: Cost 1 demonic shard Fusion #3: Cost 1 demonic shard, 1 gleaming scale Total Cost: 3 gleaming scale, 2 demonic shard

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) Identifications: 2x T4 Perfect Items (@3040 col) = 6,080 col Total Cost: 6,080 col Net Cost to Banker: 6,080 col Items #1 - #2

Distilling into Mystic Essences: 223303, 223381 Evals: Fusion #1 (cost: 1 gleaming scale): Fusion #2 (cost: 1 gleaming scale): Upgrade to Demonic (Cost: 1 Demonic Shard): Fusion #3 (Cost 1 demonic shard, 1 gleaming scale): Total Cost: 3 gleaming scales, 2 demonic shards

Ambling casually through the gargantuan halls, he'd slowly been regaining subtle stepping lost to the vagaries of system and popular need. What was a loud Whisper, he would ask, though the question was known to be loaded; apples versus orangutans, etc. Truth was ever more complex than it was credited. Perhaps time could actually fix such things? He should have asked Bob when he'd had the chance, not that he was especially chatty for a 'Forgotten Time King.' Was he forgotten by time, or had he simply lost track of it? Who knew? Bob definitely wouldn't say. What a jerk. "Uh... let's

The towering undead boss stepped forward, blade held high and ready to press its advantage only to feel a hand wrap around it forearm. From the shadows of its own cloak, black on black turned solid and wrenched, locking the mob's joint and forcing it open. Echoes rattled loudly off the stark stone walls as the giant knight's greatsword clanged loudly to the ground. Joint locks were ever so affective against those mostly made of bone. The king's cloak snapped crisply, the flew upward to wrap itself around its wearer's crown to deny him his senses. The Whisper below, in the newly-formed

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) Source: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19871-f13-appraiser-freyd-edges-open/?do=findComment&comment=680531 ...and loot from assorted threads. Identifications: 26x T4 Perfect Items (@3040 col) = 79,040 col +390,000 col for re-rolls. (26 * 15,000 for 4 rerolls apiece) Total Cost: 469,090 col

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ Slender fingers wove themselves between his, providing an anchor he desperately needed and had previously been lacking. So many times, he had tried to get this out and couldn’t. He’d once offered to be her anchor, yet here she was being his, and he loved her dearly for it. It also made the revelations that much harder, panicked warnings of betrayal stabbing furiously at his heart, never to let that thing be given voice. "You're hurting... you're hurting bad, and you can barely comprehend it.. can you?" No response could do justice to such a question. Looking upon Vio

"Wait? What? Morning? How the heck did your end up - WHOA!" The mutant Bullwinkle nearly gored him while he gawked, glad that his companion had made it safely out of Glyndebourne after their ambush, but curious as to how he'd ended up so far in the woods. Taking a moment to dodge, refocus and reposition himself to better control the field, it was Hirru's words which brought him fully back into the fold. "Freyd, are you seeing this? The fucked up antelope is pulling the chilled air around it to chill the wounds it gains. The wounds become icy armor that encase the wound and allo

Hirru seemed distant and sluggish in his movements, even as Freyd spun and whirled like a madman trying to keep the vile snake-like thing at bay. Parrying where he couldn't dodge outright, its sheer size and speed made it more than a handful. "Holy crap... new eyes?! This bloody thing is mutating even as we fight it." Poking out a few bought him an opening to deliver several swift strikes, and even momentarily turned the tide in their favour, but the fight was far from over. "Gah! This thing is just... wrong." A familiar buzz of energy from the vice-commander's direction told him Hir

Apologetic doom. How fitting. As the bucket wobbled precariously overhead, Freyd knew this moment would not end well. He lacked the kind of luck you need to avoid these situations. In fact, he seemed a magnet for them. The thump of a spear's butt accompanies creaking hinge that sang in tune with Elora's lilting charm. "Freeeyd? "Are you ok -- I didn't mean to --" Fate can be set off for a time, but never truly escaped. Those moments when you can see it hurtling towards you - especially from above - are just the worst. No avoidance will suffice, and justice had it out for him

Thread Closure: Morningstar receives: 5,822 EXP (Word Count [6452/10*6*0.6] + Quest [3500]) 11,823 col (1 page [200] + Loot [3250] + Quest [7500] + 15% P5 Reward [873]) 2 Materials (Loot [2]) 1x Cerberus Etching (Unique Material) Removes one enhancement on a weapon and replaces it with Burn. (This effect cannot override the Burn enhancement cap. Consumed on use.) Perfect Consumable 223155a Perfect Consumable 223155b Perfect Armor/Shield 223155c Perfect Armor/Shield 223155d Unlock <<TECH-G>> collected sword art. Freyd receives: 6,579 EXP (Word Cou

"Eww. Seriously. Who comes up with this stuff?!" Grimacing even as he advanced, Freyd proceeded to devastate the serpent's menacing form, rendering unto it the blessing of doomly Swiss cheese. In other words, by the time he was finished with his kata, it had a bunch of fist-size holes all over it exposing the damaged orange avatar mesh beneath. Dashing with supernatural speed, the serpent sought to recover, but found only shadow and the ear-splitting keening of a Whisper's riposte as he'd already moved to its flank. "Keep that shield up! This one's got a bad case of grabby hands."

"Yeah, yeah," Freyd grumbled, having messed up his own plan, though probably still saving their asses in the process. "You're already a studly, stronk Shonen protagonist, m'kay? Firm Anima doesn't hand out captain's titles to wet naps. So stop thinking you have something to prove." He'd have gone on longer, but the pressing throng of angry pirate-folk didn't look overly keen on continuing to parley. A look was enough to get the point across. Both players nodded and immediately scurried to the skiff, Freyd muzzling Ryland with his right hand and pointing at another, less hostile, dock

Well played, Elora. Well played... Freyd was still trying to squeegee egg yolk out of his already perpetually messy mop of hair, now stylized with extra body that was tangibly hardening in the open air. Her response had been more subtle and effective than he'd expected. Not that she wasn't capable of guile. He'd seen the play of her lips hinting at the secret monologue within, the sly glances out of corners of her eyes. Elora was no slouch. And, while not exactly an open book, he'd come to know better than anyone in Aincrad could likely claim. Time to use that... for the most fun-fi

"He's already in a church," Freyd called back to Wulfrin, drawing attention to the scattered sculptural remains and iconography embossed into the surrounding worn and faded stone. "Well... kinda. I don't really know what any of it means, but Bob here got uppity and tried to steal the show from his former boss. Looks like some agreed with him while others disapproved of his behaviour." Quickly jerking a thumb over his shoulder to the similarly dressed and intermingled skeletons strewn all over the chamber and outer courtyard, the likelihood of some sort of coup seemed high. The monst

"You hit plenty hard, Kat," he replied, scolding her from beneath the rim of his cowl and slender eyebrows combined. "Don't you be selling yourself short like that. We just need to teach you a few wumbo combos and you'll be outpacing me in no time." Ryland was too busy trying to operate the skiff controls one handed to do much blabbering, and his gut was still seething from the cut inflicted by Drell's poison blade. In fact, the Dockmaster was starting to look worse for wear; enough so that Freyd truly wondered whether he'd be in any shape to navigate them safely to ground, even if the

"I only know as much as they tell me. I trust that that's enough." Odd that such a throwaway line would make such an impact, simultaneously heartwarming and soulcrushing at the same time. His heart felt like it flinched at the statement, even while Elora meant to dodge further engagement in speculation. The wave metaphor for emotions seemed both apt and poignant, matching his own limited experiences. “Nice architectural reference, with the concrete,” he added, smiling meekly. “My father would have approved.” Crows’ feet clawed at the edges of his eyes as Mina clinically laid

“We’re deep in this floor’s labyrinth,” Freyd began, by way of explanation to Mina’s query. “And hip deep in a nest of spooky shit. This place is definitely hinky, in the darkest-side-of-Scooby-Doo kind of way.” Hirru and Ariel showed up before their conversation could progress much farther, the latter mocking Mina for sneaking off with him for special nooky time. A snorting grunt was all he could manage before Mina shot down the regal woman’s innuendo, hard. He, meanwhile, looked forward to mentioning it to Elora, with certain dubious embellishments about the turnip-shade of red Mina’s fa

"It's not a talent Freyd, it's using the right tool for the job --", "...and a tool is only so good as its wielder's skill and devotion," he added, finishing the thought while gratefully accepting her assistance. Listening as she dissembled and downplayed her own way of living, Freyd simply shook his head dismissively. "My life has too much structure. Even though I go to lengths to keep it changing, my constant focus on business lends to its predictability. You would never normally find me doing... this. Which is precisely why I need to do so." A strange sense of serenity pervaded Fr