Freyd

"Everything's fine...you don't need to worry, please --" Relief. Indescribable elation as those words reached his ears and bled away the terror of what Cardinal might have inflicted by sheer force of doubt and uncertainty. Had Elora's obliviousness somehow insulated her from its tells, or had nothing rippled its way out from the turbulence of the raid? It doesn't matter. She didn't have to endure a harrowing. That's all that matters. She's safe. She was spared the agony I thought I'd caused. "Turn that analytical mind of your's off for just a second -- what happened out there?

Watching the others rally and coordinate their attacks, Freyd did his best to keep focused on the boss, and boss focused on himself. Hacking and slashing as quickly as he could manage, but to limited effect against Ravana's multi-armed parries. A well-timed rebuff on the demon's part had likewise prevented him from taking advantage of Foyle's strike, enabling a full block. Jeeves' was on the ball, though, devastating the mob the moment it became exposed, yet denied from actually felling it. Mad, cackling laughter came from the demon's throat, its scorched form hovering on death's door,

"I might send Foyle along with you, if you don't mind? He's another O&I agent and training as a scout. The skill would be a great asset for him too." Listening to her comments on mob bosses as he climbed up a hidden rise to gain them a better vantage on the fortress, its battlements were looking more and more like ruins as they approached. The main gates had desiccated and turned to dust ages ago and most of the mortar binding the individual blocks forming the walls had followed. Signs of heat-inflicted decay were everywhere. "I wouldn't say I'm an expert on real-world mob bos

Freyd just laughed at Morningstar's sudden arrival and Acanthus' startled reactions. "I should probably start assuming that you have a sleeping cot in ever bar and gambling den in Aincrad, Star, and that you simply teleport between to them to whichever location is most imminently convenient." Judging by the size of the grin and delight on Freyd's face, it was meant to be a compliment. "Maybe we got word you were up to something," he added, turning to Wulfrin, "and thought it best to intervene early before you went all 'Cave of Wonders' on us before the raid." Patting his shadow o

Smiling at the near-frantic barrage of questioning, Freyd looked noticeably older than her had, yet also less... something? Maybe he just stood straighter or with better posture and looked taller? "Let me try to take each one of those separately," he offered, chuckling lightly. "Ali wants us to rescue his brother, Cassim. But, what he really wants is access to the Cave of Wonders, and the rumoured treasures within. And he's more than callous and conniving enough to send children in as his agents if he thinks it will get him what he craves." Shooing the last of the kids away, he le

"I couldn't have marketed this thing better if I'd tried," Freyd replied, marveling how word of mouth alone seemed to have accomplished what millions in advertising col might never have achieved. Grabbing his espresso and downing it in a single swig, the man's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets at the sudden invigoration. "So, here's the deal. We're heading to a dust bowl down the road, where a mutant sand shark named Terra Firma spawns. It's a quest boss that looks and acts like a field boss, and also the angriest whirling ball of gnashing teeth you can imagine. Yeah. It's a bi

"Not after..." A flash of anguish flew across the Whisper's face, the grief too fresh to fully contain. "I'm not exactly sure what, or how, or... well, anything that happened in that moment. When I re-opened my eyes to resume the fight it was all I could do just to cling to my bearings. It wasn't until we reached the new floor and rushed to go see Elora that I realized she was gone." Even attempting to speak her name was too hard. Hearing it spill from the lips of others was only tangibly better. "Wulfrin, you must have been distracted too, but... did you... happen to see anything? I

Approaching Mina, Freyd studied her face as if it was his own, the way only someone accustomed to shifting his own appearance on the fly might. What meaning did appearance have when it was utterly fluid, and yet... they all clung to it as a sense of their identity. On instinct, Freyd reached up and pressed the back of his hand tenderly against the memento of her former face, his eyes a mixture of sorrow and admiration at her courage. The gesture, a silent offering of thanks for her willingness to show and trust. It had been a mutually difficult lesson, but also earned them a bond and friend

"Hannah's response only confirms that she hasn't returned here, but Zackariah's insights suggested she would need materials from the cave. It's our most obvious lead, for the time being." Leading them away from the NPC's encampment, Freyd wandered round a nearby rolling hill to reveal a cave mouth once familiar to most of Aincrad's adventurers. Its recent removal from the Lessons meant those few just starting their forays into the world would never know of it, without simply tripping into the hole. Sparing his companion a sideways glance, he knew the mobs inside would be no threat, as

Eyes instantly locked upon the distant source of her voice, Freyd felt his spine melt at the sound. Joyful. Happy. Not what he would have expected if the worst of his fears had manifest and she'd somehow thought him dead. Relief palpably swept through every inch of his exhausted form, draining away unspoken tension and lifting his heart with a warmth that the raid and subsequent floor had fought hard to smother. "FREYD!!" Hair like a verdant wave spreading out in the wake of her passage, she ran out to greet him in the coziest of cozy tops, surreptitiously borrowed from his clo

Ty's complete oversight of his changed appearance was endearing, but then he could already change his form so casually that she might have assumed he was simply doing it now. Either way, it shook him out of his sorrow enough to draw attention to the subject of her ire. "Ali?!" He groaned, suddenly recognizing exactly where this was leading. "You're scamming kids now? What is it with NPCs on this floor? Between you and Abdullah, you're giving the entire settlement a bad name." The crafty charlatan seemed to wilt before Freyd's accusations, unsure how to counter or defend himself. He

Emerging from the Labyrinth, Freyd was still very much in a haze. Events had all transpired so quickly that he'd barely managed to catch his breath, let alone piece together the jigsaw puzzle that had just been made of... everything? Lingering sensations burnt across his chest and back, memories of fatal claws and bite festering just as vividly as the 'real' ones had. The nightmare realm they found on the freshly unlocked floor certainly wasn't helping. Lightning crackled overhead, casting the barren urban landscape in its crimson hue and doing little to improve its pervasive sense of dread.

An older man dressed in desert garb with a decidedly Japanese flair sat on a small outcrop just beyond Fortaleza's walls. Thick, unruly white hair swayed slowly in the scorching desert breeze, but did not discomfort him. Something else had already done that. His features more worn than they were just days ago, half his face now covered in a wispy beard tainted with signs of grey, Freyd looked solemn and pensive as he sat and stared out into the arid red landscape. A small black porcelain bowl sat on a tiny wooden tray, preciously laid out before him. His legs folded beneath him, the m

Previous Gungir evaluation: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19579-freyds-evaluations/?do=findComment&comment=642553 Replacing current item contents with: Smokin' Hot Honey Bun Tray | T1 Demonic Feast | ACC II | EVA II | ID: 239191 [desc.] A mouth-watering tray of Ciela's gourmet honey buns, based on the recipe Freyd shared from Freya. Delicious and heartwarming, their scent would make a boss bear weep from twenty paces away. Source: https://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/39491-f22-r5-cook-fondantes-inferno-open/?do=findComment&comment=691907

When Freyd finally returned to collect the precious order, he was literally a changed man. Aged, or perhaps just with added seasoning, his features looked older and more worn. A glaring shock of white hair, greying as it bled into a darker beard below with streak of black struggling for room, his bright blue eyes shone as brightly as ever. Perhaps, even moreso than before, especially as his gaze fell upon the shopkeeper's beaming smile. He wasn't sure what she and Wulfrin had discussed in the aftermath of the raid and chose to keep his nose out of it - for a change. Choices made had doled

Standing in Urbus' central plaza, Freyd found himself captive to the first shop window he encountered. Not because of the splendid assortment of foodstuff behind the glass. Guaranteed to be savored and satisfy, under any other circumstances, he simply had no appetite. Nor did the stranger looking back. It moved as he moved, wore a semblance of recognition, yet wasn't the same. It spoke volumes that a man who could change his appearance on a whim could be so perplexed by the transformation wrought at Callisto's clawed hand. Fitting that a raid boss named after a cursed nymph, herself turned

Every time using a portal, the memories returned. That same sensation of being unmade and remade again flooded through him like the last gasp of a drowning man. Inky void filling his lungs and smothering him from within. Dying. Every. Time. Players used the devices daily, readily and without even a second thought. It was just part of the game. Freyd, instead, felt his chest tightening, fingers twitching as if to reach for something that wasn't even there or simply could never be grasped. He'd caught himself holding his breath, more than once, and again today. Pausing to take a deep

What a wonderful thread... Thread Closing: Elora receives: 3,948 EXP (Word Count [10537/10*4*0.7] + Quest [1000]) 2,992 col (1 page [400] + Quest [2000] + 15% P5 Reward [592]) Kumatetsu Key (Quest item) 1 guild token (Firm Anima) Freyd receives: 13,267 EXP (Word Count [10537/10*18*0.7] + Quest [0]) 5,960 col (1 page [0] + Loot [3960] + Quest [0] + 15% P5 Reward [1990]) 4 Materials (Loot [4]) 1 guild token (Firm Anima) T4 Rare Trinket 239177

Where the hell did Elora go? A little pre-occupied with an angry ass bear, Freyd pressed the attack to keep their enemy off balance for as long as possible. His elven lady had already cleft a good chunk of its left arm off before he even got close, leaving the mob crippled with its health already dipping low. Persi had then rattled its cage so bad that both eyes were still pointing in different directions. Embarrassing and comical, there wasn't much dignity left in the beast, its jowls fraught with froth and undirected rage. Kumatetsu lunged, but had apparently confused the broken stump

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Hiding Rank 3 (14 SP), Parry (10 SP) Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: Untraceable (4 SP), Justified Riposte (5 SP) SP Incurred Towards Limit: 24 SP SP Refunded: 33 SP Cost: 33,000 col

Wandering into the cosy bakery for the first time, Freyd was quick to spot familiar telltale signs of its ownership and the outpouring of self she placed into every aspect of her chosen craft. A few locals were even out on the porch savoring her sweeter confections, which instantly reminded him of why he'd come. "Good morning, Ciela. Looks like you have quite the crowd today." Still dressed in his red Hawaiian shirt with white print palm trees, she'd recognize his ridiculous getup from their shared time fishing and floundering. For him, the two often went hand in hand. "I have a spec

Feeling as though he might never quite escape the lingering sensations burning across his chest and back, memory of claws and bite fester just as vividly as the 'real' ones had. He very inevitably felt drawn towards one particular reward. Drained by their recent experiences, Freyd's shoulders slumped despite his best efforts to the contrary as he made his way to the portal arch. Someone had to test and ensure that it actually worked. "Fortaleza." A gush of warm wind accompanied his disembodiment, only to remanifest a moment later, already covered in a light haze of reddish desert du

Pausing as two strangers approached, near-simultaneously, Freyd's hand twitched reflexively as if ready to reach for the black katana hit at his hip. Coming off another heated exchange with the insufferable NPC behind the nearby beaded curtain, it was wise to be weary. Abdullah had already tried to have him and Wulfrin killed in the arena up on twenty-four, and used lesser minion to pathetic efforts locally. Who knew what else he might try. Confirmation of their safe zone status stayed his hand long enough to match the first man's plea with a single raised eyebrow. The lost puppy routine

Watching Elora's ascent reminded him of what he already knew: that she was as much the consummate warrior as any frontliner he knew, and smoking hot whenever she focused that energy into one of her acrobatic aerial displays. Permitting himself a heaving breath and admiring chuckle, he gave chase to her once more. Momentum reversed, Freyd retraced the wide swale he'd just carved into the forest floor to launch himself after her... oh, and also the bear. Chiming out a chirping catcall whistle to dual purpose, he roared like black flame up the sunward face of the tree's demise, cutting his own

Helping Ty back to her feet, Freyd offered his back to Koko, who seemed desperate for a piggy back ride to get the rest of the way home. Little arms wrapped themselves around his neck as the girl's head rested, exhausted, against his shoulders. "Nice work," Freyd beamed, blue eyes filled with warmth starkly contrasting to the hardness she'd witnessed only moments before. Stakes in combat were too high, especially for those more vulnerable than himself. It was his job to keep them safe, and Ty could see how seriously he took that responsibility. "Come on, little one. Let's get you back