Freyd

"Please don't say 'plague' out loud. This floor seems to have enough bad ideas on its own, without us helping it along." Having only cleared the stone out of sheer curiosity, the storm itself seemed to lose strength as they tended to the remnants of this place. "Huh. Would you look at that. Looks like you might have stumbled onto something." Wandering over to the nearest sepulcher, Freyd diligently traced various symbols and markers built into its ornate exterior, like he was following some sort of secretive map. "I've seen some of these markings around. No idea what any of them mea

Order Form Item Name: [imperial quarter blend] Item Type: [Potion] Item Tier: [Tierless] Item Quality: [Perfect] Enhancements: [Damage III] Description: [Smoke and gunpowder, with lingering scents of exotic jasmine and bergamot. Razwell himself would enjoy this blend.] Quantity: [20] Cost: [60 materials]

Cresting a low rise and clearing a copse of trees marring his sight lines, Freyd found relief in the realization that his friends and allies were mostly not dead. Ren looked a tad haggard and worse for wear, but mostly because his armor was weighing him down. Spectral Knights were fast. Like, stupid-fast on zoomies kind of fast. It was probably wise of the would-be paladin to have given up his shield, but he was still far from agile. "Ren! Dodge to port!" Nautical terms would avoid issues of facing, at least in theory. Apparently not, as his counterpart was both distracted and conf

"Reports," Freyd replied. "More accurately, the complete absence of any." A bearded grimace mixed with a smirk, offering a hint of levity in a world gone mad. "By now players would normally have scoured half of a new floor's area, painting a fuller picture of what we had on offer to explore in greater detail. So far, we've been lucky just to hold Ilridge. That's not enough, if we're to press forward." Eyes blinked their approval at Wulfrin's new duds while the rest of the Whisper made no mention that they'd both wandered into dangerous territory alone. "Aincrad has no shortage of def

Three items, clandestinely dropped off in a giant honey bun box. *** Freyd gives Wulfrin: x1 gleaming scale Frostflame Bulwark +1 | T4 Perfect Armor (Heavy) | Thorns II | Flame Thorns I Acquisition ID: 213804g | Crafting ID: 244215, 244216, 244217 Forged in the heart of an elder glacier pierced by a volcano, the Frostflame Bulwark hums with opposing primal energies. The metal is slick with frost yet warm to the touch, engraved with runes of fire and ice spiraling around its form. It bears the symbol of a tiny black rose, barely visible on the sacrum plate. Source: ht

Step 1: Item Evals: 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: 3x T4 Perfect Items (@3040 col) = 9,120 col 3x Reroll #1 (@1000 col) = 3,000 col Net Cost to Banker: 12,120 col Items sacrificed to obtain 9 Mystic Essences, all consumed below: Item Evaluations:

Glad to re-provision ahead of the next raid. Thanks Zee! *** Crystal of the Blood Dragon Horde | Mass HP Recovery (Tierless, x12) 223788-1, 223788-2. 223783, 223778, 223778-1, 223777, 223776, 223776-1, 224808, 224809, 224810, 224803 Potion of the Ancient Rock Dragon | Overhealth III (Tierless, x6) 236057, 236058, 236059, 236049, 236049-1, 236045

Shambling along in the haze of persistent gloom, his drenched and steadily dripping form bore uncanny similarity to that of a water-logged Nazghul. Coal-coloured cowl plastered to scalp, enough of its finely crafted ebonweave draped forward to provide shelter for his face, and likewise sold the part. Like a ghostly suit of blackened armor in quasi-samurai style, Freyd had trudges off the regularly beaten patrol paths in search of a trail and a rumor. Acanthus had been acting strangely in their battle against the Spectral Knights, and others similarly before her. Questions were asked. Conne

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Leadership R5 Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: Elusive, Rally, Steadfast, Inspiring Speech, Press the Attack (0 SP) SP Incurred Towards Limit: 50/50 SP Refunded: 50 SP Cost: 50,000

The ink was still just barely dry. Left with a trusted ally, without the poor lad ever knowing it or its terrible purpose, Freyd hadn't been sure he'd return from the raid to collect it. Wrong raid, but the sentiment hadn't been far off. Now, here it sat, silently open with the last of its illicit contents disgorged and digested. it felt as nasty as it sounded. The book was a necessary blight, depending on your point of view. In some ways a manifestation of the concept of mutually assured destruction. It could nuke people, or lead others to do so, delivering destruction with naught but a

"Did you forget what down means?" barely a moment passed before white queen took black queen and upended the board to a very soaked checkmate. What never crossed his mind, in a million years, was the idea of these two providing him a bird's-eye view to their spontaneous wet t-shirt contest. "Uh..." Repeating Nisa's finger gun maneuver from earlier, he gave them both a double barrel salute, mid torso. "That water must be really cold." One's a goddess. One's a friend. One's a goddess. One's a friend... Deadpan, yet wide-eyed, Freyd's saucers swiveled freely in search of somethin

Ah... so that's it. Still trying to sort herself out, even after all this time. Freyd had been struggling with a sense of identity since the dawn of his tenure in Aincrad; paranoid, cold and machine-like, shattered in uncertainty. He'd already lived through whatever the seven stages of grief equivalent for self-awareness. A soothing pang over his heart soon turned to warmth and the easing of tension from his frame. He'd been fortunate enough to find purpose beyond the calculating universe of clandestine whispers, even if he'd never fully managed to detach himself from that world. It

Flitting through penumbral folds, Freyd reappeared a dozen feel away and mid spin. Contact made, the greater of the three sludges wobbled, rolled and then smashed into the far sewer wall. Slime detritus sprayed, leaving two quasi-fresh lesser versions in its stead, both quivering like Jell-O in the dazed aftermath of their forced division. "Pair of newbie puddings on the far side," Freyd called, already slamming his fist for cosmic force into one of their adjacent cousins and leaving a smeared trail collapsing into simmering starlit motes. The final vestige fared better than the rest,

Silently, somberly, Freyd listened as Nisa described the divine condition in plain language and metaphor. Eyes scanning the strange avian carvings, it seemed an apt analogy. Did it all relied on the same set of absurd physics that always managed to squeeze more clowns into tiny cars than should ever be possible? Inspired by their surroundings, Freyd found himself imagining aloud. "It sounds like you're describing a gilded cage and faced with an oddly poignant 'Uno-reserve' style question: how many birds could it keep out? It's like the whole thing is a paradox of expectations, feeling

Shrugging off the mental image of elbows with asses, Freyd's reverie broke as said pressed buttons set their surroundings to vibrate. Stone slid past stone like a pair of sassy slick thighs, surely helped along by the ambient moisture of this netherworld. The stench was less enticing. "Oof. Putrid. Someone really let this place go stale. Mechanism like this also need a lube, once in awhile." Between the added references to sticks, surgeries and dark holes, Freyd simply chose not to engage further, wandering forward in silence instead. Sam... Roxi... 'the other one' (tm) - he wa

What began as moans and snickers quickly combusted into full blown cacophonic guffaws as more smooth shiny stones got frisky with his wiggly bits. Mouths appeared in different places, or maybe just one mouth with many independent parts. It was hard to tell, though all were clearly ticklish. Flailing increased in amplitude, as did the gaspy farts, without clear points of origin. Stretch tauter as its assortment of suction cups clung with increasing desperation to a loosening sledge of flagstone, it would look much like the winding of a giggly rubber band, and with predictable results. S

Something about Acanthus' behavior seemed off, but they all had bigger, shinier problems to solve - for now. Despite its size and speed, the strange mob still suffered enough common weaknesses for them to exploit. Very thoughtful of it, and appreciated. The others quickly circled and stabbed, cut, bludgeoned or otherwise hurt the things feelings in whatever way was most conveniently physical. Lessa's glowy-spinny trick, with the lights and pizzaz, certainly pulled its weight. Reliq finally found a way out from its innards through a convenient opening provided by one of Baldur's deeper sla

Shadow gained form in the shape of a fist that drove its way forcefully through the face of the first vexing valkyrie, consigning its frosted features to a terrible thaw and aftermath. As shattered shards of its twin glimmered and spread like marbles across the claw-carved cavern floor, its partner lost footing and reason in the same instant. A nasty pairing at the best of times, the misshapen heroine's lunge was ill timed and fell right into the Whisper's trap. Black clad elbow met winged helm and snapped its face downward with bonecrushing force. The imprint of her shock remained imprint

"Messed up pseudo bird people? Maybe Kayaba left someone alone in the modeling shop for too long, and they went a little cuckoo?" Every ounce of normally abundant willpower was called into action, staying the urge to waggle his sword in her direction, or nip a blossoming bud from the local fauna. Poor Sam might get the wrong impression. "Mercutio certainly loved pressing buttons, and found countless buttons to love, no matter whose house they belonged too. Or so I vaguely recall. It's been a long time since high school English, and that play bored the absolute... Roxi?" Not what he'd exp

Like so many men before him, Freyd was snared and tugged along in the wake of feminine hijinks. At least, thanks to Elora, he'd finally learned to just go with it, rather than bashing his helmetless head against fate. in this case, literally. Of course it was Nisa. It was always Nisa, everytime things went especially weird. Groaning internally, eyes dulled and looking nowhere in the way guys get when beset by female natter on all sides, he soon swapped his rod for his sword. Ironic, considering some would accuse him of just having surrendered his balls. Wisdom and wife taught compromise,

"Seriously?" Greyed brow rose with mixed confusion and consternation. No one came to this floor. Ever. Except if they were after that puma thing, but that was way on the other edge of the castle. Only esoteric foragers ever came this way, and they'd all been scared off by Cardinal's latest broadcast. The inns were full to overflowing, everyone seeking shelter or drowning their sorrows thanks to that glitched quest on twenty nine. As soon as the masses figured that one out there were hardly any players left sober across all of Aincrad, save a few stoically stubborn souls like himself

Racing south from the scene of the first fallen Spectral Knight, Freyd flitted from shadow to shadow to cover ground as swiftly as possible without risk an overshot. He'd sent the rest of the Wobbagong ahead to execute a holding action against the first knight's cloned doppel, without realizing the full danger posed by these potent monstrous mobs. It had taken six frontliners to take one of these things down, and they were only three, none of them yet meeting the requirements of that moniker. "Hang on, guys. I'm coming." Sounds of battle ahead and a wayward arrow with grey and red

Klepto frolic in full bloom, Reliq was all set to keep bounding about when his new pet rock suddenly jerked as if it had gotten lodged in thick air. Confused, eyes bulging and blinking at the oddity, tiny tentacles yanking ineffectively against whatever magnetic force countered their efforts. Something was calling the stone another direction. Something powerful. At first he thought it might be the weird flying fluffy thing with its own rock collection heading his way. Maybe they wanted to compare shinies? But, no. This was something different... shinier... and infinitely more sinister. F

Mixed feelings met the sound of Acanthus' voice as she rounded the corner to join them. Last he'd seen the woman, she'd fled the chaos of their arrival on this accursed floor by running recklessly into its wilds. Trust had been an early casualty in the shock of their arrival. No safe zone. No NPCs. Hordes of horrific mobs led by eldritch champions besieging them from the outset and twisted whispers that messed with the mind in every stinking, miasmic vapour. Doubts and skepticism were nagging, at the best of times. And now another mysterious threat. “And I thought I was prone to un

"Thbbbbbbbbbttttt...." came the raspberry tune of external tongue-filled delight as it fleshily wagged in his racing wake. The indigo blob flailed toothy tentacles all about and whizzed across dark and broken streets. Soaking up mayhem like Pacman would candy pellets, Reliq jumped from randomly discarded flotsam to jetsam as if each were a priceless piece of discarded artwork left behind for him to unearth and cherish. Each needed all of his love and attention, for about 2.3 seconds. Then it became the next shiny bauble's turn, and the next, and so forth. "Reeee... heeeheee..." G