[SP-F02] <<Breaking the Unbreakable>> Mongoose Styles

[Freyd 0]

"No, your familiar cannot learn martial arts!"  The secret sensei was irate the moment Freyd arrived at his mountaintop retreat, which struck him as very odd.  For a man who supposedly didn't want to be found, he sure advertised a lot.  There were signs every two hundred paces along the path up the mountainside and half the inns on this floor had pamphlets at their reception counter with the man's ugly mug plastered on the front cover, all drawn using something that resembled crayon.  Someone had really skimped on their budget with this one.

"Look, the terms of your contract just restrict the use of weapons.  She's going to do a heck of a lot more damage to that rock than I am, so why can't we just giver her the credit?"  Freyd had been haggling with the man for over an hour, and wasn't above timing his arrival with the hottest part of the day.  It also wasn't his problem that the NPC didn't have access to the survival skill.  Persi, meanwhile, had been rolling herself around coating herself in the snake venom they had recently obtained during another quest.  Her mongoose affinity ensured that she was protected against its effects, and SAO's mechanics could be weird.  Freyd was just thrilled that he'd found a use for the stuff and the fact that it could conceivably be used to poison rock absolutely tickled his twisted sense of humour.

"Fine!  I don't care who's name appears on the certificate!"  The sensei angrily smeared a few white smudges on Persi's muzzle, strangely painting whiskers on top of her existing whiskers.  Freyd shook his head at the pedantic insanity of rigid programming at play and called her over to 'her' rock.

Spoiler

Name: Freyd
Level: 33
HP: 660/660
EN: 66/66

Stats:
Damage: 8 (Base 1 + 6 [Familiar] + 1 [The Matriarch's Stinger])
Mitigation: 13
Evasion: 0
Accuracy: 1 (Precision)

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Forgiven Disobedience (T1-2HSS, ACC 1, HOLY 1, BLD 1)
Armor: Skirmisher's Garb (T2-LA, MIT 2, EVA 1)
Misc: Assassin's Cowl (T2-Trinket, ACC 2, KEEN 1)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 2]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival

Mods:
Precision
Finesse - Rank 3

Battle Ready Inventory:
-

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild: n/a

Wedding Ring: n/a

Spoiler

Consumed:

(1x) Snake Venom - A coating which grants a weapon a poison effect which activates on a critical hit, dealing 4 damage for 10 turns to an enemy. Lasts for one thread. Takes a post action to apply. http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19808-pp-fl-7-a-case-of-wurms/?do=findComment&comment=616621

(1x) The Matriarch’s Stinger – DMG 1 uncommon potion
http://www.sao-rpg.com/topic/19766-f02-pp/?do=findComment&comment=616648
 

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"Okay, girl, this is all you.  Show me how it's done."  Leaving Persi to get her groove on, Freyd started to unpack their picnic lunch, which, in retrospect, may have been part of why the sensei had been so pissed with him.  Freyd shrugged it off, pulling out his favourite sandwich and a bowl of ether for her, careful to keep it away from any open flames.  

Finding a comfortable patch of grass near the boulder, Freyd propped his back against a nearby trunk.  Properly settled, he looked up to watch Persi's progress only to find her lapping at her drink beside him.  He as still marveled at how he could place a full cup of coffee in digital storage and summon it a few hours later to have it still steaming.

"Hey!  What are you doing?  That's for after!  Go gnaw on the rock for a bit first, at least!  Especially after the trouble I just went through to arrange it for you."

Spoiler

Freyd | HP:660/660 | EN:66/66 (-0) | DMG:8 | MIT:8 | EVA:1 | ACC: 1 | HLY:2 | BLD:4 (over 10) > Rested

BD: 2 + 1 + 2 = 5 (miss)

Boulder: HP 50/50 | EVA -2

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Persi lazily wandered over to the big honkin' rock and gave it a poke with a shadowy appendage that might have been passably called a paw.  Her silhouette made it too difficult to distinguish any real body parts, other than her eyes.  He wasn't even sure that she was truly a mongoose, or if that just happened to be one of her favourite shapes.  Regardless, she was more than capable enough of tearing apart this rock, as if that was somehow justification for learning the secrets of Aincrad's Martial Arts.  Freyd shook his head at no one in particular, just the random absurdity of these things.

Persi, meanwhile, had crawled all the way around the boulder, stretching herself such that she looked like a long black ribbon strung along the midpoint of the stone.  Her eyes kept floating back and forth along the ribbon, which looked rather strange as the rest of her wasn't really moving.  The rock itself began to etch as a groove formed beneath her part of travel.

 

Spoiler

Freyd | HP:660/660 | EN:66/66 (-0) | DMG:8 | MIT:8 | EVA:1 | ACC: 1 | HLY:2 | BLD:4 (over 10) > Rested

BD: 3 + 1 + 2 = 6 (hit).  Freyd/Persi deals 8 damage to The Boulder 

Boulder: HP 42/50 (-8) | EVA -2

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

It was like watching a water jet cutter or a reverse 3D printer at work.  It wasn't dramatic, but Persi simply walked her steps back and forth in an endless loop, and like the eroding will of time itself, she slowly wore down the stone.  It was an approach certainly true to her name, and it would pay off yet again.

Freyd kept busy by watching and eating his sandwich.   He occasionally opened a few UI windows, reviewing incoming rumours and reports from across the discovered floors.  The information broker network could be a valuable resource, if carefully tapped, but their data was not always accurate or reliable.  Some of the more colourful recent news involved several lewd player encounters on the lower levels, a trio of sanctioned duels and a half dozen PK attempts.  Marking the various locations allowed him to collate the data and establish useful patterns: hunting grounds, identities, behaviour and the location of resources.

Spoiler

Freyd | HP:660/660 | EN:66/66 (-1 +1) | DMG:8 | MIT:8 | EVA:1 | ACC: 1 | HLY:2 | BLD:4 (over 10) 

BD: 10 + 1 + 2 = 13 (Crit +2).  Freyd/Persi deals (10 + 4 bleed)damage to The Boulder 

Boulder: HP 28/50 (-8) | EVA -2 (4 bleed 1/10)

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

 After nearly half an hour of slow grinding, Persi had accomplished her goal.  The snake venom in which she had doused herself was now eating away at the boulder's very fabric.  It shouldn't have been possible, but such were the vagaries of code at play in a digital world.  Condensing and then congealing her form into her favourite feline pattern, she perched herself atop the rock as it slowly dissolved beneath her. 

"What?!  What do you think you're doing?  You can't just use an acid to dissolve the stone!  That defeats the entire symbolic purpose of the act."  If he wasn't just irked before, the hidden sensei was outright peeved now.  Freyd summoned a pop-up window and twirled it to face him, his finger pointing through the back of the semi-transparent screen.

"Nothing in your rules says that she can't."  The man's rotund face exuded gall in response.

"Are you even planning to lift a finger yourself?!"

Freyd leaned back against his resting tree and stretched his arms behind him.

"I never intended to," he replied, pointing to his familiar.  This is about her."

Spoiler

Boulder: HP 24/50 (-4) | EVA -2 (4 bleed 2/10)

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"You can't train a... whatever that is... in martial arts!"

Persi's shadowy head perked up, as if she was aware that her status was in question.  It was more likely that she was just irked at someone interrupting her napping intentions.  A low threatening growl was enough to give the hidden sensei pause, but only for a moment.

"Look, I don't know what to tell you," Freyd replied raising his hands and shoulders in a full body shrug.  "She's complied with your requirements, and the rock will be broken without the use of any of the prohibited items.  I would have thought you'd be pleased by the application of wit and guile to defeat the challenge?"

"It's supposed to be about will, determination and persistence!!!"

Freyd's eyes lit up and he raised a finger to hold him at that thought while he toggles on his familiar's name tag: 'Persistence.'  He beamed with pride, as if he'd just found the perfect loophole in the man's logic.

Spoiler

Boulder: HP 20/50 (-4) | EVA -2 (4 bleed 3/10)

 

Edited August 20, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

The sensei was simply aghast, his face a mixture of utter confusion, frustration and denial all bundled into a single expression that made him look like he was struggling with a particularly nasty bout of constipation.  His hands were held upright before him, as if pleading for someone to restore his shattered calm and sanity by ushering away the two cretins before him.  Birds chirped away around him, one of them unleashing a well-timed plop directly into the palm of his hands, causing his eyes to shift and a vein to pulse in an angry shade of purple from his forehead.  The universe had just shat on his zen.

Next to him, the massive boulder continued to dissolve with a sizzling sound like well-marinated steaks grilling on a Hibachi.  The odour was far less pleasant, but it wasn't like they were planning on actually cooking their meals on the stone.

Spoiler

Boulder: HP 16/50 (-4) | EVA -2 (4 bleed 4/10)

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"No!  I simply cannot allow this!  You will cease this nonsense imm-"

With her shadowy paw, Persi struck and flipped her bowl of ether into the air, while her tail forcefully flicked a loose bit of flint.  It struck and ricochet off of the boulder, sending sparks flying through the air and lighting the spilled ether into a fireball that singed off half the sensei's overly manicured beard and most of his eyebrows.  The man blinked, trying to understand what had just happened, finally lowering his gaze to stared at a pair of blue eyes in shadow that seemed to be daring him to challenge her again.

Freyd stifled a laugh only by artfully choking on his sandwich.  Slapping the ground as he tried to get the sensei's attention.  A double-take at the mongoose and a hearty black slap to Freyd later, the sensei found himself at a complete loss regarding how to handle the situation.

Spoiler

Boulder: HP 12/50 (-4) | EVA -2 (4 bleed 5/10)

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"Look," he started, closing his eyes and burying his still-smoking forehead in a open palm, "there really isn't any precedence for this sort of thing."

"Dude! Just write her name on the writ and let the system sort it out.  Why are you so hell-bent on owning this problem?"  Freyd coughed out the words, wondering if his meal had just dared to be impertinent or displayed an uncanny ability to read the situation.

"But the rules-"

"...are being followed.  Everything is out in the open, and we did technically hit the thing at least a few times."  Freyd's eyes spared a glance behind the man, where the snake venom had already eroded a substantial rift through the central mass of the stone.  It wouldn't be long before they accomplished their goal.  Once that was done, there would be little more that the sensei could do to obstruct them.  He just had to keep him distracted for another sixty seconds or so.

Spoiler

Boulder: HP 8/50 (-4) | EVA -2 (4 bleed 6/10)

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"It's still highly irregular!  And I'm responsible for unlocking this skill.  How the heck am I supposed to explain this to Cardinal?"

That caught Freyd's attention.  He'd never considered the manner in which the NPCs interacted within the system, expecting that it was all just coded in the background.  What if it was more elaborate?  Could there be some sort of NPC forum or hidden floor where they socialized and interacted, apart from those areas accessible to players.  He practically salivated at the notion of gaining access to such a place, if it existed.

"Wait.  How exactly would you have to do that?  Does he have an office.. or a church or something?"  The mysterious inaccessible cathedral in Angel's Point immediately sprung to mind.

"What?"  The hidden sensei had been caught off guard by the question.  Adding in all of the other flustrations Freyd had leveled at the man, he was struggling to remain cogent and coherent.

Spoiler

Boulder: HP 4/50 (-4) | EVA -2 (4 bleed 7/10)

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"Cardinal.  Does he message you, or is there some grand Wizard of Oz type audience chamber somewhere where you have to go abase yourself, kiss his ring, and grovel, etc?"

The poor NPC was now completely out of his depths trying to follow Freyd's unstated leaps of logic mixed with assumptions.  His image flickered and glitched momentarily, freezing while it reset.  His face cycled through several twisted expressions, most of which would have been perfectly at home in a state fair's house of mirrors.  Finally settling on the NPC's default greeting pose, he had clearly forced a reboot.

"Greetings!  Have you come to take on the trials and attempt to break the unbreakable?"

"Actually..."  Freyd started.

*CRACK*

*DOUBLE-THUNK*

"... I believe that we just finished."

The sensei jumped, startled by the sound of the boulder splitting neatly into two halves immediate behind him.  

"Oh my, yes.  And such a clean break too!  Very well done!"  He appeared to be at a loss to rationalize how he'd missed the start of their challenge, but quickly concealed his ignorance as best he could.

Spoiler

Boulder: HP 0/50 (-4) | EVA -2 (4 bleed 8/10)

 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

"Excellent!"  Freyd continued, pulling out a copy of their sign-in sheet.  "If you could please make out the certificate to 'Persistence', as noted here?"

"Yes, of course, of course..."  The man padded his over the top kimono as if searching for pockets before realizing what he was doing and summoning the required UI.  "Now, which if you is 'Persistence'?"  He looked around, expecting to find a group of players gathered.  His brow furrowed, seeing none, then his gaze fell on Persi.  She was laying casually on a nearby tree root, nibbling on the last bits of Freyd's abandoned sandwich, the white painted whisker smudges placed upon her earlier still clearly prominent.

"Oh dear... that simply can't be."

"What do you mean?  She's on the registry and you placed the markings on her face yourself.  No one else is here.  Clearly, she must be the quest taker.  Per the rules of your quest, only she can benefit from unlocking the martial arts skills, isn't that correct?"

[Freyd 0]

"Well, yes, I suppose it is... but..."

Freyd chattered incessantly at the man with the express purpose of keeping him from concentrating on any of the evidence before him.  He regaled him with a concocted tale of Persi's epic struggle against the mighty boulder, and how she had laboured for days to whittle it down, breaking all of her tiny claws in the process.  Persi, meanwhile, hit him with her very best imitation of Puss'n'Boots, with those super-huge universe-spanning cutie eyes.

Mildly creeped out, and thoroughly adled, the sensei deemed it best to simply approve the quest and get them both out of his sanctuary.  Just as the UI closed, Persi's eyes flickered and widened.  Her glaze jumped all over the place, as if she were viewing her world anew, or for the very first time.  Freyd just smiled, contented that they had accomplished their true impossible goal and broken the system instead.

Edited August 21, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Persi wound her way up Freyd's back and perched herself lightly upon his shoulders, sniffing at the air.  Everything around her seemed new and ready for rediscovery with renewed vigor and fascination.  He caressed he neck playfully, glad that he could share this with his friend.

"Thanks," he said patting the bewildered sensei on the shoulder as he passed.  "It's been a literal slice."

The NPC just blinked and waved back without thinking, completely unable to fathom whatever he had just experienced and wandering back into his sanctum distraught that his inner peace had been so completely shattered.

Standing on the promontory at the head of the winding path that snaked up the mountainside, Freyd and Persi looked upon the breadth of Aincrad's second floor.  The outer edges of the entire level were visible from here.  It was rare to see the bars of their cage so obviously laid bare.

 

[Freyd 0]

"I have no idea what this will mean, if anything," Freyd said aloud.  He knew full well that Persi couldn't truly understand his every word, despite her eerily well-synchronized instincts.  In all likelihood, the game would just unlock the martial arts skill in his personal settings, but he hoped that Persi understood that he had done it in appreciation for her constant help and unwavering support.  Companionship was an aspect of the game that he often dismissed as trivial - fodder for the cosmetic-driven gamers or just more numeric variable to be optimized for efficiency.  It was doubtful that he would ever truly appreciate it to the same extent as many others seemed to, but he'd come to see value in it beyond the relationship one had with an accessory.  Familiar coding carried something unique within it that bore greater consideration, and perhaps also respect.

"Thanks, Persi, for all your help."

 

Edited August 22, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

They wandered leisurely down the mountainside, enjoying the view and the value of their common bond laid bare.  Freyd's mind dwelled unexpectedly on some of the many other acquaintances he had met during his short time in the 'wilds' of Aincrad.  Memories of Yuki, Assassin and early encounters with Elora, Kiluia and Eruda flooded his attention.  Things had changed so rapidly that he hadn't truly taken the time to consider how far he had come or where he might actually be heading.  Like so many eager new upstarts, his initial intentions had been to join the front lines.  Despite his considerable travels, he still didn't quite know what that meant, or who those people were.  Legends like Night, Mari and Raidou were counted among their ranks.  He wasn't in their league, but also wondered what it would mean if he ever reached that point.  It was odd that he had not planned further, but rapid progress had moved him farther along much faster than he had thought possible.

[Freyd 0]

"Where are we actually going?" 

Halting his steps, he looked at Persi, who wondered innocently at what he was saying.   Running his gloved fingers along his chin, he felt the digital input of pressure along a surface, but it felt cold and distant.  Never had he been so aware of the distance between himself and the shell within which his consciousness resided.  Was that truly any different than flesh?  It was just a matter of degrees of familiarity.  One grew accustomed to their physical form as they grew, especially as things stabilized a bit into adulthood.  Could the same be said of an unchanging avatar?  It changed in different ways.  Stats rose and fell based on equipment, and through the benefits of leveling.  New tiers unlocked a new form of digital puberty, but without all the biological messiness.  Some aspects of it were predictable, while others depended heavily on chance.  The divergent aspects of digital life from those of flesh and blood were an eternal source of curiosity.

Edited August 22, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

So lost in thought was Freyd that he hardly notice the coldness spreading from his booted feet upwards towards his thighs.  Persi was spreading her shadowy form up along his, stretching to engulf his entire body.  He was accustomed to having her hide within, or even beneath, his armor or clothing.  It had practical advantages for concealment that had proven their worth time and again.  This was something new.  Reaching over his torso, then spreading along both arms to his fingertips, she engulfed him completely.   His neck and head were last.  Oddly, he wasn't disturbed by this experience in any way.  Persi had become so much of who he was in this world that she might as well have been a second skin.  What difference would it make to do so literally?  He closed his eyes, trusting in her to look after them both.  The cocoon was completed as the last of him vanished into the comforting darkness.

[Freyd 0]

Externally, anyone watching would see his form swallowed by living night.  A pair of horizontally slotted blue eyes opened where his own should be.  Inside, Freyd opened his eyes to see the world through hers for the very first time.  It was wondrous, as if the Matrix and Tron got busy and created a whole new level of digital awesomeness.  Everything had a pulsing vibrancy about it, like the ever-refreshing codes of their universe were laid bare to the naked eye.  Freyd wanted to reach out and touch it all, to feel the amazing harmony unfolding before him, but his body wouldn't function.  Their merger was too strenuous on both of their systems and could not be sustained.  

She collapsed like a popped water balloon, spilling to the ground at his feet.  Freyd stumbled, disoriented by the sudden return of his digital reality.  His brain felt like it had just been release from a vise.  

 

[Freyd 0]

"You okay, Persi?" 

Freyd stumbled to his knees, fingers spread into the ink-like black ooze on the ground around him.  A subtle vibration passed through the rock beneath them and up through his arms and legs.  The experience had been exhausting, but distinctly unforgettable.  Her eyes re-opened as small slits, blinking as she sought to recover from her own discombobulation.  

"Thank you."  Freyd whispered.  

Maybe she couldn't understand his words, but she could intuit his feelings - maybe even when he couldn't do so himself.  That was an invaluable... he was going to think tool, but the truth of it was that she was his partner.  Sidling down beside her on the ground, he finally took the time to look up at the stars and appreciate their beauty for what it was.  Beside him, in a pool as black as the void of night itself, shone a thousand glittering blue eyes reflecting the scene from above.

***

Quest Rewards:

3 SP (1 page, 1 quest, 1 event)

400 col

Unlock Martial Arts skill

Edited August 22, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows