[PP|F7] <<Case of Wurms>> Passive Aggression

[ChaseR 0]

Although the two never crossed blades, it felt like verbally, their disagreement was as intense as Chase had ever gotten one to be prior. With a deep sigh, he accepted the offer and shook his hand, looking him in the eyes with a frown still present on his face. "Sure. We both have to think about it.", he muttered under his breath with slight aggression packed behind his rather calm and collected demeanour. "I hope you and I are both wrong and Kayaba is just watching us from a screen somewhere. It's best that way.", he then finished, letting out a deep sigh and silently pulling his hand back as he fixed his clothes on his body a bit.

Now that the two were about to break off, he realised he still had some time he could waste by running missions here and there. "... There is a mission on the seventh. Case of Wurms. Tag along if you want to.", he said before beginning to make his way towards the settlement. His behavior continued to be as nonchalant as before, clashing with the more sensitive and lost side that he let out only minutes before, despite being even less well acquainted by then. "... He's stubborn. More than I or even the pinkhead."

Spoiler

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

Stats:
Damage: 14
Mitigation: 8
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 3
REC:2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<Gust Raiser>> (T2/Perfect/2HSS): DMG II, ACC I
Armor: <<Wind Dweller>> (T2/Perfect/Light Armor): EVA I, REC II
Misc: <<Chained Bracelet>> (T2/Perfect/Trinket): EVA II, ACC I

Skills:
Two-Handed Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 2]
Battle Healing [Rank 1]
Fighting Spirit [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Familiar Mastery: Fighter
Survival
Disguise

Mods:
2HSS Finesse [R3]
Precision

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potions(heal 50HP)*3
Spyglass (2/3)*1
T1 Rare Health Potions (heal 40HP)*2
Woodland Armor (T2/Perfect) MIT III (2/3)*1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3
Obtained via Item Stash (Housing)
Obtained via Dimensional Backpack

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

[Freyd 0]

Freyd shrugged and acquiesced.  He had no qualm with Chase, though the man seemed to be uncannily obsessed with his naive notion that Kayaba would somehow grant him answers to his questions - would give meaning to his grief.  How sad, that he cannot see his folly.  Chase was a good fighter, and seemed otherwise rooted in pragmatism.  Maybe he will come around, if he doesn't cause himself to split wide open with anguish.  

"Sure.  Why not?  I need to go check on some things on that floor anyway."

Chase reminded him a lot of Kiluia, in many ways.  Both had passion, and struggled with it.  He did too, in his own way, but his was closer to a newly-bridled rage that could be unleashed under certain circumstances.  It wasn't so much passion and pent up anger and raw aggression.  There wasn't so much feeling, bottled up inside, so much as destructive instinct.  It had been his fourth and final demon, and though he didn't fear it any longer, it still lingered within.

"Wurms.  I know it.  Done it a few times, but why not do so again?"

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows
Level: 47
HP: 960/960
EN: 94/94

Stats:
Damage: 16
Mitigation: 54
Evasion: 1
Accuracy: 4
KEEN:1
HLY:2
BLD:12

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 4]
Searching [Rank 3]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival

Mods:
Precision
Finesse - Rank 3
LA Athletics
Ferocity

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potion (50 hp)*3
Teleport Crystals*2
Turkish March *2
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik*5
Golden Key*5
T3 Blank Dungeon Map*5

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

 

[ChaseR 0]

Him tagging along wouldn't hurt. Hell, it'd make an already weak monster even weaker- a boss, or so it was called. Then again, it was nothing compared to that Venom boss he fought before level 16 by the looks of it, which was... laughable, for sure. No matter, he'd go in, take the boss down and then enjoy all the skill points it had to offer. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he nodded at Freyd and let out a deep exhale as the two made their way back to the settlement and headed to the teleporter. "... Keeping him around will help me stay safe from any orange players too... Funny."

His thoughts on the fellow swordsman were as toxic as ever, but there wasn't much he could do. His opinion on Kayaba seemed as set in stone as Chase's was, so that wouldn't change much. This wasn't a good time to start thinking deeply about it though, as the two eventually made it to the teleporter after a fair bit of silence. He stood on it, waiting for Freyd to get on so they could be on their way already.

[Freyd 0]

Climbing onto the platform, Freyd spoke the name of their destination.  "Nimbus."  Both men vanished and reappeared through the void a moment later surrounded by the massive stone fortress nestled into the face of the mountain.  

"The town of Rig stands about a mile in that direction," he said, pointing through the solid stone.  "It takes a bit to make your way around the mountain, but the voyage is not unpleasant.  We should be able to make good time."  

Making their way through the main gate was no trouble.  the road to Rig was well-traveled and easy to follow.  Large outcroppings of white limestone and granite dotted the landscape, and the air felt thin on the floor - probably to provide a sense of high elevation.

"Who did you leave behind?"  Freyd finally asked.  "You mentioned that someone was waiting for you."  He had deliberately chosen to wait until they were away from prying ears and for Chase's temper to simmer down.  He doubted he'd get much of an answer, but it was worth a shot.  Freyd had no one on the outside.  His parents were still alive, but there were no good friends, no siblings or love interests.  The people in SAO were quickly becoming more meaningful that anyone out in the 'real' world.

[ChaseR 0]

Once the two appeared, the bluehead looked around the floor he'd been to once more in the past. With a slow nod and a light groan, they began to make their way towards the main gate, eventually exiting the settlement and going out into the fields. Freyd managed to capture his attention with the question though. He didn't feel any more comfortable talking to him now than he did before, but it was true he'd calmed down a fair bit and he didn't want to make the journey any harder either. He already made that mistake with the pinkette and it bit him right back in the ass.

"... A childhood friend.", he said vaguely. He felt no obligation to explain any further, but after half a minute or so of silence after how abruptly he finished it off, he scratched the back of his head and decided to explain a bit further, for the sake of not making leaving him completely shut off. "We bought the NerveGear together with pocket money. She would test it first, but... She had to attend to some business. I was going to give her my first impressions. At least she wasn't the one that fell for it."

[Freyd 0]

Regrettable.  Freyd nodded in understanding, but suspected there was more at play than botched schedules.  If his guess was right, Chase was torn between two desires: one that wanted his friend to be with him, and the other which felt guilty that he was trapped in here without her.  They would be difficult to reconcile, and blaming Kayaba for creating the situation would be a natural progression.  It explained a lot, though he didn't think it appropriate to push any further.  The tension behind their recent exchanges was unlikely to have left Chase in a talkative mood.  He was surprised to have received an answer at all.  Perhaps it was time for a different approach?

"You're well into Tier 2, but you haven't joined a guild.  This isn't a recruitment pitch.  I expected to stay solo myself.  I'm just curious as to why."  It was true.  He'd no intentions of signing up with anyone either, until Kiluia made the offer for him to join Firm Anima.  It turned out to be a good fit, and made him realize that a ceiling was looming that would limit his progression so long as he remained alone.  Joining allies was simply... logical.

[ChaseR 0]

The question wasn't a new one. He found his own desire to stay solo the same as Freyd's, except... He'd already been offered a position into a guild one too many times. Hell, every other encounter with a Firm Anima member, he was getting invited left and right. "Ariel, a frontliner, asked me to join her martial school. Kiluia and Haine also invited me to Firm Anima. Many others have to. I don't do well with groups.", he simply responded. It kind of made sense, seeing how he was rather abrupt with his responses at times, and didn't have too good a way with words, either.

"... You seem to be more... diplomatic.", Chase commented on his companion, although it sounded somewhat aggressive despite him not intending to do so. This was his problem- words never did him or anybody he talked with justice, from the looks of it. He always came off as one form of rude or crass, and that got in the way of things a lot. That was the main reason that growing up, he never really stuck to large groups or ever even got into any in the first place.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd laughed, breaking down the tension between them.  His reaction was spurred by the predictability of Kiluia and Haine's aggressive recruitment style, and the irony that he was somehow more diplomatic.  He honestly wasn't asking Chase to join, and only curious about his status.

"That has to be the very first time anyone has ever described me as 'diplomatic.'  Ariel also made me the same offer, but she couldn't seem to get her efforts off the ground.  Given the choice, I would also keep to myself, but some of Aincrad's tougher content requires allies."  Freyd kept a brisk pace, as if driven by some unseen and unspoken goal.  Perhaps it was simply his nature to press relentlessly forward.  "Whether you choose to join any guild is, of course, entirely your business.   It just seems useful to keep your options open."

Their path snaked around the many outcroppings and ridges of the main peak, lesser ranges that forced travel underground or through higher and more difficult terrain.  Everything here required a circuitous route.  Freyd chuckled internally at the irony.

[ChaseR 0]

As blue decided to start heading further up to a higher elevation, he furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms. "I can manage. I have a friend I can trust my life with back on the fourth.", he clarified, referring to Shay. Hearing him laugh did make him feel rather at ease, however he was still fairly protective of himself when it came to Freyd. "If I had to, I'd join a smaller one. With people I know. No different than a party that way.", Chase muttered lowly while the two made their way up. It didn't take much too long before the rough footing reached its end, leading all the way up to a rocky peak.

A nest seemed to have been set up right on over, and the swordsman could only guess the boss would show up any moment now. Even if unfamiliar with games overall, he knew all too well whether something seemed randomly generated or it was set up. Given the way that Kayaba had planned out every floor though, most of the terrain was always set up to be the way it is. "It's going to appear any moment. Be careful.", he warned the other traveller and unsheathed his blade from his back, looking around as the jingles of his chains around his left arm filled the air. It was as if he waited for the monster's queue to arrive, so he could get a first, quick strike and throw it off balance. Waiting for it at its very own nest, too.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd turned to hear Chase's warning just as the sand beneath his feet gave way and the giant, flying serpent thing burst into the air above them.  Landing flatly on his back, stars dancing before his eyes, he couldn't recall the spawning area extending quite so far from the nest.  Had they changed it?  And why was it that, despite a steadily increasing state of readiness, this sort of calamity always seemed to befall him in the opening moves of every battle?  It truly felt that way.  The Monkey King, Kematetsu, Moretsuna, the Sundered Vanguard, the list was extensive.  He'd even missed the unbreakable boulder on his first strike.  Who the hell can miss a two-meter tall stationary rock?!

Groaning at fortune's rather expressive disdain for his welfare, taking only a moment to dust off some of the sand covering every inch of his clothing, he picked himself up off the ground and sought to rejoin the fray.

Spoiler

Freyd | HP:820/820 | EN:79/80 | DMG:16 | MIT:54 | EVA:1 | ACC:4 | KEEN:1 | HLY:2 | BLD:12
ChaseR: HP: 680/680 | EN: 68/68 | DMG: 14 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2 | MIT: 12 | BH: 6

BD: 1 (miss).  Freyd misses Amphis Serpens. 

(0,0) Amphis Serpens HP:175/175 | MIT 45 | DMG:70 

On MD rolls of 9 or 10, the boss will attack the two players with the highest Hate and poison them, dealing normal attack damage in addition to inflicting an unmitigatable DoT [20 DMG] effect that lasts 5 turns.

Due to the shifting sands and movement of the boss, players take a -1 penalty to Accuracy and Evasion.
 

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[ChaseR 0]

As soon as the monster showed up, Chase quickly turned his attention to the beast and dashed away to not suffer the same fate as Freyd, letting out a grunt as he readied himself for another acrobatic stunt. He swiftly lunged at the monster, turning his blade to its flat side and trying to slam it right onto one of the monster's heads with the intent of knocking it off its feet for the other boy to get the finishing blow in. 

Right before hitting the head however, the monster seemed to headbutt the blade into retaliation, being the one to send Chase flying back almost as he managed to get his footing. He lifted his head to see the monster slithering his way, trying to bite him. He barely managed to raise his blade and block the attack, growling. "The sand is making this too hard, damn it..! Just die already!", he thought as the monster's second head made its way around the boy's weapon and got a quick bite at his arm. Thankfully, it looked like he had managed to divert its attention from Freyd, leaving him both safe and with an opening to take advantage of. 

[Hate: 0] Freyd | HP:820/820 | EN:52/80 | DMG:20 | MIT:43 | EVA:3 | ACC:4 | KEEN:1 | HLY:2 | BLD:12
[Hate: 1] ChaseR: HP: 598/660 (-62) | EN: 66/66 (-2, +4) | DMG: 14 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2 | MIT: 8 | BH: 6

(0,0) Amphis Serpens HP:175/175 | MIT 45 | DMG:70 

On MD rolls of 9 or 10, the boss will attack the two players with the highest Hate and poison them, dealing normal attack damage in addition to inflicting an unmitigatable DoT [20 DMG] effect that lasts 5 turns.

Due to the shifting sands and movement of the boss, players take a -1 penalty to Accuracy and Evasion.

Edited August 23, 2020 by ChaseR

[Freyd 0]

'Nice work, Chase', Freyd thought to himself, watching the blue warrior draw the serpent away from him.  The creature swooped down to make its attack, giving him the opportunity he needed.  Reclaiming his footing, he leapt to a nearby rocky outcrop and ran along the others in line between him and his target, silent as the wind as he approached it from behind.  

Forgiven Disobedience's white blade blazed in pulses of increasing intensity as it built up holy power, trailing wisps of celestial light in its wake.  Muffled by the torrent of wind gusts caused by the serpent's beating wings, and concealed by the cloud of sand and dust it created around the place where it landed, neither the beast nor Chase could hear the rising choir song of the white blade's strike.  Launching himself from the last available stone, Freyd sailed through the air, both hands cleaving the shining blade down into its spine, sundering its digital form from stern to the stumps that were all that remained of its heads.  He fell through it as the rest of its body exploded into a cloud of white crystals, sliding to a stop in the sand by Chase's side.

"Nice recovery," he said, breathing hard from the effort.  "Thanks for the opening."

Spoiler

[Hate: 2] Freyd | HP:820/820 | EN:71/80 | DMG:16 | MIT:54 | EVA:1 | ACC:4 | KEEN:1 | HLY:2 | BLD:12
[Hate: 1] ChaseR: HP: 598/660 (-62) | EN: 66/66 (-2, +4) | DMG: 14 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | REC: 2 | MIT: 8 | BH: 6

Galaxy Destroyer (x13): 13 EN - Rested (1) - Finesse III (3) - Turn Recovery (1) = 8 EN

BD: 9 (Crit +1, Holy 2, Bleed 12).  Freyd deals (247 - 45 = 202, + 12 bleed = 214) damage to Amphis Serpens

Amphis Serpens HP:0/175 | MIT 45 | DMG:70  (175-214)

On MD rolls of 9 or 10, the boss will attack the two players with the highest Hate and poison them, dealing normal attack damage in addition to inflicting an unmitigatable DoT [20 DMG] effect that lasts 5 turns.

Due to the shifting sands and movement of the boss, players take a -1 penalty to Accuracy and Evasion.

Edited August 24, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[ChaseR 0]

The scene before him transpired all too quickly. He drew two conclusions as the monster before him shattered and Freyd complimented him on his efforts. Firstly, he'd done his job right as a tank. Secondly, Freyd was a damn efficient swordsman, putting in as much work as he could with whatever sort of a weapon he had. They were of the same type, but his must have some unique enchantments, like the ones he were looking for. There was no other way going about it, the way he saw it. With a quick sigh, he lowered his guard again and put the sword back in his sheathe, nodding at the brownhead.

"Good to see my role is putting in the effort. Still getting used to multiclassing.", Chase explained, dusting himself and holding a hand out towards Freyd. "You did a much better job than I expected.", he then added somewhat crassly, although he didn't quite mean it with ill intent. The only other person he'd seen pulling moves as flashy as that were NIGHT, and she was far into the third tier, while Freyd was still within Chase's 'power level' like this.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd laughed, thinking that Chase was taunting him for his miserable stumble at the outset of the battle.  "I don't know what it is, but I seem to have an uncanny talent for fumbling my first steps in most battles.  Personally, I'm convinced that Cardinal just hates me and tweaks the random number generator algorithms to make me miss spectacularly every time.  Fortunately, it's usually just those first few seconds." He took a moment to dust off some of the sand that covered every inch of his body.  His blade simmered down gradually, still casting off wisps of warm white light.  The weapon was a complete contrast to Freyd.  It looked glorious and majestic, fit for a holy knight or avenging angel.  He, instead, was dark, cold and plain.  Combined, both seemed emboldened in some way, as if feeding off their counterpart.

"I didn't realize that you were going for a tank build, especially with some of the damage I've seen you deal, or are you trying to straddle the line between tank and DPS?"

[ChaseR 0]

"Cardinal... Whatever is..?", he began to wonder, until he heard his question. With a quick glance to the side, he nodded and crossed his arms. "Yeah. My friend is going for a healer and attacker build, so I'm going for a tank and uh... attacker, too, I guess.", the bluehead awkwardly finished once he'd paused, giving Freyd a confused glance. As if his lack of prior game knowledge was anything to go by, now unknown terms to him were getting thrown left and right and he was quickly losing touch with the conversation at hand.

Even though it still felt as awkward as ever, there was only one fix for this- to take advantage and ask on whatever he could mean, find out, and learn from here on out. "... What's Cardinal and DPS?", the boy silently blurted out, watching the wisps come off of his blade and losing himself in its beautiful appearance for a few moments, averting his gaze back to its rather ordinary-looking wielder and drawing the comparison in his mind too. It was hard not to, seeing how outstanding the blade was, and then taking a quick glance at the rather plain features of the wielder.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd's expression grew more pensive, but remained friendly.  How the heck did this guy get this far without learning this stuff?

"Cardinal is SAO's operating system.  It's the master program that oversees everything: it controls the mobs, processes all actions and combat results, manages all transactions and the game economy, etc.  Heck, it even tells your brain how the food you eat tastes, when and how you feel tired, and how much pain is translated to you through the nerve gear."  He paused, looking up at the sky and all around.  "We should walk and talk, in case the boss respawns while we're standing around."  He motioned towards the path back towards Nimbus.

"DPS is a generic gaming term.  It actually stands for 'damage-per-second', but is also used to describe player builds that focus on hurting things.  Almost everyone has some DPS capacity, but highly specialized tanks and support characters can reach a point where they can't actually deal much direct damage."  He recalled Raidou mentioning something about how his pure tank build dealt no damage on his attacks, at all, and was entirely dependent on reflecting attacks directed against him.  "Most players end up being a mix of different styles, but focusing more on one than the others."

Freyd left it there, with a pregnant pause for a follow up, not wanting to sound like he was lecturing at the man.  If Chase had questions, he would gladly answer them, but he didn't want to sound like a know-it-all.  Despite his extensive gaming background prior to logging into SAO, there was much about this place that he still didn't understand himself.

[ChaseR 0]

With a slow nod, Chase quietly followed along and kept on going. He didn't really understand the need for a name like Cardinal when it was just the software that the game ran on, its system, but... Whatever. "Ah... So DPS has just become a title for attackers.", he mumbled lowly to himself and scratched the back of his head, looking up at the sky quietly before he turned his head back to Freyd. Everybody he'd met, Ariel, Shay, himself, they all had so much knowledge on anything related to gaming.

It was honestly something he'd barely touched, let alone considered in the past. So while not a surprise, it always came off to him as odd, how someone could be hooked to video games all along. "You haven't seen a world like Aincrad before? For yourself.", he asked, adding the last bit once he realised just how broad his question was. There wasn't any more VR experiences like this that he knew of, but it wasn't like he'd studied this subject extensively. He seemed less intent to know more about the game, as he didn't have questions, rather than to just try easing himself into talking to Freyd normally again, granted the passive aggression still lingered in the back of his head.

[Freyd 0]

"Not like this," Freyd replied, taking in the view as they circled their way back around towards Nimbus.  "No one really has, except for the developers.  It's magnificent and terrifying at the same time.  There are many aspects that make it both compelling, yet also traumatic.  And the jarring disconnect from everything else we knew is... hard."  He chose the last work for Chase's benefit.  Personally, he was coming to feel more at home in Aincrad than he ever had in the real world.

"I often wonder if the people outside can see us.  Are they watching our choices, successes and failures?  Can they hear what we're thinking?  We really don't now what the Nerve Gear can transmit beyond this place."  He scratched at the back of his head, as if the itch of their prior disagreement had resurfaced.

"People won't always agree on everything - especially the important stuff.  Whenever I'm going to decide something big, I try to imagine the entire world hearing my thought process, and watching my actions.  If I believe I can defend my reasoning before them, and sleep the following night, then it means that it's probably a good choice.  After that, it really doesn't matter if anyone's watching or not."

What a beautiful lie.

[ChaseR 0]

Freyd's monologue was... oddly poetic. There were some points he agreed with, and some others that he didn't. But on the topic of being watched constantly, he wasn't quite on board with his train of thought. "... I doubt it. We're locked here. If others could see us, they'd know what we're going through. They'd find a way to help. And they can't see however many we are... Thousands upon thousands, all at once...", he explained his way of thinking, although this was just his own theory. It didn't make sense, admittedly just like everything else in Aincrad, for that to be realistically possible. The only difference was that this wasn't about Aincrad- but the reality they used to live in.

"You sound like you need confirmation from others awfully much.", the bluenette commented rather abruptly, frowning soon after and scratching the side of his head before looking up at the sky. "... I just wonder if Lily would do the same. If I think she'd be happy with my choice, then... I make it. That's all.", he explained his own, truthful way of seeing things for what they were and going about his life. There was nothing but his own guilt keeping him up at night, or the possibility that Lily could be anywhere, doing something stupid to get herself in Aincrad alongside her best friend, just so he wouldn't be alone. It'd been much too long for that to be truly achievable, but... the thought remained all the same.

[Freyd 0]

On the inside, Freyd was shaking his head again.  The man takes absolute positions without any evidence to support them, then raises his hackles whenever those unsubstantiated assumptions are challenged.  Foolishly stubborn and naive.  Hopefully it doesn't get him killed.

"You sound like you need confirmation from others awfully much." 

Chase's blunt accusatory tone didn't bother Freyd in the slightest.  His ego was too oblivious.  "Actually, I don't need it at all.  I just said that it was a test for conscience of action."  He'd left out the part where he was often hardly be considered to have a conscience at all, except when it came to kids.  He still couldn't figure out that soft spot, but his experience with Shoji and Masaka at the Tanabata festival had brought it to the forefront.  The 'conscience test' was an artificial construct he's created and used to determine how 'normal people' would expect him to behave.  Its results were often irrational, inefficient, or outright ineffective.  Most people wouldn't appreciate the revelation.  

"... I just wonder if Lily would do the same. If I think she'd be happy with my choice, then... I make it. That's all."

"Is it better to rely on the confirmation of one person or many?"   He really wanted to add 'or none', but the conscience test said it was a bad idea.  Freyd shrugged, only mildly interested in the answer for benefit of his own facades. 

But he's mentioned Lily a few times now - clearly the one he left behind.  She was the key to the puzzle called Chase.

*****

Thread Summary

Chase:

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

 200 col

 <<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.

Freyd:

2 SP (1 page, +1 event)

 200 col

 <<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.