[F2-PP] Getting to Know the Surroundings Again...(Long Live the Queen)

[Freya 0]

Freya wakes up early in her new bed. A house that was provided by her guild which seemed to already prove useful. It was early, 6 am to be exact but she found herself not sleeping much due to certain circumstances. She walks to the kitchen and makes herself some eggs for 2 with some bacon. Her house was attacked to her shop...Gaius shop as she promised to cook for him in the morning for payment with the shop sharing arrangement. This she could not argue with because she loved cooking. Preparing 2 large plates of food and adding some toast she eats her food rather quickly. She delivers the food to the table of her shop for Gaius and covers it with some foil to keep it fresh. He could make his own tea if he wanted some. 

Walking out of the shop she stretches and finds her familiar hovering around her feet. "Hey there Hineko, I didn't know you were awake." A small yawn was given from the tiny cat. Freya chuckles a bit and starts to head to floor 2 for a quest to do. Furthermore, to gain memories back of places that she thinks she had been to before. Arriving at floor 2 after some jaunting pastures she hears some arguing in the distance. She quickly grabs a quest from the floor 2 quest board and fast walks toward the commotion. Seeing a man in black arguing with an NPC that she knew from one of her previous quests. 

She knew it was none of her business but she says "What seems to be the problem with the pour NPC you are brutally assaulting with your words," she says to the man in black. Leaning against the door frame now she waits for the guy to answer...

Freya | HP:480/480 | EN:48/48 | DMG:11 | MIT:18 | EVA:1 | ACC:3

Spoiler

Freya
Level: 24
HP: 480/480
EN: 48/48

Stats:
Damage: 11
Mitigation: 18
Evasion: 1
Accuracy: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Life Taker (T1/Perfect/2HBA): Damage 3
Armor: Swifter (T1/Perfect/Light Armor): Mitigation 2, Evasion 1
Misc: Bringer (Tierless/Perfect/Trinket): Accuracy 3

Skills:
Two-Handed Battle Axe [Rank 5]

Extra Skills:
Concentration
Familiar (Rank 1)

Mods:
Finesse Rank 3

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal*1
Resistance Plate - Lily (T1/Perfect/HA): Mitigation 27
Silver Band - Farore's Wind: (T1/Perfect/Trinket) Loot Dice 3

Housing Buffs:
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.
Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]

 

[Freyd 0]

"Look, Gatsly, we've been over this a hundred times.  Where's your pride and sense of self?  How can you possibly keep losing the same damned shipment over and over again?  Don't you ever get a little suspicious, or think that it might look a little suspicious?  Hmm?"

The poor, beleaguered NPC simply looked flustered.  He was part of the early game design content and simply not equipped to deal with this kind of harassment.  The rest of the patrons in the tavern, players and NPCs alike, had heard this routine a few times now.  It had become the bar's unofficial floor show.  For his part, Freyd was pushing to see if he could actually get an NPC to break from its standard programming and behaviour.  The existence of the Sundered Spire had profound implications for the entire system, and he was curious to see if other internal alterations were possible with the application of pressure at the right points.  This little experiment, however, was going absolutely nowhere.

 "What seems to be the problem with the pour NPC you are brutally assaulting with your words?" 

He craned his cowl, turning to see the source.  Red eyes narrowing in annoyance at the disruption.

"Eru...no.  You'd the other one, aren't you?  With the scythe?"

***

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:1710/1710 | EN:183/183 | DMG:20 | MIT:79 | EVA:2 | ACC:4 | VAMP OFF:171 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:7 | BH:85

Freyd consumes Crypto-Crunchies (LD +2 - 170028)

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows
Level: 84
HP: 1710/1710
EN: 183/183

Stats:
Damage: 20
Mitigation: 79
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 4
BH:85
VAMP OFF:171
HLY:6
FLN:6
LD:5

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride (T3-2HSS, VO 1, HOLY 1, FLN 1)
Armor: Skirmisher's Garb (T3 LA, MIT 2, EVA 1)
Misc: Night Shades (T3-Trinket, ACC 3)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 4]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Parry [Obtained]
Energist [Obtained]
Charge [Rank 5]
Extended Mod Limit R3 [Obtained]
Hiding [Rank 5]
Martial Arts [Rank 4]
Quick Change [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival
Meditation

Mods:
Precision
Finesse - Rank 3
LA Athletics
Ferocity
LA Sprint and Acrobatics
Night Vision
Vengeful Riposte
Surprise Attack (Assassin)

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals*5
Gungnir Shard: Haniel's Modesty (T3 Perfect HP Rec [Instant]*5
Flash of Rejuvenation (Mass HP Rec [Instant] (+30*Tier HP)*5
Fruit-Infused Tea (T3 HP Recovery)*5
Imugi's Inspiration (T3 Mass HP Recovery)*5
Mega-Duper... Sauce (Antidote 3)*5
Grave Injustice (T3-2HSS, ACC 1, Keen 1, Abs. ACC)*1

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
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

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:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring: n/a

 

[Freya 0]

"The other one...Wow...Fair though. I am not really known around here yet. I aim to change that though. Freya is the name, and your...Freyd, the guy that called that meeting." She couldn't help but laugh at the way it ended. She pushing herself away from the frame and looks around him to the NPC..."You do realize they are pure script for this stupid game right? Please help me...or I lost something... bla bla bla," The NPC seemed flustered still from the battering. Walking in ever so slightly the NPC says "Are you here to help," Freya looks at Freyd and points to it saying "See nothing more. Do you want to get out of here and do something just a bit more interesting? I have a bee to kill and a site to see." She starts walking out the door now. Calling out behind her now, "Or would you rather bore yourself with this little experiment you forced yourself into. Either way, I will be in the fields." Glancing slightly over her shoulder she says "Oh and Freyd...I am nothing like Eruda so try not to get us mixed up..."

She makes her way out of the gates now heading into the large empty fields now trying to find anything that looked familiar to her in the slightest. Not sure if Freyd was behind her or not she says openly, "Are you really telling me I have never been here before." A cackled chuckle within her head with no words..."NO, YOU ASS THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. SHOW ME SOMETHING...DO SOMETHING..." She could feel the heat rise within her and she could feel her eyes start to change. "NO NOT THAT YOU DAM IDIOT." Freya was trying to make a connection with the thing in her head that manifested inside her after her Gemini...She started to understand it sort of but she wanted to understand more. To everybody else, though it looked like Freya was just talking to herself in a large empty field.

[Freyd 0]

'Well,' he thought to himself, 'this sounds far more entertaining.'  Sparing a moment, Freyd leaned in close and glared at a poor, sweating and uncomfortable Gatsly.  His cowl was a mere inch away from the NPC's face.   Squinting until his eyes were but a sliver, he whispered so quietly that no one else could possibly hear.  "I'm watching you, bub.  Keep it on the straight and narrow, and stop these shenanigans."  A pair of black-gloved hands pointed to Freyd's eyes, then pivoted to direct said gaze at Gatsly, who just whimpered in response.  No sooner had he blinked than Freyd was gone.  A still-steaming cup of coffee lay abandoned on the bar, sadly not for the first time.

Freyd had chosen to exit at the back of the tavern and swiftly made his way through back alleys.  He'd heard very little about this woman, save that she existed.  There was something off about her, but he couldn't recall any relevant details from past.  Catching up just as she left the confines of Urbus, he wondered whether she meant the original Queen or the improved one he had just polished off with Koga?  This might be a good chance to assess her abilities.

Trailing her in parallel from within the tall grass and ripened corn, she sounded like she was having a conversation, but no one else seemed to be present. 

Wait.. wasn't she the one who'd had to be rescued from some sort of imprisonment or something?

Spoiler

Freyd activates Hiding (ID #180540, LD 4+7=11 [success])

 

[Freya 0]

Freya tries to shake her to try getting her eyes back to normal. "That is not how this works dear, A for effort though," a voice, so mysterious that only she could hear followed with a sinister chuckle echoing within her head. It would drive some people crazy. For Freya though, she was just trying to figure out what it was exactly without losing control. That would be very bad for everyone around them if she did... She started to remember the meet and how everyone was hating on Chase, she was sure that it wasn't the same thing. Holding her head now her vision starts to blur, "I DONT WANT TO BE THIS," she says maybe just a bit too loud. In a smaller voice, she says "I just want to know more..."

She remembers what Gaius taught her. She sits on the ground as she could feel her skin start to boil. Her eyes begin to dilate but she just closes them. Lately, it's been happening faster, the takeover, that makes her a dick...The memories that she has been given back meant something. They were all painful but they meant something. Freya takes a deep breath, slowly in then out, and repeats this for a few minutes. Her eyes returned to normal but she was all hot and flustered. "DAM IT," Freya says after catching her breath and getting to her feet. "I just want to remember more..." she says in an almost sad voice, having no clue that anyone was around her. She begins slowly walking toward the nav marker taking her time as she felt sorta drained after that.

Edited December 25, 2020 by Freya

[Freyd 0]

The scarecrow in the nearby field dangled professionally, its arms swaying slightly in the wind.  A large black bird, possibly a crow or a raven, had perched itself upon the thing's shoulder.  So much for doing its fucking job!

"Did you know that ravens are apparently capable of holding grudges against people who cheat them?"  The voice came out of nowhere, then focused on a dark figure emerging from the shadows of maize.  "I read it in a National Geographic magazine once.  Interesting stuff.  But what happens when you leave the bird in the dark for too long, and clip its wings?  What would it do to that amazing capacity for memory?  And what would such a bird do to get it back, I wonder?  You know that was your outside voice, right?"

Red eyes peered at Freya from beneath a charcoal cowl, not with malice or threat, but curiosity.  It was all a test, of course.  He didn't really know much about Freya, other than something about her having been captured and held somewhere.  Raidou had been vague on the details, as he was wont to be.  He chose the abrasive approach, which might backfire, but was more likely to spark fireworks.  This one seemed spunky, with vim and attitude to spare, but she'd also stood up to Gaius in an effective manner.  That counted for something.

"Hey Freya, I'm Freyd, your new name-confusion buddy.  And I'm nothing like Eruda either.  What say we chat on our way to kill some bees?  You sound like you have a lot on your mind, and maybe a few things missing?"

***

Freyd activates Vengeful Riposte (-5 EN)

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:1710/1710 | EN:178/183 | DMG:20 | MIT:79 | EVA:2 | ACC:4 | VAMP OFF:171 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:7 | BH:85 | VENGEFUL

[Freya 0]

Words are formed from around her but when she glances slightly around, no one...She chuckled a bit as there was a point to each phrase he spoke. She was no stranger to words that spoke with no frame as it happens on a daily basis unannounced most times. After a moment she sees red-tinged eyes within the darkness. Freya just stands there for a moment, staring as she only saw the eyes. There was no fear within her curious motions, just pure instinct as she begins to reach for her weapon placed on her back...

Hearing more words from the same voice, Freyd..."Hmm, you really know how to make an entrance but if you intended to scare me...good luck." Pondering on what Freyd had said she smiles at the names, how close they were...Weird. Still not seeing a body to the eyes she continues to walk a bit saying, "I see you heard me though and that may have been a mistake after what just transpired in the meeting." She chuckles a bit but knew that something now was out in the air. Only a very selected few knew about what was going in with her, and only a few knew bits and pieces...She intended to keep it that way if she could for the simple fact that she didn't understand it fully herself...The Gemini was supposed to help you and in some cases, it has but not in the ways that others may think. "Yes I do have a lot on my mind but I am not sure that you could possibly do anything to help me. But yes, by all means, let's go chat and kill the fuck out of these dam bees." There was a bit of sarcasm in her voice. She didn't know this person, maybe he could help enlighten the situation or maybe not. Either way, she needed to make sure he was to be trusted by her before anything else was said...

[Freyd 0]

"Scare you?  This is just how I walk. You implied a desire for assistance, so I came."  One eyebrow raised nonchalantly above the other.  "As to the meeting, I thought you conducted yourself spectacularly, especially that bit where you punched Gaius on the face without earning an orange strike.  You'll need to show me how to do that."  A mischievous smirk graced the left side of his face as he spoke the words, while the analytical engine that was his brain started formulating a list of those most deserving of such a skill's application.

"What happened to you, by the way?"  The direct approach seemed best.  Though he had little evidence to support his conclusion, Freya struck him as a fellow no-nonsense type.  He expected that she would simply shy away, but at least this tabled the issue for later follow-up.  "Most people don't have such fervent self-conversations without some sort of trauma."  His look confirmed to her that he knew from first-hand experience, and that he wasn't likely to let this go.  "Eruda didn't go into details, last we spoke."  A probe, designed to gauge her feelings toward her twin.  Their manner of dress was practically opposite to each other, as were their apparent combat styles.  Freyd's curiosity was peaked, for better or for worse.

[Freya 0]

Continuing to walk just a bit but stops and turns to Freyd now. "You must scare a lot of young fighters then," she says with a smirk. He comments on the punch on Gaius though. "Not sure exactly how I did it but...I just thought in the same moment I was swinging that I didn't want to hurt him, getting his attention was the only thing I wanted in that split second." She gives a small chuckle to that statement saying "and it worked...I got him to move his ass and it was lucky that he was distracted enough for me to decline the duel with his own hand." Turning away from Freyd now she starts to walk forward...

Stopping as he starts prying about the same thing...Why was he so interested...Why did he care so much about something like that? Maybe that was a stupid thought to think given what he did for that Mari girl. She has told no one everything about what happened and what is still happening to her. It seemed so odd that something like it could even exist but given it was a game, anything could happen...She takes a deep breath and turns toward him now with glaring eyes. "Why should I tell you anything..." The words came out a bit harsh but she was interested in knowing why he wanted to know so bad. "Eruda couldn't tell you barely anything because she doesn't know hardly anything... " she could feel her body heating up again and rage filling her by the second...

She thinks about the red characters that she keeps seeing within the memory she was given. It was always in the back of her mind along with everything attached to that memory. She balls her hands into fists trying to keep what was inside her at bay. Her eyes began to dilate as she could feel them pulsing. She shuts them and turns away now...Shaking her head and placing a hand to her eyes, trying to refocus. "I refuse to be a lab rat to a guy that I know nothing about, from just a pure curiosity standpoint." She takes a breath now as her eyes fulling dilate now. A slight silver gold tint in her eyes now as she turns to Freyd. Walking toward him now...her movement different with almost a sway to each footfall. "So Freyd, enlighten me, why should I trust you. Feed your hunger for the knowledge that you so desperately expect me to give you." Her voice changed too, with these words, a hunger. A determined thrive of something that she had yet to fully discover herself... She stood tall now, confident. Inches from his face now with golden silver eyes staring back at his, curious...very curious...

[Freyd 0]

*Hrmpf*

His shoulders seemed to roll with the sound, as if reacting with both amusement and annoyance at perceived impertinence.  In actuality, it was an acknowledgement of curiosity, though not desperation.  Freyd could simply have walked away right then and there and thought nothing more of it, except for the strange familiarity of the phenomenon on display before him.  He too had struggled with inner demons, and fostered other selves that vied for control within him.  He'd nearly suppressed his own humanity in the process, only to have it claw back to the surface with the help of others.  But, he'd never argued with himself out loud in this manner, or so visibly changed personas.  

"M'kay, I confess: I'm intrigued."  He crossed his arms before him, leaning on a blade of pure black void that threatened to suck in everything around them if it wasn't for the thinnest white glow, like some sort of holy seal containing the hunger inside.  He wondered whether Freya's condition was similar, as his was.  The metaphor and potential reflections were both poignant.

"And you have no reason to trust me over any other, nor should you.  So why don't we start by slaughtering some helpless bees and then see what comes of it?  I suspect that you and I are not so different, though only time and shared experience can confirm it."

In the back of his mind, paranoia bred concerns that these physical manifestations might mean something much, much more sinister.  Freya would bear watching, whether she wanted to share, or not.

"By the way: how many Freya's you got locked up in there?"  He tapped his cowl to confirm his meaning.

[Freya 0]

The thing...Freya...Just gives a sinister grin to Freyd. Something that would freak most people out. Freya gasps for air now before she shuts her eyes. After a few moments, she was breathing harder than normal trying to get a handle on herself again. She opens her eyes now...they were back to her normal emerald green color. She glancing back to where she was standing then back to Freyd with a very confused look painted on her face now. She couldn't recall her movement or anything she might have just said nor what Freyd just said. Freya knew the signs though...she was not herself just 2 seconds ago...

After she regulates her breathing, she turns from him now unsure what to say. She takes a few steps but then stops and says "The main reason I haven't told anyone anything is that it would make people think I am a major nut case." At this point, her voice became normal as well... She was growing tired of these blackouts she's been having. She was growing tired of them but whatever it was...they were helping her regain what she lost. Regain the time that was stolen from her from something out of this world...

"This is my life, and yes it may seem like I am ape shit crazy from whatever you may have seen...But I don't regret having this thing inside me." She thinks for a moment. She couldn't bring herself to talk to Gaius about this, Eruda is just too sweet and innocent to know something like this about her own sister and Raidou...He is always dealing with something else or someone else or even himself. Freya would not bother him with this... She turns to Freyd slightly with a serious look on her face now. "Freyd, you already know more than most but you have to promise... You have to promise that anything I tell you and anything you may see...It stays between me and you...Just me and you..." Her mind goes back to Chase and how he protruded his feeling with violence. "If I feel that whatever this is would start to become a problem then I will go to Raidou myself and explain...You have to promise me though...I don't want people looking at me like I am a freak that can't deal with my own shit..." Freya stands there now, waiting for Freyd to comment. 

[Freyd 0]

Still leaning against his blade, the black-clad man was eerily still and quiet.  What little could be seen of his face beneath his deep, dark cowl gave nothing away of his thoughts or intentions.  But the eyes, dark brown and heavily tinged with red, were still upon her.  The furrowed brown above conveyed simultaneous concern and consideration over her requested.  Something was very 'off' here, and it troubled him.  What devil's bargain had this girl made to recover what she had lost?  What price was she paying for every bit she recovered?  He couldn't help but wonder if that other fiendish voice grew in strength within her with every bit of memory she thought she recovered.  Freyd hated that he knew so much about how such things worked, but he had lived through it himself.

"I will promise, if you also promise to share everything.  If this... whatever it is... were to consume you, you might never get the chance to warn Raidou or anyone else.  Someone needs to know the details, just in case.  Rumor has it that I'm also good at keeping secrets, though I can neither confirm or deny it."  The look about his eyes softened.  "What's been happening?  And please, start at the beginning."

[Freya 0]

"The very beginning...I am not even sure where that is anymore." She sits on the ground now. She sits there and thinks for a moment through her thoughts..."The very first thing I remember is the Town of Beginnings. When everyone crowded around, freaking out after the big meet and greet with an enlarged phantom guy in the sky. After that nothing...I woke up in a dark cave. This is where Raidou found me. According to him, Eruda mentioned something or another to him...At this point, I guess a year and a half had passed and I had no knowledge of the time that had passed." Freya crossed her legs now. She was still trying to come to terms with how her memory was just gone... 

Continuing as best as she could "When I was reunited with Eruda she said she had not spoken to me for at least 6 months. I guess she just thought I was having fun or something...But again...I have no memory that she was even in the game. The conversations that we apparently had meant nothing to me because I don't remember having them." Fiddling with her hands now she looks down... "It was confusing to Eruda when I said I didn't remember a dam thing and even stranger to me that I had an entire life here with no memory of it. The weapons and armor that Eruda claimed I had were gone as well and my level that was completely downgraded. I was a brand new character and had not a clue how anything in the game worked." Her head began to get a bit fuzzy so she closed her eyes and tried to focus. "My memory was wiped clean, until my Gemini..."

Opening her eyes now still no change she sighs a bit, used to these effects. Raising her eyes to Freyd's "Eruda told me that my Gemini quest would help me...she did not know though how extreme it was. During the battle with myself, I guess...It knew things...Things that were lost to my mind. My vision blurred 3 times and with that 3 memories that I had taken from me and had long forgotten about. The first, the day I was taken, a shadowed figure laying feet from me, I was crying and screaming and then I was knocked out...The second, my father. Something that I longed to force forgetting because everything about it was painful. The photo that came with the memory showed his younger self and then showed Griswold..." She folded her lips together and bit her top lip. She could feel her nails digging into her leg now. It was the only way she knew for sure that she was not in a dream-like state. "I could feel every emotion that came with each memory that that thing forced me to remember. This leads to the last vision, me yelling at my mother after my father left us...or so that what she told us and I blamed every ounce of it on her. I forced myself to forget that too..."

"After this weirdness and taking that thing inside of me, I actually fell unconscious after meeting back up with Eruda and Sam. Next thing I know I am waking up in Eruda's shop staring at her crying...Eruda had told me that the moment I woke up though I instantly went for Sam and put my Scythe against her neck pinning her against the wall. Eruda told me that when she tried to pull me off Sam, I attacked her but Eruda managed to block me with her shield. I really woke up then, I was myself again...I don't remember doing any of this." She still felt bad for doing this, even though she wasn't aware she did it.

Digging her nails deeper into her legs now as data came out just a bit. "Since that day, I have been slowly recovering the memories that I had either forgotten or the ones that were stolen to me, including about that day I was taken but only what IT wants me to know. Apparently, I was married at one point..." she gives a small awkward laugh at that. She could feel tears trying to come through but she held them back. "I only get what IT gives me and I have no clue what IT is...IT sometimes talks to me in my head. Gives me advice...but it's odd because it's a male voice and he is very edgy..." Glancing back to her knees now saying "I get these blackout every so often like I had that day, when that happens, small amounts of time are lost where I have not a clue what I do in that time. What you saw...was normal for me..." She closes her eyes now still trying to keep the constant pain in her leg going to keep herself in control..."I want what was stolen from me and somewhere deep inside revenge...The players who took me, orange icons and the fella on the ground that was once a shadow, his name was Rin and he too is going through the same thing just not to my extent. He still can't recall anything and has not a clue who I am..."

It was hard to recall everything but that's what Freyd wanted, to know everything. "Do you think I am crazy now Freyd?" She says this not looking at him with her eyes still closed trying to keep in control.

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by Freya

[Freyd 0]

"Do you think I am crazy now Freyd?"

"Pfft.  Nope.  At least, no more than I am, so either way that puts you in good company."  He hadn't budged from his spot as she told her tale, watching as much as listening.  His tone was casual, which might have thrown her off a bit, but was meant to disarm as much as make her realize that weird shit didn't really phase him much.  It was basically his bailiwick in this place.

"M'kay.  That was a good start, but we need to clear up some details.  I'll rhyme these out in bullet form, so that you can take them one at a time.  I like thinking of them as dots to be connected.  Keeps it simple for my screwed up brain."  His gloved hand scratched at his chin, as if it somehow helped him think.  

"You mentioned the three memories that your Gemini recounted to you as visions, if I understood correctly.  Do you know for sure that they are accurate?  Can anyone else corroborate them as true?  Basically: how do you know that it wasn't lying to you?  I know first hand and very well just how tricky they can be."  He glanced down at his shadow, which threw its silhouetted hands in the air, independent of his current stance, as if in protest or acknowledgement, or more likely both.

"Griswold called you daughter when we raided the Witch of the West's tower, so that connects a dot.  But if he left, how is it that he's in here with you, and who or where is your mother in all of this?"  His index finger left his chin to bounce slowly back and forth between points.  

"You said you 'took your Gemini inside', by which I assume that means that you defeated it, gaining the use of Disguise?  Is that correct?"

"If Eruda blocked your blow, did you earn an orange strike?"

"Who is Sam to you?  Is she kin, like Eruda?"

"To whom were you married?  What became of this person?"

"Do you recognize the edgy voice when it speaks?  What kind of advice does it give you?"

"Who is Rin to you, and what do you mean when you say that he is going through the same?"

"And lastly," he said, his piercing gaze unwavering in its own analysis, "what they heck are you doing to your leg, and why?"

Freyd seemed to be waiting for something when he finished, but it seemed to be something more than just an answer to his questions.

[Freya 0]

Every question had an answer right when he asked. The last remark though makes her release the nails from her leg. Deciding to answer this first by saying, "It helps me focus on what is considered real in this game. Breathing slowly with my eyes closed as I focus on one thing. Revealing the data that should be blood from my being, allows me to know what is real and what isn't. Keeping me sain I guess."

A sign of relief though as Freyd seemed not the type that was frightened by something like this. "The one showing me Griswold as my father and the yelling at my mother was real. Eruda confirmed both and Griswold confirmed the father thing a second time. The other one, it's hard to explain..." She thinks for a moment to describe it in a way that would seem plausible;e to one's ears. "It was like I was there in flesh, the extreme emotions I felt when it was happening, and when I got smacked on the head, I could feel it like it just happened." Thinking for a moment to try making it understandable. "My brain is like a memory card for a computer or a game system. The content is there but until I unlocked it by a trigger relating to that specific memory...It's weird I know but it's the best way I can explain it." 

Hoping that cleared something up she moves on to the next question or statement..."With a long conversation with Griswold and the memory of the argument with my mother, I put together that my mother stole us away during the night. We were young and knew that once we were gone from him it would have been hard to make that connection with him. Our mother, on the other hand, was never home. Honestly, I don't think she gave a dam about us. I forced myself to move on from losing our father by forcing myself to forget him and went on with my life by ignoring my mother for the most part, by enjoying my highschool life with friends. I think I sorta left Eruda behind doing so and I feel bad for that but I couldn't dwell on the past in order to move forward." There was more stuff to it but she was trying to add what she thought Freyd should know..."We have a little sister Anna who has some issues with her that our mother couldn't deal with so she took me and Eruda from him. It was just a crazy thought when I found out that our father was here in the game with us." 

Giving a small sigh and a small breather, she thinks of the next and saying, "I did not kill my Gemini...I really really really wanted to though. I got him to that point of death and told IT to get lost before I did kill it. Instead, he turned to data I guess and at that moment I felt it come into me. I was like we were one but not...I am really wondering if I let something else inside of me that day..."  Freya was really confused about that. "This was also the first time I passed out cold and in a dream-like state within his Realm, I think he said." 

As much as it hurt she continued the question answering, taking a deep breath looking to Freyd now, "Yes, my curser was orange for a set amount of time in which I chose to hide within the confines of Eruda's shot till it went back to normal. Even though I was unaware of my action while doing so and I am not even sure it was my fault, I still feel ashamed of what transpired that day. I could not apologize enough because never in my right mind would I ever attack my own sister."

Recalling what Eruda told her about Sam she says "No, Sam is not a sibling. She is someone that Eruda had helped when Sam was just starting to get on her feet. I am still not sure about her but I really don't know her so I can't make an accurate reading against her till then."

Another painful thought, one that she was still trying to get past but says looking down, "Rin that kid I mentioned. I was given bits and pieces of our marriage scene from this thing but again, I felt too much from each memory to know that it was real in every aspect." Remembering that day that she met with him by accident she frowns a bit. "When I found him again in-game by strickly just the memories alone, he had not a clue who I was and still doesn't. He is going through what I did with the head pains and huge confusion but I am pretty sure that he didn't have a ghost-like figure yeet into his body as I did. He is assisting at an orphanage on floor 2 right now and I decide that I would keep my distance from him, for now, to see if he would remember anything about us. If he doesn't then oh fucking well I guess." This was something she was trying to push past but every time she thought about it, she was a square one again.

Moving on to the next..."I have not a clue who this figure is, but every time I feel like I can't continue, every time I feel like I can't go on or move forward, his voice pops into my head telling me basically telling me to suck it up buttercup, and get up and deal. Nothing will get done or be said without an action to click with it. His words were much different but that is the gist of them. He helps me feel like I can't go another day..."

She gets to her feet now and clears her throat. "This is all crazy shit that is going on but there is a chamber in my head right that is locked away right now. I will stop at nothing to regain what I lost even if it means having this thing in my head to help guide me." Dusting herself off, her eyes turn from sad to determined now. "I will stop at nothing to get stronger so that I can confront those people that kept me trapped in that cave for so long. I am not sure if the memory loss I am experiencing is connected but I will be dam sure that they know who the hell they were dealing with before I smear their faces against the ground they walk upon."

[Freyd 0]

"When you say that the 'ghost-like figure was yeeted into your body', you mean the Gemini, yes?"  Freyd grimaced at the thought.

"Beware the gifts of the Gemini.  They come with hidden costs that might only reveal themselves at a later and most inconvenient moment."  His shadow stayed still and silent at his words.  There could be no greater acknowledgement of truth.

"Be careful, too, that in desperation to recover your memories, you do not simply internalize whatever you are told.  The human mind has a bad habit of accepting such suggestions when it really wants them to be true."  Freyd pursed his lips, well aware that his own words applied equally to him.  He couldn't simply take Freya's story at face value, but had given his word not to repeat it.  His enquiries would need to be subtle, if he were to corroborate any of this.

"This... IT... any idea why it might be male?  Has there been any other strongly influential figure in your past, that you can still recall, whose voice might resonate and match?  What other recent incidents have brought it on?  What triggers it?"  He walked beside her as he continued to think aloud.  His eyes still watched her, though, confirming that he wasn't simply lost in thought.  Freyd was painting a picture in his own mind: placing dots to be connected as the image began to reveal itself.  First, he needed data, and she would be the best and possibly only source.

"Describe the cave where they kept you, in every sense and detail you can muster.  You'd be surprised how much we can narrow down the range of options for its location just with just a bit of clever detective work.  And you still have no idea why they took you?"

[Freya 0]

"Yes it was my Gemini's essence that entered my body that day, or at least I think it was. Whatever is inside me though, whoever is inside me, is making it very hard to figure out anything about it. I know that when I saw him in that chamber world I mentioned he was a blond boy. Nothing more than that though." She stopped for a moment and really thought about the last few things Freyd had mentioned.

"There really was no one else important to me besides daddy in that aspect. Nothing traumatizing has really happened besides that night..." She knew that Freyd was probably right about being too desperate and maybe that was why it was latched on to her...In other words, though, it could just render her weak enough...But no that doesn't make any sense because he was trying to boost her confidence at one point..."Ugg" she holds her head with all the odd thoughts popping into her head.  "Okay," taking her hand off her head..."When he gives me those suggestions, it's almost like I was already thinking the same thing, he just puts it into his own words so that they are heard and not thrown away to the back of the mind. Sorta like a conscience that speaks aloud above any other thought that I had at the moment." 

Freya then thinks about every time that it had manifested out in the open using her as almost a puppet so to speak. "When I get angry, like really really angry, it takes control. I am not sure how or why I am the one it chose for whatever is going on but I can feel it every time. The fact that it doesn't let me see or remember anything it does while he's in control makes me wonder if he has something to hide. I just know that I am trying my best to figure out how he works. Honestly, I think I have to do that on my own." She was not sure how she was going to do this but she would figure it out eventually. 

"The cave was dark so I was unable to see much. Raidou, however, seemed like he knew the place pretty well. Like he had been there before... There were spiders, lots and lots of Gaint cave spider and it was located on floor 1. I don't know much more than that. Sorry." Thinks for a moment she gives a small breath out saying "I am unsure why they took me. Something I have either not seen yet or haven't looked into yet. I didn't want to do it alone but I am reluctant to tell Raidou or Eruda about any of this and why I would be searching for who or what I looking for..." 

Freya's head was becoming unusable now. She was growing very tired now, and she almost forgot the entire reason they were out here in the first place. Looking toward the tree line that had the Nav market above it she gives out a small yawn. It was only just noon but after the full takeover of her body and recalling back the memories to Freyd, she just grew tired. "Let's wipe this bee bitch out before I am unable to."

She begins to walk toward the tree line before saying "Anything else I can enlighten you with?" 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Freya

[Freyd 0]

Daddy?  He let it slide.  Not worth picking on that point.

"Blond hair might be a connection to golden eyes, I suppose.  Your eyes change when he speaks through you.  The voice is also different.  Actually, it's a bit like you're being hacked."  Freyd's eyes narrowed at the prospect.

"And it doesn't surprise me that it would reinforce what you were already thinking.  That just makes you more inclined to listen to it when you're pre-occupied.  Beware of that.  It's a clever trap.  If it knows that anger is a route of it to possess you, then it may also be seeking other triggers.  The more it has, the more it controls you."

Listening to her description of her captors, Freyd kept wondering where on floor 1 there might be cave spiders.  He was only accustomed to seeing them on floor 21.  "How are you so sure that it was on floor 1?"

"Do your thing," he said, pointing at the giant wasp.  "We'll get you some food afterwards.  You look like you need it."

Spoiler

Freyd takes no action

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:1710/1710 | EN:178/183 | DMG:20 | MIT:79 | EVA:2 | ACC:4 | VAMP OFF:171 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:7 | BH:85 | VENGEFUL

Freya | HP:480/480 | EN:48/48 | DMG:11 | MIT:18 | EVA:1 | ACC:3

[0,0] The Wasp Queen | HP: 50/50 | DMG 20

 

[Freya 0]

"Hmm, that is a bit odd. I knew that I turned weird and violet with the change but no one ever mentions that my eyes changed color or that my voice became different..." She gives a small huff. Listening to what Freyd says she thought a moment as she could feel herself getting a bit fatigued. "I will try paying more attention to how he says it and what is being said. I haven't really paid attention to that, I will now though."

"I was eager to get out of the darkness with Raidou. When we returned back to the light the icon popped saying Arriving at floor one...Do you think that the cave could have been located somewhere else but we came out on floor 1?" She wasn't sure that was the case but she was still getting to know her surroundings and the game itself again so wasn't sure what it was capable of yet.

Glancing to where Freyd was pointing there was no hesitation. Her scythe was out already charging something to hit the large bee with. Running at the bee as fast as she could in the condition she was in, she glows light green for a moment as concentration activates, the creature was slow. By the time the queen realized Freya was there, she was already sliding behind it, as she pivots to face it's back, Freya backward slashes it with the back sharpened side of her weapon. The creature stood no change as it bursts into data. Slowly walking back to Freyd, with a twirl of her weapon placing it on her back. 

Her body felt heavy, tired. "I don't know what exactly is going on with me but I want you to help me figure it out. I want you to watch me, observe from the back lines if you could because I am not sure much will happen if he knows someone is watching. Can you do that for me Freyd?" Her energy depletes just standing there. How was she so tired... "Food could help..." she says as she slowly walks toward town.

Activating Concentration and Dynamic Violence

ID# 180640 results: Battle: 6+4=10, Hit! vs The Wasp Queen, Dealing 11*9=99 Damage, Killing it!

Players:
Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows | HP:1710/1710 | EN:178/183 | DMG:20 | MIT:79 | EVA:2 | ACC:4 | VAMP OFF:171 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:7 | BH:85 | VENGEFUL
Freya | HP:480/480 | EN:40/48 | DMG:11 | MIT:18 | EVA:1 | ACC:3

Enemy:
[0,1] The Wasp Queen | HP: -49/50 | DMG 20

Edited December 30, 2020 by Freya

[Freyd 0]

He watched her cut down the Queen in one fell swoop, confident that she had effectively surmounted the early stages of progress and that her skills were where they should be.  Her issues were clearly only internal, and of a type with which he was all too familiar.  

"I can do that, Freya.  But would like to ask for your permission to create one exception to my promise: let me speak with Raidou.  If he pulled you out of that darkness, then he knows where the cave was, and might be able to fill in some of the holes in your memory.  But I won't break my vow, so you'll need to clear this before I act.  I can proceed otherwise, but the odds of success will be less.  Beyond that, I will watch out for you, in every sense of the word, and my lips are otherwise sealed." 

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Freyd walked at her side, matching her pace, leaving plenty of room between his arm and elbow, in case she needed support getting back to town.  Too much of what he'd heard today resonated with his own past.  There was danger in this, but he couldn't pull himself away from it.  He owed Firm Anima too much, and knew full well the damage this sort of trauma could cause to a soul.  If he could help, he had to try.

***

Reward Summary:

Freyd Receives:

2 SP (1 Page, +1 event)
Matriarch's Stinger (DMG +1)

Freya Receives:

5 SP (1 Page, +1 event, +3 quest)
Matriarch's Stinger (DMG +1)
400 col
One complimentary lunch (LOL)