[F9-PP] In Sync (Iron Guardian)

[Freya 0]

Post Counter: 1

Freya lies upon the grass on floor 7 just meters away from their shop, about midday. She was taking a breather from the last few days. A fueled conversation with Sam just hours ago. She had told her a bit of what was going on with her and how it was being handled and Sam seemed a bit less freaked out with the explanation when she saw that Freya was getting better and had a handle on the situation. Glancing at the time that revealed itself on her map in the right corner of her peripheral vision she opens her HUD and sends Freyd a message, but this time inviting him on a quest that she had yet to take. Iron Guardian was one that she had been wanting to take but she had been busy with the others. She then sends a message through guild chat wondering who else would be willing to join. She was hoping Gaius because she wanted to show him that Freyd was just a good friend and nothing more than that. Anyone one else who had not taken the quest could come as well, but that would all depend on who was busy today. Her HUD chimes as the messages were sent as she lies there in the grass waiting for a response from anyone. Ko had taken a spot on her chest and slept.

Freya | HP:840/840 | EN:82/82 | DMG:16 | EVA:2 | ACC:3 | BLD:24 | REC:1

Spoiler

Freya
Level: 41
HP: 840/840
EN: 82/82

Stats:
Damage: 16
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 3
BLD:24
REC:1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Grim Reminder - Sorrow (T2/Perfect/2HBA): Damage 2, Bleed 1
Armor: Dark Embrace - Sacrifice (T2/Perfect/Light Armor): Evasion 2, Recovery 1
Misc: Bringer (Tierless/Perfect/Trinket): Accuracy 3

Skills:
Two-Handed Battle Axe [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 3]
Charge [Rank 4]

Extra Skills:
Concentration
Familiar Fighter (Rank 1)
Survival (No SP used yet)

Mods:
Finesse Rank 3
Ferocity
Athletics

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 [0/1]

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.

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by Freya

[Freyd 0]

Post #2

"Yōgan Village?  Huh.  I haven't been here since Oscar's lesson on self-yeeting.  That was," he paused to recollect its post-apocalyptic sky, "quite a while ago."

A quick, friendly wave towards Freya signaled his arrival, followed by offer and acceptance of the requisite formalities.  His eyes glanced across the woman's face as he did so.  She had changed, or was more accurately changing still.  Confidence set itself in her posture and the square of her shoulders.  The fearful panic of earlier her was fading into the background, to be replaced by something bolder and more competent.  

Good.

A rare smile split his features as he summoned his blade and moved his eyes elsewhere to avoid criticism for excessive analysis.  Someone else had once dubbed it: 'giving the creepy eyes.'  Courtesies had to be obeyed, apparently.  The sword shivered in his hands, eager for a chance to feast once more.  Its draw had grown more pressing as the raid approached, sometimes going so far as to invade his thoughts and dreams, even when the weapon wasn't wielded.  That bit seemed best to keep tucked away in the mental folder he'd long ago labeled 'private'.  It was always overflowing.

"You're looking well, Freya.  Thanks for the invitation."

Freyd | HP:1790/1790 | EN:191/191 | DMG:20 | MIT:79 | EVA:2 | ACC:4 | VAMP OFF:179 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:5 | BH:89

Spoiler

Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows
Level: 88
HP: 1790/1790
EN: 191/191

Stats:
Damage: 20
Mitigation: 79
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 4
BH:89
VAMP OFF:179
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 5]
Quick Change [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival
Meditation

Active Mods:
Precision - 2HSS
Finesse - Rank 3
LA Athletics
Ferocity - 2HSS
LA Sprint and Acrobatics
Vengeful Riposte
Untraceable
Tracking

Inactive Mods:
Vanish
Surprise Attack (Assassin)
Night Vision

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:

 

[Gaius 0]

Post Counter: 3

A prompted message draws his attentions toward the tiny and slightly transparent box, a slide open reveals a message. The tapping of his boots below, breaking up twigs as he punched through more and more of Floor 6. The guy couldn't get enough of the place, it seemed to go on forever and he was always finding something new. "Wha? really? now?" Gaius questions it rubbing the spot just above his nose. "Guess this shit can wait, which way was town again?" The dragoon perks up taking in his surroundings. The huge ass trees were hardly helping. A punch of air as he lunges and scampers up one of the pillars as if running on the ground. His shoes slide as he grabs heavy on a branch and hangs, propping his other just above his eyes to shield the light from them. "Ah, there it is."

His legs fold beneath him, the canopy begins to shake as the pressure around him builds. Like a released sling or the pull of a trigger, Gaius pounces from that rod with enough force to rocket toward the settlement in a speed that was absurd. Thankfully, he had a way to break that fall.

Mega Slime Farm Activated: +2 SP upon Thread Closure

Gaius | HP:990/990 | EN:106/106 | DMG:16 | MIT:23 | ACC:1 | H.M.:4 | REC:2

Spoiler

Gaius, Descending Gale
Level: 48
HP: 990/990
EN: 106/106

Stats:
Damage: 16
Mitigation: 23
Accuracy: 1
H.M.:4
REC:2

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Dragoon's Journey [2HAS] (T2/Perfect) Damage 2, Bleed 1
Armor: Dragoon's Plate MK. II [Heavy] (T2/Perfect) Mitigation 1, Heavy Momentum 2
Misc: Assault Division Bracelet: [Trinket] (T1/Perfect) Accuracy 1, Recovery 2

Skills:
Two Handed Assault Spear [Rank 5]
Heavy Armor [Rank 5]
Charge [Rank 1]
Energist [Obtained]
Energize [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Fighter R1

Mods:
Finesse Rank 3
Ferocity
Athletics
Stamina
Hyperactive

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal*1
Vocal Augmentation - Resonation [T1/Perfect/Support/Instant] +60 HP*2
Bird Seed (T2/Rare/Snack) Vitality 2*1
Boar Hide Belt [Trinket] (T1/Perfect) [+3 Loot Dice]

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (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.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]

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.

 

[Setsuna 0]

Post Counter: 4

An obtuse request out of the blue, Setsuna had just wrapped up a lead on Valentina. It was fruitless, nothing more than a look alike that was not who she sought. A shift of the menu open that was disturbing the mimicry she was trying to perform, setting the rod down next to the NPC on the dock. Nothing was biting, but she was more than content with just allowing it to be. "Freya, what are you up to?" Peeling dangling tabi out of the water, tiny droplets playing off of them into the crystal like pool under a mid-afternoon sun. The lake of reflection could wait, this was her duty to prevent others from being overwhelmed. Setsuna displaces in an instant, a jump right to the closest object she could begin to hop between. Something about her frame made jumping easier then running, perhaps the tiny leg span of a child's body.

Setsuna | HP:900/900 | EN:90/90 | DMG:16 | EVA:3 | ACC:3

Spoiler

Setsuna, Firm Anima Assassin
Level: 45
HP: 900/900
EN: 90/90

Stats:
Damage: 16
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Shiva's Embrace - Ancestry T2/Perfect/Katana [Damage 3]
Armor: Cold Fabric Kunoichi Wear T1/Perfect/L.A [+3 Evasion]
Misc: Kunoichi Wrapping's T1/Perfect/Trinket [+3 Accuracy]

Skills:
One-Handed Curved Sword [Rank 1]
Katana [Rank 5]
Hiding [Rank 4]
Light Armor [Rank 3]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar (Fighter) R1

Mods:
Finesse Rank 3
Ferocity
Athletics
Vanish
Surprise Attack (Assassin)

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal*1
Vocal Augmentation - Resonation [T1/Perfect/Support/Instant] +60 HP*2
Bird Seed (T2/Rare/Snack) Vitality 2*1

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (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
Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 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 (Hiding): +1 Rank to the Hiding skill.
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]: 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.

 

[Freya 0]

Post Counter: 5

Her eyes match up to Freyd's has he hovers above her laying body. A smile paints over her face as she picks Ko up from her chest and sits up holding Ko in her arms now. "Yeah, I feel better that I have in a while. Glad to see you not falling from a black glitched thing this time. How is that going by the way?" She rises to her feet and pats the dirt from her butt. Setting Ko on the ground now she starts playfully attacking Freyd's pant leg. Freya just rolls her eyes and motions Freyd to walk with her. "We might have people coming with us today. I sent a message to whoever would like to join to meet me on floor 9." She was curious to why Freyd was on floor 7 but she was sure he had his reasons. "I am doing that Iron Guardian quest and I am sure that there would be others that hadn't done it yet." 

Arriving in town she looks to Freyd as she steps onto the warp gate. "Meet you on the flip side," she says quickly before her and KO vanish to floor 9's steaming hot environment.

[Freyd 0]

Post #6

Freyd emerged just behind Freya, eyes wincing slightly at the sensation of portal travel.  It felt too similar to falling into a glitch; a sensation which he'd experienced far too often of late.  His free hand was quickly tucked into a pocket to keep the twitching down, and make it less obvious.  The sword's natural hum and vibration already masked the other.

"I think we've sorted out the glitch issue, at least as far as rescuing the players that had gone missing.  You can feel free to stop with the daily invite check-ins, unless it's for other reasons, of course.  Thanks to you, we managed to save two players that were thought lost in there.  As best we can tell, they've been trapped in this weird sort of flux-space between floors for the better part of four years, though it only felt like an hour or so for them."

A grimace spread across his face, motivated by sympathy for the raw emotions that must surely be flooding through all four members of the Madrigal.  Surviving members, anyway.  From what he had gleaned, the rest of the guild had fallen prey to the worst kinds of predators when their leadership fell.  Most of their names are now listed on the Monument of Life.

"Now, where's that skittish broker we're supposed to meet?" 

Setsuna and Gaius had arrived just as he'd oriented his bearings.

Freyd activates Tracking [Iron Knight]

[Gaius 0]

Post Counter: 7

Dropping out of the gate in an instant, a spin of his glaive pushes it behind his shoulder. "What'd I miss?" Looking to Freya for an invite, then taking account of Freyd. "The spook..." He shook his head, old habits died hard. "I mean Freyd, right?" He stirred, watching a skill trigger from the dude. Right, he was a captain or whatever. Hard to put an understanding of just how many little things the guy could do. "So what is on the plate today, a dragon? A worm or somethin'. Not that I really care, they all die the same. Stick the sharp end in until it stops moving." A flash of the warp gate at his back, a bitter chill ran down his spine. He knew that shit a mile away, Setsuna

He turns and moves the fuck out the way, as she glares at him the same. Always so angry, made him look tame by comparison.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Gaius

[Setsuna 0]

Post Counter: 8

Behind Gaius, she ushers past him with a tap of her tabi. "You would be a fool to underestimate your opponent, each operating differently and must be respected." Setsuna mutters cooly, with a slight sting to her words. The girl rights the katana in her waist, pulling the sash tight and moving a hand to her throat. Into the confines of a wrap around her neck, she peels a dark blue cloth over the lower half of her face. As she does, her name and guild moniker simply vanish, disguise taking hold. To her master's side, a flare of energy in his iris she'd seen numerous times before an order is given. The man could locate and then direct, she was but the hand that carried out the event. Unlike the imbecile she'd wait until more was given, and her master could more than readily see her and plan for her intervention. A fizzle of her frame as it started to give off a white like fog, and within an instant she seems to simply disappear.

ID# 183169 results: Loot: 10+5=15, Stealth Rating

[Freya 0]

Post Counter: 9

Walking to the quest board as everyone shows, Setsuna and Gaius. She takes the Iron Guardian quest off the board and looks to the Nav marker. She sends party invites and quest shares to everyone and the moment she does, she glances up and sees a figure with a long black robe lined with red. His hood was up, as he approaches Freya directly. A small chuckle comes from the man and Freya could only feel like it was the info broker that Freyd had just mentioned. Giving her some papers that were practically forced into her hands. "It's a two days travel and that potion is needed in the next boss raid. It will give us the advantage needed to move to the next floor." His voice sounded edgy and dark. There was something off about the dude. "Kill the creature that drop this item and bring... It... back... to... me..." The last few words were broken off into slow phrasing. It was then that the info broker walks out the front gates vanishing around the corner.

Freya raises a brow as she looks at the papers with chicken scratch on them. Not realizing that it was going to be a travel site she walks to Gaius's side. "Two days of travel to attack some things for a potion that we need to return to that weird guy. I think he was trying to be scary but he just seemed to talk crazy to me." She smiles and gives Gaius a peck on the cheek saying "Glad you were able to join us, you too Setsuna...where ever you are. Well, let's head out I guess. I brought some rations if we need them." She wipes her brow from the heat and starts to walk out the gates while looking at the map for guidance. She wanted to talk to Gaius about something but she would wait. 

Regardless of if Freyd figured out the glitch thing she would still send him those daily messages to check up on him. She made it part of her daily project, and hold habits die hard for Freya.

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Freya

[Freyd 0]

Post #10

"Two days," he repeats, mockingly.  "Someone got their sense of scale messed up.  Two hours is more than enough to cross any floor in Aincrad, some several times over."  The Whisper rolled his eyes into his cowl, then walked out the gate.  "I wonder if the info broker gets less gloomy and twitchy when you repeat the quest?"  Actually, he was more worried about him glitching.  With Freya here, there wouldn't necessarily be anyone else left to call them back.  A quick messages was setup an invite by other means, just as a precaution.

Time passes slowly, and it might as well have felt like two days, regardless.  When they finally reached their destination, Freyd rounded a low rise and red rock outcrop.  The sudden sound of melee followed, then ended as abruptly.  Four men in armor lay smoldering on the ground, orange pixels drifting off them as their forms began to dissolve in the manner of Aincrad's dead.

"Path is clear.  He should be on that ledge, over there."  A dip of the cowl was meant for one who watched for such things.  This was her moment to shine.  If not, there were two others to help finish the job.

Spoiler

Tracking applied.

Tempest (x8 AoE, +8 hits): 16 EN - (Rested 1/2; Finesse 3) = 12 EN

ID # | BD: 6 (autohit, Fallen +6)  DMG: (8*26=208) to Iron Knight #1
ID # | BD: 2 (autohit)  DMG: (8*20=160) to Iron Knight #2
ID # | BD: 7 (autohit, Fallen +6)  DMG: (8*26=208) to Iron Knight #3
ID # | BD: 10 (autohit, Crit +2, Holy +6)  DMG: (8*28=224) to Iron Knight #4

Freyd takes 36 damage from Thorns, then heals 179 HP from VO.

Freyd | HP:1790/1790 (1790-36+36) | EN:179/191 (191-12) | DMG:20 | MIT:79 | EVA:2 | ACC:4 | VAMP OFF:179 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:5 | BH:89
Gaius | HP:990/990 | EN:106/106 | DMG:16 | MIT:23 | ACC:1 | H.M.:4 | REC:2
Setsuna | HP:900/900 | EN:90/90 | DMG:16 | EVA:3 | ACC:3
Freya | HP:840/840 | EN:82/82 | DMG:16 | EVA:2 | ACC:3 | BLD:24 | REC:1

Iron Knight #1 | HP: 0/72 | THORNS 12 | DMG 120 | BLD 12/2 (72-208)
Iron Knight #2 | HP: 0/72 | THORNS 12 | DMG 120 | BLD 12/2 (72-160)
Iron Knight #3 | HP: 0/72 | THORNS 12 | DMG 120 | BLD 12/2 (72-208)
Iron Knight #4 | HP: 0/72 | THORNS 12 | DMG 120 | BLD 12/2 (72-224)

 

[Setsuna 0]

ID# 183191 results: Loot: 14+5=19: Stealth Maintained

As if on queue, a wave of her master's hand shows his intended target. A single glimmer from obscurity, the glare of a blade. There was but one line drawn through the air in an instant, the guardian pivots on its heels to look at the group taking but only one step before it takes pause. Behind it a small frame, dwarfed by its stature with a blade held aloft. A click of the weapon shut and its armor shatters, and it collapses in two halves before it becomes like glass in blue, sending shards of fractals in all directions. A soft exhale with the enemies handled, she looks to the group without a word. Sliding her katana back into its confines she vaults and disappears as if a phantom, gone from all but the most perceptive. Pure absolution, the girl was now a surgical tool to be used by those who knew how to exploit it.

San Ge [x15], -12 EN (15 - [Finesse 3]), Assassin Triggered (+2 DMG, Auto hit Applied)

ID# 183192 results: Battle: 9, Minor Critical vs Iron Guardian dealing 19x15=285 DMG dealt, THRNS failed to proc (Critical)

Freyd | HP:1790/1790 | EN:179/191 | DMG:20 | MIT:79 | EVA:2 | ACC:4 | VAMP OFF:179 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:5 | BH:89
Gaius | HP:990/990 | EN:106/106 | DMG:16 | MIT:23 | ACC:1 | H.M.:4 | REC:2
Setsuna | HP:900/900 | EN:78/90 | DMG:16 | EVA:3 | ACC:3
Freya | HP:840/840 | EN:82/82 | DMG:16 | EVA:2 | ACC:3 | BLD:24 | REC:1

Iron Guardian | HP:225/225 | DMG:200 | BLD:12/2 | THRNS:12

Edited February 17, 2021 by Setsuna

[Freya 0]

Post Counter: 12

Freyd murders all the smaller guardian and Setsuna come out of litterally no where and slices that big guy in half. On the ground lies a crystal that Setsuna didn't bother with. She was out of sight once more... Freya picks up the crystal and walks to Gaius. "I know how you feel half the time now. The fact that they stood no chance in hell means that we need to find something bigger next time."

They walk the track back toward town, it seemed almost pointless to come all the way out here for 2 seconds of killing just to turn right bag around. It reminded her of the traveler quest... It two days time with little breaks in between they get back to town.

There had not been much talking but it was most likely due to the exhausting heat that followed within the grounds of this floor. The moment Freya walks close to the town, mere meters away from the entrance she is approached once more by the broker in black. "Did you get the item?" He asks with desperation in his voice. Freya simple nods as the broker walks closer to Freya. "Then give it to me, NOW." Freya was unsure now because of this sudden anger from him, if she should even give it up. "If you will not hand it over then I will take it from you," he says in rage through his grinding teeth. In that moment the Broker pulls out his dagger and starts to swing wildly in Freya's direct, Freya swiftly moves backwards and pulls out her Scythe. Black ozzed mist falls upon the ground from her being as she charges at him. In that split second she realized that his marker had turned orange. Her art fades and her charge nicks him but does nothing. Freya slides against the ground and turns toward him now staring at his marker. It reminded her of that day that she was taken and missing for nearly 2 years... Rage started to build up within her. 

Using Concentration, Explode Catapult [x14] -19 EN [14-3 (Finesse) + 8 (Hits 4)], Concentration CD [0/3], Charge R4 (+4 Dmg, 1 ACC) Miss -2 EN

ID# 183193 results: MOB: 6-3=3, Miss! vs Freya

ID# 183194 results: Battle: 1, Critical Miss! vs Mysterious Broker

Players:
Freya | HP:840/840 | EN:80/82 | DMG:16 | EVA:2 | ACC:3 | BLD:24 | REC:1
Gaius | HP:990/990 | EN:106/106 | DMG:16 | MIT:23 | ACC:1 | H.M.:4 | REC:2
Setsuna | HP:900/900 | EN:78/90 | DMG:16 | EVA:3 | ACC:3
Freyd | HP:1790/1790 | EN:179/191 | DMG:20 | MIT:79 | EVA:2 | ACC:4 | VAMP OFF:179 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:5 | BH:89

Enemy:
Mysterious Broker | HP:150/150| DMG:200 | PARA: 1 Turn | Battle Healing CD:10 (+50 HP)

Edited February 19, 2021 by Freya

[Gaius 0]

A split second, time almost stops as dude peels out a dagger and starts waving it toward Freya. "Ey buddy, fuck off." Gaius barks ripping his glaive up like a javelin. The winds scream around it, the whole thing jumps magnitudes in a blink of an eye. The polearm swells and gains a gleam of lime green, as Gaius takes two steps forward and heaves it with a magnificent force. It sounds like a depth charge as it breaches the sound barrier. It screams through the air and connects with the brokers left side, ripping him from his feet like being shot point blank with a rocket. Gaius jumps as he scatters across the field in huge bounds and a tumble. This ends rather abruptly as the dragoon lands on him from above.

"Who the fuck do you think you are buddy." Gaius swells with a strange seriousness, completely out of character for him. Latching onto the handle of his weapon with a flare of green and his hair held in a current, he pushes it down with a sharp jerk to a pair of eyes pleading for forgiveness. The guy beneath him is erased in an instant. Within his tavern, a small bear was in a frenzy.

Dimension Stampede [x15], -13 EN (17 - [Finesse 3] - [Stamina]), Charge (+1 DMG, -1 ACC)

ID# 183197 results: Battle: 9 [Minor Critical] vs. Mysterious Broker dealing 18x15=270 DMG

Players:
Freya | HP:840/840 | EN:80/82 | DMG:16 | EVA:2 | ACC:3 | BLD:24 | REC:1
Gaius | HP:990/990 | EN:93/106 | DMG:16 | MIT:23 | ACC:1 | H.M.:4 | REC:2
Setsuna | HP:900/900 | EN:78/90 | DMG:16 | EVA:3 | ACC:3
Freyd | HP:1790/1790 | EN:179/191 | DMG:20 | MIT:79 | EVA:2 | ACC:4 | VAMP OFF:179 | HLY:6 | FLN:6 | LD:5 | BH:89

Enemy:
Mysterious Broker | HP:150/150| DMG:200 | PARA: 1 Turn | Battle Healing CD:10 (+50 HP)

Edited February 17, 2021 by Gaius

[Freyd 0]

Post #14

Freyd walked over to the scattering remains of the Info Broker, hands stuffed into his pockets.  Dipping the black leather nose of his right boot into the disintegrating shards that were one the man's head, Freyd nudges them along in his own casually morbid manner while positing a single disturbing thought.  

"He had a player icon over his head."

The others reacted like he was stating the obvious.  What difference could that possibly make?  He was crazed, attacked them and deserved his fate for having done so.  Red eyes watched the last scintillating motes vanish into the wind.

"I've done this quest before, met the same information broker, and have seen him die as a result of an equally absurd outburst.  Every player who has run the quest will have seen the same - hundreds, possibly thousands of times.  But how can that be?  How can a player die over and over again.  Or, if you prefer, how can a mob have a green icon?"  The cowl listed left, presumably following the tilt of a thinking thing beneath.  

Something tore, or sounded like it did if you could somehow tear fabric with an auto-tuner.  The Whisper spun suddenly, acting like a spooked cat looking around for the source of its hair-raising dismay.  It was a familiar sound.  Looking down, he watched as an amorphous spot set itself ablaze with the brilliance of phosphorous and spread to form the outline of a man.  It's uneven edge looked like acid splatter and glowed the metaphorical chalk.  Inside the silhouette: a matte black surface with a grid of orange lines, much like a fresh wound on a mob or player's mesh.

"Shit.  It's getting worse."

[Freya 0]

Post Counter 15

Walking to Gaius, she sets her head on his chest with a exhale. "Thank you..." she says closing her eyes, thinking of that orange icon. She knew why it bothered her so much and that was the one thing that she had yet to deal with from that night. Mainly because she didn't know where to start.

Her eyes were brought up by a noise that was unexplainable without looking. Seeing this entire thing transpire... She could only piece together from Freyd sudden change in reaction toward this unhuman thing that it was the glitch that Freyd had mentioned so many times before. The same contented hole that she saw Freyd drop from many times before. In quick reaction she grabs Gaius hand, pulls out a crystal and runs toward Freyd, quickly glancing around for Setsuna, but not seeing her hoping that she was already gone. She smashed the crystal against Freyd's shoulder and they all drop to the floor of Freya's and Gaius's shop. Freya after their arrival glances to Freyd on the floor next to her and eyes Gaius to her left. Leaning back on her arms now with her head back. "I thought I had problems, but dam Freyd. I assume that was the glitch hole you were talking about?" She knew that this solution might have only been temp but she said "I thought you had this under control?" She knew that those day messages would still have to be a thing. If she wasn't there, he would have been sucked in once again...

Teleports to Floor 7 with Gaius and Freyd

Edited February 19, 2021 by Freya

[Gaius 0]

Post Counter 16

In a blink of his eyes Gaius ends up on a completely different floor in an instant. "The hell just happened?" Somewhere in that moment, Gaius had lost track of time and his senses. They were in his shop, and a rumble in his stomach convinces him to move to the kitchen still trying to process and relying on more primal instincts. Right through the threshold into the kitchen, peering through the small window that exposed it. "So is the quest over or whatever, that dude was a player or somethin'?" Gaius asks them both who were still stuck there discussing some butthole that ripped open before he was expedited here. He wasn't complaining really, it was a quick way home and he was a little famished but. What the hell was going on? The dude wasn't a thinking man, so wrapping his head around this odd portal between floors was asking a bit too much of him. The rattle of dishes in his hand as he moves for the cupboards overhead, the sound of a burner being lit. He'd stick to what he knew, and that was eating.

[Setsuna 0]

Post Counter 17

Taking an earnest glance at the scene, kneeling down and rubbing a gloveless hand at the patch of soil where the player/mob thing had fell. She peels it up and glances at her fingertips together. It was as if Freyd's very questioning of how had opened this thing. Eyeing it over her shoulder, her hand moves to her weapon. If she could not understand it, perhaps it was best to destroy it. A single swipe of her weapon in a blinding tear, passes through at a slight upward cleave. The metallic click of it shut to see what effect it held on this wound, keeping her eyes trapped in it with full intrigue as she stared in horror itself unfazed. Time would tell of what would come after, Setsuna was alone here. Isolated from the rest of her party, what would happen would remain to be seen or not after.

[Freyd 0]

Post #18

"No, wait, don-...'t."  A deflating groan fell from the Whisper's lips as he watched Setsuna's blade pass through the etched patch of mesh left exposed by the broker's passing.  It was as if she'd run the blade along stone, a few sparks scattering in its wake.  His immediate fear that she, or they collectively, might get sucked into the bizarro-world of endless featureless columns did not come to pass.  

Thank goodness for that, at least.

Pursed lips and a scowl were briefly directed at his own shadow before Freyd moved closer to investigate.  A coruscating white edge, bright but without any emanations of heat, it seemed just like the others he had seen.  First a paradox, and now this.  

"I suggest that we leave this place immediately.  I'm seeing more and more of this phenomena, apparently caused by glitches in the system.  If you see them, please keep your distance and let me know immediately."  He looked like he was about to add more, then didn't.  Eyes set with determination, Freyd turned and headed back toward town.

[Freya 0]

The moment that she asked the question the silhouette of Freyd vanished. I was like he was there, but then just gone. Maybe the crystals only take wanting parties. Smashing her fist against the ground, "Damn it," Freya closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She knew that she would need to send him a message to get him out if he didn't get away quick enough. On the other note, she got her and Gaius away. Her eyes open slowly as she looks to Gaius. He had saw a lot from her and Freyd in the last couple of weeks and he was chosen to take the positive route. Gaius really was a strong being. 

Freya gets to her feet, making her way to the kitchen as well. Ko tackles Boris, excited to see him. Freya walks behind Gaius and gives him a hug while he cooks. It was smelling great, not sure what he was cooking, but she knew it would be great. "Don't suppose you're making a meal for two," she says with her head leaned up against the back of his shoulder blade. She wraps her arms loosely around his chest still allowing him to cook with full motion. "Thank you for earlier too," she was glad that his icon didn't shift to orange from that fight. She would have done everything in her power to help change it back if she had too, because it would have been her fault that it changed in the first place. 

[Gaius 0]

"Why the hell not." Gaius barked through the hole still stuck on stupid from what had transpired. He reaches into the upper cabinet and draws out another pan, adding it to the burner to increase the portions. "If you get your ass in here and help me." He joked through the window toward the girl, sensing a bit of discomfort in her voice and making her drop that shit. A slab of steak with a fine seasoning on it turned as she wrapped her arms around him, a white porridge in the other as he was cooking up a rather high class foodstuff of rice. The guy only knew a few recipes of the highest caliber and difficult to create, but he didn't kick Hestia's ass sideways without a keen palate. As it turned out eating all that food he did in the regular had turned him into one hell of a chef. The burner ignites as Freya ushers in beside him and grabs a couple of utensils.

It was peaceful.

Quest Complete:
Freya
Crystal of Support [T1/Perfect/Crystal] Mass Heal
4*SP (1 Thread Closure, 1 Event Bonus, 2 Quest Reward)
Freyd
2*SP (1 Thread Closure, 1 Event Bonus)
Gaius
6*SP (1 Thread Closure, 1 Event Bonus, 2 Quest Reward, 2 Mega Slime Farm)
Setsuna
4*SP (1 Thread Closure, 1 Event Bonus, 2 Quest Reward)
Simmone:
400*Col (Thread Closure for ease)

Edited February 20, 2021 by Gaius