[F5-PP] Friend or Foe?? (The Traveler)

[Eruda 0]

Waking up early, there was things that she needed to accomplish. The Raid for the next floor was moving in fast and she wasn't about to walk into the unknown without being completely prepared for every possible scenario. This was one of many quest's that she needed to do before that happened. Taking the quest from the floor 5 quest board, as she pats Raserei on the head. She knew from Raidou's notes that this was going to be a decent travel so she had stashed water and honey buns in her bag just in case. She also knew that there was one specific person that would be joining their group in the raid. The one person that she didn't know very well. Opening her HUD sending a message,

To: Freyd From: Eruda I think it's time for us to have a conversation. Come with me on this travels quest. Floor 5, I'll be waiting.

After taking this quest and sending this message she speaks to the old man. This guy would be traveling with them, it would not be a problem though. He would have more than enough protection if anything were to happen on their journy through the sands. Leaning against the quest board post, she reads the quest information while she waits for Freyd.

Eruda | HP: 720/720 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 164 | BRN: 56 | BRN IMMUNE | FL. AURA: 56 | REC: 8 | TAUNT | THRNS: 72

Spoiler

"Eruda, The Rising Phoenix
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 27
HP: 720/720
EN: 90/90

Stats:
Damage: 8
Mitigation: 164
BRN: 56
BRN IMMUNE
FL. AURA: 56
REC: 8
TAUNT
THRNS: 72

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Consuming Pyre - Surt T4: (Burn 2, Taunt)
Armor: Reinforced Plate - Lily T4: Flame Aura 2, Flameproof, Recovery 1
Misc: Stalwart Defender T4: (Thorns 2, Recovery 1)

Custom Skill:

Skills:
Curved Sword R5
Heavy Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Fighting Spirit
Howl

Active Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Iron Skin
Focus
Rampart
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Block R5
Concentration

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:"

 

Edited October 30, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

After wrapping up his business in Skalabis, Freyd checked in with a few local agents and brokers.  He'd been looking for clues about a strange skeletal figure that was apparently popping up all over Aincrad.  Something smelled fishy, and Freyd preferred to catch fishy things for added scrutiny.  Unfortunately, he wasn't having much luck.  This dude was elusive as oily pasta in zero gravity.  A message window popped up and he nearly ignored it until he saw the name of the sender.

"Eruda?  This ought to be interesting."  He still wasn't quite sure what had happened to her in the aftermath of their recent raid on the Witch's tower, and had chosen to follow Freya's advice to leave that one alone.  That whole family seemed troubled, by one thing or another, not to mention related to half of the guild in some way or another.  "She wants to talk?  Okay.  Let's talk."  A few discreet checks verified the authenticity of the sender.  He didn't reply, preferring to simply show.  If this was some sort of setup, best not to let the sender know when he'd be arriving.

"Come on Persi,"  he added with a grin.  "I'm taking you home."

***

No one paid much heed to a heavily armored knight in full plate emerging from the portal in Fortaleza.  Adventurers came and went from the secluded settlement quite regularly.  The locals dismissed him as just another mercenary looking for work, and too stupid to realize how dumb it was to walk around the desert wrapped in a metal shell.  Concealed behind his illusory visor, Freyd's eyes filled in with black as he scouted the surroundings for Eruda's presence.  She was there, just down the main drag.  Not a trap.  Well, less likely to be a trap.

"You hiring guards," he called, approaching the white knight and her NPC companion.  

This ought to be fun.

For once, Freyd and Montjoy agreed.

***

Freyd | HP: 940/940 | EN: 128/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 78 | ACC: 6 | BH: 51 | LD: 5 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | PARA IMMUNE | REC: 8

Full Stats:

Spoiler

Freyd, Firm Anima O&I Captain
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 72
HP: 940/940
EN: 128/128

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 6
Battle Healing: 51
Loot Dice: 5
FLN: 16
HLY: 16
PARA IMMUNE
REC: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride (T4 Hammer | Holy 2 | Fallen 2)
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb (T4 LA | Mit 2 | Rec 2)
Misc: The Shadowed Rose (T3 Trinket - ACC 3 | Para Imm)

Custom Skill:
n/a

Skills:
Hammer R5
Light Armor R5
Searching R4
Battle Healing R5
Energist
Charge

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Untraceable

Inactive Mods:
n/a

Addons:
Stamina
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Meditation
Forgotten King’s Authority

Inactive Extra Skills:
Hiding R3
Brawler
Photosynthesize

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystals x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
T3 Probiotics 3 x2
The Thing Behind All Lies

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)
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
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: +10% Exp 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:
Bialas Statue: +1 Taunt buff for a thread.

Wedding Ring:
n/a

 

[Eruda 0]

Eyes glance up from her HUD when she hears the voice she had been waiting for. She gives him a smile, "He is a mandatory thing for the quest now I guess. Nothing about it was in Raidou's notes, so I am guessing it's a new thing like most others quests I've taken." She nudges her head to the right to notion the direction she was going. What she has heard about Freyd was purely hear say. She has seen him fight a bit so she was not worried about that factor, but everything else was out in the open. The true factor is, she wanted to know if she could trust him. Silence fell for a few minutes as they walked before anything else was said. "I want to apologize for that outburst you saw." It was all she would say for now. The thought went the same way, she wanted Freyd to know that she could be trusted just as well. Trust goes both ways... What ever Freyd would ask her about that day, she would answer with nothing but honesty. The old man walks slowly behind them...

Edited October 30, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

"Here, old timer, let me give you a hand.  That load can't be easy on your back."  Slipping an arm under a loose strap before Zamek could object, Freyd lightened the NPC's load by half.  "Outburst?"  He could have been playing coy, or actually oblivious to the reference.  The man's disinterest could rival Crozeph's at times, or even Koga's.  More often than not, it was a deliberate ruse.  The captain rarely showed his hand, and more often provided false leads to confuse any who might pick them up.

Persi hopped out from beneath his illusory armor, scampering around giddily and enjoying a return to her home.

"We found each other here, long ago," Freyd offered, indicating his companion.  "Persi's been a guiding dark in the light for a long time, and save Raidou and I more than a few times while we were running through the Scents of the Wild.  She has also legitimately earned a reputation as devouring field bosses - an impressive feat given her size."  

Reaching his arm around, Freyd slung the second strap from Zamek's pack around his other shoulder, resuming his normal guise in the process.  The change was seamless, even to his companions who focused more on his words than the apparently random action.  In truth, one action obfuscated the other.  

"I believe I've seen your familiar as well, around the guild hall, have I not?"

[Eruda 0]

"Of course," putting two fingers to her lips the turns to a whistle. Raserei comes running past Freyd with a slide in the sand as she turns to face the Eruda. "She is with me most of the time. As I am Raidou's support, she is mine. Nothing like those grappling tricks or mechanic's that the game provides. It's more of just knowing she is there somehow helps me focus. It's a bit weird, I know, but it's the truth," Raserei does a circle flip and runs forward to attack the sand around her. Now that she thought about it, she had yet to bring her wolf onto a floor like this one and she seemed to be having a blast. Taking a small inhale, "Freya has told me that you help her. How did you help her?" Her voice came out very serious. A flash back of that day. Freya is so night and day different from that time and she knew for damn sure that it wasn't her that helped with that factor. Did he do something like he did with Mari or was it different. No judgement, but she was very curious how everything went down. She was not aware of how much pain her sister was in until it was too late and already fixed. Those thoughts, however were no longer affecting her emotions. She would talk them out, not keep them hidden any longer.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd's silence was telling, but not in the manner Eruda might first think.

"That's not exactly a simple question.  But, if I were to distill it to the simplest answer, it would be something like: I was just there when she needed a friend." 

Memories tore through him like a flood, going as far back as a cluster of rampaging giant bees, Shiina sledding on a compound eye.  Battles fought, side by side, slowly rebuilding Freya's confidence.  Behind it all, a messed called Tuatha, or Kuriyama, or spoopy-semi-demon-dude.  Who also somehow turns out to be Simmone's dead brother from before SAO even existed, because why not?  How the hell was he supposed to explain all that in a manner that could fit on a fortune cookie?

"Look, Eruda," he could only hope that in trying to sift through his thoughts he didn't look like he was fabricating them.  "Your sister has been through a lot, and I don't even pretend to understand half of it.  All I know is that it goes back well before SAO was even a thing, that she's found peace within herself and that she cares about you very much."

The desert wind gusted around them.  The locals claimed that some of the floors harshest sandstorms could scour the sins from your soul, though no one would likely survive the experience.

"If it's a more specific answer you want, I'll need a more specific question."

[Eruda 0]

Freyd was there for her when she needed a friend. More than she could ever ask and it pains her that Freya didn't come to her, but she understood why. It was a rough patch between then and now. Taking a small puff of breath, a more specific question for an accurate answer. "Something that I haven't mentioned to Freya was when she was missing I felt it, it took a while and I regret that part but something just felt wrong. I think it was a twin thing, but when I mentioned this to Raidou she was back within the next day." He must have used tracking, or something to find her. As they continue to walk through the sands the wind begins to pick up. It was right then that she could feel shards of sand hit her skin. Glancing back behind her making sure the old dude was keeping up, she takes out a small blanket from her inventory and sets it over his head. "This should help," the elder gives her a simple smile.

She started to think about the very beginning when everything started to get weird. "After her Gemini I found her passed out in the forest. When she woke it was pure rage and she sprung to attack Sam and me when I tried to stop her, but I'm sure you already knew that part." At that point in time she knew that something was wrong. Freya would never willingly hurt her in that way. Trying to organize her thoughts in a way that made sense, "I have never known a Gemini to do such thing. Which made me think about what happened to Mari when that came up. Did something similar happen to my sister? What was in her..." She was just trying to piece together what she knew or didn't. "If I am wrong in any of my thoughts, I need to know. I need absolute information." It was hard to see the truth when you knew pretty much nothing about the pieces connected to it.

It was then that she realized that weird burning in her chest was still there from the other day. This feeling began to burn after that white haired female gave her that white lily from a tree that didn't have anything but leaves on it. "I have had my share of weirdness these last couple days. I can handle it," as she glances to the man that Freya cared so deeply about.

ID:200308 | Battle:2, Craft:6, Loot:8 Safe from Sandstorm Damage

Edited November 1, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

"Did something similar happen to my sister? What was in her..."

Well, it's kinda more specific, isn't it?

Freyd's gaze glanced casually down at his shadow, making it look as if he were sheltering his eyes from the sands.

"Why are you asking me these questions instead of just asking Freya?"  It was an honest and fair rebuttal.  The winds were increasing in speed and intensity as the full brunt of the storm fell upon them.  Pulling his cowl tight to his face and lifting a mask as well, Freyd had all but retreated behind his clothing.

"I think we need to clear up another question before whatever you're trying to ask me without asking me.  And that's whether or not you can trust me with your sister's safety and wellbeing.  The answer is yes.  And she also has Gaius to ground her, as odd as that may seem.  They're good for each other in a way that would not work for either with others.  Freya is a friend."  A gust forced a pause that provided reprieve for him to decide whether to commit.  "She's my best friend, and I would never make such a declarations lightly."

If only they knew.

Shut up, Montjoy.

***

ID:200309 | Battle:4, Craft:7, Loot:10 Safe from Sandstorm Damage

[Eruda 0]

That... That right there says it all. The fact that Freyd was not going to reveal things about Freya meant to stay between them, it was all she needed. As she said before, trust goes both ways. She knew now that Freyd wouldn't betray that trust that they had. A smile forms on her face, "I was already going to, by saying nothing you said it all." Turning to the old man, finding him falling behind. Quickly rushing to him, "Get on my back, it will be easier for all of us." She gets down on one knee it front of him. "Oh, alright, thank you." Climbing onto her back now, Eruda gets to her feet and catches up to Freyd. Readjusting the dude for a better grip she looks to Freyd. "She has become much stronger for it. With the support that I was never able to give, you two managed the impossible. Thank you for being there for her Freyd."  Eruda was still confused to all get up, but once this quest was done, she would have that conversation with her sister. 

Walking in silence for a while about 2 hours have passed, they were all trying to beat the storm which seemed to get rougher the further they went. Raserei held her head down low and pushed through the storm just like her master. Her mind kept going back to the mystery lady though. She had not been seen since then, and something about her just didn't add up. The rain that didn't touch a single hair on her head or clothing for that matter. There was no mechanic that she knew of that could do such thing. "Have you seen a long white haired female around," after a moment realized that there were a lot of white haired girls around Aincrad. "More specifically, one that almost glows in moonlight and reflects rain..." It was an odd description and she knew that but its what she saw. Mostly she wanted to know if she was crazy. If what she saw was a dream or hallucination from the distress that she was under at the time.

ID:200646 | Battle:10, Craft:2, Loot:8 Safe from storm

Edited November 4, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

"Uhh... that could be a lot of people, in the right conditions.  Hidden?  Assassin?  Cordelia?  Ariel?  Nisa?"  Counting on his fingers somehow helped to link their images and names.  "I suppose that you could add a few others, too."  Glancing over casually as she picked up the old man, an observation slipped. 

"Griswold's daughters have their father's strength."  A rare compliment, candidly given and heartfelt.  Both women had endured their respective shares of the same trauma, each from a different perspective.  Freyd didn't know all of the details.  He didn't need to.  It was enough to know that they were learning to draw power from their pasts.  Doing so would carry them far, and others.  The old man seemed pleased as punch.

The storm abated around them, at least slightly and just briefly, revealing a dozen armed warriors.  Earthen-toned fabrics had concealed their approach - a cunning trick, Freyd noted.  One of them, a short and scrawny-looking fellow demanded their cargo or their lives.  Freyd just tilted his head.

"Ali?  Seriously?  SERIOUSLY?!  Do you have absolutely no sense, man?"  Walking over, he practically ripped the turban and face coverings from the NPC, stunning the rest of the bandits by his sheer audacity.  "Listen here, you obstinate, self-destructive little scoundrel.  This is a really good way to get you and your men scattered into the wind."  Leaning in, so that only their leader could hear him, Freyd made a show of handing over what looked like a bag full of col; granting an old acquaintance a chance to save face.

"Errr... yes.  YES!  I'll let you off with a warning, this time, fool!  But you'll get no second reprieve.  These wastes are belong to us!"  Ali's delivery was completely over the top, but it somehow proved sufficient to convince the hapless band of mooks he'd somehow conned into working for him.

"Come on,"  Freyd whispered to Eruda and her humanoid backpack.  "Before his greed kicks back in and I'm forced to slaughter the lot of them.  The man's an incurable idiot."

 

***

ID:200420 | CD:11 - Safe from Sandstorm Damage

[Eruda 0]

"Seems like you know what they wanted," she chuckles as he sent them of with their tails between their legs. They all scatter in the wind as the long journey continued. "Yea it does seem that way right," answering is previous statement. Trying to recall this white haired female, trying to think of what would define this specific woman beyond anyone else. Something clicked right then, "She speaks in riddles, but it was poetic at time, sorta like Raidou but more mysterious." The way she spoke, some things said she was unable to put the puzzle together. The woman had really made her think and something made Eruda follow her. The pure mystery of someone she had never seen before in one of the most dire moments of this games time for her. That alone was weird to Eruda, and she was still trying to wrap her head around everything that happened that night. 

ID:200419 | Battle:7, Craft:8, Loot:9 No damage from Sandstorm

Edited November 3, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

"Ehh..."  Freyd seemed hesitant to drudge up such distant memories, but Eruda was a friend.  "Yeah.  That definitely sounds like Nisahime.  She's what we call in the business, 'a weird one'."  He even made the little air quotes with his hands to confirm the veracity of the claim.  "Honestly, she puts Raidou's better oddities to shame.  I'm also not entirely convinced that she's actually a player, which carries some pretty damned big consequences, if true.  She had a green icon." 

He let that comment sit and stew for a bit, pulling a small canteen from his inventory and savoring a long draught before offering it to Eruda, making it clear that it held only water.

"Out of curiosity, why do you ask?  Where did you encounter her?  Details please."  It was a name and face he hadn't thought about in a very long time, but that had been notable enough to linger and shine clearly through all the clutter rattling around in his head.  If Nisa was still...

"Wait a minute..."  Freyd's eyes darkened to the deepest black, like this irises had become droplets of ink spreading across an expanse of clear water, seeing all.  One last footfall fell, and then the Whisper went both still and silent.  There were eight of her.

***

ID:200421 | CD:7 - Safe from Sandstorm Damage

Freyd uses Tracking.

[Eruda 0]

Nisahime... A unique name for a unique person. "Well, you remember when I left that dungeon in a hurry. She found me in that dark spot when I was trying to get out of it and something in my brain made me want to follow her. She gave me a White Lily from a tree that should have never been able to produce such a beautiful thing. The moment I took it in my hands something happened. It's weird and I don't understand any of it, but after that I started getting this weird constant burning in my chest. It doesn't hurt, it's just there..." It was then that she realized that Freyd had stopped. Turning not hearing any crunching on sand behind her, "Okay, your turn to share detail buddy," saying in almost a demanding, confused voice, as she finds him just standing there staring at her now. It felt like he knew more than she was telling her, "When I looked back to see if she was still there, she was just gone..." Pulling out a bottle of water of her own, holding it up so he would notice as she takes a drink.  

ID:200427 | Battle:3, Craft:9, Loot:1 She good

Edited November 3, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

"You're connected to her."  It was a statement backed by certainty.  He didn't know how, but he'd only felt such a splintered connection once before, when searching for Tuatha.  Its position had been revealed as a place he had already come to know: Freya's home.  "So is Freya."  

Freyd face soured as he spoke, which could easily have meant he was happy.  The man's expressions made little sense, as if they stemmed from some bizarro-world reality where everything was backwards, except also tweaked just enough to break the pattern and confuse the absolute shit out of you.  

"There are others.  I can sense them.  And I suspect that some or all will be familiar, when found."  He hesitated to speculate any further without more data.

"Hey, old-timer!" Freyd suddenly barked. "Quit mooching.  I see you copping a feel!  Time to motor on under your own power before she pile-drives you down to the fourth floor."

Spooked, the merchant quickly got back onto his feet and suddenly hoofed it as double his previous pace.

"Thought so,"  he added.  "Freeloader."  Taking his canteen back in the same breath, it might easily have been a snipe at Eruda.  The man's intentions were never in a single place, though at least they also carried only playful intent - mostly.  Cardinal save anyone that ever actually got on his bad side.

***

ID:200429 | CD:5 - Safe from Sandstorm Damage

[Eruda 0]

A slide down her back with a grumpy old gruff. Walking faster that he was before. "Seriously," she says, glaring at the old man as he was sped walked away in the direction of his loot. Turning toward Freyd again with a gesture to move forward as she knew that it wouldn't be hard to catch up to him given the tiny legs this dude had. "Freya, how is she connected to all this... her. Wait me?," referring to the mysterious female. "What do you mean others? Others of what Freyd. English, please." She wondered if this thing was going to be a problem. What even was this thing, and how was Freya connected. Trying to wrap her head around what Freyd was trying to say in bits of pieces that he spat out that didn't make hardly any sense. She wanted to understand though. She wanted to know if this situation that they were all entwined with was something to be worried about. "Who else know what you know about this person..." 

ID:200430 | Battle:10, Craft:11, Loot:20 SAFE

Edited November 3, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

"Whao, whao!  Easy, Tex.  I don't have any answers for you!  Me stopping back there was only the connecting of the second dot.  I'm going to need more time, and a heck of a lot of crayons to piece this picture together.  Give me some time.  I promise to let you know what I find.  Trust me.  This is what I do."

Nodding his head repeatedly as he spoke, Freyd strove to reassure her that everything would be fine.  Repetitive stress injury was becoming a very grave risk by the time Zamek finally found his errant stash.  Returning to them with tears in his eyes, the man clutched a stack of aged and faded papers to his chest.  A lifetime of memories cherished and nearly lost.  It was an apt bit of dramatic timing, for which the Whisper was grateful.  

"Let's not assume that this is necessarily a bad thing.  As weird as Nisa might be, she's not inherently morally biased in anyway.  The woman's practically a blank slate, truth be told.  She's most like a force of nature that hasn't quite come into her own yet.  We have time."

ID:200647 | Craft:7 | No Damage taken

[Eruda 0]

The moment Freyd said he knew her by the name of Nisahime, Eruda just started ramping out a bunch of questions that he could not have possibly known. Clapping her hands to her mouth now as her face gets a bit flustered from embarrassment. "I'm sorry," saying with a muffled voice as she slowly takes her hands away. It was then that she realized something. She was talking to Freyd like a normal human being. It was usually family or Raidou or even people that she knew well enough to open that side of her. Freyd was neither nor... Was it that she had just grown enough to where it just didn't matter who she spoke with. Was it what Nisahime gave to her that night to help speak her mind regardless of the person. Eruda 's speech, nervousness came with more that just the lack of words. It was large groups of people that she didn't know too. Most of the time she would just clamp up and say nothing and be nowhere with huge crowds. This time, however, her words rolled off her tongue like what she said meant something. 

"Precious is a voice, so fragile," She paused for a moment as she recalls more of what this female said to her. "A voice is a soul, desperate to be heard. It will not wait idle, to be tapped." Another pause as the entire phrase rings in her head on repeat word by word. "Cast off shackles and disbelief and believe in the yolk of thy heart, in that truth is the strength to stand and remain on the path you wish to walk. Speak, and it will be heard. For as long as truth bleeds from such lips, then ire not but kindness." A small voice, but enough that Freyd could hear her. "This is what she said to me before I took that pure white Lily in my hands. She gave me something that night, and  I felt so exhausted afterward I could barely stand. I do not think that we would be having this conversation if not for her." It was hard to understand what really happened that night and even more difficult to explain.  "Freyd for once in my life, I feel at peace. I think it was because of whatever she had done to me..." thinking about it for a minute, "No for me. She is not evil by any means, that we agree on. I think in a way she is trying to help in the only way she knows how..." A glance to her feet as she continue to think about what actually happened that night.

ID:200433 | Battle:5, Craft:8, Loot:3 No damage

Edited November 3, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

"Yeah,"  came the dry reply.  "That sounds like Nisa.  The woman's bat-shit-savant kind of crazy.  Thinks she's Fate, with a capital 'F'."  He shrugged at the declaration, as if her oddity was no issue.  

"She's clever, though.  I'll give her that.  In a cunning sort of way - and she knows it too.  Don't believe that she's as innocent and harmless as she appears."

Listening to Eruda's recounting of her encounter, Freyd remained silent.  

"She called me her messenger.  Not really sure why, but it was a long time ago, now, or seems to be.  Never quite figured out what she meant by it.  I always thought of myself more as a janitor."  The last bit went unexplained, but carried more meaning than it conveyed.  "If she's given you peace of mind, then accept it.  Maybe she just helped you find what was already there?  I've seen your doubts, Eruda.  They're unwarranted.   You have the courage to stand between others and harm, and take their lumps for them.  If you can do that, a bit of conversation should be no trouble at all."

His face scrunched up again.

"Why is it always lilies?"

ID:200637 | Craft:5 | No Damage taken

[Eruda 0]

"Doubts, see, that's the thing. I have them no longer. My head was full of them on so many different levels and then in a swift instance they were just gone." A smile peers on her face as she raises her hand to look at it. "Freyd, is it so hard to believe that there is something out there bigger on a universe wide level. That fate itself has come to save us from this hell that shouldn't have ever existed in the first place." Just staring at her hand for a moment while they walked before turning her head to the her new friend. "All I am saying is while you are investigating this idol woman, keep an open mind." Eruda chose to believe in fate because it was what led her to Raidou in the first place. Without Raidou small pushes throughout her time in Aincrad, she doesn't know where she would be at this moment in time...

Travels for 5 long hours just talking...

The winds around them were stronger than ever and she could see the old man in the distance fiddling with something on his knees under a large canopy that looked slightly damaged from the Sandstorm. They were surrounded my large pointed rocks now. Walking to the guy and getting to her knees beside him, "You help me get here unharmed with some attitude." He looks back at Freyd now with a glare. "You did not have to try grabbing the water from him. You could have asked nicely and I would have given you one of mine." The old dude looks up at Eruda with a brow raised. "Begging will get you nowhere, manners are where it's at." You could see a small smile on this mans face as he started digging through the loot on the ground, "Found it," he calls out, pulling a vial as he start going into a coughing fit. After a moment, he catches his breath once more before turning to Eruda. "Thank you," he says to her before grabbing the bag of stuff and starts walking into the rocks. "Wait," Eruda calls out and gets to her feet. "Take this too," as she pulls out a bottle of water and a ration from her bag, handing it to him. Given her a wide smile he takes out a small bag of col and hands it to her, before he began to walk away.

Eruda takes a puff of breath and sits on a small crate within the canopy. Pulling out a few honey rolls, she offers one to Freyd, "I think I am going to stay a little bit longer. Would you like to join me?"

ID:200636 | Battle:8, Craft:8, Loot:17 No Damage taken

Edited November 4, 2021 by Eruda

[Freyd 0]

Freyd spent most of their walk responding with one-word answers, or just a look when he could get away with it.  Every once in a while, he'd chime in with some deep thinker crap to let Eruda know that he was actually listening to every word she said.  Smalltalk just wasn't his thing, but he indulged her.  She'd clearly needed it.  And, though he was loathe to admit it, it was nice.

When the time came, Freyd watched the elder make his way to shelter.  The man's weathered form reminded him too much of the lone member of his own family that he'd ever cared for.  Thank goodness the air was so dry.  As if sensing the stirring of feelings, a sudden gust pulled his scarf and cowl aside, leaving him exposed in a way that he rarely allowed.  Closing his eyes, he let the howling wind scour some of his sour edge away.  A honey roll was offered.

"Thanks," he said, offerring a smile.  "Your sister makes these for me all the time.  I've grown fond of them."

Without another word, Freyd sat at Eruda's side, nibbling at his treat and happy to just enjoy watching the sunset.

***

ID:200638 | Craft:1 | Freyd chooses to take 20 the damage

***

Thread Summary:

5189 words / 30 = 172*5= 864*Tier
5189 / 300 = 17 seeds

Eruda receives:

7105 EXP (Word Count [864*6] + 500 [quest] + 25% from event)
2294 col (200 [1 page/2] + 500 [quest] + 1065 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col] + 30% from event)
15 mats (10 [tag] + 50% from event)

Unlocks Survival extra skill

17 Seeds (Event)
1 tag (none) ID: 200639 (CD 12); 200640 (CD 3); 200641 (CD 3)

Freyd receives:

11880 EXP (Word Count [864*11] + 25% from event)
1782 col (200 [1 page/2] + 1782 [Laurel, +15% of EXP as col] + 30% from event)
15 mats (10 [tag] + 50% from event)

17 Seeds (Event)
1 tag (none) ID: 200643 (CD 10); 200644 (CD 8); 200645 (CD 6)