[PP-F1] Users of Deception -Domarus and GreenBlade- -Breaking the Unbreakable-

[Domarus 0]

Domarus watched the girl withdraw from the first conversation rather quickly.  Although she possessed some skill that was similar to Domarus own, albeit the easy and noticeable ones, she was not too skilled in the area.  Of course, with proper training, she could be.  If Sakoda failed as an apprentice, this girl could prove to be the perfect replacement.  At any rate he would need to work with her as she was right now, which wouldn't be hard seeing how things were going at their current moment and rate.  She seemed to be surprised when he revealed her weakness, and it was clear to him that she didn't like it.  Good he thought, she'll have the passion, will and desire to get stronger because of it.
     "Setsuna?  Interesting how you'd betray her real name so easily.  I would suggest you two refrain from giving real life information away so easily.  If most MMO's recommend it for safety reasons, how much more caution should you have on that information if people are able to memorize your real face as well?"  He had set in his dominance as the one in charge, and thus it was time to move on to the more important matters.  He nodded on her words.
     "Alright then.  To be honest I thought it would be more difficult to convince you but I suppose I was wrong about that.  First rule is that you won't stalk her everywhere she goes.  Respect other's privacy.  I don't mind you hanging out with her while she's training, grinding, or other such things, however if it's clear she's not in the mood then leave her be.  Second rule is that you must be actual friends with her.  From what she told me you've been more of a stalker than a friend in any way.  Interact with her for crying out loud, help her get to know you better.  Don't just follow her around cause she saved your life."  Honestly he didn't understand stalkers.  Obsessive love he understood, but why not just approach them face on instead of scaring the person you are interested in by stalking them and watching them from the shadows?  It was counter productive.  Domarus knew it.  All targets knew it.  Everyone knew it.  He wondered if stalkers knew and yet didn't care.
     "No real need to apologize.  I've had many people yell at me over time and it has never effected me.  Save for one person that is.  If it's strength you want however, why join my guild?  It has not even started yet and I have no way of knowing whether or not players will actually join.  The Knights of the Blood Oath is already rather strong, and the Celestial Ascendants might be even stronger.  So why my guild?"

@GreenBlade

[GreenBlade 0]

Kotone flinched at Domarus saying Setsuna. "I didn't betray anything. I just don't know her username in the game, she never told me. Please don't tell her that I told you." Kotone asked, now leaning back in her seat a little bit.

Domarus had then laid out several rules on how to behave with her stalkee, to which Kotone nodded. She wanted to object, but at the same time she wanted to get into this guild, so she decided follow his rules. "Fine, I'll try to be friends with her. I just never figured a way to approach her or anything like that. She told you everything didn't she?" Kotone said, now smirking a little bit.

Domarus then asked her why she wanted to join his guild rather than any others. "I just saw the notice for you wanting players to join. I want power, but at the same time I don't want it to come easy. Do you get what I mean?" Kotone asked.

@Domarus

[Domarus 0]

Domarus listened to her attempt to validate why she said her real name instead of 'my friend' or something like that, but in the end she pretty much begged him not to say anything.  Now he was feeling more comfortable, although he wouldn't show it.  Complete and total power.  This was what he sought in the future, and it's what he would obtain.  This and so much more.  He nodded in agreement before she answered his few rules.  She seemed extremely aggravated as it was however she did agree to be friends with her.  It seemed to Domarus that she didn't want to be friends, which seemed odd and cocked an eyebrow at this.
     "Indeed she has, as much as she knows at least.  And I'd be happy if I were you.  You are happy she saved your life, so wouldn't you want this chance to at last be friends with her?  You do realize that friends spend time with each other on purpose rather than one stalking the other, and the other disliking it?"  He smiled at the end of this.  If she could only realize that he was giving her a rare opportunity to close the gap between them, the huge and massive gap, and help her get close to the one she's been interested in all this time, then perhaps instead of complaining, she would be grateful and loosen up for once.  She then mentioned how she saw his notice and wanted to gain strength through effort not through ease.  Domarus grinned.  Excellent he thought to himself.  This girl wasn't hopeless, showing that she possessed some skill in the art of deception, and not only that but she was determined to get strong the hard way rather than taking the easy way out.  She was definitely needed.
     "Alright then.  I'm in no position to be picky in the sense of players joining, so if you would like to join then so be it.  As for Setsuna I can bring you to her myself.  I'll speak with her and arrange a meeting that will double as the start of the guild."

@GreenBlade

[GreenBlade 0]

Kotone nodded her head and dropped her smirk. Domarus had brought up some good points that she hadn't really thought about before. She had spent so much of her time just following, that she never considered just hanging out with the girl. This was her chance to finally get to understand actually be friends with her. "Alright. I do want to be friends with her, maybe more than that, but I'll do my best to not be as much of a creep. I know how friends work, I just never found the right time to introduce myself." Kotone explained, now actually smiling a little bit.

Domarus had then offered to let her meet up with Setsuna, which got her a bit excited, but she managed to control herself and not let it show, just keeping a small smile. "Okay, that works for me. When the guild starts, I'll hopefully have gained a few levels. Anyway, do you want to go do a quest with me?" Kotone asked, stretching her arms a little bit.

@Domarus

[Domarus 0]

She dropped her smirk, and Domarus could tell she was seeing the logic in his words.  The gears turning, the acknowledging look in her eyes.  He'd seen it before.  She had potential, but she was not very skilled.  Yet.  Depending on how events turned out, he could train her to be a master.  Or at least, a trained individual.  It took Domarus a full twelve years to master deception and manipulation.  She told him she wanted to be friends with her and would do her best to avoid being a creep, giving another excuse as to why she didn't try it earlier.  Domarus shrugged as he took another bite.
     "The past is in the past, no need to explain it.  Especially when I'm helping you move forward to begin with."  He then saw her begin to get excited and eager.  The shine in her eyes was clear evidence of this.  What impressed him most was that she was able to keep that bottled up excitement and energy sealed, only showing through her eyes and her smile.  She asked him if he would like to do a quest with her in conclusion.  Domarus finished his food and nodded.
     "I don't mind at all.  May as well get some more experience under my belt."  He and Keres stood up, Rhozarth taking his cue and gliding down, landing on Domarus' shoulder.  Domarus gestured for her to lead the way.
     "Which quest did you have in mind?"

@GreenBlade

[GreenBlade 0]

Kotone shrugged her shoulders at Domarus's first sentence, it was still just a little bit hard to let go of her past, knowing she had wasted so many years following Setsuna, but never actually trying to talk to her. "I guess so, but sometimes it's hard to forget things just like that. But I guess I owe you for helping me sort my little conflict I had with myself. Thanks." Kotone said, now standing up as well. She didn't want to look too grateful, or she would end up sending a message that she depended on him for this sort of thing.

When asked what quest Kotone had planned on doing, she already had her answer. "Before I followed you here, I was on my way to Floor 2 so I could do that Breaking the Unbreakable quest. Are you fine with that one?" Kotone asked, now making her way to the exit of the restaurant.

@Domarus

[Domarus 0]

The girl seemed to be neutral on his words but also accepting of them, stating how it was hard to forget things like that, and yet she thanked him for sorting out her little conflict.  He nodded in response watching her stand up.  While she attempted to avoid making him think that she wasn't happy that he was willing to aid her, however he had already made that guess.  And even if she wasn't happy about it, she did depend on him...  For the meantime.  Not only with becoming stronger and such, but also due to the fact that she needed him if she had any shot of gaining a relationship with the person she had been previously stalking.  Domarus had made a mental note of how he seemed to be the one to always run into, and in between, the strangest situations.  First was Keres.  Then Mari and Esther.  Then Sakoda, and now a child like girl and her stalker.  He awaited the next strange encounter.  No doubt it would equal much entertainment for him.
     "Anytime Kotone.  As for the quest, I have no qualms with it.  If you didn't know where the objective is, it's on a mountain, so we have a ways to go.  The objective is to destroy the boulder with only your fists.  And since neither of us have any ranks in martial arts, we'll be dealing one point of damage each hit, unless we land a critical hit that is."  Domarus led her to the teleporter.

Time Lapse:  Floor Two - Mountain Side

The two were nearly there.  Along the way he explained more details of the quest, it's reward, and the skill itself.  How the old woman giving the quest would put face paint cat whiskers on her before she walked over to the boulder, though he had noticed that very very rarely there have been players who have received different face paint.  The boulder had fifty points of health, and the player could not deal damage with it unless they used their firsts.  Without hand wraps or gauntlets with unarmed damage enhancements, or the martial arts skill which had it's own sword arts and five ranks like any other sword skill, you'd be dealing base one damage, with additional one to two on critical hits.  He explained martial arts, how it was like the two handed weapon skills in the sense that it's base damage is three rather than one, and how it was on the same level of two handed assault spear in damage.
     "Of course I have the skill already, but I am not putting any ranks into it.  Not yet at least.  I want to max out charge, battle healing, heavy armor, and a few more offensive and defensive skills before shooting for martial arts.  Until I get the martial arts skill however, I'll mainly be good with many enemies rather than a single target.  Or rather, better against multiple foes."  Domarus normally didn't like this quest.  However it gave him a chance to see more of her personality and tastes, which he needed anyways.

@GreenBlade apologies for the wait

[GreenBlade 0]

Kotone followed Domarus to Floor Two and followed him through the mountain side as he explained how the quest worked. It all seemed to make sense to her, so she nodded her head. Domarus had explained just as Kotone had heard from other players. "So it's gonna take a while to destroy this one boulder, at least it'll be worth the experience and the skill. I don't plan on using it much, but it's still handy to have probably."  Kotone said as she walked closely behind him.

Kotone listened to Domarus say that he already had the skill, just didn't put any points into it. "I won't be putting much investment into martial arts right away either, battle healing and light armor are my top priorities, along with my rapier. Anyway, I kinda want to see how the paint looks on my face, I wonder if we can keep the paint on after the quest." Kotone said, starting to gaze off at the scenery as she usually did.

@Domarus

[Domarus 0]

Kotone seemed to understand everything that Domarus explained to her, which he was pleased to know since he disliked repeating himself over and over again.  She told him that she would be putting her stats into her rapier rather than the martial arts skill...  As well as that she wanted to see how the paint looked on her face and if she could keep it on.
     "The paint won't last much longer after the quest, but if you wanted something done, I can place and remove tattoos at my shop at any time.  I'd just need materials to do so is all.  Luckily I've been making attempts to gather them.  On a side note, why a rapier?  If you wish to deal damage, two handed weapons would deal far more damage?  The only benefit I see from wielding a rapier is being able to hold a shield as well, therefore having defensive and offensive abilities."  It was indeed true.  Domarus chose a two handed weapon because instead of a base one damage, it had base three, along with the other modifiers any weapon could have.  And once he maxed all of his skills out he would have sixteen base damage with a base of twenty one with charge unlocked.  His strongest sword art was Explode Catapult which would increase his damage on charge up to two hundred and ninety four points of damage.  And this was without modifiers such as potions and food.  With both modifiers at their strongest state, his damage would be base thirty three, multiplied to four hundred and sixty two damage.  This wasn't counting if he also had thorns damage but right now thorns was weak.  Of course he was deciding whether or not he should invest in heavy momentum stats, but if he did it would probably be added to his gauntlets which only had thorns damage at the moment, and that stacked at two slots.  They reached the quest giver who began to chat on about the quest and moved to paint on Kotone's face.

@GreenBlade

[GreenBlade 0]

Kotone shook her head at Domarus's offer to tattoo the whiskers on her face. "It's okay but thank you for the offer, I don't really want the whiskers that much. I was just wondering if they would stay on." Kotone said, now looking out off of the mountain, it was a nice view sure, but nothing really spectacular.

Domarus had then asked why she chose a rapier instead of a two handed weapon, and Kotone had already gotten an answer ready for that. "There are two reasons why I want to wield a rapier. One, I am well aware of the shield and want to use to one to help in the defensive aspect of combat. Two, I've always used rapiers in video games. It's just my thing." Kotone explained.

The quest NPC then proceeded to paint the whiskers on her face, then moved on to Domarus. The NPC said a few more things about the rock and how difficult it is to split it in half. Kotone looked over at Domarus after the NPC painted the whiskers on his face. "So, how do I look? You look kinda cute with the whiskers, no offense." Kotone commented as she made sure her weapons were unequipped.

[Domarus 0]

Kotone rejected his offer of giving her a tattoo which everyone seemed to do.  Perhaps it was the pricing.  Actually it was probably the pricing.  That along with the fact that nobody really cared about tattoos that much.  And those who do had one placed on them before meeting him.  He really only had one player request a tattoo from him.  She then went on to explain why she wanted to use a rapier more than any other weapon.  The first reason he had already suggested, which was that she planned to have a shield along with it.  The second reason was out of habit, which he could understand.  Still the strategy of rapier and shield was a good one.  All she needed now was an item that would boost her evasion, giving her high defensive properties as well as offensive.  He nodded and was about to reply when the woman, to his complete and utter shock, as well as annoyance, moved to Domarus and before he could do anything, marked his face as well.  The system was supposed to target those who haven't taken the quest, not those on the sidelines.  He was just about to remove the paint, restraining himself from knocking the npc off the mountainside when Kotone commented on them.  Keres giggled from behind them, knowing Domarus would normally scare her.  Domarus refrained from rolling his eyes but didn't smile either, and instead he decided the safest thing to do was shrug and say nothing.  They moved over to the boulder and Domarus swung at it.  The force of his strike was immense given the frustration he was suppressing.  Of course the system would take this shockwave as one point of damage.
     "For strategic purposes, don't go get a circular shield.  I'd go for a style of shield that can parry blows, as well as be used to jab at the enemy."

ID#  88722  BD:  6
Boulder:  49/50

@GreenBlade

Edited September 26, 2017 by Domarus

[GreenBlade 0]

Kotone could tell that Domarus was a little bit irritated at what she had said about him looking kind of cute with the whiskers, especially since Leres had giggled a bit herself. Kotone watched Domarus strike the boulder, seemingly making a wave from the impact of his fist. Kotone tried to look tough, cracking her knuckles while Domarus took a step back. 

"Don't worry, you don't look that cute with the whiskers." Kotone reassured, walking up the boulder, ready to punch it. She knew she didn't have to hit it too hard, since whatever she did would be counted as only 1 damage. She still had to hit enough to where the game would detect the hit though.

Just as she was about to smack the boulder, she tripped on a small crack in the mountain and fell over. Kotone caught herself before she hit the ground, so she was okay. She was a little bit embarassed, simply for missing. But this was her first try. "...watch for the cracks in the ground, you can trip on them." Kotone warned, trying to act as though she didn't just trip.

@Domarus

ID: 88724 BD: 3

Boulder: 49/50 

Edited September 26, 2017 by GreenBlade

[Domarus 0]

Domarus sidestepped as Kotone spoke, making room for her to work with the boulder.  In the end they would be side by side punching the boulder until it was thoroughly destroyed.  She mentioned that he didn't look too cute and knew she was only trying to either calm him down, tease him, or make some other attempt to connect with him.  He didn't feel connected.  In fact he never felt connected with anyone save for Esther and Keres, and Esther was out of his life now.  The conclusion?  He connected to no one.  And he preferred it that way.  He needed as few weaknesses as possible.  Followers and allies, tools.  Never friends.  Of course he could always make her believe that he was a friend.  And he would.  That was the point here.  So in the end he feinted a grin at her response, a feint that looked like a genuine response from someone who got a joke.
     "Thanks.."  He watched her move over to the boulder but instead she tripped from a crack, and proceeded to warn Domarus about them.  Domarus shrugged.
     "This is my second time taking the quest.  I know of the cracks.  My difficulty however is that a player's accuracy is dealt by percentage chance the game does behind the screen so to speak.  While I can land a hit it doesn't mean I'll do any damage."  Domarus swung another punch at the large boulder. The strength of his punch would normally crack any boulder, as the game allowed a player to exercise, getting stronger past the point that any normal human ever could.  A stick of a man could one day become strong enough to pick up this boulder easily.  However due to the game's mischievous ways, his strike did absolutely nothing.  He backed up a bit and held his hands outward towards the boulder, gesturing to it.
     "Case and point.  So don't be too upset if you miss, or strike but deal nothing.  All it takes is level grinding and selecting the right gear and skills to advance into."

ID#  88922  BD:  4

Boulder:  49/50

@GreenBlade

Edited September 29, 2017 by Domarus

[GreenBlade 0]

Kotone had been trying to find a way not to look bad in front of Domarus, but missing the boulder right away didn't really help that much. She then watched as Domarus hit it, but it did no damage. "So we are at the mercy of the game's RNG? That seems pretty fair." Kotone commented sarcastically.

She had played plenty of games before this one, and most of them had the same RNG tricks as this game. Kotone was used to missing or getting hit on a 17% percent chance. Kotone clenched her fists and walked up to the boulder, avoiding the cracks this time. She pounded her fist into the boulder, dealing only 1 damage. That was fine with her, as long as she hit it.

Kotone stepped back from the boulder and looked at Domarus. "So, this is going to take a while. To pass the time, what kind of games did you play before this?" Kotone asked, hoping to start a conversation.

ID: 88987 BD 8

Boulder: 48/50

@Domarus

Edited October 1, 2017 by GreenBlade

[Domarus 0]

Domarus listened as she spoke sarcastically about the game's system and it's fairness and chuckled.  The system was fair technically.  While he believed lower levels should be facing monsters that dealt more weaker damage so that they could take on the weakest until they gained a level or two, and thus didn't require to limp on others for strength.  The system itself was pretty fair once you climb out of the lower levels.  The only issue players had after that was choosing the right skills to invest into.  The only drawback for this game was that you could not fix any errors you made when assigning skill points.  If you invested points into sneak skill, which is pretty much utterly useless unless you were Domarus who required spies and assassin's against players, you couldn't get those skill points back or move them to a different skill.  
     "To be quite honest it is fair.  Players start out on a fifty fifty percent chance field in combat, and as they get stronger there are skills and equipment that allow the player to increase the chances of success.  And as bosses are meant to be far more powerful and dangerous, they have some counteractions to keep the player from being overpowered."    Domarus moved up to the boulder after she attacked it and swung with much force into the boulder, landing a critical hit and dealing two points of damage rather than one, making up for the miss prior to her attack.
     "Before entering this game I played a couple of other MMORPG's.  However I would also play shooters games and other such games involving combat.  Eventually it got to the  point where I focused on my real life, but still managed to play with my friends when I had the chance."

ID#  89028  BD:  9

Boulder:  46/50

@GreenBlade

Edited October 2, 2017 by Domarus

[GreenBlade 0]

Kotone chuckled a little bit more, but stopped after a few seconds and put her straight face back on. "Yeah, fifty fifty odds are fair, I've just played a lot of games and odds aren't something I really like to rely on. But I get what you mean. No one want a game that is too easy." Kotone said in response.

Kotone watched Domarus strike the boulder with immense force and get a critical hit as well. Kotone clapped briefly and walked up to the boulder a few seconds later. She raised her fist up and slammed it into the boulder, but the game didn't read it off as damage or it just didn't detect the hit, since Kotone had done 0 damage to it on the hit. "Well... I guess I should just hit it harder next time. Apparently that wasn't enough." Kotone said as she took a few steps back from the boulder. "As far as games go, I don't really play many MMOs, I mainly stick to RPGs. Sometimes I'll play the occassional shooter. I mainly played Fire Emblem before this. Were there any specific games you played a lot?" Kotone asked.

ID: 89030 BD: 1

Boulder: 46/50

@Domarus

Edited October 2, 2017 by GreenBlade

[Domarus 0]

Hearing the girl say aloud that she should just be hitting harder and that what she was doing currently wasn't nearly enough, Domarus wondered if she was making a joke or if she didn't understand what Domarus was telling her a moment ago in regards to the percentage system.  There were times Domarus had found materials, but due to the game's RNG system, the materials had crumbled into dust in his hands.  It wasn't due to his strength, but the fickle fate of the system.  Then again she did agree with him in the sense of odds, so perhaps it was something else entirely.  At any rate he shrugged as he prepared to strike the boulder again.  He swung his fist at the massive rock and dealt another point of damage, dropping it's obnoxiously huge health from forty six to forty five.  Halfway to being one fifth of the way through this quest.
     "Fire Emblem is a very good game.  Especially the Sacred Stones.  And very accurate to how the real world works.  Once you lose an ally that's the end of it.  You must restrategize from that point onward and pretty much start from scratch plans wise.  As for me?  Not really.  I stayed in relatively the same area of combat, strategy and role playing games, but never lingered on games for too long."  Save for that one game he thought to himself.  The game where he had first practiced the art of deception and manipulation.  Most players left the server because Domarus had literally dominated literally half of the world in such a way where no one could do anything about it.  His first success ever.

ID#  89175  BD:  6  @GreenBlade

Edited October 6, 2017 by Domarus

[GreenBlade 0]

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