[PP-F2] Breaking the past that weighs us down, with Jomei

[Ryo 0]

Ryo searched along the second floor, looking for the start of that silly quest. And when he found it, he sent up a message. Perhaps it would be a good time for him and Jomei to get to know one another. Besides from the whole debacle around Lowenthal's death, and Death Adder threating those around who wish to play hero. Perhaps Ryo wasn't considered a threat to Death Adder, because of his low level, despite him going around parading that he would be one. He scratched his head, as he opened his menu and sent a message to Jomei.

Quote

Yo, guild lead. I'm looking to do breaking the unbreakable and I'd like a hand with it. And, maybe we can learn more about each other. just a thought.

Other then what he learned from Lowenthal, Ryo knew very little about the emerald man. He knew about him but knew nothing of him. He ran a hand through his violet hair. The NPC appeared and instructed Ryo to break the boulder. Ryo nodded as he accepted the quest belt felt something touch his face. He looked up from his menu, as the NPC was already sprinting away. What the hell was that about? Ryo though touching his face, unable to feel the whiskers that had been drawn on his face.

[Jomei 0]

The ginger's brows knit as he looked over the screen in front of him that read, Message from Ryo. Accepting the private message from the man, Jomei read over the minimal contents, before letting out an audible groan, gaining the attention of Telrenya and their two familiars on the opposite side of the room. "Breaking the Unbreakable.. again?" Jomei very highly resented the quest.. not only taking it himself, but helping multiple other players to do so. There were really only so many ways one could punch a rock. However, with some newly earned stats in his Martial Arts skill.. it would make the quest just a little bit easier. Jomei turned to look over his shoulder at the kitchen, before moving from the window and immediately walking onto the tile floor. Bringing a hand up to tap the space in front of the refrigerator, a large menu opened that Jomei scrolled through. Moments later, two hard boiled eggs appeared on the counter aside him. "Not making the same mistake as last time." Jomei said with a chuckle as he tore the shell off of the small, protein filled snacks and ate them. 

After donning his armor, save for Oathkeeper, which he knew he would not need, he summoned Adere to his shoulder and bid the blonde goodbye with a kiss on her forehead. Having made the trip to the large boulder on the second floor multiple times, the trip was simple enough for him to find where Ryo was waiting for him. The two had not met since he had invited Jomei to his mansion to interview him about Lowenthal.. and now all of a sudden, he was a member of his guild. First Erin, then Ryo.. Jomei had half a mind to start making sure he knew about all of these guild invites before hand. At least Ryo seemed trustworthy enough.. though he would reassure himself with that during this meeting. "Oy, Ryo." Jomei called out as he approached the man from behind, "So, ready to-" Jomei struggled to hold back a small laugh, "R-Ready to.. go? This was definitely not the first time Jomei would have seen the whiskers drawn on the face of the player taking this quest.. but by the look on Ryo's face, he had no idea that they were even there. 

Used "Kitchen"
Rare Food item created: 2x Protien

Jomei's Base Damage: 1 Base + 2 Martial Arts + 1 Athletics + 2 Protien = 6 Dmg
(-18 Mitigation) = 34 Mit

[Ryo 0]

Ryo took a few steps around the boulder, sizing up the intimidating thing before giving it a few pats. The cold stone surface chilled his palm as he looked at it. He drew his katana and went to give it a slash. As expected, his blade bounced off of the rock. The sparks and a deafening clang echoed throughout. "Not gonna be that easy huh." He said, sighing as he unequipped his katana. "Right, the old fashioned way then." He said, removing his jacket and shirt, setting them aside. Ryo placed a fist against the boulder, before taking in a deep breath. A sharp inhale, followed by a sharp exhale followed his fist as it moved through the air and connected with the rock. The rock stood unmoving, an HP bar appearing of all things. Ryo looked at the bar and squinted seeing as he had barely done a blip of damage. His heart sank as he realized how much he needed help with this quest.

Ryo turned as his name was called out. "Oh, Jomei!" Ryo called back, giving the man a wave. Jomei began a sentence, then covered his mouth as if he was trying to hide something back, like a cough or a chuckle. Ryo placed a hand on his forehead and sighed. "There's something on my face, isn't there?" He said, giving out a low chuckle. He knew he had felt something touch his face. "You going to help me punch this boulder or not? C'mon, let's get manly!" Ryo jested, giving him a quick a flex before going back to the rock.

ID: 96575 BD: 13(hit) = 8+5 1dmg

The BOULDER: 49/50 | -2 Eva

[Jomei 0]

"Oh yeah." Jomei said with a half smile. The man brought a hand up to open his menu's, before taking a quick screenshot of Ryo's whiskered face. With the small screen floating in front of him, Jomei sent the picture over to Ryo with a side swipe of his hand. Jomei let out the laugh he was holding in as he waited for Ryo's reaction, "I-Its alright.. they'll come off after we finish the quest." he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

The ginger nodded his head once Ryo reminded him of the task at hand, and Jomei noticed that Ryo had already gotten manly by removing his shirt. Looking down at his own body, Jomei chuckled, shrugging his green overcoat off of his shoulders and letting his arms slide out of his sleeves. "Alright, this shouldn't take long at all." the ginger said as he placed his right fist into his opposite palm, cracking his knuckles. With a step forward, Jomei squared himself up with the boulder and took in a deep breath through his nostrils. Pivoting on his back foot, Jomei extended his right arm forward, his fist colliding with the surface of the boulder, shaking the large rock to the core. 

ID 96518 | BD 5(+3 ACC)(+2 EVA) Hit

The BOULDER: 43/50 | -2 Eva 6 Dmg

[Ryo 0]

Ryo let out a hearty laugh at the picture before him, and a couple of swipes later he had sent the image of his topless whiskered self to Teion. He then laughed and gave a long sharp whistle as Jomei removed his overcoat, revealing a flattering shirt underneath. "Looking good." He said, grinning. He took a moment to admire just how, fit Jomei was. Was he like that in the real world and it translated over, or had he grown so strong in this one that it naturally took that shape? Either way, it looked significantly better than the thin and smooth body of Ryo's. The man cracked his knuckles and brought his fist onto the rock. The rock visibly shuddered, some of the shell of the stone breaking free and falling over. Ryos jaw nearly dropped in amazement.

Then the realization hit him. Just, how outclassed he really was. And here he was, finally hitting the next tier of levels and thinking that he may actually stand a chance on the frontlines. How foolish of him. Still, though, he needed to get stronger. He clenched his fist and punched the rock as hard as he could. Or perhaps, not as hard as he had intended or thought. The boulder didn't budge, nor did the HP bar move. Ryo swallowed, removing his fist from the rock. He wore a smile, as fake as it was hiding his insecurities. He then laughed as he spoke. "Ha ha, not nearly quite as strong as you. I've got a ways to go." He said, chuckling.

He thought of things to say, questions to ask. He had enough practice with Teion and the awkward conversations they would have, sometimes not have, that he had a backup question in mind already. "So, I've already questioned you about a lot of things." He said, rotating his shoulder. "I don't think I gave you the pleasure of cross-examining me. Anything you wanna know about your newest guildmate?" Ryo asked, going back to punching the rock.

ID 96783 | BD 1(+3 ACC)(+2 EVA)

The BOULDER: 43/50 | -2 Eva

[Jomei 0]

The ginger chuckled as he took a few steps back from the boulder, opening and closing his hand. "Well.. aside from having the Martial Arts skill already.. and a mod on top of that to help with my damage output. I may have eaten some food that gave me a bit more of a boost as well." he placed a hand on his hip and turned to Ryo with a half smile, "Only because I know this quest can take.. quite a long time. So figured I'd come prepared for once." Repeating a similar punch to his first, Jomei stepped forward and let his right hand jab forward, his gloved knuckled crashing into the boulder. Again, it was apparent that his attack had done damage, not only from the slowly depleting health bar, but from the cracks that had formed at the point of contact.

"I guess for starters.." Jomei began, turning to look at Ryo, "Who brought you into the guild?

ID 96910  | BD 6(+3)(+2) Hit

The BOULDER: 37/50 | -2 Eva (-6 Dmg)

[Ryo 0]

Ryo brought his fist against the boulder, his attacks either not doing anything at all or something so minuscule that the boulder just didn't care.  Jomei explained that he just wasn't prepared physically but mentally. That he knew that he'd need better physical damage and invested into the skill, bought potions, and better items. And here Ryo was, underestimating the ability of a rock. Ryo brought his fist back and brought it hard onto the surface of the rock. The boulder shuddered gently, and a crack began to form where his fists landed. Progress, at least. He looked back at Jomei, who hadn't even begun to break a sweat yet. Ryo could already feel the beads of water drip down his forehead. "That would be Spencer," Ryo said, continuing to punch the boulder. "I joined on Halloween. He and I went out for drinks, and frankly had a good time." He said, looking back at the rock.

ID97216 | BD 10

Mobs~
The BOULDER: 34/50 | -2 Eva (-3 Dmg)

[Jomei 0]

Jomei could not help but express an impressed smirk when he saw the boulder slightly shake and crack as Ryo's fist collided with the stony surface. "There you go." he said with a chuckle, before stepping up to the rock himself. "Wait.. Halloween?" Jomei expressed his confusion on the topic, "I didn't even realize you've been in for that long.. I'm sorry I.. should have made more or an attempt to reach out to you." Curling his fingers into a tight fist, Jomei stepped forward, his gloved knuckles pounding against the boulder yet again, nearly knocking it down to half of its health bar. "This is going a lot better than I had expected." he admitted with a breathy chuckle. "So.. have you managed to meet any of the other guild members yet? Aside from Spencer, that is." Jomei was genuinely curious about his interactions with the rest of his guild, especially being he had been in the guild for this long, yet his name seemed to completely remain missing from his friends' mouths.

ID 97236 | BD 5(+3)(+2) Hit

Mobs~
The BOULDER: 28/50 | -2 Eva (-6 Dmg)

[Ryo 0]

Ryo looked at the boulder, another healthy chunk missing from its pool of life. peeking over at Jomei's side, there was a visible difference in strength. Jomei was already chipping off large chunks of rock, whilst Ryo was already begging to crack his. And Ryo even had the head start in it all. Ryo chuckled. "Yeah, I've met a few people. Kimi and Hestia are some notable ones. I met Tel for a spell when I stopped by her shop. Uhm, yourself, and um." Ryo scratched his head. "I don't think I've been formally introduced to them yet." Ryo snapped his fingers. "Kairi! I've met Kairi!" He said, almost forgetting the young girl. "And Erin, I think? I don't know. She wore a mask the whole time." Ryo said, attack the boulder again. "Sorry for not meeting everyone. I plan too, I really do. I'm just, bad at names and faces and meeting people." Ryo said, attacking the boulder. Raising a foor, Ryo brought his shin across his spot on the rock. The boulder cracked along his legs, pieces falling down and the boulder shaking. "Say, think you can use your legs as good as mine?" Ryo taunted, almost losing his balance before catching himself.

ID 97432 | BD 10(+3)(+2) Hit

Mobs~
The BOULDER: 25/50 | -2 Eva (-3 Dmg)

[Jomei 0]

"Well then.. its good to hear that you've met most of the guild then.. I believe the only two names you didn't mention were Jevi and Ruby." Jomei chuckled, "And I'm glad to hear that you went to Tel for Artisan work," the man shone a soft smile, a small pink hue coating his cheeks when the blonde crossed his mind "She really is amazing...her work is great too." At the mention of the masked member, Erin, Jomei turned to face the purplette. "Oh? I'm shocked you've even met Erin.. She's usually pretty elusive. Especially with meeting some of the other members." 

With a swift kick into the side of the boulder, Jomei crossed his arms and shifted his weight, "Is that a challenge?" the man questioned with a raised brow. The ginger took a step towards the large rock, his body facing sideways.The ball of his left foot dug into the dirt, before pivoting and turning his torso. The ginger's right boot began to glow gold as it rose up to his side, pounding against the stone surface with a powerful force, causing the entire boulder to shift back a foot.

ID 97442 | BD 8(+3)(+2) Hit

Mobs~
The BOULDER: 19/50 | -2 Eva (-6 Dmg)

[Ryo 0]

Ryo chuckled as Jomei accepted his 'challenge' and readied his own stance. The boulder visibly shuddered and moved back about a foot. Wh-What a monster! Ryo's mind echoed as he took a full step back. "W-Well, met Erin because we caught up with her. She planned on soloing the dungeon, and the rest of us managed to catch up with her." Ryo admitted, still somewhat knocked aback by Jomei's strength. "But yeah. Tell me about Jevi and Ruby. What are they like?" Ryo asked, getting ready to strike the boulder again with another kick. His foot struck the boulder, causing a large chunk to fall off of his side. Most likely a part of the boulder reaching the red portion of its life bar. However, Ryo didn't know or realize that. "Ha! You can move it a foot, but I can remove a good chunk." Ryo said, seat decorating his body the whiskers on his face had faded away, bleeding out from his sweat.

ID 97648 | BD 13(8+3+2) hit

Mobs~
The BOULDER: 16/50 | -2 Eva | -3 damage

[Jomei 0]

"Soloing a dungeon?!" Jomei turned to Ryo shocked, nearly losing his balance as he went to place the foot he had kicked with back on the floor. "Wha.. She could have gotten herself killed!" A palm rose to smack himself in the forehead, his head shaking side to side. "Gah.. I tried to talk her out of this soloing stuff.. that she could end up dead if she wasn't careful." He let out a small sigh, "But at least you guys ran into her, and all being part of the same guild, I guess she learned to trust you guys." 

After being asked about Ruby and Jevi, the ginger let out a small chuckle. Pulling a fist back to his side, he punched the side of the boulder, causing it to shudder yet again. It did not, however, cause a piece to fall off as Ryo's attack had. "No, I guess not." he said with a small smile, "Anyway.. I don't really have too much to say about Jevi.. she's quiet, but pretty cool when you get to know her. Ruby, on the other hand.. can be.. pretty outgoing."

ID 97660 | BD 2(+3 ACC)(+2 EVA)

Mobs~
The BOULDER: 10/50 | -2 Eva | -6 Dmg

[Ryo 0]

Ryo chuckled. "Wasn't really like we gave her a choice in the matter. When we found her she had triggered at least like, two traps." He said, pulling his ponytail to tighten it. He threw a punch, followed by several fast ones, each one chipping away at the boulder. It was something akin to an old kung fu movie, or that from an anime. The damage was done, and the energy spent. "They each sound like," Ryo struggled to find the right words. "Interesting characters." He said, giving a shrug. He was interested in meeting them, however. As much as he had enjoyed the rest of the guild, the rest couldn't be that bad. Could they? Jevi was seen as a recluse, and Ruby was worded to be a loud boisterous person. Ryo had his fill of quiet, recluse, and shy type with Teion. And Ruby sounded like one of those theatre students who were way too into the theatre. Ryo chuckled, they sounded fun.

ID 97662 | BD 2(+3 ACC)(+2 EVA)

Mobs~
The BOULDER: 7/50 | -2 Eva | -3 Dmg

[Jomei 0]

"Jeez.." Jomei said under his breath to Erin's carelessness. Jomei knew that Erin was strong.. but even he, himself, could not solo a dungeon if he tried. What information was she going off of to think that she would have been fine on her own? At least they were all safe and cleared the dungeon without any problems. 

The ginger chuckled at Ryo's judging of the two women, "They are, Ruby was actually one of the founding members. She's hot headed, and can be pretty stubborn.. but her heart is in the right place. Jevi, like I said, can sometimes catch an attitude, but usually only with those who deserve it. For the most part, she's pretty fun to be around and kind." 

The ginger took a couple of steps back from the boulder, rotating his right shoulder as he did so. Once he had found an appropriate distance back, he prepared himself in a fighting stance, his back foot sliding backwards in the dirt until they sat just under shoulder length apart. Pushing off of his back foot, Jomei rushed forward before springing into the air using his Acrobatics mod. A fist pulled back beside the ginger's head as it ignited in a gold aura, and once within range, his fist flew forward. The force of his punch caused the entire boulder to shatter, the broken bits of rock disappearing in a flash of white light. "And thats that." 

ID 97735 | BD 9 

Mobs~
The BOULDER: 0/50 | -2 Eva | (-7 Dmg)

[Ryo 0]

Ryo watched as josei crushed the boulder. Ryo covered his face to protect himself from the debris that flew every which way. He looked back up to see Jomei, casually dusting himself off from the boulder. "No, dammit! I was supposed to break it!" Ryo said, upset more that he was weak then Jomei actually breaking the boulder. "I was, I mean, I was going to, but then you, I just!" Ryo took in a deep inhale, then let out a screech, unable to handle his frustrations. "I'm not gonna have to redo the quest again, am I?" Ryo asked. "Cause, I'm not letting that assbutt mark on my face again." He said, pointing to his now clean cheeks. It was then a notification appeared before him, granting him col, experience, and the Extra Skill: Martial Arts. "Oh. I guess not." He shrugged. "Hey, when I get a few more levels in, we'll have to do this again. A sort of contest, or something of the like. Hopefully, there will be two boulders we can beat up on." Ryo said joking now, feeling less upset about the whole ordeal. "So, any more questions?" Ryo asked, retrieving his shirt.

[Jomei 0]

Ryo seemed pretty upset that Jomei had shattered the boulder, and looking back to where the giant rock once stood, the corner of Jomei's mouth pulled down into a frown as he brought a hand up to rub at the nape of his neck. "I-I'm sorry I.. Just figured the faster we got it done the better.." He let out a small sigh before walking over to the man and placing a hand on his exposed shoulder, "Look, the past few time's I've helped players with this quest, it took forever. I didn't know what your mindset was, but I figured neither of us wanted to be standing out here punching a rock for hours. Don't feel discouraged." Bringing his hand up, he brought it back down with a firm pat on his back before walking over to retrieve the green coat he had discarded to the side. Before having the chance to let Ryo know that he would be the one getting the skill, the small reward screen popped up in front of the man, spawning a small smile to form on Jomei's face. 

With the idea of a challenge popping into Ryo's head about taking the quest again, but more as a contest, Jomei laughed. "Taking this quest again? You're crazy." As the purplette retrieved his own shirt, he asked Jomei if he had any more questions for him. Jomei's gaze searched off to the distance as he slipped his arms through the sleeves of his coat, thinking on anything he wanted to ask the man. "You know, I never asked. Whats your story anyway? You have a big house, a butler.. Met Lowenthal on some life changing adventure." he chuckled with his over-exaggeration of the last bit, "So where'd you come from before all of this?" 

[Ryo 0]

Ryo put his shirt back on. "[censored]. You right." He said, chuckling. He didn't want to redo the quest. At least, not today. Ryo's smiled disappeared as Jomei asked about what he did before he had all of his fancy things. his mansion, his butler, before he had met Lowenthal. He knew all about the troubling times he had with slavers and that group of people. Ryo cleared his throat, thinking of what to say. "I didn't do much." He began. "I did work for some private groups, some businesses. Traded goods and services. Acquired goods, and sold them. Did a bit of everything." Ryo said, shrugging his shoulders as he bent the truth as far as he could. "I retired from that and decided to be a full-time front liner slash adventurer slash the best person ever." He said, smirking at the man. "I really just want to be someone that everyone is happy to see. Be someone Lowenthal would be proud of, y'know?" Ryo said, giving out a half-hearted chuckle.

[Jomei 0]

"Hmm." The man hummed, nodding along to Ryo's story of his past. The man smiled warmly as he affixed his armor to sit atop his coat yet again, "The honest work of a merchant, a pretty admirable profession. Almost sounds like you did more than just the simple run-of-the-mill work of the Merchant profession." he chuckled, "But hey, good on you if it made your time here more interesting than just sitting in a shop appraising items." Jomei could not help but shine a warm smile at Ryo's determination to be the best he could be and join the front lines. "I'll help you get there. Don't worry. I know most of the Alliance wants to join as well.. Ruby is already up there, Telrenya wants to eventually work her way, and I believe Hestia should be close to it as well. Kimi, Spencer, and Jevi have a long way to go.. but in time they will get there, I know it." 

Jomei chuckled a bit at the mention of Lowenthal, and how Ryo wanted to be someone that he could look down on and be proud. "I'm sure he would be." 

[Ryo 0]

Ryo let out a sigh of relief as Jomei fell for his white lie. Yes, he traded in goods, but he didn't specify what the goods were. Ryo was pleased that everyone else in the guild had an interest in the front lines. He rubbed the back of his neck, taking a seat on the ground. Would he measure up? When he saw Hestia first she was roughly his level even, and now she was on the front lines. Just how fast was she growing? How many push-ups, how many sit-ups, what kind of juice did she drink? Ryo's head shot up when Jomei mentioned that Ryo would be someone that Lowenthal would be proud of. Ryo couldn't do anything but smile. Since Lowenthal's passing, he felt even more determined to become the herp that Lowenthal thought he could be. And he would be damned if he would let his own past hold him back. What was it that Jomei did that inspired so much in himself? Was Lowenthal the same way? Was Ryo? He smiled still before standing up. "Shall we get something, like a drink? Or something like that?" He said, not sure what to do next. All that he knew was that he didn't want to spend another hour outside in the sun. "And if there's a certain 'waiter', we're leaving." Ryo said, remembering the interactions with the deranged NPC.

[Jomei 0]

Ryo's expression seemed to completely change when Jomei expressed his own belief that Ryo would be making their deceased friend proud. When the violet haired man had interviewed Jomei on his stance with Lowenthal, it had seemed as though he had ulterior motives for learning of the man.. However, now it simply seems as though he wanted to learn more about someone he looked up to, so he could live up to their expectation. "Hm.. I remember thinking the same thing.. Always wanting to live up to Lowe's expectations, even when he was alive. He was the leader of my guild, and for awhile, he was stronger than me in levels. Even after I surpassed him, it still didn't seem like it, and I guess I wanted to be more like him from a social stand point." Jomei brought a hand up to rub at the nape of his neck sheepishly, "He was always so friendly, and almost everyone liked him.. I wanted to try and live like that, rather than being in his shadow all the time.. After he died, I promised that I would push on in his name." The ginger chuckled, shaking his head, "But I realized how stupid that was. Lowenthal was one of my best friends.. but I needed to be my own person, not just another Lowenthal. So, of course, I'll never forget him.. But I gave up on whether or not I'd make him proud, and just went on being me."

At the mention of going to get a drink with Ryo, the ginger nodded his head, "Definitely. I could go for a nice drink." he said with a grin. His face took more of a curious expression when Ryo brought up negativity about a certain, 'waiter' "A waiter? You have a problem with an NPC?" he said with a chuckle