[PP-F02] It’s not just a boulder… | <<Breaking The Unbreakable>> [Assisted]

[Wulfrin 0]

Wulfrin stretched as he stepped off the teleport gate in the city of Urbus on floor 2. This had become his new hangout spot as of late. Between the boss rushes and his other preparations for the frontlines, Wulfrin had been using the influx of new players as additional training for himself. While most of the frontliners focused on high exp yeilds to give the newcomers a boost, Wulfrin had a more practical regimen for them. HE had done this quest multiple times at this point, so it was becoming second nature to him, even if he never seemed to make any progress. He approached his favorite bench, his familiar, a phoenix of red and gold plumage no larger than an eagle, came to perch upon the backrest as Wulfrin leaned back and drafted his announcement post on the new player notification board.

Attn: New Players Interested in picking up the Martial Arts weapon skill? Would you like to be able to stun multiple enemies with one attack? If you answered yes to any of the above questsions, you're in luck. Come on down to Floor 2 and meet me at the included coordinates. No weapons or experience are needed for this adventure so come as you are! Look for the flaming bird and a man with a charcoal coat. Welcome to Aincrad, Wulfrin

 

Satisfied with his message, he posted it for all to see. If anyone decided to show up, great. If not, well he'd simply go fish at the foot of the mountain or perhaps grind some mobs.

"What do ya say Solaris," Wulfrin said as he leaned back on the bench, his long charcoal black coat seeming to dissipate into the shadow cast by the bench. "You wanna smash a rock again?" He pulled up the cowl of his coat in an attempt to block out the rising sun. I'll probably be here a while. Might as well get comfy.

* * *

Assist System Activated:

Wulfrin is [Assisting]
Level: 1
Paragon:  0
Tier: 1
Total Additional XP: +5%

Recruitment Drive x2 EXP in effect.

Wulfrin consumes:
Liquor of Light: DMG 3

Wulfrin | HP: 30/30 | EN: 25/25 | DMG: 7 | MIT:42 | ACC:5 | BH:1 | REC: 2 | BLD: 12 | LD:3

Spoiler

Name: Wulfrin
True Tier: 4
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 680/680
EN: 102/102

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 5
Battle Healing:
Loot Die: 3
Stealth Rating: -2
REC: 8
BLD: 36

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket:
- Phoenix Dusters | T3 Rare MA Weapon | Bleed 2
Armor/Trinket:
- Fallen Angel Garb | T4 Demonic LA | MIT 2 | REC 2
Shield/Armor/Trinket:
- Dioscuri | Perfect T1 Trinket | ACC 3

Combat Mastery:
- Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
- TECH Shift

Familiar Skill:
- Rending Familiar

Custom Skill:
-

Skills:
- Battle Healing R2
- Charge
- Energist
- Light Armor R5
- Searching R3
- Straight Sword R5

Extra Skills:
- Concentration
- Forgotten King's Authority
- Frozen Hide
- Survival

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:
- Ferocity
- Precision
- Resolve
- Stamina

Mods:
- Meticulous
- Night Vision

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:
- Imugi's Inspiration | Mass Healing x
- Popcorn | T4 Vitality 2 x
- TP Crystals x

Housing Buffs:
- Bedroom: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
- Bathroom: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
- Basic Workshop: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
- Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
- Storage Closet: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
- Dining Room: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed. Lesser Feasts created this way cannot be used outside of the thread they are created. Limit 1 item created per thread.
- Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
- Attic (Storage): +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
- Fishing Pond: +2 Fishing EXP per fishing attempt
- Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:
- Blacksmith[771exp] R7
Gathering Profession:
- Fishing[360exp] R4

 

Edited August 22 by Wulfrin

[Hanzoku 0]

Hanzoku is making his way towards the teleporter on Floor 28 when a message pings in the corner of his vision. He frowns as he manipulates the menus with one hand, the other cradling his morning mug of tea. Finding the indicator for a new message, he raises an eyebrow when he sees it isn't from one of his new friends, but from the almost completely deserted new players message board. He had just recently broken through to the second tier with a lot of hard work and the help of other players, so he wasn't sure if he quite fit as a new player... but compared to the monsters fighting on the front line, he's sure that he still counts as a wet behind the ears newbie.

Either way, the message sent looks interesting, and the promise of an AoE stun sword art was enough to draw his attention. No weapons or experience needed, huh? Well, it was definitely worth checking out. Stepping onto the Teleporter, he pushed the symbol for Floor 2, and closed his eyes as the world flashed bright and then resolved into the new floor. He looked around the teleport square and almost immediately could hone in on the correct person - mostly because of the phoenix perched proudly on the back of the bench, the light of its flames hinting that the mass of shadows under it had more to it then an empty bench. 

He made his way over and nodded politely to the phoenix before getting the black-clad man's attention. "Wulfrin, I take it? I saw you're taking newbies on a rock-smashing quest, and I'm interested in getting in on that sword art." He says, taking another drink from his tea, storing his weapon away for convenience.

- - - - -

Assist System Activated:

Hanzoku is [Assisting]
Level: 1
Paragon:  0
Tier: 1
Total Additional XP: +10%

Recruitment Drive x2 EXP in effect.

Hanzoku consumes Imperial Quarter Blend (DMG 3)

Hanzoku | Lv 1 | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 6 | MIT:34 | ACC:3 | LD:5

 

Spoiler

Stat Line:

Hanzoku | HP: 220/220 | EN: 40/40 | DMG: 15 | MIT:34 | ACC:3 | LD:5

Equipped Items:

• wolf pendant. |  [#220941-2] | TIER 1 JEWELRY | ACC III
• Squire's Ardor | T1 Perfect Heavy Armor | MIT III
• laurel earcuffs. | [#221709-1] | TIER 1 JEWELRY | LD III

Battle-Ready Inventory:

• Starter Healing Potion (3/5) | Tier 1 Potion | +60 HP
•  
• Humble Aspirations | T1 Perfect Weapon (SS) | DMG III
• Valorous Spite | T1 Perfect Shield | REGEN II | THORNS I
•  

Consumed Items:

imperial quarter blend | TIERLESS PERFECT POTION | DAMAGE III

Skills:

• Straight Swords | RANK 5/5
  • Combat Mastery: DMG | RANK 2/3
• Curved Swords | RANK 1/5
• Heavy Armor | RANK 2/5
• Searching | RANK 2/5

Sword Arts:

• [x12] ST-I (12 EN) | <<The Boar Rushes Down the Mountain>> | A single-target sword art.
• [x15] ST-II (15 EN) | << Stones Falling Down the Mountain>> | A powerful single-target sword art. Only available for use when ST-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if ST-II had been used and had missed the previous turn.
• [x20] ST-B (20 EN) | <<Black Lance's Last Strike>> | A devastating single-target sword art. Can only be used if the sword art used the previous turn is not ST-B and had rolled a natural CD9+. When performing an AoE attack, use only the first roll.
• [x11] AOE-I (11 + [2 * targets] EN) | <<The Cyclone Rages>> | AOE | A sword art that strikes multiple targets at once.
• [x14] AOE-II (14 + [2 * targets] EN) | << Whirlwind on the Mountain>> | AOE | A powerful sword art that strikes multiple targets at once. Only available for use when AOE-I was used and successfully struck an enemy the previous turn or if AOE-II had been used and had missed all intended targets the previous turn.
• [x12] TECH-A (13 EN) | <<The Courtier Taps His Fan>> | STUN | A single-target sword art that stuns an enemy.
• [x12] TECH-B (12 EN) | <<Lizard in the Thornbush>> | DELAY | A single-target sword art that, on a successful strike, applies [Delay] on the enemy. [Delay] is a debuff that reduces the enemy’s ACC by 1 for one turn.

Misc. Buffs:

 

Edited August 22 by Hanzoku

[CountBoffula 0]

Having just gotten out of character creation, Kageryu steps out of the Teleportation gate in the Town of Beginnings, only to notice that the message board had a notification for new players. Curious as to what it was he opened up his menu and checked it out.

 

"Hmm, martial art styled sword arts? I've always been a better fighter with my bare hand that I have been with a weapon. Guess I'll go check it out."

 

With that, he turned around walked back into the Teleportation Gate, selected floor two, and activated the teleportation. After a brief flash of brilliant light, he appears on the second floor; and a quick glance reveals a brilliant flaming bird perched on the back of a bench over a man-shaped shadow with another man standing in front oh it. 

 

"Excuse me," he said as he walked over, "are you the one offering to take us through the martial arts quest?"

 

Assist System Activated:

 

Kageryu is [Assisted]

Level: 1

Paragon: 0

Tier: 1

Total Additional XP: +5%

 

Recruitment Drive x2 EXP in effect.

 

Kageryu consumes:

None

 

Kageryu | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 1 | EVA: 1 | ACC: 1

[Wulfrin 0]

“Yup,” Wulfrin said with a stretch, a pair of bronze knuckle dusters in the shape of a phoenix on each hand. “Name’s Wulfrin and I’ll be your tour guide on this little field trip. You’ve already met our eye in the sky, Solaris.”

Wulfrin gestured to the bird then pointed up towards the peak of one of the nearby mountains. Near where he pointed, a small training temple could be faintly seen in the morning light, only able to be spotted by the fire light produced by its lanterns.

“That’s our destination,” He said as he started passing out party invites. “Stay close and do as I say. The climb can be tricky sometimes.”

it took a bit to reach the base of the mountain. Once there though, the climb looked way more daunting than initial observations would have revealed, yet Wulfrin without skipping a beat, began to scale the mountain like he had done it many times before. This was not an inaccurate assumption either.

”Watch your footing here,” Wulfrin said part way up the rock face. “This foot hold has been know to give out from time to time. Follow where I step and grab and you’ll be fine.”

* * *
climbing posts (1/3)

Edited August 23 by Wulfrin

[Hanzoku 0]

Hanzoku stores his empty mug in his inventory and offers the other newbie a hand to shake as Wulfrin points out their destination and takes the lead "Nice to meet you, the name's Hanzoku." he said with an easy smile.

Their path lead them to the base of the mountain, which quickly ascended into a steep slope and towering cliffs. "Well, no one ever said they'd make it easy to learn kung-fu." he said as he opened his inventory and stored his heavy plate armor, leaving him wearing the same starting clothes that Kageryu was wearing. "But this is a bit excessive. I'm just glad that the game won't simulate tearing up your hands on those stones." he said as he flexes his bare hands before following the path that Wulfrin was picking out for them.

Half-way up, he watches carefully at the spot Wulfrin was indicating and pulled himself up, muscles burning from the exertion. He had never gone rock climbing before, and it was turning out to be a full body workout, even in a virtual world.

Further up, they come to a ledge where the three can sit and rest for a few minutes, gazing out over the rolling landscape below. Hanzoku admires the vista for a long moment before hauling himself to his feet as they resume the trek upward. The route is difficult, but not impossible even for novice climbers, and the trio makes steady progress under the watchful eyes of a phoenix.

- - - - - 

Climbing posts (2/3)

Edited August 23 by Hanzoku

[CountBoffula 0]

Due to the fact that he had frequented rock climbing gyms in the past, the climb was relatively easy for him, technique-wise, though it was still physically challenging for him due to being a free climb. As he climbed, he watched the other two, identifying the spots where the hand and foot holds where secure, and the spots that gave them difficulty. There were also times where he had to cling to his precarious perch as he waited for them to continue their ascent.

 

When they took a break on a small ledge, he carefully stretched out to prevent cramps before following them the rest of the way up. As he stretched on the ledge, he admired the view that they had.

 

Once at the top, he then proceeded to fully stretch, loosing his muscles from the climb and preparing for whatever trial they were about to face. He even performed some of the warmups he learned during his years of martial art training.

 

Climbing post (3/3)

[Wulfrin 0]

The trio arrived at the top of the mountain with relative ease. Wulfrin had done it so many times that the climb was basically muscle memory, if you could even call it muscle memory considering they didn't have any physical muscles. The sounds of various monks training in a variety of martial arts. On queue the master made their way towards the trio and introduced themselves with a deep bow.

"Welcome back, Wulfrin." The master spoke with a well centered and calm demeanor. "Do you seek to continue your training?"

"Yes master," Wulfrin returned the bow with respect. 'I've brought others who wish to learn your ways as well."

"I see," The master turned towards the other two that accompanied Wulfrin. He bowed once more to the two of them. "I am Master Yunxiang. I will only train those who prove to me they are ready." He turned back to Wulfrin. "I trust you will show them the way? Try to do better than your last attempt. It was pitiful."

"I will master," Wulfrin replied with a sigh as Master Yunxiang made his way into the monastery. Wulfrin turned to his companions and gestured them to follow.

After a brief tour Wulfrin showed them to the main court yard. Before them were several groups of monks engaging in various forms of physical trainings.

"Best to just join a group." Wulfrin suggested as he stood before a small obstacle course akin to one that would be seen in a stereotypical kung fu movie. "The first test is designed to test your physical body. Once you feel you've gotten the hand of it meet me over there." He pointed to a small section of the courtyard where a waterfall cascaded into a small pond. "Once we've all reconvened, we'll move to task number two."

Wulfrin leapt into action. In just a few moments he had cleared the physical challenge without any difficulty at all. After all he pretty much had the course memorized.

* * *

First Task (Physical) | CD 8+ to succeed | +2 DMG to boulder if success (max 2 successes)

First Task Attempt 1 | ID: 233705 | CD: 10 | +2 DMG
First Task Attempt 2 | ID: 233706 | CD: 12 | +2 DMG

Edited September 30 by Wulfrin

[CountBoffula 0]

Kageryu bowed to Master Yunxiang as the master introduced himself but remained silent. He then followed Wulfrin as he guided them around the monastery, taking in the sights from kung fu movies that he watched as a kid, and experienced as a teenager. 

 

When Wulfrin led them to the courtyard with the obstacle course, he did there and watched for s couple of minutes before attempting it himself. He got about halfway through with some minor difficulties before he thoroughly embarrassed himself by falling off the final obstacle. 

 

He picked himself up, face flushed with embarrassment, and brushed off the seat of his pants before walking over to a corner and squatted facing the corner to try and hide his embarrassment. After squatting there for about ten or fifteen minutes, he stood up and got back in line to try again; but this time patiently studying the others for tips and tricks to successfully navigate the course.

First Task Attempt 1 | ID: 233735 | CD: 6 | 0 DMG

First Task Attempt 2 | Id: 233736 | CD: 3 | 0 DMG

[Hanzoku 0]

While Kageryu takes to the obstacle courses, Hanzoku finds one of the groups sparring under the eyes of a senior disciple. He had some prior experience with fighting sports, and his first bout pits him against a student utilizing some variant of karate. The two spar back and forth, feeling out the differences between their styles. Hanzoku focuses on his footwork and fights defensively, trying to get inside the other student's defenses and bring the fight to a grapple.

The student lands a combination kick that sends him stumbling out of the circle, and he accepts his defeat with good grace, bowing to the younger man, he waited and watched the other sparring students, drinking in what he can learn from their movements.

His second spar is against a small woman, barely breaking five feet. The mismatch with the tall man might give the inexperienced observer the impression that she stood no chance. Instead, Hanzoku winces and prepares himself for a world of pain - one that she delivers in an overwhelming rush that breaks his defenses and leaves him face down on the ground with his arm wrenched behind his back almost to the point of dislocation.

"Good fight." he says as he rubs his protesting shoulder after she releases the hold.

"Learn to fight better." she replies bluntly as she walks off.

---

First Task Attempt #1 | ID: 234082 | CD: 4 | Fail
First Task Attempt #2 | ID: 234083 | CD: 6 | Fail

Edited September 30 by Hanzoku

[Wulfrin 0]

"Ohhhh Kaaay," Wulfrin watched his tag-a-longs' attempts at the physical challenge. "Good start, but clearly room to improve. Luckily this quest is less about if you can succeed at the tasks and more about how patient you are. The third task is the most important one, but that will come later. For now, sit under the waterfall as long as you can. Time to see if your will is made of sterner stuff or if you want to keep trying have at it. System wont let me participate in the first task anymore. After you've finished attempting this one, meet me up there." Wulfrin pointed up a small stair case at the top of which sat a boulder. 

Having given his spill, Wulfrin sat on a small stone platform being bombarded by the constant force of the waterfall above. This would be a warm up for him as the other waterfall he had to visit on floor 6 would be way more taxing. As the water began to cascade and pound against his back, Wulfrin felt his mind begin to drift into his subconscious.

"Bold of you to come here," A voice similar to his own echoed through the black void. A face consisting of only a white void for eyes and a mouth grinned down at him. "But it's too soon for you. Leave"

Wulfrin was forced out of the waterfall as his body was thrown by the force of the water. Yeah better to not get too into that yet. As he had promised, Wulfrin made his way up the steps and sat on the boulder to await his companions.

* * *

Second Task (Mental) | LD 13+ to Succeed | +2 Damage to boulder if success (max 3 successes)

Second Task Attempt #1 | ID 234085 | LD 10 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #2 | ID 234086 | LD 9 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #3 | ID 234087 | LD 19 | +2 DMG
Second Task Attempt #4 | ID 234088 | LD 18 | +2 DMG
Second Task Attempt #5 | ID 234089 | LD 10 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #6 | ID 234090 | LD 7 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #7 | ID 234091 | LD 3 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #8 | ID 234092 | LD 3 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #9 | ID 234093 | LD 19 | +2 DMG

Edited September 30 by Wulfrin

[CountBoffula 0]

After listening to Wulfrin, and identifying where the next task was, Kageryu got back in line to attempt the obstacle course again, though he barely got over the first obstacle before planting his face in the dirt. Slightly embarrassed, but still determined to succeed, he picked himself up, wiped his face, and got back in line, studying the course itself this time. By the time he got back to the front of the line, he was raring to go, and he fairly flew through the course, making it look easy, surprising even himself.

Not wishing to tempt fate, he then went over to the group that was sparring. His first couple of attempts went fairly well, even though he lost, but he was getting the hang of it. His third bout was against a woman that barely came up to his chest. Being wary of her due to his experiences with his sisters - who were about the same size - he over corrected on a block, causing her kick to slide up into his groin at full force, dropping him to his knees.

"You should be more careful, moron." She said as she walked away.

Once he was finally able to stand back up, he squared up to his next sparring partner and barely managed to defeat him.

First Task Attempt #3 | ID 234124 | CD 2 | Fail

First Task Attempt #4 | ID 234126 | CD 12 | +2 DMG

First Task Attempt #5 | ID 234127 | CD 6 | Fail 

First Task Attempt #6 | ID 234128 | CD 7 | Fail

First Task Attempt #7 | ID 234129 | CD 1 | Fail

First Task Attempt #8 | ID 234130 | CD 9 | +2 DMG

[Hanzoku 0]

Hanzoku gave Kageryu a friendly wave as his fellow player joined the sparring students before getting stuck into his next match. This time he wins by a wide margin, punishing the other student's sloppy form and wide-open defenses with studied brutality, though he pulls his blows from being truly punishing. There's a collective sound as many students breath in deeply when his unfortunate partner hits the ground, an unspoken sound of sympathy for someone who just screwed up royally.

"Hey! No one's allowed to beat up my brother except for me! I challenge you!" he heard from behind him, and he winced as he slowly turned and faced the tiny terror that had kicked his ass before. "You're not facing anyone now except for me - let's see how long it takes before you give up and run home crying." she said with a vicious smile.

The next few rounds were a lesson in painful humility - she wasn't pulling her blows, and any concept of fighting 'fair' was long out of the window as she went viciously for groin, throat and eyes at any opportunity. Hanzoku likewise abandoned any finesse, falling back on the lessons he learned in Krav Maga - if you have to fight, fight to win. It didn't particularly help, as her contemptious comments showed.

"Worthless." she sneered as she slammed a flying knee into his groin.

"Loser." she taunted, choking him to the point of unconsciousness, tight as a limpet on his back and a steely forearm tight across his throat.

"Just give up, you'll never learn to fight." she hissed as she ground his face into the dirt, his arm wrenched back to the breaking point.

"Moron, you should kill yourself, you're so worthless." she crowed. Hanzoku picked himself up off the ground, feeling something break inside. His growing anger had turned cold, and his face was impassive as they squared off again. Once again, she went all in on offense, but where he had flinched away from her blows, now he took them without reaction. Instead his hands grabbed her by her shoulder and hip as he lifted her off the ground and over his head.

"Get bent." he said bluntly as he literally threw her across the courtyard, coming to a tumbling stop near the waterfalls.

Dusting his hands off, Hanzoku walked past her towards the next challenge.

---

First Task Attempt #3 | ID 234217 | CD 11 | +2 DMG
First Task Attempt #4 | ID 234218 | CD 2 | Fail
First Task Attempt #5 | ID 234219 | CD 2 | Fail
First Task Attempt #6 | ID 234220 | CD 5 | Fail
First Task Attempt #7 | ID 234221 | CD 6 | Fail
First Task Attempt #8 | ID 234222 | CD 8 | +2 DMG

Edited October 1 by Hanzoku

[Wulfrin 0]

"Finally decided to not do the minimum?" Master Yunxiang said as he approached Wulfrin. "I'm proud of you for pushing through it."

"Thanks," Wulfrin replied as he watched his newer tag-a-longs continue their training. "New guys aren't doing half bad either."

"You always struggled with patience. These two seem to understand that you wont get very far if you only do what is required."

"Yeah. I've been told that. It's something I've been working hard to improve."

Wulfrin stood with his arms crossed as he observed the trainings happening below. He watched as Kageryu got into a few sparing matches. They did fairly well, though their form seemed pretty unrefined. There was definitely room for improvement. Hanzoku had managed to best their first sparing partner, but this only resulted in a more heated fight. Wulfrin was about to intervene when Hanzoku finally got the upper hand and bested the impromptu challenge.

Now we just observe who has the stronger resolve.

[Hanzoku 0]

Needing to cool off both physically and mentally, Hanzoku stepped over the stunned woman and unceremoniously picked a waterfall and plunked himself down under its thundering deluge, the icy mountain water taking his breath away as it poured over his body.

He ignored the chill beyond involuntary shivers as he closed his eyes and focused on the water pounding down. At first breath, it is simply icy - but as he spends longer, the movement of the water provides its own sort of warmth. This revelation comes quickly,  but the last takes time and patience - something that he's developed for himself as he detached himself from the biting chill assailing his body and focused on his breathing and maintaining his concentration.

Finally, his shiver subside as he accepts the cold into himself, letting it become a part of him. Opening his eyes, he rises and steps out of the waterfall, the cold mountain air on his soaked clothes feeling positively warm compared to what he had just been experiencing.

---

Second Task (Mental) | LD 13+ to Succeed | +2 Damage to boulder if success (max 3 successes)

Second Task Attempt #1 | ID 234354 | LD 20 | +2 DMG
Second Task Attempt #2 | ID 234355 | LD 4 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #3| ID 234356 | LD 17 | +2 DMG
Second Task Attempt #4 | ID 234357 | LD 12 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #5 | ID 234358 | LD 5 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #6 | ID 234359 | LD 11 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #7 | ID 234360 | LD 3 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #8 | ID 234361 | LD 11 | Fail
Second Task Attempt #9 | ID 234362 | LD 18 | +2 DMG

Edited October 2 by Hanzoku