[PP-F2] Punching a Rock <<Breaking the Unbreakable>>

[Glow 0]

With his new levels, and the value continuing to rapidly increase, Glow had decided it was time to diversify his skillset a little. Hearing a lot about the quest <<Breaking the Unbreakable>>, and the fact that it offered a skill as a reward - martial arts, no less - finally got him to shift gears and actually bother to leave the first floor. The second floor was admittedly a lot harder, due to his current lack of defensive stats, but nonetheless he had made it over to the base of the imposing spire. The change in environment from the first floor was a pleasant, but not totally unexpected surprise, considering all the information that trickled down through the different levels over time. Still, it was a nice change of scenery; the plains did get a little boring after a while, and he was completely sick of the starter city by now. However, he was wishing a bit that he was still back on the first floor.

This mountain looked like a pain to climb in the first place, not even counting the apparently bothersome quest up ahead. Destroying a rock with your bare hands? That sounded stupid, but Glow could believe about having to defeat some kind of strong enemy up there in exchange for the skill. Sighing quietly, he tightened the new set of light armour around him, and started his way up the twisting path that lead around the peak. While the teen normally valued his privacy above anything, even he wouldn't be opposed to some kind of company for this journey. It was going to take a while, after all.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Glow

[Seul 1]

It was time for a rematch with the boulder. His opponent was sturdy as a rock, but that wasn't some fancy name for a world class fighter. The prey on today's list was a literal rock that sat atop one of the highest mountains on the second floor. Nearly indestructible and on top of that it could only be broken with one's bare hands. A tedious endeavor if he had ever heard one. Chances we're he'd be there all day and only get halfway through the job like last time. Still, there was nothing better to do. The martial arts skill would be of no use to him once he got it but t he experience from the quest would be good to have.

As before, he made his way onto the path that would lead to the mountain in question and eventually the summit where the rock lied.  Only this time there was someone in the way. A player he had never seen before. This guy couldn't possibly have been on the same quest could he? It was best to play the situation safe and follow from behind just to make sure so Seul ducked behind the nearest tree several steps back and waited.

[Glow 0]

Continuing to make his way up the rocky path, Glow absently flicked through the skills and items within his inventory, trying to plan out what skills would be the best to acquire. 'Armour seems to be a good first pick... obviously weapons after... but I need to maximise efficiency as much as I can. Maybe athletics and max damage sword? Would that be better than maxing accuracy?' Keeping himself amused with the various mental calculations, the teen gave a look around the area briefly, making sure he wasn't walking too close to the edge - while he wasn't sure if there was 'fall damage' or not in Sword Art Online... he wasn't going to test the theory on the side of a mountain. Considering how the rest of the game has been so far, he wouldn't doubt it.

A small scuffling sound seems to come from somewhere nearby, and Glow tiredly glanced around, before shrugging to himself. Supposedly the mountain had minimal enemies on it; probably just some ambient sounds or some kind of passive mob put there for 'character'. Giving a quiet sigh, he kept going with the journey up and around the mountain. It'd be worth it in the end; it would supposedly buff his Wild Dance up to new heights when he unlocked the higher level sword arts, which he was anxious to do. Just needed some more energy so he could actually cast some! The early level Wild Dance arts were stupidly high energy in comparison to what he'd heard from other weapons.

[Seul 1]

Despite not having any points invested in sneak and hide, he was able to remain virtually undetected by this player on the way up the mountain. Not that he was really worried about being caught. Maybe players on the lower floors wouldn't be able to even scratch him thanks to his mitigation, but it still didn't hurt to keep a low profile. Though that became more difficult the higher they ascended as a winding, cliff path provided almost no concealment. Ahead was a rope and plank bridge that seemed anything except stable, but it was the only thing connecting the mountain path to the next area. What actually concerned Seul was the fact that there was nothing to hide behind at this part. If he wanted to cross he'd have to do so fully exposed. Which is what he proceeded to do. Without a second thought he strode out ahead to meet Glow with a wave and smile. "Hey, I totally wasn't following you or anything, but we should travel the rest of the way together."

[Glow 0]

Pausing for a moment at the rickety bridge that had appeared before him, Glow scratched the back of his head. Would this remain stable? He imagined there wouldn't be any kind of trap outside of a dungeon, and if so many people have done this quest then it should be fine, but-

A voice cut through the otherwise quiet landscape, and he froze up for a few moments as the expression on his face seemed to twist oddly. Damn, how didn't he notice another person so close to him? One who didn't appear to have used any kind of stealth at that... Quickly trying to fit into his mask again, he turned around, a slightly forced smile now on his face. "Oh, hayo. S-sure thing, I guess?" He replied hesitantly, the awkward expression slowly easing into a more natural-looking one. "Safety in numbers and all that, right?" Glow stated, before turning back towards the bridge, and then to the player again. 'This guy looks experienced. I guess if he just walks across it it's all good to cross.' "So, what brings you around here? That boulder quest that everyone's raving about?" He questioned, trying to get himself into his own persona with a cheeky grin forming.

[Seul 1]

"The very same!" He pounded a fist against his chest before continuing. "...Though, I don't really have any use for the extra skill." Raising his left arm he displayed the small, round shield which was fastened to it tightly. Accompanying the gesture was a shrug of indifference before he waved off the thought entirely. Shields weren't popular among the player population, as most people opt for evasion over mitigation, but the stability a shield brought to his fighting style was what allowed him to fight on the higher floors, comfortably and without the need for a party. "One of the drawbacks to using these is that you can't trigger any martial arts. Still, the quest does reward experience for completion which I can put to good use. I also guess it's safe to assume you're here for the quest?" Despite already knowing the path was safe, it was probably still a good idea to let this other player go first. Just in case. 

[Glow 0]

Giving a light laugh, Glow gave a small shrug of his own in reply to the statement. "Ah, still gets you some experience though, right?" Putting a smile on his face, he took a brief look at the buckler, curiously glancing over its form. "So, you use a shield, huh? Haven't seen many of them around..." He murmured curiously, looking back up as Seul continued explaining about the downsides of the equipment. "And yea, I'm here for the quest. What with all the sword arts for these..." Glow replied, briefly going through his inventory and equipping his Wild Dance claws, "get some boosts from the skill. Thought it'd be better to pick it up sooner than later, what with the XP it should gather me." The young man finished, before withdrawing the weapons back into his inventory and stretching his arms out. Noticing that his conversation partner made no move towards the bridge, he gave a mental sigh; if he knew something about the bridge, he wasn't going to say it apparently. From the look of the player, he had presumed the person was more experienced than himself, especially with the casual gait and more advanced-looking equipment, so he was hoping they'd show him the way if there was an alternate one or something.

Guess not.

Finishing the brief stretch of his arms, with a few satisfying clicks, he flopped back into his lazy stance and headed towards the bridge, starting to hum the low tune as he waited for the other person to choose a topic for conversation; that is, if they wanted to talk. Glow was terrible at coming up with them, so he'd leave it to them.

[Seul 1]

With their explanations out of the way, Seul followed after before deciding to take the lead. He dashed out ahead and onto the bridge, before slowing his pace to carefully walk step across each board. "My name's Seul by the way. If you don't mind me asking, what made you pick claws as a weapon?" It was a simple question, but one he posed to all players he encountered. Some had complex responses concerning stats or technique. Others just preferred the way one weapon looked over another. The answer usually revealed what the person valued and the direction they'd see themselves going throughout the course of the game. It was just interesting to know what went on in the heads of people on different paths.

[Glow 0]

Leaning slightly to the side as Seul speeded in front of him, Glow had to restrain a small laugh. He knew it wasn't in any kind of bursting excitement, but it did appear like it, and it just completely clashed with the character he'd seen so far from the person. The slightly raised mood was quickly slain by the person's question, with the teen flinching. "There were..." He started, before letting out a deeper breath and running his hand through his hair. "There were a lot of reasons for it. Guess the simplest would be I did martial arts a lot back in the non-virtual world, so it just seemed like something that would blend well." He stated, avoiding use of the term 'real' - while not officially flesh and bone in Sword Art Online, he felt that saying something like that just sounded wrong after experiencing it for himself.

Thinking about what to continue with, he gave a small grin to himself as an idea popped into his head. "For the others, well - we just met, you're gonna have to earn that info." Glow cheekily says, before continuing with a slightly more mysterious tone. "But either way... you're asking the wrong person for the other reasons." He seemed to end his explanation there, returning to his more upbeat state. "Anyways, I'm Glow. Nice to meet'cha."

[Seul 1]

The black-haired player shrugged, feeling only half satisfied with Glow's answers. Despite that he wasn't going to push the matter further. At least not now anyway. "That's cool I suppose. My gear is more from a strategic standpoint. Daggers with their high damage output along with a shield for getting the most out of defense. I like to think it makes for a tough combination to handle. Also debating getting the first aid skill so I can play a stand in healer at higher levels." He boasted, though it wasn't with any malicious intent. Though it wasn't an often used build, he was determined to become a jack of all trades who would be able to take on any role in a fight.

[Glow 0]

Frowning briefly at the lack of returned name from the other player, but accepting the information with a quickly followed smile nonetheless, Glow gave a nod. "Seems to be a good setup, if a little low on crowd control." He stated, running through a short number of different scenarios in his head. Outside of the game, well - it'd be nothing but stupid. But within Sword Art Online, everything was bound by the game's rules - daggers had practically the same accuracy as any other weapon despite their shorter blade. Then again, his Wild Dance was stupidly energy efficient once he had this martial arts skill, which would be nice. Maybe he could finally use a sword art that isn't just his normal attack in an area! Taking a look up at the pathway ahead, the teen's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed a small house up ahead. "But either way, looks like we're nearing the location for the start of the quest, at any rate." 

[Seul 1]

Seul kept up his pace before wandering over to the small house, occasionally looking over his shoulder to see if his companion was still there. Once they arrived he didn't hesitate to approach the wooden door and knock on it. Of course the one answering the door couldn't have been a beautiful woman but instead he was greeted by an old man who seemed to be straight out of a cheesy martial arts movie. "Um... We're here for the quest." He started but was met with an all too familiar palm in his face to silence him. The NPC then stepped outside and motioned for the pair to follow as he walked around to the back of his hut. Seul shrugged. Weirder things have and probably will happen before his time in SAO was up, so trailing after this old man wouldn't be any different.

[Glow 0]

Snorting at the rather abrupt reaction to Seul's statement by the strange NPC, Glow watched the scene with amused interest as the man simply motioned for them to follow him around to the over side of the small house. Looking over to the other player and shrugging slightly, Glow went to follow after him around the edge of the house. "So, uh..." He started, looking back briefly to make sure the other person was following before continuing onwards. "That was a rather interesting... uh, interaction there, huh?" Glow stated awkwardly, trying to start up a somewhat positive conversation. Social stuff was never his strong point, though, but he'd prefer a quiet conversation to silence, especially considering the only other person around was what he only assumed could be a slightly senile old man.