Grave

Yep. There she went. I knew she would be worried about it, and I honestly did not blame her; fighting on the frontlines was death's dice roll - and with a loaded dice, for that matter. Of course, she lightened up a little when she punched me; it seemed being a punching back for her helped to brighten her mood. "Do not worry, sweetheart. You know I am strong, no way can I die. I will always come out alive, promise." I replied to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "That is not a problem at all, love. Some people have more important duties to attend to. As much as I would love to have you fighting beside me, it is your choice whether you want to aim that high." I explained with a wide grin.

Can the Ardent Pugilist get one? :D

Rain seemed to be doing a lot more damage to the rock than most players I had helped out before; I would have said both potion enhancements and equipment enhancements, namely the fighting gloves on his fists. The beautiful lady in the background commented on our skill in breaking the rock compared to her, and mentioned a 'treat' to help out. I raised my hands to show her. "Gauntlets and handwraps would be a huge help, as well as potions." I told her, before thinking a moment. "Here is some motivation for you; what do you say you both get free meals at my diner after this?" I asked with a thumbs up and a wide grin, before turning back to the rock and beginning to line up a punch.

+1 EN

ID: 64615 | BD: 5 (4 + 1) | CD: 8

+2 Recovery EN

Grave: 27/28 EN | D: 12 | A: 1 | Rec: 2

Boulder: 18/50 HP

I saluted Rain as he greeted me, before returning to pummelling the boulder, seemingly under the effects of some potion or the like. "Seems like you are having fun." I mused, chuckling quietly, before turning to the female. "Do not worry, I do not think I came up here without planning to smack the boulder. You just take a breather, I will handle the bastard for you." I told her with a wink, turning back to the rock. I sighed, somewhat exhaustedly. There was always a small chance my blows would not land correctly, so I could only hope the system would be nice to me. Ushering Rain away, I raised my fist and backhanded the monolith, such a simple blow cleaving a tunnel in the side of it. "Right, that should make things easier." I commented confidently.

ID: 64566 | BD: 8 (7 + 1)

Grave: 27/28 EN | D: 12 | A: 1 | Rec: 2

Boulder: 24/50 HP

(I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG TO GET THIS OUT ;-; I didn't really get a chance yesterday, and today I've been super busy >.> I hope you can forgive me >.>)

"Seems two more approach the boulder."

"Hm? Sorry, I did not catch that." I responded to the hermit, sitting on his knees across from me. "I said it seems that the Breaking of the Unbreakable has commenced for two more warriors." He repeated, and I smiled. "Aaaaaand you want me to-"

"Help them, yes, please." He requested, and I nodded, standing back up. "I will be back in no time." I told the hermit, turning around and sweeping out the rickety establishment's front door. The boulder was only a short walk from the hermit's place; I had already taken the grueling hike up the stairs to reach the cozy, but run-down home. It was soon that I recognized a familiar head of white hair, as well as a new face, sporting a rather slender... sexy...

I shook my head. Get a grip on yourself, José... you have Jevi, don't go too overboard with fantasies, I shut myself down, clearing the sparkles from my eyes. I approached the duo who seemed to be having a little bit of trouble with the rock. "Need any help with that bastard?" I asked, cocking my head and waving my hand as I approached. "He is a bit of a stubborn one, eh?"

"Yes, Beor, I-" I began to retort smartly, before some large mass collided with my body. "Ack!" I coughed as the air was squeezed from my body. "Damnit..." I wheezed, feeling the energy of my Thorns reflect the damage back into the beast, and I slammed my fist against the beast's head, smacking the creature against the wall. "Okay... I do not think any amount of aggro you manage to get will matter now." I growled, cradling my chest as I panted.

ID: 64218 | BD: 11 (9 + 2) | MD: 6 (8 - 2)

8 + 2 = 10 DMG to Stone Serpent Head (1 EN)
20 - 9 = 11 DMG to Grave + 7 Thorns to Stone Serpent Head

Party
[H:4]Grave: 64/88 HP | 0/22 EN | D: 8 | M: 9 | T: 7 | A: 2 | E: 2
[H:1]Beoreson: 68/68 HP | 4+1-2=3/17 EN | D: 7 | M: 18 | A: 2 | HM: 0

Enemies
Stone Serpent Head: 30/150 HP | D: 20 | Quick Wits: Avoids All AOE Attacks | Body Dependent: Upon losing all body pieces, MD always = 0.
Stone Serpent Body Piece: 50/50 HP | M: 15 | Head Dependent: Upon losing head, body pieces are destroyed.

I sipped on the wine I had purchased from a quite nice winery on the Sixth Floor, peering at the page in my hand and rocking back and forth. "Byakko, huh? Sounds dangerous... and I feel like I do not want to take the bastard on alone..." I muttered to myself, trying to make out the blurry, hazy picture included on the page; what seemed like fire blazed in the photo and covered up whatever shape of the creature existed. "Maybe I could-" I was about to say, beginning to peer around, when I noticed a player talking to the Quest NPC I had received the information from. With a grin, I downed the last dregs of my wine and placed the glass, and a Col tip, on the table as I left the winery.

I approached the player and the Questgiver, speaking up quite abruptly. "Interested in the quest too?" I asked the player, waving the poster around. "If you want, I was looking for someone to tackle the bastard with."

I heard the player call to me quite informally, and I was about to scowl and shout at him, before realizing we had not introduced ourselves, so I left the matter behind and responded to his offer. "Yes, that would be nice. Where are you thinking we might hunt?" I asked, before finding a moment to get a word in. "By the way, the name is Grave. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier." I apologized, raising my arm as a visor to the scalding sun above to get a better look at my alabaster-haired companion.

+1 EN, +6 HP

I scoffed when the player said it would take a while. "With my fists, this quest can be finished in no time." I explained, raising a clenched fist confidently. The boy objected again having girly creatures painted on his face when we got to the hermit's house. "Haha, you do not need to worry about that, the hermit is not a woman, he is a middle-aged, rather humorous man... especially for an NPC." I reassured him with a wide, toothy grin. "A pleasure, Itzal." I responded, holding my hand out for him to shake. I watched him equip his gear as we walked, and shot a glance over my shoulder at the two similarly-sized familiars playing behind us. "What level are you, if you do not mind me asking?" I asked the player, throwing my hands up behind my head casually.

I chuckled when the girl said she had no plans, and I smiled. "I would love some company into the wilderness. I am sure you would be a pleasure to have along." I complimented the girl, turning to face the large, bustling street that led to the gate to the outside. My eyes returned to look at the sets of blades upon the girl's sides and I gulped momentarily. "Wow... claws, huh? Bit of a femme fatale, eh?~" I teased with a chuckle, accompanied with my trademark wink.

I smiled down at her and returned with my own comment; "And I missed making them." I sighed down to her. "I missed you too, and do not be sorry. You are here now, and that is all that matters, sweetheart." I reassured her, running my thumb through the hair behind her ear. I made sure to flip the sign out the front of my diner to 'Closed' as Jevi led me out and towards the centre of town and onto the teleporter platform, where the swirling, blue energy whisked us away and eight floors up.

My eyes took a moment to focus as the blue haze fell away from my sight, revealing the quite pleasing city of Taft. "I have to say... I come up here a lot more often lately. I should shift my shop up here." I commented idly, looking around, before Jevi lead me to the outskirts and asked me a question. "Well... I am now a frontliner. Since I was so busy with my shop, though, I missed out on the latest raid... although I did play a part in the planning for it. I promise, though, that I will make it to the next one." I explained to the girl, hoping she would not worry too much for my safety.

Beor asked who I thought it would attack, and I shrugged. "I do not know. I mean no offense, but I hope it attacks you; the damn creature will barely scratch you... while on the other hand..." I pulled my coat open and lifted my shirt slightly, revealing the glowing, cross-hatched wound on my abdomen. "I think that speaks for itself..." I grumped, looking towards the snake. Beor proceeded to complain about the weight of his weapon. I tugged at my coat to show off my Light Armour, and how it did not heat as easily as heavy armour. "Maybe consider taking Martial Arts; the lightest weapon you could possibly use is your own fist." I stated philosophically, before the snaked aimed a lunge at us. I quickly pushed Beor's shoulder and sidestepped away, the snake simply crashing into the rock wall. My opponent in a daze, I took the chance to bring my fist down like a hammer, taking a large chunk out of the snake's head, cleaving off one of the monster's eyes. "Well... that happened."

ID: 64100 | BD: 10 (8 + 2) | MD: 1

8 DMG to Stone Serpent Head (1 EN)

Party
[H:2]Grave: 75/88 HP | 0/22 EN | D: 8 | M: 9 | T: 7 | A: 2 | E: 2
[H:1]Beoreson: 68/68 HP | 3+1=4/17 EN | D: 7 | M: 18 | A: 2 | HM: 0

Enemies
Stone Serpent Head: 47/150 HP | D: 20 | Quick Wits: Avoids All AOE Attacks | Body Dependent: Upon losing all body pieces, MD always = 0.
Stone Serpent Body Piece: 50/50 HP | M: 15 | Head Dependent: Upon losing head, body pieces are destroyed.

Some kind of connection certainly seemed to spark between Hikari and the little dragon, and I grinned at the horned weasel as she communicated with her new friend. "I can help, my services will only cost 1000 Col." I teased, keeping a straight face for as long as possible, before cracking a wide smile. "I am pulling your leg, allow me to help, no cost whatsoever." I chuckled, reaching up and idly scratching Hikari's chest. "Nothing's required really... just reduce a boulder to dust with your fists and you get the skill. Oh, and be warned... the NPC likes to put some 'special' paint on the face of players who take the quest." I cautioned with a grin, remembering when Khry complained about the totally unnecessary ritual. "Shall we head off? The name's Grave, by the way."

I chuckled at the player's response; the extra skill was certainly worth getting for me. I tilted my head when the strange dragon atop the player's shoulder took an interest in Hikari, and the player voiced the connection as well. "Huh, what do you know, Hikari might like a new friend!" I replied, scratching the weasel around the single horn protruding from her skull. The player asked if I was planning on taking it, or had already done it. With a confident grin, I placed my hands on my hips. "My friend, you know that extra skill you want? I am the only player in Aincrad that has Grandmastered it. I have helped many a player on this quest since working my way to the top of the skill." I explained with a hearty laugh. "I take it you will be in need of some assistance?" I asked, bending forward, allowing Hikari to get a closer look at the other player's familiar.

I whistled as I awaited the purple-haired girls return with the items I ordered, and my eyes joyously appraised the items she had crafted when she returned. "My goodness... they look amazing! Thank you very much!" I exclaimed as I ran a hand over the armour and oversized gauntlets. "How much for these two?" I asked, not wanting to leave with such amazing items for nothing at all.

The Quest Board, the best place to scout out newbies who need help with some of the low-level quests, especially <<Breaking the Unbreakable>>. I had helped more than my share of new players shatter the boulder into oblivion, and I vowed to help more, as I personally knew how grueling the task could be. One warm noon, Hikari had draped herself around my neck, mewling obnoxiously from the heat; her orange fur multiplied any kind of humidity, and the best she could do to keep herself from just passing out was cool herself around my neck. Strange weasel. My silver eyes caught a player with a small, purple dragon upon their shoulder, peering at some kind of page. Peeking around the player's free shoulder, I noticed the <<Breaking  the Unbreakable>> notice was missing, and grinned as I approached the player. "That <<Breaking the Unbreakable>> you looking at?" I asked, hands on my hips, Hikari perking her head up tiredly at my sudden speaking.

I blinked as Jevi stood up and began ordering me to go out with her, whether I was busy or not. I threw a fretful glance to Hikari, and she gave what seemed to be an approving squeak, to which I smiled and turned back to Jevi. "The beach, huh?" I mused, wrapping my arms around the girl's waist, grinning at her. "I do not see why not, I should really get the hell out of here, get myself some Vitamin D... and a lot of Vitamin U~" I flirted, winking charmingly at the purplette, before I let her go and stood up, towering above her. I looked to Hikari and beckoned her onto the counter next to us, where I scratched her gently around the horn. "Thank you, Hikari." I whispered, the little weasel mewling in appreciation. "Alright, lead the way, my love." I whispered to Jevi as I looked back to her, then at the door.

I carefully kept my distance behind the shrouded figure I hoped to the gods was Opal and not a Laughing Coffin lackey, set as some kind of sick trap. My silver eyes flickered around, making sure I did not seem too suspicious, and hoping I could get lucky enough to spot any spies, if there were any. Finally the figure halted at the edge of the city, under the cover of shadows, and she seemed quite sure that we had not been trailed. Reason being, she unwrapped her shroud and gave me one of the biggest, tightest hugs she had ever given me. My heart skipped a beat; had I really managed to find the Opal I knew and pull her out of the Laughing Coffin Opal's mask?

"It... must have been really hard... no, it must still be really hard. I cannot imagine what it is that requires you to take this path... but I only hope that good comes of it." I sighed as she squeezed me, then moved away. Even though she was showing so much affection after holding it behind her facade... I still had to make sure I could trust her. "Opal, I... I hope you understand, but I am still not completely sure that I am not just being tricked again, that you are not just trying to lull me into a false sense of security." I reasoned, rubbing the back of my neck as I sighed. "But... I want to be able to trust you, so if you can show me that I can do that... that would make me so happy. Because I miss you." I told her with a simper, hoping she could prove herself to me.

"Ah, lovely." I chuckled when Khry allowed me to use the proposed nickname, and smirked as he began to circle the boulder, as if searching for a weak spot, or developing some kind of strategy. "Let me tell you a tip; there is no such thing as strategy with this bastard. It is just smack it until it breaks, like so-" I told him, before raising my fist above the boulder like a hammer, and swinging down, tearing a huge chunk out of the side, leaving such a clean groove that it looked like a ball of ice cream that had a scoop run through it. I held the large, semi-circular chunk up for the player to see. "Stick with Martial Arts long enough and you can do stuff like this."

Regen +1 EN

ID: 63716 (AYY, 100 FROM MY LAST POST HERE) | BD: 8 | CD: 6

+2 Recovery EN

Grave: 26/27 EN

Boulder: 37/50 HP

"Good, because if the system says anything, you are going to want one." I jested, skirting around the edge of the room, watching the two-part snake carefully. "You can either sit around and wait... or take a leaf from my book and learn my main philosophy; attack until it dies." I told him, puffing heavily. "But... it is nice to catch your breath every now and again..." I sighed, cocking an eyebrow at the immobile snake. "Seems like our friend needs to recover his energy too." I joked, sweeping a hand through my silver locks, even just that simple motion draining me.

Regen +1 EN

ID: 63713 | BD: 1 | MD: 0 (2 - 2)

Party
[H:1]Grave: 75/88 HP | 0/22 EN | D: 8  | M: 9 | T: 7 | A: 2 | E: 2
[H:1]Beoreson: 68/68 HP | 3/17 EN | D: 7 | M: 18 | A: 1 | HvyM:

Enemies
Stone Serpent Head: 55/150 HP | D: 20 | Quick Wits: Avoids All AOE Attacks | Body Dependent: Upon losing all body pieces, MD always = 0.
Stone Serpent Body Piece: 50/50 HP | M: 15 | Head Dependent: Upon losing head, body pieces are destroyed.

It was not long before the white haired player seated himself down, seemingly out of energy for the moment, contrary to my belief. I guessed it was time for me to do some farming myself then. I peered through the deadly winds, my <<Survival>> catching all the sand specks and tossing them away like mere dust. The reptilian grunt of another Lizardman approached from my right, and I turned to face the sword-toting, red-scaled creature. With a hiss, it wildly struck at me, blade ripping the air in two and digging into the sand below. My hands glowing a furious red, I countered with a quad of piercing strikes, quickly shattering the monster into shimmering shards of data. "These guys are not all that tough..." I sighed, wanting something  more of a challenge.

+1 EN

ID: 63711 | BD: 7 | MD: 5 (6 - 1)

Sword Art Used: Acupuncture - 12 x 4 x 2 - 13 = 83 DMG to Lizardman (8 EN) 

Party
Grave: 92/108 HP | 8/27 NRG | D: 12  | M: 9 | T: 7 | E: 1 | Rec: 2 | CC: 1

Enemies
Lizardman: -29/54 HP | D: 15 | M: 13

LD: 18 = 1 Mat + 270 Col

-Total Loot-
9 Mats
2770 Col

My eyebrows perked up and I turned to grin at the dragoon as he approached. "Hah, glad you could make it. I am ready to rock whatever lays in wait for us in the bloody desert!" I confirmed, giving him a gentle thump against his shoulder blade, before turning to the desert. "If I remember correctly, I do not believe you and I have partied by ourselves, Lawfer." I noted, realizing that the smallest group the two of us had been in was when we hunted the bandits with Seul. "Well, lead the way, good sir!"

I blinked at the brown-haired player who claimed to know of my Martial Arts Grandmastery, and my having moved onto Tier Two gear; all this without knowing me? My word must have gotten around faster than I realized. "Check and check; the only Martial Arts Grandmaster in Aincrad, and I do still have my old handwraps lying around in my inventory." I confirmed with a nod and grin. "If anything, it would be a blessing for you to 'take them off my hands'." I jested, flicking through my inventory and pulling out my old Wraps of Grace. "Here you go, was there anything else you wanted?" I asked the player with a cocked eyebrow as I handed the wraps over the counter.

I knocked on the stone entryway as I entered the old-style, desert-based store. "Hello, I would like some items made before the upcoming raid, please!" I called out, a card with the details for my request in my hand. I made my way briskly to the counter and gently placed it down, facing the rather cute, purple-haired blacksmith for her to read;

I scoffed and poked the girl in the shoulder. "Not much? Quite the white liar, my dear, I would likely be in the red if it was not for you." I told Aster, before standing up straight. I looked out to the horizon and sighed. "Yes. We did it. Please, never trust me with boss hunting ever again. We almost bit off more than we could chew." I jested, beginning to stride off towards the Town. "Right then, Kitsu, what do you say we grab a drink at a café somewhere? Or maybe you would rather come visit my diner where I can personally make you a delicious hot chocolate?" I attempted to bribe the girl into visiting my shop-n-house. "You certainly deserve it. Oh, also, forgot about this-" I said as I pulled out the potion Aster had handed me. "With you at my back, I did not need this. That certainly says something." I told her with a wide grin, throwing it in her direction.

Thread Completion Rewards:
Grave: 200 Col + 1 SP
Aster: 200 Col + 1 SP