Able

Able took another glance over at her, and by now she woman had to know he was checking her out. He brought the bottle up to his lips and poured another fair portion into his mouth. The taste of the beer was bitter, and he never really did care for the taste, he enjoyed the effect of it mainly. Knowing very well that he should limit his drinking before he does something he may regret, he could feel the droplets rolling down the bottle onto his hand. "Ya know, it's not nice to stare at a lady while she is drinking. You have something to say, Stranger? Or you just admiring the beauty from the distance. I can tell you now I am far more attractive close up." Able smiled as he moved closer now, to sit with her. He chuckled once he took his seat and gave her another look. "I suppose you're right on that one. Also, can you really blame me for looking? It's not every day you see a woman as stunning as you cross my sights" he said with a wink at the end of his sentence. Reaching his hand across the table, "The name's Able, or at least in game. My actual name is Tobias, it's a pleasure to meet you", he said kindly with a smile on his face and bringing the bottle up for another sip.

Able looked around the bar once more to see if there was anything different, but he kept breaking his concentration by looking right back at her only to find himself smiling again. Perhaps this was the drink kicking it, but then again he wasn't exactly a lightweight either. It would take more than half a beer to get him intoxicated. Was it really smart for him to share his true name with someone he had just met? He figured that if he was a little bit more open than the casual person, he would be more trusting, plus in all honesty, if he was going to die he'd at least like to die by his own name, not just some alias that he came up with to cover his identity.

@Opal

(OOC: Sorry for the shorter post, was using my phone for this one, next one should be longer.)

Travelling the different floors was a thought that had come to Able more often than not. The thought of being able to explore so many parts of this world, with every floor being so different and unique was a dream of his. A world, where no matter where he went, it was always different. By no means was he a strong player, he was quite the opposite. Training wasn't something he did on a very regular occasion, and though he wanted to get strong enough to reach the front lines at some point to help the advancement of the way out of this game. The night sky of the second floor in the city of Urbus was beautiful. As he was walking through the paths of the towns, he met some people over the course of his walks, and some were most definitely more interesting than others. He took a breath, and exhaled slowly, in a very calm fashion.

Many people had talked of the bars being a highlight location in Aincrad, yet here was, unable to find one that caught his interest. He never really was much of a drinker, especially being home schooled for a majority of his life. The night light of the moon created a shimmer across his skin, that reflected off him to make his skin look more pale than it really was. His eyes shimmered from the faint light that shone down onto the streets of Urbus, with a crystal green fashion, like a gem that was hidden in the darkness. His red hair was grown down to his eyes, thus creating bangs that would only get in his way half of the time, but he let it stay because he loved the feel of the wind as it blew through it. It added to the realism of this world and made it seem less like a death trap for a majority of players.

With the tapping of his feet between the steps, they finally came to a halt when he stopped before a door. The door was shut, but inside were lights that illuminated onto the streets through the windows and partially between the cracks of the door, as it was wooden. He didn't knock, it was a public building, thus he was able to just enter, but he hadn't been in a bar yet. When he looked up, he read a sign that said "Drunk Snake" a very peculiar name for a bar, especially being in the location that it was. The area around the bar definitely gave off a shady aura that made it almost uncomfortable to be around. Luckily for Able he wasn't exactly afraid of the most common problems that he faced. Entering through the door after he opened it, some faces looked over at him, others didn't bother to even acknowledge his existence. He looked left and right briefly as he shut the door behind him. With his hands tucked into his pockets and his thumbs on the outside, using the web between his thumb and index finger to keep his hands always at the ready and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, like he always did with all of the dress shirts that he wore.

His top button was undone and the shirt itself wasn't tucked in either. This type of dress style made him look extremely casual, but also had a sense of professionalism behind it if he desired to actually wear it the way it was designed to be. His pants were black, with two front pockets and two back pockets. The shoes he wore were dress shoes, so it wasn't like he was exactly dressed for combat at any given situation, but he got comfortable in this type of outfit, so he remained with this style. He approached the counter at the end of the room, with some faces following him because he wasn't a familiar face around here. "Just a beer, please", he said to the bartender, who slid him a bottle without asking anything else. Perhaps two seats down from him a woman sat, very beautiful, looked mature and quite a bit older than he was, but that was never a thing to bother him. The strap of the top she was wearing kept sliding down here and there as he placed his lips to the bottle and took a drink and she would slide the strap right back up before she was too exposed.

The key to being in a place you aren't familiar was that you don't make it awkward. If a person talks to you and tries to get to know you or someone just asks you why you're there, you need to be at the ready to answer in a way so that you don't sound nervous. Confidence is key, and that's something Able never lacked. He had a slight grin on his face, and he gave a charming look to the girl he had been frequently looking over at. Sometimes his flirty behavior got him into trouble, but he liked the thrill of meeting new people. Sometimes it paid off, other times he ended a conversation with a slap mark on his cheek and just a grin on his face because he knew he probably deserved it.

Tobias kept swinging away at the boulder and with every swing he watched the health bar deplete further and further. It was getting so close to ending, but yet so far. The boulder had to have been at nearly 30% health remaining, which doesn't sound like much, but when he did this little damage it was a lot more than one would expect. If there's one good thing that comes out of this quest for him is that he will never have to worry about beating another rock like this to advance his skill further. After that it was all a matter of compiling stat points in order for him to improve his damage output and for him to make his defenses better too. Eventually, key word here, he would get to the front lines and he would be able to help clear the game to help make it a more rapid pace with every floor. After all, the front lines need more people to take out the bosses with faster efficiency. 

ID: 69702 | BD: 7 (1 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 1 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 17/50 HP

Time passes as it usually does, and this time to no surprise he made no progress. Tobias was so frustrated that he wasn't able to break this rock. Literally. As many cracks, indents, and nicks it has already on it, it just wasn't snapping. He knew he was nearing the end however, so long as he did everything right from this point, he knew that he could end this quest hopefully by the end of today. He exhaled with every punch and inhaled every time he pulled his fists back in or set his legs down. It was a method to control his breathing and to keep his heart rate steady because if it gets too high it's simply not healthy and puts extra stress on your body that can single-handedly defeat you in a fight if you don't watch the amount of stress you put on your body. 

ID: 69699 | BD: 3 (0 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 0 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 18/50 HP

Kicking the rock with a thigh kick, into a knee, into a shin kick was another smooth transition he began to pick up through the time he's been hitting at the rock. Tobias knew entirely that this was the main reason for this quest, to develop combos and attack patterns that you can use in a fight, but the problem with such a quest is that after so many times, an opponent will learn to read you. They'll pick up on everything and that's where it gets interesting. You have to be prepared to change up your style at any given moment to get any type of leverage on them, even if it means playing a little dirty for a change. Not only this, but a rock is just that, an inanimate object. A real opponent won't just let you beat on them, unless they're either stunned, or have some sort of status condition on them that disallows them to continue with further action.

ID: 69681 | BD: 5 (0 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 0 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 18/50 HP

The rock has grown weaker than it was originally was by a substantial margin. He was at the halfway point, another way to motivate himself. Left hook, right hook, left hook, right kick. He began to create more than a single motion towards the rock. Coming up with some combos that he can use not just versus the rock, but after he got the skill too so that he had some general ways to catch his opponent off guard. Able began to calculate how hard he had to swing and how fast he needed to be and tried adjusting his strength and speed on several occasions to change things up. With another kick against the solid rock, the health bar dropped below the half way point. The sky was starting to darken, but it was hardly noticeable. The only reason why Able was even able to notice this is because for one he had been standing out in this environment for almost two days, and for a second reason is because he noticed the shadow of the rock and his own was now starting to slant in a different direction.

ID: 69675 | BD: 8 (1 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 1 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 24/50 HP

Spending a few extra minutes to get an extra breath in, he finally found a new location to deal some damage to. He took a deep breath and exhaled as he sent his fist flying towards the rock. A sharp sting had shot through his arm and his arm locked up for a brief moment. The health of the rock had dropped to halfway and he had to hold his arm for a moment just so that he could endure the pain that had just crippled him for a brief moment. He had to sit down for a moment, his arm had been hurting so bad, and this was the worst pain he's felt since starting the quest. Grunting and breathing heavy, he believed he had broken his arm, or at least that's what it felt like. Able lay there for a few moments in pain, holding his arm until finally he passed out from over exhaustion.

Approximately two hours later, he rose from his sleep and realized that his arm had been feeling better. He moved it around in a variety of ways, including some of the more unusual ways to make sure he was in better condition. Was this the wear and tear this quest would put on players? He wasn't sure, but he hoped this won't happen when it came down to a boss fight, because that's a factor that could make it or break it for his life. He let out a deep sigh and stood back up. He took a look at the rock and he chuckled, "I'll take you down, Big Guy... Don't you worry about that!"

ID: 69674 | BD: 6 (1 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 1 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 25/50 HP

After taking a ten minute break, he stood up and got right back to work. It'd be tedious to go through the entire process again of how he dealt with the rock, but he realized he wasn't doing any damage, so instead he tried to think of a different way of trying to break this rock. That's when it hit him-- the rock he had been working on breaking in two, or many more pieces, only had marks in a single location. If somebody wanted to get an easier time trying to break a rock, he needed to find a different spot to hit it in so it would weaken the core of the rock itself. Searching around the rock, he looked for a spot that he hadn't really done much damage to yet as there punch and kick indents all over it from the day and a half of work he had already put into this quest.

ID: 69673 | BD: 3 (0 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 0 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 26/50 HP

After the last kick, he continued for another half hour before he gave himself a rest. If he overworked himself he'd never get a strong enough kick in and he took this time to get a drink of water into his system and a bite of bread. This wasn't a break for him to sit down in, but instead he stood leaning against the rock's surface, the one he had been breaking away at for the past day and a half now. Time seemed to fly by much faster when he was at work like this. The thought of having spent nearly two days breaking a damn rock didn't crush him, but amazed him. Normally, he wouldn't even have given this a thought had he not been going through it. Nobody ever thinks that they can break a rock in half with punches, in fact, most people would say it wasn't possible, Able being one of them, but he has been proven wrong and it wasn't the first time.

The key to doing this quest wasn't to break it as fast as possible, although that would help, but it was to not give up. He knew that when he finished this quest he'd feel so relieved and to receive his combat skill would be a true pleasure of having and he could say he went through it the hardest possible way, while some people waited until they got some damage invested to partake in this skill, but not him, he had to keep working at it, no matter the price to pay. 

ID: 69672 | BD: 2 (0 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 0 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 26/50 HP

Able let out a slight grunt as his next punch had connected with the rock. This had become less like a quest and more of a routine at this point and his body grew stronger with every punch after he overcame the soreness. He knew that by the time he was done with this he'd essentially be his own type of stonewall and could endure anything to a certain limit. "I'll be at the front lines in no time!", he told himself as he took another heavy swing at the rock before him, and it chunked more of the surface. He noticed that the cracks on the rocks were no becoming more and more vivid and it wasn't just relieving, but it was motivation. This meant he was making progress and when he saw the hovering health bar above the rock itself he saw it was just barely above half health remaining.

ID: 69670 | BD: 10 (1 Base Damage + 2 Critical Damage) = 3 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 28/50 HP

Sending through one of the first punches since his rest, he could tell he had more energy than he had only hours ago. The moon was up, but it wasn't even at it's peak yet, meaning it's still young in the night. Able exhaled as he sent through every fist at the rock, and with one of his first punches, he felt the power in the hit. The rock broke up some more, and the health dropped more than it usually did. He had a grin on his face, he felt more confident than he did earlier now that he was well rested and not as exhausted. Although his arms and legs still burned from the soreness, it was more manageable than the actual pain he was feeling earlier.

ID: 69669 | BD: 10 (1 Base Damage + 2 Critical Damage) = 3 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 31/50 HP

He slid back down to sit, only for a few more moments was his logic. If he sat around too much longer, he was wasting time. Although he was procrastinating the job at hand, he didn't want to do anything stupid. He figured a few more moments to just sit would suit him well. Taking another drink of the water, he stretched, but even that made his arms weak as the soreness had officially set its place in his body. "Let's get this thing broken down tonight", he said out loud looking over at the NPC that wasn't actually there anymore, he could tell he was in the hut, which only meant that he had less to look at, therefore bringing his attention to the rock once more. He used his strengthen to raise himself up and to stand back up. Rolling his shoulders, and cracking his knuckles, he wrapped up his hands again and went right back at the process of breaking the rock.

ID: 69668 | BD: 3 (0 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 0 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 34/50 HP

He heard a scream in the distance, thus jolting him from his sleep. He didn't know where it was coming from, but he was panicked at this point. He stood up, with difficulty, because of the rest he had gotten he could feel the soreness in his body finally. Even though he was sore though, it still felt better than earlier. He used the wall next to him to place his hand there for extra stability, and another hand was holding his shoulder so that it didn't give out from holding him up. His legs weren't exactly in perfect condition either, as they could barely hold him up, and he knew they were shaking below him. His bare skinned chest felt the night time air, thus putting a chill on him, but he didn't stop to look where the scream came from.

Sliding his hand along the wall, he looked everywhere, but he couldn't find anything, not even a monster in relative distance. Perhaps he was hearing things, he wasn't sure, but it wasn't a sound he wanted to hear again.

ID: 69667 | BD: 1 (0 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 0 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 11/14 Energy

Boulder: 34/50 HP

Able, sat there, resting, drinking some of the water he was given when he started the game. He had made this water last long enough to a point that he only used it when it was really necessary. He ate some of the bread he had too, but it tasted bland, there was no quality behind a dry meal, but the water felt amazing running down his throat. With every gulp he took, he saw the bottle get more and more empty. Taking some of the water from the bottle and pouring it on his body and his hair to cool him. He laid back and saw the sun was finally getting past it's peak. It was going to slowly get darker the longer he spent here. He couldn't leave until this quest was done, so if he had to work through the night then so be it. He hadn't realized it, but the fatigue from working out, and the relaxing comfort of finally getting to lay back was slowly making his eyes drift off. He fought the urge to fall asleep, but eventually he gave and he had fallen into a sleep.

ID: 69666 | BD: 2 (0 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 0 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 12/14 Energy

Boulder: 34/50 HP

While he was trying to get back into position, he couldn't keep his balance. With the pain his leg was enduring, he collapsed. He fell to the ground, landing on his shoulders, he had to breathe, he had to rest. His mind was saying to continue, but his body was saying the opposite. His arms and legs were begging him to stop, they couldn't endure more pain and he knew that, but this rock was not going to break itself on its own. Perhaps he should have invited someone to come along with him to break the rock, but what would that have done? The only thing this would have done him would be that he got less training and conditioning out of it.

ID: 69665 | BD: 4 (0 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 0 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 12/14 Energy

Boulder: 34/50 HP

Her lips connected with his, and it was an interesting pleasure to him. He didn't enjoy it because he wanted to kiss her, but because it showed that they both like to play the same set of cards. He didn't smile, nor did he look upset about it either, he just stood up straight and stretched. He turned towards Domarus once more before he made his way to leave, and gave him a simple nod about the agreement they had come to. He still didn't know why he felt to interested in Keres and he was sure that they both wondered why too. Perhaps only time would be willing to tell of something to that extent. Treading the same way that he had taken to go away from town, he simply walked along the indents Domarus' heavy armor left in the soil, which somewhat upset him as he loved the way the grass looked throughout the day, and the night sometimes too.

Able rolled up his sleeves up to his elbows and stuffed his hands right back into his pockets as he jerked his head slightly to the side to wave the hair out of his face. The wind was calm and the temperature was optimal. The sky was still clear of clouds, but the sun was slightly beyond its peak at this point. Perhaps he should rest, as he has a quest do to the following day that needs to be done in order for him to go out and do any sort of combat related work. As far as he knows Domarus doesn't know what he is capable yet, and that's where Able may try to catch him by surprise. The only problem he's going to be running into this time would be money, but that all comes with time and money. Once he gets his combat skills, there's going to be no problem whatsoever trying to grind out a few Col here and there.

@Domarus

The first few kicks were difficult, because after making contact, he would lose his balance and be forced to stand up straight again. By the time this next kick came around, he was ready to stand on one leg for a longer duration, he released the kick into the rock and he didn't budge, nor did the rock. Both were solidly standing still and he was making repetitive connections now with his leg against the surface of the rock. The health bar of the boulder was beginning to transition from a green to a yellow, but wasn't exactly at that point just yet.

Exerting his energy with every kick, he knew that he couldn't focus on his balance too much longer without collapsing, he'd need to switch legs, but he was afraid of falling by putting pressure on the leg he had been putting through intense training.

ID: 69663 | BD: 7 (1 Base Damage + 0 Critical Damage) = 1 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 12/14 Energy

Boulder: 35/50 HP

A swing, and a hit, a swing, and a hit. This was the process that he had learned by now. Able stepped back for a moment, with his hands on his hips and he took a deep breath. His body had grown tired for sure, yet here he was still standing stronger than he was only hours ago. His hands had been wrapped with a gauze, but even that had been torn apart, the knuckles were red and his hands were torn apart by the rough surface of this rock. With edges forming from every chip and every break on the boulder, it created a cutting edge that would slice him with every punch. Points in the rock that would jab into his skin slightly only to be withdrawn immediately when he retracts his hand for another punch to take the hand's position.

He turned his body in a sideways formation and figured it was time to use more than just his hands, it was time to get creative. Lifting a leg and kicking it with his shin had chunked another part of the rock, but it also put a new sensation on his body, not a pleasant one either. Because his legs hadn't even been touched by the rock yet, they would feel excruciating soon enough, but for now it was just a slight sting. He needed to train not just his hands, not just his mind, but everything. He was building himself a core, one that would make him a true fighter.

ID: 69662 | BD: 9 (1 Base Damage + 1 Critical Damage) = 2 Damage Dealt

Able: 140/140 HP | 12/14 Energy

Boulder: 36/50 HP