Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 #1 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 Rocks. Why did it have to be rocks? Teselmar's feet were getting tired of traversing the uneven and craggy surfaces of Taran Village's outlands. Everything in sight was made of stone, although he'd heard tell of a meadow near the top of the mountain. Right now it was beginning to look like a pipe dream. Although the dust and the dull brown surroundings were all virtual, he still felt a bit weary of looking at the same old thing. Cliff after cliff passed as he soldiered on, determined to progress onwards. This is a real pain... I probably should have stayed on the first floor. At least there was some variety in the scenery there... His cloth suit, similar to the one he wore in real life but with a bit more of a "medieval" twist, offered little protection against the monsters and perils of the death game. So far, he'd been able to outrun the mobs, and avoid any truly life-threatening confrontations until he could get stronger. Teselmar was no coward, but neither was he an idiot; 4 HP wouldn't last for 4 minutes against even the weakest of opponents. He needed to get stronger, fast. Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #2 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 His only defense against the hostile world that sought to kill him was the <<Basic Rapier>> he'd chosen as a starter weapon at the game's beginning. It was simple, unadorned iron, and he only had the energy to perform a single Sword Art with it. He'd be better off just swinging the thing wildly at this point. What few skill points he had, he'd placed into making his weapon do a bit more damage, so hopefully he'd be able to do more than just tickle any monster that got in his way. As he continued forward, he noticed other travelers passing by him, most coming back from the top of the mountain. What stood out the most about some was the painted on whiskers that adorned their faces. They all seemed a bit dejected, too. Teselmar's curiosity got the better of him. He waved a gloved hand at a young man who was making his way down the path, whiskers adorning his face. "Hey, buddy! What's with everybody wearing cat whiskers around here? Some kinda fashion trend?" The young man grimaced as he drew up the hood on his head, pushing past Teselmar. "Yeesh, sorry I asked..." Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #3 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 The more Teselmar pushed ahead, the fewer and fewer people he seemed to encounter. The air was almost quiet, and still. Then, rounding a corner on the path, he was met by the sight of a small hut on the side of the road, as well as an enormous boulder behind it. In front of the boulder, a girl was steadily pounding her fists into the rock, as if trying to break it with her bare hands. Teselmar stopped and watched for a moment, until the girl, heaving with effort, finally turned away and began descending down the path. He watched her go, noticing the whisker markings on her face. Wonder what that's about... Teselmar turned aside, approaching the hut. It was about 3PM, by his HUD's readout, and he had nowhere to go in particular. Hopefully this isn't a trap of some kind... I'd feel really dumb if it turns out to be one. As he approached, an old man emerged from the hut to greet him. He wore a rustic, homespun cloak, and the tag above his head marked him as an NPC. Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #4 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 "Greetings, traveler. Have you come to learn the secret art of the mountain monk?" This gave Teselmar pause. Didn't seem like a trap. Although, the best traps never do. "Okay old man, I'm game. What's this secret art?" When the quest marker for <<Breaking the Unbreakable>> popped up, Teselmar swiped YES, and listened for the old man to give him the quest. The NPC turned, beckoning Teselmar to approach the boulder. "The key to learning the ancient techniques of the mountain monks is very simple, yet few accomplish it. To learn this art of combat, you must break the rock, using only the weapons you were born with." "Only the weapons I was born with...?" Suddenly it made sense to Teselmar why the girl had been punching the rock. She wasn't allowed to use her weapon. "Whew, tough order old man. That rock looks pretty sturdy." Examining the boulder revealed it to be incredibly durable. He now saw why very few had completed this quest. "One more thing..." started the NPC. Before Teselmar could react, the old man's hand shot out, streaking twin lines of quick drying paint across each cheek. "This is the mark of the initiated. It will remain upon you until you have unlocked your true strength, and broken the rock you see before you." Teselmar blinked, raising a hand to his cheeks. "Oh. Ooooohhhhh... #!$%." Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #5 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) "Return to me when you have finished your task. Remember, traveler, that determination is more useful than might." With that, the NPC returned to his hut, leaving Teselmar to face the boulder. Well... I guess it's just you and me now, boulder. Let's get this over with... Cracking his knuckles, Teselmar unequipped his Basic Rapier, returning it to his inventory. Boy did that rock look bigger up close. "Okay big guy, here it comes!" Winding up, Teselmar threw a gloved hand at the rock, giving the punch all he had. ID# 43361 BD= 10! FWOOM! A good start to be sure, as Teselmar's fist flew strong and true, chipping a tiny piece from the boulder. He still had a long way to go, and the impact had jarred his arm, but he grinned as he drew back his arm for another strike. "That was a great way to kick off this party!" -Boulder HP- 47 Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Calculating Damage Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #6 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Readying his fist, Teselmar drew back again, ready to throw another punch like the last. Hopefully, the boulder would break before he did. With a yell, he let fly his fist. ID# 43363 BD 5 This time however, his fist seemed to bounce off of the enormous rock, doing seemingly no damage at all. "!#$%, there's gotta be some trick to this..." Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #7 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Determined to try again, Teselmar drew back his fist once more. This would probably take him all day and all night, but so help him God, he was not going to go down the mountain and live with whiskers on his face for the rest of the game. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself, attacking once more. ID# 43364 results: Battle: 4 Another failure, as his fist bounced off the surface of the rock. Teselmar grimaced, knowing that this was going to be a long and arduous process. Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #8 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Okay, nice and easy... maybe the secret to making this thing fall over is to be gentle? Teselmar threw a light jab this time, lighter than his last few attempts. ID# 43365 results: Battle: 5 So that didn't work either... Teselmar was beginning to think that only dumb luck and time spent whacking away at the great boulder would do any good. He sighed, the impact not causing him any pain, but definitely making his arms feel some sort of uncomfortable sensation as feedback. Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #9 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Teselmar narrowed his gaze, focusing one one spot in particular on this rock. Come on... concentrate... He slammed his fist into the spot where he hoped he would do some damage. ID# 43369 results: Battle: 4 Nothing. His fist glanced off of the rock's surface yet again. Teselmar shook his head, trying to remove the thoughts of giving up buzzing like flies in his mind. Come on buddy, you've put down bigger guys than this little old rock, right? Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #10 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. A good code to live by, unless you were discussing skydiving. Settling himself into a deep martial arts stance, Teselmar rocked back, then forward as he punched the boulder once more. ID# 43370 results: Battle: 8 Yes! Another small piece of rock crumbled under his fist. Now that he knew that his initial success hadn't been a fluke, Teselmar wasn't going to get discouraged, no matter how long this process took him. For all that he'd seen in his short time in this death game, the game maker had been nothing but fair. This was no unwinnable challenge, he just needed to stick with it. -Boulder HP- 46 Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #11 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Encouraged by his latest success, Teselmar drew back his left hand this time, wanting to give the dull ache in his right a break. Shooting it forward, he twisted his hips like a boxer, trying to get momentum into the strike. "You're gonna fall down eventually, big guy!" ID# 43371 results: Battle: 9 Again, a small piece fell off of the giant rock. The usual grin returned to Teselmar's face, though he internally warned himself to avoid becoming too giddy. This is still gonna take a while... -Boulder HP- 44 Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #12 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Feeling a bit better now that his efforts were showing a bit of fruit, Teselmar decided to mix things up a little. Instead of a punch, this time he threw an elbow into the rock. Closing the distance, he spun on his toes, letting his elbow crash into the hard surface. ID# 43373 results: Battle: 3 Well that did less than I'd expected... This time the boulder didn't budge. Ah well, try and try again, as they say. Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #13 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Deciding to try another elbow, Teselmar readied himself. With a leap, he spun past the boulder, then turned at the last minute. His elbow shot out, and he tried to drive it home into the well-worn surface. "Die rock die!" He shouted, still grinning. As frustrating as this little chore was, he was honestly having fun making a game out of it. ID# 43374 results: Battle: 3 Elbows didn't seem to be doing anything. Then again, neither did the vast majority of his attacks. Teselmar didn't see a lot of folks forsaking their weapons so they could punch things, so this was a bit perplexing why the game would even have this as a challenge. Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #14 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Teselmar decided to try a different approach. Sizing up the boulder, he swung his hand over his head and brought it down hard, like a hammer fist maneuver. It was a traditional way to break boards or cinder blocks when training in martial arts, and one he'd learned in the police academy. Perhaps it would work here. ID# 43375 results: Battle: 8 Success again, as another piece crumbled off. Though he was pleased, Teselmar doubted that it was the technique that mattered when attacking this object. It was more about staying determined, and to keep hitting it even when it didn't seem to do anything. Ignoring the shaking in his fist, he smiled. -Boulder HP- 43 Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #15 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Switching hands, Teselmar grunted with exertion as he threw another punch. This time, it was a looping hook, designed to knock someone out in a sport like boxing. Less effective against large pieces of mountain, I'd imagine. He smirked wryly at the thought of boxing a mountain. ID# 43376 results: Battle: 9 Apparently this mountain had a glass jaw, because he was rewarded by the sight of another piece of mountain flying off. That punch felt solid, really connected. I'll have to keep it up! -Boulder HP- 41 Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #16 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Once more, unto the giant-#$$ rock... Teselmar wound back, driving his front two knuckles into the boulder, anticipating the resonating feeling of impact. ID# 43377 results: Battle: 5 His fist was deflected by the boulder's obstinate exterior. "Come on, take it like a man!" He growled at the unflinching hunk of stone in front of him. Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #17 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Deciding to try something a little bit different this time, Teselmar stepped back. Sure, this would probably make him look goofy, but come on, this was a game! He could afford to look a little bit foolish. He wound up, then unleashed a spinning hook kick at the boulder. It was a move that was taught in many martial arts classes; not the most practical, but very showy (and very Teselmar, at that). ID# 43378 results: Battle: 9 A little bit of showboating seemed to be doing the trick. For the first time since he'd started, Teselmar could see a tiny, permanent fissure beginning to form across the surface of the rock. Nothing significant, but it was something. "See that, you big dumb rock! You bled first!" He shouted, a wild expression on his face. -Boulder HP- 39 Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #18 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Feeling more and more like it was all about just hitting the stupid thing until it fell, Teselmar grew more and more comfortable in his discomfort. Even though there was no way that he was actually sweating and straining, he was starting to feel the mental effects of doing the same thing over and over. He tried to funnel his stress into the next punch, willing it to make a deep furrow on the face of the unmoving stone. ID# 43380 results: Battle: 5 His fist didn't do much, bouncing off the rock with a dull noise. Teselmar took a moment to clear his thoughts. No use working yourself up, Martin. Calm down... Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #19 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Calmly lining up the strike, Teselmar cracked his neck. Though the motion didn't accomplish anything in this digital world, the familiarity of the gesture served to help him push some of the lingering stress away from his mind. He tried his best to remain centered as he drove his hand once more towards the stone. ID# 43381 results: Battle: 8 The impact felt solid this time, and he could tell that even if it didn't look like it, he'd done a bit of damage. "Rome wasn't broken in a day, right?" He told himself, smirking. -Boulder HP- 38 Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
Teselmar 0 Posted December 27, 2015 Author #20 Report Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Okay, let's take this from the top... Teselmar rotated his left shoulder, bringing it back into place as he threw a linear punch straight into the rock's waiting face. ID# 43382 results: Battle: 10 THUUUD! He could taste the impact, his effort translating into a more than solid strike against the massive obstacle in front of him. Teselmar might have been imagining things, but he could have sworn he felt the thing shift a bit. "That's what I'm talking about!" He exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. The light from the day was dimming around him, and he saw the light from a candle or stovetop glinting through from the window of the tiny hut. Teselmar flexed his arms again, shaking the fatigue free. It doesn't matter how long this takes me, I'm doing it! -Boulder HP- 35 Edited December 27, 2015 by Teselmar Link to post Share on other sites
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