[F02-PP] | strength.

[Nian 0]

<<Breaking the Unbreakable>>

 

 ID: 183331 | BD: 1 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

The bloodcurling scream the beast released into the void beyond was nothing short of rage manifested into voice, sound. Though the two metal constructions attached to Nian's arm spoke true of power, weight and absolute destruction, the boulder that sat ahead of her, gripped tight between her cold and uncaring palms could not have been moved. Or crushed. Or compressed into a flattened pancake and then eaten for the day's lunch in a metaphorical manner.

Instead, the display only read for her to acknowledge that the entity was <<Unmoving>>. Like the emperor could care less about it! How was she supposed to move mountains when a single pebble wasn't in her way to co-operate with her style? When her sharp claws finally let the object go, the woman hissed, returning the apparatus to her side, balling her fingers up in a tight fist.

Upon her cheeks, two smears of darkened paint -- whiskers -- only spoke of the humiliation she'd suffered through to get to this point.

Two whole seconds of talking to an NPC and a minute more wrestling with an environmental set-piece.

@Plini

[[ N I A N ]]

NIAN | HP: 20/20 | EN: 2/2 | DMG: 1 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 18 | REGEN: 5 | BLEED8+: 12 | PRLYZ

Spoiler    equipment  Heaven's Decree +2 ACC +1 EVA Roosevelt + 12 BLEED [8+] + PARALYZE Fur-Hooded Down Jacket + 18 MIT + 5 REGEN    br.inventory  -    skills  Spoiler -    buffs  Spoiler -

 

 

Spoiler

The Boulder | HP: 50/50 | EVA: -2

NIAN | HP: 20/20 | EN: 0/2 (-2) | DMG: 1 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 18 | REGEN: 5 | BLEED8+: 12 | PRLYZ

 

[Plini 0]

"I've pretty much got everything I can to take on that alchemist..." Plini sat quietly, his head however, was still swirling and thinking of what other things he need to get the profession. It would be a bummer if he wasn't prepared, a contradiction to who he always is. "An accuracy food, loot die buff, add some speedy boi buffs, and lastly I should try to look once more for a damage..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

Plini grabbed the hilt of his sword and looked around him, it seemed like someone got stung by a bee as big as that mascot in a fast food he ate outside Aincrad.He hadn't realized it but he was sitting near a quest area "if I remember correctly, this is some kind of quest to unlock an extra skill" he thought. From afar where he sat was a boulder visible enough for someone with 20/20 vision and also a figure quite so familiar with him "Nyaa?" he muttered. Plini quietly went down the hill and approached the person who he recalls to be "Nyaa" but in truth, it was "Nian."

As nimble as he can, Plini approached Nian who seemed dead serious to destroy the boulder "hi Nyaa, are you trying to unlock ultra instinct?" he asked her.

	Plini   | HP: 80/80 | EN: 8/8   | ACC: 0 | DMG: 2 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 0 | LD: 1 I Savvy: 2
*
Hide contents [Equipment] Destrezas - A weirdly curved weapon, While it resembles a scimitar at first glance, the spikes that are placed as designs on the hilt act as a failsafe should the blade itself fail.  - Vanity weapon Aegirian Polymer Jacket - EVA I / Savvy II - T1 Perfect Light armor -A coat with a combination of white and cream in color. It seems like a standard looking jacket that is issued to a certain kind of person. Made of lightweight materials which enables the wearer to fight with grace and achieve perfection with every move. Caenis' Fist - MIT I / Regen II -T1 Perfect Heavy armor -A gauntlet that covers the hand up to the half on an arm. A gauntlet worn by a heroic spirit who is quite formidable in battle. Provides protection and decent survivability for the wearer. Siesta shirt  (AUS) - Loot Die I / EVA I -T1 Rare light armor -  [Battle-Ready Inventory]   Skills   Hide contents Mod Count: 0/0 One-Handed Curve Sword| Passive | RANK 1/5 >  [Extra]   Consumed Buffs   Hide contents   Misc. Buffs   Hide contents

 

[Nian 0]

 ID: 183397 | BD: 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 

With the ferocity she'd whipped around at, Nian was surprised that the sneaking commoner behind her hadn't exactly been slapped around silly by her steel wedges yet. She growled on instinct, crimson eyes catching a streak of flare, as they examined the stranger up and down. A familiar sort. But someone royalty wouldn't aptly bend out of their way to seek.

If it wasn't apparent to the other player that she was irritated, perhaps the 'tch' that seeped through her lips would be telling. Nian folded her arms as best she could with gigantic gauntlets, trying to recall where she'd last seen the lowlife before. And then she found her answer.

"Stupid forest on the twenty-second." Her voice was deep, giving the man a side-eye as she headed back to the rock she'd been attempting to destroy. "Plini, wasn't it?" Her words had finality to them, as she readied up another punch with a haphazard, stiff stance. "What are you looking to bother divine for on such a day as this?"

When her blow landed upon stone, only a smidgen of its health had gone downwards. Pitiful. Nian wasn't bent on making sure it stayed that way for long.

@Plini

Spoiler

The Boulder | HP: 49/50 (-1)| EVA: -2

NIAN | HP: 20/20 | EN: 0/2 (+1, -1) | DMG: 1 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 18 | REGEN: 5 | BLEED8+: 12 | PRLYZ

[Plini 0]

"Hmm, quite temperament, pack power but lacks control" Plini took a few steps back slowly as Nian gave him the fierce attention he wasn't expecting "That's right, stupid forest..." he settled his sling bag and sword down on the ground and moved to one side of the boulder, tapping it with the back of his hand "this would be easier with a helping hand..."  he walked back to his sling bag and searched for anything, something can help them but it seems it was proof that he hasn't covered his scouting supplies yet.

Should he help? it seemed like Nyaa wasn't keen to having help on her side this time, unless she says it. "That's it..." Plini placed his thumb on his lips "it's like a birthday party, don't go if no one invites you" he thought. With that in mind he walked back to the boulder, turned his back on it and lied on it's side, away from Nian's range of attack "I don't plan to bother you, maybe I can help and that is if you're willing."

[Nian 0]

[#5]

 ID: 183400 | BD: 9 + 2 + 2 = 13 | bingo. 

Help?

Nian didn't need help. Rather, it would be more apt the other way around -- there was no need for royalty to trifle their subjects with work that commoners wouldn't possibly be capable of resolving. She huffed, winding up another swipe, almost as though to attack the man who'd casually stepped up against her boulder. What was he doing? Putting himself in danger?

Well it wouldn't be the king's fault if he got himself killed.

Metal thrashed upon cobble, and the flays of rock that split apart from the bolder shone with brilliant red and whites before scattering away into faded forms. The gash she'd left was blood red, her swipe wide enough to have gotten a finger close to Plini, and Nian grinned as she took a step back from her finishing stance. With her steel index, she gestured towards it in a devilish, confident smile. "Feast your eyes upon that. Do you truly think I need help?"

@Plini

Spoiler

DAMAGE | 1 + 1 = 2 DMG.
> BLEED | 12 DMG

The Boulder | HP: 35/50 (-2-12)| EVA: -2 | BLEEDING (12) [1/2]

NIAN | HP: 20/20 | EN: 0/2 (+1, -1) | DMG: 1 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 18 | REGEN: 5 | BLEED8+: 12 | PRLYZ

 

[Plini 0]

He jumped back...
Just enough to avoid the powerful blow...

Plini tilted his head, maybe punching the boulder with her is not the kind of help he can give. "Eeeh? very impressive..." he turned around and set his eyes on his sling bag, trying to think of another way... to bug her. Plini came this far and it would be rude to just leave no matter how Nian seem to not mind at all if he did. "My sisters would probably be telling me it's rude to leave and to stay..." he sighed. He looked at the clock of his user interface "almost lunch" he thought.

Plini made his way back to his bag and sword, sat down, and watched as Nian continued the ferocity of her attacks. He opened his inventory and scrolled through the vanity items he had, mostly are free items and a bulk of it seems like the right type of item for this kind of situation. Three bentos materialized in front of Plini stacked together "starting items with no buffs in them, just for satiating one's hunger" he placed the two on the ground beside him and opened one for himself.

"Hey, it's almost lunchtime, I got food to share..." it might not be enough to get her attention "having an empty stomach might lower the strength of your punches" he added as he took a bite from a sausage.

[Nian 0]

 ID: 183462 | BD: 8 + 2 + 2 = 12 | ah no wait that's too soon for a proc

It was true that the emperor hadn't eaten yet. A king's regiment demanded that she fast until her efforts of her schedule were sated -- but this was peasant's food, for one. Plus, she wasn't exactly sure of the stranger's apparent quality of meal. Three lunched boxes? A sign of rushed effort, most likely. Had Nian not a keen eye, she would've chalked its numbers up to the man's large appetite.

And despite the low grumbling of her stomach, the player set her eyes back onto stone.

"No," she commanded aloud, to herself but for the time being. An arm was raised in tandem as she tried to distract herself. "I must focus for now. Though your offering is appreciated, subject."

The next slash she delivered continued to douse the boulder in red. That there was another reason for her to reject the food, she reasoned, steel fingers curling up with blood coated across its form. She wouldn't want to end up with food poisoning from the effects of Roosevelt, now.

Her eyes settled again on the lunch boxes.

Surely a king wouldn't succumb to free food.

Spoiler

DAMAGE | 1 DMG.
> BLEED | 12 DMG. | Bleed refreshed.

The Boulder | HP: 22/50 (-1-12)| EVA: -2 | BLEEDING (12) [1/2]

NIAN | HP: 20/20 | EN: 0/2 (+1, -1) | DMG: 1 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 18 | REGEN: 5 | BLEED8+: 12 | PRLYZ

 

[Plini 0]

"Well, suit yourself but seriously, skipping meals is bad" he told her. Was his point getting across? Plini has a huge appetite but the drawback is that he eats slowly. That's right, he eats a lot but does it slowly that no one would notice the amount of food he can gobble down. This situation was a temptation, obviously one bento box is for Nian, one for him, and the third one would be split... or end up in an unexpected battle for supremacy over lunchboxes.

"Subject?" he muttered. Was it fancy speak? seems unlikely seeing that she uttered it so surely before placing her attention back to the rock she kept on punching. Plini ate as he watched her, and saw some red gash on the boulder "am I having the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception or is the boulder bleeding for real?" he thought. Nian has been proving to him that she doesn't need his help "if I am a subject then that means you're a ruler or something?" he asked nonchalantly.

He saw her look at the bentos beside him, she seemed to want to eat but something is holding her back. Plini tapped the two bentos stacked beside him with his spoon telling her that she's free to eat it anytime.

[Nian 0]

 ID: 183466 | BD: 7 + 2 + 2 = 11 | lf > bleed proc :c 

What kind of a serf was so empty-headed that they wouldn't even recognize a monarch from their birthright?!

Nian played it cool; a deep inhale and a looser exhale, though the stare she shot the provincial oaf was as sharp as a dagger's blade. "That's right," she judged. The fingers upon her gauntlet closed in to prepare another fist, coated in stark cherry red. Edges of her lips were pulled back in a light smile as she delivered her next crushing blow. "A king to rule the people!"

The blow wouldn't chip off more than a single point of damage off the block. Her metal returned to her side, arms laid horizontal. "Because Aincrad lacks direction. Disorderly. Improper. Selfish and idle human beings."

Despite the start of her monologue picking up, the woman was cut short with a clink of Plini's boxes. For a moment, the ruler's expression shifted to one of dumbfoundedness -- was this a commoner's code for an applause, or something? Her visage tightened in a heartbeat, realizing the error in her ways.

Spoiler

DAMAGE | 1 DMG.
> BLEED | 12 DMG. 

The Boulder | HP: 9/50 (-1-12)| EVA: -2 | BLEEDING (12) [2/2]

NIAN | HP: 20/20 | EN: 0/2 (+1, -1) | DMG: 1 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 18 | REGEN: 5 | BLEED8+: 12 | PRLYZ

 

[Plini 0]

[#10]

Plini was sure he was on the right road in the conversation, like it was some kind of roleplaying inside roleplaying game. He knew of some who would go as far as to act like some noble and pretend that their friends or acquaintances are subjects. Despite that, the day ends with them dropping the act and be someone normal or common. There was nothing wrong with it, people live how they want if they are given the chance, and he has no right to kick their well-built sand castles.

This one, Nyaa, he had a feeling that she wasn't putting an act.

"A king to rule... subjects... idle human beings" Plini crunched the fried dumpling in his mouth as he listened. "You speak like you're an empe..." he took a quick look at the bento "maybe she finds this food cheap... of course they are, it's all free!" he told himsef as he continued eating. "I suppose you plan to be like Oda Nobunaga and unite all players... no matter what methods?" he asked her. That would be the most realistic approach, simply acting like a saint and convincing everyone isn't enough, or maybe Nian was simply telling him that someone's gotta do the ruling the right way.

[Nian 0]

 ID: 183551 | BD: 9 + 2 + 2 = 13 | \o/

A single jab towards the boulder. Immediately, the rest of it came apart, shattering into nimble pieces of sparkles, fragmented data. Nian retracted her two extended fingers back into a fist, releasing an exhale tethered to a vicious grin. She'd not paid attention to Plini's mutterings since his words had trailed off -- only at the drop of a historical figure's name did she perk up and look towards the commoner.

Oda Nobunaga. Son of Nobuhide, lived in the Owari province. Entered an alliance in 1562 with Tokugawa Ieyasu, fell out of his graces in 1573. Conquered Central Japan in 1582, Spring, but was rebelled against by Akechi Mitsuhide, one of his vassals. Succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who brought about the Tokugawa shogunate. It ruled Japan from...

"Yes," Nian lied. There was almost an inkling that the figure the lowlife had mentioned was different than the one she had been expecting, though the emperor brushed that notion off with a dismissal of her weapons. Roosevelt's dismantlement was only replaced by a wrapping of a mantle across her shoulders, and the woman straightened her collar, stepping forward towards her subject's side.

A snap of her fingers dragged a blanket -- red, velvety, thick -- out of her inventory. She knelt upon it, picking up the food that had been addressed towards her from earlier. Her fingers navigated the bento's wooden surfaces, pushing the lid open and collecting a set of wooden chopsticks from within the container's hold. "Courtesy such as this deserves recompense," she uttered.

Nothing else needed to be said. She started to devour peasant's food for lunch.

Spoiler

DAMAGE | 1 DMG.
> BLEED | 12 DMG. 

The Boulder | HP: -5/50 (-2-12)| EVA: -2 | BLEEDING (12) [1/2]

NIAN | HP: 20/20 | EN: 0/2 (+1, -1) | DMG: 1 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 1 | MIT: 18 | REGEN: 5 | BLEED8+: 12 | PRLYZ

 

[Plini 0]

"Then you're probably gonna get betrayed somewhere, I don't know when but..." Plini gave a faint smile as Nian picked up one of the lunch box and ate. It was impressive how she can control herself in terms of doing things. "Finishing your goal before anything else is a sign of discipline, I guess she wasn't kidding when she said Aincrad doesn't have it" he thought.

"You know, Oda conquered a lot. Are you really planning to rule by conquering?" he told her "like I said, you might get betrayed somewhere..." he pointed at his half-finished lunch "... for example the food you eat might be poisoned by your enemies." What was he even saying? curiosity got him this time. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know Nian more but surely her goal piqued his interest. It's not about the success rate of it but on "how" she'll pull it off.

"You don't have to recompense, simply not wasting it is enough."

[Nian 0]

The foreigner sure talked a lot, Nian observed. She ate her food in silence, as expected of members of the court; funny, how educated Plini had seemed on the chatter of the upper echelons. Therefore, in most normal scenarios, she'd have to keep an eye out for the man. Though unlikely, it was possible for him to see himself in high places.

Although, with the way he carried himself, it was very obvious that he was still but a commoner.

It was even more apparent when the pretend-assassin remarked with a deadpanned look towards their meal. No ranking official would ever be this bold about their endeavor. The emperor watched him, eyes steady. Then she spoke, after swallowing a bite whole. "Mithridatism. Hormesis. Even vaccinations. What doesn't kill me only would only make me stronger. A king does not falter in the face of ruling his subjects."

Nian lowered her gaze back down to her food, preparing another mouthful at the edge of her chopsticks. Her eyes darted from the other to her own bento.

"That, I can do."

She funneled the nibblet into her mouth and swallowed it before speaking. "Tell me, Plini. What chore brought you cross my path today? Furthermore, this food of yours..." The monarch raised her box in accordance to her words. "Ready made meals such as these don't come easy, even during well-established times such as these. Pray tell me about your procurement."

[Plini 0]

"I see, then surrounding yourself with loyal subjects might be a bit easier" he told him. Slowly he's getting dragged into the noble-ish talk that Nian is doing. Just like he thought earlier, people would live their life the way they want if they are given the chance. Nian had the attitude and goal so surely she was and is planning to be a ruler in Aincrad but Plini... what he wanted was nowhere near what Nian aims.

"Chore? not really. I'm just crossing off things from my grocery list before taking a profession quest then I heard a scream and got curious whether it was a scream of help or just primal instincts kicking in" he told her. Nian is already eating fast enough that it looked like Plini started an hour after she did, a slow eater... and talkative at the moment. "Unlike you I have no aim to rule people, I hate them. I like to put my energy on something that will give merit. I'll be wasting my time if I ever try to rule over a party of players..." he took a glance at his sword, a vanity weapon but Plini had it made that it can be augmented by poison. All it needs is a vial of toxins or venom, load inside a canister like apparatus at the pommel and voila, a poisonous curved sword.

 "Toxins and venoms are where I am interested, just thinking of how potent a drop can be is enough to stimulate my mind..." he ate a spoonful before talking again "and then use it for mobs or other people who likes messing around."

[Nian 0]

[#15]

If he hated them so much, why exactly was he still speaking with one? Nian was of the same mindset, however -- but it did a king no favours to lock himself away when he should be readily available for the public to view and admire. Her eyes travelled to the man's box, unfazed by his lack of appetite. It only made sense for a commoner to be used to eating less. And that only made more food available for those who truly deserved it.

When the plebian started speaking about toxins, however, the woman couldn't help but quirk her brow a little, breaking her nature but for a brief moment. Now he sounded more like a deranged church goer, or a scientist who'd gone mad.

But what for?

"Power." It was a presumption she gave him with a light dip of her head. "Any one ruler on the throne can respect the strength of potential allies. I am certain you will be considered no different, even amongst other lowlifes such as yourself."

She'd nearly tapped the side of her bento in her agitation, now two-thirds emptied of food. Her eyes drifted towards the rice, picking up another biteful with her utensils. "On the subject of toxins," she added, the chopsticks an inch away from her mouth acting as a hopeful reminder of her original query, "Which sources have you considered obtaining them from?" Nian mostly expected the man to have harvested his own poisons from opponents -- it would've made the most sense, given their position away from the high life.

[Plini 0]

The thought of having potential allies was nice but would it be worth it? for someone like Plini who suffered a lot of years seeing his hard work get tossed aside, allies would only open a path for people to throw away his hard work again... even if it was toxins.

His eyes almost lit up in excitement when Nian asked about the possible sources for his plans to make poisons and toxins. It would be nice if he could dump a truckload of info but knowing that she is of kingly manner, a brief info of things in general might suffice. "Plants, that's my first source. It's easy to make potions out of them. I just find a nice place to gather and I'm all set" he told her "it can be useful for antidotes too. if you plan to make poisons, making antidotes is a common thing to do also" he added. "Another would be animals, though it would be tough making antidotes of them but their defense mechanisms that involves toxins are valuable for me" he tried to finish his food while explaining it as short as possible.

"Lowlifes like me prefer to be left to our own devices, I don't want to end up like Icarus..." Plini closed his lunch box and set it down beside him "or to be exact I don't want to end up like him again." 

[Nian 0]

Ah. She understood once his face seemed to brighten, and listened in close as he rambled on about his favorite subject. The enthusiasm wasn't going unappreciated; after all, more information on hand makes a ruler prepared for inevitabilities. Researching antidotes were doubling with his idea of taking advantage of toxins, and to any proper alchemist this would seem like a reasonable train of thought... Though, the man had cut himself short with a sudden turn of phrase, and Nian realized it was directed to kind of her own.

How strange. Intensity grew in her eyes, a mix of both irritation and tranquility. Icarus wasn't a king, for one -- he was but a boy who flew too close to a star and dipped. As Nian shut her bento in tandem with the serf's, she set an arm down near her lap, barely close enough to rest upon it.

Clarity was needed for Plini. And what was a king's duty but to lead?

"Emperors don't die by the sun."

Metal began to construct itself around her bicep. Black, sullen, grainy but perfected and glossy metal, shimmering to life in a flurry of voxels. "They are the sun. They created them. They have been the sun before and will live to create another; the sun was molded in their fashion." Her eyes flickered over to her subject, rotating her gauntlet slightly, claws closing into a loose fist. "Tian zi, they are called, for they are the sons of heaven. And their children, the princes, they are but the successors of light that step in place of their predecessors."

Her visage had hardened, educating her companion, but the corners of her lips pulled up into an absolutely grotesque smile. The fire in her eyes were but a cinder of something greater, teeth bared as she burned.

"Icarus, boy of naught but instincts, was never meant to be woven into God's master plan."

[Plini 0]

"Ah so it was emperor not king" Plini thought. That would explain why she seemed so keen on proving herself in destroying the boulder. Maybe he read too much fictional stories about emperors that it established a thought of how the western and eastern rulers lead their people but that story is not needed. He listened as Nian told him of of how emperors are the sun. He hoped that Nian would remain to be, it would be bad if she turned into the moon someday, a lunatic.

"I guess I should've used a different name, maybe Asclepius?" he uttered. He picked up the empty lunch boxes and placed it all back inside his inventory, Nian had finished her quest, they finished their lunch, this was just idle time and talking about things. Nian may remain vague on who she really is aside from the whole "imperial" goal to rule Aincrad, at least he painted a basic picture of who Plini is. "The point is I worked hard for many things only for others to deem it all insignificant so..." he scratched his head as he looked at the clear blue sky, eyes looking so disinterested thinking of helping for the sake of greater good "... I decided to do things but make sure people are worth it, implying that they'll try to be. I got careless because it felt nice to achieve things but yeah, the sun burned my wings away. fortunately I landed on my butt."

[Nian 0]

"... Hmph. Then perhaps it isn't in your bloodline, after all. "

Harsh words that needed to be said. She closed her eyes, tightening the metal in her palms, the box diminished of food set aside on the lush carpet she sat on. A deep but quiet inhale, a pause, and then a release.

Asclepius, also known as Hepius. Hero of medicine, son of Apollo. Known best for his snake-entwined staff, a symbol of medicine even till today. It is said that he had the power to bring back men from the dead...

"But that there is the difference between you and Icarus," the woman mentioned, opening her sights to the world. "He died. You still yet live. A fallen soldier can do nothing but rot. A living one has time and freedom to strive for better."

Nian rose from her seat on the ground. Her cloth faded as she waved it off with her empty hand, the heft of the obsidian block on her arm aiding the monarch as she rose. "You may not be king, Plini," she began, her eyes scanning the forest past his position. "But the positions of arbiters are still open. If not for Aincrad--" The player opened her palms, chest swelling with arrogance. "--Then at least for your own. Life is what you make of it, ignoble."

"Only the strong get to survive in this world."

[Plini 0]

Nian stood up, once again proving that what she says isn't pure bravado. It was nice to see energetic people, he hopes that Nian won't end up like him... or maybe it was just a silly worry from someone he doesn't even know much. Plini lied down, he liked how peaceful things are for now and the lunch wasn't helping on keeping him productive at the moment. If someone was to see them, the contrast of their attitude is undeniable and of course Plini would look pathetic.

"Strive for better huh" he muttered. While it's true that he is still alive, he wasn't sure if there is anything better to do other than get out of the death game they are in right now. "Yeah I can try that" he thought, it would depend though. Plini won't think twice on stopping if he sees that there is nothing to gain from it there's no point wasting strength striving for nothing.

"I'm strong enough to survive, not sure if the same applies to being actually helpful and definitely not strong enough to destroy a boulder."