[PP-F2] <<Breaking the Unbreakable>>

[Azide 0]

Azide tapped his blade gently against the boulder, closing his eyes and listening to the way it left the metal ringing. Looking back at the oversized rock, he raised Atom Slicer above his head and brought it crashing downwards with an overhead swing, only for it to bounce off and leave his arm reeling from the physical shock. He returned the sword to its sheathe, then shook his arm until the unpleasant sensation passed. "Interestingly enough, this boulder isn't unbreakable," he noted. He remembered the log he'd trip over after first leaving the Town of Beginnings, and how a small dialogue stating "immortal object" had appeared above it after he'd tried to destroy it. "But here, no such dialogue appears. It's possible that it could be an oversight, true. But then again, Akihiko hasn't exactly been the type to make mistakes. A method definitely exists," he concluded. He walked off, hoping to find something to test one of these possible methods.

[Azide 0]

Azide made his way toward the Taran village- a place made almost entirely of stone. "The people of Taran village are no doubt familiar with stone. With all of their buildings and homes being created from it, it's likely they might be familiar with breaking and manipulating it as well." After a bit of travel, he could finally begin to spot the outskirts of the village on the horizon, and could confirm even from here that the village was indeed made of stone. "Reminiscent of simpler times, and a forgotten era of human history. Primitive in many ways, but very much a physically skilled group of people." As he continued up the path, he heard a rustling coming from the bushes. Immediately, he drew Atom Slicer from its sheath and turned in the direction of the noise, just in time to seemed like a mid-sized boulder rolling his way. "Just how many rocks will I be breaking today?" he wondered aloud.

[Azide 0]

The peculiar boulder quickly sped up, and would have crushed him had he not rolled out of the way. As he turned back to make sense of what was taking place, he noticed this boulder was no boulder at all. The creature opened itself up for a moment to regain his footing, revealing itself as a creature which resembled a large armadillo with a rocky shell. Taking advantage of the creature's current vulnerability, Azide dashed over and stabbed through one of the slits in its armor, making the creature fall to the ground.

ID: 7671

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 2 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Rockadillo) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) = 3

Azide HP: 15/15 (-0)

Rockadillo HP: 5/8 (-3)

[Azide 0]

Soon enough, the creature withdrew back into its armored shell and came speeding at him once more- missing by the skin of it's teeth as the player leapt out of the way at the very last moment, smashing into the tree behind him.

"If this jacket had been just a tiny bit heavier, I might not have moved quickly enough to escape that," he noted. Either way, the creature was now lying exposed once again, and also disoriented after colliding with the heavy trunk. Seizing the opportunity, Azide bolted towards his target before it could collect itself, then leapt atop of its exposed and unprotect underside. After managing to steady himself while it struggled underneath him, he plunged his blade straight through its heart and fell back to the ground as it shattered and faded away. It did, however, leave behind some sort of rocky material. He sent it to his inventory for later inspection, then put away his sword and continued towards Taran village. "That's about enough of that business for now."

ID: 7673

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 6 (+1 Evasion) = 5 (Miss)

LD: 9 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Rockadillo) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) + 2 (Crit +2) = 5

Azide HP: 15/15

Rockadillo HP: 0/8 (-5)

*1 material acquired

[Azide 0]

A few minutes later, Azide found himself entering Taran village. He looked around to see stone houses, stone wells, stone statues, stone shops, and generally just stones as far as the eye could see. "I wonder if even their beds are made from stone," he wondered. "I do happen to enjoy the occasional firm mattress, after all." He started to make his way to the center of the village, where all of the shops seemed to be located, but a pile of rubble caught his attention. He crouched down and began searching through the broken stones in hopes of finding anything he could take back to his shop later, but there appeared to be little in the way of any useful materials here. "I should've figured as much- it's likely that pile's already been searched for materials by whomever broke apart all of these rocks." On the other hand- the rubble did bring a glimmer of hope to his predicament. He carried on towards the shops, in search of someone who could help.

ID:7676

LD: 9 (nothing found)

[Azide 0]

He looked around, seeing a few different shops, but not quite sure which was the particular shop he was searching for. "Everything here looks the same," he thought to himself. Everything here was made of stone, and so didn't lend itself much in the way of aesthetic design. He decided to pick a shop at random, and walked into one of the carved stone buildings, which almost resembled caves with tiny windows cut into the walls. Inside a man was hammering away at something, so he figured he'd made a lucky guess. "Excuse me sir, but would you happen to be the blacksmith of this town," he asked.

The man looked up cautiously. "I might be. Depends, what'cha here for?" He answered, pausing his work for the time being.

[Azide 0]

Azide bowed slightly, realizing he'd entered announced, after all. "My name is Azide. This is my first time in Taran village, but I came here knowing your people are likely some of the most experienced workers of rock in all of Aincrad. I came here to ask for your help, on the assumption you might be able to assist me with a task."

The man eyed him up and down before nodding slowly. He put down the tool he'd been using as a hammer- which upon closer inspection was not a hammer, but the handle of an old sword. It guard had been modified so that each extrusion could be used in a manner similar to that of a hammer head. "Well you came to the right place kid. Only problem is, you came at the wrong time."

"Wrong time?" questioned Azide. "And why's that?"

"My village has been getting raided by bandits- that's why I asked your order of business, and why I'm stuck here using these makeshift tools here. They came to my shop not too long ago and stole my entire toolbox."

Azide paused to consider his options for a moment, then looked back at the man. "I'll gladly retrieve your tools for you- on the condition that I get to borrow them for just a moment. Deal?"

[Azide 0]

As Azide began his quest to track down the bandits and recover the pilfered tools, he couldn't help but notice a figure standing by the rubble he'd searched earlier. Next to them was a large rock, which had yet to be broken apart and picked at for precious ores or other such materials. He watched as the individual began performing a series of punches and kicks at the air, reminding him of the martial arts dojo he'd passed everyday in the school bus. The form was quite graceful- appearing fluid and graceful, resembling a dance. "It's nice to look at, and possibly helpful for breathing and discipline, but hardly practical." He could do more damage with the sword hanging on his belt than he could with a lifetime's worth of experience in any martial art. "Why use your body when we've created tools that far surpass it?" He shook his head, then made his way out of the village, heading in the general direction the bandits had last been seen.

[Azide 0]

After a bit of traveling, Azide was eventually able to locate what appeared to be a small bandit camp. Perhaps it was more accurate to describe it as what you'd expect to see from a trio of hikers camping out for the night. Indeed, there were three small tents set up, as well as a fireplace and a few chests as well. "No doubt their recently acquired loot," he thought. Suddenly, he heard a shout from his left.

"Hey, you!" yelled a rough looking fellow. He wielded a jagged dagger in his hand, although he seemed to have a curved sword sheathed away as well. "What do you think you're doing here?"

The game seemed to indicate that he was neither the average NPC nor a player- so the process of elimination seemed to indicate he was in the presence of a bandit. "Neither an NPC, nor a player. Guess that means you're a monster," said Azide, ignoring his question. He drew atom slicer from its sheath, then stepped forward.

[Azide 0]

Azide bolted forward, then sprang at the bandit, attempting to stab him through the heart. "He might be a monster, but I'd at least like to stay somewhat humane," he thought, hoping to finish the job quickly.

The bandit leapt to the side, impressing the player with his agility. As Azide's thrusting motion carried him forward, the bandit seized the opportunity and plunged its jagged dagger twice into the player's side before drawing back to safety.

Azide clutched his wounds, but felt them soon fade away. He readied himself for another go, then darted at the bandit once more. "He's a fast one. But I'm no chump when it comes to speed."

ID: 7679

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) = 2

Damage taken (Bandit) = 0 (Miss)

Azide HP: 13/15 (-2)

Bandit HP: 8/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

The following round turned out to be nothing to write home about. Azide swung Atom Slicer twice at the bandit, but was deflected both times by his dagger, impressively enough. Likewise, he himself managed to knock away the dagger's tip with the flat of his sword, leaving both combatants without any fresh wounds or even scratches. "At the very least, I have to consider the possibility that his AI is somewhat higher than the average creature's in this game. I'd best proceed carefully." He stood still, wielding his rapier out in front of him, and waited for his opponent to make his move.

ID: 7681

BD: 3 (Miss)

MD: 3 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

Azide HP: 13/15 (-0)

Bandit HP: 8/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

The bandit's speed was indeed no joke, allowing him to blindside the player and weave right around the swings of his sword. The bandit grinned devilishly as he appeared near Azide, as if by magic. He stabbed at Azide twice- first by the ribs, followed by another in his shoulder.

Instinctively, Azide swung again at the bandit as he stood within his range, but missed as his opponent deftly ducked and covered, managing to completely outmaneuver him.

ID: 7682

BD: 1 (Miss)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) = 2

Damage taken (Bandit) = 0 (Miss)

Azide HP: 11/15 (-2)

Bandit HP: 8/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Recovering fully enough from the pain to press on, Azide sped forward to challenge the bandit's agility and quick pace with some maneuvering of his own. He ducked, leaned, and weaved his way in as the bandit launched a barrage of swings and thrusts of his dagger. Successful in navigating through the series of assaults, Azide knocked the man's arm away with the flat of his blade, then thrusted Atom Slicer deep into his stomach before ripping it out of him. The bandit stumbled back, clutching his wound.

ID: 7693

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 3 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Bandit) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) = 3

Azide HP: 11/15 (-0)

Bandit HP: 5/8 (-3)

[Azide 0]

With no time to waste, Azide immediately sprang forward and ran his blade all the way through the bandit, plunging it through until the guard pressed firmly against his chest. Not quite dead, the bandit stabbed away repeatedly at the player, managing to hit his arm three times before succumbing to his wounds. The bandit shattered into an array of data, leaving behind nothing but some gold he'd been carrying. Azide had at first mistaken the gold as some sort of currency, but sent it away upon the realization that it was in fact, a material. "Not quite rare equipment or cold hard col, but I'm sure I'll find a use for this." 

He walked over and opened one of the chests using a key the bandit had dropped during the struggle, and opened it. Inside he found, among other things, the missing tools the blacksmith had told him about. As he was about to pick up the chest, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind.

 

ID: 7696

BD: 10 (Crit +2)
MD: 10 (Crit +2)
LD: 1 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 2 (Crit +2) = 3

Damage taken (Bandit) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) + 2 (Crit +2) = 5

Azide HP: 8/15 (-3)
Bandit HP: 0/8 (-5) 

*1 material acquired (2 altogether)

[Azide 0]

Azide turned around to see another Bandit sneaking up on him, holding a raised knife. Fortunately, his sneaking skills were far from perfect. Seeing that he'd been noticed, the bandit began running straight at him, baring his knife. Prepared for the attack, Azide managed to fend off his crazed swings with the flat of his blade. At the same time, however, the bandit also managed to either keep himself physically out of the path of his swings, or physically block them using the blade of his much smaller knife. Attempting to double down and force a mistake, Azide began swinging at considerably faster speeds, though had little success as the bandit continued evaded his attacks.

 

ID: 7697
BD: 5 (Miss) 
MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Miss)

Azide HP: 8/15 (-0)
Bandit HP: 8/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

A very similar sequence events followed, giving Azide a feeling of deja vu. Both combatants were able to display a roughly equally matched level of evasion and maneuvering, with neither suffering so much as a glancing glow or even scratch in their scuffle.Many swings and thrusts were made, but not a single one managed to hit its mark. From the corner of his eye, Azide eyed the chest. "If I can just finish this up before their other friend gets here, I can avoid another unneeded fight. I have no qualms in partaking in a battle, but I'd rather not be dragged down by own either." He shifted his grip on Atom Slicer and jumped back, then prepared to rush the bandit and break his guard.

 

ID: 7699
BD: 5 (Miss)
MD: 1 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

 

Azide HP: 8/15 (-0)
Bandit HP: 8/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Azide ran forward, using the superior range afforded to him by his rapier in order to snake right past the bandit's much shorter knife, landing him a direct hit against the man. In spite of the pain, the man pulled through- or rather, pulled off, and came running at him. Likely slowed by his painful wounds, the bandit's swings and stabs were decidedly slower than before, allowing Azide to dodge them with relative impunity. "Half way there, Azide. Just keep soldiering on."

 

ID: 7706

BD: 9 (Crit +1)
MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)
Damage taken (Bandit) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Rapier) + 1 (SP's) + 1 (Crit +1) = 4

 

Azide HP: 8/15 (-0)
Bandit HP: 4/8 (-4)

[Azide 0]

That didn't last long, however, with the bandit's glowing red wounds quickly fading away. With the pain receding and his strength on the rise, the bandit seemed to gain a second wind, and came rushing at him with lightning-speed. He unleashed a flurry of swings and thrusts, and while most of them had proven manageable for the rapier-wielding player, two of these attacks nonetheless managed to make their mark. Wincing, Azide lashed out at the bandit with his blade, but missed his target entirely. He looked back, opening his eyes a little wider as the throbbing feeling began to slowly subside. "Where'd that bastard go?"

 

ID: 7707 

BD: 1 (Miss)
MD: 9 (Crit +1)

 

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) = 2
Damage taken (Bandit) = 0 (Miss)

 

Azide HP: 6/15 (-2)
Bandit HP: 4/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Yet another uneventful round went by for the duo. Azide's record was already quickly becoming disastrous, and he couldn't help but remember a similar earlier encounter that began roughly the same way. "That boar ended up surviving on one health point for twelve rounds or so," he recalled. In any case, the bandit had appeared behind him, nearly tagging him with his knife but missing my fractions of an inch as Azide quickly stepped out of the way. "Once again, I'd like to thank this light clothing." He'd turned to swing at the bandit, but had missed as well, with the bandit springing back well out of his range.

 

ID: 7708
BD: 2 (Miss)
MD: 6 (+1 Evasion) = 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

 

Azide HP: 6/15 (-0)
Bandit HP: 4/8 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Quickly beginning to grow impatient, Azide lunged forward in a misguided attempt to end the fight at his own pace, but only received a stab wound to show for his efforts. The bandit had managed to dodge his blade as it'd reached forward, and stabbed his knife into his side, twisting it a bit before ripping it out. Azide couldn't help but scream, stumbling backwards while clutching at his wound. His teeth staying clenched, Azide steadied himself while also willing himself to fight on. "At this point, our health points are nearly equal. Still, I have both the superior weapon and armor, in this case. There's no point in turning back." He shifted his stance, intending to decisively put an end to this foolishness in the coming moments. The bandit laughed maniacally, as if certain he'd be getting his hands on some extra loot today.

 

ID: 7710
BD: 2 (Miss)
MD: 8 (Hit)
 

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base)
Damage taken (Bandit) = 0 (Miss)

 

Azide HP: 5/15 (-1)
Bandit HP: 4/8 (-0)