[F6-SP] A New Leaf «Gemini»

[Shin Kagami 0]

Since the beginning of the death game, I was always indulging in my own indolence. When we were teleported to the plaza and the announcement was made regarding our indefinite stay inside this video game, I was afraid like everyone else. Unlike the majority, though, I found a kind silver lining within this historical event and torn between the different realities: “I’m a disappointment for getting into this game and getting trapped in here. But at the same time, I can’t disappoint anyone anymore as long as I’m stuck in here.” I ended up taking this game as a sincere blessing from its developer. This game was a perfect closed room experiment; a place where I could no longer feel the pressure of expectations on my shoulders. So I spent a lot of my time doing something I had rarely done in the outside world of expectations: I was relaxing.

Spoiler

Level: 1 <> Max HP: 20 <> EN: 2 <> Base DMG: 2 (with Rapier) <> Savvy: 1 <> Evasion: 1

Equipment:

- Vanity Rapier

- Rare Light Armor (Savvy 1 <> Evasion 1)

Battle Ready Inventory:

- 3 Starter Healing Potions (Heals 50 HP)

Skills:

Skill Slot 1: Rank 1 Rapier

Skill Slot 2: Empty

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by Shin Kagami
Including stats

[Shin Kagami 0]

Like everyday since I came to that realization, I had no specific goal in mind other than to continue enjoying myself. Like many days, I was aimlessly wandering the floors by travelling through the several cleared labryinths and staircases which connected each floor of Aincrad. Like every action I’ve done, I decided to settle on relaxing on the Sixth Floor on a whim, one that I have not yet previously visited for an extended period of time because of its humid nature. Like many things in life, or rather most things, I would come to regret this as the action which was my entry point into the real game of life and death that I would soon revel in. However, I would only really regret the most immediate consequence that I would encounter in this event. “Why did I choose this floor? It’s so hot and humid all the time.”

Edited June 25, 2020 by Shin Kagami
Revision

[Shin Kagami 0]

I walked around the main settlement as my clothes clung to my body and were practically drenched in sweat. I saw the floor’s trademark Amazonian NPCs everywhere I looked, performing amazing feats like swinging from vines between the trees and the more menial task of peddling wares. “I had to give it to Kayaba - the sole developer of this death game. Even though he is a complete psychopath who thought it would be fun to lock thousands of players into his game where failure is almost equivalent to death, he knew how to make fantastic worlds. I couldn’t believe that I was awake after I jumped into the game the first time. Much like a horror film that only has jumpscare after jumpscare, the shock factor didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. The most exciting news was always when the Frontliners cleared a new Floor Boss because that would mean I can be surprised once more.

 

Edited June 29, 2020 by Shin Kagami

[Shin Kagami 0]

I groaned at the thought of the Frontliner’s progress in clearing the game. On one hand, I knew my paradise was secure. It had taken them so long in order to reach this Floor that I knew I would never had to worry about them clearing the game. Their rate of progession through the Floors was even slower than people’s acceptance of our current living situations. “And that hasn’t even happened yet either.” But on the other hand, I knew that my paradise would never be able to expand. According to the box that the game came in, there are supposed to be one hundred floors to this game. In my eyes, that meant that there are a hundred floors ready for me to explore with exciting sights and nearly countless ways to escape the real world. However, the closer that they are to unlocking all of the floors, the closer I am to losing this perfect reality of mine.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Shin Kagami

[Shin Kagami 0]

It was a peculiar Catch-22 that I found myself in. One where I would simultaneously win and lose in either situation, one where progress cursed me with a growing possibility and blessed me with new virtual realities to explore. This paradox is exactly the reason why I selectively chose to not think about it. “I’ll cross the bridge when I reach it. And maybe I’ll burn it down if I need to. *THUD*

The smile I wore remained on my face. The pleasant tingling sensation which was supposed to imitate pain washed over my body as I found myself on the jungle floor with a body on top of me. I rolled the body off of me and dusted myself before offering a hand and an amused smile towards the hooded figure. Up to that point in time, I thought that there was no need for me to wear a mask in this game and my voice reflected that. “Need a hand?”

Edited June 29, 2020 by Shin Kagami
A word

[Shin Kagami 0]

The hooded player slapped my hand to the side before picking themselves off the ground. Their movement appeared like a marionette at the hands of an amateur puppetmaster. The figure’s motions quickly alternated between a steadfast lethargy and quick bursts, almost as if every motion sent jolts of pain throughout their body and they were afraid of the pain yet too tired to end it.

The fact that there was no possible way for a player to feel pain because of the pain absorption mechanic aside, I couldn’t fathom how someone is unhappy with this current life. I could understood how people want to escape, but I always believed that everyone must have attained some peace with the situation. At the time, it was unbelievable for someone to be truly unhappy with their place in the virtual world. It felt like a direct insult to the Garden of Eden I had believed in. My confidence had faded away in a single moment and had been replaced with the unpleasant feeling of uncertainty. “Is everything okay?”

[Shin Kagami 0]

Immediately after asking them an innocuous question, their had snapped towards me. Even though I couldn’t see any part of their body, not even their clothes, because of the cloak, I could tell that they were giving me an intense glare that threatened to swallow me whole. My hands trembled and time seemed to slow to a standstill as we stared at each other. The sound of the busy streets and the annoying merchants peddling their wares was drowned out by my own heartbeat. The people who stopped by after the unfortunate foot-traffic accident grew exasperated at our non-responsiveness and joined the rest of the blurs which flitted in and out of my vision.

I then heard the hooded figure speak. Their words were clear, unfettered by every internal and external sound at the time. The sound of their voice was like hearing a glass window break. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, given the praise I had given Kayaba just a few moments earlier, but I think I had the appropriate reaction at the time for someone who just heard their own voice come from someone else’s mouth.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Shin Kagami

[Shin Kagami 0]

For the first time, she looked directly at me. Her eyes, her facial structure, her voice; it seemed as if she was a physically perfect replica of me. But I knew I wasn’t looking at a mirror. If anything, I felt as if I was looking at a near stranger. It was as if the figure before me wasn’t a doppleganger, but instead someone I had forgotten despite being intimate with them a long time ago. And yet, that same forgotten person was standing right in front of me, piercing me with her intense glare. She practically spat her words. “You disgust me.” And she bumped into my shoulder and dissolved into the crowd.

I stood there, frozen in time, mouth agape, and in awe of what I had just witnessed. And then the world started to spin and I felt like I was going to black out. Instead, I fell to my hands and knees and, as if my body was trying to expel this memory from my body, I started vomiting.

Edited July 12, 2020 by Shin Kagami

[Shin Kagami 0]

I laid there, completely exhausted from retching. The only silver lining I found was that I was too tired to even think about what had just happened. The only thing I could do was take it at face value. There were only two possibilities. The first was that someone decided to prank me in bad taste, but no one had any incentive to do so. The second… “It’s that damned developer.”

It was the first time I ever cursed Kayaba. An NPC that was specially created to torment players by looking exactly like their victims was a worthy cruelty that I could only pin onto Kayaba. And I had to abide by the game’s rules.

—

Kagami stood up, her lips turned upwards in a half-smile, looking in the direction of where the «Gemini» took off. The surrounding players that had gathered around her during her retching fit took a step back, as if putting space between them and a rabid animal. As she took off, practically sprinting towards her target, the group parted to give her way. No one wanted to get in-between the maniac in front of them and whatever that maniac was looking for.

[Shin Kagami 0]

I ran outside of the safezone and violated my one rule that I had set for myself in this death game. I began looking for the trouble I had so purposely avoided. I chased after the cloaked figure that disappeared further from sight at every tree and every turn. Every single time I lost sight of that NPC, I spun around frantically. I was so focused on finding my doppleganger that I had become completely oblivious to my surroundings. In the back of my mind, I had understood that the carnvirous fauna of this floor could have sunk their teeth into me and claim yet another victim at a moment’s notice. But my desire to find her had overpowered all sense of self-preservation. I didn’t even know what I would do once I got my hands onto her. All I knew was that when I did, I would do whatever I think Kayaba would expect me to do. “After all, the system finally decided to bring me into its story.”

[Shin Kagami 0]

Shin Kagami’s frantic search for her elusive doppleganger began to wind down after around half of an hour of no success. The lack of results and mental exhaustion of the day’s events drew her patience thin. The sudden fantacism and energy she had spent searching for her quarry was quickly replaced with an intense disappointment. “If I don’t get it today, I can always come back later.” As she finished her thought and almost on cue, Kagami stumbled onto a clearing.

The young lady was in complete awe of the hand-crafted scenery. The sunlight seemed to peer above the trees and filtered through their leaves. The clearing’s cascading cataracts and the deep lake perfectly reflected the real, virtual world as if it was a pristine mirror. Boulders of various sizes littered the area in and around the lake, several of which were directly below the waterfall. But her attention was quickly diverted as her eyes landed on the cloaked figure sitting down right in front of the waterfall on a slipper rock.

Although the rapier wasn’t the best weapon for surprise attacks, Kagami ran towards the cloaked figure, drawing her weapon in a first guard position. Her doppleganger reacted barely in time and tried to parry Kagami’s blow, but the rapier easily slid across the blade. Kagami’s face contorted into a wicked smile upon meeting the slightest of resistance, something that she recognized as a decisive strike. Then the doppleganger spoke. “Are you sure you should be so happy?”

Shin Kagami looked down and noticed the rapier was blocked by the doppleganger’s cloak. In all of the time that she had spent within the game without any in-game combat experience, she forgot that this wouldn’t necessarily be like real life.

 

ID: 159364 | BD: 6 (6, +1 -1) | MD: 1 (1, +1, -1)
The Other Mask missed!
<<Rip Ravine>> vs The Other Mask.
2 * 2 = 4 DMG | 4 - 1 = 3 DMG

The Other Mask | HP: 7/10 (-3) | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[1] Shin Kagami | HP: 20/20 | EN: 0/2 (-2) | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1

Edited August 6, 2020 by Shin Kagami
Fixing Disguise proc on Gemini

[Shin Kagami 0]

Though this realization slowly crept inside her mind, Shin Kagami’s smile did not waver as she stared right into her doppleganger’s empty eyes. A mix of concern and surprise flashed across its face, before returning the smile with a scowl of her own and a kick to send her backwards. It wasn’t strong enough to deal any damage but it was more than enough to separate the two entities.

Without skipping a single beat, the doppleganger advanced towards Kagami and began to measure the distance between it and her. Shin Kagami was half-tempted to fight to the death with whatever it was that stood in front of her, but she wasn’t careless. She more than understood how the game’s energy system functioned, but the cloaked figure definitely did not as it continuously threw out feints to throw off the tempo and bait a reckless attack from the player. Almost as if both fighters were on the same brain wave, the doppleganger’s harassing cut was pre-emptively side-stepped. This is too easy, it’s exactly like how I used to fight.

 

ID: 159365 | MD: 4 (5, +0 -1)
Shin Kagami does nothing.
The Other Mask missed!

The Other Mask | HP: 7/10 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[1] Shin Kagami | HP: 20/20 | EN: 1/2 | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by Shin Kagami
Better writing

[Shin Kagami 0]

“Why… What is there to be so happy about?” The doppleganger’s voice was filled with genuine pain, which took Shin Kagami off guard. Since the beginning of the game and since her revelation that the entire set-up was a Garden of Eden, she had no reason to do anything but celebrate. But the doppleganger took advantage of this momentary opportunity and lunged forward, thrusting the rapier deep into Kagami’s chest. Once again, the same pleasant tingling sensation of simulated, diluted pain filled her body.

As the dopplegangertried to take a step back and return to a safer distance between the two, Kagami cut at its leg and her ears were gifted with a shriek of pain. She looked at the cut and noticed that it wasn’t just a bright, crystallized red gash that was already closing up, much like her chest wound, but rather one that was much more realistic. She held up her rapier to inspect it and noticed a few drops of blood dripping from the blade. “How can you enjoy being here? The whole world’s waiting out there for you. Do you really want to disappoint people even more?”

 

ID: 159382 | BD: 8 (7, +1 -1) | MD: 8 (9, +0 -1)
The Other Mask attacks Shin Kagami!
5 + 1 = 6 DMG
<<Rip Ravine>> vs The Other Mask.
2 * 2 = 4 DMG | 4 - 1 = 3 DMG

The Other Mask | HP: 4/10 (-3) | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[2] Shin Kagami | HP: 14/20 (-6) | EN: 0/2 (-2) | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1

Edited August 6, 2020 by Shin Kagami
Better writing

[Shin Kagami 0]

“You’re already a complete failure.” Kagami’s HP dropped from a shallow thrust to the stomach. “You’ve never had any drive or ambition of your own.” And its barrage continued. “Your life isn’t even your own.” Her health bar was now yellow, she knew that she was halfway to death. “Don’t you have anything to say you sad excuse for a human being?” And now the health bar threatened to reach the red mark. The doppleganger’s endless barrage ended with a final kick which pushed the player into the water. The lake’s pristine mirror cracked and its stillness was disrupted.

Shin Kagami’s world darkened as she sank to the bottom of the lake. The lake which had seemed so clear from above was enshrouded in shadows in its depths. “She’s not wrong, you know.” It was her voice but at the same time it wasn’t. It sounded much more like the doppleganger, but one she identified as her own. “You’re really nothing but a priviledged kid. Trained like a dog to perform tricks.” Her heart sank and memories of her life resurfaced. The times that she won competitions and bring home the award only to be criticized by her trainers and her parents. The times that she failed only for her existence to be treated with ignorance. The times she was put on a pedestal by her peers and every time she felt like a failure to all of their expectations. “Just close your eyes and end it. There’s no point anyways. It’s been five years, there’s nothing you can do anyways. You can’t even muster the strength to achieve your paradoxical goals.” The self-deprecating voice which she had laid to rest once she had entered the game had returned.

Spoiler

ID: 159408 | MD: 7 (8, +0 -1)
The Other Mask attacks Shin Kagami!
5 + 1 = 6 DMG

The Other Mask | HP: 4/10 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[2] Shin Kagami | HP: 8/20 | EN: 1/2 | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1

Edited August 6, 2020 by Shin Kagami

[Shin Kagami 0]

“Does what you do even matter?” The soft lake bed and the sparse vegetation carressed her back. “Maybe you don’t even have to fight to end this. I feel like more people would be happy that you died.” Every fear she had in her real life encroached her mind and began to infect her sanctuary within the game. “Especially after five years. Imagine their faces of disgust if you somehow survived. It took how long for you to take action? Or even worse, how long it took for you to accomplish a simple goal.” Even here she couldn’t run away from her own thoughts. The invasive thoughts that ran her life paralyzed her even now.

—

I couldn’t think straight at all. As I laid there with my HP bar draining imperctibly slow, I didn’t think drowning would be so bad. After all, I couldn’t experience the inexplicable pain of water filling my lungs. I couldn’t have cared less about what my fate would be like if my HP dropped down to zero. Whether this whole death game was a farce or not, I would have accepted it. I never truly fought against my real problems that laid deep inside me. I simply ignored them and let them fester until they were ready to strike back. It was completely my fault.

Spoiler

ID: 163832 | BD: 3 (4, +0 -1)
The Other Mask missed!

ID: 163833 | BD: 2 (2, +1 -1)
Shin Kagami missed!

The Other Mask | HP: 4/10 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[2] Shin Kagami | HP: 8/20 | EN: 0/2 (-2) | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1 (1)

 

Edited August 8, 2020 by Shin Kagami

[Shin Kagami 0]

The voice called out to me one more time as if to try to add one final sting. “You wore nothing but masks anyways.” I knew that I wasn’t unique for donning a certain persona in front of certain people. I wasn’t even unique in trying to ignore my own thoughts and emotions by adopting those personas either. It was a small pride I had, no matter how shameful it was. I took pride in being able to mask the face that I reveal to none but myself. After all – “What’s wrong with that?”

—

Her eyes shot open and she swam with a frightening speed towards the surface. Her health bar continued to drain, the smallest sliver was left and she was still so far from emerging from the same pristine mirror which she fell through. Immediately, she grabbed one of the starter potions that she had and drank it, recovering her health just in time to prevent a certain death.

There was no sudden gasp for air when she surfaced. Kagami clumsily climbed onto the slick rocks, almost slipping into the lake again. After a couple attempts to stand up, Kagami spoke up. “Did you forget someting?

Spoiler

ID: 163849 | BD: 2 (3, +0 -1)
The Other Mask missed Shin Kagami!

The Other Mask | HP: 4/10 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[2] Shin Kagami | HP: 8/20 | EN: 1/2 | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1 (2)

 

Edited August 10, 2020 by Shin Kagami

[Shin Kagami 0]

It blinked in confusion, trying to assure itself that Kagami wasn’t a figment of her imagination. “You should be dead. You should have drowned”

“Yet I’m standing here in front of you. In the virtual flesh.” Kagami dashed forward with reckless abandon, her rapier kept low to the ground. The doppleganger responded trying to intercept her advance with a quick, fatal thrust to one of her vitals. Its attempt immediately thwarted by Kagami’s off-hand, gently brushing the blade to the outside.

A wet clicking sound echoed within the clearing. The doppleganger’s wide eyes met with Kagami’s beaming eyes; their vision separated with her rapier which punctured through its neck. “Hu- hu- huk” Its breath was ragged, gasping for an air that couldn’t reach its lungs. With malicious glee, Kagami pushed the doppleganger along the length of her blade until the doppleganger was sagging on the ground grasping at her neck.

Spoiler

ID: 164465 | BD: 2 (3, +0 -1)
The Other Mask misses Shin Kagami!

ID: 164466 | BD: 8 (6, +3 -1)
<<Rip Ravine>> vs The Other Mask.
2 * 2 = 4 DMG | 4 - 1 = 3 DMG

The Other Mask | HP: 1/10 (-3) | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[3] Shin Kagami | HP: 8/20 | EN: 0/2 (-2) | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1

 

[Shin Kagami 0]

Kagami circled around the dying doppleganger with a wicked smile on her face like a vulture waiting for the final breath of its next meal. “Oh how the mighty have fallen! Tch. Tch. Tch.” Her expression darkened. Her eyes, devoid of any mercy. “Did the copy think that they could really reign supreme over the original?” Kagami squatted and hovered directly over the doppleganger’s face. “Now what shall I name you?” She grabbed its chin and turned its upward to stare it directly into its dark gray eyes. “What about… The Third Face? No… that’s too convoluted. No one knows traditional quotes anyways. Gemini… Pshh Too plain.” Inspiration flashed across her face. Her voice was like a child asking for validation. Her voice was a true reflection of the mask that she wore. “I know! What about The Other Mask?”

Still gasping for air, the doppleganger responded. “Go to hell, bitch.”

Spoiler

ID: 164711 | BD: 2 (3, +0 -1)
The Other Mask misses Shin Kagami!

ID: 164712 | BD: 4 (4, +1 -1)
Shin Kagami misses The Other Mask!

The Other Mask | HP: 1/10 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[3] Shin Kagami | HP: 8/20 | EN: 0/2 (-2) | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1 (1)

 

NOTE: Accidentally swapped the purpose and forum post link in the rolls.

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by Shin Kagami

[Shin Kagami 0]

Kagami’s only response was a bored sigh as she jerked its head to the side. Kagami rose to her feet without a smile on her face. But the expression she wore wasn’t one of apathy that was a common scene in The Other Mask’s artificial memories, but of boredom. The doppleganger’s vision was entirely taken up by a sadistic being who had grown tired of playing with its toy towering over her.

Its words fell out of her mouth underdeveloped. Its inner voice spilled out, feather as if to leave her words unnoticed whilst hiding from a stalking predator. “You… You’re not Shin Kagami. Why? Who… who are you?”

Kagami turned around and walked towards the edge of the water with her vision affixed to the cataracts in front of her. Each step was meticulous like a soldier walking through an unknown minefield. “Good question. Maybe Shin Kagami’s been replaced with a shikigami? Heh-”

Spoiler

ID: 164713 | BD: 4 (5, +0 -1)
The Other Mask misses Shin Kagami!

ID: 164714 | BD: 4 (3, +2 -1)
Shin Kagami misses The Other Mask!

The Other Mask | HP: 1/10 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[3] Shin Kagami | HP: 8/20 | EN: 0/2 (-2) | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1 (2)

 

[Shin Kagami 0]

The Other Mask absorbed the situation in front of itself. Kagami’s back was turned to a prey that was all but surely defeated. “I won’t have another chance like this again, ” it thought as it wrapped its hands around the rapier at its side.

The doppleganger snuck up behind Kagami as quietly as possible. It thought that the sound from her shoes squeaking as it scrubbed against the slick rock, but Kagami’s vision remained ever-focused on the beautiful waterfalls that were turning orange as the sun began to touch the horizon. Eventually, it got into striking distance and crouched down. “One shot.” It sprung up and lunged forwards piercing Kagami through the eye. There was no shout of pain (nor could there have been any in the first place) or gasp in shock. Kagami stood absolutely frozen while The Other Mask slumped to the ground and released its grip on the rapier with a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes. “It’s over. It’s over. I did it.” When she opened it again, she was greeted with a nightmarish sight. Kagami had turned around, a crystallized gash covering half of her face, a potion in one hand, and a crazed grin that reached from ear to ear.

Spoiler

ID: 164715 | BD: 9 (10, +0 -1)
The Other Mask attacks Shin Kagami!
5 + 2 = 7 DMG
Shin Kagami used a Starter Healing Potion!

The Other Mask | HP: 1/10 | DMG: 5 | MIT: 1 | EVA: 1

[3] Shin Kagami | HP: 20/20 (+50 -7) | EN: 0/2 (-2) | DMG: 2 | EVA: 1 | Savvy: 1 (2)