COMPLETE [SP-F6] Mirror Match! <<The Gemini>>

[Ishida 0]

Blinding white light was all Ishida could see for several moments as he traversed to the sixth floor via the teleporter.  As he phased into the new floor, as did the world around him, revealing a lush environment of tropical trees and vegetation as far as he could see.  The dense foliage made it look tough to walk through but he was an up and coming player; he needed to get use to traveling in rough areas.  It only got worse the higher one ascended the floating castle known as Aincrad.

"Well, I guess I'll explore around a little bit first before I find trouble.  I don't want to get caught in a situation that I'm going to regret," Ishida said, out loud and to himself as he stepped off of the teleportation dais and into the surrounding jungle.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

He hadn't made it very far into the jungle when he heard a voice call to him from out of sight.

"Hey, good lookin'~"

"Huh?" Ishida turned to face the voice; a look of confusion was prevalent on his face.  Before him stood a man that looked like any other man, there was nothing particularly great about him that stood out from anyone else.  If he had seen him on the street, he would have forgotten his face as soon as he couldn't see him anymore.  He appeared to be an NPC but oddly enough, there wasn't a name associated to him.  A nameless NPC?  Ishida had never heard of such a thing before.

"You look like a gambling man.  I've got a proposition for you, if you're interested.  I promise it'll be worth your while."

[Ishida 0]

He didn't think he looked like a gambler at all.  He thought he played things pretty safe in this world.  That being said, he was feeling a little full of himself after the last couple of successful quests and farming sessions.  So, maybe he was willing to take a gamble.

"Oh yeah?  Worth my while, how so?"  Ishida questioned, a cocky undertone holding to his voice.

"Does an extra skill interest you at all?"

Well, of course it did.  Who didn't want to benefit themselves the best they could?  Ishida was actually thinking he was pretty fortunate to run into a skill-giving NPC in the middle of nowhere.

"What kind of skill are we talking about?"

"Hey handsome, don't get ahead of yourself.  First, you have to take the gamble, then you get the prize," the nameless NPC responded.

[Ishida 0]

This NPC is weird..  He thought.  His face riddled with a look of discomfort.

In front of him, an invitation to the NPC's "gamble" displayed in front of Ishida.  The quest itself was a simple duel against the unarmed man and if you were victorious, you walked away with an unknown skill.  Ishida was unsure of the entire situation--something didn't seem right.

"Well, what do you say?  Are you man enough?"

The teenager, who's hair was as dark and inky as oil, gave the NPC a hard look before he reached up and swiped "ACCEPT" on the quest dialogue.  Ishida was about ready to put this awkward no name in his place.

"What the..."

Just as soon as he accepted the duel, he regretted it.  The unknown NPC took to laughing hysterically as a name appeared above his head.  <<The Gemini>>  That hadn't been there before, right?  Ishida didn't just miss seeing the name, did he?

The Gemini's indistinguishable features seemed to meld together until he became nothing but a shadowy silhouette.  However, he seemed to keep changing, metamorphosing into something, or someone, else.  

[Ishida 0]

Ishida was staring at himself.  Rather, it was a copy of himself.  The Gemini somehow managed to change into an exact duplicate of the armored teen in all ways; blemishes, eye color, his equipment, his same scruffy hair.  This wasn't just a creepy imitation, he was a carbon copy--and that wasn't all right.

"What is this?" Ishida stammered, unsure of what to think at the moment.

"This is the end of your story.  This isn't just a duel anymore--this is a battle for your life and you aren't going to win."

Even his voice was the same.  It was seriously creepy.

Without even thinking, Ishida instinctively pulled free his sword from its sheath; the sound of metal grinding against metal rang cleanly in the air once it was liberated.  His shield was quickly slung from around his back and locked in place on his forearm, ready and waiting for the battle that was to come.  Not surprisingly, The Gemini mirrored his actions, only he did them with a grin on his face.

[Ishida 0]

To say that Ishida was scared would have been an understatement.  He was absolutely terrified.  This encounter was the most random thing he had seen in Sword Art Online yet and had no clue what to expect out of it.  He was staring down an enemy that purposefully wished for his death and would seek it by using his own skills and abilities against him.  It was a horrendous thought--to die by one's own hand.

His only true chance at survival was to take the offensive.  If he procrastinated and allowed the despair to creep into every fiber of his being, he would most certainly never see the light of day again.  Ishida refused to let that happen.

The only response that came from him was a grunt as he dashed forward and slashed at the clone with Eagleeye; the arc of his slice was angled to strike the dupe from right shoulder to left hip.  He didn't know how much he would do against the strength of his own armor.

• ID# 44549
• BD: 1 + 3 = 4 (Critical miss)

 

Spoiler

Ishida
HP: 32/32
EN: 8/8

The Gemini
HP: 32/32
EN: 8/8

 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

The Gemini simply laughed as Ishida came charging at him and attempted to strike him down with a single strike.  An attack, which should be mentioned, missed horribly when the cloned warrior sidestepped the incoming threat.  If the boy kept up with attacks like that, there would only be death in his future.

Still howling with laughter, The Gemini stalked after the teenager after his missed attack and attempted to lay into him with a melee of his own.  His sword was brought across his body in preparation before he took a giant, leading step forward and slashed horizontally across the back of Ishida.

• ID# 44550
• MD: 2 (Miss)

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

Ishida could feel the looming threat of the Gemini lurking behind him.  As the doppelganger struck out in an attempt to cleave him in two, the raven-haired original dove forward into a evasive roll to dodge the incoming strike.  His armor might have clanked and groaned uncomfortably with the dexterous movement but it was successful, the dupe had missed his sword swing entirely.

Adrenaline was pumping through Ishida's veins as he fought to regain his composure.  This was a real threat--this clone was coming after him and he needed to stop him.  Once the boy got back to his feet, he turned to face the Gemini and proceeded to close the distance separating them with a strong, overhead swing of his sword.

• ID# 44551
• BD: 2 + 3  = 5 (Miss) 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

The Gemini could see the overhead strike coming from a mile away and simply stepped out of the path of the blade.  Due to the close quarters of the two combatants, the duplicate duelist pushed out with his imitation Wall and nearly knocked Ishida clean off of his feet.  Rather than fall, he simply stumbled back a few steps to put some space between the fighters.

That space was short lived as the Gemini vaulted forward and thrust out with his own Eagleclaw, intent on driving that sharpened point right through the defenses of the true Ishida.  The doppelganger didn't show the same signs of fear or exhaustion that Ishida did--no, he was only marked by that sinister grin constantly riding his lips.

• ID# 44554
• MD: 5 (Miss)

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

As he was still scrambling to stay on his feet, the Gemini charged Ishida with every intention of sticking him like a pig.  He frantically squirmed in the least graceful way to evade the attack and thankfully, he was successful.  The length of the blade slid along side of the darkly armored warrior, scraping against the outer rim of his breastplate but caused no damage.

There was nothing glorious about the way Ishida was fighting, he was simply doing whatever he could to survive.  While he was stumbling away, he lashed out with a wobbly slash that he hoped would connect with the Gemini but honestly didn't expect it to.  He was just flailing at this point.

• ID# 44555
• BD: 9 + 3 = 12 (Crit +1)
• DMG: 2 + 1 = 3

Spoiler

Ishida
HP: 32/32
EN: 8/8

The Gemini
HP: 29/32  (-3 DMG)
EN: 8/8

 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

The random flailing caught the Gemini off-guard and struck him straight across the chest.  A look of shock appeared on his face as the hit landed--the first of the duel--but it was only a fleeting change in expression, soon that grin returned.  The damage he had sustained was minor and did little to deter him from continuing after the boy.  He just wasn't programmed that.

"Oooh, look at you!  You finally managed to hit me!  Now stop running and fight me!" he hollered as he dashed toward Ishida.  He brandished his blade and took another sidelong slash at the teenager, looking to drive the blade across his chest and split him wide open.

• ID# 44556
• MD: 9 (Crit +1)
• DMG: (2 + 1) - 9 = 1

Spoiler

Ishida
HP: 31/32 (-1 DMG)
EN: 8/8

The Gemini
HP: 29/32
EN: 8/8

 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

Ishida tried his best to get his shield up and in front of the slashing attack but failed.  The blade--his blade--crossed his armored chest and opened up a glowing wound and immediately his eyes shot up to his health labeled in his HUD.  He was surprised to see he suffered only one point of damage.  Really, he didn't know what he should be expecting but after a brutal hit like that, only one damage?  It appeared his mitigation was higher than the duplicates damage output.

He was a little relieved at that but there was still no clear indication that he was coming out of this alive.  He still needed to fight.  Ishida did his best not to recoil from the attack and instead, kept the space between them to a minimal so he could quickly engage the clone in another attack.  The addled warrior jerked forward and slashed at the Gemini with a diagonal strike.

• ID# 44557
• BD: 4+3 = 7
• DMG: 2

Spoiler

Ishida
HP: 31/32
EN: 8/8

The Gemini
HP: 27/32 (-2 HP)
EN: 8/8

 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

Another successful hit, another incremental loss of HP.  The Gemini wasn't deterred by the damage, in fact, it only seemed to spur him on further.  When he came at Ishida this time, he did so with minimal downtime.  There were no snide remarks or taunting gestures, he just stepped on and struck out with a simple sword swing angled to the side of the Wall in order to hit his target midsection.

• ID# 44558
• MD: 4 (Miss)

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

Ishida hurled his body backward to evade the horizontal slice looking to disembowel him, if such a thing was even applicable in Sword Art Online.  He was finding out that this Gemini wasn't much--then again, neither was he.  They were constantly missing each other with their attacks but Ishida's seemed to hit harder.  Through the thick and the thin of the fighting, he began to wonder if this clones armor provided him with the same benefits that his did?  If that was the case, he would have assumed that his attacks would have done significantly less damage.

The teenager stepped toward his foe to regain the distance he put between them and then took a chance at devastating the clone with an overhead swing.

• ID# 44560
• BD: 4 + 3 = 7
• DMG: 2

Spoiler

Ishida
HP: 31/32
EN: 8/8

The Gemini
HP: 25/32 (-2 HP)
EN: 8/8

 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

The Gemini kept up his attacks despite the damage he was receiving.  He was like one of those death robots out of that old film "The Terminator."  Ishida did the best he could respond to the combat as best as he could.  It was a little bit discouraging to see Eagleclaw, the sword he had forged with his own hands, come at him with the desire to spill his blood.  The clone fighter came at him again with another brutal overhead swing.

• ID# 44578
• MD: 2 (Miss)

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

OOC: I'm switching back to both player and mob in same post.  This is going to take me forever, otherwise.

Ishida lunged to the side to quickly avoid the descending blade which ended up cleaving several enormous fronds in two instead.  The teen saw an opportunity and he decided to take it.  His sword took on a glow as he prepared to activate a sword art; a low blue fire burning all about the length of his blade.  As he jumped in, he let the system take control and guide his movements, forcing him to slash at the duplicate twice in quick succession.

• ID# 44585
• BD: 6
• MD: 3
• Sword Art: Snake Bite (2 EN)
• DMG: 2*2 = 4

The Gemini swung at the same time but was interrupted by the Sword Art that was laying into him.  When he finally went to finish his prepared attack, he clearly missed as the true Ishida continued to move about.  There was clearly a confidence about the boy now as his lead in the duel stretched further ahead.

Spoiler

 

Ishida
HP: 31/32
EN: 6/8 (-2 EN)

The Gemini
HP: 21/32 (-4 HP)
EN: 8/8

 

 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

There was a momentum in his actions.  His repeated successes had started to build within him, bringing about the positive thoughts that he could actually beat this troublesome NPC.  The worst of it was actually watching the pained expressions appearing on the doppelganger's face as he started to cause more and more damage.  No longer was that unpleasant grin present but twisted looks of displeasure that resurfaced each and every time his sword was true.

Despite the disturbing parallel before him, Ishida continued to fight on and end this nightmare.  Again, his sword illuminated with a bright blue color as he prepared to strike with a sword art again.  The two collided as he assaulted The Gemini with a cross slash technique across his armored chest.

• ID# 44590
• BD: 10
• CD: 10
• MD: 9
• Sword Art: Snake Bite (-2 EN)
• DMG: ((2+2)*2) = 8
• MDMG: 2 + 1 = 3 - 9 = 1
• RGN: +3 HP

The Gemini didn't stand idly by this time and with a look of anger on his face, lashed back at Ishida with a backhand swing.  The attack was made with deadly accuracy and struck with critical damage.  However, the difference between the two combatants was the mitigation provided by the one true Wall of Night.

Spoiler

Ishida
HP: 32/32 (-1 HP)(+3 HP)
EN: 4/8 (-2 EN)

The Gemini
HP: 13/32 (-8 HP)
EN: 8/8

 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

"Come on!" Ishida screamed, goading on the impostor.  He was emboldened by that last critical strike.  Now that he was on the offensive, the rudimentary clone was taking a beating and quickly falling in health.  It wouldn't be long before he was defeated entirely.

• ID# 44591
• BD: 1
• MD: 4

They both charged at one another but got slipped up when they misjudged the actual distance between them.  Instead, they collided with one another, both raising their shields to protect against the other's stretched out, sword-wielding arm.  Neither one of them would yield to the other, so they both disengaged and put a few feet between them in preparation of the next round of attacks.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

"You are nothing but a fake!  You are clearly no match for the real thing!"  Ishida was roaring now.  Their rendezvous had been a close battle for far too long but now he was prepared to put an end to it.  He lifted his sword and pointed it toward the doppelganger much like the legendary baseball player Babe Ruth used to call out his homeruns before they had happened.  That same telltale glow surrounded his weapon, glowing with a ferocity that reflected off the shiny, waxen surface of the plant fronds around them.

Roaring a battle cry, the teenage tanker charged in and unleashed the same Sword Art on the Gemini that he had several times before.  The mimic should have predicted it but he didn't.

• ID# 44592
• BD: 10
• MD: 2
• Sword Art: Snake Bite (-2 EN)
• DMG: (2+2)*2 = 8

The Gemini couldn't quite raise his sword in time this time as the duo of strikes ripped freely across his chest.  Two gaping wounds, glowing and pulsing in time with the throbs of agony, opened up where his sword had split the clone.  Ishida hadn't seen it before but there were streams of tears running from the eyes of the Gemini.  Could he actually feel the pain?  Wasn't he nothing more than a toy of the Cardinal system?

Spoiler

Ishida
HP: 32/32
EN: 2/8 (-2 EN)

The Gemini
HP: 5/32 (-8 HP)
EN: 8/8

 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida

[Ishida 0]

Ishida didn't know what to think.  It was difficult watching your face contort in various stages of suffering.  Is this what it was like to kill another player?  Worse yet, is this what it would be like to watch himself die at another player's hand?  His mind was overwhelmed with these terrible thoughts and kept him completely distracted from the battle at hand.  He hadn't noticed it but his grip about the handle of Eagleclaw had loosened almost to the point it was falling out of his hand.

He needed to defeat this monstrosity; he knew he he needed to.  However, when it came time to lay the man who claimed his face to rest, he faltered.  Ishida quite nearly froze in his tracks in hesitation.  He couldn't bring himself to end this mockery of his own life.

• ID# 44593
• BD: 2
• MD: 7
• LD: 18

As Ishida stood there, paralyzed into inability, the Gemini made his move.  The terrified look on his face dissipated into thin air and all that remained was the maniacal look of deranged shadow version of Ishida.  The opportunity was his to strike down the unsuspecting teenager.  He dashed forward, his own sword illuminated with an aura of blue, and took to striking out at the inactive teen with two fierce strikes of his own.

• Sword Art: Snake Bite (-2 EN)
• DMG: 2*2 = 4 - 9 = 1

The sword connected with ease but unexpectedly sealed the Gemini's fate, as well.  As his blades ran across the prevalent, blackened armor that protected Ishida, substantial damage was suffered at the hands of the violent thorns aura imbued to the armor.  Enough to put the Gemini and his trickery to rest.

Before Ishida's very eyes, the mimic collapsed to his knees and exploded into thousands upon thousands of disintegrating pixels.  The look on his face before he dispersed was just as horrifically traumatizing as before.

<<Disguise>> gained on loot roll of 18+

Spoiler

Ishida
HP: 31/32 (-1 HP)
EN: 3/8 (+1 EN)

The Gemini (DEFEATED)
HP: 0/32 (-6 HP)
EN: 6/8 (-2 EN)

 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Ishida