[SP-F6] Me, Myself and I <<The Gemini>> (Complete)

[Birdie 0]

"Oh - that's what they mean by 'Amazon'.."

Floor 6, home to a tribe of strong female NPCs, was the highest level of Aincrad that Birdie had travelled to thus far. In fact, other than a quest with Arc and a brief stint on Floor 2, the girl hadn't spent much time outside of the <<Town of Beginnings>>. Perhaps it was The Army's protection that made her feel at peace, or maybe her willingness to stay with the large population of casual players that didn't want to risk their lives out on the front lines; either way, staying in her shop on the Floor 1 was the arrangement she felt at ease with.

After learning of a rare material found only in the sixth floor's jungle, she decided to book herself a trip up there. Now standing on the border of the floor's main settlement, she realised just how imposing the tropical forest was. Rocks were layered with moss and dirt, and the vines above extended created an entire network of life high up in the tree tops.

'Might as well see what I'm in for,' she thought, spinning her newly crafted Ring of Eluding around her index finger. 'If this works out, I should have a much easier time dodging running from any enemies..' Right at that moment a shuffling sounded from behind, and she jumped when an average looking player made his presence known - scratch that.. 'an NPC?'

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"I'm here to issue you a challenge."

Birdie scanned the man up and down, trying to gain an idea of where he'd come from. 'He's definitely not from the village, they're all female. It's possible he followed me here from the first floor, but.. why would he do that?' The man's choice of words didn't do much to unsettle her either, something about his tone sending a paralysing chill down her spine. "U-uh.. what would that be?"

The NPC's expression loosened up, Birdie's willingness to hear him out must've been the correct response. "But a duel, of course - and don't worry, it wouldn't be to the death. Just a gauge of your skills; you want to be able to protect yourself from high level monsters, no?*

She was hesitant to respond. What the man said was true, she wanted to grow stronger in order to defend herself from the dangers lurking on the higher floors, but fighting an NPC wasn't the way she intended to go about doing it. "Sorry, I-I uh.. I'm not sure I can accept, Sir." 

To her surprise, the NPC hadn't become agitated by her refusal. "But please, I insist - here, my stats are only low, what could you possibly lose?"

[Birdie 0]

She read them to herself, '20 health points, 2 damage points.. that is low..'

"Not to mention, the rewards for beating me will be quite plentiful." The man's expression was completely unwavering, no doubt programmed to remain as calm as anything no matter what a player would say to him. Birdie was oblivious to this of course, and found herself being tempted by the offer.

Running the numbers through her head one final time, she came to a conclusion that the chances of her being beaten were incredibly low. Coupled with the mention of it only being a friendly duel, there wasn't a single downside to accepting the NPCs offer. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and then continued. "A.. alright, I'll accept." Her look of uncertainty became slightly more upbeat, she'd get the first chance to test out her new weapon!

The NPC grinned, his eyebrows bending inwards. "Ah, lovely.." 

[Birdie 0]

Grey mist began to surround the NPC, the man's smile growing nefarious as the last inch of his body was swallowed up by the fog. "W.. what?!" Birdie's eyes trembled at the sight, all the while mystified by what she was seeing in front of her. Seconds later, a red indicator appeared above the man's head, followed by a name; <<The Gemini>>. 

The mist had slowly dissipated, revealing some changes in his outfit: the leather tunic was replaced by a cream white sweater and his trousers had ripped apart, a short black skirt and pinstripe stockings taking place instead. Birdie froze. 'That outfit looks.. like..?' The last of the Gemini's body was soon revealed, a terrified gasp escaping the girl's lips as she saw what - or rather, who - it'd turned into. "It's.. me?"

Fake Birdie grinned, "I did say my stats were low, no?" The Gemini's voice was eerily convincing, the only difference from her own being the harsh accent in which it spoke with. "Now, I asked for a duel - I expect you to deliver!"

Equipment

Spoiler

 

Equipped ~

- Retaliation (+3 DMG)
- Ring of Eluding (+3 EVA)
- Pygmy Ring of Recovery (+1 Recovery)

 

 

Edited September 9, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie stood there in disbelief, partly offended by the Gemini's mockery of her. "That's a nasty trick!" she cried, her left hand reaching down to the hilt of Retaliation. The girl didn't want to fight anyone, not even a monster disguised as a person, but she feared there was no escaping this battle. Keeping her wits about her, Birdie's eyes averted to the corner of the HUD where a single objective was listed under <<The Gemini>>; kill it.

The Gemini grew tired of Birdie's stalling, "Fight me." It reached for the blade sheathed by its side, pointing it towards the timid mess.

Spoiler

 

ID# 67387 | BD: 2 | CD: 9 | LD: 17 | MB: 10, critical

Birdie: [72/80 HP] [6/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

Attack missed.

The Gemini: [80/80 HP] [2 Damage]

2(+2) x 2 (Rip Ravine) = 8 damage dealt.

 

The Gemini then lunged at Birdie, her attempt to sidestep its attack producing limited results as its sword connected with the side of her stomach. She would've blurted out an expletive if the pain wasn't so minimal, though her health bar dropping by a tiny fragment was the biggest blow of them all. 'Not good..'

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"How disappointing, and there was I expecting a fight." The Gemini scoffed, swishing its blade around into the air until it pointed sharply towards the ground. "Are you really not going to fight back?"

Spoiler

 

ID# 67389 | BD: 7 | CD: 11 | LD: 10 | MB: 2 (5-3)

Birdie: [76/80 HP] [6/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

5 x 2 (Rip Ravine) = 10 damage dealt.

The Gemini: [70/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

 

Birdie's teeth grit in accordance with her moral dilemma. 'Idiot.. idiot! It's not me!' She spun herself around on the spot, turning to face the Gemini who seemed to wear a bored grin. "Not likely." Her voice was cold, expressionless; she didn't want to be in this situation, but the Gemini had left her no choice. She held Retaliation's hilt, starting off at a slow walk.

"There we go, let's have some fu- ugh!" Birdie had activated a sword art and charged straight for the Gemini, who'd failed to dodge her attack due to its attempt taunting her.

"This isn't for fun," she reiterated, "I just.. can't bare to look at me like that.."

Edited September 9, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Clearly," the Gemini spat, recovering from Birdie's attack like it never happened. "Well, now we know two are playing at this game - care to dance?" Its smug smirk returned, the doppelganger's eyes peering straight towards the woman.

The blade in her hand trembled. She had to come to her senses, but in order to do that, she needed to slay the Gemini. She had to slay herself.

Spoiler

 

ID# 67426  | BD: 7 | CD: 12 | LD: 11 | MB: -2 (1-3)

Birdie: [72/80 HP] [6/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

5 x 2 (Rip Ravine) = 10 damage dealt.

The Gemini: [60/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

 

She managed to stop her hands from shaking, focusing her attention on the battle ahead. Her heightened evasion stat meant she could comfortably weave past any heavy attacks the Gemini would throw at her, though the effectiveness of the blade in her hands was certainly up for debate. Her feet carried her forwards, she locked eyes with the Gemini as it did the same.

She didn't wait for its attack; as fast as she'd done the previous time, her sword art activated and she charged straight through her opponent, leaving a V-shaped incision through the lower half of its torso. 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

The Gemini howled in pain, quickly followed up by a harrowing laughter. "You're not going to give me a chance then? Finally, a real challenge!"

She was sickened by its twisted words, "A challenge? Fighting other players is just 'a challenge' for you?!" The girl thought back her desire to choke out obscenities at it, fearing the attention it might gather from the nearby mobs. "How can you say that, y-you..." Her eyes sealed shut, 'it's only a mob, a simple enemy..'

"Stupid girl."

Spoiler

 

ID# 67427 | BD: 9, critical | CD: 11 | LD: 3 | MB: 1 (4-3)

Birdie: [72/80 HP] [6/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

5(+1) x 2 (Rip Ravine) = 12 damage dealt.

The Gemini: [48/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

Her eyebrows pulled together, "I'm not stupid!" She charged up another attack, this time aiming for the Gemini's arm. Her feet kicked off the ground as she hasted for the assailant, reaching it before the thing had any time to manoeuvre out of the way. She stopped a few metres ahead of it, looking over her shoulder to the damaged to mob. "You're a fake, nothing more. Fakes are always weaker.." 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Honey, you should know when to keep your mouth shut." The Gemini stifled a chuckle, turning on the spot to face Birdie instead. "When you fight fire with fire, you only get burned. That only begs the question - who's the brighter flame?"

'What is it even talking about..?' She was sure its words were only meant to play tricks with her mind, predetermined phrases which could impose fear into a player whilst the Gemini struck its foes. "What are you- huh?"

Spoiler

ID# 67428 | BD: 8 | CD: 10 | LD: 7 | MB: 10, critical

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [6/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

5 x 2 (Rip Ravine) = 10 damage dealt.

The Gemini: [38/80 HP] [2 Damage]

2(+2) x 2 = 8 damage dealt.

The Gemini sprinted for the girl, it's weapon held in both hands as the tip of the blade lit up in purple. With no time to dodge, Birdie managed to charge up an attack of her own just before the Gemini's blade struck her, both exchanging a couple of slashes into each other's bodies. Birdie's eyes shut tight as she held a hand over her sliced up stomach, though the pain soon faded. Her eyes wandered to her HP bar, now coming in at around 80% full. The Gemini seemed worse for wear, with its health points now in the yellow. 'Only a few more attacks,' she assured herself, standing to face her enemy once more.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

The Gemini stood at safe distance away from the girl, its smug grin unwavering ever since Birdie had landed the first attack. "Well thought, perhaps I was wrong to assume you'd be weak in battle." The monster shrugged, "I promised you a fair battle, one that wouldn't last to the death..." The corners of its lips grew wider, manically smiling as it raised its weapon forwards. "I was always terrible at lying!"

Spoiler

ID# 67429 | BD: 2 | CD: 7 | LD: 18 | MB: 1 (4-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [5/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

Attack missed.

The Gemini: [38/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

"W-wait!" She cried out in an attempt to call off its attack. Birdie held Retaliation at ready should the Gemini try something, but she sought to stall out the fight for at least a moment or two. "Why me? Why are you choosing to fight me?"

Her assailant merely sighed, "I told you earlier, no? To gauge your skills and see how strong you've become." Its arms folded in a calm manner, "I'm here to kill you, my dear. It's my own agenda - besides, what easier target than weak humans like you step out from the safety of the settlements?" It same old cocky grin returned, "It's better to ask why not you, don't you think?"

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"You offer weaker players an easy duel in return for great rewards, trick them, and then force them to fight an embodiment of themselves.." Birdie took a moment to process that, her eyebrows pulling inwards at the sick trick. "That's dirty!"

"Shut up and fight! Stop wasting time!" The Gemini reared its rapier behind, looking to charge up another attack before it took off for the girl.

Spoiler

ID# 67430 | BD: 6 | CD: 5 | LD: 10 | MB: 0 (3-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [4/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

5 x 2 (Rip Ravine) = 10 damage dealt.

The Gemini: [28/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

Birdie readied herself for the attack, dashing to the left as the Gemini aimed to strike her through the chest. "W-what?!" It cried in confusion of her speed, immediately met with a series of two slashes to its back.

She held the hilt of her blade, the tip of the weapon pointing towards the ground. "I'm only saving you time.. you wont run away, will you?" Her eyes didn't even looked towards the Gemini, she knew it was hellbent on seeing her perish. "This game is so cruel.."

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

 

Spoiler

ID# 67431 | BD: 5 | CD: 2 | LD: 13 | MB: 5 (8-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [2/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

Attack missed.

The Gemini: [28/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

The Gemini seized it's opportunity to lunge at Birdie, sneaking an attack as its legs ran as fast as possible for her. "Grr!" It's voice roared as the rapier tore through the air,,lunging straight for the girl's body. To its horror, she'd sidestepped the attack once again.

She stepped backwards, creating some distance between herself and the enemy. "Please, there's still time to run, the fight's already over.." As much as she pleaded the impersonator to turn tail and flee, its expression was as unwavering as it's stubborn mindset.

"That is admitting defeat, a shame worse than losing!" It pointed the blade at its assailant, "One of us will die, there's no chance you're going to alter that fate." The mob's words held truth; she didn't have a teleportation crystal to poof out of this mess and there was little chance the Gemini would let her run freely; she had to slay it there and then.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

 

Spoiler

 

ID# 67432 | BD: 1 | CD: 1 | LD: 4 | MB: 3 (6-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [0/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

Attack missed.

The Gemini: [28/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

 

Birdie gripped Retaliation's hilt tightly, setting one foot back as she prepared to strike the monster once more. The girl lunged for the monster, bursting into a sprint towards the Gemini with a sword art aimed for its chest, a quiet grunt escaping her lips as the blade pierced her foe - or so she thought.

"You're becoming careless, hm?" A manic laugh corrupted the air behind the girl, cringing as the cackle tormented her character. "If this fight is too much for you, please don't bottle up your feelings. Please, allow me to finish it~" In that instant the Gemini ran straight for her, the girl barely dodging in the time as its blade pierced the air where her body had once been.

Her fingers trembled, "You said it yourself, to admit defeat is only for the weak.." She watched as the Gemini's smirk returned, though she cut in before it spoke. "I might not be the strongest fighter, but that doesn't make me a weak person!"

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Please stop talking," it asked, "This voice - that voice - is beginning to agitate me, I don't wish to wear your skin much longer. All you have to do is one, simple, thing - kill me." The Gemini's eye's narrowed, "Simple, yes?"

Spoiler

 

ID# 67433 | BD: 1 | CD: 1 | LD: 10 | MB: 0 (3-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [0/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

Attack missed.

The Gemini: [28/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

 

"Working on it.." the girl muttered as a whisper, her grip on Retaliation's hilt tightening. This fight was dragging on for longer than she'd anticipated and her energy reserves had quickly run dry. She'd need to stall him for a moment and playing his word games seemed to be the only way of doing so without provoking an attack. "Simple might be selling yourself short. You're not a lousy fighter, you're.. well, my equal." She stifled the faintest of smiles, not wanting to show any sign of weakness to the monster. "Listen, I.." she hesitated, ".. let's make this a fair duel."

The Gemini, having very few options at this point, seemed to relax. "Go on.."

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie took a steady breath after hearing the Gemini's intent to listen, though her intuition told her not to trust his temporary passiveness. "There's no way to reset our health points, but the least we could do is organise the duel and bring some order to it. It's how us players duel in the safe zones, though battling to the death isn't strictly the standard.. it's shunned upon."

The Gemini seemed to remain cautious, though its fighting stance loosened up. "Organised duelling.. you humans are pitiful, but if you insist on allowing me to position myself properly, who am I to refuse?" Birdie of course was oblivious to the fact that the Gemini wouldn't run out of energy, having faked being out of breath multiple times during the battle already. 

Birdie gave a weak smile. The scars left behind by battling a vision of herself were sure to last, but at least she could walk away with the notion that the fight had ended fairly. She was the first to move, walking calmly to one side of the impromptu arena whilst the Gemini stood opposite her. Holding her left arm up, Retaliation's point was aimed at her foe. "Good luck."

Spoiler

ID# 67438 | BD: 1 | CD: 10 | LD: 19 | MB: 2 (5-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [1/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

Attack missed.

The Gemini: [28/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

 

Spoiler

ID# 67439 | BD: 7 | CD: 1 | LD: 15 | MB: 4 (7-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [0/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

5 x 2 (Rip Ravine) = 10 damage dealt.

The Gemini: [18/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed.

The doppelganger locked eyes with Birdie, fingers tapping against the hilt of its fake weapon. "You dare say 'good luck' to me?" Its teeth grit together, "You make a mockery of me!"

"I was being polite.." Birdie could only frown at how negatively the Gemini interpreted her words. Whoever designed this quest - be it the creator of the game or one of the developers working under his wing - they'd created a truly terrible entity.

The woman shook those thoughts away, she needed to focus on the fight ahead of her. She noticed her energy was just high enough to perform her favoured sword art, Rip Ravine, and she kicked off the ground to sprint ahead. The Gemini tried to dash out of the way and strike her with its blade but she was too quick, slashing it twice in the arm before she ground to a halt. 'Under 25%, nearly there!'

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie wanted to finish the fight, and with the duel properly under way, it would be a simple dash back into her enemy to unleash another strike into him. She recovered quickly and twisted around on the spot, her weapon engulfing in a purple stream of light as she lunged to attack it once again.

The Gemini stepped backwards out of her attack, grinning as she passed him by several metres. The monster launched an attack of its own, taking advantage of her turned back in an attempt to sneak in an attack. She whisked around on the spot and met the Gemini's blade with widened eyes, raising her weapon up in a panic. The steel of her blade deflected the incoming attack, blocking the damage it would have done. 'Talk about a close call..' The Gemini grumbled, shuffling backwards in a line to create some distance. "Nice moves, they wont be enough to defeat me!"

Spoiler

ID# 67440 | BD: 3 | CD: 7 | LD: 4 | MB: 2 (5-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [1/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

Attack missed.

The Gemini: [18/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

"Maybe not.." The woman's voice was low as she spoke, half-halfheartedly agreeing with the Gemini. Killing a vision of herself wasn't how she thought she'd spend her evening searching for rare materials, and the fact that it was such a cruel persona attached to her voice just made all the more uncomfortable about it. 'These rewards better be as great as he says..'

The Gemini approached her and tried for a series of thrust attacks. Each jab was met with a skillful dodge by Birdie, no doubt assisted by her Ring of Eluding, and she managed to fight off the attacks until there was an opening to attack herself. She knocked the Gemini's blade away and swung her weapon forwards towards her foe's torso, only for it to duck and dodge her attack by a matter of inches.

She ran back, putting a gap between herself and the Gemini in an effort to regain some energy. 'He has to be getting tired soon.. right?'

Spoiler

ID# 67441 | BD: 5 | CD: 2 | LD: 20 | MB: 2 (5-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [0/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

Attack missed.

The Gemini: [18/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

Birdie managed to regain her breath, standing with her weapon pointed out towards the Gemini. There wasn't a hint of fatigue about the monster's physique, save for the open wounds on its arms that seemed to linger for longer than usual. 'Maybe it's starting to get too weak,' she thought, hoping its injuries might even slow it down. Testing her theory, she broke into a sprint and ran for the Gemini, her energy only permitting her to perform a basic slash. She struck the thing's arm before it could move out of the way and continued onwards, ensuring she kept control of the fight's pace.

"You will pay for that!" The Gemini hissed, running at her in a tactless attempt to deal some damage. She dashed to the left of the attack and ran behind it, stopping to catch a few breathes before re-engaging. 'I don't know if I can keep this up much longer..'

Spoiler

ID# 67443 | BD: 7 | CD: 1 | LD: 10 | MB: 1 (4-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [0/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

5 damage dealt.

The Gemini: [13/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie

[Birdie 0]

The fight had dragged on long enough, though Birdie couldn't seem to land a critical strike on her foe. 'Less than 20%.. One good attack would secure the fight, but.. he's so fast.' She kept her eyes pierced, waiting for any sign of an attack coming from the Gemini.

Birdie had noticed patterns in its fighting style. Its initial strategy involved the use mind games, trying to put her in positions where she was at a disadvantage thus pulling off easy hits. The Gemini started to become restless as the fight progressed however, its moves and attacks turning far more reckless until it got to the point where it was mindlessly slashing its blade in any possible direction, trying to pull an attack.

Using this knowledge to her advantage, she anticipated its attack as it charged straight for her, knocking the blade away with ease using Retaliation. The look on its face conveyed pure disgust for how badly the fight had shifted in the girl's favour. "Die already!" it cried once more.

Spoiler

 

ID# 67444 | BD: 5 | CD: 6 | LD: 14 | MB: 4 (7-3)

Birdie: [64/80 HP] [1/7 Energy] [5 Damage] [3 EVA] [0 MIT] [+1 EN on CD 6+]

Attack missed.

The Gemini: [13/80 HP] [2 Damage]

Attack missed

 

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Birdie