[SP-F6] Jet Force <<Gemini>>

[Ashrah 0]

"If you can manage to beat me in a duel," the NPC said.

Famous last words.

Arc stared at the strange character with a quirked brow. The very thought of an NPC asking for a fight seemed foreign. All of the ones he had ever met in SAO seemed more interested in a lucrative interaction, not one that ended in one or the other of them being wounded or worse. He knew that most non player characters were weak and offered no real challenge to the users, but he had heard something suspicious from an information dealer about this particular interaction. Might could be there's more to it than this fella is letting on.

"Sure," Arc replied. "I'll take you on. "I ain't holding back for you, though. Don't hold it against me if I tear you to shreds."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Arc watched the man's smile twist into something venomous. Called it.

What appeared to be a friendly NPC writhed and shifted for a moment, becoming a shade of its former self. Arc watched with subdued interest as it changed, then stopped. Am I looking in the mirror? What the hell is this? "What are you?" he asked. The twin merely smiled, the same genuine smile Arc gave when he was interacting with most other players. Oh, you're good. You're real good.

I'm gonna wipe the frickin' floor with you, wannabe.

 

[Ashrah 0]

"Come on, then," the not-Arc jeered. "Show me what you've got."

"That's my line," the Mercenary spat back. "If you're going to copy me, you'd better have the spine to back it up. Don't you dare try to run away now."

Arc took a step forward that encompassed the very essence of his determination. He saw something waver behind the jade colored eyes that stared back at him. A thin grin smeared itself across his lips. Just like I thought. A pale imitation.

Faster than he predicted, the doppelgänger raced at him with its reflection of Levantine drawn. Arc's eyes widened in both surprise and reflex as he started to peel back and out of the way, but the blow came too quickly. It sliced thinly across his chest and left a line that warned the Mercenary this was not an enemy to be taken lightly. "Had enough?" his Twin asked with the slightest smirk.

"Didn't notice, did you?" Arc asked.

The Gemini glanced down. A thin red line burst open on its hip where the skillful slash had caught it in its wicked drive-by. "Heh," it laughed. "Hah! I like you. You're not bad."

Arc snorted.

Arc: 138/140 HP 13/14 Energy

Gemini: 137/140 HP

 

 

ID# 67396 results:

Battle: 5 +1 = 6

Craft: 7

Loot: 13

MOB: 9

 

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Arc

[Ashrah 0]

They ran at each other, screams matched in pitch.

Arc brought his weapon upward from on low, and his mirror image came cracking down with a heavy blow. The blades clashed, then flicked backward from sheer force. The Mercenary smirked. While the creature bore his face, it had nothing akin to the experience he had gained so far. Situations like this favored the more seasoned veteran, and Arc knew what to do. He shifted grips on the fly as his weapon ripped backward.

The Gemini uttered a sound of stifled surprise as it tried to get its blade up and in the way. Arc sheared the weapon across the gap between them with a vicious blow, and the NPC staggered backward, reeling from the wicked blow. With a timely flip of his hands, the Mercenary managed to establish a proper grip, and he took a single step backward to prepare for the next move his opponent would make.

There was no reason to rush things along. This enemy wanted a fight, and it would get one. Finally, this one's not a pushover.

Arc: 138/140 13/14 Energy

Gemini: 132/140

 

 

ID# 67402 results:

Battle: 10

Craft: 2

Loot: 20

MOB: 1

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Arc

[Ashrah 0]

They raced by each other this time, but neither made an effort to strike. Arc was feeling out his opponent's defenses, probing for anything that might constitute an opening. There was none. His foe swung powerfully, but met with excessive force. The Mercenary shunted away the strike almost dismissively. Neither man wasted an effort. As their breath drew ragged, they both stared at one another with malefic intent.

I'll kill you. Arc was consumed by the desire to rip this poser down to the last fiber of his being. He wanted to leave nothing that might tarnish his reputation or honor. All he wanted from this fight was a resolution worthy of the name. I'll teach you what it means to wear that face. You'd better savor every minute, right down to your last.

His knuckles went white across the weapon's pommel as they circled each other, eyes looking on intently. He felt something off about the weapon, like it was not quite the same as his own. It wasn't quite as strong. The other "Arc" couldn't hit nearly as hard as he did. That brought a smirk to his face. After all that, you're really just a look-alike, huh?

Arc: 138/140 11/14 Energy

Gemini: 132/140

 

 

ID# 67405 results:

Battle: 4

Craft: 8

Loot: 2

MOB: 6(-1) = 5

 

Edited September 10, 2016 by Arc

[Ashrah 0]

He surged forward in the wake of the failed attack and pressed his advantage. Hefting his blade high, Arc let out a coarse growl as he leapt toward his foe and brought his blade hammering downward. The Gemini cried out in panic, but did not manage to evade the maneuver. It staggered back from the strike with a deep red gash across its torso, which caused Arc to shiver a bit. Seeing someone with his own image in that state was a bit rattling, especially on Aincrad. It made him shake his head to dispel the thought.

You might look like me, but you're definitely not me. I'd never take a hit like that without a fight.

Arc lifted Levantine so that he was looking down the flat of the blade toward his startled opponent. "Have at you," he stated in a firm voice. The mirror image cursed loudly.

That's right. Show your fear. Let me see it unwinding your resolve. So much for thinking you could finish this easily, big guy.

Arc: 138/140 11/14 Energy

Gemini: 128/140 HP

ID# 67406 results:

Battle: 9

Craft: 6

Loot: 2

MOB: 3

 

[Ashrah 0]

Again, both Arcs failed to gain any ground. The player snorted indignantly as he considered new methods of approach, quietly seeking an answer to this hellish riddle. It proved more difficult with every swing of his sword. The energy cost of a prolonged fight again started to rear its ugly head and the man bit into his lip as he considered many things at once: how to make himself stronger, how to defeat this enemy, how to overcome SAO. Arc had to focus.

This enemy was here and now.

Traditional fairy tail enemies that consisted of an internal power struggle were crafted with the intent of making the reader look inward. Arc knew exactly what he would find there. Nothing was hidden from his gaze anymore, the way he constantly looked for flaws in himself and sought to liken his performances to a pebble in a river- endlessly tossed about until refined into a perfectly round shape. That was how a fighter became better. It was how a warrior transformed into a master.

Always striving, never arriving.

Arc: 138/140 HP 10/14 Energy

Gemini: 128/140 HP

ID# 67407 results:

Battle: 2

Craft: 12

Loot: 5

MOB: 2

[Ashrah 0]

Their impasse continued.

Arc watched his double as it pressed at his defenses and sought openings that did not exist. Pressure was on to find the exact moment, but the mercenary refused to rush things. They key to victory lay in both preparation and patience. Hastily rushing in was an inopportune situation. It left holes to exploit. It made you weaker. Even a proper berserker knew the benefit of a decent defense. The quicker a fighter was, the less he needed to worry about soaking it up. Too much emphasis on striking made a man like glass. Not enough emphasis made him worthless in a pinch.

He sought to find that careful balance, wherein he would become a worthy fighter. First he would learn patience, speed, and skill. From there, he would place emphasis on the brutality of his blade, and then, he would move toward greater heights. A traveler began their journey with a single step, and Arc had already made many strides. This battle was simply a notch in his belt, and a dagger in its sheath.

"You ready to go for real?" he asked the reflection.

It smiled again.

Arc: 138/140 HP: 9/14 Energy

Gemini: 128/140 HP

ID# 67411 results:

Battle: 2

Craft: 1

Loot: 15

MOB: 2

[Ashrah 0]

Arc caught the devil off guard when it strayed too close, this time. The Gemini rushed in for a quick hit, but failed to strike true. The blade passed close to Arc's torso, but he twisted out of the way without a hitch. As the imperfect clone hung over his leg, the mercenary brought his knee up and caught his foe in the gut. Simultaneously, he brought his elbow down on its spine and sent it sprawling to the dirt.

"You don't play fair, do you?" the creature scowled.

"Fair's a matter of opinion," Arc stated. He wasted no time putting the blade through the Gemini, which let out a gasp. "And you turning into me sure ain't fair in my book. I'd rather not have to rip my own face off your battered corpse."

"I didn't take you for the bloodthirsty type," his own voice considered. Data bled away from the entry wound. Arc ripped the weapon free.

"I'm just the angry type," he countered, "and you've gone and pissed me right off."

Arc: 138/140 HP 9/14 Energy

Gemini: 125/140 HP

ID# 67413 results:

Battle: 5 (+1) =6

Craft: 8

Loot: 4

MOB: 3

[Ashrah 0]

He spun back to back with the Gemini, undaunted by the seconds of uncertainty that came with the motion. They spun at breakneck speed and turned to face one another with absolute resolve. Arc forced his blade along the edge of his opponent's own, sparks flying. They hissed and spat like warring male cats, unable to see reason and unwilling to try. It was useless for the Gemini in the end, though.

Arc overpowered the creature with brute force. One swing into another, he pushed his attacker back until an attack made it through the defenses. A long scar flecked the creature's body as it withstood an attack that might have felled most weaker enemies in a single blow. It smirked.

"Fascinating," it rumbled as it stared at Arc through his own, venomous gaze. "Simply fascinating."

The game undoubtedly collected data from encounters like these to store and use in later scenarios. It almost felt like cheating, the way that the Cardinal system could scan, identify, and use its AI to problem solve the human psyche. Cheating, and absolutely terrifying. Arc forced himself not to think of the ramifications of that sort of supercomputer when he slept at night. It was like living in the same house as a serial killer, not knowing when they would turn their blade on you.

Worse, perhaps they constantly had their blade at the ready. Perhaps they were just waiting for the right time.

Arc stared at himself with contempt in his gaze. "The sickest part of this whole quest," he muttered, "is the realization that you aren't any better than the machine, if pushed to the proper lengths. I wonder if Kayaba engineered it himself."

Something told him that the man had.

Arc: 138/140 HP 9/14 Energy

Gemini: 122/140 HP

ID# 67420 results:

Battle: 6

Craft: 4

Loot: 11

MOB: 3

[Ashrah 0]

Arc drove his blade home, deep in the chest of his body double. When he saw the faint flicker of a smile fan across its features, the Mercenary recognized his blunder. "Can't hit me, so you start playing martyr, huh?" His eyes tracked the blade as it dove downward and bit into his shoulder. He reached up and stopped it from cleaving clean through, but only just. His armor served to stop the worst of it, and Arc shrugged away the heavy blade with a gobbet of spit to accent his disgust. "That ain't skill, ya know."

"All's fair, remember?" The Gemini smiled menacingly as it ran the length of its weapon along its tongue. "You said it yourself." It was mocking him again. Arc had to laugh.

He closed both his eyes and stepped backward. "I've got to focus," he muttered. "I'm letting the anger run things far too much."

When he looked up at the beast, it was leering at him with hate in its gaze. "You're weak," it taunted. "Why haven't you killed me by now? Aren't you taking too long? Don't you have things you need to be doing?"

"Patience is a virtue, they say." His lips drew a thin line. "And if you have to sacrifice yourself to win, then you might as well be losing anyway."

The Gemini frowned. "Now I think I'm going to kill you," it said. "I hope you're having fun, because playtime is over."

"You mean this was supposed to be fun?" Arc asked. "I've been pretty bored so far."

Arc: 135/140 HP 9/14 Energy

Gemini: 120/140 HP

ID# 67421 results:

Battle: 8

Craft: 11

Loot: 3

MOB: 10

[Ashrah 0]

The Gemini rushed for him and they slashed deep into each other with no thought given to defense. Arc let out a rage filled roar as he ripped through the imposter and kept on going. He spun round and readied his weapon again. His eyes never left the other Arc, who let out a sound like exasperation as its opponent refused to relent or back down. Both of them took impressive damage from the respective blows, but neither was close to death.

This fight would be grueling on both sides, and both sides knew it.

Arc smirked as the impact slowly numbed and the last vestiges of it swept away on the wind. His eyes burned with impossible depth as he took a step forward. "Scared?" he asked.

"Of course. Aren't you?" the Gemini replied with a smile.

"Got no time to be afraid," he told not-Arc. "Even if I was, I wouldn't be."

The Gemini smiled brightly. "I picked the right one."

Arc blinked.

Arc:133/140 HP 9/14 Energy

Gemini: 115/140 HP

ID# 67501 results:

Battle: 10

Craft: 1

Loot: 9

MOB: 10

[Ashrah 0]

"Looks like you blundered," the Gemini spat as Arc's blade traveled too high and out of the way. He felt the sting of the blade as it pierced his armor, but the pain never came. Arc was almost disgusted by that. "Are you really unafraid?" it asked. "You seem to be moving erratically."

"Shut up, will you?" Arc responded curtly. "I'm trying to fight, here."

"You need to learn to concentrate," the body double jeered.

Arc shrugged. Countering it would only provoke it to talk more, and he hated this conversation enough already. His blade came back from its wayward journey and he held it at the ready. "Try that again," he called out to his opponent.

"Gladly."

The mercenary cracked his neck, and the realistic sound of bones popping reverberated in his ears. It was high time he showed this thing who the real Arc was.

Arc:132/140 HP 9/14 Energy

Gemini: 115/140 HP

 

 

ID# 67503 results:

Battle: 1

Craft: 2

Loot: 10

MOB: 9

Edited September 11, 2016 by Arc

[Ashrah 0]

"You really aren't as good at this as you thought," the Gemini taunted as it struck him yet again. Arc paid no mind to the damage that was dealt as he backed away quickly to reevaluate the approach he was taking. Thus far, straightforward seemed to be met with straightforward, and both combatants seemed to gain no ground. If that trend continued, Arc figured he might never gain an advantage and the battle would continue well into the forseeable future. He had to prevent that at all costs.

Without a response to the provoking words, the mercenary righted himself and brought the blade level. He took a deep breath, centered himself in the combative mindset, and sought a proper course of action. This was what Thom taught him. When the rage become too potent, when it fought against him for control, he needed to take a step back. That was the only way to get out of this Death Game alive.

He knew that, now.

Arc:129/140 HP 8/14 Energy

Gemini: 115/140 HP

ID# 67504 results:

Battle: 1

Craft: 11

Loot: 18

MOB: 9

Edited September 11, 2016 by Arc

[Ashrah 0]

"Straight!"

He let out a ragged breath as his bent knees went taut and his body was flung forward by the system. The Gemini managed to get its blade in the way to deal some damage, but his own blow took the bugger by surprise. With a loud grunt, the imposter fell to one knee. "Definitely wasn't expecting that," it muttered as its body shivered from the weight of the impact. Arc took the time to check his health before he turned back to face his foe.

"You're not as good at this as you thought," he recited, as if the words stuck with him.

The Gemini scowled.

"Come on," Arc stated. "Let's not waste time talking. Our swords should be doing it for us." He brought his blade to eye level and stared down the edge toward his opponent. For the very first time, he saw something like respect in its gaze.

Arc nodded. Finally.

Arc: 126/140 HP 7/14 Energy

Gemini: 108/140

ID# 67505 results:

Battle: 7

Craft: 12

Loot: 11

MOB: 10

[Ashrah 0]

Arc leaned deftly out of the way of his foe's next attack. His eyes never left the copycat as the strike went past, but his blade did give answer. He skewered the Gemini with a powerful forward thrust, aided by the system to hit despite its sloppy technique. The mercenary understood that he needed to be better, but he would settle for this for now. A hit was a hit, and until he was able to get the proper gear and improve his skillset naturally, he would take what he could get.

He danced away from the next strike, undaunted by the growing rage of his foe. Arc knew rage like the back of his hand. He understood how to control it, and to use it to his advantage. He knew that his rage was controllable, but he could benefit from understanding and learning the rage of others. Fire that burned in the hearts of men was like that. It burned hot, it burned cold, but in spite of everything, it burned.

The merc smiled grimly as he leveled his weapon at waist height.

Arc: 126/140 HP 7/14 Energy

Gemini: 105/140 HP

 

ID# 67506 results:

Battle: 5 (+1) = 6

Craft: 11

Loot: 4

MOB: 3

 

Edited September 11, 2016 by Arc

[Ashrah 0]

Gemini took another deft cleave at Arc, who staggered backward from the blow. It did not stop him from continuing on his path, though. He quickly returned to the circular motion around his opponent that kept them in relatively the same path, at relatively the same distance from one another. Once either of them closed that distance, only raw skill could determine the outcome. It was a proper chance for Arc to gauge his growth as a swordsman, even if it had gotten off to a rocky start.

He spun his blade in a powerful arc out to his side, then gripped it low and high as he took another step forward. This time, he would use the centrifuge of his movements to amplify the strength of his blow. If he made contact with this one, he might be able to leverage a huge chunk of his foe's health and turn the tide of battle to his favor. That would be ideal.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Always."

Arc: 124/140 HP 6/14 Energy

Gemini: 105/140

ID# 67508 results:

Battle: 3

Craft: 3

Loot: 2

MOB: 9

[Ashrah 0]

They continued to circle for a time without ever lifting their blades.

"I can see great potential in you," Gemini elaborated on its intent, "but I wonder about your conviction. Do you have the strength of will to push forward through adversity? Do you have the capability to seek greatness, even through sorrow and tragedy? Will you become strong? Are you even able? These are things I wish to see, but there is so much wasted potential."

Arc snorted.

"When I wear your skin, I start to understand you." Arc blinked at that statement. "I can taste your rage, and the pain that motivates you. I can feel the strength that courses through your veins, but it takes me a battle to truly glean the worth of an adventurer. You lack the concentration to see this through to its end, I think. My assessment has been since the beginning of this battle that you are distracted, disoriented, weak."

The mercenary narrowed his eyes at that assertion. He tightened his grip on the blade, but said nothing. Gemini could waste its time with words to its heart's content. Arc would not be swayed from his course.

"You lack the strength to follow your path to completion," it spat. "I will watch you die here, before you have the chance to waste anyone else's time."

Arc:124/140 HP 5/14 Energy

Gemini: 105/140 HP

ID# 67514 results:

Battle: 4

Craft: 3

Loot: 12

MOB: 2

[Ashrah 0]

He spun in perfect time with the oncoming strike.

Arc twisted his body in fluid motion and stabbed his blade backward alongside his torso. The blade bit into the Gemini deep, causing the enemy to retch in surprise and agony. With a callous motion, the mercenary ripped his weapon free and spun on his heel, bringing the edge between him and his opponent. "You're a surprising one, at best," it antagonized. "You continue to impress me with little victories, but I maintain that you haven't the skill to buy yourself the real thing."

"Says the man bleeding from his guts," Arc snorted.

"Granted, you have no quarrel with slamming your blade into a mirror image of yourself. What is it you hate? Your weakness, or yourself as a whole? What makes you so willing to strike at something that ought to be precious to you?"

"You're annoying," he answered honestly. "And you talk a great deal more than I do. I'd never pontificate about the weakness in my opponent. I'd just cut it out of them or cut them down. There's no need to hesitate when what you see is a reflection of what you can't stand."

"What an interesting answer," the Gemini smirked.

Arc: 124/140 HP 5/14 Energy

Gemini: 103/140 HP

 

 

ID# 67518 results:

Battle: 5 (+1) =6

Craft: 2

Loot: 19

MOB: 3

 

Edited September 11, 2016 by Arc

[Ashrah 0]

Narrowly, the strike flitted harmless past Arc. He watched the blade from the corner of his eye with an expressionless mask. His elbow came up before his arm, and the impact took Gemini off balance. The mercenary saw his opportunity and seized it. With a powerful twist of his body, he angled the stroke of his weapon across the Gemini's chest and landed a wicked blow that sent the reflection reeling. Arc took another step toward it. "I said stop talking," he repeated.

"Heh." The Gemini glared up at him with bloody pixels spewing from its lips. "You don't have it in you to beat me," it said again. "You shouldn't presume such a lofty place above me with one or two decent attacks, whelp."

"Get off the ground before you talk down to me." Arc held his blade's tip to the man's face. "I want to see what you've got for real, if there really is more than this. I'm not seeing it."

"You insignificant-"

Arc bashed the pommel of his weapon across the Gemini's face. "Sword," he emphasized. "You have a sword. Use it."

"You will regret that."

Arc: 124/140 HP 5/14 Energy

Gemini: 101/140 HP

ID# 67519 results:

Battle: 8

Craft: 8

Loot: 2

MOB: 6 (-1) =5

[Ashrah 0]

Arc stabbed his blade brutally downward. The Gemini rolled out of the way. "You're not going to kill me like that," it spat venomously at him. Arc brought his blade up and rested it on his shoulder. "And you're most certainly not in any position to start getting cocky. Don't lower your defenses like I'm not even a challenge to you."

"Now who's getting angry?" the Mercenary baited. "I have yet to see anything worthy of being called dangerous from you. I'm beginning to think you're all talk."

The Gemini grunted in response. Arc noticed the shift and smirked a bit. If I have to fight something more like myself, that might actually prove challenging. Maybe I should push this thing a bit harder, see what it can do. That is, before I kill it.

"Taking the time to think over a new plan?" it asked with a tilt of its head. "It won't help you. This is the limit to what you can do. You're at your wits end, and I'm here to take your worthless life." The Gemini brought up its blade and pointed it toward Arc's chest. "Be a good sport and run into my weapon so I don't have to bother with you anymore."

"Bravado is pointless," Arc sighed. "I told you to use your sword." He closed his eyes. "So I'm done listening to you."

Arc:124/140 HP 4/14 Energy

Gemini: 101/140 HP

ID# 67525 results:

Battle: 3

Craft: 5

Loot: 18

MOB: 2