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

[Ashrah 0]

He continued to watch its rage, taking in the implications of what it would mean to ever lose himself to it again. Would he kill another player, or worse? He could never take that chance. He had to put an end to that untamed machine here and now, and to take control of his own darkness so that it would never be used against anyone. That was what they did, after all. Black Brothers were strong not because they slaughtered enemies, but because they mastered themselves. Both Arc and Alkor... no, both Tobias and Thom had spent so long obsessed with games, with martial arts, and with history that they came to adore the idea of internal mastery.

They helped others along the way to recognize the merits of self-discipline, and they inevitably created a place where like minds could come to enjoy themselves. It helped them get through some of the hardest things in their life. Thom had learned to cope with his grandmother's condition by throwing himself into that unending battle, and Tobias hoped that the other man found some measure of peace along the way.

If nothing else, once his path reached its end, he had found it at last.

Arc: 78/140 HP 3/14 Energy

Gemini: 9/140 HP

ID# 68712 results:

Battle: 2

Craft: 6

Loot: 14

Mob: 5

[Ashrah 0]

This was what it all came down to.

As the creature rushed forward with a howl of rage in its throat, the Mercenary gathered his courage. He rushed forward to meet his foe with a gilded Sword Skill emanating from his weapon. With that power, he would bring forth a new age for himself. With the strength he had earned with his own two hands, Tobias would become stronger than he ever believed possible. That was what he wanted. The game had responded, because that was how the NerveGear worked. It understood a player's thoughts. It responded to signals from their innermost thoughts.

If Tobias sought to become a hero, in this world, he could be one. There would be no one to take that away from him. It was not a matter of what you did in the world beyond, but of how much you truly wanted something within. The same was true outside, however. Strength came from inside.

Now, he was learning that. For the first time, he understood just a small amount of what Kayaba had understood. This world was crafted by his own dreams, for other dreamers. Death game be damned, there was always more to things than what people wanted to think.

Arc: 78/140 HP 2/14 Energy

Gemini: 1/140 HP

ID# 68713 results:

Battle: 8

Craft: 5

Loot: 12

MOB: 4

[Ashrah 0]

That was all it took.

With one final swing, Arc cleaved disdainfully through echoes of his own hate and dismissed the creature from his reality forever. It's over.

Data flooded from the creature's shivering body in droves, seeping away and back into the world around them like a rip in reality itself. Arc turned slowly to face the end of his foe, only to see the stream filter back toward himself. He looked down and watched in dismay as the creeping darkness infected him once more, but it felt so familiar and warm that he sighed. It was almost like something that was taken away had been returned, but he was more aware now than ever.

If you seek freedom from yourself, you need only learn to be content with who you are.

Arc froze. He knew that voice. He slowly turned to gaze at the speaker, and he could see his father standing over him with a smile. You are not weak, Tobias, and you are not a failure. See that? You faced something so sinister most men would flee from it. But you weren't afraid. You knew what you had inside of you, but you always kept going. If anything, you truly have begun to understand what I meant.

Become a man who people can depend on. Be someone who protects others. You're doing great, son.

He fell to his knees as the image dissipated, and Tobias wept.

Arc: 78/140 2/14 Energy

Gemini: DEAD

 

 

ID# 68714 results:

Battle: 6

Craft: 1

Loot: 10

MOB: 1

 

 

Thread Complete

Arc gains 6 SP

<<Concentrate>> Extra Skill

and

1200 Col

Edited September 27, 2016 by Arc