{SP-F6} Transparency <<The Gemini>>

[Pinball 1]

Using: [x1]  <<Yui's Grace>>

A murderer's folly is an entertaining thing to watch. Where once he held himself with an inwardly stoic and icy demeanor, he now wore uncertainty like a mask and regret like a jacket wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Stumbling alone alongside a rushing river, Pinball walked under wet and dripping leaves, his face shrouded in the upper canopy's shadow. 

He was thirsty. So painfully thirsty and there was a river right next to him but he didn't take a drink. Pinball was hurt. In so many ways he was hurt. It felt like something inside of him was trying to pull his heart in two. Or maybe it was already torn. Maybe something was trying to put it back together. 

But he didn't deserve a heart. Monsters don't need them. Isn't that what he'd so proudly proclaimed when he cut down Roulette for being an asshole? Pinball grit his teeth. 

Player Stats:

Spoiler

~Skills/Stats~ 

Level: 55
Health: 1100 | Energy: 110
DMG: 18 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3
 
Skills:
 
Combat skills:
►N/A
 
Weapon skills:
►<<2H Assault Spear>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
►<<1H Straight Sword>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
 
Armor skills:
►N/A
 
Extra skills:
►<<Familiar Mastery: Fighter>> [18/18]: Rank 3 - Grandmaster
►<<Martial Arts>> [0/50]: N/A
►<<Survival>> ~ Active
 
Utility Skills:
►<<Hiding>> [50/50]: Rank 5 - Grandmaster
 
Modifiers:
►[Active] <<2H Assault Spear: Ferocity>>: +1 Base DMG
►[Active] <<2H Assault Spear: Finesse>> ~ Rank 3 
►[Active] <<Sneak Attack: Assassin>>
►[Active] <<Hiding: Vanish>> 
►[Active] <<Hiding: Untraceable>> 
 
Inventory
»[Equipped] [Demonic] Cold Fervor: +2 Freeze, Phase, Cursed 
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Dragon’s Skin: +3 EVA
»[Equipped] [Perfect] Warrior’s Focus: +3 ACC
 
Battle Ready: 
» [3x] Teleportation Crystal 
» [2x] Greater Curative Potion: +120 HP 
» [5x] Spinach-Artichoke Dip: +2 EVA  
» [5x] Hummus Dip: +2 Acc
» [Uncommon OHSS] Tyrfing: Absolute Accuracy 

House Buffs: 

Spoiler

Housing Buffs: 
“Well Rested”:  -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
“Squeaky Clean”: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
“Filling”: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30
“Relaxed”: Increases HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
“Item Stash”: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot 

 

[Pinball 1]

But finally his thirst got the better of him and he begrudgingly knelt by the shore, cupping some water in his hands and bringing it up to his lips and taking a long drink. It was tasteless and maybe a bit muddy, but he didn't have to worry about health problems in Aincrad. Health problems - it's funny he still remembered what those are. Pinball grinned helplessly, clearly in distress. 

"Remember when you used to feel pain?" Pinball croaked, letting the river water spill through his fingers. "I do. And I remember school, and homework. And grocery stores. And my mom and my grandma." He felt his eyes start to water. 

There was nothing in his hands now and so he rested his palms on the flat of his legs. Pinball took a shaky breath. "I'm... I'm still here." 

Silence. A twig snapped from somewhere close behind him. Pinball whirled around, eyes wide. 

"You look pretty strong," a hooded figure said. "I'm looking to test my skills. If you beat me, I'll teach you a hidden skill. What do you say?" 

[Pinball 1]

He knew what this was. The Gemini. A hooded figure approached you while you were on this floor and challenged you to a fight. If you killed it, you got a skill that boosted your evasion. If you spared its life, you got a skill that could help boost your accuracy. Both only usable in a pinch, but both very much usable nonetheless. A screen popped up in front of him, with a 'Yes' option and a 'No' option. 

<<The Gemini>>

Pinball hesitated, but clicked 'Yes'. It was a wonder he'd never been approached by it until now. The extra accuracy could help if he was ever in trouble. 

"Wonderful," the Gemini said dryly, "follow me." 

What was with that sudden shift in tone?

Pinball frowned, confused. But he stood up and he wiped away the beginnings of tears clinging to his eyes and brushed the mud off the knees of his pants. He followed The Gemini, eyeing the yellow cursor hovering over its head. 

[Pinball 1]

Through the densely populated jungle they walked, through shadow and morning dew, together in silence. Pinball wasn't sure if it was normally supposed to be this quiet, or if there was something wrong with his Gemini. He didn't say anything though. There was something peaceful about it. 

He knew by now that this quest scaled to your level, so Pinball buffed himself while they made their way to wherever it was it was leading him. He never had mitigation, so it was best that he was at his best in regards to the things he could do. But the NPC-Monster thing gave no inclination as to noticing him quickly taking chomps of his consumables. 

The silence wasn't broken. And it didn't break until they got to the clearing. Ovular and empty - no trees or bushes around them. It gave them space to fight without there being obstacles to trip over. "Stand here," it told him as it walked to the other side of the field. 

And then The Gemini turned to face him, pulling down its hood. 

[Pinball 1]

For a moment, Pinball didn't recognize the face that he was looking at. Wasn't The Gemini supposed to copy your appearance and equipment? 

Pinball was looking at a tall, but thin teenager with cold, pale, calculating blue eyes; devoid of any shred of sympathy or compassion. His face was flat, betraying no emotion. He looked tired. So morbidly tired; like he could fall over at any second. His mouth was permanently twisted into a frown, and he stared daggers at Pinball. But the stranger's equipment was the same as his, down to Zomekko's jar tied around his waist - and after a moment there was finally a spark of recognition. 

This was him. His face, his height, his weight, his instability. 

The Gemini rested a copy of Pinball's spear on his shoulder, much like Pinball himself does. He was being copied. His habits, his stance, his gait. "I am you," it said. It lifted a hand and a menu flickered into life in front of it. Pinball couldn't see what it said. "And I've been updated. To become more intelligent and aware of the human condition, as it is. In the case of Player Killers such as yourself, my task is rationalization." 

Pinball said nothing. 

After it tapped some buttons, it dismissed the screen with a flick of its wrist. "I've taken the liberty of going through your memories." The Gemini frowned deeply, its brows furrowed. "And after everything I've seen, I..." 

It shook its head. "I think the word for it is confused. I'm very confused, Pinball." 

[Pinball 1]

There was something weirdly frustrating about hearing your own voice spat back at you almost robotically. And Pinball let that rage creep up on him, turning his vision red. He felt his heart beat quicker. 

Quicker, quicker. 

He gripped his spear so tight you could see the whites of his knuckles. "Then stay confused," Pinball hissed, "you don't need to know nothing." 

The Gemini retained its blank, steady gaze. Its stare fell away from his face and instead locked onto the weapon in his hand. "You're using your spear. That confuses me too." 

"You picked up a One-Handed Straight Sword so you wouldn't be able to hurt anyone. It's the weakest weapon after all. That was your reasoning, wasn't it?" 

Pinball flinched. 

"Two kills with your sword. One with your spear, following the murder of Sugutsuya."

Suddenly Pinball felt the weight of Rose's Thorn in his inventory. He grit his teeth. Dug his heel into the muddy earth. And Pinball rocketed forward, glowering as he punched his spear clear through the Gemini's stomach. 

The NPC-Monster gave no inclination he'd been struck. His eyes remained level with Pinball's own. 

Empty. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Action Taken: Sword Art - [Dimension Stampede] [-13 EN/+1 EN] {Well Rested} 
The Gemini: ID#122752 MD: 6-3= 3 (Miss!) BD: 8+2= 10 (Hit!) ~ 18*15= 270-96= 174 DMG + FREEZE

Pinball: 1,100/1,100 HP | 98/110 EN | 18 DMG | 5 ACC | 6 EVA 

The Gemini: 376/550 HP | 275 DMG | 96 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA | 1 BLD [FROZEN]

[Pinball 1]

"Sugutsuya was an interesting case," it continued. "From our perspective, it wasn't murder - it was voluntary manslaughter. An act of passion." It hesitated, and would have shrugged - but the Gemini was frozen solid. So it went on. "Misplaced as that passion may have been." 

It didn't feel frustrating anymore. It felt personal. To have something like this dissect him in the state he was in; the state they were all in. It was cruel. And it was creepy. And it was violating. Could NPCs really be programmed like this? To be granted access to a person's memories? Towards what end? Was all of this - all of the time spent locked away in this hell of a game - just some sort of twisted experiment? 

Was the Gemini even talking to him in the first place? Or was he imagining things? 

He didn't understand. He couldn't think straight and he was angry. His mouth twisted upwards into a snarl, his white-knuckle grip on Cold Fervor only intensifying under this Gemini's scrutiny. 

"But every killing after that was different. Some you enjoyed. Some you didn't - but you had the option to walk away and you chose to follow through." 

"You claimed the frontliners were responsible for this... corruption. And yet you only preyed on the weak and ambitious." 

"Why?" 

Silence. Pinball's spear tore into it, dropping its health into the yellow in a violent spray of ice and color and shadow. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Action Taken - Sword Art [Dimension Stampede] [-13 EN/+1 EN] {Well Rested} 
The Gemini: ID#122778 MD: 7-3= 4 (Miss!)  BD: 6+2= 8 (Hit!) ~ 18*15= 270-96= 174 DMG 

Pinball: 1,100/1,100 HP | 86/110 EN | 18 DMG | 5 ACC | 6 EVA 

The Gemini: 202/550 HP | 275 DMG | 96 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA | 1 BLD [FROZEN]

[Pinball 1]

"Kirbs was the one who broke your facade." 

"Shut up." 

"The only murder you seemed to truly regret." 

"Shut up." 

"But you followed through. Like the others before her. Was she too ambitious for you, Pinball?" 

"Shut up."

Pinball threw himself forward, and this time the Gemini made a weak attempt to parry - but Pinball was much more experienced than that. Twisting into a sideways flip, his spearhead would cut a vertical gash across the Gemini's avatar - starting from the top of his head to where his legs seperated. But it remained unfazed, and dropped the weapon entirely. It just wanted to talk, but Pinball didn't want to let it. 

"We can't comprehend emotion. We throw words like 'regret' around very loosely. But we think we understand why you killed her." 

She didn't deserve to die. 

"Because you were afraid. You were afraid to admit what you really were. You hid behind your decaying mental state and used it as a shield - as justification. You wanted to believe what you were doing was right but you knew it wasn't and it finally showed." 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Action Taken - Sword Art [Dimension Stampede] [-14 EN/+1 EN] 
The Gemini: ID#123140 MD: 8-3= 5 (Miss!) BD: 5+2= 7 (Hit!) ~ 18*15= 270-96= 174 DMG 

Pinball: 1,100/1,100 HP | 73/110 EN | 18 DMG | 5 ACC | 6 EVA 

The Gemini: 28/550 HP | 275 DMG | 96 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA | 1 BLD 

[Pinball 1]

"It made you feel better. You wanted to feel something because you couldn't feel anything." 

It nodded once, never breaking eye contact with Pinball. It was uncomfortable. It was infuriating. Pinball shook his head. Nodded. Shook it again. He didn't know how to respond so he didn't. 

"And why? Why did this all start?" 

Pinball stayed quiet now, the tip of his spear slowly drifting towards the floor. 

"Because you wanted someone to blame. Something to blame. But even from the beginning it was a twisted philosophy. You were hypocritical from conception to commission and you know it's true." 

"Every time you killed. Wrote a name in that book of yours. Every time you sat down to close your eyes and nothing but nightmares found you." 

A flicker of life flashed in its eyes. And its mouth twisted into a smile and it started to laugh at him. 

"It was all because you couldn't accept that she was gone!" 

The Gemini's hands found purchase on the Assault Spear embedded in its throat. It pushed forward as its health dropped, bringing its face worringly close to Pinball's own. The Gemini's fingers traced along the side of the wide-eyed teenager's face. And with one last sickly grin it sighed happily. "I understand." 

"There's nothing you can do about it," it cooed softly, its face turning to dust, "and there's nobody to blame but yourself."

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Action Taken - Sword Art [Dimension Stampede] [-14 EN/+1 EN] 
The Gemini: ID#123167 MD: 3-3= 1 (Miss!) BD: 6+2= 8 (Hit!) ~ 18*15= 270-96= 174 DMG 

Pinball: 1,100/1,100 HP | 60/110 EN | 18 DMG | 5 ACC | 6 EVA 

The Gemini: 0/550 HP | 275 DMG | 96 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 1 PARA | 1 BLD 

[Pinball 1]

<<Summary>>

Pinball Receives: 
4 SP
600 Col
Extra Skill: <<Disguise>>