SP-F6 <The Gemini> Testing out a theory

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Sigurd had played it safe up until now. She had remained hidden, explored the floors to the best of her abilities, watched the other players, and learned a great deal. She had listened to rumors and stories, spoken to every NPC and information broker she could. She had carefully and methodically identified exploitable systems, hazards and variables. She had done every conceivable thing she could to prepare. It had seemed like it took years to plan this out and now she had her chance to execute it. Despite her planning, she still found herself waiting. Now though she was watching players attempt a quest. The Gemini. She had seen this go down many times since learning about it. A feeble NPC would challenge a player to a duel. Accepting it would reveal that the NPC was actually not so feeble, but instead a mimic of the player attempting to defeat it. So far she had seen a 50/50 spread of wins and losses on this quest. Some over powered it, and some didn't Easy enough. It was the losers though that held her interest the most. The winners usually took by sheer force, overpowering the NPC with strength and trained skill. That was easy to replicate for most, but not her. Instead she needed a more cunning approach to beat it. That's why the losers interested her so much. Studying them, revealed how it won, and what pitfalls she needed to avoid so that she might overpower it herself.

She was perched on a rock not far from where a duel had just broken out. A hardy looking swordsman had taken the challenge and was met by his own reflection charging him down. For a few moments it looked spectacular. He even seemed like he was going to win. That is until he was suddenly overwhelmed and defeated. Most players seemed to have a grind lower monster attitude. Sure they leveled up quickly, but the lacked experience fighting anything that matched them. That was there undoing. Anything providing even more than a meager challenge would overwhelm them and that was it. As was the case here. She winced as the swordsman was sent flying with one final swing of the Gemini's sword, before he landed with a thud, and scrambled off. No doubt he was near death and needed to make a hasty retreat.

"Silly boy" She thought with a smile as she watched him scramble away while his friends laughed.

 

Gladecover_Witch Stats with items equipped
HP 20
Damage 1
Mitigation 18
Evasion 2
Accuracy 0
Bleed on 8-10
Paralyze on 9-10

Items equipped

Witch Robes

Bone Bleeder

Skull of Longevity

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

She hopped off her rock and moved a little closer as another challenger approached the Gemini, who had reverted back to its previous form. The new challenger had been one of the friends of the first guy, and was still grinning ear to ear at his friends failure. No one seemed to take notice of her as she approached the group of friends or guildmates who were now giving the first challenger a hard time. She assumed that this might be a guild initiation. Bring a group of pledges out to fight it, and when all was said and done, only those who had beaten it could join. Odds are only one member of their group had ever actually beaten it, though she couldn't figure out who. Still this was educational, and she was going to learn from the attempts made, if there was anything else still to figure out.

The second challenger appeared to be much like the first. A DPS type wielding an axe and a shield. He reminded her of the old stories from her village years ago. The ones about the viking warriors. It was a charming notion, but she could tell already that he was going to lose. His stance suggested that he was going to run aggression, rather than rely on defense. An error that many who failed this seemed to make. In a grudge match the Gemini usually came out the victor. She assumed the system favored it. Though it was the same in a casino, when a draw would occur, the house always wins.

Moments later the Gemini revealed itself to be a copy of its new opponent and the pair rushed each other. The sound of clashing metal filled the air, and then like before the competitor was sent back, landing on his backside with a thud. That was two for two, the Gemini was on a roll. Defense she thought to herself, don't rush him. Wait, and end it in one or two blows. 

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Sigurd continued her approach as a third opponent presented himself to the NPC. Again it transformed to match the tank that now dared to accept its challenge. This would prove to be interesting, she thought as she was now standing closer to the crowd. Close enough now that she could see the levels of the players present. They were all Mid to high twenties. Certainly capable fighters, though so far they were being beaten pretty hard. The group payed her no heed as they shouted their encouragement to their friend.

She watched closely now as the tank charged the Gemini causing her to smirk. It was a shame, he had started out so promising, and was now following the same pattern of hit it till it dies that the others had all tried and failed at. Maybe he thought his armor would hold out? Or maybe he had confidence in his damage output? He was wielding a two handed sword after all, surely if anyone could manage a one hit kill, it would be a two hander right?

Again the sound of metal clangs filled the air as both the Gemini and the player continued to swing at the other. Neither of them seemed interested in moving from their respective places. They just seemed to take turns wailing on each other with the hopes that they wouldn't be the first to drop. This was both boring and pointless causing Sigurd to sigh as she watched. She could almost count down the attacks until the tank lost. His health had now dropped below the Gemini's, no doubt the result of a few critical strikes. She had learned about those already. They could make or break someone's chances of winning. An uncontrollable variable she would need to be prepared for.

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Before long the tanky looking player with the two handed sword was bested, though his defeat was much less spectacular. he had dropped down to one health and the fight ended with the Gemini as the victor. Such was the way it went. His friends taunted him, laughing at his attempts, though they had not faired much better. Maybe this wasn't a guild related event. Maybe this was just a few guys screwing around and attempting a quest for fun? Now that she thought about she hadn't seen them around here before, nor had she seen them anywhere for that matter. Of course, given that she was still level one, she didn't get to the higher floors simply because of the danger, so she may never have had the chance to see them. 

But since they were here, they would get the chance to see her. They would see her effortlessly defeat the Gemini, in spite of her low level. To them it would look like she had done nothing. The illusion would be set, and they would never know how much effort went into planning this very moment. 

The tank walked back to his friends smiling while they patted him on the back. Sigurd could here them saying things like "Good try" or "At least he didn't knock you on your ass." She chuckled at their encouragements, and their attempts to sustain each others egos. In the end they were all weak, their levels meant nothing if they didn't use their brains. 

She sighed as she walked around the group, finally catching their notice. They eyed her a moment, before shouting out their warnings. "It's dangerous to go near that thing. Your too low a level to fight that monster." Were among the few things they shouted as she approached her target. Clearly they had not done their homework at all. Sigurd produced from her inventory a small vial of liquid and quickly consumed it. An immolation potion that could hand out severe damage to anything that managed to strike her. It was both a safety measure, and the backbone of her plan.

Potion Used
T1 Immolation Potion - 10 unmitigated damage on successful non critical enemy attack.

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

As sigurd approached the now hooded figure the group of players continued to yell at her. Their warnings of imminent danger falling on deaf ears. Before long they fell silent, waiting to see what would happen. She took a quick moment to equip a trinket from her menu, and a skull appeared in her left hand. She gripped it firmly and turned it to look at her, muttering to it under her breath to create the illusion of spell work. She wanted people to think that she could manipulate the system with mere words. Something that would help her later. That was why she looked the way she did, She was a witch, and she wanted everyone to know it.

Once she was in range the Hooded figure of the Gemini approached her. It spoke the words it must have spoken a thousand times over. "You look pretty strong." She sighed at these words. She didn't look strong, not yet anyways. Clearly this was just a standard preprogrammed start. But it was a good thing. It showed her that there was no level requirement to initiate this quest. She had never seen anybody her level actually make this attempt. In truth the lowest player she had witnessed even try to beat the gemini was a level seven, who lost as well. Her theory was that this creature scaled to meet the level of any who dared to fight it, meaning it would need to challenge her at level one. This was a crucial detail, and the reason why she needed to do this now in her weakest state.

"I'm looking to test my skills. If you beat me, I'll teach you a hidden skill. What do you say?" His words were well rehearsed and he seemed to stand by now, patiently waiting her response. She nodded to the figure, signaling her acceptance of it's challenge. "Very well." The figure responded now taking a more aggressive stance and dropping its cloak to reveal a copy of herself.

Trinket Equipped
Skull of Longevity - Recovery 2, Evasion +1

Gladecover_Witch Stats
HP 20
Damage 1
Mitigation 18
Evasion 2
Accuracy 0
Bleed on 8-10
Paralyze on 9-10
Immolation (10 unmitigated damage to opponent when it lands a non critical hit.) Temporary effect.

Gemini Stats
HP 10
Damage 5
Mitigation 1
Evasion 2
Accuracy 0
Critical Damage 6 on 9, 7 on 10
Paralyze on 9 to 10 

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

The Gemini sneered at Sigurd, raising its similarly fashioned dagger. It inspected it for a moment, before turning its attention curiously to the skull in its opposite hand. "How quaint." it muttered as it turned its focus back to her. Sigurd remained silent, not moving, just watching and waiting for the moment this would begin. She had no intention of making the first move, that defied her plan. She needed to see what this thing did with her items, before she responded. In truth she had had very little fighting experience of any kind before this moment. In its own way this was sort of an acid test for her as well. Thrown into the deep end so to speak. But if things went bad, she had her backup plan. 

 

Sigurd lowered the hood from her robes. They were a recent purchase she had made. The red fabric, the blackened leather, the feathers. They suited her so well. Seeing the Gemini wearing them gave her a chance to admire them further, to admire herself. Her dreadlocked hair was pulled back into a pony tail, a few of them hanging over her shoulder casually. and a blue smear of war paint was stripped across her face. She remembered that, though it had been so long ago. Before putting on her nerve gear, she had painted the streak across her face. It was symbolic. Her grandparents had told her stories of the Vikings that she shared a blood line with, and how they had painted up before battle. Now it was permanently there for all to see.

 

Once the Gemini seemed satisfied inspecting its, her, equipment it took on its stance. Sigurd followed suite crouching down, resting her weight on the skull in her left hand, with the dagger held behind her back and out of sight. She knew that her opponent was aware of her weapon, after all it had materialized the same one, so the element of surprise was of no use here. Instead this was for show, getting into character. That was something it couldn't mimic, her character. She began muttering again, silently. Now it wasn't just for appearances, it served to settle her nerves and keep her focused so that she wasn't visibly shaking in her boots. This was exciting, and nerve wracking. If anyone had been close enough to hear her muttering, they would hear nothing but a stutter. 

 

The Gemini sized her up for another moment before charging in for its first attack.

 

 

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Everything happened so fast. The Gemini cleared the gap in a flash, and before she could react it was upon her. The only thing she could do was fall back out of the way. She had frozen up, and could not manage an attack of her own. 

She hit the ground behind her with a thud, narrowly avoiding her opponents attack. Meanwhile the sounds of laughing and taunting could be heard from the sidelines. "Go home little girl." She could hear them calling out to her. It was ridiculous that this kind of behavior was still mainstream. She would show them though, she would teach them to hold their tongues. When she won, they would no longer be able to talk, they would be silenced, and the last laugh would be hers. But she actually needed to win for that, and so she would need to get back up. Without a sound she rolled back onto her feet, getting back into the crouched position she had been in before. A quick inspection revealed that she had not taken any damage, and was still good to fight. The only thing hurt was her pride. She had wanted this done in one shot. But, this was how she would learn. 

The Gemini wasn't far from her now. Only a few strides away, glaring at her with  sinister smile. Despite missing it's previous attack, it was completely unnerved, and ready to keep going. Sigurd pulled her hand with the dagger behind her back again and rested her weight on the skull like she had before. She was ready to try again, and would wait for it to move again.

 

Gladecover_Witch

HP 20/20

BD 5-2=3 Miss

Gemini

HP 10/10

MD 1 Automatic miss

 

 ID# 173418 results:

 Battle: 5

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 2

 MOB: 1

Edited October 19, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Again the Gemini attacked. This time lunging forward with a burst of speed that shocked Sigurd. This time however she was ready, and lunged as well. She attacked, swinging at her opponent, attempting to stick her dagger between its ribs. Her attack was smooth and flawless, but the the Gemini was fast, and turned its own body to evade her. Her attack that should have stuck hit nothing but air, and in return she felt a pang in her back as the Gemini counter swiftly jabbing its own dagger straight into her spine. It wasn't just a pin prick however, as the Gemini slammed its weight down into her body, causing her to crash to the ground hard. It had landed the perfect attack that she had meant to do herself. It was proving to be a stronger opponent than she could have guessed. 

A moment or so passed, before the Gemini pulled its knife from Sigurd's back, backing up a few strides to ready itself again. Things were not going the way she had thought, but at the very least, she had managed to shrug off most of the damage taking only a fraction of what she would have normally suffered if not for her armor. Again she was met with more taunting and laughing from the spectators. This entire thing was infuriating none the least. Her carefully calculated plans were being thwarted by her lack of experience. 

She went to get up but found something she could not have anticipated. She was paralyzed. She was entirely unable to move. The Gemini had known this, and that's why it had backed off. It had the luxury to back up and regain momentum. And for a brief moment she would be at its mercy.

 

Gladecover_Witch <Paralyzed>

BD 6-2=4 Attack missed

HP 19/20

Gemini 

MD 10 Automatic Critical hit

Damage 7-18=1

Paralyze effect applied to Gladecover_Witch

HP 10/10

 

 ID# 173419 results:

 Battle: 6

 Craft: 4

 Loot: 4

 MOB: 10

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Sigurd had been able to recover from the paralysis rather quickly. She wasn't going to die here like this. AS the Gemini moved into attack she managed to roll to the side, evading it, and countering with a quick swipe of her weapon that the NPC easily evaded. She got back to her feet and stared it down. It had been a cheap trick to catch her the way it had. She kind of admired that actually. But still she had every intention of winning this one, and was determined to beat it at any cost. All this would take is a little time. She needed to push it, watch for her opening and strike when the moment was right. So far the fight had been good, and she had been learning lots from it, not just about the enemy at hand, but about her own combat style. It wouldn't be long now. Soon she would have it dead, and she could move on from this.

 

Gladecover_Witch 

HP 19/20

BD 4-2=2 Miss

Gemini

HP 10/10

MD 6-2=4 Miss

 

 

 ID# 173424 results:

 Battle: 4

 Craft: 1

 Loot: 12

 MOB: 6

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Again The Gemini lunged at Sigurd. Its blade coming dangerously close to her throat. The only difference was this time, she had been ready for it, and evaded its attack rolling to the side. She landed neatly as a low hiss escaped her lips. This was angering her greatly. Perhaps if she had had some more practice in combat, she would have landed a hit, but given that this was her first fight she was struggling to even keep from getting hit. Still she had plenty of health left and was going to see this through to the end. Of course, if she continued to miss, it would only be a matter of time before she herself was over powered. After all one could not go on like this forever right? Sigurd grit her teeth as she prepared to attack again. She needed a plan to end this smoothly. So far the only plan she had was strike right after its attempt, catch it off guard and reduce its window of escape. It seemed like a good plan.

 

Gladecover_Witch

HP 19/20

BD 2-2=1 Miss

Gemini

HP10/10

MD 4-2=2 Miss

 

ID# 173963 results:

 Battle: 2

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 19

 MOB: 4

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

The Gemini wasted no time, turning sharply to attack Sigurd again, but this time she was in a prime location to attack it. It swung at her with the dagger, and as its arm arced over her head, she sprung forward, jabbing her own dagger swiftly towards its under arm.  The Gemini had shifted its weight again at the last second causing her to miss her strike a second time. Despite missing, she knew this was how she had wanted to attack, she had wanted to be fast and decisive in her strikes, delivering sharp jabs to vital organs. While she had not managed to land a strike this time, she had at least disrupted it enough to prevent it from landing any sort of instant retaliation. This might actually work if she managed to keep this up. Wait for it, evade, retaliate, and repeat. Like this she could whittle it down to nothing. It would be the ideal way to win.

 

Gladecover_Witch

HP 19/20

BD 7-2=5 Miss

Gemini 

HP10/10

MD 4-2=2 Miss

 

ID# 173964 results:

 Battle: 7

 Craft: 12

 Loot: 4

 MOB: 4

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

All of this was happening too slow. Sigurd had already dragged this fight on too long. She needed to find a way to speed things along. That being said she made a decision to use her next opportunity to lower her evasion stats slightly. Rather than attack, she opened up her menu and quickly unequipped her skull of longevity. The idea was that her evasion would lower, and her opponent would land a hit. Sadly even while being momentarily distracted by her menu, the Gemini still failed in its attempt to strike her. It lunged again, firing off a quick jab that seemed to fall strangely short of hitting her. She sighed as she took a step back and prepared for the next attack. She desperately needed it to come in fast again. She needed it to be confident and aggressive like it had been with the others. But given the limited range of their weapons, they were forced to play a sort of cat and mouse type of game, striking back and forth, hoping to catch the other.

 

Gladecover_Witch

HP 19/20

Unequipped Skull of Longevity -1 to evasion

No attack

Gemini

HP 10/10

MD 5-1 =4 Miss

 

ID# 174013 results:

 Battle: 5

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 10

 MOB: 5

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Even with her evasion lowered, it seemed like the Gemini was having issues dealing with her. Perhaps her strategy of being defensive had thrown it off and it was entirely geared to dealing with aggression. If that was the case this was an exploitable flaw, not that she was looking to exploit anything now. It lunged again, swiping the dagger at her, and once again falling short. The range of the shortened weapon was just not what it needed to land a successful hit. In retaliation Sigurd followed suit, swiping back at it, only to miss in the same grand fashion. Eventually one of them would land a hit, it was just a question of who and when. She wanted to try to bait it out, put herself on the line and see if it would try its over aggression again. would it really make that much of a difference though? She wasn't keen on just letting it stab her after all. And besides, what if it tried to combo off a successful hit? If she was wide open there would be no way to stop it racking up the damage. In this case it was certainly best to keep going like they had. 

 

Gladecover_Witch

HP 19/20

BD 1 auto Miss

Gemini

HP 10/10

MD 4-1=3 Miss

 

ID# 174014 results:

 Battle: 1

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 20

 MOB: 4

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Sigurd sighed to herself, her frustration clearly evident in this. The Gemini was difficult, but it was not showing her the real challenge she had been expecting, not yet anyways. Could it be that she was just way more powerful than the other players? No she couldn't afford to think like this. That kind of arrogance was what got people killed. Instead she would chalk this up to luck. Nothing else would play out like this, and she would keep in mind that this was one single isolated instance. SHe needed to keep on her guard and do things right. She remained crouched, her dagger firmly gripped in one hand while her free hand rested on the ground. She was ready to launch an attack as soon as the Gemini moved.

It did so again, like it had before, lunging at her. While its attack was good, she was prepared, and in a flash kicked over to the side, freeing herself from its range, before striking back, catching it in the under arm. Her dagger pierced deeply into and with the same speed and decisiveness she pulled it back. The end result was a quick, but critical jab into its body. The Gemini staggered back after the strike, it had a look of shock on its face. Clearly it had not expected to be caught so easily with an attack.

 

Gladecover_Witch

HP 19/20

BD 9 Auto hit Critical

Bleed applied to Gemini

Paralyze Applied to Gemini

The Gemini

HP 9/10

MD 6-1=5 Miss

Bleeding -12 HP for 2 turns

Paralyzed for 1 turn

 

ID# 174019 results:

 Battle: 9

 Craft: 2

 Loot: 19

 MOB: 6

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Sigurd smiled as she watched the shock in the Gemini's face. She had not only landed a clear shot, but she had managed to apply the effects of her weapon to it as well. Bleed and paralysis. There was no way out now, the Gemini couldn't move, nor could it survive. It was in essence game over. Still she wanted to ice the cake so to speak, and given that the Gemini could not move, she would take advantage of that and strike it again. She moved towards it rather quickly, dagger in hand and fired off another quick shot to its ribs. This did nothing to the Gemini and Sigurd was surprised to see that she had only managed to catch the fabric of its armor with her dagger. A miss. She had not taken into account that fabric did not contribute to hit boxes in this game. But now she knew, a valuable lesson learned.

The Gemini gasped and choked as the bleed effect began to deplete it, and moments later it slowly took a step back and fell to its knees as it's health dropped to zero. In a single moment it had been defeated. It fell to the ground dramatically. A little too dramatically in Sigurd's opinion. But regardless a win had occurred and the fight was now over.

A notification had popped up, indicating that she had won the duel, with a small screen under it referencing her new skill. Disguise.

 

Gladecover_Witch 

HP 19/20

BD 5 Miss

The Gemini

HP 0/10

Paralyzed

-9 HP for bleed

 

Gladecover_Witch Wins. Skill obtained, Disguise

 

 

ID# 174021 results:

 Battle: 5

 Craft: 4

 Loot: 17

 MOB: 9

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Silence continued on for several tense moments. The Gemini had not simply vanished like any other monster would have. She had heard that there was a personalized element to this quest. A moment to speak with the Gemini and learn something. It wasn't a tangible reward, but it was something that had managed to bring peace to a few players, and guide them in better directions. She was curious now as to what it would say. By this point it had reverted back to its hooded state, and was getting back up, dusting itself off nonchalantly.  

Sigurd couldn't help but grin as she cast a quick glance over her shoulder to the bystanders who had been watching. She had seen three of them attempt what she just did, and they all had failed. It was satisfying to see their awestruck looks, even if her plan had not gone as she had intended. Still, she had achieved her goal, and set off on the right path. Her attention turned back to the Gemini as she tucked her dagger into its sheathe. She wondered how this might work now. When it copied her, did it scan her, or did it just download all known information on her to compile the personalized element. Furthermore what insight could it offer her. Luckily she wouldn't be left to wonder long as it began to speak.

"Strange really. you've been here so long, seen so much, yet you are still so small. What is it that you are afraid of?"

She stood in silence. This had not been what she expected at all. This didn't feel like something an NPC would say. It felt, natural, and based on observation rather than programming.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

"I mean that you held back so long and only now just started your first steps. What made you wait?"

Again she had no immediate response to the question. She had always said that she stayed back to plan. Preparing her strategy had seemed like the right choice. But how many years had it been now? How many times had she set a plan and then backed out because something changed. It's true, she had held back unnecessarily. The Gemini could be seen smiling from under its hood as if it knew it had struck a chord with her. She wanted to respond, but didn't have an answer that she could give. Had it simply been fear? The simple fear of death maybe? Or was it something else.

Advancing meant many things. Power, riches, and a chance to aid in escaping this place. But it also meant that she would need to develop relationships. Friends, enemies. Her solitary life would be over. That was the truth of it. Putting enough distance between herself and the front line meant she would not be depended on. She did not need to get close to anyone, and no one needed to get close to her. That was the truth of it.

"I w-w-wanted t-t-t-to be alone." She spoke softly, fighting through the stutter. The simple truth of it. She had told this to many people in the beginning. People had asked her to join them, or tried to make friends and she had always said she wanted to be alone. But to answer this question with this answer seemed to reach her on a different level. It carried weight, suggested a bitter life, and somehow made her unhappy.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

The Gemini chuckled as if it had won some sort of game. "And how does that make you feel?" It asked. Sigurd thought for a moment that she had caught a smug look from under its cloak, but that could have been a trick of the light. She sighed deeply, trying to push back her annoyance. She didn't like being made to realize truths about herself like this. She had been hoping for something more along the lines of directions to a new quest that might hone her particular skills, or a hint about treasure. But this seemed to be more geared to her flaws and feelings, all of which seemed unconnected to her situation. 

"D-d-does it m-m-matter?" She asked crossing her arms and tapping her foot in slight irritation. All things considered she couldn't see the relevance that this conversation had to anything. None of her plans revolved around being around people, so being alone suited her just fine. "B-b-being al-l-l-lone means I d-d-don't have anyone s-s-s-slowing me d-d-down." It was a simple truth. She had heard too many stories about adventurers perishing in an attempt to save other people. So many had died because they had chosen to develop bonds and socialize. 

The Gemini nodded, crossing its arms to mirror Sigurd. "Yes, that is true. Or perhaps you are worried about how others would view you?"

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

Sigurd was taken aback by the Gemini again. She was angered by its response. How dare it speak of things that it knew nothing about. She lived in isolation in the real world. People were cruel, people were mean. She experienced it. Up until a few years ago this program hadn't even existed. It wasn't programmed to feel pain, fear or anxiety. It had no idea what she had gone through. Without thinking she pulled her dagger and attempted to jab it into the Gemini's chest, causing it to chuckle. The quest had been completed, she could not fight with it anymore. Her attack had been entirely pointless. 

"Quick to anger you are. Lead you on a path to ruin it will." It said in a mocking voice that sounded like a little green puppet in an old movie she had seen once. "Perhaps that is the root of what holds you back. You are afraid of the other players. Not what dangers they possess, but what they might do or say if they got to know you." 

Sigurd sighed as she pulled her dagger from the Gemini's chest. "S-s-s-so how w-would I fix this?" There was truth in it's words and somehow it had her figured out. If only it had displayed this kind of knowledge of her during there fight, then maybe it would have won. She wasn't sure now if she was humoring this program in its analysis of her, or if she was genuinely interested in what it had to say.  

 

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch

[Gladecover_Witch 0]

The Gemini chuckled again. "The answer is simple. You need to actually give people a chance." It was the simplest of answers, yet it was the one she feared. Was there really no way to make people be be proper? She couldn't use fear or power? Instead she just needed to gamble on each person individually? It wasn't an answer Sigurd was happy with. 

"S-s-s-so I j-j-just need to t-t-t-trust people, and h-h-hope it all w-works out?" That seemed like far too obvious an answer to things. And what happened if it went wrong? If she trusted someone and they chose to go behind her back. In a place like this that could be life or death. But then, these were the same people from the real world. They didn't go around then just screwing each other over, that was just a few people. Maybe it was possible that here, when there was more on the line, she was more likely to find friends, or at the very least companions. 

The Gemini turned back to look at the group of previous challengers who had now decided to leave. They had made it a fair distance back towards the town, and were completely out of earshot. "Not everyone. But Don't discount every person you meet either. There are good people worthy of trust, you have to find them though." It turned to look back at her. "You don't need to be alone because you are afraid. Some people will do bad things, and others will stand by you."

"But h-h-h-how do I kn-kn-know which is which?"

Edited October 20, 2020 by Gladecover_Witch