[SP-F6] <<The Gemini>>

[Azide 0]

Azide managed to block the the first of the serpent's strikes using the flat of his blade, but failed to repel the creature for a second time. Its fangs briefly sank into the flesh of his arm, but this was ended as the player swatted the creature off of him. Two puncture wounds were left at the point of contact, but began to fade away soon after. In the meantime, Azide ran forward and pierced the creature's skull with his blade, leaving it a strike away from death. "This is going rather well for once," he thought. He withdrew Quantum Slicer from the creature and watched as it slowly regained its composure. For the time being, however, it still appeared to be in some sort of daze. It wouldn't take a whole lot of effort to dispatch it at this point.

ID: 8150

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) - 1 (Mitigation) = 1

Damage taken (Snake) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 2 (Skills) = 6

Azide HP: 21/22 (-1)

Snake HP: 5/11 (-6)

[Azide 0]

Azide swung repeatedly at the serpent, missing as it ducked and weaved its way closer and closer. Its movements were fluid- almost hypnotic, in a way. It seemed to flow in between each stroke of his sword, filling the spaces that were missed by the arc of the blade. Soon enough, the serpent's fangs managed to find their way to his ankle this time around, biting into them mercilessly. Gritting his teeth and baring with the pain, Azide put an end to it with a swift stab through its head. The jaws of the serpent relaxed before falling slack, and its long and slender body became limp. He pulled the blade from its flesh, then watched as the serpent shattered in that familiar animation, leaving behind a bit of its venom and little else. He quickly sent the material to his inventory. "I've been looking for this, actually. It should make a fine ingredient in the potion I've been meaning to synthesize."

ID: 8154

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

LD: 2 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) - 1 (Mitigation) = 1

Damage taken (Snake) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 2 (Skills) = 6

Azide HP: 20/22 (-1)

Snake HP: -1/11 (-6) [Dead]

*1 material acquired

[Azide 0]

Having finished up that little scuffle, Azide continued on his merry way through the jungle. "This place is rather large and expansive. I might not have been able to find what I'd been searching for the last time I was here, but the jungle is just positively overflowing with materials. I bet there's enough here to supply all of Aincrad with potions for the rest of our time here," he thought. Just as the rain forests of earth, this one contained a disproportionate amount of diversity in terms of life. He stooped over into the tall grass in search of any mushrooms or flowers he could take back to the shop. After spending a fair amount of time looking through the long blades, he decided his time would be better spent looking somewhere else. He rose back to his feet, empty handed for now, but not quite ready to leave this place.

 

ID: 8209
LD: 9 (Nothing)

[Azide 0]

Before long, it came to his attention that there was yet another enemy lurking about in the undergrowth. Keeping Quantum Slicer drawn Azide kept his guard steady as he followed the rustles of the jungle with eyes and ears, keeping a careful watch on the creature's movements. As he continued his steady pace through the trail, the sounds became increasingly more obvious and prevalent. "The thing must be stalking me. It's likely some sort of larger predator- prowling about and waiting for its chance to strike. I certainly won't afford it that, however." He kept himself calm and collected, knowing well that a predator would likely read anxiety or tension as a mark of vulnerability.

[Azide 0]

Finally, the inevitable moment arrived, putting an end to tension. Azide could hear the rustling of bushes and blades of grass before finally spotting the creature, turning his head only to be greeted by the sight of large tiger leaping out of the vegetation. As the creature pounced at him, he swung Quantum Slicer at its maw, only for his blade to be swatted away by its paws. Without a moment to spare, Azide withdrew his weapon and rolled out of the way. Knowing how close, and presumably agile, the creature was, he quickly gathered himself before hastily getting back on his feet.

ID: 8272

BD: 4 (Miss)

MD: 2 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

Azide HP: 20/22 (-0)

Tiger HP: 11/11 (-0)

[Azide 0]

As the two recollected themselves, the large cat soon began to approach him slowly, as if unthreatened by his presence. It came at him slowly and calmly, with the pace of an evening stroll and a look of control. He swung Quantum Slicer at the creature's head, but the metal connected only with the air as the creature shifted itself safely out of reach after each attempt. Suddenly, it crouched down, signaling its attack to the player. As it sprang forward, claws unsheathed, Azide had managed to evade the assault due to the forewarning provided to him.

ID: 8275

BD: 1 (Miss)

MD: 4 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

Azide HP: 20/22 (-0)

Tiger HP: 11/11 (-0)

[Azide 0]

The following sequence of events proved to be a familiar affair, leading to very much the same results of their previous clashes. The tiger had leapt forward, swipe at the player with its paws before snapping at him with its maw, but each of these efforts was easily avoided. On the other hand, the large cat showed an admirable ability to evade the swings and thrusts of his sword with equal ease, displaying an ability that must've been refined from prior battles. "Then again, I wonder if the AI in this game is adaptive? Do these creatures learn from their previous encounters, or do they just forget? I'm either fighting a veteran of the jungle, or just doing ridiculously badly today." He thought about it for a moment longer. "Actually, maybe a bit of both," he concluded, having just missed his swing by about a mile.

ID: 8276

BD: 1 (Miss)

MD: 1 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

Azide HP: 20/22 (-0)

Tiger HP: 11/11 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Yet again, the two opponents failed to leave their mark on each other as another round went by with little in the way of casualties, or even minor damages. At this point, Azide quickly found himself growing irritated, reminded of countless similar incidents that had occurred before. "In a way, I'd almost prefer to take damage than have neither of us continually take any damage at all." There was just something about these resultless turns that made his blood boil. They wasted his time, and time was as good as gold in his world. Swings and swipes were missed, lunges and leaps were made. Nobody was injured in the making of this observation.

ID: 8277

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 1 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

Azide HP: 20/22 (-0)

Tiger HP: 11/11 (-0)

[Azide 0]

"Finally!" thought Azide, as he felt his blade make contact with the creature's flesh. His swing had been true, and cut deeply into the side of the creature, leaving behind a long red gash through both its fur and flesh.

The creature let out a yelp and snapped at him, baring a row of sharp teeth and eyes filled with rage, but missed the player by a hair. In spite of whatever unpleasant sensations it felt, the creature's AI seemed relatively faithful to its real world counterpart, and seemed to take issue with expression its discomfort. That would, of course, be interpreted by its enemies as a sign of weakness.

"But I already know you're weak." Azide swung Quantum Slicer in his hand, then readied for a second strike to bring it all home.

ID: 8279

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 6 (+1 Evasion) = 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Tiger) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 2 (Skills) = 6

Azide HP: 20/22 (-0)

Tiger HP: 5/11 (-6)

[Azide 0]

His resolve, however, gave him little to show for. As he came running at the beast to deliver a death-blow, the creature managed to pull itself together in time to leap out of the way. In retaliation, it'd come charging at him from its new position, hoping to flank the player and catch him by surprise, but also found little success for its efforts. Azide leapt back out of its striking range, having calculated a rough figure in his head after their first few bloodless encounters. "Well, looks like it's back to square one," he thought, sighing. "Looks like it's going to be a long day."

ID: 8281

BD: 2 (Miss)

MD: 2 (Miss)

Damage taken (Both) = 0 (Misses)

Azide HP: 20/22 (-0)

Tiger HP: 5/11 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Azide darted forth, hoping to put an end to this before it dragged on even longer, wasting both of their time. In his advance, he suffered minor injury after being tagged by a swipe of the wildcat's claws, but did not let it slow his pace. He continued his approach all the way until he reached the beast itself, then drove the length of Quantum Slicer through its chest and into its body, making the creature shatter instantly. As the crystals of deleted data began fading from view, Azide crouched down and picked up a vial of the creature's blood. "Tiger's blood? Sounds like that whack job alternative mumbo jumbo. Primitive in our world, but in this world? Who knows?" He sent the material to his inventory, then dusted himself off and walked away as the visible scars from his wound faded and healed.

ID: 8283

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

M: 7 (Hit)

LD: 1 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Hit)

Damage taken (Tiger) = 1 (Hit) + 3 (Rapier) + 2 (Skills) + 2 (Crit + 2) = 8

Azide HP: 19/22 (-1)

Tiger HP: -3/11 (-8) [Dead]

*1 material acquired (2 materials acquired, total.)

[Azide 0]

Azide found himself ambushed a bit sooner than he'd expected, having just departed his previous battle moments before.

Another wildcat sprang from the bushes, having apparently stayed silent throughout the fight. It tackled the player to the ground, pinning him down and sinking its claws into his flesh.

"The thing must've been waiting for the tiger to do a bit of chip damage on me, in hopes of picking me off when I was weak. Unluckily for him, I'm not weak." He threw the wildcat off of him, and could now make it out to be a black panther. "Black Panther, huh? Hopefully not the racist variety," he mused. He rushed forward and swung his rapier, managing to catch the creature's underbelly even as it leapt away.

ID: 8284

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 7 (Hit)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1

Damage taken (Panther) = 6

Azide HP: 18/22 (-1)

Panther HP: 5/11 (-6)

[Azide 0]

Azide ran forward full-speed, driving the blade of Quantum Slicer deep into the creature, to the point of feeling the creature's fur brush against his fingers. He held it there, taking a few of the creature's dying swipes in the process, but thought the minor blow to his health to be worth it. "One health point or not, there's nothing quite like ending a fight quickly." Soon enough, the creature shattered into crystals just as the wildcat before it, leaving behind a few strands of its fur. He sent the material to his inventory, wondering what sort of potion it might be good for, but deciding he'd find out at another time. He continued through the jungle, and after a couple more minutes, heard yet another rustling in the undergrowth. "Another one already?"

ID: 8288

BD: 10 (Crit +2)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

LD: 5 (Nothing)

Damage taken (Azide) = 1 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) - 1 (Mitigation) = 1

Damage taken (Panther) = 6 (Base+Rapier+Skills) + 2 (Crit +2) = 8

Azide HP: 17/22 (-1)

Panther HP: -3/11 (-8) [Dead]

*1 material acquired (3 materials acquired, total.)

[Azide 0]

Out from the bushes stepped out a man, dressed from head to toe in a long black hooded cloak. He wore a mask of some sort which covered his eyes, and approached Azide slowly and calmly. He wore a politician's smile, which the player found to be disconcerting for some reason. "Hey there, nice day isn't it?" asked the man matter-of-factly. "It's surprisingly hard to find other people around here."

Azide kept his hand clasped around the grip of Quantum Slicer. To be honest, another player was the last thing he expected to see in this part of the jungle. "Good thing I excessed a bit of caution, or I might've run him through just like those last few creatures." He noticed, however, that the man carried no name. "On one hand, at least that rules out an orange player. On the other, hand..." He found himself suspicious of the other man, whoever he might be. "His smile reminds me of one I've seen before," he thought, unable to shake vague feelings of unease. He chose to ignore the man's first comment, and replied to the second. "I wouldn't exactly call that surprising. Nonetheless, I'd interested to know why you're out here?"

The man shrugged. "I'd just like to challenge you to a friendly duel. Nothing big or fancy- just to break the monotony, you know? But should you choose to accept, I can guarantee you a prize if you happen to beat me."

His gut instinct told him to walk away, finding the whole scenario to be highly suspect. 'But then again, I can't say I'm not interested in his prizes. And there shouldn't be any harm in a duel..." He nodded slowly. "Alright, I accept."

The man chuckled quietly, then lowered his hood to reveal a familiar face. He drew a long and slender rapier from his sheath, then pointed it at the player. "So let's get started," he declared, tearing off his cloak. A tag now appeared above him, revealing his name as "The Gemini".

"So, you can transform into me? Not too impressive. Already fought another guy that looked like me- although admittedly, this guy's interpretation is a little more honest," he thought, recalling the time he'd fought a doppelgänger of him on top of a waterfall. "Although that would certainly explain why I recognized the smile..." He laughed, then drew his own sword and returned the gesture. "Let's get started, Gemini," he answered, gesturing for his opponent to make his move.

<<The Gemini>>

HP: 22

Base attack: 3 (Base + One-Handed Rapier Rank 1 + Athletics)

Damage Mitigation: 1 (Light Armor Rank 1)

[Azide 0]

The Gemini smiled and charged forward in a manner that reeked of cheap imitation- specifically, of the player whose appearance he currently bore. The NPC darted back at forth, then came blazing at the player in a flashy display.

However, his imitation no doubt contained more flash than substance, and did not earn him any hits against Azide. As the Gemini appeared before him, Azide deflected his strikes with relative ease. "His movements might look like mine, but they show little in the way of calculation. He's just a misguided fool." After repelling another swing, Azide counter-attacked with a diagonal slash across the NPC's chest, leaving a large gash.

ID: 8292

BD: 6 (Hit)

MD: 3 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Gemini) = 6 (Base + Rapier + Skills) - 1 (Mitigation) = 5

Azide HP: 17/22 (-0)

Gemini HP: 17/22 (-5)

[Azide 0]

The two continued their exchange of swings, with each combatant matching the other blow-for-blow. Each strike was met by the other's blade, leaving the two effectively stalemated as they clashed again and again. Finally, a mistake was made as the Gemini feigned one motion but executed another, allowing him to slip his rapier past the player's defenses.

Azide winced as the cold metal pierced through his body, and felt as the cold metal was immediately yanked back out of it. "Damn you," he swore bitterly. He tightened his grip on Quantum Slicer. "He has the advantage right now. That bastard- attacking me after I'd already been weakened." He shook his head. "No, this was my choice. I'll put an end to this and take the responsibility."

ID: 8311

BD: 4 (Miss)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 3 (Base) + 1 (Crit +1) - 1 (Mitigation) = 3

Damage taken (Gemini) = 0 (Miss)

Azide HP: 14/22 (-3)

Gemini HP: 17/22 (-0)

[Azide 0]

Azide darted forward and ducked under the arc of the Gemini's swing, then swung upwards only to be blocked as his opponent guarded himself with the base of his blade. Un-phased, Azide stepped closer as he continued a barrage of swings and thrusts at the imposter. "They say imitation is the highest form of flattery, Gemini," he remarked. Finally finding an opening, thrusted his sword forward, stabbing the NPC through the chest. His strike had been off center and missed the vitals, but had done its damage.

An instant later, the Gemini repeated the same actions, albeit not quite as precisely. In any case, both attacks did a fair amount of damage to them both. "Are you flattered, Azide?" asked the Gemini, laughing.

ID: 8312

BD: 7 (Hit)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 3 + 1 (Crit +1) - 1 (Mitigation) = 3

Damage taken (Gemini) = 1 (Base) + 3 (Rapier) + 2 (Skills) - (Mitigation) = 5

Azide HP: 11/22 (-3)

Gemini HP: 12/22 (-5)

[Azide 0]

Both combatants quickly withdrew their blades from the other and took a moment to recollect themselves, but seemed to be operating on a similar wavelength, with each making his next move before his injuries could fully recover. In the case of the Gemini, this likely came at little sacrifice, simply being an AI.

For Azide, however, he simply dealt with the pain and moved as the burn shot through his body. He through out a few swings, having the first few deflected. "More than flattered. I'm honored," he remarked. He managed to outmaneuver his opponent for a moment, landing a clean slice along his stomach.

The victory didn't last long, however, as the Gemini came back to land a strike of his own.

ID: 8313

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 9 (Crit +1)

Damage taken (Azide) = 3 + 1 (Crit +1) - 1 (Mitigation) = 3

Damage taken (Gemini) = 6 (Base+Rapier+Skills) - 1 (Mitigation) = 5

Azide HP: 8/22 (-3)

Gemini HP: 7/22 (-5)

[Azide 0]

Azide quickly recovered from his wound, then ran at his enemy, weaving through his web of swings and thrusts. With Quantum Slicer keeping him safe from the threat of the Gemini's own rapier, he managed to fend off the NPC's strikes long enough to catch him off guard. Taking advantage of the moment, Azide managed to slice deeply into the man's arm. Instinctively, the Gemini lashed out before reaching to clutch it, but missed.

"Just one more hit should do it," Azide noted. He didn't want to start gloating- aware that there was still the looming threat of a reversal. "Just a small string of bad luck is all it'd take to bring this all crashing down." He shook his head. "But better to stay positive." He readied Quantum Slicer, and prepared to go the last mile.

ID: 8315

BD: 8 (Hit)

MD: 5 (Miss)

Damage taken (Azide) = 0 (Miss)

Damage taken (Gemini) = 6 (Base+Rapier+Skills) - 1 (Mitigation) = 5

Azide HP: 8/22 (-0)

Gemini HP: 2/22 (-5)

[Azide 0]

Azide winced, feeling cold steel cut into his flesh once more. "Just great," he thought. "Better not have jinxed it... Still, stay positive." He clasped the length of the blade with his hands, thankful to be wearing gloves, and stopped the blade from traveling any further. He pulled himself off, grimacing in the process, but with the knowledge and understanding that he'd fine shortly. He deflected an attempted follow-up before attempting one of his own, but failed to make his mark.

ID: 8316

BD: 3 (Miss)

MD: 8 (Hit)

Damage taken (Azide) = 3 (Base) - 1 (Mitigation) = 2

Damage taken (Gemini) = 0 (Miss)

Azide HP: 6/22 (-2)

Gemini HP: 2/22 (-0)