[SP-F6] <<The Gemini>> In a Mirror, Darkly (Complete!)

[Aetharan 0]

The rumors surrounding the sixth floor of Aincrad were enough that Aetharan just had to go see it himself, at least once.  After all, how often did one run into a place filled with only female NPCs?  They had to be worth a look, at least for those who swung that way, but far more interesting in the long run were the whispers that adventuring on this level just might mean finding and fighting one's self.  "I have gone to find myself.  If I get back before I return, keep me here..."  Yeah.  Hefting his newly forged weapon from just this morning, he grinned at that prospect.  He'd been wanting to test it out, and what better target could he level that beautiful half-pike at than himself?  He didn't even spend ten minutes admiring the rear ends of those amazons before he was out into the jungle, keeping his eye out for any sign of danger.

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan

[Aetharan 0]

His walk would take him perhaps an hour into the jungle without so much as spotting a critter that needed killing before he found himself face to face with a nameless, hooded NPC.  Well, then.  This would match the rumors, wouldn't it?  Raising an eyebrow, he waited to see what the NPC would say, and he couldn't help but laugh at the promise of riches in exchange for a friendly duel.  Out here, in the middle of nowhere, far from any safe-zones...  Not against a player, but against this unnamed thing that stood in front of him?  Oh, no.  He was genre savvy enough to know even before accepting the quest that he was looking at a fight to the death.  The rumors, however, had been clear enough:  If your power is entirely from your own skills, you face a mirror match.  If you're geared, you have a distinct advantage.

Well, in that case, Aetharan had the advantage.  Until this morning, he'd only have been able to output two damage a swing unless it was a crit.  Now, that was doubled.  Just as important, his target would lack the mitigation that Aetharan's armor provided him.  Assuming equal luck, he'd be striking his enemy for four times the damage per round that he was taking in return.

This would be easy.

"Alright, nameless.  I'll take you up on it."

[Aetharan 0]

There was a wicked little chuckle as the NPC pulled its hood off to reveal Aetharan's face.  Oh, this was going to be fun.  It was then that the name appeared over its head, revealing that it was called Gemini.  Well, at least he knew what to tell others when he told the tale of this little duel, didn't he?  One thing was certain: he was going to ruin this NPC so hard that looking at his face in the mirror later would be giggle-worthy!

Both of the thin men assumed a combat stance, grinning at one another like a pair of madmen.  To anybody watching (wave at the counselor AI!), it would be an obvious mismatch from the start.  On one side, there were only the basic starter clothes and that first-level spear that any two-hander would have gotten out of the starting kit.  On the other?  Heavy armor to help deflect blows (if somewhat uncomfortable in the warmth of the jungle, thanks to its fur lining), and a glossy, dark, jagged pole-arm that had yet to taste blood.

That very last bit was about to be changed, wasn't it?

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Our contestants:

Aetharan: HP: 19/19.  Attack: 4.  Mitigation: 1.

Gemini:  HP: 19/19.  Attack: 2.  Mitigation: 0.

[Aetharan 0]

The pair of them lunged together, Gemini snarling in a pre-programmed manner, while Aetharan laughed like a madman.  Mismatched blades glowed with the light of an active art, though it seemed that the decision to act at the same moment didn't mean that they'd chosen to use the same skill in the exchange.  Still, spear-tips were aimed at one another's hearts.  He didn't care if this hurt.  Aetharan knew that this would be fun, no matter how it turned out, because unless the deities of random numbers really, really hated him, the mismatch was one he couldn't lose.

Unfortunately, it seemed that luck wasn't on his side, really.  At least, not for the very start of combat.

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(ID# 29317 results: Battle: 4 Craft: 4 Loot: 8 MOB: 9)

(Exchange results:  Aetharan's HP drops to 17/19.  Crit for (3-1)=2.  Gemini's HP remains 19/19.  Miss.)

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan

[Aetharan 0]

If his ex-wife could see the expression on his face at this kind of injury, she'd be in shock.  Would he have reacted like this back in the real world?  That spear tore into his right shoulder pretty hard, though not enough to make movement any harder, but his only real reaction was for that grin to grow even wider.  After all, it wasn't like a man could feel pain in this world.  Of course, that did mean that certain kinds of people, now that they were trapped, had to seek out some other source for their endorphin rushes.  Poor sods.

Gemini called out to him, "You can't win, you know!  I know all your moves!"

Aetharan responded, "I like my NPCs better when they can't spout cliches!"

Sadly, the annoyance of bad television writing was enough to ensure that not only was Aetharan unable to dodge Gemini's lunge, but he couldn't get his weapon even pointed in the right general direction before the enemy had blown by, scraping Aeth's cheek.

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(ID# 29320 results: Battle: 1 Craft: 10 Loot: 17 MOB: 8)

(Exchange results:  Aetharan's HP drops to 16/19.  Normal hit for (2-1=1).  Gemini's HP unchanged.  Miss.)

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan

[Aetharan 0]

With a smirk, Aetharan decided to taunt his enemy despite the fact that, for the moment, he was losing.  He could afford the slow start, so it didn't worry him.  Three damage in two rounds?  Ha.  He could beat that in one strike.  Well, he would beat that in one strike if he ever actually managed to make contact!

"Come on, Gemini.  If you're going to give mirror-universe level performances, at least ham it up as much as Scott Bakula did!  Now, once more...  with feeling!"

"You don't know the power of the dark side!"

"That's more like it!  Right genre, completely inapplicable to the situation, but beautifully hammy!  Keep 'em coming!"

This time, it was Aetharan who charged while Gemini braced for the attack.  Of course, as was always going to be true in such exchanges between spear-wielders, both would be trying to bite the flesh of the other, rather than purely to deflect.  Neither managed to succeed, sadly.

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(ID# 29321 results: Battle: 5 Craft: 7 Loot: 15 MOB: 3)

(Exchange results:  Swing and a miss both ways.)

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan

[Aetharan 0]

Gemini looked confused, but it probably hadn't exactly been programmed for geek-banter in the middle of a fight.  Still, the NPC was doing the best it could within its programming to meet expectations, and so as it charged toward its target, it called out.  "I'm going to cut you to ribbons!"

Aetharan could only shake his head at that weak threat, giving his half-pike a little twirl and ramming its spike into the ground as he ducked, setting for the charge only to make sure that he was ready to give a thrust at the exact moment of impact.  "You're not even wielding the right kind of weapon for that threat, you idiot!"

The NPC managed to swerve just enough for Aetharan's spear to miss entirely, while its own made contact square in Aeth's chest.  The armor absorbed most of the blow, not penetrated but pushed into its wearer with enough force that, in the real world, it would be some very ugly bruises later.

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(ID# 29322 results: Battle: 5 Craft: 8 Loot: 19 MOB: 6)

(Exchange results:  Aetharan drops another HP, down to 15/19.  Normal hit.  Gemini still untouched!)

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan

[Aetharan 0]

Now it was Aetharan's turn to take a swing, and he was getting sick of this silly banter with a barely-intelligent NPC!  Raising himself from that kneeling position, he gave a clockwise twist in an attempt to bring that half-pike down up into his opponent's kidney.  At the same time, Gemini was giving a widdershins turn, thrusting once again for his chest.  The long-haired man found some amusement in the fact that the computer had just assumed that everybody taking this quest would be right-handed.  Oh, it was willing to swap out stats and weapons, but make Gemini a southpaw?  Nah.

It was sad.

This time, at last, that jagged half-pike would taste virtual blood.  It may not have been the kidney shot that Aetharan hoped for, but it dug deep into Gemini's gut, even as the NPC's spear bit once again into one of Aetharan's shoulders.

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(ID# 29323 results: Battle: 7 Craft: 7 Loot: 10 MOB: 8)

(Exchange results:  Aetharan drops to 14/19 HP.  Normal hit for (2-1=1) damage.  Gemini finally drops to 15/19.  Normal hit for 4 damage.)

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan

[Aetharan 0]

Gemini recoiled from the assault with a cry of simulated pain.  What kind of attack had that been‽  His opponent had hit him, with a basic strike, for as much as he could deal with a critical against an unarmed opponent!  That just wasn't fair!  Still, he had a job to do, as determined by the system.  He was supposed to kill this player, now that the human had accepted the duel.  That was that.  Suck it up, take a half-step back, and thrust again!

For his part, Aetharan decided to press the advantage.  His creation had finally tasted blood, and he wanted to bathe it in more!  Eyes were wild now, and his grin was broad.  There would be no stopping him, no matter how much his luck may hate him.  This time, things went very, very badly for the NPC.  Oh, its spear may have once again rattled across Aetharan's armor, giving him another would-be bruise to worry about later, but Aetharan's half-pike sank into its unarmored chest.  It wasn't a heart strike, but it was still a vicious stab wound!

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(ID# 29325 results: Battle: 10 Craft: 8 Loot: 13 MOB: 5)

(Exchange results:  Aetharan drops to 13/19 HP.  Normal hit for (2-1=1) damage.  Gemini drops to 9/19.  Total critical for (4+2=6) damage.)

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan

[Aetharan 0]

Aetharan's smile was becoming downright beautiful, in his own mind.  This was fun, and in ways that he hadn't expected despite having already heard rumors of this kind of mirror-match being available on the sixth floor.  "Come now, Gemini.  You must know you've made a mistake...  Were you designed with the thought that there'd be some psychological disadvantage for the player who had to face his own reflection?  If so, your maker is a fool.  I've already had to kill myself once this week.  You may have my face, but you're not me...  You're just a bit of code that needs deleting."

Lunge again, this time aiming for the stomach.  He wanted to give this...  this thing a wound that, in the real world, would be the kind of thing that he could be sure would kill, but take days to do so.  Of course, even if he succeeded, he'd still have to finish the fight properly, but that kind of cruelty felt like it would be cathartic.  This time around, though, Gemini was too busy desperately scrambling and dodging to even swing back.  It was enough to ensure that Aetharan didn't get in a hit, though.

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(ID# 29331 results: Battle: 2 Craft: 8 Loot: 9 MOB: 2)

(Exchange results:  Swing and a miss on both sides.)

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan

[Aetharan 0]

Aetharan was on the offense, and he didn't want his momentum to be broken by the stupid AI deciding to play the coward!  "You worthless piece of scum...  Hold still while I end you and finish this quest!  It's not a ****ing duel if you run away, you *****!"  And now the chat filter was getting in his way.  He hated it when he couldn't get a word out that he was trying so desperately to shout in something's ear.  Oh well.  What really mattered was that reversing grip, the half-pike raised over his head to bring it down into his scrambling opponent's skull, even as a spear was desperately thrust up at him in reply.

Both bit flesh, but the more elaborate weapon bit far harder.  That black-bladed half-pike may have missed the skull itself, but it came down hard along Gemini's right side, leaving a glowing line from shoulder to hip that ran halfway through that body.  The small hole that appeared in Aetharan's left leg at the same moment felt like nothing in comparison!

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(ID# 29332 results: Battle: 9 Craft: 5 Loot: 7 MOB: 8)

(Exchange results:  Aetharan drops to 12/19.  Normal hit for (2-1=1) damage.  Gemini drops to 4/19.  Critical hit for (4+1=5) damage.)

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan
Modifying emphasis in the banter.

[Aetharan 0]

The battle was already his.  Aetharan knew it.  Gemini probably knew it, if it had been programmed to understand when it was at a tactical disadvantage.  He pulled back enough to give his artificial opponent time to stand.  "Come on.  Get up.  If you're going to wear my face, you're going to die on your ****ing feet.  I said get up!"  Gemini seemed to understand, and rose.

Now it was time for the pair to square off.  As at the beginning of the battle, they assumed mirrored versions of the same pose, dominant hand in the rear while the off-hand steadied near the weapon's center of mass.  That left Aetharan's right arm and Gemini's left crossed over their respective rib-cages as the pair locked eyes.  This time, they weren't both smiling.  Aeth still was, but his doppelganger was instead wearing an expression of fear.  The glowing damage indicators on their respective bodies told the story well enough.  Aaron was wounded, but it was a large number of shallow scratches.  Gemini, on the other hand, had just a handful of injuries, with each one of them being grievous.

Again, both weapons glowed with the activation of a sword art, and the pair lunged in perfect sync with one another.  This time, it's the same technique, with the computer assist forcing the weaker weapon to drop just enough for its shaft to pass underneath the stronger one's en route to their mutual targets: each other's hearts.  Gemini's simple spear rattled off of Aetharan's breastplate, unable to puncture it but instead knocking the player's breath out of him.  In exchange, that jagged half-pike tore through flimsy cloth and flesh, only to emerge through the NPC's spine.

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(ID# 29334 results: Battle: 10 Craft: 3 Loot: 11 MOB: 8)

(Exchange results:  Aetharan drops to 11/19 HP.  Normal hit for (2-1=1) damage.  Gemini drops to -2/19 HP.  Total critical for (4+2=6) damage.)

(Combat results:  Aetharan gained a level.  HP improves to 13/21.  Gemini drops nothing, but Aetharan gains the extra skill <<Concentration>>.)

Edited August 29, 2015 by Aetharan

[Aetharan 0]

Gemini's simple spear dropped to the ground first, vanishing in a blaze of light as if it had broken against Aetharan's armor, although he knew it hadn't.  The victorious player kept his eye on that reflection his own face, however, even as he lifted that half-pike just enough to force Gemini's feet off of the ground.  The NPC was now ever so slightly in the air, supported only by the pole-arm ran through him as his hands moved to grasp the pole, and he stammered out something that Aetharan couldn't hear.

Flesh blazed brightly, then the NPC shattered into a thousand shards of light that faded into nothing.  Only then did Aetharan shift his position again, slipping his weapon into its sheath on his back.  He would then just stand there, staring at the spot where his other self had vanished for a good two or three minutes before he finally spoke, though as usual there was nobody there to hear him.  "So...  that's what it will look like when I die.  How...  sad."

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(Out-of-combat recovery of 1 HP.  Now at 14/21.)

[Aetharan 0]

After that sad little display, Aetharan moved to the side of that path where his battle had just ended and settled himself on a fallen tree.  Watching himself die like that had been disappointing.  Sad.  Was that what others would see, if he bit it in this death game, or would it be more impressive if it was a player instead of an NPC, even if their faces were the same?  He wasn't sure which would be more appropriate.  "One thing's for sure," he murmured to himself, "I never want to find out the hard way whether a real player produces a brighter light.  If I do see it, it means that I've failed...  Goddess, how many people have already died, while I was doing nothing?"

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(Out-of-combat recovery of 1 HP.  Now at 15/21.)

[Aetharan 0]

He couldn't let himself fall into despair just because there were people he couldn't protect.  Even if he'd been active from the very beginning, and had been the fastest to level right out of the gate, there would have been people whose deaths he couldn't have stopped.  That was just the way of things.  Don't look back in sadness.  Instead, look into the future with hope.  He was getting stronger by the day, and before long he'd be in good enough shape to start helping those on the front lines.  He was sure that the eleventh floor boss was going to be down long before he was ready to help, but with a little luck and a lot of work, he thought he might be able to join in come time for the twelfth or thirteenth.

His spear would break Aincrad yet.

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(Out-of-combat recovery of 1 HP.  Now at 16/21.)

[Aetharan 0]

Thinking on it, this little mirror match had taught him an important lesson.  Oh, it was one that he'd already known instinctively after years of gaming in general, but this was his first outright proof of it in this world.  When skills were equal, gear would decide the fight every time.  Never get caught unarmored, and always keep working to make your weapon just that little bit better, every time.  There was never such a thing as 'good enough'.  Even a perfect crafting wouldn't be enough.  He needed to make Lu Bu look like a little girl twirling a baton.

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(Out-of-combat recovery of 1 HP.  Now at 17/21.)

[Aetharan 0]

The mental image of that memetic bad*** from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms trading in his Sky Piercer for the flag that Aeth's twin sister had twirled back in high school was giggle-worthy, and with nobody here to judge him?  Well, he giggled, d**nit!  There was no reason to feel any kind of shame for having found humor on this quest, was there?  Nah.  If he ever actually stopped to try to make friends here...  he just might have to share that little joke with them.  Lu freakin' Bu trying to land a quad-throw without hitting himself in the head with the flag pole.  Yeah.  He didn't think even the great hero could match that particular feat of his sister's.

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(Out-of-combat recovery of 1 HP.  Now at 18/21.)

[Aetharan 0]

Looking down, Aetharan watched some of the wound indicators shrinking on his body, with the most obvious one being the ever-narrowing circle in his leg where Gemini had stabbed him.  Healing out of combat was a good thing, but he was thinking that he needed to acquire a method of restoring himself more quickly.  Preferably with the side effect of some in-combat regeneration, come to think of it.  Screw the whole idea of shelling out Col for potions and crystals.  Those would be reserved for when he was side-by-side with a dozen or so others facing a floor boss or something.  He just needed to hasten the recovery time after his little solo fights, so that he could take more things on faster in a given day.  Yeah, that would help him get stronger.

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(Out-of-combat recovery of 1 HP.  Now at 19/21.)

[Aetharan 0]

Contemplation ended, Aetharan lifted himself from that makeshift bench he'd been treating the fallen tree as and turned back toward the town of Amazon.  He only had an hour to go, probably somewhere between two and four miles at the pace he'd been traveling before.  There was certainly nothing wrong with the idea of spending a few more minutes admiring some Amazonian-NPC hind ends before returning to his wintery home, right?  Nah.  There'd never be anything wrong with admiring a well-sculpted body.  Especially when it was one that didn't belong to a player who'd be in the mood to slap him for leering like an idiot!

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(Out-of-combat recovery of 1 HP.  Now at 20/21.)

[Aetharan 0]

Arrival at Amazon came pretty much on schedule.  Geez, this had been such a short adventure, hadn't it?  Hear a rumor, go up a couple of floors and walk into the woods...  One hour out, a few minutes of invoking stabbity death, a breather, then an hour back.  Not that he minded even in the slightest!  The fight had been an easy one, and he felt stronger for having gone through it against that Gemini punk.  More importantly, the skill that he'd picked up from the fight might make the difference between a hit and a miss at a critical moment against a boss some time in the future.  Every little edge he could get was one he needed to get.  That much was for sure!

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(Out-of-combat recovery of 1 HP.  Now at 21/21.)