[SP-F6] Samriel's Alter «The Gemini»

[Samriel 0]

Floor six was a lot more humid than Samriel had thought. It was one thing to read a description in a manual. 'Jungle' was a pretty loose description though. Of course she pictured a lot of plants. Possibly bugs along with some interesting flora and fauna. But the one thing she didn't take into account? The heat and humidity. "Uuuugh..." The blonde player fanned herself futilely. "Stupid virtual weather. Who wants to feel miserable in a game? Fricking masochists. Fricking sadist Kayba Akiko..." Sam muttered to herself as she prowled the town of Amazon. She had thought it funny that the name was so on the nose. Now she didn't particularly care. She did know that she wanted to return here with Magda though. She was fairly sure that she'd find the indigenous NPCs quite interesting considering their similarities. Perhaps they would accept her as their Queen!

[Samriel 0]

{OOC: started this thread on 27th of March when Samriel was still only level 2 with 8 health and 2 energy, but the same equipment she still has on now as listed in signature, which was received on 22nd of March. }

Samriel wandered around the village, observing the locals and taking time to buy some late lunch. Their food seemed Indian in origin, using giant leaves as plates and having no utensils for eating other than their hands. An interesting experience that she embraced whole heartedly. "Mn...can I get...whatever your most popular dish is that's not above twenty col?" The NPC cook grunted in acknowledgement and began to gather the ingredients, cooking the meal right in front of her eyes. Having never seen the cooking process as she didn't have any way to cook for herself, the blonde watched with open curiosity. It didn't take very long, which shouldn't have surprised her given that this was a game and all. During the short wait time, she entertained herself by people watching some more. There were a few other players passing through, buying wares or simply walking through on their way to grind or do quests. The only males in the village were the players, all NPCs were women. Turning as the cook announced that her meal was ready, she paid for it and began to dig in to the rice and meat dish, a bit daintily as she was unused to not having any sort of utensil to eat with.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Samriel

[Samriel 0]

In between bites, the blonde turned and wondered who she should talk to if she wanted to learn more about the village. Sometimes there would be quests that would only be triggered if a player asked the right questions, or any questions at all. Eyeing the cook she considered for a moment before asking, "So why are there no men in your village?" She lucked out though, apparently the cook had a very grumpy AI program that refused to answer any questions not relating to food or pricing. Huffing, Samriel deliberately turned away from the gruff woman and went back to trying to decide who else to ask. There was probably a shaman or leader that she could speak to, but it was difficult to tell which were the important ones. It made sense that it would be the women that had the most ornamentation. Finishing her meal, Sam wiped her hands on her armor's trousers and stood to go approach a nearby hunter that seemed to be sharpening her spear. "Excuse me, I was wondering if I could speak to your leader?"  Yes the old, 'take me to your leader' trick always worked, right? Apparently in games it still did. "She is out leading a hunting party to the East." An active leader then.

[Samriel 0]

Hm, if she was out hunting then that might mean she wouldn't be too receptive of some 'foreigner' or whatever they considered her just coming up and asking her questions. But it couldn't hurt too much to try. She could always run after all. The blonde first re-equipped her weapon and shield, slinging the shield over her back like a turtle and slipping the handle of her war hammer into her belt's loop. Both would be easy to reach should she catch the attention of a mob or two. Or perhaps an angry mob of amazonian women. Exiting Amazon and heading East, Sam followed the slightly worn path through the jungle. It didn't take her long before she tripped on the numerous roots and vines. Finally she stopped for a break when she came across a small clearing. Hearing the sound of something or one else crashing through the brush, the healer's hand dropped to her weapon before she saw that it was a person. A man in fact, though his form was slight.

"Hey." She greeted neutrally, her right hand casually resting on her belt close to where her weapon was hanging. Just because he wasn't a monster didn't mean he was friendly. However when she looked to see his cursor she found that he didn't have one. That would by definition make him an NPC, but he didn't have a name either. Slightly disarmed by this quandary, Samriel stared at him in bewilderment until he stated with an easy smile, "Hello there." The possible NPC walked slowly closer to her, but didn't seem to have any weapons on him. Which wasn't to say that her wariness decreased. But she was intrigued when he asked, "You seem like an adventurous person. One interested in magnificent rewards?"

[Samriel 0]

Samriel's posture didn't change as she considered his leading question. "Possibly. I'm not much for the high risk high reward bit though. No offense. What kind of magnificent rewards are we talking about?" The man's hands splayed in a sign of peace as he continued, "Rare items, unique potions and a hefty amount of col." Her skepticism giving way to curiosity, the blonde then countered, "And what would you be asking for said magnificence?"  The possible NPC straightened his humble posture as he proposed, "Nothing more than a friendly duel! Should you win, the rewards shall be yours."

"And if I lose?" Sam's eyebrow raised pointedly, wondering what was in it for him. But the man only shrugged, "I'll have gotten some entertainment and keep the rewards for myself." The young woman hummed thoughtfully before he stepped forward and extended her hand. "Do we have a deal?"  Deciding that an NPC couldn't possibly be much trouble, Samriel nodded, taking his hand in hers and giving it a firm shake. "We have a deal."

[Samriel 0]

The man's smile became wider at her agreement and he stepped back just as a duel request popped up on her heads up display. But as she raised her hand to accept the duel, she found that it had already been accepted. And that it the parameters were set til one player's health reached zero. Expression becoming deadly serious, Samriel glanced up and demanded indignantly, "What the [censored] is this [censored]?" The menu disappeared from in front of her to give way to a count down. The smile on the man grew as a name appeared on him finally, stating that he was 'Gemini'. "Mierda..." She had heard of this before, in rumor only. The NPC's, for that was what he was, form shimmered and transformed into a darker mirror form of Samriel, smile wide and sinister.

[Samriel 0]

"You should've ran while you still had the chance." Gemini mocked as she readied her weapon and shield. Samriel grimaced and did the same, Dawnbreaker and Twilight glistening in the light streaming from betwixt the jungle's canopy. The blonde glanced warily at her doppelganger's equipment, wondering if it was exactly the same as hers in every way. If so, that would definitely be a problem. They would either be here for a very long time, or a very short time. Sam wasn't exactly confident in her battle abilities just yet, still relying on the strength of her gear to get her by and not bothering to take on anything too close or higher to her own level. But an exact copy of herself? If it was as clumsy as her, then perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, but since it was an NPC, she doubted that she'd be that lucky. Still, computers were still fallible. This was a game after all. It was made to be beat. Holding up her shield and raising her war hammer, Samriel forced a smile as she goaded to build up some confidence, "You're the one that should've run." And with that, the countdown reached zero and the battle began.