[SP-F6] <The Gemini>

[Mikael 0]

Rain pelted the forest floor. Rhythm evident, as each drop offered a soothing beat as it fell. Leaves bounced as water pounced on their surface and ran off into the ground below. These droplets would soon fill each imprint engraved into the ground; left behind by a lone spearman who seemed intent on traversing the growth despite the weather at hand.

Amber gold eyes followed the mud-riddled path. Scanning for dangers ahead of time, as the body from which they surveyed from, caught up. Date's hand smoothed over his brown curls, allowing his vision to expand further and see clearer.

His gaze danced from point to point. Offering little more than a view, with each sweep.

"Rather wet for a walk don'tcha think?"

 

[Mikael 0]

Date stopped.

The voice wasn't familiar. Furthermore, last he checked, he had been alone. His hand hovered over the pole-arm strapped to his back. His intent evident to whom ever was watching.

"Rain doesn't bother me," offered the brunette as he slowly turned around to meet his visitor.

"What the?"

It didn't make sense. The features. The clothing. The weapon. The gear. All the same as his own. His gaze shifted up. Amber eyes locked, as the two players stared each other down.

"Just who are you?"

[Mikael 0]

"Well I'm you of course."

Skepticism made no attempt to hide itself from his features. His face tightened. To him it seemed as if Kayaba had just played the cruelest of jokes and he was today's lucky prank. He looked the man over. They were similar indeed.

"Prove your worth. Fight me. Rewards greater than yourself are in store should you accept my challenge."

Challenge? A fight? The jade covered man could barely fathom the thought of two of himself. Battling himself was completely nonsensical in comparison.

"And if I don't?"

[Mikael 0]

"Then you are as good as dead, Date. I am your Gemini. To continue living here in Aincrad with the chance to escape, you need to defeat me."

I have to kill myself? What kind of sick jokes is this? Confusion wore him like a mask and he continued to stand there, unwavering in his resolve to not do anything.

Schhhhink

Metal escaped the clutches of its sheath as vanity spear met the apex of his jugular.

"Decide now, or next time it goes all the way through."

Date glowered at his mirror self. His cheeks hardened, a scowl quickly growing among his features.

Placing two fingers to the tip of the Gemini's spear. He lightly pushed the spear away. "Back away, and I will grant your request."

[Mikael 0]

A grin split the Gemini's face as he lowered his spear and stepped a few paces back. Date tugged on his spear, loosening it from its sheath on his back, and angled it at his doppelganger.

"I'd be foolish t o think this will be a simple half life duel wouldn't I?"

"Foolish indeed. Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Good. Lets begin then."

Clank

Metal sparked, as spears clashed with one another. The Gemini's raw power seemingly as strong as his own more refined strength. Date gritted his teeth. Forcing the blades back towards the Gemini, he roared out as he broke the clash and sent his blade crashing into the Gemini's frame.

ID: 56004 BD: 10 LD: 6 [Heft: 4 + 2 = 6 x 2 = 12] 

Date's Stats: 12/12 E: 1/3

Spoiler

Stats:
12 HP
3 Energy
3 Accuracy
0 Evasion
4 Base Damage
27 Mitigation

Items
Gungnir - Perfect Rapier [+2 Damage/ +1 Accuracy]
Pendant of Oversight - Perfect Lucky Charm [+2 Accuracy]
Infinite Wall - Perfect Heavy Armor [+27 Mitigation]

Skills
Two Handed Assault Spear | Rank 1

Gemini's Stats: 0/12 [Dead]

Spoiler

Stats:
12 HP
3 Energy
0 Accuracy
0 Evasion
2 Base Damage
0 Mitigation

Items
Gungnir - Vanity Rapier
Pendant of Oversight - Vanity Lucky Charm
Infinite Wall - Vanity Heavy Armor

Skills
Two Handed Assault Spear | Rank 1

 

Edited April 9, 2016 by Date

[Mikael 0]

"Tch. Seems I greatly underestimated your ability."

Heavy pants escaped the Gemini's throat, as he looked down. Lodged between his chest and abdomen, lay Date's spear.

"Heh. You'll be a God among men soon enough. Though don't forget, I 'm just a minor obstacle. There are challenges out there far greater than myself."

"Than yourself."

Shattered pixels now littered the area.Vanishing into thin air moments later. Date sighed. He hadn't expected that encounter in the least. And to add salt to the wound, he killed a man. He killed himself. A feeling much more impactful than he was initially aware of.

[Mikael 0]

A reward confirmation pop-up toggled into view. Accepting the rewards, the brunette flicked through his skill list.

Concentration eh? Seems valuable for less than desirable situations. Not a bad deal I suppose.

Waving the menu away, his amber-gold gaze settled onto the rain that still draped him. The area even began to feel a little cooler, as the sun begin to drop from the sky. Shifting his gaze to the uncharted remains of the forest, a grin cracked its away to his face as he pushed forth.

[Mikael 0]

Raindrops dotted the growth. Dripping from leafy structure to leafy structure, the runoff collected in the sodden earth beneath the tree's canopies. Mud splattered with each step. One after the other, the prints trailed the brunette as he delved deeper into the green foliage.

Pushing a few branches aside, Date peered into the clearing ahead.

Howls suddenly echoed all around him. A troop of <Angered Apes> meandered through the field. Whooping and hollering as they wrestled each other.

I should probably just move on.

Turning to leave,

Snap

A twig of all things. Of course.

Peering back into the clearing, the troop was alert. They searched the tree line around them. Their gaze finally stopped. His eyes locked with the leader of the troop.

"Sh*t"

[Mikael 0]

His steps pounded against the ground. Racing through the trees and brush, he continued to narrowly avoid the clutches of his chasers, as they swung from tree to tree.

Duck

Sliding beneath a lowered branch, he tumbled out into a new clearing. Skittering to a halt as he caught his breath.

I.. think... I finally...lost them

He thought between forced breaths.

Thoomp

The first of three apes landed from above. Beating his chest, the smallest of the troop howled. Scrambling to his feet, Date procured his spear and angled it at the beast. His eyes focused on the single ape alone.

"Come on then," beckoned the spearman.

[Mikael 0]

Spoiler

ID: 56013 BD: 7 (4+3) LD: 13 [Heft: 4 x 2 = 8] 

Date's: 12/12 E: 3/3

Angered Ape: 0/8 D: 2

Bated breath welled within the man as he forced the body of the beast off of him. Only after doing so, did the ape shatter into pixels.Leaving behind nothing but a mere trail of polygon fragments in its wake.

Rotating his wrist, Date rolled his neck and pointed his spear towards the two apes that remained above. A sadistic grin taking over his typical smile as he raised both hands and beckoned for the beast to come at him.

"Well come along then. Don't be shy..."

"...Because your death is inevitable."

Edited April 9, 2016 by Date

[Mikael 0]

Spoiler

ID: 56019 BD: 9 (6+3) LD: 8 [Heft: 4 x 2 = 8] 

Date's: 12/12 E: 0/3

Angered Ape 2: 0/8 D: 2

It sounded as if thunder had cracked, the way Date reeled from the blow. He laid beaten, clutching his sides in what he thought was pain. But what he in fact felt, was a placebo effect. The false illusion of pain that he should've received from the blow that knocked a mere point away from his health.

Grasping his spear, his stance returned. A determined resolves coursing through him as he stared the following ape down.

Gripping the pole-arm tighter. He charged at the beast. His spear rending the  ape's arms from its body, causing immediate shattering of the monsters data code.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Date

[Mikael 0]

Twirling the spear in hand, he planted the pommel of the shaft into the ground and glared at the troop leader. Date assumed the ape yielded rage. After all, he had just watched both of his comrades become nothing more than data bits in a matter of moments.

Thoomp

He landed. Walking on hind legs, the armored ape looked down on the player. His titanic size alone, was enough to cause Date to rethink the situation he had so carelessly walked himself into.

Date's: 12/12 E: 1/3

Edited April 9, 2016 by Date

[Mikael 0]

Knuckles whitened as the grip on his spear tightened. The brunette remained vigilante in his stance, despite the imposing nature the armored ape displayed.

Their eyes met and for a moment, the brief possibility that a player could understand a monster, was fulfilled. The moment, however; fleeting, attested to the fact that warrior souls do exist. Even within data.

Standing firm, Date removed his spear from the ground and backed away. The ape soon followed suit. Planting his feet, he twisted his grip on the spear and held it defensively against the beast.

"Lets make this quick"

 

[Mikael 0]

Spoiler

ID: 56055 BD: 9 (6+3) LD: 8 [Heft: 4 x 2 = 8] 

Date's: 12/12 E: 1/3

Angered Ape 3: 8/8 D: 2

Rip

The body of the ape dropped. Exploding into crystals as the lifeless carcass hit the ground. Ripping his spear from the earth, the brunette chuckled a bit.

For what was suppose to be a quick trip through the forest, it certainly turned out to be far more than what I originally bargained for. The days of rummaging about the forest seem far too primitive for most the days. Tis a shame really...

Pausing his train of thought, the spearman checked his surroundings.

Surely there's a way out.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Date

[Mikael 0]

Rain continued to fall from the sky. The weather having only changed to being mildly less chill than normal as he navigated the growth. His amber eyes nearly glowing in the dim light the seclusion of trees offered. 

Knocking branches away, he began to spot familiar scenery.

The way back tot the main settlement shouldn't be too much further from here.

Glancing about, his gaze settled on another narrow path. This one seemingly leading back to the safety of the settlement.

ID: 56061 LD: 6

Edited April 10, 2016 by Date

[Mikael 0]

The settlement reared into view. The scenery around him changing from the dense greenery that surround him at all angles to a open fields and a receding treeline n the background.

His dampened hair was quickly slicked back as the stray strands began to curtain what little vision he had. Pressing through across the field, he paused to look down at what he thought was a another alchemical plant.

"Another false alarm," mused the brunette as he tossed the leafy plant aside and continued on.

ID: 56072 LD: 5

Edited April 10, 2016 by Date

[Mikael 0]

The entrance neared. Gathering size as the man approached it's gates. Stepping inside, he marveled the work of the inner city. Not as fanciful as that of the Starting City, but certainly no slouch each other.

He quickly found himself touring their shopping center. His eyes flickered from display window to display window as he admired their wares. Placing a hand up, he counted off the amount of tailor shops in his immediate vicinity and selected one at random.

ID: 56073 LD: 9

 

Edited April 10, 2016 by Date

[Mikael 0]

Stepping inside. He was met with the fragrant aroma of fruits and summer. A smell while seemingly odd, was satisfyingly pleasing to one sense of smell.

Glancing through the wardrobe the shoppe had to offer, Date was suddenly surprised when an NPC lass tried to get his attention.

"Finding everything alright today adventurer?"

"Fine thank you."

He wasn't quite sure what he wanted, but he hoped stepping inside the building would provide that answer. Empty handed, he exited the shoppe and made his way back tot he teleportation gate.

[Mikael 0]

Flash

The blinding light faded as the man materialized within the plaza of the first floor. The hustling people of the first floor stopped for no one. Which utterly confused the brunette as the place always seemed rather busy despite all the inhabitants of the floor being of sub-par to low leveled.

Shaking his head, he pushed through the crowds and made his way to the shopping district of this floor. There he would find his own little shop turned inn, seeing as how it served as him home when he wasn't running the business.

[Mikael 0]

Fumbling with the keys, he finally managed to unlock the door to his own personal safe haven. Placing a few items away from his last trek, he buckled down and spread his materials about. 

I should eventually craft something. My profession is one of the more proficient ones. Even if I just stock myself. The bonuses can match that of gear which is always a plus a I suppose.

Lighting the cauldron, Date prepared to mince his plants and create some salves for the day.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Date