[PP-F14] Oh the things one can do!

[Mari 1]

 

Floor 14 - Mari wasn't sure if she had ever been here before. During her long trips to the higher floors Mari often just...neglected this one. Why would she bother searching it? The floor was dark and dreary- filled with various crumbling structures. It was a wasteland. Filled with mountains that broke the heavens and gaping ravines. No one in their right mind would come here - but...that's exactly why Mari had chosen to come here today. She wanted some time alone - and she was tired. So very tired. Mari couldn't even stay in her own home - it had become a way point for the wayward. Normally Mari would be happy to accommodate them - but just for the next few days...she just wanted to enjoy some solitude.

She had set up a small camp some ways away from the path that lead through the floor.  Surrounded by spires of thick black stalagmites. Shielding her small camp from the view of those who just so happen to pass by. Her fire was dim - and small. Barely burning embers creating a soft amber glow.  Beside it an unassuming tarp tent - nothing fancy. Mari sat with her back against one of the stony protrusions. Her head lulling forward as she dozed in and out of consciousness. Her hands loosely gripped her polearm.

Crunch
    Crunch
       Crunch

"What's this?" The oily voice held a tone of surprise - then lips twisted up to a sadistic grin that broke pale features. The shadowy figure slowed their stead and their steps became near silent. The sounds not enough to wake Mari. "Ohhhh....we know you." The whisper came as a delighted purr, the figure kneeling down in front of her. It reached out, pale hands with spindly fingers dancing over Mari's cheeks.

This- woke Mari. She jolted with a start. "W-wha?" She went to push the figure back but it's hands snapped fast to her own and wrenched the polearm away from her - tossing it carelessly to the side. "Hello. Mari." 

Mari stilled at the sound of the voice. "F-Freyd?" Her eyes narrowed as she tried to peer beneath the hooded cowl. A small chuckle, that sounded almost just like Freyds came from the man before her. Though this one felt off somehow. Mari couldn't exactly place it.

"What the f**ck?" Surprise turned to rage. This was exactly what she wanted to get away from. "Get the f**k off me. How did you even find me? Where you following-"

"Evelyn." Mari stopped resisting at the sound of her daughters name. "Argumail. Tom. Sugar. Spice." He continued to list off the names of those she had taken from the world in a calm and methodical matter. The one hand that was not forcefully holding her wrist tapped the stone beside her ear in a steady rhythmic beat. 

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Toshi. Echo. Aubrey." 

Tap. Tap. Tap.

"You've been busier than I thought."   He leaned closer now. His stance essentially pining Mari against the rock. His lips grazing her ear. "A little depraved isn't it?"

Why? Why was he doing this?  Mari shifted her head away - if she had the space - she'd have headbutt him. "The hell? Get off of me or-"

"Or what? You'll kill me?" He asked, a strange maddening delight dripping in his words. "Adding another to the tally?" He goaded. "I wouldn't blame you. I'd invite you to do it. Wouldn't that be easier? You wouldn't be..." His free hand moved to her chest - just on top of her sternum. "I can feel your heart pounding. That adreneline - that blind rage. I've heard all about it, Mari." 

 Mari hung her head. She felt like her energy had been drained. Even more so than before. She felt cold. Enough so that goosebumps had formed on her exposed skin. She had done this, hadn't she? Mari had told Freyd to go find the answers himself - and he had. But - what was this shift in behavior? Mari had seen snippets of it, but wasn't this a little extreme? "This...isn't exactly like you." Mari said quietly, forcing her eyes closed. Maybe. Just maybe she could talk some sense into him. Remove herself from the situation. 

"This is exactly like me."
 

General
Level: 77 | HP: 1570  |Energy: 154



BATTLE COPY
Mari    [H:0/0/0] - HP 1490/1490  | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 43 | EVA:3 | ACC: 4  | BH: 72 | BRN: 24 |BLEED: 24 | FLAME AURA: 15 |

SKILLS
Rank 5 Weapon (+5 DMG)
-Weapon Mod: Precision (+1 ACC)
-Weapon Mod: Ferocity (+1 DMG)
Rank 5 Charge (+5 Damage -1 ACC)
Charge Mod BULL RUSH: Successful charge stuns target 1 turn
Rank 5 Light Armor (+25 MIT)
Light Armor Mod Athletics -  Gain +1 base damage and +30 HP when wearing light armor
SURVIVAL
Rank 5 Battle Healing (5% of total health rounded down start of each turn)
Familiar Mastery Expert - +1 (*Tier) Damage - +9 Damage
Extended Mod Limit Rank 3 (+3 Mods)
First Aid: Cost 5% in EN Heal 4% per rank of a target party member’s maximum HP (rounded down). Cannot target the user.
Field Medic Mod: 12 En + 3 En per player:  heal for 20% of each party members maximum HP

EQUIPPED
Name: Bleeding Lance| Item Type: 2H Assault Spear | Tier 3
Enhancements: Bleed 2 | Damage 1
'Bleed Damage of 24 for 2 turns on a roll of 8-10'
'Burn Damage' of 24 for 2 turns on a roll of 8-10 - Unmitigated

Name: Beacon Necklace | Item Type: Pendant | Tier 2
Enhancements  +3 ACC 

Name: Infernal Shadow | Item Type: Light Armour | Tier 3
Enhancements:  +2 Eva | +1 Flame Aura
'Effect: Prevent (6 per slot * Tier) damage per slot from successful attacks against you. Successful non-critical attacks against you deal (5 per slot * Tier) unmitigated burn damage to the attacking enemy.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Edited September 10, 2020 by Mari

[Freyd 0]

A second shadow suddenly crashed into 'Freyd', bowling him over and sending the two of them sprawling into the ash that covered the far side of the ledge.  It looked like... another Freyd?

"There you are, you miserable blob of black horked up bile!"

Both crouched in the same stance, and summoned the same wispy black blades as they faced off and started circling one another.  Still shaken and fighting the surge of adrenaline that had awakened her, Mari couldn't tell the two apart.

"Mari, quick, get behind me!"  The nearest figure assumed a defensive posture between her and its reflection.

"Keep away from her," threatened the other Freyd, pulling down his cowl to reveal his simple face with tussled hair and the telltale reddish-brown eyes.

"Yeah, I figured you'd be able to pull off that trick," replied the one protecting her.  He pulled down his cowl and glanced back to check on her, revealing the identical face.

"Dammit.  Just stab me, will you Mari," called the far one, pointing at the one nearest to her, "and get this cliche over with!"

The two men glared at each other as the standoff continued, neither prepared to make the first move.  Internally, at lightning speed, each was processing moves and countermoves against each other, matching thought for thought in a silent invisible chess game where their next action might mean death.

Spoiler

Name: Freyd, The Whisper in Shadows
Level: 54
HP: 1110/1110
EN: 108/108

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 79
Evasion: 2
Accuracy: 4
BH:22
KEEN:1
HLY:6
BLD:36

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Grief's Harbinger (T3-2HSS, ACC 1, HOLY 1, BLD 1)
Armor: Skirmisher's Garb [T3 LA, MIT 2, EVA 1]
Misc: Assassin's Cowl (T2-Trinket, ACC 2, KEEN 1)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 3]
Battle Healing [Rank 2]
Parry [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival
Meditation

Mods:
Precision
Finesse - Rank 3
LA Athletics
Ferocity
LA Sprint and Acrobatics

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potion (50 hp)*3
Teleport Crystals*2
Crystal of Support (30*tier) hp to party*1
Missing You*2
Concentrated Joy (T3 Vitality 2)*1

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

 

[Mari 1]

One second she felt the tingling warmth of a hand on her chest - and the strikingly unsettling cold gaze and whispers falling beside her ear - the next...felt like it was a filler episode in an anime. "W-wait..." Mari held her head. "So was...that Freyd the goop thing?" Mari asked. That didn't make any sense. "Shouldn't it have been...all black and goopy? I hadn't done the Gemini quest...I didn't think that things were...identical..." This caused issues.  So which Freyd was being an absolute sh*t to her earlier? Mari had to first guess the imitation, but she also wouldn't put it pat Freyd. But....which one is the real Freyd? She couldn't tell after the two had tumbled. Hell, she barely had any idea what was going on. More Sundered Spire mayhem. Mari took a few steps back from the both of them and went to retrieve her spear.

"I'd have thought that by now - Freyd would know me well enough - that I don't like fighting, so my first incline is that you-" She pointed the tip of the spear at the Freyd who was further away. "But -" It disintegrated in her grasp as Mari continued. Stepping between the two of them. 

"I gotta better idea." Mari said as she crossed her arms. "You both could f**k off. I don't want to see that face."

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

The 'Freyd' on her left looked incredulous.  "This is your solution?!"  

The 'Freyd' on the right just facepalmed.  "Fine.  No faces."

Ash burst into the air as both of them simultaneously kicked their feet high into the air, triggering what could only be described as the strangest, deadliest dance scene Mari had every experienced.  Hands grabbed both of her arms and pulled her in opposite directions, spinning her around wildly as two mad sword-wielding dervishes slashed and jabbed at each other around her.  Moaning wails and cries of anguish set to song blared then faded as two copies of Grief's Harbinger repeatedly pierced the opaque cloud.  

Like the burning eye of a hurricane trapped by dark, furiously whirling winds of anger, she lost all sense of direction.  Why did he always have to make things more complicated?!  The cloud of ash rained down upon her head and into her eyes even as more of it was kicked up to block her view.  Damn them both for giving her what she asked for.  Both versions of him were jerks.

A single arm reached out of the cloud and wrapped itself protectively around her waist, pulling her out of the middle of the fray and releasing her from the maelstrom.  A fraction of a second later, an explosive crash and bubble burst cleared the entire cloud as one of the two figures was sent crashing into the cliff face, landing face-first and embedding itself nearly a foot into the stone.

"Ow.  Fucker."  Came the muttered words from behind the mashed figure's embedded head.

The other was already walking over to lance the first through the back with its massive black blade, its cowl back in place in keeping with Mari's wishes.

Spoiler

Fight Soundtrack (disregard the video itself)

 

 

 

[Mari 1]

Mari felt herself being pulled ever which way - both Freyd's apparently thinking it was a perfectly acceptable thing to treat her like a f**king ragdoll.  "Would you both f**king stop!?" 
This wasn't what she expected. She expected there to be a clear distinction between the two. But both seemed hell bent on 'protecting' her from the other. "You're both being sh*ts." Mari finally threw them off - as they became distracted by each other.

Mari wasn't sure which one was the real one. She honestly didn't know him well enough for that - wouldn't this be a time to ask a question? Yeh. That'd probably work. As much as Mari was very, very pissed off at the situation. She couldn't just let someone get hurt because of her. Mari sighed, drawing a deep breath. Push down that anger, that pain. Don't let it get to you now. Mari opened her eyes and walked over between the two. The one with the cowl - who she suspected to be the real Freyd. "So -" Again. Mari placed herself in between the two. Back facing the defenseless one. Though she was positioned in a way that she could push off from either of them if need be.

"What did you call yourself during the last quest we did?" Mari tapped her lips in feigned thought. "Hmm...come to think of it...what floor was it on again?" Mari reached out to place a hand on the hand that held the weapon. Slowly lowering it to the ground. Saying 'that's enough' through action alone.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

 

 

[Freyd 0]

"I don't know.   Why don't we find out?"

The voice came from behind her as the cruel, cold voice of the first Freyd she'd encountered whispered from behind her.  A black-clad hand wrapped itself with surprising strength around her neck, while a  cold, goopy hand pressed itself against her back.  "Thanks for the reprieve, Mari.  I needed that.  What say we even up the odds a bit?"  

The contents of her stomach churned - or would have it she actually had one in this form.  It didn't matter.  The point was that it hurt - a lot - like all of her innards were being compressed into a solid hyper-dense mass pulling her inward against herself.

"NO!" cried the other Freyd. The surprising concern in his voice countered by the cackling laughter of his twin.  Every ounce of negative emotion - grief, doubt, hatred, malice - all of it was congealing inside her and taking on a shape of its own.  There was so much.  False Freyd tossed her aside like a husk ready to be discarded.  He'd have what he wanted in mere moments.  All he had to do was keep the real Freyd away for his latest prize to arrive.

Freyd, for his part, had just deliberately loosed control.  The simmering red in his eyes flared red like the very mob Mari had asked about.  "The Night's King," he said, his voice sounding as deadly as the foe they had defeated.  The two Freyd's clashed again, their swords locking and crying out in pain as each sought to destroy the other.  "Floor... four."  Turning and deflecting the other Freyd's blade, he quickly switched his grip and slashed his counterpart across the back.

"MAKE.  IT.  STOP."  He raged at the other Freyd, who only laughed in response, dabbing his fingertips into the open wound that extended around to his left side, licking it to see if he actually oozed the pain that had created him.

"Mari's sins have finally come to roost.  Let's see what they look like, shall we?"

 

[Mari 1]

"B-But I never did the quest..." Mari gasped between gulps of air. Her skin prickled beneath the corrosive touch of his gloved hand. If she were able to feel pain Mari had no doubt that her skin would  be on fire. Was this what Freyd was talking about when he said he felt like he vomited up his doppleganger? Was this feeling normal for the Gemini quest? 

Mari felt the strange creature - Shadow Freyd? Dopple Freyd? Whatever he was - she felt the flat of his palm press into the mid of her back  with such force that it felt like his hand had sunk right through. She heard the chuckle against her ear. "You don't need the quest to have an immoral soul." And with that he thrust her away. Mari bounced once, twice, before coming to a rolling heap on the ground. His words hurt, but she had been told worse. Mari knew what she was. She knew she wasn't perfect, but at least she was trying. Every day she was imrpoving.

...Right?

Mari tried to get up, but felt herself being pressed back down into the cold, hard, dirt by an unrelenting force. She didn't think it were possible - but she felt nauseous. Like she was going to throw up. She felt a bubbling sensation rise like acrid bile in the back of her throat. In a fit of coughs it started - first a trickle - thin black strands of liquid fell from her lips.

"NO!"

She was fine - right? Mari lifted her head to reassure him, but it did little. Her eyes widened and her face paled. Heart moving hard against her chest. Banging, pounding, threatening to shatter her bones and flesh with its fevered vibrations.  She looked down at her shivering hands, fingers splayed and covered in smears of the liquid. The liquid sludge kept pouring out of her mouth. Weighing Mari down. It trickled into a pool around her. Forming a viscous shadowed halo around her shivering form. 

"YES!"

It was so heavy. Mari felt the strange warmth of the oily liquid as she gave up on trying to sit up. She was too tired. Too tired. Dull blue eyes stared ahead at a tall man with red eyes, face contorted into one of concern. Just...what was he...so worried about? Mari had lost consciousness, the ever growing pool around her still seeping from gently parted lips

"MY, she has more dirty secrets than I thought."  'Freyd' called out in a callous glee as he pointed at the unconscious player. "Guess she isn't as strong as she thought. Do you think it'll drive her mad? Throw her off the edge of Aincrad?"  He turned from his true form, shrugging. "It's not like you would care. But I? I  could harness that. All it'd take is a single. Tiny...push." He stalked closer to his unconscious prey, but stopped at the bubbling mass that blocked him.

It rose up like a midnight geyser- bubbling and churning till it created a form strikingly similar to the Mari that lay on the floor.  The same freckled features - the messy nest of orange hair. Right down to her orange attire. Her black scarf however, seemed larger- hanging over her shoulders like a shawl, its ends disappearing into the darkness below. It seemed that she hadn't fully formed - her physique shimmered with a black glossy glow.  Her eyes were empty as she stared at both of the men before her. There wasn't an iota of emotion. No sadness, anger, pain. Just a small stoic figure dressed in shimmering orange. Bare feet disappearing beneath an ever growing pool of blood. The aura around the area grew thick. Heavy with hate. So thick it covered her soul, her form - and threatened to corrupt the very system around her. 

"I...broke free."  Her voice quiet, pensive - restrained as she tilted her head to the side. Quietly observing the two before her. It was clear that even still forming - she was a force to be reckoned with. There was a deadly malice in the way she held herself.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Edited September 9, 2020 by Mari

[Freyd 0]

Freyd - real Freyd - was absolutely furious.  This shadow-thing he had wrought thought it was just so damned badass, but he saw it as little more than a reckless child incapable of anything more than causing mischief, carnage and pain.  This thing it had loosed from inside Mari, that was going to be a whole other level of mess.  Irresponsible... and just DUMB!  The plagues of an overly reasoning mind.

"It's not like you would care. But I? I  could harness that. All it'd take is a single. Tiny...push."

"You're right."  That quiet admission was the last thing the Gemini had ever expected to hear.  In fact, it had never heard them spoken of itself, ever.  A look of sheer elation swept over its face, as if it had finally achieved all that its heart desired.  Was this what nirvana felt like?  Recognition from that which had refused it for so long?

"...I don't care."  A shimmering black blade erupted from the thing's chest, the image of bliss on the Gemini's face turning to horror as its dreams shattered.  "This is what you've done to me every day for over half my life." Freyd seethed in its ear.  "I'm happy to repay the favour."  He thrust the blade right up to the parry barbs near the hilt.  "You were also right about another thing.  My real problem has always been finding the will to act.  Thanks for giving ME that little push."  Hefting the blade to the cliff's edge he braced his foot on the Gemini's back and shoved him off, over the edge.

"Now," he said, turning to the thing that had crawled its way out of Mari, the black blade clanking loudly at the tip hit the rocky ground.  "The real question here is: what is it that you want so much that you're willing to do this to yourself?"  He walked defiantly back past her, trying to figure out whether she was actually the manifestation of Mari's darkness, or the peace she never allowed herself to find.  Leaning down, he removed a glove and gently pressed the back of his hand against real Mari's cheek.  He brushed stray hairs away, hoping that the feel of something warm might rouse her.  He was also trying to decide his next action.  If she dissolved here, in front of him, he felt ready to carve a path through Aincrad's very core - do whatever it took just to get his hands around Kayaba's scrawny little neck.  Please, no.

"Believe me," he added, his voice quiet but firm as he thrust a thumb over his shoulder to where a cloud of black motes were now drifting in the wind.  "It isn't worth it."

[Mari 1]

The creature created from Mari - one made of everything Mari hid. Things she had done, and tried to move on from. Things that were deeply rooted in her psyche. She didn't even blink as the exchange transpired. Her form slowly began to solidify and the differences between her and the real Mari became less and less noticeable. Finally, she stepped out of the oozing puddle. "You murdered him quite easily, didn't you?" She asked. "And, you even threaten me. When I've done nothing. Yet you play the part of the hero. Pathetic" Her voice was cold and calculating as she circled Freyd.  "So - this is the real you. You really shouldn't hide it." The figure paused behind him, kneeling down beside Freyd. She watched him gently caress Mari's cheek. Mari's mouth still dripped with the blackened ooze. "Look where denying who you are leaves you." She uttered, words dripping with disgust toward Mari.

The imposter wrapped her arms around Freyd's shoulders from behind - her head nestling in the crook of his neck. "I can feel your heart beating hard and fast- as that adrenaline courses through you. Don't you feel alive? Wouldn't it be better to be feared than merely discarded - regarded as nothing more than a janitor?"  She laughed, a dark giggle that brushed his ears. 

"Don't hold back anymore -let the world fear you, and be the one to rid it of everything."

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Edited September 10, 2020 by Mari

[Freyd 0]

"You murdered him quite easily, didn't you?"

Yes.  Yes, I did.

 "And, you even threaten me. When I've done nothing. Yet you play the part of the hero. Pathetic" 

He savoured the sublime sense of success that pervaded every inch of his being at those words, a rare self-satisfied smile spreading across his face.

"So - this is the real you. You really shouldn't hide it." Taking a deep breath to calm his beating heart, Freyd gently nuzzled the head nestled against his neck and shoulder, caressing the stray strands of hair that tickled his chin.

"You have no idea how glad I am that you're finally here.  I've been waiting quite some time to meet you, and do so love it when a plan comes together."

"Don't you feel alive? Wouldn't it be better to be feared than merely discarded - regarded as nothing more than a janitor?" 

Freyd merely chuckled in a resonating deep-chested laugh that sounded too grand for his body.  It matched her own twisted giggles, contentedly playing into her wiles.

"Don't hold back anymore -let the world fear you, and be the one to rid it of everything."

Standing slowly and taking false Mari's hands in his own, his dark eyes were smoldering as he locked them with hers.

"You couldn't possibly have it any more wrong," he said with serene and impenetrable calm.  "I am not the hero here.  She is, and always has been."  He tilted his head slightly, indicating the sleeping Mari.  "I do feel alive, but only because I see a long contemplated and carefully laid plan finally come to fruition."  His smile widened.  "I care nothing for fear - for or against me.  I care nothing if I am discarded.  My task is simply to do what must be done.  And so, I thank you for finally making your appearance."

The false smile faded as Freyd raised stepped back towards the slumbering form on the ground behind him, trailing his fingers against false Mari's as they parted.  Mirth drained from his face and turned into iron resolve.  His sword rose in a guarding stance between them.

"Both of you need to learn and accept a single simple truth: she's better than you."

Freyd activates parry (5 EN).

 

[Mari 1]

"Glad?"  The voice asked, dubious. "You...wanted me?" She questioned him. Her toxic veneer slipping. Her grip on him loosened as she shifted back. "I see." Came her response. Cold once again. "You used her. You saw something she hid - used the bracer to make her distance herself. Set your own Gemini on her - knowing she'd stop every attack. Simply to draw me out. Why?" He held her small cold hands within his - and for several moments the doppleganger had no words to say. Her usually emotionless face had twisted into one of confusion. She bit her lower lip and shifted her gaze to him. A mix of fear, and lonliness reflected in her gaze - but it shattered with his next words - as he once again drew a blade on her. As quickly as the emotions came, they vanished.

"No." Came the dopplegangers reply. "She's not." The empty gaze shifted to the unconscious form of Mari. "She couldn't even handle it when I left. A shell of the former glory that was herself. No one knows her now. No one cares. Every day more pieces are torn away- and soon. There will be nothing left." The imposter Mari watched with disinterest as she watched him swing his sword up into a stance. To protect Mari? Laughable. "I have no interest in you, nor her." The imitation said as she turned on her heel away from him. "I'm free now. It's time to free others." And with those words she began to walk away - leaving trails of blackened footprints in her stead.

Meanwhile, there was a groan and a cough from Mari as she slowly pushed herself off the ground. Wiping her mouth. It tasted like bile. Mari spat at the ground a few times to get the taste out. "The f**k happened..." She mumbled. Mari wasn't in any real pain - but she did feel like she had been hit by a truck. Her joints hurt, and her eyes burned. Her lungs felt like they hadn't breathed air for hours. Last she remembered...Freyd's strange gemini imitation had attacked her - but enough time must have passed for her battle healing to kick in. Her health bar was full. Mari slowly rose her eyes to the  scene before her. There was another thing that looked like her. Walking away from them. "Ahh..." 

You have no idea how glad I am that you're finally here.  I've been waiting quite some time to meet you, and do so love it when a plan comes together."
                                "You used her."

Mari lowered her gaze- recalling parts of the conversation that had woken her. It was no different to anyone else.

Now she understood. Mari carefully pushed herself to her knees, then to her feet.

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Edited September 10, 2020 by Mari

[Freyd 0]

"Quit the 'woe is me' bullshit and actually face up to something," he barked after the Gemini.  "All you do is channel angst and loathing and push people away.  Congratulations, you've engineered your own personal descent into oblivion - for both of you.  You can't fill that hole, dumbass!"

Ironically, Freyd was now the one who found himself between the two Mari, just as she had placed herself between he and... himself.

"You used her."

"Don't try that crap on me.  If it was true, you wouldn't be the one trying to walk away."   Turning to the true Mari, he added: "I came here to give you a chance to face her Mari, for your own sake.  Before she leaves you like the same empty husk she has become.  I meant what I said before: you have what it takes to be one of the greatest leaders in Aincrad, and to be whole again, but you have to choose to face yourself."  There was regret in his face at the pain he knew that he was surely causing.

This must be done, even if she ends up hating me for it.  Otherwise... she'll lose herself.  I guess I'll just add it to the pile. 

Mari abhors violence, he recalled.  I need to respect that.

The tip of his sword clanked loudly as he let it fall heavily to the ground, though he didn't release it completely.  "This isn't my fight, but I'm here if you want my help.  Like it or not, it's time to choose, Mari."  There was a real sense that he might just walk away if she tossed this back in his face.

[Mari 1]

Congratulations, you've engineered your own personal descent into oblivion - for both of you.  You can't fill that hole, dumbass!"
                                                                                            "-You're looking for people to attach to. To feel apart of again. To feel welcome again." 
"You're so debased and tarnished even no one will touch you" 
                                                Without cruelty there is no festival. Right Mari?
 

You're a monster Mari

 

-It hurt - 
Not just Freyd's words - but the culmination of everything that had lead to this moment. Mari was trying wasn't she? But that wasn't good enough, was it? People could see through the cracks of her veneer. He heart ached - She was trying to grip onto something, anything despite what the world continued to throw at her. Mari stood there behind an enraged Freyd. Someone she barely knew. So who was he to say such words to her? Who was he to try and throw Evelyn into her face? For what? In some attempt to make her a better person? Did he realize how twisted those actions where? How forceful? How cruel?

"I came here to give you a chance to face her Mari, for your own sake.  Before she leaves you like the same empty husk she has become. -You have what it takes to be one of the greatest leaders in Aincrad-"

A Leader? Maybe. Once, long ago. She could have been.. But not now. Not really. But he wanted her to play the part? Fine. He'd leave her alone then. Everyone would. In that moment Mari had a painful sense of clarity. Her chest burned, heartache - it felt like someone was squeezing her heart - and Mari knew it was because she realized her fate. She'd never make it out of here. She'd never be any more than symbol for others. Be it a leader, or a monster. But - Mari found an odd sense of peace with that knowledge.

"Alright." Her tone was quiet. A revered compliance with his pleading. Her brows were furrowed, and her eyes reflected the pain seeded deep in her chest. Still. She smiled. A broken, small, empty smile to Freyd.  Mari reached out and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder as she passed him. She didn't know everything that had transpired between Freyd and her doppleganger - but she got the hint that he at least meant well. And that she simply heard him playing into the part the creature wanted.

Mari approached her Gemini, or at least - what she assumed was it. "I don't want to fight you." She said.

"I know. You're weak because of it." The other Mari said. She turned on Mari - tip of her spear pointed at Mari's neck. "I could take your life - and you wouldn't even fight it, would you?" The creature asked. Mari didn't respond. "Tch." The weapon dissipated.

"I think..." Mari glanced over her shoulder at Freyd - that is - if he was even still there. She turned her eyes back to see an empty person reflected back. "it's because you're all I have. And I'm all you have...As...cheesy as that sounds." Mari stepped forward and placed her hand on the other Mari's cheek. The other Mari flinched. "You're me, right? The things I was, the things I am, but hide away." Something the doppleganger said - 'I want to be free'  Mari could guess that was her emotions. Everything she continued to push down. 

"I'm not sure I can give that to you. Your freedom that is."

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Freyd 0]

Freyd stood silently in the background.  He'd fade into the stone, if he could, to let this moment play out.  Feelings of guilt, anger and frustration played at the edges of his awareness, but he brushed them aside.  This moment was necessary, especially for her.  Grie'f Hargbinger remained low but ready, in case the Gemini did what he though unavoidable.  But, if Mari could make peace with herself, that would be better.  She's going to get herself stabbed.  You know that.  We're going to get her killed.

Every action carries risk and consequence.  Freyd refused to be stalled by the possibility of failure.  Not any longer, at least.  Even when the price will be paid by others?  Yes.  Such are the stakes.  You will regret that.  I will have many regrets, and none.

"I'm not sure I can give that to you. Your freedom that is."

Here we go.  The moment of truth.   He held his breath, ready to act, if required.

[Mari 1]

The fake Mari scoffed. "Of course not. You're weak." She stepped closer toward Mari, taking Mari's chin between her thumb and forefinger. "You bloodied your hands one too many times and instead of accepting who you are - you shut down. Shut yourself, and me - away from the world." She pushed Mari's face away in disgust. "And what - you think you have friends now?" She asked as she began to circle Mari. Spear appearing in her hand.  "Change your appearance - your weapon - and throw  a smile on. I suppose it worked. For a while." 

Mari frowned - her eyes tried to follow her dopple-ganger. "I'm trying to atone for that past." She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes, reciting the words Baldur had told her. "Death is light as a feather, duty hea-"

"Heavy as a mountain." Finished her dopple. "Yes, yes. Recite the words from the handsome man - keep telling yourself you're making a change. You may have, but at what cost? Name one person who would miss you if you were to die here."

Mari fell silent. Shouldn't this question be easy to answer? Macradon. Shield. Beat. Oikawa. Baldur - the names of people she had trusted. Wanted to call her friends. But when her lips parted no names fell from them. Instead her shoulders slumped. Mari wasn't sure any of them would notice. Especially lately. Mari winced when her shadow self laughed callously in her face.

"HahaHah! See! You Give and you give! And the world just continues to take from you! From US!" She slapped her chest for emphasis. "Every single time you reach out to someone they abandon you. They take everything you have to offer and spit you out - so who cares If you take back. Take the things most precious to them. Their lives thei-"

"I NEVER wanted that!" Mari shouted back, her voice wavering. "I never-" After her sudden, loud outburst Mari felt all the energy she had trickle away. She...never wanted to hurt anyone. But she kept doing it. Even now- even when she was trying her best. She had hurt people. Oikawa...for turning down his affections. Yuki -  for scolding her for being reckless -Yuki probably hated her. Crozeph. Hell...she killed his brother. Hidden - she hadn't heard much from her, after trying so hard to coax Hidden out of her shell it felt like Hidden had simply moved on. Mari again, too harsh.

"But you do. You always will. You're so weak, you won't even draw your weapon against Me."  She pulled her spear back, and jammed it straight into Mari's gut, right through- so their noses were barely touching. crystaline sprinkles of data danced around the two motes of fire. "Even if it meant you were to die - and I'd replace you."

"Urk-" Mari felt the deadened pain - nothing more than an irritating trickle as the spear impaled her. "I-I'm sorry." It was all she could say as she went to wrap her arms around her dopple. "If that make you....f-feel better..." Mari squeezed the other woman tighter, embracing her. "Then do it."

The shadow of herself hesitated.

Action: Fake Mari > Mari
ID:167970  BD: 5 + 4=9 - 3= HIT 270-43=227
Mari : HP 1263/1490  | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 43 | EVA:3 | ACC: 4  | BH: 72 | BRN: 24 |BLEED: 24 | FLAME AURA: 15 |-227
Fake Mari  HP 770/770 | DMG: 270 | MIT: 134 | EVA:2 | ACC: 4 | BH: 72 | BURRIED PAST:  On a 9 +100 Damage on a 10 + 200 DAM | SHADOWED: IMMUNE TO STATUS EFFECTS

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

Edited September 10, 2020 by Mari

[Freyd 0]

"I would," Freyd spoke serenely, just as the spear pierced Mari's digital flesh. 

"I would miss her," he repeated firmly and with unmistakable conviction, ensuring that the Gemini had heard him.  He made no attempt to block the attack, sensing that it would be viewed as another betrayal.  His sword hovered in an invisible scabbard upon his back, wisps of hatred as black as the stuff that had birthed both Geminis roiling inside the thinnest shell of holy light.  This fight was by invitation only.

"And if someone barely a step away from being a stranger can speak those words, how can you possible be alone?"  His next words were addressed singularly to her shadow.  "I know what it means to dwell in darkness.  People forget that you remain.  Look around, shadow.  I am still here.  Neither of you are alone or abandoned, unless you choose to be."

Freyd's plain and normally unremarkable face lay bare and exposed, his cowl pull back, with eyes beaming a strange mixture of sympathy and resolve over their shared plight.  They locked upon true Mari.

"It's often said that people hurt the ones they love the most."

He looked at them both again.  Still making no move to interfere.

"You must love a lot of people very dearly."

[Mari 1]

The Fake Mari drew her spear out and shakily drove it into Mari again. "D-Don't!" She shouted, clearly unnerved by the passive way Mari was handling this. "You don' get to act that way!" She shouted, as again she drove the spear into Mari - this time into her shoulder "You never were able to!"

A single arm of Mari's dropped - the blow to her shoulder causing her grip to loosen. "I know..." She said quietly. Mari was never able to really diffuse situations in he past. Not with words alone. She hadn't been strong enough. People like Lessa- who had steppeed in and diffused everything, Mari wanted to be like that. People like Baldur - where he was respected, and loved. Even like Raidou - who despite all his shortcomings had a strong network of people rallying around him. The painful reminder was that she would never be able to be those things. But - she'd push through the pain. It'd be okay. She had to. For everyone else. "I know"

"S-So why Now!?" The doppler tried to stab Mari again - but this time Mari reached out, clasping her shadow self's hand. Stopping the attack. "I couldn't really answer that." Mari said honestly. "I'm too tired to keep fighting." She admitted. "So, I am guessing you are too."

You must love a lot of people very dearly."
 

Both Mari's turned to Freyd - one with a solemn expression on her face, the other - a mix of rage and confusion. Both weren't sure what to make of his words. The real Mari shut her eyes, sighing. "I think you put too much faith in me." She wasn't sure if his words were true. Did she? Mari couldn't say she loved anyone, not anymore. Truth be told, whilst she didn't want anyone to die - she wasn't sure it extended as anything beyond that.

"Don't make us laugh." The doppler said before Mari could find her own words. "Love? Love?" She wrenched the spear away from  Mari with ease and pointed it at Freyd - "This world rejects us. We've tried so hard. Bending over backwards for the likes of you. And for what?" She didn't give him time to answer.  "To be left on the wayside at the earliest convenience. We-" She turned back to Mari and rammed the spear into her side. "We don't want that anymore."

She's right. Mari thought as she bore the brunt of another attack. Mari was going through the motion of living. Nothing more than that. As tempting as it was - Mari couldn't let herself die here. Not in front of Freyd. Not when she made that promise. "Do you remember the promise we made ourselves?" Mari asked. She wouldn't let herself die till the final boss. No matter how tempting that quiet solitude was. "I plan to keep it."

The spear embedded in her was pulled out slowly, it's tip bouncing on the ground as the dopple Mari held it loosely. "Really?" She asked, almost pleading.

"Truly." Mari said.

 

 

Action: Fake Mari > Mari
ID:167976 BD: 5+4=9-3=6 HIT
270-43=277

 ID:167977 BD: 8 +4=12-3=9 HIT
270-43=277

ID:167978 BD: 2+ 4=6-3=miss

ID: 167979 BD: 6 + 4=9-3=6 HIT
270-43=277

Passive: BH+72 
Mari : HP 554/1490  | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 43 | EVA:3 | ACC: 4  | BH: 72 | BRN: 24 |BLEED: 24 | FLAME AURA: 15 |-781
Fake Mari  HP 770/770 | DMG: 270 | MIT: 134 | EVA:2 | ACC: 4 | BH: 72 | BURRIED PAST:  On a 9 +100 Damage on a 10 + 200 DAM | SHADOWED: IMMUNE TO STATUS EFFECTS

Edited September 11, 2020 by Mari

[Freyd 0]

The tiny corner of his mind that contained what passed as Freyd's conscience raged against its cage, but he remained resolute, doing little more than raising his arms and crossing them over his chest, confirming his intentions to remain neutral.  An astute observer might have notice the slightest shimmer of shadow slinking away from behind his right heel, but neither Mari nor her duplicate could spare that kind of attention at the moment.  Sometimes, you have to stack the deck, just to keep your options open.

Persi slunk around like a black pool of the same goopy sludge as had formed the Gemini and maneuvered to just behind Mari's leg, concealing herself as part of the woman's shadow.  At the slightest gesture from Freyd, she was prepared to seize the dropped spear, or at least challenge the doppel if she attempted to seize it and attack again.  But not without the signal, and Freyd was still not prepared to provide it.  He just wanted options as he watched the scene unfolding before him, filled with faith that this could be Mari's moment of much-needed catharsis.  It was a privilege to witness it, even if it could still result in her death.  A price would likely be extolled upon him for having forced this upon her - a if it wasn't somehow already brewing without him.  So be it. I'll pay the price, if she feels one is necessary - even face her wrath and hatred.

What pride!  What arrogance!  You're gambling with her life!

She was already doing that.  I just forced her to cast the dice and see where they fell.

You're an ass.

I accept that.

Externally, he remained as a statue, a slight breeze rustling his bangs, offering the only signs that he wasn't frozen in time.

Do you think they've noticed that we're holding our breath?

[Mari 1]

"I'm....tired..." The Doppler said as she finally dropped her spear. "I don't want to be here." She voiced Mari's thoughts - the ones that plagued Mari every day. As she dropped the weapon she began to loose her form. It seemed that Mari's continued passiveness to her doppler - and the continued acceptance of all it had to say, seemed to be its weak point. 

"I know." Mari said as she reached out to her doppler. Mari must have looked a right mess. Several deep gashes bleed pixelated data across her torso, chest, and shoulders. And if it weren't for fate - Mari may very much have died there. She' have accepted that death, both her and the doppler knew that.  One might say that the Dopple Mari was a contradiction - she wanted to be free, but she didn't want to exist. But - Mari understood that all too well. 

"I'll be there." It was a loosely veiled threat from the creature that began to look more and more like an amalgamation of oil and ooze than of Mari, its gurgling voice literally breaking down. "Beneath your skin, wai-waiting for you to kill. To accept yo-"

Mari took a step forward and placed a hand on her head. "That may be so, but at least you get to rest now." 

The Dopplers response was a maniacal, almost relieved giggle as it faded from existence. 

@Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows
 

Mari : HP 554/1490  | EN: 146/146 | DMG: 19 | MIT: 43 | EVA:3 | ACC: 4  | BH: 72 | BRN: 24 |BLEED: 24 | FLAME AURA: 15 |-781
Fake Mari  HP 770/770 | DMG: 270 | MIT: 134 | EVA:2 | ACC: 4 | BH: 72 | BURRIED PAST:  On a 9 +100 Damage on a 10 + 200 DAM | SHADOWED: IMMUNE TO STATUS EFFECTS

[Freyd 0]

Freyd released his breath, at last, his armor creaking softly as if it was part of some ancient, rusted automaton that had finally been released from stasis.  A flick of the eye was all it took to recall Persi into the folds of his own dark clothing.  Option not required.  Thank goodness.

"Nicely done," he whispered to himself, expecting condescension from Mari if he said it within earshot.

Time to face the music. Learn some humility, ass.

A hundred reasons filled Freyd's head as he walked slowly over to Mari, preparing to offer explanations or rationales.  None of them felt adequate.  He knew why he did what he had done.  She would draw her own conclusions, regardless of any words he might spout.  Instead, he simply extended an open hand to help her, if she was willing to accept it. 

"Can I help you get home?  Or would you prefer never to see me again?  I'll honour either request."

There was something akin to regret on his face, but it wasn't quite right.  Acceptance.  That was closer to the mark.  It was the look of a guilty man facing his sentencing, having already come to terms with the cost of what he had done, and knowing full well that he would make the same choice again.