[SP-F6] you can lie to the world, but not to yourself

[CHAMELEON 0]

the gemini

he stared into the pond, admiring its stillness. bird's chirped, but aside from that, all was silent. a staring contest with his reflection proved to be more difficult than one would imagine. he couldn't help but blink when its expression changed before his did.

"hello," it said.

there were ripples in the image. in one motion, like a puppet being yanked up by invisible strings, it stood from the water. he blinked again. they were identical, but for an eerie, inhuman feeling that the double gave off. it wasn't him. it was mocking him.

"hello," he said.

"would you like to play a game?"

"what kind of game?"

"whatever you'd like."

"if you're honest."

"are you honest?"

"sometimes."

"then i will be too—sometimes."

he smiled. very well. a game they would play. a word hadn't yet left his mouth, but a chess board grew from the ground below them. they sat down in sync, feeling the dampness of the grass sink into their clothing.

"you may start," it told him.

chameleon | level 1 | begin chess match... Spoiler CHAMELEON | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLD: 12 | PARA equipped: everything strange | t1 throwing weapons BLD II, PAR I basalt | t1 jewelry ACC III seafoam | t1 jewelry EVA III skills: throwing weapons | rank 1

 

[CHAMELEON 0]

he made his first move. he lifted a pawn and examined it. grass had tangled itself into the white pieces, while dirt had hardened into the black ones. they played on a board made from stone. he moved the pawn to e4. it was his regular opener. mostly, he was curious to see what his opponents would do. that applied ten fold to this match. what would he do.

c5. it was safe, he thought, and told him nothing. he moved his next piece, this time his rightmost knight to f3. it pushed a pawn forward to d6. they went a while longer, occasionally taking a piece from one and other. they were well matched, and understandably so. it played a standard sicilian defense, a counter to his e4 start. he would have done the same, had he been on the opposite end of the board.

after seventy turns, the game was over.

"checkmate. i win," it said.

[CHAMELEON 0]

he nodded. it was a fair victory. "what's next?"

it's gaze shifted up, as if to ponder the question. he hummed, and while he thought, the chess board reintegrated with the earth. something new took its place, just as a light went off in the gemini's eyes. a classic 7x6 vertical board grew from the ground. tiny disks were formed from the rocks around them. it was nostalgic, and recognizable. connect 4. a bit childish, he thought.

"winner goes first," he offered, to which the gemini agreed.

it dropped a disk straight down the center. he dropped one on the far left. it tried to secure a middle triplet, but he quickly snuffed it out. twice. his leftmost attempts were weak, but the first few plays always were. 

you run out of options quickly in connect 4. sometimes, nobody can win. strategies are limited due to the few possible outcomes in a match; all a player can hope for is that their opponent makes a silly mistake.

chameleon did.

a rogue tile down column two spelled his doom. just like that, the gemini had secured a diagonal win.

"i win again," it smiled.

[CHAMELEON 0]

mancala was next. chameleon had only played once, and the gemini knew that. his memory of the rules was fuzzy.

the terrain didn't have to work quite as hard to produce their set this time. pebbles rounded themselves out, and crevices formed in the dirt.

"did you know that this game existed in ancient egypt?"

"yes," he replied, awaiting the gemini's first move.

it started with hole number one. it picked up the marbles one by one, and placed them gently into their respective holes. chameleon started with his sixth hole, recalling that it had given him some trouble the last time he played. using short sticks, they marked down each point in the dirt.

they went in a loop for a while, until finally one side was without a single marble. they looked at the final score.

27 - 21

finally, chameleon had taken a win.

[CHAMELEON 0]

the gemini sighed. its streak had come to an end, but chameleon figured that it was only warmup, anyway. if it were to be a convincing copy of himself, it surely had something more engaging up its tracksuit sleeve.

interesting. he hadn't noticed the colour of its tracksuit.

"black?"

"hm? oh, this? do you like it?"

he shrugged. "not sure it suits us."

"no? i think it's more honest."

"how so?" his brow furrowed.

"white is too pure—for you and i, anyway."

"too pure?" chameleon looked unconvinced.

"yeah, you know. we're muddy; flawed. we're not a good person."

he shrugged again. "it's just a tracksuit."

it tilted its head, eyeing him up and down. "maybe."

the mancala holes filled themselves back in and the pebbles returned to their original, random shapes. nothing came next. maybe it was the system's idea of giving them both a chance to rest. maybe it was because they were both still considering what game to throw at the other. what would make them crack?

[CHAMELEON 0]

"why come here?" the gemini asked. it fiddled with blades of grass, picking them out like a child at a park. "some seek this place for self-discovery. others to repent. but i look inside of your mind and see nothing of the sort. so," it asked again, meeting chameleon's eyes. "why come here?"

he found the question annoying. "if you're a proper clone, then you should know."

"i guess i do know. it's more like... i don't understand."

"call it professional curiosity."

"that's a vague and worthless answer."

"i wanted to see if you were real."

"i'm very real. but you already knew that."

"i didn't. just because a broker says something doesn't mean that it's true."

"the same could be said about you."

"are you insinuating that i'm lying?"

the gemini rolled backwards, his body disappearing as it fused into the dirt. it reappeared above him, growing out of a thick tree branch. "i don't think you're telling me the whole truth."

[CHAMELEON 0]

"pick another game," chameleon flopped back against the grass, crossing arms behind his head and staring up at his double.

"why won't you tell me?" it prodded, twisting itself out of the tree branch and regrowing its legs. it sat in the tree, kicking its legs. it was very good at staring contests, he realized. it hadn't blinked once yet. he found it strange that there were flaws in its mimicry. they thought identically—at least, it seemed that way—but anyone with half a brain would be able to tell that it was not he who was dangling from the tree.

"how about 'i spy'? that's a simple one. i'll start. i spy, with my little eye, something that is... green."

just about everything in the forest was green. "leaves," it tried.

"wrong."

"moss."

"wrong."

"that hummingbird over there."

chameleon hadn't even seen the bird. it was a good choice, camouflaged in flowers and ferns, sipping the sap of a tree. "wrong. it was the caterpillar on your shoulder."

it glanced to the left. sure enough, a tiny bug crawled across him, beginning to wander down its arm. "how could you see that?"

"it's been there the whole time. since you were down here, at least. your turn."

[CHAMELEON 0]

"something that is brown."

he thought carefully before spitting out an answer. through their strange mind connection, it seemed they had settled on three maximum guesses per turn. it was arbitrary; he wasn't sure the game actually had a rule like that. still, it added stakes.

"tree bark."

"nope."

it was a throwaway guess, really, to see if it would select something obvious and try to steer him off course. "that squirrel," he pointed.

"nope."

one last try. of the brown things in their vicinity, what would it have chosen? he threw a wild guess its way. "the dirt," he answered very broadly.

"nope."

"then what was it?"

"mom's hair."

his jaw tightened. "what?"

"it was mom's hair."

it was playing with him; trying to get inside of his head. he kept his focus. "it has to be something you can see."

"i can see her," it tapped on its temple. "up here."

[CHAMELEON 0]

"do you miss her?" it asked, dropping from the tree and landing gently in the grass.

chameleon sat up. "i didn't know her."

"oh," the gemini pursed his lips, staring off into space as if it were sifting through the fragments of his memory. "oh, that's right. she died during childbirth, didn't she?"

he neglected to answer, instead pulling a deck of cards from his pocket. he tossed all but two into the pond, and held the remainder face down in his finger tips. "if you can guess these two cards, i'll tell you more."

it hummed, deducting from what he cards it could see in the water. it tapped its chin in a pattern, far too rhythmic for a human. "the six of hearts and four of spades."

he flipped them over. "both wrong. sorry."

it groaned, ripping up some grass and tossing it into the air. "not a very fair game, i don't think."

"it's just chance. nothing unfair about it."

its gaze was piercing but neutral; it was impossible to visualize what he was thinking at a given time. they were similar in that regard. enigmatic, observant, and kind of creepy.

[CHAMELEON 0]

"i'm not all that interested in talking about myself," he stood and stretched his joints. "it's boring, and you can already see everything i've ever thought or done. what's the point?"

it cocked its head. "reflection is important."

"if you're missing something up here," he tapped his temple in a similar fashion to the gemini, "and you don't quite understand yourself, then sure, reflection is important."

"but that's not you."

"no. it's not," he spoke frankly, and emotionlessly.

"you think yourself smarter than others."

"i don't think that's a bad thing."

"it's odd, though. i don't sense any distaste for them."

"why would there be? people aren't boring."

"i see. what is it about them that makes them 'not boring'?"

"they do illogical things for illogical reasons. they make mistakes and blame each other. they hate, and regret, and love, and fight with idiotic justifications. life is one big drama to them, and they're all the lead. it's wonderful."

"but that's not you."

"no. it's not."

[CHAMELEON 0]

"how did you feel when your father left you?"

"is this an interview?"

"more like reflection."

"i vaguely recall telling you that i don't need to reflect."

the gemini expressed his first physical manifestation of emotion in the form of a sigh. chameleon rose a brow when he noticed this. was it learning from him?

"reflection will happen, whether you want it to or not. you reflect every day when you think about your dad."

"i don't want to talk about him."

"how did you feel when he left?"

"why do you say 'left,' as if he just disappeared one day and never came back? he didn't just leave," chameleon corrected, remaining cordial in tone. "he died."

"i say 'left,' because in the deepest parts of your subconscious, that's the word you use."

"what?"

"i ask again: how did you feel when he left?"

"betrayed," chameleon uttered. the words left his mouth without his permission. he stared at the gemini, his mouth agape. why had he said that?

[CHAMELEON 0]

"i'm sorry that you felt this way," responded the gemini, its face fully neutral.

"don't patronize me."

"i don't mean to."

"fuck you."

he wasn't usually so emotionally driven. there was something about talking to himself that drew it out of him. a spark of rage that lingered in the dark cubbies of his mind poked its head out for just a moment, announcing to the world that it was still there.

although it appeared as though it might laugh, the gemini responded plainly. "maybe you're not the stoic genius you think you are."

"i don't think i'm a genius," he bit back.

"hm. have i misunderstood you again? maybe it's me who has the problems."

he wanted to call his clone an asshole, but predicted that it would only be flipped back on him. he settled on a steady glare instead.

"i get the sense that you don't like me much. oh well."

Edited September 27 by Morningstar

[CHAMELEON 0]

"i have a fun idea," the gemini finally cracked a smile. he didn't recognize it. before it even explained, he could see it in his mind. he was wondering when it would pick a game that was more their style. their previous matches were fun, but childish. there were no stakes. one of them was the victor, and the other a loser. then what? they shake hands and go their separate ways?

pointless.

they set out the rules. they would take turns tossing knives at each other. one knife per turn—no more than that. every time they landed a knife, they were allowed to ask a question. whatever they wanted. no lies. no evasion. straight-forward answers only.

chameleon added one additional rule: only one of them would walk away from the match. they would play to the death.

"of course."

"you may go first," an offer he always extended to opponents who agreed to his rule.

[CHAMELEON 0]

it nodded and put its hands to the dirt. it pushed carefully, molding and shaping the earth until it looked just like one of chameleon's knives. pressing its fingers down on the edges, it formed the blade, making it as sharp as it could. then, he gave it a strong toss.

it whizzed by chameleon's ear, thunking as it found its place in the tree behind him. the gemini scowled. "i see. i aimed too far to the right. its difficult—throwing these things. i'm not sure i've ever used one before. but i'll get the hang of it."

he didn't offer a proper response; instead, he got on with his turn. he withdrew a small black box. it was elegant, with a golden trim that swooped along the centerfold, covered in the middle by a simple lock. everything strange, it was called; ironic, because there was nothing strange about it. inside was a set of neatly kept throwing knives, crafted deliberately by a blacksmith on the upper floors. the blades were silvers, and the handles black. they were his ideal weapon of choice—not bulky like a sword, nor unversatile like a standard dagger. he could use them within melee range, if he pleased, or from a distance. he had options. he always had options.

Spoiler

POST ACTION | n/a

ID: 233813 | MD: 1 (crit miss) | 0 DMG -> CHAMELEON

CHAMELEON | HP: 20/20 | EN: 20/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLD: 12 | PARA

The Gemini | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3

Abilities:

• Concentration | This boss gains +1 ACC for its first attack.
• Disguise | This boss will adopt the appearance of the player through the entire fight, mocking their appearance.
• Surprise Attack! | No matter what, this boss will attack first, before the player. The player may not act on the first turn. As this ruins any chance to put space between the player and the boss throughout the remainder of the fight.  The <<Charge>> skill cannot be used against <<The Gemini>>
• Defy Death | During this fight, death can be avoided. Any attack that would leave either the player or the boss at zero will result in leaving either entity with 1 health point left. <<The Gemini>> will refuse to execute the player if they win, though the player may be much less merciful. Note that any attack that would leave the player at zero health will result in a failed quest attempt.

 

[CHAMELEON 0]

he took one of the knives between his fingers. pale blue eyes glared through the reflection of the metal, distorted by a slight rotation of the blade. he was new to the art of throwing weapons. moving targets were still difficult for him; however, he saw improvements in his ability to hit still targets. he wanted the game done with as quickly as possible, so he aimed for the head. with a flick of his wrist, the knife flew.

too much power.

like the toss before his, it embedded itself in a tree trunk quite far in the distance.

"aw. shame," mocked the gemini, who was already preparing its next weapon.

its body was unnaturally steady. with one eye closed, it locked in on chameleon, and let loose a knife. twirling through the air, he could almost see it in slow motion; he could not move, destined to be hit by the speeding sliver of reformed dirt.

"gotcha."

he winced as it dug into his chest. a dull, painful sensation pulsed through his body. he was hurt, but not really.

"i suppose i should have prepared a question. you don't mind if i take a moment to think, do you?" it tapped a finger to its chin a dozen times before something finally came to it. "ah, here we go. what's your favorite colour?"

he cocked his head quizzically.

"no, even better: why didn't you attend your father's funeral?"

his gut reaction was to whip several more knives at the gemini, but he restrained himself. they both agreed to the rules. he would answer truthfully.

"i was angry."

"that's all?"

"yes."

"you're no fun."

Spoiler

POST ACTION | TECH-A

ID: 233814 | BD: 3+3-3=3 (miss) | 0 DMG -> The Gemini

ID: 233815 | MD: 7+3-3=3 (miss) | 8 DMG -> CHAMELEON

CHAMELEON | HP: 12/20 | EN: 18/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLD: 12 | PARA

The Gemini | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3

Abilities:

• Concentration | This boss gains +1 ACC for its first attack.
• Disguise | This boss will adopt the appearance of the player through the entire fight, mocking their appearance.
• Surprise Attack! | No matter what, this boss will attack first, before the player. The player may not act on the first turn. As this ruins any chance to put space between the player and the boss throughout the remainder of the fight.  The <<Charge>> skill cannot be used against <<The Gemini>>
• Defy Death | During this fight, death can be avoided. Any attack that would leave either the player or the boss at zero will result in leaving either entity with 1 health point left. <<The Gemini>> will refuse to execute the player if they win, though the player may be much less merciful. Note that any attack that would leave the player at zero health will result in a failed quest attempt.

 

[CHAMELEON 0]

the back and forth that followed was quick.

chameleon tossed first, but this time there wasn't enough strength to make it all the way to the gemini. the knife arced, dipping low just before reaching the gemini, and found itself sticking out of the dirt.

"nice try," it said. he ignored it.

its toss was, thankfully, not much better. the dirt knife spiraled even faster than his own, curving slightly and missing his shoulder by a mile. it landed with a splash, stuck deep in the pond. he almost chuckled, watching the water ripple from the impact, but kept his composure. if there was one thing he would not do, it was break.

"nice try," he returned, a sly smirk plastered on his face.

for every second the played, chameleon hated the gemini a little bit more. he had no doubt in his mind that his next knife would hit.

Spoiler

POST ACTION | TECH-A

ID: 233816 | BD: 2+3-3=2 (miss) | 0 DMG -> The Gemini

ID: 233817 | MD: 5+3-3=5 (miss) | 0 DMG -> CHAMELEON

CHAMELEON | HP: 12/20 | EN: 17/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLD: 12 | PARA

The Gemini | HP: 30/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3

Abilities:

• Concentration | This boss gains +1 ACC for its first attack.
• Disguise | This boss will adopt the appearance of the player through the entire fight, mocking their appearance.
• Surprise Attack! | No matter what, this boss will attack first, before the player. The player may not act on the first turn. As this ruins any chance to put space between the player and the boss throughout the remainder of the fight.  The <<Charge>> skill cannot be used against <<The Gemini>>
• Defy Death | During this fight, death can be avoided. Any attack that would leave either the player or the boss at zero will result in leaving either entity with 1 health point left. <<The Gemini>> will refuse to execute the player if they win, though the player may be much less merciful. Note that any attack that would leave the player at zero health will result in a failed quest attempt.

 

[CHAMELEON 0]

chameleon took his time, twirling a knife between his fingers. he hoped to exhaust his foe's patience, but very quickly realizing that he was pursuing an impossible goal. the gemini, quite frankly, did not care. it wasn't going anywhere. he wondered if it had a concept of time, and if it had emotions—not stolen, distorted ones, but feelings of its own. he wondered what it looked like when no one else was around. what did it see when it looked into the pond?

he flung another knife at it. finally, one landed. it wasn't a perfect shot, but it would do. he couldn't see into its head like it could with him. he couldn't tell what questions ate at him the most. so he formed one that sated his own curiosity.

"what exactly are you?"

the gemini hummed. "that is a good question. very interesting. i wonder if anyone has asked me that before..." he paused to think. "i can't remember anymore."

"i'm a tool. and a weapon. i'm one of many things that the system uses to trick, and break down, and hurt people. and sometimes i save people, too. i suppose it depends on who it is that appears before me—or rather, what's in their minds. what secrets they keep, from themselves and from others; what pain they've experienced, healed or otherwise; what darkness exists behind their convincing masquerades. i hope that answers your question."

Spoiler

POST ACTION | TECH-A

ID: 233818 | BD: 7+3-3=7 (miss) | 4*4 = 16-2 = 14 DMG -> The Gemini

The Gemini is Stunned. Stun fades.

CHAMELEON | HP: 12/20 | EN: 12/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLD: 12 | PARA

The Gemini | HP: 16/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3

Abilities:

• Concentration | This boss gains +1 ACC for its first attack.
• Disguise | This boss will adopt the appearance of the player through the entire fight, mocking their appearance.
• Surprise Attack! | No matter what, this boss will attack first, before the player. The player may not act on the first turn. As this ruins any chance to put space between the player and the boss throughout the remainder of the fight.  The <<Charge>> skill cannot be used against <<The Gemini>>
• Defy Death | During this fight, death can be avoided. Any attack that would leave either the player or the boss at zero will result in leaving either entity with 1 health point left. <<The Gemini>> will refuse to execute the player if they win, though the player may be much less merciful. Note that any attack that would leave the player at zero health will result in a failed quest attempt.

 

[CHAMELEON 0]

it answered more than the gemini may have thought. so, it was aware—to an extent, at least. it knew that there was an overarching system in place, running things on the backend. it new that something created it and everything around them. but did it know that he wasn't the same?

it must have.

one look into his head and it would have seen an endless number of things not of this world. things that only existed outside of the game. motorized vehicles, buildings that reached the sky, modern architecture. surely it put two and two together. he had lived a different life before finding himself here.

the gemini threw its knife, landing it as well. this time, it lodged it in his left thigh. "why do you hate me?"

"you're frustrating. belittling. patronizing. condescending. must i go on?"

it cracked the largest smile so far. "no. i understand."

Spoiler

POST ACTION | ST-I

ID: 233819 | BD: 4+3-3=4 (miss) | 0 DMG -> The Gemini

ID: 233820 | MD: 8+3-3=8 (hit) | 8 DMG -> CHAMELEON

CHAMELEON | HP: 4/20 | EN: 11/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLD: 12 | PARA

The Gemini | HP: 16/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3

Abilities:

• Concentration | This boss gains +1 ACC for its first attack.
• Disguise | This boss will adopt the appearance of the player through the entire fight, mocking their appearance.
• Surprise Attack! | No matter what, this boss will attack first, before the player. The player may not act on the first turn. As this ruins any chance to put space between the player and the boss throughout the remainder of the fight.  The <<Charge>> skill cannot be used against <<The Gemini>>
• Defy Death | During this fight, death can be avoided. Any attack that would leave either the player or the boss at zero will result in leaving either entity with 1 health point left. <<The Gemini>> will refuse to execute the player if they win, though the player may be much less merciful. Note that any attack that would leave the player at zero health will result in a failed quest attempt.

 

[CHAMELEON 0]

he compared their health bars. he estimated that two more successful hits would win him the match. if he were hit however, he would immediately lose. the odds were stacked against him from the beginning. unfortunately, in aincrad, numbers were what mostly mattered. it had the larger health pool, and so it would be able to survive for longer. it was basic, annoying math.

it didn't matter, though. these were his rules, and he was comfortable with them. he would win. he always won.

he let his knife loose in a large whipping motion. it was fast and straight. he could feel that it would hit, even before he threw it. the gemini knew it as well, and already braced for the impact. it sliced his cheek deep as it passed, landing somewhere far from them. it was a good throw.

"what's waiting at the top of the castle?"

it shook its head. "i'm afraid i don't know that much."

he shrugged. it was worth a try.

Spoiler

POST ACTION | ST-I

ID: 233819 | BD: 9 (miss) | 5*4 = 20-2 = 18 DMG -> The Gemini

CHAMELEON | HP: 4/20 | EN: 7/20 | DMG: 4 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3 | BLD: 12 | PARA

The Gemini | HP: 1/30 | DMG: 8 | MIT: 2 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 3

Abilities:

• Concentration | This boss gains +1 ACC for its first attack.
• Disguise | This boss will adopt the appearance of the player through the entire fight, mocking their appearance.
• Surprise Attack! | No matter what, this boss will attack first, before the player. The player may not act on the first turn. As this ruins any chance to put space between the player and the boss throughout the remainder of the fight.  The <<Charge>> skill cannot be used against <<The Gemini>>
• Defy Death | During this fight, death can be avoided. Any attack that would leave either the player or the boss at zero will result in leaving either entity with 1 health point left. <<The Gemini>> will refuse to execute the player if they win, though the player may be much less merciful. Note that any attack that would leave the player at zero health will result in a failed quest attempt.

 

[CHAMELEON 0]

each at a drop of health, chameleon and the gemini stared each other down. one hit from either of the two spelled the end of the game. only one would walk away. and he was confident that it would be him.

all it required was for the gemini to miss.

it savored its next move, which it also believed to be their finale. it took its time molding the perfect knife, identical to chameleon's even in colour. he was impressed. then, it let it loose, its arm perfectly straight on release.

maybe it was the wind. or maybe its finger was a centimeter or two off. either way, the knife drifted off course, slipping through the air, plummeting directly into the ground. it landed to chameleon's right.

out came a knife from his case. he barely took the time to aim, allowing the muscle memory of his practice to take the wheel. he flung it powerfully, and it caught rotation quickly. a loud crunch filled his ears.

 

fixed in the skull of the gemini was a small, steel knife. although its eyes resembled those of a corpse, it functioned as if it were still alive. its health bar ticked low.

"one last question."

"be quick."

"what happens when we die?"

a final smile. "i'd hate to spoil that for you."