OOC: This is after Nall's answer to Canti, before the mission to the other Hub. Canti's side-story here is in slow-time, meaning that regardless of how long it takes me to write it, it's a slice-of-life piece of work made to fit in the parameters stated.
Terrain Type: Top of the black tower, a circular open roof-type area with a mile-high drop. It's dark and forboding. Think the Tenim-Ne-Gru from DMC3.
Weather: There's a thunder storm overhead, rumbling away, with perhaps sparse amounts of rain.
Element: Despite its dark appearance, this is a Rai zone, though it would not be unreassonable to have Ani bleed from the shadows.
Monsters You Want: Just one - A Suraisu Doppelganger to suit the specifications made IC-wise.
Who Is In The Thread: This is a duel, so just Canti.
Raine: No heals or resurrections. Canti will handle his own heals by way of Repth spells and such.
Canti: ......Shit.
(After his stint in the meeting, we find Canti looking very agitated about something. Every fiber of his being feels wrong about this whole situation, all because of Nall's answer to his question back at the meeting. It wasn't that the guy had somehow disappointed him by confessing that he too was in the dark, but the fact of the matter was...his lack of information seemed to confirm in Canti's mind what the Twin Blade had suspected. Picture a scene from hell... In the bowels of a dark tower, there is a battle between Nall and another player. The player is a hacker, a lightly-colored Fist-Fighter who can also use Twin Blade weapons. In that battle, somethign causes the whole tower to start collapsing. What Nall said was that he had to leave that tower or be crushed under it. He defeated the hacker, Suraisu, but killed him? It seemed as though Nall didn't actually finish him off personally. Nall said that he was as good as dead, possibly buried underneath that tower. Canti doubted it, and that was the source of his troubled thoughts. He went down to the training room door and immediately Raine's image appeared before him. Canti didn't look that well, even for Canti. He felt nervous, like The World was hiding something more terrible than he could ever imagine.)
"Are you alright?"
Canti: I'm fine, I guess... Listen, I need a solo training room...
(The Twin Blade rattled on the specifications of the 'arena' involved. They should've had a record of the dark tower, anyway.The ironic part was that the place he chose was at the top of the tower, which was actually one of the safer 'puzzle lock' places, which would unlock heaven to the ones who solved it. In the timeline of the trek through the tenebrous tower, this was just shortly after the battle with the lightning-squid-abomination, whose final attack before death had been blocked by a certain someone...)
"And what monsters will you be fighting?"
Canti: Just one. Can you make a doppelganger? A copy of original players?
"It can be done, though they're no more than custom monsters."
Canti: It'll do. Make me a clone of the lightning-hacker, Suraisu. He's a pretty high level, but I'm okay with that.
(He described the Rai-fighter for Raine and she was able to call up a record of him. For all intents and purposes, Canti wanted a fight against what he deemed to be the regular Suraisu, rather than the one that he, Zhao, and Dien had had to struggle against before coming here. His reasons were vague and questionable, but Raine didn't say anything. If he wanted a fake Fist Fighter made to look, act, and fight like the Elite hacker, that was his business. Once Canti had filled in the rest of the blanks that needed to be inputted, the area was ready. The door opened with a hiss...and Canti stepped into a memory from the recent past. A tall tower...storms raging above. A circular arena... It was a good mock-up, although it obviously wasn't fully-interactive. No matter. It didn't need to be. It looked like an open area, more so once the doors closed behind him. He was standing on top of the tower...)
Canti: I could never forget this place, the terror that gripped me here more than I'd ever felt in my life. The squid-thing, the Demon of Fear, horrible freakish golems of flesh... A run like no other...trying to prove myself despite a low level. Well, I'm a bit stronger now...
(He'd been looking over an edge, but turned now as he heard the sound of something 'gating in'. This was how the doppelganger of Suraisu was brought into the field. It would start its attack as soon as Canti made his first move. Just looking at him made Canti grit his teeth. Every time he thought of Suraisu, he didn't know WHAT to make of him. Was he a total bastard of a hacker? Was he a victim half-caught in a web? Where did he really stand, with his conflicting actions and his strange attitude? Canti's fists began to shake with rage as his black eyes focused on the doppelganger.)
Canti: Suraisu...
(He reached for his knives, Dante's Blades to be precise...)
Canti: Just what the hell are you?!
(A mad dash, and then a leap at the Fist Fighter, who took that moment to draw his metallic fans just as Canti was performing a fly-by-slice. There was a certain metal-grinding sound as the two weapons hit each other. Canti landed and turned to defend against the doppelganger now, who used the fan-weapons with great expertise. No special attack yet, but lightning blazes against Canti's blades as the two weapons struck again and again caught his attention. That was something in common... Their elements were emulated through like elemental weapons. Canti leapt back, towards one of the protruding spires shortly before lightning struck it. He vaulted off of it only a couple of seconds before lightning coursed through the whole of the architecture. The Twin Blade had both knives thrusted in a stabbing motion to try and use his velocity to stike and pin the Fist Fighter, but he moved...quickly. Canti smashed a chunk of stone instead, and flung himself out of the way of a lightning blast from Suraisu's clone. Rai Kruz was it? Yeah. The ion field felt about right. Fact is, those who either emulate or weaken in the presence of lightning know it well. Canti landed in the middle of the arena now, with his opponent not too far off.)
Canti: You were the one who told me about darker things in The World... You warned me, told me so I'd keep from thinking this was just a fucking game...
(The doppelganger pointed a hand, causing several Rai Don attacks to fire from above Canti's head. He noticed them, and used Twin Blade agility to avoid them, sidling and sliding this way and that, avoiding them because they were pinpoint attacks, level one spells. His black eyes never left their focus on Suraisu. It was only attacking him because it was a monster in his form, programmed to use spells at a distance.)
Canti: If I was just suppose to die and become a slave, why'd you even bother?!
(Another rush, straight at the Fist Fighter, Twin Darkness a'blazing free from his knives. Metal grinds against fan-blades, but some of the attack gets through, doing...an amount of damage. However, in retaliation, the Suraisu clone attempted to slice open Canti's mid-section with a quick swipe. Parrying it brought it down to a glancing blow at the hip, but there was still damage, and the Twin Blade was then kicked across the area, tumbling to a stop some seven feat from the edge. The clone pursued, swiping its Dragon Fans at him, whipping them like rotating sawblades. Canti was glanced by a couple of these strikes, but then he caught both blades in between the gaps of Dante's Blades, stopping the motion for a moment.)
Canti: Bastard! Stop stealing my moves!
(Obviously, the doppelganger wasn't going to listen to a word he said, or stop fighting, so instead, it let go of the fans for a moment and pounded forcefully into Canti's stomach. The Twin Blade was thrusted back by this attack, a large chunk of HP taken from him on top of everything else. He casted Repth spells as Suraisu reclaimed his fans from mid-air. Canti was at the edge now. He didn't look back. He only looked forward. Even if this were a monster, Suraisu wasn't dumb enough to charge right off of the tower. That was ridiculous. Instead, a Rai rune appeared over Canti's head.)
Canti: Oh, you fucker...
(He'd been given no choice. To avoid the sudden Rai Rom attack, he had to charge, and the Fist Fighter was waiting for that. However, Canti leapt much higher than anticipated. monsters did not take un-World-like attributes into account, usually. A wing-assisted jump enhanced the dark Twin Blade's agility, and he met Suraisu's blades in a clash that gave him the greater leverage. When Canti landed and turned, he found that the doppelganger had attained a cut on its forehead.)
Canti: I'm not the Canti you took a hit for back then. You knew what would happen, didn't you? You talk about dark things in The World...
(Canti spread his raven-like wings and rose from the ground, arms spread out with Dante's Blades grasped in them. Darkness bled from the blades and wrapped around Canti himself, as well as an aura of fire...)
Canti: I AM the dark side of The World!
(With great aerodynamic speed all of a sudden, Canti flew up and around in the arena, swooping down to strike are Suraisu with great force that was equally capable of damaging him and avoiding a number of strikes himself. His battle-concentration was focus completely...though to a fault. This had become an obsession for him. He saw only Suraisu, and paid little attention to anything else. He didn't buy that the lightning hacker was dead, so he had to be prepared... Prepared for the eventual possibilty that he might return...)
OOC: This is only part of the battle, however... I haven't done nearly as much as this doppelganger COULD be doing, but it's in the right style of the opponent, I think.
Moderator: Nighthand
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Lightning-Charged Offensive: Part One - The Obsession.
I'll have a doozy of a sig later, I swear. It'll reflect ".hack//CODE" an' everything.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
- Nighthand
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- Location: ...Tracking...please wait...
(OOC: Approved, of course. Just a couple of notes. Firstly being that Suraisu is nowhere near Elite-level... and second being the doppleganger can have the capability of conversation, if you want. It'd just be words taken from your own mind rather than what the actual player in question would say. More of you projecting your thoughts onto him than him actually talking back. Or, he can be silent, if you choose so.)
![Image](http://static.flickr.com/48/185807763_8ac187a5da_o.jpg)
Wishlist: Any Armor or Weapons under level 50, Any Scrolls (prefer level 2+)
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- Exalted Player
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OOC: Well, I didn't actually know that. Suraisu's rank was assumed...for lack of any contrary evidence, and I didn't know you could make the fakes talk. But now that I do know, you've given me a good way to freak Canti out, since he's not expecting it to happen. Thanks mucho.
IC>>>>>
(One aerial strike after another, Canti fighting like a madman or a beast. His acute pereptions and newfound agility in flight made him a rather vicious, yet efficient killing machine. The thought of using spells, at this point, never even crossed his mind. However, even as he was flying by an unpredictable pattern, Suraisu was not lacking in ability. The Fist Fighter's clone had only been struck, thus far, by a small percent of Canti's attacks. The rest were either blocked or dodged, noting the skill and strength of a Level-46 player. Even though the times in which the Twin Blade DID hit him reduced HP significantly, it was not enough to cause a panic just yet. The two had clashed darkness against lightning, elemental opposites. Canti had two weaknesses to Suraisu's one, but Suraisu didn't even have spells which counteracted fire, so there was no concern to that. As far as he was concerned, the lightning-hacker was as vulnerable to him as he to the hacker himself. On that field, they were the same. The only real problem was that of level, and of hacker abilities. Since Suraisu was of a higher level - more than twice Canti's own - he therefore had greater reserves to call upon. On top of that, there was hacking to consider. The lightning-boy had had much more experience with this sort of thing, and Canti was just a beginner. The only thing that the Twin Blade could say to that was that he was making good use of what he had. His perceptions being what they were - borderline on the freaky - any physical attribute of his would be used to the fullest, no doubt. But right now, things were about to take a serious change in direction. Canti had gotten himself an advantage to work with - flight - and he had used Twin Darkness in his latest attack, scoring an elemental critical to Suraisu's side. The only downside to it was that he threw a backhanded punch so hard that Canti was thrown back and hit one of the metal spires. The impact knocked the wind out of him for a second as he got himself up once more. Canti black eyes looked back at the hacker, who was standing with his arms crossed, his own eyes closed, smiling in his usual fashion.)
"You're pathetic..."
Canti: What...the hell...?
(It may be important to note that not only was Canti completely unaware of the fact that the doppelgangers COULD talk, but also how the messages seemed to stem from their own mind. Since he didn't expect Suraisu here to say anything, this was all a bit of a shock. Plus, with the way Canti's mind actually worked, this fight could turn very ugly if he suddenly kicked in issues of self-loathing, hatred, or any other number of life issues currently plaguing him on top of being stuck in The World. For now, though, he was shocked at what he was hearing. This thing was talking!)
Canti: What...?
"Come on. Think about it. The World has had this virus for a long time now. You can't become the dark side. It has to become you, infiltrate and fester inside your very mind and twist you. It's happening even now. Take a look at your cuts and wounds. So defiled that you bleed black..."
(He wasn't sure what to make of this. It was bad enough having a voice in his head that wasn't his own as is, but now an external one that was telling him stuff from his own mind? Having Reyome in his head was nothing. This hacker may as well have actually been in the room now... Looking down, Canti found that he was right. He'd emulated darkness and fire, so he was even bleeding a tar-like substance, like a demon... Was this what he really wanted to become? One part of him said YES, because there was nothing else to become in his current state. A ghost of the system, a demon in The World. What else could he be? But another part of him, the part that wanted to be out of this mess and inside of his own flesh and blood, said NO, because this place was an empty fake, just a game. It held nothing for him at all. Canti looked back at the doppelganger.)
Canti: You do what you have to in order to survive, right?
"If necessary."
Canti: Heh. What's your excuse, ya lousy hacker?
"I said I had no regrets."
Canti: Meaning that you're alright with where you are in life.
"You could say that."
Canti: Got there on purpose?
"Can't say."
Canti: Bullshit!!
(The dark Twin Blade rushed at Suraisu and slashed Dante's Blades at him, viciously. His attacks were not met with very much success this time, even though darkness seemed to ooze from him like a living aura. This strikes hit fans every time. Suraisu was that good. The hacker-doppelganger smirked as he forced the Canti back.)
"Here's a question... If you can't beat me, here and now, what good are you against any of the Elites? You saw them... Are any of them like me, or are they far worse?"
Canti: Hey, I didn't bring you to life to talk me to death. If you're gonna make a point, do it with fists.
"Alright then..."
(Never ask for that kind of treatment, because it was clear that Suraisu's clone here was not fighting at his full capacity, not even for his regular state of being as when he was their guide and not their enemy. This became an "OH SHIT!" moment for Canti as the hacker simultaneously activated Rig Saem, Rig Gaem, and Ap Do. Suddenly realizing that he would be all but dead in the water if he allowed the guy to gain a speed advantage, Canti used a Speed Charm in battle, which would put him back on the level again. For the two of them now, everything else was far too slow. The naked eye would do no justice here, as a lightning-charged opponent fought a darkness-embued Twin Blade. So far as Canti knew, Suraisu didn't fly, but he had killer agility, launching himself off of spires to attack him. Explosions of lightning and waves of darkness flew around, remnants of attack from both fighters. The hacker's wounds were starting to mend, and Canti was getting just a few more. It didn't matter. He fought like they weren't there. An intense burn in his body, a feeling of fire and anger, fought right through the haze of the pain. Wait... That wasn't a red haze of pain. That was...)
Canti! What're you doing? I don't even have to dive in to know that something's wrong with you! What's going on?
(But Canti wasn't listening to the voice of the fox who'd chosen to look after him in the real world. His mind was totally focused upon Suraisu, who brought out an uglier side of the Twin Blade with all that had occurred up until now. Ramming at him from above, he pinned the doppelganger down for a moment, just lashing out at him with knives as though they were claws...even though they were not like the Fuse Blades. Using THOSE would've caused real problems. Canti's attacks, using both regular strikes and Twin Darkness, were unleashed during a slew of curses. It didn't matter if either of them was sped up. If he could not move, there was no evasion. If his weapons could not be used in any way but defense, there was no retaliation. However, in his rage, Canti forgot about spells. Suraisu had been indulging his madness, but only to a point. MeRai Don suddenly impacted him from above, only hurting the hacker a little, but Canti was thrown right off by the impact. He forced himself to be able to Repth, even though his whole body shuddered from the spell.)
"What do you really want from me, Canti? Sounds as though you've got some serious issues, but what with? You don't seem to really want to kill me. Looks more like you might be forcing it a bit. Something of an unhealthy action, in fact."
Canti: Hey! Stay out of my fucking head, you bastard!
"It can't be helped. You allowed my inside, let me manipulate your thoughts. I know everything now. You don't want me to be dead. You're teetering between either wanting me to be alright and the desire to know that I'm dead so you can stop thinking about it. Part of you even wishes that I'd killed you back at the tower. Are you really that far gone?"
Canti: What're you talking about?
"The Canti I knew was anxious, even desperate, to enjoy himself despite everything going on around him. I remember your enthusiasm especially..."
Canti: That was back when this was all just a game.
"It still is. The stakes are higher, but it's all still a game. If you want to find out something important, resolve something meaningful, you're not gonna get it with these broodings you get yourself into. What're you trying to determine here? That you can beat the crap out of me?"
Canti: No! That's not it... I just wanted to know what it was like to fight the real you.
"Rather than the hacker who tried to murder you and your friends, eh? How come?"
Canti: Because I don't buy it, not even for a second. You're out there, and I'm gonna find out what exactly happened.
"What's stopping you?"
Canti: Nothing!
"Then get on with it!"
Canti: I will!
"Any regrets now?"
Canti: Heh. NONE!
"Then fight! This is a training room, not a melodrama class!"
Canti: What did you say?!
(This time, there was a grin settled upon Canti's face. Call it an act of his own personal wisdom, manifested externally, but he was beginning to feel a little better about this now. This wasn't a chore, or a terrible burden. Suraisu WAS out there somewhere, and either he'd find a corpse or the real hacker. And once that much was determined, he'd figure out what to do after that. In the meantime, he and the doppelganger clashed once more, at high-speed, both of them in high spirits. Since the actions of the clone were reflected in Canti's mind and perception of Suraisu, it was still only Suraisu as he could envision him. Therefore, he subconsciously made the lightning-hacker give him a kick in the ass to get him out of his dark brooding. Now, the last leg of the fight would begin. With nothing holding back either fighter, it was actually hard to tell who would really win. Would it be Canti, who had a history of pulling out a win against tougher opponents? Or would it be the doppelganger, basking in the strength of a powerful Fist Fighter? The answer would be determined soon...)
IC>>>>>
(One aerial strike after another, Canti fighting like a madman or a beast. His acute pereptions and newfound agility in flight made him a rather vicious, yet efficient killing machine. The thought of using spells, at this point, never even crossed his mind. However, even as he was flying by an unpredictable pattern, Suraisu was not lacking in ability. The Fist Fighter's clone had only been struck, thus far, by a small percent of Canti's attacks. The rest were either blocked or dodged, noting the skill and strength of a Level-46 player. Even though the times in which the Twin Blade DID hit him reduced HP significantly, it was not enough to cause a panic just yet. The two had clashed darkness against lightning, elemental opposites. Canti had two weaknesses to Suraisu's one, but Suraisu didn't even have spells which counteracted fire, so there was no concern to that. As far as he was concerned, the lightning-hacker was as vulnerable to him as he to the hacker himself. On that field, they were the same. The only real problem was that of level, and of hacker abilities. Since Suraisu was of a higher level - more than twice Canti's own - he therefore had greater reserves to call upon. On top of that, there was hacking to consider. The lightning-boy had had much more experience with this sort of thing, and Canti was just a beginner. The only thing that the Twin Blade could say to that was that he was making good use of what he had. His perceptions being what they were - borderline on the freaky - any physical attribute of his would be used to the fullest, no doubt. But right now, things were about to take a serious change in direction. Canti had gotten himself an advantage to work with - flight - and he had used Twin Darkness in his latest attack, scoring an elemental critical to Suraisu's side. The only downside to it was that he threw a backhanded punch so hard that Canti was thrown back and hit one of the metal spires. The impact knocked the wind out of him for a second as he got himself up once more. Canti black eyes looked back at the hacker, who was standing with his arms crossed, his own eyes closed, smiling in his usual fashion.)
"You're pathetic..."
Canti: What...the hell...?
(It may be important to note that not only was Canti completely unaware of the fact that the doppelgangers COULD talk, but also how the messages seemed to stem from their own mind. Since he didn't expect Suraisu here to say anything, this was all a bit of a shock. Plus, with the way Canti's mind actually worked, this fight could turn very ugly if he suddenly kicked in issues of self-loathing, hatred, or any other number of life issues currently plaguing him on top of being stuck in The World. For now, though, he was shocked at what he was hearing. This thing was talking!)
Canti: What...?
"Come on. Think about it. The World has had this virus for a long time now. You can't become the dark side. It has to become you, infiltrate and fester inside your very mind and twist you. It's happening even now. Take a look at your cuts and wounds. So defiled that you bleed black..."
(He wasn't sure what to make of this. It was bad enough having a voice in his head that wasn't his own as is, but now an external one that was telling him stuff from his own mind? Having Reyome in his head was nothing. This hacker may as well have actually been in the room now... Looking down, Canti found that he was right. He'd emulated darkness and fire, so he was even bleeding a tar-like substance, like a demon... Was this what he really wanted to become? One part of him said YES, because there was nothing else to become in his current state. A ghost of the system, a demon in The World. What else could he be? But another part of him, the part that wanted to be out of this mess and inside of his own flesh and blood, said NO, because this place was an empty fake, just a game. It held nothing for him at all. Canti looked back at the doppelganger.)
Canti: You do what you have to in order to survive, right?
"If necessary."
Canti: Heh. What's your excuse, ya lousy hacker?
"I said I had no regrets."
Canti: Meaning that you're alright with where you are in life.
"You could say that."
Canti: Got there on purpose?
"Can't say."
Canti: Bullshit!!
(The dark Twin Blade rushed at Suraisu and slashed Dante's Blades at him, viciously. His attacks were not met with very much success this time, even though darkness seemed to ooze from him like a living aura. This strikes hit fans every time. Suraisu was that good. The hacker-doppelganger smirked as he forced the Canti back.)
"Here's a question... If you can't beat me, here and now, what good are you against any of the Elites? You saw them... Are any of them like me, or are they far worse?"
Canti: Hey, I didn't bring you to life to talk me to death. If you're gonna make a point, do it with fists.
"Alright then..."
(Never ask for that kind of treatment, because it was clear that Suraisu's clone here was not fighting at his full capacity, not even for his regular state of being as when he was their guide and not their enemy. This became an "OH SHIT!" moment for Canti as the hacker simultaneously activated Rig Saem, Rig Gaem, and Ap Do. Suddenly realizing that he would be all but dead in the water if he allowed the guy to gain a speed advantage, Canti used a Speed Charm in battle, which would put him back on the level again. For the two of them now, everything else was far too slow. The naked eye would do no justice here, as a lightning-charged opponent fought a darkness-embued Twin Blade. So far as Canti knew, Suraisu didn't fly, but he had killer agility, launching himself off of spires to attack him. Explosions of lightning and waves of darkness flew around, remnants of attack from both fighters. The hacker's wounds were starting to mend, and Canti was getting just a few more. It didn't matter. He fought like they weren't there. An intense burn in his body, a feeling of fire and anger, fought right through the haze of the pain. Wait... That wasn't a red haze of pain. That was...)
Canti! What're you doing? I don't even have to dive in to know that something's wrong with you! What's going on?
(But Canti wasn't listening to the voice of the fox who'd chosen to look after him in the real world. His mind was totally focused upon Suraisu, who brought out an uglier side of the Twin Blade with all that had occurred up until now. Ramming at him from above, he pinned the doppelganger down for a moment, just lashing out at him with knives as though they were claws...even though they were not like the Fuse Blades. Using THOSE would've caused real problems. Canti's attacks, using both regular strikes and Twin Darkness, were unleashed during a slew of curses. It didn't matter if either of them was sped up. If he could not move, there was no evasion. If his weapons could not be used in any way but defense, there was no retaliation. However, in his rage, Canti forgot about spells. Suraisu had been indulging his madness, but only to a point. MeRai Don suddenly impacted him from above, only hurting the hacker a little, but Canti was thrown right off by the impact. He forced himself to be able to Repth, even though his whole body shuddered from the spell.)
"What do you really want from me, Canti? Sounds as though you've got some serious issues, but what with? You don't seem to really want to kill me. Looks more like you might be forcing it a bit. Something of an unhealthy action, in fact."
Canti: Hey! Stay out of my fucking head, you bastard!
"It can't be helped. You allowed my inside, let me manipulate your thoughts. I know everything now. You don't want me to be dead. You're teetering between either wanting me to be alright and the desire to know that I'm dead so you can stop thinking about it. Part of you even wishes that I'd killed you back at the tower. Are you really that far gone?"
Canti: What're you talking about?
"The Canti I knew was anxious, even desperate, to enjoy himself despite everything going on around him. I remember your enthusiasm especially..."
Canti: That was back when this was all just a game.
"It still is. The stakes are higher, but it's all still a game. If you want to find out something important, resolve something meaningful, you're not gonna get it with these broodings you get yourself into. What're you trying to determine here? That you can beat the crap out of me?"
Canti: No! That's not it... I just wanted to know what it was like to fight the real you.
"Rather than the hacker who tried to murder you and your friends, eh? How come?"
Canti: Because I don't buy it, not even for a second. You're out there, and I'm gonna find out what exactly happened.
"What's stopping you?"
Canti: Nothing!
"Then get on with it!"
Canti: I will!
"Any regrets now?"
Canti: Heh. NONE!
"Then fight! This is a training room, not a melodrama class!"
Canti: What did you say?!
(This time, there was a grin settled upon Canti's face. Call it an act of his own personal wisdom, manifested externally, but he was beginning to feel a little better about this now. This wasn't a chore, or a terrible burden. Suraisu WAS out there somewhere, and either he'd find a corpse or the real hacker. And once that much was determined, he'd figure out what to do after that. In the meantime, he and the doppelganger clashed once more, at high-speed, both of them in high spirits. Since the actions of the clone were reflected in Canti's mind and perception of Suraisu, it was still only Suraisu as he could envision him. Therefore, he subconsciously made the lightning-hacker give him a kick in the ass to get him out of his dark brooding. Now, the last leg of the fight would begin. With nothing holding back either fighter, it was actually hard to tell who would really win. Would it be Canti, who had a history of pulling out a win against tougher opponents? Or would it be the doppelganger, basking in the strength of a powerful Fist Fighter? The answer would be determined soon...)
I'll have a doozy of a sig later, I swear. It'll reflect ".hack//CODE" an' everything.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
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- Exalted Player
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 3:58 pm
- Location: In da' plains of hell, natch.
(The two warriors, one of them fake and one of them real, had been fighting unendingly, as if a struggle that was greater than human existed beyond the pure pummeling being delivered unto another. In the real world, a young man was registering some fairly-odd readings on his brainscan. The one who was watching him, and watching the fight, was not surprised. Unlike before, when something seemed to be wrong, the readings were of an indication that had been noted before. Canti enjoyed combat and high viciousness. More to the point, he was no longer under any apparent stress. Quick as lightning, or quick as darkness, the Twin Blade and the Fist Fighter had at it. At this time, both of their character standpoints were close to the same. They were both highly-evasive quick-fighters, and both operating at a higher-than-normal speed thanks to the Ap Do abilities imparted by spell or item. Both were using Twin Blade weapons, and fighting very skillfully. Of course, there was a difference in the type of skill. Suraisu had learned to be skillful. Canti called it forth by instinct. Now then, Canti knew that the lightning-hacker, or rather the doppelganger of such a foe, had greater resources on his side, but the Twin Blade had been showing greater resourcefulness in his moves. The partitioned Dante's Blades, for instance, were good for catching and thrusting aside the Dragon Fans. Right now, the two of them were both injured and appearing as though tired. How fatigue actually plays into this, we don't know. Perhaps it was due to the lower amounts of HP in either of them.)
"You know, I could conceivably keep this up forever, since I'm just a simulation of the real thing."
Canti: So could I. I'm just the mind here. The body is having all of its needs taken care of back home.
"Fair point."
Canti: Oh, this is The Ultimate Showdown...of Ultimate Destiny. Good guys, bad guys, and explosions...as far as the eye can see.
"So, what're going to do once you're through here?"
Canti: What do you think?
"No, I mean, if you're really off to find me out there, where are you gonna look?"
Canti: There aren't many places to start, I know.
"This tower is rubble, you know."
Canti: Yeah, and I doubt I'd find you stuck underneath it, anyway. The truth is, I really don't know where to look. You could be anywhere. Even that guy, Marionette, wonders...
"I take it he's been no help, even though he probably knows."
Canti: That guy won't lift a finger unless it's earned or it serves his purpose. Nobody knows what the hell he's up to. Sometimes, I wonder if you are the real Marionette.
"Well, since I'm not the real me, I can't say what I'd do under the circumstances. I might be on the hacker server or I might be on the run. Who knows?"
Canti: Perhaps he does, but he's not talkin'. My guess is, if Nall is right about how the Elites treat their own kind, you're nowhere near them. And if that's the case, I want to be sure.
"You're not planning to-"
Canti: What?
"Nevermind."
(The doppelganger DID know what Canti was thinking, but neither of them was going to say it out loud. The fact is that the Twin Blade didn't know what he was going to do when he found Suraisu either. It might be enough to know whether he lived or died, or maybe it wouldn't be even a start. One thing was for sure. He had to know. There had to be some sort of reliable intel, or irrefutable method of discovering the answer beyond all bias and without even the slightly hint of the shadow of doubt. Until he could say, with full certainty, that Suraisu was dead...he probably wasn't. This left them, here and now, with their battle. Suddenly, Canti leapt up and back against a spire and launched himself at the doppelganger...several times. Each time he attacked, he moved on to a different spire and repeated his action at high speed. The lightning-hacker was STILL not a flyer, to the Twin Blade had an angular advantage along with his speed. It was hard to defend against, at least for an opponent like this. However, when Suraisu copied this move with a powerful leap, the collision caused both their respective energies to explode as they were thrown back.)
"Heh. Grounded..."
Canti: Oh no. Not me, pal.
(Canti immediately retaliated with Gan Zot, which - while it wasn't an elemental weakness to lightning - disrupted the active lightning on Suraisu's body. This allowed Canti to get in close and attack with Twin Darkness. The distraction allowed for most of his strikes to get through for an elemental critical. Of course, this brought about a certain other problem, such as...the fact that the dark Twin Blade was unaware that Dek Raio had been cast upon him at this time. So, when Suraisu fought back...)
"Shocking Punch Raikoken!"
(...Canti went flying, from that end of the arena...to the other. It was a vicious and powerful blow, one of devastating force with a lightning effect that was just as painful as when he was hit back in the Hub area by those two spells. Canti could feel his whole body smoking from that fry-attack, as well as the smell of ionized particulars tingling in his nose. That was...wait a second... Time seemed to slow down for a second as several thoughts suddenly raced through the Twin Blade's head at once. The initial ones pretty much covered how fricken' painful that was. The next thoughts went something like this...)
Canti: Hey, wait a minute. If I can still feel this, then am I...? What the...? Oh, I don't freakin' BELIEVE this... The bastard didn't take all my HP down. I'm just MOSTLY dead, with two HP! He's almost dead himself, but could heal at any moment. If I'm gonna beat him, I gotta do it right now.
(Picture Canti falling on his back, then flipping over onto hsi stomach, knives grating against the floor. Then, find a blackish blue where his body use to be as he forced himself to move and attack. He lashes out as Suraisu brings his fans into play, catching them in the gap of Dante's Blades, then jumps and kicks at Suraisu in a somersault to separate the both of them, with Canti in possession of the fans. Whipping those aside and out of reach, he blocked an oncoming punch at knife-point - meaning that he stabbed into the fist - and slashed across the doppelganger's stomach before throwing himself aside from some Rai Don spells and then turning back all of a sudden with a surprise Twin Darkness attack. The fake Suraisu's HP was reduced to zero, turned gray, and faded away. Canti felt no pleasure in doing it. He only felt numb, and then began to heal himself as the door to the training room opened.)
Canti: Sorry, but a fake's a fake, and I won't lose to one just because it looks like him.
(In the end, the doppelganger was just that, a simulation of the real thing. It had no more an influence on Canti than a piece of stone. However, in dealing with the fake, we find an interesting detail about the Twin Blade's apparent outlook in terms of the wayward Fist Fighter. He respected him, and believed that there was more to him than just being an evil hacker working for the Elites. There had to be something that he could do to prove that, or prove himself wrong. Finding him was the key. Canti stepped out of the training room, where the image of Raine stood for the moment.)
"All done?"
Canti: Yeah... Thanks, Raine.
"No problem."
(He then left the area and went back upstrairs.)
"You know, I could conceivably keep this up forever, since I'm just a simulation of the real thing."
Canti: So could I. I'm just the mind here. The body is having all of its needs taken care of back home.
"Fair point."
Canti: Oh, this is The Ultimate Showdown...of Ultimate Destiny. Good guys, bad guys, and explosions...as far as the eye can see.
"So, what're going to do once you're through here?"
Canti: What do you think?
"No, I mean, if you're really off to find me out there, where are you gonna look?"
Canti: There aren't many places to start, I know.
"This tower is rubble, you know."
Canti: Yeah, and I doubt I'd find you stuck underneath it, anyway. The truth is, I really don't know where to look. You could be anywhere. Even that guy, Marionette, wonders...
"I take it he's been no help, even though he probably knows."
Canti: That guy won't lift a finger unless it's earned or it serves his purpose. Nobody knows what the hell he's up to. Sometimes, I wonder if you are the real Marionette.
"Well, since I'm not the real me, I can't say what I'd do under the circumstances. I might be on the hacker server or I might be on the run. Who knows?"
Canti: Perhaps he does, but he's not talkin'. My guess is, if Nall is right about how the Elites treat their own kind, you're nowhere near them. And if that's the case, I want to be sure.
"You're not planning to-"
Canti: What?
"Nevermind."
(The doppelganger DID know what Canti was thinking, but neither of them was going to say it out loud. The fact is that the Twin Blade didn't know what he was going to do when he found Suraisu either. It might be enough to know whether he lived or died, or maybe it wouldn't be even a start. One thing was for sure. He had to know. There had to be some sort of reliable intel, or irrefutable method of discovering the answer beyond all bias and without even the slightly hint of the shadow of doubt. Until he could say, with full certainty, that Suraisu was dead...he probably wasn't. This left them, here and now, with their battle. Suddenly, Canti leapt up and back against a spire and launched himself at the doppelganger...several times. Each time he attacked, he moved on to a different spire and repeated his action at high speed. The lightning-hacker was STILL not a flyer, to the Twin Blade had an angular advantage along with his speed. It was hard to defend against, at least for an opponent like this. However, when Suraisu copied this move with a powerful leap, the collision caused both their respective energies to explode as they were thrown back.)
"Heh. Grounded..."
Canti: Oh no. Not me, pal.
(Canti immediately retaliated with Gan Zot, which - while it wasn't an elemental weakness to lightning - disrupted the active lightning on Suraisu's body. This allowed Canti to get in close and attack with Twin Darkness. The distraction allowed for most of his strikes to get through for an elemental critical. Of course, this brought about a certain other problem, such as...the fact that the dark Twin Blade was unaware that Dek Raio had been cast upon him at this time. So, when Suraisu fought back...)
"Shocking Punch Raikoken!"
(...Canti went flying, from that end of the arena...to the other. It was a vicious and powerful blow, one of devastating force with a lightning effect that was just as painful as when he was hit back in the Hub area by those two spells. Canti could feel his whole body smoking from that fry-attack, as well as the smell of ionized particulars tingling in his nose. That was...wait a second... Time seemed to slow down for a second as several thoughts suddenly raced through the Twin Blade's head at once. The initial ones pretty much covered how fricken' painful that was. The next thoughts went something like this...)
Canti: Hey, wait a minute. If I can still feel this, then am I...? What the...? Oh, I don't freakin' BELIEVE this... The bastard didn't take all my HP down. I'm just MOSTLY dead, with two HP! He's almost dead himself, but could heal at any moment. If I'm gonna beat him, I gotta do it right now.
(Picture Canti falling on his back, then flipping over onto hsi stomach, knives grating against the floor. Then, find a blackish blue where his body use to be as he forced himself to move and attack. He lashes out as Suraisu brings his fans into play, catching them in the gap of Dante's Blades, then jumps and kicks at Suraisu in a somersault to separate the both of them, with Canti in possession of the fans. Whipping those aside and out of reach, he blocked an oncoming punch at knife-point - meaning that he stabbed into the fist - and slashed across the doppelganger's stomach before throwing himself aside from some Rai Don spells and then turning back all of a sudden with a surprise Twin Darkness attack. The fake Suraisu's HP was reduced to zero, turned gray, and faded away. Canti felt no pleasure in doing it. He only felt numb, and then began to heal himself as the door to the training room opened.)
Canti: Sorry, but a fake's a fake, and I won't lose to one just because it looks like him.
(In the end, the doppelganger was just that, a simulation of the real thing. It had no more an influence on Canti than a piece of stone. However, in dealing with the fake, we find an interesting detail about the Twin Blade's apparent outlook in terms of the wayward Fist Fighter. He respected him, and believed that there was more to him than just being an evil hacker working for the Elites. There had to be something that he could do to prove that, or prove himself wrong. Finding him was the key. Canti stepped out of the training room, where the image of Raine stood for the moment.)
"All done?"
Canti: Yeah... Thanks, Raine.
"No problem."
(He then left the area and went back upstrairs.)
I'll have a doozy of a sig later, I swear. It'll reflect ".hack//CODE" an' everything.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
Hey look! A profile! It's got items and stats and things! Cool! If it isn't fully up to date, it will be, so don't worry 'bout it.
- Nighthand
- Master of Games
- Posts: 1265
- Joined: Mon Mar 31, 2003 9:23 pm
- Class: Bladesmage
- Location: ...Tracking...please wait...
Closed. Rewards will be added to the rewards of the current plotline.
![Image](http://static.flickr.com/48/185807763_8ac187a5da_o.jpg)
Wishlist: Any Armor or Weapons under level 50, Any Scrolls (prefer level 2+)