You were successful in repelling the robots attacking the city, but you've been left with far too many questions. For once, Tails doesn't have any answers for you, and a gloomy uncertainty has fallen over your three allies. It probably doesn't help that everyone had a rough time of it last week. A win is a win, but it doesn't really feel like a win when you're not even sure who this unknown threat is...
Regardless, life goes on. Things are a bit different this week in Chicago, however.
THE CITY
You'll need to be careful now more than ever when heading out into the city. Though Eggman's usual robots are still present, their numbers have been cut drastically. Far fewer drones patrol the streets, with only the occasional tank or B33 to be seen. You can still find and fight them, and they will still call for backup, but it seems like you all really have destroyed a lot of them.
But there are the new additions to Eggman's forces. Unlike the white chrome versions, these are here to cause problems. You can find them patrolling sometimes... but usually you'll find them in the city proper, destroying whatever they can. Whenever they catch sight of you, they will stop at nothing to try to pursue you and destroy you.
The city itself is still undergoing changes, with more of that white chrome spreading throughout, as if infecting the structures themselves. The Badniks will still destroy even that, though; it's more like they're mindless machines than carrying out any precise orders.
But in a stroke of good luck, occasionally you'll find that some of the humans recognize the danger they're in. It's only when confronted with a robot - but you might hear a scream, or see them try to run away, and if you save them, you may even be able to get a few words in before they simply return to their monotonous lives. You won't be able to get any truly valuable information from them, but they will thank you repeatedly for helping. They don't seem to realize that they're being controlled by someone else, even if you ask them about it.
VISIONS
If you thought last week was a lot, get ready for the madness of week 4!
You may still have nightmares. You may still be pulled into each others' nightmares (same as last week, if you'd like to play out more of these). Or maybe you'll finally be able to catch a break and get some z's, but even if you are lucky enough for that, you'll still be dealing with everything else.
You may find yourself randomly teleported into the city. This happens at random, and can happen to multiple people at the same time. One minute you may be waking up, the next you'll find yourself surrounded by robots ready to kill you. And yeah, the robots are a feature, not a bug. No matter how it happens, you will always be facing down robots whenever you're brought into the city. Enjoy!
But maybe your luck holds out and you're unaffected by that. Well, there's still the visions to deal with!
There are two different kinds of visions that may happen.
The first are the more minor ones - where you may see the people closest to you (positive or negative). They will appear for others as well, and they will gladly speak with you - though they aren't exactly behaving in the way they should. They will torment you, reminding you of past failures and imperfections, and speaking as though everything is your fault. They will follow you wherever you go, and will only fade when someone else has helped you come to terms with the horrid things they're saying. These visions are a manifestation of a character's psyche and thus are based on their own perceptions of their friends/enemies and their own faults. They're incapable of interacting with the world or the characters, but they sure can insult you!
The second are much larger in scope. No matter where you were, you may find yourself pulled into friend's memory. These memories are one-for-one versions of what exactly happened, though now you're here! Are you playing the role of someone else, or are you just a bystander in all that's happening?
The character having the vision may or may not be aware of you initially, but once they're made aware of your presence, the vision will still play out as the memory would. The only way to stop it - aside from simply letting it play out in its entirety - is to drastically alter the memory in such a way that it cannot get itself back on track. Considering the trauma some of the people in this game have, it might be a good idea to help break them free of it.
Regardless of which happens to you (the nightmares, the teleportation, or the visions), your vision will turn bright red for a moment afterwards - it vanishes quickly enough, but it leaves you with the eerie feeling that you're being watched.
SHARDS
Your powers are growing, and you'll find you're able to defend yourself with your power in some way, even if yours is a power made for support. All characters are now able to fire off a blast of energy in their shard color to defend themselves - this attack will grow stronger in time, but at least everyone should be able to defend themselves (somewhat) now?
As you fight with your allies - particularly those you have a close bond with, positive or negative - you may feel the tug of something in the back of your head; it tells you that you can do more. Together, you can become more powerful. You can use your shards together. Doing so will grant you a new power, or strengthen the one you already have. The more you trust one another, the easier this power will be to use.
It might be good to experiment with these new powers; after all, you never know when you may need them.
TAILS' TASKS
Like last week, Sonic Team is still in need of rings. Rings are still annoying to get. You'll probably need help to get them, but they're worth collecting. So make sure to grab some for Tails!
You may also be tasked with tracking Chaos Energy. Like with tracking rings, Tails will give you a device that can pick up on the signature. You should be careful in approaching, especially if the signature is a large one, considering the three enemies you faced last weekend. Still, Chaos Energy may lead you to more of Eggman's fake Chaos Emeralds, which could prove useful...
Tracking the source down will lead you to one of the weekly enemies with a shard somewhere on its body. It will be much harder to kill than the regular versions of that enemy, and capable of some kind of special power (players' choice). Crushing the shard will weaken the enemy and bring it back down to its normal power level, making it fairly easy to defeat, but if you manage to defeat it without breaking the shard, you can bring it back to Tails for examination.
ENEMIES
Though you can still find the enemies from previous weeks in Chicago throughout the city, their numbers have thinned. Mostly, you'll be running into new faces - robots that don't look anything like Eggman's usuals. They are very rarely actually patrolling or idling, instead focused on destroying parts of the city or attacking any people unfortunate enough to get in their way.
Moto Bugs are... rather cute. They roll around on their singular wheel and can slash with their front claws, though primarily they deal damage by ramming into things at fairly high speeds. They're fairly weak, all things considered, especially by now. They're completely powerless when knocked over or onto their backs. Though one Moto Bug is weak, you will never find them alone - instead, you'll usually find at least 3-5 of them in a group.
Crabmeats are robotic crabs. Where does the meat come in? Unclear. Regardless, they're stronger than Moto Bugs and are capable of both bashing with their massive claws and snipping, and either way they are capable of a good deal of damage if you get hit. They're slower though, which means getting out of the way shouldn't be too hard. Like Moto Bugs, these usually are never alone, often working in pairs.
Buzzers are bees. Did you think we were done with bees? We are absolutely not done with bees. These bees function almost identically to the B33 models in that they're capable of firing lasers from their stingers, divebombing to try to sting, and generally be(e)ing a nuisance. Unlike the B33 models, they do not have a glaringly obvious weak point and are a bit harder to hit and destroy as a result. Though you may rarely encounter only one of these bees out in the wild, usually you'll run into groups of them and they will not be(e) happy to see you.
[From the sound of it, it's more "preservation" than actively "saving people". There is a difference, however small, and Void Archives is the prime example of that. Their assertion gets a smirk from Yeager.]
Oh, certainly not. I was in a terrible position, and this was my last hope of saving myself.
[That's not what he would have called it at the start of all of this, but that's what it has turned into now.]
I'm not even slightly "heroic". But there are people I would rather not have to deal with this threat in my own world, so I'm willing to work with everyone to avoid such a fate. All I want at the end of this is to retain my freedom.
[Viktor did not seem to notice Fukuda, at least not yet. His path leads you and him alike to an opulent Piltovan apartment building, a massive hole blown in its wall from the explosive accident that revealed said research before it could be completed. I was trying to create magic, the person in question had asserted at his hearing--the determination alone caught your interest, the impossibility of his statement more so.]
[The magnificent City of Progress was one founded specifically to avoid what your mentor calls 'the tyranny of mages', and yet his caution now seems...well, if this power can be invoked and harnessed as these calculations imply, then is it not right to at least try?]
[However, as you enter the broken apartment itself, a letter and wristband lie on a table, and the source of this mad idea and intricate notes stands at the edge of that second-story hole in the wall--]
[Panic grips your chest and flashes across Viktor's face; the understanding of not only a senseless waste of life, but of potential. This is someone unheard of, a topsider willing to take mad risks to improve lives, improve your home, and if you don't think of a way to stop him right now he's going to-]
[Janna's mercy, you are terrible at this. But it startles him enough to get his attention, and in a panicked flurry Viktor barely manages to keep out of his demeanor, he keeps the other man talking. He speaks with passion and frustration about his work; about the beauty of magic, his reverence making it sound more like a benevolent god than a natural force. A god with one acolyte, because his research was shut down with a harsh refusal of further examination. 'No one believed me', he finishes, looking back out beyond the hole in the wall.]
cw:referenced past suicide attempt (a different one)
[Even if Fukuda was the type to assert himself, he wouldn't have been especially willing to here for two reasons. One, this is a frankly shockingly beautiful man, what right does Fukuda have to talk to someone who's that pretty and apparently from the notes Viktor's speaking of, brilliant???
But more substantively... Who would Fukuda be to tell someone else not to attempt to end their life? He understood what drove someone there, especially with the vague semi-shared context he has from Viktor's memory. When you don't have anything else to lose, when the prospect of continuing another day seems interminable, the idea of just Stopping is so, so hard to resist. And he hadn't resisted. The fact that he's here now and fine with it was a complete fluke, even if it's not an unwelcome one.
So instead he just sits down, not planning on interfering, but then Jayce says that, and Fukuda can't help but nod in understanding and muse;]
Thinks like that just make you wish other people could see inside your head, don't they?
[Surprise, if anyone thought Viktor was the unhinged one--well, they would be right, but this does not make Jayce particularly stable by comparison. Then again, who could really blame him when not a single person actually believed a word he said?]
[No one, except for Viktor. Even at a glance, the equations are sound; faulty only in their application, a simple matter of adjustment that he has failed so far to notice. But you can see the easily fixed mistakes, can see the gears turning at mach speed in Viktor's head; moreover, you can feel a brief ray of hope rarely allowed to those of the Undercity. These feelings burn in your chest like the sheltering light of a campfire in the dark as you see Viktor step forward to stand at the edge beside him.]
['I was an outsider the moment I set foot in Piltover,' Coming to stand at the ledge beside him, you hear Viktor speak with a gentle sincerity felt in your chest. He confides in this relative stranger, how no one had ever believed in a disabled student from the Undercity save for himself. The other man watches in a despondent silence, and for a moment it almost seems he might still consider taking that fatal step forward-]
['I want to help you complete your research.' Viktor concludes, and the relative stranger--Jayce Talis stares at him like a man seeing the sunrise for the first time. 'No one thinks it can be done,' he counters in disbelief.]
['When you're going to change the world-' Viktor's gold eyes are sharp and bright, the beginning of a defiant smile starting to pull at the corners of his mouth. '-don't ask for permission.']
[Nao I respect your creative decision to have this scene play out without Fukuda being able to interrupt for narrative purposes. However it unfortunately means he's decided he's basically like a ghost in movies and no one can see or hear him, which means he's getting up to get a closer look at both the skyline of this cool fantasy city and also these two handsome men because if they can't see him surely there's no harm???
Like even cyborg Viktor is still handsome, but here he's obviously younger and more vibrant. But sorry Viktor he's so charmed by Jayce. He is getting all up in their personal space to get a look. What a nice memory this ended up being! A partnership, a friendship being formed. For the betterment of society!! How nice!!!]
[Realistically Fukuda probably should recognize Vash as a big nerd but I don't want to break the 4th wall here. Anyway, because it's the funniest option, Fukuda just happens to be literally passing through praciting making his holes when he walks into the alley via the nearby wall. Just in time to hear the WW critique. He doesn't even question the gun.]
[Fukuda was just also here getting more boring button ups because between the missions every week and trying to be useful around town, he keeps running out of the ones he had.
He almost seems to get physically knocked off balance when Dorothy emerges in her new, casual outfit and then asks his opinion. He DOES drop the shirt he was picking up.]
I don't know how, but the casual clothes make you look even more like a princess?
[Well. There's not much he can do with a vague feeling of dread, though it does dully make him want to start counting the pavement tiles. Instead, he looks to Chicago Percy;]
[Ah, a mass murder at a circus... A classic horror premise without being too overplayed. Fukuda is calm as he approaches the culprit. Curious even. With none of the usual righteous indignation or fear that one might expect one to bring to confronting a murderer.]
[He can't help the glimpse of a chuckle at hearing Viktor interrupt his partner, choosing to focus on the remainder of Viktor's discarded items.]
You're certainly both as stubborn as the other, aren't you? [In different ways, though. In only a few moments, Jayce seems to lean far more into his feelings than Viktor. Kind of hard to really explore when Jayce is furious, but still.]
What made you change your mind? Surely not this bitterness.
A necessity. The pursuit of science requires a mind prepared to meet and overcome repeated failures, as well as an unwillingness to back down from one's chosen course. As for what-
Like I had any way of knowing you'd wake up an abomination? Tell them about how you ran off and started a cult, then. How many people came to you for help, only for you to tear their minds apart? A hundred, maybe a couple hundred?
[Viktor stopped abruptly before answering Vakama's question, shooting an acidic glare at the thing with his partner's face, then snapped:] Promiňte. Doufám, že mi odpustíte.
[Whatever he'd said, Jayce's scowl turned to something edged with fury.]
So what? You think you can just apologize, and-
Be silent. [Still, he did not raise his voice in the slightest. Metal ground in an undercurrent of fury, the hand on his staff gripping it so tightly the steel almost sounded as if it was beginning to creak.] How stupid do you believe I am? To understand that without hesitation--you are nothing but a delusion of my own fractured mind.
You are not Jayce Talis. Get out of my sight.
[The apparation flickered as if startled, and--t least for the moment--faded.]
[He flinches a bit at the mention of the dream and his vision both. Treading ground on either is clearly something he doesn't want to do just yet, but he'll at least get the basics sorted here.]
Our ideas of destiny are different. I would like to leave it at that.
[Because it was Void Archive's insistence that their answer was correct that dug so deeply at Vakama, when the subject of destiny itself was such a tender one even now. He's not reopening that can of worms.]
You considered me possibly overextending myself, and wished to keep it from going overboard, in a way. So why didn't you just say as much to begin with?
[i can't believe viktor's fucked up memory killed jasper.
well okay he's fine when he awakens, aside from just. having to endure someone else's fucked up memory. he groans a bit as he pulls himself out of bed and goes... to do something, he guesses. he doesn't feel like going back to sleep after that whole business, because he feels like transcending your humanity should be fun, actually.
maybe he'll. i don't know. head to the kitchen area and get a donut. mmm, donut.]
Vakama doesn't seem to be in any worse shape than the rest - battered, exhausted, but on his feet out of sheer drive and spite alike. If anything, Matau looks to be in the worst shape back with the rest of the group.
His eyes flick to Ed briefly, an acknowledgement of the oddity in a mere ripple, before looking back on his team.]
Get Matau back on his feet. This is his Metru, and his instructions are paramount. We're all exhausted. We'll have to get over it.
[From the clipped tone, Ed is apparently just another ghostly teammate here for the time being. But Vakama doesn't say more, evidently expecting Ed to decide whether he's going to obey or not.]
[Turo really just follows More into the shop because he's one of the few people around here that he's really spoken with enough to feel comfortable. Back in the crater, being alone had become a fact of life, like the air around him. Here, though, there's enough people that being alone is coming to feel...sharp-edged. There's a lack he hardly noticed before.
It's silly. He hasn't even got anything particular to talk about. A little embarrassed as soon as he enters the door, he swerves to look at a different rack from the one More's at. Though...goodness, these clothes?]
What sort of place is this?
[Turo has also never changed his clothes since being here? It's not like he sweats, and...admittedly he's not really used to having options.]
Ah, I see. Then, coming here...it is your second chance, is it not?
[ They absorb the knowledge thoroughly. They wonder what Yeager had thought of it all initially? But, then as he speaks, he mentions his ultimate goal and they're a little startled; maybe because it is something they resonate keenly with. But, of course he would say it after everything, right? That memory... ]
We have that in common, don't we? That is, deciding not to arrive here due to a sense of heroism, but for our personal benefit. [ For a moment their mind flashes back to Yeager's remarking on being unable to refuse. ] Also, I can't say I don't comprehend the desire to hold onto your freedom. There was a time where I sought it even more fiercely than before...
When I was not only restricted by purpose, but locked away. [ One of those still applies, but this— ] Yes, that's why...I too urgently wish for you to achieve that freedom you seek. Hold fast to that resolve, as the one responsible for trying to steal it away once more should be the one made to suffer, hm?
[ That is an easy enough request to fulfill, seeing as they have observed that the other holds such strong feelings on the matter. As for the other question, they consider it a bit more carefully.
Such to the point that there's an even longer pause on Void Archives' end. ]
...I will admit that it was never in my interests to express such things before so clearly. That mindset and lack of experience in such approaches may have dulled the effectiveness of how I conveyed such 'concerns'.
[Turo has been trying to stay awake to avoid the nightmares as well. An easier job for him, probably...but it is rather awkward when he's sitting up in bed and his roommate wakes from what was clearly an uneasy slumber.]
...are you alright?
[Should he have woken him? There's a flash of guilt at the thought; he hadn't even considered it until now.]
I believe that is enough background at the moment. Though while I do have some guesses, I don't see a reason to start throwing them out point blank until we get something a bit more substantial.
[ They look on over to "Hendrik"...assuming the image of him is still within hearing range, but you know, presumably kept his back turned or whatever position he's in now. ]
Oh, Sir Hendrik, might this kind and benevolent soul have a moment of your time~? I have to wonder whyever you find yourself unable to speak a word to Sir Jasper. It isn't very knightly of you, you know!
[Turo stands stock-still in the vision, mortified to find himself here at all. The content is horrible enough, but more than that - he wasn't exactly invited. He barely knows this person! He'd have left quite a while ago, except he...does not know how to leave this space they find themselves in, honestly.]
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