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.
[He sure disagrees! In his opinion, he's being as hard on himself as he should be]
Life is...only one try. One mistake can change everything. Is not easy, to take right decision every time, because sometimes is hard to see what the consequences will be.
But is not that Ed could not see consequences. Problem is that Ed did not even try. And because of that, he took wrong decision, many times. And not only Ed's own life was destroyed. Mate's life too. Maybe even little one's. [He doesn't know what happened to her. She's doing pretty well, but he doesn't know that at all] With how many got hurt because of bad choices, is onyl right to be hard with myself.
[Is it fair that he's guilting himself so much? Probably not, given Blood Eyes' madness also was exacerbated by a malicious third party who pretty much encouraged those delusions beyond any reasonable hope, and Ed knows that, but how fair it is doesn't change his opinion much.
He's had a looooot of time to think of what he should have done and didn't do, probably enough time that his opinion of himself is real harsh now]
[Whuh oh. That can't be good. Now, the right thing to do here, especially given that this is a vision and thus no lasting consequences for Fukuda, would be to try and intervene. To help.
But also that seems hard and like it would probably hurt? And besides, it's a vision which ALSO means he wouldn't be substantively changing anything. So he just. Stands there and watches this play out.]
[ Yves had a feeling she'd work forever if she could... maybe she is, in her mind. Everything done serves a meaningful purpose, that kind of mindset. ]
That long, huh... I'm sure something new will bring you some happiness. And compliments from the others!
[ Given her outfit looks as fanciful as it does despite all those years, he's sure she can take good care of a casual one. As for her question, he answers it with his own smile, though it feels a bit... faint and uneasy, his normally cheerful voice too. ]
It covers a scar. Part of my face was burned in a fire.
[Robot Turo is immediately, somehow without making any noise about it, several feet further away! Hard to say if this is a reaction to Lucifer's anger, or the fact that it's distracted Human Turo.]
"I know it looks very realistic," [Deeply condescending] "but it's just a robot assistant I built."
But hm. Last he checked, humans didn't have natural poison resistance like mapachs. So maybe they are both sugar water...? Or maybe Rio and her group are that determined to kill the girl whose role he stepped into.
Well. Either he dies or he doesn't. At least she says it'll be immediate.
[Turo considers as Ed speaks, arms folded behind his back. It - actually rankles, a little, to have life explained to him that way. He's not a child. But he's also not alive, is he? So it's fair.
He could have acted sooner and avoided it all, maybe. That's a reasonable argument. But he acts like he never did anything, when he clearly did.]
At least you did anything at all. You might have continued doing nothing. [.....] Besides which, you are hardly the only one who could have acted sooner. Many people were aware of the situation.
[ But clearly everything's fine because Gyles is acting like nothing's wrong, right???? Right.
It takes a moment longer than it should, but eventually he looks over his shoulder at Lark. ] Dinner's what you're interrupting. But you need something?
[ Bourreau does in fact catch up to him, he's a fast motherfucker. He takes a swing at Percy, with the pure intent to kill-- ]
Don't you dare, Bourreau!
[ Said with a surprising amount of defiance towards a fricking serial killer. Yves just barely manages to reach Percy and push him out of the way from a lethal blow, but not without consequences. They both get sliced by the edge on the upper arm, leaving a deep gash each. ]
-! I'm sorry...
[ Yves stares at Percy's wound with a mix of guilt and horror, but he helps bring Percy to his feet, moving his hand from his uninjured side to put pressure on the injury injury while Yves takes his remaining hand in his proper. The remaining momentum gets the halberd stuck in a wall, having smashed into brick like it's styrofoam. It'll buy them some time though. ]
[ The response Ashley gets might not be what she expects - because it's the badger in the mirror, not Gyles, who speaks up. ]
That's more than okay, my dear. You're welcome to stay for as long as you'd need. [ Though they do look confused for a moment, complete with a little head tilt. ] Though I'm afraid my memory's not what it used to be... have we met before?
[His smile fades for a moment. So that's why he's noticed some elements of this dream repeat itself. Red Hood's song restarts, and the dancers revert to their starting positions... Dorothy's trapped herself in a blissful dream that she doesn't want to leave.
He only knows about the tragedy with Pinne, but something tells him it's not going to get any better beyond this peaceful night for Dorothy.]
...I understand.
[Dorothy's experienced his own nightmare, so she can probably see why he would. If he found himself in a blissful dream with Casey, he'd have a real hard time leaving her behind too.
But he knows what he would want to happen if someone else joined him. He'd want them to offer a hand.
So that's what he tries with Dorothy.]
You bet I do. [He extends his hand to her.] I know it's scary, but whaddya say ta givin' it a try with me?
[ ... yeah, that's going to be easier said than done for Gyles, at least. Which the honey badger is quick to call him out for.
"You would never be able to ignore me, right, dear? Even if I was saying how much I hated you. ... Actually, I think you'd listen to me more for that..."
His chest tightens. ] Yeah. [ It's a response to them both, but the next words at least are for Jasper. ] Dunno if more of those robots'll show up, but I don't wanna hang around and find out.
[ That hurts like hell, almost as much as the stab did, but he feels his arm burning. This isn't real, but it feels like it is. He won't lie, he's really, really frightened, but he still manages a little smile – ]
Don't apologize. I'm not going anywhere.
[ This is Yves' nightmare, and Percy promised him he'd help him, so he means it. He's not going anywhere without his...partner?? (Is that the right word??? Not the time to be thinking about this though!!!)
He gives Yves' hand a squeeze, and they have some time to try to get away... (5.....) ]
[ As Oscar changes his approach, the final gunshot goes off.
The memory starts to fade out, like someone losing consciousness – life, in this case – pretty quickly. When it finally turns black...the scene reappears. It starts all over again.
It's a nice day on Neo Earth. So why, then, is Percy now sobbing?
(It's a lot easier to cry when someone's rubbing your back, telling you they're here. He was alone when he died, after all.) ]
[She definitely does. Anyone else she might get a little snippy at attempting to claim they understand, but...Dorothy knows better than most what he's experienced. He truly has experienced that kind of loss that just takes the wind from your sails and leaves you directionless.
But Dorothy looks to him when he offers that hand, and a part of her is softly shocked that he would offer.
She's really been nothing but a nuisance to Raven, she's sure, but there's a part of her that's...touched, in a way, that he would offer this in the first place. There's a quiet hesitation in the way she raises her hand, like she's not entirely sure if this is a joke at her expense or not, but she'll take his hand gently and smile a bit.]
...You do make it quite hard to refuse, after the effort you went to dress for the occasion. How could I say no?
[The look on her face is hesitant, but surprisingly gentle.]
Surprised you don't already know him. He's the actually friendly one. [ But he gestures to the body propped up across from him anyway. ] This is my husband, Hune.
[ Which may raise more questions than it answers, since he sortaintroduced himself as Hune... ]
[Dorothy's gaze flicks over to Vakama when he speaks up, and she finds herself smiling just a touch before it goes back to the dancefloor.]
They are. This was one of the most peaceful nights of our lives; we had evacuated everyone else from this building because there were Raptures incoming, and defeated those Raptures with ease. Liliweiss insisted on us coming back and enjoying the rest of the evening here by ourselves, so that everything leftover didn't go to waste...
And we settled into this night, the most at ease we've ever allowed ourselves to be. This was after a great many victories that we had managed to rack up for ourselves, and a reward for our hard work.
[...]
It felt...so nice, to be acknowledged and rewarded for such a thing. But the real reward was seeing how happy everyone was.
[Yeaaah, Dorothy already doesn't like this in the slightest. Something in those purple eyes of hers goes dark, and she winds up walking closer to the both of them.]
And what exactly was your life's work? So much that you're willing to silence this poor man before he can even speak, because you've so clearly destroyed any sort of backbone that he has?
I don't think it's his fault that you apparently have made some very poor choices in judgement, sir.
[... yeah, that's pretty much the ending he'd expected to this. It's disconcerting, knowing this was how they must have felt when--
"Please put the gun down, Oscar. Have you really turned into that much of a bootlicker for the top brass? Huh??"
He inhales sharply. It feels wrong to be the one comforting Percy now, yet at the same time he can't bring himself to move away, nor does he want to. Well, Oscar, this is just what you deserve, isn't it? Trying to comfort someone with those stained hands of yours...
So he swallows down the sick feeling in his stomach and just keeps rubbing, gentle and soothing. It's the very least he can do.]
Deep breaths, in and out. Try to focus on my voice.
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