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.
[ well, there's no way that wolfwood is going to let go of fukuda's shoulder now that he's dropped that on him. he'll keep holding onto it firmly and without any give. ]
More reason to avoid rushin' in on yer own. The less bodies that we have to worry about the better it'll be for everyone.
There's a bad direct blow to the back of his skull that looks like it was a direct impact. Outside of the mask being gone (leaving a bare "face" of nothing but metal and muscle tissues), the injuries that pepper his body are all slash wounds.]
[sometimes stress just brings out the unfeeling machine to cope. don't worry about it.]
Someone will have to advise Tails and the others to seek out another base of operations. While they do that, we need to find where that mask has gone before we leave.
[ coughs so after following what fukuda has so willingly and casually dropped— ]
...word has it that if we don't find that mask then things might get real ugly for him. Y'know, the kind where not even my healin' is gonna be able to patch up.
[ wolfwood makes sure to stress the next bit he says given that viktor's trying to get a grip on himself and this information will not help in the slightest. ]
But the last thing we also need is another body to worry about—not that ya need a reminder of that, right?
[thank you, wolfwood, he hates everything about this.]
We will not let that happen. I will be prepared to deploy something for better combat mobility by tonight, and when our enemy inevitably makes his move, there will be a stunningly unpleasant surprise if all goes according to plan.
I am well aware. You do not need to concern yourself; reckless acts of self-endangerment are not my particular habit. I am here to support the rest of you, and I intend to do that.
Besides, this would not be my first time spending a sleepless night on work. This body can handle it well enough.
[ calling wolfwood "healer-chan" is taking me out.
....but hmm. that information is going to go right into his back pocket to remember later. it's a shame that anything that isn't severe or really bad off is going to get healed/repaired but, in the end, it's what is best for vakama.
and if vakama thanks wolfwood (which let's be real he probably will) for the heal after he gets his mask back then he's not going to accept it. wolfwood doesn't heal people for the thanks. :pensive: ]
Glad to hear that. Havin' one less person who will rush in without thinkin' straight is nice.
[ hmmm. ]
Just take a bit of time off to do something relaxin' when we get his mask back. It'd make others who don't have the benefit of low maintenance bodies worry less. 'sides, that brain of yers is still pretty human, right?
[Her expression is uncharacteristically grim when she sees the crowd and comes to see the cause of the fuss herself, but... ultimately her voice remains fairly matter-of-fact in spite of it all.]
Please do, Yugi. I can help with the search, too.
[Either they can do something about it, or they can't. There's only two options, now.]
There's a cart for moving pallets here. Turo considers it for a moment, but that would make for a bumpy ride, wouldn't it?]
I wonder if it's really safe for us to keep going out alone. I know we all do it...often, in fact. But even if he doesn't care to study the organics among us, we are all his enemies.
[He puts on a wry smirk as they make their way for an open spot on the dance floor.]
I feel like this is the part where I say that's supposed ta be my job. [His pride as a so-called womanizer is in shambles!!] But we both know you could do it metaphorically and literally.
[There wasn't anything romantic about it, but Dorothy scooped his pathetic ass off the ground on the very day they met. It's funny how much has changed since then.
As they settle into the dance, he keeps an even pace with her. He's a military man who has been to plenty of balls just like this, even if he was never much into them. It's different with Dorothy though. He's not dancing with her out of obligation. No, this is exactly where he wants to be.
Huh. That's something for him to think about later.
He jumps at the chance to speed things up, winking in Red Hood's direction. Don't worry, Red. He wouldn't dare ruin this for Dorothy.]
I'm practiced enough fer appropriate fancy-schmancy ball dances, but if I'm gonna be honest, I've always preferred the liveliness of guild parties. How 'bout you?
[ and there's no give in wolfwood's tone or his grip still. but also gazes in other thread being a work in progress. ]
Besides when does bein' on a team or even friends matter when makin' sure someone doesn't so somethin' stupid? Can't any decent person do that without makin' it any more complicated?
[ why can't people just want to help out other people purely for the sake of it? is that a crime all of a sudden??? ]
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