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.
[The crashing sound is enough of an alert to have him sit up from where he'd been in his own bedroom, discarding what he'd been working on to whip the door open --
Well. One party he recognized, and the other looms between him and where Viktor now stands frozen. Who in the world...]
Viktor. [Cautious, eyes on the stranger, then back on the man he knows, a sharded hand tentatively lifting in case one of those robots needs to become ammo here in a moment.] What's going on?
[It wasn't quite fear written on Viktor's face--not yet--but a genuine shock and apprehension. This was wrong in a way he couldn't yet place, but they had seen enough new arrivals that he was completely caught off guard.]
Knd of thought you'd be happier to see me. [His voice was a stark opposite to the other man's, like everything else about him; taller, broader, rougher in a way that Viktor's delicate inorganic appearance wasn't.] Or did you really think you could just run off and everything would be fine? What are you gonna do, start another cult?
[That's the funny thing, Vakama. You, specifically, have heard this voice--in your own dream, for a fraction of a second, shared in the abstract concept of 'compassion'.]
['There is beauty in imperfections.']
Not what? Look at yourself, Viktor--you're not even human anymore. You're nothing but a broken mechanical doll.
[Except where that tone was so gentle as to be near reverent, the man staring down Viktor now just sounds bitter and disgusted.]
[That's all Vakama needs to know something is definitely up here.
With a firm exhale, he lets his door slip closed, his gaze hard towards the bitter reflection as he shoulders past Jayce and puts a hand to Viktor's arm.]
Come on. If this is all he has to say to you, then let's get your things together.
[Unwilling or unable to break eye contact, Viktor had neither backed down nor refuted anything said. From the look on his face, he hadn't yet decided if it ws better or worse to be hated if it meant just seeing him again.]
Right, because that's how you deal with your problems. Act like they don't exist. Rip out your own emotions rather than face them.
...You didn't really think I would have ever felt the same about some broken undercity rat, did you?
[Viktor flinched from Vakama's arm at that, but he slowly looked away to lean over and pick up his staff.]
[You always wanted to cure what you thought were weaknesses. But you were never broken, Viktor.]
[How many times now had he played those words back in his head like a beloved record in a phonograph? Held to them like a treasure, because no one else had ever spoken to Viktor the way his partner did. Like he was worth something, worth everything.]
[Viktor slowly began to steady himself, trying to hide the faint trembling in metal hands as he reached for a few more dropped robot parts-]
Capable. Because that's what I had to be, right? You ruined my life in a thousand timelines, all because you couldn't let go.
[and then something cracked, the clicking of a hammer falling as a trigger was pulled. Viktor straightened up in pure fury, voice not raised in the slightest but no less enraged for it.
Because I could not--? I was prepared to let go and die, but what happened? You broke your word and made me this wretched thing--I should have screamed myself hoarse at you when I woke up, but I knew the cruelest thing I could do to you in turn was leave.
[Vakama doesn't move to stop him. Too much left buried, left to simmer until it exploded - nothing good came of hiding it if the problem was genuine, no matter how hard it was to speak up. Vakama doesn't doubt that Viktor ever had a problem with the hard-headedness needed... but in the same avenue if seems like the man turns that same stubbornness against himself, building a wall around himself to keep those emotions in just like he kept everyone else out.
A crack of his own choice, even if a cruel one, might be needed.]
Why did he break his word? Did he ever give you an answer?
...He did not need to tell me. I knew, and yet I still could not forgive him. Not at first.
[Though he answered Vakama, those furious eyes--shifting to something much closer to red--didn't leave the phantom in front of him.]
You think it's so easy? To cling to principles while your-
'-while your best friend bleeds out in your arms', yes? Of course not, and if our positions were switched I surely would have done the same. But do not stand here accusing me of an inability to let go when you chased down a monster trying to kill you and worse yet.
[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 odpustÃte.
[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.]
[Ah -- he picks up on the logic being challenged almost immediately as Viktor claims the man to be a delusion, carefully keeping silent as his eyes trace the angered, startled, disappearing form.
As forms that seemed so real turn to nothing but air, Vakama gently shifts the load in his arms, a careful sigh as he crosses the space with a hand to Viktor's back.]
[He was furious, and it showed. Viktor took a deep whirring breath, turning back to the dropped metal pieces.]
...I was angry for a time, or as close to it as I could be. But eventually I realized it was...a matter of affection. He cared too much, and even if this life was not something I desired, I--I could not hold it against him.
[historically speaking viktor getting this upset ends in the apocalypse so actually he's doing okay this time-]
Of course--what else? Ultimately I realized I could not fathom what kind of desperation he felt upon realizing what had happened, and...no matter what I had asked of him, we both knew the Hexcore was my only chance.
I was furious. I had accepted that I was left with little time, and came to terms with that. The explosion was practically a mercy at that point, and waking up to find myself changed in body and mind alike was...too much. So I left, and that may have been one of the greatest mistakes I have ever made.
[Gathering up the last of what he had dropped, Viktor straightened up nd started walking back to his room.]
...I did not know what I hated more. That he broke his promise to me, or that I was forced into a prolonged life I was not prepared for. Time I did not expect to have. But I...grew to realize, eventually, that it was a foolish and reckless act of love.
There is little chance I will see him again. But if I do, I think I owe him an apology for failing to understand that. Among many other things.
[He falls quiet in thought as he follows behind with the remainder of the robots.]
Perhaps that, at least... I could understand.
...We all can find ourselves doing or thinking horrendous things, for the sake of love. Even if we know those same loved ones would have strong opinions otherwise.
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I - hello im here to meet the boyfriend
Well. One party he recognized, and the other looms between him and where Viktor now stands frozen. Who in the world...]
Viktor. [Cautious, eyes on the stranger, then back on the man he knows, a sharded hand tentatively lifting in case one of those robots needs to become ammo here in a moment.] What's going on?
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[It wasn't quite fear written on Viktor's face--not yet--but a genuine shock and apprehension. This was wrong in a way he couldn't yet place, but they had seen enough new arrivals that he was completely caught off guard.]
Knd of thought you'd be happier to see me. [His voice was a stark opposite to the other man's, like everything else about him; taller, broader, rougher in a way that Viktor's delicate inorganic appearance wasn't.] Or did you really think you could just run off and everything would be fine? What are you gonna do, start another cult?
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Someone you know, I take it?
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[That's the funny thing, Vakama. You, specifically, have heard this voice--in your own dream, for a fraction of a second, shared in the abstract concept of 'compassion'.]
['There is beauty in imperfections.']
Not what? Look at yourself, Viktor--you're not even human anymore. You're nothing but a broken mechanical doll.
[Except where that tone was so gentle as to be near reverent, the man staring down Viktor now just sounds bitter and disgusted.]
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Oh. Oh, this is--]
Jayce.
[That's all Vakama needs to know something is definitely up here.
With a firm exhale, he lets his door slip closed, his gaze hard towards the bitter reflection as he shoulders past Jayce and puts a hand to Viktor's arm.]
Come on. If this is all he has to say to you, then let's get your things together.
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Right, because that's how you deal with your problems. Act like they don't exist. Rip out your own emotions rather than face them.
...You didn't really think I would have ever felt the same about some broken undercity rat, did you?
[Viktor flinched from Vakama's arm at that, but he slowly looked away to lean over and pick up his staff.]
...this is...not real, is it?
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The Jayce you've spoken about was capable. Not cruel.
[The only one in a realm of possibilities that Viktor trusted to change his future irreversibly.]
And he would not think that you were broken.
cw terminal illness mention
[How many times now had he played those words back in his head like a beloved record in a phonograph? Held to them like a treasure, because no one else had ever spoken to Viktor the way his partner did. Like he was worth something, worth everything.]
[Viktor slowly began to steady himself, trying to hide the faint trembling in metal hands as he reached for a few more dropped robot parts-]
Capable. Because that's what I had to be, right? You ruined my life in a thousand timelines, all because you couldn't let go.
[and then something cracked, the clicking of a hammer falling as a trigger was pulled. Viktor straightened up in pure fury, voice not raised in the slightest but no less enraged for it.
Because I could not--? I was prepared to let go and die, but what happened? You broke your word and made me this wretched thing--I should have screamed myself hoarse at you when I woke up, but I knew the cruelest thing I could do to you in turn was leave.
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A crack of his own choice, even if a cruel one, might be needed.]
Why did he break his word? Did he ever give you an answer?
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[Though he answered Vakama, those furious eyes--shifting to something much closer to red--didn't leave the phantom in front of him.]
You think it's so easy? To cling to principles while your-
'-while your best friend bleeds out in your arms', yes? Of course not, and if our positions were switched I surely would have done the same. But do not stand here accusing me of an inability to let go when you chased down a monster trying to kill you and worse yet.
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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.
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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 odpustÃte.
[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.]
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As forms that seemed so real turn to nothing but air, Vakama gently shifts the load in his arms, a careful sigh as he crosses the space with a hand to Viktor's back.]
...
I'm sorry, my friend.
Do you need a moment?
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[He was furious, and it showed. Viktor took a deep whirring breath, turning back to the dropped metal pieces.]
...I was angry for a time, or as close to it as I could be. But eventually I realized it was...a matter of affection. He cared too much, and even if this life was not something I desired, I--I could not hold it against him.
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Cared too much... about what?
You?
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Of course--what else? Ultimately I realized I could not fathom what kind of desperation he felt upon realizing what had happened, and...no matter what I had asked of him, we both knew the Hexcore was my only chance.
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I do not want to negate that he still did this against your wishes, my friend. In that, I think your anger has its place.
But at the very same time... you are allowed to be cared for. Affection does not usually come from a pointless place.
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[Gathering up the last of what he had dropped, Viktor straightened up nd started walking back to his room.]
...I did not know what I hated more. That he broke his promise to me, or that I was forced into a prolonged life I was not prepared for. Time I did not expect to have. But I...grew to realize, eventually, that it was a foolish and reckless act of love.
There is little chance I will see him again. But if I do, I think I owe him an apology for failing to understand that. Among many other things.
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Perhaps that, at least... I could understand.
...We all can find ourselves doing or thinking horrendous things, for the sake of love. Even if we know those same loved ones would have strong opinions otherwise.
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[Gentle, but a little blunt.]
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But I am not perfect by any means. [Debatably, this was kind of the root of the problem.] Our conflicts were neither's responsibility alone.
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Ah, here - [He lifts what parts are in his own arms.] Where do you want them?
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[He muttered that in an obvious state of distraction, moving to tie his hair back mostly out of his face.]
...I was foolish. We both were. If that was truly how he felt all along, he could have said something before it came to that.
[...]
Eh...then again, that might have just made things worse.
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Worse in what way?
cw holy classism discussion batman
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