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.
[Is that Viktor? What happened to him? The atmosphere is still such that Turo cannot feel as much alarm as the sight probably warrants, although a dry observation does slip through: this is the man he was expected to entrust with his repairs?
The fellow-feeling between them is still strong enough that he is not worried about the ragged man or the weapon he bears. Turo draws a little closer to him, in fact, seeking some of that security for himself. He's never trusted anyone like that before; frankly, he's no longer sure he's even capable. It feels...warm, comfortable, safe. He watches the man's hands with idle curiosity, and makes no move to intervene.]
[That's the strange thing abut that feeling of safety...it starts to make a lot less sense on an objective level ass the hammer is raised like a cannon, head unfolding to a torrent of undefinable chaotic energy--'wild magic', flits a brief thought across your mind as Viktor blinks awake with a look of confusion.]
[This situation makes no sense, because of that sense of trust and security. This person would never level a weapon at you--beside you, Viktor's partner flickers as if reality itself is in flux around him, timelines converging and some unknown force pushing him to do the unthinkable-]
[...Jayce? Stop, what are you doing-]
[He lets out a pained, heartbroken cry, and fires.]
[For a split second, there is nothing but blinding prismatic light...then it fades, the hammer snapping shut as Viktor lies on the ground with a bloodlesss hole in his chest and light fading from his eyes.]
[You don't understand. You don't understand, but you are not angry, or afraid, or much of anything. You were certain this was right, blinded by the force you did not even realize had corrupted you. So why...why did this happen? What was so wrong here that the only person to ever support you wholeheartedly turned his back on you now?]
[(Later, you would realize the truth. Heartbreak was the price to stop you from becoming a monster.)]
[As you Viktor struggles to keep fading eyes on an anguished partner, you believe this was the problem from the outset. Even this peaceful commune was ddoomed to fall from the very beginning; all conflict, evil, and pain in existence could be traced back to a single source.]
[And it would be easier, you believe, if this emptiness was only physical. Life did not necessitate pain, neither should it have had to. Humanity could evolve past the need for such senseless emotion. You--their Machine Herald--can forge them unbreakable hearts and eternal bodies, to make a world free of all suffering. You can till ssave him. You can still sve everyone.]
[Everything turns dark, and you are--for the moment--alone in a deep purple void of distant stars.]
[Turo flinches, and then the fuzzy feeling of peace is abruptly gone. He grimaces, one hand shooting to his head as he quickly backs away, turning sharply to look around.]
...hello?
[Now he sounds quite uncertain. Whatever that blurring between his mind and Viktor's was, he did not care for it in the least. The other memories he's been unfortunate enough to stumble into didn't work like this. Now that it's stopped, does that mean the real Viktor has realized what is happening?]
[This void, too, was a memory--albeit one that had stopped before it inevitably got much, much worse. Viktor seemed to appear from nowhere within it, voice a little too even for the situation.]
My memories are...rarely pleasant. But I would not have wanted anyone to experience this one in particular.
[It's sort of easy to judge. He's...not all that different, though, is he? Maybe he's the mad scientist's tool rather than the man himself, but he's a tool to the end; it all comes out the same.]
You have to wonder about Sonic's judgement, don't you?
I have questioned it several times. Jayce would have been the better choice to save a world from its mechanical overlord, but instead all of you are stuck with one barely different from that which we fight against.
[No point pretending otherwise. The commune and the barely-conscious civilians of this world were too similar for Viktor to bother making any distinction.]
...If I might be blunt, I have come to realize it does not matter. These circumstances are a clean start regardless of origin or past atrocities; we are here because we wanted to help. Is that not worth something?
I do not speak in my own defense, to be clear--what I have done is indefensible. I only wished it clear that I agree with you; several of us are here that perhaps believe we should not be, yet the desire to help in itself is proof enough none here are completely terrible.
[Viktor sighed in a whirring mechanical noise, running a hand through his hair.]
...I was corrupted, by a force which no longer holds influence over me. For all intents and purposes the 'Herald' is long dead--I am not a danger to you or any other here.
...do you not consider that a defense in and of itself? If you were not in your right mind, you should not be held to full account for actions that were taken.
Of course not. It is an explanation for why things got as out of hand as they did, but that is no defense. I should still be accountable for the lives I ruined, no matter my intent or state of mind.
Both can happen. But, in my world at least, your state of mind would certainly be taken into account while whatever authority it fell to passed judgement. Everything does not have to be wholly your fault or wholly not.
[He has struggled with black-and-white thinking, too; he's a machine. But he's supposed to be one who can understand things like nuance, and - well, he's had time, learning all the excuses for the Professor's actions.]
Why should such extenuating circumstances matter, save only to assure our number here that I am not a threat to them?
[Because it made no difference in Viktor's head--hecwas only trying to help, and yet his idea of 'help' was poisoned without him even realizing. What did that matter, when the end result was uncountable lives worse than ended?]
My past or current state ofmund does not change what has been done, and there must be someone guilty of the damage caused and lives ended.
[He's not going to really argue. He never really does.]
But I was created from the mind of someone who would have remade the world in his own image with nothing driving him at all. I know what that feels like. It makes a difference to me.
[Guilt was a powerful kind of persuasion, one Viktor found it impossible to truly argue with. But he could recognize it was one based in emotion over logic, making it difficult to see simple reasoning when placed in front of him.]
What was it he wished to accomplish in doing so? Was it something believed to be for the sake of the world itself, or his own vanity?
I'm being unfair. He was...not a well man, at least not during the time I knew him.
[So maybe he was being driven by something. Probably he was. But it wasn't external, he wasn't somehow possessed. It wasn't something someone could have plucked out of his head, to leave behind only a regretful Professor here with Viktor instead.]
But I suppose that is obvious. Creating a robotic duplicate of yourself out of paranoia is not a typical research practice. To answer your question - he had long since been fascinated by stories of the Zero Crater in Paldea and the long-ago explorers who attempted to find its bottom. The creatures they observed had long been dismissed as fabrications, but he believed they were truly beings from the distant future who had come through a space-time rift. He idealized this future, and wished to create it in the present day - a Paradise.
[You can hear the capital letter.]
I remember he wished to make it for himself and his young family, once. But Sada left shortly after their child was born, and he was never quite the same after that. I'm not blaming her - it was always a turbulent relationship. I suppose he would have said he still wished to gift that world to Arven, but...it was his own obsession. Arven didn't know or care about any of it.
Unfair, perhaps, but so too might that distinction mean little.
[Possessed or lost to the madness of his own work, it seemed almost a matter of semantics. Viktor looked out at the endless dark expanse of stars, sighing quietly.]
It is simple to trick oneself into believing you are doing the right thing for others, even when the reality is merely causing damage to yourself and all around you. In that much--and in the desire to create an ideal world, I can sympathize. But to aim one's ideals so high...nearly guarantees failure.
Oh, well. He ended up being the first casualty of it himself.
[Turo never had to make a choice, one way or another. Another few months, though...would he have pulled that trigger? He didn't even love the Professor, or at least not like that, and yet...]
....what do you think you will do?
[After all of this, with regards to his own world. If he had no ties there, maybe leaving and starting fresh elsewhere would be a possibility. But Viktor seems to think he ought to pay for what he's done - and in any case, he does still have ties. Even in spite of everything, he wasn't alone.]
...I have not decided. Execution does not sound particularly appealing, and neither does imprisonment. If I simply disappear from Runeterra entirely, perhaps that will be acceptable.
...I do not know. I want to at least offer an apology, but if he knows I am still alive after everything--maybe it is better he doesn't. For his own sake, rather than allowing him to keep pursuing a monster out of misguided care that will only destroy him.
It is more complex than what you witnessed. That was not our last encounter, and things worsened before they improved. We fought multiple times, and when last we saw one another it was within an arcane space very like this one. He was the one who restored my humanity, and I was going to send him back before I undid what damage I could.
...It's better this way. He can rebuild Piltover as its hero, and I won't be around to complicate anything else.
[He doesn't...seem to agree? At least, he's being pretty bland and matter-of-fact about it. But Turo doesn't really have it in him to argue much more than he has, especially given he doesn't actually know Viktor that well.]
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The fellow-feeling between them is still strong enough that he is not worried about the ragged man or the weapon he bears. Turo draws a little closer to him, in fact, seeking some of that security for himself. He's never trusted anyone like that before; frankly, he's no longer sure he's even capable. It feels...warm, comfortable, safe. He watches the man's hands with idle curiosity, and makes no move to intervene.]
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[This situation makes no sense, because of that sense of trust and security. This person would never level a weapon at you--beside you, Viktor's partner flickers as if reality itself is in flux around him, timelines converging and some unknown force pushing him to do the unthinkable-]
[...Jayce? Stop, what are you doing-]
[He lets out a pained, heartbroken cry, and fires.]
[For a split second, there is nothing but blinding prismatic light...then it fades, the hammer snapping shut as Viktor lies on the ground with a bloodlesss hole in his chest and light fading from his eyes.]
[You don't understand. You don't understand, but you are not angry, or afraid, or much of anything. You were certain this was right, blinded by the force you did not even realize had corrupted you. So why...why did this happen? What was so wrong here that the only person to ever support you wholeheartedly turned his back on you now?]
[(Later, you would realize the truth. Heartbreak was the price to stop you from becoming a monster.)]
[As
youViktor struggles to keep fading eyes on an anguished partner, you believe this was the problem from the outset. Even this peaceful commune was ddoomed to fall from the very beginning; all conflict, evil, and pain in existence could be traced back to a single source.][And it would be easier, you believe, if this emptiness was only physical. Life did not necessitate pain, neither should it have had to. Humanity could evolve past the need for such senseless emotion. You--their Machine Herald--can forge them unbreakable hearts and eternal bodies, to make a world free of all suffering. You can till ssave him. You can still sve everyone.]
[Everything turns dark, and you are--for the moment--alone in a deep purple void of distant stars.]
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...hello?
[Now he sounds quite uncertain. Whatever that blurring between his mind and Viktor's was, he did not care for it in the least. The other memories he's been unfortunate enough to stumble into didn't work like this. Now that it's stopped, does that mean the real Viktor has realized what is happening?]
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[This void, too, was a memory--albeit one that had stopped before it inevitably got much, much worse. Viktor seemed to appear from nowhere within it, voice a little too even for the situation.]
My memories are...rarely pleasant. But I would not have wanted anyone to experience this one in particular.
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[It's sort of easy to judge. He's...not all that different, though, is he? Maybe he's the mad scientist's tool rather than the man himself, but he's a tool to the end; it all comes out the same.]
You have to wonder about Sonic's judgement, don't you?
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[No point pretending otherwise. The commune and the barely-conscious civilians of this world were too similar for Viktor to bother making any distinction.]
...If I might be blunt, I have come to realize it does not matter. These circumstances are a clean start regardless of origin or past atrocities; we are here because we wanted to help. Is that not worth something?
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[Low bar, but you're clearing it!]
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[Viktor sighed in a whirring mechanical noise, running a hand through his hair.]
...I was corrupted, by a force which no longer holds influence over me. For all intents and purposes the 'Herald' is long dead--I am not a danger to you or any other here.
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[Genuinely asking here!]
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[He has struggled with black-and-white thinking, too; he's a machine. But he's supposed to be one who can understand things like nuance, and - well, he's had time, learning all the excuses for the Professor's actions.]
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[Because it made no difference in Viktor's head--hecwas only trying to help, and yet his idea of 'help' was poisoned without him even realizing. What did that matter, when the end result was uncountable lives worse than ended?]
My past or current state ofmund does not change what has been done, and there must be someone guilty of the damage caused and lives ended.
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[He's not going to really argue. He never really does.]
But I was created from the mind of someone who would have remade the world in his own image with nothing driving him at all. I know what that feels like. It makes a difference to me.
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[Guilt was a powerful kind of persuasion, one Viktor found it impossible to truly argue with. But he could recognize it was one based in emotion over logic, making it difficult to see simple reasoning when placed in front of him.]
What was it he wished to accomplish in doing so? Was it something believed to be for the sake of the world itself, or his own vanity?
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I'm being unfair. He was...not a well man, at least not during the time I knew him.
[So maybe he was being driven by something. Probably he was. But it wasn't external, he wasn't somehow possessed. It wasn't something someone could have plucked out of his head, to leave behind only a regretful Professor here with Viktor instead.]
But I suppose that is obvious. Creating a robotic duplicate of yourself out of paranoia is not a typical research practice. To answer your question - he had long since been fascinated by stories of the Zero Crater in Paldea and the long-ago explorers who attempted to find its bottom. The creatures they observed had long been dismissed as fabrications, but he believed they were truly beings from the distant future who had come through a space-time rift. He idealized this future, and wished to create it in the present day - a Paradise.
[You can hear the capital letter.]
I remember he wished to make it for himself and his young family, once. But Sada left shortly after their child was born, and he was never quite the same after that. I'm not blaming her - it was always a turbulent relationship. I suppose he would have said he still wished to gift that world to Arven, but...it was his own obsession. Arven didn't know or care about any of it.
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[Possessed or lost to the madness of his own work, it seemed almost a matter of semantics. Viktor looked out at the endless dark expanse of stars, sighing quietly.]
It is simple to trick oneself into believing you are doing the right thing for others, even when the reality is merely causing damage to yourself and all around you. In that much--and in the desire to create an ideal world, I can sympathize. But to aim one's ideals so high...nearly guarantees failure.
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[Turo never had to make a choice, one way or another. Another few months, though...would he have pulled that trigger? He didn't even love the Professor, or at least not like that, and yet...]
....what do you think you will do?
[After all of this, with regards to his own world. If he had no ties there, maybe leaving and starting fresh elsewhere would be a possibility. But Viktor seems to think he ought to pay for what he's done - and in any case, he does still have ties. Even in spite of everything, he wasn't alone.]
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What about him?
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...I do not know. I want to at least offer an apology, but if he knows I am still alive after everything--maybe it is better he doesn't. For his own sake, rather than allowing him to keep pursuing a monster out of misguided care that will only destroy him.
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I do not think that is what he would prefer.
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...It's better this way. He can rebuild Piltover as its hero, and I won't be around to complicate anything else.
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[He doesn't...seem to agree? At least, he's being pretty bland and matter-of-fact about it. But Turo doesn't really have it in him to argue much more than he has, especially given he doesn't actually know Viktor that well.]