Between the mysteries of last weekend, the increasing number of visions and unexplained phenomena, and the attack on Vakama yesterday, everyone is likely on edge. When Tails calls you into his lab around noon, you all are likely already aware of how this is going to go.
Once again, a surge of Chaos Energy in the city is what draws you in, though this time it is a much larger burst than before. Sonic and Knuckles are here with you as usual, with Tails remaining behind to look after Vakama and the base. Unlike before, you aren't met with robots or destruction. In fact, this city block looks remarkably peaceful, aside from where Eggman's chroma has overtaken most of the buildings.
"So good of you all to finally arrive."
The voice comes from up above. You recognize it as the one you heard last week, through that gemstone the Tails Doll had. Perched on one of the buildings is a... fox? No, he's larger than Tails, and wearing a large silver mask that obscures most of his features. In one hand he holds Vakama's missing mask; his other is extended with six gemstones floating around it, a soft teal glow from beneath his black glove marking the seventh. There's a different gemstone on the center of his chest as well, though it doesn't look like the fake Chaos Emeralds you've seen before.
"You all have the pleasure of fighting me, Infinite. I am the Doctor's trusted ally... and I have been watching you all. Your struggles with my nightmares and illusions were so... delicious. You have my thanks for the show."
He kicks off the building, floating towards you all and the ground, though stopping high enough up, still out of reach. And for those of you getting any bright ideas, a deep red begins to fill your vision, tinting the corners of it as the very world itself begins to warp around you - this isn't exactly Chicago anymore, you see. The buildings still exist, wrapped in white chroma, though they bend and twist in ways they shouldn't, making it hard to tell what's real and what isn't.
"I'll snuff out your lives here and now for the Doctor's ambitions! Let's see what you're made of!"
[As the picnic and merrymaking continues, Raven suddenly feels a sharp pain in his chest.]
Ngh...
"Whoa! Something wrong?"
"Raven, are you okay? Here, I can heal you..."
[He waves them off.]
Nah, nah, it's fine. You know this ol' man's body ain't what it used ta be...
[But when he looks up, the scene is fading around him. There's blood on his hand.]
Huh...?
[He's back on the battlefield in Chicago. That pain he felt was a bunch of ice shards grazing his body (17). Brave Vesperia has vanished...leaving only Yuri behind.]
Did I seriously let myself get caught up in another dream? Talk about embarrassin'...
[But that means the Yuri in front of him isn't Yuri.]
Though the familiar twisted Chicago surrounds you and your friends struggle with their own illusions, the Yuri before you looks very different from the one you just saw in your own illusion. There's a slash across his neck that looks like it should be fatal, and his shirt falls open to the side revealing a twisted piece of silver and red - a mockery of Raven's own blastia, of course.
He barely leaves Raven any time to think about it though, immediately moving to wield Raven's usual bow against him, firing off an arrow with practiced ease.]
[The very sight of this fucked up Yuri paralyzes Raven. The slash—"You better nail Yeager for me, Raven"—the...the blastia... He leaves himself open to be pierced in the shoulder by that arrow (3).]
Aghh--!!
[The white hot pain serves as a major wake-up call. He's been working through his and others' nightmares for weeks. He can't succumb to another now. Not with everything he wants to do. Not without having recovered Vakama's mask.
With a yell, he reaches up and yanks the arrow out.
Then he disappears, and in the confusion Yuri will face a volley of slashes from his side where Raven suddenly reemerges.]
[Yuri looks around, the closest thing to confused an illusion like this can get. That's why Raven catches him off-guard easily (2) and slashes into him. The injuries do not bleed - for a moment they glitch out before reforming, but Yuri is left struggling to keep his form together. Not that it stops him from transforming his weapon into a knife and trying to catch Raven in the neck with it, of course.]
[Raven’s definitely not fucking around now. He cleanly dips away from that attack like he’s done it a million times (19) and makes an attempt to run the fake Yuri through with his own blade.]
[It ends with Yuri stabbed cleanly through. There's no blood, only his body glitching out one final time before turning into those red effects, flickering upward and disappearing.]
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illusion broken from taking damage!
Ngh...
"Whoa! Something wrong?"
"Raven, are you okay? Here, I can heal you..."
[He waves them off.]
Nah, nah, it's fine. You know this ol' man's body ain't what it used ta be...
[But when he looks up, the scene is fading around him. There's blood on his hand.]
Huh...?
[He's back on the battlefield in Chicago. That pain he felt was a bunch of ice shards grazing his body (17). Brave Vesperia has vanished...leaving only Yuri behind.]
Did I seriously let myself get caught up in another dream? Talk about embarrassin'...
[But that means the Yuri in front of him isn't Yuri.]
no subject
Though the familiar twisted Chicago surrounds you and your friends struggle with their own illusions, the Yuri before you looks very different from the one you just saw in your own illusion. There's a slash across his neck that looks like it should be fatal, and his shirt falls open to the side revealing a twisted piece of silver and red - a mockery of Raven's own blastia, of course.
He barely leaves Raven any time to think about it though, immediately moving to wield Raven's usual bow against him, firing off an arrow with practiced ease.]
no subject
Aghh--!!
[The white hot pain serves as a major wake-up call. He's been working through his and others' nightmares for weeks. He can't succumb to another now. Not with everything he wants to do. Not without having recovered Vakama's mask.
With a yell, he reaches up and yanks the arrow out.
Then he disappears, and in the confusion Yuri will face a volley of slashes from his side where Raven suddenly reemerges.]
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CLEAR
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What a lousy imitation. That kid would've put this old man ta shame if it was actually him.
[Making quips is the only way he's going to keep it together after that nightmare, sorry.
But once he recovers, he'll go on to help anyone else who's still struggling.]