While your conversation with Shadow may have shed light on a few things... it's obvious he doesn't think you all are up to the task of saving the universe from Eggman. Which also means that now you're dealing with his test, starting immediately. Some of you may be whisked away with no time to even blink, while others may find themselves wandering the Void aimlessly. Regardless, it seems this week won't be a particularly easy one.
THE VOID
Nothing has changed in the Void. Nothing ever changes in the Void. It's impossible to track the passage of time in here, and your only escape are the rings... though you should be careful with them, as there's far fewer this week. You're free to travel between worlds as you see fit - Shadow won't stop you - but you can be snatched up from wherever you are at any given moment and pulled back into the Void. Maybe don't plan on spending to long anywhere else, because it won't end well for you if you do.
The hexagonal shards will still show you visions of other worlds... but this time they all show the same thing. You'll see worlds - maybe even your own - taken over by robots and Eggman's chroma, reduced to smoldering ashes or being rebuilt in Eggman's image. Your friends, allies, and enemies may even be going about their lives just as listlessly and dutifully, heedless of their surroundings. You may even see alternate versions of yourself among them. Regardless, it seems all these shards have to show you this week are all the possibilities of failure - that other versions of shardbearers in other timelines have already lost.
MINDSCAPES
Shadow's usage of the Phantom Ruby and his own fake Chaos Emerald shard have caused quite the problem for you all - namely, you'll find yourselves traversing each other's innermost thoughts and dreams. Exactly how this mindscape manifests depends on the individual, but one thing will always remain true: you won't be able to find the owner of the mindscape easily.
As a reflection of these inner thoughts, mindscapes can be any sort of place. Perhaps they are a reflection of the owner's inner demons and fear, or perhaps they showcase a bright future they want to work towards. Regardless, this is a dream and one the owner must be awoken from... which means finding them and bringing them back to reality. That's easier said than done when traversing through this dream-like state, where the rules are made up by the owner and you're a foreign being that the dream recognizes as a threat (even if you aren't).
You may encounter familiar places or people within these mindscapes. You may not. You may end up fighting for your life in here... or you may not. Each one is individual, and the experience can vary wildly from person to person. No matter what you face, you must find the owner of the mindscape and bring them back. You must ensure you're strong enough to support them... and protect yourself.
Curiously, you can activate your shared shard power with the owner of the mindscape at any time - or bolster your own power if you share shard colors - even without them being present. Will this make it easier or harder to help bring them back? It depends on the person, your bond, and the mindscape itself...
Waking them up is as simple as convincing them that they're dreaming - that this isn't real and that they still have things to return to - but that may be easier said than done depending on the person... or the mindscape itself. There's no telling what you'll encounter, after all.
SHARDS
You'll find you're capable of more now than you were before. You're really adapting to using your shard powers and fighting with others. Those of you who share shard colors will feel the strength of your shards increasing even more when working together.
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
Given that your allies are being pulled into mindscapes and are unable to break free of their own, your task this week is to help your friends. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are off dealing with their own mindscapes, but whenever they are around, they're adamant about the importance of making sure everyone is freed and prepared for whatever comes next.
ENEMIES
Like last week, you will not encounter any of Eggman's robots. The Void is still free of enemies, though other worlds may possess their own threats. Mindscapes are a bit of a different beast; each one varies, and you may or may not encounter threats of any sort in them. Best be on your guard.
[ ... well. Of the three paths before him, the second seems the most familiar? Despite knowing that he's in the unfamiliar mindscape of one of his allies.
Gyles isn't sure what he's looking for yet. But he's keeping his eyes and ears open as best he can for any out of the ordinary sights or sounds (15). ]
[ As Gyles traverses forward into the dark forest, he will find himself on a road where he can scarcely hear or see anything, but with his keen perception, he doesn't encounter many unfortunate bumps in the road or any such things.
If anything, he can hear again the sounds of children's laughter, and there, to his left, there is a strange glow - a teal light emanating from some white flowers that seem to have sprouted from out of nowhere. There is a small shadow standing near the lilies - the light from the flowers illuminates the image to make clear that it is a blond with long blond hair, but in the form of an apparent child - yet their face and hands are covered in a strange darkness.
The child suddenly rushes off ahead at an abnormal speed, heading further and deeper into the forest.
He will hear the voice of a female call out:
"Where are you? You do realize you need to come back home soon. Your siblings are waiting for you."
[ Normally he'd look around more, but with how quickly the child ran off, there's a chance that if he doesn't follow now, he won't be able to catch up with them later... so he'll give chase. ]
[ Maybe it's good of him to give chase, after all.
The figure's way forward points to an easy way out of the forest - and it seems somehow by following the trajectory Gyles will find himself in a clearing.
Above him is now a nightsky where stars twinkle and a meteor shower that follows.
But, beyond the clearing is a building, which Gyles can see the small figure run into from a little distance that isn't too far away. At first, the structure looks completely wrapped in shadow, but after a second blink it turns into some kind of building. An Orphanage.
What does he do now? If he is going to look around for anything (or around) before entering the building, please roll a 1d20. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ii
Gyles isn't sure what he's looking for yet. But he's keeping his eyes and ears open as best he can for any out of the ordinary sights or sounds (15). ]
no subject
If anything, he can hear again the sounds of children's laughter, and there, to his left, there is a strange glow - a teal light emanating from some white flowers that seem to have sprouted from out of nowhere. There is a small shadow standing near the lilies - the light from the flowers illuminates the image to make clear that it is a blond with long blond hair, but in the form of an apparent child - yet their face and hands are covered in a strange darkness.
The child suddenly rushes off ahead at an abnormal speed, heading further and deeper into the forest.
He will hear the voice of a female call out:
"Where are you? You do realize you need to come back home soon. Your siblings are waiting for you."
Then, nothing else.
Does he give chase? Or simply look around? ]
no subject
no subject
The figure's way forward points to an easy way out of the forest - and it seems somehow by following the trajectory Gyles will find himself in a clearing.
Above him is now a nightsky where stars twinkle and a meteor shower that follows.
But, beyond the clearing is a building, which Gyles can see the small figure run into from a little distance that isn't too far away. At first, the structure looks completely wrapped in shadow, but after a second blink it turns into some kind of building. An Orphanage.
What does he do now? If he is going to look around for anything (or around) before entering the building, please roll a 1d20. ]