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.
[ More has just gotten somewhat accustomed to the various dreams, memories and other oddities that keep drawing them all in. It feels a little routine now, to take in the environment and see about getting the bottom of the sentiment that caused the distortion to appear, but--
Hey. Why are his arms being sliced to pieces?? Presumably just reaching for his parts with his already severed hands does not work??? ]
[They aren't so much being sliced as it feels more like they're just sort of popping off??
Anyway glad you asked because actually as More tries to operate his severed hands he'll find he actually can still move his hands. Feel free to combobulate yourself.]
[ WELL, being able to move is just swell! Now the question is, do his arm bits reattach if he tries to puzzle them back together? Or is he just... a lot of movable floating pieces now? ]
[They reattach seamlessly as if they'd never been separate! More will also have an inexplicable sense that if so desired, he could probably separate them again easily.
In any case, with this matter addressed, More might notice the following;
There is also a section of his leg missing entirely. But like with his arms, he can still move the leg despite the gap.
He is standing in... Well calling it a room would be generous with how much of the ceiling and wall is missing, but it has a wooden floor and a full door in the section of the wall that is there.]
[ ... okay he's going to have to address the missing leg problem soon enough, but as long as it doesn't hurt and his body is functional, it's... probably fine... for now... that a slice of him is gone...
[It opens onto another "room"!!! This one has more wall than the one More first found himself in, though it's still without a ceiling. There's a fair amount of furniture though, including a couch and a TV.
Which is fortunate for the several people in it! THey all seem to be relaxing with various activities; one is cooking, another is reading, two more are playing a board game, and the other three are huddled around the TV where one is playing a video game.
They all look up as More enters. At least he won't have to feel self conscious about his leg issue because none of them are entirely put together either (Ignore Sakaido in the middle there, he's not here.)
One of them speaks, frowning;]
You know, most people knock before barging into someone's home.
More hadn't expected to run into a scene quite so... mundane. He'd been prepared to face one of his companions from Chicago, or even to encounter a monster he's not suited to fighting, but this is... downright normal, missing body parts aside. ]
Ah, I do apologize. I appear to be a little lost. Just where is this place?
[I mean you're also in a fragmented landscape floating in a white void. That's also weird!!! But yeah the individual components are very mundane. It's not even an action video game they're playing, it's some sort of visual novel.
The residents look slightly confused. Another one speaks up;]
This is our family home, obviously.
[There are plenty of photos on the walls, though none of the photos are of the people in the room. The first person that spoke adds;]
If you're another detective, we already told the first one everything.
[ A detective...? More wonders what a detective might want from these people. There are so many things wrong with this scene, it's hard to start to count, but they seem perfectly pleasant and unperturbed through it all.
None of them are whomever he has to look for here, though. So maybe... ]
Oh, did you? I must have missed them. Did they leave terribly long ago?
[Yeah as far as they seem to be aware, nothing abnormal is happening! Besides this stranger in their house. The one who mentioned the detective shakes their head.]
It couldn't have been more than six minutes ago. He went that way if you're looking for him.
[They point off in a new direction. That way, the house breaks off, and there's another fragment of scenery that's close enough to jump onto. Probably that's what they mean.]
[The residents of the home assent vaguely, but they neither seem especially annoyed he's here nor especially glad to see him go. They seem relatively vague in general, to be honest. Maybe because they're so fragmented.
In any case, the next chunk of landscape seems to be back outside, because there's road and grass. If More looks around, there are plenty of other chunks of land within jumping distance... But no other people in sight as of yet. Does he want to take a path that leads left, the one that leads straight and upwards, or look around the area for clues?]
[There isn't too much around of note, but there are a few things!
For one, there's a small piece of metal discarded on the ground. More might not recognize it as a drill bit, but he will note it has blood on it!
Another thing he might notice is that the jagged edges on one side seems like they'd line up with another fragment of sidewalk floating a way off. Implying this whole world might be pieced back together like his arms were.
Lastly, he may notice very faint footprints that head in the direction of the upwards path. They seem to be mens shoes based on the size.]
[Up he goes!! This has a bonus of giving him a better view of the various chunks of land floating around, since he can see more beneath him. Though at the same time, there's already so much to look at.
In any case, as he heads along the vague semblance of a path, he'll eventually catch a glimpse of yellow. The edges of a scarf flapping into view as the owner just barely treads out of sight.
But then a moment later, there's a clicking sound, and a voice just out of view intones;]
Not another step. Hands in the air and state your business.
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The Well
Hey. Why are his arms being sliced to pieces?? Presumably just reaching for his parts with his already severed hands does not work??? ]
no subject
Anyway glad you asked because actually as More tries to operate his severed hands he'll find he actually can still move his hands. Feel free to combobulate yourself.]
no subject
no subject
In any case, with this matter addressed, More might notice the following;
There is also a section of his leg missing entirely. But like with his arms, he can still move the leg despite the gap.
He is standing in... Well calling it a room would be generous with how much of the ceiling and wall is missing, but it has a wooden floor and a full door in the section of the wall that is there.]
no subject
Time to see if that door leads anywhere! ]
no subject
Which is fortunate for the several people in it! THey all seem to be relaxing with various activities; one is cooking, another is reading, two more are playing a board game, and the other three are huddled around the TV where one is playing a video game.
They all look up as More enters. At least he won't have to feel self conscious about his leg issue because none of them are entirely put together either (Ignore Sakaido in the middle there, he's not here.)
One of them speaks, frowning;]
You know, most people knock before barging into someone's home.
no subject
More hadn't expected to run into a scene quite so... mundane. He'd been prepared to face one of his companions from Chicago, or even to encounter a monster he's not suited to fighting, but this is... downright normal, missing body parts aside. ]
Ah, I do apologize. I appear to be a little lost. Just where is this place?
no subject
The residents look slightly confused. Another one speaks up;]
This is our family home, obviously.
[There are plenty of photos on the walls, though none of the photos are of the people in the room. The first person that spoke adds;]
If you're another detective, we already told the first one everything.
no subject
None of them are whomever he has to look for here, though. So maybe... ]
Oh, did you? I must have missed them. Did they leave terribly long ago?
no subject
It couldn't have been more than six minutes ago. He went that way if you're looking for him.
[They point off in a new direction. That way, the house breaks off, and there's another fragment of scenery that's close enough to jump onto. Probably that's what they mean.]
no subject
I'll be on my way to catch up, then. I apologize for bothering you a second time.
[ NEW FRAGMENT, HERE HE COMES. ]
no subject
In any case, the next chunk of landscape seems to be back outside, because there's road and grass. If More looks around, there are plenty of other chunks of land within jumping distance... But no other people in sight as of yet. Does he want to take a path that leads left, the one that leads straight and upwards, or look around the area for clues?]
no subject
Time to look around a little and see if he spots anything of interest! ]
no subject
For one, there's a small piece of metal discarded on the ground. More might not recognize it as a drill bit, but he will note it has blood on it!
Another thing he might notice is that the jagged edges on one side seems like they'd line up with another fragment of sidewalk floating a way off. Implying this whole world might be pieced back together like his arms were.
Lastly, he may notice very faint footprints that head in the direction of the upwards path. They seem to be mens shoes based on the size.]
no subject
But he came here to find a detective, so onward to the upwards path, he goes! ]
no subject
In any case, as he heads along the vague semblance of a path, he'll eventually catch a glimpse of yellow. The edges of a scarf flapping into view as the owner just barely treads out of sight.
But then a moment later, there's a clicking sound, and a voice just out of view intones;]
Not another step. Hands in the air and state your business.
no subject
He does raise his hands in the air, and only after doing so, attempts to turn around. ]
I am looking for a friend of mine. My name is More. I am merely a novelist, passing through these lands.
no subject
What does your friend look like? That'll help me decide whose side you're on.
no subject
But the little bloody piece of metal on the floor earlier gives him... an idea. Time to go out on a limb. ]
He's tall with blue hair, and a scar over half of his face.
[ Now he just has to hope he guessed right - and that this means something positive to the mysterious stranger. ]
no subject
That guy has friends?
[Rude. Anyway, he shifts on his feet, before adding;]
Then you'll want to track down John Walker, the same as me. So I suppose we're on the same side. You can call me Sakaido.
no subject
My name is More. It's a pleasure.
[ Would be more of one if this wasn't just a figment of Fukuda's soul, but hey. He knows a thing or two about being a figment of someone's soul. ]
Fukuda and I have been working towards the same objective recently, and I would be quite troubled if something happened to him here.