WEEK 7

[shardmods]

Though it may not have been easy or fun, your time in the Void was ultimately productive; you've become far stronger than you were when you entered, and you may have even made a friend(?) or two. Shadow insists on remaining behind in the Void because he does not want to interfere with this world or potentially cause problems with this world's Shadow (wherever he may be), but Infinite is free to either accompany you or stay behind and fight Shadow, depending on whatever you guys would like. Surprisingly, he'll respect your wishes without complaint (though this may be because he wants to fight Shadow).

You return to the outskirts of Chicago, and it seems that the city has changed some in your time away...

THE CITY

Eggman's chroma has taken over damn near everything. The buildings, the streets, even the wildlife. It seems that the changes have only hit the city itself, as the outskirts (where the base is located) are mostly chroma-free. Still, it's a stark change - you haven't really been gone for all that long, have you? It's kind of hard to tell judging from your time in the Void, but if you check a calendar you'll find that approximately two weeks have passed. All this in two weeks seems a bit much...

The city itself still retains the same landmarks, shops, and people - though the former two are Eggman-ified. The people are back to going about their business as lifelessly as ever, completely heedless of the robots even if they do get in the way... but even the robots are back to patrolling as usual. There are far more of them now, however, and they aren't the same ones you're used to. Sure, you can still fine drones, B33s, and tanks here and there, but they've mostly been replaced by newer, tougher foes.

You're going to have to fight if you enter the city for any reason. The robots will recognize you as a threat and try to kill you on sight, and there are far more of them now than there ever were. But you're stronger now, so you can certainly keep up, if not destroy them easily.

THE BASE

The new base that Sonic and friends have moved you all into is quite different from the last one. This one seems to have been an office building at some point; a simple two story building with plenty of large rooms and smaller offices that have been repurposed as bedrooms. You can room with the same people as before, or you can even claim your own room! There's plenty of space here, after all. Knuckles will even move beds around if you want to rearrange things and can't lift them yourself.

Unfortunately, this base isn't nearly as furnished as the previous one. Sonic Team has managed to get all the bedrooms functional in the span of a few days, but everything else? Well... You're going to have to help with that, aren't you? The kitchen is barebones, there's no rooms for entertainment, training, or anything else, and security is minimal. Tails is still working on getting his surveillance up and running, let alone all the various research he's been working on. In short, you've got your work cut out for you building this place into something you can truly call your own.

But it is located on the outskirts of Chicago and it is is safe. After all, you've got each other to rely on.

SHARDS

Shadow's test may not have immediately had any sort of effects on you, but as you return to Chicago and resume fighting, you'll realize that controlling your shard and its power is innate at this point. You won't be struggling with it anymore - in fact, you've completely unlocked your shard's power. You're capable of a great many more things with it now than you were before. You should be able to use your shard for offensive and defensive purposes - which yes, means our healers can do the equivalent of averaging their HP with the enemy in order to deal damage to them. Fun times all around. You'll find that bonding with another shardbearer is also easier, and you can bond with many more of them now. You're growing stronger; maybe your time away in the Void did some good after all.

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

Returning to the old base is ill-advised, but you can take a ring and hop over there if you've got someone to accompany you. After all, Tails would appreciate more of his old gear back, and you've probably left things behind there too. You'll find that the place is simply swarming with robots - they're on patrol rather than smashing your things, almost as if they were waiting for you all to return. Bring back whatever you need or whatever will prove useful - and be careful about it.

Of course, rings are running low again... so you know what that means. Scour Chicago and the outskirts in search of those pesky rings and make sure to bring them back! As always, they'll be found in increasingly bizarre and frustrating locations, but you'll be able to find them easier now than you could before. You won't even need a radar - your shards will innately draw you toward their location now!

ENEMIES

While you're undoubtedly going to find yourself running into familiar bots from the previous weeks, there are many new ones to contend with - and they are far stronger than the others. Eggman's army has more or less taken over Chicago, meaning that you'll be running into some sort of enemy frequently. The outskirts of the city are practically deserted, with the exception of your old base, that is.

Assault Drones have more or less replaced the majority of weaker patrolling drones. Unlike those, these are built for combat and they will not hesitate to engage in it. Capable of both shooting lasers, exploding, and sending out a loud siren call for reinforcements, they are not fun to fight. Still, they're the weakest of the new enemies by a long shot... though if you aren't quick enough and they get that loud siren out, they're going to be joined by those stronger enemies.

E-1000s are robots with gun arms that want you dead. They're capable of limited flight, shooting many lasers, and are quite durable... and to make matters worse, some of them even have shards allowing them access to a knockoff copy of one of your powers. The E-1000s usually patrol solo, without any other robots for backup, but they can and will call in reinforcements of the previous weeks' smaller robots when necessary.

Shadow Androids are basically what you'd expect. Shadow androids. They not only look like a certain black and red hedgehog, they also act like him, moving quickly and striking with hard hits and utilizing their fake Chaos Emerald shards for Chaos Control to both warp and temporarily freeze any opponent they face. They usually patrol in pairs - two Shadow Androids or a Shadow Android and any other assortment of weaker robots. Chaos Control is far more useful when someone else can take advantage of it, after all!

NAVIGATION

Comments

[shardmods]

[The base is in desperate need of some help, which is what you'll find all three of your allies working on this week. Tails is busy setting up his workshop and surveillance systems, meaning he'll remain in the base the whole week, while Knuckles and Sonic head into the city to bring back supplies and otherwise make the place more livable. Someone please help them obtain food because they still cannot cook and they still do not know what sorts of appliances you all need.

Shadow remains behind in the Void, as he doesn't want to potentially interfere with whatever this world's version of Shadow has going on. You can borrow a ring and go visit him if you really want, but there's nothing much of value left for you in the Void.

Infinite will either remain with Shadow in the Void (in which case, they are fighting near nonstop, but maybe Shadow won't beat him into requiring medical attention... maybe) or he will come with you all - to be decided by you guys as a group. There will be a comment for discussion of that below, if you'd like to engage with it, otherwise it will be assumed he was left in the Void.]

sonic! (earlier in the week)

[plushes]

[ Hey, buddy. He's not sure if Sonic's the correct person (hedgehog) to ask about this, but he may as well try. When he can track Sonic down, he's quick to speak: ]

Sonic...hey. Do you have a moment? I need to ask you something.

INFINITE DISCUSSION

[shardmods]

[After some squabbling amongst the colorful cast of furry friends, Sonic Team has made it clear that you guys are the ones who should decide what to do with Infinite from here on out. You can leave him in the Void with Shadow or you can take him with you all to Chicago. Regardless of the answer, he is not allowed to have the Phantom Ruby back (Shadow is holding onto it for safekeeping) and he still has no means of attacking you.

...He'll even begrudgingly agree to letting you all decide and will confirm that he has no interest in returning to work for Eggman, though that does require just taking him at his word.

It's up to you all whether he stays or goes; feel free to discuss it amongst yourselves ICly here if you'd like - please let me know if you all reach a decision! You do not need to discuss this ICly at all if you'd prefer not to. You also do not have to deal with Infinite even if you do bring him back with you, as he'll continue to keep to himself.]

[ised]

[Well guess this should be kickstarted, so let's see...]

Is not like Ed thinks there is much danger of betrayal here, but we better not take too many risks. Should leave him with Shadow.

[In his opinion, bringing him here probably would require someone to keep an eye on Infinite no matter what, just in case. With what is at stake, taking someone at their word seems a little dangerous]

[hexalding]

[As they settled in to the new base, Viktor immediately was all over the place; hair tied back in a messy ponytail, mismatched goggles perched on his head, and the Hexclaw carrying a hurriedly bolted together toolbox of bronze and silver-colored metal. Between that and the hoverboard on his back, there was probably a weird aesthetic clash of 'insane engineer' and 'robot messiah' going on, but Viktor didn't seem like he was going to change anything about his clothes after this long.]

[Regardless, he could be found all over the building; helping Tails set up surveillance, installing security cameras and repairing locks, generally keeping himself busy. He'll even accompany people into the city if asked; the Hexclaw's laser was seeing more use as a welding torch, but he was finding its power far more adjustable now. Generally he just kept himself busy and largely undaunted by the fact that he openly admitted to committing mass murder by way of ego death.]

base

[tworo]

Oh, hello.

[Turo has also been helping to set up surveillance! He's installing a security camera in another corner right now. No goggles or anything - where did Viktor even get those?]

You look busy.

[tworo]

[Turo is generally subdued after the move to the new base. He'll pitch right in with getting everything set up, of course! Mostly, he helps with the surveillance system. With so many engineers around, though, there's really no particular need for him. So he'll do some supply runs too. Maybe carry some of the larger appliances back; he can be useful that way at least. When he is around, it's typically just a stop-off to make some deliveries.]

I'll be going back out soon. Do you need anything?

[He's dressed in black slacks and a plain black turtleneck throughout. He has more than learned his lesson about trying to choose his own clothes!

He does also spend some time in the city outskirts, still trying to train. It doesn't feel the same without the company of those Pokemon...but it isn't worth wasting a ring over. He'll set up some targets of his own, trying at a distance to hit them with flying crystals. He'll also spend a little while trying out new maneuvers with them - a shield, a targeted ridge, a cloud of tiny sharp shards that just floats in the air to pose a hazard. In an actual fight, he may not have the time or focus to actually use any of them, but it's sort of interesting anyway.

At some point early in the week, he does also take a moment in a wild area, or at least the nearest thing he can find. He takes Squirrel out of his pocket one last time and kneels to set him down in the grass.]

Go on, then. You're free.

[Whatever care he's provided has not improved the animal's condition. He's in no situation to be trying to care for anything in the first place; the loss of the first base plus getting caught in the void for so long certainly proved that. So - it's better this way. Squirrel will be better off somewhere free and happy, and far, far away from him. Just like Miraidon. Just like Arven.

He sits there in the grass for a long time.]

wild area

[lavenfallen]

[ At first, Gyles has no intention of letting his presence be known. Rooming with Turo means he's familiar with Squirrel, but he knows a private moment when he sees one.

But then Turo sits in the grass. And sits. And sits. And sits. So he moves from his spot to sit beside him, breaking that solitude. ]

... Somethin' on your mind?

wild area

[morningstud]

[Lucifer doesn't see Turo set Squirrel free, but he does notice Turo sitting in the grass by himself. So he takes a seat next to him.]

You seem... lost.

[That Squirrel isn't around is noticeable, though he doesn't ask.]

Not literally of course, but...

train;

[divinevoid]

[ There has been pretty much a good deal of progress when it comes to increased power behind everyone else's abilities, and probably the sheer amount of effort that others will put in as events have continued to ramp up...but, finally allowed some sort of reprieve.

It's logical to continue honing one's skill, for a variety of reasons, though when they make their way towards the city proper, looking for live targets, they catch this. ]

I suppose that so-called test had some form of benefit to everyone after all, hm?

sighs, locked to tales of nikke

[scythegun]

[So! That sure was a party! Yeager thankfully knows his alcohol tolerance well enough to get back to his room in one piece, but unfortunately he also kinda sorta may have forgotten a certain conversation he overheard earlier...

Which leads to him opening the door on a certain duo. Yeager stares at Dorothy and Raven. Hmm.]

...Ah.

[This is a little awkward, isn't it.]

:pensive:

[reallyfishy]

[Raven has gotten Dorothy nice and settled on his bed and is in the process of kissing her when he hears the door open.

Oh.

His brain screeches to a halt.

Right, Yeager lives here too.

He breaks the kiss to give Yeager the most awkward stare.]

Uh. Probably should’ve said somethin’, huh.

[PROBABLY.]

[divinevoid]

i. before the storm;

[ Well, there's certainly quite a bit going on, in a sense that there have been those so-called additions made to the machinery here or there. The blond isn't entirely surprised at everything unfolding as it has, though.

They had been away for quite awhile! But, the situation being what it is, they will decide to take a stroll through the outskirts. Perhaps to enact some sort of patrol...though, around this time, they will look somewhat thoughtful. ]

Quite a long time it's already been, hm?

[ Something more mumbled to themselves than not. ]

ii. fetch;

[ It's not like they haven't done this before, though this time around the errand doesn't seem all that menial especially considering what rings are capable of. Plus, the shard acts as a sort of beacon for the rings that lie laying around here or there, so the blond will find themselves coming upon some of them with ease. Now, the problem is at times the kind of location these small things have found themselves in.

For example, they're now standing in front of a tree. A ring is inside a tree somehow...and they slowly start to take out the gun. Maybe they should blast up the tree to get the ring? Sounds completely logical! ]

iii. outing (in the thick of danger);

[ Amusing that someone may have thought that tightened security in various places, whether it's the city or the old base, would deter the Void Archives. Simply hilarious.

(Alright, seems the old base might have indications of expected visitors or whatnot, but it is what it is.)

Either way, the blond can be seen immediately going on the offensive. Sneaking around? Perish the thought! They are just firing their lasers or something from their weapon. ]

Hmph. How pathetic.

Did they think they could stand up to someone like myself?

[ Typical commentary... ]

iv. new base, new times;

[ Void Archives can be seen at various times around the base, participating in various activities. Sometimes, they just so happen to be holding some movies they got from who knows where, or other times they can be seen hauling in furniture, and then at other times they can be seen in the kitchen, enjoying some tea.

Feel free to catch them doing any single one of those things, but they will be looking obnoxious smug or generally like they have won the universe and Eggman hasn't practically reinforced the city with his mooks. Or, well, that's just their usual expression, come to think of it... ]

v. wildcard;

[ As usual, the world is your oyster! ]

movies...

[guffawsungraciously]

[oh! actually! He's been wanting to watch more movies, this seems like fun...]

Ah, what do you have there? Anything particularly interesting?

[MOVIE DATE NIGHT...?]

wildcard; wolfwood should never make bets

[is2g]

[ if anyone thinks that wolfwood is going to have a hungover after drinking as much as he had after their little "party" then they're going to be disappointed. even drinking himself stupid during the little gathering, wolfwood is going to be mostly fine. the worse thing about the whole ordeal is how he had to make due with being tried, drunk, and without a proper (nice) bed to recover on. such is life, though.

anyway, because there's no way that wolfwood will chase void archives down to let them know they won their bet, wolfwood can be found hanging out by the windows (opened or broken...one of the two) in one of the empty office rooms smoking. he's polite enough to make sure to avoid smoking around mostly the others, especially the teenagers. and given how it's been about a month since he got beat up pretty badly, he'll be mostly okay now.

pity that he still only has one fully functional arm but what can you do? ...outside of asking someone else to heal him. ]

[shardmods]

[Those of you out and about early on Wednesday will notice something has changed.

Eggman's massive robot, the one that's always been visible just on the horizon, isn't where it was yesterday. The entire time you've been here in Chicago, it hasn't moved at all. That isn't the case now.

It's approaching.

It doesn't seem to be in any hurry, making its way ever closer to the city - and to you. Looks like you'll be in for a fight soon, and you'd be smart to prepare for it.

From Wednesday onwards, robots will be doubled in number, actively looking for you all and your base. You may want to make sure that none of them find it.]

[tworo]

[Looking out the window, Turo comments with mild interest:]

Oh. We're going to die.

[Imagine the rocks that guy can throw!]

[hexalding]

[what a nice and ordinary day to be minding one's own business around the base hey guys does anyone else hear jurassic park tremors-]

Kurva.

[holeful]

[Yikes!!!]

In some ways this is a good thing, I think.

[morningstud]

...Well. That's not good at all.

[So much for finding a replacement piano.]

[sacrificialpawn]

Damn it...

[He's told Vakama that fighting is what he's good at, but going up against that thing?? Yeah, he's not looking forward to it.]

[divinevoid]

The larger they are, the harder they fall, hm?

[ That looks like it's going to be a pain in the ass...but really, why show anything less than that kind of confidence? ]

[guffawsungraciously]

...

Ah. I see. Well, I am certain it must have some weaknesses...

[it's time to shadow of the colossus it up lads]

[undoingdaughter]

[Looking out at the oncoming devastation, Jinx's rocket launcher suddenly feels a bit... inadequate.

All Jinx can do is huff.]

You think he's compensating for something, or...

[akademise]

Before The Advance Of The Grand Robot
[ More is around the base pretty much all the time! Aside from a (handwaved) short trip to the old base to go grab his stuff, he's not risking injury by going out to confront the robots. You might ask him to heal you though, if you are among the brave and return injured. Healing comes with a beautiful little short story about your bravery, so that's... a perk? Maybe?

Otherwise, More can be seen writing in a small notebook a lot. It's neither sketches nor a story this time, but instead a wide variety of charts - some of them document everyone's combat powers, while others appear to be pro- and con lists for various worlds...?

And finally, More can be found in the front area of the showers, wrapped in a (black) bathrobe and staring forlornly at a near-empty bottle of conditioner... ]

And just as I was getting used to this convenience, too...

During The Advance Of The Grand Robot
[ Once the robot starts moving, More spends an absolutely disproportionate time in front of the window... talking to himself. ]

... at the beck and call of his master, the giant advances in a confident stride. His steps show no hurry, for he is confident in his power and believes his enemies will fall before him in new time. Each step carries him only a few meters, but the pace of his march is relentless and merciless. The combat robot is heedless of the vegetation he crushes under his feet. Spring's first flowers meet a sudden end and animals, in their clouded state of mind, only narrowly evade the certain demise such a weighty footstep would bring them...

[ He'll just keep going like this. The good news is that More truly has a very nice voice! This whole spiel very much sounds like a professionally recorded audio-book! Maybe you'll want to interrupt him, or maybe you just want to sit down and listen...?

By the next day though, More has thoroughly run out of things to say about a robot advancing in a straight line. He sounds significantly more exasperated and his narration has devolved to something more like this: ]

... during the relentless march, the joints of the robot move with grease that was produced by craftsmen and -women who specialize in working with machinery. Their lives have been taken over by Eggman, the same way as the lives of the screw-maker and welders and leather-workers have been before them. They produced the motor oil without any specific passion for their craft, merely going through the motions, before returning home to their families that they no longer appear to have any particular feelings about...

[ Or this: ]

... though the combat robot would not think to spare a single thought to it, the dandelion it is passing has a quite specific growth process during which the flowers eventually transform into...

[ Please help him, he's getting hoarse... ]

Closed to Turo
[ Everything that happened at the night of the party feels like a strange fever dream to More, and not just because he was tipsy through the whole ordeal. Even a good day later, it feels hard to believe that they actually made a commitment to travel together. In light of this delightfully surreal development, it had only made sense to room together in the new base. Before long, they'd be sharing campsites instead. It seemed to make sense to get used to the proximity. (A part of More still thinks this will give Turo room to change his mind, but a much larger and significantly more sane part of him knows that he won't.) And besides, moving in together allows everyone else more space to hoard supplies in.

Indeed, moving two beds to one space was the entirely logical choice to make!!

What More forgot to account for were his own absolutely atrocious sleeping habits. Today, he's managed to come to the room at a normal time of the evening out of a sense of propriety, and he'd even gone so far as to say he'd only write for a little moment before turning off the light...

... but four hours have passed since, and his pen is still moving over paper. He has not moved from his spot at all, and has no idea what time it is. ]

and they were roommates

[tworo]

[Turo had decided to wait for sleep until More went to bed himself. It hasn't been anywhere near long enough for him to actually be tired, or whatever passed for tiredness in him, so it's no trouble to lay on his bed and...stare...at the ceiling for four hours? Whatever he's doing, he seems perfectly content with it, hands folded loosely over his stomach and gaze focused on nothing in particular.

He does have an internal chronometer, however. He'll notice that passage of time.]

It's quite late, you know. You ought to consider getting some sleep.

[The remark is nearly automatic.]