The thing about Cerealia is, there really isn't any nature to be found here. Sure, you can go outside the walls of the city and explore the land beyond but who wants to risk a terrible, horrible death just to sniff the flowers? Not you, that's who! CERES understands that, CERES sympathizes, and sometimes CERES decides to take action when such problems arise. As part of the company's current "Healthier and Happier YOU" initiative, they've decided to let everyone get back in touch with nature a little.
Via ViViD.
Of course, this being CERES, the nature they've sent everyone to is more of a swamp. The place is disgusting, a real marvel of ViViD ingenuity and it smells like the dead. There's strange rustling among the leaves from creatures that may or may not want to eat you, and random pits that open up right under your feet with the goal of sending you straight into the marsh. It's not really that fun. There's no welcome sign either, no nothing except for swamplands as far as the eye can see.
Welcome to ViViD!  This is Mosley. One of our programmers forgot to include a welcome greeting for the level this time. How incompetent can you get? He's been fired now, it's fine. Instead, I will greet you today. Lucky you! You've been invited today to participate in CERES's "Healthier and Happier YOU" level where we've combined both physical exercise and relaxing meditation into the ultimate ViViD experience. Isn't that fun? You can... go camping and stuff. Or whatever. I don't... know...
Honestly, I don't even care. Have fun.
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PHASE I [ 6 00 ] Welcome to your new healthy living training ground! What does a swamp have to do with healthy living, you may ask? Absolutely nothing! To make up for it, CERES has outfitted all players with the proper equipment for their new healthy living lifestyle. They also may or may not have let you keep your shoes based on how benevolent the ViViD gods were being at the time. (Not very.)
Oh, and all newcomers will have something additional on their fancy new yoga shirt. It will be displayed loudly and proudly all over the front and back of it. And if you're one of the few not wearing a shirt, it will be on the back of your pants. As in, your butt. It will be on your butt.
What’s ViViD trying to say, anyway?
Regardless, it probably doesn’t matter as much as finding your way through the swamp. Some sort of dry land would be really nice right now, wouldn't it? You'll have to watch out for the mud that will suck you right down under the marsh, and the creatures with lots of teeth that will never surface from the mud but won't hesitate to snap up an unwary foot or two.
CERES is sure you'll be fine. Totally and completely fine.
PHASE II [ 800 ] Eventually, if you try really, really hard, you’ll make it to a house. Actually, it’s more of a shack, really. If you clamber your way out of the mud and the gunk and the marsh into said shack, you will find it to be empty aside from a table. A table hosting a huge pile of... well, health drinks. See, there's totally a health theme in this level. CERES would never make a ViViD level that wasn't thematically appropriate. Never! Health drinks of all sorts and types and sizes can be found here and there’s even a sign too; it simply says:
Take one.
Well, that seems safe.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to leave said shack until you do take one. And drink it. The door will lock shut and cover itself in more swamp until you do. Yay. Depending on your luck, the drink may do the following to you: ➟ Cause your ViViD experience to glitch. This may involve phasing through walls, seeing everything in 8-bit, or hearing really annoying old video game music everywhere you go.
➟ Cause status effects. This can include suddenly moving incredibly slowly, being turned to stone for a period of time, suddenly being on fire, suddenly being poisoned, etc etc.
➟ Be healthier. Mmm, kale and hummus smoothie. Taste those veggies. If you try to take more than one, that’s fine too, nobody will stop you, but you probably won’t get lucky more than once.
PHASE III [ 900 ] And back you go, out into the swampy wilderness. Don’t give up! Keep going! Eventually, you’ll find the end of this level. Probably.
Eventually, though, you may stumble across something in the mud and the muck. It’s... a little doll?
In fact, it’s a little doll of one of your most important people (or, alternatively, of someone you absolutely hate). It might be someone in Cerealia currently, or someone who isn’t, but either way, the doll is there and it’s clearly them (covered in mud and all). Be careful, though. If you toss it aside, you’ll suddenly see that important person being tossed aside. If you cut the doll, you'll suddenly see that person bleeding. Even if they aren’t present in Cerealia, whatever happens to that doll, you'll see it happening to them. Is it a hallucination or are they actually there? That's a little more up in the air.
And if they are present in Cerealia, well... doing things to that doll might very well hurt them too -- for real, this time, though.
Be careful! Or don't. You do you, as CERES would say.
PHASE IV [ 1200 ] And then, eventually you reach a quiet, swampy area. Not that the rest of the swamp isn't swampy, this area is just extra swampy.
There’s very little happening here in this swampy place; even the birds are no longer squawking. And for a long moment, everything will remain quiet and peaceful, a place of reprieve... until the swamp begins to bubble. Then suddenly, a new friend will burst out of the swamp, showering mud and gunk everywhere.
Without warning, that creature is going to try to grab for the nearest person (it might be you!) and let out a mighty roar when they have them. Then, they'll hold them up to... read the nutrition facts on their shirt? What?
Of course, it will try to gobble you or whoever else it grabs if it finds, say, the salt content to be acceptable (the monster is watching their carbs). If it's not, then they'll just fling you away and move onto the next snack. For those without a handy nutrition facts label on your shirt, well, it might just take a gamble and try to eat you anyway.
Great. A health-conscious monster. That's just what this level needed.
BONUS [ xxxx ] Finally, you’re free of the game. Without warning, you’re dumped into Cerealia properly and you’re able to scrub the mud and gunk from your clothing (wait why did that come back with you and where are your normal clothes?). You're able to then make your way to your new place of residence (or old) and...
There is a tiny tree there waiting for you. Isn’t it cute? And if you take care of this tiny tree, it will eventually bear fruit! Tiny fruit. Itty bitty fruit.
Depending on which tiny tree you get, it will be one of the following: a tiny dildo tree, a tiny bacon tree, a tiny kazoo tree, a tiny carolina reaper tree, or a (dumb) tiny hats tree.
Everything will, naturally, be tiny. Enjoy your new healthy CERES gift!
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phase iv
lop's still fretting over the matter when a blocked blow sends genos sliding back, ending up right beside where lop's been hiding, and lop flinches when their eyes meet. ]
A distraction?
[ it's said a little weakly, his gaze flickering nervously to look at the whipping tentacles and gnashing teeth. but after a moment, lop swallows, then gives an uneasy nod. he still sounds pretty scared, but also determined as he whispers, ]
What should I do?
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No, not even as a hero, but as a good person or sensible person... There was no way anyone let alone a discple of his master would allow for this to occur. Perhaps if he was a bit more sure with his words— ] I changed my mind. Here, hold onto this.
[ So instead, in a moment of reprieve, Genos quickly stands before Lop and removes his handicap, the doll of his master, from his neck and holds it out for Lop. ]
I've picked it up here and since it has become important to me. I cannot fight with my all while it may be harmed.
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one of his ears flicks back in confusion before twitching back into place, and lop hurriedly tries to mask his surprise. ]
A -- ah, yes, of course!
[ maybe it has sentimental value? regardless of why this doll is so important, if keeping it safe will help this man, he'll do it. lop carefully holds the doll close to his chest as he back off a half-step out of the monster's range, giving a small nod. ]
I won't let anything happen to it.
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[ If Lop ever wanted to ask him what made the doll so special, he wouldn't be shy to tell him why or what made it so special for him. But guess those sort of pleasantries and casual conversation can wait until and after the monster before them is eliminated which, since Genos has full range for his typical fighting style, shouldn't take him too long to dispose of this.
He's faced far, far worse than a picky eater.
So while Lop goes to stand clear, Genos begins to charge his hand and put even more distance between him and Lop just as a precaution should things get out of hand. (They shouldn't but he could never be too certain.) The monster still swings at Genos, trying to make a meal of him but he has no problem deflecting them and once his hand has fully charged—incinerates the monster before them in a huge show of lights and heat. ]
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of course, all that fretful planning gets thrown out the window when genos incinerates the monster in a split second.
the blast of heat ruffles all the way through the trees, practically stripping the branches bare, and it's hot enough to singe some of his hair. even once the aftershock dies down, lop's left staring wide-eyed as charred lumps of monster sag into the swamp. ]
A-amazing! [ a slightly overwhelmed squeak when genos heads back for his doll. ] That was amazing, sir!
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( And yet, he still had a lot farther to go. This wasn't a challenge and he still needed much more strength than he possessed. )
He'll give a slight nod to Lop before giving him a look over and making note of some of the char of his hair. Nothing else seemed to be out of place. And while there was an option for Genos to part ways, it wasn't in his realm of possibilities to leave someone who seem rather defenseless alone. ]
It appears that we are safe to travel now and that it would be wise for us to move away from this location.
[ He'll ask for his master back in a bit. ]
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Yes, sir!
[ congrats genos, you have been promoted to 'sir' status. lop knows better than to not respect a guy who can roast tentaclemonsters to a crisp without any effort.
lop's still obligingly holding the doll close to his chest, making sure not to dig his nails in lest he pop any seams, as he trots a few steps behind genos. and after a few steps, just long enough of a pause that he can confirm there aren't any more monsters in their immediate vicinity, he pipes up meekly: ]
Um. If it isn't terribly rude -- may I ask if you're wearing ... armor?
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