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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3 phases of WHY THO OKUNI. WHY.
As for the suspicious-- ] I hardly think you look like a law-abiding citizen, yourself. [ No one looks good in these clothes. these terrible clothes. ]
But why catch it in the first place, if you were going to give it away?
TRIPLE DOSAGES OF OKUNI CHARM
I want to see how it looks like. [that's literally it.] Creatures like that don't exist back in Oumi.
[She looks back down at the swamp, but nothing's approaching just yet. Looking back up!!]
Wouldn't you want to see something you've never seen before? If you're not a boring person, that is.
SAITOU CANNOT HANDLE THIS AMOUNT OF CHARM /put hand over heart
[ Well, he supposes there aren't creatures like that.
But that's beyond the point! ] What if I were a boring person? [ He would like to keep his fingers, thanks. Rasetsu don't regenerate limbs. ] I am not against interesting or awe-inspiring sites, but I doubt I will find that in this mud.
WHAT A MOE... truly the best gumi
You doubt, but you're not sure, are you? Honestly... Don't be so complacent! Being boring is the worst.
[live LIFE WITH A SMILE, THE KUMOU WAY] Anyway, all you have to do is stand still until it comes back. You can do that much, can't you?
Saitou for best Shinsengumi~
As for the question of his character-- ] It depends on who my company. No one has ever told me that I'm boring, but I cannot be sure if anyone speaks of it behind my back.
[ But something about her does seem familiar. Just a bit. He can't pick up on what yet, but there is something. Maybe later it'll hit him over the head. ] You wish to use me as bait, don't you. [ Deadpan. ]
PINS THAT MEDAL ON HIS CHEST
I can't imagine why they wouldn't just say it to your face. [She only says this because he doesn't look too intimidating in yoga wear...]
It's not that hard. [innocently!! blinks!!] I'll protect you if you're frightened.
AWESOME
This is not a matter of fear or even curiosity. It's a matter of sensibility. [ He starts counting on his fingers. ] What will you do with it once you catch it? Eat it, or keep it?And if you kept it, there is some chance of it not leaving with you after ViViD. Moreover, it may not survive in a place that is not like its usual habitat.
It would be better to leave it alone and in peace.
no subject
[but then he starts trying to use reason... The look on her face is one of a kid who's trying to tune out because real life doesn't work the way she'd like it to.]
I'm not going to eat it or keep it. [she just wants to see....] Actually, I was going to kill it, since people might get hurt if I just let it go after catching it.
[but she says that part flippantly, like the safety of others hasn't really been on her mind.]
It's probably coming back to bite our feet, so isn't it better to catch it before it does?
no subject
[ Then again, some people can't be reasoned with. He has tried, and it seems to have gotten him nowhere. So instead he steps back and away. ] If you wish to catch it, I am not giving my help. [ He's going to stand here and watch with his face set and arms folded. ]
she looks exactly like souji in that icon im laughing 1/2
Ugh, whatever. You'd probably just get in the way. [that's right Saitou, be sensible and stand there! She turns around in a huff!]
2/3 i lied
[wow... that was... bigger than she thought it was??? what the]
3/3
[Okuni yells, while scampering towards Saitou and nudging him in the arm as she RUNS PAST]
But you should probably run!
[BECAUSE SHE'S OUT... CURIOSITY SATED, NO NEED TO CATCH IT ANYMORE!!]
i need to find more art of saitou reacting to souji XD
I told you.
[ He doesn't sound smug, somehow. But he knows he was right.
It had happened so fast, too. Perfect timing. Maybe the monster could actually understand them, or it was a coincidence... ]
You could've avoided the situation. [ Very easily, in fact. ]
please do souji is menace that deserves 50 exasperated saitou icons
[she sure is good at running alongside Saitou while talking]
I don't want to catch it anymore anyway, now that I've seen it properly. [it's not worth it when she's only in yoga-wear and WEAPONLESS] Wasn't it amazing? I bet it could have swallowed you whole in one big bite!
eternally exasperated sightou
Some people just want to watch the world burn. And then there are people like Saitou who don't want to be anywhere in that vicinity when it happens.
When he deems them far enough, he slows his steps. ] What now, after your curiosity is satisfied. [ Why does he even ask. ]
no subject