PHASE I [ ?? ?? ] This time, ViViD is a deathtrap.
There is random magma everywhere, monsters will spawn at random, and at some points, the game is entirely unplayable. It’s like the dev team totally disappeared mid-constructing the level.
Oh wait, that’s exactly what happened.
Monsters may spawn on top of you, you may suddenly be standing in a poisonous bog, you may suddenly lose your powers, or your senses, or so many different things --
It’s time to get out of here, ASAP.
Thankfully, the exit is obvious. Like. Blindingly obvious. It’s got a big sign over it that says EXIT
And just like that, you’ll be out of ViViD and --
PHASE II [ 0830 ] When you wake up (and it’s strange, because you were sure that you were logging out just a second ago), it’s in a pile of bodies.
They’re cold, but not in the same sense that a dead body would be cold. While they are lifeless and look incredibly real, they don’t feel real. They feel like dolls, mannequins, empty models and nothing more. Their code doesn’t seem to be functioning right.
And what some characters may realize upon looking at this pile of bodies is that they are all of the characters who were sacrifices before. Any character that was dropped who had a high magical or spiritual affinity is there in that pile of bodies, lifeless and eyes blank and vacant. Even you might be there, staring at your own dead body -- but it isn’t real It can be touched, but it’s really nothing more than a lifeless body.
You’ll have to crawl out of that pile of bodies to get anywhere, and then you’ll realize -- you’re in the Sanctuary, a building built by the characters as a safe place from CERES. And it’s looking pretty run-down at this point. The technology in it no longer functions, there is no security on it whatsoever…
Oh, and now there’s a pile of bodies. Great.
PHASE III [ 1000 ] There’s also a robot.
It’s wandering from place to place, though it’s impossible to follow. One second it’s there, the next it’s just gone.
Also, it’s wearing this. Weird.
But even with that on its face, the robot seems focused on one thing in particular. In fact, it has a sign, and it says:
Down with CERES. Up with Robots.
That’s a happy, cheerful message. If you try to go up to it to talk to it, it will look at you before...bonking you on the head with the sign and running off. That’s incredibly rude.
Alternatively, you may be safe and sound in your home, but then the doorbell rings, and there’s the robot again. The duck mask is gone, but now instead it has a pin on his fake lapel, and then he’s shoving a pamphlet at you.
He tips his hat, and then he’s gone. Weird.
(Also, if you hold onto the pamphlet, it will lead you directly to the person whose picture is on it, and you’ll feel like you’ve known them and have loved them for years.)
PHASE IV [ 1245 ] But not all is fun and games and shenanigans. There is something...well, strange happening, and the first real realization of that will be when it starts to rain. More than just the localized rain that a few unfortunates have dealt with -- no, it’s raining completely and totally, and that’s when it might hit you.
For the first time in Cerealia, there’s weather.
It’ll rain for a few hours, and then it’ll stop and become hot and sunny. It may get humid, considering it’s a jungle planet. At night, it’ll get rather cold.
Seems like whatever was keeping Cerealia’s atmosphere stable is now gone -- which also means that characters may start to occasionally experience headaches, nausea and dizziness if they go too close to the walls. It seems safer in the center of the city, and the Residential District is still okay, but… there’s no doubt that the planet’s atmosphere is starting to encroach on the city.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] But who cares about all of that? More importantly, you are here in this… totally not shoddy city to have fun, and it’s still being advertised as a pleasure colony. Or, well, it would be if, you know, CERES was still around.
But close enough.
And as a pleasure colony, it would figure that the first robots to really get fixed are...well, the Pleasure District robots. Unfortunately, the Pleasure District is still a nice big mess, so now they’re wandering the entire colony, looking for people they can hug, massage or...try to drag into more explicit activities.
Welcome to Cerealia!
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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[i.e. the bare minimum for qualifying as a non-horrible person.]
But I guess if you're really stuck... you can just follow the melodious sound of my voice.
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[He stands there, scowling, before he takes a tentative step in the direction of Viridi's voice.]
There?
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OK, well. After you're finished squishing around in monster guts, you can follow it to the actual exit.
Don't make me have to hold your hand.
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Just keep talking, and I'll trudge through as many monster guts as I have to.
[Maybe they can play 20 questions or something to keep the conversation going. Whatever it takes to keep her yapping.]
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Huh.
That might be the first time anyone's asked me to talk more. Unbelievable, right? I'd almost call this a point in your favor if it didn't come out of necessity.
[For now, she dutifully stays a few steps in front of him as they progress.]
Wanna hear all my opinions about important things?
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But he owes her now, technically speaking, so he'll listen in earnest.]
Sure. Go all out.
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[Like many things involving Viridi, Izumi may soon regret this.]
Let's talk about humans and how awful and gross they are. I mean, the ones here are OKish, but that's mostly because they don't have anything to get their grubby little hands on. All the humans back home are basically walking disasters who consume everything they touch.
[A pause for breath.]
OK, now say 'absolutely Viridi you're so right'.
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Wow. Sounds rough.
So if they're human, what're you?
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[The voice sounds miffed.]
Can't you tell from my divine visa -- Oh.
[...]
OK, I guess you're off the hook on this one. I'm Viridi. The goddess of nature. All living things are under my domain to govern. That includes the gross humans I was just talking about.
It's so sad how far they've strayed from my good example.
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Still, he can't help but to "ooh and ahh" a bit.]
What, seriously? Then you're really important, aren't you? To think this place could grab people from that high up . . . That's pretty amazing.
[ . . . ]
You're not lying, right? I won't go easy on you if you are, even if you sound young!
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[Except when she does. Like she did about 10 seconds ago.]
And don't say that like I just rolled over and let them abduct me! Obviously, this is all part of my divine plan.
[.........]
It's a very complicated plan, so don't ask me to explain it.
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[Because she's obviously a liar.]
But a goddess, huh? How strong does that make you?
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[This is all Viridi ever really cares about at any particular moment in time as she calls out in a sing-song tone.]
Stronger than pretty much everyone here, I bet. I am the goddess of nature. I'm the origin of life. By my hands, all living things took form.
[her world must be a sad and pitiful one]
Oh, those were the good days. Back when I actually had influence and important duties and you know, an actual planet. Good times.
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Well, I'm just a regular human being. I figured you'd be stronger.
[Even though he's a prodigy in battle, he's still ordinary.]
You sound like a parent with kids who hit their rebellious phase, you know that?
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[This seems like an apt description.]
Except this so-called 'phase' has lasted about 2000 years now, so you know. I'm pretty sure it's just what humans have settled on - and the problems are only going to get worse.
So nowadays, Mother Nature gets her vengeance by making you guys feel bad about yourselves. Is it working?
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I donno about that, but I'm pretty sure I'm not one of your kids. I've never heard of someone like you where I'm from.
[Because it's pointless to make foreign humans feel bad, isn't it?]
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[Viridi huffs.]
See how kind I am? My world is too far gone so I'm bringing my message to all of you instead. That's called altruism.
[...]
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Isn't that just a threat? What's considered destructive to you, anyway?
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Deforestation! Desertification! Strip mining, clear-cutting, the acidification of the ocean, the melting ice caps, rising global temperatures, atrocious farming practices, mass poaching, mass hunting, mass extinction, the unsustainable consumption of all natural resources, and war. Like, ten wars at the same time constantly.
You are literally destroying everything.
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[And there were so many things, he doesn't know where to start.]
When you put it that way, though, I guess I can see why humans bother you so much.
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[...]
Then I whisper the word 'vengeance' under my breath as kind of a lullaby until I drift off.
But yes. It's true. You're all terrible, I'm afraid.
[She's glad he agrees.]
Oh, we reached the exit a while ago, by the way. I've just been walking you around in circles so I could complain properly.
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What, seriously? It was that close? Which way is it now?
[Of all the people he had to run into, it was this one.]
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[Viridi responds dismissively.]
There's time for more ranting, though! Want to hear my feelings about the salinization of the Fertile Crescent?
[say yes]
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[He can't see, for Pete's sake.]
I don't even know what that is.
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[Amazingly, Kohei will stumble by sheer accident into the portal that takes him away from this hellish nightmare. The last words he hears will be Viridi screaming, "I'll leave a message on your phooooooooooone!"]
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