What their Eyes See: Finale

[voidtreckermods]

It’s been a weird mission. The Voidtreckers have been busy investigating, making headway in mapping and saving citizens from the video games and strange illusionary creatures. Those in the fourth tier have made contacts, followed leads and gotten close to the high and mighty of the criminal underworld.

Yet what exactly is happening here is still unknown. Their new found ally Anan is as stumped as the rest of them, but even so, the hackers and technological knowledgeable voidtreckers have been successful in isolating the virus to study and make an anti-virus. A netpoint network has been set up across the city, and enough access data stolen that they can start throwing everything into the systems and networks across the city.

While the illusions remain a mystery and how they got there, finally the world is purged of the strange virus as the anomalies begin to clear up by noon of day ten. Spectura victims wake up in hospital beds, dazed and confused, while no more sightings of the impossible plague those on the other tiers.


On the morning of day eleven, the once housebound and terrified citizens leave their shelters with the first tendrils of light reaching through the fog surrounding the enclosed city. An exodus of people, from fighters of tier four to elites of tier one, are making their way into the streets...and heading down into lifts and outside, out into the smog-filled wasteland.

“It’s so beautiful,” is heard, a rumbling through the crowd as people smile, laugh or wave into the fog.

”I won.” Fighters from tier four look around in wonderment. Other exclamations, about a blue sky, a greeting to a friend fill the air.

There is a pull. The voidtreckers will feel it too, though to them the world looks and feels no different. This pull is easy to resist, or they can follow and investigate it, attempt to lead citizens back inside the city. It’s not safe in the smog, no one has canisters, but none will heed the warnings.

Nor is there time for better efforts when a crackling sounds in the air, light and colours flashing in the smog, everywhere at once and too quick to get a hold on.

“STOP THWARTING ME!” booms out, and a great force pushes them back while pulling the citizens farther into the wasteland, sand and dirt kicked up in a frenzied storm. The voidtreckers can hear the civilians in the smog, but getting to them will prove harder than they may like.

Grabbing an air canister is highly recommended for those who prefer life.



CIRCLE ONE: THE MAZE
No matter where one leaves the city from, they will find themselves in a maze of walls, of metal sheets, each blending into each other. It feels surreal, as if nothing is quite real, nothing quite solid.

But it is solid. For those voidtreckers who cannot see illusions it will look like they are merely stood in the wasteland of the world. But when they begin to move they will learn those walls are tangible, and those that look close enough will see the same almost-light as the creatures that purple team have been fighting as the source.

For those who are not immune to illusions it is a strange place indeed. No smog to be seen, just high unyielding barriers. The pathways are different colours giving off hues of brightest pink, red, purple, neon green, glowing white, darkest black. Sometimes there are symbols on the walls, Capsule Corp, royal insignia, ravager flames, HYDRA, marks of royalty. They are emblazoned on the walls, the floor, sometimes even in the sky. And the deeper in they get...

➤ WINDING ROADS
It's noisy as they move around. As well as the distant noise of the citizens in the distance they can hear an acoustic guitar, erratic piano playing, the sound of bamboo on stone. Or perhaps an eagles cry, a lullaby or a song is heard as they move their way through the maze.

Objects stand in their way, blocking paths and needing to be moved or destroyed. Larger than life playing cards, red apples, flowers. Spears and daggers hang in the air as does the moon and the sun. Water often cascades through routes, making it difficult to move through or fire creeps up walls, nonthreatening but ever present. There are clouds of butterflies and ravens perched on walls, watching their every move, and the smell of sugar often hangs in the air.

But it’s better to navigate these turbulent passages with perseverance than violence. Daggers and apples will shatter and slice apart to attacks, creating a way through to begin with - but those that try the method of destruction to solve their problems will find these walls crowding them tighter, rising higher, becoming all the harder to destroy than they were before. They will become trapped, and will need assistance from the outside to untangle them from webs or jails made from crystal.
➤ STALKING THE STREETS
It isn’t just the Voidtreckers or locals who wander the maze. Wolves, dogs, zombie sheep and ghost animals mostly mind their own business, sometimes inclined to growl or bahh, but easy to pass. But other times, you may sense that you’re being followed, a presence hovering over you...while another companion will see as well the large shadow shrouding you before a decaying hand grabs at you from above, threatening to send its victim to some other part of the maze if not stopped.

Monsters also stalk these paths from various realities. The dead will be met in robes of white while others in armours from medieval times. All are fast, unrelenting in their attacks, unconcerned with pain or stopping without being properly slain. Ghouls of all shapes and sizes search for prey, and many more seek victims.

How they act and how to defeat them may be known to some, but not all. Is it worth the effort to stay and fight illusions, however? Sometimes those illusions don’t give a choice, but in other instances, a person from the city may be found on the ground unconscious, the smog air getting to them. They’ll need help, and fast.

CIRCLE TWO: IS THIS HOME?
Voidtreckers will realise they’ve left the maze when they find themselves in an open field. It spreads out far with vineyards in the distance, a campsite, all of this leading into a forest of childrens board games. While the campsite is not a true campsite as many will realise, it is the first moment everyone will have to come together, to perhaps plan ahead. Air canisters are essential in this environment, and locals have been found needing, unconscious. Backtracking through the maze is a death wish for many, but with the talents of the voidtreckers, setting up a checkpoint here may not be that impossible before going on ahead.

And then, when they finally do…

➤ FAMILIAR
It is almost dream-like as they walk, areas changing without them fully crossing the distance needed. One moment they are in a shopping malls food court, the next the interior of a spaceship; streets of palaces, temples, and mansions line up as a mish-mash of glamour, while others offer more humble abodes, taverns, family homes, bakeries. Medieval structures blend into tech bases, maintenance bays and dark rooms. Beautiful gardens, beaches and dusty souks all share space. But as they move through it, they will be tempted towards what is theirs.

And these can be anything. Ships, palaces, home, and even singular rooms: all of these are seen, doors providing access, doors that draw your character towards it, as if they know what’s on the other side. Spaces personal to the viewer, and with the constant pressure of these illusions, somehow draining to be around, they will find it harder to doubt what they see. Even if their bedroom leads towards a volcano, a blacksmith housing hospital beds right beside it, it will not seem so bizarre to find these natural.
➤ DEARLY BELOVEDS
But it’s not only structures that exist in this labyrinth of streets: there are people, animals - family, friends and pets. Beloved mentors, a smiling loved one. The night sky will wash over, the ocean within view; your favourite plush rabbit, a worn jumper. Your favourite song playing, losing you inside this new reality.

Even people from the Voidtrecker Express are around, whether or not they’re still passengers. Feanor, Zetta, Noctis, Cassie Cage, Jin Ling; Elfnein, Link, Mami, Gyousou, Duo; Senku, Jiang Yanli, Olivia, Bucky Barnes. They walk this plane, friends and lovers of the voidtreckers, coaxing them further into the illusions. Assuring them everything is alright, offering reasons to give in.

Over all this though, they can still hear the citizens in the distance; their voices sounding more confused, frightened even. To push on the voidtreckers must walk away, ignore these temptations and push on to the third ring.

CIRCLE THREE: TWISTED HEART
For those who manage to get through the second circle, pushing away the temptations of home, they will find themselves back in the smog filled wasteland. But through the smog they will see more, always more. Once again the scenery blurs into impossibilities, from testing labs with padded beds, to other imagery associated with asylums of old, to dark cramped spaces, to hallways raging on fire. They sense fear itself, and even the most stoic will find apprehension digging into them as they make their way forward. Is this their fear? Or is it your own?

It may be hard to discern in this twisted reality.

➤ MISERY LOVES COMPANY
This time, as the scenery shifts around them, so does their own sense of self try to match what these places mean. The despair of being lost in darkness, the belief that they can’t be seen by others, all sound fading from their ears. They are on the moon, trapped there for years; at the edge of the vast ocean, on the bank of a river of lava, despair in their hearts. In a wrecked city, their own city destroyed almost beyond recognition. By opposing forces, by weapons of mass destruction.

They have lost everything. There’s no fixing this.

A Pandora box of fears have been unleashed, with seemingly no hope. Your worst enemy has been granted a second chance, family stumbling towards you on the verge of death before your eyes; forces that you were meant to be dealing with back home have found you, surely leaving your own world in ruins, from titans to ayakashis.

Or they might stumble upon a graveyard, stretched out as far as they can see where every name is someone they care about.

There are even voidtreckers of now and old opposing you: Danny Fenton, Lan Xichen, Darth Vader, Vegeta, Xue Yang. Kerry stands pointing a gun straight at a fellow passenger while shadowy ravens and terrifying dragons swirl in the sky.

All this emotional turmoil will do a number on the voidtreckers, but there is strength in numbers. More civilians have fallen unconscious at this point, and those willing to aid them can take them back to the city. But no matter how the voidtreckers move, they must keep their nerve and hold onto hope as they cross the final hurdles.

Comments

[happyends]

A shadow? It's weird, because nothing about that thing looks very shadow-y to Madoka. But she knows better than to question it too much in the middle of a battle.

And even if she would want to question it, she's very quickly distracted by the way he jumps in the path of the attack.

"No..!" She squeaks, feeling instant guilt at seeing him get hit by it instead. If only she could do more--

But Madoka knows there's nothing more she can do. Even passing a potion on to him wouldn't help much in the middle of battle, so she does all she can do - quickly means she's quickly firing off more arrows at the odd being, hoping it's enough to finish it off.

[miseris_socios]

He gives it another stab, wheeling around behind it as Madoka fires. The Shadow disappears in a puff of smoke and Ken relaxes his shoulders a little.

"Not too bad... are you hurt?" He can heal them both, he just needs to know to budget his magic and healing items.

[happyends]

She shakes her head.

"I'm fine.." And though her voice trails off in a way that suggests she may not speak on more, Madoka does end up adding a bit more after a moment. ".. thanks to you."

He stepped in the way when she was attacked, after all.

Madoka slowly steps over to where the Shadow had been, starting to collect her arrows. She knows she's going to need them inside of this maze of illusions.

".. Why did you do that?"

[miseris_socios]

"... I've fought a lot. Nemesis... it's hard to fight against Shadows without a Persona. And I don't... know how much you've fought..."

In all honesty he's not really sure why he stepped in the way. It just... felt like the right thing to do. "A... and I can use Nemesis to heal... I just... didn't want you getting killed by one of those things."

[happyends]

.. geez.

For all of the things Ken said last time, he really is a better person than he's making himself out to be. Is he really that worried about openly seeming nice, or openly helping others? He almost seems confused about his own words as he tries to explain it.

At least Madoka knows better than to hold his hands or something, considering how that went when she accidentally did it last time, and so instead she just politely bows - pretty deeply, even - before uprighting herself soon after. She knows she doesn't have time to be vulnerably bowing when something could attack them again at any moment, after all.

"You're right. You saved my life." Maybe it's a biiit of a stretch, but Madoka is trying to make him realise the full extent of his actions. And what they imply, such as: ".. you're kind."

[miseris_socios]

He frowns. He knows she's stretching it, but he doesn't want to get into it. "I'm... not. It's nice of you to say but... I'm not a good person." She doesn't know. He's not sure he wants her to know. There's too many details to explain, and -

There's movement at the corner of his eye - a shadowy figure moving towards them - three of them. Too many to take out in one move, but - "Look out!"

He lifts his Evoker to his head, pulling the trigger with the usual gunshot and broken glass sounds. Nemesis appears in front of him, paper seals appearing around one of the creatures and destroying it in a burst of light before she fades away. He readies his spear to take on another one as it gets closer.

[happyends]

It's almost overwhelming. The sudden enemies, the way he summons that being that helps him, the sounds that go along with it, one of the creatures being instantly destroyed--

But Madoka is trying really hard to not let it be overwhelming. Even though her heart is pounding so loudly that she can practically hear the sound in her ears, she's trying to focus. Ken is strong, but she has to play her part too. She can't make this battle harder for him.

She raises her bow, firing off another arrow at the third one of the creatures, the one that Ken isn't dealing with. The arrow almost threatens to fly past it, but Madoka whistles, making the arrow change directions just a bit, just enough to hit the thing all the same, pushing it back a little further.

"D-Do you recognize these too..?!"

[miseris_socios]

The sudden change in direction makes him start a little in surprise, but thankfully the Neoshadows go down easily.

"No, but... they look kind of like stuff Vexen described. Heartless?" It's still a stupid name.

[happyends]

"Let's be prepared if more of them show up."

It's a bit more serious than she's sounded before, but now there's been two attacks on them in quick succession, Madoka knows they can't afford to be lax. She has to be strong too, no matter how unused she is to any of this.

After all, Ken seems a bit younger than her, and he's doing his part. She's got to do the same.

"Do you know anything more about those Heartless? Um.. So we know."

[miseris_socios]

"I know they're dangerous... that they're attracted to the darkness in people? I think? I don't really know a ton."

Another one comes up to attack and Ken plants the butt of his spear into the ground, swinging around it to kick it in the face. The Heartless goes flying and disappears into a puff of black smoke.

[happyends]

The darkness in people...

She wonders if these are acting like normal darkness then. She doesn't think she has a whole lot of darkness in her.. and does Ken?

Before she can fully think of that, Madoka shakes her head.

"Come on, let's try and move!" They can't stay here in the maze forever, after all. "We have to see if we can find some of the people trapped here.. or otherwise at least a way out!"

Because otherwise they might jsut be stuck here dealing with various monsters forever. It doesn't seem like there's any end coming to them anytime soon.

[miseris_socios]

She's right, as much as he wants to keep stabbing monsters. He doesn't have infinite stamina, after all. He twirls his spear and holds it at the ready as he runs with her.

The shadowy monsters can go fight amongst each other, for all he cares.

[happyends]

Madoka is glad that he's coming along, at least. If he had insisted on staying, she wouldn't have wanted to leave him behind. No matter how awkward their last encounter was, that still would have been no reason to abandon Ken in the middle of all of this. Especially since he helped her just now, took a hit for her.

That means she ought to help him in return too.

Which is why she runs alongside him through this maze. It's not easy to find their way though considering the sheer amount of dead ends.

Like right now. There's a crystal wall in front of them, and Madoka is looking at it, trying to figure out if there's some way around it, since she's pretty sure there's only one way that leads up to this spot..

.. but as she's thinking about it, suddenly a crystal appears between the two of them as well, locking Madoka in.

"W-What's happening?!"

[miseris_socios]

Ken gets more and more frustrated the longer they keep going - he hates the fact that they keep running into dead ends. As the wall appears in front of them, he stabs into it, trying to break through the crystal.

"Damn it, break!"

[happyends]

She's starting to wonder if she should help. Her bow probably won't do much, but maybe if she knocks hard enough on the crystal, it'll give way when it's already being pushed by his spear.

But before Madoka can even do as much as touch it, she's noticing something. Right where Ken's spear is stabbing into the crystal..

"Wait..!" She quickly calls out. "I-I think that's only making it grow!"

Somehow. Madoka has no idea how, but she can clearly see new chunks of crystal forming where the spear stabbed.

[miseris_socios]

"... Great. So attacking it with electricity probably won't help, either." What to do, what to do...

"Do you have any ideas?" He's... kind of lost at this point.

[happyends]

"I, um.."

Madoka frowns, as if she's thinking. This isn't easy for her either, but she doesn't just want to give up here. Not while this maze is so dangerous, and not while they've got an important duty to fulfill.

She glances behind her.

"I think there's a small opening to slip through back here that leaders in another direction.. M-Maybe we just have to go our separate ways for now, and see each other again later.."

[miseris_socios]

"Yeah, maybe. Just... uh. Call on the network thing if you need help, I guess." He's not sure how he'll be able to get to her, but hopefully someone can.

He tucks his spear back against his bag, ready to pull out at a moment's notice.

[happyends]

She nods.

"Yes..! You please be careful too.."

She doesn't want anything to happen to him here. She doesn't want anything to happen to any of them, especially with how dangerous everything is right now.

Madoka looks at him for another moment, giving Ken a small, unsteady smile before turning around and moving into the other direction. A moment later she disappears out of sight.