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

II. We are gathered here -

[canyounoct]

Noctis wasn't sure what he was expecting - but this wasn't it. That was definitely Insomnia in the distance. Insomnia, not completely ravaged by daemons and MTs. With human people bustling about and driving and probably complaining about traffic. And ... and him?

"Okay, this is officially weirder than seeing my own face on TV," Noctis said from behind Prompto as he approached the pair. "So much weirder."

[chocobosnap]

Prompto wasn't putting too much of a fight, as the Noctis illusion had his hand and was tugging him along, but Noctis' voice behind him made him turn back.

"Uh...what?" He looked between them.

The illusion was smiling, maybe a bit more than Noctis did himself. "You don't want to miss out, Prom!"

[canyounoct]

"That's even borderline creepy," Noctis said, approaching them carefully, maybe getting into other-Noctis' face a little bit. It also helped get some space between his doppelganger and Prompto, though the apparition might still be holding his hand.

"Aren't you going to pretend be weirded out, too?" Noctis asked himself. "Maybe call me a fake? Or are you going to keep trying to kidnap my best friend?"

[chocobosnap]

"I'm not gonna lie this is pretty weird." Prompto admitted, although the other Noctis didn't let go of his hand.

"Do you want to come play too? It will be a fun break. We could get a pizza, lots of sweets. That's just what you like, isn't it Noctis?" The apparition asked instead of challenging him, he was trying to offer a temptation.

"You could spend the night Prom, just like we used to!"

[canyounoct]

Noctis shuddered a little. "Do I really sound like that? Going on about junk food and games all the time?"

He didn't want to be pushy, but he put a gentle hand onto Prompto's shoulder. "Prom, look, I don't know what they're trying to do with us here in this thing ... but going with this fake me would be a really bad idea."

[chocobosnap]

"Not really." Prompto shook his head. "Maybe like, when we were fifteen or something."

Not in a long time. They both had a lot more going on.

He went to let go but the illusion tightened his grip on Prompto's hand.

"I promise we can do anything you want Prom."

[canyounoct]

"Things were easier then," Noctis could see that. Maybe in that way, he could see how this might be ... tempting, for Prompto? "Reality is messier, this is so totally a trap."

He saw how Prompto tried to pull away - how the other Noctis' hand held his fast. So he tried to reach for his double's arm, try to pull him away. "Listen, stupid, he doesn't want to go with you."

[chocobosnap]

"Um." Prompto protested lightly, but Noct was already stepping in.

"Of course he does. We always want to be together, don't we Prom? Every day, right? Forever?"

He squirmed a bit to try and pull away. "That's not...you're not Noct, obviously." He was blushing lightly. "Stop making me feel uncomfortable, he'd never do that."

[canyounoct]

"Or at least I try not to," Noctis agreed, and grabbed other Noctis' arm and squeezed hard to make him let go. He pointed out what seemed to make logical sense, "And he can't be with me always if he's with you, asshole, let him go!"

Noctis didn't think about 'always want to be together' because - Prompto was his best friend, his Crownsguard, his retainer, that's why he made him one. Of course they were always going to be together. No question about it in his mind.

[chocobosnap]

Suddenly, the illusion let go, Prompto taking a step backwards with a bit of a stumble, but he caught himself easily.

"Yeah. No, I mean, you don't." He told Noctis, because that was true. "I just...don't think I want to be here anymore."

[canyounoct]

Noctis gave the illusion version of him one last glare, and moved to squeeze Prompto's shoulder. "Yeah. Let's get the hell out of here."

Insomnia itself might be kind of enticing to Noctis - but not if there was a version of him there trying to lure Prompto to stay.

"Not that I really know how to ... I guess we just walk that way?" Noctis said, but no matter what? He's going to stick right next to Prompto, thank you very much.

[chocobosnap]

"Uhhhh yeah! I guess!" Prompto said and tugged on Noctis' sleeve, to lead him away from the enticing apparition.

There were things sometimes, he wished they could do but those wishes were fleeting. He's not really wanting to go back in time. Besides, who wanted to be a teenager again? No one.

[canyounoct]

Being a teenager again would suck, thanks. Last thing Noctis wanted to do was repeat high school again. Hard pass.

They lead each other away from the fake Insomnia, his arm close enough it kept brushing Prompto’s. When it was far in the distance - he couldn’t see it any longer, anyway, through the twists and turns -

- Noctis himself turned, and put a hand on his shoulder. “Now. Really. You okay?”

[chocobosnap]

"Yeah. I mean, seeing the city was nice and all, but the real you is so much better than some fake." Prompto told Noctis with a bright smile.

"It couldn't take your place, I promise."

[canyounoct]

"Nerd," Noctis breathed out and then tried to mess up Prompto's hair, feeling a little relieved. "Like I'm worried about having to compete with some fake."

Likely Prompto would try and avoid getting his hair all messed up, and Noctis would be smiling a little shyly, awkward as Prompto backed away. He told him, "You know ... I was serious when I made you my retainer, right? We're always going to be together. That's ... kind of what it means. Why I asked you - you're my best friend."

It's not something he explicitly said too often, but. Considering what that fake-him had said ...

[chocobosnap]

He squeaked and ducked his head, but Noctis was ever successful. If Prompto didn't know better, he'd think Noctis had some super secret prince technique for roughhousing.

"I...I know." Prompto ducked his head a bit again, more out of embarrassment, looking sheepish.

"I'd follow you to the ends of Eos and back Noct. I meant my promise too. Anywhere you go...I'll follow."

He sighed, putting on a dramatic air. "You'd be lost without me!" Prompto exclaimed to lighten things up a bit.

[canyounoct]

"And apparently to the ends of the train, too," Noctis joked too, also trying to lighten things up, but somewhat failing because, really, "It's selfish, but I'm so glad in a way? If I've got to be kidnapped ... I shouldn't want you to be, too, but. I'm still grateful you're here."

He laughed a little, though, when Prompto pulled out the drama. He smiled at him. "Yeah, well, we'll be lost together. Our sense of direction sucks."

[chocobosnap]

Prompto rewarded him with another bout of giggling and he lightly punched Noctis on the shoulder for that. "Yeah dude, I'd hate for you to be here alone too. I don't think it's selfish."

He snickered and shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, I'm not Gladio."

[canyounoct]

Noctis rolled with the light punch, the small smile he gave Prompto something pretty rare. Only his friends saw this one - gratitude and fondness all wrapped up in a shy expression. "Thanks."

[chocobosnap]

"Y-Yeah! Anytime!" Prompto blushed lightly but he gave him another shove.

"Come on, we've got people to save. Look out for creepy weirdos pretending to be friends."

[canyounoct]

"Mission accepted," Noctis said, and pat Prompto's back as he started to move forward through this maze with him. "They can't fool us twice, at least."