PHASE I [ 9 00 ] You open your eyes, and there is a chicken pecking at your face. It's not a very happy chicken, either, but if you can manage to fend it off, then it will be clear that you are in a village. It is... medieval-esque, in that video game sort of way; the details don’t seem too clear, but if you look to your left, there’s a cow! And to your right, a well! Ignore the clear evidence of modern technology in the buildings such as lights, gas, and 21st century plumbing; CERES is dedicated to authenticity.
Looks like the new ViViD level has finally been released, and everyone is invited to play, whether they want to or not.
The game (because this time, that's surely what it is) will start simple. Everyone begins in the same place and every NPC villager will say the same thing: to get out of here, you have to go through the caves. They’ll shove a stick at you (“take this, it’s dangerous to go alone”) and off you go, into the caves… !
Which are full of tiny rats and more chickens. They will try to fight you, but it’s really not very effective when they’re perfectly small and average (especially when everyone still has their typical powers and abilities -- CERES didn't mess with those at all this time). The caves are winding and circular and maze-like, and to make matters even worse, the only ones around are the other poor saps stuck in this situation.
But if you kill enough of the rats, you’ll get to hear the satisfying level up jingle. Congratulations! You are now level 2. It's probably satisfying just for a minute or so until you finally find your way out of those maze like caves and -- You're back in the village again. Great.
PHASE II [ 930 ] You’re carrying a bag. No matter what you do, you can’t take it off, either; it’s stuck with you through thick and thin. But it is awfully heavy. Maybe you should actually open it and see what’s inside?
The problem is, it’s going to take a while.
The bag has clearly tapped into its true hammerspace nature; there are items for days in there, and they’re all very, very strange. You might end up covered in hats of all sorts, buried in logs as you pull out one after another, or look like you have an odd fetish for pickaxes.
Maybe there’s 1/3rd of an evil turnip, half a piece of pie and an egg.
Geez, what in the world are you supposed to do with all of that?
PHASE III [ 1200 ] Eventually, you make it out of the caves the right way despite the harassment of the rats and chickens and the fact you'll keep perpetually getting lost. Hooray! You come out into a large, peaceful, scenic meadow, with a small river bubbling off to one side, and a house.
You'll immediately notice that there’s a bridge to cross the river, but there’s someone standing in the way of that bridge. When you approach to go past him, no matter what you try to do, you won't be able to. Asking him why he won't move will only get one thing in response -- “Bring me a fish. Cooked.”
Then he’ll shove a fishing rod at you and expect you to get to it. You can’t attack him, you can’t get past him -- looks like the only thing to do is to catch and cook that fish. Time to sit back, relax, and get to work. Or maybe you’ll team up with someone else and be the person in the house making sure that the fish gets cooked properly. For some reason, if you leave it too long it turns right into a pile of ashes.
Weirdly though, no matter how good you are at cooking or fishing usually, it’s as if you’re right back at the metaphorical level one. Any sort of seasoning or effort to cook it faster falls flat and in the end you'll only be able to place the fish in the pan and set it on the stove, whole. This may take awhile.
And if you try to cross the river itself, well... no, really, don’t try to cross the river.
At least if you get eaten, you’ll just respawn back in the village, but do have fun traveling through the caves again!
PHASE IV [ 1430 ] You made it through the caves. You made it across the river (with a slightly burnt fish). You’ve made it to the wide open world, and you can finally adventure to your heart’s content. You take a step forward on the road and --
A message pops up, bright red and in your face.
[ Restricted Area: Members Only ]
No matter what you do, you can’t go past that point. In fact, if you’re not careful and you’re going too fast, you might run face-first into it like it’s an invisible wall (which it is).
Then, just like that, you're back in the village. Again. Only this time, there's a nice, blinking message -- Pay a small subscription fee to access member's content. Oh well. No big deal, you can just start again.
Except then you see a cool sword and when you try to pick it up, you'll get that same message, and end up transported back to the village yet again. And again, with some shiny new armor. And again, with that attention-grabbing NPC over there. Looks like you're caught in an infinite loop here but no matter how much you inspect the pop up, there's no... actual way to pay the subscription fee (and why would you want to?). But at least you have company, because you can't be the only person who thought that sword was cool.
(It was really, really cool.)
BONUS [ xxxx ] What’s that on the ground in front of you? It looks like… some bunny ears? Or maybe it’s a chicken head, or a pumpkin head. Either way, the moment you touch it, you have a strong need to put it on your head -- and once it’s on, it’s not coming off.
To make matters worse, each hat has an effect associated with it; the bunny ears will, in fact, randomly turn you into a cute fluffy bunny for anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour before you pop right back to yourself, whereas the pumpkin hat will, in a complete reversal, turn you into Cinderella for a bit -- complete with beautiful ball gown and the ability to talk to all of those cute fluffy bunnies.
Also the rats will love you, so maybe you should go back to the caves again.
Meanwhile, the chicken hat won't transform you into any odd creature, but it will inspire in the people wearing them a very real, persistent desire to build a nest. This will involve picking up twigs, trash, shiny things and whatever else catches your eye to try to build a nest out of it. You'll also try to pick up whatever food you find on the ground to eat, have the weirdest desire to lay an egg, and basically have all sorts of odd chicken-like instincts inflicted upon you.
At least you look festive!
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[ He's not fighting to prove anything in this very moment. He just wants to hit something, someone. He doesn't even bother slipping in a snarky quip, a 'i'm not going to hold back so get ready to die', aint no one got time for that. ]
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Anticipating the movement - because it's what he would do, isn't it? - he twists easily out of the way and then counters in turn, fully entering the rhythm of the thrust and parry as their bodies flow through the motions of battle. His eyes are bright, his smile elated and yet strangely fixed, and for a while the world is simple and perfect.
Except, of course, that it can't last. Souji might be better now, but he's been sick for a long time, and his stamina suffers from it. Sooner or later, his breath has to catch in his throat and then there's nothing that can stop the coughing. He holds up a shaking hand as he stumbles to his knees, and while the other man could definitely beat him senseless if he wants to as Souji fights to breathe through the coughing... he somehow doubts he will.]
The first time this happened... Ikedaya... [He forces the words out.] ...did you hide it too?
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[ For a second, it's almost as if Souji doesn't hear him. He stares down, eyes looking, but not really seeing. It takes a moment, a short pregnant pause ]
That's because it didn't matter. It's annoying, when people kick up a fuss about every little thing. [ it's a hollow tone at best. practiced conceit that he knows for a fact that this Souji will see through in a second. He doesn't know what to think about that. Maybe alarming, to know that a complete stranger had the potential to see right through him. ]
I don't know if it's true or not, but I know you're not lying. [ simply. The other man believed he was Souji Okita. Souji could very well give him that. What else was there to do? Fight him again? Almost off-handedly. ] It's a stupid thing to lie about anyway.
[ A helpful person would probably help Souji up. Souji doesn't move. To help him up would be like kicking him down -- he'd hate it, if their positions were reversed. ]
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That last comment drags a scraping, blood-flecked laugh from his lips, even as he fumbles in his sleeve for a handkerchief to wipe the bright red liquid away. He appreciates a good understatement, as a fluent speaker of that particular language himself.]
Pretty stupid, yes.
[The white cloth is quickly stained red, like an accusation, and now he does nothing to hide it. What would be the point? But for as long as he's been able to, he'd tried not to show how bad it was, and he still can't bring himself to regret it.]
But you're right. No need for people to worry about something that they couldn't do anything about anyway. [He remembers the look in Hijikata's eyes as he'd flung the door open back then, how he's pulled him into his arms - bruised ribs and all - and the taste of the lukewarm tea he had held to his lips to drink. He sighs.] Not that some people didn't anyway. I suppose I'm not that convincing a liar.
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That, or you've been trying to fool the wrong people. [ 'wrong' as in the sort of people who'd never be fooled in the first place. He thinks of Hijikata too, except the memory makes him both bitter and angry. Though perhaps guilty too, if he dug deep down inside himself to see... but nah, probably just bitter and angry for now. ]
[ ... ] It's not a lie, but it's really strange, you know? I don't think I'll get used to it.
[ which could mean a variety of things. what do you do when you meet another version of yourself? Do you ask them questions, even when the ones he wants to ask he'd never want to answer himself? Does he even want to know in the first place, about this Souji's Kondou-san and whether or not he's had more luck than him? Well, considering that bright red handkerchief, ]
I'm guessing you've never heard of ochimizu before. [ He's just as sick as the Souji sitting across from him, but he hasn't coughed like that ever since he took it... ]
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[But he'd nonetheless pretended not to understand what the doctor was talking about, pretended to be fine right until the man had actually called him strong of all things. As if that had anything to do with it. Keeping the suppurating mass of insecurity and terror and inadequacies inside him, the way he was trying to keep the rotting mess of his lungs inside as well... that isn't strength.
He's just always been unable to face up to the ugly, useless parts of himself. That's all.
Now he just makes an amused little noise under his breath, which comes out slightly cracked after the abuse his throat has had to suffer.]
I don't think it's something we're meant to get used to. Not any of it. I don't know if this is the worst part, or meeting strangers with the names of my friends. [A bit of a lie. He knows that the worst part is meeting the other Hijikata, the continuous wrongness of his existence, despite enjoying his company.] But no, I haven't. I take it that it's something important where you're from?
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[ because it didn't, really. it was enough to look at Souji and hear that answer, because it already confirmed what he thought in the first place. ] But Yamazaki-san, huh... We really are different.
[ he says, as if the both of them aren't totally aware of this fact already. ANYWAY... he's not sure he wants to go into comparison mode with Souji right here right now, at least not when Souji's on the ground and when he feels like the reality is way stranger than he thought it had any right to be. ] We should start heading out. I don't know about you, but I'm bored of these caves.