The desert. It's hot. It's sandy. It's filled with creepy monsters and things. But mostly it's hot and sandy and there's a whole lot of nothing. You appear and wonder "why am I here? What is there to do here? Is that a cow skull? Do cows live out here in this desert? How can cows live in the desert? Maybe it's a horse?" These are all very complicated questions with equally complicated answers but there's no one to provide them no matter where you look. Instead, you're given the option of walking. Forwards, backwards, to your right, to your left, any direction is yours to take. Try not to die from dehydration or something, that would be a sad ViViD death and the cow-horse skull might start laughing at you. I mean, you'll just start over from the beginning anyway but still.
Welcome to ViViD's new line of Vacation Spotlights: Desert Edition.
Moo-Neigh.
 One wish, that's all you get.
Make it snappy, I don't have all day.
Actually, I have eternity but I just don't want to spend it with you.
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PHASE I [ 6 00 ] So.
There's sand.
In fact, there's so much sand that there's probably already sand in your shoes and your shorts and all sorts of other places that aren't fun to have sand in. It stretches for miles and miles, in large dunes and deep dips, and above it all there are three suns that beat down upon everyone's backs. Why three? Because why not, that's why. Enjoy the sunshine and try not to get sunburnt.
You've got a long ways to travel before you find anything but sand, but thankfully you're not alone -- there are a bunch of unfortunate stragglers who are out with you, so it's time to make some friends as you travel. You've got pleeeeenty of time. No water though. Or food. Or... anything but human interaction.
Thankfully, it's only a matter of time before you stumble across your hot new ride. Thankfully, it seats two, so you and your new friend can enjoy a cramped road trip. You, this relative stranger, and the great... sandy... unknown! Good luck!
PHASE II [ 645 ] If you prefer to not take your ride, you're going to wish that you did soon enough. Every desert level has to have desert monsters, after all. You're walking through the sand, trying to make it to somewhere that isn't sand, and then suddenly, the sand worms appear.
Or.
Well.
They try.
Unfortunately, they're little more than 5 or 6 inches tall apiece, and they'll mostly try to eat your shoes and socks. How scary.
Alternatively, if you have actually taken that sweet ride of yours on an adventure through the desert, you're going to hit something at one point. It makes a rather pitiful scream and there's a small bump underneath your tire before your car comes to a stop. You just ran over a sand worm.
Anyone who is intrepid enough to kill a sand worm though will find one interesting thing about them. They're filled with water, and you are very, very thirsty. Ew.
PHASE III [ 1000 ] It sure is hot.
And unless you've devoured one of those poor, sad, screaming sand worms, there's no water to be found. It feels as though you've been wandering in circles for ages, so perhaps it's really no surprise that the heat starts to get to you. First come the headaches, and the thirst. Then the dizziness and vertigo.
And finally, the mirages.
What you see is a waterfall cascading into a crystal pool, beautiful and pristine and painfully cool. It's just begging for you to come enjoy it, and -- wait, there's one more thing. Standing in front of that pool is either someone you care about immensely or someone you hate immensely.
And either way, the things they say or do will be the same. First they reach for you, beckoning, and they they start to detail all of the things they'd like to do to you. NSFW, SFW, loving or cruel or so many things in between, all that's honestly consistent is that it's pretty shocking.
Oh, and awkwardly, it seems as though anyone with you can see and hear that hallucination too. That's embarrassing.
PHASE IV [ 1215 ] Eventually, though, you'll find your destination. Or... at least, it seems like it should be the destination. The tiny temple is at least a change from the endless sand, and in the middle of it, there's a lamp. That sure looks familiar.
If you rub the lamp, of course, you'll release the genie, and he'll glance at you, and inspect his fingernails as though you're hardly worth his time, and offer you one, single wish.
As soon as you make it, well... You'll get the opposite of what you wish for with a sudden apology note in your hand. The card will read "Sorry, this level isn't entirely finished yet - Mosley" before immediately disappearing. Your wish will only apply in ViViD, of course, but hopefully you didn't wish for anything too crazy, or you might have made the level Much Harder for everyone around you.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] One second you're walking along the desert sand, enjoying the eternally same view, and the next there's a sudden pinch on your ankle, and a scorpion monster scuttles away quickly. Whoops, looks like you've been stung.
But it's not poison, it would seem. Aside from feeling a little odd and having a mild fever, you're fine.
More importantly, you've now found yourself in possession of some... new powers (a la Spider-man), and they're...
Well, they're useless.
Maybe you can summon water now, but... only sulfur water. Perhaps you can now make pretty light shows and that's about all. You can see the future but only the next three seconds. The possibilities are endless, but what's for certain is that they're all completely and utterly useless to you.
What the fuck, ViViD.
[ 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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[ owain says as he comes up to her. he has his hands on his hips as he looks between felicia and the cart. he shows no sign that he recognizes her, or that he knows her at all. but he looks happy to explain what he can about the strange new cart. ]
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Internal magic system? I guess so, if that's what you say...
[She trailed, pondering over this detail while she stared at the thick boots on the newcomer's feet. There was something about his voice that was familiar, although she couldn't quite place it. Dragging her gaze upward over the fine materials and decent fit of the man's clothes, Felicia finally settled her gaze on the man's face.
...
And froze.]
Ah....Aaaahhhh~~~
[She waved her hands wildly, stumbling backwards on her heels and landing on her skirts in the hot, hot sand.]
Odin?! I thought you were with Lord Leo-- or maybe Niles or someone. When did you get here?!
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Owain, the scion of legend! The blood of the legendary heroes runs through my veins and--
[ and it's at this point he's noticed that felicia's fallen down and he stops his spiel and stoops over to offer her a hand up ]
Oh, I'm sorry, you look like you could use a hand.
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H-how can you not be him when you speak exactly like him? [she asked, letting herself be helped out of the sand.]
It makes no sense, are you playing some kind of trick on me?
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But you've the same bearing and the same manner-- are you're sure you're not Odin Dark, the mage who serves under Lord Leo as his retainer? The one who scares all of the new recruits in the army??
[It was clear that the young woman didn't believe him yet, judging by how she was carefully picking her way through the sand and circling him.]
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...I don't know, but he says that his blood aches sometimes. It makes me worry. Of course, he also likes it when I pour tea on his head for some reason...
Wait!
[She shook her head frantically.]
What are we doing, talking like this? I swear, he's you. Maybe a little older, but there's no mistaking it!
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[ he sounds exasperated here, definitely dropping character ]
"Blood aching" as been my thing for as long as I can remember! If that Odin guy shows up, I'm gonna have a few words with him.
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Felicia stopped in her circuit, casting a worried look at the man who was obiously a swordsman and not a mage.]
That might be hard-- the only way the two of you are different is your manner of dress and the way you fight. Unless...
You don't have any magicians in your family, do you? Tome-users? Staff-users?
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[ but he firmly grips the handle of his sword here ] However, while I do have some skill in that regard, I chose instead to devote myself to the sword.
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[Sort of. Her own experiences with seeing the strange realm of Valla, the bizarre 'power point' explanation that people had given her when she arrived, and discourses with Lilith could only lead her to one conclusion.]
Now it makes sense. This is all coincidence-- because you're not the Odin I know. We must be from worlds that are very, very similar, but are also different enough that you never made it to the Kingdom of Nohr!
[She grinned, proud of herself for coming to that conclusion. At least, it sounded sort of smart.]
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Did you say Kingdom of Nohr?
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[She stopped suddenly, and clapped her hands over her mouth as she recalled Azura's warning about mentioning Valla aloud.]
--I can't say anymore about that. I'll disappear.
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I've read many of a tale about Nohr and Hoshido back home in Ylisse.
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[Felicia just giggled nervously, secretly grateful for Owain's choice to not pressure her for information. Keeping her mouth shut was always hard, and she really didn't want to test the boundaries of the curse Azura had spoken of.]
Ahahaha~ Really? I guess that means we're famous!
[She continued giggling, just glad that the pressure was off her shoulders.]
Can you tell me more about Ylisse? I haven't heard anything about that country.
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[ u asked for this ]
The Halidom of Ylisse is bordered by the nations of Regna Ferox and Plegia and is currently lead by the Exalt, Chrom! He wields the legendary blade, Falchion. It is a peaceful kingdom, kept safe by the Shepherds.
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Halidoms and Exalts sound really neat, and the whole kingdom must be like a flock of sheep to the royal family if they have Shepherds guarding it!
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[ but he lets out a laugh at that comment ] But I believe that was the reasoning behind the name when Uncle Chrom started it when he was younger.
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[Felicia's brows raised in surprise and curiosity, for this was the most she was sure anyone had heard about Odin's life before becoming Leo's retainer.]
Does that mean you're....royalty?
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