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.
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no subject
[His voice goes a little dejected, and hers grows a little more steady.]
I know your brother isn't always the wisest, I'm not so blind as to miss that. And you won't deter me, because Mars knows I know what it's like to be alone, so do not worry about that. He's done good deeds, and asked for nothing in return. That's enough to warrant a little less suspicion and a little more understanding, in my view. His motivations may not be entirely selfless, but at the same time...who's are?
no subject
[The paranoia, the rage, even from the emerald dream he could feel his brother's decline, and had been powerless to do anything about it. But he will not elaborate further, he had given her the warning she would need should Illidan find a way to chase his addiction again.]
I... never wished for him to remain alone like he did. I spent years coming to visit him at every opportunity, and I tried to talk him out of following the destructive path he was one. If he had just renouncing fel magic, I could have convinced everyone that he was not a danger. He could have been released!
[And that was part of what broke Malfurion's heart the most, knowing things could have been different if he had just been able to change Illidan's mind.]
But he was stubborn, and then our people got pulled into another bloody war against the demons. Turmoil spread from within, and I had to tend to our people. After that I was called away to fulfill a promise I made in order to undo some of the damage Illidan had caused. By the time I returned, he had become so twisted by bitterness and hatred, I was afraid of what he might do...
no subject
[She knows at least most of this. The rest is no surprise. However, she's not really willing to engage or argue. She folds her arms and sets her jaw a little, but nods.]
You were afraid, and you imprisoned him. I understand your reasoning. [She doesn't agree entirely, but she understands.]
You are a leader among your people, I assume? And you had a responsibility to your people. The needs of the many, of course, and it's not an outsider's place to secondguess you.
But perhaps Cerealia is what he needed. Perhaps.
no subject
[So basically Tyrande was the one in charge.]
The reason he was imprisoned him was not out of fear, it was why he remained imprisoned, but what he did risked the lives of the few of us that remained after the War of the Ancients. If I had not stepped in and spoken on his behalf, he would have been executed!
[Though there have been times he often wondered if that would not have been the kinder option. He simply could not bare the thought of losing his brother, granted that wound up happening anyway.
But such was a depressing subject to dwell on, and perhaps he may have spoken a bit too much on the subject. It was simply not a topic he got to get off his chest often, there were few that knew Illidan as anything but "the Betrayer".]
But such happened many, many, many years ago, and there is nothing to be done about it now. The important thing is my brother is doing better than he has in a long time, and I believe I have you to thank for that, in part.