PHASE I [ ?? ?? ] It's impossible to tell time in this place, and everything looks the same, but it won't be long before you're probably sick of the tower. Time to get down -- unless you have magical powers or can fly or something, it'll probably be pretty tough, too. You could try to climb down, but the walls look pretty slick, and -- oh god, your arm just went through the wall, what the hell.
Whatever you do, don't fall.
If you fall, you'll be stuck falling forever. And ever. And ever. Looks like they didn't put a failsafe into ViViD for falling, so now you're stuck. You might see some other people stuck in the same glitch, falling forever a la Alice in Wonderland, but honestly? You're stuck that way until your game resets itself.
PHASE II [ ???? ] Either way, you've made it to the ground (somehow). The ground looks like... a half-finished city, really. There are streets, and houses... but some of the houses are unfinished, just four walls and no roof, or only three walls, or nothing inside, and a lot of the NPCs are completely faceless, or only have one line they repeat over and over again.
It's honestly pretty unnerving, especially since there's no soundtrack at all. You can just traverse this creepy hellscape in complete and utter silence.
And then the cars start to fly away.
That's definitely normal (is there anything about this game that isn't faulty?).
PHASE III [ ???? ] It's not safe.
You could be anywhere in this level, wandering, searching -- and then suddenly, it's there. As it appears, a battle theme starts, but it's distorted, eerie and off-pitch. There's something very wrong about this enemy, that's for sure. It can't be defeated, either. Attacks can harm it, and it can be tossed aside or fought, but it just gets right back up, bloodied and beaten, as if unstopped by anything it's feeling.
Over and over and over again.
Just don't let it touch you.
Because it will start to absorb you, code bit by code bit, until there's nothing left of you. It's a cannibalistic distorted monster, wonderful.
PHASE IV [ ???? ] If it wasn't apparent already, physics is a little weird here. One second you're walking along, and the next there's basically no gravity; you could jump wherever you want, clearing buildings in a single bound like the superman you were always meant to be. One second you're your normal amount of strength, and the next you could life cars (if you so chose), for no apparent good reason.
Sometimes the world just tilts, making the ceiling the floor very suddenly, and sometimes the floor drops out from under you entirely.
Anything that could go wrong with the physics here does go wrong.
Just try not to get caught halfway through a now-solid floor. That sounds really, really uncomfortable.
BONUS [ ???? ] Of course, it wouldn't be glitch central without something weird happening to you. And it could be anything -- one second you're fine, and the next your arm is twice as long as it should be, and totally noodly. Suddenly you have a mermaid tail or animal ears, or your head has rotated upside down (how is that even happening?). You're suddenly able to walk through walls, or drag objects to you by pointing at them.
If this was a video game (it is), it would be the faultiest game to ever exist, that's for sure.
(Still, teleporting from one side of the world to the other by jumping on a single spot on a flowerbed is kind of entertaining, if nothing else.)
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He is and isn't wrong. CERES is more about outright profiteering, and that's not talking about how they contracted to destroy worlds then recreate people from those worlds to exploit to sell energy to yet other people. It's not even preventing their planet from dying. This isn't even "their" world!
Geez, though, to her he seems too casual about the dying early mention... she's not sure she wants to understand what "bail out" means. Dying doesn't equate to a great "bail out" in her mind. His suggestion, on the other hand? She's behind that entirely. She might not smile, but she gives him a tight, firm nod, expression determined and eyes wide and clear. ]
I say that I would like that very much, Izumi.
[ She glances back over the side of the building, brow furrowing. ]
There haven't been many monsters I've run into. Mostly the faceless people... should we check things out from the streets?
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Let's find higher ground first. If anything looks off from there, we can focus our search.
[ He didn't think they would, but the houses with one or more missing walls will come in handy for narrowing down their search, too. He points his chin toward a long, narrow building not too far into the distance. ]
How about that one?
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Yet here she is, and here she stands ready to find higher ground first. Chihiro moves to better peer in the direction he'd pointed with his chin, lifting a hand to shield her eyes from a sun that wasn't there (and a light source that wasn't at any point really unified). ]
The one up on that hill?
[ It's not much of a hill, but she does seem to have sighted the long, narrow building he'd indicated. It might actually be built up on pylons from unfinished structures. ]
Mm, okay. So we need to get over there.
[ She rolls up her sleeves, looking down the side of the building. He can manage some pretty awesome leaps, she's guessing, even if the lack of physics applying consistently here can mess with how smoothly things proceed. She's fully prepared to climb down and run the streets to meet up with him there, popping her head over looking for a fire escape or ladder to use. ]
Be careful if you jump off on this side. The gravity reverses really suddenly.
[ Falling upward at speed was frightening as all get out, she can say that for certain. ]
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[ Izumi nods, appraising the side Chihiro has indicated. He pauses, however, when he notices her strange position. ]
You're going down? Aren't we heading there together?
[ Even if she's an ordinary 10-year-old, the fact remains that she's more knowledgeable about the goings-on of the place than him. Plus, she's a kid. Izumi hadn't thought about splitting up to reach their destination, but her actions speak of another idea. ]
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... I'm not all that good at jumping, so... I thought I'd climb down and run that way?
[ Do you actually expect anything other than basic tactics from a ten year old. Her most creative endeavours so far have been "makeshift rappel down a building to try and break in through a window using a friend's borrowed sword." Meaning this was simply her not knowing what he was going to do, but facing what she figured she could do without slowing him down (too much). ]
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[ Izumi claps his hands. He's not going to jump around and leave Chihiro to potential monster encounters. ]
. . . Want me to carry you? It'll be faster.
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[ She gives this proposition proper thought... then nods. ]
Piggyback?
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[ Testing each step (because he would rather not be flung into the sky), Izumi comes to stop before Chihiro and stoops down with his back to her. ]
Whenever you're ready.
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She's way too cool with this idea of clinging to someone who's rocketing around relative to anything she can do, but hey. For no reason past deciding on it, she's got Faith in his capabilities. ]
I'm ready.
[ The building, however, is ready to give in, starting to break apart in batches underneath their feet. There's a muffled roaring sound as the earlier reversed gravity starts to slowly wind up again, causing sections on the far side of the roof to start shooting up into the sky behind them. ]
Oh — !
[ DON'T YELL, DON'T FREAK OUT, just hold on for dear life everything will be fine! ]
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He grins wryly in disbelief. ViViD's timing sucks. ]
Seriously?
Here we go. Hang on!
[ Because he would rather not lose Chihiro to the sky, Izumi hooks his arms around her legs. Just as the tiles under his feet tremble and he feels the sensation of being airborne, he sprints into a large leap. He slams onto the neighboring rooftop, tearing off a tile or two in the process. ]
Phew! That was close. You okay, Chihiro-chan?
[ No urge to throw up on him? ]
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Woah.
[ She's entirely fine, but apparently falling long distances, riding writing dragons, and hitting terminal velocity don't phase this kid, so forceful roof-top leaps is right on par with things she finds surprisingly invigorating? Either way, she loosens her grip with one hand to awkwardly pat his shoulder (or his collarbone... clavicle... whatever in the world she reaches without trying) and confirm: ]
I'm fine! You're really good at that.
[ "That." Jumping, leaping, going into action — she's looking over his shoulder toward their current objective. ]
Do you see that floating stuff to the right? I think that might be like what we just left. [ As in, reversing gravity or reversing reversed gravity and dumping everything it's collected back down to the "ground." ] So we might want to avoid it, unless the exit's in the sky.
[ That would be so stupid she has three seconds where she seriously considers if that's the solution. ]
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The sky? You've gotta be kidding me.
[ Izumi also has three seconds where, looking up, he considers if that's the actual exit. ]
All right, that'll be our last resort. The sky's not exactly an easy place to search, so it'd be convenient if the entire thing were the exit . . . Man, how annoying would that be?
[ Because as a last resort, that would mean they wasted their time doing everything else. He's almost tempted to try it out right now, except the fall might be too great if they happen to be wrong. Refocusing on the building from earlier, Izumi readjusts his grip on Chihiro's legs. ]
Well, let's see what the view has to tell us. Who knows – it might have a thing or two to say about the sky. [ He glances over his shoulder. ] Since you were fine with that jump earlier, I'm gonna move fast, okay? Say the word if you want me to slow down.
[ Then he breaks into another sprint, leaping from one rooftop to the next while avoiding noticeable spots with floating debris. At one point, without slowing down, he takes a short detour due to the lack of a roof on a three-sided building. Aside from that, however, they weren't so far to begin with, and so reaching their destination doesn't take long with none of that zero gravity nonsense. ]
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As it is, she has no particular death wish, no matter how impermanent or non-real death is both in and outside of ViViD. She had the dubious pleasure of sitting through the presentation on what being here meant twice, so the reality is any of them "caught" by CERES and given physical form both were already dead and also not (can code die? do backups ever live?) leaves her with a headache even when malfunctioning equipment isn't doing the same.
She's resolute, however. Working with Izumi means she's also resolute that he'll get out, too. That's what friends do. (Welcome to the vetting process of friendship involving no vetting process whatsoever or at all.) ]
Mm! I'll be fine.
[ She tightens her grip on him and holds on, feeling as prepared as she can be when he takes off. She has nothing to say about the sky being an annoying exit, if it's true. It'd be too like the nonsense of having to leave people suffering and crying and begging to be set free. Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't.
She squints so she can look around while he's sprinting and leaping like some spring-loaded gazelle. She's reminded of Haku more than Kashuu, despite Kashuu being the one to give her a piggyback ride in ViViD before. The temporary nature of the arc of each leap has that touch of almost-flight that reminds her of clinging to the head and neck of a dragon-friend as they flew over an inland sea at night.
The spirit world had made a lot more sense than this place, and the spirit world was nonsense where normal logic was concerned. She turns her attention outward, missing a whole slew of things that can't be addressed from back home, trying not to miss what there might be to see here.
The far left has a cluster of better constructed buildings, different from the initial start to the level. They're not skyscrapers, for one. A series of bungalows? No; she's not sure, but they do look more residential in nature. To the far right, on the other hand, a series of half-constructed skeletons jut out of the ground at awkward angles, some frameworks of buildings emerging from halfway through another set. It's a half-built graveyard tumbled around and glued back together with no regard for which pieces fit where, and it leaves her stomach feeling unsettled.
They were the two oddest looking places in view. It might be either of those... or neither. She levers herself up to take temporary advantage of Izumi's height (compared to her own), but further scanning of the area once he's got them firmly on the roof he'd been aiming for doesn't show her any conveniently labeled "Exit." ]
If it's in a place that stands out, I can see two that are different from most this place. What are you seeing?
[ She's not sure if what she's picking up on makes sense, or is even all that actually unusual in comparison to the rest of the decaying, shifting landscape. ]
This can't be very energy efficient...
[ This ViViD session. She's not sure what emotional energy, or bonds, or spiritual energy is even being harvested when things are this uncoordinated. Plus that contract with DC was blacked out. What was CERES going to do with their energy now? ]
no subject
Once they reach their destination, Izumi takes the opportunity to observe the land below them. He cranes his neck to halfheartedly match Chihiro's height of vision. If nothing else, he notices two places that are in direct contrast to each other – and because those are the most obvious differences, he imagines they're what Chihiro meant for him to see. ]
It's like day and night . . .
Normally, I'd say that junkyard looks suspicious; but in a place like this, maybe the nicer side is more worth looking into.
[ And who knows what it'll look like on the inside.
Whether it's energy efficient or not, their primary objective is to get out. Izumi glances up at the sky – as unhelpful as ever – and then looks over his shoulder. ]
Speaking from previous experience, which would you choose?
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The buildings that are completed. The junkyard's so open, people might get through too quickly.
[ Buildings, on the other hand, can be crafted to specifically help slow people down. Her encounters with mazes of hallways and moving staircases tended to lean that way, too. ]
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Then it'd be too easy, huh? And games like these aren't player friendly.
[ Still, there are way too many of those nice buildings as far as searching each one goes. Izumi counts a rough estimate by the number of roofs he can make out. What if . . . ]
What if I blew them up?
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Can we look first and shout out a warning, in case anyone's there? We might not die forever in here, but you still feel what happens. You'd still remember that death.
[ Point being: she has no objections to blowing the buildings up, as long as they're not blowing people she cares about up along with said buildings. You know. It's the little things. ]
I'd like to avoid that for people if we can.
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Sounds good. [ It's the duty of a Border agent to protect civilians, after all. ] We'll go and clear the area of any people we find, then tear down the buildings. Are you ready to head down?
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Regardless, she settles herself down and koalas on again, nodding her head. ]
Ready when you are.
[ She presumes he's already ready. Mission: Evacuation and Demolition is a go! ]
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[ She's voted for plenty of good ideas. Blowing up the city for escape is a clearly noble cause!
Taking care to watch for signs of finicky gravity and other such things, Izumi gradually descends from their current location by using various buildings under his feet. At the final jump, he hops over a lone wall to the side with the nearest completed building. Back on ground at last, he retracts his arms to let Chihiro down. ]
Hey! Anybody around?
[ Anyone that isn't faceless or doesn't repeat a single line over and over again? Do those things even count? ]
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She gets down without fanfare, walking off to one side and cupping her hands around her mouth to shout. ]
Hello! If anyone's here, this place isn't safe!
[ She trots on forward into the walkways leading between two of the fully constructed buildings, looking this way and that. ]
These buildings are going to be leveled! Please come out if you don't want ViViD to reset you!
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Demolition is so much simpler in a restricted zone. ]
It doesn't sound like anyone's here. There could be others farther in, though.
[ He appraises the building behind him. Its perimeters look and sound devoid of people. ]
How about I make a warning shot?
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It's hard to ignore the sound of something like that when there's no soundtrack here.
[ Except when the glitching monster appears: the no soundtrack is greatly preferred. Overhead, the countless windows of the completed buildings stare down as hundreds of unblinking, silent eyes.
Overhead, a flock of chicken wings fly by. Lightly battered. Crispy. Definitely with improbable pigeon wings attached. ]
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That just means he needs to work faster, so Izumi raises both hands to his sides, summoning cubes of Trion that split into bullets. ]
Meteora!
[ Pew pew. Boom goes the building in a brilliant fireworks of debris. Ah, how satisfying. ]
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Despite the fact she entirely cringes at the initial impact, Chihiro's wide eyed look as she trots back on over toward Izumi is... honestly really wide eyed. What emotion's behind it is difficult to pin down. ]
Are you sure you're not super powered?
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