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| Concept art by Julia Nett |
Here's Act Two of the Power to the People campaign summary! Things are starting to heat up for Darren!
Act 2 -- Far Be it From Me:
2. Act Two -- Far Be it From Me
2.1 Chapter 6: Bet You Wish You Had That Flashlight
In this chapter, Darren follows Natalia through Polymer City East, unsure of where she’s headed. This chapter takes place at night, showcasing what happens in the city after dark. In most situations, Natalia’s superior night vision will guide the way. She will run ahead of Darren for a ways, then wait for him to reach her before moving on. In especially dark situations, the player will have to rely on the shine of Natalia’s eyes and the glint of her collar to find her. Darren will find various disposable light sources along the way, but will also be able to use his phone when there is nothing else available (this, however, drains battery).
This chapter will be one of the heaviest survival chapters, requiring a lot of resource conservation. The main enemy in this level will be assassins and kidnappers. Assassins will stalk Darren and wait for an opportunity to strike. Kidnappers are vagrants and strangers that are attempting to steal Natalia, which means there will be situations in which you are racing an enemy to get to her. It is unclear why people want to take Natalia, but it further hints at the fact that she may be important.
The chapter ends when Natalia and Darren reach the outskirts of Eastern Park.
2.2 Chapter 7: Going Green, Among Other Colors
As Darren and Natalia come upon Eastern Park, Darren realizes that it is not what it used to be. It is now completely overgrown, and white light bursts from beyond the treeline, illuminating the surrounding area and preventing Darren from seeing into the forest. He hesitates, but Natalia bounds into the treeline, so he follows.
This must have been the enchanted forest that Princess Emily was rambling about. Once inside, it appears to be mid-day, even though we know that it’s the middle of the night. Giant mushrooms and beautiful flowers surround enormous trees and luscious grasses. Natalia seems right at home, bounding from mushroom to mushroom and climbing around the trees.
This chapter consists of the player following Natalia deeper and deeper into the forest. The deeper they get, the more sinister it gets. This chapter shows the first introduction of “magical creatures,” such as giant, aggressive lizards and miniature darter-phoenixes. These creatures turn out to not be inherently magical at all, but regular creatures from the Eastern Park Zoo that have been altered by magic-imbued feed created by the zookeeper-turned-mad-scientist, Kevin, who has taken to calling himself the Archdruid.
When Darren reaches the zoo, Natalia is snatched up by one of the Archdruid’s creatures and taken to the center of the zoo. Darren has to fight to the center of the zoo to find the keeper’s headquarters and rescue Natalia. When he gets there, he finds Kevin trying to force Natalia to drink a strange black liquid. He rushes towards them to stop him, but before he can reach them, he sees Kevin stop suddenly. We can only see Natalia from behind, but it appears as if she’s looking up at the zookeeper. Kevin’s eyes, focused directly on Natalia, shine brightly and then return to normal. He begins to scream wildly and flail around, repeating “NO! I AM THE ARCHDRUID!” over and over. He suddenly drinks the entire flask of black liquid himself, then mutates into and horrible black mass, becoming a shapeshifting monster and attacking Darren.
Upon killing the Archdruid, the blackness of his body begins to spread, encompassing everything around them. As his body begins to meld into the world, his voice echoes, “this is what the world will be! I see it now! So clear, so fresh and blank! I see it now! I see it all! They’re almost here! Almost fully dilated! Soon they will be birthed into their new world, and they will grow and grow and grow and feast until they’ve swallowed it all! Knock knock knock...someone’s at the door...”
Darren watches the blackness spread and spots Natalia, who is barely moving. He picks her up and looks around frantically until he sees a sewer grate nearby. He props it open and jumps down.
2.3 Chapter 8: All’s Well that Ends in a Well
In this chapter, Darren attempts to wade his way through the maze-like sewer aimlessly until he breaks down from exhaustion, carrying the nearly lifeless Natalia in his arms. The last thing the player sees is them being dragged away by unknown hands.
Darren wakes up in a cot to the sound of water flowing beneath him. He is in a small metal room. In the distance, he can vaguely see similar platforms/rooms in a grid. He makes his way to the edge of his platform and looks down to see a huge waterfall beneath him into a giant ravine. Upwards, more rooms and darkness.
This chapter follows Darren’s discovery of the Archive, a water treatment plant turned safe haven for the original leaders of the New Age Ambassadors. These were the leaders that wanted progress, not chaos. They are now leaders only in name, as they have lost almost all control of their people. They now hide away underground and attempt to catalogue all the artifacts they can, trying to bring some semblance of order to the chaos. They even store any of the artifacts they can get their hands on. The head archivist, the aging Simon Cantos, helps Darren nurse Natalia back to health. He says that he’s saddened by what the NAA has become, but explains that the Polymer Extended Militia is no better, claiming that they are run by a corporation, not a government, and seek mainly to control the flow of magic, not to protect the world from it.
Darren tells Cantos what he’s seen and heard, and Cantos tells him that the story of the zookeeper corroborates the evidence that he’s been gathering that points toward the magical break being a portal, not a leak. The magical infection has been spreading more and more, and Cantos fears what will come from the other side of the portal. He tells Darren of an artifact that he believes could allow someone to pass through the portal without being ripped apart, which would then allow that person to sever the connection between worlds. The artifact is a golden locket that, when opened, absorbs all the energy around it for ten seconds, then releases it all ten seconds later. The only problem is the two pieces of the locket were broken apart after the artifact’s first use, and now each faction owns one of piece of the locket in their respective storehouses.
Just as Cantos is finishing his story, the Archive is attacked by Militia forces. The Ambassadors were immediately informed of the attack, but not wanting the Archive to fall into the hands of either of them, Cantos decides to destroy the Archive, taking himself and the other archivists with him. Darren and Natalia barely escape into the subway lines under Polymer City.
2.4 Chapter 9: The Commute to Perdition
With new purpose, Darren sets out with Natalia to find the pieces of the locket. From this point on, Natalia rides on Darren’s shoulder. He makes his way to Downtown Polymer, a location from which he can more easily get to the faction facilities. Along the way, he is forced to fight remaining PEM and NAA forces, then make his way through the vagrant shanty town that has been constructed in the empty subway lines.
This chapter will be story light but side-story heavy, featuring lots of optional paths to follow to learn more about the underbelly of the city.
When he reaches Downtown Polymer, Darren must decide which faction to go to first...
To beeee continuuueedd
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