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After activating a switch, I fought off waves of Hiss entities before boarding a cable car into a strange area. Running through surreal visions of forests and oceans, I met Ahti, who gave me a cassette player. With this key to the Ashtray Maze, I saved my progress.
Right after I activated a switch, something strange began happening all around the room. A Salvador Hiss entity appeared out of nowhere, but I managed to dodge its incoming attacks before striking back.
I took it down extremely fast, long before it could even realize how much stronger I had become. Soon after, even more Hiss entities arrived to fight me. I decided to pick up their dead bodies using my powers and launch them into other enemies.
It's fun turning their own squad members against them.
No matter how many I eliminated, more enemies kept spawning as if there was an endless supply in the room. I never grew tired of clearing them out one by one, especially since my upgraded abilities made the fight so smooth.
Another massive Hiss target showed up alongside the horde, but I took him down quickly before finishing off the remaining smaller hostiles.
Once the room fell silent, I looked around and saw health crystals scattered across the floor. I did not even need to pick them up because my health bar remained full throughout the entire battle.
Shortly after the fight ended, a cable car arrived to transport me to the other side. It turned out this mechanism was the actual result of pulling that switch earlier. I stepped inside the cable car and started the journey across the massive gap, listening to the music that Ahti usually enjoys on his headphones.
I kept hoping that no massive monster was waiting for me on the other end, but I was ready for whatever lay ahead. The car moved forward at a steady pace.
A prompt appeared indicating that I was traveling toward a restricted section of the Maintenance sector. Even though I had explored parts of Maintenance before, this location looked entirely different from any area I had visited so far in the game.
Looking back toward the platform I left behind, I realized just how far the cable car had carried me. My levitation ability would never have lasted long enough to cross a gap that wide, so I definitely needed this ride.
Once the car came to a stop, I stepped out and found another switch nearby, though I was unable to interact with it right away. Suddenly, Jesse mentioned that she sensed something further down the path. I looked ahead and noticed glowing lights.
As I moved forward across the platforms, the voice of Ahti began echoing in the background. Giant projections of a dense forest appeared all around me as I ran down the dark corridor, and I could hear Ahti calling out to Jesse
A moment later, the scenery shifted into a massive projection of an ocean, making it feel as though I was running directly over open water. I kept moving toward a single point of light in the distance until the entire screen faded into complete darkness. Jesse came to a stop and called out for Ahti.
Suddenly, Ahti appeared in person right in front of her. He asked if she had missed him and commended her on doing a great job so far. He then handed over his cassette player, explaining that the music on it was a special gift from a friend and that she could keep it as long as she finished her task.
Once the vision faded, Jesse realized she finally possessed the key needed to navigate the Ashtray Maze. My next objective was to reach Dimensional Research and make my way back to the maze for the next phase of the mission.
Fortunately, a new Control Point appeared right where I was standing. I claimed it to save my progress, which should give me the ability to fast-travel straight toward the Ashtray Maze without having to backtrack through the entire area on foot.
To be Continued...
"Be Good, Think Good and Do Good"