phantasmemes | TEST DRIVE - BELLMARE MOUNTAINS

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!test drive

TEST DRIVE - BELLMARE MOUNTAINS

Hello and welcome to Phantasmal Rift's Test Drive Meme!

Test drive threads are assumed to be game canon for accepted characters unless otherwise noted, so don't feel like you'll have to introduce yourself a second time to everyone you meet! As an added bonus, participation in the test drive comes with the chance to earn up to two items of loot for your trouble! Characters who are accepted can earn one item for having a top level, and one for tagging out to someone else's top level! Your SWEET LOOT will be included with your acceptance notice.

Additionally, characters currently in game can earn themselves a piece of bonus loot for the dungeon by tagging people's top-levels on the test drive! Existing characters get their bonus loot along with the rest of their loot at the conclusion of the dungeon.

This test drive takes place in the Bellmare Mountain range, a chilly environment even when it's not locked in the dead of winter. Considering that November is just starting to bite - or is it, with the Fissure's time-displacement effect in place? - that makes for an extremely chilly reception for all of the new arrivals. If you're a person at risk of frostbite, you'd better hunker down in one of the scattered mountain cabins or find someone with extra snow gear, and quick.

Once you're a bit more warmed up, exploration of the area will reveal that it's largely abandoned, but there's still some evidence of past human habitation. Old chair lifts stand guard over untouched ski slopes, the remains of what was once a resort, and a handful of hiking paths twist back and forth through the mountain forests, the snow melting off them due to the magical crystals in the gravel that lines the paths.

LET IT SNOW

Chances are that, upon arriving, you find yourself outside in the snowfall. Hopefully you weren't from somewhere too terribly warm, but chances are that unless you were specifically in a cold environment before, you're going to be feeling the chill now. (Unless, of course, you're not human and don't get bothered by the cold. That happens.)

Fortunately, there are plenty of paths scattered around that are warm enough to keep the snow melted off of them - it shouldn't be that hard to stumble across one. The question then becomes, which way to shelter and civilization? You'll have to take a bit of a gamble, but it's almost certainly better than staying where you are and freezing.

LOCKED IN

How fortunate, then, that you were able to find shelter against the cold - at least for the time being. The wooden cabin is the exact opposite of luxury, but there's a bed and wood to make a fire in the fireplace, so you can't ask for terribly much else. Especially once night falls - or when the snow outside begins to fall in more than flurries - it's far better to be outside than in. Even if you can't figure out how to start the fire, the dimly glowing crystals that serve as fire starter will at least keep your hands warm.

Of course, with only a limited amount of shelter to go around in these mountain trails, it's fairly inevitable that you would have to share with someone... Hope they're friendly, otherwise this place is going to get awkward fast.

FROSTY THE - OH, MAN!

And if you're still running around outside, sooner or later you're almost certain to run into a deep patch of snow that rises up to meet you. These giant snowmen, ten feet tall and aggressive, stand up in response to anything that isn't the local wildlife approaching - and their goal is quite simple. Better watch out, because these guys are your own personal avalanche, seeking to bury you under themselves until either the cold or the weight saps the life out of you.

One's dangerous, but it's not uncommon to find them in groups of 3-5, either, which is where things start getting to be a problem. Luckily, it's possible to melt them down to nothing, or just blast them apart with pure force - the scattered snow won't rise again, at least not any time soon.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He really should be dead. That's... well that's precisely what was happening, wasn't it? Everything had begun to fade only for the Lucian heat to be replaced by roaring winds and the kind of blizzard he hadn't seen since he was a boy on the Northernmost reaches of the Galahdian isles. The magic still coursing through him certainly gave him an advantage now over his childhood but he knew well enough to get indoors.

Sharing that space with the Chancellor was hardly something he wanted to do, though.]

Five minutes? Gimme one reason not to throw your ass out into the storm.

[Immediately bristling and ready to fight even if the battle with Glauca had left him utterly exhausted, the limits of his body pushed beyond what could be considered remotely healthy. It's only after he's bared his teeth and thrown out that challenge that his brain catches up with the other details. Warp-fight? The crystalline sound of the armiger, the way the magic inside him reached out for the other man, so much so that he'd swayed towards him without even realizing it as Izunia moved to close the door.

And, despite the challenge and the fact that he doesn't say anything to counter it the spark of confused curiosity is there on his face.]

You'd die trying.

[Izunia isn't above flashing his Armiger to make a point, especially because sometimes, flashy points are all Nyx understands. So for a moment, there's the swirl of phantasmal weapons, blue light sparkling off arms different from those Regis carried (for the most part), as they circle Izunia and pass through Nyx harmlessly.

It's not a bad reason. And then Izunia lets the light fall back into himself where it belongs.]

At any rate, Ardyn and I are identical twins, which is actually one of the less unbelievable things about the entire circumstance. Sit down before you collapse - the shift between worlds must have snapped your connection to the Ring before it sapped the last of your life, and in spite of everything, I do not want to see that chance wasted.

[Confusion is, likely, the order of the day, considering how Izunia talks about the whole thing - with the casual knowledge of an expert, of someone who was right there. Unbelievable if it wasn't for the display just a moment ago.]

[Die trying oh those are fighting words and it's obvious in the way Nyx tenses, jaw clenching, fingers tightening on the hilt of the blade in his hand.

Then, suddenly, there's the blue sparkle of light and weapons and-

Glauca standing over the king, blood pouring from Regis' hand and blades veiled in a blue-violet light clashing before he can warp in to stop it.

He's across the room, dagger in hand, the familiar lurch in his stomach of warping but he doesn't remember throwing the blade, doesn't remember choosing to be here, away from the familiar, almost soothing, crackle of magic and heartwrenching green eyes. He lets out a steadying breath, tilts his head in confusion.]

Who exactly are you?

Izunia Lucis Caelum, more generally acknowledged as "the Mystic" or "the Founder King" and so forth.

[No sudden movements. Izunia knows someone spooked when he sees them and the words probably aren't going to help. Be patient, give him time, there's no way this can go as badly as Ravus.

Eyes on the weapon, he sits slowly in the chair he was in when Nyx arrived.]

A job, as you correctly assessed, that I was entirely shit at in many ways.

[Sweet Serpent's Wings, don't lump him in with Ravus.

As much damage as the kukri can do it's also, as Izunia's probably figured out by now, something of a security blanket, a built in escape route from just about anything.]

Well yeah, you made that part pretty obvious.

[Ah, good old defiant snark in the face of authority. That feels better.]

[A chuckle.]

Oh, trust me, you have no idea. Something to drink?

[Oh the history you've missed, Nyx.Somewhere a college professor is losing their mind with envy.

Give him space to settle now that his war is over, is what Izunia does. Let the combat leech out so that he can process, all the fresh pain and shock of being alive.]

At that time, I... There was no future to see, no matter where I looked. Even now, I must fight to see it.

Only ever looking back is no way for a King to be.

[The offer gets a raised brow. Like he's going to accept something from a man wearing Ardyn's face, magic or not.

But the words ring so very close to what Glauca had been saying for so long, the very thing that blinded a man he'd considered a friend. It went against everything Lunafreya believed so faithfully in, a believe he'd learned too late drove his King to take the extreme measures he had. The very idea of it, someone like Glauca someone that could think like that on the throne, when he'd seen first hand how breathtakingly selfless Regis was...]

No. It's not. No wonder you did a shit job of it.

[So maybe that's a little harsh butafter listening to friends and comrades berate him for believing in his king all night, using those words to justify their betrayal, it was incredibly satisfying to be able to speak out against that line of thinking.]

Yes, well... I'm lucky enough that it's never too late to change, if you're willing to put in the work. Also, modern antidepressants.

[Stigma, apparently, is an issue for people with ages three digits and less. Izunia will take all the help he can get, himself.]

Though being flesh again helps quite a bit - even a momentary joy against the dark is something.

But, the point is, you were right, and I've held that as one of the standards I'm trying to reach. So thank you.

[Honestly, the muttered comment about antidepressants gets an odd combination of an eyeroll and a nod. Clearly if they needed any kind of stabilizing medications the demands of their duty as Glaives would be too much but damn if he didn't wish he couldn't have gotten something like that for Libertus years ago. Maybe his friend wouldn't have gotten caught up in all of the mess and rhetoric if he hadn't been so volatile.]

Don't get me wrong, the whole giant horned helmet thing was cool and all but- [Another nod, a shrug of sorts. But flesh is definitely better than giant metal bullshit?]

Think Regis could've taught you a few things about kingship, really.

[He wasn't infallible, by any means, but he was a good man. Too trusting in the end but that's not something Nyx would ever have changed. It's what allowed the Kingsglaive to do what they did.]

[Pity kings don't get an opt out button. Medication is the order of the year when you're too old and don't have access to therapy.]

I think he did, in his own way. Certainly, he's one of the examples I've been trying to live up to, even in my retirement.

[Because he's so very, very retired.]

I was surprised you listened to him, in the end.

[There were plenty of the others that didn't think they should give Regis' word much credit. Damn if thinking about that doesn't leave him feeling a little bit off kilter, like he wasn't exactly attached to his body until he was dropping into another seat hard enough to jolt himself. His aching body quickly reminded him of where he was and how much he hurt, how exhausted he was, especially now the adrenaline was burning off.]

Surprised he spoke up for me, too.

[Not when he'd delivered the Glaive so neatly into the trap Glauca had laid.]

It's... complicated. To summarize the most obvious aspect - Regis was the one who was most attached to the world, simply by the nature of the Ring. Especially right then, but - over time, all but the strongest attachments fade to nothing. It is an empty state of being, deprived of emotion in what I suppose the Draconian thinks is reason.

[Not that Izunia is in any way lacking in emotion now. His loathing of Bahamut comes through loud and clear.]

If the rest of us had full human emotions to draw from, I think that he might not have had to speak for you at all. The gods' idea of unbiased and impartial judgement is very close to my idea of despair.

[He takes a drink from his mug and looks away, staring into the fire.]

The human me who can see with both eyes open, the person that I've chosen to be now... Regis isn't the only specter of that night I've tried to do right by.

[Do you speak politician, Nyx?]

[Yeah, he's definitely caught on to the fact that y'all seem to hate Bahamut. Which doesn't mean shit to him, really. Leviathan is the only one of the Lucian gods that they ever paid much mind to in Galahd.]

Despair... sounds about right.

[It's soft and a little uncertain. The idea of existing forever but slowly having your humanity removed was terrifying. Despair didn't even begin to cover it.

But his brows raise, head cocking to the side a little at that. He speaks more politician than one might think.]

I'm just a soldier that doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

[He doesn't deserve that kind of consideration from the Founder King.]

[He's the patron of the royal line, Nyx, please have at least that much handled.

For now, Izunia is all too glad to move on from the reasons why his despair was so deep and back into the relative present.]

Some people will tell you I have a soft spot for people who follow their convictions to the end.

[Other people would say he has a type.]

[His expression softens then, pale gaze flickering away with something like shame.]

Think you're giving me too much credit.

[He shakes his head, sighs heavily and then overs Izunia a wan smile.]

It was the Princess' convictions... she just... helped me have something left to fight for.

I don't think it matters. Human beings aren't meant to exist isolated in a vacuum - we are always reaching out. Whether it's to build each other up or tear each other down depends on the person, but the basic impulse is the same. We all require connection.

[That's the cruelty of the Ring, reducing the connections of the Kings down to nothing over time. And isolation is the cruelest thing Izunia did to his brother.]

So there's no shame in passing that torch of conviction into the future, if you ask me.

[Nyx's mind goes to precisely the same place. That it's nothing short of absolute cruelty for that to be taken from them within the ring. The very idea that such a fate awaits his King is nauseating even.]

Mmm... well it's not going anywhere with me.

Or it wasn't.

[He lifts his wrecked left arm and eyes it uncertainly.]

[Don't worry, the world will end before that's relevant.]

Mmm... Let me have a look at that. I've got more curatives than any reasonable person might need and just a bit of knowledge on this subject.

[That is a joke, of course.]

[That's... not exactly reassuring, y'know.]

Any reasonable person, huh? That mean there's enough in there for Libertus' dumb ass?

[He holds his hand out as an invitation for Izunia to come closer, to look at it. At the same time his own bit of a joke catches in his chest and his next breath is punched out of him. Libertus... Not dead yet but he hadn't given himself time to come to terms with the fact that he'd never see his friend again. Hadn't thought he'd need to.

Fuck.]

Oh, probably. Might even be enough for the troublesome Glaive in front of me.

[You're trouble and you know it, Nyx.

Izunia takes the hand almost delicately - not that there's much space to touch it without putting pressure on the burns that coat it. Curatives won't do much more than speed those into scar tissue, as Ignis' face can attest.

But the flame still burning inside, the one that flickers at the touch of a king, needs to be taken care of first. He closes his eyes and pushes, willing the magic back and down, the will of the Ring itself subservient to his own.

It takes long enough that he winds up sitting on the floor, no pride to be wounded by it, as he squashes the flame down to embers that will cool and vanish in time.]

[For all the trouble he's been in and caused in the last 24 hours alone that comment gets a flash of a feral grin, something satisfied and challenging all at once.

It's short lived though because Izunia's taking his hand and the first push of magic against the fire within him is enough to leave him breathless. There's a moment where he wants to push back, where the dulling of the magic makes him panic and the pains in his body reassert themselves and he feels helpless. The delicate touch of Izunia's hand doesn't matter then because Nyx is clutching at his hand, hard enough to be painful, trying his damnedest to focus his breathing and not freak out any more than he already is.

It's quiet the power or let it kill him. He knows that, knows that he can't go on sustaining that fire but Serpent save him, he hates letting it go.]

So.... how useless am I gonna be when this is done?

[He tries to keep the tone light, playful even, but there's a tremor of fear there and, of course, the iron grip he has on Izunia's hand.]

[He could damn near break Izunia's hand before the man would complain. There's enough focus that it takes a moment before he responds to the words.]

Can't say yet. I'm not exactly a medic.

[Right now he's focusing more on whether Nyx will live than how laid up he'll be afterwards.

But the flame recedes, recedes, recedes.]

Right now, I'm a bit more worried about seeing you live to be laid up at all.

[He's quiet after that, not really wanting to elaborate on the fact that not having the magic at his call is panic inducing. He wasn't exactly prepared to be alive but he's even less prepared to be helpless. Sure he'd gotten a few good hits in, resourcefulness taking over in desperation but he'd had no barrier, nothing to protect himself or even evade with and that's how he'd gotten so messed up in the first place.

Being left like that again is... well it's terrifying. How could he protect anyone else if he couldn't protect himself?]

Oh I see, now you're worried about it.

[Teasing and desperate to lighten his own fears and only after it's out of his mouth does he realize how much of an asshole that makes him. Shit.

His hold on Izunia's hand gentles, his thumb stroking an apology over his knuckles.]

So I guess now's a good time to remind you I'm a dick when- [Swallow your pride, Ulric. Just say it.] -when I'm scared.

It's alright.

[Who wouldn't be scared, now that the adrenaline is crashing down, the pain coming back now that there's a moment to breathe and think? At the end of the day, Nyx too is only human.]

I've dealt with far worse.

[It being Nyx, it's probably for the better that the man have to sit without so much magic coursing through him for a few minutes. Force him to actually rest, even if it will strengthen and help his recovery in the long term. Decide on that later.

As it is, it doesn't fade away quite entirely, simmering down instead to what won't hurt, a Glaive's baseline. There's a king here to grant him power still, after all.]

Now's the time when we see how many potions you can stand before you pass out.

[He relaxes a little with the reassurance, tries to at least, as much as his body will let him now that he's beginning to crash from all the adrenaline, the magic that had been fueling him through the battle draining away to leave him shaking now. He's been so over charged for so long now that the standard baseline that had been his norm for so many years feels distant and weak.

Even as the power quiets and Izunia turns his attention to his injuries Nyx calls a small flame to his hand, letting the fire dance over his fingertips and only when the spark answers him does he finally, finally slump back in his chair and let himself collapse as much as he can.

Fractured ribs only allow for so much slumping but hey, he tries.]

Depends on what you've made them from.

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