phantasmemes | TEST DRIVE - BELLMARE MOUNTAINS

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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

[General, not Captain.

Drautos' words flash through his mind- no, not Drautos, he hadn't been his captain anymore. General Glauca's words.

A man's past is his pride.

He can't let himself get caught up in the same argument that's been rattling around in his head for hours now, Drautos, Glauca, whoever her really was, he was dead now and the dead had quite enough sway over Nyx's mind. He huffs out a breath, not daring to look the kid full in the face lest his temper get away from him. Instead he fell into the old standby, even if casual disobedience was hardly the most forgiving look for him, mangled by magic as he was right now.

He smirks, whistles softly under his breath and even as he speaks fire rolls from his fingertips up to curl around his entire left arm, the cracked scars glowing with power.]

Well, hell. The General can fly then. Impressive, kid. The King can't even pull that one off.

[The fire on the guy's arm is infinitely more interesting that the asshole the arm belongs to, so Sync decides to ignore the guy in favour of examining it for a moment. At the same time, sparks begin to appear around his hands, subconsciously reacting to his annoyance]

I'd pity whoever has to deal with you on a daily basis, if I cared enough to. And people wonder why I hated having to deal with others.

You can't do better then don't talk shit.

[You're not his general and even if you were he'd still call you tf out on being a little shit.

And just to be obnoxious, because Sync seems interested, he shuts down the magic, though the fissures in his skin still glow faintly with the power within.]

Can't do better...?

[Sync summons a few green motes of light and flicks them at Nyx. They're hardly threatening and dissipate the instant they get near him.

About a second later, a massive glyph just casually appears around the two of them. It's a good eight feet in diameter and crackling with energy. Nyx might be alarmed, but the glyph won't hurt him - the temporary Friend-or-Foe marker Sync just placed on him seeing to that. Whether Nyx stays still or not, Sync rams a hand into the ground and the glyph literally explodes into a pillar of light. Snow goes flying as Sync casually stands back up]

I may be younger than you [More than Nyx even realises] but don't underestimate what I can do.

[It is not his time as a Glaive that ensures he doesn't flinch at the light motes. It's the years hunting creatures that can teleport and will take advantage of the tiniest weakness. So he stares blandly at Sync's little display, looks down at the glyph as it appears and steels himself.

In the end even his nerve isn't that infallible. The dagger that's still in his hand sails backwards with a practiced flick of the wrist and he warps after it in a flash of blue light. Something Sync might recognize if he's ever seen Ardyn or Izunia warp.

He lands in a crouch about three feet outside the glyph's range, watching and... yeah he nods his head, smirking slightly, brows raised.]

Okay, you can blow shit up good. Still don't see you flying so don't bitch if I don't stick the landing pretty enough for you.

[Look. He panicked. Now he has to defend this all day.]

[He sees the warp, and it doesn't bother him. Sync has more than accepted weirdness by now, and he's probably seen one of the who knows how many now people who have the ability to warp do so. If anything, he just smirks a little at the guy's nerve failing]

Are you actually an idiot, or just a smart-ass? It's hard to tell.

[God his chest and back burns. He hates using that mystic arte, but damn it if it hadn't been worth it]

[After the night he's had he's not taking any chances. Even if he is meant to be dead.

The question, though? That just gets a wide toothy grin in response, a flash of something almost feral and he holds his hands out to the sides.

Who can really say?]

Well, you're still alive, so I suppose you get some points.

[This is not a concession. This is Sync simply reserving judgement. He's not dumb enough to assume that Nyx is actually an idiot just from what he's seen so far. Not that it won't stop him from treating Nyx like he's an idiot. Shitchild gotta shitchild sometimes]

Do you need an explanation of what's going on here, or has someone else already filled you in?

Against all odds, trust me.

[He huffs a laugh at that but the question takes him by surprise. One hand raises, wobbling back and forth. Kinda?]

I think some of the specifics got lost in what the actual fuck is going on with... people from my world. Fucking Lucians.

[He doesn't even have to understand to simply nod agreement with the statement. From what little he's seen around the place, Sync has decided the headache of working that whole thing out properly isn't worth it]

Short version is there's some Entity that's either living on or a part of this world that's broken. That's why reality is unstable enough to dump people here at random from other worlds - it's trying to find its missing piece.

Fissures that form as a result of the whole unstable reality thing also cause random effects, though this one is actually fairly tame compared to some of the others.

[The semi-formality is back, though this time it's not the God-General and more the familiar feeling that his role was always to find information and give it to others. He's comfortable in this role]

[He listens, really listens which might not be what Sync is expecting from an idiot. Nodding, frowning-]

That- [A sharp sigh and he moves to fiddle with something on his hand that... isn't there. Dammit.]

Actually makes an infuriating amount of sense. Because I'm guessing we're at the whims of whatever this entity is?

[He's so done with entities and deities and serpent cursed astrals.]

It's hard to say. It hasn't really bothered with us aside from dragging us here as it looks for its missing piece. A couple of people have talked to it accidentally with their abilities but that's the most contact it's had.

[He's pleasantly surprised by the listening. He hates having to repeat himself, after all]

Most of being here has been fill in the time with whatever it is people do normally, and occasionally travel to some of the Fissures to stabilise areas in order to figure out more about what's happened to this world.

'm not really used to having down time.

[Fill in the time trying to figure out what's going on with fissures or do what you normally do... what is that, exactly, if not fighting for the King?]

But I'm also pretty sure I've got about... [A glance down at the ashen skin of his left arm] ten seconds left if I go back.

Sounds familiar.

[What is free time and not having definite job to be doing]

That too. Apparently death isn't something this place cares about. Being alive when you weren't expecting it is bizarre. But weird is common here.

Weird is common. I feel like that's an understatement-

[He has to stop himself from calling him kid. He's clearly skilled enough not to deserve the tease.]

We'll see how long it lasts.

[Good thing Nyx did. Sync does not tend to appreciate being called a child. But he tilts his head to one side, having to agree with the statement]

Knowing this place, it'll last awhile. People are fairly determined at keeping people alive and not killing one another here.

Well that's sure as hell a change.

[He looks kinda startled, honestly. Like... there's worlds where that happens?]

War and political intrigue have kind of been the thing for most of my life, really.

[He makes an amused sound at the startled look. Mostly because man does Sync understand that feeling]

It's pretty boring by comparison to something like that. The people seem somewhat interesting, but there's nothing to really do with knowing who's who and knows what.

I've had more than enough of the politics to last me a lifetime.

[A heavy sigh and he rolls his eyes.]

But I don't think I'd know what to do with peace. [Petra was right about that much.]

If you ever work it out, let me know. The constant having nothing to do has been maddening. At least the explorations into the Fissures can be interesting.

I can almost guarantee you'll figure it out before me. Seems like you're smarter if nothing else.

[Nyx Ulric has no Chill.]

[Now it's Sync's turn to look surprised. It being true or not aside, he wouldn't have taken Nyx for someone who admits a fault, especially to someone like Sync. It actually scores him a few points, enough for Sync to decide the man is more interesting than he initially judged]

What's this, the man admits a fault. You might actually be less of an idiot than I thought.

[It won't stop him being a shit about it though]

Oh I'm full of faults so you might want to hold onto that judgement.

[He knows damn well you're giving him too much credit, Sync. but rebellious idiot is what he does best.]

I'll take an idiot who can admit they have faults than an idiot who thinks he's perfect and flaunts his ego at every possibility.

[He's not thinking of anyone in particular. Honest]

Besides, life is admittedly kind of boring without a reckless person doing stupid things from time to time.

[That first bit gets a nod and an eye roll. Oh yes. He knows the type. They're also the kind to put hollow points in your gut and murder your friends. It's great.

Fucking bastard.]

Well whenever you're bored I'm sure I'll have something stupid up my sleeve.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE - BELLMARE MOUNTAINS

aaaaaand he just keeps making it worse

Strangely Sync isn't as annoyed as I thought he'd be. Yet.

Give it time.

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2 weeks later. Totes okay if you wanna let this go.

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