TEST DRIVE 004

[phantasmods]

Hello and welcome to the fourth test drive for Phantasmal Rift!

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 Keystone Reef, a water-influenced Fissure to the northeast of the station. It is home to numerous fish and coral species, as well as a very interesting magical effect...

OPTION ONE: FINNY FUN

Under the water is where you woke up, and under the water is where you might be stuck for a while. The magic is lodged in you and has changed your form -- maybe a little, maybe a lot. Perhaps you only have gills, but you may also have a full set of changes, fins and no feet to speak of. Don't panic, you'll surely be fine if you just keep swimming...

Aside from the strange changes, it's a pretty cool place to be. If you've ever dreamed about scuba diving on a coral reef, the place that you've found yourself is perfect for that (minus the needing to scuba part). Curious fish swim up and then dart away into rock crevices, coral growths, and even down to bury themselves in the layer of sand at the bottom. The water is also fairly shallow, allowing you to surface if you so desire.

Even the sharks are friendly and just want to have as much a look at you as you want to look at them. Don't harass the glowing eels tucked into cracks between the rocks, though, they bite and don't particularly let go.

OPTION TWO: WORLD'S SMALLEST JUNGLE

This must certainly be an oceanside jungle - in spite of the humidity, the smell of salt on the air is strong. Brilliant greens and the occasional bright flowers, accompanied by island birdsong... It could be a nice place to spend an afternoon. There's not even that many bugs that want to drink your blood (though bugs in general are, well, quite plentiful).

Eventually, though, however far you go, you'll reach the beach and be met with the expanse of the ocean - blue, uncaring, and real big. While one side of the little island thankfully has land visible in the distance, the outer side just overlooks a near-endless expanse of blue. If you're a very good swimmer, you could probably make your way to land past the rocks of the reef itself... Otherwise, though, you might be just a bit stuck on your jungle island paradise.

At least until someone brings a boat.

OPTION THREE: SHIPWRECK

Both above and below the waterline are the remains of ships crashed upon the rocks, just waiting to be explored. Even though it has clearly been an incredibly long time, the chunks of wood and metal are still in fairly good condition, and the chance of finding something nice tucked in with them among the rocks is surely tempting to anyone with an adventurous spirit.

The wrecks beneath the waves also grow coral and seaweed, and provide havens for larger fish, dragon eels, and sharks. Those along the rocks above the waterline, on the other hand, provide a home for seabirds of all varieties. Most notable is the hulking shell of a shipping craft in the distance, looking very much modern if ruined by some centuries of exposure...

For right now, though, you'd best contend with the flotsam a bit closer to you, and the wildlife that might not take too kindly to your exploring. Below the waterline, the dragon eels found in a few places don't take kindly to being disturbed; above, you might run afoul of some overprotective seabirds protecting their nests. Maybe even an invisible seagull (normal sized) - how ridiculous would that be?

Comments

I.

[herolytical]

[ Izuku was just starting to get used to having fins and swimming around, trying to explore around when a loud voice called out nearby and he looked over to see someone actually go out of the water amidst a rather decent flip before coming back down. All while she was still laughing.

Well. At least someone was enjoying this, right?

Her attitude reminded him vaguely of Bakugou, but with a mix of something akin to Kaminari at the same time. He opened his mouth to respond but immediately realized this woman wasn't wearing anything beyond that gas mask which had this particularly awkward teenage boy turning a nice shade of red as he tried not to stare at her too much. ]

I-I uh... that... um... flip was.. nice. I don't think... I-I could do that... no...

[ Oh god he could die of embarrassment right now. ]

[nor_iron_bars]

[This poor kid. As if the teenage years weren't hard enough already.]

[Mercifully, her body from the waist down appears to be entirely snake-like. If there's anything objectionable by human decency standards down there, it doesn't seem to be showing up under all those pretty black and silver scales. But back up on the top half, those sure are some boobs, all right. A decent amount of muscle, too, she's pretty well-built for a ridiculous disaster of a woman.]

Aw, I'm sure you'd figure it out with a little practice. All this mermaid crap takes some getting used to, but it's not bad.

[Jail shrugs casually, apparently equally unbothered by the situation and his embarrassment.]

Probably gonna want legs back eventually, though, so I should start trying to figure this shit out. Don't suppose you got any clue about all this?

[herolytical]

[ Indeed being a teenager was tough all on it's own. Especially when said teenager in question is trying to become a hero and has pushed himself farther than he needs to, more than once. He can handle dangerous situations like it's nothing but this is something new and he doesn't know how to handle it.

The part where she's got muscle definition isn't the thing he can't handle, but it's more of certain assets that he can't deal with being exposed right now. But he's still civil and trying to not look there, instead focusing on what she's saying as he just nodded slowly in agreement. ]

Y-Yeah... It's actually quite interesting, but the shift to not having feet i-is a bit hard to get used to at first. Y-You're adapting really well, a-actually.

[ Closing his eyes for a moment, it let Izuku concentrate a bit more since he wasn't as distracted for the time being. ]

I wish I did but... I'm just as lost as you are. Kind of just... woke up here and ended up like this. Not even sure what or who brought us here to start with but with enough exploration i'm sure it could be figured out...

[nor_iron_bars]

[Jail seems more amused by his embarrassment than anything else- he's way too young and male for her taste. But she's at least feeling nice enough to cross her arms casually, which has the side effect of blocking some of the more distracting aspects of the situation from Izuku's view.]

Heh, thanks. Seems like it's mostly about getting used to the feel of it, y'know? Stretching your... uh, complete fucking lack of legs, and seeing how everything kinda fits together when you move around more.

[She nods and tilts her head idly, thinking.]

Don't think I got all scaly until I tried getting in the water. Might just be coincidence, but I'm thinking not. Going back up out of it doesn't seem to do jack shit, though. Maybe there's a time limit, or a minimum distance from whatever's going on here? Hard to be sure just yet.

[herolytical]

[ Even if it's just a little gesture such as that, he is rather grateful for it nonetheless. As such, it helps him focus more on the conversation at hand here and he nods in agreement, shoulders relaxing a bit now as well. ]

It's... kind of like how you learn to walk when you're younger. Just have to figure out how it works, and like you said? Getting used to the feeling is a big part of it.

[ Immediately his mind is racing, going through so many options based on what she said and trying to figure things out. It seemed like once you entered the water, there was some kind of magic that changed people to have some kind of fish-like tail and abilities to breathe underwater. ]

...Maybe we have to get out of the water, get dried off and then maybe whatever effect changed us would wear off and we'd return to normal. There's the possibility the distance might be a factor too, but it's too early to say when we don't know anything about the cause or what exactly is doing this.

[nor_iron_bars]

Kinda convenient that it's this effect, too- coulda been anything, but instead getting in the water gets you something that's really good for letting you move around in the water, but won't do you a damn bit of good on land?

[There's a thoughtfulness to her expression, now, that's more serious than her initial cheerful attitude. She's been putting some careful thought into this, for all that she's been having fun.]

Makes me wonder if someone wanted us to go exploring down there...

[herolytical]

Huh. Yeah. That's a good point. It seems more deliberate than accidental, if anything.

[ His fins swish back and forth absently in thought, gaze drawn to them briefly and exhaling a soft sigh. This was all so odd, but extremely interesting. ]

So we should make the best of it and look into what's down in the water here. It could just provide us with some answers about what's going on.

[nor_iron_bars]

Plus, it's a shipwreck. There's gotta be something cool down there, right?

[It's amazing how you can just tell she's grinning, even with the mask covering the bottom half of her face.]

Personally, I'm hoping for pirate treasure.