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

[meowna]

[Meanwhile, Morgana has actually gotten pretty good at swimming with a tail! That doesn't stop him from bonking into rocks, apparently--but it's an intentional bonk, that's what's important. It's a controlled bonk with the frantically struggling fish in his paws between him and the rock, because he doesn't want to eat the poor thing alive. (And his system is more than capable of handling raw meat, unlike a lot of the others here. Why waste provisions when he doesn't have to?)

He's just started eating (sorry about the blood in the water, there) when he spots a flash of long, messy black hair billowing in the water, not too far away. He can't help but wince in sympathy at the crash--but it's only when he sees their face that he gapes in confusion.]

Huh? .....Akira.....?

[hairpincurves]

[... She is very acutely aware of blood in the water, and for a brief moment, she panics thinking it might've come from her head. After reaching up to make sure that no, she is not in fact bleeding, it occurs to her that she recognizes that voice and she perks up considerably.]

Oh! Morgana! Am I glad you're here too..

[meowna]

[Mercifully, this isn't some kind of anime or game or something; there's no way anyone could tell if he was blushing under black fur. After all, Akira is..... well, basically naked. Basically naked and very female. Still..... the fact that this is Akira is overriding how embarrassing it is, to replace it mostly with confusion. Akira--Boykira?--is still here, after all. Last he'd seen him, he was with his boyfriends. So..... how..... why was there a Girlkira here?

This must be one of those alternate timeline things..... She must be like Makoto. That had been a trip and a half too, meeting a male Makoto, but at least he hadn't been naked when they met. Ugh, he's confused already.

Morgana puts his fish in his mouth and swims over to close the distance, fins fluttering gracefully. (Reminded of any other butterflies in your life, Akira?)]

Did you just show up here?

[hairpincurves]

[At least she's got scales covering her chest. She wouldn't be nearly as naked if she didn't.]

Something like that... I was actually wandering around that nearby island for a couple hours before I finally...

[... Well. Enough said. There's more important things to be addressed right now, actually.]

Are any of the others here?

[meowna]

Uh, that's--

[That's..... awkward.....]

.....Well..... Your Makoto is here. I think he's probably yours, anyway. So are Futaba, Lady Ann, Akechi, and..... uh, you. Another you, I mean.

[Emphasis on her Makoto. And yes, he is in fact including Akechi as One of Them.]

[hairpincurves]

[... Huh, that's a weird thing to emphasize, she's idly wondering about that before, uh.

... All those latter names, actually. And then 'another her,' what--]

Futaba? Lady Ann? Wait, since when was Akechi-san-- ... Morgana, what...?

[meowna]

It's..... weird and confusing, I know. But uh, people here show up from all sorts of worlds. Even different versions of the same one! And where I'm from? We're both guys, and Makoto, Futaba, and Lady Ann are girls. And the others you remember are probably different genders, too.

As for Akechi..... well, it's..... really complicated. It would probably be better to let him explain all that himself. For now, let's just say he's on our side in this world. He's a Persona user, too.

[He's not saying trust Akechi in her own world, because that would possibly kill her, but..... well, for Akechi's sake, Morgana wants her to give him a chance, and listen to the full story before she judges anything.]

[hairpincurves]

Whoa, uh-- Morgana, slow down a bit. This is kind of a lot.

[And a lot has already happened in the last couple of hours.]

... So Futaba is probably Futaro, and there's no way Ann isn't Andy...

[meowna]

Sorry! I just figured it'd be better to get the important stuff on the table right off the bat.

[He thinks he'll wait until Akira has processed everything to mention Shido. That might be a little too much for her to handle.]

I don't know if your code names were different, too..... but if it helps, Oracle is Futaba, Panther is Lady Ann, Akechi is Crow, the other you is Joker, and I'm Mona.

[hairpincurves]

A lot's happened the last couple of hours, processing things isn't really my strong point at the moment.

... Panther, Joker, and Mona are right. Futaro doesn't actually... have a code name yet...

[meowna]

She--I mean, he'll get one soon, don't worry! What else has happened besides this aquatic makeover?

[hairpincurves]

I lost it, but I definitely made an eel mad earlier.

[She... very narrowly escaped getting bitten. That crash may have been the end result of her fleeing.]

Plus the whole, oh hey look, it's suddenly broad daylight and hot as hell--well, I guess it was already hot as hell back home, but that's not the point--when I was just playing with fireworks with Futaro a few minutes before then. I was about to tell you--or, well, my version of you--that I was going to hang out with Mifune-san for a while...

[meowna]

One of the rainbow colored ones? I hear they're really dangerous.

[Probably the most dangerous things in these waters, as a matter of fact..... He grimaces, partly in sympathy for the chase, and partly at the memory of the sparklers.]

Ugh, those fireworks..... I remember those.

[hairpincurves]

I got that impression, yes.

[She tries to not laugh too much about the tone he takes mentioning the sparklers... Poor Morgana.]

The smoke smell didn't linger in your fur too long, did it?

[meowna]

It took a couple hours to groom it all out.

[Bleeeeeeeeeeh. Look at how disgruntled he looks.]

[hairpincurves]

Oof, that's rough. At least that's something you'll not really have to worry about when you're back to being a human, right?

[meowna]

Yeah! Then I'd just be able to throw those clothes in the wash.

[Or ask Kawakami to do it--I MEAN UH.]

[hairpincurves]

[... It's really reassuring how little Morgana has changed between worlds.

Even if the circumstances are really weird, even if she's nowhere near home... even if it's a strange and worrisome situation, she's glad to have Morgana with her, even if he's not hers.

... It doesn't really matter, huh? Morgana is Morgana.]

... It's going to be strange not being around the others.

[She kind of misses Ryuu, Andy, Yuuko, and Futaro already.]

[meowna]

I know, right? But even if they're not all your versions of them..... a lot of us are here, so it's better than nothing.

[Maybe this is a good time to offer one of the tidbits he's been holding back.....]

Oh--actually, there's a new face in the group, too. He's not from our world at all, but he's important to Akechi and the other you. If you see a boy with long, bright red hair and green eyes, that's him--Kurama, code name Wild.

[hairpincurves]

[She doesn't feel like arguing against the 'better than nothing', but she doesn't necessarily agree. What if they just make her miss the ones she is familiar with more?

Still, though, she's quiet as she listens.]

Ah, is that so... Alright, I'll keep that in mind.

[Weird, but whatever.]

[meowna]

And..... there's one other person here you should know about.

[Just listen to that heavy sigh. Better to get it over with, right?]

The man who gave you your criminal record, who was running for Prime Minister, Masayoshi Shido. He's here, but--in the time he's from, we already succeeded in changing his heart. He's not a threat anymore, and the entire station has already been warned regardless. He's..... actually pretty pathetic right now, honestly.

1/3

[hairpincurves]

Yeah?

[Man, that heavy sigh does not sound go--]

[hairpincurves]

[..................]

[hairpincurves]

...

Fuck.

[... She might not have been fully listening to everything past "he's here".]

[meowna]

[This is why he said but!!11]

He won't have a chance to do anything else to anyone, even if he did want to.