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

Nono | Diebuster

[nonono7]

[ 1 ]

[ Nono hasn't really been underwater before. Not like this! Mars certainly didn't have oceans like this - this was an ocean, right? - and she'd never been to Earth. Or on Earth, she'd been to there, kind of.

Setting that chain of thought aside! This was underwater and it was wild! Nono had absolutely no idea what she was doing there, but she wanted nothing more to explore at the moment. Answers could come in a bit!

And so people could find Nono swimming around - swimming normally, she didn't have any fishy parts... at all. Just a normal teenage girl (with bright pink hair) swimming around and peering at coral, sharks, and interesting-looking rock formations.

At one point, a shark gets a little too nosy and she FWOP punches it straight in the snout. Please ignore that part. ]


[ 2 ]

[ If you arrive on the island, you might find Nono on one of the sandy beaches. Boots thrown casually to the side, she's walking the length of the beach... with a GIANT stick and carving S. O. S. into the sand.

After that's done, she'll be scurrying up a couple trees trying to grab some coconuts. Or some other tropical fruit. Whatever is native to this place! Nono doesn't know, she just knows that trees on tropical islands are supposed to have things up them, okay!

If you're on a boat approaching, she is waving her arms like a madman trying to get attention. If not, well, she'll give a wave. ] Heeeeeey!!


[ 3 ]

Augh! Shoo, shoo! No biting! [ To those approaching the shipwreck, you might find a girl floating just above the water near the rocks the wreck is situated on, thrashing her hands about randomly to get the seabirds away. Instead of going away, they are flocking around her, wings and beaks batting or biting at her or near her and this is not how she expected this to go at all! ]

I just wanted to see you, I didn't mean to disturb you! I'm sorry please leave me alone! [ ...It sounds like she was interested in the birds, not the wreck. Too bad the birds didn't take kindly to being investigated, it seems. ]

2

[fistsofchange]

[A fish girl emerges from the ocean, upon noticing someone's making a fuss up there.

Lin could immediately feel her skin starting to dry out. At least she COULD leave the water, unlike the people stuck as mermaids. More importantly, Nono looked like she needed help.]

Are you alright?

[nonono7]

[ 'sup, have a Nono kind of. Staring down. From the top of a large palm tree. ]

Eh? Yes! I'm just trying to make sure everybody can survive out here on this deserted island plus ocean!

[ She looks back to her tree, a little disappointed. ] But... there's no fruit in this tree.

[ She slides down the tree, landing right on her butt with a loud WHUMP. ]

[fistsofchange]

Very thoughtful.

[A small wince when Nono fell. Lin helped her up.]

We're not actually that far from the mainland, though.

[nonono7]

Really? Even though I couldn't see it from up that tree!? [ HOW BIG IS THE OCEAN???? ]

ALSO! What are you?

[fistsofchange]

Really really. Once we've finished up our business out here, we'll get you back. There's beds and food and stuff.

Eh? I'm a human.

[She looks down at herself and remembers.]

Er...I'm usually a human. Now I'm some kind of fish person I guess? Magic is weird like that.

[nonono7]

Oh no, I'm fine, Miss Usually-A-Human. I'm just worried about the other people here! I've already met a couple people and they're very confused and upset.

[fistsofchange]

Yes I bet they were. This is way more confusing than last time. At least we were all still normal looking then.

Anyways...Hi! I'm Bai Lin. Lemme explain what's going on as best I can:

[Truncated version of the RP premise goes here.]

[nonono7]

[ Nono listens as intently as is possible for her, and her attention mostly doesn't wander! She looks a little susprised but mostly "oooo" when it's all over. ]

That's amazing! So this is a "rift". And there's a research center nearby!



....So what planet is this?

3

[have_hat_will_travel]

Oh bloody layers, those things AGAIN?!

[A woman touches down from her own flight on the rocks.]

They're going to keep striking until you flee or properly fight back! Do you want help?!

[nonono7]

What? No! You can't hurt them! [ She says as they PECK PECK PECK ]

[have_hat_will_travel]

One of them literally tried to eat all of us alive a few months ago! They're a serious danger!

[Oh please don't let the birds go for her please don't let the birds go for her!]

[nonono7]

Birds don't do that! [ PECK! ] Ow!

[ Nono you get hit by things that destroy planets... what can that bird do to you... it can't hurt.... ]

[have_hat_will_travel]

Tell that to the very large invisible one. No, I am not joking in the slightest.

This place is crazy, is what I'm saying. So... Either get away from the birds, or get them away from you, is what I'm saying.

[nonono7]

[ She zooms away like. A hundred feet, in half a second or so.

The birds flock around confused for a moment, then converge on Pidonus. ]

[have_hat_will_travel]

I SHOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING!

[Pidonus' solution for the moment is to drop into the water, then swim in Nono's direction, surfacing only when, hopefully, the birds are out of range.

She has an orca tail now.]

... Those things are crazy, and that's just the beginning...

[nonono7]

YOU HAVE A TAIL!

[ Nono ignores everything Pidonus just said and zooms over to get a look at it! LOOK AT IT! IT'S A TAIL! ]

1

[skylalc]

[ This is a strange dream, but at least it's peaceful. Lal'C has been dreaming often in the aftermath of… well, everything – usually they make her feel anxious, melancholy, or worse. As she swims, the resistance of the water against her hands and fingers feels natural. But she has gills on her neck, and everything around her seems surreal in some way.

She comes upon one of the reefs and her eyes are pulled like a magnet towards a recognizable shock of pink hair. Lal'C's body freezes, one arm drifting slowly outward towards Nono while she floats otherwise still in the water. It's a dream. She's gone. Lal'C hates her subconscious for tormenting her.

Still, she can only stare and mouth Nono's name. The heat in her face feels very real. So does the rapid beat of her heart. ]

[nonono7]

[ Nono, meanwhile, seems... completely unaware of this watcher. Her blatantly abnormal ability to sense her "onee-sama" seems to be either muddled by the other energies of the area or simply turned off without danger present. She's simply peeeeering into a patch of coral, where a couple small fish dart out in shock at seeing Nono's face right up against their home.

As the fish dart away, swimming past Nono, her eyes follow them. Her head turns, and - and then she's looking toward Lal'C.

Her face changes from eager curiosity to surprise. Not shock, nor disbelief, not like Lal'C, simply surprise at seeing somebody she didn't expect. This isn't an impossibility for her. And then that expression's almost immediately replaced with a wide smile and waving arms. ]

Oneeeee-samaaaaaa!! [ And with a couple kicks, Nono is making her way over. ]

[skylalc]

[ Lal'C has never given up on seeing Nono again, but she's spent some time already hurting from the loss. It takes her a moment. She knows better than anyone what Nono is capable of. Why doubt that she's been able to defy space and time again?

Once Nono is within arm's reach, Lal'C puts one hand on her shoulder and pulls her close. She sets her forehead softly down against Nono's shoulder and shuts her eyes. The touch feels like it should. Lal'C's grip tightens some, and there's a lump in her throat. ]

You… always just do what you want. You recklessly saved Earth. You disappeared.

[nonono7]

[ Nono pauses then. It... hasn't been long since she disappeared, to Nono. But who knew how things worked when you disappear outside of space and time, right? Nono could be dumb, but things clicked into place here pretty quickly.

Nono puts an arm around Lal'C's back and gives her a pat. It feels nice, but she's focused on Lal'C at the moment.

Her expression is a warm smile when she speaks. ] I did. [ She doesn't apologize. She doesn't... regret doing it. She did what a hero should, what Nono-Riri would, what Lal'C would. ]

But you didn't give up, right? So we're together again.

[skylalc]

[ It hasn't been too too long for Lal'C, but it's partly the way Nono disappeared – willingly sacrificing herself to save the known universe. Lal'C feels guilty almost instantly for bringing it up, because it's true: if not Nono, then she would have gave her own life for the same reason.

Yet summing up the facts is emotionally easier for Lal'C than admitting straight up how much she's missed Nono, despite everything. The tightness in her throat extends down to her chest. ]

Who'd give up on you? Stupid.

[ The insult is directed more at Lal'C herself, but there's a calm and even warm acceptance in the way she says it. ]

It's… not my fault that this feels like a dream. I mean, look where we are.

[nonono7]

[ If Nono thinks anything of the "stupid" comment, it doesn't show. Rather, she takes Lal'C's comment at the end to turn her smile into a Nono-style grin. ] I know! Look at this place. There's so much water here! [ Mars, on top of other things, doesn't have the kind of wide oceans that Earth does, with water this blue and coral and everything else.

However, after a moment, Nono realizes something else. ] Oh, oh! Oh! [ She hand moves down from Lal'C's back and to Lal'C's hand. As she grips it, she begins to pull back slightly, pulling Lal'C by the hand.

She's going to be trying to bring her up, toward the surface. ]

I have to show you something!

[ WHAT IS READING THE MOOD???? ]

[skylalc]

[ Ah, right. Good reminder that she shouldn't worry about Nono reading too much into things. Plus, she can't exactly blame her for getting excited by their surroundings.

Lal'C can't manage a smile quite yet, but Nono's verve gives her some energy by osmosis. She helps with the upward swim, using her legs and free arm. The reef isn't too far from the surface. ]

It's right above us?

[ She is not prepared for this. ]

[nonono7]

That's right, that's right! [ Nono wants to swim FASTER and she... probably could. She just wants to show Lal'C as soon as possible. But she's also not about to pull Lal'C's arm off (or even just make her uncomfortable.)

And besides, holding her onee-sama's hand felt good, too.

Thankfully, the trip is a short one anyway. It's not long at all before the surface is breached, and... there's nothing above them but an endless blue sky.

Nono turns to Lal'C, smiling from ear to ear. ] Look at it. The sky, it's so blue!

[ And, even though they're not visible right now, you might even be able to faintly hear the sound of sea birds off in the distance. ]