phantasmods: (Default)
Phantasmal Rift Mods ([personal profile] phantasmods) wrote in [community profile] phantasmemes2018-07-12 11:56 pm
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TEST DRIVE 005

Hello and welcome to the fifth 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 time, the Test Drive takes place in Incendia - a less-ruined-than-expected city that has been abandoned for over a century, due to the magical effects of the Fissure (unstable reality region) that have made it impossible to live in. What effects are these, you ask?

Well...

BY DAY

By day, the city is lovely, if oddly empty. The sun shines down, and magical lights along the sidewalk - the equivalent of power lines - flow energy throughout the city. It's possible to think that the little sparks you sometimes see at the corner of your vision are related. After all, there's a great deal of magic in the air...

But in spite of this, the city lies abandoned, for no immediately apparent reason. You might have found yourself in a wide-open shipping yard, where large metal containers levitate about, moving without any help or oversight from human hands. Be careful; these containers changing positions make it easy to get lost for quite a long time, since few of them have much in the way of identifying traits over than color. Didn't you already pass that arrangement of two red ones on top of a blue one before...?

Or perhaps you're in the massive park in the center of town, with its blatantly magical fountain (a half-dome of water just hanging in the air) and the tents of an abandoned festival. Two stages and a long line of street food booths stand empty - surely no one will mind if you use them for something, right?

Or perhaps you're just suddenly on the streets, among stalled-out taxis and cars that go nowhere and lack the familiar smell of gasoline. There's apartments and shops all around, with little gardens spilling out over balconies... Maybe if you go knock on some doors, you'll find people.

Wherever it is you are, surely there's got to be someone around who can tell you what's going on, right...?

BY DUSK

As night falls, rather than dropping the way you might expect, the temperature begins to rise. And then the sparks in the edges of your vision are very much more than simply at the edges of your vision. They catch first on the plants, the papers stuck to the now-lit magical streetlights, the trash cans... And then, increasingly so, on the buildings proper, the shops, the skyscrapers, the cars in the street.

Within half an hour, an inferno is starting to build, and it's clear that there's not going to be anywhere above ground safe from it. But fortunately, there's safety beneath the level of the streets - if you can make your way fast enough to an underground station.

BY NIGHT

In the remains of these subway tunnels, lit mostly by the dim glow of magical energy lines, you're at least safe from the inferno above. Unlike the aboveground parts of the city, however, the tunnels are in an obvious state of disrepair, with broken concrete, rot, and mildew. The stations might have once been clean, but they quite transparently are not now, and the tunnels themselves are as bad or worse.

Thankfully, no trains run anymore, so you're not at risk of being run down on the broken tracks. There's also not any full-on collapses blocking the way, and the tunnels seem well-enough made that there's probably not risk of a cave-in.

Less pleasantly, you aren't the only thing taking shelter in the tunnels from the firestorm above. And the magic of that flame has touched the feral dogs that rove the tunnels, turning them into barking, howling creatures of as much flame as flesh themselves. And then there's the occasional patch of mold, mildew, and slime in the darkest parts of the tunnels, where even the magical circuits have gone out, that moves to douse any light that comes near it...
bloodyashes: ([D] Detonation)

[personal profile] bloodyashes 2018-07-22 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[That he does. And it's going to hurt.

The burst of stones from Slag Assault under Sync's feet, putting him even more off balance, is just the prelude. Because the fonons in the air build as Asch swings his sword around to plunge into the ground - ]


Rending Saber - !

[He's just going to finish this.]
fifthreplacement: (Fall into the abyss)

[personal profile] fifthreplacement 2018-07-22 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[There's literally nothing he can do when the Mystic Arte goes off, but even as angered as he is about this fact, Sync doesn't make a sound aside from a slight grunt as the arte hits him. His back hits the ground hard, gritting his teeth as he stops himself from passing out.

Sheer determination makes him push himself onto one side, then one knee, and back up. He will not be defeated like this...he will not...!

Sound and light swarms to him as the glyph on his chest burns, activating as he lifts a hand. Asch shouldn't be able to move straight after a mystic arte, if he can fire this off it'll hit...he slams a hand into the ground and the glyph spawns.

Then it feels like the glyph on his back suddenly fails. Sync's own exhaustion causes it to stop, and with that he loses control of the sound fonons, and they flee. Light alone can't fire a Daathic arte like Akashic Torment, and the glyph fades. And Sync slumps, before falling and hitting the ground hard, unconscious]
Edited 2018-07-22 14:32 (UTC)
daughterofthemark: (03F. Field of mortal peril)

DUAL INTERRUPTION POWER!

[personal profile] daughterofthemark 2018-07-22 02:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well heck, after an entrance like that, why'd Arianna even bother to come along?

Oh, right. She hurries forward, thrusting her staff out in front of Kyoko to discourage any more aggression.]


Both of you, please...
bloodyashes: ([F] Sorry about him)

[personal profile] bloodyashes 2018-07-22 02:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[He can't move that fast, no, and he's already gritting his teeth in preparation -

But Sync's glyph falters and fails, and the other boy goes over.

And for a moment, all Asch can do is blink. Because even given that Sync was acting without rationality -

He hadn't expected to win.

He's never won against Sync before, not that solidly and cleanly and indisputably. They've had draws a few times, but...

... After a moment, he sighs. No good is going to come from resting on his laurels.]


Even when you lose, you're a pain in the ass.

[And with that he sheathes the sword on his hip and adjusts the weight of his pack, leaning down to pull Sync's unconscious weight onto his shoulders.

Brat the other God-General might be, Asch can't very well just leave him there.]


And you're not going to thank me for this, but you're welcome, anyway.

[And with a last bit of adjustment of the body over his shoulders, he starts the march off through the next section of tunnels to the camp.]
serrata: (in my dreams)

[personal profile] serrata 2018-07-22 03:01 pm (UTC)(link)
That's good. There's a few things around here that could mean trouble if you're not expecting to run into them. But if you stick with a group who knows their way around, then you should be fine.

We've got a camp set up with supplies and other people, so if you still want to look around the city, I could tell you where it is and you could come join us later.
zweihandler: (THE BATMAN PINATA)

[personal profile] zweihandler 2018-07-22 03:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, I don't see you coming up with any better ideas. What are you bringing to the table, apart from your noodle arms?
bloodyashes: ([D] Hybrid)

[personal profile] bloodyashes 2018-07-22 03:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[Asch? Stick with a group?

Come on, Yuuri, he looks nearly as edgy as a Lucian, do you really think this is a guy who groups up.]


That'd be a big help. I can deal with most trouble on my own, but even I need somewhere to sleep.

[He's gotten better about that part.]
riderofcharlemagne: (mordred is asshole. why astolfo hate?)

[personal profile] riderofcharlemagne 2018-07-22 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[With the appearance of both of them, Astolfo feels some relief. He didn't want to continue the fight itself, but in his tenseness it's clear he's not ready to leave either.]

I didn't start it.
riderofcharlemagne: (makasete yo scoob)

[personal profile] riderofcharlemagne 2018-07-22 03:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Right, of course, with the whole leaving home thing.

[As if he was going to let that one be for long.]
ax_iom: (My penance)

[personal profile] ax_iom 2018-07-22 03:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Pink is my normal color... It's a bit odd to hear someone else using it.
ax_iom: (I am the villain of this story)

[personal profile] ax_iom 2018-07-22 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[Okay, at that, she can't help but laugh.

... It's not a nice laugh.]


You must come from a nice place, huh... If people write down and record their magic. If there's any way to learn other than figuring it out as you go.
founderinglight: ([sketchyplaceholder])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-07-22 03:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[He shrugs.]

The other member of the family here, Noctis, has nearly the same shade of blue that I do. I've never seen close match for Ardyn's, though, it's about... Mmm, this color?

[The orb of light he summons over one hand, casually like it's Not a Thing, starts out his shade of blue before rapidly shifting to something that's practically magenta.]
ax_iom: (You took me out of play and now)

[personal profile] ax_iom 2018-07-22 03:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[She just looks at that orb, then back at him, then that orb, then back at him, and...]

Show-off.
redmeguca: (I'm sorry...)

[personal profile] redmeguca 2018-07-22 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Arianna!

[Kyoko stops in her tracks, her spear fading away. Arianna might notice that her Soul Gem is significantly darker. She quickly wipes the tears from her eyes and looks at Arianna, then Izunia, then Astolfo.]

Fine. I'll stop fighting as long as that guy stops saying things that piss me off.
founderinglight: ([my place plz])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-07-22 03:59 pm (UTC)(link)
I can also do emergency flares and emoji.

[His priorities are in some kind of order.]
ax_iom: (You took me out of play and now)

[personal profile] ax_iom 2018-07-22 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)
.. You're messing with me.
founderinglight: ([my place plz])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-07-22 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
He's terribly thoughtless sometimes, I'm afraid.

[Izunia still watches her for a minute before he lets the greatsword vanish.]

Astolfo, dear, don't upset the young lady.
We can talk about it later.
founderinglight: ([beep])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-07-22 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[The only appropriate response is to turn that sphere of light into a blue (❁´▽`❁)*✲゚*, complete with a sparkling effect.]
ax_iom: (My penance)

[personal profile] ax_iom 2018-07-22 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)
...

I can see why you get along with Maddie.
daughterofthemark: (12F. Daunting frozen path)

[personal profile] daughterofthemark 2018-07-22 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[Now that it's not likely to get her accidentally stabbed, Arianna steps in front of Kyoko. She doesn't know the significance of the change in the Soul Gem's appearance, but it definitely gives her the feeling of something being really wrong, so the magical girl is getting an arm thrown around her.]

My apologies. I know from experience what difficulties can arise from meeting people from so many different worlds. I should not have left you to deal with it on your own.
founderinglight: ([my place plz])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-07-22 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
She's very nearly family.

[Bye, emoji.]
ax_iom: (I have my own reasons)

[personal profile] ax_iom 2018-07-22 04:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm pretty sure it's unnecessary, but... Same threat from earlier with Faith applies. You hurt Maddie, I hurt you.
redmeguca: (You sure 'bout that?)

[personal profile] redmeguca 2018-07-22 04:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I've been getting along just fine with everyone else I've met. It's just this guy that got me mad.

[Yeah, it's going to take some work to get Astolfo off Kyoko's Actively Dislikes list.]
daughterofthemark: (B3F. Malice cloaked in lies)

[personal profile] daughterofthemark 2018-07-22 04:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[That's fine, as long as he's not on her Doing A Violence list. Arianna's staff Armigers away, so she can hug Kyoko properly.]

That happens at times. We each have our own experiences, and sometimes...

[She backs up a little bit so she can look down at Kyoko's Soul Gem.]

Are you all right?
redmeguca: (Default)

[personal profile] redmeguca 2018-07-22 05:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[Kyoko looks down at her Soul Gem, not really surprised at how dark it is.]

Yeah, I just need to use a Grief Seed and I'll be fine.

[She pulls out said Grief Seed and holds it up to her Soul Gem, where darkness flows out of it into the Seed, leaving her Soul Gem clear again.]