TEST DRIVE MEME ( 019 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #19

Hello, and welcome to LifeAftr! We’re pleased that you’re expressing an interest in the game. Here, you can test the waters, gauge how your character may fare in the world of LifeAftr, and even gain some in-game incentives, if you so choose.

Remember that Reserves will open on January 17th, and Applications on January 24th!

Two important notes:

1. LifeAftr's test drives take place on the island of Mu, which exists apart from the real world and possesses a dream-like quality that characters are innately aware of from the moment they appear on its shores. No need to panic or fret. Dreams are odd things, after all - and anything can happen in them. Why would anyone question where their mind chooses to wander in its sleep?

2. Due to the nature of Mu, threads in our test drive can not only be accepted as thread samples in your application, but can be accepted as game canon as well. In fact, certain choices your character makes in Mu have the potential to bear in-game consequences, largely in the form of test drive reward items.

Let's Be Heroes
Back in December on the recent island of Maati, the Trial of the Brave was intended to challenge those who approached life with hesitation; the timid, the uncertain, and those who trend too easily toward inaction. Mu, of course, has a habit of neglecting the finer details. And thus...here you are, whether you need the intended lesson or not.

Armed with nothing more than a torch, a short sword, and the clothes on your back, you're sure to enjoy the scenic view of labyrinthine stone walls, low-hanging ceilings, sharp corners hiding all sorts of secrets, and a thick, foreboding darkness. Your light, and the torches of others making their way through the dark, are the only breaks in the seemingly uniform dark.

Those and the lights of the eyes of the other things down here with you, of course. Hidden throughout the maze are scattered innumerable creatures, all of them happy to take advantage of those wandering about on their own. Nighthooks are fiendish, shadowy monsters that appear in the shape of a long-fingered hand. While they cannot physically hurt anything, they specialize in slinking out of the darkness to snuff out any light source they can find...like your torch, for example. Also abundand are the grimlings, hulking, dog-like creatures composed of a seaweed-like blackness and glowing coals for eyes. Should you come across one, several more are bound to be nearby, as they travel in packs. And they are always hungry.

For those lucky enough not to stumble across these creatures? Enjoy your stumble through the dark. There's an exit around here somewhere, if you look hard enough. Probably.

The Waiting Game
The second trial Mu has appropriated is the Trial of the Patient. This test was named for those who exhibit the very antithesis of patience, initially intended to draw in the brash, the reckless, those easily incited into action, and so on. Instead of a dark and lengthy maze, Mu has instead concocted a brightly lit room to test your patience, and lack thereof.

So you should have no trouble at all seeing the entirety of the expansive, gaping void that stretches between you and the only way out.

Stranded on a singular ledge, the space in which you wake is white and seemingly infinite. No ceilings or walls are visible, and peering over the edge of the small platform reveals no flooring below to catch you. The only distinct characteristics to this room are the door opposite you, positioned some couple hundred feet away. There's nothing for you to grab or cling to in order to make your way over there faster. In fact, nothing else seems to help, either. Flight, teleportation, gadgets, you name it - each attempt will inevitably fail, and give you just enough time to contemplate all the ways you went wrong as you go plummeting down (or is it up?) into that endless void. What a shame. Luckily for you, this dream is happy to give you a second chance! And a third, and a fourth...and however many it takes, really. Those who fall will, just as the initial adrenaline shock starts to run out, abruptly find themselves standing right back on the platform where they started. Once again, they'll find themselves staring at that infuriating, impossible-to-reach door. Seems like you may be stuck where you are, for the time being.

We say "for the time being," because the other distinct attribute of this loosely defined room is a second platform, drifting steadily from the doorway to your position. Once it reaches you, you'll be able to climb aboard, and be safely ferried across the room to the exit you so greatly desire. Once it reaches you. Once it...well, it seems to be taking some time. A few minutes. An hour. Something in that ballpark, maybe. Got a good book on you? No? Guess you'll have to find some other way to wile away the time.

You, and whoever else you happen to be stuck with.

Water Rising
The island of Ensō is a relatively flat island, aside from a lone, steep mountain to the north. Mu is less so. It tends to mold itself to whatever shape best suits it, and in this case? It has chosen Ensō. And so that is where you find yourself - positioned at the base of its mountain, no less, only several feet up the beginnings of its slope. Unfortunately, there's not much time to take in the new scenery. Stretched out along the island's coast is a beach of glittering white sand. Further inland, the green sprawl of a jungle blots the horizon. But there's also plenty of ocean. And therein lies the problem.

Creeping through the treelines and rapidly pooling about the mountain's base, said ocean levels are rising quickly. Very quickly. Those who wish to stay and enjoy the view of an island underwater are welcome to it. For everyone else, the only other option is the obvious one: to climb.

To climb very, very quickly. As luck would have it, the rising waters aren't the only danger present. Those too slow to escape its wrath will surely drown, but the higher up you go, the thinner the air becomes, and the more searing the heat. To the west, a crop of dangerous creatures known as lungblossoms claim the wooded thickets that offer reprieve from the intense and unrelenting rays of dream-sun. A confrontation with these living plants may expose you to hallucinogenic spores fit to fill your senses with horrific, nightmarish visions, so tread lightly...but not slowly.

At the mountain's very peak, an empty temple awaits those who can make it to the end of this terrible and impromptu gauntlet. It will provide shade and a space for the exhausted survivors to congregate. Tend to yourself and others, if you like- or head back out to locate those who haven't had such luck in reaching this haven.

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( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[lightlessfuture]

[ She takes the blade carefully, as she always does, and it takes them a moment to release it with a nod.

But she's responding to their actions. There's no trap or lesson to be learned. This isn't a memory or a ghost.

It's real, then. She is real, as real as this gets.

They might have rushed to hug her, but they restrain themselves, because she's not one for physical affection. They should be polite.

They glance around, searching the darkness, and then sort of shrug, picking a random corridor to forge ahead into. They won't make any progress without just...going, it seems. This wasn't their trial, but they can make a guess as to what the main obstacles are. Fire and weapons mean darkness and something to use those weapons on.

They're not afraid of either, only losing what they already have, so after they start off it doesn't take them long to stop and look back at her.

Is she coming? ]

[sewingresolve]

[There's less relief on Hornet's side - she just saw the Knight a short while ago, and... Things right now are. Complicated? Maybe yes, maybe no. Having done things for the greater good came with no shortage of pain, but they're both strong. Stronger than they should have to be.

Hugs would probably do them both a lot of good, but there's more pressing things right now. Like following the ghost with torch in hand. Normally she'd be content to let them go and see if they can survive the world, but this isn't their world - so there's no shame in cooperating here. She's not sure if their confidence stems from their usual tenacity, or from something else, though.]

Are you familiar with this place?

[lightlessfuture]

[ They haven't seen her since

the end. Before the end. Time is strange, here. But they're relieved to see that she is, at least, intact for the moment.

They shake their head, a firm no. But in a way, it's just like being back in Hallownest again. Dark corridors and monsters lurking in the dark, their eyes aglow with malice.

Something growls in the distance, the noise reverberating down the corridor. With little fanfare, they slow down and draw their sword.

It's not their nail (they wish they had it; this blade feels clumsy in their hand). But they'll make do. ]

[sewingresolve]

[Okay, so it's just the ghost's usual tendency to just dive face-first into things that she's not sure if they understand at times, but they always come out of it alive, so... They may in fact just be too stubborn to die.

A trait that seems to run in the family, that.

The growl prompts Hornet to draw her blade as well. It's no needle, but she'll tie a thread to it anyway - last thing she needs is to have to go scrabbling around in the dark for the thing if she throws it again. ]

[lightlessfuture]

[ They've died countless times, and burning will alone has fused their broken mask back together, made them whole again.

Too stubborn to die, indeed.

A hulking shadow with large, bright eyes turns the corner and growls at the sight of torches and swords, charging forward. Several more sets of footsteps behind indicate it's not traveling alone, but with more of its kind.

The Knight doesn't hesitate; in combat, there's no time to hesitate or think. They balance the unfamiliar blade and deliver a powerful slash to the frontmost runner that splits the grimling's face, giving them an opening to proceed further.

Slash and stab and parry and lunge, a dance of battle they've long been familiar with. They concentrate on leading the assault, providing a brightly lit target in the darkness for the monsters to concentrate on.

They don't look back. Hornet can take care of herself, they're sure. This bold assault will give her space to fight as she does best. ]

[sewingresolve]

[Always headfirst, such is the way with vessels it seemed. It's not a bad approach though, and it keeps the two of them from getting in each other's way.

After sticking the torch in the ground, Hornet leaps to one side, throwing the blade out with...not quite pinpoint precision. It's close enough to get the job done, but nowhere near as clean as her needle. It's yanked back in short order, and Hornet jumps to the opposite wall, back and forth repeatedly to pick off the beasts that the little ghost miss, or didn't quite get the job done on. She's quieter than before, though. The last thing she wants to do is make more noise to draw more of these beasts.]

[lightlessfuture]

[ They're almost surprised to note that they work well together, but then again, why did they expect less?

(They push away the memory, the sound of a cracking mask and a singing, ringing dream nail--)

In short order, the beasts are taken care of; their glowing eyes glow no more, their bodies dissolving into nothingness.

They wait for her to land, to pick up her torch once more, and then...

...They feel bold enough for this, at least. They reach out, offering her their hand. ]