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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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[promfight]

[Damien gives the weird, little toddler a quizzical look. Excuse you? This is totally on brand for the kind of bizarre-o shit that goes on in the monster world. Really, horrible dogs like this is just a walk in the park most days, and he's just about to say what's on his find before she says something that actually makes Damien laugh. Really and truly laugh.]

You? Please! You're about as tough as last night's shit, ankle-biter, but if you prove you're not just bait I can use to lure out more of those sick dogs for target practice, then maybe I'll consider babysitting you for a while.

[She's got moxie, if anything. Either that or a terrible case of Open Mouth Insert Foot syndrome, but eh. Damien can't blame the girl for trying to stand up to him. It's something, anyway. Brownie points for trying.]

[carrotkeeper]

[Is this Crownsguard basic training?? Did she somehow get transported there? Is this what it's like?? GOD. One step forward, two steps back, Damien. It's not like calling him out is an option either, since it's clear his bark can match his bite.

There's not a shred of doubt in her and she strides ahead, undeterred by the challenge. Working with a group is more her speed, but beggars can't be choosers and so far, they're the only two in here. Despite his foul mouth, she's confident he (might??) have her back if things get hairy. If anything, he seems to enjoy smashing the daemons.]

I'll show you what an Amicitia can do. Just you watch.

[promfight]

[Oh, she is fiery - he likes that. Hopefully the brat's not all talk, because humans are usually very pathetic when it comes to throwing around their weight in a fight. They're so...fleshy and squishy, it almost makes committing mass murder boring. Almost. But, Damien can respect her gumption and nods his head, bowing slightly at the waist and extending an arm forward, lips curled.]

Babies first. [He can guard the rear, and his throwing arm is good, too. The short-sword isn't exactly meant to be used as a ranged weapon, but that never stopped Damien Fucking LaVey. He does whistle a bit though, tapping her on the shoulder with the hilt of his sword.] Here, you lot can't see piss all in the dark.

[He hands her a torch - the one he dropped in favor of beating shit with his bare hands. It's, uh...unlit, but a quick squeeze and twist from the demon's free hand ignites the top part again. Look, he's not entirely terrible. And if this really is an escort type mission in gym today, he's gotta at least pull his weight a little.]

1/2

[carrotkeeper]

[It was a mistake to think that bow was some kind of peace offering and before she can playfully curtsy back, his mouth opens and-

Well, that ends that truce. Babies first makes her stop in her tracks and she waits for him to take a step forward. Please, go ahead. Really. And she bites back her retorts in favor of silence. She can't wait to make him eat his words.

One thing she is grateful for is the torch because he's not wrong. The way he lights causes a fleeting look of surprise to cross her face and if he wasn't such a jerk, she'd probably compliment him on it. Ask a few questions and try to figure out where he learned it, but-

As it stands, he's a punk who doesn't need his head to swell any bigger than it already is and she-]

2/2

[carrotkeeper]

[The sound causes her entire body to tense. Doglike, but not quite. It doesn't matter how many times she hears it echo through the maze-it's eerie as hell.

She has to raise the torch high in the air to illuminate the beast-one, two, three? Maybe more if she had the time to count. There's quite a few, is the point, and she doesn't have many options once the pack starts running, speeding forward like she's some kind of easy meal.

The torch is shoved Damien's way and she lunges forward with a You better be watching, trying to assess the best method for quickly taking down one, two, three, four beasts and-

She slides to the ground, extending her leg in a sweeping gesture to knock it off its feet and give her enough room to jump in the air. Without Gladdy around, she can't get the same height, but with the dog knocked down, there's more than enough space to twist her body to flip, letting her legs crash against the spine of the beast with a audible crack.

It might not be dead, but it's sure down for the count.]

1/2

[promfight]

[BY THE NINE HELLS--]

2/3 I LIED.

[promfight]

[That was glorious.]

3/3

[promfight]

[He expected so little of this small, human kid, but she sure as hell proved him wrong. He had half a mind to let her get eaten when she barreled headlong into danger, but damn, those dogs are down one already and it's been what? A few seconds? He whistles in appreciation, the crack of bone like sweet music to his ears.]

Metal... [His tail is practically wagging with excitement, and as another dog goes to defend its fallen brethren - or maybe just swarm the girl on the rebound - he rears back with his arm holding the blade and flings it.] HEADS UP, GIRL.

[The blade twirls through the air like the most lethal baton, and as the second grimling's jaws open wide o take a chunk out of Iris , the shaft hits its mark, blade gouging the creature's gaping maw and exiting from the other side of its head. It's eyes roll back as blood pours from the wound, tongue lolling to the side as it collapses just inches shy of her body. No time to mourn or be squicked though, Damien's rushing in with his fists raised (who needs a sword, anyway? He has two guns right fucking here), looking over his shoulder as he stands before the small girl.]

That was fucking rad! The hell kind of shit you do up there in the human world?! I want in on it!

[carrotkeeper]

[She can take orders as well as the next person, even from a sassy mouthed demon, because he has the combat skills to back up his words. It's surprising he even gave her any kind of warning, the way he was talking earlier, so she ducks without hesitation.

Good thing too. Somehow she didn't expect him to just throw his sword her direction. That's more Noct's MO and she's grateful the only blood on her shirt is from the dead monster and not her own. Its gory appearance doesn't startle her and stands up to meet the next few beasts head on.]

You think that's cool? You should see the guys. They really kick ass. Maybe I'll show you, once we get outta this weird place.

[And with that, she's off to take down another. One that catches her eyes as it wanders away from the main group. It probably hoped to get one up on them, but not so fast. This time she doesn't have any fancy spinesmacking moves, though the kick she gives the beast is powerful enough to cause it to recoil with a loud cry.

So far, so good!!! Get on it Damien!!! She wants to wake up!!!]

[promfight]

I'm holding you to it, tiny!!

[He...is, actually. One hundred percent. Damien is always ready and willing to up his battle game. He's mainly a fistfighter - sort of like pseudo boxing or whatever the hell you'd call it, but that shit actually had skill to it. Precision, practice, and power. It was super dope, and anything that can break someone's spine with one kick is something he wants to learn. And if there are people out there with better skills to teach him? Hot damn, he's gonna seek those asshole out.

First thing's first, though. They clear this wild obstacle course/maze and he can take her out and ask all about her sick as shit mafia family. Because that's...sort of what he's imagined. Yeah.

Keeping an eye out for the girl, Damien sidesteps one of the dogs as it lunges for him, balling his fist and using his free arm to give momentum and force to an elbow right into the creature's skull. He doesn't hear the satisfying crack of bone, but the gentle pop of its jaw dislocating is reward enough. Not down, not out, but handicapped at the least.]

HEY IF WE KEEP ONE ALIVE, YOU THINK IT'D LET ME MOUNT IT?! I need a sick new ride for Prom... [And let's be real here, the only hell hounds in Hell are the worst. Ugh. They don't even bite or spit acid... Just shit sulfur and brimstone and bark a lot. Booooring.]

[carrotkeeper]

It's Iris!

[Not tiny. She's not small!!

And look, it's not the mafia, but her family is made up of royal bodyguards and her friends are said royal family+ entourage, so-

It checks out. He won't be disappointed when they reach the end of this nightmare. Every victory feels like a step closer to that goal. Every defeated enemy is one less struggle to fight against and she keeps fighting and kicking and trying to go after the ones that stray from the herd, letting Damien brute force his way past the rest.

It kind of reminds her of fighting with Gladdy again.

And then he opens his mouth and the visual is gone. Just gone.]

You can't ride it. They're dangerous! And besides, your big head would crush it before your legs did.

[promfight]

[I mean, if we're being perfectly honest, Damien is a prince himself - a prince of Hell, despite his, uh...very unprincely mannerisms and attitude. His fathers are both lords of Hell, and he does technically have command over a section of the damned plane and its people, once he takes up the throne. It's...not something he regularly thinks about - actually, it's something he avidly tries to forget - but here we are.]

Boo, you're no fun. [He actually looks a little disappointed by that. I mean, it probably won't stop him from making an attempt, but the joy in his expression and voice definitely seems to have been snuffed out. He's just about to throw himself onto another of the grimlings, but one manages to move just in time to avoid a punch, and instead sinks its teeth right into his exposed and unguarded arm, clamping down hard and beginning to shake its head. There's a loud string of curses as skin and muscle tears, blood beginning to pour from the wound.]

GAAAH!! FUCK OFF YOU DICK LICKING SACK OF DONKEY SHIT, I'LL FUCKING BURN YOUR FACE OFF! [And that's...exactly what he's going to do, actually. Grabbing the grimling's face with his free hand and digging his fingers and nails into its fur and skin, there's a sickening smell of burning fur and flesh as his hand begins to glow hot with flame.]