TEST DRIVE MEME ( 005 )

[lifeaftr_mods]

Test Drive Meme #5

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 November 17th and that Applications will open on November 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.

All That Glitters
The caves deep beneath the island's surface are not dimly lit; in fact, they practically sparkle with a strange, unearthly greenish light. Blame it on the crystalline growths that protrude plentifully from every nook and cranny, stalactites and stalagmites alike.

Their glow might be soothing to some, and viscerally terrifying to others, but one thing remains absolutely certain: based on the creaking, groaning noises of shifting rock and the high-pitched tinkle of breaking shards of crystal...

You aren't alone down here. The deeper in you venture, the more the thicker clusters of the things begin to move. And eventually, it will become plain to you that it isn't the crystal at all that's moving, but rather the thing inside of it - something vaguely humanoid shaped, bipedal, with arms and legs and the dull, pale glimmers in the region of what might almost pass for a face.

Formed entirely from crystal.

Upon spotting a living creature, each of them will begin to lurch closer and closer, arms outstretched. Every one is slow and cumbersome and even fragile enough to be smashed, if you dare venture close enough. But once they've trapped you, there is no escaping whatever fate they have in store for you.

And rest assured, it is not a pleasant one.

[The above prompt is a version of our Crystal Clear event from October! Feel free to give the event write-up a read for more information.]

It's High Tide
When you initially wake on the beaches of this strange island with its bleeding, dreamlike edges, you might notice that something seems deeply amiss...something like the fact that you're lying in a whole mess of seawater. Assuming you're not thoroughly soaked already, you'd better figure out a way to get to high ground, because the water level is rising very rapidly. Pretty soon, there might not be anywhere safe to go besides the trees, and even those might not be safe the longer this goes on.

Fortunately for you, if you can find them quickly enough, the island of Mu has helpfully provided some assistance for those who don't feel like doggy-paddling for the duration of the dream. Better hurry and hang onto them before you drown! Unless you'd rather doggy-paddle the whole way out, that is. In which case, we're sure the water feels great.

A Crappy Endeavor
In your travels on this strange new land, you might start to notice something following you. Something...oddly shaped, like a lot of dirt and clay that's consolidated into one great awkward moving lump of a creature. What lies beneath is far more like the common beetle...just much, much larger. And unfortunately for everyone involved, they have a very specific appetite:

Your poop.

Mu has produced a very close approximation of the creatures known as f'rshaymes, animals that go beyond merely being useful for disposing of all that nasty waste. Doiing so comes with significant benefits, as the combined process of mud and excrement as it goes through a F'rshayme's digestive system leaves behind pure clay for the...brave.

Often found in small herds of six to eight individuals, f'rshaymes are extremely docile and would be very easy to turn into a herd of your very own. How nice!

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

All That Glitters

[shineinside]

[ This wasn't the most welcoming place to find herself, and those crystal things... well, they seemed a little familiar, but something about them reeked of disaster, even beyond their monstrous appearance. The Imaginaerium, this was not, but a dungeon is still a dungeon.

Even having given them the slip for the moment, she didn't start to feel safer until she saw another person. If this was a nightmare, at least it wasn't one she had to face alone. ]

Excuse me!

[ Here she comes - judging by the outfit, definitely some kind of magical girl. Or just thoroughly overdressed for a spelunking expedition, if you're not familiar with the tropes. ]

Are you hurt? It's not safe here!

[covertizer]

[ Oh. Is he going to be punished in the name of the moon?

He holds his finger up to his lips -- listen. You can hear those things moving around nearby. He's been doing alright using the shadows thrown up from the uneven crystal walls and the unnatural lighting in this place, but with another person now suddenly in the mix... ]

They'll hear you.

... Don't tell me there are more where you came from?

[ oh good ]

[shineinside]

[ She nods, and lowers her voice. Can those things even hear without ears? They're finding people somehow, though, so probably best not to risk it. ]

They're all over the place. I've been trying to find a way out, but so far, nothing.

[covertizer]

Great.

[ But It Was Not Great.

He motions with a hand, trying to get her to back up against the wall as well. At least there can be no sneak attacks if their backs are covered, in theory.]

Did you come from deeper in the cavern or closer to the surface?

[shineinside]

[ Good plan, stranger. She joins him against the wall, keeping an eye out for monsters. ]

I think this is the highest point I've found, but it's hard to be sure without knowing the layout. What about you?

[covertizer]

No clue.

[ He's a professional stealther and thief, ladies and gentlemen. ]

But if this is the highest point, then... [ He waves a hand in an exaggerated circle and points in the direct opposite from where Yuka had come running from.] Exit, stage right.

[shineinside]

[ Nod, nod. ]

That makes sense. If it comes to a fight, will you be okay?

[covertizer]

I'll be fine.

[ He looks like he has no weapon.

...

He'll be fine. Probably. ]

[shineinside]

Right. [ It would be silly for the magical girl to question a claim like that. ]

It looks like the coast is clear. Let's go!

[ Yuka dashes off in the direction Akira suggested before. She doesn't look it, but she's actually very fast. ]

[covertizer]

Fo--

[ Oh.

There she go.

Luckily, Akira isn't not exactly lacking in the speed department either. He has to catch up first but once he does, keeping pace isn't difficult. He seems to be keeping a close eye for any bolt holes wherever they're running, just in case.]

--For how long though.

[shineinside]

[ Oh he's pretty quick, cool. They can talk while they run. ]

Hopefully, until we find an exit. Unless we run into a big group, we should be able to just slip past them.

[covertizer]

[ Running through palaces is his jam. He's pretty nimble. ]

If there's a way in, there's a way out. Or we make one.

[ That sounds ominous. ]

Careful. Sounds like you're tempting fate ther--

[ Oh. Are those footsteps in the distance? Distinctly inhuman footsteps? ]

[shineinside]

[ Around the corner, and there's three crystal monsters waiting, with not enough space to easily move around or between them. Yuka skids to a stop, and one of them looks up as she does. ]

...I hope you were right when you said you were ready for a fight...

[covertizer]

As much as I can be.

[ Although he's still not pulling out weapon! How about that. Instead, he's looking around to find a way past them, if possible, for the moment... ]

[shineinside]

If you see a chance to get through, take it!

[ And she's off again, this time straight towards the enemy.

Yuka puts all the momentum of her charge into a punch, and the monster staggers, but doesn't go down. A few more rapid-fire blows and it's cracking, but these things are sturdier than she expected.

She isn't loving her odds in an extended fight, but hopefully she can at least draw their attention long enough for Akira to get by... ]

[covertizer]

[ He's on it.

It's a case of dodging slow, but heavy and weighted swipes from the other monsters, keeping them occupied until he can find that gap and go for it. The way he moves is practised, and quick - ducking and weaving behind outcrops of crystal and moving when the monsters swing for them, sending shards and splinters of crystal everywhere.

If Yuka can just unbalance that one she's wailing on, he might have something. Might. ]

[shineinside]

[ The Reflectors are all well above the average human in a fight, but Yuka was, unfortunately, physically the weakest fighter in the group. If Kyouko was here, she could probably do this in one hit. Heck, if Kyouko were here, they'd probably already have punched their way back up to the surface.

But Kyouko isn't here, so there's no point in thinking about it like that, is there?

After taking a moment to regain her footing, Yuka jumps backwards, plants her feet against the wall, and launches herself straight at the thing with all her strength, like something between a tackle and a battering ram. The monster reels from the impact, this time falling on its back with a crash. ]

[covertizer]

[ There.

As soon as the monster reels backwards, Akira shoots towards it, using the now-slope of it's body as a ramp to run up until he hits the head of the monster. Once he's there, he uses the head as a board to leap into the air from. There's a flash of burning blue fire and dark chains wrapping around his body and the figure that towers up behind him: tall and elegant, yet eerie and dark, wreathed in fire and wings and pointed slash of a smile.

Not unlike the one on Akira's face right now. ]

Arsene!

[ There's a swoop as the figure behind him bears down on the monsters around them, arm slashing out - it's a heavy blow, not enough to crack or really damage the monsters, but enough to push them back and open up the area more.

In the middle of all this, Akira lands on the ground in a cat like crouch, and gestures to Yuka with a sharp motion. ]

Move! While they're distracted!

[shineinside]

[ Whoa, he's got powers too. Never seen anything quite like that before.

His voice snaps her back into the reality of the moment, though, and she scrambles frantically to her feet. The opening Akira made doesn't last long, but it's enough, and they're off again, with the monsters in slow pursuit.

The sounds of giant footsteps gradually fade into the distance behind them. ]

[covertizer]

[ He waits until Yuka has run past him, and gives himself just enough time for a exaggerated two-finger salute at the slow-turning, slow moving monsters as they right themselves and start to turn to come after them.

And then he's gone, down the corridor before they have a hope in hell of so much as considering touching him. Running until he can no longer hear footsteps in the background, following after them. ]

[shineinside]

[ Eventually, there's no sign of anything living within earshot other than the two of them. Then, Yuka finally stops, leaning against a (non-crystalized) wall to catch her breath. ]

You're pretty good at this... you aren't hurt, are you?

[covertizer]

[ Akira hums lightly, brushing specs of dust off his trousers and stretching out his arms. ]

I've had a little practice with this sort of thing.

[ Ah. Such concern. ]

I'm fine. What about you? You were the one getting all up close and personal with the enemy there.

[shineinside]

If I had fought them for longer, I'd be in trouble, but that much was fine. I've fought scarier things than that before.

[ While they've got a moment to not be in survival mode, introductions. A small bow. ]

I'm... [ Wait shit which name to use. UHHH ] ...Yuka Ichijou. Thanks for the assist back there.

[covertizer]

Akira Kurusu.

[ ah. now they're friends.

or bash buddies, at the very least. ]

Thanks for taking that behemoth down in the first place. It was good teamwork.

[shineinside]

Thank you. In terms of raw strength, I'm the weakest member of my team, so it's a good thing there were two of us...

[ If only the other Reflectors were here to help. Wait, no, isn't it good that they don't have to go through this...? ]

...Have you seen anyone else dressed like me? There'd be two other girls about my age.