TEST DRIVE.

[futurologists]

test drive Firstly, thank you for your interest! Secondly, since the game hasn't begun and therefore characters haven't actually gone to a world yet, this test drive is going to be a little different. It's intended to be presented as a mini-mission of sorts, on a much smaller scale and timeframe than a real mission in-game but with a somewhat similar feel. Because of this, if you join the game, you're allowed to count this as game canon, so make sure you make choices you want to follow your character into the game! You know how this works, so go forth and have fun, and don't forget to reserve! BASICS Anwick might have been a beautiful town once. It's hard to tell now, since most of the buildings are scorched and crumbling, but they do resemble some rural modern-day buildings. Likewise, the people don't appear to be living too much in the past; several are carrying intimidating guns. For years, Anwick has been terrorized by dragons, living in fear of the next attack. Not anymore. The people have just ended a bloody battle. Several people limp towards the outskirts of town, holding their bleeding wounds or new burns. In the center of town lies a slain dragon, the last full-grown one left in the world. To be honest, it looks like they've already taken care of their own problem. A monotonous voice comes through your communication device to explain. You aren't here to help the townspeople; you're here for the dragons. The one motionless on the ground may have been the last adult, but it certainly wasn't the last dragon. Her children are located in a nearby cave, alone and orphaned. They're the ones you need to protect. WYRMLINGS The wyrmlings are still growing up, only the size of a small dog. Each has a slightly different appearance, but all of them have at least a few bright copper scales. They're beautiful, and they look a little bit harmless... at least, until they notice you. These dragons have never been exposed to humans before. Or anyone outside of their family, for that matter. They're small and scared, and they don't know any other way to protect themselves than to attack. Luckily, because of their tiny size, they can't do much more than small burns at a time — but make no mistake, it still hurts like hell. The cave they're located in is pitch-black and labyrinthine. Every footstep echoes throughout it if you aren't light enough on your feet. It'll be difficult to navigate if you don't MacGyver yourself a torch or other form of lighting. Cell phones will work decently, at least until their battery dies, but you don't want to get stuck deep within the cave with no light. If you do manage to get through the cave and rescue some without getting burned to a crisp, the trouble's not over yet. You'll have to find a safe place to stash them until they can be relocated; the townspeople aren't done with their dragon-slaying yet, after all. Walk into town with one in tow, and you're putting a target on your back. (Of course, this doesn't mean you can't do it.) PROMPTS ONE ✗ GOING ROGUE Not feeling too obedient? Maybe you're ignoring the orders and helping the wounded people in town instead... or just coming to gawk. Maybe you're coming to slay the wyrmlings yourself. Whatever it is, at least try to be sneaky about it. TWO ✗ THE DRAGON'S CAVE Try to navigate the cave, fail to navigate the cave and get lost, or try to take the wyrmlings without getting barbecued. Somehow, you get the feeling that you aren't alone. Those footsteps are probably just your imagination... or they could be townspeople coming to kill you and the dragons. Of course, they could also be an ally, but you'd better hope you don't find out. THREE ✗ HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON You've gotten the dragon(s) to a secure campsite out of town, but the fun's not over yet. They're kind of freaking out a little. Some of them are still spitting fire. Even the less aggressive ones are crying shrilly, bound to attract townspeople or at least annoy everyone nearby. It can't be too hard to calm them down; they're basically scaly, fire-breathing babies, right? FOUR ✗ NIGHT TIME It's been a long day, and now it's time for the crew to sleep. Get to know your tentmates, try to ignore them, pray that they don't want to bring along a wyrmling to cuddle... or maybe you've been put on night watch with a few others, in which case you'd better find a way to pass the time until your shift's over. FIVE ✗ CHIT CHAT Network option! Maybe you've got a little downtime and you're bored. Or maybe you're frantically asking the rest of the team how bad a dragon bite is. Maybe you're just trying to figure out how the hell this magical jewelry thing works. No matter what, you get one username to identify you and one only — if you don't enter one, it will default to your real name (for example, Voldemort's would be tomriddle.) Choose wisely... or make it assfarts69, if that's your thing. More information on the network is here! SIX ✗ WILDCARD Do whatever the hell you want. Explore the ashes of the burned city, try to run as far away from this crap as possible, or try to teach a wyrmling tricks. The world is your oyster.

Comments

[livedtwice]

[Her concern for him while clearly stating the mission parameters is what catches his attention, as if she's capable of care but not willing to look out for the people at the same time. Harry wonders if she's concerned about putting a toe out of line, but in his experience, it's best to see how well one can manage both things. He's spent his first day here not doing that, but he knows he won't be able to keep it up for much longer.]

I've had worse, [he tells her, knowing full well that it isn't going to sound particularly promising. He does wish he had some salve for them right now, but that isn't something he can conjure up out of thin air (and being a wizard, he can manage a decent amount of that). He offers her a reassuring smile just in case.] I'll be fine. I promise.

[That she looks fine means that she's either very good at avoiding the burns or she has some trick. He's seen some of the latter all day, but he knows he doesn't have that himself, not without some of the healing spells he never bothered to memorize.

With his reassurances out of the way, he adds:] I'm not too concerned about going home if worlds are in danger. This isn't what I wanted to be doing right about now. I'd like to be at home, but if this is what I'm doing instead, it could be worse. ["Worse" doesn't mean he's utterly thrilled. Harry would like to be helping his own world out, but other worlds are in need.] So if it keeps me from that, that's fine. Then again, I hope that doesn't mean I'm ruining it for anyone else.

[dreamcatcher]

( it's definitely not that she doesn't care. in fact Emma cares a lot. it's part of who she is, to help people that need it, and it doesn't take a lot to know that the village could use reconstructive efforts. she's trying not to get involved in anything she doesn't have to be, though. she can't fall into heroics, not when her magic is so unsteady and so unpredictable. her desire to help has to be curbed if it means using magic she doesn't know and doesn't trust. it'd be hilariously ironic to drown in darkness because she was trying to help people.

she doesn't seem convinced about his injuries, frowning but not contradicting. she knows she could fix him up, she's hardly even have to try. if she was powerful before she's even more so now, and even then healing had been instinctive. especially when it came to healing someone she cared about. she's tempted to offer but she bites it back. he's probably right, as much as it stings he will be fine. )

There's always going to be somebody with a problem. ( it seems a rather pessimistic and selfish way of looking at it, but Emma is a literal savior. she's been party to so many near destructions that she knows the next bump in the road is always around the corner. ) I'm sure there are people at home that miss you. Don't lose sight of them.

( she's painting herself out to be a lot harder and detached than she actually is. fact is she will probably step in to do what she can. she has never been good at watching people suffer. she just lives behind the wall of disaffect because she thinks she has to. not to protect herself, for once, but to protect the people that might be foolish enough to get close to her. )

[livedtwice]

I won't. [Harry's words come all too easily. Though he'd rather be with them, that doesn't mean he minds being on this particular task. At the same time, he also does mind being away from them—if only because he works better with them than alone. He recalls walking into the woods alone, having nothing but the Resurrection Stone in his hand. He recalls Hagrid's cry, and having to act as if no one was there. He recalls a single, certain thought in all of it: he was scared, and he wanted to be with people who weren't just him. After everything, Harry Potter is not one to be alone.

But there is another matter to consider.]

Though if they knew I was here, they might be cross that I didn't stumble in with them. [Amusement does enter his voice here, but it's a dry amusement, especially given the subject matter.] We tend to do all of these things together. If there's anything I miss, it's having them here with me. Getting back to them will just make holding on to that thought all the more important. [Help words and live to tell them about it—these things make sense to Harry.]

[dreamcatcher]

( there's a clear degree of fondness when he speaks of the people that he's missing. Emma understands the sentiment, her family does tend to do everything together now that they've found each other. there are still some petty resentments and unhappiness that keeps her at a distance from her parents, but she can't possibly deny that she'd rather be with them. she wants to find her way back home, she just has to do it carefully. all of them do. )

I guess you'll have an adventure to tell them when you get back. ( she can't tell just looking at him that his world is just as, if not more, magical than her own. this isn't the first time she's hopped through worlds or been introduced to strange magical creatures, but she assumes that is not the norm for everyone. )

As for the village, I was down there earlier. The destruction looks bad, but I think they'll be able to put the pieces together. ( they don't know enough about the villagers to be able to know if there are threats out there other than dragons, but she hopes that they'll be relatively safe. )

[livedtwice]

[Harry smiles at the idea of an adventure to tell his friends about. Again, they won't be so happy that he went on it without them. He can imagine the sour look on Ron's face, as well as Hermione telling him that he shouldn't have gone off alone. The rest of them would likely be the same, but those two would take it the hardest. He thinks that's fair, too. They should be here together, and he's saddened that they're not.

It's not even a situation that he'd take on on his own normally. Harry has never thought of other worlds (it's never been introduced to him conceptually as a thing to worry about), but he's not surprised that they're in danger. He still thinks that of all the things he could have gotten himself caught up in, this one isn't so bad. At least he's helping, though a number of questions hang in the air about that.]

They might be able to, but there might be more to be said about it. Why are the dragons attacking them? What led to these attacks? Dragons are ... violent. [To say the least.] But is it possible that there's more to this than we really know? What are we doing with the dragons, anyway? [Harry doubts that she has the answers to any of this, but he knows that if his friends were here, he'd be asking them. Asking them of a stranger, and someone he's meant to be working with, isn't great, but it seems to be a good thing to do.]

As for the people, it might be against orders, but I'm sure we can make it out to be something that helps the dragons, too. If the people talk to us and give us a better idea of what happened, we might be able to ensure the dragons are safer in the long term. [But then they might not welcome outsiders.

It's a messy situation.]

[dreamcatcher]

( well, he's right about one thing. Emma doesn't have the answers to these questions any more than he does. she supposes that the higher power involved with all this, the one that supposedly can send them home, the one that parcels out orders and not much in the way of information, might have those answers. or, maybe they didn't care. corporations tended not to, after all. they wanted what they wanted and the how and why was only relevant to the people at height of command, and the desperate displaced workers they'd dragged in were pretty far from the height of anything. )

We're protecting them. I assumed that someone wants them, I don't think they'll be staying. ( it's just a guess. removing them to an isolated location, keeping them alive instead of killing them like they were fire breathing vermin. somebody wants them safe and alive, and that does make her worry. what are they going to do with them? keep them safe, let them grow in a place where they can't hurt anyone — or use their devastation as a trained weapon?

this place offers a lot of questions and not many answers. but they don't have a choice, they submit and do as they're told or they don't get sent home. Emma doesn't like it, she's just not sure they have much of a choice. )

You can ask questions. I'm not sure you'll like where the answers take you. ( maybe she's too negative, focusing on how all this could go wrong instead of how it can go right. she's rarely good at seeing silver linings, but especially now, darkness is the easiest thing to see. )

[livedtwice]

[Amusement crosses over Harry's face at her final words. How many times has he heard that particular sentiment? Countless times. Harry doesn't have the same thoughts that she has about taking the dragons away and weaponizing them, but that's also largely because he hasn't thought of the whole situation the same way. He had assumed the dragons would stay here, but she has a point: they might go elsewhere. They might live elsewhere.

But that opens up other questions, and makes him wonder why. (Again, he doesn't end up on weaponization, not just yet.)]

I've heard that a great deal in my life. Oddly enough, it's never stopped me. To tell you the truth, it bothers me more to not know. [By now, Harry knows that he's asking himself for trouble (ah, that funny word when related to Harry), but he thinks that less trouble could come from answers. Having the bigger picture available might make their future tasks much easier.]

But I understand if you're worried and you'd rather just take it as it is. You really want to go home, don't you? [He doesn't want to press her any further than he has, especially since she seems disinterested in it. That goes against his very instincts of behavior—to not know, that is—but he chooses to respect her own interests here.]

[dreamcatcher]

Usually, I'd be in your place, actually.

( she tends to be too nosy for her own good, getting involved with things she doesn't have to, and pushing into situations that probably don't ask for her attention. she's the savior, right? she's got too much of her parents in her, too much heroism she doesn't know what to do with.

but she can't do that, not now. she can't run headfirst into a situation that will only make her current condition worse. she's not going to explain to a stranger that she's holding a host of dark, unruly magic inside of her, and that she's terrified of what will happen. that it's supposed to take her over and there's nothing she can do to stop it. if she goes into her old habits, the chances of it happening might increase. hell, she doesn't know what would make it worse, but she can't afford to find out. )

Yeah, I do, but that's not the point, really. I'm not telling you not to do it. There's just consequences, even if you think you're doing the right thing. ( by now, she's a downright expert on that. )

[livedtwice]

[Harry wonders, briefly, what changed for her, but he knows well enough that a lot of things can change. He knows that he wanted to keep out of scenarios like this one, but he also knows that the world back home is hardly settled. The war may be over, but Death Eaters are still out there. There may be less of a chance of any Dark Lord rising again, but that doesn't mean that there will be fewer people trying to take hold of dark magic to better themselves in disastrous ways.

And admittedly, he doesn't know for certain if the whole Dark Lord thing is unlikely. Grindelwald hadn't been gone for long before Tom Riddle had come along, after all.]

I know, [he says, bowing his head forward.] And I'll do my best to keep those consequences from ... causing trouble for others. But I think knowing might actually help us complete this mission better.

[dreamcatcher]

You might be right.

( and Emma certainly won't deny that those people could use some help. after that fight, their village and the people themselves are pretty worse for the wear. there could be vital information that could be learned if they tried to help, she won't deny that. she can help in body, but that's about all she will let herself do.

and magic is tempting, even though she knows its a terrible idea. it'd be so easy to fix all the damage left behind from the dragon's attack, to heal the injuries left behind. and even using magic for the right reason feels like she could be falling down a slippery path.

she can't, and won't, let herself take that risk. not for a village that can repair its own buildings, whose wounds will be healed with time and patience. it seems cold, to someone that doesn't understand, but she has her reasons. )

If you do it, then good luck.

[livedtwice]

Thank you. I suppose I'll find out soon enough if I've made a mistake.

[Given the circumstances, the people in charge might decide to make an example of him. It's not as if anyone had done anything like that back in his world regularly, but he wouldn't be surprised if the organization used him as proof of what happens when someone puts a toe out of line. If it means he has to be in "service" for longer, then it could be worse.

Right now, the price of not knowing greatly exceeds ignoring the opportunity to know.

For him, anyway. He won't drag anyone else into it, especially not people he knows. If Ron and Hermione were here, things would be different. But they aren't, so that settles things.]