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

[animalize]

[ Even if there had been a trace of sarcasm, she wouldn't have picked up on it; she's blunt, and she makes the mistake of assuming everyone else is, too. In response to his question, she raises an eyebrow. ]

No, [ she says like "duh." It's not like she carries beef jerky around in her pockets. Apparently, that's frowned upon in the civilized world. Malia shrugs her shoulders and looks Kaworu up and down, somewhat discerning. ]

Do you?

[ It's both a question meant to ask, "What, do you carry beef jerky around in your pockets?" and, "But seriously, do you have any?" ]

[teleo]

As a matter of fact... [The secure campsite offers more than a bunch of bedrolls for them to partake in. Kaworu reaches into the pocket of his jacket, jostling something metallic, something else that's squishy. His hand emerges again, clutching at a few rickety pieces of meat-looking jerky. The jerky is a little too weirdly pale to say it's beef, and he hasn't felt adventurous enough to try it for himself. (His stomach is still clenching from the sheer anxiety of homesickness.) If it's been officially issued, it should be plenty edible.]

Here you go, [he says, offering the meat jerky to Malia.] Why don't you try feeding it? [He values his own fingers a little too much to feed a hungry baby dragon. Sorry.]

[animalize]

[ Malia's fingers might actually grow back if they got bitten off. Like a lizard's. She's almost curious, but not enough to risk it. She reaches out and grabs the... something jerky, holding it up and sniffing it.

Even by smell, she can't tell what sort of meat it's supposed to be. She throws it in the dragon's direction, and... it hits the creatively-named Thing in the face. It doesn't look pleased. For a moment, she thinks it's going to start crying even more, but then it sniffs at the jerky cautiously. If only for now, it's distracted. ]

Have you met a dragon before or something?

[teleo]

[So far, so good... Kaworu's smile loses some of its caustic edge as he watches Thing (which must be the most fitting of names) go about inspecting the meat jerky. The town they were sent to has been terrorized by dragons for who knows how long, but Kaworu has to admit they're beautiful creatures. Just because they're different, even hostile, doesn't mean they're inherently awful.]

Oh... [His eyes, red and a bit distant, shift over to Malia.] Not really. I've only ever seen them in movies or read about them in books. That is to say, they should be fictional. [Honestly, he's taking cosmic displacement and literal dragons pretty well. Maybe he's still in shock.] I'm guessing you're not familiar with them, either.

[animalize]

I know what they are.

[ That's about as far as her familiarity goes. Dragon Tales. She crosses her arms, face a bit unsure; of course, she looks like that a lot. This time, however, her eyebrows are furrowed a little more than usual, and she's biting her lip a little harder. ]

Lots of things that are supposed to be fictional aren't, though. At least where I come from. So we might have them.

[teleo]

Really?

[Here, at last, is the harmless distraction that Kaworu has been badly in need of. Learning about someone else and their circumstances takes precedence over his own myriad problems. Maybe this will help to put the homesickness behind him. Maybe this will help to keep him from freaking out.]

What should be fictional for you, but isn't? [To excuse why he wants to know, he adds,] I've had to deal with something like that. Not dragons, though. Just a legend come to life. [Maybe he's too trusting to speak of it openly, but he doesn't care to hold back. His smile is coming easier now.]

[animalize]

Lots of stuff.

[ Hearing that he's dealt with it too makes her shoulders relax a little bit, the corners of her mouth soften. She often finds herself at odds with the world around her, but here is something she actually has in common with another person. It's a rare occurrence. ]

Have you ever heard about kitsunes? They're this fox spirit thing.

[teleo]

Kitsune... [That's a familiar word, if only because it's resident to Kaworu's neck of the woods.] I've heard of the kitsune, [he confirms, taking a moment to check on Thing's progress. There's a distinct lack of reptilian caterwauling. Good deal.] But I don't know anything about it beyond the fox spirit thing. You do?

[It does feel good to have found common ground with someone else. Making a connection like this is one of the few things he could have hoped for. If nothing else, it's proof that you can go anywhere in the universe--the multiverse--whatever the heck this is--and still find the means to forget your loneliness.]

[animalize]

[ Malia's mouth twists into a prideful smirk, like she's quite excited to boast about her kitsune-ridden adventures. She leans forward like it's very sensitive information, raising her eyebrows. ]

I've met three of them.

[ Technically. Kira and her mother count; the Nogitsune? Maybe not so much. ]

One of them was evil, though. I don't know if that counts.