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

Hellboy | Hellboy/BPRD

[hellshaped]

TWO. THE DRAGON'S CAVE.

[Dragons. Hellboy has not had great experience with dragons. There was that time when he was young in St. Leonard's Forest, where the dragon broke his ribs and from his blood sprouted lilies. Generally speaking, Hellboy tried his very best to avoid dragons.

Still, something about orphaned magical creatures pulled at something in his heart. They were babies. They'd done nothing wrong. (Or at least he didn't think so.) It was only by virtue of their being dragons that they were being hunted.

He could relate. Sort of.

Hellboy's hooves click against the floor of the cave as he finds his way through winding tunnels. He isn't human, but he can't see any better than humans in the dark -- so once he makes it far enough in and he realizes it's too black to see, he turns around... and promptly realizes he's lost.]

Oh, hell. [He mutters to himself, squinting in the dark and stumbling around. It doesn't take long for him to realize he's not alone in here. Wyrmlings? Someone coming up in front of him? Or someone following from behind?

Tail swishing in the dark, Hellboy stops and stupidly calls out. He is always doing something stupid.] Hello?

[cloner]

[ Despite being a cat, Blake can't do much more than a human in this situation, either. Though to her, normal is... a weird subject. She's been edging around the walls, eyes narrowed and ears (human and cat alike, despite the latter being hidden in her bow) perked up to listen for dragons.

Naturally, she's none too thrilled about dragons. At least it's not dogs? That's what she keeps telling herself, anyway. ]

Hey.

[ Her response is short and quiet, coming from in front of him, less of a greeting and more of a "I'm here, don't mistake me for a dragon or you'll regret it." She doesn't want to give away her position; she also doesn't want to make this messier than it needs to be. ]

[hellshaped]

[Right. There are always worse things than dragons. (Though Hellboy likes dogs, excuse u.) It could be... demons? That's worse. Or witches. Or any number of terrible things.

But still. Dragons. He's not thrilled.

He is considerably more thrilled that the person in this section of the cave with him sounds like a young woman. And not, like, a witchy young woman. Though Hellboy of all people should know not to judge people's nature just by the sound of their voice.

He still can't see, but he has a good idea of where she is, so he fixes his eyes in that general direction.] You sure don't sound like a baby dragon.

[cloner]

[ Should she be insulted... it's not a jab at her being a Faunus, at least. Besides, how could he know? ]

I'm—[ Blake pauses, understanding what she's about to say and not liking it. ] I'm not a baby dragon.

[ She's drawing nearer, dropping down off of a small ledge close by. Probably within (terrible) eyesight. ] Unless they can talk, I wouldn't think you were one, either.

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy hesitates, unsure if she means for him to follow. They're in the middle of a... conversation? Sort of? They're talking to each other, at least. It would be rude not to follow, especially since carrying on shouting at each other is probably a great way for them to attract dragon hunters. Or dragons, as the case may be.

Hell of a mission.

Squinting in a desperate attempt to see where he's going, Hellboy follows her off the ledge. He lands with considerably less grace than her due to his extreme bulk; a combination of hooves and 400 pounds tends to make a very unflattering noise when you jump even from shallow heights.]

That's a good point. [He basically ignores the weirdness the sound his hooves made against the floor of the cave. Usually if he just brushes past it, other people follow suit.] Can they even talk? I didn't get a ton of briefing.

[cloner]

[ The sound is strange, but Blake is part animal—it catches her attention, but only makes her slightly curious.

She isn't about to ask, though. Not yet. ]

I don't think so. [ Most monsters don't. At least, she hasn't seen a Grimm that could. ] You're not here to kill them?

[ Just. Making sure. ]

[hellshaped]

Not unless they force the issue. [Hellboy is prone to extremely dry, desert-like humor. This is actually a joke. It may or may not actually sound like one, though.

Just in case she doesn't get that he's kidding (and it wouldn't be the first time), he continues.]

The little voice said to help them out. I've gotten very bad at following orders lately, but I'm not interested in killing orphans. [Even if they are dragons.]

this is stupid

[sanguine]

[Much like the quiet whisper of a cave-wide breeze, a certain young lady is finding herself delving deeper into the caverns, only her long cape showing a streak of red...

the same cape may be spilling in Hellboy's face because, well, Ruby is now perched on his shoulders, hand over her eyes as she uses him as a vantage point to try to find the voice she heard only moments ago.]

Hmm. [Where could they be?]

no u

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy is not really a stranger to weird things happening. Weird things take up a good majority of his life, actually. But he can count on one hand the number of times people have actually just... climbed him... while apparently not being aware that he is actually alive?

So, that's new.

He pauses briefly, trying to figure out exactly how to proceed. He decides on coughing, politely, because maybe that's the best way to go to avoid getting slapped in the head. Maybe.]

what if i had icons tho

[sanguine]

[You'd think! But when Ruby hears that cough, she's turning quickly, the cape swishing across the face of the "statue".]

Where is that coming from...

same

[hellshaped]

[Jesus god give him strength.

It's at this point that Hellboy gets tired of getting hit in the face with a cape, and just sort of delicately picks up this... person... by her hood.] Can you stop.

[sanguine]

H-hey! [It was much better than squealing at the sudden lifting, but Ruby is still writhing and punching at the air, until she well, puts two and two twogether and notices that the giant... er, man, was the thing she was listening to this entire time.]

Whoa, a talking statue...

[hellshaped]

[Well, that's another new thing. Hellboy's facial expressions are typically pretty inscrutable, due to his face being not exactly human, but the light is dim enough here where that doesn't exactly matter. Still, if she were able to read his expressions, she would see confusion. A lot of confusion.

But then Hellboy glances over at the hand he's holding her up with, and it makes a little more sense.] No... it just looks like that. I'm real.

/dusts off /sneezes violently

[brosbeforeprose]

[It always has to be dragons. It's never rampaging nugs, or kittens in desperate and vicious need of a cuddle. No, it's Wyrmlings. Maybe all the towns with rampaging nug problems are too embarrassed to ask for help.

There is a very, very distinct sense of why me in Varric's very gait as he makes his way deeper into the blighted cave, past the point where the sunlight chasing him in says, 'screw this' and leaves him in the pitch black. To the point where he makes his way almost blindly (almost is generous - it's pretty much entirely blindly) towards the only sound he can really hear, which is a clip-clopping sound of maybe a horse trying its damndest to walk like people.

And then it talks. Loudly. And at that point, he just can't resist.] Are you expecting the dragons to introduce themselves, maybe? Come out, say hello and ask you to kindly put them out of their misery?

same tbh

[hellshaped]

[The interesting thing about being trapped in a dark cave like this where visibility is basically zero is that people apparently feel much freer to give Hellboy a hard time. Usually his size and general Hellboy-ness causes others to be a little more careful with their words. Sometimes it pays to have a face like a monster.

On the other hand, he has no idea what this guy looks like, so he's not sure if he should bite his tongue. Smug, he's guessing. He probably looks smug.]

If you have a better idea... [He starts, then frowns and stops, turning around. (He thinks this person was behind him. Maybe he's behind him now? Echoes make things difficult.)] Aren't we supposed to be rescuing them?

[brosbeforeprose]

[If it helps any, Varric would be more than happy to give Hellboy a hard time even in broad daylight. If he gave people respect just because they were taller and uglier than him, he'd be a significantly nicer person.

Smug, though, is not too far off. There's a fine line between 'satisfied with one's place in the world no matter what world it is' and 'smug about one's place in the world', and Varric tightropes that line on a fairly regular basis.]

We could rescue them. It depends on how much they want to be rescued, doesn't it?

[Whoever it is, he can hear him fairly close by now, blundering around in the dark just like he is. At least, the echoes are getting louder. That's as good a way to guess as any.

Still sounds like a horse.]

[hellshaped]

[Call him a horse to his face, Varric.

Hellboy snorts, feeling around to the side for the wall of the cave. He doesn't want to walk right into this guy, and the chances of that happening are lower if he presses himself up against the wall. He is huge, after all, and that's awkward in the dark.]

If they could talk, it'd be a hell of a lot easier to ask, anyway. [He is assuming dragons don't talk. They usually don't.] But I guess we'll just have to see how many of them decide not to roast us...

[brosbeforeprose]

[Maybe he will.

In contrast to his new companion here, Varric takes no trouble to stick to the walls. If they run into each other, at least he'll know where the guy is.]

They don't roast me, I don't stick them full of arrows, everyone leaves happy.

[And wouldn't that be nice. Before Varric can do so much as think of what to do next, there's a sound that's almost unmistakable as a the roar of something very large and rather vexed. It's followed, not surprisingly, by the burgeoning orange light of fire, somewhere deeper in the cave.

It's far enough away that Varric feels safe in his long-suffering eyeroll, and that he catches sight of...] Huh. I was imagining a horse on two legs. Clearly I wasn't imagining hard enough.

[Just did. Albeit in that way one's mouth does when it runs away before the mind can catch up.] Varric Tethras. I'd offer to shake hands, but maybe we should leave that until we can see our hands.

[perma_banned]

[Sing-songy in all other regards, Ban's otherwise constant smile ceased as the light of his torch fell on Hellboy's frame. The cut horns didn't mask the fact that he was huge and his skin was a telling shade of red.

There was hesitation in him to be confrontational, but Ban still managed to somewhat tense when looking at what he considered to be a demon, much like the one responsible for worsening his already awful life.]

Hey, buy guy. [He had to admit--prefacing that by popping the knuckles in his free hand wasn't all that friendly, either.]

You lost?

[hellshaped]

[Torches. Why didn't Hellboy think of that? Probably because he tends to dive into things without thinking, habitually.

He squints against the light, eyes adjusting after walking around in the darkness of the cave. He gestures vaguely to the side with his right hand, a massive thing that appears to be made of stone.]

Well... yeah. [Obviously. He doesn't seem too bothered by the knuckle popping.] It'd be easier if they gave us maps.

[digophelia]

[ The dim light of the device is far better than a torch, Alice thinks, even if it means that using it doesn't bring as much light as she'd like. Blood still stains her apron and Alice is not dressed for a cave, let alone appropriate traveling. The cave is much more difficult to navigate with her boots and skirts; climbing over things is becoming a nightmare, even for the sake of her modesty. It's an unusual sound that seems to bounce off the walls of the cave, a distinct clicking of a deer, maybe, or something else.

Before Alice's imagination can run off with mountain goats an rams, Alice moves quicker down the tunnel. She wasn't expecting to hear a voice. A little relieved, Alice picks up her pace, dirt and soot smudged against her pale cheeks. ]

Hello?

[ It seems so silly to respond to a question with a question. Maybe any normal person should be a little perplexed or unnerved at the sight of a big, red man. With all the nonsense Sunday School had given her as a child, he would have fit the description of the Devil himself.

As if Alice cared by now -- she looks a little relieved. Finally, after some searching, Alice found someone else. Drawing a breath, Alice can finally respond with another question. ]

About time.

[hellshaped]

[Hellboy is used to this sort of exploration deal, barely registering when he has to stoop under a lower part of the ceiling, or when his coat snags on some particularly sharp rock. At least it isn't sand -- deer and rams and goats allegories aside, cloven hooves of any kind do not really do too well in sand.

Still, he wasn't quite sure what he was expecting at the other end of the sound he heard in here with him. A girl isn't outside the realm of possibility, but the way she's dressed makes him stop, corners of his mouth twitching. Usually people in caves are more practically dressed. Even moreso people hunting dragons.

He's also perplexed by her words, and pauses a little before answering.] You were expecting me?

[digophelia]

I was expecting someone.

[ Running through this cave almost reminds her a little of the Hatter's Domain, which was certainly not meant for a dress. Or, realistically, most of Wonderland. But this is different, this is real -- supposedly. That was something that Alice wasn't sure of. It would be something so like her to conjure up in a lucid hallucination. Either way, after spending likely hours on her own and presented with vague details about dragons and people, yes, even a giant red man is a relief to see. ]

I swear I've been going in circles. Are there more coming...?

[ She almost asks if there's more people like him coming, stopping herself before it manages to leave her mouth. It wouldn't be too unfeasible for Alice, who is still convinced that she may have fallen down another rabbit hole. ]

[hellshaped]

[That's a bit of an odd way to look at it, but Hellboy doesn't say so. It stands to reason that, wandering around in the cave looking for dragons, you'd find someone. Whether that's a person or a dragon, well. He's a little grateful he didn't just get a face full of flame, anyway.

His facial expressions are subtle, not having the same complex muscles that humans do, but he is doing the equivalent of confusion right now. Hellboy glances over his shoulder, then looks back at the girl.]

That's... maybe? [He doesn't get her meaning.] I doubt we're the only ones in here.

[digophelia]

[ She had plenty of questions, she took to him in great curiosity and felt a little more comfortable taking a few steps closer than she would have been with anyone else. With her hands cupped behind her, Alice stood there, rocking in her feet. ]

Oh, yes, certainly not the only ones.

[ Alice actually didn't care if anyone else was around here -- now she does. She does hide her eagerness, tempted to ask him a few more things. But that's never polite and he's not like the Caterpillar.

Hopefully. ]

I meant more like you.