dagung | TDM: May

Entry tags:

* tdm

TDM: May

Test Drive: May

All threads can be considered game canon,

the prompts and test drive itself will be

• Reserves Open Today! If you're interested in securing a spot, put one in! We accept applications without reserves too, of course. Reserves will expire three days before the end of the application period, on the 28th.
• Applications Open The 24th! These will last until the end of the month, the 31st, with the intro log going on up June 1st. The application page can be found here.
• If you have any questions about the game or the world, please refer to the FAQ page; if you still have questions, feel free to ask them! For questions specific to the test drive, please ask them on the appropriate thread.
• For the purposes of the test drive, your character will have access to all magics taught by the Coven if they're a Witch, and as much of their shifted form as you'd like if they're a Monster. Feel free to play around and experiment with each!
• While current players won't be allowed to post top levels on the test drive itself, feel free to reference or play with the dreams in-game.
• Test drive threads can be used as samples for your applications!

You feel like you're floating. Around you, colors and sounds and smells swirl as if trapped in a whirlpool, vibrancy and hue ever shifting. The more you watch them, the less solid they are; they only become clear out of the corner of your eye. The area around you begins to feel more solid as well, until your feet are on the ground, the wind brushes playfully against your face -

and you know one thing, and one thing alone: this is a dream, and an incredibly realistic one at that.

The Eternal Fall

The smell of autumn leaves surrounds you, a myriad of colors sparkling into existence at the same time. Despite the warmth and light, the air feels heavy and stiff, as if on razor's edge. The forest is eerily silent - not a bird, bug, or rodent dares to stir - and when you do hear something, it's the high-pitched crying, whining, weeping, sobbing, howling sounds of something far off. The tunnel of bent branches invites you further with an unpleasant compulsion; though fighting it and turning around finds you in front of a chilly, damp cave alight with the faint, cool glow of bubbling fountains and streams.

The Compulsion
Unable to sway yourself from the call of the forest - or maybe you're simply curious as to where it leads - your feet pull you further and further into the autumnal tunnel. The cry from before grows more distant, but in return, the air weighs even heavier on your shoulders than before. The branches hang lower and lower as well, as if pushed by gravity, until their leaves smack your face, twigs offering small cuts from the thorns protruding from their bark.

But you can't stop. Not now. The end of the tunnel seems so close; but it's seemed that way for a while now, you suppose, and you've already come this far - you might as well stay the course, wherever it might lead.

The further you go, the brighter everything becomes, and you realize it's the leaves surrounding you; they've begun to glow, encouraged by the sunlight streaming in from above, and the wind begins to whisper in your ear. At first, it's only encouraging things, or silly facts - harmless words, but as the foliage begins to shimmer and reflect your image, the wind's words turn colder. Within those reflections on the autumn tunnel, you begin to see your worst moments - morally, ethically, emotionally. The things you don't want anyone else to know, that you'd feel ashamed or struck for anyone - especially those close to you - to see. The wind becomes louder as the scenes play out one right after another, boldly declaring your true feelings as they were in that moment, good or bad.

Worst of all - you still can't bring yourself to turn back, even as your mind begins to free itself from the tunnel's compulsion. Maybe someone else can help out, if they're not too taken by their own memories, or maybe the shock of sharing such private secrets will jolt you and anyone else back to reality. Either way, it's that, or staying stuck watching your worst memories play on repeat for what feels like the rest of your life.

The Cry
While not compelled by any means, you still feel a curious draw down the path in front of you; as you follow the leaf tunnel, with others or alone, you find another, less-traveled path. Following it reveals a large pond colored orange and gold by the reflection of the area it's in, sunlight and shadows playing on its surface. At a glance, it seems to be rather shallow, but that's hardly the truth.

You realize, after a moment, that the crying has continued, evidently coming from the water. Looking closer, the culprit is an infected Merrow, who - upon begin seen - shrieks and dives for whoever's looking at it with the clear intent to drag them down beneath the water. Its claws are extra sharp, its teeth similar to a shark in number and shape, and its scales have turned a pale black; an oil-like substance flows from beneath them and from its gums as well, shimmering the same way gasoline does in the light, and its eyes are the tell-tale white of a Shade.

It isn't impossible to fight it to get away, especially as some of you have new abilities at hand, and some of you have a few neat changes to help that along. Once distance is successfully put between you and the infected Merrow, it howls in a wet, warbly voice, visibly frustrated. Unlike ordinary Merrows, who can walk on land and have legs as long as they stay dry, this Merrow can't seem leave its pond at all, and electricity sparks from it like little static shocks in its irritation. It does dive back under once it realizes it can't reach you, resurfacing as your character's most important person in an attempt to lure them back. The expressions are far too real, too genuine; even those aware it's a Merrow might be fooled. While its voice isn't a perfect mimicry, the song it begins to sing has with it notes of yearning and beckoning to join it, join your beloved person, in the water.

The Cave
Pulling yourself from curiosity or compulsion, the cave behind you - in front of you, if you've turned around - gives off an oddly pure feeling. Like an oasis in a desert, it feels refreshing and calm; incredibly safe, compared to the eerie call of the forest it's in. Within the cave are pools of water that glow and glimmer from the magic runes found around them. The runes shift similar to a mirage whenever you try to focus on them; and try as you might, you can't glimpse what they say exactly.

It isn't so hard to figure out though, as the pools of water surrounded by them have a pleasingly cold temperature, while those without them are near scalding. A few of the latter have runes around them, but they're not glowing like the rest - feeding a little magic into them changes this immediately, and steam rises in a sudden blast as the water cools rapidly. The opposite can be done for the colder pools too - taking their magic somehow or ruining the runes will make them bubble and boil as they surge in temperature.

But that isn't all the cave has to offer. Moving further inward, you get the feeling you're going down - beneath the ground and the enchanting forest. Eventually, the cave widens out to a massive underground lake, multiple waterfalls pouring into it; despite their number and size, the room is completely silent. All tunnels seem to lead to this one room, with a few of them looking more man-made than natural. Traversing other tunnels leads you into a maze that only ever brings you to the lake, or to the cave's entrance, no matter how many different paths you take.

Something different happens eventually though; signs of life begin to appear, or at least signs that life once lived there. Leather pouches rotted by the dampness of the cave hang on sharp nails beaten into the cave walls, with boots in similar condition strewn here and there. Torn, soaking clothing lays in piles in the tunnels, and candles burnt down to their wick's end stand in shelves carved from the navy blue and black stone. There's broken toys and books too waterlogged to read, instruments with snapped strings or clogged holes, and - most peculiarly - smooth, round devices that heavily resemble large pocketwatches or hand mirrors. They refuse to turn on though, either due to age or due to the wetness of the air.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Y.... yes, of course!

[ Corrin pulls herself out and runs, to the safety of land and where Takumi is standing. She really doesn't want to see--or feel--what the Merrow would do to her, but even so... she feels terrible for it.

At Takumi's side, she watches the creature guiltily. ]

I hoped I could help it somehow. It's in so much pain, but I couldn't do anything.

[As Corrin situates herself, Takumi shifts in front of her, his long tail curling loosely around her feet with the rattle gently rattling away. It's more a product of his movement than anything protective, but maybe it is, in a subconscious way. With the way Corrin is talking about this thing, he highly doubts that she would hurt it if she had her way.]

Yeah, well, I don't think it's too keen on talking things out. It tried to kill you.

[He nocks another arrow, but keeps his bow only half-raised - the Merrow is tending its wounds out in the water, but it doesn't seem like the thing is going to advance on them.]

Nothing about that thing feels right. The best thing you can do for it is put it out of its misery.

Wait!

[ The Merrow can't touch them, it seems, as long as they stay away from the water. And Corrin has a feeling that if it weren't in such pain--or if there weren't something very wrong with it--it wouldn't have attacked her.

But... she won't deny that the same thing might happen to someone else. It might happen to someone who doesn't know any better, who might not have someone to come save their skin, like Takumi did for her. ]

Takumi, please-- There has to be something else we can do for it. It's true that there's something wrong, but... maybe we can find a way to-- to heal it, or...

[The plea does at least make him completely lower his bow, but Takumi's shoulders remain tense, and his eyes don't leave the Merrow in the distance.]

That thing is infected, isn't it? Like I've heard everything is once you set foot outside the city. If you don't kill it now, it'll just kill someone else later. No one knows of a way to cure this, or they would have fixed the whole problem by now. I don't think there's any helping it.

[Other than, like he said before, putting it out of its misery.]

[ Thinking about killing it makes Corrin feel sick. But... Takumi has a point. It'll only kill someone else, and if that happened, when they could have done something... She'd never forgive herself.

They're losing either way. ]

... Okay. [ She sounds so resigned. ] You're right, Takumi. I'm sorry for asking you to do this, but-- I don't have any way to hit it from afar.

[Takumi knows that Corrin is a peacemaker. It's a quality that everyone seems to adore, and a quality that isn't going to change. But sometimes, you just can't make peace.]

Not a problem.

[He has no issue with taking out something that could very likely kill them. His bow lifts again, rattle going eerily still and silent as he takes aim and draws back the string--

Only for the Merrow to scream in anger and duck under the surface of the water. Takumi hisses out a soft 'Shit!' and adjusts his aim, quickly firing a shot into the water in the hopes of still striking it. Whether it actually did hit or not, it's hard to say.]

Damn it...

Oh--

[ Corrin doesn't move from her place, but it's tempting. She thinks for a moment--she can get close, but stay out of reach of the creature. It's not a perfect solution, but maybe it'll be just good enough. ]

Takumi, I can fly up and see if you hit it.

[Being able to fly and not having to use a pegasus to do it seems... strange, still, but just about everything here does. Takumi frowns for just a second, narrowing his eyes at the ripples in the water.]

Make it quick. But don't get too close.

[The last thing they need is for an infected fish-creature to leap up and snatch Corrin out of the air. He's not sure how well he can swim like this.]

Okay. I'll be back as quick as I can.

[ And maybe she can clear her head a little, try to figure out why Takumi isn't raging at her... She steps out of the curl of his tail and takes to the sky. It's still odd to be able to fly, but it's also exhilarating.

She flies over the pond, circling, before she swoops down... and sure enough, there's something that can only be blood mixed in with the water and the oil-like substance the creature gave out. Corrin's heart aches for it... but she flies to land to rejoin him. ]

Well... we don't have to worry about it anymore. You hit it, Takumi.

[Takumi only truly lets himself relax once he hears that confirmation. Hopefully, the shot hit somewhere vital. The other wounds could also be leaking blood, but depending on how much there was to see...

Still, he lowers his bow. Nothing for it now but to get out of here before that thing comes back, and hope that it won't come back at all.]

We should get moving. Find a way out of here. This place isn't safe.

[ Corrin won't lie--she's glad to see Takumi more at ease. It's something she hasn't seen in so long, and while she's happy, it also makes her heart ache. She isn't sure why he's helping her, or why he'd been so protective earlier when his tail had wrapped around her, but she thinks it won't last long.

Because Corrin can't lie to him. She can't hide something that'll hurt him deeply if he finds out some other way. So... she'll hurt him herself. It's what she's been doing for a long time back home, after all.

But she'll wait until they're somewhere that's a touch safer. Corrin nods. ]

I don't think I'll be approaching any water for a while...

[It's enough of a confirmation for Takumi. The muscles in his tail move in a way that's still semi-awkward but newly practiced, but it gets the job done and gets Takumi headed away from the water.]

Not a bad idea.

[Especially when she's by herself. Takumi knows that their relationship is still... bristly, but hell, he's at least making an effort. Despite his initial mistrust and dislike, she's still his older sister. One that raised an army from two warring kingdoms to face a larger threat, no less. She's stronger than she seems... if not a little naive.]

It'd be a better idea to not travel alone, at least for now.

Of course.

[ The reply is immediate. ]

It'll do us both good to be with a familiar face.

[ She can let herself be selfish, just a little longer, can't she? She misses Takumi, after all. She wants just a little more time with him before she ruins everything. ]

Yeah.

[Even though that's not the reason he wants her to be in company.

Still, something is bothering him. Something doesn't feel quite... right. Unconsciously, a thin, forked tongue slips from his lips for a split second as he narrows his eyes at the ground ahead of him. It could just be because of the stress of their previous situation, but...]

... you okay?

[ Corrin hesitates. She can be a good actress--a great one, since she'd managed to fool even Iago and Garon and Azura--but she can't bring herself to act around the people she loves. Corrin's whole spirit seems to wither, just a touch. ]

Takumi... what's the last thing you remember from home?

[It's an odd question, and it makes Takumi stop in his tracks, turning just a little to look at Corrin. His tongue makes a brief appearance again - it's likely that he doesn't even realize he's doing it.]

Ryoma and Prince Xander had just forged a peace treaty. Why? Don't you remember?

[ Corrin stops, too. ]

No, I--

[ This is bad. Very bad. Corrin could, in theory, fly off without a word, but she doesn't think she could live with herself. Takumi would be left confused and wondering, and she doesn't want to avoid him forever. She can't. ]

I think something is terribly wrong.

... what do you mean?

[Takumi frowns, brow knitting and shoulders squaring. He's not entirely sure what Corrin is trying to say here. It can't be something wrong as in their immediate circumstances. Even with the weird changes that this place has put him through, he can't sense anything off aside from his sister's sudden shift in demeanor.]

[ She hesitates. The feathers that have started to grow in suddenly itch horribly, but she thinks some of it might be because she's... not nervous, but more scared.

When she speaks... it's slow. Hesitant. ]

For me... There's no hope of Nohr and Hoshido reconciling. Not right now, or-- before I came here.

[... that makes no sense. Corrin had been right there with them when it happened. She had been right there with them through everything. This place hadn't messed with his memories, so why would it mess with hers?]

That doesn't make any sense. You were there, too. Don't you remember anything? The Bottomless Canyon? Fighting to bring us all together?

[ The Bottomless Canyon? Azura had taken only her there... Only she, Azura, and Gunter should know about it. The shock must register on her face, even as she shakes her head. ]

No--I don't remember any of it, Takumi. I don't know how or why, but-- what happened back home for me is very, very different.

[And now, the shock is clear on his face. Different? How could it be different? That's not possible... is it?]

What happened, then? What do you remember?

[ And here's what she's been dreading, since he first fired that arrow at a target that wasn't her heart. Corrin takes a step back, because as much as she loves Takumi--and as much as he cares about her, this version of him--she remembers how hurt he'd been to her betraying them. ]

That day, when Hoshido and Nohr met on the plains of Hoshido, when I had to make a choice--

[ She holds his gaze, even as much as she wants to look away. ]

The one I made... it hurt you, and Hinoka, and Ryoma and Sakura.

[If Corrin is expecting hurt, she's right - the shock quickly melts into confusion, then disbelief as the cold hand of betrayal claws at his throat. No, that's... that's not possible. There's no way that that's possible. This place has to be messing with her somehow.]

No, that's not-- Corrin, you chose not to side with anyone.

[Does she think that she chose Nohr over Hoshido? Is that what this place is making her think?]

I did! I chose Nohr, and it-- it brought you all such pain and misery.

[ Choosing not to side with either... she should have thought of that. But she'd been faced with an impossible decision. She hadn't been able to think quickly. It had just been a path with two options, and a hidden third... ]

I-- I'm sorry, Takumi. I'm so sorry.

TDM: May

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