dagung | TDM: May

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* 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.

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[ The response, a heartbeat or so later, a sudden loud crack of something almost like thunder, and the merrow makes another shrieking sound and wriggles to get away as red starts to color the water. If Tony can get his head back above the waterline, he'll see a figure kneeling on the shore, a massive rifle braced expertly against his shoulder. ]

Can you swim?

[ Percy calls it out sharply, concern tightening his already posh-sounding accent, but his attention never wavers from the rifle's sights. Who knows if that thing might pop up again. ]

[He feels the impact. The sound is muffled by water, a distant boom of thunder, bur the vibration still knocks through him as it strikes the merrow, shaking him to the bone. And he notices when the shade loses its hold on him, scrambling to the surface. He coughs up water as he breaches, thrashing rather than really treading, and sees the figure on shore, pointing a long firearm his way.]

Yeah!

[That is the only word he manages to gasp out, but at least he starts making good on it, swimming hard toward shore as the merrow recovers and comes for him again. Fleeing an aquatic predator is much easier when you have armor to protect you.]

[ Well that does make it easier, at least. Percy will go in after him if he needs, but he'd have to leave his guns behind, which does sort of defeat the whole purpose here.

So instead he stays where he is, deftly reloading the gun to fire again as he sees movement in the water. It's harder to hit, with the surface distortion, but as long as he can distract the thing enough for it's prey to reach the shore, Percy will call that a job well done.

His left hand flexes a little, his eyes darting briefly towards the gauntlet on his hand before he goes right back to the gunsights. That's also an option. But only when the man is clear, unless things go very, very south. ]

Nearly there.

[ Not the most useful thing in the world, perhaps, but it does seem like some sort of encouragement might be appropriate. ]

[ If he had the time he would totally be making some smart remark. Thanks, buddy. That's a real big help. But Tony doesn't have the breath to spare for quips and he does know that making an enemy of this man right now will totally be the end of him. All the white-haired man has to do is walk away and Tony will be on his own against a faster, stronger, crazed creature in its domain.

Better play nice. He concentrates on swimming instead of bickering. But as he seems to get closer to shore, the merrow rushes up from the depths, quick as a shark, snatching at him from below. Tony panics and silently screams, something briefly surging around him as he thinks that this is it. There's a small, desperate spell that turns the water around him hot, briefly surprising the shade if not actually hurting it. At least it buys him a second as the merrow lingers at the surface as it chases him inland. ]

[ Percy's on his feet the second the man's head starts to dip below the surface again, cursing faintly to himself. There really is only so much he can do in close quarters, if the thing drowns them both then no one's being done any favors.

his indecision is finally broken by a faint glow in the water, and Percy frowns faintly but there's no time to dwell as the creature's head appears closer to the surface. It's the work of a second to reload the gun blind, and Percy has bad news back up and sighted before he's finished his current breath.

The shot grazes the creature's throat this time, not on target enough to kill the damn thing, more's the pity. But it does send it off track again, yelping in pain. ]

[ The heat makes the merrow pause, but it's the shot Percy makes that really saves him. Just as the corrupted creature is recovering from its shock, it takes the bullet and is driven back, giving Tony the chance to make that final stretch to the bank, climbing out of the water covered in scratches and dripping. He stumbles away from the edge, getting blood and pond water all over Percy as he does. ]

No more mermaids.

[ He has had enough of that. Tony turns back to look at the water, eyes darting over the surface to spot the creature lurking in it. ]

Thanks... It sounded like it was in pain, but I think something's wrong with it.

[ His mouth twitches just a little, but Percy's at least fairly subtle as he moves his gun away from the water, slinging the rifle back onto his back. The danger does seem to have passed, at least, as long as neither of them end up back in the water. Or the thing can't come out.

After a second, he starts edging away from the shore, hoping Tony will follow. ]

How could you tell?

[ There's a certain amount of irony to his tone, considering it was apparently trying to eat him. In Percy's experience, that tends to be the norm with any number of creatures. ]

[ Tony does follow, grateful to be away from the water, but his eyes remain on the pond as he retreats. ]

I can't. But when I heard it, I thought it was someone crying because they were hurt. And then before it grabbed me I got a look at it and it looked... wild. Angry. I don't think it was just hunting to eat.

[ He's interpreting the situation as a sentient act of desperation, which is how he rationalizes what the merrow is doing. His experience is pretty limited for something like this, but Tony likes to assume a humanoid creature wouldn't just lure other sentient creatures to their deaths. ]

[ Percy's head cocks to the side thoughtfully, but it's not something he can entirely discount. After all, it wasn't him getting dragged down, and he has no idea what that thing is. If there is something wrong, drowning people doesn't seem like the best way to get help, in his opinion. ]

Well. I don't think there's much we can do for it now.

[ Particularly not with a couple of bullet holes in it. Percy refuses to feel bad about that. ]

[ Tony would have said the same thing, except Percy says it first and hearing it out loud for some reason gives him a cold chill on the back of his neck. It's a challenge, that word can't, and Tony is never the type to accept can't. ]

We can't just leave it like that. It'll try to lure in other people.

You want to kill it?

[ Percy turns to look at him, but his expression is more consideration than judgement. It's hard to disagree, especially if the thing is luring people in somehow. ]

Be a bit difficult with it underwater like that, but possible I suppose.

I don't think we should let it suffer.

[ He really doesn't like the idea of killing anyone, but the chance that the merrow might hurt someone else once they leave gives Tony a sinking feeling. Letting an innocent person get dragged under to their death would be too much guilt for him. But he's not ready to just give up on the shade either. ]/

We should at least try to catch it.

[ His mind might have been running out ahead of him, working through a few different ideas, but the statement pulls him up short. Percy's eyes flick between the water and the man, one eyebrow lifting slightly. ]

So we can leave it to die slower? How exactly would we do that?

[ Honestly, just taking it out now would likely be much easier. They have nothing that can hold it, even if they could get the thing out of there, and no idea what being on land will even do to it. ]

So we can try to save it.

[ Tony might not be as imposing as some of his friends, but he can put on a stern face and sound stern if he wants to. He gives Percy a sharp stare, clearly making up his mind just because of the response he got. ]

We can make a net. And we know it'll come after people, so we have bait.

[ If he's trying to be intimidating it doesn't seem to be working, Percy just returns the look with a bland one of his own. ]

Some things can't be saved.

[ Say, for instance, a creature that was moments ago trying to down and/or eat the man currently arguing for it. But maybe it's the dreamlike atmosphere or maybe it's just the fact that he's tired, but something in Percy's stance, in the twist of his expression, says that he's willing to be convinced. ]

And what will we be making this net out of?

If you give up they can't be. We can save it.

[ It's stubbornness, not logic. And part of it is just the gut reaction to seeing someone die. He can't stand there and do nothing and say that he couldn't have at least tried to save the strange fish person. He'll never sleep again if he does that. ]

Well, there's some kind of seaweed or plant growing in the water. It almost got me tangled in that when we were struggling. I think I could make a net out of that.

[ Which means going back in, yes, but Tony doesn't see an alternative. ]

[ Percy's eyebrows lift a little, but he just lets out a low, somewhat irritated sigh rather than continue the argument. He's had enough pointless attempts in the last few years to know when someone isn't going to be talked out of a stupid idea.

While he's bust silently muttering invectives to himself, he does unsling Bad News again, holding it at the ready. If they're going to do this thing he can at least attempt to keep the man from getting his idiot self killed. ]

Fine.

[ Tony is already taking off his wet clothes in order to give himself more mobility in the water. He knows it's a risky plan, but risky is better than walking away before they know everyone else is safe. Maybe his new gunman friend is right and there isn't a way to save the corrupted merperson. But they have to try. That's what makes them the good guys. ]

It'll be okay. If you can just keep him distracted for a bit, I can cut some of the seaweed and bring it back. Uh... You don't have a knife on you, do you?

Just the guns.

[ It's a bit sardonic, mostly in response to the fact that he hasn't thought to ask until now. And Percy should probably be wondering just a bit where his sword has gone, but that's hardly the focus at the moment. ]

And my ammunition is not unlimited, you realize.

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TDM: May

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