❪ test drive #9 ❫

[natha]

YOUR STORY BEGINS     The Storm came. You remember darkness, but you don't remember much after that. You don't know how long you slept, but the dreams were short. You remember the expanse of stars and galaxies in your direct view. Every world and solar system ever known to man was present in your dreams in careful, pristine detail. You also witnessed the Storm, which has devoured a fair portion of these galaxies. Your Earth and similar planets were assimilated by the Storm. Somehow, you knew it would be the last you'd see of your world. That was when she told you what happened. You knew that you'd be living somewhere new. The details weren't clear, but you knew it was a part of a deal with the entity known as Darma - once, you might have been able to speak to her, but now you are only met with silence. When you awake, you will find yourself in Thesa Station. Your body is still cold, you're hungry, and the halls seem frighteningly bare somehow. Exploring the halls brings you to the transporter room, which will give you easy access to and from Nadril... Getting there is a quick process that leaves you feeling vaguely nauseous and out of your own body, and you can’t travel to the rest of the planet just yet, but the space station and the icy colony are yours to explore. A FORCED AWAKENING (THESA STATION)     ... But that is, of course, assuming that your awakening was a smooth one. In the best case scenario, nausea might be the worst you'd feel. For many others, the newly awakened won't be a pleasant one. In the past, the refugees will only wake when they are mentally and physically prepared for it. After all, they are in a whole new galaxy, and dimensions and time were trampled with to make the Intervention possible. Those who witnessed the storm before it devoured their own world would know as well that the Intervention hadn't been a graceful one, and it's exemplified by the way you wake. Alarms on the station will be blaring when you finally come to, siren calls and flashing light invade your already disoriented senses. You'll find yourself face-planted on the cool metallic floor among many others with you. Some, just as confused and unstable as you; others, still sleeping — they're alive, but no matter how much you try to wake them, they will not gain consciousness. Or maybe some will. It seems the best way to approach those in stasis is to put them back into their chambers in hopes that the glitch hadn't disrupted their recovery. Thesa Station has changed though, seemingly overnight. The space that surrounds the station is now in near-total darkness. Where there were once stars across billions of lightyears, it appears as though they're fading — some would flash right before your eyes. This is especially true for those with access to the Observation Room. Alarms will continue to ring as you find your way there. Once inside, you will see visible glitches in the hologram of the multiverses as a ghostly, dark fabric begins to blanket over the shining dots that represents the many stars across many galaxies. As it gathers the stars, it moves even faster. Somehow, you may feel that it's getting closer now. The impending doom of the Storm is now upon the little corner of the universes where Darma found her planet. It's only a matter of time now before the Storm finally, finally, finds El Nysa. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT     Nadril will remain accessible once you've established footing — it may seem like a welcome change to the steel, alarms, and artificial gravity. Once you've teleported down, your devices will pick up the message from the one and only Nurray, the leader of Nadril. The sensors we enhanced with Natha technology are picking up on some... rather confounding readings coming from the edges of the galaxy. I've checked the archives, and it seems similar readings have been detected at five different points in this planet's history, since the Natha began observing it. We have loaded these virtual reality consoles with data corresponding to those points in history, but there are only so many of us, and there is a lot to look through. If you could assist us in examining these events in more detail, perhaps we can figure out what exactly it is that caused it and how the Natha were able to repel whatever is responsible for these readings in the past. True to her words, the city square where you've teleported will have been furnished with a new piece of technology. Those who are familiar with Thesa's ins and outs would recognize it as a version of the Virtual Reality machines that can be found up there, but it is made for far more people. This foreboding machine has a shining gate that allows users to simply step through it and disappear into space. However, what you're really doing, is stepping right into the past. I. Burning Dawn — You can hear the piercing screams even before your surroundings finish rendering. Once they do, searing heat, choking smoke, and flickering flames greet you — you find yourself in the midst of a burning village, at the center of the town square. The streets are swarming with people, both peasants who seem to live here fleeing for their lives and the heavily armored troops who have fanned out throughout the village, armed with torches and spears. Those who are running speak of safety in the forest — a place of refuge, somewhere they can be protected even from these outsiders with their blades and their fire. But reaching the forest means getting past the invaders who are stationed throughout the village and at all the exits. Fight your way out, sneak your way out, or find some other solution — but to escape this simulation you must find a way out. Should you find yourself killed by the invaders, you will respawn back in the village square again, right where you started. There does not seem to be any other way to end the VR session. II. The Escape — It is bitterly cold. You find yourself as part of a caravan — and though no one explicitly says so, you know instinctively that you are traveling north. Snow crunches underneath your feet and soaks through the material of whatever it is you are wearing. There are cliff walls and caverns visible further up ahead, and the path you need to take is a long, winding road that leads to the top of those cliffs. On the horizon are dark clouds, and murmuring around you makes it clear that you all expect a storm. You have perhaps half an hour before it is expected to hit. What you do with that time is up to you, but should you fail to prepare properly and succumb to exposure, the next thing you know you find yourself within the caravan once more, a chill in your soul as you stare out at the approaching storm. Thirty minutes... III. Crime — "Catch!" Someone calls that word out to you, and a moment later, a small wrapped package is dropped into your arms. There is a flurry of movement from somewhere behind you, and suddenly, men garbed in Olympian insignias — older than the versions worn in Olympia these days, but still recognizable — appear, brandishing swords at you. "Stop! Thief!" If the guards catch you, the scenery around you will distort, and you will find yourself back at the start of the simulation, with a package thrown into your arms. But if you flee, if you evade the guards for long enough through the twists and turns of the Olympian markets of hundreds of years ago, and manage to lose them... When you come out of the VR session, you find yourself gripping a small trinket of some kind — an antique bracelet, or perhaps a goblet, or some other bauble of Olympian make. It is very old, and it is yours to keep. IV. ...And Punishment — The rattling of chains fills your ears as the walls of some kind of cell form themselves around you. There are shackles around your wrists, connected to chains which are bolted to the stones hemming you in. There are others chained here with you, and as you begin to process what you're seeing, someone enters the cell. It's a large, imposing man with scale-like skin, and he takes one of the others in your cell and hauls them away. Minutes later, from outside, you hear screaming — and then utter silence. The man will return in thirty-minute intervals, dragging the inhabitants of the cell away for execution until he gets to you. If you do nothing, you will meet your end in a variety of ways — beheaded by an axe, perhaps, or drawn and quartered, or boiled alive. Should that happen, you will awake in the cell again, until you find a way to free yourself and escape. V. Castaways — The tang of sea salt fills the air as the image of the ocean builds itself around you. You find yourself on the deck of a ship, sailing away from the isles of El Nysa, toward the thick, thick fog that has kept everyone fenced in for so long. "It's never been done before, crew," shouts a man with a thick beard, wearing the clothes of a captain. "But today, we'll be the first! Full speed ahead!" The ship sails directly into the fog, and it seeps in around you, obscures your vision and becomes so thick that it's almost hard to breathe. But you can hear the waves breaking on the ship's hull, and everything is fine. Until it's not. Until the sound of the waves breaking is the sound of waves crashing, until the wind whips around you and howls but does not clear away the fog. There's a sickening crunch as the mast cracks and twists and falls, shattering the deck and sending you and everyone around you into the icy cold depths of the sea. The isles are back the way you came, but can you make it? Try — because should you sink to the depths of the sea, you'll only find yourself on the ship's deck again once you open your eyes. INVISIBLE WIRES     While there are no apparent seasons in the everwinter of Nadril, the diverse flora is not all year round. Now, with the coming of the most distant moon of the year, there grows a beautiful red vine. It snakes upwards from the ice, bright red against the glowing scenery. Growing along houses, coiled up tree trunks, and spidering over the ground, the plant is resilient and quickly adapts to any terrain. It's quite the sight to behold, but get close and the veinlike roots fade, becoming entirely invisible. Like this, the vine ensnares its prey. A small tendril wraps around your finger, your neck, or burrows into your chest to entwine your heart. Each plant chooses two hosts in this way, binding them together with a sharp ache that becomes more severe the greater the distance between them grows. You may be alone when afflicted, left to suffer the night wandering to find your other half to soothe the pain. The vine withers after about 24 hours, leaving behind no trace, however, resisting its pull has been known to draw blood from the most stubborn obstinate victims. FINAL OOC NOTES     As always, feel free to wildcard prompts within Thesa Station and Nadril! These threads may be carried over as game canon if players choose. Players are encouraged to submit TDM threads as application samples, but they are not required. Please direct any OOC questions to the questions thread below. Players may submit an AC-length thread HERE from this TDM for two (2) Natha REP. The due date for submission is January 20th, 11:59 PM EST. Due to the plot-relevancy of this TDM, current players are able to play these prompts in-game in their own logs. However, only threads involving a perspective player may be used for Natha REP. For this application cycle, there will be a cap of 60 and no reserves. Applications will be open on January 2nd at 12:01 AM EST and close on January 4th, 11:59 PM EST. Thank you! QUICK NAV premise ● faq ● lore ● map ● npcs taken ● atp/emp ● application ● rep/acp calendar ● hiatus/drops ● modbox [ FULL NAVIGATION ] elnysa nysalogs nysaisles nysaooc elnyan

Comments

riley north | peppermint

[christmasmint]

arrival;

[Everything is cold, awful, and loud. It's really not all that different if not for the outlandish situation at hand. The funny thing is she prefers this to strange dreams. It's cold and hard so it must be real. She can't be sure about the rest given her multiple untreated head injuries over the past five years.

She pushes herself up and ignores how her body protests every move. There are voices in the chaos. People keep talking about putting them back in the chambers to aid their recovery. It isn't until she notes how small one of those bodies is that she can force herself upright.

It may burn her up to somehow still be alive even when the physical Earth has died. She should be in the ground with her husband and daughter. That is someone's baby. She'd want someone to get over their bullshit long enough to put Carly back in the chamber so she goes to be that person. She pushes herself to shake every person she encounters. If they don't wake, she'll get them back in the chamber. If they do, well, she'll hope someone who isn't barely keeping it together is around. She can't do anything more difficult right now.]

butterfly effect | one

[It's like a video game. They could never really afford those when Carly was alive. It's a shame her daughter isn't here, she thinks. She'd appreciate being in a world where she got to give the bad people what's coming to them. Riley can only act out of obligation. She sees these men picking off families. While it isn't real, it hits her between the ribs as hard as the real thing does.

It's not hard to take one of those guys down. What's the difference between a gang banger and these guys? Well they have a horse. They still enjoy cornering a helpless woman just as much Riley enjoys catching them by surprise long enough to give them the brutal death they deserve.

She'll be picking off the men one by one with a stolen spear for now. Give her time though. Riley has been known to set bad men on fire when it comes down to it.]

wildcard;

[PM me or just leave the prompt. I'm really not picky.]

🦋

[bellare]

[ frank is about to step in when he sees her in action. she doesn't need his help, so instead he's going to start rounding up the horses of fallen soldiers to get them out of the blast zone. (frank they're not real horses.) ]

Heads up!

[ he calls, tossing her a zippo. have fun :) ]

[christmasmint]

[Riley considers pointing that out, but it's a slippery slope. The kids these bastards killed weren't real either. He doesn't comment on her efforts so why do it to him?

She catches the zippo and gets to work.] Don't bother getting up.

[She warns the guy like she hasn't already pinned him down with his own spear. She only needed one. The others are really just to make a point to whoever finds them. She ignores whatever comment or scream she gets in response in favor of stealing what she supposes is lighter fluid in this era from a horse's pack. Now they're definitely screaming but, Riley carries on like she's checking off a list.]

Or cry to me. You should have known better. [She lectures casually as she leads a trail of fluid back to them. She walks back breezily so she can get to the start of the line as it were.] No one likes a child killer.

[In case they were wondering what they did to deserve this. She watches the fire bloom from zippo and drops it on the trail. It goes up quicker than she even expected. She doesn't inspect her work for long. Riley grabs her new spear and goes to return the item loaned to her.] Thanks. I needed that.

[bellare]

[ it's like watching himself at work. he almost has to wonder if he isn't high on that shit from fairytown again. he rubs the horse's nose nearest him as if to sooth while riley makes her way back over with his lighter. ]

Maybe you should keep it. Just in case. [ she wants to light some more people up, that is. ]

[christmasmint]

[Riley looks from him to the fire she caused and nods.] It would help. [There's more work to be done. Maybe this is all make believe. He's not even really loaning this to her. She can't shake those polite manners if she tried.] Thanks again. I'll bring it back once this is over.

[Whenever the people in charge call it or she successfully murders her way through these men. Both are likely endings.]

[bellare]

[ he nods back. even if he was really handing her his real lighter, he would say the same thing. the sim doesn't change anything he would do either, down to sticking close to the animals. but he knows he needs to leave their side now and he lets go of their reins and gently pulls their bridles off so they can eat as much grass and brush as they please while their owners scream not yards away. ]

Sure, you could do that. Unless you want a sidekick.

[ he's been trying to get better at working with people. and it only works if he lets them lead, otherwise he ends up trying to take over. it helps that he can tell they're here for similar reasons, of course. ]

[christmasmint]

[She opens her mouth to turn him down. Riley even has a cliche line about working alone all picked out. She thinks of the ones who died already. She's only one woman. She'll get them all eventually. That's who she has made herself into; the one who gets them with time, patience, skill, and a lot of luck. She can save more if she had someone riding shotgun. It certainly helped he never once tried to stop her from dealing out justice as she saw it. Riley closes her mouth, nods, and presses forward to the next place. The screams are a good indicator of where to go next.]

I could use another set of hands. [She saw the way he was prepared to step in on her behalf. He can handle himself clearly.]

[bellare]

[ he lets her work through it, mostly expecting her to blow him off if he's honest. but instead she agrees and he smiles - just a shadow of a thing - looking down at his hands and turning them over as if to say 'yep, i've got those.' ]

I'm in.

[ frank easily falls into step with her, making it clear with even such a small indicator that he isn't here to take over. his stride never overtakes hers but nor does he slow to overcompensate. he just walks alongside her: as equals, but looking towards her for direction all the same. he nods up ahead as if to ask if that's where they're headed. he wouldn't mind clearing this whole place one homestead at a time if she's up for it. ]

Also, Frank. [ if she wants to know his name. people always seemed to so he'll preempt a question that might never have come anyway. ]

[christmasmint]

[She appreciates it even if she wouldn't make any effort to stop him or slow down for his sake. Riley's eyes keep darting all over the place. This isn't her first rodeo. Maybe her a little show was enough to hammer in the point that she's truly intending to murder her way through these animals. She doubts it, but it never hurt to pay attention. It won't be too long until her steady place leads them into trouble. If there's another thing she's learned is only to rush when the fight is on. Anything else is just a waste of energy.

Her answer to the question she never asked is delayed. The truth is Riley never planned to ask. She'd be happy to not know a single one of them. Since he offered, she may as well give something back.] Riley.

[There's no sense in using one of her identities under the circumstances. Even back home, she's a hashtag at this point. Her anonymous days are long gone.]

[bellare]

[ he nods to accept their socially stinted introductions. he senses a kindred spirit in her no matter what her name is anyway, he thinks he's reasonable in assuming they're the same in at least some way. they make their way around the back of the house where they can hear children screaming. that sound will never not cut right through him. ]

I'll get the kids out. You light the place up?

[ this is totally reasonable and not an extreme plan at all. ]

[christmasmint]

[It's only when she catches the sounds of those screams, once she knows they are children, that everything about her seems to sharpen. Her fury is impossible to miss. She doesn't argue the plan or the fact he's supposed to be the sidekick in this scenario. That is exactly what she was planning to telling him to do anyways. The last thing these kids, imaginary or not, need is for her to have an episode at the sight of them. Her weakness can't get in the way of their safety.

Her jaw sets as she shifts her spear in preparation for a very ugly fight.] Go.

[That's all the warning she gives before she takes off at full speed to storm the house and make a target of herself. It doesn't matter who they want to pick off first when a very angry woman is trying to poke their eyes out with a spear. They'll come for her if only to save themselves.]

[bellare]

[ he nods at the order, running into the house and gathering kids and animals and any adults trying not to kill them in a bid for the exit. he's distracted momentarily by her ruthlessness, seeing himself again reflected back in a much prettier face. somehow, he thinks he owes it to both of them to get her story. but that can wait.

frank slices the gas line on the stove and runs out with everyone in tow, a small girl riding atop his shoulders. once he's sure they're clear he'll set her down, ducking down and telling the kids to get behind him for the moment riley lights it up. ]

Clear! [ he screams, hoping she can hear him or at least trusts that he's gotten everyone to safety by now. ]

[christmasmint]

[It's over even quicker than Riley expected even if it makes logical sense. They're little men breaking into a family's home. They never expected a fight against someone who knew what they were doing. It may have taken five years but, Riley typically knows how to engage and destroy with the best of them. She just did a lot less gracefully when her enemy was essential a small army of thugs.

That's a story for another day. She only pauses long enough to pick up their weapons and blankets. She does trust Frank wouldn't give her a clear unless they were truly clear if only because she gave a very powerful example of what happens to child killers around her.

(Maybe deep down she senses a kindred spirit too. She's been alone too long to let herself analyze it.)

Like many times before she opens the zippo at just the right moment and runs for her life. She's clear by the skin of her teeth as always; crashing violently to the ground with those blankets and spears clutched to her chest.

It takes a couple seconds, but Riley gets up, practically shaking from the adrenaline. She still holds out the blankets and extra spears like a peace offering. She did destroy their home even if she thinks it was necessary. Better to let it burn than go to the enemy.] You're going to need these.

[bellare]

[ this isn't a real village, and this family they saved probably isn't real either. but frank smiles as riley emerges with something to defend themselves. she's right: they obviously will need it. he rubs a hand over the girl's hair in fairwell before going over to check on his new partner. ]

That went pretty good. We need a new lighter, though.

[christmasmint]

[She watches them hurry off with supplies in hand and genuinely wishes them the best. Riley doesn't smile at Frank's gesture with the girl, but it does soften her to him. She's seen too many men get nasty with children over the past five years to not appreciate one who is openly kind to them.

She nods slowly at his assessment and looks around them.] They have torches. I don't think they'll mind if borrow a few.

[In fact, she's off to go find some and by association some more men to kill.]

[bellare]

A little less of a plan than I usually go for, but okay.

[ he's following for better or for worse at this point. she's kind of super fascinating to him even if she's like his chaos sister. frank allows the path between them to go quiet for a long while before piping up, deciding he needs to address this while he can. ]

Did you do that to the people who wronged you, too?

[ there's a negative amount of judgment in his voice, he really just wants to know if her mission is complete or not. it will change his opinion of the natha if she still has battles to be fought where she comes from, unlike himself. ]

[christmasmint]

It never hurts to be flexible. [Riley comments back as her eyes stay ahead. Her days of perfectly crafted plans are over even if they tended to go off the rails here and there. Sometimes you have to be in the moment. Her best work has come from seizing moments and turning them to her advantage.

The silence stretches on so long that she's surprised he has anything to say at all. What he asks catches her off guard. Riley glances back at him like she's assessing if he's one of them, if she somehow missed one, but she already knows the answer to that.

Her eyes go forward once more. Riley doesn't spend much time analyzing people outside her mission. She is essentially dead even if her body stubbornly lives on. It is starting to dawn on her slowly that he may be going along with this because it's nothing new to him. Riley doesn't know what to do with that thought. She's one of a kind back home. No one else has ever cleared a neighborhood of crime, gotten rid of dirty cops, or taken out a drug operation solo. People like her should belong in a comic with a catchy logo.

She lives in the real world instead. She gets a hashtag, a mural, and to reluctantly live on because a cop didn't have the decency to let her bleed out with her family. There shouldn't be anyone else like her.

An answer comes slowly as she continues to process it.] I also shot them in the face. [Like it's an afterthought. There's no shame or anger when it comes to her crimes. She states them like facts; something inevitable. It had to be done.]

[bellare]

[ frank just nods slowly in understanding, keeping pace with her easily and never showing so much as one flicker of reaction over his face. ]

Same here.

[ he's never met anyone who does exactly what he does either, not back home. matt comes close, here. but certainly never a beautiful woman. it makes whatever happened to her more heinous in his eyes, no surprise there. ]

arrival;

[mollymocked]

[All in all, every adventure back up to the station he's made has not been red letter in Molly's book, and this might be the worst yet. He hasn't found any of the Nein lying in wait to either be woken or returned, but he's not self-centered enough to ignore people who need help when he can do something. He's not particularly effective at it, but he's doing his best, and when the stasis chamber seals shut, he thunks his forehead against it, the capped tips of his horns scraping the glass a bit.]

I don't know why I bother coming up here. It's a cursed place. Nothing good happens here. [The fact that the problem is a problem regardless of location notwithstanding, and he's addressing the person who has just come up to the empty pod beside him, as if they have any time or interest in his frustrated whinging.

Right. Be useful, then. He slides a bit closer, holding his hands up in what he hopes is an appeasing gesture for a purple horned demon-looking being with three blades on his hips.] Easy. I'm just here to help.

[christmasmint]

[In another life, Riley would have panicked. The person she is now simply stares and rests her hand on a part of her hip that usually has a knife strapped to it. She was shot in the head once and sadly that was only the start of many instances of getting hit in the head. She hallucinates. It takes some time for her to work out that this man probably didn't appear in a story she read to Carly and therefore can't be coming from her head. All hallucinations are rooted in reality. She doesn't imagine purple demons.

She lets her hand fall back down to her side and starts walking again. Each step is wobbly. She really shouldn't be up. Riley didn't have the luxury of caring about that even before things fell apart.]

Great. I could use it. [It's sincere and dismissive at the same time.] Do you know the layout?

[mollymocked]

[Molly laughs in a way that tells everyone within a fifteen foot radius that he doesn't know shit about shit, and he doesn't have to say it. He's not stupid, but this place is very easy to get turned around in.]

I know how to get out of this room. If that's what you're wanting, then I can do that. Anything in here, I just sort of have to wander a bit and hopefully find what I'm looking for, and that's when it's not a shitshow. But I highly recommend leaving this business to people who actually know what they're doing.

[aka not him. And also not her. He can tell she looks rattled and not all of that is the post-stasis funk.]

[christmasmint]

[If nothing else Riley appreciates his honesty. There's not enough of that in her world. She nods to show she accepts his advice. Will she actually take it? Nope. Riley continues sweeping the place for more sleeping bodies.] I tried doing that once or twice. It didn't really work out for me.

[So she'll push herself to the brink of destruction. It's a hobby. Riley glances back at him to politely add.] Thank you for the advice.

[mollymocked]

[Appreciate the honesty while it lasts, Riley. It's like a rare unicorn in the kaleidoscope that is Molly.]

It rarely works out for anyone, but it makes you feel less awful when you realize you're in over your head and- oh fuck me. [He realizes then, that she's doing the opposite.

Gods help him he can't just leave her to do this alone. She's gonna collapse and then he'll feel responsible and it'll just be not good. And part of him says he can't leave anyway. If it were Yasha and everyone else like so much dying trout on the floor, he'd want someone else to get them back, and the only reason he's sure they're not is because he already checked. You protect your own.

But what's the harm in protecting other people. Leave a place better than you found it when you can, when it's reasonable, after all.] You're welcome, for what good it'll do. [He falls into step just behind her.] I'm Molly.

[christmasmint]

[She's actually surprised to hear him come up behind her. It isn't unwelcome. She could use some help lifting bodies. It is unsurprisingly hard given the way her vision swims in and out.

She catches his name a second later, another surprise, that gets her to glance back at him.] Riley. [Her eyes fall ahead.] You don't really look like a Molly.

[No judgment. It just doesn't fit her mental image of a Molly.]

[mollymocked]

[He snorts.] Now I'm curious as to what I look like instead. It's short for Mollymauk, but that's a mouthful for most people, and things are a bit dire, so yelling "Oi! Mollymauk!" to get my attention is just one syllable extra too many.

[Yes, just keep fast-talking. Don't let anyone see you sweat or know that you hate being up here. For all the world- at this moment- he's an overzealous horned puppy dog with a lot of tattoos trying to be helpful, as he nudges her in the direction of bodies half-covered in shadow that are more more visible with his dark vision and might have been missed otherwise. His strength isn't impressive, but between the two of them, it's doable.]