Test Drive Meme #0

[coboservice]

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Legend has it that the god Henir endured Ragnarok, and afterwards created a place where there is no limitation of time and space. Here, she is able to see the rise and fall of the world. Should you reach this place, by Henir's force, you are bound to face the enemies you have met in the past and those you are destined to meet in the future.

Henir's Time And Space

You awake into darkness, surrounded by impossible geometry and an unnerving thrum that fills the cold air. Strange shapes move in the distance, drifting between labyrinthine paths that bend and twist into an endless, senseless maze. Gravity seems to be merely a suggestion, and you'll quickly find that any surface is fine for walking on—sideways, upsidedown, it doesn't matter as long as you're not thinking too hard about it. In a world of raw chaos, the only rule that matters is your willingness to press on. Just don't step too carelessly—one wrong move, and you could end up spinning down (up?) into an endless abyss, lost forever in time and space.

The air is cold, and the longer you stay here the more it feels like that chill will never leave... this isn't a place where mortals should be. Regardless of how you arrived in this place, you'd best make your way back out soon.


... but you're not alone in this alien world. There are others here like yourself, and it never hurts to have a few allies in a strange place like this.

There are also a number of strange... objects? Creatures? Monsters? Whatever you want to call them, they're not terribly friendly and "speak" only in terrifying, unnatural screeches. They seem territorial, which is a problem in a world where space itself follows no logical sense. At least they seem to lose interest once a target it out of their sights(?), and they can be killed(??) if you hit them enough times with something sharp or heavy... if you can't defend yourself, it's better to just keep your distance. There's a lot of sharp edges on those weird things, they seem to be fully aware of that fact.


Somewhere off in the distance you can hear a whale-like cry, followed by a giant shadow that flies past too quickly to see... that one, you probably shouldn't try to fight.

Walking In Circles, Squares And Triangles

No matter which way you go, you never seem to make any progress in finding a way out... and eventually, even the senseless scenery starts to look familiar again. You're not going to get anywhere just by looking around.

But it's on this second pass through that you finally stumble upon something new. Seated comfortably in the middle of the path is a strange man in an iron mask, bound in rusted chains. He is holding... a very dainty tea cup, which appears to be completely empty. He looks up as you approach, waving in a friendly manner.

Mysterious Masked Man

Ah, there you are! I was starting to wonder if you'd died already. Come, come, take a seat. You must be tired from all that running around!

You're an adventurer, aren't you? Yes? No? Ah, well, it's never too late to start! Don't worry about the details. Hmm, let me try a different question... you want to leave this place, don't you? Henir's Time and Space isn't exactly friendly to ones like yourself. Besides, it's starting to get a little... crowded, one might say. I think it'd be beneficial to all of us if you and your little friends went somewhere else, don't you agree?

Kukuku, that's more like it. Why don't we make a deal? You do something for me, and I'll see to it that you can escape this place in one piece. That's fair, don't you think?

Hmm? Who am I? Oh, no one important! Not anymore, that is. You can call me Glave. Come find me again when you're ready. I'll gladly put you to work.

Introduce yourself to the locals!

"You see those shape-like creatures over there? They're not the best for conversation, but you could say they're the natives of this world. The long ones are called Chaos Triangle, and the ones that spin in place are Chaos Circle and Chaos Square. Why don't you start by introducing yourself? Of course, they respond best to acts of extreme violence, so you'd best go in prepared. When you're done playing, bring me back the core of each one and I'll give you something good." • Defeat Chaos Triangle, Chaos Circle and Chaos Square. • They're not the toughest of enemies to fight... but they can still smack you pretty hard, they have sharp edges, and they don't like strangers. You can't reason with them and they don't seem to understand speech. Also, the Triangles skitter. It's kind of creepy. • After striking the final blow, the Chaos creatures will collapse into their polygonal components and leave behind their core (a sphere, cube, or pyramid). Bring back one of each to Glave to complete this quest.

I didn't lose my marbles, but...

"You're not much of a fighter, are you? Or maybe you're just pretending so you can get the easier job... kukuku, who am I to judge? Very well, not everything requires brute force to accomplish. Let's see... well, I did happen to drop something earlier. A pair of blue cubes, about an inch across each side. I think it was somewhere... oh, maybe over there? I'm busy at the moment, so how about you find them for me?" • Find Glave's two missing cubes. • His directions are awful to the point of being useless, and they blend in with all the other glowing blue surfaces around here. This might actually be impossible, but try your best. • Was this a trick to make you go away while he bothered someone else? ... maybe! But hey, it wouldn't hurt to try, right? There's tons of blue cubes just floating around, so maybe you can just find a pair that's almost the same...

To submit quest results, please leave a comment here.

Lamp Oil? Rope? Bombs?

Glave's offer is tempting, if suspicious, but he's not the only one who seems familiar with this place. Somewhere deeper in the endless maze is another such person, standing at the centre of a wide platform bereft of monsters or chaos-creatures... a rest area, if you will. The woman smiles, checking something off on the long scroll in her hands.

Mysterious Woman

Welcome! I'm Helen. We sell necessities for travellers... oh, I'm sorry. Normally I only sell items for ED, but these are trying times. It's alright, let me see what you have and we'll work something out.

Leaving this place? I'm afraid that's outside of my control. I'm just a simple travelling merchant. You'd be better off trying to convince someone like Glave. He can be a bit troublesome, but he's not so bad once you get to know him.

Who would say no to free samples?

"Since you're helping Glave, why don't you take a couple of my potions? It's bad for business if my customers get hurt. If you give one of them to someone else, I'll consider that a favour to myself. Let me know how it goes, and I'll see what I can do to make Glave see reason." • Find a traveller in need and give them a healing potion! It tastes like Tylenol, but it sure does work. • Or just lie. Drink both of them yourself! What's the worst that could happen? • Show Helen that everyone is working hard to escape and she'll knock some sense into Glave.

You can't go to Elrios without a bit of whaling.

"Actually... there is something else you could help me with. I run a fishing business on the side, you see, and I've heard tales of a great Leviathan that roams this space. I've always wondered if other fish might've ended up here as well. I'll let you have this rod, and if you find anything that looks like a fish, let me know." • Go fishing... in space!! • There is no water here, it only kind of looks stupid. • If you keep at it for long enough, you might actually fish something up... or maybe you'll just hook one of the Chaos creatures. Try not to get killed! • What is that whale sound, anyway? Maybe you can bait it out...?

To submit quest results, please leave a comment here.

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Comments

[lotusbeater]

[However it is he meant his response to the thanks, she takes it with a shrug and offers no retraction.]

I can't afford not to be. [Between the world of Arad and its seemingly-constant need for adventurers, mercenaries, or other individuals capable of fighting, and the world of Pandemonium being, well, Pandemonium, there have been very few moments where Rae didn't need to be ready to fight, and she also needed to be good at what she did; any real lapse on her part would make her someone else's liability or would make her dead.]

Looks pretty obvious that you know your stuff, too. [Ice magic, she's seen used plenty of times; freezing attacks, dropping icicles, the conjuration of temporary weapons, and more, she's seen ice used in several different ways. The use of water, however, is fairly less-common to her outside of the occasional water ball that gets mixed in with the rest of the magical attacks that she employs herself, so she definitely took notice when one of those Circles took a blast that hit hard enough to bisect it.

She takes a moment to pick up a few of the cores that were left behind as a result of the battle.]

Mind giving a name? [She can't help but be curious as to who, exactly, came to her aid here.] Mine's Raelyn. Or just Rae if you want to keep it short, either way's fine.

[connixation]

Master Denif. It's a pleasure to meet you, Raelyn.

[Nicknames are not Denif's thing. Arm's length formality, however, is. As he speaks, his tail curls around his legs, and he offers a clawed hand out to shake. Professionalism really is all he knows. He could stand to smile or try to look friendlier, but alas.

That said, if she shakes his hand, his grip is firm like she just accepted a job offer after an interview, and he's quick to let go and retreat back to his own bubble, so to speak.]

I should hope I "know my stuff", as you said. It wouldn't do for the Water Master to be inadequate in any way. [He's mostly musing to himself there. Then, addressing Raelyn directly, he inquires,] If you could answer this honestly, I would appreciate it. Did you fall into a dimensional rift, or did you venture in of your own accord? [He's... assuming she recalls, anyway.]

[lotusbeater]

[She takes his hand for the brief moment that it's offered, and raises no question at his identifying himself as Master Denif, and then she finds the unasked question answered anyway when he essentially reveals that in whatever world he's from, he's a master of water magic.

In Pandemonium, the world that she called home, the strength of a person or the magic they wielded was often a not-insignificant factor in how much influence they held in comparison to others. Taking into consideration what Denif had displayed earlier and the way he's identified himself now, Raelyn drops her usual informality, straightens up, and answers clearly.]

I was sucked in before I had could react, Master Denif. It wasn't open until I was too close to it, and once it did open, I had no chance.

[connixation]

[Oh? Denif smiles at the sudden formality. He doesn't expect anyone to address him in an overly-formal way, but it's a refreshing change of pace. Half-jokingly, he comments,]

I wish the other Masters were like you.

[And then he focuses again on the discussion at hand. So she was sucked in, then? That's not surprising; rifts open under folks' feet if they go into the wastes all the time, but—]

That's unfortunate to hear, but not unsurprising. No matter where you were, be it a busy city or a barren wasteland, lately these rifts to Henir have started to open up. One opened in Elrianode recently, and that's how I found myself here. [He has no idea that Raelyn is an out-worlder; has no reason to assume such, either. Elrios is rife with different fighting styles.] I'm glad to see that you're alive and fighting-fit regardless.

[lotusbeater]

I've never heard of Elrianode. [Or of Henir, for that matter. However, since she's not native to the world that she was in before she wound up here, places whose names she doesn't recognize don't particularly clue her in on anything; they could just be places that her search hasn't led her to just yet.] As for where I was when it happened to me, I'd just gotten back to Underfoot.

So it sounds to me like whatever is causing this to happen, it might be pretty far-reaching.

[connixation]

[...listen the apocalypse was five hundred years ago so it makes sense but also, she's never heard of Elrianode? How in the fuck — that's basic history! ...maybe Denif is just way too old. That happens.

But he hasn't heard of Underfoot, which... hm.]

...it would seem so. If you don't mind further questioning, Raelyn — so that I can ascertain how far-reaching it is, what realm did you come from? [Maybe... it's in the Demon Realm?]

[lotusbeater]

The world that I'm originally from is called Pandemonium, and the world I was on before I ended up here is one called Arad. [Was he expecting two answers? Because he just got two answers.]

[connixation]

[...

Oh this is very bad.

Denif has decided to stop being Old about things and has finally put two and two together, it seems. Golden eyes fly wide and a hand instinctively moves to his chin in thought, tail lashing for but a moment before he mutters,]

You're not from Elrios, are you? [The scope of problems gets larger!] Which means this is more far-reaching than it should be, doesn't it...? [Cue internal screaming.]

[lotusbeater]

That's the name of the world you're from? [It seems a reasonable assumption to make, at this point, and her responding with a question of her own both confirms that she is not from Elrios and suggests that she's started to put things together herself.]

It sounds a lot to me like this whole thing is probably a lot bigger than either of us was thinking.

[connixation]

As far as I'm aware, this realm neighbours Elrios, so we're likely — hopefully — closer to Elrios than somewhere else... Though, that may not be the case if it pulled you in from another world. Arad, you said?

[Which begs the question of how "close" Arad is to Elrios or if they're far apart. Does Henir's space stretch between worlds? Even worlds that are far away? It seems likely, but Denif can't imagine Henir has that much of a scope, either... but regardless of what he thinks and imagines, it's happening now. Wondering about what-ifs and theorizing won't help them.]

I'm not an expert on Henir by any means. Ideally, I would like to see you home safely, but who knows where a dimensional tear will spit us out next...? I should ask you if you have any experience dealing with interdimensional spaces like this, actually. [Might make it easier.]

[lotusbeater]

I've heard some small things here and there about rifts, but most of that basically amounts to knowing what they are and knowing that getting stuck in one is, to put it lightly, a pretty bad idea. [Thinking about it now, being torn away from Arad like this means that accomplishing what she had originally set out to do feels almost impossible, and what should she do with herself if it is?]

So... Unfortunately, I'm stuck playing things by ear right now.