TEST DRIVE MEME

[eternitymods]

A. RETRIEVAL Dreams fade slowly, and awareness returns in increments. The hum of machinery, the smell of recycled air, the murmurs of others waking up around you. The interior of the ship has been outfitted with cots for those Biggs and Wedge retrieve from the Dream Width. Outside of the makeshift infirmary, windows set into the walls of the worn lounge area offer a view of space. It’s time to meet your fellow new arrivals who have been brought together on Biggs and Wedge’s airship. None of you know how you came to be here or where you are going, and the door to the cockpit is locked as the pilots focus on navigating the treacherous obstacles of the Dream Width. You might as well take this moment to introduce yourself to your fellow travelers. B. CURTI CENTER There’s an almost overwhelming aura of excitement in the tower as researchers rush to document this unprecedented number of interdimensional travelers. Over the commotion, the leaders of the Center struggle to explain, ‘Welcome to Vaikuntha. We don’t know why you’ve been brought here, but this is your new home.’ The staff will do their best to help the off-worlders settle in. They answer the questions they can, provide maps and pamphlets about the world and the destinations within it, and even guide the arrivals to a neighborhood where housing has been provided for you. Yes, due to the strange influx of arrivals, you’ll be expected to share, but the Curti staff are doing the best they can under the circumstances. Experiences like these bring people together. Perhaps you are the only one here from your world, but at least you are not alone in this experience. Others are right beside you, learning the same information, planning trips to visit the same new cities, checking out these Job things, and settling in to their new (temporary) homes. C. UP IN THE SKY There’s a whole new world to explore. It’s almost enough to distract from the fact that there’s one place you can’t go- home. You are on an Airship, the main mode of transportation between the major cities of Vaikuntha. While the majority are owned by airlines, perhaps you hitched a ride with a friend that has their own. You can go anywhere in a matter of hours — One can only hope you don’t have motion sickness. D. GUILDS Proud representatives of the Guild are lined up, ready to demonstrate their skills for the new initiates. Make sure to stay behind the designated line, this might get dangerous. So you want a new Job? You'll have to first travel to the Guilds, sign the papers, go through the orientation and introductory lectures, and get basic training. Afterwards, you can freely chat and practice with your fellow members, celebrating your new powers, and checking out your new wardrobe. E. LET'S BE ADVENTURERS Separated from all of your material possessions, connections, and everything you know, and really, what you’re left with is time. Better try to make the most of it. Enough expository banter. It's explorin' time. Maybe instead of spending every day in your room, you'd rather spend it living it up in the city of Lavode, or betting on Chocobo Races in Sparks Goldsaucia. Or maybe you'd rather go and explore the caves and ruins near Arito. With Airships and Chocobos at your disposal, you can go nearly anywhere! F. SIDEQUESTS Maybe you’re telling yourself, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’ But wait, you did. At least it pays. It all started when you checked the Quest Board.  All you wanted was a few gil to spend, and here you are in the wild, hunting for a Malboro Vine. Or maybe you are in some ancient and decrepit ruins looking for an artifact. Or you could be asked to be janitor for a week. Consider yourself lucky though, at least you don't have to do that alone. G. GET A JOB (THE OTHER KIND) You’ve got a Job, but Claire keeps sighing and muttering about layabout space-people not earning their keep, so it might be time to seek out Employment as well. There are plenty of opportunities to earn some gil in Vaikuntha, no matter where you choose to settle down. Your iMog slate includes listing for employment opportunities. Hopefully you can find something you can live with so that you can start saving up for an airship or the security payment for your permanent housing. H. MOGNET *Ding!* You’ve got Mog-Mail! Thankfully, you can instantaneously chat with your friends around the world thanks to you iMog Slate. And unlike old-fashioned Moogle Letters, you can even send messages to everyone in a blink of an eye! However, despite the change in technology, the old tradition of Mognet Strikes have never gone away. Nobody knows any more whether the Moogles have legitimate reasons to go on strike or if they are just lazy. But today, Mognet is down, and to get information you have no choice but going to the public boards or risk message corruption and mishandling. I. RANDOM ENCOUNTER The ground trembles, and out of nowhere, something hostile appears! Is that battle music playing? You were minding your own business walking around, and suddenly monsters attacked you! Time to put to use the skills you've learned with your Jobs! Will you try to fight on your own or seek help? And remember, you die in random battle, you die FOR REAL. There’s no shame from running from enemies that are a higher level than you! J. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

Comments

[sunderings]

[ One day, Sion's kindness will be the very thing which destroys him, his inability to turn away from the suffering of others leading him upon a path of ruination and of war. By his hand, a great and terrible future will come to pass: the world of Menoris, made consecrated ground by the blood of millions, their sacrifice necessary to preserve the beautiful magic of human, ensuring that it would not meet the doom of all other worlds before it—all life erased before the turn of a thousand years, caught in cyclical, unending tragedy. It is this curse which is written into the lines of the King's body, the anguish of all worlds vanished before his own, and that is why--...

In this place, upon this world, he wished to become a white mage, capable of soothing the ills of others.

(Even one so flawless as Ain possessed a void in his heart, in need of healing.) ]

Behind you—

[ Surprised, though he'd been, by the appearance of the ochu, the King had been quick to call upon a summons for wind, the magic bursting forth in bright arcs from his fingertips to fall upon the creature, driving the trunk of its body back, into the field, with its gust and cutting shear.

But oh, he's forgetting something, isn't he? The geezard which reared back, taking advantage of the opportunity to strike...! And strike it does, headbutting the white mage's leg (!!), seeing Sion unbalanced just enough to reach out to Ain to steady himself. ]

[glanzenschwert]

[ Did it matter, though? For a being which did not feel pain, it would not be able to become hurt.

Such was the fate of angels, created only to be tools. Those which could sublimate their imperfection, the flaw named emotion, to complete their devotion to their creator - they were the most effective, and the most instrumental to the restoration of the world.

Everything has a price. To compensate for the hubris of humanity, there must be some other sacrifice. The Goddess, in her boundless mercy, might have marked one of her own creations instead.

If Sion had not been here, Ain would have proceeded to cut the ochu into ribbons. But the white mage is here, so he restrains his killing intent - enough to let the plant-monster live long enough to be tossed into the grass once more.

It is the same reason that prevents him from turning his blade on the geezard, merely stiffening under Sion's grasp. The angel's body holds a certain liquid tension, reminiscent of a cat in the way he stores momentum for an anticipated strike.

What will they do with the geezard, now? ]

[sunderings]

[ What will they do, indeed.

With the geezard sufficiently wearied (the last vestiges of its strength poured into its final attack), and Sion balanced once again, the white mage...! Leans down, scooping the creature into his arms before rising again, his fingertips touching to its lizard skin (avoiding its mouth and many rows of teeth) to see it calmed, nearly sedate with all energy expended, unable to contend with the King's otherworldly aura of grace. ]

Thank you, Ain. [ For now, it seems, the geezard will be their traveling companion?? ] I should have been more watchful of the field.

[ To their good fortune, it looks as though the ochu will not be returning, injured as it had been by Ain's blade and Sion's wind magic. ]

That you had to draw your sword, it was my mistake. [ An apologetic smile, followed by a resolute note of head: ] Next time... I will make certain that you do not have to reach for it.

[ Definitely. Ain, with all the tension within him, seems as though he knows no other way than that of the sword. And so: if it is at all within Sion's power, he will ensure that the drawing of the blade remains unnecessary.

(Just because had been created as a tool, as a marionette, did not mean they could not defy their own design, as the King himself had.) ]

[glanzenschwert]

[ Could you defy your own design, though? That which you choose will eventually doom you, as had doomed him in another timeline...

Ain removes a piece of cloth from his pocket, wiping the blade clean before sheathing it in a single, graceful motion. ]

It is no fault of yours. The woods are wild, attacks are to be expected.

[ Sion, you're a healer. Let the tank take point... or the DPS, since neither of them hold a tank main job. ]

I would rather you take your safety to be more of a priority. Training is vital, but if you were a few moments too late, you could have been hurt.

[ His words may be sharp, but his tone isn't - neutral as always, without a flicker of restrained disapproval. The geezard is left uncommented on. ]