contagio | ( MEMES ) TEST DRIVE >> 6

THE TEST DRIVE

Like it or not, you've been dragged from your world into the sanctum. It's a pretty nice city, all things considered--sci-fi, high-tech, glamourous.... Except, of course, for the giant dome encircling it, and the threat of glitching, contaminated zombies at your door. Looks like humanity's built itself a fortress that looks suspiciously like a cage, too. Toss in the odd memory blanks and the everpresent logo of Bifrons incorporated and it's enough to make someone paranoid.

The object of this meme is to get people familiar with the world of the Sanctum, and to try to see if their characters would fit in a sci-fi utopia such as this. Here are your options:
1. Intro: Waking Up. Make your intro post, folks. You wake up in a strange place, and get a strange transmission to go with it. There's a pair of glasses connected to some sort of communications network, but otherwise not much else in the room with you. What are you going to do?

2. Environmental Glitching. You know the story of Noah? No? Now you're living it. Sealed portions of the districts are overfilling with water, flooding streets, fields, and select city blocks. Do you climb up to get to safety, shut off the water, or find a way to break down the barrier to the next sector over?

3. Genetic Altering. What it says on the tin. Except...it's not quite gone right, has it? Are you supposed to spit acid when you hiccup? Are your insides acid resistant? No? Oh dear. Warped experiments gone wrong, your augmentation has twisted around on you for horrific or hilarious results.

4. Memory Glitch. No one knows your face. You don't exist on the network. In fact...you're not all that certain you are who you think you are anyway. Haven't you always lived here?

5. Military Training. Everyone's got to start somewhere. You're training the green folks, maybe you're one of the newcomers yourself. Maybe you haven't even touched a gun before in your life. Either way, you'd better start now.

6. Outside the Dome You're out and about without an armed escort, suited up against the atmosphere and dysthropes. It's supposed to be a green sector in this run down shell of what used to be a suburb, right? Nothing could possibly go wrong

7. Wildcard. Choose your own adventure or create a cocktail from the presented options! The choice is YOURS.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"A shield I have for you, then. Though a sword may take a moment's search." Tis a small, strange thing he offers her. A flat discus that is light and evenly balanced. There is a small indicator, a port for a charge, and a small switch.

"But a flick of the wrist and..." He does so with one in his free hand, a thick, dined shield flashing to life surrounding the disk. The shape odd his I'd tall, angular. The cut of the guards shields in the palace. "Shape, color, and resistance as well as the command to wake it are yours to choose if you wish."

This is... strange. Aveline takes it, turns it over in her hands almost suspiciously. It's not like anything she's seen before, that's for certain. It doesn't look... strong enough. She gives it a flick; the first couple of attempts she doesn't manage it properly, but the third one reveals the trick, and the shield opens.

Okay, she's impressed.

"You can change the shape?" That seems even more impossible than anything else. "Can you show me?"

"Aye. There is the small dial on the center-" He rests a finger against, dragging it in a circle. The shape of the shield warps and flexes, shifting from angular to round to square to elliptical, the thickness of the hardened light altering at each stroke. Another twist of the hand made the light shift from blue to red to copper easily. "We have not quite managed to work out heraldry- they do not see much use for them here."

Colour, too. This is... she doesn't even have words for this. It doesn't seem like it could be solid, much less strong enough to hold back a substantial blow. Aveline adjusts it, cycling through colours -- green, to yellow, to orange, to red.

"This will really hold?" There's a share of scepticism to her tone. It's definitely lighter than a metal shield, which is a huge advantage, and she'd have to get used to it, but that's not so impossible, either. "This is... is this some sort of magic? I was beginning to think this place had none."

Because while she's seen spells that are something like this, she's never seen anything else even close.

"If you truly doubt- strike at me. I shall block." Lighter, easier to maneuver, something a soldier could strap on and never forget- A bit of Midgard, a bit of Asgard, entirely applicable for close quarters with a Dysthrope. "Tis technology, Lady Warrior. Such things can seem much like magic to those unaccustomed to seeing it."

"There certainly isn't anything like this in Kirkwall. I wish there was. If I could arm my guards with these, it could do a world of good." Maybe nothing like this at home, but it's something closer to... this place, and the sort of wonders she's seen here. It's... a bit much to take in, sometimes.

And 'Lady Warrior' might be accurate, but it's a bit embarrassing, too. "I'm Aveline," she says. "Aveline Vallen."

"You are a leader of men? I knew you had great skill from your stance and your bearing, but leaders we need far more than mere soldiers." He will see what he can do about bumping her into a more prominent position. Anyone with experience in leading is invaluable to the Militia.

"Warrior Vallen." Thor amends, offering his hand and forearm. "I am Thor Odinson of Asgard. Well met."

She takes his hand, though frankly she's a bit taken aback by so much faith in her so quickly. She's flattered, of course, that goes without saying, but she can't shake the feeling she hasn't earned that yet, at least not with him. In Kirkwall? Yes. But not here. She hasn't had the opportunity to prove herself yet.

"I've noticed the need," she says, a bit dryly. "I would be honoured to help where I can, in any capacity. And yes, I was Captain of the Guard in Kirkwall." There's pride there -- a small amount, a trifle, underneath the calmness of her manner. She worked for that, she has every right to feel proud of what she's done.

There was a way warriors of Midgard and their like held themselves and moved, how their eyes would flick to sources of potential threat and assess them quickly and cleanly. Tis something that remains constant no matter the means of combat, no matter the age. "Then we shall have need of you. Unfortunately it will require some time on the range to become accustomed to the rifles. One cannot demand from their men that which they would not do themselves."

"Yes."

There's a faint grimace, and she looks at the gun warily. She certainly doesn't have anything against anyone who would choose to fight from a distance. Mages (most mages) do. She'd gladly rely on Varric and his crossbow in a pinch. It's just not her preferred method.

"Can you show me the basics, at least?"

"Certainly." He flicks his shield off and sets his hammer aside, pulling a spare rifle up to his shoulder. "You brace it thusly and aim using this sight. Targeting is automatic for the most part unless that equipment is damaged."

Afterward one had to depend upon their own skills, such as they are. "You choose your target and your ammunition for your volley. This model offers ballistic, plasma, and incendiary. Once you have chosen your mark you brace for recoil and pull the trigger-"

He acts as he speaks, showing her every step of the way up until he squeeze the trigger- a round of plasma cracking through the air to strike the target. "Like so."

This, too, strikes her as being something magical, the sort of thing she expects a mage to throw in battle, not a mundane weapon. But if she can do it, well, then it can't be magical, surely.

"It... seems simple enough," she remarks, though she's frowning slightly. This is obviously the sort of thing that needs to be done in order to be learnt, and she picks up the rifle, mimicking Thor's skill as well as she can.

The recoil, however, catches Aveline off-guard; it's more forceful than she expected, and she stifles a gasp.

"Tis deceptive in it's scope, true. But it takes force and practice to manage it well." He sets his rifle down to sidle up next to her, resting a hand along her shoulder. "Brace here. Hold it as you would your shield against a firm blow."

Well, that she understands well enough. Her muscles tense under his hand, and her mouth sets into a determined line. She will master this, this strange weapon that apparently can shoot... lightning... or something that looks sort of like lightning to her. She doesn't have a better word.

Aveline lines up another shot, and fires again; this time, she's more prepared for the recoil, and her aim suffers less for it. Different from wielding a shield, different from her limited experience with a crossbow, but... she can do this.

"I'll definitely need practice."

( MEMES ) TEST DRIVE >> 6

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