COMMENCE EXPERIMENT

[bathymetric]

Fun fact: Did you know that the Pacific Ocean has a surface area of 62.46 million miles? That's not even accounting for depth.

You awaken to a sharp jolt, like you've just hit the drop on a roller coaster. Then it passes, and you're in a bed, suddenly very clearly awake. Is that right? Were you asleep? Your memory is a little fuzzy as you come down off the adrenaline, but it puts itself into place soon enough. This is not, as one might say, your beautiful house. If you have a beautiful wife, she sure isn't here.

The positioning of the bed inside your new room gives you a very clear indication of where you are - or at least, where the building is. Above you is a decent-sized window looking out on... well, the ocean. But not in a fun beachside resort way, to say the least. Fish swim by pretty frequently, here to keep you company - but they cannot hear your screams, and do not seem particularly bothered if you tap on the glass unless they're right by it. It's thick, man.

On the bedside table, you'll find two things: a key card with a number between 1 and 25 on it (no points for guessing which one is on whose, unfortunately), and a small handheld device, a little like a smartphone but mostly like a blackberry? Remember those? Anyway, accessing it will reveal only a scarce few functions: a list of profiles, a map of the building, and a very ominous set of rules. You might try to ignore that last one! Unfortunately, you'll find them in a frame by your door. And in a frame somewhere in every room of the place, if you go out exploring at all. The tablet also has a message for you when you open it:

Greetings. Please take an hour to become accustomed to the facilities, then proceed to the meeting room north of your dormitories. Attendance is mandatory. - The Professor

But hey, it... it also lets you play Snake! Who doesn't love Snake, huh?

Anyway, head out into the halls! Make some new friends - or maybe enemies, wouldn't that be exciting? Look around a little! Just make sure to be back for whatever this meeting is - after all, you want a chance to face off with your captor, right?

Comments

[ladygeryon]

As far as I can tell, we're completely underwater, with no way to return to the surface available to us. [Nira tries to keep her voice calm, but after confirming the whole underwater thing, her nerves are starting to act up. The creature pressed against her side moves slightly closer, leaning in as if to stabilize her.]

[shieldsister]

[Aela's eyes narrow at the creature and her hand strays to her side as if searching for something, but she comes up empty. While her words remain even and unaffected, her eyes don't leave the creature.]

Such a thing should be impossible, but seeing as how it is actually happening, there's no point in dwelling on such things.

[Sometimes weird shit happens and you just accept it, that's how it's gonna be.]

[ladygeryon]

[Well, Nira knows about Absol being regarded with suspicion in some places, so that's not too surprising. She just stares back.]

Aria's harmless outside of battle, you know. Those stories about Absol causing disaster wherever they go are all confusions of cause and effect.

[shieldsister]

[...looks at Nira, looks at the Absol.......]

I have never heard of an "Absol" before. Where is this beast from?

[It looks like it belongs in the snowy mountains, but that's pretty much 50% of Skyrim, so...]

[ladygeryon]

Well, they're most commonly found in the Hoenn region, mostly in mountainous areas. Though she personally was a gift from my parents, who bought her from a breeder. [Nira pats Aria's head slightly as she speaks.] Does the region you're from not share information about Pokemon from other regions?

[shieldsister]

[That... was a lot. Okay, um...]

I have never heard of "Pokemon" before either. I take it these creatures are companions?

[So like... a dog. That's just a fancy dog. A fancy dog that lives in the mountains. And has a scythe coming out of its head. That's fine, probably.]

[ladygeryon]

Yeah. A lot of people have at least one, even if they're not Trainers. They do fight, but it's mostly for fun among themselves, and it helps them get stronger. [Let's not talk about when the battles turn into life-and-death, okay?]

[shieldsister]

Sparring, then. [Not exactly her preferred thing, but she can get that much at least. You can bring dogs into combat, so this makes perfect sense to her.] Do you not have threats to defeat?

[If all the creatures are able to be domesticated then what exactly are you actually fighting????]

[ladygeryon]

[Bringing your pets into combat is completely natural! Who would find it weird?]

If we're lucky, no. We've gotten used to handling trouble when we need to, but I enjoy having downtime to just spend with my family. Though as I mentioned, Aria can be quite fierce on the actual field of battle.

[shieldsister]

Ah, I see.

[So they aren't warriors, but they're willing to defend themselves if necessary. A bit like Skyrim, but with less bandits, probably.]

Has Aria been your companion for a long time?

[ladygeryon]

[Technically, Nira is a knight, but she's not on call as often anymore.]

She has. Absol have the natural ability to predict disasters, and my parents decided to get her for me after they became worried about my constant travels into the mountains. She's looked out for me ever since.

[shieldsister]

I see. We don't have creatures quite like this where I come from. We have dogs who will fight at their master's side, but most creatures are wild and will attack those who enter their territory.

[ladygeryon]

...that certainly sounds strange to me. Wild Pokemon will fight trained ones, but almost never to the death. And if beaten they are often willing to join the trainer as well.

[shieldsister]

I have a difficult time imagining a Troll willingly joining anyone.

[But she also has a difficult time imagining anyone leaving a Troll alive after battling it, so.]

[ladygeryon]

Trolls? What are those like?

[shieldsister]

Large, three-eyed beasts that stand taller than a man. They have massive claws and have small spikes protruding from their shoulders and across their upper backs. They're exceptionally strong, and many hunters have died at their hands.

[ladygeryon]

[None of that sounds too weird for a Pokemon...except that last part.] Are they actively aggressive, or does their territory just tend to overlap with humans' a lot?

[shieldsister]

Trolls typically live in the woods, so there are certainly places where their territory overlaps with roads and villages. They're highly aggressive, however, and have been known to leave their territory.

[ladygeryon]

[Nira nods.] It does kind of sound like it's much harder to coexist with them than it is with most Pokemon, then. Even the most aggressive ones only have so much territory they stay in.

[shieldsister]

Most of the beasts of Skyrim are aggressive, but none as much as the Trolls.

[ladygeryon]

...I suppose it's better than them all being as aggressive.