COMMENCE VOYAGE

[bathymetric]

Fun Fact: Did you know the Atlantic Ocean has a surface area of 41.1 million square miles? No reason.

...

There's something uneasy in the air as you come to.

Well, "come to" is an interesting word in this case. It implies waking up, which is not exactly what happens. None of you are in beds, nor are you really asleep in the traditional sense. One moment you're somewhere else, doing something else with your time, and the next? You're somewhere on board a massive cruise ship - maybe lounging on a deck chair by the pool, maybe getting some Gains in the exercise room, maybe enjoying the tasteful décor in the buffet - and you have no idea how you got here or how you might get back. This is not your beautiful house. If you have a beautiful wife, she isn't here.

What you do have, apart from 25 other unlucky souls, is a small smartphone-like device in your pocket with only a handful of things on it: a clock reading 11PM, a pdf of a ticket in your name on a special Atlantic Liners New Year's Eve Cruise, an app labeled Passenger Profiles with some basic information on your traveling companions, and a message:

Welcome aboard, passenger! Please feel free to partake of any of the facilities while you wait for the big event! Remember: when midnight comes, you better make your way to the theatre at the back of Level 1 for the main event! The Captain and the First Mate will be there to take care of you all personally, and to help you ring in the new year in style!

Well, that's a start. But what you do until then, it seems, is up to you!

Comments

[hypnowhip]

[TIME TO MUTINY WITH DAVY JONES--

With a shrug,]

Our summoning might've depended on a certain location? But honestly darling, I couldn't even begin to guess. As far as I know, no one has come up with magic to go to different worlds, so this is definitely new territory.

[He doesn't have Act III info.]

[scythegun]

I'm hardly an expert on blastia and I don't even use magic, so I couldn't begin to guess how this would be possible.

[It's not going to stop him from trying sometimes, but eh, this might as well happen.]

Well, with any luck we'll find out more about all of this soon!

[there is no luck involved here.]

[hypnowhip]

...while we're in the dark on what's going on here then, is this a good time to ask what a "blastia" is?

[He literally could not even begin to guess.]

[scythegun]

Oh, you aren't familiar with them either? It seems no one else is...

[Which is just. Really goddamn weird, actually.]

Blastia are power sources - they can be used for just about anything! We use them to power our barriers that keep monsters out of our cities, but smaller ones can be used for everyday things like electricity. Those of us that fight also keep a blastia on us to give us the strength to fight monsters.

[So like. The magical catchall jrpg thing, you know how it goes.]

[hypnowhip]

[Items with power is something that Sylvando is familiar with, yeah, but even so...blastia seem like entirely different beast.]

Wooow! They sound fascinating! There's nothing quite like that in Erdrea, but I could see them being very useful!

[Especially while Mordegon was in power...but the past is the past.]

[scythegun]

Ja, they are! Though they can be rather difficult to maintain... I'm not one of the people who handles that sort of thing, unfortunately.

[So if there are indeed blastia involved, we're probably still fucked.]

I HIT ENTER TOO SOON, MOBILE PLEASE

[hypnowhip]

Something so great can’t come without a few cons, eh? Well, here’s hoping it’s something we can put our heads together and deal with!

[Because while this ship is interesting, he doesn’t want to be stuck here...]

lmao oh no!!! mobile please!!

[scythegun]

Ja, precisely! It may not come up at all, though, given how no one else here seems to have heard of blastia before...

[Which is, again, super weird. How do you people do anything in your worlds without digging up magical ancient devices and making them handle everything??? Wild.]

[hypnowhip]

Oh, you know, it must be bizarre to have to explain them if they’re so commonplace! Goodness, now I’m wondering what I’ll have to explain about Erdrea at some point...

[Do other worlds not have an Yggdrasil tree? That would be WILD.]

[scythegun]

I'm sure you'll find it just as baffling whenever you have to explain something so commonplace!

[Not like this is a bad thing because you guys not knowing about blastia really works in his favor but like. Shit's weird.]

[hypnowhip]

Sorry to add to the bafflement in this case, darling! But I really do appreciate the explanation.

[scythegun]

No, no, better to get this out there early, ja? It would be much worse to have to explain all this later!

[...okay, considering it's yeager, it really wouldn't be since he's always this laidback, but you know what he's getting at!!]

[hypnowhip]

I suppose there's no better time than now, since we're all just exploring! But still...I launched into questions about your world without even getting to know you first! I swear my manners are not usually this horrible.

[With a small bow,]

Who am I having the delight of speaking with?

[scythegun]

Think nothing of it! This situation truly has thrown us all off a bit, ja?

[But with a return bow:] Yeager, it's a pleasure to meet you.

[hypnowhip]

I'm glad you understand, darling. Still, I'm mortified!

[But there's no time like the present to rectify things! He's pleased that Yeager seems to be taking this all in stride as well though.]

The pleasure's all mine, Yeager! I'm Sylvando. You might've already formed a guess or two about what I do [from his talk of performances] but what's your story?

[scythegun]

[Between that and the outfit, he's got a pretty good guess, yeah.]

I'm the leader of a guild named Leviathan's Claw. [you'll probably need to read the profile to figure out what he just said, he absolutely butchers the name with that accent.] For the most part, I work as a businessman! My guild handles quite a few odd jobs as well, though.

[hypnowhip]

[Yeager please--]

A guild leader, how exciting! [Though with stuff like blastia in Yeager's world, Sylvando figures they must be a little different from the guilds he's familiar with.] What sort of business do you handle?

[scythegun]

Buying and selling blastia, primarily! I may not be a researcher, but I like to think I know enough to make a nice profit!

[..........let's not mention ruin's gate, that sounds good!!]

[hypnowhip]

Oh! Back to blastia!

[After thinking about it a moment more, he sends a wink Yeager’s way.]

Then were you just being modest with me earlier, Yeager darling?

[scythegun]

[That gets a laugh out of him, anyway!!]

A bit, perhaps. But I truly wouldn't know the first thing about fixing a blastia or any of that... [he pantomimes the equivalent of typing on a keyboard in the air. you know that weird thing the mages do with blastia sometimes.] "recalibrating" thing, I think it's called?

My knowledge is when and where to sell them and who will be looking for what, not what makes them tick!

[hypnowhip]

[The action gets a quizzical look from Sylvando. He sure as fuck does not know what that even signifies, but apparently recalibrating is involved in fixing a blastia, sure.]

I see, I see! So for you, the fun is in the trade! Is that what got you into the business in the first place?

[scythegun]

Ja, precisely! There's something very fun about getting to travel all over and see so much of Terca Lumireis... and of course, I can't claim I don't enjoy finding a good deal and making money!

[hypnowhip]

Finding fun in traveling is definitely something we have in common! It’s part of what I found so alluring about the circus life. There are so many different places and people to meet that you might not have otherwise!

Terca Lumireis though, eh...? It’s so strange to hear of a completely unknown world...but it does have a lovely ring to it!

[scythegun]

The circus! My, that sounds exciting. You'll have to tell me more about that - and those places and people! - at some point, it sounds like you've been having a great time!

[hypnowhip]

I’d be happy to!

[He suddenly claps.]

Oh! I know! We could trade stories of our travels! How fun would that be?