epidemiology | EVENT ★ LABYRINTH II

DEEPER

Following the marked path near the lake leads Audentes (and George) further into the maze, closer to the goal found at the center. Some other inmates (including Zymandis agent Mavahari) and correctional officers follow along, having picked up on the organized manner of Audentes and figuring it’s their best bet on getting out of here alive.

Unlike the dry stone and sand in the outer ring of the maze, this next section is overflowing with flora. Jungle vines cling to the walls to the point where seeing the stone underneath is a difficult task; trees sprout from between cracked tiles, bearing alien-looking fruit; branches and brambles cross certain parts of the maze, and will need to be hacked through unless you want to find another way around.

Water is more plentiful now as well, since obviously the plants need it to flourish. For the first time since setting foot in the labyrinth, a rain begins to fall, drizzling and gentle. This can be a respite or an annoyance, depending on how you look at it: while it’s soothing and can make collection of fresh, clean water easier, walking around in wet clothes is probably not that pleasant.

Your fellow ALASTAIR recruit George has inexplicably struck up a friendship with the Zymandis agent Mavahari, and they can often be found exploring the maze together, with Mavahari helping him due to his broken arm. They seem to be getting along well enough, but maybe checking in with George is in order.

Otherwise, survival is the name of the game; though the center of the labyrinth is closer, it’s impossible to tell how close, and how long to expect to be here. Collecting water is simple enough, but food is growing scarce. The tree fruits may be a good solution, but it seems as though some have unfortunate reactions to them, ranging from stomach cramps to rashes to fever and temporary blindness.

But an allergic reaction may just be the least of your worries.

LOVE ME LIKE A REPTILE

The monsters seen so infrequently in the outer ring of the maze are now a common nuisance. Giant insects and rats scurry about, hungry for whatever flesh they can find, but they’re easily defeated, particularly if encountered as a group. But with new terrain comes new, adaptive animals, and the labyrinth is no different.

Lizards are now the main threat: enormous and camouflaged, they stalk their prey and take their time, looking for the perfect opportunity to ambush. The lizards are three-headed, with each head containing fangs dripping with venom, capable of rendering its victims paralyzed within five seconds flat. Their blood is also poisonous, capable of burning through metal, not to mention flesh.

If a head is severed, the lizard will retreat back into the jungle, presumably to nurse its wounds but possibly to grow another head -- no lizard will ever be encountered with less than three heads, so it’s possible they have regenerative abilities. The best way to defeat one is to remove all three heads at once, or simply kill it in whatever way possible. The lizards are quick and mean, but not invincible.

Now more than ever, it’s important to take care in exploring the maze. Stray too far from the group or try to make it alone, and you might not survive.

OOC NOTES

Once again, we have a plotting post here and search requests for the next ring of the maze.

Please note: during the labyrinth event, all drops are ICly delayed. What this means is that characters who drop will be handwaved to still be around on auto-pilot until connection with Oska is resumed, at which point they will be transferred to a different team as usual.

If you have any questions about the labyrinth that aren't answered here, please direct them to the Leramzen dossier. If you have questions for any NPCs, please direct them there as well!

Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ and you may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[If being left blind in such a dangerous place was bad enough, then being blind and running from a monster was even worse. Nyuu didn't know what else to do when she heard someone shout that warning to her, so she ran off to the side with her arms out in front to feel for anything that might get in her way. Unfortunately, it seemed the lizard knew that it had found easier prey and gave chase.

The fact that Nyuu didn't even know what she was running from only made her run faster as her imagine ran wild. She'd heard the others speak of giant lizards with many heads, so in her mind she pictured a creature similar to Orochi from the myths.

Her foot slips on a wet patch of stone, landing her flat on her stomach with a pained grunt.]

[ Ratchet's stomach drops when the lizard doesn't run past the stranger, but right after her. He scrambles to his feet, nearly tripping again over whatever tangle of roots and vines had caught him in the first place. Sprinting after the trail of corrosive blood, grumbling something under his breath about needing a vacation.

He catches up just in time to see the girl slipping and falling (painfully it looks like) - and their new acquaintance closing in behind her. ]

Hey...keep down!

[ Without thinking Ratchet raises his gun to fire another round at one of the lizard's heads above her. ]

[Nyuu doesn't have to be told twice. Still lying on her stomach, she puts her hands over her head and tenses as she hears the monster's heavy breathing. Breathing...

Ice runs down her spine at the realization that the lizard's mouth must be very close for her to feel its breath, and--she felt something hot against her skin?]

Ow!

[She releases her head in favor of clapping her right hand onto the burning spot on her left arm. Over the beating of her own heart, she can hear something sizzling. It's the stone beneath her. Nyuu hasn't learned about the poisonous blood, but the pain in her arm and the sizzling sounds are enough to make her understand that she should move away from the lizard.

She rolls away just before she hears the shot make contact with the lizard.]

[ This time the shot connects more squarely, two of the lizard's heads shrieking in pain or anger or something else entirely; the third twisting and bleeding, a shower of blood that makes Ratchet freeze. He hadn't thought through that the thing would be raining corrosive blood down onto the person below it.

Growling and hissing, the thing starts its retreat again, more of scrambling shuffle than anything else, backing away from them both. Ratchet raises the gun but doesn't fire, giving it a wide berth and running over to the girl. ]

Hey, you okay?

[Nyuu feels more of the burning sensation on other parts of her body. She'd been curled up into a ball on her side when she stopped rolling, so most of the pain is concentrated on the side of her body that's facing the sky, all the way from the lateral side of her shoulder down to her ankle, creating holes in her prison jumpsuit.]

I-I don't know. Something's burning my skin.

[She grits her teeth as tears peak out of the corners of her eyes.]

Uh...crap, you probably shouldn't move.

[ To his credit, Ratchet's voice is much calmer than he feels, dropping down to kneel next to her. The sizzle of the blood singing clothing and skin tell enough of a story, but it's not a pretty sight either.

Reaching into his bag he digs out the supplies he'd found earlier; mostly first aid things he didn't know how to use. His hand closes around the bottle of isopropyl alcohol, which he...kind of knows how to use. He'd heard about it anyway. Seen it on tv.]

I have something to rinse off the blood, but...I'm pretty sure it's gonna sting, okay?

[ Not that it could be much worse than the actual burning. ]

O-Okay...

[It might be a good thing that Nyuu is temporarily blind, or else she would have been frightened by all the little red spots appearing where she'd been burned.]

What is this anyway? I can't see what's happening.

[If he was to look at Nyuu's eyes, he'd see that they were moving around erratically, unable to focus on anything.]

[ Ratchet has questions; wants to ask her if she's blind or if something else happened or what, but...it doesn't really seem like the top priority right this second. ]

It's the lizard...you got some of its blood on you and I guess it's acidic or something...real fun stuff, right?

[ He looks over the burns, unscrewing the cap on the bottle while he talks. ]

I'm just going to pour some alcohol over it to rinse it away...should stop it from getting worse at least. Just, take a deep breath, it'll be quick.

[ Without any counting or real warning he carefully tips the clear fluid over the areas that looked like they were actively burning, moving it carefully to flush away the corrosive blood. ]

So that's why I heard sizzling. Not from me, though, from the ground. [She says it quickly so as not to make him more worried.] It felt like stone.

[Nyuu gulps down a nervous breath before nodding her head. Y-Yes--AAARGH!

[She actually thought there would be some kind of additional warning, so the new pain comes as a total surprise, even more so from her lack of sight. It felt like the burning was getting worse, but Nyuu didn't try to move away. As soon as she stops screaming, she grits her teeth to hold the rest of her pained noises in. A few tears leak out of her eyes, but she manages to remain still with a few twitches here and there.]

EVENT ★ LABYRINTH II

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