EVENT ★ LABYRINTH II

[futurologists]

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.

Comments

B!

[skelepun]

[Urahara wasn't the only one distancing himself since the prison. As long as he was being fed and had a place to crash, Sans was fine letting everyone else figure a way out of their captivity.

Of course, while prison was light on amenities, the maze was even worse. Low on food and with lizards making it difficult to find a mossy rock to doze on, Sans found himself more inclined towards proactivity... At least where food were concerned. The juicy purple fruits had garnered a bad reputation among the organics, but if Sans had a problem with poison he would've never eaten his brother's cooking. No organs, no problem.

That's what brings him to this part of the maze, downing freshly picked fruit whole and chewing mechanically as he walks down a precut path through the jungle. Whoever had been this way before him was thorough, and Sans silently appreciated being spared the effort. He didn't expect an opportunity thank them in person. Nor did he expect to find them kneeling over severed heads, muttering to himself like a weirdo.

But hey, it takes all sorts.]

You alright there, buddy?

[predomination]

Hmm? [Urahara looks up, expression so blithe, he could have been caught sniffing flowers instead of studying blood.]

Of course. I was just observing the blood. I thought it might be useful, actually, given the way it eats away at everything it touches, but... containing it is going to be tricky.

[skelepun]

[Strolling over, Sans looks down at the blood. Why it would be useful, or what the guy was thinking of using it for, those were questions Sans didn't immediately concern himself with. Instead he leaves over, catching a bit on his index finger and rubbing it together against his thumb. His bones didn't so much as smoke.]

Not everything, I guess.

[predomination]

[Urahara makes an alarmed sound and scoots closer into Sans's personal space. Sorry, Sans- you have officially become more interesting than acid blood.]

Pardon me for asking, but... what are your bones made of? A normal skeleton wouldn't be able to withstand that.

[Then again, a normal skeleton would not be able to move on its own without ligaments.]

[skelepun]

Who're you callin' abnormal, pal? [He grins.] S'not that complicated. I'm magic.

[Hey, it may be a one word answer, but it was an accurate one.]

How about you, what're you made of?

[predomination]

I mean it only politely, of course. [That faux humility fools little old ladies who come to his shop and people who aggressively see the best in people. It does not fool anyone who matters, which is precisely why Urahara does it.

But... his answer to that question comes as a bit of a surprise to anyone who has known how shirty he can be. He does have a tendency to save big reveals for either dramatic or utterly innocuous moments- like this one- or else he remains shirty and deflective to build and the suspense.

But after a moment's consideration- as if he had to think of how to put this into words, he says:] Well... I guess in broad terms, I'm made of magic as well. It's a bit silly to generalize it like that, but I think most would.

[skelepun]

[Despite his resemblance to one, Sans is neither a little old lady nor is he shopping. Still, his grin remains unchanged as Urahara continues. If there's any indication he's surprised, it's a small crease between his browbones as the other man finishes his brief explanation.]

And who's most?

[predomination]

Anyone who isn't entirely convinced that things that seem mystical might have a scientific explanation.

[That hard line between "science" and "magic," you know. Granted there's a lot about shinigami you can't really explain by "spirit particles," but shhh.]

You see... [he leans closer, conspiratorially.] Where I'm from, everything is made up of spirit particles- completely invisible to the human eye.

[skelepun]

As far as I understand, the two are pretty intertwined. [You're talking to a magic scientist, after all. None of this phases him... well, beyond spirit particles.

On that, Sans' expression actually does change slightly. Eyelights just a tad brighter with interest, he shuffles his hands deeper into his pockets.]

Particles, huh? So it's matter-based? Or is it the energy that makes the mass spirit-y?

[Yeesh, it's been a long time since he talked about this stuff.]

[predomination]

[Urahara's not wearing his hat, because he left it back in Oska in order to blend in, which means his exhaustion lines are fairly clear under his eyes, but you know what's also clear?

The excitement. It's been so long since Urahara could talk shop with anyone about this without the other person squinting at him- barring Sieglinde, of course.] I've always thought so.

[There's a dead lizard between them and Urahara's still trying to avoid kneeling in the blood, but they might as well be two schoolboys discussing trading cards on a playground.] Well, if matter can't be created or destroyed and the soul exists, then it would be matter too, correct? So if a person dies and the soul vacates the body and that soul can't be seen, then one would say it was made of a type of matter that is just invisible.

[It's what he just said, but laid out in more detail.] And then you consider the possibility of an afterlife existing entirely out of that sort of matter... Well, it takes the religious connotations and poetry out of everything, of course, but it's still fascinating when you consider how much more complicated it can get. There's things even I can't explain fully about the nature of souls.

[skelepun]

[Urahara isn't the only one. This might be their first time meeting, but Sans' eagerness to participate in this conversation would be downright bizarre to anyone who knew the man well.

He has more to say about the duality of energy and matter -- that energy could exist without matter, but matter could not exist without energy, perpetuating a chicken and egg argument that he was pretty fond of debating back in his school days. Instead, the mention of souls pulls him back.]

Souls, huh? [His curiosity is tinged with something new now.] Yeah, we never had much luck with them, either.

[predomination]

[Urahara lifts his hand to rub the back of his head, mussing his already mussed blonde hair.] It's even worse when you are one. How does one explain your existence to someone who has no concept of such a thing, beyond as a religious notion?

[He taps a finger to his lips.] It's why I don't mention it much. People get very concerned about the idea of ghosts.

[skelepun]

[Sans blinks. Pauses. Then laughs.]

Y'know, buddy... you'd have a field day back in the Underground.

[predomination]

[He laughs along with him.] I do love studying physics that others would find abnormal.

[you fucking made a sentient magical item messing around with particle physics, you jerkass. you need to stop.] You would think it wouldn't be a common field for someone like me, but there's quite a few. No one's entirely on my level, however.

[skelepun]

I just think you'd enjoy the locals. Ghosts, monsters, skeletons... [He winks.] It's a pretty spooky place. We had a thing for souls, too.

N' I don't wanna toot my own horn or anything. [That's a lie, Sans loves tooting horns.] But in its prime, the Royal Science division were on some pretty next level stuff.

[A beat.]

You would've loved the Core.

[predomination]

[God it sounds like Soul Society on Halloween or something. He'd love to make a point about the SRDI that he built from the ground up and how it remained the one positive legacy he left on his old home. Aizen ruined his name and his reputation, but he couldn't take what he built- all they could do was make sure he never touched it again.

It's still a curse, but a curse of a different kind.

But in the end, he stays silent- some wounds will always be raw, and only Sieglinde knows the story about what happened the night of the Hollowfication incident. And besides, Sans is sharing his side so nicely, it would be a shame to interrupt.]

And what did that do? [He's hanging on every word, sheer scientific interest making his tired face start to look a bit younger and less frayed at the edges.] From the name alone, it sounds like it could have been a powersource of some kind.

[skelepun]

[For a moment, Sans looks at the man. Really looks at him. Surrounded by humans as Sans has been for some time now, it was only natural to notice consistencies. The subtle shift of veins under skin, the imperfections, the protrusions of bone, the stretch of sinew when extending an arm. These things were normal for humans, as far as Sans could tell.

There was something abnormal about this human.

He says nothing about that, of course. Observer effect was a bitch, and Sans would rather avoid it.]

Got it in one, pal. A power converter, actually. It takes geothermal energy generated by subterranean magma and filters it into magical energy. Took us out of the dark ages... y'know, literally.

[Besides... he was enjoying himself too.]