epidemiology | EVENT ★ LABYRINTH III: THE ESCAPE

LABYRINTH III

The correct passageway to the inner ring of the maze is hidden behind a thick wall of vines. After cutting through the plants, the structure of the maze is noticeably different: the overgrown plants continue creeping up the walls, but the walls are no longer brick and stone, composed instead of some sort of blue metal with holes and divots carved elaborately into the surface. From some holes gush forth pure, clean water; from others, acidic liquid. The air is cool and crisp, the plants creating a lush, dim environment lit by eerie blue lights spread throughout this section.

The lizards, rats, and other monstrous creatures seem to be absent from this area of the maze, replaced instead by rhinoceros-sized beetles. The beetles each have a single horn protruding from the head, and their hard carapaces make them difficult to kill -- a better method might be to simply climb somewhere high and wait for the beetle to get bored. But unlike the other monsters encountered in the maze, the beetles seem to have something else on their mind beyond wanton violence: they can sometimes be found rolling massive balls of dung throughout the corridors of the labyrinth. (This might explain why the plants are so lush closer to the center.)

There is little time to explore this section of the labyrinth before there's a flicker of light all around and more ALASTAIR recruits suddenly appear, most dressed in a freshly pressed uniform and carrying extra food and supplies. They have been told that the cloaking surrounding Asterion Labyrinth is so strong and complex that Oska was only able to send in a handful of recruits at once for a relief effort.

In order to leave, they'll have to locate the escape mechanism that lies deep within the labyrinth; the remaining Asterion Prison correctional officers know its general location, but not precisely what it entails. All they know is that it will require technological cunning to operate and that it's heavily guarded.

After five days, the portal room is found.

THE PORTAL ROOM

The center of the labyrinth is a large, circular room with a raised platform in the middle. On this platform rests a circle of computer consoles surrounding another platform, on which sits an empty circular frame 2.5m (8') in diameter. This is the dormant portal, and it is now Audentes's task to turn it on and find their way back to Oska.

Because the portal is not made for interdimensional travel, it must be overclocked, which will cause it to burn out and explode once it is used. In order to override the safety protocols in place to prevent such dangerous tampering, the control panels must be unlocked -- and unfortunately, the locks are all complicated puzzles, ranging from the numerical to sliding pieces into place to complete a pattern. There are many of these puzzled scattered around the portal room, and once they are all unlocked, it's a simple matter of flipping the power override switches. Ignore the dangerous humming sound and the way the frame suddenly fills with violent purple energy. That's probably normal.

The new recruits have the correct coordinates to locate Oska, which has temporarily lowered its cloaking shield to allow Audentes to return. So there is a bit of a time crunch.

Adding more to the difficulty of the situation is the presence of a monster lumbering around the circular portal room. Six meters (20') high, the beast is best described as a minotaur, but perhaps not in the traditional sense: while it resembles a bipedal bull, it is an amalgamation of flesh and machine with its body covered in pistons and glowing lights. One of its hands is an enormous axe and it belches fire and acid. Despite its head resembling an herbivore, the piles of desiccated bones scattered throughout the portal room tell a different story.

Upon seeing the group, the minotaur charges. Mavahari, the Zymandis recruit, rushes to meet it with her sword drawn. Inmates and correctional officers do their best to fight it as well, but something becomes quickly apparent: it cannot be harmed by projectile weapons. The machinery of the beast keeps it protected from most attacks, though electricity will stun it and acid will corrode its metal. But in order to injure the minotaur, it must be stabbed between the metal plates where its vulnerable flesh remains.

During the battle, the minotaur fights viciously and without regard for its own safety. The first casualty comes early: the minotaur swings its axe toward Mavahari, who is pushed out of the way by George. The axe connects with him solidly, sending him flying into the wall with a shuddering impact. George lies there still, but there's no time to mourn. The beast continues its rampage.

Once the minotaur is defeated, you'll have to quickly decide what to do with the correctional officers and inmates who have followed Audentes through the Asterion Labyrinth. The overclocked portal won't hold forever, and the longer Oska leaves its cloak down, the better chance they have of being found by their enemies.

OOC NOTES

This log will last for six IC days: five days for exploration and one day at the center of the maze. We have also recently altered the calendar this month, so make sure you review it!

IMPORTANT: Participation in the solution poll is mandatory for August AC. Failure to participate will result in an automatic strike. The only exception is for those who are exempt from August AC. The poll will close on 11 August 23:59 UTC.

If you have any questions about the labyrinth that aren't answered here, please direct them to the Leramzen dossier.

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

A broadsword?

[What a find. Almost like some fantasy story, really. Except apparently Giorno and co already found some sword before so...this is like Excaliber 2.0? Probably?]

Eh, alright. Not really surprised manual labor isn't your forte. [He scratches the beck of his neck.] Want to show me where you found it?

(reply from suspended user)

Goodness. Tall as you are?

[That's...big. Yikes. Keats still seems relatively unconcerned, though in fact, the last statement makes him laugh as he digs his hands in his coat pockets, following the boy.]

Ha, well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve so...don't worry. I'll get it taken care of.

[Don't tell him what he can't do!]

[Smirking:]

What, you think I don't have those?

Alright. Time to shine.

[He's honestly expecting it to be a challenge, and it is, but...honestly, the thing is probably around 5-10 pounds. It has some weight, but it's doable. Besides, Keats' body is magical. He has muscles. He never went to the gym a day of his life and yet he can lift another person bridal style, easily.]

[He lifts the sword up slowly with both hands, getting a feel for the weight as he looks over at Andersen.]

See? Piece of cake. [He grins.] Maybe I should keep it for myself? I would look like quite the adventurer with this strapped on my back...

Thank you, thank you! [He can detect the sarcasm a mile away, but that doesn't stop him from delighting in the moment of proving this boy(?) wrong.] Sadly, don't think all of this is article-worthy. "Local Journalist Picks Up Random Sword in Strange, Mysterious Labryinth" has the potential to sound interesting, but...eh. What king have I become, king of this Labyrinth of Forgotten Potential?

[He walks back to Andersen with the sword in tow, pushing up his glasses as he does.]

Aw, really? You don't need it? Well, actually, if I have to be sincere...I have no need of it, either.

[The glare on his glasses is, unfortunately, obscuring his wink, though you can almost hear it in how amused he sounds.]

I certainly do have quite a lot of tricks up my sleeves. [A pause.] Why, want to see one?

Very well. I'll just put this down. Back up, would you?

[He'll just put the sword over here. It's hardly like it's going to run away. That being done, he finds a good space away from Andersen and clears his throat.]

[Almost instantly, there's a change - he blinks and the eyes behind his glasses suddenly fill with unnatural purple light, wafting out of them as if it's smoke from a dying flame. In fact, wafts of light come off his entire body, the air brimming with magical energy.]

[He throws a hand down to the floor, and momentarily, some glimpse of something spindly and elephant-like appears before him before it disappears - large ice crystals suddenly burst loudly out of the floor in a circle around him, then another, then another, all in the form of a brief shockwave.]

[Keats grins over at Andersen, his unnatural eyes narrowing in amusement. The crystals are large, and sharp, and obviously deadly.]

I've got more where that came from.

A Folk. A being from the Netherworld...it's a bit like the after-life, where the souls of the dead go and are eventually turned into creatures like that one.

[He lifts a hand to his chest.]

It's...complicated. [He seems a bit uncomfortable, like he's talking about something that he doesn't entirely care for. It's still awkward for him to talk so openly about using magic after literal years of denying it existed.] But I've absorbed quite a lot of Folks, which I can use at my disposal.

Uh, well...

[He laughs.]

There's no magic, where I come from. At least, that's what I thought. Magic was the stuff of myths and legends. Scientific inquiry had elucidated most of the mysteries that the people of the past tried to solve with supernatural explanations and tales. So, around a week before I was brought into ALASTAIR, I received a call to my office concerning something strange happening in a small village. I expected that it was a hoax.

[He rolls his shoulders back, the glow in his eyes dimming.]

But much to my surprise, what seemed like a harmless case turned into something much more drastic. And I received these powers, mostly on accident.

[He signed up to get the truth and he got supernatural ghost creature powers as a free side deal. He wasn't expecting that like...at all.]

A friend of mine, she absorbed Folks into a special coat that allowed her to travel in the Netherworld unharmed. I'm a bit different, since I can absorb them directly.

Edited 2017-08-05 17:00 (UTC)

Oh, over a year. Almost two now.

[Time flies when you're saving the multiverse...]

Eh, I still keep a sense of doubt about most things. I'm simply not going to believe everything I see and hear. [He shrugs.] But at least I know there are other worlds that don't operate on the same principles as mine do.

A fellow curious mind, hm? [That makes him let out an amused chuckle.]

Well, it's not every day when a journalist like me is the subject of inquiry. Though...I would very much like to know who, exactly, is going to perform the interview.

Edited 2017-08-05 20:30 (UTC)

[That gets him a noise from Keats, something in between a scoff and a laugh.]

The Danish writer who penned most of the fairy tales we now know and love today? The one who wrote Thumbelina and The Little Mermaid? That Andersen?

[He looks incredibly incredulous.]

...You're much shorter than I would expect you to be.

Well, it's one thing to be reincarnated, which is a fascinating concept, but this is...well.

[Odd.]

...Unless some poor lad got possessed by the spirit of Hans Christian Andersen, I can't see why you would reincarnate into this.

The peak of your imagination...?

[What in the world does that have to do with reincarnation? Weird.]

I'm Keats. I'm a reporter in the editorial department of the magazine Unknown Realms. It's a rather obscure publications about the supernatural and the occult...so you can see why myths and tales are fascinating to me.

(no subject)

headlining - 2017-08-05 22:41 (UTC) - Expand

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