EVENT ★ LABYRINTH III: THE ESCAPE

[futurologists]

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.

Comments

[spacerhyme]

[ the doctor glances upwards at his savior - who's a bit small, to be honest, but beggars can't be choosers. he still reaches up and grabs his hand. fortunately, while his coordination may leave something to be desired, he is a little stronger than his bony old frame might suggest.

with dio's help, he jumps and hoists himself up haphazardly onto the lower branch, just before the beetle charges right past the trunk and into the walls with a resounding boom. the doctor winces. that would've probably hurt. ]

Oof. Good idea, thanks.

[ he reorganizes his limbs so nothing's within the beetle's reach, then turns to dio. ]

All these supplies, and not a single can of insect repellent. Bit of an oversight.

[unguilded]

[ And likewise, Dio is stronger than his size and demeanor suggests, so he pulls the Doctor up with little issue and keeps his hold on him for that extra moment so he can get himself oriented. ]

Of course! [ Is his reply to his thanks.

He looks back down to the beetle, still angered and generally patrolling the area, because where did that old guy go?

Dio shakes his head. ]

We'd need a pretty big one, for these!

But, thankfully, they're not specifically violent or very persistent, so he'll get bored of hanging around and leave us alone after a few minutes.

[ And until it does that: ]

When was the last time you saw an insect its size, anyway?

[spacerhyme]

[ he stares down at their beetle friend for a moment, silently admiring it from a safer distance. he likes bugs. they're cool. ]

Oh, the universe is teeming with insects of every size. The last time... Cetus Five, probably. They're the primary mode of transport on that planet.

[ he at least doesn't sound like he's making this up. then, almost musingly to himself, ]

Never seen this species before, though...

[unguilded]

Transportation?!

[ That. Seems to very much catch his interest. ] You mean I could fly a huge firefly or a butterfly in one of those places?

[ The mental image is now in his head. He loves it. He wonders if, aside from this beetle, there are other insects here. Which may not be the best thing to focus on right now considering they're on a rescue mission. ]

After all this work we're being immediately sent to do, it'd be nice to meet some friendlier insects after it's all over.

1/2

[spacerhyme]

[ raises his eyebrows at dio. people don't always get so excited at the prospect of huge, flying bugs.

kid's clearly got his priorities straight! ]

Definitely. Huge fireflies, butterflies, fifteen-legged fluorescent orange space-roaches, you name it - there's a planet with them somewhere.

[spacerhyme]

[ but then his eyes fall back down to the beetle stomping around below them. the doctor kicks his legs, taps the branch absently with his fingers, mind elsewhere for a moment. ]

It would be nice, but it's not our choice.

When I have my ship back, though... [ and he doesn't want to really consider how long that might take, ] maybe I'll take you. Who knows.

[unguilded]

I'll definitely remember that! [ AND HE WILL.

He follows the Doctor's gaze, and then adds. ]

I'll have to ask you about your ship once we're out of here. This is some welcome, huh?

[spacerhyme]

Do. I might even tell you about her.

[ he plucks a leaf, tries to drop it onto the beetle's back. ]

Ah, well, I've had worse. Nobody's pointed a gun at me yet, attempted to remove my brain, throw me into a sun, or marry me... Of course, it'd be nice if someone could roll out the red carpet, metaphorical or literal, just once - [ he waves a hand about vaguely ] but you've got to keep realistic expectations.

[unguilded]

Maybe they'll do that as thanks when we return!

[ He's being half sarcastic, because ... that would actually be cool, in all honesty. Even if it's just a pipe dream. ]

Because I certainly don't plan on failing this mission, even though it's quite the unexpected one!

[spacerhyme]

Certainly hope not. That'd almost guarantee failure, unless you're an exceptionally poor planner.

Why, what sort were you expecting?

[unguilded]

"Here, you're suddenly far from home, tasked with a great mission ... but first! You need to rescue a bunch of your alleged allies from giant insects."

In all honesty, the only 'mission' I was looking forward to was going home and taking a nice flight!

[spacerhyme]

Oh, if only the universes worked that way - 'you're hereby ordered to go home and have a lovely nap!' [ he sounds wistful. ] I'm afraid that never happens.

[ but he didn't say "nap", did he. ]

What do you normally fly?

[unguilded]

[ He didn't, but he 100% agrees that naps are just as great too. ]

I fly a vanship! Which would be really useful to have right now! Considering they can seat two people inside them.

[spacerhyme]

[ tilts his head. ]

And what sort of ship is a vanship? Spaceship? Warship? Commuter vehicle?