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

[ex_mettacrusher33]

I'm sure it would be effective intimidation tactics if we were ALSO 20' tall!

[But they aren't. They're a 4' gem on a 7' robot. That's...

...actually that's a bit close but, in the scheme of things, they're still the size of a toddler smashing itself against an annoyed adult's leg.

And their opponent, much like an adult who's had enough of a toddler's tantrum, turns its attention away from the poor corrections officer it was in the middle of burning alive to swing its axe down at the two of them. Mettaton's spinning blocks just barely knock the blade away so it doesn't slice the two of them in half - it simply runs through the large pauldron on his shoulder with a sickening crunch.

That's fine. He can't feel it. They need to keep going.]

Think you can get us higher, Peri?!

[slapfight]

[Peridot yelps as the blade strikes, too late to try and parry- darnit, why didn't she ever try and force Pearl to teach her swordplay? Other than because she thought it was stupid, but that is clearly not the case.]

Y-yeah. [She lifts her hands to force the field up until they're out of range of the weapon. It means trying to make swords into projectiles is a bit more difficult, but that's fine. A slightly more difficult to hit target is better than them being easier to hit.]

HAH! You can't reach us~ [Peridot sing-songs tauntingly as one of her sword strikes pings uselessly off the minotaur's axe and lands several feet away, uselessly. She growls in response. Her intimidation tactics aren't doing them any good today.]

[ex_mettacrusher33]

[Well, there goes a sword. Not good. That is not good. Mettaton still has one more, and reaches into his storage to pull it out and let it fall into Peridot's magnetic field, but they need as much damage as they can get on this thing.

He's in the middle of coming up with a plan, a distraction, anything, when the minotaur howls in frustration at their being out of reach. Its axe makes a bone-shivering shriek as it temporarily lowers it.]

Aw sh*t.

[Mettaton jerks himself back, just enough to try to dislodge Peridot from his shoulders and into his arms. He twists his torso completely around to shield her from the flames the minotaur is now spitting at them. He manages to summon up that disco ball on the other side of their opponent, but the lasers don't seem to be doing much to distract it yet.]

[slapfight]

[Peridot does more than yelp this time and wraps her arms and legs around Mettaton's torso just barely keeping her magnetic field up to keep them airborne and her blades up. Thank the stars this is becoming a passive ability and not something she has to think about unless there's resistance.]

Holy smokes. [She whimpers and then tentatively climbs back onto his shoulders, clinging like a scared kitten to his head.] It shouldn't be big, impossible to damage, and capable of breathing fire. That's just overkill. Hnngh.

If I could just move those armored plates, we'd have a clear shot.