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

aftermath.

[armigers]

Walking's the easy part.

[ It's everything else that takes a bit more effort, like trying to stay upright at all, but he's relieved to see the familiar face in a sea of familiar faces. This mission had gotten him to get to know his fellow Audentes a bit more -probably far more than he needs to in some cases. And it doesn't feel like they're necessarily returning home per se, but the layout of the castle and all its recognizable features does offer some comfort after being away for so long.

There's a small smile resting on his face before he pushes his arm along his forehead, trying in vein to wipe off some of the grime that had collected on his skin. He's definitely overdue for a bath, something he tries to keep from exposing Lucina to as he hovers a respectable distance away. ]

Can't wait to dig into some food that's not made of lizard. How about you?

[ Had she found something more appetizing than lizard meat out there? Noctis can only hope. He wouldn't wish this fate on anyone, least of all himself. He wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't lost a couple of pounds, not that he wasn't on the small side to begin with. Lucina doesn't look like she has much bulk to lose either. ]

[tolight]

[ At least Noctis is well enough to crack a joke or two, it seems. Lucina's smile echoes his own, a response on its own, but her arm stays by her side; there's nothing she could do now that could make her look any cleaner than she actually was. An unfortunate side effect of being stuck in a labyrinth for perhaps a few weeks too long.

Which is why her answer comes without pause, ] I'm looking forward to the freedom, first and foremost. [ Spoken like a true inmate. She's not exactly one to complain about her situations, not if she can help it, but— gods, she'd be lying if she ever mentions missing this place. ] ... Though food and some proper lodgings would be nice, as well.

[ But pleasantries aside, she takes the pause to study him, expression sobering as she asks— ] Do you have any injuries?

[armigers]

[ Well, he had a rash for a good part of their trip, but that's starting to calm down a little. His fingers still self-consciously move to his cheek, still red and full of scratch marks, evidence that he had at some point caved in to eating the local vegetation. He always knew nothing good could come from vegetables. Between the smell permeating from him and the rash, his pride had taken the hardest beating of all. ]

None you could slap a band-aid on. Wouldn't hurt to sleep it off, though.

[ And wake up all the way home again. It would be so nice, but he's not going to hold his breath on that one.

He continues to trudge through the portal alongside Lucina before slowing down and grabbing one of his hi-elixirs for her to use. ]

Here- should at least patch you up a bit.

[ He'd been trying to save what he can of his supply for others rather than using them on himself. Being a prince holds no weight here, and even though he's intent on surviving and returning to Eos, he knows others need to return to their homes just as much. He's got to do what he can to make sure they are able to get back safely, especially when he's in a pivotal position to help them with his powers. ]

[tolight]

[ If she notices, she chooses not to mention it — the labyrinth, while it didn't bring out the worst in people, definitely didn't bring out the best, either. So if someone was desperate and hungry and needed to eat, well... there were probably worse choices than the local vegetation. Probably.

Which is why she hums in agreement — the end of a battle has her adrenaline wearing off, chances are all the exhaustion will catch up to her the moment she crosses the portal. But apparently, there's still some unfinished business left — in the form of a small vial being offered to her. Lucina turns, blinks down at the hi-elixir.

... Then shakes her head, though her face softens. ] Thank you, but— I'll be alright. [ Nothing that time ( or a magic sword ) won't heal. But more importantly— ] And there will likely come a day where you will need that more than I need it now. [ Because if her years in her world have taught her anything, it's that things always have the capability of getting worse ( it's just a matter of getting through those bits, regardless ). ]

[armigers]

[ The hi-elixir dissolves out of sight, left to float around in his arsenal while Noctis cringes at those words. ]

I hope not.

[ But she's probably right, though it isn't like he can't make more. His magic hasn't dwindled here. If anything, it's grown more potent. He just has to figure how to harness it all properly and channel it better through people, but he can do that after a good bath and an even better nap. He hasn't felt a nice mattress underneath him in way too long. ]

How'd you manage that whole time? You weren't on your own, were you?

[ She could have just texted him if she needed some help, though he recalls not everyone is quite used to the whole texting business. Also, Noctis hadn't ever really offered that as an option earlier. Maybe he should have... He just feels like he could have done more- like he should have done more. He barely even dented that minotaur earlier, too. In many respects, he had failed to really help anyone at all. ]

[tolight]

[ She spent more time at the crash site than anything else, until suddenly she couldn't ( there's resentment that's already settled at the pit of her stomach, at the image of her mother she couldn't protect, and a short skeleton that prevented her from protecting. She's not one to play the blame game, but in this scenario— ). But that's not exactly relevant information, is it?

So instead, after a brief pause — one that hopefully passes off as an idle consideration of his question as opposed to hesitation — she chooses something vague ... enough. ] I was fortunate enough to have company through most of it.

[ Which means she had the help she needed, probably. Before he can question that further, though— ] I'm assuming you were the same, as well?

[armigers]

More or less. Not always company I liked.

[ Mostly a lot of things trying to devour him. Very rarely was it people actually willing to help him against said creatures, but he can't hold it against them. Dealing with a large crash and being stuck in a maze with a bunch of prisoners is no one's ideal pastime, but he doesn't think he had it as rough as Lucina. Something in her expression looks rather sullen, and he's not sure how much he wants to pry. They've only spoken a handful of times, but at the same time, Noctis had confided in her before about his real identity as she did him.

He ends up trying to diffuse some of the tension with his next words, lips pulled into a bit of a clumsy smile. ]

There were some people back there that made the minotaur seem friendly. Any idea what'll happen to the rest of the prisoners?

[ He hadn't gotten any word they'd be recruited, though their own number of Audentes seems to have thinned about in comparison to how things had been before the heist. He wonders what happened to a lot of the other Audentes, but he's almost afraid to find out. ]

[tolight]

[ It's natural, after months of spending time in close quarters ( read: in a maze ), that some faces begin to stand out more than others. Particularly ill-tempered inmates, ones that were particularly helpful — others that fell under neither of those categories, but still managed to be memorable, somehow. ]

... It may be cruel, but... [ She's tired. She's angry, and these people are not individuals that deserve hospitality. No life is more important than another, she knows, tries to live to that as close as she can, but—

Well, they clearly don't hold the same set of morals as her. ] Nothing, would be my hope. We are in no position to begin enforcing a justice system of our own, but these are not... good people. [ She doesn't want to house them, but she doesn't want to imprison them, either.

A pause, and once she puts a little more thought into it: ] I trust it will be up to us to decide — the escape route is ours, in the end.

[armigers]

Wouldn't want to take them back with us if we get a choice. Most of those guys were actually in there for a reason.

[ But he doesn't want to sentence them to death, either. He doesn't want to be the kind of King who ruthlessly beheads everyone, especially when he doesn't know if any of them might also be wrongly convicted. Some could have been in there for something as simple as petty theft. What does he know? ]

Where would we even drop them off... what if they're all displaced like we are?

[ Another thought that starts to weigh him down with guilt. He really doesn't know what the right decision is here, especially without Ignis or anyone else to consult. If he acts too rashly, he might end up regretting what he picks, and he's definitely not in a clear enough state of mind to be making important decisions. ]

What'd you do... if you were back, you know, ruling in your home world?

[ From one princess to a prince, he's interested in what sort of experience she might have. In the short time they've known each other, Noctis has already thought of her as definitely more level-headed and perceptive than himself. ]