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

B.

[tolight]

[ "Not a good day" might be an understatement. It's been a long few weeks, and an even longer capture. Maybe the fates would have been kind enough to let them go through an inter-dimensional portal without any hitches, but—

Well, it's life or death, now. Lucina's definitely not exasperated by the scenario, but this isn't her first rodeo, either. Sword gripped in hand, ready to strike in the first opening she sees. It's her responsibility to the rest of the team— ]

Huh—? [ Except she's suddenly staggering back, entire body twisting as it tries to face forwards to regain her balance. It sort of works, in the sense that she's stumbling the first few steps, before the arm dragging her tugs one more time and she just barely manages to cover her ground. ] Wait—

[ ???? Oh Naga, what's going on?? ]

[araigneedusoir]

[She may have left Lucina where she was, giving the other woman an opening -- since it was obvious she was adept with swords and that was the key -- but it was seemingly intent on trying to set her on fire and should she not have dragged the other woman behind her well.

That fire ball may or may not have hit her, though Widowmaker assumes Lucina likely would have evaded it on her own it's too late for that as she's shifting her weight to make do with the drag on her arm as her companion tries to find her center of balance again.]

Move!

[Since the ground they had just vacated is now blackened and the beast is rearing up to throw another.]

[tolight]

[ Luckily, her training ( years of it, really ) kicks in. The word — an order, in some ways — finally registering once she's not about to fall over, the pull on her arm providing the direction. She catches up, even after her stumble, her body moving before her mind has a chance to catch up.

And then— everything makes sense, once her vision kicks up in brightness, and her ears ring with a bang, and the heat hits her. Her eyes wide, looking back once they're finally behind cover, sword gripped in her hand. ] I—

[ Then, her gaze darting to her savior, her words stumbling out— ] ... Thank you. [ Give her a moment, she'll make for slightly better conversation once she's a little less disoriented. Not that they have a lot of time. ]

[araigneedusoir]

[There's still too much going on around them, dirt kicking up with skidding feet as they both practically slide around the corner and behind the mass of stone that...might have been something in the past and the noise of the beast nearby still.

Her eyes flick down to Lucina briefly before she's peering back over their cover]

You're welcome -- [A moment later she's curling closer behind the stone, gesturing for the other woman to do the same.] Keep low until it loses interest, you won't have a chance to get close otherwise.

[Though she likely already knew that.]

[tolight]

[ They can see the minotaur, but the minotaur is quickly becoming preoccupied with the more aggressive fighters — as far as cover goes, it's a pretty excellent one. Enough of one that she can stop, catch her breath, press her back up against the stone as she breathes out a sigh. Closes her eyes, as her mind catches up to how close all of that is.

She's getting out of practice, she realizes. ] Certainly. [ At least she's had a chance to remind herself of that here, at this time. ]

— Has your gun been effective at all?

[araigneedusoir]

[She listens for the moment instead of observes, noting the way the sounds of battle draw away and become less sharp. It allows her to ease the tension ringing in her muscles as she relaxes slightly.

Her hand raises, running it down over her face with a sigh.]

No. All bullets do is anger it.

[And get people killed.]

[tolight]

[ It'll take the end of this battle before Lucina can truly relax; her hand still remains gripped around the Falchion, occasionally glancing back to watch for the minotaur's current position. Old habits, learned over too many battles; but they're ones she's almost proud of, ones she works to keep them sharp. It helps her prepare for the worst case scenario.

... Not that one comes any time soon. Lucina's eyebrows knit when the answer comes, lips thinning. ] Nothing? [ A pause ( she was never good at this ) as she considers the why. ] It must be the armor...

If we could— [ Gods, is this a good idea, she doesn't know. But it's worth a shot. ] If you could draw its attention from a safe distance, or distract it long enough... One of us should be able to get close enough to attack it directly.

[araigneedusoir]

[Lucina is far from the only one making sure to track the minotaur's location, her eyes flicking between it and her company between words exchanged. Her rifle is still strapped across her back, a series of thoughts running through her mind as she takes a moment to study the armor closer without having to worry about being hit with ricochet or set on fire --]

A grating truth, I'm afraid. [As high powered as her rifle was, she had to wonder if she would merely just dent the armor of this thing -- which leads her to wonder exactly what the armor was even made of.] Whatever, exactly, that is made out of.

[Is anything a good idea in this fight? It's all they have really, random ideas that may or may not end up with one of them getting smacked around -- or have them be successful.] I can occupy it's attention, but it's up to you to get close enough to attack it.

[She's the one with the sword, after all.]

[tolight]

[ It's a problem everyone seems to share, regardless of what weapon they use — whatever the armor is made out of, it's impenetrable. Which means that the underside appears to be the only way to actually land a hit, which means—

She's going to wholly accept her role of potentially being squished by a giant hammer. It's the only chance they've got ( and so she nods, one last glance at the minotaur, expression turning more solemn than before ). ] It may not work for very long, but ... we will have to do something.

[ A pause as she waits for the monster to be sufficiently distracted, before she nods. ] On your mark, then.

[araigneedusoir]

[There's a myriad of potential bad ends for anyone in this situation, being gored, crushed, barbecued -- it makes her grimace with the thought. None of them are high on her list -- and she could guess many felt the same -- of ways to go out. But at the very least if she was going to bite it she'd go out fighting.

Widowmaker releases a noise low in her throat, annoyed at herself for even entertaining the entire scenario. She rectifies it by immediately focusing fully on what they need to do, eyes flicking from one point to another as she plans her exact route.]

Every second counts.

[She rises from her crouch, waiting just as Lucina does until just the right moment before casting one last glance back at her. At her nod she smirks slightly. Get set, go!

Then she's moving, sprinting back across the field -- questioning her sanity all over again -- trusting Lucina to follow.]

[tolight]

[ The worst possible scenario is a field of bodies ( including their own— ), an activated portal, and a rampaging minotaur. It gets worse if the minotaur travels through the portal — point is, there's quite a bit at stake, and every second does count.

So she picks herself back up, mimicking Widowmaker's motions. Eyes flickering from the source of the loud, angry stomping back to her new partner-in-crime (?), darting from their cover in the same direction.

— And follows, up until a certain point, when she skids to a stop. Trusts that the sniper will take her position away from the monster, while she holds her ground here. ]

[araigneedusoir]

[She's almost trying to bank on their success, especially after the disaster at Leramzen, the prison -- the entire maze; it was about time something went at least partially in their favor. So maybe she wants to try to be a little more optimistic instead of her usual realist nature.

At the same time if they died it wouldn't really be their problem anymore, would it?

Widowmaker skids to a stop herself just far enough away to make sure the minotaur notices her, rifle drawn off her back to present herself as a threat to entice it away from it's current target -- clearly ready and willing to chance a shot even if she knows it will be ineffective. The second it chooses to lumber after her is the moment she's running again, leading it back to give Lucina the opening she needs.]

[tolight]

[ It's a matter of keeping low, and watching for an opening — while her experience working with guns ( let alone shooting one ) still leaves much to be desired, she's picked up something during her time here. If nothing else, she knows what to look for: a bullet hitting the armor with enough impact to clang, an angry roar from the minotaur. Surely no one else is insane enough to try shooting at the monster when it's already proven to be ineffective.

And its with that assumption ( and exercise in trust ) that she darts out, running up to the minotaur from the back, instead of the front. Eyes focusing on the underside of the armor just above his lower back, and—

Her sword is just long enough to at least stab through its hide, blood running down the blade as the beast howls in pain. At least he's not running after Widowmaker, anymore... ]

[araigneedusoir]

[She skids to a halt a second time, using her momentum to twist around back to face the beast once again as Lucina cuts into it's hide. She knows the entire idea was an exercise in insanity, but it had come with some success. The beast was injured -- enraged as well, which would be a downside if she didn't have another plan -- and she kept it from turning fully on her companion with another well placed bullet straight to it's face plate.

By the time it's wheeled back around she's ready for it, holding up a finger to warn Lucina not to do anything else when it charges. She moves before it reaches her, leaving it to charge headlong across the room to another corner. It's bleeding at least and she knows that no matter how much armor it has, eventually it will stop if it was wounded enough.

In her mind they'd done their part, figuring someone on the team stronger then them both would be able to do ample enough damage to finally fell it.]

You're pretty handy with that sword.