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

[It's okay, Urahara. She doesn't actually care at all. She does kind of care about the beetles, though. They're anomalous, which makes them pretty interesting.]

[She glances at them, then back at him. Chu-Chu, meanwhile, looks from him back to the beetles, and his gaze stays on them. He looks like maybe he wants to fight one? Or at least is thinking about it.]

We aren't their natural predators or their food. We might as well not exist to them.

So long as we don't get in the way of what they're doing.

[Rolling dung around. Like they do.] Anyway, I suppose it's rude of me to carry on without thanking you properly for coming to our rescue. I wasn't sure if Anakin-san had managed to make contact with Oska or not.

[Look, rolling dung around is a perfectly respectable career decision for a beetle. Don't be rude.]

It seems as though he did. I'm sorry, I don't feel I'll be much help other than bringing supplies. I can't fight.

[Not traditionally, anyway.]

[Go home, Gio. This isn't even your thread.]

On the contrary, we have more than enough fighters! It's the lack of supplies that was going to do us in, so really you've done the most important thing already.

[On some level, that was probably a compliment. It's just really hard to tell with Urahara sometimes.] And we'll have this mess cleaned up shortly.

[Wow? Let Giorno take over the narration of all tags so he can talk about beetles? Okay? Thanks?]

[If it helps at all, she totally doesn't notice the rudeness. Or, well, she does but: she doesn't care. As barbs go, if it was one, it fell pretty flat, and it wasn't one . . . she still doesn't care.]

Do you often encounter such . . . messes?

We've never been arrested and held captive for several months. That one is new.

[And would be really weird if that was a common occurrence, honestly.] Honestly, we have fewer disasters than people like to pretend we have. Most of our worst situations have been entirely unpreventable, but we handled them as well as we could.

We only had one death in Woodhurst, after all, and most of the team was suffering from a virus that made them want to eat each other.

[Honestly Anthy kind of wants to ask if they've ever been stuck in a labyrinth before or if that's new, too, but--then cannibalism is a topic, it seems. Her eyes widen almost comically, but what's probably funnier is how unsurprised her actual tone is.]

Eat each other.

[Yeah, it's not even a question. She's more curious than grossed out, peering at Urahara as though perhaps the answer is somewhere under the brim of his hat.]

You should all be dead, in that case. [What a charmingly shoujo thing to say.]

[Good thing he's from a shounen anime. And also a frickin' weirdo.]

Yep! [DON'T BE SO CHEERFUL ABOUT IT URAHARA.] You can only imagine how many of us have abilities that are far beyond the norm- add that to an uncontrollable bloodlust and it's remarkable that we even succeeded in the mission at all, rather than escalate it.

[On one hand, yes it's very weird he's delighted by this prospect, but on the other... Well, it is impressive. You can speak badly of Audentes' organization and lack thereof all you want, but the fact is if they weren't capable of pulling through and looking out for one another, it would've been a disaster.] So don't let anyone scare you by saying we're a mess- we might be, but we look after our own, even if we spend a great deal of time fighting with one another over petty things.

[He was a member of the Gotei 13, though. That's always gonna happen.]

[Honestly it's one of the more impressive things she's heard so far. Most of the chatter is about teamwork and problem-solving, which is all well and good, but only when it's backed by some manner of emotional resolve. This leaves Anthy thoughtful and--okay, impressed is probably pushing it, but not less impressed than before, certainly.]

Every large group of people is a mess in one way or another.

[This with the cynicism of a ninety-year-old man instead of a tiny girl.]

It isn't a defining feature. Or remarkable. Not dying is much more remarkable.

[That level of cynicism does get him to cant his head a bit. It reminds him of a more placid (way, way, way more placid) Yoruichi, who would probably be simultaneously delighted by this as he is (the freedom!), while her rigid sense of organization and dedication to stealth and proper tactics would lead to her to kicking every ass in this place.

It's with that, in mind, that he laughs (faux-nervously).]

You're not wrong. All things considered, we really should be dead at least ten times over by now.

[Honestly, they could probably use a Yoruichi. Several Yoruichis. Maybe just replace all of Audentes with Yoruichi clones? It can't hurt.]

[She cants her head right back at him, except in the opposite direction. And then smiles.]

Congratulations on not being dead, in that case. It's generally considered preferable to the other option.

EVENT ★ LABYRINTH III: THE ESCAPE

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