epidemiology | EVENT ★ LABYRINTH III: THE ESCAPE

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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

[ His attention lingers briefly, far more than simply a casual glance, on her feet, because that’s undeniably the most remarkable thing about her appearance. He can see the signs of aging and of not having a proper butler to care for her (perhaps the part that troubles him the most, honestly), but the feet speak to something quite different. That is a much more deliberate action on someone’s part. He would assume it is from her own desires, but someone else would have had to actually go through with the process on her behalf.

He takes all of this in with a serious expression, but the urgent way she clasps his arm pulls him back from that analytical state of mind somewhat. Though it’s followed quickly by a look of confusion as she asks her question. Considering what he knows of this new arrangement, it’s not wholly remarkable that she has been in Audentes (this whole time, though? That’s a bit strange), but her question is stranger. ]

Back? [ That in itself is almost answer enough to what Sieglinde is implicitly asking. He offers his arm to her in a way that’s familiar and immediate. Even in her state, Sebastian has no problem offering to carry her. ] I would not say it was a transfer, my lady. I was only just brought here to help.

[The confusion on her face at the way he answers those questions is clearly evident, and though she automatically takes his arm, still more inclined to being carried or at least escorted despite now being able to stand and walk better on her own, she doesn't actually manage to get her legs under her to stand just yet.]

It has been nearly two years since I last laid eyes upon you-

[And for a moment, what with the timing of it all, she'd thought that he had left them (her) to join Chantes' newly summoned demon army. Until the announcement from ALASTAIR otherwise. Time had flowed differently on some missions, so she cannot tell if it has been the same for him, what with how he simply looks... as perfectly as always.]

What team have you landed yourself in? Are there any others from Audentes there?

[Any of the many who have come and gone since him?]

[ Two years— The surprise that shows on his face is quite genuine, because while he could accept some kind of absence (though it would feel strange, considering he had just seen her), that’s a significant amount for a human. His brow knits together briefly, because that would make this organization quite a bit more powerful than he had given them credit for, and he momentarily wonders if perhaps agreeing so easily was wise. He doesn’t like the idea that he may have been wrong and underestimated something, but he has to put that aside for now.

He keeps his arm steady for her as he collects her onto his arm, just as he had held her when he had temporarily been her servant. It may seem a distant memory for her at this point, but it’s of course just as easy and natural for him as if he had done it yesterday. A demon isn’t inclined to exactly forget things, though this is a fact of his personality that he does twist to have people perceive as a sign of his excellence as a butler.]

Miss Sullivan- [ He starts to interrupt, and though there’s an apology on his lips for interrupting, he doesn’t end up doing so. How she continues adds to the oddity of this situation, and after a moment, he shakes his head slowly. ]

Forgive me, but I do not know what you mean. Last I saw you, it was not long ago at all. A matter of hours at most… As the matter of the music hall is becoming quite troubling, I would hardly seek to be a part of this so long that I may be transferred elsewhere.

[Sieglinde has always posited that they would not be able to retain their memories, gifted abilities, or even perhaps injuries if they were returned to their own worlds. After all, ALASTAIR claimed they would be returned to an appropriate timeline, and if something changed from one second to the next, how could that be explained? How could recruits from primitive or medieval worlds be sent back with all the knowledge this interplanetary organization possessed without irreversibly changing the fate of that world?

But Sebastian would be the first person she knew who had returned and then been recruited once more. She's afraid now that is what he means, because what music hall?, and his form of address has changed... and to match her growing realization, her face begins to pale.]

You do not remember?

[Of course, a scientist, a witch, ought to be glad to have a hypothesis proven, but all she feels is a certain dread.]

You were here- with me, in Chantes, for some time...

[ The way her face pales makes the question that follows clear, as well as the assertion she makes after. It’s as clear on her face as if she had already said it, and that gives him some time to consider the implication.

Because first and foremost, he’s displeased at the thought. Sebastian is a fiercely proud creature, and he prides himself on his perfection in a way that other demons don’t care to. Every task Sebastian is given he completes perfectly, and every event that he’s witness to, he remembers. It gives him the illusion of the sort of demon that humans write about—the Mephistopheles capable of granting knowledge far, far beyond human limits. He can’t, of course. He has to learn the same way that every human does, but his capacity to retain information with great clarity is far better.

So to forget an entire piece of time and with someone that knows him…

It troubles him, to put it lightly, and a little more dangerously, it angers him. The latter doesn’t show at all on his face, but for once, the concern he wears is completely genuine. ]

I apologize, but… I do not remember this.

[ And he hates even having to admit it. ]

[She grows almost limp in his arms as opposed to her usual demeanor, the somewhat odd way she liked to perch in the crook of elbow with her hands upon a shoulder, to give more the impression of actively riding as opposed to passively being carried. Her mind is going a mile a minute, racing through the threads and hurtling towards the conclusions of what it would mean if she truly now had proof. If ALASTAIR could erase the memories even of a creature such as a powerful demon... then what chance did she have? What chance was there she would be able to take the formula for the cure she held in her mind and had inked into her skin back to their world?

Had all of her work been for nothing?

Her mouth moves, something like an "ah", and it was supposed to be more, but. For a moment, she's struck silent by the terrible revelation his arrival has become.]

[ He watches, or perhaps more accurately, feels her reaction, and his own mind follows a quick train of thought. It's not nearly as frenzied as her own must be, but he's trying to gauge her reaction, and he ends up coming to the correct conclusion, though only by chance. He can guess that two years time is so great to a human that this must seem a great amount to lose—if he had truly lost it. That part is hard for him to reconcile, because he can think of no gap where anything like an absence would be possible. He's Ciel's butler, but more importantly, he's Ciel's demon. The demands he placed on him were constant, as a result.

So Sebastian waits, at least for now. He starts to carry her in a direction, though it does amount to an essentially random one. He has a certain methodology that he's been following as he navigates, but it's simplistic. He's not sure a more complicated method of "solving" a maze would even be helpful.

Though it's not long before he feels that perhaps he should comfort her. It's of course not out of any emotional sense, as he's not capable of it, but it feels like the expected thing to do. ]

I apologize, Miss Sullivan. If I could tell you better news...

[ He trails off, seemingly uncertain, though that's to leave the rest to her imagination. There's no more he can truly say. ]

Is it quite a disappointing answer?

I thought I had done it.

[Her reply, when it comes, still barely participating in her conveyance with her eyes blankly staring forward, is somewhat quiet, somewhat twisted with a tone that sounds almost on the verge of a laugh.

But not one of joy.]

To think, I have been trying all this time to find the cure, and it might simply be stolen from my mind before I could ever bring it back to our world...

[Of course she had theorized that might be the case. It was why she had gotten one of their members to tattoo the formula onto her skin, an extra step... but she's seen the medical center in Oska. It could wipe away wounds with little trace, so something as simple as ink... and here Sebastian was, not transferred back from the team he had left Audentes for, but here, beneath her hand, real and solid and remembering nothing.

And he had said demons did not lie.

Her lips twist, torn between a laugh or a sob and unable to do either yet.]

[ Ah. He understands her distress, at least quite objectively. He can hardly be surprised that she would so doggedly pursue redemption for her own (perceived, in his opinion) sins even here, but as such, it’s similarly no surprise that the idea of having it undone would be distressing. Though that does put him in a somewhat awkward situation, as comforting her feels a bit beyond him. It would be obviously transparent, wouldn’t it? By her measure he hasn’t seen him for years, and so hs comfort would only come off as platitudes. Which would be quite accurate, but he assumes at this point that she wouldn’t know that.

So there’s another pause, somewhat awkward, but he ends up just adjusting her on his arm as they move. It’s half to carry her more securely, and half as if to physically jolt her out of er despair. ]

Then if you have truly found it, we will simply have to assure a way that you do not lose it.

[ It sounds like a promise, but as always, his words are quite carefully chosen. ]

Try not to concern yourself with it too much at the moment, Miss Sullivan. With any luck, we will have more time to consider it. For now… Well, we do have this maze to contend with, yes?

[The jolt at least serves as a reminder. As much as she wants to simply retreat into her laboratory and throw herself into interrogating Sebastian, examining him, rethinking how she will need approach the problem of how to return to their world with the actual cure still intact...

She can't right now. They're nowhere near Oska, where at least she has turned her room into something usable, they aren't even somewhere stable where she can work off her more mobile equipment... they're in the middle of a cursed labyrinth used to punish criminals that, considering the recurring bull motif, may or may not have a giant Minotaur awaiting them at some point.

And here they were without a magic thread.]

... of course. Yes.

[Her voice is still somewhat distant, but better than it had been, one hand moving to press against her brow as she tries to realign her thoughts, drag them back from the spiraling possibilities of theoreticals. Focus, Sieglinde.]

The labyrinth... ALASTAIR did not provide you with any guidance on this issue?

[She almost doesn't know why she asks.]

We can discuss your concerns later.

[ Sebastian does add that, since he wants to discuss them too. In truth, he’d really rather talk about it now, but humans were such delicate creatures… He needs her to be focused for the time being, so letting her fall into despair would simply be counterproductive. But as she refocuses, so do he, and her question gets him to sigh. ]

Very little… We were told to rescue recruits trapped here, and ah—

[ He shifts a little to nod to the supplies he has with him. ]

I was given some things to bring in the event I found people. It is not much in the way of supplies, but it sounded as if things may have been quite rough for all of you? [ His attention turns back to her again, and after a moment’s assessment, he get more specific.] Some food, for example, if you are hungry.

Of course...

[Repeated a bit distantly. Later. Yes, later. ALASTAIR always did have thei1r later, even if Sieglinde knew all too well that the actual members of Audentes weren't guaranteed it. She'd held Patroclus' lifeless body. Wiped blood from the dead of Nalawi and Chantes, Perdition's Rest and Woodhurst.

But that rabbit hole is not one she wants to fall down now. Not again, nor now.]

I shall take it, then- I am most famished.

[She certainly can't deny she was hungry, not with how wane she's looking after their time in this labyrinth, their scavenged food from the crashed ship dwindling every day, and she living off the charity of others more capable of fishing or exploring.

But something he'd said is still nagging at the corner of her brain.]

What... music hall did you refer to?

[ It’s an answer predictable enough that there’s barely a beat after her agreement that he starts to reach into his pack to grab some of his modest supplies. It’s more akin to a ration, and as he hands it to Sieglinde, it comes with an apology. ]

I am sorry, Miss Sullivan. It is not quite my usual offerings, but I hope it will do.

[ Truly, alas, she can’t have one of Sebastian’s lavish feasts to fill her stomach. That may come later, with any luck. As he closes the pack again to keep its contents secure, the question does give him a brief pause. It might be more troubling if they hadn’t just had a conversation about lost time, but it’s still strange that she would not know. It’s slightly difficult for even him to wrap his head around. ]

Well… Goodness. Before I explain, may I first ask? What is the last thing you remember from home?

[It would do.

Sieglinde nods her thanks, but the table manners Sebastian had carefully and diligently beaten into her are all but gone in the year and some since his departure from ALASTAIR's employ the first time, and she just tears into the package and pulls a piece out to put in her mouth immediately.

She's hungrier than she'd like to admit. But once she gets a few mouthfuls swallowed, she can answer, gaze falling slightly for the memories she has not thought about for some time. Tried not to think about for some time, because there was nothing she could do.]

I had just finished Wolfram's surgery.

[And so to say "music hall" would imply something beyond that... but surely... no, even that could not be considered impossible.]

[ It’s roughly when he had expected, though it’s not much of a comfort to hear it. By the state of her hair, he had guessed even two year’s time wouldn’t get it to such a length… Or so he thought. In truth, it was hard to guess with how humans were, but it still seemed far too much or that short amount of time. ]

...Hm. That was… Well, it was not terribly long ago, but needless to say, it is in the past.

[ He pauses to consider it, then adds, since it might be on her mind: ]

The two of you returned to London with us. He survived, in case you had not heard.

[In the past. Of course, to think that a group such as ALASTAIR would be able to snatch people up from various... times in their own world should not be so far fetched considering they're already able to traverse worlds and universes... yet foolishly, she still finds herself shocked by it.

He'd said he was a demon. That he could not lie.

And that meant that even if the other parts were true, horrible as it would be... the part about Wolfram had to be true, too.

Everyone else in that village had burned but him. Everyone else in that village had been willing to see her dead but him. Everyone else in that village hadn't really cared for her but him. And for two years she's been without any proof that he survived through that night, and her impromptu surgery.

Slowly, her head turns down, dark hair falling forward to hide the pained expression of relief on her face.]

... Does your London agree with him?

[ She may hide her expression, but he hardly needs to see it. Her relief is almost palpable as he holds her, though where someone might normally feel a sympathetic relief in turn, Sebastian of course feels nothing. He had only offered it for practical reasons, since her worry would be a hindrance (and my, had it been for years?), and so the reaction is easily, comfortably predictable. What does surprise him slightly is the question.

He chuckles slightly, soft and amused, but there’s a sort of nostalgia in his tone as he answers. ]

More or less. There were difficulties at first for you both, but I must admit, you were both quite good students. You took my lessons quite seriously.

[ The nostalgia is of course for himself. He’s fondly remembering one of his favorite roles to take up, which is the severe teacher that doesn’t accept failure. It’s an “acceptable” way for him to show his sadism that’ more natural to him as a demon, so of course he enjoys it, even if it’s still quite benign. ]

He struggles with English at times, but that is roughly the only negative thing I can say for his stay in London.

[It's difficult to imagine. How could it be that such a thing was challenging, when she has been now to eight worlds not her own? But that's precisely the problem, in the end, because she had come to ALASTAIR before even seeing the Outside World in the light of day, and so things that ought to be more realistic... London... Ciel... Sebastian... Wolfram-

They've begun to feel like a dream she'd had. A dream full of lies and deceit and horrible acts of violence, and just when things had begun to seem hopeful... she'd woken up.

To a different nightmare, not anything better. But Wolfram, learning manners, and struggling with English-]

And your Queen? She has granted us her protection?

[He'd said that, the last time. That surely she would need meet the Queen, begun her strict training for such a time... but that had been in Chantes, worlds away...

And for better or for worse, most of those manners learned have since fallen once more to the wayside.]

[ Sebastian considers that for a moment, because he imagines that an answer of “she has” would likely be pushing the truth. It wouldn’t be on his part, necessarily, so it’s one of those grey areas that he’s very careful to manage his words when answering when he wants to mislead someone. However, he thinks that perhaps it may be better if he’s a bit more honest. For better or for worse, she’s no longer as naive as she once was. ]

Hm… Essentially, yes.

[ He glances to her, and his expression is thoughtful, but slightly serious. ]

Her Majesty is hoping for your assistance and cooperation. Your expertise is valuable, so I imagine she is hoping that you may continue your work on England’s behalf. [ Though he adds: ] But you are not restricted as you were, Miss Sullivan. It is only my observation, but you have seemed to have enjoyed it. So far, your projects are your own, and your work on England’s behalf is in cooperation with the young master’s.

[As much as she wants to mentally retreat, take that overpowering relief at the news that the manservant she has not known would survive for two years would live and nurse it privately, she cannot. She should not.

She's too clever to let that wording go, even in her borderline distress.]

Then- I am working on the cure? Have you seen it?

[The Queen was hoping for her assistance... assistance from the girl who has created the deadliest poison gas their world has yet to see. Sieglinde knows what that must mean. Fears what that must mean.

But if she could use it to her advantage...]

[ Sebastian shakes his head, though it comes with a thoughtful look. ]

Well, I believe you are working on it, but I have not seen it… We admittedly have been quite busy, so I do not know how you have been doing, Miss Sullivan.

[ Honestly, Sieglinde’s pet project was something that Ciel decided was allowable, but also didn’t really care to help or hinder. It was a low priority to them relative to everything else that occupied their time. ]

But it has only been a month. [ Probably??? Look don’t ask about timelines ] Your skills are quite impressive, but coming up with a cure in a month would certainly surprise me.

[What a terrible thing knowledge of the future was. She knows how foolish it was to think that, when she had so desperately wanted to know the truth of what would happen at least to Wolfram, but also to her... wondered if she would ever make it to the London Ciel had promised her, if she could ever make it back to her world at all...

But knowing now, at least right now, is only bringing her confusion.]

To think that "time" could be so warped a thing as this...

[What is she supposed to do with this? With him? With-]

You must tell me in more detail, once we quit ourselves of this maze.

[ Sebastian glances at her, but his expression gets a bit more serious. ]

I can, if you truly wish, Miss Sullivan, but... It may not be wise.

[ It might be dangerous, he thinks, because if she knows what comes, she might try to change it. That does assume that she would remember, which is clearly no guarantee, but it still worries him. Very few things would be any source of interest to her, but the mystery of the blood and Agni are what he worries about, and it's also what he would dance around. ]

But we will save that for later, as you have said. However... May I ask a question of my own?

[She could wax bitterly poetic about her own theories for hours, how sure she was that ALASTAIR wouldn't allow them to return to their own worlds with all the memories and knowledge they gained on these missions... but that was for another time, too. She couldn't allow herself to crumble (again) yet, not here in front of him-

Instead she swallows, tries to steady herself against his shoulder.]

Of course. What is it?

Since I do not remember it, how long was I here, Miss Sullivan?

[ He starts with that question, though there are many others he wants to know. He doesn't like having a gap in his memory for egotistic reasons, since he's so proud that he wants to believe that such tampering isn't possible, but just as much, having a gap in knowledge isn't something he likes either. Giving anyone some kind of advantage over him is something that he tries to avoid, and even Sieglinde knowing just that little bit more than he does is slightly unsettling to him. ]

And I suppose what did we do? It is... difficult to know where to begin my questions on that lost time.

EVENT ★ LABYRINTH III: THE ESCAPE

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