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

We never realize what we're missing until we lose it. [ A lesson she's learned far too many times, by this point — also the reason behind why she's insistent more oftentimes than not, to get to know the rest of the team. And yet, somehow, George had slipped under the radar; between her focus shifting towards the mission, her growing frustration at the way he bumbled, when they were trying to succeed. To escape.

Proving, once again, that she has a long way to go. ] ... We'll honor him, once we return. It's the least we can do for him.

[ She lets the sentence sink in, before her eyes finally flicker over, voice quieter than before— ] How are you faring?

[At the thought of honoring him, Scott can't help but nod. He didn't get to see much of Oska when it was in its usual state, but he figures that they can put up some kind of memorial there for him. It might be small, but it could also be lasting.]

I'm doing all right. [That's the worst part sometimes. They get to the end, and he's not ... "numb" isn't the right word, but he takes a lot of it in stride. He almost has no choice in the matter.]

Could be better. Could be worse. I'm glad we're getting out of here. I bet it's kind of the same for you, huh? [She strikes him as the type who has no choice but to take things in stride. There might be pain, but they have no choice in the long run.]

[ "All right" covers it well — not great, because she isn't, but not bad, because she can't be. Because more often times than not, pressing forward is of higher priority than letting her emotions get the better of her. ]

The sooner we leave, the better. [ But there's work to be done before that — quiet respects to be paid, discussions of what they should do with the officers and the inmates. With Mahavari. The fallen fighters, the weapons that are laid about, and taking care of those that are injured enough to be unable to cross the portal.

In other words: quite a bit. But in the mean time, she can't help but wholeheartedly agree. ] We've all had enough of this place, I believe.

I don't think it's only going to be a matter of leaving. [Scott's already aware of some of the tensions around that. After paying his respects to George, he intends to do everything in his power to ensure that people are given a chance at life. They have to at least try.]

There's more than just us. I don't think in all of this, we really paused to see beyond ourselves. [Maybe if they had, George wouldn't have ended up as a casualty. Someone who could have lived through that could have taken the blow for Mavahari.]

[ It's not hard to understand what he means — at some point, they've gained quite a number of followers, ones that have followed them from a distance. The ones that understood they were working to get out, that somehow, the Audentes had a better chance of escaping compared to the others. She wonders what punishment, what trial was supposed to await them at the end; is the minotaur simply the executioner, not a hurdle but an end?

She'll never find out, from the looks of it. But Lucina can't exactly say that she's sorry. She does, however, take a moment of silence before she opens her mouth again, tone quiet, contemplative. ] It would not do to begin regretting our actions now. What's done is done.

[ And then, louder: ] ... However, you are correct. There is still work left to do, before we can consider our business here done. [ But quickly — they don't have a lot of time, before the portal will begin to close on them. ]

["What's done is done." The difference between them is defined in these words. They're so simple, but Scott has a hard time living his life without seeing the consequences of his actions. He hadn't participated in bringing down the ship, but he does wish that it had gone better. He remembers hearing hearts through walls as they stopped beating. He knows that as the days went on, coming closer to the ship was like a constant reminder of the corpses within. They had no chance to save those people. There were bad people, but there were good people, too. It was apparent that whatever justice system was in place here, they treated everyone as if they belonged on equal footing.

It's not that he thinks Lucina doesn't consider her actions or the weight of them. It's more that in this case, Scott has a hard time believing in "what's done is done." He will carry the burden of this guilt for a long time. It doesn't matter if he could or couldn't have changed a thing in all of it.

He swallows, saying nothing to those words, but it's likely apparent from the look on his face and the feeling in his eyes that he doesn't fully agree. If he were fighting a real war of some sort, he wouldn't manage it for long. There's a reason why Scott has nearly crumbled under the weight of his responsibilities.

He then looks on to the portal.]

We have to try to save everyone. [That, too, is a huge burden to even attempt, but he's clearly willing to try.]

You misunderstand me. [ Her response is immediate, as soon as what he's saying, complete with his reactions, clicks ( it's all of them. Was all of them, at some point, before the occasional run-in turned into tens— no, hundreds/i> — of battles. Because while they never stopped trying, they stopped grimacing at the blood on their hands, stopped weeping over the bodies of their comrades ). Her head turns to face him, meet his gaze head on. ]

We will try to save everyone. [ Every time. The burden of attempt is one she will take on readily, time and time again ( she would not be here, if she hadn't ). ] And while we may succeed, that is never a certainty.

We will make mistakes. [ George is one of the many examples of this. She knows; she pauses, swallows, then— ] But it is a disservice to those we have lost, if we cannot learn from those mistakes, or we cannot move on from the past.

[Scott knows that it's selfish to feel so beat up over all of his losses, especially after everything that Lucina has faced. Fighting a war is nothing like what is happening in Beacon Hills. He still feels it. The burden over not being able to do enough weighs heavily on his shoulders. Her words help to alleviate it, but he knows that it won't be as easy as a brief spurt of effort to shake that feeling.

He nods, eyes going half-lidded as he continues to look toward the portal. There's a glossiness to them that he can't shake. Scott's always been more emotional, more sensitive, than a situation might have asked for. He leads with his heart.]

Learn as I move on, [he says, whereas for him, it's a matter of trying to make good of what bad that's happened so he can keep fighting. Maybe it's the same thing in the end. It's hard to say.] I'll keep that in mind. [With Scott, it means that he genuinely will.

It might not be as easy as he'd like, unfortunately.]

EVENT ★ LABYRINTH III: THE ESCAPE

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