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

[spacerhyme]

[ wary, ]

What...?

[skelepun]

Don't yell. [This time, the voice comes from right beside him, where Sans is shrugging beside the tree. The sudden presence seems to startle the rhinocorous beetle, and it rears up in furious response. Sans seems untroubled, offering his hand to the stranger.] It really bugs 'em.

[spacerhyme]

[ what the

that is a bit startling - but to this old dude's credit, he seems more intrigued than anything else. he only hesitates for a half-second before taking the skeleton's hand. not getting squashed by a giant beetle is the priority here. ]

Quite a trick.

[skelepun]

[Sans shrugs, and in that moment the shrug seems to... stretch? What was once a rough tree trunk against their backs is now a whole lot of nothing. There's a sensation of falling, a sea of blackness, an aura of displacement, and then--

The smooth, shiny back of a beetle. Sans is seated in front of him, still mid-shrug.

All in all, the episode lasts maybe half a second.]

Not a trick. Just a shortcut. I got a million of 'em.

[He turns, hand outstretched.]

Name's Sans.

[spacerhyme]

[ the doctor needs slightly more than half-a-second to reorient himself, blinking at the beetle's back and wobbling a bit. he's not a huge fan... of teleporting, but certainly not unaccustomed to it.

after a pause, he distractedly shakes sans' hand. ]

I'm the Doctor.

Short-range teleportation - is that a natural ability, or have you got some tech?

[skelepun]

I think you've got some wax in your ears, Doc. I said shortcut, not short-range. [He turns around completely now, leaning back as if he were lounging on a beach rather than the back of a grazing beetle the size of a small apartment.] Unless you're talking about me.

[That's a joke, as all 4'6" of him can attest to. And apprently it's the only thing it's attesting to, as Sans shows no sign or interest in answering Twelve's bid for clarification.]

What're you a doctor of, anyway? Imma take a stab in the dark and say it's not an entomologist.

[spacerhyme]

I was.

[ casually bats his own short joke back at him. his expression straight, as he shifts a bit so he's sitting cross-legged. hope their beetle couch doesn't mind. ]

A doctor of... let's say Late Medieval cheesemaking.

[ sorry, they're both like this. ]

THIS IS A MESS

[skelepun]

No kidding. [Sans leans forward, genuinely interested in this hypothetical cheese profession.] Sounds like a gouda area of study. You make a lot of cheddar doing that?

[spacerhyme]

[ the doctor takes a second to decide how he feels about this - and then leans forward slightly, himself. ]

No, it's never occurd to me before... I'm not rennet for the money, you see.

[ please stop him, before he gets a chance to explain his puns. he's quite proud of them. ]

[skelepun]

[If you're looking to be stopped, you're in the wrong fucking neighborhood.]

Feta you do what you love than something you camembert.

[Sans is endeared. More than that, he looks downright enamored.]

So what's your real name, guy?

[spacerhyme]

[ he's got a twinkle in his eye... but he'll give the punning a pause. for now. ]

The Doctor. That's it.

[ points at him ] Now, where are you from?

[skelepun]

[Funny name, but Sans wasn't about to question. John was a pretty funny name too, and he'd met enough of them in this place.]

Me? Can't you tell? [He pats the back of the beast gingerly.] Beetle-born and bred. What about you?

[spacerhyme]

So, a sentient skeleton from a sinister labyrinth? I was hoping for something slightly more interesting.

[ he's definitely not buying that sans is a native, at least.

then he points towards the sky. ] I'm from outer space.

[skelepun]

[Oh, Doctor. You know your way to a skeleton's non-existent heart, don't you? Sans' face isn't exactly readable on the best of days, but there's no denying the flash of engagement in his eyelights at the mention of space.

Even after travelling multidimensional with an intergalactic time organization, there's just never getting over the appeal of stars, planets, and vast swaths of empty space that went on forever. Living your whole life trapped under a mountain -- one with very clear barriers and no sky at all -- will do that to a skeleton, apparently.]

Well, nobody's ever accused me of being very interesting. [It's an attempt towards casual, but there's no missing his preoccupation with the Doctor's slip of information.] Space's a pretty big place. Can you get more specific?

[spacerhyme]

[ boy, do NOT get him started on space--

oh, it's too late. he leans back on the beetle, looking space-ward, gesturing at nothing in particular. if he sounds a bit wistful, it's because he really is, painfully so. he'd been stuck on earth for seven decades before he came here - it was a self-imposed exile, but even still, it was completely intolerable when all he's craved is the VOID (mostly, the things contained within the void.)

well, he says it wistfully, but grandly, ]

I was born on a planet [ that's specific ], but I've spent over two thousand years traveling the cosmos, visiting every star in the sky. Wherever I like, whenever I like - dinner on Betelgeuse and afters on Mars.

...In my universe, anyway.

[skelepun]

[The freedom the doctor described was so vast that it bordered on cartoonish. Something that, in his more ambituous years, Sans might've dreamed of in abstracts. Nothing concrete, never tangible, not really, but an intellectual curiosity. Something to turn over in his skull between running tests and considering the barrier, or the timelines running parallel to it.

To hear it spelled out so casually, and yet with such confidence, it's enough to toss Sans' own ambiguous persona out the window for a moment.]

You're... not pullin' my femur, are ya? [It's not so much a question as it is a statement of surprise. Sans nearly can't believe he isn't, and yet he can't help but believe him.] But you're human.

[A beat, followed by a sighed chuckle.]

... Okay, no, you're probably not, huh.

[spacerhyme]

[ looks at him - really looks, something about his expression now sufficiently ancient, believably alien.

(back in the day, people used to constantly tell him he had "old eyes" ("older than the rest of your face!") they don't really say it so much anymore, probably for obvious reasons. suits him just fine, though.) ]

No. But it's an easy mistake to make.

My people mastered space and time-travel eons upon eons ago. Nothing's out of bounds - and I'm compiling a list of interesting alternate dimensions, so if you've got one...

[skelepun]

[ALASTAIR really did pull in all sorts, didn't they? If it weren't for the scads of people unfamiliar with the finer details of time, space, and how they intermingled, Sans would have guessed it was part of their selection process.

It certainly applied to the two of them, after all.]

Have I got one? [His grin broadens, and yet is somehow... lesser. A put on, in the way his smile hasn't been up to now. From indulgent and curious to simply there. A detail of his face, nothing more.] Nah. Not one.

[spacerhyme]

[ peers at him with his head slightly turned, trying to read his weird skeletal face. trying to see what's beneath. ]

That's a shame.

[ then slaps his knees. brightly, ]

Even so. I've not had a proper conversation with a skeleton before, you know. Generally, they're just possessed... or you think you're talking to a skeleton, but it's actually the flesh-eating shadow surrounding it.

[ just a day in the life. ]

...They've certainly never shown any appreciation for the art of cheesemaking before.

[skelepun]

[Sans blinks, processing the cheerfully delivered information as best he can.

What a fruitcake. Consider him officially a fan.]

Neither have any of the aliens I've met, so I'd say we're square. [He pats the beetle's back, fingers drumming thoughtfully.] Y'know, I've been wondering somethin'.

What were you doing out here, anyway?

[spacerhyme]

[ he waves his hand about dismissively, ] We're all aliens here.

[ and his brow creases, like he's confused by the question. because it should be obvious? ]

Meeting the neighbors.

[skelepun]

[The earnestness in that answer nearly gives Sans pause. Not much surprises him anymore, and yet somehow, that does.

There was no way he was human. Sans has yet to meet a human that would treat 'monsters' such as these with such mundanity. Not out of lack of fear, but compulsory courtesy. Hospitality even.

It really did take all sorts.]

You need a lift back to camp?

[spacerhyme]

[ perfectly plausible, as far as he's concerned, that the beetles could've been hyper-intelligent lifeforms. he's met infinitely stranger. the furniture's sentient sometimes, you've gotta be careful.

and he's an old man, like he'd turn down a free lift. ]

Alright.

[skelepun]

You got it, pal.

[He claps the doctor on the back, and almost instantly the same sensation from before comes again. It's longer this time, the sensation of simultaneously falling and floating lasting a handful of seconds. Long enough to observe, if only passingly.

To say the scenery was black would be an understatement.

When the seconds have passed, the doctor will find himself a) alone and b) back at camp, as promised and c) with a small post-it affixed to his back.]



[get dunked old man]