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

no worries!

[spacerhyme]

[ his widen at the first comment, and he nods, totally sincere. ]

Yeah, maybe.

[ and then takes a moment to consider how to answer the second, scratching behind his ear and looking off to the side somewhere. ]

Uh, well, I'm a... university lecturer at the moment. Not at this moment - but I was yesterday.

But in my free time, I travel through all of time and space in my time-and-spaceship, getting into scrapes. And sometimes japes.

[ he stretches one hand in an arc through the air, to indicate such, and flashes a grin at connor. ]

[sadgay]

[That explains the "wacky professor" vibe Connor is getting from this man. He begins to nod as if in comprehension, accepting this small bit of something familiar, something he can easily categorize, but then comes the mention of traveling through time and space, dropped with no more grandeur than that which would accompany someone's admission that they enjoy road trips in the summer.]

You're...joking, right?

[spacerhyme]

No.

[ pauses - ]

Let me guess... Earth, human, probably 20th, 21st century? Nine-to-fiver, boring telly, beans on toast. ...No, American. Peanut butter on toast?

[ oh, whatever. he waves a hand at him. ]

Here's a bit of advice: whatever you considered possible before, however you thought the world works - score it out, toss it in the bin. [ mimes throwing a bit of trash over his shoulder. ] It's useless. The universe... multiverse, is basically bug-eyed monsters and nonsense, and the sooner you stop trying to make sense of it, the easier this is going to be.

[sadgay]

[He wishes he only had to bust his ass from nine to five...

Although the part of him that wants everything to have a rational explanation, the part of him that places order and sense on a pedestal (especially now, when both have long sine fled), resists the man's words, he cannot help but turn them over in his mind. Finally, he looses a weary sigh.]

Yeah, I think I gave up on making sense of this crap a while ago. [He directs a look at the Doctor then, lifting his eyebrows to emphasize his point.] I met a centaur lady while she was taking a bath, and that's not even the weirdest part of this whole thing.

[spacerhyme]

I'd hope not, or you've set your bar ludicrously low. Good hygiene's essential, for everyone.

[ yeah, he knows connor hadn't meant the bath. but he's moving right along, ]

What's your name?

[sadgay]

[He can't tell if the man is pulling his leg or not...]

It's Connor. And what about you, Dr. Van Helsing?

[spacerhyme]

[ it might get worse. because he slowly smiles at that, and answers with what sounds like absolute sincerity, ]

Just the Doctor.

[sadgay]

[ONCE AGAIN...HE CAN'T TELL...]

That's a little dramatic, don't you think?

[spacerhyme]

[ that is, generally, how conversations with him go. ]

Is it? Good. [ he sounds pretty pleased. ] If it got boring, I might have to change it, and I'm much too old for that.

[sadgay]

Ooookay, then the Doctor it is.

[This is followed by a few steps of silence, before he adds:]

So are you following on the steps of Prince, or...?

[spacerhyme]

I tried that. The artist currently known as the artist formerly known as the artist prior to that known as the Doctor forever unto perpetuity. TACKATAFKATAPTTKATDFUP, but it was a bit of a mouthful. So I streamlined.

[ he rattles all this off with a completely straight face. ]

It doesn't matter. Focus on the important bit: what are you going to do here? What sort of skill-set have you got?

[sadgay]

[He offers an awkward twitch of a smile for what could be a joke but might possibly be the truth, but then his expression soon flattens as the Doctor steers his focus toward the matter at hand. Cracking blithe jokes like so many sunflower seeds seems the safer choice to him.]

Well, I'm in law school. [He throws his hand up in a vague gesture.] Or I was in law school. I don't know how helpful the rules of the American legal system will be here, but that's what I've got.

[spacerhyme]

[ he shrugs. ]

Yeah, your legal system's basically meaningless now. If they've got any laws at all here, we're breaking most of them right now.

But being a student involves more than that. Such as - I assume - staying awake through long and difficult hours, processing new information quickly, dealing with a lot of other very stressed individuals in a confined space, that drive to persevere against terrifying odds and poor marks, questionable cuisine...

Your life, whatever it was, has helped prepare you for this as well. Sometimes you've just got to do some digging.

[sadgay]

[He could sling back some sarcastic answer, because out here, when he is so far out of his element and left gasping for air, grasping at the nothingness in search of something to grip, confidence is hard to find and pessimism comes naturally to him. But instead, he nods slowly and squares his shoulders.]

Thanks...I'll try to remember that.