MISSION 002

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: May 3rd-28th
WHERE: Within the Labyrinth
WHAT: The second Mission
NOTES\WARNINGS: Potential death, violence, injury. Please add additional warnings as needed within threads.

⏵ into the labyrinth ⏴ Aurora's announced time for the mission was correct: four days after, as she had promised, the door to the Labyrinth opens, connected to Etraya's atmospheric bubble by its entrance point. Characters are directed to come to the entrance on May 3rd, and warned that they may want to bring medical supplies, weaponry, and any important artifacts along with them. She warns that large vehicles will not fit within the limited space available, and smaller ones may be difficult to remove, thus advises those to stay behind. Aurora also offers to watch over any companion animals and keep them safe while competitors complete the Labyrinth. They are given a short amount of time outside of the entrance to speak with one another, to plan and organize themselves, before they are ushered into it in groups of two to four. Once passed the entrance, they'll find that they are unable to turn around and exit out of it: a barrier keeps them from going back into the city proper, and as soon as they are far enough forward, the walls around them shift, closing them in, moving in complex patterns meant to separate them and bring them together. Characters with extraordinary abilities may find some of them inaccessible: super strength may be downgraded to closer to ordinary strength, magic may prove to be less predictable than it should be, and regardless of how strong, fast, or clever characters are: passing over the Labyrinth walls or destroying them proves to be impossible. While one may be able to run through the pathways at superhuman speeds, the pathways compensate for it by running them in circles, refusing to allow them to make any progress on their own. ⏵ pathways collide ⏴ Junctures of the Labyrinth often present competitors with choices, some that may have consequences: a left turn down a darker path may prove to be harmless, whereas the well-lit path may be full of traps intent on slowing them down: a trip wire that activates a swinging massive axe, or arrows that shoot straight out of the wall as soon as one gets close enough. Other junctures may present characters with choices that have consequences: they can choose the shortest pathway, but at great personal risk to themselves or their partner (ie, you can go this way, but your arm isn’t going with you) or they can choose the lengthy pathway full of traps and trials they’ll have to surpass to get to the end. ⏵ balancing act ⏴ The pathway opens up into a massive space, but it's not one with an easy path out: instead, competitors will find an obstacle course that will not let them continue forward until they complete it. Many of the tasks involve things that one cannot do on their own: they must walk across multiple wooden boards balanced precariously on a tall beam, but to ensure it's balanced, there must be one person on both sides of the boards and make sure that they're walking on the board in just the right space to ensure their weight doesn't cause it to sink too far on the opposite side. If a smaller child is on one end, they may want to stand significantly further away from the beam than the larger person on the other half. ⏵ help! i'm bleeding! ⏴ A large garden area spawns off of a pathway. The peaceful chirping of birds can be heard among blooming cherry blossom trees, and it all seems utterly peaceful and calm. An area one might wish to take a breather in, enjoy the sunshine reflecting from above, and get a good nap in. Or would, except a companion bot whose abdomen is covered in ketchup appears to be struggling across the ground, crying out for help. They state they are bleeding profusely and require immediate medical attention, otherwise, they will die. The companion bot also carries a bag of medical supplies and MREs, which player characters are welcome to utilize. The pathway out of this open space will not open until after the companion bot no longer states they are dying. Whether it's because they're "dead", or because those who came across them offered "medical attention" and patched them up until they've stated they're good and no longer need assistance - well, both will technically suffice. ⏵ choice is an illusion ⏴ After walking down an additional pathway, characters will find themselves trapped within a glass box. In front of them is a pedestal with two buttons: one red, and one green, as well as a tablet above it displaying the image of another group of characters. The tablet states hindering them will help you. You may either choose to make the second group's time through the maze more difficult, or hinder your progress by pressing the green button and helping the other group forward. Characters are given two minutes to decide which path to take; the timer, on the tablet, counts down regardless of any attempt to break or hack it. Pressing the green button will drop several squishmallows into the glass box. Inside one of them is a key that unlocks the roof of the glass box. Pressing the red button, while it promises to hinder the other group, actually. . . causes a toxic yellow gas to flood the glass box. The gas will burn the lungs of those who breathe it in, but it also begins slowly melting the glass box. This gas will make breathing difficult for the next 24 hours, but will not kill those who inhale it. Healing factors will not offset the gas. ⏵ who deserves the knife? ⏴ A group of two characters will walk through one corridor and find themselves strapped to two chairs, the backs of which are leaning against each other. In front of the both of them are drills, slowly approaching their chests. They cannot go sideways but can push forward and backward. They can push backward and get themselves further away from the threat of injury - forcing the person behind them to suffer but allowing themselves to escape - or they can push into the drill and free the person they're with. Alternatively, they can choose not to push either way, potentially sacrificing them both. Three options, but they are left with minimal time to decide as the drill continues to press closer. If they choose to go out together, they'll find that as the drills press against their chest - they simply stop. Minimal blood will be spilled, and they will have all the time they need to figure out how to squirm out of their bindings. ⏵ the Siren waits for thee ⏴ A seemingly harmless pathway turns into much more trouble than it's worth. A few steps through a corridor, and suddenly competitors will find the floor falling out from under them, revealing a body of water and - no solid ground on either side of it. There are the walls, but they lack any good climbing holds. Within the water are numerous Sirens - beautiful androgynous creatures that sing soft songs meant to entice others into following them deep into the water. While they may look beautiful, their mouths are full of razor-sharp teeth, and their intentions certainly aren't innocent. However, the Sirens can only touch competitors once they have initiated touch first. They will do their best to encourage this: holding out their hands, crying out for help, pretending to drown, or trying to coax them into coming in close enough for a kiss. As long as they remain on the path, they're harmless. But the moment they reach out for the Sirens... getting away from them will not be easy. Their tails are powerful, built for moving swiftly throughout the water and dragging others along with them. They bite hard and will dig their teeth deep into flesh to discourage struggling. If one gets captured by them? They're lunch. Or worse yet: if they get bitten but manage to escape, they may find themselves becoming a bit.. scaley around the neck, eyes shifting color to a too-soft green, and an almost impossible-to-resist urge to take a bite out of their friends. This effect will continue until May 28th regardless of when the character reaches the end of the Labyrinth. After May 28th, they will find that their scales slowly begin to shed, their eyes begin to turn back to their normal shade, and any other new features slowly turn back to how they were before they were infected. ⏵ don't forget your ball of twine ⏴ The Labyrinth is large, and there are many challenges around each corner. There may be space for breaks in between monsters, challenges, riddles, places to sit and recuperate between battles and mind games. It's not all chaos and challenges meant to test one's strength of will. ⏵ NOTES ⏴ May's mission is completing a massive Labyrinth. All characters must enter the Labyrinth; whether or not they participate once they're inside is up to them, but no one will be permitted to stay behind in the city. The duo who completes the Labyrinth first will be allowed to assist in choosing the next mission. Sign-ups for this are here. We will contact the chosen characters on May 13th. This mission will cover the time between May 3rd and May 28th. After May 28th, any characters who have not yet exited the Labyrinth will be gathered by the companion bots and brought back into the city. The companion bots will be aiming for nonviolent intervention. If more is needed, please let us know here. The first to exit will be returning to the city on May 15th. There will be powercapping during this mission, but the extent of which is fully up to players. We want the Labyrinth to be challenging but don't want to hinder gameplay too much. If you have any questions relating to this or want assistance coming up with ways to powercap your character, please feel free to ask us here. We will be largely leaving this up to player discretion. Food is scarce within the Labyrinth, but not impossible to find. There are chests (or maybe they're mimics?) strewn throughout with various useful items. One might have a sword, another might have a fresh chicken nugget Happy Meal from McDonalds. Or an entire birthday cake, candles included. Large vehicles will not fit in the Labyrinth and must be left behind in the city. Numerous challenges are throughout the Labyrinth. You are welcome to make your own, but we will also provide several you may utilize! Please feel free to throw down wildcards, or your own challenges into your prompts! The limitation is that characters must remain themselves throughout the challenges. There are no mirror replicas, nothing within the Labyrinth will affect their personalities or core values. It’s meant to challenge, not change them. Deaths that occur within the Labyrinth will last 24 hours. Please report these on our Death Tracker. All new locations will appear after player characters have returned to the city. Feel free to note the differences from the May 3rd map, versus what characters will be returning to on May 15th.

Comments

[skaikru]

Panacea, ( clarke repeats, testing the consonants of the name on the back of her tongue and the vowels on the tip. it rings an immediate bell, but keeping a steady eye on francis krouse's network relay of her personal shortcomings (death, her death) feels like an age ago, and despite the most recent reminder, she's still going to need a minute to truly slot the puzzle pieces into place. but despite going un-offered, a name niggles in the mesh of her grey matter like a ghost. she is only distracted from sorting through her hazy, slow to clear memory by what almost sounds like an accusation. amy releases her now mended hand and clarke pulls her wrist close to her chest, left hand coming up to rub idly at perfectly mended flesh — barely resisting the urge to scratch at it. )

I'm only technically an alien.

( because she's human. painfully so, or at least it sure feels like a shortcoming when pitted face to face against someone so obviously more than that. she is the descendent of the few hundred astronauts who happened to be suspended in space during the worlds end, three generations down the line and altered in the name of adaptive survivalism. everyone on board the ark had been genetically engineered to be a universal donor, their proximity to the sun exposed them to enough solar radiation to make the ambient ground levels survivable. her bones are a little less dense than an old world skeleton, and every woman provided long acting birth control in an attempt to curb the population. and her blood? it's almost normal. viscous and prone to ooze like everyone else's, just jet black instead of rust red. with a vague snap crackle pop in every cell, dna so set in stone not even a world leveling radioactive event could disassemble it. a feat of technology undertaken in a moment of desperation, just a little more genetic engineering, what would have entitled her to a near royal claim if she'd been born this way. she hadn't always been like this, and often forgets until someone reminds her.

amy's mouth twists in an almost-smile that doesn't quite reach her flat eyes, and clarke doesn't entirely know how to take that. but her opinion and expression are still so entirely wrapped up in how cool (and gross, very gross) that spot of healing had been, any potential danger flags — and the ominous entourage, she's still entirely focused on the other girls face — are mere background noise.

she smiles back. big and bright, and grateful. local space-born woman entirely unaware of the connotations of aliens in the worm universe. )

[ontologically]

[Amy hums in acknowledgement of that. This girl is odd, she's distantly aware, and it's not just the strange biology. She would expect that from anyone given the distinct nature of their various universes. The way that she's - smiling. Big and bright. Grateful. People have thanked her, said they'd name their children after her, offered to pay her thousands of dollars (she always said no.)

She almost thought she'd grown numb to it, but it sends a small ache to her chest. Warmth and hurt blooming through her system like a virus, betraying the dark empty feeling that was already there.

She's very pretty, even with all the grime and the blood and the deep set exhaustion in her eyes. Amy looks away after a moment, feeling overwhelmed on top of everything else that's happened to her in the last few days.

Amy properly sits down now. A few spaces next to this stranger. Some of the tension leaves her, and the exhaustion makes her body untense.] You could probably argue that I am too. [That is where her powers come from after all. Others probably couldn't argue that - but Panacea's shard has always been a big part of her.]

You didn't give me your name.

[skaikru]

( is it really so odd to be expressively grateful for someone who just saved her from a very slow, painful death? or at least the horrors of attempting self-surgery, probably followed by aforementioned awful death? or even to be a slut for easily impressed by magic? or — powers. curses. abilities. whatever someone wants to call them; whatever aptitude someone has that she lacks, and routinely finds herself wildly jealous over. coming from a world where all the antibiotics had run out, and the medbay she'd shadowed her mother through may as well have been renamed a morgue, something like healing especially prompts clarke to wonder how life would have turned out if at least one of them had been something more than human.

or maybe an actual, quantifiable aliens, as the brunette announces that similarity.

the remnants of the fever ebb completely by the time the other girl settles into her seat. and the brilliance in clarke's smile fades with it, as she properly looks at the entourage that'd flanked her savior for the first time. the giant beetle is disconcerting as all hell, the sight of the dragon causes her stomach to do a very uncomfortable series of acrobatic maneuvers, and she will still purposefully avoid looking directly at the mound of flesh like her life and sanity depend on it. panacea is the easiest to look at, with her deflating shoulders and prompting question. )

Clarke Griffin.

( and then it hits. user name: panacea. real name — )

And you're actually Amy Dallon, right? I was supposed to talk to you.

( a beat, a wobble in her resolve — why does it have to be you? — ) Or not talk to you. ( and the slightest hint of a lie. ) I can't remember.

[ontologically]

The girl who died.

[She mulls over the words used, the specific feelings that pass over her face. Clarke. It's a nice name.

A very minor betrayal all things considered. An offer made in good faith, responded to with suspicion behind her back. It's just a little bit grating.

She could return the favor. Undercut him a little bit, to remind him that he needs to cooperate if he wants to keep lying to everyone in this godforsaken city. It's petty and spiteful and pointless, but maybe it'll make her feel better.]

Trickster said he'd send you my way. [Carefully using the alias - it's the only way she had ever thought of him prior to their meeting here. The fact that Krouse wanted to keep that on the downlow? Not a factor. Well, except for the way that it's the only reason she's bringing it up.

Why did Krouse undercut her? Why did Krouse shield this girl in particular?

He might actually like her. She can see why. She can forgive it.]

I don't think it needs to be you specifically at this point. Plenty of people will have died by the end of this. If you're hesitant for any reason - I'd understand.

[There's the monsters. The ooze. Amy's general unpleasant demeanor.

But she is sincere. That shines through, despite everything. She won't force anyone to do anything. Not if she can avoid it.]

[skaikru]

( there's no pomp and circumstance to celebrate being the girl who died. clarke does not hold out her newly mended hand and wave her fingers like ta-dah, she doesn't even nod in easy assent. there's no need, not when it barely seems to come as a surprise to amy that the dots finally connect. she works her mouth a little; presses her lips together, then drops the tension to draw in a light breath between her teeth. it's an accurate title, even if it's an uncomfortable one.

what does earn a bit more of a reaction is: trickster. krouse had deigned to grace her with the seemingly tight held secret of his first name a while ago, but never this. is it a nickname? a title? if she didn't know him any better, clarke would have ventured towards a superhero alter ego. is it a code name? that feels right, especially in conjuncture with panacea. or a handle, an expansion of the limited characters one was allowed when claiming first place on an arcade game.

ultimately, it doesn't matter. none of them are in amy and krouse's home world, and most of clarke's nicknames are probably worse. still goes down as something to maybe ask him about in the future, as her brows knit and she tilts her head.

but then it's to business. )

I still don't entirely know what it is you're hoping to find. And I have my doubts there's anything to find, no matter how hard you look. But I guess — ( she trails off for a beat, fever-clear but dirt-irritated blue eyes dropping to look at her wrist again, just to make sure it was really whole. then back at the other girls exhausted face, spending a split second searching the set of her mouth and bags under her sad eyes for deception. )

Now I at least have an idea how you'd do it?

( the uptick of inflection in her voice at the end turning it into a question, or maybe a quiet hope? because holding amy's hand hadn't felt like being flayed open for a clinical study, which was sort of what krouse had made it sound like it would. it'd actually been rather pleasant, or as pleasant as watching your skin reknit in record time and flesh bubble beneath the surface could be. it'd be like a body scan, right? a little flesh magic? and quite possibly the most painless way she's ever managed to help anyone... )

I would like to help.