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

[ebrius]

[ The size of the creature means when he hits the wall, it cracks, bringing down some debris but it also pisses it off. It gets back onto his feet or (or whatever counts as feet) and starts moving quicker towards the two of them.

It swings one long arm out, claws hard and sharp, taking a swipe at them from a distance. Jessica sees it coming and gives Daisy a shove before she tries to dive out of the way herself so neither one of them loses their damn heads. ]

[morethan084]

[Daisy stumbles out of the way, barely managing to catch herself with her uninjured arm. Jaw going tight from the pain she turns over onto her back quickly, raising her arm again to blast it backwards. This time she manages more force behind her attack, which sends a sharp pain on her injured side.

She’ll just have to deal with the consequences later, and instead she hurries over towards Jessica to help her up.]

We need to run, before it gets back up.

[ebrius]

[ That's definitely probably a good idea. Jessica gets to her feet, wincing before looking around. It looks like the goddamn pathways have changed so she doesn't see a way out immediately. ]

Get up, hurry. We need to find a way out.

[ The creature was already stirring, claws scraping at the ground to try and get it back up. It roars and, when it directs its snout towards them, it actually breathes fire. ]

Is this some kind of fuckin' dragon?

[morethan084]

Oh shit—

[Blindly, Daisy reaches for Jessica’s arm. Her eyes never once leaving the dragon as it claws its way towards them, it’s rear leg clearly broken. Glancing around them she spots a clearing off to their left and makes a dash for it, dragging Jessica along with her if she has to.]

[ebrius]

[ Ordinarily, she doesn't like to be dragged along but she'll make an exception in this case. She can feel the fire at her back and she'sp pretty sure her jacket's going to show it but better the jacket than her.

They manage to make it out of the thing's reach and Jessica growls, punching at the rock beneath their feet. ]

Don't know about you but I don't know how to take one of those things down. I don't think your gun's gonna do it.

[ It might be time for some kind of retreat though she's not sure if the creature's going to let them go. ]

[morethan084]

[Daisy’s eyebrows lift when Jessica punches the rock, but she doesn’t stop her.]

I could, but my powers aren’t strong enough in here.

[So the next best option is…]

We gotta get out of here.

[ebrius]

[ Retreating isn't exactly her favorite thing but it's probably the best thing. She's thinking about it when the creature picks up some of the rock that his body's destroyed and tosses it at them.

It's a wild throw and the rock cracks above their heads, showering them with smaller debris and dust. ]

Fuck. This thing is gonna kill us. Where's the exit?

[ It was definitely time to go, if they could. ]

[morethan084]

[Bringing a hand up to shield her head from getting hit by the debris, Daisy looks over her shoulder at the dragon as it attempts to drag itself closer to them. That’s when she spots a way out.]

This way.

[It’s going in the direction of the dragon, but if they’re fast enough they can dodge it’s attack and at least get away from it instead of being cornered.]

[ebrius]

This way? Towards that thing?

[ Yeah, she's definitely going to comment on it but she doesn't stand there and let herself be a sitting duck. She starts moving.

The dragon creature thing starts swinging with its claws again, nails digging into the ground to make it harder for them to get around. It's tail flicks chunks of debris their way.

Jessica hates this place all over again. ]

[morethan084]

It's the only way out.

[Daisy brings her hand up again, using her powers to shield them from the debris chucked their way.]

Unless you have a better idea.

[ebrius]

[ Unfortunately not. But, she just wants to go on record that she hates this choice. ]

Guess not.

[ The creature not being able to take them out seems to piss it off and it roars and starts both chucking rocks and breathing its fire while making sure it swings and swoops its tail at them.

Jessica knows she's going to have a few burns here and there but it could be worse. Better than than being dead. ]

[morethan084]

[Daisy knows she’s going to regret using her powers later, but right now she really doesn’t have a choice. The dragon breathes fire at them again and Daisy manages to shield them from it with her powers, this time using both hands.

Gritting her teeth as she feels the pain radiating up her arm, Daisy speaks at Jessica while never taking her focus off the dragon.]

You go out first. I don’t know how long I can hold this for.

[ebrius]

I'm not gonna just leave you behind.

[ Because if things went south and something happened, she was going to feel it no matter how she much she tried not to. ]

Stop it and let's go. Quit being a goddamn hero and let's go!

[ She wasn't going her own. ]

[morethan084]

[It's taking a lot for her to be able to keep the shield up, and Jessica's shouting isn't helping her focus.]

I'll be right behind you. Go!

[ebrius]

[ She's heard that before. Hell, she's used that before and while a part of her wants to listen, she can't make herself leave. ]

Stop doing whatever it is you're doing and let's just go. Come on.

[ Right now, while they had a chance. They were smaller, faster than this thing and could dodge it.

She's digging her heels in because she can. ]

[morethan084]

[Daisy stops. Not because of Jessica, but because of the pain that shoots up her arm and is so sharp that it knocks the wind out of her. Clutching at her casted arm, she wants nothing more than double over but she can't. Not when the dragon is so close to them that she can feel the heat radiating from it.

In too much pain at the moment to say anything she instead lets Jessica lead the way through.]

[ebrius]

[ Jessica grabs at the back of her shirt and starts winding her way through, ducking down and holding her free hand up to try and deflect some of the debris and heat.

The dragon seems to have been deterred enough to not go full bore and they're able to slip by the dragon creature thing and around a corner where Jessica let's her go and slumps against the labryinth wall. ]

Goddammit.

[morethan084]

[She doesn’t need to be dragged along, but Daisy lets her anyway. As soon as they’re seemingly out of danger, for the time being, Daisy leans against the wall. Gritting her teeth at the pain shooting up her arm.]

Are you okay?

[Daisy asks, her eyes closed as she tries to focus on her breathing and push the pain out of her mind. Like May had taught her.]

[ebrius]

Oh, peachy.

[ Jessica waves a hand at her to stop any more questions about that. ]

I'm fine, I'm fine.

[ She's in pain but she pushes it aside and blinks in Daisy's direction. ]

What's wrong with your arm?

[morethan084]

[Daisy takes her word for that, not wanting to open her eyes just yet.]

Nothing. I'll be fine.

[She can be dismissive too.]

[ebrius]

[ So, they were both liars. ]

Good, glad you're okay.

[ Said sarcastically because she knows Daisy is not okay. Jessica takes a breath and looks around. ]

I hate this place.

[morethan084]

[At Jessica's sarcasm, Daisy opens her eyes to look at her with an unamused expression.]

That makes two of us.

[And as much as she doesn't want to...]

We should keep moving. Come on.

[ebrius]

Yeah, probably.

[ Jessica grimaces and takes her jacket off, looking at the burns on the back. ]

I liked this jacket and I didn't see too many places to get a new one here. Dammit.

[ She'll live. ]

[morethan084]

[Daisy notices, for the first time, just how badly her jacket had been damaged.]

Holy shit.

[She tries to get Jessica to stay still so she can look at her back. If her jacket had been charred, she can’t imagine how bad her back itself is.]

[ebrius]

Stop stop I'll heal.

[ She's barely feeling the pain right now which she's chalking up to adrenaline. She'll feel it later or she'll heal once whatever is numbing her powers fucking stops. ]

I've had worse.