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

deku

[skaikru]

hand based injuries

Everything has proven just as awful as Clarke expected it would, and she has officially lost track of the number of days they've been stuck in this place. She had started off on this journey alongside friends, just to be immediately separated from them with a hoard of zombies straight out of their combined worst nightmares; blistered her hands on the rope section of the obstacle course twice, nearly succumbed to sirens and subsequently tried to drag three other people away from the same toothy fate. She'd lost her backpack of supplies to a jet of dragon fire, but could at least call that a blessing in disguise as it'd spared her back being scorched. And then there was the unrelenting swarms of mutated monsters, and the actual verifiable minotaur, and the cold of the night, and the constant sense of unease that prevents her from resting until her body gives out completely, and the stomach rattling hunger that shakes her occasionally and could be abated by a slightly salt-water drenched protein bar from her pocket but then — who knows how long they're going to be stuck here? How long will she have to make that last?

Long story short, this has been hell on earth. Only it's not even her Earth, and she has no idea how any of the work to survive inside this place translates into proving her worlds right to be spared the collapse of the metaverse, and no idea where these godforsaken pathways actually end. All Clarke can manage at this point is to keep walking upright, her head on a rather belated swivel. But even on high alert she never could have imagined the outcome of rounding this one specific corner.

One second she's got her eyes tracked on distant moment; on a mop of dark hair on the opposite end of an otherwise empty corridor. The next she's feeling her back slammed into a highbacked wooden chair and the cold bite of metal against her wrists counteracting a startle reflex. Disoriented, Clarke stares down at her hands and can't quite believe what she's seeing; wide iron manacles bolted to the arms of her chair that don't budge no matter how aggressively she yanks. All of a heartbeat later she hears the light whirr of mechanics, and drags her eyes up to focus on the suspended drill that's kicked on and begun it's slow approach towards her chest. And fear rules her.

It'd only been a few weeks ago that she'd been stabbed through the heart by the vicious, doppelganger version of her best friend. And that had been horrible but at least it'd been quick. She'd entered this labyrinth with three goals in mind; protect her friends, be one of the first to emerge so she could have a say in next month's mission in order to better protect her friends, and not fucking die again. And if that thing gets its drill-bit teeth into her sternum, it's over. All of it. Doesn't matter if she'll just wake up 48 hours later, it'd be a delay and also she doesn't want to die here.

It's instinct, not malice that has her planting both feet on the ground and rearing back in her seat with enough momentum to rock their chairs closer to the drill softly whirring on his side. Definitely not malice, as she hasn't even realized the boy from the opposite side of the hallways is even there yet.

Re: deku

[wannasmash]

The first day, Izuku suited up in full Hero gear like any other mission, fully equipped with a dark green jumpsuit, arm and leg bracers, gloves, and a small tattered yellow cape. He's spent more time in it than out of it lately, even before he came to this world. The pouches on his belt and scavenged backpack contain food, camping, and medical supplies. A coil of rope never hurts either.

None of these things can help him now. Izuku is sporting blood-stained bandages over injuries, and he has to be sparing with his painkillers. He's tired. He didn't rule out being found in his sleep by unsavory creatures or people, so he only slept for a little at a time in uncomfortable, hard to reach places. The days run together, but he dutifully counts them by his dwindling supplies. At least when he left U.A. after the battle of Jakuu, he had Pro Heroes looking out for him (however much he tried to put distance between them so no one would get hurt).

He wakes when something hits the back of his head. He's already suffering from a concussion from the other day, and the pain is disorienting.

"107/28!" he garbles the correct answer to a difficult math question, wondering why on earth Mineta (who sits behind him) walloped him across the skull.

...He's not sitting in class.

He's staring at his scarred right hand as it struggles under the metal, Quirkless. His legs are similarly bound, or else he'd use his Iron Soles to destroy--a drill? Izuku takes in the rest of the situation in an instant, as a Hero must. The undeniable presence of another person gives him a whole new set of problems to deal with.

"H-Hey! Are you all right?"

[skaikru]

Behind her, someone unseen blurts out numbers. And any other circumstances, facing down any other threat, Clarke would have paused and wondered if there was meaning behind them. But she's not had the stroke of good fortune to encounter any of the puzzle rooms this maze contains thus far, it's all been monsters and crises she'd barely managed to escape without grievous injury. Never entirely on her own, which is beginning to feel like it's by design and it clicks after a belated second that there's someone else steeped in this shitty situation right alongside her; strapped at her back as another drill whirrs in harmony with the one she can see inching closer.

Her feet slip and the legs of her chair slam back down on the ground hard enough to rattle her teeth.

"No, I'm not alright!" There's absolutely no way for Clarke to know the ordeals the boy at her back has been through in the maze, especially when she doesn't even know his name. Frayed nerves do not allow any room for grace that hasn't been earned, but at least she bites her tongue and doesn't call that the stupidest possibly question out loud.

For a split second, she's trying to turn to look at and evaluate Izuku over her shoulder. But has neither the mobility or time to really commit to getting a good look at him. Clarke quickly redirects her efforts to squirming like a fish out of water in the confines of her chair; she tries using her heel to press on the leg of her chair in hopes it would creak and give way, and when that fails she slinks down in her seat but all that accomplishes is bringing the trajectory of the impending tool closer to her throat than her chest. Oh, come on, she seethes quietly to herself, rattling her wrists in vain again. There's got to be a way out of this. If death is at her front, culpability at her back, they can't get down and feet shackled to prevent even considering going up, that really only leaves sideways.

"My right, your left, we go on three. One, two —"

But some unseen force that hadn't cared when she'd unintentionally shoved Izuku towards the drills teeth locks in here. Clarke throws her weight with a gracelessness born from deep fear, and muffles a scream of frustration behind her teeth when they don't so much as wobble.

[wannasmash]

"THREE--!" He is quick enough to move in sync with her, and voices his frustration at the revealed impossibility with a loud grunt through his teeth.

"Okay--I meant if you had any injuries besides the ones we're being threatened with!" he rattles off rapid-fire. "When we get out, I need to know if you're able to walk. When. It's going to be all right. Just... gotta think... We have time..."

He wishes he wasn't sweating so much, it's very uncomfortable, but maybe that might help him wriggle out? He tests his left wrist experimentally and quickly surmises by the pain that he doesn't have slim enough hands for that.

"I'm Deku. That's my Hero name, that is, I'm in training for rescue and combat." He's not used to having to explain what a Hero is. "It's going to be all right." Yes, he's repeating himself, but at least there is no panic in his voice. He has little room for fear when there's someone to save, even if his power's been erased and his heart beats wildly and these drills sound horribly like being at the dentist.

"What's your name? Can you see anything on your side that might help us, anything at all?"

cw: a little self harm, blanket warning for blood throughout the rest of this thread i guess

[skaikru]

"Nothing but this death trap!"

There are a multitude of ways people tend to respond to dire, dangerous situations and two seemingly exemplified right here: Clarke who feels drenched in fear but welcomes every bit of adrenaline dumped into her nervous system, like that just be the deciding factor between cored through the heart and finding a way out of here, and Deku, who doesn't even sound scared as he prattles reassurances — sounds like he actually believes them himself, and can promise some sort of certainty — despite the ever encroaching drill teeth. Deku, who is doing his absolute best with a crisis assessment, and Clarke who finds it grating to be asked to describe the threat when it's still bearing down on both of them.

She is not being a very good listener in this moment, and even worse at answering the barrage of questions. One or two stick out, but fear sometimes does this clever thing where it doubles over on itself and takes on the new shape of pure, unadulterated anger. Coals stoked, couldn't care less what it means to be a hero in his universe, furious at everything from the pathway she'd chosen to the maze's mastermind from Elsewhere — just set on rattling the cuffs of the chair with a series of sounds that range guttural grunts to pathetic whines.

Clarke comes dangerously close to rearing the chairs back towards his side of the drill trap again before going still for a few seconds, panting hard and the only avenue to wipe angry tears from where they'd collected beneath her chin to dip and drag her face against the filthy shoulder of her jacket. They've got, what, two feet before the rapidly approaching tools make contact? That's probably enough time... And he'd just asked her name a minute ago, didn't he?

"Clarke..." Then:

"I don't want to die again, Deku."

And that is less of a plea for help than it is a defining sentiment spoken out loud; the arc of a welders torch as she steels herself to do something potentially really stupid. She curls her thumb under her right palm palm and overlaps her fingers; sets her teeth and pulls as hard as she can. Unrelenting even when metal bites through the top layer of skin, then scrapes through the subsequent dermis, and hot black blood starts to well up and drip onto the old wood.

+ cw: finger injury

[wannasmash]

Izuku wishes he was better at calming her down. He definitely feels panic, fear, and uncertainty. He fears death. That's normal and human of him. It's a natural instinct. But his instinct to save another supersedes that every time. It's a driving, clawing, almost desperate thing, and it leaves little room for much else.

So his mind hasn't stopped racing, and a solution has been forming. It goes against what his mom and his teachers have been scolding him for, especially in light of his past injuries. It's a stupid idea for a hostage to hurt themselves, but... he can still fight with his legs--

He can't see what Clarke's doing, but he hears just fine. He knows that tone, has heard it in his own voice when determination makes succumbing to the pain not an option. (Hearing his Hero name only adds fuel to his fire, for isn't it the Hero Deku's job to protect others?)

"Wait--don't hurt yourself!" he cries automatically. "Let me, I can take it!!" There's no time now, even if the drills are slow. Clarke is too fast.

Izuku has to be faster.

He presses his fingers together as best he can and pulls. Flesh is soft, but bones are unrelentingly sturdy. He bows his head, eyes boring into the floor. Sweat runs down his face and drips into his lap. Slow won't do. He grits his teeth, gets a better angle, steels the necessary muscle groups, and yanks with a sudden swift motion, efficient and violent. His joint makes a terrible pop, heard even above the drilling. His hand flings out with the motion, free.

"GAAHGHH!!"

He remembers when he wrecked his hands during the Sports Festival, but back then he had time to build up adrenaline in his system, endorphins to dull the pain, and a person to save. Izuku's whole arm trembles, tears stream out of his eyes, but he can smell victory. He grits his teeth again and, despite everything, almost smiles.

"It's okay... Clarke-san... just gotta pick the locks..." he wheezes.

There are keyholes on the other cuffs, but nothing else. He digs with his uninjured fingers in one of his pouches, mentally running through a list of items while pain keeps shooting up his arm.

[skaikru]

Fear and adrenaline are such interesting experiences, especially in concert with one another. They both serve a very key purpose when it comes to the survival of a species — can't escape danger if you don't know what danger looks like, can't exert the full potential of your body every day but with just a little split second communication between the brain and the kidneys, suddenly the sky's the limit, the bladder shuts down, and blood flow to extremities increases; there's actually a very biological sound reason for the drop in one's stomach and the overall sensation of cold dread. Pain has a place when it comes to survival as well, with the idea to ward a being away from doing something that would potentially harm their body, yet in moments like these adrenaline is allowed to overrule it. The head over the stomach. Everyone's heard tell of an animal gnawing off its own leg to get out of a hunters trap.

So, yeah, this hurts. It hurts worse than the time she'd purposefully reopened sutures with the edge of a jagged metal bedframe, or strapped to a post and tortured for information, but not as badly as burning alive in a wave of fire. The pain is localized, centered just on the one hand, and the increasing amount of jet black blood flowing out from beneath the metal cuff is dizzyingly sickening to look at — but at least obscures the damage being done to muscle and tendons below. Clarke started off quiet, head bowed and teeth gritted so hard one or two might shatter. But by the time she's reached her knuckles, found them impossible to fit through the restraint and set to yanking in an attempt to force it, she's screaming inside her own mouth. It is a horrible sound, and through a haze Clarke doesn't even realize she's the one making it. It is guttural and deep but wincing towards a high pitch whimper when the air in her lungs runs out. Then she has to unhinge her jaw to suck in another breath, because her nose had automatically filled with snot and — oh is she crying?

But the secondary scream? The one preceded by a visceral snap she could place anywhere?

It's okay, Deku says behind her and Clarke is suddenly distracted; eases her raw wrist down within the confines of the shackles, but reroutes the tension into wildly stretching her neck in an attempt to get around and look at him.

"What did you do? What did you do?"

She knows already. But damn, man; really undercutting her whole I bear it so others don't have to by... pulling the exact same stunt.

[wannasmash]

Izuku is most afraid of someone dying in his care. He's a Hero. Heroes save people and are taught to prevent someone dying on their watch. Even before Izuku signed up to be a Hero, he has always had the heart of one. So he does feel fear, even fear of his own death, because it's natural. But his desire to save another eclipses his freeze response, his pain receptors, even his reason if pushed far enough.

Clarke's noises are terrible. Izuku has to help her make it all stop. There's no time to debate whether dislocation or breakage is better for his eroded ligaments. He just does what he does because he has to save his companion without question.

"Please stay calm! We're getting out of here, and I'm going to save you!" His voice is low and guttural with a feral determination. Here comes the hysterical strength of will. For him, saying this is as rallying as a war cry.

Izuku's hand is immediately purple and swollen at the first metacarpal. With his good fingers, he fishes tweezers out exactly from where he packed them, belatedly thanking his training and overzealous organization. Every moment counts. Tears stream down his face, and he moans with pain.

He clutches them between his forefinger and middle finger and slips them into the lock. He isn't a pro at picking locks since he could just break one with super strength in an emergency. In situations where he can't use his Quirk... maybe he should brush up on that skill. The high whirring sound of the drill urges his increasingly frenetic jiggering.

"Yes...!" he gasps weakly when it clicks. His left arm is free, but there is still the matter of his legs, and the drill inches ever closer... He has to bend to get at them, putting more of his body closer to the drill, but he's got time, he's got time, he does well under pressure, All Might always told him this, even if he consistently sets his own well-being aside, he's gonna give him the scolding of a lifetime for breaking his fingers again--

Click. "One more left...!"