etrayalogs | MISSION 002

Entry tags:

MISSION 002

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Whoa-!

[ Aerith, known to occasionally nearly fall off of things, does stumble while navigating one of the course's many balance beams, her arms wheeling in an attempt to stabilize. It isn't looking great, initially, and her eyes widen in alarm...before someone swoops in, snatching up her arm and providing her with stability she needs to get back to solid ground.

She doesn't recognize the enthusiastic young man who'd responded to her first network message, but smiles brightly in gratitude, and in the face of his affect. ]

Whew, you really saved me there! Thanks for the assist. [ Huffing out an exhale and straightening up, Aerith takes in the question and replies, first, with a widening grin. ]

Oh, no doubt about it. Think the real question is...who'll get there first?

[ And - she's off! Maybe this is ill-advised, considering she'd nearly just tumbled off while being careful, but...honestly, they could all use a little levity in these circumstances.

Plus, his energy is kinda infectious, so. Why not? ]

[ .. oh, wow.

This is not the energy Fabian expected to be met with at all. But it's not a bad thing-- quite the opposite. He looks baffled for a moment when Aerith first takes off like that, sure, but then a grin slowly spreads all over his face instead.

It's exactly the sort of thing Fabian loves. He's not about doing things the easy or the safe way, though he can calm down a little when other people are involved. But if Aerith is also all for doing things the wild way..

.. well, then off they go. ]

Hey, you can't declare a race and then run off right away! [ Despite the 'complaint', Fabian sounds so excited, grinning as he runs across the balance beams without a single worry and following her.

It's the world's weakest protest. ]

Or are you saying everything is fair in love and races, huh?

[ Hey, when you've been facing certain peril all day (and for a lot of recent history before that), you need to find levity where you can. Hence the race, the seemingly wanton abandon with which the full-grown adult woman runs gleefully away from someone she's only spoken with once before. ]

Who says you make the rules? [ She shoots back, not risking turning around to say it to his face. Her balance is...only so-so as it is, never mind taking her eyes off the path that the beams provided underfoot.

Thank god for the sensible shoes, honestly. ]

All I'm saying is no rules were laid out ahead of time! [ Not that she'd given him any opportunity for that, of course. She doesn't stop, doesn't slow...except, the runway is coming to an end as the structure branches off to other beams, which seem to burst from their starting point like the legs of an octopus. ]

Maybe I'll go easy on you - [ The florist calls out, quickly having to make a decision as to which direction to go next - ] - if you ask nicely!

[ He's grinning so widely as he's listening to all of this and running. Maybe he shouldn't be feeling so giddy, since this maze hasn't actually been as fun as he's been projecting it to be, trying to keep up everyone else's spirits in the process. He knows it's dangerous. He knows they'll be in trouble if they fall now, but..

.. he just genuinely isn't thinking about the danger at all. Fabian just feels like he's having fun, like this isn't some mandatory activity, but something he actively chose to do. Aerith's spirit just helps so much. It's like his own energy is bouncing right off hers and multiplying in the process. ]

Well, I do have a hard time not asking things nicely when it comes to beautiful women..

[ Fabian! Boy! This is SO not the time!

Thankfully it does sound playful enough.. And a moment later it's likely that there's something else distracting happening. Because the moment Aerith chooses one of the branching beams to follow, Fabian picks another.. and though they were running at about the same speed only a moment ago, it's like he's somehow faster than her now. It looks effortless on his part too, like he isn't even trying to run harder than a moment ago, yet he is faster.

(Hey, no rules also means no rules against bard magic, right?) ]

.. but I think you might have to end up asking me nicely! [ He's still grinning. ] Absolutely no need to worry though! Fabian Aramais Seacaster is a benevolent and generous winner, and will honour any kind request as long as it is filled with compliments!

[ No: the maze hasn't been fun. To assert as much would be insane. ...But, she also knows the value of some levity at times like this, and it seems he does, too. So Aerith leans into it, letting herself run and grin and let go of the heaviness of their mission...for now. Just for a moment.

The flirting makes her laugh again in surprise and amusement, because - yeah, not the time, but that doesn't mean it isn't endearing. What isn't so cute is when he breaks off onto the other path and gains on her, passing her, and takes the lead in their impromptu race. ]

Hey! [ She's delighted, though, even though she's now losing (somewhat). ] Don't count on it... I still plan on winning!

[ Where is the finish line? Unclear. Maybe it's a done deal once they run out of track, or one of them falls. ]

Wh - [ There's a dangerous wobble, but she catches herself, breathless. It does put her at more of a loss, though, earning a disgruntled huff from the florist. ]

Watch your step; this is a terrible place to be running around! [ girl YOU STARTED THIS ]

[ Fabian scoffs. ]

Please, what is the worst that could happen?

[ .. either of them falling, of course. But maybe there's a fix of overconfidence in himself and overconfidence in her ability - after all, Aerith did manage to catch herself before she fully fell just now, and Fabian knows way too many overcompetent women to not assume most girls can definitely fend for themselves, if not even outright better than him, when it comes to this - that he doesn't even consider that a real risk here.

Instead he's still running at that strangely enhanced full speed. For now. He turns his head to look at her though. ]

Look, we're doing more than fine! I'm sure that after I win, you will reach the end of the line just fine too! I believe in--

[ SMACK.

There definitely was a climbing wall ahead of Fabian, but he didn't look in time to see it.. And with the speed he was running at, he definitely approached it far too fast. He smacks straight into it, hard enough that he falls right backwards with a groan. ]

Oh no...! [ It's alarm, at first, but then maybe there's a little amusement, too. Aerith slows to a stop on her side, very much needing to catch her breath, but also preoccupied looking across the gap to see if Fabian's okay. It's too large a distance to jump, but she's close enough that she can crane her neck and scan for injuries. ] Hey, you okay over there? Need any healing?

[ Thank you for your sacrifice, which allowed her to be fully stopped long before the climbing wall on her side, and therefore preventing her from repeating his misstep. She doesn't make a move for it, though, remaining fully paused mid-race until it's very clear that her 'opponent' can get back on his feet without issue. ]

I think everyone must've heard that sound in all corners of the labyrinth... [ Spoken with a faux-reverent air, even as she tries and fails to stop a bit of a grin from spreading. ] Seriously though: do you remember your name? Where you are?

[ He's groaning so loudly, seemingly not making any moves yet to try and attempt to get up from where he's spread out on the ground. Especially since Aerith's words are just making this entire situation worse somehow. ]

Did you really have to put it that way?

[ Did you, girl? Did you have to remind him that maybe she isn't even the only person here who caught a sign of this horribly embarrassing situation occurring just now? ]

At least tell me I was cool. [ .. apparently he needs that more than healing, considering he's asking for this, but not for the healing itself.. ]

[ That last bit earns a grin, and she nods firmly. ]

Definitely cool. [ Aerith reassures Fabian, offering a hand to help him up, should he accept it. ] You were going so fast, too! I'm impressed!

[ She's definitely not a runner, that's for sure. ]

Kinda feel like you were hustling me with that challenge, all things considered. [ Not that there'd been actual money or anything riding on their little contest. ] But I can overlook it just this once.

[ Aerith's words are definitely like a soothing balm in this moment.

Yes, his body still hurts from impact, especially since Kristen isn't around to give him a quick heal or anything - but there's little Fabian wouldn't do in life just to hear a few words of praise. So Aerith just saying he was cool and that she's impressed is enough for the boy to accept her hand to rise back up onto his feet, already starting to look a little bit less miserable.

(And-- maybe blushing a little. Don't tell anyone.) ]

I wouldn't dare to hustle you.

[ The way Fabian's voice naturally sounds - so dramatic - makes it sound a little like a joke, but.. who knows! Maybe he's serious about that one.

And as if to prove that he won't let one bump get him down, he's already starting to move up onto the climbing wall for the next obstacle. ]

I mean, right now we are like a temporary adventuring party until we can find the members of our proper parties once more! And there's no bond tighter than that of an adventuring party, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

MISSION 002

balancing act

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