《Recruit - An Infinite Labyrinth prequel》 1. The Docks Rowan realized that he was going to be late. Which was bad. If he came around too late at the New Docks, the usual pressgangs would have already picked their choices in labourers for the day, and he¡¯d be left with the bad jobs. Or worse, no job at all. So, he started to jog across the streets. He left the small maze of alleys for the large thoroughfares crossing London, heading toward the eastern parts. A shadow fell over him. He looked up, and smiled automatically, looking at the sky behemoth that was slowly crossing London¡¯s sky. Like everyone else, he¡¯d gasped two weeks ago, when HMS Skyforge was unveiled, floating against the city¡¯s heavens. While people had fainted or run for cover, Rowan had heard the town criers announcing the new marvel of the modern age, the first skyship commissioned by his majesty George III for his 80th anniversary. So, on that day at least, he was proud to be a British subject, alive in the heart of the greatest of the empires Earth had ever known. Even without the floating marvel sliding over London, sights of the exploding modernity were everywhere. The avenue was starting to get crowded by the usual buggies and delivery vans, but here and there, Rowan could spot one of the horseless carriages that were multiplying across the city. As he ran past, a fountain powered by a crystal-fuelled pump gurgled with water as women drew buckets to carry back. However, modernity was not going to help Rowan very much if he didn¡¯t make it to the Docks. As he turned the corner and started toward the Isle of Dogs wharves, he made an internal grimace. There was no way he¡¯d be in time for the first jobs. His best hope would be a busy day and plenty of honest work for all comers. The West India Dock was busy, but not that busy. The crowds were still there, full of hopeful lads like himself trying to get a job, but it already looked like most had been picked for their day¡¯s work. Rowan made it to the northeast corner, where he usually tried to get picked by the shippers. Even with the modern age coming, there were always ships coming to the greatest port the world had ever known, and they needed unloading and loading fast. Rumours of crystal-powered lifters had been around for years since Rowan started coming to the docks, but none had been seen, and thus, young men like him were used in droves to carry the fruits of Empire into its heart. ¡°George! George!¡± Rowan waved, trying to get the attention of the gang organizer across the milling crowd of labourers. He knew George liked him enough and would direct him to the best gang offers. But when George noticed him, his shoulder shrug told Rowan that he was too late indeed. Unless another shipper or cargo arrived late, he was out of luck with George¡¯s offers. Rowan cursed. ¡°Balls!¡± He drifted away and looked across the wharf. A handful of lesser-known gang recruiters had lifted small banners to attract people. Rowan tended to avoid those. Sometimes, they shat on their recruits, reneging on payment and vanishing. Sometimes you simply had backbreaking work in the most dangerous conditions for less than half of what honest shops like George did. Alas, since he¡¯d missed the main call for today, and the previous days had seen fewer jobs than usual, he was becoming quite despondent. Rent was due. The French might have done their usual harassing across the Channel, making travel hazardous and delaying the ships which might account for the lack of dock work. But, for a young man like himself with no great skills and no apprenticeship, that was the best he could do. Fixed jobs were usually worse than ship unloading. As he crossed the wharf, looking for a gang offer that would allow him to wait out the day, he spotted a most unusual banner. Banners would be plain cloth, barely clean. But this one not only had pure white cloth but had a crossed sword and staff picture, almost like a noble¡¯s crest. A lot of people milled around, taking the banner as an indication of some wealthy company. Rowan snorted. As if a wealthy company was going to pay them more than it could get away with. He guessed that the wealthy didn¡¯t get there by paying one shilling more than they could. The recruiter had an assistant with him, behind a small stand. An ink well and a ledger completed the scene, while the assistant looked suitably bored. The astonishing part was that this assistant was a woman. She wore a laced leather jacket, a heavy skirt and a strange broad hat with a flattened round top that looked out of place on a woman. Or a man. Meanwhile, the recruiter was dealing with the press of people, with the help of four tough-looking men, one of which was mildly familiar to Rowan. ¡°ONE AT A TIME. YOU PUSH, YOU GET KICKED!¡± bellowed one of the guards. To illustrate his words, he did, in fact, push back one particularly scrawny fellow that had slid between two others in an effort to get noticed.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Rowan joined the crowd. After all, he had got nothing to lose. He¡¯d turned back toward George¡¯s corner, but the man appeared to have left, a sure indication that no job would be forthcoming on that side. The crowd shuffled forward. Rowan had no idea what the man was there for, but it looked he had strict criteria for his workers. He kept turning away everyone. As Rowan neared the end of the queue, he saw better what was happening, which immediately struck him as odder than hell. The man was holding a contraption of gears and crystals in his hand. As each would-be labourer approached, he¡¯d made a pass with it from head to toe, the gears would whirr, he¡¯d look at something in the middle of the device, and wave away the hapless candidate. Most shrugged and moved out, but a handful tried to negotiate. ¡°But I¡¯m good. Dedicated. I work hard, I don¡¯t slack. I never complain!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not qualified. If I say you¡¯re not qualified, I don¡¯t want you. Get lost.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± At that point, usually, one of the toughs would grab the guy, drag him out and kick him in the shins. Most of the candidates learned from that, a few didn¡¯t. At last, Rowan arrived in front of the man. He had chiselled features, smooth lines on his face, and clean, strong hands. He looked more like a noble himself rather than someone you¡¯d send to recruit at the Docks. Like all the previous people, he started to pass across Rowan¡¯s body. However, unlike the previous people, he stopped mid-point, came back up and moved more slowly, then made a pass from side to side, something Rowan hadn¡¯t seen him do before. The man looked at his device, frowned, and turned toward the assistant. ¡°Amelia! Got one. Looks like an 18 natural STA, with a side of 17-plus FOR.¡± Rowan blinked. The sentence didn¡¯t even make sense. ¡°You there. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Rowan, m¡¯lord.¡± ¡°Ok, go to Amelia. She¡¯ll explain the offer. NEXT!¡± Rowan moved to the side, bemused. The recruiter didn¡¯t seem to ask any questions, only use his device. Whatever that contraption did, it was the one doing the selection, not the guy. ¡°Hey, dummass. Come here.¡± ¡°Sorry, m¡¯lady.¡± He found himself looking into piercing green eyes. Those eyes and freckles probably denoted someone from the Emerald Isle. The woman¡¯s expression managed to convey a casual annoyance at Rowan as if him being selected was an affront and a waste of her precious time. As for Rowan, he didn¡¯t care. If he got a job, he was good for the day. Hopefully, it would pay enough to make him not worry about whether or not tomorrow would be good as well. The woman¡­ Amelia¡­ turned a page on her ledger, pulled a mechanical quill, plunging it into the ink bottle and appeared to steel herself. ¡°Name.¡± ¡°Rowan, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°I heard you telling that to Sirius. Full. Name.¡± ¡°Rowan Rivers, m¡¯lady.¡± ¡°Stop m¡¯lady me every time. It¡¯s going to be bothersome.¡± ¡°Yes, m¡¯l¡­¡± he stopped himself in time as Amelia¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Age?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 18¡­¡± he managed not to start again ladying. ¡°Birthplace?¡± ¡°Southwark Christchurch.¡± The questions were strange. Why would they ask so much for a day job? What had his birthplace to do with his capacity to work? ¡°Family?¡± ¡°M¡¯sisters are dead. Father¡¯s dead from war against the French. An older brother. My mother¡­¡± ¡°No immediate family? Wife, children, dependents?¡± ¡°None, m¡­¡± ¡°Got your letters?¡± ¡°Was taught to read, per his Majesty¡¯s new Order.¡± She reached to the side of her desk and brought up another contraption of gears and crystals, not too dissimilar with the portable one that the man had used. She turned it to face Rowan and clamped a pair of wires. A small whine started and Rowan began to move away. ¡°Don¡¯t move. If you stand still, this will work faster.¡± The portable device hadn¡¯t done him any harm, but Rowan was quite worried about this one. One of the problems of the modern era was that you never knew what the Empire¡¯s tinkerers would make next. Amelia peered at her side of the device for minutes, jotting down a few notes. Whatever she saw seemed to satisfy her, and she folded back the contraption to the desk side. ¡°Ok, Rowan. I¡¯m going to be brief. You take it, or you get the hell out of my face.¡± Rowan blinked. The woman had the face and grace of a noblewoman, but the swear words and crude expressions didn¡¯t match that impression. ¡°You qualify for a Profession. So I¡¯m going to make you an offer. We are not interested in a day job. We are looking for people on a permanent basis.¡± ¡°You the army?¡± interrupted Rowan. Amelia looked at him darkly. ¡°Let me talk, or get out already. We want you to work on a full-time basis, but not in London. You¡¯d get leave maybe from time to time. And no, it¡¯s not the King¡¯s army. But it pays. 3 pounds per month.¡± Rowan stared. That wage was a fortune. He¡¯d be happy to make 4 shillings a week, but 3 entire pounds a month? That meant a catch, didn¡¯t it? ¡°And what would I be doing?¡± ¡°At the start? A kind of bodyguard. Depending on how you shape up, maybe more.¡± She pulled out a paper, already pre-filled and handed it to him. ¡°Read this and sign.¡± Rowan slowly read the short document. It appeared to be a contract between something called the Artefact Hunting Company and someone, blank name, for a minimum duration of 2 years, based on satisfactory performance. The contract stipulated that the company would provide lodging, gear and training for ¡®appropriate tasks¡¯ and a 3-pound monthly wage, with a bonus for ¡®extraordinary achievements¡¯. Leave, one week per year. If he defaulted before the two years, he would need to repay his entire wages back, including the unworked part. The clause that attracted his attention the most was that, in the event of unpreventable death, his wage until the day would be reverted to his heirs, if any. ¡°Sounds mighty dangerous.¡± ¡°Yes, but the march of Empire requires mighty dangerous work. And no, again. We¡¯re not the King¡¯s Army. They might want you. In fact, they¡¯d be happy to get you. But we¡¯ll pay more.¡± Rowan hesitated. But the lure of steady work, high pay, and no need to worry if he got picked every day¡­ ¡°Sign or get out. We don¡¯t need wafflers.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to write¡­¡± ¡°You never signed? These days, you put your thumb in that inkwell and at the bottom of the paper. It¡¯s harder to fake than a seal, and everyone¡¯s got a different one. Even your twin if you have one couldn¡¯t fake your thumb.¡± Rowan put his finger at the bottom of the document. 2. Gathering Amelia handed him a rag to clean his thumb and jerked her finger toward the side. There was another young man like himself, waiting with a slightly baffled look. Rowan guessed his own expression wasn¡¯t any better. Still, if they were on the same gang. ¡°Hello. Name¡¯s Rowan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Harland.¡± ¡°Any idea why they pick us?¡± asked Rowan. ¡°No. That Sirius fellow said to his assistant that I had 19 ¡®dex¡¯, whatever that meant.¡± ¡°That tinkered thing must be doing some measurement of something.¡± ¡°What¡¯s yours?¡± ¡°Said I was 18 ¡®sta¡¯ and something ¡®for¡¯. Although¡­¡± Harland threw an interrogative look at him. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure she¡¯s the assistant and him the boss. She doesn¡¯t seem to be the kind to stay assistant long.¡± Harland laughed. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve known gangmasters less rude than her. Maybe she¡¯s noble.¡± ¡°A noblewoman at the docks? You daft?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the modern age. Maybe they do work sometimes. Bossing people be noble¡¯s favourite work.¡± The Sirius fellow kept checking the labourer queue. At one point, the whirr of the device slowed and died. He turned. ¡°Amelia!¡± She picked something from a leather pouch at her desk and threw it. Rowan saw something shiny and blue, and Sirius snatched it in the air. He dislodged something from his contraption, placed whatever he¡¯d snatched in place, and pocketed the piece he¡¯d extracted. The examination of the candidates resumed immediately. A third labourer was directed from the queue to Amelia¡¯s desk. Rowan overheard the conversation, which went pretty much the way his own had. The man joined his two fellows to the side. He introduced himself as Silas. He usually worked for steady construction gangs, but the completion of the next phase of the New Docks had left many of those without work. Everyone said there would be a third New Dock sometime in the future, but nobody got paid until that. Sirius had found him a 19 ¡®foc¡¯, whatever ¡®foc¡¯ was. It looked like the device did measure lots of things. The fourth candidate got blown off by Amelia. Once she heard him say that he¡¯d never got his letters, she shooed him off. The menacing look of one of the four guards was enough to cause the man to back off quickly without complaining too much. The queue was nearly empty by now. Most of the unlucky labourers had started to drift off from the Docks entrance plaza, while work gangs were starting to come back and forth to their respective places. Once Sirius and Amelia were satisfied that no more candidates were to be found, she stood off, opened a small crate and started to stuff the writing implements and the ledger in it. The burlap sack joined the materials and she closed the box. Then she reached to the desk sides, unlatched some brass bars, and¡­ folded the desk. Rowan and his companions goggled. The panels of the desk rose, slid, turned ¨C covering the gear contraption bolted to the side ¨C and the entire desk pretty much packed itself with just a few tugs here and there. Amelia turned toward them. ¡°Ok. Two of you, pick the desk. There are handles. The last, you carry the box.¡± She then joined Sirius while the trio sorted themselves. Rowan and Silas ended up picking the desk, which was heavy, but not as heavy as some of the cargo they usually brought out of the ships. Harland hoisted the storage box. Satisfied, Sirius beckoned and they started toward the Dockside, with Sirius and Amelia opening the procession and the three youngsters following with their loads. The toughs that were guarding the recruiters followed, closing the march. There was a small open trolley near the Dock entrance. The trio placed their loads on the carriage, then climbed. Sirius and Amelia climbed on the front seat, Sirius picked a whip, and the horse chariot started and turned toward London¡¯s main avenues.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Rowan relaxed a bit. Most of the day work was at the Docks or nearby. You very rarely got into a gang that worked outside the Isle of Dogs, so, at best, you walked. Getting carried was a luxury that he could appreciate. His companions were also enjoying themselves. Even if they were familiar with that part of London, they usually ran or hurried between work and home. Here, they had nothing to do ¨C yet ¨C but enjoy the scenery. ¡°I wonder. They got all that new tinker gear. I¡¯d have expected them to have one of those horseless things rather than this,¡± speculated Silas. ¡°I hear those things are expensive, even for nobles. Maybe they¡¯re saving. Horses are cheaper.¡± Rowan asked, ¡°any of you know what this ¡®Artefact Hunting Company¡¯ is? What our employer wants us for?¡± ¡°Never heard of them.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t do business at the Docks or I¡¯d have heard of them,¡± said Silas. The chariot turned and proceeded northward. Rowan looked at the neighbourhood, curious. He¡¯d never been north. All his life had been spent either south of the Thames, or next to it. His mother had pushed him out of home after his father died as the King¡¯s pension didn¡¯t even cover her own living expenses. After that, he¡¯d moved north of Thames to get closer and started going to the Docks for work. He had to admit the neighbourhood looked pretty much like his old one. So much for getting exotic new sights. The chariot pulled up to a small building, with a covered entrance. A fairly large wood sign proclaimed the existence of the Artefact Hunting Company, with the sword-and-staff pictogram Rowan had seen at the Docks to the side. The door opened once the chariot came closer and they went inside. An attendant came to hold the horses as Sirius and Amelia both jumped down from the chariot. Another man wearing a leather jacket full of straps and laces appeared on a wooden platform and climbed down the stairs to the courtyard. ¡°So. Good hunting?¡± He peered behind the two at the trio in the chariot. ¡°Three. See Amelia. Told you that you didn¡¯t need to roam the country to find some good prospects. We have all we need in London.¡± Sirius replied, ¡°We even had a fourth, but Amelia chased him away because he didn¡¯t have his letters.¡± ¡°Well, for once she¡¯s right. We don¡¯t have time to waste to get those boys up and running. There¡¯s plenty of them all over. You just have to go and pick them.¡± ¡°Thank you, Lucian. Believe me, I don¡¯t want to waste any time of the company.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure the rest do have their letters, though?¡± ¡°They spent time reading their contracts, anyway. If they faked it, it won¡¯t be hard to find.¡± Rowan found himself bristling at the suggestion he might have faked learning to read. His Majesty had decreed that every British subject had to be able to read ¡®reasonably well enough¡¯ over a decade ago, and fines awaited the parishes that didn¡¯t implement schooling for their children. Even the girls were taught to read, as King George III¡¯s command specifically included them. ¡°Get down you lot. Dick. DIIICK.¡± A youngster, 16 by his looks, came out of a door. ¡°Get those three squared in the quarters. I¡¯m awaiting the expedition this evening, and we¡¯ll get started tomorrow.¡± The three looked at the newcomer. Dick smiled and waved them from the door. Rowan and his two comrades went to meet their guide. ¡°¡¯lo. I¡¯m Dick. Dick Ketton. Been there for three days.¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯re not from that company?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a paper that says I am. Just like yours, I presume. Come.¡± They filed into a corridor and came to a large room. Rowan¡¯s expert dockworker eye decided it was probably a former storage room. Right now, it was furnished with half a dozen double bunks with straw and some linen. Each bunk had two small chests next to it. Two of the bunks had a young man lying on them. Three of them were seated at a large table to the rear of the room. Rowan looked appreciatively. It seemed clean and even had more room than his normal lodging. He suddenly realized that he might not be going back there if what Amelia said about not working in London was true. There was some stuff left back there, including his Sunday clean shirt for the mass. ¡°Dick? Got my clothes and stuff back at home? Can we get them?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask one of them company men. Or Amelia.¡± Rowan winced. ¡°Yea. I¡¯d rather not ask Amelia either. She thinks anyone not from the company is some uncouth barbarian, and even some from there.¡± ¡°Thought it was the Irish who were barbarians?¡± joked Silas. ¡°Anyway, if it¡¯s only some clothes and nothing much, you probably shouldn¡¯t bother. They say they¡¯re going to take our measure and cloth us for work and more.¡± ¡°More?¡± ¡°No idea what it means.¡± Harland asked, ¡°so, we pick a bunk?¡± ¡°You put a board on it. If it hasn¡¯t a board when you¡¯re not sleeping, it¡¯s free,¡± said Dick, pointing to the side of the door where a set of wood boards were hanging. Rowan looked. All of the bottom bunks were taken, apparently. Pity, he wanted one. He picked a board and climbed a few until he found an empty bunk and flopped his board on it. Dick had gone to the table to join the other lads, so Rowan came there. ¡°Everyone¡¯s been looked at with that gear thing?¡± All acquiesced. Apparently, Sirius and Amelia had already made rounds all over the usual London workplaces, picking some candidates among the day labour gangs. Dick gestured to the side. ¡°Girls¡¯ dorm that way.¡± ¡°GIRLS? There are girls?¡± ¡°Yea. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a lot, but I¡¯ve seen two of them. Tried to chat one, but she didn¡¯t want it.¡± One of the other boys guwaffed. ¡°She probably thinks you stink of that stable work you were doing.¡± ¡°Hey, I washed. They told us to wash every day. Said there was enough stink already with the horses.¡± ¡°So what do we do?¡± ¡°Nothing. Been the easiest two days of work I¡¯ve ever done so far.¡± ¡°They must have hired us for something.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not telling. Although you¡¯re supposed to be the last recruits. Maybe they¡¯ll finally give us work?¡± Rowan opined. ¡°That guy said he was waiting for an expedition or something, and they would start tomorrow.¡± ¡°So nothing. Until tomorrow. Fine for me.¡± Rowan flopped on his bunk. A guy had brought food for the evening, some broth with a handful of meat lumps, with bread loaves. You¡¯d have expected more food if they were to be paid 3 pounds a month. The fare provided didn¡¯t match what he¡¯d hoped from the contract. Although¡­ for doing nothing an entire day, it was ok. If all else failed, he¡¯d slip out and head back home, and contract be damned. 3. Chosen Ones The morning saw Rowan awake early. The unfamiliar lodging had bothered him enough that he had difficulty sleeping. Although not having done any work also meant he wasn¡¯t that tired. So, as soon as the light came in through the window, he¡¯d jumped down and made his way to the table. That was a good move as less than 15 minutes later, a massive crash sound was heard at the door, which slammed open. A man he hadn¡¯t seen yet came in, yelling ¡°Get up, you slackers. GET UP. Or I¡¯ll throw you out of bed on your head.¡± They got served a bucket of porridge with bowl and spoons and told unceremoniously they had 10 minutes to eat. Rowan found himself in the courtyard, milling with the others. Dick had been correct. There were three girls to the side. Overall, it looked like there were fourteen youngsters, waiting for whenever the company men would come out. He didn¡¯t have to wait long. The man from yesterday showed up again from his wood ledge. But rather than climbing down, he stayed. Half a dozen people came out as well. Rowan recognized Amelia, who was with another woman, similarly attired in leather jacket and skirt, and Sirius who, surprisingly, sported what looked like a monk¡¯s wool robe, albeit of a weird brown-blue colour. ¡°Be silent!¡± shouted one of the men. The master ¨C Rowan guessed from experience that he was the one in charge here ¨C waited until the fuss had died in the courtyard. ¡°I¡¯m Abraham Zacharias. You will address and refer to me as Zacharias, without a Sir or Lord, as I¡¯m neither.¡± Nobody uttered a word. ¡°I am the founder of this company. The real one, as King George and Parliament have finally decided, in their great wisdom that only nobles can engage in our sort of work. So, I had to convince the Earl of Carnavon, who is our official sponsor, to put his mark on our charter. So if you are ever asked about our company, you will refer to it as Earl of Carnavon¡¯s endeavour.¡± He paused and insisted. ¡°And if I catch you saying otherwise in public, you¡¯ll be fined a month of wages. Which your contract allows me to.¡± ¡°Now, about this company. It¡¯s very simple. We will work in the Labyrinth.¡± Rowan felt like he¡¯d been socked. Rowan had been born on the year of the Gates. At the turn of the century, the great Gilded Gates had appeared. Britain¡¯s appeared in the middle of the park facing the Queen¡¯s House, Buckingham. Queen Charlotte didn¡¯t waste a minute and decamped to her husband¡¯s main palace while the army mobilized and surrounded the Gate. Then, intrepid explorers entered the Gate, discovered the first sector of the Labyrinth and the rest is history. From then on, materials and wonders poured out of the Gate, fuelling a Golden Age for the British Empire. For Rowan, the Labyrinth itself was a mystery. Few things were known in the general populace, even after 16 years. It was said to extend to vast distances, a grand mixture of vast lands, larger than even the British Empire on Earth. And it was inflexible in its existence. From the handful of rumours Rowan had heard, even nobles could be humbled by the Labyrinth and forced to retreat. Some rabble-rousers even said that common men could rise well above nobles in there. The whole things would have been perfect if not for the fact that some other Gates opened in other countries. From school, Rowan remembered that there was a Gate in the Former Colonies, one in the middle of the Frenchmen¡¯s Empire, and one among the Chinamen from Orient. No one knew anything about Africa, but Black men had been spotted in the Labyrinth, so it was expected that there was an Empire at the heart of that continent. In fact, except for the deplorable Federal Republic of the Former Colonies, all the Gates were the possession of the greatest of Empires on Earth. Of course, even Napoleon¡¯s Empire couldn¡¯t measure to the British one. After all, he never succeeded in landing on Britain and hadn¡¯t even managed to snag any of the colonies of the Empire.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Of course, if one would be honest, the British Crown hadn¡¯t managed to break the French¡¯s hold on Europe either. After Napoleon¡¯s conquest of Rus, using powered heaters to forge thru the worst of winter and catch the Russian tsar fleeing Moscow, none of Europe¡¯s kingdoms had managed to raise the slightest resistance to the French Hordes. But Rowan wasn¡¯t about to admit that. The French could be lined next to the Former Colonials and shot dead twice, for all he cared. After all, they killed his dad. Zacharias kept on. ¡°The reason you were chosen is that the Labyrinth is quite picky with whom can and cannot do things in its domain. The Labyrinth places a measure on your intrinsic potential, which will rank from 10 to 20 in all its diversity.¡± ¡°The average man can score no better than 15 in his aspects. Some will be of low value, scoring even below that. Some will, of course, score higher. But good scores are rare. For every 15 men scoring 15 or worse, only one will score 16 or better. For every 15 men scoring 16, only one will score 17. And for 15 that score 17, only one goes to 18. Which is what is of interest from us, as the Labyrinth will only reward those who have at least one measure at 18 or greater.¡± Zacharias gestured toward Sirius. ¡°My man here used a device to check for your potential scores. A miniature power of the Labyrinth. All of you are here because one of your scores is above 18.¡± Rowan heard muttering coursing among the people in the courtyard. So¡­ that was what Sirius had said when he was 18 ¡®sta¡¯. It was one of the Labyrinth¡¯s measurements. Although what ¡®sta¡¯ referred to, he had no idea. Come to think of it¡­ Silas was 19? Even bigger than 18? If one in¡­ many¡­ was at 18, how rarer would it be to get 19? 19 what¡­ Rowan couldn¡¯t remember the word used for Silas. Judging by the glances from Harland, he wasn¡¯t the only one to wonder. Zacharias kept talking. ¡°As what we intend to do in the Labyrinth¡­ it¡¯s simple. We look for items of value. The Labyrinth provides many things for the British Empire, but some of them are highly coveted, even if they¡¯re not directly fuelling the Empire¡¯s growth. Rich people, nobles and not, pay handsomely for some of the items from the Labyrinth. And we¡¯re there to find those for them.¡± ¡°This is hard, long, and sometimes dangerous. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Many keep to the early places of the Labyrinth, where the Empire holds sway and the dangers are known.¡± ¡°We do not do that. Instead, we forge into the depths of the Labyrinth, where the most unknown of the Artefacts are to be found. We conquer them. And we sell them back. Along with other stuff.¡± ¡°But, while we forge ahead, we can take apprentices and have them work to get the easier ones.¡± ¡°That is where you come.¡± ¡°When you enter the Labyrinth for the first time, the Labyrinth will give you a Profession. Consider it as an apprentice title. The Profession you get from entering the Labyrinth is weak, by the Labyrinth¡¯s standards. But then, you are weak, by the same token.¡± ¡°But we will train you. We will show you how to grow in stature, and gain better Professions to replace your first one. And once you¡¯re good enough, we will send you to conquer and bring back many unique wonders.¡± Zacharias coughed a bit. One of the men gave him a flask, which he drank greedily. ¡°Edna Tilcott!¡± Heads turned. Zacharias waited only a couple seconds. ¡°When I call you, raise your hand.¡± One of the girls raised her hand finally. ¡°Good. Now, you are only of our rare ones, you have two scores at 18. When we enter the Labyrinth, you will be handed one of two possible Professions. I will ask you if you find yourself designated Watcher, that you tell us immediately, and I¡¯ll have you reassigned. We already have a plan for your growth, and it will be easier if you become Mender.¡± ¡°The rest of you, your Profession is foreordained for now. So don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Now, we will not train or outfit you here. Our esteemed Earl expects his adventure to be profitable, and we¡¯ll be wasting our time ¨C and our earnings ¨C by trying to give you stupid and unprofitable tasks.¡± ¡°Now, all of you have your letters? Because if you do not, you will be useless to us and anyone. You need to be able to read to master the Labyrinth. Yes, that¡¯s why King George III mandated that all his subjects know how to read. He¡¯s smarter than you may have heard. Smarter than he used to be, anyway.¡± Zacharias caught a worried glance by the woman companion of Amelia. He waved her concern away. ¡°We will ask you questions. If you cannot read, you will not be able to answer them. So, if you don¡¯t really know your letters, raise your hand right now. Because once you enter the Labyrinth, if you do not, we WILL dock you for those two years of wages. And there¡¯s plenty of work to be done in the Labyrinth, even if you¡¯re too stupid to use your Profession. The crystal quarries don¡¯t need much in stats. And that¡¯s where you¡¯re headed with an indenture if you fail me.¡± Nobody raised their hand. Either everyone had indeed received the education mandated by the King, or they were hoping to pass. Rowan doubted it would be easy. You would be stupid to get saddled with 70 pounds of debt. Nobody would be getting away from that. A couple of chariots came out of the side of the building. ¡°Now, climb. We¡¯re heading to the Labyrinth. That¡¯s where we have our real headquarters, and where we¡¯ll start training you in the ways of your new life.¡± The chariots were packed and heavy. Rowan felt each cobblestone, where yesterday had brought him a comfortable ride. The chariots turned and headed toward the southwest. Straight toward the Queen¡¯s House. Straight toward the Gilded Gate of the Labyrinth. 4. Apprenticed Rowan had heard descriptions of the Gate. He¡¯d never seen it. Even if he had wanted to, the King¡¯s Army guarded the Heart of the modern Empire and none could come close to even watch the Gate. The best was a glimpse from the edges of the Queen¡¯s Gardens. The chariots passed a ring of soldiers. A gruff man, whose insignias Rowan couldn¡¯t fathom, spent minutes examining the papers handed by Zacharias, before handing them back and waving them through. Now, they were approaching the Gate proper, and all aboard were gawking. The Gilded Gate of Britain was a tall circle of golden metal. Rowan thought it might be real gold, although no one could be sure. However, the Gate was engraved by fantastic representations of animal heads. There was a boar, a lion, a wolf, and far more. Some heads were even stranger looking, and Rowan had to admit he had no idea what kind of beast could sport one of these. The centre of the Gate, however, was filled with light. It was like looking at the sun, but without being blinded. There was no way to describe it in proper words. He¡¯d heard that some people had thought they were looking at the heavens through the Gate when it first appeared. As he was seeing it for the first time, he understood why. Their chariots were directed to a side. There was a constant flux of people in and out, almost all of them carrying large sacks on their backs. Rowan recognized the tell-tale sign of people loading or unloading some great cargo. He was not mistaken, as he followed the lines of people to see huge chariots being loaded with bags. ¡°Power crystals, those.¡± Rowan turned his head. Sirius, who was standing at the driver¡¯s seat had turned toward his charges to explain the spectacle. ¡°That¡¯s the engine of the Empire¡¯s progress. We use a ton of those every day, for repairs or new things.¡± ¡°How do they work?¡± asked Rowan. To his surprise, Sirius replied. ¡°No one knows. They store power, which you can use. Once depleted, they take time to recharge, but they do on their own, without having to do anything. Tinkerers have adapted them to all kind of use.¡± The new employees of the Artefact Hunter Company jumped from their chariots after being prompted by their bosses. After talking with yet another soldier with an ornate uniform, Zacharias came back. ¡°We¡¯re going in. Make a line, we don¡¯t want to disrupt the loading of today¡¯s packs. We get fined if we do¡­ and I will put that on your wages. And it will be enough to wipe almost all of your two years.¡± ¡°Now, once you¡¯re through, you will be in a great courtyard. I will not be there, but one of our people will be. Move to the centre immediately, and wait for instructions. Oh, and you can have a look at the Interface while waiting. You will know what I¡¯m talking about after crossing.¡± Rowan found himself surrounded by unknown lads. Some of them were already looking familiar from the dormitory, but he hadn¡¯t memorized everyone¡¯s face. None of them was talking anyway. The sheer presence of the Gilded Gate was enough to silence the most unruly employee. He followed the line to the side of the Gate. Each of the other men walked to the Gate where it looked like the light coming out was¡­ reaching and grabbing them. The spectacle was quite disturbing, and if he hadn¡¯t known better, Rowan might have wetted himself or fled from the grounds. But lots of people had been crossing the Gate for 16 years. Sometimes daily. So¡­ surely it was safe. He reached the Gate¡¯s border. The man in front of him nearly hesitated, then the light absorbed him. And Rowan walked into the light.
Rowan Smith Rivers
Health: 153/153 Mind: 172/172 Endurance: 186/186 Aether: 161/161If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Effective level: 1 Level 1 Shieldbearer
Experience: 0/1000
Strength: 16 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 14 Constitution: 15 Stamina: 18 Wisdom: 14 Focus: 15 Presence: 14 Fortitude: 17 Intelligence: 16
Milestones: None
Skills: None
The courtyard Zacharias had spoken about bore little resemblance to any courtyard Rowan had ever seen. It would have been much better to call it a plaza. An expanse of some marble floor polished and shining. It seemed almost a sacrilege to walk across such a place. There was a crowd at the centre of the plaza. A man wearing something¡­ that looked like a suit of plate armour. The people surrounding him were all wearing ratty clothing. Rowan suddenly realized that was the same kind of ordinary clothes he wore. It just felt out of place compared to the plaza. Or the man waiting for them. He remembered that Zacharias had given them instructions to get to that place. He started when a flash of light to the side attracted his attention. Glancing toward the location, he saw one girl, looking slightly bemused. He smiled, then swallowed his smirk. He had probably looked as disoriented when he¡¯d appeared¡­ wherever they were. Walking toward the centre, he saw one more of the flashes. For a fraction of second, a pillar of light had appeared at the edge of the plaza, before vanishing and leaving a boy standing there. Rowan reached the centre, but the man standing there didn¡¯t pay any attention to him. He realized that he was probably waiting for all of them to arrive before giving them instructions. What had said Zacharias? Oh. Use¡­ the Interface. While waiting. The Interface was¡­ this floating text he¡¯d saw, at the edge of his perception? He supposed it was. In a way, it explained some things. The 18 ¡®sta¡¯ score he was supposed to have apparently¡­ measured his Stamina. He assumed it was possible. He could work long hours and keep going. Apparently, he was well above the average man in that. And the ¡®for¡¯ that Sirius had talked about on the Docks was obviously Fortitude since that one was at 17. Rowan noticed quickly that the Interface seemed to be divided evenly between some physical measures, and some more mental ones. But the other parts were more mysterious. Well, except for his name, which was obvious. The mention of having no Skills was vexing. Although¡­ what counted as a Skill for the Labyrinth? Rowan was pretty sure there were more than five descriptions of his physical state and more than five mental ones. His faith was nowhere to be seen, even though he considered himself pious enough. He never missed the office. The part about milestones was far stranger. And what was Aether? And what were the levels mentioned? Rowan nearly jumped. Merely focusing on the last part brought him some additional text.
Shieldbearer (tier 1)
Required: 18 STA
Provides: +3 health/+6 endurance/+2 mind/+1 aether per level +1 Milestone/15 levels Shieldbearer Milestone: +3 STA, +2 STR, +1 CON, +1 FOR, +1 PRE, 5% shield use
Skill set: Equipment / Defensive
That was¡­ sort of helpful. Apparently, Shieldbearer was some kind of category, tied to levels. Which made sense if it was labelled as being Level 1. Rowan suddenly made the mental jump. Zacharias had said each of them ¨C except Edna ¨C would receive a specific Profession upon entering the Labyrinth. So¡­ Shieldbearer was a Profession then. And he was measured as having Level 1 in that¡­ The flashes had ceased. Rowan assumed that it was because everyone had entered the Labyrinth. But apparently, that didn¡¯t include Zacharias. Or Sirius. Or any of the other main Company employees, except for the man who had been waiting for them. The plate wearer waited until the last girl had reached the centre of the plaza. Then he raised his voice. ¡°Listen to me, everyone. You now have access to your personal Interface. It will remain with you from today, until the moment of your death. And maybe into Heaven, but nobody told anyone about that.¡± He laughed. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the Devil won¡¯t let you keep that if he gets you as a guest. You''d probably kick his ass with it.¡± ¡°Now, there was one girl that had supposedly two possible¡­¡± One girl raised her hand. Rowan recognized her from the earlier courtyard. Edna. ¡°That¡¯d be me.¡± ¡°Which Profession did you get assigned?¡± ¡°Mender, m¡¯lord.¡± ¡°Drop the milord. I¡¯m not a noble. The only noble in the Company is the Earl, and he¡¯s never set foot in the Labyrinth. Can¡¯t. He¡¯s hoping we bring him riches enough to compensate for that.¡± He checked a piece of paper. ¡°You¡¯re good. I don¡¯t know what Zacharias has for you, but I¡¯d hate saddling someone with a new Profession already, even if it¡¯s a tier 1.¡± ¡°Quick introduction. All of you have now a Profession. Having a Profession is a requirement in the Labyrinth. If you don¡¯t have one, you¡¯ll end up at the Gate going out. And you can try to cross the Gate all you want, you¡¯ll end up outside again.¡± Someone asked, ¡°Is that why you said the Earl can¡¯t get into the Labyrinth?¡± ¡°Good. Yes, that¡¯s exactly why. The Earl of Carnavon has no potential above 16. Without one at 18 or higher, he cannot receive even a tier 1 Profession, and thus can¡¯t enter the Labyrinth. Nobody¡¯s ever found a way around that. All of you have one value that''s high enough. And yes. There¡¯s a lot of nobles who hate the fact that commoners can get into the Labyrinth as they please, while they¡¯re not able to.¡± ¡°Now, we¡¯re not where we need to be. So we are going to head out that way.¡± He raised his arm, pointing to the side of the plaza. Rowan saw a great marble gate, with ornate columns. ¡°There¡¯s transportation waiting for us outside. It won¡¯t be long, and we will be at the Company¡¯s real headquarters, where we will begin teaching you the ways of the Labyrinth.¡± He concluded, ¡°until then, don¡¯t try to do anything. You do stupid, we dock your pay for the month.¡± 5. Boot Camp Outside the plaza, they found themselves in the country. Rowan watched with large eyes. He¡¯d never left London his entire life, and the sight was alien to him. Large expanses of grass, with little else. Standing watch besides the portico to the marble plaza were two guards. Like the company man, who had yet to introduce himself, they wore full plate armour like a knight from ancient times. A tabard with the Union Jack completed the armour, indicating their affiliation to the King¡¯s Army. ¡°That your newbies, Baxter?¡± asked one of the soldiers. ¡°Aye. All set for their first day in the rest of their lives¡± answered Baxter. The transportation referred to by Baxter was a set of chariots. However, unlike the chariots back in London, these didn¡¯t have horses harnessed. Rowan spotted sets of large blue faceted glass to the sides over each wheel. He realized he was seeing those power crystals. Everyone knew about power crystals, which fuelled modern devices, but you seldom saw one. The fountain he passed yesterday was powered by some, but those were buried deep inside. Presumably to avoid thieves. The group climbed aboard the two chariots. As before, the girls climbed first, moving to the end of one, and kept their distances from the boys. That didn¡¯t seem to deter some who tried to chat them, but they all studiously ignored the bothersome ones. Then, the chariots started, and Rowan marvelled at the smoothness. Silas had managed to climb next to him. Harland was apparently on the girl¡¯s chariot. The sly guy. Dick from his dorm was at the end of the chariot. ¡°So, Silas? What your profession?¡± Silas stayed silent for a few seconds, lost in his thought. He then started.
Watcher (tier 1)
Required: 18 FOC
Provides: +1 health/+2 endurance/+6 mind/+3 aether per level +1 Milestone/15 levels Watcher Milestone: +3 FOC, +2 INT, +1 WIS, +1 CON, +1 STA, 5% perception effects
Skill set: Environmental / Defensive
¡°Watcher, So you watch things?¡± ¡°No idea what it does. Maybe I¡¯m going to guard things. You?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Shieldbearer. That one seems easier to understand.¡± Rowan suddenly realized something. ¡°That Zacharias fellow¡­ he said that Edna could be Mender or Watcher. Does that mean she¡¯s got some high Focus, like you?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± The chariots moved at a fast pace. Rowan thought them slightly faster than a horse-drawn chariot would be. Despite the apparent speed, the smoothness of the ride dispelled any sense of danger. From a distance, he spotted a large number of wooden buildings. Apparently, they had towns in the Labyrinth. Probably no cities like London. London was unique. They crossed into the small town and the chariots slowed down. It seemed to have quite a population, but they were all strange. They wore garbs unlike most of the people back in London. He saw men in heavy robes, like judges. And¡­ was that a woman in leather trousers? What the? ¡°Silas. Hey, Silas. See that?¡± Silas goggled. ¡°How come she walks around in that? Doesn¡¯t she have a sense of decency?¡± More boys had noticed the passerby and were calling out the strumpet. She turned and frowned. Then, in a smooth movement, a large dagger appeared in her hand and she sliced vertically. One of the boys screamed. Rowan stretched his neck and saw him holding his hand¡­ it looked like he had a finger missing. Did the woman CUT his finger? Really? She yelled at their driver, ¡°Keep your noobs in their place, vazey! Next one that points me, I¡¯ll cut him more than 20 health.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Baxter stood and yelled. ¡°Stop being stupid. Told you, you do stupid, you¡¯re docked pay. Keep your hands inside.¡± The chariots turned to a side street and Rowan finally spotted a banner with the now-familiar sword and staff crossed. They reached an entrance with a sign saying ¡°Artefact Hunting Company¡± and went in. The boy with his sliced finger was still screaming while two of his comrades were helping him. Rowan spotted Sirius in his blueish monk garb coming that way. He raised his hand, and Rowan could have sworn that, for a second, some light had appeared in the cup of his palm. The boy¡¯s scream cut. Rowan turned his head and looked. The boy was wiggling his fingers¡­ all of them? How had his finger regrown? He realized suddenly that Sirius must have done it, in some way. Was Sirius some Christian saint, maker of miracles? He couldn¡¯t see how else he¡¯d done so. ¡°Move in the court. And keep your mouths shut,¡± said Baxter. Rowan now spotted Amelia, Zacharias, and most of the people that had been back at the company¡¯s house in London. There was some kind of wood stage. The recruits crowded themselves next to it. Unlike in London, it wasn¡¯t Zacharias that started. Rather, the honour was bestowed to Amelia, who came with her slightly bored look. ¡°Welcome to the Infinite Labyrinth. And congratulations. You are now officially categorized as Professionals, people that come and go through the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll start with an introduction. Then we¡¯ll sort you and outfit you. Then, we¡¯ll split you up in three teams and start showing you what you will need to know.¡± ¡°First. The Labyrinth obeys strict rules. Outside, the hand of God is light, and your lives free. Here, there are sharp rules, and you cannot break them. There are laws of the Labyrinth. Don¡¯t bother trying to avoid them; you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve all received a Profession. If you don¡¯t have a Profession, you can¡¯t enter the Labyrinth. To get a Profession, you must have at least one high potential. Outside the Labyrinth, your potential may or may not come to fruition. Here, it is always at its best. If your Focus is high, you will notice things, no matter how lazy you are. If your Strength is high, you will be powerful, even if your childhood has stunted you. That¡¯s the first gift of the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°Now a taste of what¡¯s to come. You all have received what everyone here calls a tier 1 Profession. That¡¯s all you can get as a normal person. But now that you are in the Labyrinth, you are no longer an everyday person. I told of potential, and here, in the Labyrinth, you can raise that potential. And when I say raise, I mean far beyond the realm of normal possibilities.¡± ¡°Now, if you haven¡¯t done so, look at your Interface, and focus on your Profession. It will tell you what statistics this Profession increases, and what it requires.¡± She paused, waiting for those who hadn¡¯t already checked to look at. Then she grinned. ¡°Now, if you lied back in London and you haven¡¯t learned your letters, you¡¯re fucked. Because we will ask you what¡¯s in there, and if you can¡¯t answer¡­ well, we¡¯ll know you can¡¯t read it. And if that happens, then we¡¯ll just march you to the mining companies and hand you to them. They don¡¯t need you to use your profession, they just care that you can enter the Labyrinth. And when you¡¯ll have reimbursed your 72 pounds, then maybe you¡¯ll be let go. But that¡¯s not going to take 2 years in the mines, believe me.¡± She looked at the crowd. Rowan felt safe. At least on that point. But he knew now how they were confident to spot fakers. Unless you knew exactly how the Labyrinth displayed your Interface and what it said, you¡¯d be unable to pretend. ¡°At the moment, you are all level 1 with a tier 1 Profession. That¡¯s good enough for this Zone. You are in the first British Zone of the Labyrinth. It¡¯s called Grailburg. And no, we didn¡¯t name that. The Labyrinth did. Now, try to focus on where you are.¡± Rowan thought that felt silly, but tried anyway. To his surprise, a new section of the Interface appeared in his mindscape.
Location
Zone: Grailburg (tier 1) Locale: Plains of Normarron
Recall: Grailburg, The Plaza Recall: 21 hours, 33 minutes
Gates: 0/1 Fast travel: none
¡°Everyone good? Now, Grailburg is the first tier 1 Zone we¡¯ve encountered. It is easy enough, and we¡¯ll use it as a training ground. It¡¯s a territory that¡¯s a tenth of the size of Home. Ireland, I mean. You can¡¯t leave it.¡± She added. ¡°It¡¯s also slightly crowded, and there¡¯s nothing very useful to be gotten here, except for the Power Crystal mining that goes in the southeast. But it¡¯s handy enough for your first levels before we move out to better places. Now, something important. Pay attention.¡± ¡°Your Interface must have shown you something called Recall. You can use a Recall once per day while in the Labyrinth. At the moment, it will bring you back to the Plaza where you appeared when you entered the Labyrinth. DO NOT USE IT. If you do, then you walk back to town. And we¡¯ll dock your pay for that day because you¡¯ll be wasting our and your time. Everyone understand me?¡± She waited a second before bellowing. ¡°EVERYONE UNDERSTAND ME?¡± The recruits nodded. ¡°EVERYONE UNDERSTAND ME? I¡¯M NOT HEARING ANYTHING.¡± There were shouts of ¡®aye¡¯ and ¡®yea¡¯. ¡°Better. When I ask a question, you answer, you don¡¯t stand there looking like bumpkins.¡± ¡°Now, we¡¯re going to split you, outfit you and take you for a short familiarisation. Nothing better than a quick immersion in the Labyrinth to feel its reality. So, you¡¯re going to be put in teams of six. Five of you, one of us. Keep tabs on your team. Unless we have problems, we¡¯ll keep you in that configuration for your training.¡± One hand rose. ¡°Oooooh. I see a question. Someone is curious. Curious is good, but don¡¯t overdo it. Too much curiosity will kill you once you¡¯re deep in the Labyrinth, more surely than a scaffold dropping on you back in London. Yes?¡± ¡°Do you all have Professions?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t listen? Everyone here has a Profession. You can¡¯t be in the Labyrinth without one. Me? I am a level 33 Light Swinger. That is a tier 4 Profession, which is far beyond what you are. I¡¯m a woman, but with the grace of the Labyrinth, I am far stronger, faster, smarter, wiser and so on than any of you. So behave in your teams, because any of your teachers will be able to take you and break your back on their knee if they want to.¡± Rowan turned to Silas, standing next to him. ¡°I think this woman is very angry.¡± Silas snorted. ¡°I think they¡¯re all so powerful they consider us scraps of dogfood. Remember what she said about raising our potential? If you think about the Milestones in your Profession, that¡¯s what she said. Every milestone, you grow more powerful. Like yours, you might getstronger every time. You¡¯ll soon be better than acircusman.¡± ¡°I wonder what¡¯s Sirius¡¯ Profession.¡± ¡°Or what a Light Swinger does,¡± added Silas. 6. Outfitters ¡°Oh no.¡± Rowan felt his spirits drop into the pit of hell. He had been called out to a group, where he found himself paired with Silas, Dick from back in the dormitory, another boy¡­ and one girl. They all stood awkwardly in their designated place. The girl was the first to break the ice by introducing herself. Her name was Ada. Apparently, she had Pointer as a Profession. Upon elaboration, that was due to a high Dexterity score, 19. Dick was a Mender, with a high Wisdom score of 18. The other boy was Luther, an Arcanist with Intelligence. He did not look like he was someone who¡¯d sit in the Royal Academy. But the real reason for Rowan¡¯s desolation was striding toward them. Amelia was coming. After being split, each group in succession had one of the company¡¯s employees coming and bringing them toward a side building. After a short while, the next group was called and went there. Rowan presumed that each group went with their teacher, obviously the person who took charge of each group. And it seemed they would be in the loving care of Amelia. Well, he had had worse gangmasters. But usually, those were for the day job. Something told him he wouldn¡¯t see Amelia just for today. ¡°Ok, you¡¯re designated Blue Team. Don¡¯t start to think the colour itself has meaning. But if you hear someone calling Blue Team, that¡¯s you.¡± She watched carefully her charges. ¡°What¡¯s your colour?¡± ¡°Blue, m¡¯lady,¡± said Rowan. ¡°Don¡¯t m¡¯¡­ Oh funny. Didn¡¯t I tell you that on the Docks already?¡± Rowan kept silent. The milady had escaped him naturally, as he couldn¡¯t expect such a woman to be anything else. ¡°Now, we¡¯re going to give you very, very basic outfits. Until you improve, it¡¯s all you can use anyway. I haven¡¯t changed back into mine, but believe me, I¡¯ll be much much happier once I do. Now let¡¯s get to the quartermaster.¡± She turned around and the five started after her. The building had a large room, with stack upon stack of boxes. In the middle, a burly man with a leather outfit, brimming with studs and sewed chain links waited. Amelia handed him a paper. The man read quickly and then considered the group of recruits. ¡°So, which of you is the Shieldbearer? Rivers, come front.¡± Rowan left his group and came to the man. ¡°Mmm. Midsize, slight height. You¡¯re what? 5 feet 6? Looks like.¡± ¡°I think so, m¡¯lord.¡± ¡°Stop the lord. I¡¯m Maxwell or Quartermaster. You all need to drop this habit. So, a mid-size¡­¡± The man searched a wall until he found the box he was looking for and rummaged in it. He pulled out a set and handed it to Rowan. ¡°M¡¯l¡­ Quartermaster? That¡¯s¡­ ringmail?¡± ¡°Yep. What did you expect, fancy cloth? You¡¯re the Shieldbearer, which means you¡¯re going to be the front man of this team. Get there and change.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t have a problem wearing it. It looks heavy, but it¡¯s the Labyrinth. You¡¯ll see. Now get in that box and change.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Rowan found himself in a small boxlike separation from the room. At least they had a provision for modesty. Removing his overclothes in public would be bad already, but there were two women in the room. He wiggled out of his pants and carefully folded the jacket. He then took the ringmail and looked it carefully. He found it relatively thin-looking. Shaking it a bit, he felt its weight. Heavy, but not too heavy. He¡¯d never seen any ringmail. Even the knights didn¡¯t wear one in the modern age. Soldiers were redcoats, not armoured troops. He was trying to wiggle his arms into the torso when he heard the shout from the main room. ¡°Those are¡­ pants!¡± said the feminine voice, which he recognized as being Ada. Maxwell¡¯s voice replied, ¡°you¡¯re a Pointer. You can get away with a skirt at level 1, but you won¡¯t be good for long in those. Get used to pants.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s immodest. I can¡¯t wear those.¡± ¡°Yes, you can. Three-fourth of women in the Labyrinth have an outfit with some form of pants. You¡¯re going to be bad without them, and being bad will kill you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± wailed Ada. ¡°Get those on, you silly. I do wear pants myself all the time. I just put a skirt when I get back to England because you¡¯d cause a riot otherwise, but here, it won¡¯t matter. So get over it,¡± came the voice of Amelia. ¡°I cannot¡­¡± A slap sound sounded across the room. From the volume, it wasn¡¯t a small one. Rowan froze as Ada¡¯s wail started. ¡°Stop behaving like a spoiled child, and get changed there. If you start complaining again, I¡¯ll start docking your pay, and THEN I¡¯ll drag your ass into the changing booth and I¡¯ll strip you myself.¡± Rowan carefully waited until the sounds faded before lifting the curtain and coming back into the room. He felt silly wearing that ringmail. At least, they hadn¡¯t given him a helmet or anything like that. At least not yet. He stared. While Ada had vanished from sight, the four other boys had come out of their respective booths, and their outfit looked relatively ridiculous. He shouldn¡¯t have worried about his ringmail. Both Luther and Dick wore a basic burlap robe that looked more like it belonged to a monk than a labourer. Silas had a full leather outfit, not too different from the Quartermaster¡¯s, but without all the decorations and studs that adorned it. Compared to the rest of the group, Rowan¡¯s didn¡¯t feel so silly anymore. Then he spotted Amelia sporting a small smile, which was the first time he saw that expression on her face and realized he still probably looked silly, just in the right company. ¡°While we wait for your five, you can check your outfits with the Interface.¡± He could? How¡­ but as previously, simply focusing on the outfit gave him the corresponding mental page.
Outfit
Light Ringmail Vest Level 1, Defence rating 3
Light Ringmail Glove Level 1, Defence rating 2
Light Ringmail Leggings Level 1, Defence rating 3
Light Ringmail Boots Level 1, Defence rating 2
Whoa. All of the gear he¡¯d received was listed, along with some values indicating a ¡®Defence¡¯. The level 1 mention was presumably linked to his Profession. Focusing on one item, he was surprised to see a new page pop.
Light Ringmail Vest Torso
Basic equipment Requires: level 1
Provide: Defence rating +3
The Quartermaster was rummaging in his boxes again. Satisfied, he came back and handed two items to Rowan. A small shield, round, a foot wide, plain wood wide a small embossed iron disc in the middle. And a mace. He¡¯d seen some, used by gang tough guards. A wooden handle with a flared iron head. ¡°Your tools,¡± said Maxwell. He handed a long dagger to Silas and two plain staves to Luther and Dick. Then they all settled to wait for Ada to finish outfitting herself. Meanwhile, Rowan used the Interface to look at his new items.
Basic Wooden Small Targe Off-hand
Basic equipment Requires: level 1
Provide: Defence rating +10
The shield seemingly provided more defence than the mail. So¡­ that was why he was handed one. When Ada stepped out of the changing booth, all the boys stared. She sported a stricken expression, whose source was very obvious. She had a complete leather outfit, pants, long-sleeved jacket, and even boots. But where Silas¡¯ was plain and basic, hers had half a dozen pockets sewn to her tights and sides. She stood there, fidgeting. ¡°Boys. No staring. Besides, you¡¯ll get used to it. And if you stare too much on someone¡¯s with a higher Profession than yours, you¡¯ll be sorry.¡± Rowan gulped. He remembered the woman in the street, casually cutting the finger pointed at her. Maxwell handed Ada two knives. She stared at them, unbelieving. ¡°Stow them in your side pockets. Easier to draw.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Amelia interrupted immediately, ¡°Don¡¯t start again. It¡¯s hard to break your wrong habits, but we need to do it, and the faster, the better. Now pick those knives and follow me.¡± She turned out and walked out. The group gathered itself and followed, the boys risking glances at each other and Ada. 7. Practice The group filed away in the courtyard. A small chariot, horseless again, was waiting. Amelia pointed toward it and ordered, ¡°Hop in.¡± They climbed aboard and seated themselves. ¡°Wait for me. Getting my gear.¡± She scrambled toward another, slightly taller building. The five watched each other, looking vaguely embarrassed. Luther started, ¡°what do you think it¡¯s about? I don¡¯t understand this clothing stuff.¡± Dick nearly replied, then whipped his head back to the building, as Amelia came out. The group stared again. She still had the same leather jacket than before, but she replaced her skirts with a pair of leather pants and high boots. Her outfit looked more like a version of the Quartermaster¡¯s, with more studs and fewer chain links sewed in. She¡¯d completed it with fingerless leather gloves. A pair of short swords hung on both her sides. She looked toward Ada. ¡°See, I told you. You¡¯ll see a lot of us wearing that kind of stuff all the time.¡± She climbed aboard. The driver pulled a small board with a pair of wires, and the carriage started, going out of the Company¡¯s compound. The group settled to wait. Amelia waited until they reached the border of the town before starting. ¡°Listen up. We¡¯re headed to the countryside, to a place where I¡¯m going to show you the basics of how to progress in the Labyrinth. But first, you have to understand why we¡¯re doing it.¡± Luther raised his hand. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You sure you¡¯re not the army? My brother, he went there, and it looks like how they do things¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re definitively not the army. We do a few things like them, mostly because we need to break you out of your bad habits fast. But the King¡¯s army values discipline, obeisance, following orders, standing at attention and all kind of things we don¡¯t want. Well, except obeisance, maybe.¡± She paused a bit, then elaborated. ¡°The army likes you to follow orders. We want to teach you to anticipate orders. How to react and work out the situation on your own, and go for it. Because that¡¯s how you get there. The army is nice to have to hold territory, like if we run into the French. But the exploration and salvage work¡­ that¡¯s people like us.¡± She immediately dashed their hopes. ¡°Now, you¡¯re not going to explore and stuff. What you¡¯re going to do mostly for those two years of your contract is go where we know everything, and we¡¯ll show you what to expect. But we¡¯re not going to give you bad habits, because a few of you might be genuinely good at the Labyrinth, and we¡¯re looking to get a few more good ones.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you joined that Company?¡± asked Ada. ¡°No. The company is brand new. When the Royal Labyrinth Company was broken up after the scandal last year, Zacharias jumped to get his licence. Most of us were in the old Labyrinth Company, but we wanted out, like many. I haven¡¯t regretted it a second.¡± She added, ¡°The raw recruits is something he wants to try. Almost all outfits are experienced Professionals, pushing out in the Labyrinth, but Zacharias thinks it¡¯s better to have a pool of recruits growing and ready to reinforce us. Because it¡¯s not easy to recruit high Professions, there¡¯s lots of competition. Those people are extremely good and they tend to stick with each other, so you need to recruit entire teams at a time. Zacharias¡¯ pockets aren¡¯t infinite, unlike the Labyrinth.¡± She stood straighter. ¡°Now time for the basics.¡± The group reached a meadow, next to a small wood. Amelia stood up and shooed them out of the chariot. ¡°Okay. Combat and Profession stuff. We are going to fight some beasts.¡± The group looked at each other, completely taken by surprise. ¡°You could probably do some combat solo, but it¡¯s best to learn in a team. Having the right Professions around means you¡¯re less likely to run into a problem you can¡¯t handle. We¡¯ve tried to make you into a good mixture of Professions, based on which kind of recruits we got.¡± She pointed at Rowan, who startled. ¡°You, you are the Shieldbearer. That means you are the frontline of your team. When something attacks your team, your job is to make sure it attacks you instead of the light clothed ones. That¡¯s why you got armour, to protect you. And a shield, because of your Profession.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Get used to it.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t someone else¡­¡± ¡°No. In the Labyrinth, your Profession defines what you are, and what you do. Demonstration. Fullmore? Which of you is Luther Fullmore?¡± The boy raised his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll use you. Time for a forced unlock.¡± She fished in her hand and threw a small stone. Luther caught it awkwardly and looked at it. It looked like a small dull gemstone. For a moment, Rowan thought she¡¯d handed him some power crystal, but the stone looked more mundane. ¡°That¡¯s a focus. It will help you a bit. Now, I want you to hold that stone into your fist and point that in the direction of that wood there.¡± Luther closed his fist and did as told. ¡°Now, focus on the stone. On what it feels like. How hot it is in your hand. How it¡­ Eyes open!¡± Luther immediately opened his eyes. ¡°When I say focus, I don¡¯t want you to ignore everything. It¡¯s a bad habit. Keep your eyes open, for god¡¯s sake.¡± The boy opined. ¡°Now, focus again. Look toward the wood, and feel your energy around that stone. Feel it in your hand.¡± Luther stood there for a few seconds, looking silly with his closed fist held horizontally. Then, while Rowan was starting to fight a burst of laughter at the ridiculous pose, the boy started. ¡°It feels like¡­¡± ¡°GO! DO IT!¡± All of the group jumped back as a small ball of fire came out from Luther¡¯s fist, speeding away toward the grove. It impacted a tree, splashing fire around. Small flames started to lick the bark, with smoke pouring out. Amelia started clapping. ¡°Got it on your Interface?¡±
Skill unlocked: Fireblast (unranked)
Fireblast Aether/Offensive
Rank 0: Fire damage 25 (+4.5), range 15yard (+1), cost 40 Aether.
Luther gulped, looking at his fist. ¡°Now, you know what it¡¯s like to be an Arcanist.¡± ¡°I can¡­ throw fire?¡± ¡°Yes. Among other things. Now gimme back my stone.¡± Luther looked curiously at the small stone. ¡°You don¡¯t need it anymore. Give.¡± He walked and dropped the gemstone in Amelia¡¯s hand. ¡°That focus stone is good because it makes it easier to learn how to do a Fireblast. You can learn without it, but it¡¯s more complicated. But once you do, you¡¯re good. You won¡¯t need it again.¡± Ada looked like she was on the verge of fainting. Silas had made huge eyes. ¡°So, that¡¯s what it means to have an Arcanist Profession. They can use skills from the Aether/Offensive sphere like the one Fullmore just demonstrated. The rest of you can¡¯t do it, no matter what.¡± She looked at the group. ¡°Now, the idea for today is that each of you gets several skills that are of use within your profession. That¡¯s easy for some. Take Rivers here¡­¡± Rowan perked. If he could do something like Luther¡¯s fire¡­ ¡°As a Shieldbearer, you¡¯ll find out skills when using your shield and weapons. And being beat on.¡± Rowan suddenly gulped. Being beat on felt like a bad idea. ¡°Hicks, I¡¯ll show you how to start your real Profession after your first fight. The rest of you, it¡¯s time for practice. Pick your weapons, all of you. Yes, you too Walsh,¡± she added looking at Ada. She started toward the tree grove, then turned back. ¡°Wait for me. I¡¯ll be quick.¡± The group looked at each other, apprehension written on all their faces. Silas looked like he was going to ask something, then thought better of it. Suddenly, Amelia ran out of the grove, at a speed that astounded them all. She reached the group, then turned back toward the trees. ¡°Incoming. Rivers, move front.¡± Rowan looked at her, then decided not to ask further. He advanced, watching carefully the trees. Whatever she had sought, it seemed to be something that might follow her¡­ A small wolf came out running from between two trees. Rowan started to move back, only to find himself blocked from behind by a hand on his back. He guessed it was Amelia¡¯s, but the hand was absolutely unyielding, like a stone sculpture. He could only stare at the slavering beast coming toward them.
Weaned Grey Wolf Level 1 minion
Health: 59 Mind: 26 Stamina: 28 Aether: 0
¡°Slam it with your mace while you put your shield up front. The rest of you, wait for now.¡± Rowan gulped as the wolf rushed him and tried to jump toward him. He reflexively moved his shield between him and the wolf pup and tried to push his mace weapon into the wolf¡¯s teeth.
Skill unlocked: Block (unranked)
Block Equipment/Defensive
Rank 0: Effective shield defence rating x 2.01, cost 10 Endurance.
Skill unlocked: Deflect (unranked)
Deflect Equipment/Defensive
Rank 0: Neutralize base attack, 30% success, cost 30 Endurance.
Rowan blinked as the pages appeared in succession in his own mindscape then shrank into near nothingness. But the wolf didn¡¯t wait and started to bite at his hand. Weaned Grey Wolf hits for 5, doing 2 damage (defence rating 32) Rowan nearly panicked as he felt the teeth thru his glove. He started wailing with his mace on the wolf¡¯s head, but the beast didn¡¯t let go. Amelia surprised him. ¡°Ok, the rest of you, use your weapon once or twice. If you get a notification of a skill unlocks, stop after your first.¡± Rowan noticed a hand with a dagger coming from his side. A side look confirmed that Silas was tried to poke the wolf. ¡°Come on, all of you. Hit that cur at least once. That means you too, Walsh. Use a knife in each hand!¡± Rowan was trying to strike again with his own mace, as Luther smashed the end of his staff onto the flank of the wolf, who had dropped back on the ground. The wolf was¡­
Weaned Grey Wolf Level 1 minion
Health: 11 Mind: 26 Stamina: 24 Aether: 0
¡­ weakening? Luther¡¯s staff stabbed again, and then Rowan¡¯s mace connected as well. The wolf gave a loud yip and fell on the ground. Weaned Grey Wolf: 102XP/4 contributors = 11XP. 8. Experience Amelia clapped her hands. Rowan stumbled, the weight of his small targe suddenly forgotten. ¡°Now, Hicks, hold on that bandage, close your fist, and put it over Rowan¡¯s shoulder here.¡± ¡°Uh? It bit me on my hand¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not important. Hicks. Do it now.¡± Rowan felt thru the ringmail a fist tapping him on his shoulder. He checked out and saw that Dick was, indeed, holding some fuzzy gauze in his fist. Then he blinked. You have been healed by Richard Carolus Hicks for 7 health. The slight tingling in Rowan¡¯s hand disappeared as the text vanished from his mindscape, just as quickly as it had come. Rowan gingerly snapped his palm closed and open again, checking it. Despite the bite, he no longer felt anything. Amelia stepped back and pushed her empty palm up. Dick hesitated a bit, then realized she was asking for her bandage back. He dropped the cloth hastily in her hand. ¡°Now, some critique. But first, a question. Some of you have received a message about experience, or XP. Raise your hands.¡± Rowan raised his hand. So did Luther and Silas. Both Dick and Ada exchanged baffled looks. ¡°What happened here is that, from the Labyrinth¡¯s rule, neither Hicks nor Walsh participated in the fight, since they never used their weapons nor did anything to the wolf. So, you two never got experience from the combat, while the other three got rewarded from defeating that wolf.¡± Luther raised his hand. ¡°Uh, the message said something about 4 people? And why does 100 divided by 4 makes 11?¡± ¡°That¡¯d be me. After all, I did threaten that wolf to get him to follow me. And why you get only 11 XP, that¡¯s because I¡¯m much higher than you in term of professions. So my share is higher.¡± Amelia started to frown. ¡°When I tell you to hit, do it. It¡¯s important, at least while you¡¯re doing an ad-hoc team. I¡¯m disappointed by you two. You hesitated far too much.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That was the easiest fight you¡¯ll ever get in Grailburg. It¡¯s literally the lowest level of the weakest creature category of the entire Labyrinth. You saw it die with a handful of small love taps from your weapons. Normally, that kind of enemy is something you attack on your own solo. Even the weakest of you would be able to defeat one pup before it could do any threatening damage to you.¡± Rowan checked his Interface. It had changed a bit since the fight.
Rowan Smith Rivers
Health: 153/153 Mind: 172/172 Endurance: 151/186 Aether: 161/161
Effective level: 1 Level 1 Shieldbearer
Experience: 11/1000This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Strength: 16 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 14 Constitution: 15 Stamina: 18 Wisdom: 14 Focus: 15 Presence: 14 Fortitude: 17 Intelligence: 16
Milestones: None
Skills: Deflect (rank 0); Block (rank 0)
His Endurance had dropped some, his experience had increased some, and the list of skills indicated some¡­ the ones he saw mentioned unlocking during the fight. As he watched, the Endurance changed to 152. Amelia was continuing to talk. ¡°Those of you who gained some experience, you can see it now on the Interface. You should have gotten 11. As you can see, you need a total of 1000. Once you reach that, you¡¯ll become level 2 in your Profession. And if you focus again on the Profession, you¡¯ll see what you gain when you get a level. Rivers?¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°What do you get when you grow a level? I know the answer, but do you?¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­ 6 endurance, 3 health, 2 mind, and 1 aether?¡± ¡°Very good. Yes. Each level will increase your maximum health, and so on. That makes you more resistant to wounds and other problems. You also gain endurance, which is very helpful in your profession, since you tend to use lots of skills. The mind and aether, you don¡¯t really need to worry about, at least now.¡± She turned back to the rest of the group and pointed toward Rowan. ¡°Each time you gain a new level in a Profession, those vitals climb. And that¡¯s good until you get to level 15. Walsh, what do you think happens when you get to level 15?¡± The girl froze and her eyes briefly took a far-away look for a moment. Then she spoke hesitantly. ¡°You¡­ get a Milestone?¡± ¡°Good. Exactly. You get a Milestone. And your Milestones do?...¡± ¡°Uh¡­ they give me some dexterity and some focus¡­ and some strength and stamina and¡­ fortitude?¡± ¡°Good. When you reach your first milestone in Pointer, you¡¯ll get those added to your potential. And yes, that will bring your Dexterity to 21, which is higher than anyone outside the Labyrinth ever had.¡± Ada looked stunned. ¡°Well, if you had participated in that combat, you¡¯d be 10 experience closer to getting there.¡± ¡°But¡­ what does that mean, if my Dexterity becomes higher?¡± ¡°Were you good at needlework? I¡¯m guessing so, right.¡± ¡°Yes. Yes, I was. Mother always said I was better than anyone else.¡± ¡°The perks of 18 in Dexterity. Well, at one point you will be able to pick a needle and put a thread through it without looking at what you do. Then, you¡¯ll be able to put the thread through the needle on the table, without picking it. Then maybe one day, you¡¯ll be able to throw the needle and the thread in the air, and have the thread go thru the eye.¡± ¡°What? But that¡¯s not possible. Nobody can do that¡­¡± ¡°Well, there were people in the old Company that can do the impossible. I knew back then a Silent Pincer ¨C that¡¯s a tier 5 Profession ¨C that does exactly that kind of trick to amuse people back in London. It¡¯s always impressive for the mundanes.¡± Rowan raised his hand. ¡°How do we get a tier 5 Profession?¡± She laughed. ¡°In a hurry, are we? I¡¯ll tell you when we¡¯re back at the company¡¯s HQ. For now, I need to get you up to shape. Fullmore, you¡¯re the smart one. Try to focus on one of your fellows, and¡­ imagine you¡¯re in a work gang, like in London.¡± From Luther¡¯s face, something had very obviously happened. Rowan didn¡¯t make head or tail of it until something appeared in his mindscape. Luther Francis Fullmore wants your help. Yes/No? Well, help. Sure, why not. To Rowan¡¯s surprise, another page of the Interface appeared. It listed four people, including him, Luther, and Ada. Then, Dick appeared as a fourth, and then finally after a few seconds, Silas as well. Apparently, Silas¡¯ name was O¡¯Donnell. ¡°All done? Good.¡± Amelia stretched her arms, moving her shoulders in circles. ¡°You are now in a Team, all five of you. And I want you to stay in that team for now. Don¡¯t try to leave.¡± As if prompted, Silas¡¯ name vanished from the Interface. ¡°We¡¯ll keep you in a team until you finish basic training. Then we¡¯ll see if we need to reassign you.¡± Luther¡¯s threw a few glances at Silas. ¡°The reason you¡¯re in a team is that you won¡¯t really need to do something during the combat to earn experience. It¡¯s automatic, just being in the same team is enough for the Labyrinth to consider you having participated in the fight.¡± Silas¡¯ name appeared again in the Interface. Amelia gestured toward the grove. ¡°Now, we¡¯re going into that clump of trees. It¡¯s got wolves of lesser strength. I¡¯m going to stay behind you now that you¡¯re a Team, in order not to siphon too much of your experience. The idea is that you should unlock as much of your skills you can, get used to the flow of combat, and possibly get your first level.¡± Luther raised his hand. Amelia shot an interrogative glance at him. ¡°If we get 10 experience for each wolf, this will take a long time¡­¡± ¡°Who says you¡¯re going to get level 1 minions again?¡± Seeing the team¡¯s incredulous looks, she expanded. ¡°I deliberately picked the weakest wolf I could find. There are bigger ones in there. Now let¡¯s go. Rivers, you go first.¡± 9. Daily Grind The team gingerly entered the stand of trees. As instructed, Rowan opened the march, while the other four followed him closely. He looked behind and spotted Amelia walking fifteen yards behind. ¡°I¡¯m going to let you go. I won¡¯t intervene, unless you¡¯re making a mistake, or get over your heads.¡± Rowan didn¡¯t like the idea of having wolves all over the grove, ready to jump him. While the idea of getting stronger than humanly possible was attractive, he was starting to think that the Labyrinth was a bad idea. But if he now owed 72 pounds to the Company, he was certainly not going to be able to weasel out of the deal. Amelia pointed to the front and side. Rowan followed the indication and immediately spotted the larger wolf coming from behind a tree.
Young Grey Wolf Level 6
Health: 141 Mind: 62 Stamina: 81 Aether: 0
The wolf noticed immediately the group and charged the intruders. Rowan moved in front, using his shield to disrupt the charge. Another skill notification popped, which he immediately dismissed from his attention. The other of the team arrived from behind, using their own weapons. Or, in the case of Luther, a fire ball singing the fur. The wolf fell down fast. Although it was much larger ¨C and with obvious higher numbers ¨C the piling of the whole group without too much hesitation from surprise made it go down fast. The experience was also significantly higher without Amelia being involved. Young Grey Wolf: 232XP/5 contributors = 47XP. Amelia didn¡¯t let them rest. With a wave, she directed them further. After a while, they came out of the small forest and found themselves at a clearing. Amelia came out first and raised her arm, stopping the team. Rowan looked at found out quickly why. The clearing had a handful of large stones, with a small group of wolves.
Grey Wolf First-time Mother Level 8 veteran
Health: 292 Mind: 129 Stamina: 176 Aether: 0
Young Grey Wolf Level 7
Health: 146 Mind: 64 Stamina: 86 Aether: 0
Weaned Grey Wolf (¡Á2) Level 7 minion
Health: 75 Mind: 33Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Stamina: 44 Aether: 0
There were two of the pups with a slightly older wolf and the mother. Seeing all four together, Rowan could notice immediately the differences in scale. The mother would obviously be the most dangerous. ¡°So. How do you think you should approach the combat?¡± Rowan hesitated, then saw she was looking at him when asking the question. ¡°I¡­ think we should go for the big one first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a way to go. The thing is, if you go for the big one, the rest will have field day with your team.¡± Rowan frowned. ¡°You¡¯re about right. The biggest of the group is the one you need to make sure you, and only you, get attacked by. But the rest will do significant damage as well. In fact, all three together will do more than just the mother on her own.¡± Rowan hesitated. ¡°Anyone else?¡± The team stayed silent. ¡°Ok. The way I¡¯d do it, if this was a group of critters at my level, and I was the team lead is to make sure most of the wolves come at me. Then you designate a small one, and the rest kill that one as fast as they can. Then the next. Then the medium wolf. And only then the big one.¡± Rowan debated with himself, then decided to ask. ¡°Why that order?¡± ¡°They¡¯re pretty much all similar, except for the size. Rule of thumb, the larger the critter, the less they do damage compared to what they can take. So it¡¯s much faster to kill the small ones and not to worry with the damage anymore. The worst case is when everyone tries to kill a different wolf. That¡¯s how your Mender ends up without Aether. And then I have to finish the fight for you, and I get to punish you for messing up.¡± ¡°Now, later, you¡¯ll have to face different types of critters at the same time, and you¡¯ll have to figure out the one who are more dangerous and need to be taken first. But for now, it¡¯s easy.¡± After conferring with the team under Amelia¡¯s watchful gaze, Rowan settled on a plan. He¡¯d move first, try to catch the attention of at least the mother and her¡­ eldest son? Young companion? And the rest would kill the one of the two pups that Luther fired on first before doing the rest. To his surprise, the plan worked nearly perfectly. He spent a lot of stamina on his first moves, picked a fourth skill, and faced only the two wolves. The pups moved to his sides and kept running toward the group. His health dropped a bit fast at first, then stabilized as Dick used his healing skill to keep him from going down further. The team list showed Luther and Ada getting bit by the pups, but the fight went fast. Then the team arrived and started wailing on the young male. In a short while, the whole group fell down. 4 Grey Wolves: 962XP/5 contributors = 192XP. ¡°Whoa.¡± ¡°Feels good, right?¡± said Amelia. She added, ¡°You¡¯re a balanced team, which means you can push yourself faster. If any of you were on her own, you¡¯d get wrecked by those wolves. Here? Hicks still has half of his Aether, right?¡± ¡°Yes m¡¯a¡­ Amelia.¡± ¡°Ok, a bit more. Normally, there¡¯s a wolf pack around. I want to show you more stuff before we head back to HQ and show you your quarters for your duration in Grailburg. Meanwhile, let me know when your vitals are back to max.¡±
Grey Wolf Young Alpha Level 10 elite
Health: 531 Mind: 231 Stamina: 334 Aether: 0
The wolf was lounging in the grasses in another clearing, watching two small minion pups playing, level 6 and 5. ¡°Your first challenge. As you see, you have a big one here. This time, it¡¯s absolutely vital that the wolf doesn¡¯t go into your team, Rowan. Even your current armour will not reduce much its attacks, and Richard will have to keep you up quite frequently. Same as before ¨C your team goes for the two pups, and then kills the big one. Don¡¯t bother healing anyone but Rowan, Hicks. You need to conserve yourself.¡± The wolf jumped on his feet as soon as Rowan entered the clearing, then ran, the two yapping pups on his heels. When the wolf collided with his shield, Rowan immediately realized why the ¡°elite¡± qualifier was applied. Grey Wolf Young Alpha bites for 30, doing 27 damage (defence rating 32) Just like that, over 15% of his health was gone. The healing flow from Dick didn¡¯t even fully heal all of the damage. Rowan ignored the yip of the two pups as the three other team members started to tear into them, and concentrated on avoiding the Alpha¡¯s attacks. In no time at all, his stamina dropped to nearly zero, and he found out impossible to use his shield correctly. His arm failed to move correctly, causing him to miss completely his slams and other attacks. But at that point, the two pups had been done, and the team went on the attack. ¡°Out of Aether,¡± called Dick. ¡°The wolf is nearly done,¡± replied Rowan. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± His health was still at nearly half when the wolf dropped on the ground, finally dead. 3 Grey Wolves: 1120XP/5 contributors = 224XP. Level up. The XP notification was different. Rowan realized that, with the handful of wolves they¡¯d fought searching for that Alpha wolf, he¡¯d been close to the 1000 total.
Rowan Smith Rivers
Health: 72/156 Mind: 172/174 Endurance: 11/192 Aether: 161/162
Effective level: 2 Level 2 Shieldbearer
Experience: 34/2000
Strength: 16 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 14 Constitution: 15 Stamina: 18 Wisdom: 14 Focus: 15 Presence: 14 Fortitude: 17 Intelligence: 16
Milestones: None
Skills: Deflect (rank 0); Block (rank 0); Slam (rank 0); Protect (rank 0)
The first thing he¡¯d noticed was that the ¡°experience¡± had doubled, while he had now an additional level as a Shieldbearer. And his vitals had increased, exactly as the Profession sign indicated, with additional endurance, health and the rest. The endurance was welcome. At the speed at which his skills consumed it, the more the better. 10. Prospects As the chariot started back, Amelia started. ¡°Now, you¡¯re no longer beginners. You¡¯ve taken your first steps across the Labyrinth. You are growing in your Profession. Time to get to know your potential and the Labyrinth.¡± She leaned back in her seat. ¡°You don¡¯t have a Milestone yet, but I need to prepare you before your first. If you remember your Interface and your Profession, you¡¯ve seen the Labyrinth gave you a tier 1 one. I¡¯ve already mentioned I have a tier 4 Profession.¡± Silas raised his hand, ¡°what¡¯s a Lightswinger?¡± She smiled. ¡°An Agility and Fortitude-oriented Profession. All Professions have pre-requisites. That¡¯s how you need 18 in a potential to get your tier 1. Now guess what? Higher tier professions have higher requirements in potential. The higher, the harder those are. Lightswinger requires 85 in Agility and 40 in Fortitude.¡± They all gasped. ¡°Sounds harsh, right? The tier 5 Professions typically require at least 145 in a statistic, most of them. And the tier 6 we¡¯ve seen so far are over 235. Me, I want Lightwaltzer. I hope to get it in two years, maybe, because it¡¯s not an easy path. I¡¯ll need another Profession¡¯s Milestones to qualify.¡± Rowan raised his hand. ¡°And tier 2?¡± ¡°Reasonable, are we? That¡¯s only 25. If you have 19 in your main potential, that¡¯s only two milestones. Of course, it could require a bit more levels if you¡¯re not up to snuff, and that¡¯s pretty much the case for most of you.¡± She saw his stricken look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We do have a plan for you. We spent the last few days drawing a good progression path to tier 4, which covers your two years contract. Then, if you want to renew the contract, we¡¯ll work with you for the next steps.¡± ¡°Now, the real reason I¡¯ve mentioned Milestones is that Milestones and Professions go together in many ways. Each Profession has a sphere of skills associated with it. Rivers, right now, you have Equipment/Defence, meaning you can unlock Equipment/Defence specific skills. Let¡¯s say¡­ you get 1 Milestone, and your Strength is now 18. You¡¯re still short of 2 Milestones for a tier 2 Profession, but now, you qualify for the tier 1 Breaker. So, in the hypothetical case you¡¯d want to, you could go back to the Plaza, get to the centre, and change your Profession.¡± Ada gasped, ¡°you can do that?¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You can change to any profession you qualify for. You need the appropriate Plaza, and you simply switch. However, there are a few catches.¡± Seeing Luther¡¯s frown, she shrugged. ¡°The first is that each Profession you¡¯ve picked at one time counts for XP, but you only gain levels in the last one. So, if you change to Breaker, then you need 2000 XP for your first Breaker level instead of 1000. And if you get Smasher next, that one will cost you 3000. And so on.¡± ¡°Why would you change professions then?¡± ¡°Because when your next level costs you 46,000 XP for just a dozen stats, while the first of another profession gives you more for 2000, it becomes a more interesting proposition.¡± Rowan realized the principle behind the idea. ¡°The other¡­ Keeping on with River¡¯s change to Breaker, Breaker is a Profession of the Physical/Offense sphere. All of its skills lie in that area, not the Equipment/Defence sphere his current Shieldbearer uses. Which means that every one of his rank 0 skills will simply disappear if he switches.¡± Rowan blurted, ¡°what¡¯s the point of learning them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the second point where Milestones are important. At each Milestone, you can rank up one of your skills. Right now, they¡¯re all 0. At level 15, you can choose one of your Equipment or Defence skills, and raise it to rank 1. Which will improve its efficacity.¡± She threw a meaningful glance at Rowan. ¡°And if you were to change Professions, then you would keep your rank 1 or bigger skills.¡± She quickly added, ¡°as a bonus, you can keep your rank 0 skills if their sphere overlap your new profession. Like, if you switched to Defender, which is the tier 1 Physical/Defence, you¡¯d keep your Shieldbearer skills since they¡¯re also Defence skills. It¡¯s only if you switch to a completely separate sphere that you lose them.¡± She nodded at him, ¡°but we¡¯ve got plans for your progression, and almost nobody picks a second tier 1, unless they absolutely have to. So, right now, Zacharias wants you to go through a Stamina-based Profession path, which means the Shieldbringer as a tier 2, once you have three Milestones. It¡¯s still Equipment/Defence, so you won¡¯t lose any of your unranked skills. Speaking of plans¡­¡± She glared at all five of them. ¡°Zacharias will give you all a build. That¡¯s a list of Professions and Skills you need to get. There are some Skills that are good, and you should raise them in rank once per Profession if you can. There¡¯s a common temptation among Professionals to try to lock as many skills as possible, so they never lose them. We call that the jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none path. That¡¯s good if you want to be some kind of lonesome mighty explorer of the Labyrinth, but it sharply limits you, in terms of where you can safely go at a given level.¡± Silas asked, ¡°what¡¯s to prevent you from alternating between Professions to raise every skill?¡± ¡°Well, you can¡¯t redo a Milestone you¡¯ve already done. So it¡¯s stupid to pick the same Profession twice. You get bumped back to level 1 when you change to a Profession, even one you already did, and you don¡¯t get a new Milestone until you¡¯ve surpassed all your old ones. And you can¡¯t raise a skill twice with the same type of Milestones.¡± Ada raised her hand. ¡°Yes, Marsh?¡± ¡°You said we¡¯d need to go the Plaza to change Profession? Is that why we should keep that Recall ability?¡± ¡°No. All zones of the Labyrinth have a tier, like Professions. Grailburg is a tier 1 zone, as you¡¯ve probably seen. So the only Professions you get at the Plaza are the tiers 1 that you already got. To get your tier 2 Profession, you¡¯ll need a tier 2 zone Plaza. Which means traveling from Grailburg to the appropriate zone. Going to a tier 2 zone will require you to be stronger than you are right now, but don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll soon be good enough.¡± ¡°After all, you¡¯re now level 2, within an hour.¡± 11. Barrow Knights ¡°Ok, today, we¡¯re going to go to a lair.¡± By now, Rowan knew questions were expected. ¡°Like a beast lair?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a beast lair the way a castle is to a hovel in the slums. It¡¯s a lot more expansive than a hole in the ground, usually. And it has more than one beast.¡± They had been fighting beasts for a while now. Wolves and boars. Rowan hated boars. The piggies charged, and he had to be careful of intercepting them. The skill cost a ton of his stamina, which meant he had less to react in combat. When he¡¯d complained to Amelia, she merely shrugged and told him to learn to pace himself. He figured out that she was probably picking those specific beasts just for that lesson. Despite that, they¡¯d climbed fast in terms of experience. On the sixth day, they¡¯d reached their first Milestone. It had been anti-climactic in its way. Just a notification of level up, and new Milestone. The difference was on his vitals, who¡¯d jumped up, and the increased potentials. Rowan had dutifully selected his Block skill based on the list he¡¯d been given. He even agreed somewhat about its overall usefulness.
Rowan Smith Rivers
Health: 234/234 Mind: 212/212 Endurance: 336/336 Aether: 181/181
Effective level: 21 Level 21 Shieldbearer
Experience: 7661/21000
Strength: 18 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 14 Constitution: 16 Stamina: 21 Wisdom: 14 Focus: 16 Presence: 15 Fortitude: 17 Intelligence: 16
Milestones: Shieldbearer I
Skills: Deflect (rank 0); Block (rank 1); Slam (rank 0); Protect (rank 0)
¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve got bigger Stamina than any non-Professional ever had,¡± was Amelia¡¯s comment. He had also changed a piece of his armour. One of the elites they fought had left under his corpse a small ringmail coif.
Simple Ringmail Coif Head
Common equipment Requires: level 7
Provide: Defence rating +7, Health +11
Amelia congratulated him on being lucky. Elite critters sometimes collected equipment. Technically, veterans too, but it was horribly rare to get something from a veteran, and it would usually be basic. When asked about it, she told them she could keep their equipment from training. The experienced Professionals all had much better, and the common equipment couldn¡¯t be sold except for scraps since no one besides a Professional could use it, so it went straight to the company store. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we get any from the Quartermaster?¡± asked Ada.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Requires level?¡± countered Amelia. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Plus, giving you equipment that boosts your vitals and potentials gives you bad habits. You end up thinking it¡¯s easier than it is. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll get a set at one point.¡± They jumped into the chariot, which turned toward a different direction than the usual. ¡°Grailburg has a bit over three dozen lairs. They refill, but after 3 days only, which is awful. The thing is, we can¡¯t use more than one team to run a lair, it¡¯s typically useless. So we have a strict schedule. We¡¯re going to run you through two different lairs. I¡¯ll tell you why later.¡± ¡°The important part is that I¡¯ll accompany you for your first lair, then we¡¯ll get you a second milestone and a few more levels, and then you¡¯ll be in your second lair¡­ alone.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to handhold you for 2 years. I¡¯ve got my own job to do, and believe me, I¡¯m not getting any experience running with you. But that¡¯s company life for you. There are advantages there, but sometimes I get stuck doing nanny work.¡± She smiled. Rowan had learned that he didn¡¯t like when she did. ¡°Now for once, that¡¯s good news. Once you¡¯ve run your own lair as a team, you¡¯ll be almost done with Professional school. We¡¯ll teach you a few things, get you into tier 2, then we¡¯ll start running you through levels until you¡¯re all tier 3, which is when you¡¯ll start to be useful.¡± The chariot stopped in the middle of the plains, next to a set of small mounds. Rowan had no idea what they could be until Amelia explained. ¡°For you city dwellers, these are barrows.¡± She waited until the entire team had gasped in surprise. ¡°They¡¯re small and empty. Mostly. No ghosts, animated dead or anything like that. Yes, Rivers?¡± ¡°You are¡­ not joking about ghosts?¡± ¡°No. There¡¯s no undead or spirits in Grailburg¡­ but you will see those in higher-tier zones.¡± Rowan felt a chill settle on him. Ghosts. Nobody ever told him that Professionals could be fighting dead spirits¡­ and did she mention animated corpses? Like¡­ vampires? ¡°Now, all the small barrows are tiny. The central one, however, is larger. Beasts that like getting underground have moved in, and that¡¯s where we¡¯re going.¡± They all dutifully disembarked. Amelia led them toward the centre of the mound field. ¡°First thing you¡¯ll need to know is that fighting in places like barrows and the like is a bit different than outdoor. Less room to place yourself during combat. That¡¯s why I liked you¡¯re getting the Barrows for your first lair.¡± She gestured toward the barrow entrance that they just reached. ¡°Second thing is that the beasts in a lair are usually a bit stronger than you usually fight outdoor. You won¡¯t find minions in there, you¡¯ll find lots of Veterans, Elites, and, well, you¡¯ll find your first Elder in here, probably.¡± She added, ¡°That¡¯s all you¡¯ll find around in Graiburg. There are stronger categories of creatures¡­ you¡¯ll find Ancients in tier 3, and one day, Bosses higher on.¡± ¡°How do you fight stronger creatures?¡± ¡°Ancients are pretty much doable if they¡¯re around your level, and you aren¡¯t wearing crap gear like right now. But Bosses? You need more levels than they have, or you fight them with multiple teams.¡± She added, ¡°But that¡¯s what Companies like us go for. That¡¯s where the real money is.¡± They moved into the entrance in what had become their standard formation. Rowan opening the way, and the rest of them in reverse order of their health totals ¡°just in case¡± something came from behind. In this case, given the tightness of the corridor, the something would need to pass the Lightswinger that closed the march, but she insisted to use the formation to keep their habits forming. As she¡¯d warned them to expect the first creature that came from the depths of the barrow was a veteran, and obviously not happy to find its exit encumbered by a pack of two-legged intruders.
Night Wolf Male Level 17 veteran
Health: 388 Mind: 164 Stamina: 272 Aether: 52
It was the first time Rowan had seen a creature with Aether present. He called out. ¡°Night Wolf. It seems to have some Aether¡­¡± His trailing words didn¡¯t elicit an answer from their teacher. Presumably, he was going to figure exactly what the meaning of this Aether was. Rowan didn¡¯t had to wait long. The creature howled, and he felt a chill passing thru him, as the amount of available Aether of their enemy dropped. So, that howl¡­ was presumably magic. You have been affected by Howl. -34 Mind, one random skill rank reduced. A quick check told him that¡­ apparently, his ranked skill had not¡­ no wait.
Rowan Smith Rivers
Health: 234/234 Mind: 178/212 Endurance: 336/336 Aether: 181/181
Effective level: 21 Level 21 Shieldbearer
Experience: 7661/21000
Strength: 18 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 14 Constitution: 16 Stamina: 21 Wisdom: 14 Focus: 16 Presence: 15 Fortitude: 17 Intelligence: 16
Milestones: Shieldbearer I
Skills: Deflect (rank 0); Block (rank 1); Slam (locked); Protect (rank 0)
¡°Got one of my skills locked. Slam¡¯s missing,¡± he announced. ¡°Got my Ice Dart locked as well,¡± confirmed Luther. ¡°Minor Heal dropped to rank 0, but seem to be there,¡± said Dick. ¡°Ok¡­ he¡¯s not that strong anyway, so we can do that,¡± decided Rowan. After that, the group went in its usual fashion, although with the relatively tight corridor, Ada had to slip behind the Night Wolf, which didn¡¯t bother her, as she slipped a side attack while passing. Night Wolf Male: 551XP/5 contributors = 110XP. As they checked the wolf¡¯s corpse to see if there was anything worthwhile, Amelia joined them. ¡°Unpleasant, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You could say that,¡± said Ada. ¡°Thankfully, my rear attack wasn¡¯t locked.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you raised it a rank already. That¡¯s part why not raising your ranks of the most useful attacks as high as possible is a bad idea.¡± ¡°That Howl thing, it happens often?¡± asked Silas. ¡°It¡¯s not a common type of attack, but there¡¯s enough of those kind of skill messing attacks that it¡¯s crucial to raise them at least once per tier. Here? You¡¯ll have a lot of the wolves using it.¡± She smiled, positively relishing the perspective. ¡°Will be interesting to see if you can adapt.¡± 12. Lair of the Beast The corridor to the depths of the barrow did not include any further surprise nor enemies. That same did not apply to the first room the team found at the end of that corridor. Three veteran Night Wolves turned their heads when Rowan entered the room, clearly surprised. While they were of a slightly lower level than the group, three and all veterans immediately presented an immediate problem. Rowan moved immediately in a position to intercept any wolf that decided this someone from his team would make a juicy target. He didn¡¯t need to have bothered, as all four decided it was time to pile on him. Thankfully, that meant his Block parried nearly all of their attacks at the same time. Two of the wolves Howled, but outside of an additional mind reduction, only a single skill went down to lock, Slam this time. The full team went to work on the level 15 wolf first, slamming various attacks. Then, while Dick was bringing his health back to close to full, they switched to one of the 16. A handful of Weaknesses spotting from Silas helped. Then it was the turn of the last wolf. 3 Night Wolves: 1596XP/5 contributors = 319XP. They checked dutifully the corpses who did not have anything besides some random flesh and bones ¨C which Amelia told them were good for making delightful soup if you wanted some ¨C and settled to wait until Dick and Luther¡¯s Aether climbed back to maximum. Rowan¡¯s own Endurance came back slightly faster. He risked a question to Amelia. ¡°What happens if you go too fast in the barrow?¡± ¡°You probably know the answer to that question, Rivers.¡± Rowan grimaced. ¡°You run into trouble.¡± ¡°You run into trouble, yes. So don¡¯t. Like everything, pace yourself.¡± She added, ¡°You could have waited a bit until you¡¯re stronger to tackle this lair, but it¡¯s good experience, and teaches you the right things. Which is why you get to go through it.¡± She pointed out the far end of the barrow¡¯s room. ¡°Which way you want to go?¡± ¡°How can we know?¡± replied Rowan. ¡°You can¡¯t unless you¡¯ve already been there. Or have maps. I¡¯m not going to give you a map,¡± she smirked. Rowan turned to Luther, who had the biggest knack to strategy. He and Silas were his go-to for figuring out things. Silas picked up clues and Luther analysed those. ¡°I¡¯d say, pick a direction and stick with it? Unless it loops, you can¡¯t get lost that way,¡± suggested Luther. Rowan figured out that Amelia wouldn¡¯t comment. She probably knew the barrow by heart. Still, he had to choose. ¡°Let¡¯s go right then.¡± ¡°Right it is.¡± They didn¡¯t encounter a wolf in the next corridor, but the next barrow room was slightly different than the one they¡¯d just finished. This had some tattered decorations, and a single wolf lounging in a shallow hole. There was a small wooden box set next to the room¡¯s wall.
Barrow Night Wolf Level 16 elite
Health: 642 Mind: 273 Stamina: 445 Aether: 85
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Rowan noted that this was the first wolf he¡¯d seen specifically associated with the barrow itself. The others might have been visitors or something, but this one looked like a permanent inhabitant. You have been affected by Howl. -48 Mind, one random skill rank reduced. The attack was stronger as well, but thankfully, didn¡¯t lock more than one skill. ¡°What happens if your Mind goes to zero?¡± asked Rowan as he slammed the wolf to keep its attention focused on himself. ¡°If you lose your mind¡­ well, you lose your mind. All kind of bad stuff happens, including helping the wolf against your friends, running away through the entire barrow and being noticed by the rest of its occupants, and committing suicide,¡± replied Amelia. ¡°Ok. Losing your mind is bad,¡± commented Ada. ¡°Not as bad as losing your health, but very bad, yes. There are Professions that help, but you have none in your team at the moment. This wolf isn¡¯t dead yet, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Stabbing it,¡± replied Ada. Barrow Night Wolf: 940XP/5 contributors = 188XP. They all took a breather, while Dick was pumping Rowan¡¯s health back to maximum and their respective minds settled back. ¡°So? What are you waiting? Not checking that box?¡± Rowan and his team exchanged glances. He almost asked what for, but Silas beat him to the box, opening it.
Aetheric Burlap Coverall Torso
Qualityequipment Requires: level 11
Provide: Defence rating +2, INT+1, Aether +15
¡°Hey, beginner¡¯s luck,¡± exclaimed Amelia. ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Thequality label should tell you. It¡¯s¡­ well, rare to get one from a low-level lair like this. This is the perfect fit for your Arcanist. Congratulation, Fullmore.¡± They all turned to Luther who sported a dumbfounded expression. The man looked at the chest, then stumbled as Amelia prodded him. ¡°Go ahead, it¡¯s yours. If it had Wisdom, it would be a better fit for your Mender, but that¡¯s pure Arcanist gear, and wasted on someone else.¡± Luther picked the robe, then looked around. Amelia sighed. ¡°Go to the rear of the room. Nobody will look.¡± Rowan and the rest dutifully turned back, although he noticed Ada sneaking glances. Trying to catch him naked, did she? It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t wear pants under the robe¡­ or so assumed Rowan. Did he? Probably. ¡°Does this mean I don¡¯t need to pick the third milestone for the next tier?¡± asked Luther once he¡¯d worn. ¡°Alas, no shortcuts. You have an increase in Intelligence only as long as you wear that robe, which means it doesn¡¯t count for your Profession qualifier. Only a permanent increase in your potentials, meaning your milestones, do. Otherwise, we¡¯d have rushed you to the next tier immediately,¡± replied Amelia. She turned toward the only exit of the room. ¡°Next.¡± The third room had a pair of wolves, a normal and an elite, but no chest around. They dispatched the two wolves and regenerated. Then picked the rightmost corridor and moved deeper into the barrow. ¡°How large is it,¡± tried to ask Rowan. Amelia took pity on him and replied this time. ¡°A bit over a dozen rooms overall. There are larger lairs in Grailburg, but this one¡¯s perfect for a first lesson.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Silas. The fourth room was a repeat of the second, with a Barrow Night Wolf alone standing guard over another box. The wolf fell under the team¡¯s weapons without trouble, and Silas opened the box again.
Wolfhide Shoes Feet
Common equipment Requires: level 10
Provide: Defence rating +1, Endurance +14
¡°See. That¡¯s more of what you¡¯d expect from this,¡± said Amelia. ¡°Who gets it?¡± ¡°Think about the type of Professions who¡¯d use that.¡± Rowan thought quickly. ¡°Ada or Silas?¡± ¡°They¡¯re the ones who use the endurance. You too, but you¡¯ve guessed it, the lower defence means it¡¯s not a good fit for a Shieldbearer.¡± The shoes slight fur trim went well on Ada¡¯s feet. ¡°I like those more than the boots.¡± ¡°Aesthetics are nice, but values matter,¡± countered Amelia. Then she relented. ¡°But usually, you can find good-looking stuff that fits your Profession. You just need to be not too finicky about the exact look you¡¯d want.¡± Then she settled back into teacher mode. ¡°Next.¡± The first thing Rowan noticed on the room was that it didn¡¯t have an exit on the other side. The second was that the wolf was a bit larger than the previous ones.
Barrow Guardian Level 24 elite
Health: 796 Mind: 329 Stamina: 599 Aether: 112
¡°You¡¯re unlucky. I hoped it would be the elder,¡± said Amelia. Seeing the inquiring glance from Rowan, she added. ¡°You¡¯d see the difference in combat. You need to be careful about Elders and above. Here¡¯s it¡¯s just the big bad wolf boosted to a higher level. Go ahead and finish it.¡± Barrow Guardian: 1126XP/5 contributors = 225XP. You have completed Grailburg Night Wolf Barrow Lair. ¡°Uh? There was a new notification?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve killed enough of the barrow¡¯s wolves and the most important one. Congratulations on your first lair cleaning. Sort-of. There¡¯s probably a couple of wolves remaining, but as long as you¡¯ve killed half of the barrow-specific ones, you¡¯re good.¡± She gestured to the chest. ¡°Now, pick your last piece of gear, and let¡¯s get out. And celebrate. With a few more boars.¡± Rowan closed his eyes. Charging piggies. 13. The Valley of Death ¡°It¡¯s high time we move you to a higher tier,¡± said Amelia. After a week and a half of relentless wilderness clearing, they¡¯d climbed through the levels, and reached their second milestone. Rowan had been surprised to find a new skill in the meantime. Amelia had congratulated on him managing to get ¡°the good one last¡±.
Rowan Smith Rivers
Health: 274/274 Mind: 242/242 Endurance: 426/426 Aether: 191/191
Effective level: 31 Level 31 Shieldbearer
Experience: 197/31000
Strength: 20 Dexterity: 15 Agility: 14 Constitution: 17 Stamina: 24 Wisdom: 14 Focus: 16 Presence: 16 Fortitude: 18 Intelligence: 16
Milestones: Shieldbearer II
Skills: Deflect (rank 0); Block (rank 1); Slam (rank 0); Protect (rank 0); Turtle (rank 1)
¡°Now, two of your team, Ada and Silas, they¡¯ve reached 25 in their main potential. Meaning they do qualify for a tier 2 profession. However¡­ there¡¯s a reason we don¡¯t get you there right now. So¡­ today, we¡¯ll have you run a new lair. And, this time, I¡¯m not going to be watching you.¡± ¡°We can handle anything now,¡± countered Dick. ¡°No, you can¡¯t. Don¡¯t get too cocky. Being unprepared and under-levelled will kill you,¡± she replied. The usual horseless carriage, driven by Amelia herself this time, brought them into a slightly hilly part of the zone. Rowan and the team looked all over. So far, Grailburg had been mostly rolling plains and forest clumps. This part was a bit different-looking. ¡°This is a different type of lair. It¡¯s not common, but it¡¯s outdoor. Now, how do you recognize a lair? Anyone?¡± Rowan and his teammates looked at each other, shrugging. ¡°No one? Come on.¡± Luther raised his hand. ¡°The critters?¡± ¡°Well, what about the critters?¡± ¡°They¡¯re stronger, you said.¡± ¡°You can find clumps of strong critters outdoor.¡± Rowan had a flash of inspiration. ¡°They¡¯re named after the lair.¡± ¡°Good Rivers. You¡¯re sure you¡¯re not the one with high Intelligence?¡± Amelia composed herself. ¡°There are two things specific to a lair. Creatures that are specific to the lair, whose name you¡¯ll spot. And chests. Normal creatures simply have some stuff leftover once you kill them, but lair creatures are the only ones that guard lair chests. You see a chest and a critter that has a different name, you¡¯re in a lair. Even outdoors.¡± She added, ¡°And that¡¯s what the Artefact Hunting Company does. We go into lairs, open every chest, bring back what¡¯s inside, sort it, sell it, recycle it. Now, the lower tiers have very little of interest. Most of the stuff we get ends up recycled. We melt the weapons and armour, we strip the leather¡­ Labyrinth leathers are nearly impossible to rip or tear with normal use. But there¡¯s stuff that¡¯s useful for Professionals, even if we don¡¯t use it, and there¡¯s Artefact-level stuff that¡¯s useful for non-Professionals, which is why the Earl of Carnavon is interested in the venture.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Amelia made a deprecating gesture. ¡°There¡¯s a widespread belief that Artefacts that are easy enough to be worn by non-Professionals can help your future heirs to have high potential. Personally, I think it¡¯s a load of bollocks, but if they want to spend a fortune on those, who am I to refuse them?¡± She continued, ¡°But using +WIS or +INT or even +FOC items does improve a bit your potential, and about every lawyer and scholar and their ilk are clamouring for more. Lords in the House are trying to get more +PRE for their speeches. There¡¯s little market for physical items, but everyone wants +CON or +STA jewellery and trinkets to make sure their little ones grow to adulthood.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re going to hunt those?¡± ¡°You probably won¡¯t find them for your contract duration. If you ever do, Zacharias will probably give you a nice little bonus ¨C it¡¯s in your contract. But you¡¯ll still get good stuff that sells in bulk. Which covers our expenses. Then, if you¡¯re good, we¡¯ll offer re-enlistment, and that¡¯s when you really make us money.¡± Ada looked pensive, before saying. ¡°So we¡¯re not employees? We¡¯re¡­ what?¡± ¡°You¡¯re employees. You¡¯re just junior, and we¡¯ll see how you shape up before moving you to important jobs. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll earn out your 72 pounds before the year¡¯s over. We got accountants that made sure you¡¯d be worth the investment.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. She turned back toward the valley. ¡°Now to work!¡± ¡°Last words before you go in. I¡¯ll be here waiting for you. Since it¡¯s open terrain, you¡¯ll have to spot where the lair specific enemies are, defeat enough, and find the big one. Hint ¨C it¡¯s at the end of the valley.¡± ¡°This is also one of the few locations in Grailburg where you have magical enemies. They use Aether-based attacks a lot more than purely physical ones. Rivers, your job will be much easier and more complicated.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± replied Rowan. ¡°Some of your enemies won¡¯t move around. So it¡¯s easier to get in their way. But they will also attack the rest of your team, even if you¡¯re the most convenient target. So don¡¯t overuse your pure defence, and keep your endurance for the attacks that irritate them. Fullmore? Invite me to your team.¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to monitor you from a distance. If you start dying, that¡¯s bad, and I¡¯ll rush in. Thankfully, Lightswinger means I can come fast and hopefully save you. And yes, you¡¯ll lose some XP because I¡¯m going to soak it. But I¡¯d rather have you in my¡­ ¡®sight¡¯ than not know how you¡¯re doing and have to come in and find out where your dead bodies lie.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re still helping.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m coming if one of you die. Then the rest of you is going to wish they did too. This lair is not high level enough that you should have problems, but you¡¯re still apprentice Professionals.¡± They turned toward the valley that was still filled with a light mist and started to move. Rowan turned and saw Amelia pulling out some wrapped item, and munch something. The first thing Silas spotted was a crow. There were a few tiny tree saplings, barely the height of man, and the crow was perched over it. The name gave quickly a hint about what kind of Aether shenanigans they were likely to face.
Lightning Crow Nestling Level 18 veteran
Health: 322 Mind: 245 Stamina: 54 Aether: 399
¡°If the name is any indication, that¡¯s going to be different,¡± said Dick. ¡°Does it spit lightning? Has lightning coming from wings?¡± mused Ada. ¡°We¡¯ll see. I presume the rest of the critters in the valley will be similar, so that¡¯s the right place to learn about it.¡± Lightning Crow Nestling: 522XP/6 contributors = 48XP. ¡°That¡¯s a shit experience for a veteran.¡± ¡°Amelia¡¯s dragging us as she said.¡± ¡°So, it throws lightning from the eyes, after all,¡± said Ada. ¡°And good thinking with the shield.¡± ¡°Block does nothing, but Deflect worked out,¡± said Rowan. ¡°Isn¡¯t Block¡­?¡± asked Silas. ¡°Ranked, yes. Knowing Amelia¡­ I wouldn¡¯t bet she didn¡¯t pick that lair just for that.¡± They found two chests overall. Despite the light fog, just enough to cut visibility while leaving the sky nearly clear, they were clearly visible. Shining metal borders, as if polished. Luther remarked that it was more suggestive of magpies than crows. But Silas did counter by saying that maybe the Crows of the Labyrinth had magpie blood. Who knew. Rowan hefted his brand new shield, fresh from the second chest.
Black Targe Off-hand
Quality equipment Requires: level 16
Provide: Defence rating +43, +1 Protect rank, +29 Health
The difference with his basic targe was big. Not only did it afford a lot more defence, but that defence would be even more increased by the skills when he used them. And the additional rank to skill was huge news as well. But he suspected that like the potential increases you got didn¡¯t count for a new Profession, the extra rank would not allow him to carry over a Protect skill if he changed Professions to a different one. Still¡­ it was his shield. One he ¨C and his team ¨C had gotten. He could see how this could be satisfying. To earn by oneself real value, instead of doing a day job. No wonder Professionals didn¡¯t want to do anything else. But for now¡­ there was a big bad. The valley was ending not too far, and it was obviously the last crow of the lair. And the type of creature that Amelia had wanted them to meet in the last lair.
Valley Storm Crow Level 13 elder
Health: 825 Mind: 573 Stamina: 126 Aether: 979
¡°So. He¡¯s almost three times stronger than a veteran. He¡¯s going to hurt.¡± Luther did some quick estimations. ¡°That¡¯s going to be tight for Dick.¡± ¡°You heal nobody unless they go below half. Silas, I hope you can find lots of vulnerabilities. I¡¯m counting on you to figure out if he has extra attacks.¡± ¡°On it, Rowan.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s do this.¡± They immediately learned how wrong they were when the crow cawed. They had expected some effect or similar. Instead, the sky darkened, and lightning played on the gathering clouds. ¡°Storm¡± was seemingly more than a simple denominator. Then the first lightning struck. Storm Lightning hits for 50 damage/mind. 5 people in radius. ¡°Spread out! If his attacks hit all of us every time, we¡¯re never going to make it.¡± They immediately ran away, leaving Rowan to rush toward the huge crow. Thankfully, this one didn¡¯t go flying around. Instead, it also came toward the foolhardy person who was trying to bother it. ¡°Lightning on his claws,¡± yelled Silas. Lightning attack neutralized, damage halved. 19 damage (62 Defence), -12 mind. ¡°Good. But its attacks do affect the mind. We can¡¯t counter that. We need to do it fast.¡± The crow simply clawed a few times, and Dick started to heal as Rowan¡¯s health dipped. Rather than trying to Block the normal attacks, Rowan paced himself. One of the lightning claw went through without being spotted, but the next let him Slam. Slam fully counters the attack. Mind and damage effects avoided. ¡°Keep watching him, Silas. If you spot his big atta¡­¡± Lightning struck from the sky. Unfortunately, Ada was stabbing the crow from behind and got caught by the hit in addition to Rowan. ¡°Mind nearly at half,¡± she yelled. ¡°I can see that. If you get hit again, get out. I¡¯d rather have you not doing damage than go mad at me.¡± Not that Rowan¡¯s own mind levels were much better. The crow¡¯s claws did do a number on that, despite the higher maximum. The crow was nearly at half health at that point. If they kept doing it¡­ it would be a near thing, but it would work. The big threat was the mind attack, and notably if¡­ ¡°Storm bolt again.¡± Slam stunned the crow for a second. It was in these moments that Rowan understood why someone like Silas, who wasn¡¯t even doing damage at the moment, was crucial for a group. Without the capacity to regenerate mind fast, they needed a way to counter those attacks. The crow¡¯s health reached 80¡­ nearly done. But the beast did not want to get down, and cawed¡­ very loudly. Lightning poured out of its beak. Incapacitating Lightning. 12 damage, -50 mind, all skills locked for 13 seconds. ¡°Balls! This one blocked all my skills! I can¡¯t protect¡­¡± The claws struck, and Rowan¡¯s mind went blank. Rowan blinked. He was on¡­ his back. He raised his head and looked. Ada was sitting, visibly shaken. Everyone was surrounding her and¡­ Amelia was watching him. He looked at the Interface. Valley Storm Crow: 1372/6 contributors = 124XP. You have completed Grailburg Valley of Storms Lair. ¡°What¡­ happened?¡± asked Rowan. ¡°Now, you know what happens if your mind goes to zero,¡± replied Amelia. ¡°Well, rather, your team does. You probably don¡¯t even remember anything.¡± ¡°Did I attack¡­¡± ¡°Ada? Yes. She was the closest. She wasn¡¯t mind knocked, but she couldn¡¯t avoid your attacks. I¡¯m afraid it was more of a shock rather than real damage.¡± ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°You did. And I ran in once you reached zero, and knocked you out. Or your team would have had to deal with a berserk Shieldbearer until you got enough mind back.¡± ¡°How does everyone¡­¡± ¡°You develop strategies. That¡¯s what makes a good team.¡± She laughed. ¡°Or you get good gear to prevent that kind of thing if that¡¯s what you worry about. But the crow was dead by the time I arrived, so you¡¯d have made it through. It¡¯s when you have to deal with a mind-addled member and an enemy that things go wrong.¡± Rowan stood up and walked to Ada. She looked at him, blinking. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She had a weak smile. ¡°It¡¯s the Labyrinth.¡± 14. The Way Forward (last) The horseless chariot dropped them next to a copy of the London Gilded Gate. The team gawped, seeing the gigantic circle with its endless light in it. ¡°Welcome to the Gate to the next tier. Or, rather, a Gate to the next tier,¡± said Amelia. She gestured toward the gate. ¡°Up until now, you couldn¡¯t cross this. The real reason we ran you through that last lair was that lair clearing is necessary for the Labyrinth. And it¡¯s damned hard solo. Doable, but hard.¡± ¡°You see, this Gate leads to a tier 2 zone. That¡¯s where Silas and Ada will pick their next profession, but it¡¯s also your next levelling zone. It¡¯s hard to find anything above 40 in Grailburg, which means your levelling is slowing down there. The Company keeps a small house there, and we¡¯ll shack you up there with Green Team. The Red Team will move to another zone when they manage to reach their milestone. Sirius is slacking.¡± ¡°Grailburg has three Gates leading further into the Labyrinth. There¡¯s one that connects to another tier 1 zone, Phasian, and the others connect to Cheogary and Vukodalar. This is the Cheogary Gate.¡± ¡°The reason you didn¡¯t come here yet is that you can¡¯t cross a Gate out of Grailburg unless you¡¯ve completed some lairs. The only Gate you could take is the one that leads back to London. Every other Gate requires as many lairs as its level. Luther?¡± Luther could see he was asked a question. ¡°So we did two lairs to get a tier 2 Gate?¡± ¡°Correct. After the barrow, you could take the Phasian Gate if you wanted, but that was all. We could move you there, but then you would need two lairs in Phasian to get to use its own tier 2 connection. The Grailburg one wouldn¡¯t count. So, we ran you through the Valley instead. And now, you can use any of the tier 2 Gates.¡± She gestured toward the metal circle. ¡°Go ahead. But wait for me on the other side.¡± Rowan turned toward the Gate. Then, shrugging he moved into the light.
Location
Zone: Cheogary (tier 2) Locale: Gate to Grailburg
Recall: Grailburg, The Plaza Recall: available
Entrances: 0/1 Fast travel: 2 charges, next in 6 days
All five of the team looked around. The Gate on this side looked identical, but the surroundings were bare. The vegetation was very sparse, and there was little on the plains. But another horseless carriage was there, along with a man wearing the tabard of the Artefact Hunting Company. Amelia walked out of the Gate and gestured to the team. ¡°Ok, last before we go. You will go back to Grailburg crossing the Gate. This time¡­ you will see a prompt. Just accept it. Then come back to Cheogary. You¡¯ll see why when you get that prompt.¡± They exchanged glances, then Silas moved back and disappeared into the Gate¡¯s light. The rest of them turned and went back.
Gate to tier 1
Set your Entrance for tier 1 to Grailburg?
Yes No
Rowan accepted. Then, since the prompt felt familiar, he looked at the location interface again.
Location
Zone: Grailburg (tier 1) Locale: Gate to Cheogary
Recall: Grailburg, The Plaza Recall: available
Entrances: 1/1 Tier 1: Grailburg Fast travel: 2 charges, next in 6 days
Rowan could hazard a guess about what it was about. He turned around and went back into the Gate, almost colliding with Dick. ¡°Ooops, sorry.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Ok, all set? Let¡¯s climb. We¡¯re going to the Plaza.¡± Rowan asked Amelia, ¡°What is that Entrance stuff?¡± ¡°A way to go a bit faster across the Labyrinth. For each different tier of Profession you have, you can pick a Gate to that tier as an Entrance. Then, whenever you cross a Gate, instead of going to the place the Gate leads to, you can pick fast travel to another Gate instead.¡± ¡°So, now, we can go to Grailburg?¡± ¡°If you cross any Gate, yes. You¡¯ll end up at the exit of Cheogary¡¯s gate into Grailburg. Right now, it¡¯s not that useful, since the only Gate you can take out of Cheogary is the same one. But if you¡¯re away, and you need to go back to Grailburg, this is useful. At one point, you¡¯ll change your tier 1 exit into Grailburg to a different one, of course.¡± ¡°Why?¡± asked Ada. But Luther picked it immediately. ¡°Does this work on the Gate from London?¡± ¡°Yes. It does.¡± She raised her hand to forestall any question. ¡°We didn¡¯t get you back to London¡¯s Gate because you¡¯ll do that on your first leave. It would be a waste of time before. Right now, this is more useful. You can get back to Grailburg, or you can gate, then cross back into Cheogary immediately, so this kills two birds with one stone. Once you go deeper into the Labyrinth, this is very useful to get shortcuts.¡± The team settled into silence, as the chariot moved across the desolated plains. The evening was nearing when the chariot reached a white marble construction. Although they¡¯d left that one weeks ago now, Rowan recognized a similar construct to the one they¡¯d arrived back¡­ well, back when they came into the Labyrinth. Apparently, you arrived at the Plaza only when you entered first the Labyrinth. Otherwise, you¡¯d end up at a Gate. They filed into the Plaza. Amelia gestured toward the centre. ¡°Go ahead, and check the Professions. Silas, Ada, you have your build instructions.¡± Rowan moved to the centre as well.
Tier 2: Cheogary
Paladin 20 WIS, 20 STR
Piercer 25 DEX
Planner 25 FOR
Rock 20 STR, 20 FOR
Scout 20 DEX, 20 INT
Sentry 25 FOC
Shieldbringer 25 STA
Smasher 25 STR
Torchbearer 20 STA, 20 FOC
¡°How come there¡¯s¡­ like nine Professions?¡± ¡°Each Plaza has its own set of Professions. The tier 2 ones have only 9, but there¡¯s 20 possible tier 2 Professions.¡± ¡°So¡­ I can¡¯t get my Profession here?¡± asked Dick. ¡°No. There¡¯s no direct upgrade to Mender. Although you could possibly get Paladin if you decided to pick a fourth Milestone in Mender and get 20 potential Strength. Same for Fullmore. You¡¯ll both need a different Plaza.¡± ¡°You said 25 for a tier 2, but there are four professions that require only 20?¡± ¡°In two different potentials. Unless you had high potential in the right two to start with, it¡¯s usually slightly harder to get. But there are builds that use that path,¡± replied Amelia. Rowan couldn¡¯t resist taking a peek.
Shieldbringer (tier 2)
Required: 25 STA
Provides: +5 health/+8 endurance/+3 mind/+2 aether per level +1 Milestone/14 levels Shieldbringer Milestone: +5 STA, +3 DEX, +2 PRE, +1 AGI, +1 WIS, 5% shield use
Skillset: Equipment / Defensive
The bigger numbers were nice, but¡­
Shieldbearer (tier 1)
Required: 18 STA
Provides: +3 health/+6 endurance/+2 mind/+1 aether per level +1 Milestone/15 levels Shieldbearer Milestone: +3 STA, +2 STR, +1 CON, +1 FOR, +1 PRE, 5% shield use
Skillset: Equipment / Defensive
¡°Ma¡¯¡­ Amelia? The stats look different?¡± ¡°Different professions, different milestones. Oh, and by the way, the 5% shield won¡¯t stack. You get only the highest shield bonus between all your milestones. The rest says ¡®+¡¯ so you get everything.¡± She called out, ¡°Silas? Ada? You¡¯re done yet?¡± ¡°Yes, Amelia,¡± they answered both in chorus.
Ada Deborah Walsh
Health: 291/291 Mind: 218/218 Endurance: 368/368 Aether: 214/214
Effective level: 33 Level 1 Piercer Level 32 Pointer
Experience: 0/2000
Strength: 14 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 16 Constitution: 19 Stamina: 17 Wisdom: 16 Focus: 16 Presence: 15 Fortitude: 15 Intelligence: 18
Milestones: Pointer II
Skills: Stab (rank 0), Jab (rank 1), Slice (rank 0), Backstab (rank 1), Cut (rank 0)
¡°Did not lose my skills,¡± added Ada. ¡°Of course you did not, the spheres are the same. So you keep them. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get a few new ones as well. Keep following the build sheet for the ones you¡¯ll raise this tier. And now, I leave you,¡± announce Amelia. ¡°WHAT?¡± exclaimed nearly simultaneously the whole team. ¡°Yep. You''ve graduated to your tier 2 zone, you¡¯ve got all you need to know. Adelbert here will get you settled, give you a list of places to go, and a timeline to follow. When you get your third milestone, he¡¯ll get you to Vukodalar for the two of you who need their Arcanist and Mender upgrade ¨C which you¡¯ll find there. You, Rivers, you¡¯ll pick the Shieldbearer either here or in Vukodalar like your teammates. Then it¡¯s onward to tier 3. And you¡¯ll get your first vacation when you get there.¡± She waved. Then, coloured light swirled all around her, and she became transparent, then vanished entirely. ¡°What the¡­ happened???¡± The Company man, Adelbert Harvey, laughed. ¡°She just recalled. Come on. We do have a Recall Stone at the base, and we¡¯ll set your recall there. It will be more useful for you when you come back from expeditions.¡± ¡°So she¡¯s back to Grailburg?¡± ¡°What? No. She¡¯s set to the tier 4 Company base. That¡¯s where she and her team branch out from. They start pushing to tier 5 already, even if none of them is at that level yet. Zacharias pulled her team to serve as your teachers. Now, they¡¯re going back to work.¡± Rowan looked wistfully at the place where Amelia had vanished. Despite the abrasive nature of the woman, she had been their teacher and constant companion for weeks. He might even miss her. A bit. Assuming he didn¡¯t find boars to fight here, that is.