The two robed men stared at each other, then ran and hugged each other, to the amazement of the rest of the people around. Then the other man pulled out while patting Guss.

Jonas turned to Ira, “So, that’s the famous cousin Luther.”

Cowen was also taken by surprise.

“You two know each other?”

For a second both Fullmores looked at each other, then Luther replied.

“Yes. That’s my cousin Guss. Of course, the last time I saw him was back in London last year. I even brought the company’s gauge array to check the family, much to my disappointment.”

He threw his hands in the air, mimicking bemusement.

“Imagine my surprise when Mrs Douglas came around and said he was in the Labyrinth.”

Suddenly, Jonas realized how – or maybe why – Myrl had been able to secure travelling arrangements from the Artefact Hunting company. He’d told her about “cousin Luther”. Waving family around would have been the best way to entice them.

“So you’re a Mender? Sorry, Hospitaler now. But… what’s that Adjustment milestone from? There’s no Adjustment Profession?”

“Long story. She didn’t tell you?” Guss asked.

“Nope. I can’t understand how you can even be in the Labyrinth. I mean, you were okay, but just under Labyrinth limits.”

Guss proffered his wrist: “Check the Milestone again.”

“What? 6 in… every Potential? And some level… bollocks, your level cap! It’s all futzed! Is that what it is?”

Jonas realized this reaction would probably be very common in the future. Until their story fully spread around – and seemingly the Cowen team didn’t want to, yet – everyone would react the same to them.

“Me and the rest, we were thrown into the Gate, but it shut down before it could spit us back. So the Labyrinth… cheated. And gave us a boost, so we could be in it.”

Luther frowned.

“You make it sound like it’s… some kind of alive thing?”

“There was a descriptor. Above the Gate…”

“Seen it. It appeared on top of the Gate to London after it got shut down.”

“Well, we were in there, and it was as if there was notification, but part of the descriptor, rather than separate, like normally for Labyrinth notifications. If I make sense?”

“You don’t but go ahead.”

“Well, we couldn’t be in the Labyrinth, and we were, so… something happened so that we could be. The notification was about adjusting until it could give us a Profession,” Guss replied.

And Jonas thought that it sounded like it was already something that already came with the Labyrinth. Because Potential increase was what was required to let them in… but the levelling speed wasn’t. Yet it, and the starter equipment, and the easy skill gain… were all part of the same package. The more he thought about it, the more Adjustment looked like something quite different than just allowing unqualified people in the Labyrinth.

Something the Labyrinth used to let them in, rather than something made to let someone in.

Jonas shivered.

“And now look at you. A second Fullmore to stride the Labyrinth. You remind me a bit of Dick with all that mismatched gear.”

“Dick?” asked Guss.

“He was my first team’s Mender. Richard Hicks. He never swapped gear, he only wanted what we found rather than pick at the Company’s store. He’s still with the Company, but they switched him around. He’s busy in Onstarkos grabbing some nice ancient loots.”

Cowen finally interrupted the family reunion.

“Can we cut the chat? I’d like to get them back to Gatepost, and you can catch up to your adventures while on the way in Inetun.”

Luther grimaced.

“Oops. Sorry, Knight. Our company’s carriage is waiting for us on the other side of the Gate.”

They all gathered and crossed the Gate in line.

The Inetun side looked like vast plains of some very tall grass, reaching almost to Jonas’ waist. He watched the waves made by the wind across the plain. It did look homely. The Gate area had much shorter grass, and there was a large wagon standing there. Jonas noticed the Power Crystal incrustations that denoted a horseless version.

Luther beckoned.

“Climb up. We’re heading straight to the first lair on that list. With the carriage, we should be there by evening, and we should be good. I know most of the zone anyway, we’ve spent some time in here last year.”

Both Luther and the woman sat on the front, while the rest of the Professionals sat on the side benches of the wagon. Both Jonas and Guss ended up at the end of the bench next to the drivers’ seat. Cowen and her team were on one side, the rest of the team was on the other.

Luther disengaged the brakes, deftly turning the wagon to a path running across the tall grass, and the wagon started at a relatively high speed.

“Guss, you never met Ada, I think? She didn’t come last time I visited.”

“You told us you got married. Congratulations, and nice to meet you, Mrs Fullmore,” he replied.

Ada Fullmore’s laughter was an explosion.

“I nearly had to threaten to stick a pair of daggers in him to get him to propose. Never seen a smart man so indecisive.”

“You’re Piercer?”

“Cautious Gouger now. But I’m going for Abiding Stabber next tier.”

“We got a Piercer in the team, Alton,” Guss said. “Maybe you can teach him a few tricks?”

She laughed again.

“God no. I’m hopeless when it comes to making builds. Zacharias does it. But if he wants some tactical advice on which skill to use when, then yes. I can do that.”

Guss started to chat seriously with his cousin. Jonas tuned him out after a while, as it was mostly about family matters, rather than Professional tidbits. He still caught a few pieces. It looked like the couple had been around for more than two years, but half of their team had been away in London when the Gate closed. They’d run a few lairs with other Professionals since, but the chaos surrounding the Gate closure had seriously disrupted their life.

“Things are starting to settle down. After more than three months, people are getting organized to function without access to London. Four people are doing regular courier duty, twice a week, so you can send letters to Britain, and get replies… but for the rest, we’re on our own.”

“Oh? How they’re doing it… oh, the Colonies, right?” asked Jonas.

“Yes. They’re the only people willing to let us use their Gate…”

“My team also can go back,” Cowen injected, before adding, “But we’ve been busy with your cousin and the rest of his team.”

“For which I thank you. A lot,” Luther said. “Family’s letter said he’d been killed and seeing him alive… and here… that’s something.”

The carriage stopped next to what looked like a cluster of houses, reminding Jonas a bit of the ruin in Othary. But that village was more solid-looking stone buildings, and looked completely deserted, without a boar in view.

“First lair on the list. The Cellar Stores,” Luther announced.

“Lord, I remember that one. It’s been… 17 years? And I hated the crowded cellars.”

“You did that?” Jonas asked.

“Most Professionals go through Inetun. It’s good a good amount of lairs, and it opens multiple tier-threes for later,” replied Cowen.

“Our company has a licence for four of them until the end of the year, but we don’t really need them all right now. We’ve got a new bunch of recruits coming up, but they won’t move in for at least two months. They need to qualify in Vukodalar first, and be at on the level,” added Luther.

“So we’re also using your lairs?” Guss asked.

“Yep,” Luther confirmed.

As they came out of the last ruin, Jonas had to ask Cowen, “How do you know which houses have a guardian, and which do not?”

“Habit. Once you find the first, the other two are almost always at equal angles in the village, then you head for the central house for the last. Try to do it in reverse, and you get the treasures, but not the completion.”

Luther called out to the coming group, “All set?”

“We all got completion on this! And even two pieces of loot!” replied Guss.

“Which kind? Oh, I see you swapped robes.”

Dingy Burlap Robe

Torso

Quality equipment

Requires: Level 61

Provides: +12 defence rating, +8 WIS, +5 FOR

“Not as good-looking as I had, but the values on it are much higher.”

Luther looked around and spotted Laura sporting a leather band rather than her frog-skin cap. He gestured toward the carriage.

“Throw the rest into the back. Then we’ll drive to the next.”

“We do? It’s almost night,” remarked Jonas.

“I know the local paths, no problem. The local creatures don’t attack carriages anyway unless you get really close. And we have fancy new crystal lights, installed last year. Ada and I will take turns driving, and we might even be at the next lair by morning. So climb in and enjoy the ride.”

The teams jumped in, and the carriage backed away, before turning and heading to the path they came through.

Jonas found the travel unsettling. The wagon was utterly silent, the sky had darkened – and the very normal-looking moon had settled quickly. All of the other Professionals had bundled themselves in various corners and even under the benches of the wagon, and the only thing that moved outside were the restless grasses visible in the light coming out from the front of the carriage. He propped himself against the front of the carriage.

“Can’t sleep?” the voice of Ada came from behind him.

“Sometimes,” he replied.

“Rowan was like that.”

“Who?”

“Our Cautious Shieldwielder. He and his friend didn’t re-enlist when our contracts came up for renewal. He liked the old team, but he didn’t see himself working with most of the rest of the company. He didn’t get along with some of the founders,” she replied.

Jonas thought it better not to pursue this further.

“I don’t seem to really get tired when I stay awake. I just get that weird flickering status…” Jonas said, as an explanation.

“Lucky you. For me, when it will pop, it will stay, and I’ll have to wake up Luther to take over,” she replied.

“What is it?”

“Us Professionals get… I think you can call them explanations. Of what affects us. Tired, Hungry, Thirsty… we get descriptors of how that affects us. Like Tired drops your maximum endurance, mind, Dexterity, Agility, Focus and Wisdom… but apparently not the rest.”

“Uh? Then if you get ill or something, it tells you what you have…”

“We don’t. Get ill, I mean. Unless it’s in the Labyrinth, we don’t seem to get ill from Earth sources. Even at level 1. Menders can even cure some normal diseases, and since they can’t catch any, they’re absolutely loved in hospitals. There were quite a few working to contain the typhus in Ireland two years ago.”

At one point, Jonas must still have fallen asleep, since the next thing he felt was Ira’s hand on his shoulder shaking him up.

They were near a small set of low hills, mounds rather. A campfire was already running, with a kettle of… porridge? They’d eaten lots of things during those months, but Jonas had missed real porridge. And bacon. He sat next to Ira and started wolfing down the hot meal.

Cowen was already finishing her meal and pointed behind her.

“This is the Burial Site. There are three entrances and three paths, but they all mix up inside. It’s a bit long, but I won’t skip any encounters, even if you can. I’m trying not to miss out on completion.”

“More loot?” Laura asked.

“Yes, but that’s a high-level lair for the tier. A bit over 100, so don’t expect any new gear useable right now.”

Luther added, “The Company uses it for people like us, who are already in their mid-to-high tier-three. We alternate with Kwagudeey’s lower lairs next door. It’s got enough gear to pay the license.”

The team came out of the mound’s entrance in high spirits.

“On to the gate!” Guss called.

“Oh? Got completion, all of you? No third lair?”

“Yep. We’re all good,” Jonas confirmed.

“I expected at least a miss. But no. Maybe it’s me that missed, but I did that one 17 years ago anyway,” Cowen explained.

They all hopped into the carriage, then Luther backed up and turned again.

“Gate’s not too far. We’ll get to it by mid-afternoon. Then we’ll switch zones and carriages.”

Seeing Jonas inquiring look, Ada added, “Can’t move the carriage across the Gate. You can only bring whatever you carry… and it’s carrying us, not the reverse.”

Jonas thought about it for a while, then asked for confirmation, “So you bring it in separate pieces?”

“All the way from London, where they make those, and then assemble one in the zone, yes. Takes a bit of work, and it’s still expensive”, Ada confirmed, before adding, “The old Royal Company had brought three here, and Laufrey’s snagged two of them for their Power Crystal transportation in Straudnarry, where they have quite a few lairs in exploitation. Most of the regular companies pitched in to keep the third one, and we rotate use.”

“I can’t believe we’ve been that fast,” Alton injected.

“The marvels of the modern age,” Luther said. “We’ll be at Gatepost in… what, four days maximum?”

Cautious Gouger

(tier 3)

Required: 45 DEX, 20 WIS

Provides:

+7 health/+12 endurance/+5 mind/+3 aether per level

+1 Milestone per 13 levels

Cautious Gouger Milestone: +7 DEX, +4 FOR, +3 CON, +2 STR, +1 STA, 1/3 endurance per WIS

Skillset: Equipment / Offense