When Jonas inserted his key to the Office headquarters room, he immediately noticed the off-sensation. The key did not turn. Then he realized that the door was actually unlocked.

There were two people in the office, one of which he immediately recognized. He had not seen or heard about her for months, but it seemed Calculating Tactician Charlotte Augusta Wales had come back to the Labyrinth, after all.

“Your Highness? I wasn’t aware you were coming,” he said.

“Sims. Yes, it’s been a while. To my unending dismay. But I have Gustav here to thank for the opportunity to come back, at least for a while.”

“Happy to be of use for that.”

Jonas came, offering his hand for a descriptor exchange. To his surprise, Charlotte’s so-called “saviour” was a mere level three Defender.

“Gustav, this is Sir Sims, the leading man of the team I told you about. The Adapted? Adapted team.”

“Jonas Sims, His Highness Gustav Gustafsson, heir to the Swedish crown.”

“Oh. Happy to see you escaped Napoleon’s clutches, your Royal Highness. I heard about his final assault on Sweden last year.”

The heir made a slight grimace.

“My father made sure the family escaped safely, but he would not leave the Kingdom.”

“The British Empire still stands against the Tyrant and we will see him defeated yet,” Jonas replied.

“Hopefully, that will not take decades. My father is still young enough, but he’s now a prisoner at the Village at Versailles, and unless Napoleon is soundly defeated, he will not be easily freed.”

“The War Office is relentless in his pursuit of that goal, Gustav,” the Princess said.

Jonas hesitated at that mention. Maybe that liberation would happen sooner than the Swedish heir could hope for. But he couldn’t say that quite outright. Maybe her Highness knew, but he was sure the Prince wouldn’t.

“There are quite a few royal families there as well,” Jonas said instead.

“Yes. The Tyrant is doing this for pragmatic reasons,” she replied.

“As long as the reigning monarchs and most of their heirs live, any other claim to the crowns of Europe would be shaky. Not that it matters that much as long as their kingdoms are under the French bootheel,” the heir added.

“But you escaped,” Jonas noted.

“A severe coup to Napoleon’s big boasts. That is only a minor setback for as long as my father lives, but I’m happy to be a thorn in his side.”

“And a Professional now.”

“I am lucky in that regard as well,” the Swede acknowledged.

“As far as I know, we two are the only members of royal families to qualify,” Charlotte added.

“Qualifying is quite rare. Although, level three only?”

The man shrugged.

“I had the opportunity to get scanned with the modern potential detectors. As it looked like I was actually 18 in Constitution, I got rushed through the Gate, and a few people showed me the basics. It was mainly done to ensure I would be a Professional.”

“Giving you the regeneration, typical immunity to mundane diseases and the like,” Jonas guessed.

“That’s the thought. Although it was months ago.”

“And now you are back.”

“Yes. I got ‘recruited’ into Charlotte’s company to be allowed to do so.”

“Oh. So we now have the same boss,” Jonas noted.

“Speaking of which, you do have a letter from the Duke, Sir Sims,” she said, pushing the sealed missive.

Knight Commander Jonas Sims,

I have thought about your suggestion, and I tentatively agree. Although this is a task that is usually in the purview of the British Scouts, the teams able to scout there will remain few in numbers for a while, and early information could be good, especially if it suggests alternate routes to the trunk or deeper penetration of the French.

For the linchpin zone, check only the lair and no further. For the other zones, you may make the rounds and find out which zones are adjacent but do not waste your time exploring beyond those. Simply avoid Garnjern, as we know about it already.

If you are to meet any other Professionals, retreat and avoid being seen if possible.

The Empire counts on us,

Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington.

“So?”

“Some marching orders, your Highness,” Jonas informed her.

“How so?” she asked.

“The Duke makes use of some of the zones we have access to due to our exotic arrival. He has some plans and we apparently feature in them.”

He skipped on explaining further, seeing the inquiring look on both the royals. Instead, he steered the conversation away.

“So what are your plans? Are you back to delve again in the Labyrinth?”

Charlotte shook her head in regret.

“I’d like to, but I am negotiating with my family at the moment. They’d rather see me married and having the succession already started. Even though Grandpa is still good with Professional help…”

“It’s the nature of Monarchs to worry about that one,” Gustav added.

“But meanwhile, there’s no reason why Gustav shouldn’t be able to acquire levels. I’m far too high for him to benefit much, even if I could help. Could your team…?”

“We’re six, which is the maximum for a team to be workable. Besides, we delve mostly in zones that you wouldn’t have access to, your Royal Highness,” Jonas apologized to the man.

Then he snapped his fingers.

“But I do have an idea.”

The whole area was just off at the edge of Gatepost and covered with gaudy tents awnings.

“What’s this? Lord, I’ve never seen this anywhere…” Charlotte started.

“The Faire. It used to be held indoors, but it’s spilt outside its bounds,” Jonas explained as he realized that she would have never known about it.

Strictly speaking, it was his first time in that format as well. He knew O’Hogan was planning for this, but the new Faire was a sight to behold.

“And what is it?” Gustav asked.

“A trade fair. People from all kind of companies coming and trading Labyrinth equipment to better their teams,” he replied.

Jonas saw both of the royal heirs frown, trying to understand the meaning of this.

“Not everyone has the resources of a large company behind them. Or even just the royal guarantee. There are lots of small companies now, and their teams have to make do with whatever they have from the Labyrinth.”

“Oh. I see. Back when it was just the Royal Labyrinth Company, there were large stores waiting for recycling. So everyone got outfitted, except the top teams. There was never enough for those,” Charlotte said.

“And now… these people trade what?”

“What they can’t use, or don’t use anymore,” Jonas replied.

“It might not be the best gear possible, but it’s still better than waiting for a lucky strike,” the Princess realized.

“So they… just swap stuff? All that setup seems expensive, though, so how does this Faire even work?”

Jonas pointed to a side booth, with the familiar four-panel sign of the Four Elementals.

“Food and drink. Haggling is a thirsty endeavour,” he replied.

The two Royals looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.

“What? It’s true, even for a Professional. Unless you have 100 Stamina, maybe,” he joked.

They headed to the booth, where Jonas enquired about where O’Hogan might be. The Professional manning the booth – a man which Jonas didn’t even remember as being one of the Elementals’ waiters – admitted he had no idea, but pointed out that there was a general registration booth to the side. Jonas thanked the man, while Gustav brought tankards for all three.

“Put them next to any booth when finished. We’ll get them back when the Faire closes,” the waiter suggested.

They walked away, heading to the general direction indicated by the man, while looking at the various tables, and the animated discussions.

“It seems a bit huge for just trading,” Gustav said.

“There’s a lot of socializing going on as well. Most teams work by themselves in the Labyrinth, and if you don’t have a huge company with outposts and stuff, Gatepost is often the only place when they can meet other Professionals,” Jonas replied.

“Ah.”

“Yes, the inns and taverns make a brisk trade,” Jonas confirmed.

After a while, Gustav asked finally The question.

“I heard a lot about your teams, but I don’t really understand. There’s so much stuff out there…”

“Didn’t Her Highness tell you?”

“I must admit I lack most of the context. This Professional stuff was very remote for us in Sweden. Then, I find out I’m one, and that you’re apparently the ones who break rules?”

“You noticed my descriptor? The Milestone and bonus to levelling?”

“That’s something really special?”

“I don’t know how much you were taught, but yes. You get Milestones which increase your potentials from levelling each Profession. Ours is… a bit special. It increases on its own. And each Milestone gives us a new type of power.”

“How so?” Charlotte suddenly asked.

Jonas realized that Her Highness might probably be unaware of all the recent developments in the Labyrinth proper. He started to explain all the new discoveries made in cooperation with Babbage.

“Wait? You can see the content of treasure chests? Without opening them?”

“Well, I cannot. Among us, only Jonathan can, so far. I’ll be able with the next Adjustment, though.”

“And you can also reopen a closed Gate,” Gustav commented.

“Yes. By the way, has anyone managed to figure out how the French weapons work?” Jonas asked the Princess.

Charlotte made a doubtful half-pout.

“Not entirely. But they seem to be designed to interfere with aether, at least in part. Apparently, that only causes severe effects on an open Gate.”

“Really?”

“The War Office had one repaired and tested it in the Labyrinth itself, on a secondary Gate. It started to destabilize it, but we stopped quickly. Even if it was trivial to route around that Gate, no sense in blowing it for months or years.”

“So, it affects all Gates?”

“The Gates seem to be particularly vulnerable to it. The idea that it interfered with aether was tested against Power Crystals. It seems to drain them faster, but any form of metal shielding protects against that.”

“So useless as a weapon, except for the Gates,” Gustav said.

“Unless you want to close a Gate,” Jonas acknowledged.

The Swedish heir pursued his line of thought.

“Could this be used to… you know, create more Professionals with that Adjustment thing? If you can use it to reproduce the same circumstances that led to your team’s creation.”

Jonas almost answered before her Highness cut him.

“Very bad idea. It took three months to restore the Gate to 100% – even if we now have people who can potentially re-open it immediately once they’re repaired… that’s still three months without any Labyrinth access. Even if we wanted to risk the Gate not repairing after a while, three months is too much. That’s what Napoleon wanted, after all.”

“But could it be worth it?” Jonas asked.

“Unless you start exhibiting more weirder powers than the one you've told me so far, I’m going to say no. Faster levelling is nice, but that’s over the long term. I know you’re far better than the average Professional would be with nine months under his wing, but sacrificing Labyrinth access isn’t worth that.”

O’Hogan was busy talking to a bunch of Professionals. By the look of them, Jonas expected them to be some tier three at least, maybe four? They seemed to have some items that did look refined enough to be Heroic, at least.

Finished, the Irishman came to them.

“Jonas, my friend. As you can see, this is going well!”

“Your paddy ass has surpassed itself this time. It’s easily twice as big as the last time, back in the Tavern.”

“At least. And we now have low tier four trades starting to come. Even large companies start thinking about how to round up their basic equipment. It’s kind of a long wait to get lucky with the right heroic gear for your own build, and so there are medium companies thinking about it now.”

He pointed out to a side panel, listing categories.

Grade

Levels

Awnings

A

Tier one, any

White/Blue

B

Tier two, any

White/Red

C

Tier three, any

White/Green

D

Tier three, heroic

Red/Blue

E

Tier four+

White/Yellow

“Wow? You’ve got all organized. What’s up with the categories?”

“That Scottish barbarian joker suggested it. Well, he suggested starting up and going down so that A would be the best, but I put the stop to it. I mean, nobody knows how high the tiers go. What if you go F to A, then find better gear to put on a trade? How would you go from there, without looking silly, like S or something.”

Jonas snorted.

“Who’s your colleagues? I’m O’Hogan, Faire Meister,” he added, offering his wrist for a descriptor.

Jonas introduced his two companions as they exchanged information. O’Hogan immediately offered a quick curtsey.

“Your Highnesses grace us with your presence,” he immediately added.

Charlotte offered a small smile, recognizing the hasty compliment for what it was.

“We came here mostly because Sir Sims had some idea, which I haven’t heard about yet,” she said.

Jonas immediately explained about the Swedish Professional lack of team.

“It would be doable to go along with a tier two, but most already go to tier two zones anyway. But the Faire draws all kinds of newcomers, as you said. You even mentioned your new members from Ireland.”

“They’ve graduated to tier two a few weeks ago… but you are right. Even though most Professionals get their second tier within three months, there are more and more tier one coming.”

“How so?” Gustav asked.

“The workshops in London manage to assemble working assessment arrays regularly. And every noble in all corners of the kingdom now takes as a mark of prestige organising a Labyrinth Company based out of their counties.”

“Stay here, I’ll be right back,” O’Hogan added.

“I have a hard time understanding this company stuff,” Gustav admitted.

“The old Royal Labyrinth Company was a monopoly. Every Professional had to belong, or be barred from the Labyrinth,” Charlotte explained him.

“Then, it was broken after a massive graft scandal. Half the administrators were skimming behind the King’s back, and the government put a halt to it when it became too much and risked crippling the military. But a bunch of people at the House of Lords saw the opportunity, and they simply broke the company and brought the parts under their control. They didn’t really object to graft, they just wanted it in their pockets instead of some middling bureaucrats. I mean, half the management was merchants and bankers only.”

“And so, they replaced the royal monopoly with… aristocratic monopolies?”

Jonas added, “But there’s a lot of hereditary peers around, so there’s more and more of those companies.”

“And the Duke of Wellington?”

“Made his own for me, mainly. Although he’s got a bee in his bonnet these days and is trying to actually poach some established Professionals, I don’t know why,” Charlotte said.

At that moment, O’Hogan came back with a middle-aged Professional sporting what, to Jonas’ eye, looked like mundane clothes, not even basic gear.

“Withers here is a member of a new company from east England. Sounds like the Marquess of Hertford held a large Potential assessment last December in Yarmouth, and they have four qualified and arrived just three weeks ago. They’re just around 20, which isn’t too bad.”

“O’Hogan tells me you are level 3 Defender and without a steady team?”

“That I am,” Gustav replied. “Although if you are already higher level…”

“It’s not a big problem. We have plenty of time to level. We have a kind of defensive position, but our Shieldbearer is also not very happy with his role. He’d fancy himself more of a Rock for next tier, which he can get with only two Milestones as well. So… if you are interested into being a full-time Defender?”

“That could work. Although, as a Prince of Vasa, I’m not sure if I will be able to run the Labyrinth permanently. I mean… if my kingdom is liberated or my father dies…”

“That’s not for years, your Royal Highness,” the man said rather bluntly. Then, he caught himself.

“We can still go mercenary if you have to leave. Or even advertise that the crown of Sweden ran with us to success!”

The heir laughed, and then looked at Charlotte. The Princess nodded to him.

“Go meet your potential team, Gustav. If that doesn’t work out, we’ll find something. Jonas had the right idea, I must say.”

The two looked at the departing Swede, and Jonas then turned to Charlotte.

“Do you think that will work?”

“Every Professional has to make their way through the Labyrinth. That’s something that not even a crown can avoid.”

“What about you? Coming back to the Labyrinth?”

“Not yet. The demands of my family are becoming more pressing, I’m afraid, and none of them like the Labyrinth,” she grimaced.

“That’s too bad.”

“It could be worse. I could be Princess and not a Professional. But yes, my usual team members are starting to take regular mercenary contracts, and I’m going to tell them not to worry about me.”

She then laughed.

“If your team wasn’t already full, you might even be at my tier by the time I can squeeze back into the Labyrinth.”

Charlotte Augusta Wales

Health: 1689/1689

Mind: 2475/2475

Endurance: 1569/1569

Aether: 1625/1625

Effective level: 255

Level 43 Calculating Tactician

Level 43 Spellbringer

Level 65 Careful Commander

Level 59 Leader

Level 45 Pilot

Experience: 99248/215000

Strength: 29

Dexterity: 51

Agility: 24

Constitution: 34

Stamina: 34

Wisdom: 39

Focus: 30

Presence: 112

Fortitude: 31

Intellect: 39

Defence rating: 0

1.5% team endurance

2% team aether

5% endurance economy

6% aether damage

3% aether economy

Milestones: Pilot III, Leader IV, Careful Commander V, Spellbringer III, Calculating Tactician III

Skills: Delegate Defence (3), Bone Break (3), Endure Damage (2), Endure Peril (2), Burst Endurance (2), Disrupt (2), Wound (2), Asphyxiate (2), Slight (0), Stand (0), Immobilize (0), Shock Touch (0), Freeze Limb (0), Burning Aura (0), Firespark (0), Shift (0), Reposition (0)

Equipment: none