Jonas turned reflexively and threw up. Which, a second later, told him intellectually that he was back to life.

Lingering Death. -50% of potentials and vitals, regeneration halved.

That wasn’t an unknown sensation, of course. They’d suffered small losses when learning the Labyrinth, or when the team was reaching just a little bit above their weight. But usually, it was one of his friends that brought him to life.

Here… the two figures he could see next to him were definitively not those. Both were exotic, confirming what he’d seen as the Professionals had tried to retreat from the docks, facing odds too lopsided from higher-levels. With odd faces and pinched eyes, as if the skin stretched in strange ways, they were certainly Chinese. And one was definitively very, very dangerous.

The woman wore obvious Artefact gear. Her robe was immaculate white, but no lesser piece would have the odd blue ribbons slightly glowing as they visibly moved across her sleeves. A small, tiny line of gold light crowned her head. In her hand, she grasped the middle part of a staff made of three completely separate pieces, separated by a sizeable interval. The top seemed to feature a fantastic scaly head, whose jewel-encrusted eyes seemed to track Jonas despite having no visible features in those gemstones.

The sight made him realize that what he was missing. All of his low-tier gear was gone. He was lying on some straw cot in underclothes, half-naked. A quick check on his descriptor confirmed that everything was gone… save, of course, the Core, immutable in its abstract place unless he voluntarily moved it out into a Puppet.

Jonas Mark Sims

Health: 785/785 (696)

Mind: 853/853 (791)

Endurance: 453/453

Aether: 1633/1633

Effective level: 173 (165)

Level 36 Resilient Spellwrangler

Level 18 Massive Aethershaper

Level 39 Solid Aethershaper

Level 42 Aetherist

Level 30 Arcanist

Experience: 1053/133,333

Strength: 30 (59)

Dexterity: 37 (63)

Agility: 25 (50)

Constitution: 29 (49)

Stamina: 22 (44)

Wisdom: 29 (58)

Focus: 31 (62)

Presence: 32 (53)

Fortitude: 30 (60)

Intellect: 68 (121)

Defence rating: 0

35% faster levelling

5% levels

-50% vitals, -50% potentials, ½ regeneration (Lingering Death, 50 hours)

15% elemental damage

7% ice damage

1% lightning damage

2% elemental economy

15% earth damage

0.9 aether/PRE

Milestones: Adjustment VII, Arcanist II, Aetherist III, Solid Aethershaper III, Massive Aethershaper I, Resilient Spellwrangler III

Skills: Flame Bolt (3), Elemental Spray (3), Fire Funnel (3), Aether Strangle (1), Air Burst (1), Ice Dart (1), Rock Spikes (0+1), Asphyxiate (0+1), Aetheric Armor (0), Firefall (0), Everburn (0), Lightblast (0), Earth Grasp (0), Ice Storm (0), Aether Window (0), Earth Body (0), Firespark (0), Freeze Limb (0)

Equipment: Black Glass Orb (15INT/12DEX/11PRE/10CON/178hp/ 125mind/+1rockspike/+1asphyxiate/1%light/1%ice/5%lvl)

He shivered, more from the shock than any physical sensation.

“You are back. For now,” the woman said, with a slightly accented, stilted quality that hinted at distant and unpractised learning of English.

The words were also filled with a significant Presence, if the gear quality didn’t tell him already he was in presence of a high-tier spell caster or healer. The man next to her bent and grasped his wrist rudely, peering at his descriptor. Jonas grasped back feebly, taking a look back at his in return, of course. Precise Mauler Bo Tang, around level 480.

The man turned and shot a fast sentence in incomprehensible language to the high-tier woman. She acknowledged him with a short nod before addressing Jonas again.

“Tang confirms you are one of those we seek… Jonas Sims. I presume you do not know where your other… team members have retreated?”

Jonas considered the situation carefully.

“If they escaped, I do not know where they will regroup, sorry.”

“It’s to be expected. Now… Tang says your Potentials don’t seem to add up, so I presume you have a Core. It is unlikely to be of use, so I will not ask you to yield it. For now.”

Jonas felt a small shock. Knowledge of the Cores might have spread out further than he’d expected if the Chinese – because that was what his jailors were – already knew of them.

Another man, wearing an obvious armour of Labyrinth gear peeked in the small room in which Jonas was confined, saying some urgent news. The woman replied quickly in the same language before turning back to Jonas.

“We brought you back early since you are too low level to stay dead for long. But, as much as I’d like to talk to you… the battle is still raging, your city isn’t entirely secured, and my power is needed elsewhere. So, we will have to do that later. Don’t be too stupid.”

She shot a quick order to Tang Bo before heading out.

“What’s going to happen to me?” Jonas asked anxiously.

“Well, we’re going to have a conversation or two later. But for now? I asked Tang to wait two hours and kill you again. With 98% Lingering Death, you won’t be able to do anything. Try not to escape before that, because if Tang has to kill you immediately, you will face True Death. And he will not hesitate.”

Jonas turned toward the man, whose placid face told him how little that task disturbed him.

The figure who appeared out of the Great Gate almost instantly jerked back and vanished into the light surface of it, as spells were shot and dispersed, their target gone.

“Chinese name, tier-six Profession,” one Professional to the side of the Gate announced almost needlessly, presumably someone with a high enough Gauge Enemy to read most of the descriptor.

All heads turned to the young woman facing the Gate from the edge of the clearing.

“I think that means they now fully hold the Gate on the other side. I want… I want everyone at tier four and above to stand guard. Anyone below, provide support. Notably, bring food and water for anyone who gets a status for those.”

There was a rumbling of noises around the clearing.

“Holding the Labyrinth is as important as holding London itself,” Charlotte insisted. “Now, any former military officers around? I want all of you or a representative of the major companies at the Town Hall as soon as possible.”

Ira immediately beelined for the Calculating Tactician, but he wasn’t the only one.

“Not everyone,” she insisted, putting some Presence in her voice.

Ira waved despite the orders, catching up.

“You’re??? Ah, Sir Heard,” she finally remembered. “I’ll talk to everyone later, don’t worry.”

She swept away, leaving Ira behind. The defender swore as the rest of the team caught up.

“Well, tier-four and above, that means us now,” Guss mumbled.

The half-team took a position to the left side of the Gate, close by. Without Jonas and his range, they had to keep close, to be ready to swing into action if necessary, despite their relatively low levels. All around them, other teams were emplacing themselves, while a few individuals started making ad-hoc teams. Even odd teams without defenders, as their usefulness was lower against intelligent Professionals rather than Labyrinth critters.

Suddenly, Laura spotted a familiar figure at the edge of the clearing and waved wildly. Ira and the rest turned and recognized the brim hat last seen on the American.

“Sylvia! You made it!”

“Yea. I was expecting to negotiate a simple basic contract for later this year, not get on the receiving end of an army invasion. Where’s Jonas? We got separated on the quays. I retreated to the Gate, thinking that’s where everyone would come.”

“Jonas… his vitals went to zero when we crossed,” Ira explained.

Sylvia’s face fell.

“How long has it been? Longer than the resurrection time?”

Ira and the rest exchanged glances. Nobody had a watch in the team, except Jonas. But it had been less than half an hour, assuredly.

“Not long. Just after we crossed.”

“You’ll know soon. If he’s fallen to True Death, then he’ll vanish from your team list once that happens. But if he’s in a different zone, his vitals won’t start updating again until he crosses the Gate into the same zone, at least for a second. Or you cross back to his zone.”

They all looked at the seemingly-peaceful surface of the Great Gate.

“Yea, not happening,” the American woman said, realising the difficulty of her proposition.

“Join?”

“Sure. I don’t think those Chinese have declared war on the States, but I don’t think they’ll make a difference between you and me,” she said immediately.

Ira frowned, then raised his palm to his face.

“Jonas the one leading. Can’t extend the invitation.”

“Well, I don’t want you to lose track of him. Don’t worry about me. Got range and heal, I’ll be okay on my own,” she replied.

The next moments were harrowing for the three survivors, torn between watching the Gate in the hopes of seeing Jonas dashing madly into the Labyrinth and focusing on their team’s descriptor for updates. But as the hours passed, nothing happened one way or another, at least on that front. One team was almost obliterated as they stepped out of the Gate using Fast Travel from within the Labyrinth, and a strategy to deal with anyone arriving was slowly hammered.

“Looks like he must have made it,” Ira finally said.

“Seeing as no one came through since, at least not from London, he’s probably stuck there,” Sylvia confirmed.

“Alton had his health and maximum go down. Looks like some have taken upon themselves to resurrect some of the fallen,” Guss mused.

Sounds from the main thoroughfare into Gatepost alerted them to the fact that Princess Charlotte was back. She made it to a small podium.

“Well, as everyone may have figured out, London has been under attack by an enemy force. More specifically, by what looks like Chinese Professionals. It has been an utter surprise; apparently, word reached from the coast barely half an hour before the forward elements of their navy neared the eastern docks. It’s a dastardly move, one that no one could have expected, and it has put us on the defensive.”

She gestured toward the Great Gate.

“The Gate provides a natural chokepoint. Until they feel confident of their capacity to overwhelm us, they won’t risk it. But by the same token, we have to wait. We had many high-tiers, but there’s a few more in the depths. Meanwhile, they’re stuck with whomever they brought. I doubt they have ships capable of rivalling our modern navy and bringing reinforcements. Time… is on our side, Professionals of the Empire.”

“We have troops all over the British Isles, and they will not stand down. They will rally under the banner of my grandfather, and harass them. This is not some distant ally of the Crown, with only a handful of our officers to help. They will soon find Britain easily surprised, but not easily cowed.”

“Our great nation will stand this test. We have defeated one great Labyrinth power, and assuredly, we will another. Those who wield the power of the Labyrinth can be friends and prosper, or enemies, and they’ll fall.”

Ira suddenly wondered about the USA. Could the Americans help the United Kingdom against the Chinese? More importantly… would they?

He quickly realized, seeing her inch toward the stand of Her Highness, that Sylvia had the same kind of questions.

“We will not attack blindly, though. We make plans, and when we cross back, it will be for our victory. For my Grandfather. God Save the King!”

The roar was deafening, given how much Potentials were marshalled. Thankfully, even a tier-one ground was enough to withstand the slamming of feet as the Professionals stomped.

With her speech done, Charlotte finally made her way down the podium she’d been using, and many, including the team tried to approach. Sylvia managed to reach her first. She curtseyed quickly, and Charlotte noted the small accent as she announced herself.

“American?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Calculating Tactician frowned briefly.

“Do you have a travel set…”

“Quickly, yes. I was here for business, and I’ve put my Recall here already, and have a Fast Travel straight to the Great Gate for Manhattan.”

“We probably still have a few people who have two-ways. But you, Miss…”

“Underwood, your Highness. Sylvia Underwood.”

“You might be very, very useful. Can you carry messages to the government of the United States, to inform them of the attack? And ask if they would be open to help us defend our country.”

Sylvia made a grimace, then quickly wiped it from her face, placing back a more diplomatic moue.

“Messages, I can carry, your Highness. I report directly to the head of the Federal Bureau of the Labyrinth, after all, and he is a cabinet member of my government and he entrusts me with all missions.”

Ira frowned, but she kept on, “But if you’ll excuse me, you are only the heir apparent. You are not the British Crown, nor a member of your government. Your authority to negotiate such an agreement might be… quite limited.”

The Princess’s mouth pinched, but she didn’t let the objection simply fall.

“I am more expecting a… self-interest situation. If China takes permanent control of the Great Gate of London, that would be a significant change in the world’s situation. If they start turning on France next, owing to the current instability, things could go very ugly.”

One of the people next to Ira was startled.

“I heard yesterday from my boss that things had happened in France. The team on guard at Versailles had to evacuate because apparently, they were under some form of attack.”

Charlotte focused on him.

“What do you mean, attack?”

“I have no more details, your Highness. Just that there were some enemies, which everyone assumed to be Dominionists.”

“Anyone knows about it?” she asked around, but no one seemed to.

“That team is probably stuck in London,” the man said.

The Princess of Wales turned back to Sylvia.

“All the more reasons.”

“That is way above me, Your Highness. All I’m saying is that, if your country has already fallen, things might be complicated.”

“England might be bloodied, but it is certainly not defeated. In any case, I will write a quick dispatch, if I can use you as a fast courier.”

“I’m limited by the timers on those travel options, your Highness. And besides, the White House is days away from Manhattan. Do not expect a quick turn-around.”

“Then come with me. I’ll have the message for you within the hour. The sooner you’re away, the better.”

Ira watched Sylvia depart, frowning.

“Report directly to the FBL. What the blazes?” he wondered.

“So much for the wonderful rich heiress following Jonas to Britain,” Laura suddenly snorted.

“Don’t dismiss it,” Guss countered. “I’ve seen enough of her type back when I was a clerk at the store. If she’s not really rich, she’s good at faking it.”