(Y6, August 18th)

  The bar list had multiple kinds of alcohol and non-alcoholic stuff, and, for once, beer. All three settled with a wooden mug full of a light brown liquid.

  Earth-Hops Wheat Beer (lvl 10), lightly alcoholic.

  “They even have munchies,” said Birkathane.

  There was a small bowl with what looked like dried fruits and peppery nuts. The nuts were slightly larger than what they used to see on Earth.

  “Earth hops?” asked Quandocor.

  “Probably imported, yes” guessed Vantegaard.

  “Unless there’s a hop equivalent around in Gamma, you would need to have it transit through Earth anyway. This is probably cheaper. Less efficient, but cheaper.”

  Vantegaard added “You know, Birka, you can always ask around if they need help brewing. That’s always useful if you want to raise alchemy skills. There’s always the low-level stuff to make, and they can drop that onto quote-interns-unquote.”

  “Depends on how long we’ll stay.”

  “Which reminds me.”

  Vantegaard pulled out the purse and started to divide the coins.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Now that we’re in the civilization, we should all pick our personal expenses. Common pot is good when you start, but we all need to spend based on our priorities. And that means having our individual budget.”

  “Speaking of which… really? The largest room? I’ll have you know I’m from a country with equality, you know.”

  “Birka, you also have the largest and heaviest pack for your skill grinding. Don’t tell me you don’t need to room to unpack?”

  Birkathane settled down grumbling slightly.

  “We’ll probably check the main store to sell the stones. There’s probably one or maybe two in the upper city. Then we’ll divide that as well.”

  “And we’re rich,” said Quandocor.

  “Not rich, rich. But good in Northworld terms. If we get 1 gold each, that’s like 130k in earth terms.”

  “That’s like… 1million2 in Krona? Wow.”

  “High tier stones potentially get you there. Good or unique tier 1. Not saying we’ll get 3 gold for the lot. But that’s possible.”

  Quandocor gained an appreciation of what they had split that day back in Fanduk.

  “Did we use… half a million? Each? For real?”

  “Lol, no. Maybe all together. The price falls fast for more common stones. But don’t forget. If we hadn’t used those stones… I wouldn’t have had Mind over Matter. And we wouldn’t have all those skills that let us survive the trip. That’s priceless.”

  “Hey, Mojitallus. What’s the general store around? We picked stuff when we left Fanduk, and we probably need to sell if we stay longer.”

  “If you’re talking general, then you have Master Knickknacks. Buys everything including gear, sells some back if you need it. If you have skins, pelts, craft components, you can check the Exporium. Knickknacks won’t buy anything that’s not rare or higher when it comes to components.”

  “We saw a stall at the tent city…”

  “More scummers. They try to get the stuff for the lowbies who don’t know better. They buy your quality stuff at trash prices and sell you trash at quality prices.”

  The barkeep laughed.

  “Most of the time, they don’t even keep inventory, they come up and sell it the same evening. As long as you’ve got lowbies freshly arrived, they probably have enough clients to get some iron per day.”

  “So where’s this Master Knickknacks?”

  The barkeep gave detailed directions.

  “So? Sell or keep drinking until evening?”

  “I’d say sell. We’ve got a few hours until they open up the kitchen. I’d like to see something that’s not our own cuisine, for once.”

  The upper city of Hilltop Samms wasn’t large enough to even get lost. The Knickknacks were two plazas away, a 4min walk. The front sign was an 8-spoke wheel with the name in gothic characters below… and a series of Chinese ideograms.

  They entered with a chime sound. There were two persons in the store, talking quietly over half a dozen bottles. One was apparently the store operator, who did look slightly Asiatic. The other looked more like a customer, in full fur collar and a stave with glowing neon lines spiraling around its length strapped to his left side.

  Quandocor looked in surprise.

  “High-level stuff. I get 49 Aether, meaning it’s level 49 in practice” indicated Vantegaard.

  “Let’s have a look while they finish,” said Birkathane.

  The store was divided into two sections. The left side had mannequins, stands, and weapon racks. There were several of what looked like full outfits and a large collection of swords of all sizes, but only two staves. There were small signs under each item, detailing the stats.

  Iron-Core Battlestaff: lvl25/20str:+2 dex

  Heavyweight Straight Staff: lvl31/24pre: +1str,+1int,+1for,2% base damage

  “They sound… good?”

  “Zaccali said yours was 30, with 22 Resilience required for +2 Dexterity. These are high quality or better, they have lower requirements for a better bonus.”

  Birkathane waved around the store.

  “I presume he only sells good stuff. The common stuff is… probably common.”

  “Yea. I think if you want common, you can check the crafters.”

  “No prices though?”

  “Haggling. If we want to buy, he’ll try to sound us before pushing the price up. Of course, if we sell to him first, he’ll know how high he can go.”

  The right side was mostly bottles with labels, packed foods with a buff indication, and several other consumables. And a sign saying “Enquire for our current Skill Stone catalog”.

  “Not on display, eh?”

  “Too dangerous. Remember, you just have to touch them, and validate, and they’re gone. And it would be useless to show them under a glass counter since you can’t tell which is which without checking.”

  The store owner, having completed the transaction, came over to them. He examined them quickly, before flashing a… Vulcan hand sign?

  “Greetings. I’m Heishoudang, at your service.”

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  Vantegaard took the lead “Hello. We’re mainly looking to sell some of the items we got home.”

  “Home?”

  “It’s a town called Fanduk. Not on the maps right now, it’s brand new.”

  “Well, it never hurts to see what is available from Fanduk. Although I normally deal only with good quality stuff.”

  “We have a few skill stones to sell.”

  “A few? Your town isn’t a newbie area, then?”

  “It’s complicated. But we got some skill stones, and we want to sell the ones that aren’t useful for us.”

  “As usual.”

  “As usual.”

  “I’ll get the catalog. How many stones are we talking about?”

  “About… 15?”

  Heishoudang whistled in a definitively American manner.

  “Fifteen? Really? That Fanduk of yours is a rich zone. You probably have veterans flocking from all over Gamma.”

  “It’s not in Gamma. It’s in fact midway between Alpha and Gamma.”

  Vantegaard ended up explaining about the Cartographer and the expedition.

  “Whoa. The Cartographers have been dropping hints about a big announcement for weeks now. I assume it’s that.”

  He smiled “I look forward to the trade flowing through Hilltop Samms if we’re indeed the point where Alpha comes to Gamma.”

  He went back to his normal storekeeper manners.

  “So, what’s your skill stores.”

  Vantegaard unpacked the stones from his backpack. Heishoudang eyed the stack.

  “You were not kidding. That’s quite a stash. Any high…”

  “There are three tier 1 and four tier 2. Plus others.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone bringing so many stones.”

  “Virgin dungeon.”

  “Ah. Of course. If nobody’s been around…”

  “Way of the Bow. That’s a good tier 1. Not highest. 6 electrum.”

  “War…bound?”

  Heishoudang contemplated the description. Unfortunately, unless he acquired the skill, there was no way to find the exact details of what the skill entailed.

  “It’s not on Honest John’s” injected Vantegaard.

  “Honest John’s not even complete. I have a subscription to the Combine price site. They get every new skill discovered within days, and I get updates in Northworld. But… Warbound isn’t on it either.”

  Heishoudang thought quickly about it.

  “I’m taking a risk here. But I can get maybe 1 gold.”

  He added quickly “Exclusively for the novelty, of course. It looks like a tank ability. Those are always hard to use.”

  Heishoudang picked the next stone.

  “Break the World? A tier 1 hammer skill?”

  Heishoudang looked quizzically at the trio. Vantegaard elaborated on the unspoken question.

  “Yes. A hammer skill. I know no one found any for tier 1, ever. The description hints that it… does more than just damage.”

  Heishoudang contemplated the stone for nearly a minute before speaking again.

  “You’d probably be better getting that sold in an auction in a major town. With advertisement. I’ll get you 1 gold and a half because no one has ever obtained a tier 1 hammer skill I know of, but I can’t really afford more.”

  They all conferred and Vantegaard came back.

  “It’s ok.”

  Heishoudang picked the next stone.

  “Shape of the Sword? That’s… a tier 2? A swordmaking specialization in tier 2 form?”

  Heishoudang looked oddly at the trio.

  “If those stones are a common occurrence in your sector, you’re going to get overflown by veterans quickly. That’s too many new ones...”

  After sorting thru the entire stack and getting wider and wider eyes as the six skills that Vantegaard hadn’t seen in Honest John’s – and which were also absent from the Combine catalog – the store owner finished his tally.

  “I can get you… 4 gold, 2 electrum, 4 silver. No negotiations. Six unevaluated high tier skill stones are already a big risk for me if the skills are uncovered before I sell these and they end up duds. And I’m digging into my capital for that lot and your big hammer skill stone.”

  “Can we get cash for three. We need to divide that amount among us.”

  “Okay… that’ll be 1 gold, 3 electrum, 4 silver per person then. That’s good?”

  “That’s good.”

  “If you need to spend it, you can change the silver and above at the bank. The inn tends not to have much change. Bang is going to get apoplexy if you drop a gold coin on him.”

  Vantegaard shook Heishoudang’s hand.

  “We’ll be around. We don’t need supplies or gear for now, but we’ll see before heading out.”

  When the trio reached the inn, they found a different man behind the bar. He introduced himself as Bangforbus, apparently the establishment’s owner. They dropped 3 coppers and took their new beer tankards to a table. The fireplace had been started, but the day’s menu wasn’t cooking yet.

  “What’s this bank place?” asked Quandocor.

  “All banking services. Well, except lending. Nobody lends you anything since at worst you can flee creditors back to Earth and live in exile. But they’re mainly for storage and transfer.”

  Birkathane added, “My friends told me about the regular caravans, and how they’re used by those bank guilds.”

  Quandocor turned to her.

  “There are usually regular caravans between major towns and points of interest. They’re used to ferry all kind of goods because it’s usually more reliable than Earthside.”

  “Why?”

  “For one, you’re limited to what you can carry thru the Silvergate. If you want to transport 100 skins to a market… well you need to have people whose respawn are next to each other, then you need to have them have their spawn at each end of the trip, and then, you need 11-12 days for each batch, and probably do it twice because if you try to transit overburdened, sometimes you arrive with stuff missing.”

  “Missing? Can we get our limbs or stuff cut?”

  Vantegaard reassured his friend.

  “No. Doesn’t happen. Or at least it never did. But if you try to carry more than your Strength, stuff will go missing on Spawn or Recess. So nobody does that.”

  Birkathane concluded.

  “So that’s why you get caravans. The logistics are less cumbersome that way. Light cheap stuff with an irregular schedule on Earth, regular heavy expensive on Northworld’s side.”

  She added, “There’s one regular between Samms and Varionisia, going through five different towns.”

  She hesitated, thinking about the trek to Mt. Talbor. But that was in the future. She and her Absolute Compass would be needed for her friend’s trip with the Cartographers to the Pyramid, and only then, she’d look for Talbor.

  “One of the things is that the higher quality something, the more likely it is to lose its properties on Earth.”

  “Like the skill stones?”

  “Yea. But any very high-quality item will tend to lose its effects on Earth. You really don’t want to leave with a +8 Reflexes staff and return from Recess with a +2 one. So, if you want to move from place to place, either you transport everything yourself, or you contract the bank to move it for you.”

  Birkathane laughed at seeing the glance thrown by Quandocor on his staff.

  “Don't worry. Your staff already went through two Recesses. It's not going to end up decaying.”

  Vantegaard added “There’s also local storage. Probably more here than anywhere else. You’ve noticed all the tents. There’s probably less theft than you would get on Earth, but if you have really good stuff, you don’t want to leave it in a tent while you’re hunting or dungeon diving. So you carry it, sell it or you store it in a safe place.”

  “That’s why you wanted to sell quickly?”

  “We’re safer in the inn. But eh. Better not to risk it, unless we want to keep everything with us all the time.”

  “Hello, Bang. Come in, I’ll finish cleaning my stuff later. The sword is done, that’s what’s important.”

  “Carmelli, there are people at the inn, they say they came along an expedition of your guild. They want to check with you, do I send them this evening or tomorrow? You’re probably tired after your expedition.”

  “They’re there? Already?”

  “Ah. So you were expecting them.”

  “Yes. And no.”

  Bangforbus frowned.

  “What does that even mean?”

  “It means that the Guild isn’t happy with the story they tried to foist on us.”

  “They mentioned running into problems and the rest of their expedition dying.”

  “Well, I got notice before I left for the mapping session. They claim they were in a high-level dungeon of sorts and ran into elites 90. Everyone died, except, for some reason, the three levels 60.”

  “Well, their level is 160-170 now.”

  “60 to 160 in a month. Ok, that’s possible. But even then, the rest of the expedition was full veterans, 800+. They even had a Thousander Aetherist. All six veterans dead, and all three noobs without a scratch? Come on Bang.”

  “That does sound fishy.”

  “We have people incoming that can manage lowbies. But I need you to keep watch on them.”

  “They’ve purchased three nights.”

  “That sounds correct for the notice I got. They shouldn’t have hit recess yet.”

  Carmelli added “They mustn’t leave the area. Not until we have the inquisition team here. I’ll check with regional HQ how far they should be.”

  “What do I tell them? See you? You’re still away?”

  Carmelli thought for a bit.

  “No. Tell them to come tomorrow morning? I still need to check with regional HQ, but I’m curious to hear what they have to say. They always say stories are always too perfect, or that they can’t keep the stories straight anyway.”

  The Communication Globe was a crystal ball, but full of a milky-blue liquid. Mid-level artificers made them in pairs. You could talk through one and be heard through the other, and vice-versa. The swirling liquid settled and became transparent.

  “Hilltop Samms, online.”

  He then waited until whoever was on duty at the end found which of the globes in the communication room had activated, and replied.

  “Bern’s Berg, online. What’s up Carmelli?”

  “The three I was warned about have shown up after all. Two men, one woman. The innkeeper reports levels of 160+.”

  “They did? People were taking bets already. They got chutzpah.”

  “They’re at the local inn, the Obvious Tankard. They’re supposed to stay three days they paid for. How far is the Inquisition?”

  “There are two separate groups… let me check. One min.”

  Carmelli settled for the wait, transcribing field notes into a pre-formatted version for future inclusion on the site on his next recess.

  “Ok. The first group of three comes from Berg, they’re on a fast track. They should be there in two days, mid/late evening. The second group has more interrogation tools, but they’ve started from Zangrass. They won’t be there for at least five days.”

  “Can the first group subdue them?”

  “Yea. But in case, can you get your innkeeper to slip them a mickey? Do you have Bane’s Grip or Dream Lotus? Or equivalent?”

  “No sleep potion around. I’ll check the store, but the right components aren’t around, so you need to import that. There’s probably enough stuff for some Bane’s Grip, I’ll have the alchemist make me a batch. At least a few doses, which will lock out their recess for five-six days. But they’ll immediately notice if respawn doesn’t come available.”

  “Need to dose them. If you can lock them until the second group, that’s better. If not, the first group has control potions. I think.”

  “Okay, will do. Hilltop Samms, out.”

  “Bern’s Berg, out.”

  Sneak Preview: The Infinite Labyrinth - The Queen's Gardens (1/2)

  Jonas Sims rarely crossed the Thames to go to Westminster. But the lure of being nearer the high and mighty was strong, even if he wasn’t going to the best parts. The real reason was that Ira Heard had a day off… and so did he.

  The two of them had grown together in the slums of Covent Garden, to the north of the area. They’d dutifully learned all of the matters and manners taught in the King’s Schools, until their 14th year. But, having shown no great ability to the letters or anything else, they’d been unceremoniously pushed out and their respective mothers made clear that they were expected to fare for themselves.

  Jonas had ended apprenticed to a leatherworker who had established itself in Waterloo after the second bridge joined the borough to the main London. Ira had ended being a serving boy in an up-and-coming merchant house in Westminster. Despite the separation, they’d managed to sneak and meet each other when permitting, and go and enjoy the sights of London, which were endlessly new in this modern era.

  This particular day, Jonas’ master, one Williams Oakden, had taken ill. Rather than let his apprentices work unsupervised, he’d thrown them out for the day and the next, until his medicines had taken effect and restored him, if not to full health, at least to enough to reopen his shop. As for Ira, the Morvells had moved north of London to visit relatives, and he’d found himself without much to do for the week.

  “Ira!”

  “Jon!”

  The two clasped their arms, in the manner of the Great Ones. The gesture was popular these days, in imitation of the Professionals’ traditional greeting. These mighty figures had reasons to clasp in such a manner beyond simple greetings, but more and more of the population of the British Empire, and London in particular had taken to the hand over wrist gesture.

  “So how are you with that Morvell girl? Still being harassed?”

  “Nah. These days, she’s got more on her mind to complain about service all the time. Parents have started shopping seriously for a husband.”

  “Thought they had one in mind already?” asked Jonas.

  “They had, but the lucky bastard managed to get tested and he qualified for a Profession in the Labyrinth. So he’s no longer interested,” explained Ira.

  “Professional is the new lord,” smirked Jonas.

  A shadow fell over the pair. They craned their necks to look up and spotted not only one, but no less than three skyships hovering and manoeuvring over London. Jonas remembered the glorious launch of the HMS Skyforged, the first of his class. Oakden has wanted to see it, and since he never left his shop unsupervised, his apprentices had followed him to the Sky Docks near the Isle of Dogs, where the commissioning ceremony had been held by King George III. The behemoth lifting and starting to move over London’s skies had been an uplifting experience, a triumph of British ingenuity – and one more sign of the modern age fuelled by the Labyrinth.

  “They sure are busy today,” remarked Ira.

  “No idea why they brought three skyships to London. Don’t they patrol near the shores?”

  “Who knows. I hope the French don’t use to opportunity.”

  Jonas snorted.

  “As if the French Hordes would dare do anything. Too afraid of the British’s might.”

  “You never know what Napoleon will do. He’s gobbled up all of Europe, and he’s been looking at us for years,” mused Ira.

  Jonas shrugged. Who knew what would go thru the French Tyrant’s twisted mind.

  “So what’s the plan?”

  “Gate sighting?”

  “I hear they’ve moved the perimeter out a hundred yards. You nearly cannot see them anymore.”

  Gatespotting was the lads’ favourite pastime. In fact, it was London’s general favourite. Even 20 years after the opening of the Gilded Gate of London, people still gathered to gawk upon the sight, hoping to see movements, or even spot some major Professional teams going in or out of the Labyrinth. Even material transfers, for all their mundanity, satisfied the craving for all things Labyrinth-related.

  They started up northward. While the banks of Westminster weren’t rich by the standard of the rest, you could still spot modernity arriving everywhere. Crystal-fueled fountains, and the odd horseless carriage in the streets.

  Upon arriving at the Queen’s gardens, they found their fears unfounded. The platforms that a handful of fellows had built years ago for the edification of the populace were at the same place. While slightly crowded, there was enough room that the lads could climb and jostle to the front and watch across the park.

  From there, you could see the immense Gilded Gate. A perfect circle of bronze-golden metal, nearly thirty yards wide. While the fine details were a bit too small to make from the stands, one could see the sculpted heads of dozens of creatures, from simple wolves to weird chimeric beasts. The latter looked out of fantastic stories of King Arthur’s Knights, but everyone knew you could find the real ones within.

  Lots of soldiers were milling near the gate, and the traffic seemed unusually light.

  “Seems strange? I don’t remember that many soldiers around.”

  “Maybe there’s some major noble going to the Labyrinth? Maybe a royal? I heard that Princess Charlotte is a Professional.”

  “The granddaughter, not the daughter,” added Ira, seeing Jonas’ frown.

  “Good for her then. The way things go, nobody’s going to succeed King George for a long time. Not with his personal Professional healer.”

  There was a commotion behind. Jonas didn’t pay too much attention, until Ira pulled him by the sleeves. He turned to look at the street behind and gawked.

  Four… no, five people walked. The crowds parted like the fabled Red Sea, as no one wanted to go close. In truth, they looked more real than the crowds. Or even the street itself.

  In front walked a woman, wearing a full plate armour. The copper-and-bronze engravings over the shine of cast steel made even more obvious the high quality of the gear. Her attire was completed by an enormous two-handed sword, almost as tall as her, that she carried flat over her shoulder. Jonas could see hint of light playing over the blade.

  To her sides walked another woman in long flowing robes of midnight black, with light grey lines tracing complex patterns joining her sleeves to mid-arm. She seemed to wear deep blue gloves, and rather than a hat, had a deep red silken band tied around her head, letting the blond hair shine. On the other side, a man wore a green leather attire, full of straps, studs, and chain links. Twin swords laid at his sides in scabbards.

  Behind, closing the procession were two more people. One couldn’t be identified whether male or female. The hooded figure could have been taken for some monkish penitent, if not for the fact that the woollen robe was of a red at the bottom going to a more orange colour at the cowl. Even the engraved staff was floating at the end of the sleeve without any visible hand holding it, although the movement suggested the presence of one.

  The last man seemed the most mundane of the lot. A simple pants, boots and an embroidered tunic straight out of the Navy made his garb. But he was wearing a half-mask of leather, split diagonally. His left side was uncovered up to above the ear, the right one was covered down to his mouth.

  “Bollocks. Professionals. High tier ones, I’d wager,” whispered Jonas.

  “What are they doing here? I’d expect such as them at the Gate, or going wherever, not wandering around the Gardens.”

  Jonas looked more carefully, and felt a cold feeling crawl on his back. The three in the front were more obvious than the hidden monk and the last fellow, but they were casting glances, taking stock of everything. It was a look he’d seen before.

  It was the kind of look one saw when the coppers went into Covent Garden for a raid on some illegal den that overstepped its bounds, and expecting trouble to jump on them.

  “Ira? I think we should go away…”

  “What?”

  “They’re looking for something. And if there’s high tier Professionals trying to find something here, I don’t want to be there when they find it.”

  “You sure?” asked Ira.

  “No but…”