The Gate leading back looked exactly like Jonas expected, blocky and full of cubic shapes. And the location descriptor confirmed their location.

Location

Zone: Szinkal (tier 1 trunk)

Locale: Gate to Donerkal

Recall: Grailburg, Gate to Earth

Recall: available

Gates: 3/3

Tier 1: Zolferras

Tier 2: Donerkal

Tier 3: Vuneras

Fast travel: 3 charges, ∞ until next

The location, however, looked extremely different from the tier two trunk one.

It was all tall, skinny trees. The ground was covered in dirt and ferns, and the trees were thin and stretched upward. Jonas’ eyes followed the closest ones. They climbed to a hundred feet, maybe a hundred and fifty feet. And ended in the clouds – he could not even see the top. Just trunks with a few small branches here and there, with barely any leaf.

And they were planted.

That was the obvious conclusion. From where they stood next to the Gate back to tier two, there were aligned in two long rows, stretching toward the centre of the zone. Each tree looked equally distant from every other, although… well, the two rows looked staggered. Trees marking the end of a triangle rather than squares.

The rest of the trees beside the two rows that were in the middle looked equally regularly spaced.

“Whoa.”

“Absolutely,” Alton replied to Ira.

Jonas turned, looking back. Behind the gate, less than fifteen feet away, the trees ended. Beyond the tree plantation lay a flat, empty ground, and the tell-tale grey moss that covered the outside of zones. Jonas moved and checked, confirming that the invisible spongy zone wall was close by, just like it had been on every gate in the tier two trunk zone.

“That’s something,” Laura said.

“Every zone is different,” Guss replied.

“Trunk zones are a bit more strange than the normal ones, though”, she said.

“So what would be the locals in a tree plantation?” Jonathan asked.

“These,” Jonas replied, pointing out toward a tree further in.

Arboreal Arachnid

Level 47

Health: 386

Mind: 151

Endurance: 223

Aether: 191

“Brown spiders. Look ugly, even,” Ira commented.

“But not very dangerous at our levels, too,” Jonathan noted.

“Still, it’s high for a tier one zone. Close or maybe just above the top range,” Jonas replied.

“Just like the previous zone,” Guss said.

“Which probably means we’re not stepping into the tier three trunk, sorry Ira,” Jonas replied.

“If it’s at the max for a tier three…”

“That means 250 to maybe 300 levels for creatures. Each fight basically close to those elders in Outapis lairs, and that is basic creatures. A veteran could probably be a major problem for us,” Jonas confirmed.

“And there's one in twenty? Around so?”

“So far. So no, we’ll leave tier three to Cowen and the team for now. When we’re level 250, maybe and we can tackle the guardians there. But our exploration of the trunk basically ends with tier one and two.”

Ira perked at the mention of exploration.

“Shall we see what the zone looks like?”

“Scout the border, check the centre. Then we head back to see if Cowen and the team have found the crow triplet.”

The structure looked like a Gate, but very obviously wasn’t. It looked more like someone’s attempt at making a Gate-like location.

They’d found two Gates, both normal-looking, at equal distances of each other. The first soon after “morning”, which happened when they woke up under an overcast cloud ceiling that felt more like mid-afternoon. The descriptor said the expected one lair requirement, and the zone names looked ordinary. The second they reached just as the “day” was ending.

This one gate location, by Jonas’ reckoning, was probably directly opposite their inbound Gate across the zone. But it wasn’t a Gate.

Instead, it was a stone construction. Someone had placed cut stones, mortared with a green-grey daubing, into what looked like a circular opening. Where a Gate would have a smooth stone ramp leading to the metal circle, there was a paved construction, and a stone arch. There was even a keystone at the top, with…

Jonas blinked. The keystone at the top depicted what a Gate descriptor felt like, in the mental landscape where descriptors lived inside their heads. But somehow inverted. A rectangular shape, cut in half. The larger rectangle was at the bottom, and three squares were on the top.

There were no words anywhere, no inscription, no numbers or names. But, at the same time, the reference to a Gate descriptor was kind of unmistakable.

“Does everyone feel like this has kind of a Gate descriptor?” Ira asked.

“Yes,” Jonas replied. “It feels like whoever made this wanted to make it gate-like. Including for… us.”

“Yes. But who made this?”

Jonas stayed silent, and so did the rest of the team.

The Labyrinth was always full of strangeness. Extraordinary, and mundane. This might be the most mundane thing, and at the same time, it felt like it was one of the most extraordinary references to the Labyrinth itself and its very nature.

The team all made sure to cross the gate circle before they started moving again along the border. Because it made sense, once you came to there, to finish that last crossing.

“Aaand, that’s the final Gate,” Ira said as they got close enough to read the descriptor to the normal-looking tier one.

Transit: Szinkal - Montcalf

Integrity: 100%

Active

Stability: 100%

Lairs: 0/1

“Assuming it holds true, then yes. Next Gate in the circle should be the one back to Donerkal,” Jonas confirmed. “Based on distance, that feels correct.”

“So? Now, we just check the Plaza, and head back?” Alton asked.

“Let’s kill at least one guardian, so we can use any of the four Gates, in case,” Ira replied.

“None of the names are on the master list,” Jonas said, tapping lightly the shoulder bag where his guidebook was stored. “Not that it means anything since Lord Wellesley has obviously non-public lists. But still, none of these are anywhere near the British sector.”

“Yes, but we can then acquire a tier one Gate. One to a zone nobody ever goes!” Ira replied.

“Well… it’s not as if we are going to use that zone. Or any tier two. I mean, we already have zones nobody every goes aplenty. But yes. If you want, we’ll head back to here or Eokrufiri, which will be the two closest ones to the Gate back to Donerkal.”

“Where do you think we’ll end up?” Ira asked.

“Obviously a lair’s end,” Laura replied.

“Straight into treasure!”

“It will be a tier one lair, Ira,” she replied exasperatedly.

“Bah.”

“I’ve got nothing against the faire, but a random level 20 creature isn’t going to give us anything to be excited about,” she insisted.

“Just to check, then?”

“Just to check,” Jonas cut, trying to end the discussion.

He then pointed to the alignment of trees. The interesting bit was that, from each Gate location, the tree arrangement made the path toward the centre very obvious.

Freezing Arachnid

Level 44 elder

Health: 0/2039

Mind: 803

Endurance: 551/1003

Aether: 2110/2353

“Fun times,” Ira commented, looking at the corpse.

“You have your lair guardian,” Jonas said.

Silken Wraparound Shoes

Feet

Exceptional equipment

Requires: Level 31

Provides: +6 defence rating, WIS+4, AGI+4, STA+4

“Another one for you, Guss,” Laura said, pulling out the green and blue low shoes – more like closed slippers rather than shoes – from the guardian’s chest.

“Pass. Got nothing against Agility, notably if we want to run again, but I got double the Wisdom on my current pair. You’re not getting me into those,” he replied.

The team started again toward the centre as Guss pushed the pair of shoes into his own backpack at Laura’s insistence. Jonas joined him at the rear-guard as the six took their usual positions, Jonathan and Ira front, Laura and Alton in the middle, and the two lightly-armoured members at the rear.

“A few different characteristics and it might be decent,” he said to the Abiding Assistant.

“Maybe. Aether and Intellect, instead of the two wasted ones, and I’d even consider it. Aether and Health, probably not.”

“Just because you haven’t nearly died recently doesn’t mean…”

“That silly leather cap gave me more health than I’ve gotten in recent times, I’ll be fine,” he replied.

“Exceptional gear too. That’s twice now.”

“It is not significant. What’s that German word… statistics? It is not statistically significant,” Guss insisted.

“Well, we’ll see. But I’d rather kill more cows in the higher tier to make sure of that,” Jonas replied.

Both Ira and Jonathan raised their hands nearly at the same time. As the team slowed down, they could see that the tree plantation ended, leaving a much larger clearing than the single missing-tree one that the previous guardian had.

In the distance, the Plaza expected for the centre of the zone loomed. However, the sight of the Plaza was not what had stopped the two defenders.

In front, slouching next to the usual marble pillars, Jonas could see a spider. A huge eight-feet tall spider.

A Broodmother Arachnid

Level 49 ancient

Health: 3724

Mind: 1448

Endurance: 1857

Aether: 2162

Everyone contemplated the hairy mass, who suddenly jerked, causing everyone to step back. But the spider simply climbed to the top of a pillar, like it was a tree, then simply flexed its eight legs, swaying on the top, before it simply came down the way it went.

“Uh? Why is it doing that?”

“She, I’d say. It’s hard to say with creatures, but the name is a tell-tale,” Alton replied. “And creatures are creatures. Can’t expect spawns of the Labyrinth to always behave as normal.”

“The point is,” Jonas noted, “It’s an Ancient.”

“And they are not supposed to show up until tier three, right?” Ira replied.

“And somehow, I don’t think you normally find a guardian next to a Plaza as well.”

“Can we take it?” Jonathan asked, looking at Jonas for his opinion.

“No idea. We’ve never fought Ancients. And remember that star void back in Markandon. You and I nearly died while Cowen was fighting it.”

“We were half the level, and this one is a tier one. Probably,” Jonathan countered.

“Its vitals aren’t that high. The bovine elder was much higher,” Ira noted.

“Vitals aren’t everything. But you are probably right.”

“What’s the worst case? We run?” he said.

“Like usual,” Jonas finally smiled.

“Jonathan, get ready to pick any of its… brood. Given the name, I’m positive it will have additional spiders coming. Probably packs of minions, like the Froglord in Othary, but even more since it’s an Ancient.”

“Ready when you are, Ira,” the second Barrier replied.

“Then go,” the main defender announced, starting to jog toward the enemy across the clearing. The team waited a couple of seconds and started to move toward their positions.

“She spits!”

A Broodmother Arachnid spews silk. 4 strands stick: -4 AGI, -40% movement.

“Yeech!” “I’m covered by the stuff!” “What’s that?”

Jonas found himself slowed to a slow walk. The sickly white mess wrapped itself around his limbs, stretching, but not breaking, and making most of his moves slow.

Guss called out, “I’m nearly stuck, seventy per cent effect. And I can’t seem to affect those. Don’t move too much so that I can heal!”

Ira slammed his zweihander into the spider’s head, trying to make sure the next special attack might be more focused on him. The spider reared back before bringing its forward limbs down on the Careful Barrier.

A Broodmother Arachnid makes a pincer move. 62 damage (336+16 defence rating)

“Okay. It’s under control. Let’s start bringing it down.”

From his vantage, Jonas could see the team getting into their customary positions. What really worried him was the white strands clearly visible on Jonathan. He was expecting spiders to come out, but the gooey stuff was certainly going to hamper…

A Broodmother Arachnid arches, throwing brood sacks.

… and there it was. Three clear bags full of murky fluids came out of the spider’s back, in curves that ended next to Guss, Jonathan and himself. The three people furthest away from the giant spider.

Jonathan brought down his two swords, slicing at the sack as it was bursting open.

Premature Brood

Level 40 minion

Health: 175

Mind: 70

Endurance: 144

Aether: 0

Jonas breathed more freely. Level 40 minions were weak. Something that was killed in maybe four Flame Bolts. He focused on the sac next to him, as the hairy mass slithered out of the bag and tried to jump on him.

Premature Brood spits fluid. -4 health/-4 mind per second.

A quick check that the effect would vanish in less than a minute reassured the Solid Aethershaper. Although…

5 strands: -5 AGI, -50% movement.

Jonas winced. The effect of the brood combined with the broodmother, further slowing him down. A few more of those, and he’d be glued to the ground.

He turned away from the corpse of the dead brood minion and started pelting Guss’ opponent.

“Jonathan, don’t bother. You won’t make it in time,” he said.

“Thanks. That spider silk stuff is nasty, I’d make better time crawling on the ground with my arms, I think.”

The Barrier then finished a last few strokes on the dog-sized spiderling trying to crawl on him, before turning toward the main fight, just in time to yell a warning.

“More spit!”

A Broodmother Arachnid spews silk. 2 additional strands stick: -7 AGI, -70% movement

“Go fight it,” yelled Jonas.

“Uh?”

“At one point, we’re all going to get glued and stuck. Better fight the mother.”

“So much for fleeing in case the fight goes wrong,” Jonathan noted before slowly moving one foot in front of the other toward the waving hairy legs of the Ancient.

A Broodmother Arachnid

Level 49 ancient

Health: 2010/3724

Mind: 1448

Endurance: 1416/1857

Aether: 1819/2162

“Guss, aether’s okay?”

“I’m good. Ira’s the only one taking any damage, except for the brood minion’s bites, and he's got plenty of defence. Got more than three-fourth.”

A Broodmother Arachnid arches, throwing brood sacks.

This time, it was five sacks. Two splashed next to Guss, one next to Jonas, and the last ones fell back near the main fight, landing between Laura and Alton. The broodlings were 41 this time, barely stronger than the previous ones.

Laura and Alton didn’t need prompting to turn and dispatch the spiders, while Jonas killed his own, then started to target the two that were being slowly roasted by the Fire Funnel centred around Guss.

A Broodmother Arachnid spews silk. 4 additional strands stick: -11 AGI, no movement possible

In other circumstances, this would be the time where panic would come. But they were level 95 and greater, and with Adjustment.

Arachnid × 16 dies: 6873XP/6 contributors = 1085XP.

You have completed Szinkal Plaza.

“Uh?”

“That’s also a new one,” Jonas said. “It says only Plaza, not lair. Does this count as a guardian?”

“If it is… it would guard a chest, right?” Jonathan replied, moving straight toward the centre of the Plaza.

Filigreed Platemail Grips

Hands

Heroic equipment

Requires: Level 29

Provides: +53 defence rating, +1 Parry rank, STA+7, CON+6, PRE+4, +69 mind

“Very good for its level,” Jonathan said.

“We both have our heroic gloves now,” Ira commented.

“Yours are tier three.”

“Under-leveled though. And we cheated, we traded for them and didn’t even kill the original Ancient. Those are our first Ancient kill.”

Jonathan laughed.

“Well, it’s cheating as well. We’re not supposed to find a level 49 Ancient anywhere.”

Ira didn’t reply immediately. But after a while, Jonas did.

“I wonder if the tier two Plaza has one.”

Guss replied almost immediately, “Makes sense if there was one. Tier one seems extremely similar to tier two. Same Gate arrangement, same max level creatures, single-guardian outdoor ‘lairs’. So… same Plaza guardian?”

Ira looked at around, his former idea of tier one dive forgotten.

“Which way?”

As the team got close to the Plaza, Jonas noticed movement from afar. They kept on, before stopping dead in their track when the moving figure got closer, walking around the Plaza.

It was an upright Bovine. But where its guardian brethren further in the rolling low hills had mere split paws, this one had enough digits to grasp what looked like a gigantic double-headed axe. The axe glowed from a ruddy light as if it reflected a setting sun, rather than the eternal noon of Donerkal. As it moved at a slow pace around the Plaza, smoke came from its hooves.

But what stopped them wasn’t the weapon held by the creature. Rather, it was the descriptor.

Kuminos, Bovine Offspring

Level 114 legend

Health: 25875

Mind: 8724

Endurance: 24249

Aether: 13963