“You know, I knew it would be South Africans,” Guss said as the team crossed the Gate into Vuneras.

Jonas knew they would probably switch it to the Gate between the two tier-three zones, for practical reasons. They had no real reasons to head back into the old tier two by turning around, and plenty to switch between two different tier-three along the Great Line. But for now, it was still their entrance to the tier.

“Just because your cousin’s boss explained about it last year?” Ira joked.

“No, because it was obvious. That’s the only continent where you can hide a Gate,” Guss replied.

“What about that huge dutch continent? The one we’re now sending convicts instead of the Colonies?” Laura countered.

The dismayed look on the Assistant’s face almost made everyone explode in laughter.

“Dratted. Stop shooting my argument!”

“Someone has to keep your head together,” she replied.

“Anyway, nobody’s seen any aborigines with Labyrinth gear. So there’s no sixth Gate hidden there,” Guss suddenly replied.

As nobody replied to that argument, he hastily added.

“What? My powers of deduction are still good!”

“We have to move, people,” Jonas finally said.

“Experience or not on the way to the Plaza?” Ira asked.

“I know I need to finish my last two levels, but that can wait. Switching your Professions takes priority. And we have three Plazas to visit. So let’s start.”

There was, of course, a bearling pair lazing at the end of the gorge. After three weeks of tier-three-capped werewolves fought at night, the fight was relatively easy, if less profitable. Jonas would take whatever experience on the way.

The last time they’d gone through that path was after picking Jonathan’s tier three before they moved to Outapis. And now, of course, they were headed back the same way for pretty much the same reason. Namely, picking tier three Professions.

The only surprise came as they were following a stream, and stumbled across a veteran-type Brown Owl. Flying creatures were rare in the Labyrinth. They’d seen – but never fought – some eagle-types in Othary, and the only ones had been the crow guardians at the pass. Outapis had a small area with what looked like birds but never flew.

But, overall, the trip was uneventful. The only thing that marred it was the slowly growing trepidation in anticipation of the Profession change for the two of them that would do it there.

And the Plaza was now in view, and the time was up.

Ira went to the centre of the Plaza, looking at the Profession list, before joking, “At least, I’ll be able to see the next chest’s contents.”

“Got that ability here as well,” Jonathan replied with a small light tone, trying to infuse some lightness.

“You know what? Let’s get it done,” Guss said tiredly.

He was the second one of them who would be switching there, from Abiding Assistant to Precise Assistant, while Ira went into Calculating Barrier himself. Ira pulled out a flask, offering its content to Guss.

“You know, I’m sure your dwale concoction won’t help,” the Assistant said, before taking a deep swig anyway.

“Apothecary said it worked on Professionals. Although you don’t want to know what goes inside.”

They both stretched out on the marble floor, while the rest gathered to support them. Jonas squeezed his friends’ hand, as his breathing sped up.

“Together?”

“Together. Three… two… one…”

As before, Jonas spotted the new Profession just as the Milestone increased. Then Ira went rigid on the ground, before arching, and shaking. There was little to be done, except offer support.

The convulsions had stopped as night was falling over the forest surrounding the Plaza clearing. The first hint of the ordeal’s end was when Guss had curled up. That marked the beginning of the return to normal as the actual pain ended, leaving only its memory.

Jonas checked on Ira, who was still shaking if only a little compared to most of the afternoon. A mundane would probably have suffered massive wounds or died from the amount of convulsion they went through.

Jonathan reached and raised Ira from the ground, as the man spat on the marble. The gob of mucus looked more like a Labyrinth creature’s spoor than normal human spit.

“How you’re feeling?” Jonas asked.

“Guess,” was the short reply.

“Did that vile stuff helped?” Jonathan asked.

“Doesn’t feel so. I think I feel as awful. If not worse.”

“Doesn't matter then. Time to rest, unless you want something to eat?” Jonas said.

“Don’t know about food, but I sure do need something. It feels like I’ve eaten a Labyrinth creature while it was decomposing.”

“Come on,” Jonathan said.

Alton and Laura had built a small campfire already. As the trio approached, Jonas noted Guss handing back a small hat to Laura, who shoved it into her bag. The new Precise Assistant turned back to Jonas as he approached before smiling a bit.

Precise Assistant

(tier 3)

Required: 45 WIS, 20 DEX

Provides:

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

+1 Milestone/13 levels

Precise Assistant Milestone: +7 WIS, +4 CON, +3 FOR, +2 STA, +1 FOC, 1% aether conservation

Skillset: Aether / Control

“Hey, look.”

He raised his hand, which caught fire. He then squatted in front of the wood heap, lighting the fire in seconds.

“You managed to get me to do this before you,” he joked.

“Forgot Laura had found a headgear with the Firespark skill,” Jonas replied.

Then he snapped his finger reflexively.

“Hand me your puppet.”

“Uh?”

“Gimme.”

Guss fished out the small tunic-covered figure and handed it to Jonas. The Aethershaper handed him immediately, and the healer mentally checked the content.

“Oh.”

“Yes. My gloves and core got more skills for you.”

“I’m not sure I’m going to use it like ever,” he replied.

“As long as you don’t stray from Aether Professions, you can keep them anyway. I’m not getting that sphere soon after all,” Jonas shrugged.

“Oh, right. You’ll get aether-defence instead. Got one on my core for you for then.”

Jonas acknowledged the fact as he got the Puppet back. Once he’d re-equipped his gloves and core, he yielded the Puppet again. The back-and-forth was awkward. Hopefully, they might start getting some more puppets in the future to make this more smooth. You got those only from Ancients or above.

Which reminded him. Would the tier one trunk spider Ancient have any? It did not the one time they fought it, but that didn’t mean anything. Or maybe it was because wood-type puppets were limited to level 50 and above, and that was over the Broodmother’s level.

Then, broth and mundane-spice meats were cooking, and the whole team fell silent as dinner was coming.

With the slight time-shift between Grailburg and Vuneras, sleep wasn’t coming that easily, but most of the team had snuck away in their bags, leaving Jonas seated at the Plaza’s edge to contemplate the skies.

He was not too surprised when Ira seated himself next to him. Guss had turned for a long time in his own sleeping bag before settling. Professionals were resilient, but Adaptation took a lot out of you. You might no longer be in pain, but it left its mark.

The defender stayed silent a while, looking upward next to his friend before whispering.

“So, when are you going there?”

“In a bit over two months. Don’t worry. You should be tier four by then unless we screw up.”

“Good for me. I guess.”

Ira added a small laugh after that one.

“And now, you’re going to trek to that tier three for me instead of Jonathan.”

“Well, can’t be helped. With the additional Adjustment, all of us will now get the same opportunity as he already had. Choice of tier four, and one ‘free’ tier five if you pick the right one.”

Jonas had quickly realized that the switchover actually achieved the goal of one side Profession for tier five. Instead of taking it after finishing their main tier four, they just took it at tier three.

Of course, instead of having a variety of side Professions' choices to get their actual tier-five, they had a single tier-five choice available.

“At least it makes the next steps easier. I’m okay with that one choice,” Ira said.

“Even with free sweeping Potentials, we will still have to pick side Professions at one point to keep progressing,” Jonas replied.

Ira didn’t reply at first.

“I can’t even figure out how he could do it.”

Jonas did not have to ask who ‘he’ was.

“I’m sure he had goals, to strive for. Just like we have, right now.”

Ira looked back toward the team, before replying.

“Immortality.”

“Not that one. Besides, we know some Professionals have died.”

“After they decided to. I mean, we can choose not to age if we want to. And we can be brought back from the dead if that happens.”

Jonas had no particular reply to that one. After a moment, Ira added.

“I wonder what they make of it?”

“Who?”

“Her Highness. And the Swede. This is the end of royalty. Who will ascend to the throne after them? What happens when their great-great grandchildren die of old age while she’s still on the throne?”

Jonas looked at the half-silhouetted figure of his friend.

“Since when have you been that philosophical?”

“You can’t be a butler-in-training for a rising merchant family without taking some philosophy. Especially when it’s a philosophical question that has political implications. A merchant who ignores politics ends up poor.”

“I think…” Jonas trailed.

“What?”

“That’s a question that nobody in the United States is going to understand,” he laughed.

The two friends stayed silent as the campfire dwindled down.

“I wonder who he is. How can someone comes out of the Labyrinth, before…”

“Before there was a Labyrinth? I think this means the Labyrinth has always existed. At least for a very long time, before it opened in the Queen’s Gardens. We just never knew it was there,” Jonas replied.

The embers of the morning breakfast were quickly swept away. Even if you counted on the Labyrinth to remove that kind of trash, it was still a good habit. In case you wandered outside of the Labyrinth.

Jonas had long wondered why enduring Professionals would not make the great explorers of the depth of Asia or Africa, or even the remote bits of America. People might have crossed the continent, but most of those parts remained blank on the maps. And a Professional would be so much more durable in those endeavours.

Then, of course, he’d realized why someone who would want to explore wouldn’t waste his – or her – time in mundane Earth when the exotic strangeness of the Labyrinth waited. You might work for a commission, but the real stuff was in there.

“Okay, now let’s head to Markandon. We’ve got two more Professions to grab,” Jonas said.

“I’m sick of bearlings. Do you think there’s more colours of Apes besides Green Apes?” Ira immediately replied.

“We’ll see. Besides, we’re just going through. We still need to make our way to Mirolon for Laura before we think about Markandon.”