Displaced (Earth-1445, 407 LY)
The Infinite Labyrinth is a place where eras meet, mediated by the power of the Professionals who thread the pathways across its zones.
For the ordinary Professional, there is always a way home.
For the extraordinary one, the way might be tortuous.
Dramatis Personae
Earth-701
Akamatsu Todanao, Abiding Deviser (tier 3), Lord of the Labyrinth.
Akamatsu Shuu, Precise Assistant (tier 3), Lord of the Labyrinth.
Kawada Kunimochi, Solid Aethershaper (tier 3), Lord of the Labyrinth.
Earth-1445
Antigonus Doson*, King of Macedon.
Aratus of Scyion*, Strategos of the Achaean League.
Cleomenes III*, King of Sparta.
Dsjot-men, a teacher at the Mouseion.
Eratosthenes*, Aetherseer (tier 2), Head of the Library of Alexandria.
Kher-heb, Calculating Barrier (tier 3), head of an Egyptian band.
Ptolemy III Euergetes*, Pharaoh of Egypt.
Ptolemy IV Philopator*, Heir to the Throne of Egypt.
Ra-nefer-ab, Precise Mauler (tier 5), Egyptian Lord of the Labyrinth.
Sasur-amen, Cautious Stabber (tier 4), Egyptian Lord of the Labyrinth.
Synoppe of Corinth, Masterful Schemer (tier 5), Greek Lord of the Labyrinth.
Earth-88
Ahati-waqrat, Prompt Connected Spelldriver (tier 14), High Lord of the Labyrinth.
Earth-570
Johan Hausseger, Perseverant Competing Gazer (tier 14), High Lord of the Labyrinth.
Earth-209
Hroskell Guthrumsson, Obvious Solid Custodian (tier 14), High Lord of the Labyrinth.
* Denotes a historical character
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1 Alexandria
The three Professionals did not hesitate to plunge into the Great Gate before them, following their guide. And the sight that greeted them was an incredible feeling after nearly a year of howling wildernesses—a city.
A human city. Not the often-weird, sometimes achingly familiar ruins that the Labyrinth used to make lairs for the challenges it threw at them, but a simple city of stone and baked clay and wood, but above all, a bustling city.
The sun was overhead, in contrast to the dawn of the tier-one zone they’d just left, and the streets leading out of the plaza surrounding the Great Gate were full of people, carts, porters, and other people. After half a year of seeing only the same three faces and a few weeks following their unexpected guide, this was nearly overwhelming. So what if the city looked weird and the architecture barbarian? It was human weird.
Of course, the plaza surrounding the Gate on this side also had guards, and as Akamatsu Shuu could see, they were a bit disturbed by their appearance, as they had instantly leveled spears, pointing at the Gate.
Their guide floated down the ramp, her feet not quite reaching the ground. Her Presence, fueled by many milestones and fourteen tiers of power, made the disparity between her and the guards obvious. Her garb suggested the desert sands, and her hair floated and writhed as if it was full of snakes or water beasts. By comparison, the guards were barbarously armored… even if their make suggested Labyrinth gear.
The three Japanese could barely follow her speech as she addressed the guards. She’d spent weeks trying to teach them the basics of the language, but, as she admitted, she wasn’t the best teacher when it came to such things. Nor did they have the Intellect scores that would make that easier.
“Those three are Lords of the Labyrinth,” Shuu could guess from words, “and are to be honored as such. No harm shall befall them.”
The guards reluctantly raised their spears, but the speed at which the white-clad man sitting at the edge of the plaza reached the bottom of the ramp was impressive by itself. He kneeled deeply to the High Lord in front of him.
“Your return is noted, honored Ahati-waqrat, and your words have preceded you. What are your instructions on your companions?”
The floating tier fourteen sorceress restated her wishes.
“These three are displaced. It will be time before they are able to tread the Labyrinth to their home. Until then, they are to be guests here in the lands of the Pharaoh,” she said.
She turned back to the three, switching to Japanese. She’d apparently learned that one a long time ago, before they ever crossed paths with the Prompt Connected Spelldriver, even though her phrasing was odd.
“I will see to your settling. I have to go up-tier soon to check on things and report, but I will return quickly.”
She turned again toward one of the main streets as a small gaggle of guards arrived. She started toward them as they formed into an escort, spears raised vertically.
The three followed, absorbing the sights and smells.
“The Pharaoh wants to see your honored guests, mighty Ahati-waqrat,” said the man, bowing profusely in apology.
“If the Euergetes[1] says so, then it will be so,” she replied, repressing a sigh.
The three poor refugees didn’t even have the time to be settled at the House of the Elevated, as the locals called the quarters they set aside for Professionals in the Brucheion area. Word of their arrival had obviously reached the palace faster than their escort had made its way through the streets of Alexandria. That slightly irritated the former Babylonian priestess. This was to be their home for probably many years until they had enough vitals that they could survive their way safely to their home Divergence, and the Ptolemy was already bothering them.
It had taken her half a century to remove all traces of instinctive respect for the mundane rulers of Divergences, but politics and politeness remained. The etiquette of the Ptolemaics was not too distant from her own Babylon, after all. Even if Babylon had reigned here a thousand years after her birth. So, she kept a straight, slightly bored face and led her charges back outside.
The barbarian ruler – Pharaoh, he had to remember – had managed to throw a feast for his guests in the short time between their crossing the Gate and their arrival at his palace. Which, Akamatsu Todanao had to admit, was as grand, if not grander, than the Shogunate’s in Kamakura.
The food was horribly exotic, but after a year of cobbling together meals based on whatever the Labyrinth showed as comestible, even bread slathered with oil and over-roasted birds were a pleasing novelty. What irritated him was that they’d been separated. His sister was seated amidst a gaggle of women who looked worse chatterboxes than the high-class women from back home. She looked a bit lost, overwhelmed by the attention, stumbling through her basic language knowledge as the women competed for her attention.
As for himself, Todanao had managed to deflect much of the attempts at talk. He’d never imagined he’d shy away from some company if he ever left the Labyrinth, but his first social meeting after being stranded from Nippon and he was clamping up. Of course, he was surrounded by barbarians, and their weird speech was already bothering him.
He did not look forward to having to learn more of it.
Kawada Kunimochi was partially separated from the other two. As the Solid Aethershaper of the team, his ability to follow the weird language of their hosts was better than that of the brother and sister that were his companions, and the many guests of the Pharaoh were all eager to talk to him, or so it seemed. He still wished that their savior was available to help translate for them, but more locals had swarmed her until the Pharaoh was seated, and the attendants tried to channel every dignitary guest to their seats for the feast.
And the Inspector from high tiers showed remarkable restraint. His own fingers were itching with the desire to unleash an Air Burst or something to push the people away, and he had no idea how she managed to refrain.
One of his neighbors offered his wrist, startling Kunimochi. He clasped it and was surprised when a descriptor came up.
A Precise Mauler, according to the descriptor. A higher-tier Professional than Kunimochi, but also one with seven Adjustment Milestones to go with his six Professions.
“Ra-nefer-ab greets Lord,” the man said.
“I greet the Lord,” Kunimochi managed to reply.
“I was told of your arrival. I was lucky being home,” Ra-nefer-ab said.
“Our rescuer… the mighty sorceress… she sent word, she said.”
“Yes, her companion, the sword dancer one, came to warn Egypt of her arrival. When I came home, I heard of the arrival of new Lords. Although I did not expect foreign ones.”
“This… Egypt was the closest Gate, I think,” Kunimochi tried to remember.
“It does not matter. Even if you are foreign, the servants of the Pharaoh will see to your safe return.”
“This may… take a long time.”
“We have not seen all the other Gates the mighty ones say are open across the world, but surely it will be easy to get you there? There are many merchants to cross the great lands, whether south, north, east or west.”
“We are not from any Great Gate here,” Kunimochi stumbled.
“Oh? But how can you be a Lord of the Labyrinth then?”
“We come from an empire called Nippon. But apparently, we are fifteen centuries before our Gates open. It is very confusing. She tried to explain, but her words did not make sense. Just that people from all over the eras of mankind end up in the Labyrinth. Which seems impossible, but…”
“But here we are. You are the first visitors we have. And one who was there when the Labyrinth opened… at least wherever you come from.”
“I did not know one like us was here,” Kunimochi stumbled.
“There are more, but they are not around for now.”
“I have to go,” Ahati-waqrat said as they returned to the enclave, escorted by lighted torchbearers.
“Already?” Kunimochi asked.
“I’ll get a better sense of your Divergence’s relative pathway and return as soon as I have more information. If you’re lucky, there is a tier 5 or 6 passage, and you could probably get some help from a team of long-timers or us going through. If not… well, you’ll have to level up a bit to survive the lairs. But as you’ve noticed, you’re basically nobility here, and the locals should – will – treat you well.”
She turned and headed into the night. Kunimochi didn’t ask how she could see in the darkness that smothered the city.
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2 The Mouseion
“I am Dsjot-men, and will teach you proper language,” the dark-skinned barbarian introduced himself.
The three Japanese were obviously the only students the Egyptian had. Akamatsu Shuu had to wonder why there was a tutor dedicated to languages, but her neighbors yesterday had spoken of “many emissaries” from “brothers of the Pharaoh” or something like that, given her partial comprehension of the incessant chatter. So, maybe some of those visitors needed – or wanted – some lessons.
The Egyptian teacher started by asking questions, probing their existing skill with his language. He quickly noticed the difference between Kawada Kunimochi and the two siblings.
“Your skill, High Lord, slightly passable. More of practice and word total, rather than anything. A month, two months, maybe. You two, more work, though.”
“I understand there are two languages practiced here?” Shuu asked.
“Yes. There is the language of the common people, demotic, and the language of the court of Pharaoh, koine[2]. That’s the latter I’m referring to, of course.”
The three Japanese exchanged looks before focusing on the man again, and Kunimochi replied, “I’ll probably take some lessons in that… demotic. I’m fifty-ish in Intellect already and have an excellent memory. Even without, I was good at languages before… the Gate opened in my home.”
Their tutor looked a bit surprised and obviously repressed a snort.
“I’m surprised nobles would want to learn the commoner’s tongue.”
“Well, we’re not nobles. The Akamatsu here are distantly related to some nobility at home, true, but none of us are… notable.”
“But to be blessed to walk the Labyrinth is notable in itself. And to be one with the mark of the Labyrinth is proof of being a Lord,” he replied. “But enough of that. We’ll see about those extra lessons later. First, let’s see how to fix your grammar…”
Todanao had to admit that, for all of his barbaric appearance, their tutor was good at teaching. Better than the Inspector woman, anyway. She might have thousands of Intellect and a mastery of all kinds of speech, but a language teacher she was not. She’d tried to prepare them and did a reasonable job of it, but they definitively needed professional guidance.
The three of them had been thrown into the Labyrinth without warning after being stupid enough to investigate too closely the molten-looking metal loop that was forming back in Kamakura. They’d quickly learned the basics, and tried to survive the Labyrinth while looking for a way out of what they’d thought being a debased demonic realm, neither Yomi nor Takamagahara[3].
The two Inspectors from distant Panomekon had found them after nearly seven months between grinds in one of their two unlocked tier 3 zones. They always returned to their first and original Plaza, and he and Kunimochi were fixing the decay that inevitably started to seep into their camp while they were testing lairs in the distant zone when two impossibly tall people stepped out of the woods surrounding it.
It had taken them several hours of explanations then, down to late in the evening around their firepit.
“I am afraid you are exiled from your home.”
“It’s confusing. You say this… Labyrinth connects to all eras?”
“To variant of all eras. You don’t remember the number that was on the Gate when it opened, but based on era and time, you’re from Earth-701. The Gates opened there seven months ago – that’s how long you’ve been in there if you’re wondering. I’ll check, but…”
The dour man, a Perseverant Competing Gazer named Hausseger, had interrupted the fantastically garbed woman in half-mangled Japanese.
“Japan is one gate for 701. At a place called Kamakura.”
“Yes, that’s where we were. My sister and I are part of a Samurai retinue coming to present a request, and Kawada Kunimochi is part of the Shogun's staff. Was, if you speak true.”
“It’s still weird. Your Gates should have opened three years ago, at least from the Labyrinth’s side, not seven months. The timer started and stopped several times. And finding Lords stranded so far from their original gate is, well, almost unprecedented. This is the second time, we found half a decade ago a pair of Lords that came from somewhere nobody even knows where it opened. The last two decades have been completely bizarre.”
“But you know how to return home,” Shuu had pressed.
The Spelldriver had turned to face Todanao’s sister.
“I know how to get there, but from Panomekon. That’s in tier 11. If you need to go through the nexus, it would take ten years or so to do safely.”
The three had goggled at the mention of the time.
“You’re actually next door to Earth-1445, not 701. It opened two years ago…”
“Another weird opening. That’s four divergences now that have opened years late. 1445’s timer crawled at a month per year for over a decade and a half,” the man had injected.
“Don’t forget 222. The timer actually increased there for two years instead of decreasing. And that’s happening only in Alpha. Nobody reports such massive slippage anywhere else. A few weeks when it’s scheduled for a decade later, maybe,” she had replied.
The three Japanese had politely waited as the two immensely powerful Lords discussed matters that still escaped Todanao’s limited understanding of the Labyrinth.
“So, basically, we’re going to help you to get to Earth-1445. It will be more practical. Seven zones to cross to Lefkorus, then you are in the Ptolemaic Kingdom. You’ll find more balanced teams there, which will help you gain levels. Their Lords will be ahead, but there will be plenty of normal Professionals around your level.”
She had smiled at their confusion.
“You will need to get more tiers if you want to go back to your Divergence. And among High Lords, it’s commonplace to team with all sorts of people, including those from other Divergences, as you grow in levels.”
While they were not studying the bizarre grammar and weird-sounding vocabulary of the koine, the three spent time exploring their temporary home. Their quarters in the House of the Elevated were in what was called the Brucheion, which was actually part of the sprawling palace complex of the Pharaoh. The room in which their lessons were in a different part of that same complex, the Mouseion[4], a temple dedicated to the nine “muses” or some sort of deities of the arts.
The art was as strange as the city itself. They had a peek at the library hosted in the Mouseion, and while the scroll arrangement was recognizable, the script itself was odd, arrayed horizontally rather than vertically, and with much cruder lettering, as one would expect from barbarians.
Most of the staff of the House of the Elevated or the rest of the Mouseion spoke almost exclusively koine. It was a language practiced across all lands “that mattered”, according to their teacher, and all Lords of the Labyrinth had to learn it even if they came from the common folk.
The three met there with Ra-nefer-ab, the local Lord who had met Kunimochi at that feast with Pharaoh.
“The Land of the Pharaoh was blessed with many Lords. Overall, nine of us were stranded in remote Millwaki. Leveling was inconsistent due to size, and we had barely discovered the rule of the lairs when the High Lords found us. Based on low zone levels, they suspected it would be a place where people would be stranded, and they were correct.”
“For us, we were stranded farther from home,” Kunimochi said.
“The Labyrinth gives its blessings, but grudgingly.”
“Ahati-waqrat mentioned other places?”
“Corinth has another Great Gate and is a good ally of our Pharaoh. They had only a single Lord, a woman, of all things. Thankfully, she was stranded not too far from where we were found and survived the early perils on her own for weeks, and we came back together after the High Lord rounded us. She usually groups up with our band. Many think of us as strange for having a woman among us, but few say it in front of her, or they’ll taste her shield in the face.”
“I noticed you’re tier 5.”
“Most of us Lords of the Pharaoh are. Sasur-amen is only tier 4, but that’s because he doesn’t want to use an intermediate Profession to get to tier 5 and remains glued to 4. He’s taken the perils of Adaptation too seriously. Everyone tells him that Unmissable Borer after his Cautious Stabber will be a dead-end, but he’s too focused on filling his Milestones as much as tolerable.”
The Egyptian barbarian shrugged at that.
“But enough of that. When it comes to going to the Labyrinth, there are probably a few dozen bands within your range. There is always a trickle of people coming to test themselves against the Great Gate, so there are some around every dozens of levels. The House of the Elevated will have records.”
“There are three of us, though. Ahati-waqrat said there were diminishing returns after six people.”
“You are Lords of the Labyrinth. Bands will adjust around you.”
The head of the records was an older man, an Aetherseer at tier 2, but not a Lord. He apologized profusely for not meeting with them earlier.
“I was conducting an inventory, making sure all of our scrolls were where they were supposed to be. As head of the library, I am deeply ashamed that’s a common occurrence. Some of the scholars that come are more versed in philosophy than practical sense. You know, you are the first visitors from the distant Labyrinth we’ve seen, outside of the four High Lords who arrived barely a week after the opening of the Great Gate.”
“She said that there were a great many divergences,” Todanao said.
His koine had started to improve notably, and he was a bit more confident in his mastery of the language. Of course, the man spoke it naturally; it was almost identical to his birth dialect from a city called Cyrene, far to the west of Alexandria.
“And she mentioned that scholars would be interested in the Pharaoh’s library. It is somewhat famous in True History, and there are some who want to keep track of what inventory it held at various points. But so far, we haven’t seen any. She did warn me that Sērikḗ[5], far to the East, would have more interest, at least among the High Lords.”
The head scholar, while his assistant brought him to the master list of the Egyptian bands, or regular groups of Professionals, started to prod them about their origins. He was quickly disappointed that they were familiar with the Nippon of their origin but little more.
After looking over their descriptors, he started speculating in his own mind, pulling up scrolls and putting them aside almost immediately.
“Kher-heb’s former band could be a good fit. He’s dropped to four due to… circumstances, and he’s lacking a healer and has no spellcaster.
“I assume you want to stay all three together,” he asked, looking at Todanao.
“Yes. The honored Ahati-waqrat said we would all need to gain levels if we want to go home, so it would be best to keep together.”
That wasn’t the only reason, of course. All three definitively did not want to be isolated among barbarians, even those who shared in the strangeness of the Labyrinth. But they had a much better excuse, so why not use it?
“Will Kherb-heb-san be happy if we are to dislodge one more member of his band?”
“Well, the Pharaoh wishes to honor the Lords like you. Owing to that Adjustment, you’ve got slightly better potentials for your level. I think Kher-heb will be happy to have people slightly under his level who can still pull out their weight in combat. You will overlevel them over time, but we will see.”
The sight of a woman floating above the ground at the edge of their quarters would have been surprising weeks before, but they were by now familiar with the silhouette of Ahati-waqrat.
The Prompt Connected Spelldriver had news, but not entirely good ones.
“My boss, Guthrumsson, has finished sweeping your divergence for lost Lords. Not from Nippon, of course, all of the ones who survived the Gate opening there are you three. Lords are always placed on the same plaza after the creation of a particular Great Gate. The ones from Rome were… notably hard to reason with. They kept seeing him as a demon of sorts and wanted nothing from him.”
The three exchanged glances, as none of them had any idea what or where Rome was. Although they had not met this “Guthrumsson”, they had no doubt he would be perceived as supernatural as the two High Lords that had found them.
“Now, thankfully, there is a reasonable pathway between Earth-1445 and at least Earth-701’s Angkor Great Gate at Vireakol. If there is no outbreak of hostilities between those neighbors, it may be better to get you through there.
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“The big obstacle is that you need a tier-6 trunk zone access and exit through the same zone. That means spending over a month in Higheuls, with no less than twenty-one lairs to complete. We will help you, of course, but you need some… toughening. At level 170, you’re likely to die way too often in tier six, notably in the trunk. All of the Ancients there will be level 900 and kill you with one shot. But that’s better than the alternatives, which require at least three tier 7 zones and a much longer trip.”
“So it is as you said. We need to gain levels,” Shuu said.
The High Lord focused on the woman of the group.
“Yes, and that’s something you’ll have to do on your own. Has the Pharaoh helped?”
“We’re supposed to meet the leader of a band, a Calculating Barrier Kherb-heb. If I understood correctly, he and his band are around level 200, and so they will be switching Professions soon.”
“You’ll catch up anyway. You should be getting tier 4 soon enough. One Milestone, and you can get Abiding Fixer. Same for you two. You can either squeeze some skill ranks or jump straight, but I do suggest keeping your Professions in synch. Do the locals have records of their Plaza? I assume Johann did leave them maps.”
“They do.”
“May the right hand[6] of the Labyrinth guide you, then. I’ll be checking on your progress in a year, no sense coming back before you’re ready.”
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3 The Sea
“I invite you to come with us to Corinth,” the Precise Mauler Ra-nefer-ab asked.
“We are waiting for this Kher-heb to return from his zones,” Todanao replied.
“Bah, he will wait for you when he does. Why, he may even join us there.”
Todanao’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Corinth has come to the Pharaoh for help – thanks partly to Synoppe’s mediation. Our bandmate is their only Lord, after all. They have some allies, but the number of their Ascended is small compared to Egypt’s.”
“The Greeks are a fractious bunch,” another of the Lords that had come to meet the three said. “And they haven’t realized yet that Great Gates are real, and they change things,” he laughed.
“I realize that you have very little knowledge of the situation in the Peloponnese unless you’ve read some of the scrolls in the Library,” Ra-nefer-ab interrupted.
“In any case, there is a war going on between the great city of Sparta, some of their allies of the Aetolian League, against the Achaean League, which Corinth joined twenty years ago.”
“You forget Macedon and those barbarians from the west,” the other Lord laughed again.
“The Romans? They don’t count. Besides, they have trouble of their own with Carthage. Anyway,” Ra-nefer-ab continued, “the enemies of the League are concerned about the rumors of Corinth’s rise and wish to take control of the city… and its Great Gate.”
This is how the three Japanese found themselves on a ship for the first time in their lives. Even Kunimochi, for all his talent as an interpreter when foreign visitors came to the Shogun, never left Japan in his former life.
“Be thankful you are Lords. Some people get sick on a ship and wish that they were already in front of Anubis to get their hearts weighed[7]. But anyone who has crossed a Great Gate never gets sick on a ship. Even if they were before. It’s one of those side benefits of walking the Labyrinth,” the shipmaster – who was also a minor tier 1 Professional – told them.
“I did it on a dare. Those weird Lords say they’ll give the Pharaoh devices that tell you in advance who can cross the Great Gate and who cannot, but nobody’s seen that so far. Not that I doubt the word of the High Lords, mind you. But until that, you can only try to cross. It’s a kind of dare, except I ended up in the middle of the Plaza. Took me a week to get back to Egypt. The crew never let me live it down.”
“Is that why you do not have even a Milestone?”
“I am a sailor, not some vanguard of the Pharaoh. Although there are advantages. I heal fast, I don’t risk plagues, and even if I didn’t get seasick before, well, that’s another.”
With this, the captain turned to bark more orders to his crew just as the wind turned slightly, leaving Kunimochi to ponder the strangeness of sea travel along with the two Akamatsu siblings.
“Sometimes, you wonder if Earth does not have as much strangeness as the Labyrinth. Wandering in that immensity of blue, with almost nothing in sight.”
“I do not think that you can top the broken moon in Onissis,” Shuu said.
The tier-three zone that had been their first foray in that tier looked pretty normal – for a Labyrinth zone – until night fell, and they saw what must have been pieces of the Moon, with a dusting of smaller pieces stretching over the skies. Dozens of shooting stars fell every night they’d been there, although they never found any crater in the zone proper or in the surrounding bland landscape covered in gray moss-like growth that stretched beyond the invisible walls. It was as if the world had ended a few days ago, and they’d just stepped in there.
“So far,” her brother Todanao replied. “Remember when she described her home, up-tier.”
“I wonder,” she said. “I wonder… what happens to our cabin. Back in Konvatar. Now that we’re no longer coming back between lairs…”
“It will vanish. If it hasn’t already. Me and Kunimochi, we already had lots of work fixing it every time we Recalled.”
“We still have the Recall. But we built in as a defiance against whatever onis had decided to abduct us. Now, we know better.”
Location
Zone: Earth
Locale: Hē Thálassa[8]
Recall: Konvatar Plaza
Recall: Suspended
Gates: 3/3
Tier 1: Lefkorus
Tier 2: Micolzarr
Tier 3: Onissis
Fast travel: 3 charges, 19 days until next
Shuu wondered briefly how the mysterious descriptors provided by the Labyrinth made sense of their Earth.
“That’s the name, right,” the captain said when she sought him out. “It’s not as useful as you’d guess because you get just the name, no matter where you are at sea. But if you check in port, you’ll know in which you are, no matter how confused you are about where you ended.”
The four war galleys sent by the Pharaoh slid into port. They’d followed the coastline of what Ra-nefer-ab said was the Peloponnese, the “best part of Greece” for most of the previous days until they reached the end of the vast bay.
The eleven days they’d spent at sea had been good – the weather had been perfect, the captain had said – but all three were ready to get back on land.
“Ordinarily, we wouldn’t take a galley to Corinth, Lord Akamatsu,” Ra-nefer-ab had said to Todanao. “We would do as Lords do. We would walk there.”
He’d laughed.
“We keep a tier 2 Gate next to Corinth for Synnoppe’s convenience. But the other bands sent by the Pharaoh to the Corinthians’ help do not have that. So, we came along with you. After all, Pharaoh is honor-bound to provide help for you three.”
Synnoppe, the lone Lord of Corinth, had a different version of that, which she explained to Shuu.
“Few would deny that old Babylonian. She looks almost like a deity out of the Iliad, with her hair like one of the gorgós sisters. Although one can watch her face and live, which is more than what many could claim.”
“She is of tier 14, as her descriptor says,” Shuu said.
“You’ve seen it? I have not. But her companion, the Celt[9], fits.”
“The Celt?” Shuu asked, curious.
“He’s a descendant of those tribes of the North, apparently. A man from the furthest point of their True History, if you believe him.”
Shuu did not reply. The idea of True History, of a fate written in stone, was unsettling. More than once, since the two High Lords had explained how the Labyrinth worked, opening across all of mankind’s history, she’d wondered what would have come of her and her brother without the Great Gate opening.
“I’ve done the same,” the Greek woman confessed. “What would have happened if that Gate had not formed at the edge of our domain, and what would have happened to my husband instead.”
“What happened?” Shuu asked.
“When the Great Gate started activating, Eutykhedes somehow recognized the danger, and he rushed and tried to push me aside. He only ended up putting me in the right spot not to be torn apart.”
“And him?”
“When we got rescued and came back, they told me there was only half of him to bury.”
“Oh.”
“His brother Eurymedon would have inherited the domain since I was thought dead as well, but the city preempted it, as it was the location of that Great Gate.”
Many people were at the pier when the ship slid next to it, and sailors jumped and tied it.
“Strategos Aratus,” Ra-nefer-ab exclaimed as he disembarked, and he went to grasp the older man’s wrist.
The Greek looked at the Egyptian and Synoppe, sporting a wide smile.
“The Pharaoh has made good of his promises then?” he asked her, just as he noticed the three Japanese.
They wore their Labyrinth garb rather than the simple tunics most locals favored. But it was their faces that, of course, drew the ancient Greek’s attention and caused his surprise.
“Lords of the Labyrinth,” Ra-nefer-ab introduced them.
“From Sērikḗ? You do not look like northern barbarians like the Bituriges[10], and they definitely aren’t Parthians. Visiting our distant shores?”
“We are from further. A different Divergence. Our island is not known to you, I think. That scholar, Eratosthenes, found no mention of it anywhere in the Pharaoh’s library,” Kunimochi said.
“Ah,” the Greek general simply said, but Todanao could tell he did not really understand.
And why not? Even for them, the idea of fifteen centuries seemed impassable.
----------------------------------------
4 This Is Sparta
“The armies of Cleomenes are camping less than a league from here,” the Strategos said as the Egyptian’s troops reached an encampment.
There were a lot of tents pitched on the slopes of the mountainous landscape. The hundreds of Professionals sent by the Pharaoh were a significant minority.
“He’s got significant strength, and he’s waiting for the armies of Antigonus. There are even Romans – I did not believe they could spare troops, but here they are, eager to see opportunity.”
The three Japanese looked at each other. In truth, they did not understand much of the context. The locals – the Greeks – all knew this intimately. Someone like Strategos Aratus had fought in those wars all of his life[11].
“Half of the wars are Sparta versus Athens. The other half are Macedon stirring trouble,” he tried to explain. “I’ve spent half my life fighting against one or the other… or allying with one or the other. The city was on the verge of offering itself back to Macedon to avoid being conquered by Sparta when the Great Gate of Corinth opened, and it was seen as a sign of the Gods.”
“Now, the Corinthians are wary of the rest of the Achaean League, and they had refused the right to try to gain entry. But they are pressed on both sides, and we had many finally trying these last weeks,” he turned back to Ra-nefer-ab.
“Even with barely a trip through that Dostead zone, a warrior elevated by the Labyrinth is worth two or three because they heal fast, so they will push harder in combat, knowing that they can shrug anything. Yet thirty such is not enough for a difference… but two hundred of the Pharaoh’s finest is another matter.”
“It’s hard to say. We have been in the Labyrinth since we got elevated, as you say. And the numbers seem slightly odd, but…”
“But they add up. Are you not stronger than any man alive?” the strategos asked, turning to Shuu.
“It’s true… I think I may even be stronger than my brother… but how does that compare to unelevated? How do the women among you do?”
The Greek was startled.
“What do you mean, women? No woman has been sent to the Labyrinth. Not when they cannot have children.”
“When they are in the Labyrinth itself. In fact, with the health of the Labyrinth’s descriptors, they might even be better off when having children since they probably wouldn’t suffer problems from childbirth,” she countered.
Not only did the Greeks blink in surprise, but even Ra-nefer-ab did.
“And what’s more… if you get some items, all those women could be able to resurrect fallen warriors,” she added. “Even if you do not want them as warriors… they have no problems doing that.”
Shuu could tell from the two men’s faces they had not even considered the idea at all.
“All they need is more health value. And if those people you say are just through the Labyrinth, you need one woman behind them ready to do it with a minute’s warning.”
While Kunimochi was as struck as the two locals by her ideas, she could tell her brother Todanao was trying to repress laughter. But before anything could come out, the tent’s flap was opened, and a group came in.
“There is someone wanting to speak under truce,” one scout told the Strategos.
“Who?”
“Him.”
“Him? Who do you mean, him?… wait…”
“Cleomenes wants a truce so that he can talk to you.”
All of the Japanese could even feel the tiredness emanating from the Greek old man.
“Then let him,” he finally said.
There was little to distinguish the man coming in from the others, but from the reaction of the locals, none of the three could miss his importance.
“So one of the Kings of Sparta[12] – the only King that matters, actually – wants to speak?” Aratus said.
“Why are you surprised? It is not the first time we’ve faced each other, after all.”
“And yet, for all of our common history, we have been enemies.”
“And it’s not a foregone thing.”
“Is that so?”
“You know the truth, Aratus. It’s all about Egypt against Macedon. Since before any of us were born. The Ptolemaics helped the Achaeans. Then they helped me. Then they help you again. So, who knows what will happen next year? Do you?”
Todanao could immediately guess about the argument, while not knowing about the local particulars. But the Strategos also knew.
“You are mistaken, Cleomenes. Things have changed.”
“Have they?”
“We both know why you’re there. Why, two years ago, I was on the verge of promising many things to Macedon, and now you’ve come with them supporting you.”
“The Gate to Olympus.”
“Is that what you think it is?”
“What else could it be? Everyone says that it reveals the demi-gods spawn among us.”
“Demi-gods? Like those?” Aratus said before turning.
The Spartan king followed his gaze, falling on the exotic-looking three.
“Who are…?”
Aratus merely gestured, and Todanao felt compelled to answer.
“Lords of the Labyrinth. From distant places, distant lands… distant eras, even. I do not know what demi-gods mean, but we’re mortals, elevated. All those who are elevated are equals.”
Save for those who made a mistake and survived it, he did not add, but that would not matter.
“You see, your old prowess no longer matters,” the Strategos pressed on.
“You think you can stand against us?”
Todanao felt like the argument was being exhausted by that threat.
“Yes. Because you do not face the Achaean League. You face the Labyrinth itself.”
For one moment, he thought the Greek enemy “king” would strike at the old Strategos, but the barbarian obviously took hold of himself and just nodded.
“And Sparta will show you why it still matters. Even against Egypt’s mercenaries.”
“No one pays us,” Ra-nefer-ab yelled at the Greek’s back as he walked out, but his protest was obviously wasted.
Morning saw horns and other alarms sounding all over, making the three Japanese Lords wake up after barely sleeping.
“The ships of Macedon were there already. They are already coming,” one passing warrior yelled at them.
A few moments later, they spotted Ra-nefer-ab running.
“It is up to you. Pharaoh wanted you to come to see this, but even I don’t know if he wanted you to come and fight. You’re tier 3, after all. There are dozens of Pharaoh’s vanguard at your level here if you want to join us.”
Before any of them could answer, the Egyptian Lord was gone.
----------------------------------------
6 Clash of the Titans
Even with the impending attack looming, there was very little panic among the Greek forces. Despite the gap of centuries, warriors were the same. Many of them were putting on their armor, with a retainer helping them as it should be. The greatest difference with the Samurai that they were familiar with was the armor, made of leather and bronze plates in a way that was quite unlike their usual armor. The other difference was the weaponry, as they saw exclusively spears and shields, where a force of Samurai would have many bowmen, using only melee weapons when engaged in close combat.
In the middle of all that, the Professionals were different. No retainer, no laborious process of putting on heavy armor. For most, equipment simply appeared, called out of the near-miraculous items which Ahati-waqrat had named “puppets”. They only had one such among them, an oak wooden puppet that held a few pieces of equipment that Shuu kept to change herself into “decent attire”, but the three Japanese Professionals had slept in their Labyrinth gear. They were very used to that, and the few weeks in civilized lands had not entirely erased the old habits acquired in the distant zones where they had been stranded. Most of the Egyptian forces had done the same and needed no preparation, although Todanao spotted a few who were adding some pieces of "ordinary" gear. These would be relatively low-level Professionals with little in the way of decent gear, and normal equipment might provide better protection than a Labyrinth robe with no significant stats and low defense.
Amidst the Professionals, it was not difficult to spot the Lords. All of them were a tier or more above the rest, thanks to the boost provided by Adaptation, and they not only had more striking gear but also a minimum Presence that made them noticeable. Todanao suddenly wondered what that meant in practice. Their enemies would immediately know of the main force. You could not miss such tier-five Professionals. If Ahati-waqrat had been there, no one could have failed to realize her importance.
The three Japanese had discussed among them the offer. It was a strange offer, they thought. They were all retainers and servants of warriors, not warriors themselves, but it was pretty evident that half a year in the Labyrinth had changed them. All of them would have held their ground against their former masters for all the lifelong martial training of the samurai. Yet, even if the Egyptians were allies of the Corinthian League, they owed no war service to the Egyptians. The Pharaoh gave them honor as Lords of the Labyrinth, true, but they had no loyalty to him. The Shogun would not be born for fifteen centuries, let alone ally himself with Egypt.
Instead of rushing toward the battlefield, they simply went to a small hill where a command post had been set. There, they found the Strategos, still talking with Ra-nefer-ab. The Egyptian Lord bowed slightly and started trotting back toward the advancing forces just as they arrived.
“I’m starting to get a bit too old to lead from the front,” Aratus said as they arrived.
“You look fine,” Todanao said. “My master is probably as old as you are. Fifty? And he still rides to battle.”
Aratus laughed and bowed to them.
“But would he jog there, across the brush?” he waved at the field below the hilltop. “Half of the warriors told me I should lead the assault, and the other half told me it’s better to lead from where I can see the entire battle.
“Anyway I get bodyguards this time, of a high rank. If the Spartans and their allies want to come at me, I hope you will not stand aside.”
The three of them exchanged glances.
“That would be different,” Todanao said, and his sister added, “Besides, we’d be there, and I doubt they would ignore us.”
The old Greek shrugged.
“Us Greeks know very well the pragmatism of acting only when necessary,” he said.
A small group of young men, devoid of armor, gathered next to him. Their wiry build, lack of heavy arms, and focus marked them as messengers. They barely glanced at the three odd figures next to their commander.
Downhill, the incoming troops were accelerating, packed in rectangular formations. The Greeks, still partially assembling, were making a similar formation, with shields on the ready. The two Akamatsu siblings were slightly baffled by the tactics – there seemed to be little, if any, softening with bows and arrows. Their master would have made use of heavy archery, followed by a cavalry charge, followed by basic ground troops. Here, the strategy seemed to rely entirely on those squares of heavy infantry, shield raised and spear forward.
“Traditional phalanx,” the Strategos commented. “I don’t see… Ah, yes, Cleomenes is on the flank, not the center. Odd…”
A tiny group, no more than six, detached itself from the massed rectangles of the “phalanxes”, as Aratus had called them, running fast against the flank.
The mismatched armor and weapons left no doubt in Todanao’s mind what this one small group was. The Spartan King there was going to discover first-hand the power he was seeking to capture.
Aratus seemed to be of the same mind as the Strategos laughed lightly.
“Ah, what wouldn’t I give to be one of the elevated, the Professionals of the Labyrinth. But alas, the Great Gate rejected me.”
“And Ahati-waqrat said that the only time people who do not qualify can get in is when the Great Gate opens,” Kunimochi said.
“That’s what Synoppe said. And even then, you need luck not to be torn apart by it. So you’ve met her. Ra-nefer-ab said she looked like a goddess.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. I was in Corinth when the one who led her team came to find us. Now, he did look like a real God. Covered in night itself, with raven-headed spear and a gaze that felt like the chill of the night. We took him for Hades – we didn’t know any better.”
“But he’s just a Professional.”
“He could have said he was a God, and we wouldn’t have known. He could have set to rule us, and we would have bowed.”
“They don’t do that,” Shuu said.
The Strategos looked at her.
“Who knows? Since these Lords were once men, there is always one.”
A courier came running.
“Troops spotted. A lot.”
“Where?” Aratus immediately snapped.
The courier pointed and the old Greek squinted. Todanao looked in the direction, but there was little to see. But his sister startled.
“He’s right. There are a large number of troops running this way. On the other flank,” she said.
“Uh? You can see them?”
“I have high Focus. I don’t really see much further, but I see… more.”
“Ah. I always forget how the Lords of the Labyrinth exceed even our elevated. So, what’s coming?”
“Two large formations. I see riders, too. But they have banners.”
“Well, well. Looks like the Macedonians made it in time. I don’t know if Cleomenes wanted a surprise…”
He turned to one of the messengers waiting.
“Send word to the right flank. And Lord Ra-nefer-ab. Macedon is theirs.”
The young man wasted no time and ran downhill, bounding over the twisting path.
“Cleomenes on the left, his main force and the Roman mercenaries in the center… and the might of the Egypt on the Antigonus’s face.”
The Greek way of War was very stupid, in Todanao’s opinion. With only infantry and little else, they massed in their rectangular “phalanx” formation and just pushed until one side would presumably break.
The flank where Aratus had spotted Cleomenes somehow was the perfect example of that. The Greeks had raised a wall of shields, enormous pikes pushing forward, while the incoming Spartans had literally smashed into that, pushing their own similarly large ones. It looked like the enemy had more strength, and only the static position of the Greeks allowed them to stand their ground somewhat successfully. But unless they were supported, they would probably break at one point.
The center was supposed to be the same, but where two forces of Greeks stood, they left a small gap between the two formations. Some of the enemies, with smaller pikes and a different armor style, went straight for the gap and were at the front line when the two dozen mismatched troops streamed between the two formations to meet them.
And fireballs launched.
It was a testament to the discipline of those warriors that none flinched or broke immediately. They used their shields to deflect the small fireballs. The wooden shields were not entirely immune to the ravages of the Labyrinth-fueled attack, but the flames didn’t seem to catch easily. What went straight through the defenses were the Professionals with melee weapons. Maces and hammers went up and down, smashing. The enemies speared but most of the Greeks had decent armor to blunt, and they didn’t bother shielding them. Healing would take care of the assault.
And, to the right, a single square formation followed a near-amorphous mass of people running a bit faster than them.
The Egyptian force.
It looked like all the two hundred Professionals sent by the Pharaoh had committed themselves in a single unit.
“The ‘Macedonians’ outnumber them five to one,” Shuu said.
The Strategos looked at her oddly, and she realized she’d spoken Japanese instead of koine. She repeated her phrase for his benefit.
“Well, that should be a bloodbath. One way or another.”
She looked at him, surprised.
“If it were simply us, we’d be lost by now. The Spartans and Macedonians – their Roman mercenaries don’t count – would hugely outnumber us. I, for one, would never commit two hundred to blunt a thousand-man army. That… can’t be done. Even Sparta needed a hundred more and the help of nature.”
“But they are Professionals,” Todanao said.
“I’ve seen ours in demonstrations, but this is the first time they are used in a real battle. If what they offer is true, it isn’t two hundred versus a thousand. It’s two hundred demi-gods. Macedon would need to empty his realm and mass all their troops to stand a chance.
“Supposedly,” he finished after a time.
The center was already breaking up when the right flank was joined. The twenty-thirty Greeks had pushed their way through the enemies three times their numbers, and behind them, a small formation of ordinary Greeks had followed, veering to take flank the main Spartan formations. The phalanxes had tried to reorganize, but they were in a bad situation, and they apparently knew it. They’d tried to move back a little, but their opponents were not stupid, despite what Todanao thought about how they fought.
Shuu was the only one who could see the Egyptians against the Macedonians accurately. The smaller force hadn’t stopped when they reached the Macedonian vanguard, and Antigonus’s forces, expecting to stand, caved almost immediately. Frost lances, fireballs, and lightning strikes came from the middle of the Professional forces while weapons shrugged the pike of their enemies and the forward melee fighters pressed on.
She could see arrows coming, but they were aimed at the middle and rear, and while a lot of them struck, she knew the healers were probably already helping. She ought to know what a healer was worth; after all, it was her specialization as a Precise Assistant. Without her support, the three of them would never have made it as far as they did in the Labyrinth before the High Lords found them. And she doubted an arrow hit as bad as that Elder in the tier 2 zone they fought repeatedly to pillage his wondrous chest.
“Sounds like the battle is won. Eh. Fastest battle I’ve ever seen,” Aratus said when she reported on what she was seeing.
“You’re sure you don’t want to join us in the war?” he asked. “A good pair of eyes is invaluable, but yours even more.”
“Apologies, but we are foreigners, and we are anxious to get back home when possible. Besides the Pharaoh…”
“Yes, the Pharaoh,” he sighed.
“You know, two years ago, he might have been an ally of Cleomenes. They always exchanged messages. But then, it changed.”
“What changed?”
The Strategos turned, looking in the distance. All three looked that way, but there was nothing save maybe hills.
“Corinth,” he finally said.
“The Great Gate,” Todanao said.
“Before, Pharaoh could afford to support whoever stood against Macedon. He cared little about who was winning as long as they won against their rivals north. But now? He cannot afford to let Macedon get the Gate. And that means that Corinth and the Achaean League is their ally. Now and forever.”
The old Greek turned back to the battlefield below, where troops were starting to retreat. Far in the distance, rumbles of thunder came despite the blue skies as the Macedonian troops learned what Professional meant.
He was muttering, and Todanao strained, catching.
“Or if he decides we can’t stand, and he needs to invade Greece instead.”
----------------------------------------
7 The Once And Future Pharaoh
The great feast from the Pharaoh went slightly differently from the first one. This time, the three Japanese Lords were together, and they also spoke koine a lot better. But while they were not seated around Pharaoh’s own table, they were just next to him, and his own son was seated at their small, low table rather than his father’s.
So, while the king of the land made politics with his obviously very important hosts, they found themselves talking with Ra-nefer-ab and the heir, Ptolemy Philopator, along with a pair of Lords from Ra-nefer-ab’s band and Synnoppe. This time, there wasn’t a separation between men and women – at least on this table of Lords of the Labyrinth.
“That will cement the alliance between Corinth and Egypt, I think,” the latter said, taking a small sip from her cup.
“It is my father’s fervent hope, yes,” the younger version of the Pharaoh replied.
“What we don’t understand,” Todanao started, “is why we were invited to that war. Notably, if we were not supposed to help.”
The Lords shrugged, but the heir to the throne of Egypt laughed.
“My father wanted you to see how we conducted warfare…” he started.
And how primitive you are, Todanao thought.
“… and how warfare has changed,” he stated.
“Uh?”
“The scholars of the Mouseion tell him that progress in the arts of war may help against Ascended, but at our level, there is little one can do against enough of our vanguard.”
“I do not think anything can be done against that, even with our own. Except maybe hundreds of samurai,” Todanao admitted.
“But even if you are not advanced for such a thing, you are still from the future,” the Philopator said.
The three looked at each other, uncomprehending.
“My father is getting old, and one day, I will have to rule in his stead, but on this, I agree with him. Egypt is old. When you realize there are more than twenty-one centuries of future ahead, you are not the most enduring and worthy kingdom of all, the one who survived the Sea People and all the tribulations of True History. You’re just an old part of it. We don’t know much of the future, but Eratosthenes can guess from what he heard from the two High Lords – in less than two centuries, Egypt would be a footnote in True History. A conquered land by barbaric Romans, of all things.
“But it is no longer the case. The future is no longer foreordained, and what’s more, it can now visit us. You have visited us.”
“We did not intend to, Philopator.”
“But you did in the end. And your Divergence opened within two years of ours. Almost all of those other Divergences opened decades ago. Their Ascended dwarf ours, even the Lords like here,” he said, gesturing toward Ra-nefer-ab and his own band, who looked surprised.
“In a few years, if the Babylonian is to be trusted with her estimates, you’re going to be the first to be able to travel between Egypt and your home. And you will be among the most advanced of your people by virtue of the Mark of the Labyrinth you carry.”
Kunimochi, with his background at the Shogunate’s court, instantly realized what the heir was saying.
“Ambassadors.”
“Your country has much to offer, for all that we will ever be only connected through the Labyrinth. Knowledge, arts, crafts… Me and my father, we are but mortals – as much as we would like to be considered gods among the people of Egypt. You, you are the immortal ones, and you will make counsel on them.
“My father has already tried to reach the Bituriges, the wild Celts of the northwest. They only have three Lords, who stand apart from ours, and little in the way of other Ascended despite their Great Gate at their dūnom, but they’re already uniting the other tribes next to them. All of the other barbarians will probably go into oblivion, like the Romans, as strong as they are, and Carthaginians as well. The Parthians don’t care about us, and for some reason, they do not have Lords, but if my father can’t persuade them, I will. One day. About Sērikḗ, who knows.”
“You want an alliance of the Great Gate powers.”
“All those old Divergence things, they have long ago settled with the Labyrinth’s existence, its potential. But we, newcomers to the Labyrinth’s side… we need all we can. Or we will be dominated by them. I know no one will challenge the strength of that Panomekon where the High Lords dwell… and where, I suppose, you and even Ra-nefer-ab will go one day. But the High Lords are not interested in Divergences. Only us are.”
“Well, I suppose I will carry your word to my master, the Shogun,” Kunimochi said.
“And unless he can travel in the Labyrinth, that’s all I will ever know of him. It was customary to call all of the other rulers of the region brothers, and we would marry among them, but in this case, it would not be possible. I do not know if he can be offended, but as a ruler of a Great Gate… I would call him brother across the years. Across the centuries.”
The Ptolemy Philopator raised his flagon of spiced wine and smiled.
“But until you do, enjoy the Pharaoh’s hospitality. If I understand right, your band will be ready to welcome you tomorrow. For tomorrow… is another day, unwritten and full of potential. And unlike the Pharaoh and his son, you, the Ascended of the Labyrinth, cannot die.”
Akamatsu Shuu
Health: 1227/1227
Mind: 955/955
Endurance: 741/741
Aether: 1780/1780
Effective level: 175
Level 39 Precise Assistant
Level 88 Hospitaler
Level 48 Mender
Experience: 63,221/97,500
Strength: 40
Dexterity: 25
Agility: 26
Constitution: 37
Stamina: 40
Wisdom: 87
Focus: 46
Presence: 28
Fortitude: 40
Intelligence: 32
20% Leveling speed
30% healing
3% conservation
Milestones: Adjustment IV, Mender III, Hospitaler VI, Precise Assistant III
Skills: Minor Heal Wounds(3), Increase Healing (3), Cleanse Poison(1), Cleanse Disease(1), Drain Damage(1), Patch Wounds (1), Mitigate Disease(1), Asphyxiate(1), Burning Aura(0), Firespark(0), Mirror Damage(0)
Akamatsu Todanao
Health: 717/717
Mind: 3026/3026
Endurance: 1011/1011
Aether: 1343/1343
Effective level: 175
Level 39 Abiding Deviser
Level 88 Planner
Level 48 Organiser
Experience: 63,221/97,500
Strength: 38
Dexterity: 40
Agility: 40
Constitution: 25
Stamina: 25
Wisdom: 30
Focus: 28
Presence: 41
Fortitude: 86
Intelligence: 41
20% Leveling speed
15% mind per FOR
6% aether economy
7.5% fortify
Milestones: Adjustment IV, Organiser III, Planner VI, Abiding Deviser III
Skills: Aetheric Armor(2), Aetheric Slant(2), Redirect Effect(2), Hostile Mind(1), Temporary Stamina(1), Toughening(1), Sprint(1), Night Sight(1), Coordinated(1), Mind Regenerate(0)
Kawada Kunimochi
Health: 953/953
Mind: 1089/1089
Endurance: 591/591
Aether: 2330/2330
Effective level: 175
Level 39 Solid Aethershaper
Level 88 Aetherseer
Level 48 Aetherist
Experience: 63,221/97,500
Strength: 34
Dexterity: 37
Agility: 40
Constitution: 32
Stamina: 25
Wisdom: 40
Focus: 31
Presence: 38
Fortitude: 31
Intelligence: 87
20% Leveling speed
30% elemental damage
Milestones: Adjustment IV, Aetherist III, Aetherseer VI, Solid Aethershaper III
Skills: Flame Bolt(3), Ice Dart(2), Forked Lightning(2), Earth Grasp(1), Air Burst(1), Firefall(1), Light Blast(1), Ice Storm(1), Freeze(1), Everburn(0)