Denizens of the Labyrinth

He climbed the steps with Sadé and coming to the ground floor he exited the tower which led out to the courtyard, which was bustling with people. He and Sadé came out and looked around to see many people suffering and laying in various places of the ground and the courtyard.

They were an assortment of people, old and young, frail and hail. Many of them were skinny, sickly but their eyes told Jazmel they had not lost the will to live just yet.

“Who are these people?” Jazmel asked and Katie turned to look at him. “Me and Bannerman freed some slaves and had nowhere else to bring them?” she said, Jazmel knew that Katie was touchy about slaves, and he simply nodded.

“We need to bring them to the infirmary!” a tiny voice piped up and Jazmel looked at a new face, she had joined them after meeting Patton and Gilmore. Her name was Wendy, and she was a human. But her skills were all about support and buffing. She was keen on healing, and it was something she had been honest to share with them before she joined the faction. There was almost one hundred people laying around struggling to catch their breath and also recover from whatever ordeal they had just been through. As if a brisk and soft wind took them up safely and rose them from the ground a little. “Where do you want them all?” Baek said and she watched him with amazement as he lifted them all with his Mana and simply propelled them through the air towards the infirmary.

“Melle I am going to need your help!” Wendy shouted and Melle and the two other dwarves rushed to help her. “Katie can you help?” Jazmel asked and she rolled her eyes and hurried to catch up with the people she had rescued. Sadé winked at Jazmel and then followed after Katie to lend her help too.

“They were not good people, we had to free them all.” Bannerman said and Jazmel placed a hand on his shoulder affectionately.

“Have you rested since you got back?” Jazmel asked and Bannerman stifled a yawn before shaking his head. “Go and get some rest, eat first too.” He bid him and Bannerman shuffled off to do so, he shambled over to his rooms and Jazmel watched him for a moment and waited for Patton and Gilmore to sidle up beside him.

“Well, we need to recruit more people. Training them is going to be hell though.” Gilmore offered, which Jazmel had been thinking too. “Well, we can train them here before we let them go out into the labyrinth again, they can live here, we built the barracks for this very reason.” Patton countered and Jazmel listened to them both.

“We need to add more personnel to day to day of the outpost, we need a catering team as well as a housing team which will maintain the living quarters of us all. Melle cannot do it all, even though she has been doing immensely on her own.” Patton explained and Jazmel nodded thoughtfully. Thinking about what else they needed to do.

“We are going to recruit again.” Patton said suddenly and without even thinking about it; he pulled Gilmore by the arm and then they headed back out of the outpost towards the gate that led from the faction back into the labyrinth.

“You have taken on people who will need your protection.” Baek said as he appeared beside Jazmel and pulling him from his own thoughts. He nodded in agreement.

“I need to just keep doing what I have been doing. I am less than ten levels from ranker tier.” He told Baek who nodded as if he already knew.

“Have you considered what tier tribulation items you will be using to enter ranker tier?” Baek asked and Jazmel shrugged. “I haven’t thought of it that much, I am not sure what to consider.” Jazmel admitted, and Baek nodded before moving to stand a little away from Jazmel as they discussed this. “Ranker is when you solidify your skill and attributes. Most people who reach ranker will pick things that will augment what they currently have. It is different to Seeker because Seeker is just about letting your body grow alongside your stats. But Ranker is when you have to refine what you have used and what works better for you.” He explained and in a sense, Jazmel knew what it meant but he didn’t speak and let Baek continue.

“Say for example, you are someone agile and you have worked on your agility and dexterity. You will pick tier tribulations that will enhance those things for you. When you become a ranker, tier tribulations will also raise your stats which will also give you a hint or a precursor at what items to consider and what stats to continue to work on.” Baek explained and Jazmel just listened, the system had created a function which was so complex and yet it continued to give hints and tips at almost every turn. The system wanted them to get stronger and it seemed to continuously put them on a path to get stronger.

“I guess it is time for me to enter the labyrinth again.” Jazmel said, thrilled at the idea of going through the gate and finding somewhere new to traverse.

“Where are you going?” a voice called, and he turned to look, and a smile flowed onto his face. It was Tango and Mary; they were both back!

Mary and Tango had been going through gates at serious speed, only returning to empty their storage rings and then dive back in. Tango had hit Ranker tier II and was well on his way to tier III, but Jazmel could tell he wasn’t happy with his progress. Mary on the other hand, had been so busy. She was working with her guild and also sneaking to the faction when she had a free moment, Jazmel was happy for her help, but he knew she was under a lot of pressure.

“Where are the others?” Mary said, Jazmel told her what had happened, and she bid them a good day and headed off to the infirmary too.

“Can I come with?” Tango asked when Jazmel and Baek began to head towards the gate. “Of course, let’s go.” Jazmel said and they exited the courtyard and the front gate, heading down the path towards the gate. Timone was walking up, carrying the carcass of what looked like a deer, which had a set of green antlers. The hunting around the outpost was good for now, but they were going to have to push further and further out if their numbers continued to grow, they would even have to end up fishing at this rate. “We are going into the labyrinth, tell the others?” Jazmel shouted after her and she raised a thumb to let him know she had heard him.

The three of them walked through the gate; together.