As soon as Duran’s foot cleared the spatial tear, the flaw in reality crumbled in on itself and vanished with the sound of tinkering glass. Shaking off his memories of a pink cow, Alex brought himself back to the present and inspected their surroundings.

  The first thing he noticed was the cold.

  Although his breath wasn’t fogging up, the air was still a few degrees colder. The room itself was also much larger than the one they had just vacated, and full of people and activity.

  Unlike in Luterra, several teleportation platforms were set into the stone floor, arranged in a rough line along one wall. Spatial tears opened and closed in staggered intervals, each shattering in space providing an outpouring of adventurers. Some came in ones and twos, like Alex and Duran, while others came in crowds of over a dozen.

  Not all of them looked how he expected.

  Alex saw the normal humans, dwarves and elves, but he also finally met some of the other intelligent species of this planet.

  Towering over most of the crowd were a few lizardmen, their scaled hides ranging from deep green to mottled brown, long tails swaying behind them as they moved with deliberate, heavy steps. Scattered here and there were beastfolk of various kinds—broad-shouldered wolf-men with bushy ears and thick fur along their forearms, lean women with feline eyes, even a pair with curved horns and cloven hooves who spoke in low, rumbling voices.

  Most striking of all were a small number of winged figures standing near one of the platforms, their feathered wings folded neatly against their backs. Their features were sharp and symmetrical, hair pale or silver, eyes bright in a way that seemed almost reflective.

  Most of the arriving adventurers gathered in small groups on one side of the room, queuing up for what Alex could only assume was… passport control?

  “Move away from the array! Don’t stand in the circle!” One of the nearby attendants barked. With a start, Alex realised the man was talking to the two of them.

  Nudging Duran, the two of them quickly shuffled off the platform and made their way to one of the queues. The space behind them immediately started fracturing to let through the next batch of adventurers.

  Alex almost felt like he was back on earth, disembarking from an international flight—of course, with much fewer rules and regulations. It seemed these people hadn’t had a devastating terror attack happen via teleporter.

  “First time, huh?” A voice broke Alex out of his thoughts. He looked around, unsure of where the voice had come from.

  “Down here.”

  Surprised, Alex looked down.

  A particularly short dwarf stood in front of him, barely reaching Alex’s waist. Unlike the other stocky, barrel-shaped specimens of his kind, this one was thin and wiry, almost skinny. His beard was braided tightly into two short plaits, and an elaborate robe covered most of his squat body.

  “First time using a teleporter?” the dwarf repeated, one bushy eyebrow raised.

  “Yeah,” Alex nodded reluctantly. “Why, is it that obvious?”

  “Well, not really, if you ignore the fact that you stood on the platform and stared at everything like a newborn fawn.” The short dwarf guffawed.

  “I wasn’t staring.” Alex scratched the back of his head. “I was just surprised by the change in temperature.”

  “Sure, sure.” The dwarf’s grin widened. “Name’s Brannik. Silver rank.”

  He tapped the badge pinned to his robe. Sure enough, a silver insignia gleamed against the dark fabric.

  “Alex,” he replied. “Bronze.”

  Brannik’s eyes flicked to the badge, then to the armour, then back up. He didn’t comment on the mismatch.

  “What’re you here for?” the dwarf asked as the queue shuffled forward.

  “The underground tunnel mission thingy.” Alex said as he moved.

  Brannik raised a doubtful eyebrow. “Really? Isn’t that one a bit… out of your league?”

  “Eh,” Alex shrugged. “I’m stronger than I look. The guild only assigned me this rank because I joined less than a month ago.”

  “Ah,” the dwarf’s eyes lit up in understanding. “So you’re one of those. Never mind then.”

  The line shuffled forward again.

  “I’m actually planning on taking the same mission if I can.” He confessed. “Or at least one in the same area, so we might run into each other while out there. Please take care of me if that happens.”

  “Of course,” Alex nodded magnanimously. “We adventurers have gotta take care of each other.”

  The dwarf grinned at that.

  After some more talking, it was soon Brannik’s turn to leave the queue. With a wave to Alex and Duran, the short, wiry mage left them.

  Before long, it was their turn.

  Up close, the booth looked even more temporary than it had from a distance. Rough wooden panels formed three sides of a narrow lane, funneling arrivals toward a long table covered in ledgers, loose parchment, and a pair of softly glowing crystals mounted onto metal stands. Thin, glowing wires feeding them ran visibly along the wall, secured with iron brackets instead of being embedded into the stone like permanent guild enchantments.

  It seemed that these contraptions were a temporary wartime measure, instead of a permanent guild feature.

  Alex cautiously stepped forward, half-expecting to be asked for documents he didn’t possess. A passport. An ID. Some formal writ proving he had the right to enter Ecrait territory.

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  Instead, the clerk simply held out his hand.

  “Badge.”

  Alex unclipped it and placed it on the table. The man ran a small crystal across the insignia. A thin rune flared briefly, confirming the guild’s authentication mark, then dimmed.

  “That’s all good,” the man muttered, making a quick notation in the ledger. His eyes shifted to Duran. “Companion?”

  “He’s with me,” Alex replied. “Though he’s not registered as an adventurer.”

  The clerk gave Duran a quick once-over, lingering on his missing arm, then shrugged. “Very well. Please follow the signs to the truth rooms, where you will be asked some questions. If there is no problem, you will be free to go.”

  Nodding in thanks, the two of them moved past the booth.

  Beyond, the airport-like layout continued. Waist high wooden fences separated the corridor into narrow walkways, each heading off to one place or another, denoted by signs. Having found a random [truth room] sign, Alex followed the path and quickly reached a familiar room.

  Once there, he and Duran were told to split up.

  What followed was a familiar song and dance, though the questions were less about his past, and more about his plans for the future. Since none of the questions touched upon anything he needed to hide, Alex was quickly allowed to leave, and Duran joined him shortly after. Hopefully, the taciturn ghoul hadn’t let anything sensitive slip in his… less than optimal state.

  Sighing despondently, finally Alex led his companion out of the screening area.

  The Alswalt guild hall was similar to the one in Luterra, albeit considerable larger.

  The ceiling was higher, supported by thick stone columns darkened by years of smoke and cold. Two rows of balconies stretched over the central hall, all advertising various necessary—and superfluous—adventuring essentials.

  Instead of long rows of heavy tables, the center of this guild hall was a wide-open space, though a large bar slash restaurant took up an entire side of the chamber. Most were occupied by armoured figures poring over maps or loudly talking and drinking.

  Turning his head, Alex beheld the bounty board, and his jaw dropped. If he’d previously thought that the Luterra guild had a large one… this one put it to absolute shame. Just the Bronze section of the board, by itself, was larger than the entire board back in Luterra.

  And unlike there, it wasn’t even the largest one.

  No, the largest section in Alswalt was the silver section, closely followed by gold of all things. That told Alex all he needed to know about the dangers and average level of power in this area.

  ‘Yeah, I might have to be a bit more careful with what I do around here.’ He rubbed his chin, then approached the nearest clerk who didn’t look overwhelmed.

  “Uh, hi,” he waved awkwardly. “I just arrived through the teleporter, and I was just wondering, where should I go to find out more about my assignment.”

  The woman looked up from her desk and sighed. “That depends. Are you here for a regular guild mission, or is it an army assignment?”

  “Uh, army.” Alex replied, unsure of the difference.

  “Thought so,” the woman nodded. “In that case you’ll want to go to the fort. It’s a bit north of the city, right by the entrance to the Labyrinth. You can’t miss it.”

  “Thanks,” Alex nodded at the woman and turned to leave. When they were far enough away, he turned to Duran with a perplexed expression. “The Labyrinth…?”

  The taciturn ghoul shrugged.

  Outside, the cold was sharper than inside the guild. Snow clung to the edges of rooftops and gathered in shallow drifts along the street, which wasn’t surprising considering they were several thousand miles north of where they were this morning.

  The architecture was sturdier than in Luterra—while the buildings over there were primarily wood, with only the occasional brick construction, Alswalt was built almost entirely of stone.

  Thick, dark blocks formed squat, heavy structures with narrow windows and reinforced doors. Iron bands wrapped around corners, and many roofs were sloped steeply to shed snow. The streets were wide and well-maintained, clearly designed to accommodate heavy traffic, and slight grooves carved into the paving stones suggested that enormous wagons passed through here regularly.

  There was an unmistakable industrial character to the place. The steady clang of hammers carried from multiple smithies, their chimneys venting thick smoke into the pale sky. But these weren’t simple commercial forges. Large double doors stood open to reveal racks of enchanted armour in various states of repair, and dozens of weapons of all kinds and styles were arrayed in a dazzling display.

  Alex was also surprised by the services on offer in the streets.

  Instead of mundane shops advertising baked goods, produce, tools or clothes, he saw appraisal houses with etched glass windows and mana-reactive signage, offering identification and valuation of unknown artifacts. There were rune-engraving studios promising to change your equipment into unbreakable armour fit for a god, mineral buyers posting fluctuating rates for raw ore, and outfitters selling reinforced packs, climbing gear, heavy lanterns, and specialized breathing masks.

  One storefront called [Relic Roulette] displayed nothing but sealed glass cases filled with odd trinkets and fractured relics, but its doors were bustling with activity. Even the taverns seemed tailored to a specific clientele, their boards promising [expedition storage], [secure vault rental] and other such things. Whatever drove this city’s economy, it wasn’t farming or trade caravans, that was for sure

  Alex slowed slightly, taking it all in.

  “Labyrinth guides! Latest paths and discoveries! Ten coppers!”

  A youthful voice distracted him from his musing.

  A thin child stood near the edge of the street, bundled in oversized winter clothing, holding a stack of cheaply bound pamphlets. The cover bore a rough illustration of a vast underground cavern, tiny figures standing at its edge with lanterns raised.

  Alex walked over.

  “Hey there, kid, what’s this about a labyrinth?”

  “Ah, hello sir!” the child cowered a little bit at Alex’s imposing figure, but quickly regained his courage. “I see that you are new here. In that case you’ve come to the right person! I might not look it, but old Caspar is the most trustworthy source of Labyrinth information around—at least at this price. For a mere ten coppers, you can come into possession of one of my brand new Labyrinth guides. It contains all the information you need to get acquainted with this wonder of the world, all for a measly ten coppers!”

  “All right, I get it, it’s ten coppers.” Alex smiled behind his helmet. “I’m assuming that you won’t tell me what this Labyrinth is unless I buy one of your guides?”

  The boy grinned.

  Shaking his head at the young entrepreneur, Alex dug through his coin pouch, only to realise he only had silvers. After a brief hesitation, he flicked a shimmering coin at the youth.

  “I’ll let you keep the change if you tell me what you know yourself.”

  Caspar’s eyes widened at his words, and he hid the coin as soon as he caught it, as if afraid someone might steal it.

  “Of course, sir, right away!” The boy immediately launched into a detailed explanation of what he knew of this ‘labyrinth’, patiently answering any of Alex’s questions to the best of his ability.

  According to him, the Labyrinth was the largest known subterranean structure in the world—so vast that even the most experienced explorers had only mapped a fraction of it. Its roots stretched beneath Ecrait and several neighbouring countries, under the sea, and all the way to the Free Kingdoms. No one knew where it ended. No one knew where it began.

  The Labyrinth had been around since forever, as far as history books were concerned. Not even the oldest gods—at least the ones willing to come forward and speak on the matter—knew when or where it originated, only that it was.

  All they knew was that its depths held both untold danger and unfathomable riches.

  ‘I guess that explains all the smithies, appraisal shops, and exploration stores.’ Alex thought.

  Caspar went on to explain something more unsettling: the Labyrinth was still expanding. Year by year, decade by decade, the Labyrinth showed slow, but measurable increases in territory. New chambers were constantly being discovered. Old boundaries shifted. Scholars debated the cause endlessly, offering theories ranging from ancient precursor civilizations to the labyrinth itself being alive. None had been confirmed.

  Alex listened without interrupting, committing the important details to memory.

  When Caspar finally ran out of breath, Alex simply nodded once and tucked the newly purchased guide into his armour.

  It seemed that his new assignment was promising to be much more interesting than he expected.

  He couldn’t wait.