Denizens of the Labyrinth

Complete the plaque.

Jazmel rubbed his temples; he had not slept well, and that sentence kept bothering him while he slept. He did not actually remember dreaming, but still he remembered that line. He pushed it to the side and getting up to sit at the edge of the bed, he looked at his stats.

Name: Jazmel

Level: 38

Species: Human

Rank: Seeker tier II

Health: 825/825

Stamina: 564/580

Mana: 720/720

STR:32 PER:31

VIT:29 END:32

INT:31 WIL:38

AGL:30 DEX:32

Skills:

Sword sense (tier I)

Slash (tier II)

Flight of the Blue kite (tier I)

Whirlwind (tier I)

Title(s):

FIEND SLAYER

SERPENT SLAYER

Unused Stat points: 0

16X WHITE GOLD COINS

867X GOLD COINS

Item(s):

100X GIANT SERPENT KILLED

34X GREAT SERPENT SKINS COLLECTED

25X GREAT SERPENT CORPSES COLLECTED

42X GREAT SERPENT FANGS COLLECTED

17X GREAT SERPENT GLANDS COLLECTED

RUSTED HELM COLLECTED

X3 RUSTED GREAVES COLLECTED

4X COLD IRON ORE

2/3 PIECES OF THE PLAQUE

BRANCH OF A TREE

5X HEALTH POTIONS

5X STAMINA POTIONS

1X ANTIDOTE POTION

SHADOW WRAITH

LEVEL 8

NO SKILLS

PARTY:

5/5

BAEK LVL 112

He was finally tier II a Seeker before moving to tier III. But the push to level 45 would be harder than it had been. He knew that much but he was not apprehensive, he knew the system would provide him with opportunities. He just needed to keep going in the direction he was, and the others would provide.

He showered quickly and got dressed, heading down to the inn main room where the others were having breakfast. He sat beside Sadé who was trying her best to stay busy and look everywhere other than himself. He did not think much of it. Just focused on his own meal and filled up on oats and warm biscuits.

Patton was explaining that the next gate was a short walk from the inn, and it was a toll gate, they would have to pay five gold coins to pass through.

Katie was complaining at the ‘robbery’ as she put it, but Bannerman pointed out that, it was likely that another gate existed somewhere else, but it probably did not go where this gate led to.

“A lot happened this gate, what we need to do, is grind through our levels. Upgrade our gear and prepare for the unexpected.” Patton expressed and they all agreed.

“The gates are randomised for most people, especially parties. It will bring you to places where the system believes you will all have opportunities. I imagine you would all have gone to completely various places if you had entered solo.” Baek offered.

“Do people solo the labyrinth a lot?” Katie asked him, clearly quite interested.

“In the first years of its opening, people did go in as teams or parties. But then betrayal and harder quests/tasks kept appearing. So, people decided to go in alone and try. Those who entered alone tended to grow stronger as they did not share the rewards with any others, they gathered exp and quest rewards on their own. Creating influence and domination.” Baek explained, he continued.

“I was a solo Seeker, aside from tasks where the system makes you join a team. I travelled a lot on my own before I met the Black dragon.” He explained and everyone sat in silence, eager to hear more.

“Who else aside from the Black Dragon is strong?” Patton asked, surprising the others as he never asked these sort of questions before.

“There are quite a few strong Master’s in the labyrinth some are boldly out, while others hide themselves away. But I think those who stand above all others. There are five.”

“Aspen Loch.” – Sadé gasped at that, and they all looked at her, but Baek continued.

“Aspen is a Master tier II, an elf. The strongest elf I have ever seen or met, she is a spirit summoner and immensely powerful. She could level a city on her own if she wanted to.” He explained and everyone was on the edge of their seat, Katie was even more excited than usual.

“Then there is Ilya the black witch. As her name states, she uses curses and hexes. She cleared a red gate on her own when she was a Ranker. She is extremely powerful; I would not fight her if I had other alternatives.”

“Anfen. A Lionese knight from the labyrinth, a powerful warrior and he leads his pride as they try to conquer the labyrinth. There is a gate that leads you to a literal war. I hope you never have to enter it. But he did and he came out on top, in the shortest amount of time. He gained fame after that.”

“Uther is a human swordsman, a knight king. In truth, I know the least amount about him. But I do know he has a divine sword, I heard tale that it was a tier III named sword, so powerful that he fought and killed a high Dragon when he was just a tier I Ranker.” Patton whistled at that, he, and Jazmel both perked up when he heard he was a swordsman. Jazmel wondered to himself, just what sort of sword could it be that he was using and how had he gained it.

“Last is the strongest, or so; I believe. His name is Xian Fei. A martial artist, though I have seen him use many weapons, but in truth. He is a weapon. They all are Master’s between tier I – III. But he is the one I think is stronger than them all.” Baek confessed and Jazmel felt a cold sweat form on his shoulders.

“Why him? What sets him apart?” Bannerman asked.

“While they all are strong. Xian Fei is the only one who covers all the bases. Some are extremely powerful and in part use that as a defence. While others use magic to cover their range and boost their lacking skills with support and summons. But Xian Fei is the only one who has no lacking parts. He practices and tempers himself in all forms, he uses weapons, Martial Arts, Mana, and I have even seen him use Qi. Truly he is the strongest man I have met in this labyrinth.” Baek told them and the mood of the room was a strange one.

“Where does the black dragon come in the rankings?” Katie asked and Jazmel looked at her, she shrugged but offered him a smile.

“Surely you are curious too.” She said and in fairness, Jazmel was. Baek smiled.

“I cannot be precise, just like I cannot provide a proper order to those five. If he is not in the top ten, then I imagine he is remarkably close to it.” Baek explained to them all and Patton whistled.

“That is surely something to live up to. Top ten in the entire labyrinth?” he said, and Jazmel agreed.

“I have a question.” Sadé spoke up and it frightened Jazmel a little, she had not spoken since he had seen her this morning.

“Master tier is the highest rank?” she asked, and everyone turned to look back at Baek.

“Why do you ask?” he said with a rare smile.

“Well, you said a while ago, that the gap between ranker and master is high. But you also said that the gaps between master’s in different tiers are also high. So is Master tier the highest rank or is there something above?” she asked, and Jazmel had to agree there was sense to what she was asking.

“Well to be honest with you. Nobody knows. There are still so many things we do not know about the labyrinth; I could not answer that for you. Did you know that Ranker was the highest up until someone completed the fiftieth floor. that made the labyrinth rotate for the first time. If we go off of that, then the hundredth floor should release something too.” He told them all, Jazmel sat back. Confused but also feeling the daunting weight of the size of the labyrinth.

“How many floors have been completed so far?” Patton asked and Jazmel sat forward, instantly interested again.

“Ninety-nine. The hundredth floor is just too hard to complete other gates have been found, gates that were not open or registered when the ninety ninth floor had been complete. But they all lead to the hundredth floor.” he explained.

“Have you been?” Patton asked.

“I have been to the hundredth floor, but I left almost immediately. That terrain is more than I could hope to manage.” He told them and Jazmel shivered, a little scared.

“What is it?” Katie asked and Baek looked at her a little confused.

“What is the task of the hundredth gate?” she asked again.

“An Ancient High Dragon. You have to defeat it, either as a party or alone.” The group sighed and shook their heads.

“What? What does that mean?!” Jazmel asked and not for the first time, he was annoyed with his lack of knowledge.

“Dragons are apex beings within the labyrinth, they affect fate and destiny. But can also wrought chaos and ruin. They are extremely powerful, and it would take an extremely powerful party to beat a high tier dragon.” Baek explained.

“Dragons are complicated as they come in four different forms. Dragons are the beginning and the first you will usually encounter. That being said they can range from tier II all the way up to tier IV.” Bannerman explained.

“But then you have the second type, Elder Dragons. These are usually the friendly ones; they provide high rewards for tasks and quest they can set. They are sort of like heralds. But in creature form.” Katie explained.

“Then you have High Dragons, they are powerful beings. All power and all magic, they usually reside over treasures and have to be defeated, but they are too powerful for one party. I have heard of dragons only being defeated by three parties in some cases.” Patton told him and he nodded in understanding.

“Then you have the final one, the ancient Dragon. These are creatures that are at the height of their power. Beings of immense size and magic, they have taken many lives and usually only high-level Rankers and Masters are ever picked or tasked to face them.” Sadé said finally.

“So, the current highest floor is an Ancient High Dragon which could be tier IV or higher?” Jazmel concluded but Baek shook his head and they all looked at him.

“It is even worse. It is named.” At this, Bannerman laughed. It was more a bark than a laugh, but the astonishment alone made Jazmel jump.

“Why would that be worst?” Jazmel asked and this time Sadé answered him.

“There are many mysteries in the labyrinth, and one is the mystery of names. There is a power in named things, some say that is why we Seekers are strong because from birth we have names.” She explained to him and Baek soon continued.

“That is why named weapons are greater than those that they share the tier with. Because they are just stronger. A name is like a soul and a monster with a name is just almost the same.” Baek explained.

“So, you mean, that the strongest of the strongest Dragons. Which is also a strong, but this creature also has a name?” Jazmel said and everyone laughed. Even Baek hid a smile.

“But the hundredth floor is a long while away. We just need to focus on what we are doing and continue.”