Alright! We made it!

(Press enter or space)

After about four hours of mucking about in the Zoza sewer system.

This place is incredible. The soldiers weren't kidding... It almost feels like the room is alive.

Hello!

Gwah! Who was that?!

The room!

OMG.

Just kidding!

I'm Distal Fragment 1,890,139's STMI Interface Unit, but you can call me Stymie! I know lots of things about the Labyrinth, so you can talk to me if you have any questions.

We'll definitely take you up on that.

Does STMI stand for something?

STMI is short for "System that Misrepresents Information."

Or was it "System that Misinterprets Information..."

In any case, I'm happy to help if you get stuck.

So what brings you two down here?

We're labyrinth hobbyists!

Well, "researchers" is what they call us at the university.

You get about the same budget either way.

How exciting! Have you studied many other labyrinths?

Well...

Only dead ones.

Kodaly!

What? It's true.

All the other living labyrinths in the world are in nations the Southern Allies are at war with.

Not to mention there are only three of them around to begin with.

Which is why we're so grateful for this opportunity. It's so much different to map a living system than it is to map a fossil.

I'm honored!

I can't speak for the labyrinth in its entirety, but if I were it, I imagine I would be flattered by your enthusiasm.

:3

:3

So you don't represent the entire labyrinth?

I'm just a small part that broke off and integrated with the STMI System.

...

The TMI System.

...

The MI System?

I had no idea that was possible.

So you don't know how big the wider labyrinth is?

The only branches I can see are the three in front of me, which are quite small.

Everything back to the north is a complete mystery.

Tell me all about it if you ever end up going there!

Hey, Stymie.

Hello!

There's a key at the bottom of that pool back there, but the water seems to have a current running through it. Do you know any way of shutting it off?

Normally I would, but the data cube for that room was removed from my circuit board a few days ago.

It's behind the puzzle wall at the bottom of the lift one room over to the west.

Removed? Did someone take it?

I'm actually not sure. But my bet is, it was that dark-furred soldier who stayed behind.

He was tampering with some other systems at some point.

A soldier stayed behind!? Is he... is he still here?

He went north, so I have no way of knowing.

So he's probably still here in the labyrinth.

Possibly.

There may be other exits behind me that I don't know about. But, given that up until a few months ago the labyrinth had a room/entrance ratio of 20,004,831 to 0, I've got to assume it's unlikely.

But it's not impossible.

On second thought, I'm not sure if he was really a soldier... but he looked like it.

Anyway, let me know if you find that data cube and I'll be happy to turn off the current in the sauna for you.

Thanks!

Woah!

I went up.

So it would seem.

I wonder what else this thing can do.

Go down, I bet.

bzzt crackle

I don't know why I expected to get a signal down here.

We are a mile underground, after all.

Do you think the labyrinth made this too?

It looks more like something one of the soldiers left behind.

Perfectly good radio. Those bastards.

I mean it might actually be broken. It's hard to tell.

Hmm.

Yep. Still broken.

Thank god you checked.

Any luck finding that data cube?

Not yet!

Keep me posted!

Hey! Another key!

Just gonna... reach...

YOWZER!

Oh my God! Are you okay?

My wing is cramping up like crazy.

I think it's electrified.

I still want to see if we can get that key though.

We should ask Stymie if she knows how to turn off the current in this room.

Or if she knows where we can find any long wooden poles...

I told you we should have packed the 10-foot poles.

It's dangerous to touch the water, but I think we'll need that key to move deeper into the labyrinth.

This one's locked.

Man, com'on, door, that's no fair.

...

...

Let's look for a key.

Ah. Still locked.

Figures.

It fits!

Yay!

I don't think I can carry anything else right now.

Who are you talking to?

Can't... Too heavy...

You're just carrying two things!

I only got two arms, Bridget!

I'm carrying too many things right now. I don't even have arms.

Wings are specialized arms, Kodaly...

You make a good point. Still only have two.

I also can't hold any more items right now.

We're just wee men.

Neither of us are men.

We're just wee.

Wee little men.

Too many items for wee little fellows.

Fellows is good.

We're just wee fellows.

With two arms each.

I can't hold any more keys.

Me neither!

They're surprisingly heavy.

I don't know if "surprising" is right—they're more than half the length of your body.

And we are but wee men.

Have you decided to become a man?

I've decided to become a wee man.

My inventory is full.

I'm beginning to think there are too many keys.

I can't carry any more keys right now.

That was fast. Are you okay down there?

Peachy keen.

Anything interesting?

There are four little alcoves around this locked hatch with a button on it.

That's actually really interesting.

I'll leave you to it.

Holler when you're ready to come up.

Ready for hoisting!

Hoisting you now!

What do you think this big circle does?

Whatever it is, I'm sure standing directly in the middle of it is sure to yield interesting results.

Which is why I'm going to stand over here by these buttons.

Nothing seems to have happened.

What?

Nothing! Sorry!

Stymie! We found your missing data cube!

Yippie!

Let me see what I can do here.

hmmr

HrmmMMN

HrrrrrrnnNNNNngg

HRRRRRRAAARRAG

Okay! It should be safe to use the sauna now.

Let's check it out.

Stymie, we found this weird glowing cube behind a locked panel.

Oh yippie!

That's my data cube. With this I can turn off the electricity in the sauna. Let me see what I can do here.

hmmr

HrmmMMN

HrrrrrrnnNNNNngg

HRRRRRRAAARRAG

Okay! It should be safe to touch the water now.

Let's check it out.

It's not that I don't trust Stymie, but...

I can't tell if the current has dissipated.

How do we test something like that?

Do you have a blade of grass?

I don't feel anything with the back of my wing.

...

Got it.

Yay!

Looks like the bridge's been cut.

I bet I could lasso that post if we had a long enough rope.

Here goes nothing.

Here goes nothing.

Yes!

That should help us cross.

Damn! It's locked!

And after all your hard work too.

Aw, man. Still locked.

What were you expecting?

At least we can get these candles.

It's too far away to reach that. We'll have to find something around here to help us cross.

I thought goliath frogs could jump could jump like, super far.

I mean, not particularly far compared to our body size.

If it were five or ten feet closer, I would feel more confident.

Alright! Deeper into the labyrinth we go.

How's your map looking so far?

Let's take a look.

Off to a good start.

An infinitesimal fraction of an expanding behemoth, but a good start.

Oh man! A potted shrub!

Drake Messel's team in the Stal-Haberson labyrinth theorized that shrubs in l-nodes are actually independent, commensalistic organisms, and not labyrinth-constructs.

Messel says the shrub grows in a crack in the floor, and the labyrinth falsely recognizes it as a part of itself and builds a pot around it.

Seeing this now, though... It feels wrong to assume that. My hypothesis has always been that it's a mutualistic relationship.

There would have to be some benefit to the labyrinth in order for it to keep the shrub around.

Otherwise it would heal the crack and the shrub would die.

So there's something about this shrub that the labyrinth is using to give us a clue about how to get further in?

That's my bet.

Or it's like a pet or something.

It does kind of look like a numeral 7.

It does kind of look like a numeral 1.

I wonder if the Stal-Haberson labyrinth has numeral 7 shrubs.

I wonder if the Stal-Haberson labyrinth has numeral 1 shrubs.

Hey, isn't it kind of fucked up that labyrinths get de facto named after the people who found ‘em?

Probably has its own name for itself and we just don't know.

Maybe if we get to the heart, we can ask this labyrinth its name.

That is fucked up.

We should ask Stymie about labyrinth names when we go back.

What on earth was that?

...

Labyrinth names?

Tim.

Chris.

CHRIS?

TIM?

Stacy.

Gary.

*fainted*

Jaff Alamack.

Leslie Minor.

Leslie Major.

Good Christian Metermaid.

Joshua Joshua.

Solid Ribbon Ceremony.

Mike Buck Wheat.

Classic Melon Pop Tart.

Susan Eventually.

Blue Brittany.

That's a hypothetical list I've been working on.

...

Woah—uh.

Hello.

Hey, guys!

...!

Oh!

Hi there. Didn't see you come in.

I didn't think there was anyone still here.

Neither did we.

Well...

(On second thought, let's keep our theoretical rogue soldier to ourselves for now.)

Who are you?

I'm Summer Verily. I was contracted to catalogue objects here by the Kestevens Institute. Nice to meet you. Sorry for the mess.

Ah. Kestevens.

Nice to meet you too. I'm Bridget Wong, this is Jeno Kodaly. We're researchers from the Azzenand School.

I wasn't aware anyone else was given a permit to be here.

I was about to mention the same thing. By the time we left the capital we were still the only ones who had applied for a permit.

So it's... impressive that you're already deeper in than we are.

I have a knack for puzzles.

And technology!

Stymie?

That's me!

Stymie, are you alright? What is she doing to you?

Relax, I'm just expanding her sensor radius. She'll be good as new in a second.

Stymie was so helpful in that innert floret to the south that I thought I would try to get her set up here as well.

She should be eventually able to integrate with her original consciousness.

It's very funny, this all feels so high-tech, but essentially you're doing horticulture.

Pruning, grafting...

Hey!

That tickles!

Sorry. All done.

Ho!

Haha!

Now we're talking.

Rooms branch out behind me in two florets to the east and west, but the main path continues at least 10 cells north. Oooh.

Room 5N9W2S.

Bridget, you'll like that one.

Thanks a million, Verily!

You're welcome.

Say, Ms. Verily—Dr. Verily?

Have you been deeper in yet? Do you know what lies ahead?

Eh—

No, not yet.

Do let me know if it's anything interesting.

I'll be working in this room for a while, so you probably won't miss me much if you're going back and forth. This is as deep as I need to go.

I'm glad I ran into you two.

You know, I actually feel a lot safer now that I know there are other people in the labyrinth.

I didn't realize how on-edge I was.

Happy to be of service!

Let us know if you need any food or supplies too.

I'm okay right now, but thank you.

Stay safe.

You get the feeling that Verily is up to something?

Oh definitely.

I don't like how non-chalantly she was tampering with Stymie.

Even though it seems like Stymie apparently consented.

Didn't we do the essentially same thing when we found her missing data cube?

I don't know... She made a specific request, didn't she?

Did she? I thought it was more like "if you find my data cube, then I can turn off the electric current for you."

It certainly seemed like it was part of the puzzle, though. We might not even have been able to get any deeper in without Stymie. Like the labyrinth knew what was missing and wanted us—

Well.

I shouldn't assume that the labyrinth wants anything, but one thing is clear.

The labyrinth always ensures that there is a way forward.

The datacube, for instance.

Why would the dark-furred soldier engineer a devious puzzle for it when he could just huck it into the chasm?

I think that's exactly what he did. Then he electrified the water and cut the bridge, and the labyrinth gave us rope and a candle puzzle.

It would be a similar method to how the objects we drop migrate back to their starting positions.

The same logic applies to Stymie. There's no reason why a Simple Task-Mounting Interface would be able to control electric output in another room.

They're not set up for that. Just scanning and communication. Soldiers complain about it all the time.

Stymie was given that power by the labyrinth.

Some system of the labyrinth checked if passage to the heart was possible from the lobby, returned with a "no" and made adjustments to make it possible.

What I'm stuck on is: What's the difference between an open door and a door that could theoretically be opened?

And: to be opened by who? Who's the intended audience?

And if it's us: why us? This place was underground for probably thousands of years before emerging.

And if it's really "intent," or just a byproduct of our assumptions.

Right.

And also: Why would an organism evolve this way in the first place...

...

Speaking of the rope bridge...

If we're assuming that the soldier cut the bridge, how did Verily get across?

Unless Verily cut the bridge, the soldier must have passed her at some point.

Unless we're missing something.

It seems like we dont have the whole picture.

I think we'll end up with a lot more questions before any of these get answered.

Verily—

Hello, Dr. Wong.

You haven't seen anyone else down here have you?

Anyone else?

No, certainly not.

Why do you ask?

Stymie mentioned someone was tampering with her systems.

A dark-furred, male soldier.

A mysterious green-eyed stranger—

He wore a patch over his eye and a grim, determined expression that betrayed nothing about him but the dire importance of his mission, his heart of gold, and his tragic past.

I think he was a stoat.

Interesting.

No, I haven't seen anyone fitting that description.

We can't leave yet, we just got here!

Who was that directed to?

...

...

...

The player?

Is the player diagetic?

...

...

...

...

Kodaly, can you clarify (for the player) what "diagetic" means?

I definitely know what it means.

Why yes, Bridget. "Diagetic" means "existing in the world of the game."

Thank... you...

There's some sort of display screen behind those curtains, but it's powered off.

The display terminal itself doesn't have any buttons. I wonder if this long yellow wire has anything to do with it.

That... Would be my hypothesis.

In fact, if it's not the blue wire I'll eat my hat.

But you're not wearing a hat!

If it's not the blue wire I'll eat your hat.

Hey!!!

It's locked!

What a devilish conundrum.

It's locked.

This one is also locked.

Bridget!

What?

This one's locked.

...

Thank you for the information.

Locked.

There's something strange about this door.

It's locked.

That's ... arguably normal in this floret.

Huzzah! The key! The lock! The key in the lock.

Another mystery put to bed by the Azzenand Labyrinth Research Department.

Hey, guys! Long time no see! What's it like up north?

Wait, what? We were just talking to you and Verily in the lobby back there.

Ooh, a guessing game! I love these.

...

Who's Verily?

Wait, so you and the other STMI terminal are distinct systems? You don't have her memories?

Guess not! Haven't seen you since you left the lobby.

Huh.

I guess we should fill you in then.

We met someone called Summer Verily in the northern lobby. She claims to be a researcher from the Kestevens Institute.

But some things don't quite line up.

Did anyone else pass to the north? Other than the rogue soldier.

...

Oh, you know?

I have no idea.

Any number of other people might have gone that way when the army was finishing their survey. That was before I was sentient.

Someone could have accessed my wiring panel and edited my log data, and I would have had no idea.

But Verily definitely wasn't here when the soldiers were still kicking around.

The government would have had a fit.

So she must have come later.

Unless she's a soldier too.

Surely she would have told us if she were a soldier.

Well, I mean...

Maybe there's something the Southern Alliance still wants with this place that they won't admit to on paper. Verily could be an undercover opperative.

Maybe we should finish this discussion in another room.

Stymie, would you mind keeping this conversation between us?

No problem, Bridget! STMI units are known for their unwavering confidentiality!

Thanks, Stymie. We'll talk to you again soon.

So.

To recap... Verily had to have come in before us—

Unless there's a second entrance to the labyrinth.

And after the rogue soldier.

Unless the labyrinth somehow cut its own rope bridge.

Both are possible but seem unlikely.

And she said she was in the lobby the whole time, so she would have seen the soldier—or whoever he is—if he passed her.

But she said she hadn't seen anyone at all.

Which means...

Which means that either she cut the rope bridge—

or she does know the soldier, and lied.

...

Hmm.

You know, if we were able to radio to either Kestevens or the permit office, we could check if Verily was telling the truth about being certified.

There is the problem of being a few thousand feet underground.

Right.

And when has Kestevens ever volunteered information to us that wasn't subpoenaed by the high court.

And when has the permit office ever replied to our messages within a month and a half.

...

We'll just keep on our toes then.

Hey guys!

Did you figure out if Verily is an undercover Southern Alliance operant or not?

What?

Did you figure out if Verily is an undercover Southern Alliance—

Wait, wait, wait, wait—

What?

I said did you figure out—

I thought you were disconnected from your other... from the other Stymie. How do you remember our conversation from the south lobby?

Ah...

Yes, I see the confusion.

I have access to that Stymie's memory—she doesn't have access to mine.

:3

I'm lost.

Hmm.

I'm not sure exactly how to put this into words.

I guess you can think of it in terms of the flow of "action" and the flow of "information."

Information travels from the buds to the heart. "Actions" travel from the heart to the buds.

Actually, "action" is the wrong word. That would imply that the heart of the labyrinth is a decision-making apparatus.

Essentially, this room can send an "action" to any of the rooms of the south floret, and south Stymie will believe that the action originated from her.

Likewise, information that south Stymie collects passes through me on its way to the heart, and not vice versa.

Huh...

So, do all the decisions come from the heart? Or are you capable of making decisions by yourself?

Oops. There are no parts of the labyrinth that are responisble for decision-making. Nor am I independant from the labyrinth. Nor is it centralized.

So you wouldn't call yourself a decision-making agent either?

...

What does it mean to make a decision?

Like, could you decide to fill a room with decorative vases?

Why would I do that?

Just if you wanted to.

...

Maybe we're asking the wrong question.

Do you consider yourselves decision-making agents?

Of course.

...

Kodaly?

It depends on who you ask. To a certain degree our decisions are controlled by the circumstances of our birth. I wouldn't call myself a fatalist, but there are certain options unavailable to me because of my cultural programming. Things I just wouldn't even think of.

So you can't really be sure if it's you making the decision?

I'm sure. Today I wore this checkered doublet. I could have worn a solid blue doublet, but I like this one better, so I wore it instead.

Oh, I see.

So you have reasons for the things you do.

Typically.

It wouldn't be accurate to describe the "actions" that the labrinth takes in terms of options, decisions, and outcomes. And there aren't reasons for the things it does, at least not on a cognitive level.

It grows knots around itself, repurposing materials to optimize nutrient flow.

But that's just how it is. That the shape of it.

It's a shape made by what is necessary given the ideal form—the area-maximizing form—and the real conditions of the world: the mineral content of the rock, the forces of subduction and uplift, the solvant power of water.

That conversation results in the actual shape, which is the only shape that it ever could have taken.

Hopefully that's clear.

Woah, cool.

Must be an underground lake.

Looks like there's an envelope wedged in the ornamentation up there.

Must be a clue.

Do you think you can jump up and grab it?

...

Goliath frogs aren't really known for their vertical leaps per se.

You're a frog!

Maybe you could fly up to it.

These are gliding wings.

Well, it seems like it's being suspended by that rope over there. If we had something sharp we could cut it down.

Do we still have that sword from the south lobby?

Good idea.

That rope over there is supporting the chandelier. If we cut it down, we could get that envelope.

This rope isn't tied to a hook or anything, looks like it just goes straight into the wall.

If we had that sword from the south lobby we could cut it free.

Alright, stand back.

Hyaa!

What's it say?

Well that's strange. Here, take a look.

It looks as though it's only half of a clue.

I'll leave it here and we can come back if we need a second look.

Let's see if we can figure this out.

It's plugged in, but there's no power running to it.

It's some sort of panel in the wall. I don't see any way of opening it.

Yes!

A numerical code!

I wonder if this has anything to do with the potted shrubs.

Oh, hey guys.

Hey, Verily.

What are you up to?

Just writing up my report.

You know how it is with reports.

It's one of the few things I do know!

Couldn't you write your report when you're back on the surface?

I suppose I could.

I like to do it while I'm still in the field. You know.

Immersion.

What exactly was it you were here for again?

Kestevens contracted me to analyze the kinds of objects that appear here, so we can compare them to kinds found in other labyrinths.

Their properties and molecular compositions, etc. But also the cultural contexts around them, symbology, and design.

You don't need to go further in for that? Like to catalogue more objects?

Perhaps future expeditions will venture deeper, but they're not paying me nearly enough for that!

What about you? You said you were making a map?

Yep!

Gonna map the whole thing?

Maybe!

If we can make it to the heart, we might. But I doubt we'll go further.

Depends on how far away it is.

But we'll damn well try!

Haha!

You two are quite the pair. If there's anyone who can find the truth of the labyrinth, I'm sure it's you.

Books!

A little library!

Huh.

There was a library in the labyrinth of Bara Portcullis, right?

All I remember from the rumors was that all the books were made of stone.

I don't remember hearing anything quite so concrete.

...

Although, last year when I was in Derin, I met this Northern Alliance researcher who claimed to have been in Bara Portcullis.

He said the books were made of paper, and filled with millions of strange, rectilinear glyphs.

He had copied a few pages of them down in his notebook, but before he could show me, the police busted in.

He slipped away down a fire escape, and I never saw him again.

Do you think he was telling the truth? They were filled with glyphs?

He seemed like a dedicated scientist.

It's a shame the war makes it so hard to share information.

I can't imagine universities in the north know anything more about us than we do about them.

These books don't seem to have titles, do they.

Woah! Check this out.

It's a novel.

...

I can't make heads or tails of it.

Listen to this:

"Lanternhouse: a vaulted massy educated mink in a miserable natural nestegg."

It's nonsense.

It's incredible!

What about that one?

"The subtle stacks of what we pledged in dented concern to maple leaves. Those, sainted, they, their hens heavily in an inch of bread."

That one makes less sense.

Let's try another.

"The same thing happened in the Lizard Shaker, whose mountains braved me, braved me berated. It was solvant: a heartbeat of reason. Only a heathgrove longshot to proffer her abjurers, to the eaveless uncharted who kept reviling clustered noises."

Hm. Do you think the labyrinth just generated junk text to fill the books because it understands that books should have text?

Or do you think it really does understand our language and is just conserving resources by not generating a sensical work?

It clearly understands at least a little of our grammar, if not our vocabulary.

Maybe that's why it uses Stymie to communicate.

But it does understand our grammar! That's huge.

It could have been random letters, or random words with no order.

But instead it's words used with a vague understanding of where they should be placed in a sentence, but with no aparent understanding of their meaning.

Do you want to give one a go?

Sure, let's see.

"Once suspected affection, a memory walked through our Kindergarten—faster marrying a sandstorm and licking the banister group. The pirates was pulling the network. In the dark back, the gluegun was only so hard as to have."

I wonder if there's any meaning to their spine color.

I think my brain's turned to mush.

...

...

!!!

...

Hey, wait!

Dead end!

He must have gone the other way!

Where is he?

He must have slipped by us—

Where would he have hidden?

Maybe he went through the combination door.

In a matter of seconds?

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck

Whoever he is, he clearly doesn't want to talk to us.

And if he's the soldier Stymie mentioned, he might be dangerous.

Maybe we shouldn't chase after him blindly.

But I have so many questions!!

Stymie!

Bridget!

Did you see anyone pass—wait where's Verily?

Oh, Ms. Verily finished her upgrades to me. She said you would be able to find her in the porthole room.

Stymie, I think we found your rogue soldier.

Oh! Good, I'm always misplacing those.

You didn't see him come this way did you?

Not that I know of!

Stymie!

Bridget!

Did you see anyone pass this way?

Not that I know of! Why?

I think we found your rogue soldier.

Oh! Good. I'm always misplacing those.

Do keep me apprized.

Of course. Can you let us know if he comes this way?

Probably!

It's a flower pot.

That's true.

Onwards and inwards!

How far do you want to go before we set up camp?

It must be around dusk now.

Let's play it by ear.

If we get stuck on a puzzle then we can make camp and sleep on it.

But I'm not sleepy yet.

Are you hungry?

Mmm. Yeah.

Do you still have those plums?

Yes.

I would love a plum.

One plum for the madame.

Thank you, sir knight.

How's the map looking?

Let's take a look.

Now this is interesting.

It's a fractal. But the pattern is unlike any in other recorded labyrinths.

But I guess this pattern makes sense for a labyrinth with square rooms.

But still, why a fractal?

Plants and animals use fractals to maximize the ratio of surface area to material, like in roots and veins.

But the labyrinth doesn't have the same needs as plants and animals.

And it's underground. So why is it maximizing surface area?

I guess we'll find out once we map more of it.

That was easy.

We'd better take these too.

I don't know, Bridget...

This seems like a classic case of "Too Many Keys".

Is that ... a documented phenomenon?

Not yet, but my pencil is hovering above the page.

Then we'll hang onto them for now.

Ah.

Well now this seems like a classic case of "Too Many Keys".

Is that ... a documented phenomenon?

It is now!

It looks like we need to find a pipe segment that will fit this gap.

We don't have the right pipe segment.

We don't have a pipe segment that will fit there.

We need to find a pipe segment that's the right size to fit this gap.

It fits!

It looks like we can travel south from here in this boat.

Let's go sailing!

Well, technically, since it's not a sailboat, we can't go "sailing" because it doesn't have a sail.

Technically you should say 'let's go boating' or something like that.

Sure, sure, whatever you say.

Let's go sailing!

I've observed another issue, which is that there aren't any oars.

That is challenging.

I suppose we could paddle with our hands.

I'm sure there are oars around here somewhere.

If we don't find any we can try paddling with our hands.

Also, the water isn't even that deep, and I don't think it's electrified.

So, really there's nothing stopping us from just wading in it.

We would get all wet.

We...

We would get all wet.

Let's see if we can find some oars. If not, we can always wade to the other side.

You don't have to stand on the platform, you know.

We don't necessarily know if it's—

Bridget!!!

...?

Move me up and down!!!

YES!!!

Kodaly.

Yes, Bridget?

I shall have that teddy bear.

Obviously!

We will stop at nothing.

There will be blood.

Okay, Mx. Art History Minor — do you recognize these paintings?

Sorry to disapoint. They're clearly immitating a particular artist, but I can't place them.

Definitely Pastoral era.

We should make sketches of them and consult an expert.

They could be authentic, even. Lost masterpieces, somehow obtained from the surface.

Of course, the alternative is that the labyrinth at some point learned the pastoral style.

For that matter, unless the labyrinth is somehow reading our minds, each of the items we've encountered is an example of how the labyrinth learned the function of objects from the surface.

Ropes span chasms. Keys unlock doors. Paintings belong in a gallery.

I'm curious to read Verily's findings on the other objects here.

It's about time someone analyzed the molecular structures of objects found in labyrinths.

If she's not lying about being on contract with Kestevens.

Right.

What do you know about Kestevens?

If we know something Verily ought to know as a contractor, we might be able to catch her.

I still have those subpoenaed files from when Kestevens stole our research two years ago. They have payroll information, and lists of past contractors.

It's... back in my office, of course.

What else do we know about Kestevens that only a contractor would know?

...

While it's clear that Verily is up to something... I don't think we need to catch her at it.

I don't feel that we're under threat.

We can always retreat to the surface and radio the permit office if something goes awry.

But if Verily's here in secret for personal, non-invasive research, I would hate to see her arrested.

So, I think we ought not probe deeply.

I would like to keep her on good terms if we can.

Look behind the paintings. Maybe there are clues.

!!!

SECRET

PASSIDGE

I'm freaking out right now.

Good evening, intrepid explorers!

Good evening, Stymie.

Welcome to lobby three.

The third lobby.

The lobby of which there were two in front of it, and this is the next.

Before you are three independent florets, each of which contain part of the key to the northernmost door.

You will need all three keys to progress, but watch out!

I put sixteen feral raccoons in a random room.

Really?

Yes?

It's ... a blank sign?

Stymie, what does that sign say?

It's backwards and stuck inside the pillar.

Skill issue??

It's a Y-pipe!

A what pipe?

A Y-pipe.

What's a why pipe?

A pipe in the shape of a Y.

Which shape?

A Y-shape.

It's a Y-shaped pipe!

Why's that?

That's just what it's called.

Why?

...

Wh...

Whai. pa

Pi...!

Paip?...?

I'm just fucking with you, I know what a Y-pipe is.

Oh thank god.

(The sound of sixteen feral racoons who have fallen into a chasm)

Did you hear that?

Hm. It must have been the wind.

It's missing a handle.

It must be a clue to another puzzle in this floret.

Kind of reminds me of that town model in the library.

It's a spare handle.

It's a cupcake.

Want to split it?

Nah. It's all yours.

I don't really do sugar.

A little treat for me...

A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me A little treat for me

It's a pipe segment!

Let's see if this will fit in one of the gaps we saw.

This must be one of the missing pipe segments we need.

Did you ever hear those stories about people who lived for months at a time in the labyrinth at Bara Portcullis?

I recall the headline in one of those sensationalist magazines you see for five marks at the grocer's stall. I just skimmed the story, but I wasn't sure if it was fact or fiction. The details seemed spurious.

Those writers have a knack for spinning stories like cotton candy.

I'm jealous. A little flair for yellow journalism could make grant-writing more appealing than pulling teeth.

But anyway, the point was that nothing actually sensational happened in Bara Portcullis, although that was probably what was so sensational about it.

A small group of art students lived in it secretly for two months.

They ate the labyrinth food. Drank the labyrinth water.

Solved the labyrinth puzzles.

Aparently no effect on their psyche.

Not only were they not devoured by the labyrinth, as people feared they would be...

it provided them nourishment.

Anabelle always said I was going to get devoured by a labyrinth.

Kodaly, is it weird that I feel safer in the labyrinth that in a cave or a tunnel?

I feel like it's protecting us.

I can sense the rock outside, being held back by the walls. It's saturated with groundwater out there, like a sponge.

Yeah that is weird.

You're weird.

Ow! Haha!

You don't want a sandwhich, do you?

I'll be okay.

Oh fuck.

Oh we're fucked.

!?!!

What!

Hoo?!?!

Wheh?!?!?!??!

There's no way the labyrinth did that.

That soldier cut the bridge.

That means he's been FOLLOWING US ???

We're stuck here.

We're gonna die in this little four-room floret and they're gonna find our skeletons in ten years when they decide the labyrinth has strategic military value.

Never gonna see my wife and kids again, Bridget!

Kodaly, you don't have a wife and kids.

Never gonna finish my paper on the life cycle of the scarlet-spotted snicker beetle!

That's more realistic.

Don't panic.

We'll think of something.

More importantly, we now know the soldier is actively hostile to us and is tracking our movements.

He thinks we seek to oppose him.

He thinks we're a threat.

Oh we're fucked.

It's too far to jump.

That was NOT here a second ago!

This looks important.

There must be some way to get beyond that glass.

Where's a good crowbar when you need one?

Kodaly!

These basins are each connected to a clear, glass pipe.

Oh hello, you two.

Found the center yet?

Hahaha!

Ha!

No?

Why is that shrub on fire?

I wanted to confirm something.

And what was that exactly?

That the shrub is flammable.

Verily.

I don't think we should be burning objects here.

We are guests.

What makes you say that?

...

I'll explain my hypotheses if you douse your fire.

Yeah, I don't know how they do things at Kestevens—

But if you came into my house and started grilling my glibsies, I'd be moved to reconsiliatory action.

But then, Kodaly,

I never would have known that the plants in your house burn, but do not wilt or blacken.

The shrub has been burning for twenty minutes, and shows no sign of being consumed.

Verily. I still think you should put the fire out.

I think it's imprudent to tamper with the labyrinth so openly.

We still don't know if or how the labyrinth feels about our presence.

It could easily destroy us, if it wished. (v dowses the fire)

I'd like to see it try.

By the way,

That broken chandelier outside

That wouldn't happen to be your work?

And, if it was, what is the difference between destroying a chandelier and lighting a potted plant on fire?

(She has a point!)

(Don't agree with her!)

I understand your perspective, Verily, but getting the chandelier down was part of the puzzle.

The labyrinth itself is the puzzle.

Can't you see that?

"Every room in the labyrinth contains the entire sum of the labyrinth."

There's no other way to account for it

...

You read K.L. Brighton?

So is this actually supposed to be helpful?

I think it's modern art.

Hey—did you really mean what you said back there?

That you don't think we have free will?

Oh, I just meant that I don't think we can ever be sure one way or the other.

But I think the high-level question is fruitless.

Even if physicists discover tomorrow that the future is mathematically garunteed, calcuable down to your predestination to unwrap your chewing gum wrappers in a particular way, it still feels like we have free will. Like you said, you could have worn your blue dublet today, but you didn't. For all intents and purposes that was a free choice.

But those feelings are deceptive, to some degree, because there are always subtle factors outside of your control.

If there even is an "you" that exists beyond the circumstances of your birth in the first place.

You could make the argument that "you" are a composite of different experiences with only the illusion of independent existence.

But I'm not concerned with questions of high-level free will or selfhood, because there's something we can focus on that is fruitful.

In your house, for example, you can put a garbage bin near places where you perform activities that generate garbage.

Ah yes, um. Markov's famous garbage bin conjecture.

Haha!

Oh yeah, Godfrey Markov. I think he also invented the edible harpsichord.

Basically what I'm saying is that to whatever degree we have free will, we can always change our habits, so that certain actions become easier over time.

You can move the garbage bin, you can put a hook in the wall for your keys so you always know where your keys are.

Mhmm.

We naturally take the easiest path. But we also make new paths. We can rewrite our own code.

Evolution manages organisms based on first-order effieciency, with no regard for higher-level efficiencies.

It's a thoughtless process, that only accounts for what the actual conditions are, and not hypothetical-ideal conditions.

But because we're rational creatures, we can re-examine our habits and systems and imagine possibilities beyond the present conditions of the world, constructing hypothetical worlds that are more efficient to our ends, but which require more initial energy input than the natural course of life would have allowed.

But we're still subject to our evolutionarily selected needs and desires, and even our conceptions of what is possible were programmed by natural selection. We're still obliged to act within what is possible under the laws of physics, then within the limitations of our bodies, what is acceptable within our cultures, and then our own personal preferences. All of which were created without "our" input.

Our thoughtless, organic systems are efficient, but efficient by way of messiness. We are beings made by bumping into themselves, jumbling in a maze in the dark, solving problems in the most roundabout ways with only what tools we already had.

Take your central nervous system—

Please.

The nerves in your face are an overlapping, redundant fractal mess.

An electrician would have a heart attack. It's labyrinthine.

Then you feel it too.

How the labyrinth sprawls in this planned, unplanned, elastic, static way.

And how it feels like the labyrinth is twisting us up in it.

Like food in a small intestine.

That sounds sinister, doesn't it.

But what's the word. It feels—

Mutualistic. We're getting something out of it too. We're not being digested.

But something is being exchanged.

And the system, because of its own necessary complexity, is getting more complex as it responds to us.

I don't know, that sounds...

Like an interpretation that needs peer-review.

Well, hopefully when we publish our findings, we can get those peers.

I'm sure there are other scholars out there who feel the same way.

I hope you're right.

Okay. New plan.

Let's get his ass.

Inadvisable.

Hey, do you want to opperate the lift this time?

Huh?

Oh — of course!

Wheee!

Seems like we're done here.

Wasn't there a potted shrub here?

Hehehehe

It's a poem.

Do you recognize the language? It looks northern.

...

It's Old North Kardic. I spoke a related language when I was doing field work around Derin.

Can you read it?

No, not really. I think there are some cognates, but I would have to have a dictionary to really get into it.

"Storrel" means "garden".

The "-rin" part of "berdrin", I think, makes it a polite imperative. "Berd" might be something like "think about" or "remember".

"Ilde" probably means "if".

That's about as much as I've got.

Okay, I'll put it in my notebook for now.

We can check it out later if we find any new Kardic words.

I bet there's another hidden passage behind these paintings.

I'll eat my hat!

If it's not a secret passage?

I'll just eat my hat!

Hmm...

It's blocked off. I wonder if some combination of those switches back there will open it.

Does this means I need to eat my hat?

It seems like you want to.

I'll just eat this cheese and ham sandwhich.

No, that's not right.

That looks like a match. Let's try it now.

Stymie, can you keep an eye on Brunhilde for me?

I don't want her to get lost.

Of course!

And congradulations on clearing the arcade game!

Do you want me to add your high score to the leaderboard?

The diagetic leaderboard or the non-diagetic leaderboard?

Either!

What name should I enter for you?

Here are the high scores:

Cool!

Now let's see the diagetic leaderboard.

It's still kinda crazy how we're the first ones to ever come here.

Like how the hell are we qualified to be here.

How are we the most qualified people?

I feel like I was ten years old yesterday.

I'm a child, Bridget!

Not a literal child. I have a master's degree.

I was about to say something, but then I remembered I've been carrying a teddy bear on my back for the last ten minutes.

Let me know if that feeling ever goes away.

I wonder if Dr. Brighton felt the same way.

They always seemed so confident.

Stymie, do you get that feeling too?

Or is it unique to being a person in a social context? Having a childhood?

But you're also an interesting nexus between new and old.

The labyrinth is unknowably ancient, and the STMI unit was only installed a month ago.

Hw

Wha? Hhu?

The door won't budge, but there's no keyhole.

It's a locked panel with the number "14" written on it.

Brunhilde, I'm going to leave you here so that you don't fall into the abyss, okay?

Okay.

Stay right here, Brunhilde, you might get wet.

I'm sure she'll understand.

I can't fit through that gap.