Cole, being a marksman, was the designated rearguard of the party. So, naturally, he was the last to step through the gate.
The second he stepped across the shimmering threshold, he felt something twist in his stomache. The world seemed to rush by as the gate worked its magic. As always, he was momentarily blinded, and his ears could only hear a sharp ringing as air and mana ripped past him.
One moment later, he felt his feet hit the floor once again, indicating he had arrived at the selected location. Despite his temporary deafness and blindness, he raised his rifle as soon as he could feel soil beneath his boots. It was useless since he would be practically defenseless until his senses recovered, but if nothing else, it helped him feel a little more prepared.
Due to this "gate sickness", many of the labyrinth's adventurers had decided to collaborate in order to create simple defensive structures at well-known starting points. Most of these weren't anything grand or lavish, typically being only a small, empty cabin. In most cases, the only thing a starting point needed was a mildly secure spot where an entering party could take a minute to gather their bearings. There were even some starting points that offered nothing more than a large canvas tent for protection. The more dangerous starting points, on the other hand, were known to be vicious enough to warrant real fortifications, defenses, and supplies. Those were often structures made of stone, and some were even patrolled by guards around the clock.
Naturally, everyone that used the Gate would enter at well-documented times, which would allow them to land at an established safe zone. Either that, or a party would painstakingly make their way through the labyrinth from the very first floor. Doing so would cost more time, resources and effort, but some people preferred it that anyway.
Cole's vision slowly began to reform, an indiscernible outline of the highest surrounding contrasts being the first thing to develop. He watched cautiously as the image before him gradually came into focus and slowly gained color. Blinking the tears away, he found the rest of his team doing the same.
When the gate sickness fully subsided, he found himself standing in a large, roughly circular cabin. A complicated network of wooden struts reinforced the walls and ceiling, heightening the amount of abuse the defensive structure could handle. Not only that, but several large stones were set around the inside walls of the building. They were square slabs that resembled headstones, except that each held its own series of protective runes.
Having confirmed their starting point was secure, each member of the party set about their own routine tasks.
Being the party's mage, Eileen had taken to inspecting each of the building's protective runestones, checking if any needed maintenance. It wasn't necessarily required of them to check or make repairs, but doing so was a common courtesy among adventurers.
As she did that, Bellum was comforting the hauler who was still suffering the nausea that sometimes accompanied gate sickness. Some people acclimated well to the gate over time while others weren't so lucky.
Aizen had moved to the structure's only door and quickly found a wooden slide carved into it. When opened, it served as a kind of peep-hole, not too different from what you might find installed at a shady brothel which may or may not host illicit activities. Granted, this one was wood rather than iron.
Having sufficiently checked all the runestones, Eileen thumbed the latch on one of the two small, rectangular bags which hanged from her hip. Without even looking, she easily procured a leather-bound book. As she returned to the center of the room, the rest of the party gathered round. Eileen was the party mage, but also filled the role of strategist.
Her other hand didn't touch the pages directly, instead opting to use the flow of magic to pull the pages neatly aside to quickly access a specific page.
She would never admit it, but using magic to turn pages was a kind of party trick. It was quick and very convenient for a book lover, but learning how to do it was, frankly, a grand waste of time. The only people that devoted sufficient time and energy to perform such a trick were the kind that needed to impress others at all costs. Cole knew this, being the only otherone educated in magic, but he didn't say anything.
The pages flipped one after another, so fast that it sounded like a deck of cards being shuffled. The neat little trick naturally drew everyone's attention, allowing her to get right to the details.
"To put it simply, our main goal is the kobold mine."
The pages settled, showing the depiction of a little creature. It was bipedal, hunched, and had a snout like a stray mutt. Kobolds came in many varieties, but most resembled a mangy canine. They were known for being rather weak, and notably stupid. They were basically cannon fodder. However, it seemed they could sense when their mind were in danger. Some people suspected the kobolds had some kind of huge mind, though that was doubtful, considering the way kobolds behaved around each other. I'm any case, they could somehow draw reinforcements to themselves.
They were weak alone, but more were always nearby. Those who underestimated kobolds ran the risk of a death by a thousand paper cuts.
"The common tactic for this place is hit-and-run. Its a hotspot for solo adventurers for that reason. But we!-"
Eileen suddenly threw both her hands up, displaying her motivation with her characteristically over-expressive gestures.
"-We are so much greater than that! We're going to draw them out completely, leaving their best treasures completely unguarded."
Bellum raised an eyebrow, doubting the safety of this plan. The burly man was the official leader of the group, and thus had the final call on what methods they would use, but Eileen had a long history of bringing the team great success with her schemes. It was at least worth hearing her out.
"Aaaand, how do you propose we do that?"
Eileen smiled, snickering at the thought of this new plan already.
"With bait that bites back."