The Shadow Labyrinth: A LitRPG Adventure Read online

  His armor was lying on a chair. Della had stripped it off him while he was passed out.

  "As soon as Aminata gets here, I need to put him to work," said Terran, half mumbling to himself.

  With a hunk of bread sticking from his mouth, Jondar said, "Aminata is here. He arrived this morning at Granite's cave."

  "Great. Without the slower folks, he really sped up." Terran paused. "Granite's cave?"

  Jondar lifted a shoulder. "I don't think people like calling it the Crag Troll cave anymore, and since he was there first..."

  "Are the elves coming around to his presence?"

  Jondar hunched his forehead. "Some, but there are still more who are opposed to him."

  Terran sighed. "Enoki."

  Jondar lifted a piece of bread in his direction. "She's the most vocal for sure."

  "Thanks, Jondar," said Terran as he filled his inventory with breads and nuts to eat on the way. He could have used his pathway traveling but needed to clear his head with a brisk walk, and formulate his thoughts. He was glad he'd chosen the slower method when he heard shouting from the barracks on the other side of the hill.

  After a short sprint, he found the half-brothers Aminata and Lhoris squared off, spittle flying from their lips, hands on their hilts. A group of wide-eyed recruits were watching the display with horror.

  "Stop this!"

  Terran had intended to be loud enough to be heard over the two verbal combatants. The resulting shout pushed the two captains and all the recruits back a step.

  "Ahem. Sorry." Terran gestured towards the two lines of young warriors. "Go run, or something."

  Aminata and Lhoris spoke up at the same time, then angrily faced off again, until Terran put a hand between them. "Lhoris, you are the captain here. Please instruct your recruits, then we can speak about your disagreement."

  Aminata opened his mouth, but Terran glared him into silence. Already Terran was regretting his decision to bring the marshal back into the settlement.

  When the recruits were well out of earshot, Terran turned on them both.

  "Are you both barking mad? You're supposed to be the Captains of Gneiss Glen, not two wet-behind-the-ears elves with more bravado than sense. We have a horde of murderous horsemen on the way and you two are reliving old grudges," said Terran.

  "My half-brother is failing at his duties as the Master Trainer," said Aminata. "That was sloppier sword work than a noodle shop."

  Before Lhoris could respond, Terran put up his hand. "Captain Lhoris has been both training our new warriors and working on the defenses of the settlement without much rest. It's the whole reason I asked you here. I would expect more respect for what he's accomplished."

  Aminata blinked, his lips flattening. "My apologies, Lord Terran. I spoke out of turn."

  Terran sighed. "Thank you. We can't be at each other's throats, and I need you two to learn to work together. Which means listening. It also means that no matter what your internal disagreement, if we've settled on a path forward, you must support it."

  "Understood," said Aminata stiffly.

  "Lhoris?"

  "Understood."

  "Good," said Terran. "Now I want the two of you to make the rounds with the scout teams and the warriors guarding the loamers. Introductions, the whole nine yards. Captain Aminata will be in charge of them, while Captain Lhoris has the trainees, but both of you have a responsibility to level up our warriors. I realized I've been so focused on the settlement, I forgot about our citizens." When neither spoke, he added, "Dismissed."

  The two captains marched away, keeping a healthy distance from each other, but at least no longer screaming. Small victories.

  Terran teleported to Granite's cave next to check on the newly arrived citizens of Salt Luck. The place was alive, busy with hammering and moving goods around. Granite was in the middle of the pack, helping a group of younger dwarves carry their crates to a half-built timber house along the cliff near the cave.

  "Lord Terran! Champion of the Arena," said Granite, grinning. "I was just telling them about your battles in Dagrath."

  "Did you watch those fights?"

  The crag troll puffed up his chest. "Of course. Biggest fight in Arena ever. Heavenly Death first loss. Make me proud to work for Terran the Tenacious, or should we call you Terran the Victorious!"

  The looks of adoration from the dwarves made it hard to remember why he'd come to the cave.

  "Is your forge ready?" asked Terran.

  Granite grunted.

  "Good," said Terran. "I need you to make something. A special something."

  The crag troll poked himself in the chest. "Everything Granite makes is special. But make super special for Lord Terran."

  While Granite finished helping, Terran made the rounds, checking on the Salt Luckers, including Abathee, who was barking orders at a group of young men and women setting up quarters inside the cave. The old woman winked at Terran before resuming her directions. He wanted to see how everyone was doing, but he also wanted to learn their professions and skill sets.

  The smithy wasn't fully constructed, but the rudiments were finished. The forge and anvil were the two most important pieces.

  "What need, boss?" asked Granite as he ducked under the roof of the open-air smithy.

  "I need a staff. One made of steel and shadow."

  The crag troll tilted his head. "Where is other staff?"

  "Pirates, but I'm making a better weapon now. I've finished the crystal, but now I need something to attach it to," said Terran.

  "Not wood? Terran is tree lord. Should be wood?" asked Granite.

  "This is an unusual weapon. I have a feeling that wood, even something enchanted like darkwood, wouldn't be sturdy enough to withstand the power," said Terran.

  Granite nodded.

  "How many shards do you need?"

  After scratching his chest, the crag troll said, "Ten, just in case."

  "If there's anything else you need, send someone to the main settlement. You can speak to Della, you must remember her from your journey here," said Terran. "She can find anything you don't have. I'll also have Zoras...wait, maybe I'll have Jondar talk to you about connecting the crystals to the staff."

  When Terran returned to the hilltop, he found Newt waiting for him in the Crystalline Conservatory. Zoras had his arms crossed at his desk, sullen and pensive.

  "What's wrong?"

  When Zoras didn't lift his head, Newt answered, "He knows where the knowledge you seek is."

  "Great. We'll go there at once." Terran tilted his head when no one moved. "Is there a problem?"

  "This is dangerous knowledge," said Zoras, finally speaking. "They'll not let you near it."

  "Who is they?"

  Newt answered. "The Black Citadel. Depository of forbidden knowledge."

  Zoras cinched his arms around his chest tighter.

  "You know this place," Terran said.

  "I studied there once, briefly. They make me seem warm and inviting," said Zoras, frowning.

  "Maybe I can change their minds," said Terran. "Where is the Black Citadel? Please tell me it's on this continent."

  "It is, but it's far to the northeast, surrounded by high mountains, nearly to the edge of the Iceflower Tundra. It's a long and arduous journey," said Zoras.

  "I do have ways around that, especially if you've been there. I'll need a description and I could be there today," said Terran.

  "Not entirely. They have wardings against teleportation travel. I could give you a location, but it'd be a few days from the Citadel," said Zoras, still not making eye contact.

  "Why so morose? I seem to recall you love knowledge," said Terran.

  "I would rather not speak of it," said Zoras.

  "Very well," said Terran, curious as to the reason but not willing to push the fickle Lore Keeper. "Then if I cannot travel directly to the Black Citadel, I should wait for my weapon to be finished. I spoke to Granite about the staff. He's making me one from the shadow shards like
he did Zara's axe."

  "Very wise," said Zoras, standing and leading them into the next room. "Jondar and I have been working on the settings. We believe we can fit three regular crystals beneath the void, which will allow other uses, and they can be switched out if needed."

  "Wonderful," said Terran. "You'll need to send Jondar to the caves to work with Granite on those settings."

  On his way to the kitchens for a bite to eat, Ara caught him, eyes glittering with excitement.

  "Lord Terran," she said, breathlessly. "I finished the cloak."

  "Wonderful, let's go take a look," he said, following her towards her tree.

  "I think it's my best work. I've made many cloaks, but never with a fabric like this. I thought it would be difficult but the material seemed to want to be made into something more than it already was," said Ara, her hands dancing before her as she spoke.

  He didn't see it at first. The cloak hung on a peg on the wall, but he'd mistaken it for a shadow. Ara had known this would happen and watched him with a smirk, waiting for the moment of recognition.

  "You'll be nearly undetectable in the right circumstances," she said.

  Up close, the cloak looked like an expensive oilcloth, shimmering like obsidian after a light rain. It had more substance than when he was standing at the entrance. Again, Ara was watching.

  "I think it was showing off before and now it wants you to know that it's finely made," she said.

  "Showing off? Is it sentient?"

  Ara opened and closed her hands. "I...don't know. I may be reading too much into its creation, how I felt, how it's reacted, but it feels alive."

  His hand drifted away from touching the cloak. The cloth had come from the Exalt of Shadow. Surely it was safe now.

  "If it were dangerous, I wouldn't have finished it," said Ara with a curt nod.

  Terran didn't want to say that she might not know the cloak was dangerous, but he was intrigued enough to let her unhook it from the peg and examine it up close. She reached into the interior.

  "I lined it with a crushed wool that will keep you warm when it's cold. There are pockets here and here, plus a hidden one here. You have to squeeze the fabric to get it to open." She showed him the technique until he mastered it. "Are you ready to try it on?"

  Terran presented his back to her. As she slipped the golden clasp around his neck, he thought he saw the shadow-touched icon briefly appear, but he was so distracted by the experience that he wasn't sure if he'd imagined it.

  You have received the Cloak of Shadows!

  The cloak settled on his shoulders comfortably, shifting around his body without getting in the way of his arms. It felt like a soft hug from a friend on his back.

  "That's lovely," said Terran. "You've outdone yourself."

  It could have been his imagination, but he thought he felt a brief squeeze from the cloak as he examined the details.

  Cloak of Shadows (+15 AC, +20 stealth in low light, resistance to cold, +15% versus shadow creatures)

  Terran whistled softly at the stats, especially the last part, which lessened his concerns about the loyalty of the item.

  "Thank you, Ara," he said, giving her a brief hug.

  "My pleasure," she said, bowing.

  He cleared his throat. "Before I came here, I had to break up an argument between Lhoris and Aminata."

  "I'm sorry."

  He nodded. "They're playing nice for now, but I worry. They're both stubborn and headstrong. I'm afraid they'll forget what the other brings to the settlement and focus on the negatives."

  "Sounds like you have an idea how to fix it," said Ara.

  "Actually, no, uhm...oh, I see," said Terran, cocking a grin. "You're good at this listening thing."

  Ara winked. "I have practice due to my profession."

  After leaving her quarters, he returned to the Conservatory. The Black Citadel was his highest priority, but he didn't want to go without his new weapon. He spent the next day growing two new crystals—crimson and azure—which would be placed beneath the void once the rest of the weapon was finished. The third spot would receive his rose crystal until he could grow a topaz.

  To his surprise, he wasn't exhausted after cutting the two crystals from their pulpy nodes, which suggested his Crystal Harvesting skill had grown high enough to make them trivial. He managed an exquisite in both cases.

  When Granite sent his creation to the Conservatory, Terran hurried there to complete the final weapon. A twisted black staff lay across the workbench next to the imposing void and three other crystals.. He ran his fingers along the shaft, feeling the wood-like texture.

  "Granite wanted it to feel like wood in honor of the tree king," said Jondar.

  "He outdid himself." Terran lifted the shaft, but it felt slightly off-balance.

  Before he could comment, Jondar said, "It's weighted for having all four crystals on the staff."

  "I guess it's time to complete my new weapon."

  While Jondar and Zoras watched, Terran assembled the pieces carefully. Brass fixtures slip-fit in the end of the twisted staff, resisting his attempts to pull them back out once he'd tapped them in, and gave his crystals a proper place to occupy. He set the void first, using the two Lore Keepers to hold the staff while he crimped the brass around the ends of the crystal. When he was finished, he fit the azure, crimson, and rose in the spaces beneath the void. As the last crystal slipped into its spot, the weapon flashed with energy and Terran nearly dropped the weapon.

  You have received the Crystalline Staff of the Void!

  When the spots faded from vision, a glow formed in the crystals and runes awoke along the twisted black metal shaft. Power thrummed from it, vibrating through his palms, filling him with a sense of purpose. After a minute of pulsing energy, the lights and vibration faded until it was barely perceptible.

  Crystalline Staff of the Void (Legendary)

  +30 AC, +10 Intelligence, +10 Charisma

  +20% for Sonic Attacks

  +20% for Charms

  +20% for Mana Regen

  +25% Damage

  Ability: Void Blast (Deal damage with a ray of nihilistic energy)

  Terran whistled softly as he examined the stats. "I don't know what to say, other than thank you for your help. Tomorrow I'll head to the Black Citadel with Newt, unless either of you want to come along."

  Jondar inclined his head. "The trainees need my help."

  A pained expression passed across Zoras' face. "I decline."

  "Very well. I'll see you in a few days, hopefully with the answers we seek."

  Zoras made the elven gesture of support—two fingers to his chin—but his eyes said the opposite. Terran hoped that the Lore Keeper was being pessimistic, but he'd find out soon enough.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The mountains in the northeast region of Belavar were taller and steeper than those north of the Rock Leaf Forest, leaving Terran light-headed upon arrival. He leaned against his staff, admiring the snow-kissed peaks, relishing the cool air against his skin.

  "Proper mountains finally," said Luna, her stubby tail swishing with excitement. "I grew up in places like this."

  Newt rubbed his hands together for warmth, white breath coming out of his lips. "How long a journey to the Black Citadel?"

  "Worried about all those bags you bothered to bring along?" asked Terran.

  Newt looked like an overburdened pack mule, his backpacks making him two feet taller than normal. "I hoped to acquire more tomes for the Glen. I've been mastering a copying spell that Zoras had but could not cast himself."

  "Assuming they let you copy them," said Terran.

  "I will convince them," said Newt earnestly.

  The location Zoras had described was a three-day journey from the Black Citadel. The trail wound along the slopes, crisscrossing the steep mountains and occasionally cresting their highest ridges. Terran was glad to have brought Newt rather than one of the others—not that they were available—because his gravomancer spells bec
ame quite handy in the elevated region.

  Zoras had warned them not to make campfires due to the ice giants that lived in the area. While they had agreements with the Black Citadel, random travelers were not afforded that same protection. Later that day, they caught sight of a group of ice giants, possibly a family with two larger and two smaller, carrying an enormous dead elk on a long pole, as they were crossing into a new valley.

  "I think I was expecting them to be made of ice," said Terran, chuckling as they spied the four marching across a frozen lake towards the forest, where curls of smoke rose from a dozen chimneys.

  "They have skin like ice flower elves," said Newt, crouched on his heels.

  "Nothing like them," said Luna, hackles risen slightly.

  "Problems?"

  The gray lynx looked up at Terran. "They're a big reason why there are none of my kind left. When we lived in these regions, they hunted us down, forcing us to head west."

  "Yikes, you could have told me. I would have let you stay back in Gneiss Glen," said Terran.

  "They couldn't catch me if they wanted," said Luna, baring her teeth. "And I wanted to see my old home."

  "Anything we should know about them?" asked Terran as he continued down the trail.

  "Can shape ice with their hands, the air from their lungs is so cold it can freeze you in place, and stronger than a dozen crag trolls. They think of themselves as cunning, and they have their own culture and language, but they're ruthless murdering thugs," said Luna.

  Terran wasn't about to argue with her considering they'd nearly wiped out her kind.

  Night was cold without a fire, though the three of them slept in a small tent using Luna for warmth.

  On the third day, they finished their trek through a long valley, rounding into a wide flatland ringed by high mountains, and they saw a pillar of black smoke rising into the sky.

  "That's where the Black Citadel is," said Newt, eyes wide in alarm.

  "Something's wrong," said Terran.