The Shadow Labyrinth: A LitRPG Adventure Read online

  Terran tripped the second giant with a stone wall that he grew in the blink of an eye, then blasted him with a Vocal Slam and followed it up with a reverberating staff blow to the back of the head.

  The third giant launched a javelin at Keeper Latia, and Terran was certain that it would pin her to the ground, instantly killing her, but the weapon stuck into the snowy earth, quivering from impact, while the real Latia stepped from behind a tree. The comment about her abilities being better up close made sense to Terran. She was an illusionist.

  While Newt kept the first giant busy, flinging them around the clearing, and Keeper Latia the second, tricking them into attacking the empty air, Terran and Luna went to work on the final giant, finishing him off with a Void Blast.

  With the odds in their favor, the next two Ice Giants went down easily, leaving them in the clearing with three enormous bodies. Terran looted the coins and minor knickknacks on their persons, but he couldn't hold the bigger items.

  "The bodies won't disappear for a few hours if we can't loot them completely," said Terran. "Can you do anything?"

  Newt lifted both shoulders. "I didn't bring my big bags, nor could they fit those weapons or armor."

  Keeper Latia wrinkled her nose at their conversation. "This makes no sense."

  "You'll get used to it," said Luna. "Until they start talking about leveling up and this thing they call 'assigning attributes,' like they're just a bunch of numbers."

  Terran chuckled to himself, not wanting to bring up the fact that they were all just ones and zeroes at this point in the game. He nudged the dead Ice Giant with his boot. "This creates an issue though. Pretty soon the clearing is going to be filled with bodies. I don't think the others will stay if they see the carnage."

  "I can take care of it," said Keeper Latia, pulling up the sleeves of her robes.

  "Illusionist, right?" he asked.

  For a moment, she didn't answer, then added, "Sure."

  "Let's get our mana and health back up and do this again!"

  It took six more pulls by Luna to clear the village of Ice Giants. The largest patrol had four, but Newt managed to keep them occupied while Terran burned them down with his Void Blast. With a healthy boost to experience, and pockets full of coins, they jogged into the empty village.

  "A little eerie," said Terran, keeping his head on a swivel. "I keep expecting doors to burst open and for us to be surrounded."

  "Don't you trust me?" asked Latia, lips curled downward.

  "No, I mean, yes, I trust you, just, you know...weird," said Terran.

  The giants built no roads but their enormous weight tamped down the snow so there were clear paths between the buildings and especially leading up to the Jarl's building. Terran whistled when it finally came into view.

  "You could fit five Mother Trees inside it," he said. "I hope there aren't that many Ice Giants."

  "The Jarl must have a place big enough to host his warriors after the glory of a successful raid," said Latia, eyes glittering with memories.

  They stood at the door, eyeing the handle, which was a good length above them.

  "Okay, problem one," said Terran, making little hops towards the black metal handle with an outstretched hand. "Giant-sized doors require giant-sized bodies."

  Newt rubbed his hands together before stretching out his hand, curling it as if he were grasping the handle. The strain made the veins on his neck stand out.

  "Nope," he said eventually. "The Hand of Gravity isn't strong enough for that handle."

  "Other ideas?" asked Terran.

  Keeper Latia crossed her arms, going internal with a slight scowl on her face. He was about to ask her what she was thinking when Luna sighed heavily.

  "Fine. I'll save you all again. You'd think having opposable thumbs would make you smarter at this," said the lynx. "Terran, you get on your hands and knees. Newt, stand up straight, and Keeper Latia, since you're the tallest, you get to be my final step."

  Once they were in position, Luna ran up their backs and leaped onto the curved metal handle, grasping the highest portion with her teeth and pressing the lever with her scuttling back feet. The awkward maneuver looked painful, but when the door clicked and drifted open, Luna dropped down and lifted her furry chin.

  "You have my thanks, O' Great and Furry One," said Terran with an extravagant bow.

  "About time," said Luna, nosing her way into the Jarl's house with the others close behind.

  The interior was as stratospheric as the outside, massive pillars holding up the wooden ceiling. The throne, occupied by an Ice Giant wearing a golden circlet on his brow, was so far away that it felt like they were in different building. The Jarl was speaking to an Ice Giant with long golden hair, wearing light purple robes. Terran and his friends moved behind a pillar, using its girth to hide as they examined the opposition.

  "Lightly attended," said Keeper Latia, forehead knotting. "Only two of his personal guard and a Jarl Maiden with him. If we're quick, we could take them out and end this before any of the others return."

  "I like the sound of that," said Terran.

  Luna tilted her furry head. "If we stay on this line, we can keep the pillars between us and the Jarl. We can make it almost to the dais without being seen."

  With the lynx in the lead, they made their way to the front of the Jarl's longhouse. As they neared the throne, Terran's stomach tightened. It couldn't be this easy. He kept expecting Ice Giants to jump out from a hidden alcove, but the way was clear, and even Keeper Latia, whose walls were covered in Ice Giant tapestries, seemed intent on the task, her lip snarling in anticipation of the coming fight. When they reached the last pillar that kept them hidden, Terran gathered them for a quick planning session.

  "Newt, you keep the two guards busy. Latia, can you take care of the Maiden?" She nodded. "Which leaves the Jarl for me and Luna. I'm full on mana. We'll burn him down as fast as possible and be back to the Black Citadel for dinner."

  Terran held up three fingers, counting down as he mouthed the numbers.

  "One...two...three..."

  Terran stepped around the pillar with the staff held before him, ready to blast the Jarl. The Ice Giants flinched at their appearance, reaching for weapons, but Newt was quicker, raising his hands then smashing them together like crashing cymbals.

  The enormous bearded Jarl rose to his feet, a scowl on his lips, but his expression fell as he laid his eyes on Keeper Latia, who had slowed to a stop, her jaw slack with surprise.

  "Father?"

  Chapter Eighteen

  The announcement was like a lightning strike. Newt's gravitational spell dissipated as his head snapped towards Latia, and the two guards, briefly lifted from their feet, settled down uneasily, while Luna paused with her front paws on the dais, head facing the Keeper, a snarl on her furry lips.

  For Terran's part, his surprise was not that he hadn't seen it before, but that he realized that he should have seen it. The walls of her room had been covered in Ice Giant tapestries, her bed was much larger than her Iceflower Elf form, and the Jarl Maidens were known for shape changing—he just hadn't imagined that they could make themselves that small.

  Keeper Latia oscillated between her father and Terran, her half-raised hands hovering in midair.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't know," she said.

  "Latia, what are you doing with them?" demanded the white-bearded Jarl with his hand resting on his hilt. He searched the hall, realization smoothing his forehead. "You've been killing our kind?"

  "Alharod. Father. I'm only defending the Black Citadel. You're the one that attacked me!"

  "You should have known better than to throw in with that rabble. The frosnkin should be fighting, raiding the weak, showing them what true strength is, not sticking their noses in dead trees." The Jarl snarled at Terran, the corner of his lip twitching with recognition. His wide-eyed stare told Terran that the Howling Wind was motivating the Jarl. "Help us kill these fools and I'll stop the attack on the Black Citadel."
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  Keeper Latia put a hand to her mouth, glanced to Terran with tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. She looked sick with the decision, and by the pinching of her shoulders, Terran could see the choice turning against them. The other Ice Giants gripped their weapons, ready to attack, but were waiting for the signal. The Jarl Maiden, on the other hand, was scowling, her fingers articulating spell work while they were distracted with Keeper Latia.

  "Stop her!" yelled Terran as a ghostly horn formed in the Jarl Maiden's hands. She jammed it to her lips.

  Terran unleashed a Void Blast, the beam of grayish energy crackling through the chilled air, slamming into the ethereal horn right as it sounded.

  "Aaaarroooooo..."

  The call echoed long after the instrument was destroyed, the blast knocking the Jarl Maiden into a spin and throwing her into the wall heavily, shaking dust from the rafters. The other two Ice Giants ripped their swords from their sheaths as Newt scrambled to capture them with his gravitational ability. Terran faced off with Keeper Latia, who slowly turned to face him.

  "I'm sorry," she said as she transformed into her original shape, the light blue hue of the Iceflower Elf becoming the deep sea blue of an Ice Giant, while her size doubled and then doubled again, until she was on par with her father, Jarl Alharod.

  "Good girl," said the Jarl, smirking at Terran as he produced a broadsword so large it could cut the Mother Tree in half with one swing. Eldritch runes glowed ominously along its length, the heat of magic crisping the frozen air.

  While Latia stared down at him, a disappointed frown on her lips, the distant doorway burst open, a dozen returning Ice Giants rushing in. From behind the longhouse, dire wolves howled, signaling the noose was tightening.

  Newt's hands had fallen to his sides and Luna had backed up until she was between them. The three of them against a host of Ice Giants, two Jarl Maidens, and the Jarl himself. The odds were beyond ridiculous.

  "Terran?" asked Newt, as dust settled onto his tight, curly black hair.

  As the Jarl advanced, Terran glanced up at the enormous roof, held by two sets of pillars. Newt followed his gaze, a smile slowly spreading on his lips. The approaching Ice Giants hadn't yet made it halfway across the hall.

  "Kill them, Latia," said the Jarl as he stopped by his daughter, weapon grasped in front between two hands. "Finish them quickly."

  Latia raised her hands, eldritch energy forming between them. As the seething ball of destruction grew, both the Jarl and the Jarl Maiden laughed as they waited for their demise. But when Latia winked, he quickly formed a new plan.

  "Take care of the incoming," he said to Newt under his breath and when his friend started to speak, he said, "Just do it."

  Latia spun on the Jarl Maiden and loosed the eldritch blast into her surprised face, the brunt of the impact going right into her open mouth. She blew across the dais, landing in a slump.

  Before the Jarl could turn on his daughter, Terran caught him with a Void Blast right in the hands, deflecting his attack and spinning him away. Behind him, Terran heard the shattering of enormous wooden pillars as Newt ripped a pair of them out of their moorings. The approaching Ice Giants stopped briefly, staring at the shaking roof.

  "Stop them, you fools!"

  The two nearest Ice Giants rushed Terran, but Luna threw herself in front of the lead one, tripping him with her small body. The pair tumbled together, falling unceremoniously off the dais to crash onto the ground. The Jarl moved in after, but Terran unleashed a Void Blast, the gray energy catching him across the jaw, turning half his white beard into burnt hair.

  [You have increased the skill Battle Song]

  Skill: Battle Song 26 (CHA)

  Beards across the land will tremble in fear of your voice!

  Keeper Latia, still in her Ice Giant form, had thrown herself at the Jarl Maiden, tackling her against the wall and throwing haymakers at her head. Despite the brief reversal, the horde of Ice Giants hurrying across the longhouse was going to make their lives quite short.

  "More pillars," said Terran, and Newt cracked the bases of another pair, using his gravomancer ability to pull them together. But it wasn't enough. The Ice Giants were moving faster than Newt could work, so Terran unleashed a Vocal Slam targeting the nearest pillars.

  Their combined effort snapped three more, followed by a fourth, which splintered along the length as the entire roof shifted overhead. A section of pillar stabbed an Ice Giant through the shoulder, pinning him in place, but his companions continued their now sprint to defend the Jarl, who lifted his sword above his head in two hands, but before he could bring it down, Luna sliced his hamstring with her claws, severing the outer sheath of the tendon and making his overhand attack go wild. It hit the wooden floor with explosive might.

  As the longhouse began to crumble, pillars snapping as the weight shifted forward, putting more and more weight on fewer and fewer structural beams, Terran saw that it wasn't going to be the Ice Giants that killed them but their own sabotage.

  He could teleport out of the hall, but he hadn't put enough points into his ability to allow him to take Latia along, and he wouldn't abandon her after she went against her father.

  "Kill them! Kill them now!" yelled the Jarl as he crouched, hand holding his bloody tendon, leaning on his runed sword like a cane.

  "Terran," said Newt, staring at the falling ceiling. "I can't stop this."

  Terran checked back with Latia, who was still pummeling the unconscious Jarl Maiden.

  "Latia! Luna! Come quick!"

  He didn't wait to see if they had broken away from their respective fights. Terran was busy imagining stone walls growing out of the ground, ripping through the wooden floors. As the parade of Ice Giants, followed by the collapsing roof, rushed towards them, Terran built a small stone fortress big enough for four adults. He worried that Latia wouldn't be able to reduce her size in time, but she dove through the open door as she resumed her Iceflower Elf form and the longhouse collapsed around the stone fortress.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Dust swirled through the opening of the stone fortress as the structure groaned, the reverberations of the collapse still carrying through the pile, but to Terran's surprise, it had held. A quick check of his logs showed that the majority of Ice Giants had perished in the destruction, but there wasn't a death for the Jarl.

  "He's still alive," said Terran to Keeper Latia, who stood with her hands on the interior of the opening, staring into the pile of shattered wood outside the structure.

  He couldn't tell if the way her head hung was from disappointment or relief, but he wasn't going to press the issue. That she'd sided with them had been enough, otherwise they wouldn't have survived.

  "We'd better not be trapped here," said Luna as she paced. "I'm not saying I'm claustrophobic, but I don't like small spaces."

  "Newt, can you help us out?"

  The dark-skinned mage stared at Terran, forehead hunched with confusion.

  "Can't you just..." Newt waggled his fingers then swept them outward.

  "Oh, right, yes. Now that we're all here, I can." Terran opened up his interface and assigned another point.

  Helpful Party: Bring your friends on these journeys [2/5]

  This would allow him to bring two more people with him, and Luna didn't count against the total.

  "Take my hands, this might make you a little dizzy," he said.

  With Newt on one side and Latia on the other, he gave them both a squeeze before bringing them through the Between, and then back to a spot outside the collapsed longhouse. They were immediately confronted by a whip-wielding Ice Giant in coveralls who was surrounded by a dozen Dire Hounds as big as horses. The Ice Giant was wiping away tears, while the hounds set to barking and snarling.

  Keeper Latia, after stumbling and shaking away the vertigo, returned to her original shape. Terran wasn't sure how many times she could do that in a single day, but he could see the strain in her face as her body expanded.

  "Hound
master Garthan. It's me, Latia. There's no need to fear us, as long as you keep the hounds at bay," she said.

  The Houndmaster wiped his nose against his sleeve, the whip dangling in the snow. He had a slack expression. "They're all gone!"

  Terran took a moment to survey the destruction behind him. Although snapped in two places, the roof had largely remained together, but everything beneath had been turned to splinters. He was pleased that his little stone structure had withstood the collapse.

  "Not everyone," said Keeper Latia, putting a hand on the Houndmaster's shoulder. "My father is still alive in there. Help me get him out."

  The Houndmaster eyed them suspiciously, but he nodded. Together, they started removing the broken wood around the throne area. Terran and Luna were too small to help, but Newt used his gravomancer abilities to hold sections of the collapse in place while Latia and the Houndmaster worked.

  "Why again are we freeing the Jarl?" asked Luna quietly.

  "Because she sided with us," said Terran.

  "Not sure if this is a good idea," said Luna, shaking her head.

  While the others worked, the sun set, and the Houndmaster lit torches. Terran kept expecting more giants to return from the Black Citadel, but maybe they had to be relieved. If a large enough group returned, they'd be greatly outnumbered.

  About three hours after they started clearing, the upper half of the Jarl was revealed. His bloody, half-bearded face stuck out from the shattered wood. He spat at Terran's approach.

  "How could you betray me, daughter?"

  Latia put her foot near his head. "You're the betrayer, Father. You betrayed me, and our people, by dragging them into this fight. Why did you do it?"

  The Jarl snarled, so Terran answered for him. "The Howling Wind. They offered him something in return for attacking the Citadel. They must know that I need it."

  The Jarl said nothing, but the spark of recognition in his eyes gave it away.