The Shadow Labyrinth: A LitRPG Adventure Read online

  "Let's get back to the Glen."

  Chapter Seven

  The Singing Tree had grown since he'd seen it last. The grand space beneath its boughs projected warm light through the windows. Terran stood outside with Luna, basking in the scene, listening to the happy noises inside. He could hear Zara's husky laugh and Jondar's melodic voice telling a story. Even without going inside, Terran knew there'd be at least two ladies hanging on his every word. It was an idyllic scene. Terran entered the Singing Tree to applause, which made him blush. When he'd entered Kingmakers he'd dreamed of moments like these, but they affected him more deeply than he'd thought possible.

  "Thank you, my friends," he said.

  Jondar gestured towards a place at the front. It felt like the rest of the tribe was packed into the inn, but he knew that wasn't true, since many were at other locations loaming, or on patrol. He took his spot at the center of the table, with Jondar on his left and Kumotake on his right.

  "Zoras isn't joining us?" asked Terran.

  Jondar cupped his hands around a mug, raising an eyebrow. "We need not crush the dreams of our would-be bards. A quip from Zoras would be devastating."

  Terran easily imagined a host of rebukes from the head of the Crystalline Conservatory. "Good point." He turned to Kumotake. "Good to see you, my friend. I didn't know you were a connoisseur of the bardic arts."

  The normally stoic elf looked almost cheerful, thanks to the lubrication of ale, judging by his rosy cheeks.

  "I have been known to belt out a song or two while staying in the right key," said Kumotake.

  "A judge must have perfect pitch," said Jondar from the other side. "And Kumotake knows the old songs. I've enjoyed a few duets with you, my friend."

  When he'd first seen Kumotake, Terran had been worried that he would be distracting, making him think about Chanterelle, but the gaiety of the moment left his heart light. He glanced back into the crowd to see Della and Isabella waving at him from a table with Zara, who had her feet up on a bench.

  "Bring on the first audition," said Jondar in a booming voice as he placed a small crimson crystal in the center of the table. The crystal was suspended between the two ends of a brass catch.

  The first contestant was a tall, handsome Rock Leaf Elf with honey-brown hair pulled into a bun on the back of his head. He strode to center stage with the confidence of a cat.

  Jondar leaned over and muttered, "Quite a specimen." Then louder, "State your name and then you may sing us a song, in key, of course."

  The handsome elf bowed. "I am Jespar Littlethorn, descended from the noble families of old. I will sing you the 'Ballad of Moonflower Hill.'"

  The elf had a melodic speaking voice, suggesting that his singing one could be quite divine. Kumotake sat up, making noises of interest, while there were groans and eyerolls from the younger Rock Leaf Elves. Jondar made no outward gesture, but was staring intently at Jespar.

  The elf cleared his throat softly once, then lifted his chin, keeping his chest in good posture, clearly indicating he'd had training. A smile spread on Terran's lips in anticipation of the song, but the smile disappeared when a dreadful rattle came out.

  That glistening light that falls upon my lady

  On Moonflower Hill, such wonders

  Spring from her lips, like shine and song

  From star to star, beauty marvelous...

  His voice had the quality of fingernails on a chalkboard. Terran's stomach roiled. It wasn't just that Jespar wasn't hitting the notes, his tempo was meandering and his tone was nasally. Terran had heard better sounds from a dying cat.

  "That will be enough," said a stone-faced Jondar, raising his hand.

  Jespar flared his nostrils and placed his hands on his hips. "But I wasn't finished with the song. That was only the first two stanzas. There are thirty-three more."

  "Which is why we're ending there. I'm sorry, Jespar, but you might have hit more notes if you would have fallen down a mountain in a bag full of lutes," said Jondar.

  A despondent Jespar stormed off the stage. Kumotake took a long drink from his mug. "That was unexpectedly awful. I had high hopes."

  "Maybe I'm regretting not having Zoras here. I think I would have enjoyed hearing what he had to say for that audition," said Terran.

  "I assure you, I have heard it, and it's not pretty. The poor boy might have thrown himself off a cliff afterwards," said Jondar, eyes wide with memory. "Next!"

  The young elf woman that took the stage next wore the leaf armor of a warrior. She began right away, singing a funeral dirge, and though the words were solemn, the tone in her voice combined with the light in her eyes as she sang brought tears to many in the crowd. There was applause when she was finished. She bowed stiffly, the attention clearly making her misty-eyed.

  "That was promising," said Kumotake, leaning in close. "She missed a number of notes, but nothing that couldn't be cleaned up with practice."

  "She's already a warrior, which would make training easier, since she's used to drilling," said Terran.

  Jondar ignored them both. "What is your name?"

  The elf blushed. "Maira Flatleaf."

  "That was well done, but there's another step in the audition. You must be able to wake resonance in the crystal," said Jondar, gesturing towards the table. "It's a middle B."

  Maira blew out a breath, clasped her hands beneath her rib cage, and let the note tremble from her lips. There was a brief wobble at the beginning, but then she modulated and hit the note. Terran found himself smiling at the pitch. He watched the crystal, expecting a vibration to echo back, but it sat like the stone it was.

  "That's unfortunate," said Jondar quietly before raising his voice. "I'm sorry, Maira."

  "I don't understand," she said, forehead wrinkling. "I hit the middle B perfectly."

  "You did, and it was a lovely tone, but if you cannot connect with the crystals, then you cannot be a Crystal Bard," said Jondar.

  "Is...is there another one I can try?" she asked, desperation in her eyes.

  "This is the most basic crystal. Every bard can wake it with ease. If you cannot do this one, the others will be out of reach," said Jondar.

  Maira trudged off stage, her head bent forward.

  "Why is that?" asked Terran quietly. "Why can she meet the pitch, but not wake the crystal?"

  "I wish I knew, but it's well documented in our lore. We could have dozens of crystals here, but she wouldn't be able to touch a single one," he said.

  Their conversation ended when the third contestant took the stage: an old elven woman with steel gray hair and wrinkles with deep valleys. She moved with the grace of effort honed by time.

  "Echinacea," said Kumotake in greeting. "Are you tired of loaming?"

  "I thought it time I pick a profession," she said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

  "How old is she?" asked Terran under his breath.

  Kumotake shifted his mouth to the side. "I don't know. She looked this old when I was a young boy."

  Terran sat back in his seat. Maybe she was trying out for the experience of it, but he had his doubts about her ever learning to be a Crystal Bard. His impression changed the moment she opened her mouth, delivering a confident melody in a language he couldn't understand, but somehow knew was an older version of the Rock Leaf Elf language. The song meandered as if they were coming along with Echinacea on a journey across snowy mountaintops and flower-dotted valleys. When it finished, the inn was as quiet as a still lake until warm applause began in back and continued until it was thunderous. Beside him, Kumotake had tears in his eyes.

  But that was only the first part, and Jondar gestured towards the crystal. Terran found himself simultaneously rooting for her and hoping that it would stay inert, because even though she looked tough, like old leather, she was extremely old. She opened her mouth, the correct note lilting out like a summer breeze, and instantly, the crystal hummed in response, vibrating with an efficiency that Terran felt reflected in his chest.

&n
bsp; "Congratulations, Echinacea Winter," said Jondar. "The crystal, and the Crystalline Conservatory, has accepted you as its first new trainee."

  The old elf nodded succinctly before taking her place at a table behind the judges.

  Over the next few hours, two dozen other Rock Leaf Elves gave their auditions. There were a few promising candidates, but only one of them, an unassuming elf named Hedge Rootline, managed to pass both parts of the audition.

  By the end of the night, many had left the inn. It was hard to listen to bad singing for hours. Terran was massaging his temples when Jondar asked loudly, "Are there any more candidates?"

  No chairs moved. Bleary eyes glanced about, but there was a relieved silence.

  "Only two new trainees," said Terran. "I was hoping for more."

  "Even two Crystal Bards can be quite powerful, as you know, but yes, I was hoping for a few more. A half dozen at least," said Jondar.

  Kumotake pushed his chair back, stretched, and cracked his neck. "Thank you for inviting me to be a judge. That was a nice change from picking mushrooms."

  "Thank you, Kumotake," said Terran, standing up and bowing before the old loamer. After he straightened, the two of them looked at each other, the corners of their eyes creasing. Kumotake reached out and placed his hand on Terran's shoulder before heading towards the door, along with the rest of the crowd.

  Terran was thinking about the comforting embrace of his hammock, when he heard singing at the front of the inn. The voice was soft, but strong, like a gossamer spider thread, and immediately he knew whoever was singing would make a strong Crystal Bard candidate.

  He turned at the same time as Jondar, and they both quietly exclaimed upon learning who was upon the stage. Isabella Rose, the daughter of his girlfriend. The young woman sang a tavern drinking song—unusual for her age, but not her upbringing—every note pitch perfect, but even more surprising was that she was singing it in the key of the crimson crystal, which kept reflecting the notes that she was hitting. Her gaze was on the crystal, an impish grin at the corner of her lips, as clearly she'd intended to meet both criteria of the audition at the same time. When she was finished, the sparse crowd at the inn applauded, though clearly there was apprehension at her age.

  "Isabella, dear, that was wonderful," said Della, eyes searching to understand the change she was seeing. "But you're not old enough to fight. Maybe in a few years."

  "I'm fourteen, Mother," said Isabella, lifting her chin. "And the creatures that want to kill us don't care how old we are. If I can fight, I want to fight."

  Della looked to Terran for support. "You can't be considering her, can you?"

  Under his breath, Jondar muttered, "Age aside, she's the perfect candidate."

  "She's right," said Terran, nodding towards Isabella. "The Howling Wind won't care what age she is when they come sweeping through here. Becoming a Crystal Bard will mean she can protect herself, and you."

  "But...she's my daughter," said Della, her face wracked with emotion.

  "Everyone must grow up eventually." Terran turned to Isabella. "We'd be happy to have you at the Conservatory."

  The young woman clapped her hands excitedly, ran over and gave Jondar and Terran a brief hug, then approached her mother. Della screwed up her face, making a noise in the back of her throat, before storming out of the inn.

  "She'll get over it," said Terran with a sigh.

  Jondar gestured towards the three candidates. "Tomorrow morning at the Conservatory before the sun rises." He shot Terran a wink. "Bring a stone that's heavy, but one that you can lift and carry for a good distance. Now go get some sleep. You're going to need the rest."

  You have completed the quest "Find new recruits for the Crystalline Conservatory."

  New crystal available for growing. You have received the Old Bard perk.

  After they left, Jondar clasped him on the shoulder. "I don't know if I should thank or curse you. The downside of training is I have to get up at the same cursed time as them."

  Terran chuckled. "At least you don't have to jump in the cold pond. Make sure you take care of Isabella."

  Jondar pursed his lips. "No special treatment. If she's gonna be a Crystal Bard, she's gonna have to learn."

  "Fine," said Terran. "But at least make it look good for her mother."

  "Will do, my friend," said Jondar, patting him on the shoulder as he left the Singing Tree Inn.

  Terran pulled up the new boon he'd received from the quest completion.

  Perk: Old Bard

  +5% Crystal Bard damage

  -10% Mana cost for Crystal Bard spells

  The OB knows a few tricks to make their abilities stretch a little further

  Terran wagged his eyebrows at the upgrade. Maybe he needed to be spending more time at the Conservatory. He found the new crystal that he could grow was Topaz, which had healing properties based on how it was cut. It wasn't as simple as growing the crystal, as he had a few things he had to collect first.

  Obtain an exquisite Goldenrod flower.

  Obtain a transparent opal.

  Learn and perfect singing the topaz crystal song.

  Reward: Increased reputation with the Crystalline Conservatory and the ability to grow topaz crystals.

  On the walk back to his tree, he contemplated the many tasks he had ahead. He'd probably take Zara to Dagrath in the morning so she could get started recruiting. After that, the other things he had to do built up in his mind, like logs forming a dam, blocking the water behind it.

  When he got back to his place in the canopy of the autumn forest, he found Della asleep in the hammock. After climbing in carefully, he wrapped his arms around her. There was a brief stiffness, but then she relented and snuggled against him, before returning to slumber. Terran quickly followed her into dreamland.

  Chapter Eight

  The next day, Terran teleported back from Dagrath after taking Zara and Vievel to the sizable town. Terran was a little worried about the gnome trader's profit motives in speaking for Gneiss Glen, but he was the best person to send. Terran was busy reviewing his quest logs when Enoki, Chanterelle's sister, came running up. They hadn't spoken much since her sister left the settlement.

  "There's a problem at the cave," said Enoki, gesturing into the distance, distress on her face.

  "What's wrong? The mushroom cave?" he asked, following her towards the gate.

  "No," said Enoki, fists at her sides. "The Crag Troll cave. You brought that creature here and now there's trouble. What did you expect?"

  He'd been putting off dealing with Granite, since he had so many other priorities, but it looked like he didn't have a choice now. Terran held his hand out.

  "Come on. I'll take you there."

  She stared at his hand as if it were a poisonous snake.

  "I need your help," he said. She hesitated. "As your leader."

  Enoki blinked before nodding. Together they teleported to a location near the old cave. He hadn't been back to the area in a long time. Escaping the Formidite cave after the Trio had stranded him and Luna there seemed like it had happened eons ago, even though it'd probably only been a year or so.

  At the rocky entrance, there was a group of Rock Leaf Elves surrounding Granite Mountaineater, shouting at him. They had their bows trained on him as the enormous Crag Troll scratched the back of his head.

  "What's going on?" asked Terran after he ran up. He recognized most of the elves, though they were a mix of warriors, loamers, and others from the settlement. They seemed bound by their hatred of the Crag Troll.

  "This beast injured Corabell," said a tall elf as he angrily gestured towards Granite. Others looked back towards a young elf with bandages wrapped around her arm. It looked like she had a cut on her head, but the bleeding had stopped.

  The confused Crag Troll gestured towards Terran. "I do nothing wrong. I was returning to the cave after gathering wood for fires. I only take fallen wood. No cutting." He tapped on his chest, nodding with pride. "When I return, I s
ee something behind the woodpile and throw a rock I had in my pocket at it, thinking it was a stryga. I had to clean a nest of them out of the cave before I could set up the smithy. After threw I heard a cry and found elf girl fallen on rocks. Other young elves appeared and started yelling at me! I not hurt on purpose. Accident."

  Terran took a long look at the repurposed cave. Granite had set up his smithy at the entrance so the smoke didn't collect. He'd already built crude lodgings from fallen logs and stones collected from the area. The furnace was nearly complete, while the anvil, hauled from Dagrath, sat near a pile of blacksmithing tools.

  The crossed arms and snarled lips told Terran he wasn't going to get much out of the crowd. He moved to Corabell, whose eyes widened upon his approach.

  "I'd like to talk to her alone," said Terran.

  The two elves standing with her hesitated before returning to the group to watch him. Terran crouched on his heels so he was eye level with the injured girl. She looked to be the same age as Isabella, but hadn't gotten her teenaged growth spurt yet...though, he wasn't sure if it were the same for Rock Leaf Elves as it was for humans.

  "Are you okay?"

  Her eyes rounded. "I...I am. Mostly. Head hurts."

  "A fall like that will do that. Lucky it wasn't worse." She swallowed. "Can you tell me what happened?"

  Corabell glanced to the others. "No judgement, but as the leader of the settlement, I need to know what I need to do." He gestured over his shoulder. "For example, do I need to punish our new blacksmith for hurting you? Or worse, does he need to leave the settlement? I hope it doesn't come to that, since we're going to need his help for the next war. So the truth matters."

  The girl lowered her gaze. "We were playing track and find. I was hiding behind that pile of stones when he appeared. I got scared and stayed hidden, and that's when he hit me with the stone. I swear."

  The fear in her eyes told Terran she was holding something back. She looked near to tears.