The Shadow Labyrinth: A LitRPG Adventure Read online

  "Lord Terran," said Elia, glancing around indiscriminately. "We were just discussing the improvements in the Glen."

  Newt's cheeks had darkened and he swallowed heavily. They were both flushed.

  "I'm sorry I intruded on your conversation. I promise I'll be quick," said Terran.

  Elia collected herself, clasping her hands before her. "Actually this is a good time. I was meaning to talk to you about the shadow-touched condition." Terran motioned for her to go on. "I spoke to Ash, but he had nothing more to add. Newt, however, managed to find a passage about others who have been infected." The older elf reached out to Newt, touching his side fondly, then nodded to prod him to speech.

  Newt cleared his throat. "The affliction is often found in the Lady of Shadow's followers, providing benefits and acceptance by the powers of darkness. But for others it becomes a curse, slowly transforming them into beings of shadow, until there is nothing left."

  "I saw Shadow Spreaders in Dagrath that were using ordinary citizens as birthing pods for shadows. Is it like that?" he asked.

  Newt lifted a shoulder. "The texts were unclear."

  "Why did she give it to me?" Terran muttered aloud before he thought about his audience. "Chanterelle infected me when she clawed my face, but do not share this with anyone. Her sister, Enoki, is already quite distraught. I do not want to worry her further."

  "Is she...well?" asked Elia, eyes rounded.

  "She wants us to join the Lady of Shadows so that we can repel the Howling Wind together. She has been brainwashed by the goddess," said Terran.

  Newt scrunched up his face, deep in thought. "What if it's not a curse or an affliction? What if she gave it to you to help us fight the Lady of Shadows?"

  "I cannot imagine that. She was clearly on the Lady's side," said Terran. "Why would you suggest it?"

  "If it were the curse, I think we'd see more negative effects by now. You've had it for a few weeks. If so, then why give you a buff that benefits you?" asked Newt.

  "I don't think we can know that yet," said Terran. "As much as I would like to believe that she was trying to be helpful, her words said otherwise."

  Elia's mouth twitched to the side. "Does she still love you?"

  Terran nodded. "In her own, new strange way, yes."

  "Then I think Newt's idea has merit," said Elia, smiling at the gravomancer fondly.

  Their burgeoning romance warmed Terran's heart. His friend had terminal shyness, so the fact that he'd reached out to Elia without help was a good sign.

  "We'll have to wait and see then," said Terran, "but that wasn't why I was looking for you, Newt."

  "Should I leave?" asked the older elf.

  He shook his head. "I need to find a black crystal. There's no way the settlement will be a high enough level to grow one on its own before the Howling Wind attacks. If Grimchar found a chip then we can find more. There have to be some left over from when the Autumnal Empire was in full grace."

  "How do you know you can't grow one when the settlement levels?" asked Newt, furrowing his forehead.

  "I don't, but my gut says we're a ways from that milestone. I don't want to wait until then to start looking. We need to take all roads for survival," said Terran.

  Newt looked away. "I'm afraid there's nothing in the library that contains this information. I've already checked."

  Terran smiled. "Of course you have. Always thinking one step ahead, my friend. But if Zoras doesn't have the right book, someone else does. Ask him. He's a Lore Keeper. He should know where we need to look next."

  "I will work on that right away," said Newt, moving towards the exit until Terran put a hand on his shoulder.

  "You can finish what you two were working on here," said Terran, repressing a grin as his friend blushed again. "I'll leave you alone now."

  As he backed away, Elia mouthed "thank you" as Newt turned back towards her, collecting her hands in his own. Terran had the urge to circle back to catch his friend in Elia's embrace, but decided that was one step too far. He decided Newt was in good hands with the older elf, who seemed to have a sense for what he needed—what they both needed, it seemed.

  He visited the Conservatory next, finding Zoras examining a chip of the green crystal under a magnifying lens.

  "Lord Terran, how lovely to see you," said the head of the conservatory, setting down the glass. "Have you seen Newt? He's been quite absent lately and I do enjoy our discussions."

  "He's in some important negotiations currently," said Terran. "But don't worry, he'll be visiting you soon to discuss some topics I tasked him with."

  Zoras tilted his head. "If he is busy, then should we not discuss them now?"

  "It's more than a simple question and you both have more time than I do for the discussion." To distract Zoras, he pulled out the hunk of void crystal. "I need to get started on this. I don't like being without a weapon much longer. Is this like cutting a regular crystal or is there anything I need to worry about?"

  The presence of the crystal drew Zoras' focus like a laser beam. He looked ready to salivate over the enormous gray mineral. Terran was a little worried about the Lore Keeper's health if he ever managed to get his hands on a black crystal.

  Zoras hesitated as he cupped his chin with his hand. "I am afraid to admit this, but we don't know what will happen. There are no records about cutting a void crystal because they are so rare, so my knowledge is only theoretical."

  "I'm always up for a challenge. Do you think we should take precautions?" asked Terran.

  The head of the conservatory stared into the distance grimly before nodding. "Yes. I'll summon Jondar back."

  While Zoras was gone, Terran entered the cutting room, gathering the equipment for his attempt. Unlike the crystals he grew from the Mother Tree, which were oblong, the void crystal was misshapen and provided no obvious location for clamping. He circled the table dozens of times, trying to find the right locations. By the time the Lore Keepers returned, he'd settled on four separate brass clamps pinching the extended bulges to keep the crystal in place.

  "Are you sure?" asked Zoras, his face going through contortions as he examined the void crystal in the settings.

  Terran pointed to a blob on the right side of the crystal. "If I don't hold this section, it will unbalance once I cut away this area, and possibly ruin the whole thing. Honestly, I'm not sure I have enough skill to cut this. I've only made a few crystals. This seems like a whole nother level."

  Jondar rested his hands on his belly. "You had no problem cutting the eight green crystals for the communication network. How did you do that?"

  Terran hadn't really considered it. "I followed the song of the crystal. I could feel how it would sound if I took a piece off, or if I chose to leave it. I guess like looking at an instrument's construction and knowing if it will provide good tune." He frowned. "That's not quite it. Maybe it's like adjusting the knobs on a guitar to tune it. Even if you've never tuned a guitar before, if you have the ear for pitch, you can find your way there."

  "What will you do for the song?" asked Jondar.

  "I was hoping you might have ideas for me," said Terran.

  Zoras' head came up. "The early Crystal Bards had no training either. They followed the song reflected in the crystal. You'll have to do the same."

  With the cutting tools arranged around the table, Terran squared off with the void crystal. The hunk of gray mineral was imposing. It's just an instrument, he reminded himself.

  Terran started with a few testing notes, but the crystal didn't respond. It almost seemed like it had absorbed the noise even though the acoustics of the room were quite receptive to song.

  Realizing the randomness of his attempts wasn't going to get him anywhere, he started low in his range and worked his way up. The progress was tedious as he paused after each note to listen, even though he knew it wasn't working. The other crystals had answered in his chest, in his bones. He'd known that it was the correct notes.

  He finished at the u
pper end where he was comfortable he could maintain a song for a long period of time. But it didn't matter, he'd been through his entire range and he'd only gotten a few weak responses.

  "That was disappointing," said Terran with his hands on his hips, staring down at the crystal.

  "Maybe the settings aren't right," Jondar offered, though he clearly didn't believe it.

  "I'm open to suggestions."

  Zoras extended his hand towards a small gray bump. "The crystal sounded constrained. What if you used this single anchoring spot rather than those other two, so it's suspended by three points rather than four."

  Terran had to move around to Zoras' location but after getting level with the crystal and picturing the balance in his mind, he nodded.

  "You're right. Three points. It'll be more unstable but I don't think anything that I can't handle," he said.

  After resetting the crystal, he began again. This time, there were more notes that answered back, and not as weakly, but none of them ever rung in his chest or made him feel like he was standing in front of an amp.

  "Closer, but not yet there. It didn't feel as constrained at least," said Terran.

  "What if it's not just one note?" said Jondar. "The misshapen crystal has this bump and the smaller one. Could it be a chord?"

  "Last I checked, I can't sing in chords," said Terran, leaning on the table.

  "We could sing with you. A three-part harmony," said Zoras.

  Terran stood. The others matched his reaction. "Yes...a harmony. That could work."

  He went through the notes again, while Jondar jotted them on parchment. When they were finished, they stared at the paper.

  "None of these suggest chords," said Zoras, scowling. "Maybe it's not possible."

  "Oh, there are chords," said Terran with a half-cocked grin. "But probably not chords you're used to. The songs of the Rock Leaf Elves are typically in major keys which create the feeling of happiness. There are the occasional minor chords to add some emotion, but generally they evoke a positive feeling. Diminished chords are dissonant. They add tension, uncomfortableness, which is appropriate for the void crystal."

  "The knowledge of the Offworlder is superior to our own, it seems," said a dejected Zoras.

  "Not at all, my friend," said Terran, putting a hand on his shoulder. "There is much you could teach the people that I came from about family and community."

  "What do you want us to sing?" asked Jondar.

  Terran studied the paper, before tapping on three notes: C, E-flat, G-flat. "That middle C had the strongest reaction. Let's try that chord. Zoras, you take the G-flat, Jondar, the E-flat."

  The note flowed effortlessly from Terran's lips, reflecting back from the crystal as a vibration across his face. When Jondar added his E flat, followed by the G flat from Zoras, it felt like getting kicked in the gut by an elephant and they lost the chord, falling into wide-eyed silence as a harmonic rang in their ears.

  "We've found the note, it seems," said Terran, the hairs on the back of his neck standing tall.

  "That was powerful," said Zoras. "Let's start before I lose my nerve."

  The second time, Terran was ready for the kick when the chord formed. He let the others get used to the feeling before lifting the razor to make the first cut, knowing he'd have less time than before because Zoras and Jondar didn't have his stamina.

  The pattern of the dissonant chord informed Terran on cutting the crystal. He started with the larger section, slicing away the mineral to develop the middle C. As the note grew louder in his ears, it started to overwhelm the others, so he switched to the second node and worked on it until it reached the same timbre as the first, then cut on the third until their discordant harmony resumed.

  He worked in this manner. Time lost meaning as he shaped the gray crystal. It wasn't until he heard a tremble in Zoras' voice that he remembered he had assistants. The crystal was not yet finished, but the head Lore Keeper had grown flushed. He was straining, which would ruin the chord if it continued, so Terran abandoned restraint and began cutting with the confidence of a surgeon performing an operation for the thousandth time.

  As the final chips fell away, bringing the chord into full resonance, the tree shook, glassware tinkling and books shifting on their shelves. Terran worried that the crystal might be too powerful as sparks jumped from their lips, followed by rips forming in the air as if reality itself was tearing.

  Distant screams made their way to his ears but he was so lost in the void crystal that he forgot he was finished cutting. Their chord blasted through the settlement, shaking and rumbling like a major earthquake. As he became aware, he saw his companions' eyes were rolled back in their heads, and a rip in the air was growing larger. Terran sensed something more powerful than the Carykarak lurking behind. He grabbed Zoras and Jondar by the shoulders, waking them. Before the presence could crawl through the rip in space, he gave them a quick head nod and they finished the note.

  [You have increased the skill Crystal Harvesting]

  Skill: Crystal Harvesting 8 (CHA)

  [You have increased the skill Crystal Harvesting]

  Skill: Crystal Harvesting 9 (CHA)

  [You have increased the skill Crystal Harvesting]

  Skill: Crystal Harvesting 10 (CHA)

  You have gained a legendary void crystal!

  For a moment, Terran worried that the humming in the crystal would provide enough energy for the creature to finish its transit, but the rip in space slowly squeezed back together, and they were left with the loudest silence he'd ever encountered.

  Jondar rushed out of the room, and the sound of retching could be heard as he relieved his stomach over the railing of the Conservatory. Zoras looked stunned by the event, his skin pale and clammy, wavering on his feet.

  Petram appeared from below, eyes wide and mouth agape. "What happened? Are you well? I thought the settlement was going to get sucked into the ground."

  The shaman turned towards the finished crystal on the table. "What is that?"

  "My new weapon," said Terran as a wave of nausea passed through him. "Help me get Jondar and Zoras to the kitchens. They're going to have an awful hunger."

  Terran tried to put his arm under Zoras' shoulder but his knees gave out, and he found Elia and Newt by his side, helping him from the Conservatory, while others did the same for Zoras and Jondar.

  It took a full crew in the kitchen to keep up with three ravenous appetites. If there'd been a conveyor belt it still wouldn't have kept up.

  At the end, the two Lore Keepers slipped into unconsciousness without warning, slumping onto the table, nearly dipped in soup.

  "I'll take them to my quarters and keep an eye on them," said Petram, still a little unnerved by their condition.

  Barely keeping his eyes open, Terran said, "Is the settlement okay? I thought I felt shaking."

  "Nothing our strong roots can't withstand," said Petram, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Go rest. We'll get things resettled."

  Della was there to help him to the chieftain's apartments high in the canopy.

  "This is becoming a regular thing," she said with a smirk. "This time I'll be ready with a bath."

  Bleary-eyed, Terran stumbled along with her as his anchor. "You're too kind."

  As she helped him into the hammock, she regarded him with a frown. The creases around her eyes revealed her concern. He had to fight away the slumber to pull himself up. Della pushed a strand of hair away from his eyes, then left him to rest. He tried to muster an apology but oblivion claimed him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The enchanted bathtub that he'd enjoyed in the Golden Kumquat was waiting for Terran when he awoke, along with a tray of breads, nuts, fruits, and cheeses. The steaming water collapsed around him when he sunk into its depths, and he stayed under until his lungs threatened to explode. When he surfaced, he found Jondar sitting at the table, helping himself to a hunk of white cheese.

  "When did you wake?" asked Terran as he used a luffa
to scrub his skin while Jondar lounged.

  "Only a few hours ago, enough to sate my appetite and examine the object of our labors," said the heavy Lore Keeper. Jondar held himself differently than before. With gravitas.

  Terran squinted. "You're different." A pause. "You leveled."

  Jondar arched an eyebrow. "Leveled?"

  "Sorry, I know you can't see it, but you gained experience from cutting the void crystal. Three levels worth actually. Quite a sum. It seems Zoras did as well." Terran checked his own sheet. "Me too, though only one level, but I am a bit higher than you both."

  Jondar scrunched up his face. "Is that how it goes? It's harder to level the higher you get?"

  "The law of diminishing returns."

  Terran placed his stats in Charisma and Intelligence.

  Character: Terran [Demigod]

  Protector of the Rock Leaf Elves

  Level: 23

  Class: Earthen Mage

  Crystal Bard

  Subrace: Rock Leaf Elf

  HP: 1,170

  Mana: 1,080

  Sta: 3,860

  Strength: 12

  Intelligence: 26

  Endurance: 28

  Cunning: 11

  Agility: 12

  Charisma: 26

  Then he checked the status of the Conservatory.

  Crystalline Conservatory (Level 3)

  Head: Zoras Tomespeaker (Level 14)

  Members:

  Jondar Brightsong (Level 11)

  Hedge Rootline (Level 2) – Trainee

  Echinacea Winter (Level 2) – Trainee

  Isabella Rose (Level 3) – Trainee

  Crystals:

  Azure (Sonic Attacks)

  Emerald (Scrying)

  Green (Communication/Dislocation)

  Crimson (Defensive)

  Violet (Unknown)

  Status Effects (all members):

  +5% for Bard Songs

  +10% Crystal Harvesting

  "You know, this reminds me that I've been focused on leveling the settlement, but the members need it too if we're going to repel the Howling Wind," said Terran, climbing out of the tub to dry off.