"You're leaving...going to find her..."
"I'm not going to find her, I'm going to save the settlement," he said.
Della's lips came to a point. "Are you sure?"
"We have bigger things to worry about," said Terran.
She looked down at her sandals. "At least you came to say goodbye. I wasn't sure I warranted that much."
Terran moved close, put his arms around her. She set her head against his chest.
"No one can know where we're headed, not even Isabella. I don't want our enemies to know we're away from the Glen," he said while stroking her soft blonde hair.
Della pulled away suddenly. "Is that what you came here for? Not to say goodbye but to make sure I kept my trap shut?"
Terran was too slow to deny, because she broke from his arms, twirled away and faced the shelves.
"Fine, go. I'll keep your secret safe. You should have been able to trust that I would know better, but if that's how it is. Go. Go find your girlfriend and bring her back. I promise I won't make a fuss."
His face burned and his mouth wouldn't form words, so he quietly teleported back to his abode to collect his gear for the journey.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The road to Dagrath was idyllic, the occasional autumnal leaf spinning down from the heavens as sunlight filtered through the trees. Terran had placed himself firmly in the shadows while he addressed his friends.
"Any last concerns before we go?" asked Terran.
Luna had been cleaning her muzzle with her paw, but she paused and stared into the colorful canopy. "I ate a couple of preacher bugs that were mating earlier. They were delicious, but I can't get the sound of their coital hissing out of my head."
"Coital hissing? Ewww," said Flynn, rubbing the back of his neck while his lips wrinkled. "Thanks, Luna. Now I can't get that out of my head either."
The gray lynx tilted her head. "But you didn't even hear them."
Flynn fluttered his eyes. "I have a very active imagination." He cracked his knuckles. "Let's get the road on the show so I can forget Luna's weird tastes in dining."
"Road on the show?" asked Terran, chuckling. "Fine. Gather round. Not sure what to expect when we arrive, but be on your guard."
With Newt on his left, Zara on his right, and Flynn across from him, all holding hands, Terran opened the hidden pathway with his mind, closing his eyes and concentrating on the shadow anchor. He knew they'd moved when a wave of vertigo hit him, followed by groans from his friends, but he kept his focus on their destination.
As he moved them through the hidden pathways, Terran sensed resistance, which was a first for him. He thought it might be the nature of moving to a secondary realm, a byproduct of the more challenging travel, but he sensed intention behind it. A pushback that was trying to keep him out of the Shadowlands.
The Lady of Shadows knows I'm trying to get in, he thought. This worried him on multiple levels, and he hadn't been expecting it. Terran focused on the shadow anchor, pushing them into her realm. The battle of wills was brief, but he broke though, and their motion suddenly stopped, and Terran fell to his knees.
He opened his eyes to a world of dim light and shadows as if color had been drained away. Flynn was busy retching in the grass, while Zara used her axe to stay steady on her feet. Only Newt seemed unaffected, which probably had to do with his gravomancer class.
"Oh, gods, I can't see shit here," said Zara, squinting, eliciting nods from his other companions.
They stood on the crest of a hill, strange angular trees surrounding them. Each tree stood alone like a sentinel, its limbs without leaves. On a far hill, he saw the outlines of buildings, ruins perhaps, which at least at one time had held civilization.
"I see just fine," said Terran.
Newt held out his hand, and a sphere of light formed. It grew like a soap bubble from his palm, prismatic waves washing over the surface until it detached and hung slightly above his head. The light pleased his friends, but the presence of it made Terran feel ill. He felt the urge to move back into the dim light beyond its radiance.
"What happened during the transition? It's never taken that long," said Zara, frowning.
"I think the Lady of Shadow knows we're here. She tried to keep me out, but we were almost here by the time she started to resist me," said Terran.
"I guess that means no second chances," said Flynn.
Luna was in a half-crouch, hackles risen, staring into the distance.
"See something?" asked Terran, his distance vision ruined by the light bubble.
"See? No. Sense? Yes. As soon as Newt made that light, I felt like we just rang a dinner bell," said Luna.
"Not quite fond of it either," said Terran, squinting. "Probably not a good idea."
Newt waved his hand over the floating ball of light, dimming it until it barely shed illumination.
"Practically useless now," said Flynn, frowning.
"We should probably move out, in case there's anything coming to investigate," said Terran, craning his head in all directions.
"Where to?" asked Zara, shouldering her axe.
"I saw some ruins off that way," said Terran, and he started walking, the others falling in behind him.
Despite the desolate landscape Terran felt at ease, as if he were back in the Rock Leaf Forest, strolling beneath the autumnal leaves. The leafless trees of the Shadowlands had fractal-like shapes and gathered dusk around them as if it were a fine mist. When Terran glanced behind him to check on his friends, he saw them rubbing their arms, frowning at the surroundings.
"What's wrong? This place is kinda cool," he said, stopping beneath a fractal tree.
"Cool?" asked Zara, eyebrow rising. "It was way colder at the Citadel and it didn't bother me, but here, I feel like I can't shake a chill. This stupid debuff doesn't help. I guess you being a demigod is keeping you comfortable."
"Debuff?" Terran had set his interface to only appear during combat. He opened it manually to find an icon, but it was the Shadow-Touched one, which was normally hidden. "You have—"
"Yeah, stupid Shadow Burn," said Zara, hefting her axe with one hand. "I wish I could hit it with my axe."
The others nodded. Terran swallowed. "What is it doing? I don't have it."
Flynn stroked the skull on his belt. "Did you hear that, Skully? Terran doesn't have the debuff. How is that fair?"
Newt stroked his chin. "It's reducing our stats, regen, and seems to have a component making us more vulnerable to damage from Shadows."
"Crap, sorry," said Terran, shaking his head.
Zara wrinkled her forehead at him. "How do you not have it?"
"I...do you remember when Chanterelle attacked me? I had that weird icon that showed up briefly. It's back and it's called Shadow-Touched."
"Oh, great, your girlfriend gave you protection from the Shadowlands," said Flynn, shaking his head and glancing at the lightless sky.
"No, well, yes, I guess it's giving me protection, but the people I talked to at the Glen that were familiar with it didn't have good stories about it," said Terran.
"Is that why you're always shying away from the sunlight back in town?" asked Zara.
He nodded. "The sunlight bothers me, not always, but after my death at Lost Valley, it was painful."
"Why do you think she gave it to you?" asked Zara, head tilted.
"I don't know if it was on purpose or if it's from being the Nightblade. Whatever it is, it's not good," said Terran.
"Are you sure?" asked Flynn. "It sounded like she still had a thing for you."
"She stabbed me in the gut," said Terran. "If anything, it's part of her ploy to get me to join her in the employ of the Lady of Shadows."
"Fair," said Zara, rubbing her arms and glancing up at the tree. Her mouth cocked to the side. "Hey, remember when that stupid skeleton got caught in the tree after Newt blew him there, and then the whole thing fell on Flynn and he pissed himself when it trapped him?"
"Hey! My water pouch spil
led. How many times do I have to explain that?" said Flynn, looking down at his hip. "Right, Skully?"
"It's been quite a ride since then," said Terran, smiling wistfully at the memories. "Not the game I expected it to be, by a long shot."
Luna snorted. "If you four have a group hug, I'm going to throw up."
Terran shared grins with his friends, and they started to move forward with arms wide, until a soul-curdling howl filled the air. Everyone went for their weapons.
"What was that?" asked Flynn.
At the apex of the next hill, dark shapes moved in their direction.
"This isn't very defensive here," said Terran. "Let's move down."
They hurried in a line with Terran as the lead since he could see the best. The wild howls—not like beasts but twisted human voices—came more frequently, each one filling him with dread. They made it into the valley before their pursuers caught up to them. There was a brief moment when the two sides sized each other up. Terran and his friends spread into a line. On the opposite side, figures in robes of shadow—or they were made of shadow, it was hard to tell—formed a wedge, the tallest at the point.
Ur-Shadow - Level 23
From the earliest days of the Shadowlands came forth…oh, forget it, these are just badass Shadow Devils. You might want to consider running.
The Ur-Shadows surged forward as a group, staying in the wedge. They crossed the field of dim light.
"What's coming?" asked Zara, holding her shadow axe with both hands, peering around the hilt. "It just looks like a lump of darkness headed our way."
Seeing that the others were equally blind to the approach of the Ur-Shadows, Terran called out, "Zara in front, everyone else form up behind her."
"Why?"
"Just do it," he said, not even understanding himself. Terran took position directly behind her, hoping that her whirling shadow axe would help break the impact of the Ur-Shadows. He lifted his voice, searching for the Killing Harmonic, as the wedge moved swiftly.
As the Ur-Shadows approached, Newt raised both hands together, then spread them apart. A great force of energy ripped at the wedge, but the collective might of the Ur-Shadows resisted his attack and they crossed the final distance, slamming into Zara as she met them with her axe. The wedge resisted the powerful strike, then forced Zara, and the rest of the party, to step back.
The redheaded berserker kept swinging her shadow axe, chipping away at the Ur-Shadow at the front of the wedge, but the tight bunching of the creatures kept her from breaking through.
A dart of shadow shot out from the wedge, hitting Zara in the hip, faltering her defensive attack, and the Ur-Shadows surged around her, quickly covering her, stabbing Zara with glistening shards.
Terran feared she would be lost until Flynn struck with a Chaos Ball, the seething prismatic orb of energy slamming into the wedge. Confusion reigned, the Ur-Shadows no longer focused on Zara, giving Luna a chance to lunge in and drag the bewildered berserker from the wedge, using her teeth.
They attempted a second surge, but Terran blasted the lead Ur-Shadow with a Void Blast. Without the cohesive power of the wedge, the impact hit cleanly, turning the shadow to wisps of dusk, fading quickly.
"The wedge is giving them power," said Terran. "We have to keep them from staying in formation."
"I'll do my best," said Flynn, whirling energy forming between his hands.
The wedge attacked Zara with ferocity. Between her berserker might and the shadow axe, she maintained their defense, but they were slowly being pushed backward. Terran searched for the Killing Harmonic, but he couldn't find a frequency that fuzzed their edges. He worried that the Shadowlands protected its denizens from his vocal powers.
"They're pushing us into a canyon," said Terran, risking a glance to the rear.
Grunting as he tore at the wedge with his gravity powers, Newt said, "They'll smash us against the wall."
"We're not making headway, and Zara's losing health fast," said Flynn as he fired into the wedge again, but his Chaos Balls had less effect than the first as if they'd grown resistant.
Terran regretted not waiting for Goldenrod so he could make a Topaz crystal for healing, but the threat of the Howling Wind was too great to wait.
"We have to break up the wedge," said Terran.
"We're trying," said Flynn, exasperated. "Nothing's working."
The wedge of Ur-Shadows was focusing their power. They seemed to draw strength from nearness, and they learned from each attack, which was why Flynn and Newt's attempts to break them apart were no longer working.
Terran abandoned his search for the Killing Harmonic and tried to bring a stone wall between them and the wedge, but the Ur-Shadows countered his attempt, blocking the stone before it could leave the ground.
"Dammit, they're doing the same to me," said Terran.
The short canyon was coming to an end behind them. They were trapped. The Ur-Shadows sensed their demise, pushing harder, their fell energies whipping them into retreat.
"We need to coordinate our attacks like they are," said Newt.
"You're right," said Terran, eyeing the end of the canyon. "I'll start with some mass damage to distract, then you both hit with your abilities, and I'll follow it up with a Void Slam to the tip of the wedge. Zara and Luna, you'll have to fill in the space we give."
Zara glanced over her shoulder. "You bring the heat, I'll bring the meat."
"Please never say that again," said Flynn.
Terran opened his mouth, belting out a wordless song. The melody spoke of rocky landscapes, shards of stone piercing tender feet. It was an angry tune, and it hurt his throat to sing. The Ur-Shadows flinched at the collective damage, but kept up their progress until Newt and Flynn hit the wedge, the Chaos Ball loosening their adherence enough for the Gravity Slam to force them apart.
"Now!" yelled Terran.
When Zara ducked, he switched to a Void Blast, the dull gray beam of sonic energy ripping into the lead Ur-Shadow, turning him to faint mist. The two melee combatants filled in the empty space, tearing into the wedge with axe and claw.
With the adhesion of the Ur-Shadows perilously spread, Terran switched back to his Auditory Assault to distract, and before the wedge could reform, Newt and Flynn hit them again, losing their bonds further. Rather than hit with a Void Blast, which would be a huge use of mana, Terran brought forth pillars of stone in their formation to keep them separate.
As Zara and Luna waded into their midst, the wedge broke apart, and Terran joined them, using his Void Staff as a melee weapon. Without the collective might of the wedge, the Ur-Shadows were easily overcome and the creatures in back fled.
"That was close," said Terran, leaning on his staff, heaving with breath.
None of them had escaped damage, Zara having the worst of it, her health down to a third.
"They damn near broke us," said Flynn. "Not cool. Right, Skully?"
"We learned something and got some experience," said Terran. "Next time, if they try that wedge thing, we'll be ready to break them."
"Terran," said Newt, a frown tugging at his lips. "The Shadow Burn is worse."
"What do you mean?" he asked as he glanced at their health bars, which should have been slowly filling now that they were out of combat, but seemed even smaller than before.
"We're still taking damage."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Terran checked his own health, which was climbing as expected. He'd neither received a Shadow Burn debuff nor lost his Shadow-Touched icon.
"We've only got a few minutes by my calculation," said Newt.
Terran handed out healing draughts that Petram had given him. They downed their potions—Terran had to help Luna—which increased their health momentarily, but didn't stop the slow decay.
"We won the battle but lost the war," said Zara, leaning on her shadow axe, scowling.
"I can take us back to the Glen. We can heal up, find a way around this Shadow Burn, and come back," said Terran.
/> Zara tilted her head. "Didn't you say that the only reason we got in this time was the Lady of Shadows wasn't ready for us? If we go back, we're probably not getting back in, and even then, it might not matter. Unless you can protect us from Shadow Burn, the same thing is likely to happen."
"I can't do this without you," pleaded Terran.
"You're gonna have to," said Zara, equally distressed. "Or give up on this crazy idea altogether.."
Terran paced away, tugging at his brown hair, which had grown longer. "The numbers the Howling Wind have, we just can't compete, even if we had every capable fighter from Dagrath."
"If you have to stay, we understand, or at least I do," said Zara, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Just don't get caught," said Flynn, patting his skull. "Skully would very much miss you."
"Thanks, Flynn." He bowed towards the skull. "And Skully."
To Terran's surprise, Newt threw his arms around him for a brief hug. So quick, it was like flinching away from a hot fire, but for Newt, it was a glacial amount of time.
"Don't die," said the dark-skinned mage, before moving to the back of the group.
Luna sighed heavily, raising a single, furry eyebrow. "I don't do goodbyes. See you soon."
Terran winked. "See you soon. All of you."
The Shadow Burn took them one by one, and they blinked out of existence, leaving him alone in the Shadowlands. Without them by his side, he felt supremely vulnerable. The Ur-Shadows, or other beasties, could easily overtake him. Stealth, rather than power, would be his friend now.
But he still didn't know where the labyrinth was located, and headed in what felt like a northerly direction, hoping to spot a village where he might learn more about these lands. Without Newt's magelight, travel was easier, as he didn't feel like they had a beacon lighting the way for enemies to find them, which made him wonder more about being Shadow-Touched.
The lack of normal light revealed these lands were more inhabited than he'd first thought: bugs scurried across rocks, angular birds soared across the dim sky, and deer-like creatures moved away whenever he came upon them. He traveled for a day, found a protected hollow to cram himself into, ate quietly by himself, then slept uneasily, waking constantly, expecting a wedge of Ur-Shadows bearing down on him.
The Shadow Labyrinth: A LitRPG Adventure Page 18
