The Shadow Labyrinth: A LitRPG Adventure

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  Halfway through the second day, he sensed that he was being followed. It wasn't the massive target on his back like when they'd first arrived in the Shadowlands and Newt conjured a magelight. This was subtle. Whoever or whatever was following him was staying at a distance, rather than moving close to attack. Was this a spy of the Shadowbane? Or a random denizen of these lands watching him until he passed through their region?

  But as the "day" passed (which was no more than the sky being slightly lighter than the night, and a nimbus of light along the horizon) the feeling of being followed never changed. And while he wasn't swift, he moved at a good pace. No curious villager was still following him. Whoever or whatever it was, it was intentional.

  Terran knew he had to deal with the spy before continuing across the Shadowlands. His task was hard enough, but if someone was able to attack at the worst moment, they could create significant havoc. If they were in his lands, he would travel by hidden pathways, appearing behind his pursuer to surprise them. But he couldn't risk those ways now.

  When it came time to camp, Terran set up in a grove of the leafless trees. He'd come to learn they put off a haze of shadow, as if the Shadowlands needed replenishing, much like normal lands needed greenery for oxygen. The nearness of the grove was unusual, as the trees preferred solitary existence, but this gave him more opportunities for subterfuge.

  After following his normal routine, Terran made his bed at the center of the grove. He threw his light blanket over his backpack to create the illusion of him sleeping and then crawled on his stomach until he was out of the ring of trees. He shoved himself between the roots of the largest tree and covered himself with the Cloak of Shadows.

  He fought off sleep during the wait. Traveling through the Shadowlands sapped him, as if he were at a higher altitude than he was used to. Terran was on the edge of slumber, his eyes half-open, when he spied movement at the edge of the grove, making him startlingly awake.

  The shape moved like a panther, light on their feet, with nary a sound. They were covered in a hooded cloak that protected their identity, but Terran caught the glint of a weapon beneath the dark folds. The figure moved within a few feet of the blanket at the center of the grove, staring down at his "sleeping" form.

  Intent was impossible to discern. His beating heart thundered in his ears as he watched the figure puzzle over his body. In moments, he sensed familiarity. It brought a flush to his face, then an ache that went right through him.

  Her gaze flitted to his hidden location, even though he was sure he hadn't moved. Had she heard the pounding of his heart? Before he lifted a finger, she gently pushed the hood away from her face.

  Chanterelle.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Terran rose, glad for the solid tree at his back. Her gaze was impenetrable. He kept his fist gripped firmly around the staff, ready to defend himself should he need to. He crossed half the distance between them, drinking in the sight of her as he went. The sharp angles of her cheekbones and her smokey, shadow-infused features made her even more desirable than when he'd seen her last.

  He was about to speak, when her head turned suddenly and she dropped into a crouch. Terran matched her position. He didn't sense anything, but Chanterelle revealed a wicked, curved dagger with a bone hilt.

  Wordlessly, she crouch-ran out of the grove, headed the opposite way she'd come, motioning to him. Terran quickly threw his gear into his hidden backpack before following. When they were further away, she broke into a run, her long limbs eating up ground, forcing him to push to keep up.

  They ran straight out for ten minutes, ducking behind trees to break line of sight, even though Terran never saw anything following. Part of him wondered if this was a trick, that she'd turn on him and put the blade in his gut like she had in the temple, but he wanted to talk to her so badly that he was willing to risk it.

  Besides, she was the Shadowbane's Champion. If she desired to bring the force of these lands down upon him, he was certain she could do it. The fact that she hadn't yet gave him hope.

  [You have increased the skill Stealth]

  Skill: Stealth 16 (AGI)

  Do shadows have shadows? Or are normal rules of light just right out the door?

  Their path led to a short rocky rise, and when Chanterelle led them into a ravine, Terran worried that she was placing him in a trap. She pushed him against the wall so they were face-to-face, and pulled his voluminous cloak around them both.

  He was so close, he could see the beat of her heart throbbing on her slender neck. She smelled like blackberries. Their hips were pressed together and his hand rested around her firm waist. Terran wondered if this was a ploy to pull them together until he heard the sounds of sniffing and scraping above the ravine.

  The nearer the noises, the more she pressed herself against him. When he could hear the individual claws on stone, and felt the dust and rocks falling on them, she hugged him tight against the ravine wall. The only thing keeping them apart was their clothes.

  The sounds slowly faded, but she didn't move, not for a good ten minutes, or maybe longer, giving Terran plenty of time to remember their nights together. When she pulled away, the cool air rushed in, surprising him, but her hand slipped under his whisperweave tunic to the spot she'd stabbed him in the temple. The corners of her eyes creased as she rubbed her thumb over the scar.

  "I'm sorry," she whispered, looking like she wanted to kiss him before stepping apart.

  Terran leaned back and stared over the edge of the ravine. "What was that?"

  "The Hounds of Shadow," said Chanterelle. "I used my affinity to shadow to hide you, otherwise they would have tracked you down, mauled you until you were unconscious, and taken you to the Lady of Shadow."

  "Why?"

  Chanterelle's lips squeezed to a point. "She wants to control you, and Gneiss Glen by proxy."

  "Why did you help me? I thought you wanted us to be together here? Fight the Howling Wind together under her banner?"

  She turned away. "I do, but if the Hounds had you, I wouldn't get to see you, or talk to you, and what she would make you would not be you at all."

  "You're still trying to talk me into signing up for this madness," said Terran.

  "It's not madness. It's logic. You lack the means to repel your invaders. The Lady of Shadows is safe in her lands, but would prefer the Howling Wind not to be so close." She glanced over her shoulder. "Join us. Join me."

  "I have the means to fight back, or will, once I can find it," said Terran.

  She faced him. "The labyrinth."

  He tilted his head. "You know what I'm looking for?"

  "A black crystal. You're not the only one to receive a prophecy," said Chanterelle. "Know that if you go that way, you'll just as likely destroy everything and everyone, us included. If madness is what you want, that is the way."

  "Better than being a puppet," he said.

  Chanterelle surged forward, snarled in his face. "You think me a puppet? Then why would I save you from the Hounds? Or gift you protection from these harsh lands?"

  Terran rubbed the scar on his belly. "Is that why you stabbed me? Or when you clawed me? To give me Shadow-Touched? You knew I would come here?"

  She stared at the ground. "Knew? No. Hoped? Yes. But I wanted it to be on your terms, not hers."

  You have completed the quest "Learn what's going on with shadow-touched."

  You have received experience.

  "Does she know you labor against her as her Champion?"

  "Do you tell your friends everything you do?" asked Chanterelle.

  "A fair point," said Terran, sighing and leaning against the stone. "I'm going to the Shadow Labyrinth."

  "You'll die."

  "I have to try," he said.

  "You'd have a better chance if you joined with the Lady," said Chanterelle.

  "And give up our freedoms," said Terran. "Sorry. I've seen what she does with innocent people in Dagrath."

  Chanterelle wrinkled her nose. "This wor
ld is a game to you. Those are just figments of your imagination."

  "If I believed they weren't real, then that would mean neither are you." He held out his hand. "Come with me. Help me retrieve the black crystal. If I fail, and live, I'll go with you to meet the Lady of Shadow and at least hear her offer."

  Chanterelle stared at him for a long time, before closing her eyes and bunching up her lips. "At least we'll die together." She sighed, opening her eyes. "Besides, you wouldn't survive long without me, or even find it."

  Terran wanted to throw his arms around her in celebration, but the closeness he'd felt at being sequestered against the ravine wall was gone. She brushed past him, heading back the way they'd come.

  "The Hounds will eventually circle back to find your scent. We need to pick up the pace. The Labyrinth is the other direction, anyway."

  "So I was completely lost?"

  She snorted softly. "Worse than lost, you were heading towards her castle. Eventually she would have detected you herself."

  Chanterelle sped across the hills with Terran right behind. They ran until deep into the night. When they camped, Terran silently hoped she would climb under his cloak with him, but she pulled out a woven mat and fell asleep quickly, leaving him to stare at the curve of her back until he joined her in slumber.

  They traveled like this for three days, moving at a pace that challenged Terran, but Chanterelle cited the Hounds as the reason for such speed, constantly glancing back as if they were just over the horizon. The land turned to high desert, mangy scrub dotting the hard pack, until they reached an entrance carved into a cliff.

  Pillars and roofs stuck out from the wall, cut by hand from the sandstone. The place radiated a strange energy that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Now that he stood before the entrance, apprehension crept into his limbs, but Chanterelle went straight into the entrance, turning briefly before disappearing into darkness.

  "Quickly. I think the Hounds caught your scent today, they might be near. We can lose them in the Labyrinth."

  Terran caught up, paused at the threshold, then passed through the opening.

  You have been given a quest: "Navigate the Shadow Labyrinth to find the black crystal."

  Reward: Experience and an opportunity to destroy all of creation.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The strange, dim light that served as day outside disappeared, leaving his eyes blind until the Theris Stone kicked in, revealing the passage in shades of gray. Chanterelle glanced back to make sure he was following before hurrying down the long passage, turning decisively when a choice had to be made. They traveled for a solid ten minutes, heading deeper into the maze, before they were halted by a stone wall with runes covering its surface in neat blocks.

  "This is as far as I know," said Chanterelle. "To learn even this much cost much. The rest is up to you."

  Terran examined the stone, keeping his fingers away from the wall.

  "Why did the sight you'd given me with Shadow-Touched fail when we entered the labyrinth?" he asked while he studied the shapes of the markings.

  "There is no shadow without light," she said, tapping her foot. "What are you waiting for? The Hounds were close on our tail. They might find us any moment. Get us through the Hundred Rune door or we'll be lost before we start."

  "They can find us? I thought this information was hard to acquire. Seems a little strange the Hounds know this," he said, frowning.

  Her nostrils flared. "The Hounds serve the Houndmaster, who in turn serves the Lady. He can direct them from afar, which means they will not be easily stymied."

  "Does the Lady know you're helping me?"

  Chanterelle bunched up her lips. "Not yet, but if you can't get us through the door she will."

  "Hundred Rune door," said Terran, pulling out the handwritten tome the High Keeper had given him in the Black Citadel. He'd read through it a few times to familiarize himself with the material, but nothing had been called the Hundred Rune door that he'd seen. Licking his fingers, he paged through quickly, remembering a passage that dealt with runes.

  As the labyrinth changes so too does the gate door. In the time of the twenty-third cycle, it was the Passage of Trees, and the twenty-ninth, the Room of Wine and Revelry held the forward position, but the current gate door is unknown. Rumors speak of a wall of incomprehensible runes, but the manner of passage is currently unknown.

  "What does your book say?" asked Chanterelle, eyes darting to the entrance to the room.

  "That I need quiet to figure out how to get through this," he said, regretting his harsh tone, but staying focused on the task.

  The runes were nothing he'd ever seen before in his time in the game. Astran's notes suggested they were incomprehensible, but did that mean there was no meaning, or he hadn't found one? Terran hovered his fingers over the stone, almost a caress, examining the runes for patterns. There were similarities to kanji, with additional dots in the open spaces. As a test, he brushed his knuckle against the rough wall only to flinch away when it shocked him.

  "Owww...that hurt," he said, scowling.

  An icon of a stone block briefly formed in his vision before disappearing.

  "Wrong rune," said Chanterelle.

  "Clearly." He squinted, gesturing towards two runes apart from each other. "Those are the same. The two long curves with a cross line and four dots."

  "Agreed. Same rune. There are other pairs," she said, noting another.

  "Only two?"

  He searched the wall to find a third that matched his pair, but came away empty. Along the way he'd cataloged a few more pairs.

  "There are more than a few pairs. Maybe this whole thing is filled with pairs. That has to be the key to getting through it. Let's find them all."

  It took them ten minutes of frantic searching. Chanterelle kept glancing back to the entrance, her jet-black hair shifting across her shoulders at each head turn.

  "We've found your pairs," said Chanterelle. "Now what?"

  As he opened his mouth, the echo of hounds baying reached them. Chanterelle's hand went to the blade on her hip, which was a good sign as far as Terran was concerned. He still wasn't convinced she was completely on his side.

  "They're close. We don't have much time," she said.

  Terran cupped his chin, squeezing it as he examined the runes for further clues. A second howl cinched his gut.

  "These runes have similar counts of strokes and dots, if you add them together," said Chanterelle.

  "Good, good. That's good...but what does it mean?" The hourglass emptied out in his mind as he searched the wall, resisting the urge to start hammering runes in hopes of getting lucky, but the earlier shock made that less than appealing.

  "Wait!" He gestured towards a rune on the bottom row. "This one is a count of six. Three strokes, three dots."

  "I found one here too."

  Without further discussion, they found three more, five in total.

  "I bet we press these five, but in what order?" he asked aloud.

  At the same time, they both blurted out: "The dots!"

  The stroke counts were between two and four, but the dots went from one to five. The third howl, frighteningly close, spurred Terran to touch the five runes in order of the dots, each one glowing briefly until something in the floor started grinding and the wall slid out of the way enough for them to slip through the gap. Terran found a lever on the other side and slammed it forward to reverse the door. As it clicked back to the closed position, the sound of claws on stone made it clear the Hounds had reached the Hundred Rune door.

  "Hopefully it takes them much longer than it did us." He peered down the darkened hallway. "What now?"

  Chanterelle shrugged. "We get lost and find our way from there, which might be a good thing. I think the Hounds followed your scent straight to the door. We can't lead them so easily next time."

  "Valid. Let's move out."

  Terran took the lead. The passages twisted and turned and within a few
minutes he felt completely lost. This went on for at least an hour, and he regretted not taking a measured approach to the labyrinth. He wasn't even sure if they'd covered the same ground or if they were constantly forging their way deeper. Around the time his gut started grumbling and he considered taking a break, a strange glow drew him forward.

  He didn't recognize the light at first since it'd been days since he'd seen it. They approached a room of crimson-and-white checkered tiles. Terran stopped them outside, peering inside cautiously. He didn't like that a table with five goblets waited for them at the center of the room.

  "What are you waiting for?" she asked.

  "A sign that this isn't a trap."

  She placed her hand against his back and shoved him forward. "This whole place is a trap. It's meant to keep the curious out, not give them a pleasant experience."

  Proving her point, a slab of stone slid down behind them, closing off their exit.

  When he frowned at the slab, she said, "What? You thought you were going to keep it from blocking us in?"

  "Just trying not to rush into danger." Terran craned his neck, looking for anything else that might indicate the task besides the five goblets. He spied small holes, maybe two inches in diameter, along the upper wall, right beneath the ceiling.

  Chanterelle bent over the table with her silky black hair collected with her left hand, keeping it from brushing against the goblets. "They smell like vinegar."

  "Old wine?"

  She pursed her lips to the side. "Maybe."

  After a complete circuit of the room using his stone sense to search for hidden compartments, he came back to the table. "No other exits that I could find."

  "Room of Wine and Revelry," said Chanterelle. "Could this be it?"