Into the Great Labyrinth
“Do you perhaps know the reason you’ve summoned me?”
“He said he had something to show me.”
What could Kutula possibly want to show me? I couldn’t even hazard a guess.
“Please tell him I’ll visit soon.”
“Understood. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Count Ktolari bowed politely to Bastet—who was still facing away from him—before nodding to me and vanishing once more. The count had always been strong in his own right, but he’d never possessed the ability to teleport over such distances like I could. Whether he’d grown stronger himself or Kutula had merely lent him power temporarily, there was no way to tell.
Checking on the Ktolari estate through my clones, I saw the count’s corpse lying in his bedroom. A closer look revealed it was a fake. Most people would be fooled, but it was hollow inside—a lifeless shell. With no heirs, the Ktolari family would naturally fade into the annals of history. It was like tossing fresh kindling onto the already raging fires of intrigue within the Neos Kingdom.
The Ktolari lands were among the wealthiest and strongest territories in Neos—provided they kept the beasts from the Dragon Mountains at bay. But now, with neither Count Ktolari nor Kutula there, who among the nobles could hold that line?
I couldn’t shake my concerns about Juno. Kutula was moving so boldly now—did the lack of intervention mean Juno’s power had waned? Sure, the Great Labyrinth had breathed new life into the stagnant Eastern Continent, so maybe Juno was turning a blind eye. But in the end, it still meant relying on or tolerating the power of an outer god.
I had no intention of rushing off just because Kutula had called. Thinking back to the survey team’s ordeal, it could be a journey that lasted months once I stepped inside. I took my time preparing for entry into the Great Labyrinth.
I’d stocked the New Continent lab with enough supplies for the dwarves and Antariel to last months. The territory ran itself smoothly enough, but as lord, I still needed to set the broad strokes before leaving.
As I wrapped up my preparations, Bastet fixed me with an odd look.
[Take me with you.]
Reassuring on one hand, terrifying on the other. Gods meeting gods never ended well.
[Bring Howard too.]
Truth be told, I’d planned to go alone. No matter what the Great Labyrinth looked like inside, if Kutula had summoned me, there’d probably be some mechanism to meet him—or Count Ktolari would come out to greet me.
[Should I bring the trio along?]
[They’re not needed.]
The trio were decently strong fighters in their own right, yet here they were, thoroughly dismissed.
I summoned Howard on short notice, gave him the rundown, and we set off for the Great Labyrinth.
We materialized near the settlement that had sprung up around it—a proper village now—and made our way slowly toward the entrance.
The locals were mostly merchants, adventurers, and mercenaries, so our group stood out like sore thumbs. A youthful nobleman who screamed aristocracy, a black cat draped lazily over his shoulder, and a rugged middle-aged man trailing behind—it was a mismatched trio that didn’t belong here at all. Howard alone wouldn’t have raised eyebrows, but Bastet and I? We were impossible to miss.
“Feels like we’re on display.”
“Then walk faster.”
As Howard grumbled, I quickened my pace toward the entrance. Should’ve teleported right to the threshold and skipped this.
Sentries from both nations guarded the entrance, but they didn’t check entrants. We pushed through the bustling crowd without issue and crossed the threshold.
It looked like a simple stone archway, but the moment we passed the boundary my clones couldn’t breach, a sharp tingle coursed through my body.
Inside the Great Labyrinth proper, the initial stretch was crowded. As we wove through to pick up speed, a group blocked our path.
“Hey, you lot planning to head in looking like that? You’ll die, you know?”
A band of typical mercenaries stood in our way.
“We’ll be fine. Thanks for the concern.”
I kept my tone as mild as possible.
“Listen, I don’t know if you’re some noble playing tourist, but why not hire us instead?”
They didn’t look particularly skilled. Their souls marked them as low-rent sellswords who’d never rise above that.
From their attitude, they probably gave “labyrinth tours” to naive young lords who wandered in and fleeced them for it.
“Out of the way.”
Howard stepped forward, and they flinched back without him even flaring his aura. Cowards.
As we escaped the entry area and scanned our surroundings, I realized something: my connection to my clones was severed. I’d taken shared vision so for granted that relying solely on my own senses felt suffocatingly narrow.
“Those guys from before are tailing us.”
Howard whispered, sensing them through his aura.
I’d planned the same precaution with clones. Mercs of that caliber wouldn’t be an issue unprepared, though.
“Ignore them. We’ll shake them with speed soon enough.”
Whether they planned to ambush and rob us or wait for us to get in trouble and “rescue” us for pay, I didn’t care. No need to hunt them down.
Beyond the entry, the Great Labyrinth split into countless forks. No welcoming committee? No guiding path? Surely Kutula didn’t expect us to trek to the heart unassisted.
Once the crowds thinned, we accelerated—me setting the pace, Howard matching effortlessly.
After a good sprint, I glanced at him. He shook his head.
“They’re way behind.”
No surprise; low-tier mercs couldn’t keep up.
Then something ahead— not beasts, probably an advance party. About thirty strong, resting in a wide cavern passage. I planned to blow past.
They spotted us from afar but didn’t stir. As we raced by, arrows and projectiles suddenly rained from their side.
“What the hell?”
None hit, of course. No need for barriers; we dodged with ease.
I stopped and approached. I wouldn’t hunt people like those tailing mercs, but unprovoked attacks were another story.
“Oh, sirs! Our mistake—sorry about that!”
Their apparent leader groveled forward with apologies.
Probe first, backpedal if it went south—classic tactic.
I’d seen every flavor of scum this world offered.
“Is that so? Guess I’ll have to make a mistake of my own.”
With a cat on my shoulder, it probably looked ridiculous, but my icy tone sharpened his gaze.
“No need to get heated—good things should stay good, right? Here, take this and cool off.”
He offered a grimy pouch that screamed “coin purse” at first glance. But no—old mercenary trick.
“Don’t need it.”
I met each of their eyes before retreating.
All bore a resentful soul or two. Occupational hazard for mercs, but these had crossed lines.
Once we’d put distance between us, Howard asked, “Why let them off?”
“I didn’t.”
He focused briefly, then nodded. No life signs on aura sense.
“Got it. But are you really a saint or something?”
“The heretic inquisitors are worse than me.”
“Fair point.”
We sped on. The returnees weren’t kidding—this place was filthy huge.
Finally, our first beasts: massive caterpillars with seven-star eel mouths, slow until they lunged with terrifying speed. Weakest known in the labyrinth, and twenty-odd formed up ahead.
Their thin shells made short work; a wind spell neutered them easily.
“Weird bastards.”
Howard prodded a corpse with his boot.
“How so?”
“Don’t feel like beasts at all. They’ve got a distinct vibe.”
The beast king knew his stuff. Precisely, they weren’t alive—not undead either, something in between.
Adventurers hauled out corpses, so no one knew, but up close? Soulless.
After encountering more varieties, I was certain: I’d seen them before. In one of the countless hells visible within the red gem I’d given Kutula.
Gem power or Kutula’s? Either way, he’d opened one of those hells here. A tame one, relatively speaking. Actual hell or another dimension? Unclear. If each was separate, that gem’s value was astronomical—explaining Kutula’s steep price.
Deeper in, stronger ones emerged—not threats to us, but hell for average soldiers or mercs.
“How long do we keep diving?”
Howard grumbled, aura-slicing a lumbering fatberg from afar.
“Survey team lasted two months; at our pace, maybe one?”
We’d been in less than a day. Long haul, as expected—we’d prepped accordingly.
“Heard folks snag treasures here. Where’s our gold?”
True, but even if loot appeared, I wouldn’t touch it. We weren’t strapped for cash, and this was Kutula’s domain. Greed was the trap.
[Not much farther.]
Bastet finally spoke since entry, sprawled on my shoulder.
Too soon? Either a pickup or path would appear, as anticipated.
“Not much farther, she says.”
Recalling those endless stairs at the Ktolari manor, long entrances suited Kutula’s tastes. Annoying hobby.
An hour later, a vast, pitch-black open space appeared—echoing the underground at Ktolari’s estate.
I expected Kutula to emerge from the dark, as usual.
But it wasn’t him.
[Long time no see, little soul. Or should I call you the wandering recorder now?]