There are those who would condemn my actions, my behavior, on moral grounds. I say to them, all of civilization is built on moral judgements. And I will continue to impose mine on the world. If they don’t like it, they can return to the dirt and the filth and the chaos from whence they came.

  Good riddance.

  -Harald Erling, as dictated to Leif Olander

  ***

  The first door, the one on the left, beckoned him. Leif wished Vigo had given him a hint of what he could expect. He assumed that what he was about to encounter would be unpleasant at best so he’d decided to wear his old coat. He wrapped it tightly around himself now.

  He could think of no more reason to delay so he pulled the handle and entered.

  The room he stepped into reminded him of the great hall at Danaria if only for its scale and shape. The stone walls were flat and empty and dull. At the rear of the hall there was a stained glass window bearing a single flame. Several chandeliers hung around the room holding candles that were alight. Despite the candles, the hall was dim. It was cold and lifeless. And utterly silent. There were no creeks or drafts of air, or chittering of small creatures. He reached up to loosen his sword in its scabbard and found it had disappeared. It was no longer on his back. A chill crept down his spine.

  He reached back to feel the door handle. It was locked securely.

  He turned and crept around the large room, empty save for four doors. There was no indication of which door he should enter so he approached the first one on his left. It was well made with simple ornamental carvings ringing the edge.

  He entered and found himself in a hallway. The hallway retained the same dim light but there were no torches or candles that Leif could see. As he stepped forward, the eerie light followed him, which had the unnerving effect of pitching everything beyond into darkness.

  He crept down the hallway which opened into another room. The walls were plain stone and the ceilings were high and dark. There were two opposing doors on either side and the far end of the room the hallway continued. He walked over to the door on the left and reached for the handle.

  A deep thundering growl came from the other side.

  Leif froze. He withdrew his hand and crept silently away. He entered the far hallway instead and continued on.

  The hallway opened to another series of doors. Each of them opened to more hallways with more doors. There was no sense to their direction and only slight differences in the appearance of the rooms. He resolved to take the first door on his left each time as long as he didn't hear the growl again. He counted the number of lefts he took on his fingers so he could backtrack if needed.

  The next room he entered was shrouded in shadow and difficult to see. Leif swept his eyes around. Holding his magic kept his fear allayed but he sensed it creeping just outside the edge of his consciousness. His heart pounded with it. He tried to keep his breathing steady.

  He looked over his shoulder as he walked. At the edge of the darkness, nestled into the corner of the wall and the ceiling was perched a spider. It was large and brown and spindly; perhaps the size of his closed fist.

  It watched him. He didn’t know how he could tell but he knew.

  He kept walking; he quickened his pace while looking over his shoulder periodically to check the spider’s position. Sometimes he could hear the clicking of its legs against the stone wall.

  The hallway ended at an intersection of two doors and another hallway off to his left. He reached for the door in front of him. He heard a low growl again but this time the sound was behind him.

  Leif turned and scanned the room. Down the hallway something stirred in the darkness. He couldn’t make it out other than that it was no small creature, but he decided he didn’t want to find out what the rest of it looked like. He opened the door and slammed it shut behind him.

  He found himself in a stairwell just as simple and plain as the rest of the place. The stairwell was dark beyond where he stood. He stepped downwards and the dim light followed him.

  He descended the stairs before he came out onto an open interior hallway balcony. He found himself looking down into the great hall he had originally entered. His mouth went dry. He’d descended the stairs, but was standing on an upper floor as surely as he breathed.

  Several more doors lined the hall along the wall to his left. He risked looking into the first one.

  At the opening, a searing beam of light shot towards him from inside the room. He threw up a shield and held it, straining his eyes around the light to see the source of the beam.

  Abruptly the pressure and light ceased. “Apologies, friend. I thought you were a wolf.”

  Leif cautiously let his shield dissipate. Before him stood a young man, perhaps several years older than Leif. There was something about him that made Leif uneasy. At first glance his features were normal enough, but the more he looked the more the man appeared strange, ashen and empty. His cheeks were sunken. His eyelids drooped and his smile didn’t quite spread as wide as it should. He had an almost lifeless look to him.

  “I didn’t know anyone else was coming to the temple at the same time as me. They don’t usually do that. Guild rules state you have to get through on your own.”

  Another apprentice? Leif was confused and surprised. He didn’t know if this was some trick, some test of the temple. “I…when did you get here?”

  He laughed, “I just got here earlier today. Emery Varden, of Cairn.” He held out his hand to Leif, “My father was selected as lead architect of the grand new estate for the Guild. I’m sure you’ve heard of him. Maybe not. You?”

  Leif felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He felt goosebumps climb up his arms. He didn’t know Varden but he knew about the Guild. He knew it had been built and collapsed years ago, killing every witch and wizard inside. He cautiously reached out and shook Emery’s hand. It was cold and weak. “Leif, Maedelund.”

  “Well, Leif, we have to avoid the wolves and the spiders. If we want to survive we have to hide. We can’t let the wolves get us. So far this room seems safe. I was going to use it as a base to retreat to. You have to find your own. The rules state we have to do this alone.”

  Leif didn’t want to leave a wizard stuck in the temple if he could help him. He also didn’t know if this was part of the test; a way to keep him stuck, fearful, and unable to finish the first door.

  Or, perhaps Emery had entered after him? “Emery, come with me. We can find our way out together.”

  “Not a chance. I’ll not be the first wizard to complete the temple with assistance and you won’t be either. You should find a room like mine though. A good place to hide from the wolves. Don’t let them get you.”

  “Of course,” Leif stepped back out of the room, keeping his eyes on Emery, “Good luck to you.”

  Emery’s eyes just stared at him as he closed the door. Bloody hell.

  Leif looked further down the hallway before him and thought better of it. He was frustrated by the monotonous doors, rooms, and hallways and the lack of a definitive path forward. And with descending stairs that delivered him upwards, he had to ensure he didn’t get too deep into this maze before losing himself.

  He retraced his steps back up the stairwell. When he arrived at the door he paused for a moment before he slipped through, as quickly and quietly as he could, and pranced to the other door.

  He risked a glance back down the hallway as he grasped the door handle and stepped through.

  As he’d opened the door, the figure he had heard before from the dark hallway snarled and leapt towards him. Leif bolted through the door into yet another hallway. He sprinted forward without a thought or care of what he could be running into. The beast pursued him.

  The figure pounded against the ground as it raced towards him. Leif risked another squint behind. The figure that chased him was just at the edge of the light. He couldn’t make out much but from what he could see, he was followed by the largest wolf he’d ever seen.

  He drew more of his magic and sprinted down the hallway knowing it was hopeless to outrun the creature without help.

  The hallway curved and ended at another door. Leif raced. He heard the sprinting, growling beast behind him. He didn’t dare look back again and slow himself. Just before he reached the door he blasted it open with the force of his magic and crashed through.

  Leif fell into nothingness; a wide open gap.

  He torqued his body back and grasped a jagged edge of stone just below the doorframe. The skin of his fingers tore and bled but he forced them to hold. He found another edge for his feet and pressed himself against the rock wall. Over the sound of his own panicked breathing, he could hear the wet and gruff panting of the beast in the doorway above him.

  Abruptly, barks and howls of wolves sounded from below. He couldn’t see them but the sounds crept into his skin. They gave him a chill and his fear froze him to the wall. He felt himself wishing he was back in the hallway with the spider.

  Leif peered backwards through darkness. He was outside and there was plenty of light from a million stars and an enormous full moon. Yet, his vision was still limited by a strange field of darkness. It was bitterly cold. He felt a raindrop on his hand.

  Across the gap he could just make out the remains of a bridge. It once must have arched over the gap to join the doorway above him. The small amount of the bridge that was left jutted out over the empty space, beckoning him.

  He examined the rock slope around him for a place to stand. It was sheer with jagged cuts like the one he clung to, with one exception. Just above the doorway there was an empty space. He didn’t know if there was room for him to stand but it was his only chance unless he wanted to face the beast in the doorway.

  Leif extended his arms and crouched, coiling himself like a spring against the rock. He poured magic into his legs. He envisioned what he was about to do, his path through the air. He took a deep breath and leapt.

  He launched up past the open doorway. The beast that had chased him, an enormous wolf, stood in the doorway and watched him fly upwards. Atop the doorway, Leif landed on one leg and fell forward against the flat stone.

  It wasn’t pretty, or graceful. Vigo would have laughed. But it worked. He pushed himself up.

  The space was small. He looked out over the gap at the remains of the bridge on the other side. There was just barely enough room for him to make the leap with a short running start. He wasn’t going back through the doorway so he had little choice.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Raindrops fell more frequently now. He felt them on his hair and hands. He tried not to think about the cold or rain but a shiver slipped through him.

  He looked at the remains of the bridge across the gap. It would be a long jump, the longest he’d ever made. He guessed the gap was maybe twenty five or thirty feet but he had the advantage of being slightly higher than his landing point.

  Leif didn’t see another option so he didn’t waste time second guessing himself. He pressed his back against the rock and drew as much of his magic as he could hold. He inhaled deeply, took three steps, and leapt.

  Cold wind and icy drops of rain slapped into his face as he flew through the air. Wolves howled from the gap below him. He descended towards the broken bridge with his arms outstretched.

  He very quickly realized he hadn’t jumped far enough to land on the bridge but a wooden crossbeam filled his vision. He was going to catch it. He was going to make it.

  He stretched out his hand. His fingers slapped against the wooden beam and found no purchase. He sailed on below it.

  He’d missed.

  ***

  Leif crashed into dirt and rock and roots. Some part of his mind was thankful it wasn’t the same sheer rock he’d just left. He grasped and clung to where the base of the arch abutted into the earth.

  The slope was still steep enough that if he lost his grip he’d surely tumble to the wolves.

  The beasts howled viciously below him. He wished he could see them.

  He climbed himself up through the bridge remains and carefully examined the area for threats before standing. He was in a spacious courtyard with several species of large trees illuminated by the moonlight.

  Cautiously, he followed a path which cut through the trees to a door in another building. The wolves’ howling continued ringing in his ears behind him.

  Behind the door he found himself in the exact same sort of space he’d left. With dim light following him, lighting the area around him. Bloody hell. He was annoyed and frustrated. He was banged up across most of his body and even bloodied on his fingers. He didn’t even know what he was supposed to be aiming for. He took a deep breath. He tried to relax. The doorway back out to his world was locked. He would not get back out without working through the labyrinth. He released his breath and continued on.

  The walls were pale gray stone. In the room there were framed images on the walls. Oil paintings depicting scenes with people sitting, playing, riding horses, or dancing. It seemed a perfectly common family gallery that could have been in any lord’s manor in Aren. The one exception was that no matter where he stood, the people in the paintings always seemed to be looking at him. Their eyes followed him as he moved though he could not detect any actual movement. He avoided looking at them as he continued.

  The ceiling was again shrouded in darkness. He crept through the gallery. Despite its unsettling art, Leif was glad to be free of the wolves.

  He kept his eyes scanning around and behind him. He didn’t want to be surprised by whatever other manner of creature inhabited this horrible place.

  It was then that he noticed the small spider climbing up his boot. It raced to creep into his pant leg but he smashed it with his other foot. He looked over the rest of himself and found another sitting on his shoulder. It climbed towards his collar before he brushed it off.

  He swept his eyes around again and there, just at the edge of the light, was the very spider from the other side of the bridge. It was impossible but he was sure of it. A new tingle of fear crept down his spine.

  Leif didn’t know if the spiders were poisonous. He assumed they were. He didn’t know if there was one or more clinging to the back of his coat. He decided he didn’t want to stay in a room where spiders appeared on him. He looked up at the ceiling again. Just at the edge of his dim light, he saw dozens of the little bodies descending, floating, swimming their spindly legs through the air towards him.

  Leif ran.

  He sprinted into a hallway then into another larger hall of the gallery. Leif darted through a door to his right which he slammed shut behind him.

  He felt unequipped for these strange adversaries. He needed time to think. Against his silent wishes, another beast became visible down the corridor he’d just entered. It sprinted at him, teeth bared and growling. Leif ran but the wolf caught him. It nipped at his legs and shoved him with its great head. Leif forced the wolf back with a blast of his power and kept running.

  The beast tumbled backwards but quickly regained its footing, shook its head then resumed its pursuit. Leif went through another door. He slammed it closed and stopped to catch his breath.

  It didn’t make any sense. The wolf had caught him; touched him. He should be half dead by now, on the floor with tendons and sinew torn out.

  He didn't know what to make of it but a new fear crept through him, deep and icy. He was being herded. The sinking feeling dragged on his will and his determination.

  Panting, he looked up. The room he’d entered had door but also a narrow crawl space behind an open grate. He thought perhaps he should try the less obvious option so he clambered into the crawlspace.

  The grate immediately shut and locked behind him. Bloody hell. The strange light did not follow him. He hunched over in darkness and perfect silence. He pressed his head against the wall and exhaled in exasperation.

  The labyrinth seemed aware of him. Like he was playing against the game itself. The thought was not comforting. He picked himself up and began creeping forward. Straining his eyes to no avail against the blackness.

  He didn’t know how long he crept through the tunnel. He moved through it by touch alone. The deeper he went, the space became smaller and smaller until he crawled on his hands and knees, then dragged himself forward on his stomach.

  He needed a light. He needed a clue as to what he could do. The blackness was unnerving.

  The tunnel wasn’t getting any larger. The deeper he crawled the closer he felt the ceiling press in. The tight walls gave him just enough space to move his arms up to keep climbing forward. He’d hoped to have come to some opening, but if he had, he’d missed it. The ceiling pressed into his back. It became difficult to draw a full breath.

  Mercifully, a sound came through the darkness. It was the sound of water falling or flowing. He didn’t know what to make of it other than he was glad for a break in the silence.

  He needed to see. To do anything, he needed to see. He cupped his hands in front of him and drew on his magic. Particles floated around him. He felt, rather than saw them but he was so aware of them it was like he was observing them with his eyes. He grasped the energy around him and he willed it to move, to accelerate.

  He'd never attempted to create the energy beams he’d seen the bounty hunting wizards or Vigo use, but he knew the gist. He forced the particles before him to move faster and faster. They swirled and crashed into each other.

  The tiniest glowing orb gently appeared before his eyes. The concentration it took to hold it there was immense but the light from it filled the chamber as pride filled his body with warmth.

  The newly lit tunnel was simple. It was made from the same plain stone material as the rest of the walls in the place but here, ages of dirt and grime stained the walls. He peered ahead as far as his light would allow and saw small sparkles of movement. He squinted his eyes and held his light ahead of him to get a better look.

  The flecks of light were a reflection, and they were rolling towards him. The rushing water he heard was rushing at him.

  He’d climbed into a storm drain during a storm.

  Oh bloody hell. He dropped the light and focused instead on the water as it crashed into him. He threw up a shield to stop the flow then he forced the energy in the water to slow and separate. He shivered against the cold water and his now soaked clothing as he formed a sheet of ice in the tunnel before him. It blocked the water flow and held.

  He released a sigh of relief but his situation wasn't much improved. Ice block before him, ceiling pressing down on his lungs, darkness all around him. He was sick of the tunnel, and sick of this game.

  He reignited the searing hot ball of energy in his hands. The heat from it warmed his chilled body. In the grip of his magic, his fear and panic were dull, subdued.

  He was done being stuck in the too-small tunnel. He positioned his hands facing the wall and covered his face in the crook of his arm. He let the light build, pouring more of his energy into it.

  When he began to see drops of water rolling down his ice block, Leif closed his eyes and released the searing energy into the side of the tunnel that held him. The wall exploded outwards. Light and heat and broken rocks flew and showered through space and Leif felt himself roll and fall away, water pouring after him.

  He crashed into a balcony without a railing and rolled. He fell again and slammed into a pad of thick grass. Leif’s breath was jolted from his lungs and his body ached from the falls.

  He fought for his breath as he scanned his body and massaged his sore limbs. He tested his arms and legs for injuries. Thankfully nothing felt broken but he’d surely have terrible bruises over the following days.

  He found himself in a large courtyard in what seemed to be the backside of the hall he’d first entered. The large stained glass window with the flame was visible and illuminated. Moonlight from a full silver moon shone brightly. There were trees and hedges and a large arch like a bridge overlooking the center of the courtyard.

  Across the way, on a small stone outcropping stood a wolf. It stared at him. Despite the rain, falling in earnest now, the bright light of the moon reflected off the wolf’s yellow eyes. Leif stared back at it, hoping it wouldn’t approach. The wolf blinked and its yellow eyes became a glowing angry red.

  Leif took a step back. The wolf hadn’t moved but as Leif swept his gaze around he saw several others stalking out from behind trees and bushes. They appeared from out of the darkness and began encircling him. By his count there were at least a dozen but it was hard to tell when they seemed to move in and out of the hazy darkness. The rain had matted down their fur. Their burning eyes locked onto him.

  If they all attacked at once he was dead. He could only hold out for so long and their numbers would overwhelm him. One of them would get through to clip his ankle, his arm, his throat.

  Slowly, trying to be as non-threatening as possible, Leif crept towards the arch. There was nowhere else to hide as wolves seemed to have appeared from everywhere. They continued encircling around him. Closing in tighter.

  He stepped onto the arch. The stone was slick from the rain. He staggered slightly as his foot slipped. The wolves didn’t react. They continued circling as he climbed. Their growls became louder to his ears.

  Leif’s mind raced. His nerves were buffered by his magic. It gave him clarity but it only helped him to see how few options he had. The courtyard had high walls that he couldn’t hope to scale. Perhaps he could have run towards the glass window, broken through it and ran, but it was too late now that he was surrounded.

  He supposed it would be a good death at least; wolves were noble and intelligent creatures; and violent. It would be a pure death. He felt a certain gratitude at that. He really wished he had his sword. His small knife was at his belt but it wouldn’t give him much protection from the thrashing of claws and teeth.

  He stood atop the arch, watching the wolves who watched him. He waited for their attack.

  Out from the pack, one of the beasts peeled out and stepped towards him. Its red eyes glinted in the bright moonlight. He hadn’t noticed before but it was larger than the others; far larger. He didn’t know wolves could grow so big. He may have mistaken it for a bear if he’d seen it alone. Rain water slid down its face and dark gray fur. The red eyes stared at him as it stepped onto the base of Leif’s arch. It looked feral. Ready to kill. It was panting with anticipation.

  It slowly climbed until the beast was within a few feet of him. It stopped for a moment. It looked down at its pack then at Leif. Then it reared its head back and howled. The wolves below howled in response. It was a haunting sound, a signal that his own death was imminent.

  The wolf lunged, teeth bared and growling. Leif threw up his hands and pushed. A wall of air crashed into the creature, blasting it off the archway and back onto the courtyard floor of rocks and grass.

  There was no yelp or cry of pain from the beast. But the other wolves in its pack howled and growled. The large wolf sprang back up and raced back up the arch. Its burning eyes were wild.

  He focused his energy before him and once again brought forth the searing liquid light. He blasted it out towards the wolf. He felt the beam arc and curve but he lost control of its path. The blast went wild. It crashed into the ground near several other wolves who pranced away from the debris that exploded outwards.

  Leif could have sworn the big wolf was laughing. Vigo certainly would have been.

  Once more the wolf came at him. Faster this time. He threw up a shield with his left hand and the wolf barreled into it, almost knocking Leif from the arch. He grasped for ideas as he forced his shield to deflect thrashing claws and teeth. Leif drew his knife but at a sweep of its claws the wolf struck it from his hand. The knife clattered down the arch and fell behind several of the pacing pack. His arm and hand were left with bloody streaks.

  Leif dropped his shield to try and force the beast back again but the wolf lunged at him. Its paws pounded into his chest, protruding claws cutting into him. The wolf’s gaping jaws extended towards him and snapped closed a whisper from his neck as he fell backwards off the arch from the force of the wolf’s attack. The empty space parted beneath him. He swung his arms wildly trying to turn himself in the air. His back slammed into the hard dirt.

  Moonlit wolves with teeth bared roared from all around him in the pouring rain. The impact had knocked the breath from his lungs but he forced himself up before they could attack and tear him apart. He caught sight of the large wolf still atop the arch. It howled maniacally into the storming night. Lightning ripped apart the sky behind the beast.

  Anger and arrogance surged through Leif. He was a wizard. The fangs and claws and the demon eyes of the beasts were nothing compared to his power. He suppressed a laugh. Rain soaked through his clothes. It mixed with the blood dripping from his hand and chest.

  He gazed at the pack around him. Daring them, challenging them to attack. Then he leapt upwards.

  The wolf watched him jump. It growled. Its bright fangs shone in the moonlight and it lunged through the air towards him.

  Leif slammed his palm into the wolf’s face.

  His hand covered one of the beast's burning eyes and he gripped the face and snout with all the force his muscles and magic could summon. He felt a crack in its skull. He held on, pulling the wolf back with him onto the arch.

  He slammed the wolf down as he landed, then he leapt onto its back and wrapped his arm around the thick sopping wet neck.

  He pressed his face against the wolf’s head. He could smell its stinking breath as it thrashed and arched its jaws around to reach him. It growled and roared against his arm but the power flowing through his veins held.

  He opened his other hand towards the sky and the cascades of falling rain. As water landed in his palm he held it there. He willed the energy in his palm to slow. It cooled rapidly, turning to a shard of ice in his hand. Each new drop of water froze until he held a razor sharp dagger of ice in his fist.

  He slipped the blade between the thrashing wolf’s ribs, into its heart.

  The beast quivered and barked, before Leif felt its body relax and die in his arms.

  He stood at the top of the arch, over the body of the animal and looked at the rest of the pack, waiting to see if any others would challenge him.

  They watched him silently before the wolves turned away. They stalked or trotted back into the trees. Until they were gone and Leif was left alone with his kill.

  Leif heard a metallic grinding and saw a large door open in the wall beneath the stained glass window with the flame.

  He looked down at the dead wolf. It felt wrong to abandon the body of the beast but he wasn’t about to drag the oversized animal out of the door with him. He looked down at his coat, now shredded and torn in several places.

  He located his knife in the grass below the arch. He climbed back up and skinned the beast, taking care not to damage the thick pelt. He carefully rolled it and carried it under his arm towards the door beneath the flame.

  The rain had lightened which was a mercy though he was already soaked to the bone. The pelt was like a sponge and was heavy in his weary arms. Exhaustion washed over him, as palpable as the rain. He hoped he wasn’t attacked again.

  No signs of danger appeared as he walked towards the door beneath the stained glass flame. He couldn’t see the other side but as he stepped through, he found himself stepping back into the valley forest, onto the path that led back to his small shelter. He stumbled in surprise as the door closed on its own behind him.