Kara erected a Baldr light shield, sparing them from most of the metal talons, but a few found their mark in Karl’s butt, of all places. Karl grimaced through the pain, yanking one out and scanning desperately for the safe zone.

  “There!” Karl yelled, throwing the metal talon toward an elevated platform where he could see a couple thousand warriors scrambling onto the surface.

  Karl, Kara, and the Trickster teleported to the edge of a chamber that had only one hallway connecting it to the rest of the maze. In front of them was a large circular platform of marble and gold, suspended a few meters above the maze floor. Beneath the platform, a rising tide of lava churned.

  Presumably, at the end of the forty seconds they had left, it would begin spilling onto the floor.

  As the gladiators scrambled onto the platform, they received a wonderful update from the System.

  Safe Zone Capacity: 2,981 / 3,000

  The number continued to climb, inching closer and closer to 3,000. From Karl’s vantage, it was clear the safe zone was nearly full.

  It didn’t take a genius to know what would happen to the last ones left.

  The scramble turned frantic as everyone rushed toward the platform. A Roman gladiator dragged one of his wounded brothers by the arm.

  Nearby, a Japanese woman held a bleeding man upright through sheer will, struggling to get him onto the platform. But the gladiators already on top were not eager to let others reach safety and shoved her off. The man she was holding slipped into the bubbly lava beneath the platform, much to her shrieks of horror.

  Some, like the Romans near the edge of the raised platform, angled their spears outward and began stabbing anyone trying to climb up, while allowing fellow Romans through. Violent fighting erupted behind the Romans as many protested against this. Several were shoved off onto the ground below.

  The outer ring became a meat grinder.

  Karl and Kara had to defensively tear through the gladiators near them, who mistook the werewolves for monsters of the labyrinth. Karl gutted four and Kara three before Karl sent six more down into the lava with a well-placed kick with both legs.

  Alpha Path (+1): lvl 11 (0/210)

  Reiði Points (+1): 4

  Moonlight Meter is now 160/160

  Wealth (+22): 11,153 Gold

  Glory (+30): 3,160

  Level: 42 (280/430)

  Karl barely paid attention to his rising stats as the clock continued to dwindle.

  Time Remaining Until Safe Zone Closes: 00:20

  “Can you teleport us up there?” Kara asked, ripping the head off a Spanish knight, while the Trickster swiped out the eyes of an injured African warrior as he tried to smash them with a glowing club.

  Safe Zone Capacity: 2,994 / 3,000

  Karl threw a helmet toward the platform to Elf Leap them, but when they teleported, they were immediately attacked by a group of Egyptians at the rim. The impact sent Karl and Kara crashing back into the gladiators behind them, smashing them and unintentionally killing four of them.

  Alpha Path: lvl 11 (20/210)

  Wealth (+4): 11,157 Gold

  No matter what they tried, they couldn’t get on. Screams rose into a frenzy as the clock continued to count down to doom.

  Time Remaining Until Safe Zone Closes: 00:07

  Only one spot was left when the Japanese woman—who had been holding the injured man earlier—activated some special ability to unleash a blast of chi energy from her sword to launch herself up onto the platform.

  Safe Zone Capacity: 3,000/ 3,000

  As a result of capacity, an electric barrier emerged from bronze pipes that outlined the edge, shocking anyone who tried to get onto the platform.

  “It’s over,” the Trickster muttered.

  “No!” Karl shouted, looking at Kara, who appeared and felt calm at the coming death as she held her sword fondly, muttering a prayer to her mother. But Karl fell into a desperate frenzy, suddenly terrified for his life and their soon-to-be baby. He unleashed himself on the gladiators around him, destroying them in hopes of getting close enough to drag people off the platform so they could reach the top.

  Given how distracted everyone was in trying not to cook alive, they fell easily to his claws and gnashing teeth. Each kill restored his vitality and Stamina as he fought his way through the sea of flesh.

  Alpha Path: lvl 11 (90/210)

  Wealth (+41): 11,198 Gold

  Kara, too, fought alongside him, destroying the divine-blessed warriors as the Trickster minced their faces with his sword so she could follow up with a lethal strike. But Karl could feel the hopelessness slowing her attacks as she realized the painful truth: no matter how many they killed, there were simply too many fighting back.

  Time Remaining Until Safe Zone Closes: 00:04

  They weren’t going to make it.

  “Karl!”

  A beautiful, salvific rainbow road burst forth from the center of the platform, accompanied by a mighty, triumphant shout.

  “Valhalla!”

  With three seconds left on the clock, Björn—whom Karl could see on his internal parchment map standing with Mýra and presumably Sporus in the center of the platform—pushed his rainbow barrier forward. Like a snowplow, it shoved roughly thirty people off the platform and down below, smushing those unfortunate to be crawling up it.

  Time Remaining Until Safe Zone Closes: 00:01

  Safe Zone Capacity: 2,970 / 3,000

  The outer rim of the platform stopped sending out electric shocks.

  Karl snatched another fallen helmet and hurled it at Björn. Björn dissolved his Bifrost shield and caught the helmet at the last second. They Elf Leaped onto the platform just in time.

  Time Remaining Until Safe Zone Closes: 00:00

  All around the raised platform, lava spewed onto the floor, instantly incinerating anyone unlucky enough to be left behind. There was no escaping it as the lava surged into every maze hall like a gushing flood of fiery water.

  The crowd erupted in applause as the maze became a furnace. Karl barely heard Björn as he thanked him for saving them at the last moment, but he could see the hollow look in the Viking’s eyes as Björn stared at figures outlined in orange and white while the lava swallowed them whole.

  Karl pulled Kara into a tight embrace, stroking her werewolf back as the smell of burnt hair, cooked meat, and sulfur filled the air, and the heat swarmed around them.

  He was grateful for the roaring applause, which drowned out the screams of those who hadn’t made it.

  Sporus and Mýra joined them, Mýra’s armor hissing violently as the heat swirled off of her cryocoils. Her gaze was distant as she forced herself to watch those melting below.

  “That doesn’t look normal,” she whispered.

  Karl turned hesitantly, grimacing at the sight. Hundreds of bodies that had been fighting for their lives moments ago were now molten sludge mixing with the lava. As the lava receded into the platform from where it came, he noticed a faint shimmer of golden dust across its surface, similar to the first round—but far more plentiful this time. It gave the lava an ethereal glow as it vanished beneath them for unknown purposes.

  Karl was so distraught by what they had experienced that he wept into Kara’s shoulder, horrified by the sight, smell, and sound of people roasting alive. It was something he would never forget.

  Mercifully, the Trickster was silent and didn’t make any cooking jokes, as Karl didn’t think he could withstand that right now.

  Contestants Remaining: 2,915

  Colosseum Floors: 2 / 5

  The Emperor spoke again after the crowd finished cheering, but Karl couldn’t pay attention to the words. He couldn’t get the image of those melting bodies out of his mind as he and Kara transformed and became human moments later. He still held onto her, thankful that she and their child had survived once again.

  As he held her, he looked at Sporus, who turned off his invisibility. The Roman archer glared back with a deep, abiding hatred for his former friend.

  22

  YOU NEED A BATH

  The walk back to the Aventine Hill was quiet after the gladiators had been released. Even the children hardly spoke as Titus and Livia escorted them back to their home.

  Though the Emperor began showing a lavish display of a miniature Rome—complete with clockwork citizens that continued to grow in contrast to a miniature Carthage that was destroyed by little Roman armies—none of the gladiators remained to watch. The experience of barely surviving being burned alive was too much for everyone, though the thunderous cheers from the arena proved it was perfect for their carnal appetite.

  “There is a bathhouse not far from our home along the hill,” Livia said softly as they finally walked through the doorway, where Felix and the door slave greeted them warmly. “After we eat, you should visit it.” Her voice was heavy, like everyone else’s.

  “Thank you,” Karl said, gripping Kara’s hand tightly.

  They ate mostly in silence that night, though Titus and Livia did their best to fill the room with small talk. It was hard to eat after what they had experienced. Karl wasn’t even sure what Livia and her slaves had made, as he mindlessly shoveled food into his mouth and forced himself to swallow.

  Through his Pack Link, he could feel that Kara was similarly disturbed.

  They didn’t speak much through their thoughts. Karl noticed that Björn and Mýra sat closer together, Björn’s hand never leaving her shoulders as he held her close, his eyes distant as if in deep thought.

  When dinner was finished, Titus informed them that he would repair their armor for the next day’s battle. “Livia will escort you to the bathhouse,” he said, giving them a soft, fatherly smile. “Take as much time as you need.”

  “Thank you,” Karl said for the group.

  Justus looked like he wanted to ask questions about the fight, but a quick warning glance from his father stopped him. Constantia helped gather the dishes for the slaves to clean while Livia escorted them outside into the quiet, lamplit streets of the Aventine Hill.

  Karl kept his eyes on the stars twinkling above as they walked. Unlike in Gotland, where the stars and Northern Lights glowed with perfect clarity, the stars here were obscured somewhat by the incessant steam and smog that rose from the industrial, Eternal City.

  “He’s not the same man anymore,” Livia whispered as they passed dozens of aristocratic families heading home or out to celebrate.

  “Does the Emperor do this for pure spectacle?” Kara asked.

  Livia shrugged. “It’s hard to know what to make of it. I wish I had better answers. The last time I saw him was when Cleopatra died after giving birth to their sons.” She looked with a solemn face up at the approaching statue of Cleopatra along the road, which was one of many along the Aventine Hill. “He… well, he didn’t speak to anyone for days. And by then, it was like he was a different person.”

  At the thought of Cleopatra dying in childbirth, a flicker of anxiety rolled through Karl. He had taken modern hospitals for granted, along with how they helped women endure pregnancy and delivery. He had pushed down that fear, but it resurfaced as they approached the Roman bathhouse.

  In Kara’s mind, he sensed her imagining giving birth and dying during it. It wasn’t death itself that she feared, but failing to become a Valkyrie. Karl shook his head, confused.

  The bathhouse rose above the layered stone terrace of the Aventine Hill, overlooking the lower districts. Its travertine and brick walls were reinforced with iron bands and rune-edged buttresses. Tall arched windows glowed amber from within as steam vented through bronze chimneys shaped like laurel leaves.

  Everything about it promised rest.

  Above the entrance was an inscription: Balnea Concordiae—Baths of Harmony, Livia explained.

  The bathhouse was larger than Karl expected, with many rooms for different functions. Livia stopped at the first room. “This is the changing hall,” she said. “When you’re done, head to the hot plunge pool. There’s also a warm steam room and a cold plunge area. Take as much time as you need.”

  “Thank you,” Mýra said. Livia gave a curt nod and departed.

  They entered the changing room, which was not separated by sex. “This should be fun,” the Trickster teased.

  “Shut it,” Karl replied as the squirrel hopped off of Karl’s shoulder and scurried out through the doorway, presumably to prank someone.

  They sat on wide marble benches and began to undress. Attending slaves offered towels and oil scrapers as tunics were removed. Valuables were placed in bronze lockers lining the walls, guarded by small mechanical owls.

  Karl kept his eyes only on Kara, doing his best not to look at anyone else—especially Björn, who laughed and seemed excited by the strange experience. Mýra didn’t seem to mind either, given her more seedy past in luring men to the forest as a Huldra.

  Karl focused instead on the scent of olive oil, crushed rosemary, and incense to help distract his thoughts as he stripped nude. With his Lunar Sight, he also heard water rushing through pipes, murmured conversations in many languages, and the rhythmic clank of valves. Somewhere within the bathhouse, two musicians played a soft lyre and flute. He focused on the rather depressing music while he hastily wrapped himself in a towel next to Kara, who didn’t seem bothered by the public indecency.

  Karl glanced at Sporus, already wrapped tightly in a towel, who looked unsettled by the sweet, melancholic sound of the music.

  They were silent as they exited the changing room and made their way into the hot room, where waves of heat rolled upward, visibly warping the air.

  It wasn’t hot like the labyrinth with the lava, though the air was thick and humid from the heat coils embedded in the walls that glowed a dull red. Aristocrats reclined naked on stone benches, half drunk, most with soft hands from lives as politicians—maybe a few of them were historical legends from Rome’s history, but Karl had no idea, as he never studied it much in school. A few retired gladiators sat among them, scars proudly exposed on bare flesh.

  Karl did his best not to look at anyone, though the nudity was startling. He couldn’t help but blush, especially as Björn, Mýra, and Kara tossed their towels to the slaves who stepped forward to collect them. Only Sporus hesitated, glancing briefly at Karl as the slaves requested his towel.

  “I’ll give it to you in just a second,” Karl said, blushing deep red as they climbed the steps at the end of the room toward the hot plunge pool. Several men, young and old, were already relaxing in the bubbling waters. Karl handed his towel to the attendant and quickly dipped into the steaming water, grateful to be concealed. It wasn’t that he had anything to be embarrassed about, but it was strange how open everyone was about nudity.

  Kara, Sporus, Mýra, and Björn joined him, partly obscured by the thick steam that blurred the room. The others paid them little attention as they settled into the water.

  For a brief moment, Karl thought of the lava consuming the people they had pushed from the platform as he sank into the boiling pool. He reminded himself that this was not the Labyrinth.

  As they sat in the hot water and let their muscles loosen, the System notified them of a strange buff that the hot-tub-like waters provided.

  Buff Added: Deep Soak Lethargy

  Effect: For 90 minutes, experience +40% Stamina Regeneration and −20% Movement Speed. Also, +20% more vulnerable to courtesans.

  The effects immediately slammed into Karl. His movements became slower while somehow feeling very energetic thanks to his high Stamina. The third effect became very clear in its power as he watched the dozens of courtesans entertain almost every man in the nearby baths, including their own. They undoubtedly made a killing by working the baths. He felt Kara’s gaze linger with curiosity as she studied what the women were doing to siphon money from the men.

  Karl forced his attention elsewhere, focusing on the conversations. Most spoke of the gladiator games and how exciting the first two rounds had been. People were hesitant to speak of the Emperor, noting only that his sons looked impressive and that the Empire now had guaranteed heirs. Two older men across their bath whispered that they were worried that the brothers might one day fight each other into civil war after their father’s death.

  Karl was about to ask where the Trickster had gone when a scream echoed from the latrine room. It sounded like a steam vent had exploded, and a man ran out mid-wipe, fleeing the bathhouse in terror.

  As much as Karl hated to admit it, it was funny.

  “This is a unique place,” Björn said, stretching his arms along the marble behind them and glancing often at the courtesans laughing as they served the men, though his wife kept a strong grip on his arm to keep him from falling prey to the Buff’s more licentious effects.

  “It’s nothing like the ones the palaces have,” Sporus said, staring into the bubbling water.

  “Do you miss any of it?” Karl asked, immediately regretting the question as he remembered Sporus had once been the so-called wife of Emperor Nero.

  Sporus met his gaze, eyes dead, then cracked a dark smile.

  “I only missed the bathhouses while I was in your lands,” Sporus said. “But I would have given it all up for a chance to live the life you had.”

  “My life?” Karl asked, frowning. For a second, he thought the guy was joking.

  Sporus nodded. “Nero was a cruel man. After he kicked his pregnant wife to death, he searched for a slave who reminded him of her; apparently, I looked the part. I became the object of his fascination, a slave to his desires as he carved me into her image. I was nothing but a plaything he discarded whenever he wished.”