"The Treasure in the Labyrinth" by Gardner F. Fox (1976)

Originally appeared Kothar-Barbarian Swordsman (1970)

Plot: The fat merchant Mental Abanon hires Kothar to go into a labyrinth built by the wizard Ulnar Themaquol to guard a precious treasure. The first thing to attack him is a reanimated skeleton, which he cuts up with Frostfire, his magic blade. The next is a centurion named Honorius who has been in the maze for centuries. Those who enter never need food and never age. They duel and Kothar kills him. Honorius thanks Kothar for freeing him from his curse. After a sandstorm wind, Kothar has to choose between three doorways. Using Frostfire, he finds the third doorway makes the sword glow. He goes that way. He hears a woman scream and runs to find a giant spider-like monster has a girl webbed up. Kothar battles the spider, getting his leg and arm caught in web. Frostfire, unlike other swords, can cut through the webbing. He kills the spider and recues the girl, named Miramel. Miramel was handmaiden to the wiard Pthoomol, who designed the labyrinth. She offers to live forever with Kothar in the maze. He declines. Miramel takes Kothar to the center of the maze and its treasure. This turns out to be a minotaur-like monster called the Minokar. Kothar battles the Minokar, killing it. The body transform into the lovely Lady Rosannia. Ulnar Themaquol shows up and thanks Kothar for releasing her. She had been cursed and only if slain could she be transformed. Since no one was strong enough to kill her, the wizard had placed her in the maze. Themaquol offers Kothar a treasure as reward but Kothar must refuse because of the curse which makes it so he can not own Frostfire and be wealthy. Themaquol offers to remove the spell but fails when he realizes the spell was cast by Afgorkon the Lich. Themaquol and Rosannia leave. Miramel asks of Kothar to send her a man to live in the maze with her. Kothar leaves the maze for the tavern, taking Themaquol's treasure. Menthal Abanon and his thugs drug Kothar and sneak back to the maze, not believing the treasure is all that Kothar found. The next morning, after sleeping off the drugs, Kothar finds the maze gone, and Menthal and his men, trapped forever with Miramel.

Monsters:

Reanimated Skeleton - This guardian tries to stop Kothar from entering the maze. He smashes it to bit with Frostfire.

Spider-Monster - This creature is called an arachnid but is also said to not be a true spider. Kothar kills it by hacking at its thorax.

Minokar - The Minokar has reddish hair all over its body and is male. Kothar's sword is ineffective against the creature so he must wrestle it. He kills it by twisting its neck. Once dead, it becomes the living Lady Rosannia.

History: The animated skeleton in this story is certainly taken from Jason and the Argonauts or some other Ray Harryhausen film. The comic-book version of Beowulf (DC Comics) would have a very similar minotaur fight in 1976. Fox was inspired and was inspiring.

Rating

2

2

1

2