Chapter 85: Tomb Of Daedalus

"Okay, and?" Ricky asked, not seeing the significance but Alexander quickly scurried back over to him.

"Daedalus was a genius who created the first labyrinth approved by the gods. If this is his tomb, then it's most likely a labyrinth," Alexander explained in a sort of pompous way, his tone assertive as Ricky raised his hands.

"Alright, got it." Ricky chuckled a bit, seeing Alexander scrunch his eyebrows at his lackluster reaction.

"Do you not grasp the meaning of my words? This is a labyrinth, made by Daedalus!" Alexander's tone carried immense foreboding, but Ricky didn't share the same fear that seemed to rattle the anxious figure before him.

"Why are you getting all worked up? How was I supposed to know that-" 

"Because it is common knowledge-"

"Like, 4,000 years ago." Ricky said, spreading his arms wide to emphasize the obvious that they were not exactly in ancient Greece.

"Youngsters truly don't appreciate history like they did in the days of old." Alexander scoffed as Ricky just rolled his eyes, glancing around before his gaze settled back on the gates.

"Did those mobsters have any key-"

"No, they did not." 

A voice sounded from behind him as Ricky quickly turned, his guard instantly up as he faced Verdelet.

"Worry not, I'm not here for betrayal. I'm too old for such things." Verdelet said, raising his hands in surrender as Ricky frowned, scratching his head as he eyed the old man suspiciously.

"Why didn't you just tell me it's a f*cking labyrinth?" Ricky cussed out Verdelet, who nodded and shrugged nonchalantly in response.

"Would it have mattered to you if it were a labyrinth or just a regular vault?" Verdelet asked, his tone genuine after spending some time gauging Ricky's personality.

"Honestly, no. But a heads up would've made me feel less on edge." Ricky confessed, feeling the tension of the situation, which reeked of betrayal.

"So, are you going to tell me the real reason you can't go in there?" Ricky asked, gesturing behind him as Verdelet smiled at the question but simply pointed to himself.

"Over time, Daedalus grew to loathe and hate the gods, along with all things supernatural." Verdelet continued, making his way over to the double doors.

"So when Daedalus solved the riddle of the shell for King Cocalus, the king asked him to create a vault that could only be opened by human hands." Verdelet explained, placing his hand on the doors and in an instant, it was incinerated.

Ricky squinted, feeling a sense of unease as his lie detection had never gone off even once, which was unusual; it was common for people to lie at least once in conversation.

"However, when he constructed the vault, it ultimately became his tomb, enshrouding him and all his treasures." Verdelet said, glancing back at Ricky as his hand began to regenerate.

"My research has led me here, and I need the diaries of Daedalus. That's why I made you the offer in the first place." Verdelet explained, gesturing toward Ricky. Ricky rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Chores trudged over to his side.

"What do you want to do, Slick? This vampire is obviously up to no good." Chores whispered, but Ricky continued to muse, lost in thought.

"You know what, Verdelet? I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt." Ricky declared, turning toward the double doors as his decision surprised literally everyone around him.

"SLICK!"

"YOUNG RICKY!" 

Alexander and Chores were livid, unable to comprehend how Ricky could be so agreeable about being used in such a blatant manner.

"Verdelet has been the only vampire who's shown even a little reason, and I'm just too tired to care if he's betraying me or not. So I'll need a clear answer." Ricky then turned to Verdelet, who looked immensely surprised by the human's boldness.

"Verdelet, if I give you what you want, are you going to cause me any problems after it's all said and done?" Ricky asked, phrasing his question carefully to ensure he could detect any lies.

Verdelet sat there, a little puzzled. 

It was natural for humans to loathe and detest Verdelet, especially with the abominations lurking in his shadow, making it impossible for them to see beyond him. 

However, when he realized that Ricky wouldn't care about his plans for the books as long as they didn't disrupt his way of life, he found it greatly amusing.

"No, I will not disrupt you in any way, shape, or form if I receive the books," Verdelet said with a smile as Ricky's lie detection remained silent as he shrugged, weighing the vampire's words.

"Alright then, good enough for me." Ricky said, placing his hand on the double doors, which instantly caused him to vanish into thin air, with Alexander still perched on his shoulder.

"He teleported into the labyrinth, if that's what you're inquiring about." Verdelet said, observing Chores clench his fists at Ricky's sudden disappearance and scrunching his eyebrows in concern.

However, Chores didn't bother leaving any statements that revealed his mistrust toward Verdelet, who could see it clearly in the look in his eyes. 

Instead, the giant walked over and placed his hand on the doors.

"Such amusing humans," Verdelet mused as he walked over and sat on a nearby bench. 

"I wonder how they will disrupt the world around them, very fascinating indeed."

Meanwhile in the depths of the Labyrinth,

"What the-" Ricky exclaimed, looking up at the massive stone statues flanking another entrance.

"ONE OF US LIES!" The guard on the right bellowed. 

"AND THE OTHER TELLS THE TRUTH!" The guard on the left shouted immediately afterward.

"Ah, I see," Alexander said, rubbing his chin as Chores joined them, stepping to their side.

"It seems to be a practical riddle-"

"What finger am I holding up?" Ricky asked, raising his middle finger at the two stone statues.

"MIDDLE!" Right yelled.

"POINTER!" Left yelled.

"That was easy enough," Ricky said with a nod, leaving the two stone statues speechless as they realized how useless they felt.

"How do I pass this gate statue on the right?" Ricky asked, looking directly at the right statue, which held a sword.

"You must solve the riddle. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I-"

"An echo," Ricky suddenly answered, startling Alexander and Chores, who hadn't even considered it as he then walked forward confidently.

"CORRECT!" The statue roared as the double doors swung open, allowing Ricky to walk in. 

"H-How?" Alexander could only stammer, the words forming in Chores mouth but failing to escape.

"What, did you think that I couldn't be able to solve that-"

"Yes!" Chores and Alexander both yelled, rushing to follow him into the next room. 

"Riddles are easy; how could you not know that one?" Ricky scoffed, effortlessly solving it, which only boggled their minds further.

It was such a unique talent, but Ricky had always been able to solve riddles; he just had never had the opportunity to showcase this skill.

The reason this skill had remained hidden until now was deeply rooted in the circumstances of Ricky's life. 

He had never encountered situations where riddles were a factor, or perhaps he had simply prioritized other abilities that were more vital for his survival, skills like street smarts and physical prowess. 

But now, in the heart of the labyrinth, this unique talent could finally emerge. 

"Greetings, we are the three, who speak three!" 

Three stone statues materialized in front of three podiums, each adorned with a unique puzzle as Ricky let out a sigh, knowing that this was just another challenge to tackle.

"I guess we have to solve these three puzzles in a specific order to receive some stupid riddle, right?" Ricky called out, but the statues initially paid him no mind.

"You have to solve these three puzzles." The middle statue proclaimed.

"In order and re-" The statue on the far left began to speak, but then paused, finally registering Ricky's words.

"Correct." The statue on the far right acknowledged his answer.

Nodding to himself, he saw the obvious glares on the statues who were about to go into its whole tangent, but Ricky already solved it before they could even finish.

Walking over to the middle one, Ricky saw dozens of jumbled pieces, and his mind raced with the challenge ahead, knowing they needed to be solved.

Ricky had an itch once more, the very same one that happened whenever he found a mechanical instrument or technology not functioning correctly.

Ricky usually supplemented it with booze, but now that he was sober it was gnawing at his subconsciousness.

"I think we should first consider their height and-" Chores stepped forward, ready to bear the burden of this riddle while using his intellect only to be stopped by Ricky.

"No, their entire way of talking is a riddle in itself." Ricky promptly answered, as if it were once again obvious, leaving even the statues momentarily shocked.

"It's a joke. A setup, development, and punchline meaning the order is middle, left and right." Ricky explained his reasoning while deftly solving the physical puzzle, which resembled a mini labyrinth.

"By the gods, young Ricky, how do you know this?" Alexander asked, astonished. Ricky shrugged nonchalantly as he moved to the next physical puzzle on the left.

"I don't know, but riddles are just easy." Ricky replied, revealing that, although he might not excel in many areas, he was unknowingly a master of riddles.

Chores stood there, momentarily shocked as he watched Ricky, who was physically close but felt increasingly distant. 

Over the past few weeks, it seemed their metaphorical gap had widened, pulling them apart. 

It wasn't baseless to say that Chores had followed Ricky on a whim, still uncertain about his own path after his mother had passed away.

The entire reason Chores had joined the circus in the first place was to provide for his mother, vowing to help her recover until her untimely death. 

Her passing wasn't just a simple loss; it shattered his sense of identity, extinguishing the beacon that had once guided him to shed his own struggles in order to support her.

He felt adrift, which was why he had accepted Ricky's offer; he simply didn't know what he wanted. 

After confronting the men who had robbed him of his last chance to see his mother before she passed away, he unknowingly transformed into someone else entirely.

Chores grappled with this change, longing to be the same carefree Chores he had been as a circus performer. 

Yet, the blood on his hands refused to wash away, no matter how hard he scrubbed. 

So, he followed Ricky, having nowhere else to turn, especially with the stigma of being a mutant hanging over him. 

In Ricky, he found solace, recognizing a kindred spirit in his new boss, someone who shared the burden of being different.

At first, Chores derived a sense of worth from helping Ricky, feeling valuable in his support. 

However, as time passed, he watched in frustration as Ricky's strength soared while he himself stagnated. 

Chores attempted to insert himself further into Ricky's life, offering reasonable opinions and advice for Ricky to lean on. 

Yet, despite his efforts, he couldn't shake the growing sense of worthlessness that consumed him.

Now, the last asset Chores had, the sharpness of his calculated mind, felt utterly useless in a place that desperately needed it. 

The labyrinth's complexities and Ricky's soaring abilities overshadowed his own skills, leaving him to wonder if he had any value left to offer.

*CLAP*

"Alright, give me the riddle, lay it on me." Ricky declared, clapping his hands together as he faced the three statues. 

He had solved the puzzles with surprising ease, leaving the statues visibly bewildered by his rapid-fire understanding.

"I have cities, but no houses. I have forests, but no trees. I have rivers, but no water. What am I?" In unison, they recited the most challenging riddle they could conjure, their voices dripping with disdain as they attempted to subdue the man before them with a test of wit.

"A map." Ricky replied with a scoff, the answer rolling off his tongue as the riddle seemed almost too easy for him. 

"Correct!" exclaimed the statue on the right, its voice booming with surprise as Ricky nodded in acknowledgment, stepping forward and taking a moment to survey his surroundings.

"Chores, you coming?" Ricky called out, noticing his friend's momentary freeze. 

Chores flinched at the sound of his name but quickly nodded, hurrying to catch up with Ricky.

*SIGH*

Ricky sighed as he faced four statues, each holding a door painted in red, blue, yellow, and green. 

Turning around, he spotted a fifth statue clutching a rusted door, and without a second thought, he began to form psychic stairs to climb, completely disregarding the others. 

Chores and Alexander flinched, their eyes widening in realization as they hadn't noticed the fifth door before, and their previous encounters had led them to believe there should only be four statues. 

"Riddle, hit me with it." Ricky climbed onto the ledge and gestured toward the statue.

"What is both a father and a mother but neither a parent nor a child-"

"A bir-"

"A BIRD! HA! YOUNG RICKY, I AM VICTORIOUS IN THIS BOUT OF OURS!" Alexander exclaimed, his face alight with triumph. 

He had heard this riddle from Aristotle once before, and his enthusiasm spilled over as he eagerly interrupted Ricky's train of thought.

"Good for you," Ricky replied, his tone dripping with indifference as he brushed past Alexander, stepping through the rusted door. 

Chores, still struggling to pull himself up to the ledge, barely managed to catch the tail end of their exchange. 

He shot a glance at Alexander, who was still riding the high of his riddle victory, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration.

"Hurry up, Chores!" Ricky called from within the doorway as he stepped into the next room as this time, the statues remained silent, their stone visages unyielding. 

Instead, a plaque caught his attention, its surface intricately carved with Greek text, the ancient letters shimmering in the dim light.

"In a room adorned with seven statues tall, each one a guardian in stone, standing in a hall. One shows only lies, another shows only truths, the rest hold silence, their purpose unbeknownst. 'Which path is safe?' Choose wisely, for truth or deceit may lead your fate astray." Alexander deciphered the text, Ricky made his way over to the two statues that flanked the room, each holding a mirror.

On the left, Ricky glimpsed his and Alexander's reflections, but on the right stood a plain black mirror that seemed to absorb all light, offering no image in return. 

Intrigued, Ricky scanned the room until his gaze settled on a statue positioned in a dimly lit corner. 

It exuded an air of mystery, its features obscured by shadows, beckoning him to uncover its secrets.

Its features were obscured by shadows, lending an air of secrecy and intrigue to its presence in the room.

"Come on." Ricky gestured to Chores trying to think and Alexander was just baffled by this one.

"Why?" Alexander only asked but Ricky simply shrugged.

"The one on the right showed darkness, while the other showed our reflection." Ricky explained, his words only deepening the confusion for Alexander and Chores.

"Oh my god, listen, reflections are a lie because they're inverted so it didn't show us our image and the right statue showed only darkness, and this statue is the only one not enshrouded in light." Ricky explained with a slight sigh, gesturing toward the statue in the dim corner as Chores finally caught up to them.

"Riddle, hit me with it," Ricky gestured toward the statue and as if responding to his bravado, the statue enshrouded in darkness shifted its stone eyes toward him.

"In darkness I thrive, where light cannot touch. I mimic your form, yet I am not much. I stretch and shrink with the movement of light, dancing upon surfaces, fleeting and slight. What-"

"A shadow." Ricky answered with a sigh, irritation creeping into his voice as he contemplated just how many more of these dumb riddles he would have to endure.

"I-I do not believe it, you're cheating!" Alexander accused, his eyes wide with disbelief as Ricky chuckled at the accusation, genuinely amused since he wasn't cheating this time.

"You don't even believe that," Ricky hummed, a smirk playing on his lips as his lie detection instinct kicked in as Alexander clicked his tongue in frustration, clearly caught off guard.

As they descended the seemingly endless stairs, the darkness enveloped them like a thick shroud, pressing in from all sides. 

Each step felt like a test of endurance until, at last, Ricky's foot found solid ground, crossing the threshold into a new realm. 

"Who are you?" 

An unsettling, deadly voice resonated through the room as a figure emerged from the shadows. 

The figure's eyes glowed a deep red, reminiscent of freshly spilled blood, and its fur was as white as snow, creating a stark contrast to the dark surroundings. 

The creature's lower half was obscured by a rugged leather tunic, but what caught the eye was the large scar that marred its chest, a haunting reminder of past battles. 

*Boom*

*Boom*

The ground trembled beneath its powerful strides, each step echoing like thunder through the chamber. 

Towering above the three intruders, the creature regarded them with a predatory gaze, seeing only potential threats within their forms. 

Its imposing presence filled the space, a living embodiment of danger, as it positioned itself to defend its territory, the air thick with the promise of conflict.

"I-It can't be?" Alexander let out, knowing full well who this creature was and Ricky slowly pulled out his bow.

"A minotaur?" Chores brought out his brass knuckles but Alexander slowly shook his head.

"It's not a minotaur, but THE minotaur." Alexander breath shook, knowing full well that this being should have been slain according to the myth.

"Asterion." 

Author Note: Short chapter cause I'm tired, the next will be long promise.