Chapter 34: The White Mansion Pt. 1

Theriault and Cu Chulainn walked the streets of Dublin, neither of them speaking and just enjoying the silence and scenery.

"You know..." Cu said, breaking the silence, "If Lucifer turns out to be extremely weak I'm going to be awfully disappointed, it's been many years, if he's weak I don't even know what I'll do..."

Theriault chuckled, "He probably will be, anyone who has to hide behind a maze that changes all the time is scared of being found, and therefore he can't possibly be strong..."

Though Theriault's logic was flawed, Cu Chulainn just nodded in silent agreement. "So what made you come here to Ireland anyway? Last time Uathach mentioned you she said you were somehow blocked from her foresight... She was really surprised to see you here nearly 100 years later..."

Theriault just shrugged. "I was busy with some things, nothing that matters..."

Though he had brushed it off nonchalantly, Cu Chulainn was able to tell he had touched a nerve.

"Oh c'mon? No hints?" He said, smiling as he teased the younger boy. He stopped though as he saw Theriault look him in the eye with a dangerous expression.

"No, I don't feel like talking about it," Theriault said, cutting off the conversation as they continued down the street.

Suddenly, Cu Chulainn stopped, tensing slightly in front of a large white mansion.

It didn't fit in at all with the small lowkey shops around it but for some reason, there were still several cars parked on the street outside, though not one looked like they belonged inside.

As soon they stopped, a door opened. Theriault looked at Cu, waiting for him to make the next move.

"He's inviting us in, it's part of his stupid game... Some days I will just wait outside and the door never opens... We need to try and get through and beat him before the end of the day, otherwise, we will be thrown out..."

Cu rushed toward the door running in as Theriault shrugged and followed behind calmly, unsure what to expect.

Inside was a very nice sitting room; a soft carpeted floor covered most of it, decorated by expensive-looking furniture made from wood or metal (or both). Several people stood about watching TV while drinking tea, none paid any attention to the entrance of Theriault and Cu Chulainn however.

"Huh? This is a labyrinth?" Theriault said, a confused look on his face as he saw Cu rustling through drawers and looking under the couch and behind books on the bookshelf.

"It's not your traditional maze, this entire house is one huge maze, you need to pass through each room by finding the key to the next door... None of these people are real, I don't know if they're just demons or random visions that Lucifer put here, but that hardly matters, try and find the key..."

Theriault looked at Cu Chulainn, an almost annoyed expression on his face. "So basically... This is an escape room?"

"Escape room?" Cu asked.

"American movie franchise, pretty trash but hey, better than those old plays they used to hold huh?" Theriault replied.

"Ah," Cu nodded, taking off his coat and throwing it aside." So let me see, where would you keep such a thing then...?"

Theriault sighed, rolling his eyes as he sat down on the couch and leaned back against its armrest.

"Hmm, let's assume me and the literal Devil have the same mindset, then I would keep it in a place only I would think of... Not very helpful I know, but figure out how he thinks... Then we can easily find that key," Theriault said, staring at a man who walked past him and sat down on the couch, watching the Tv with a bucket of popcorn.

"I mean, hell is supposed to be endless darkness right? You'd want something dark and gloomy... Is what someone who's never been to hell would say..."

Cu looked at him confusedly, "Will you just help me look? Or are you going to continue monologuing?"

Theriault noticeably cringed. "Don't ever accuse me of that again, I'm thinking aloud... What I mean is, this room setting is a party, hell is like one huge party, so why not..."

Theriault stood up and stopped a man holding a platter of drinks, reaching over and grabbing a necklace off the man, snatching it, and revealing the little key on the end of it.

"The party hosts," Theriault finished, smiling as he held the key up triumphantly.

Cu was taken aback, he'd never been able to find the key so quickly, then again... It was just the first room.

"Then get ready, unlock the door, and immediately get ready to be attacked..." Cu said, closing his eyes as a golden aura shined off of him. In the next second a large grand spear appeared in his hand.

Theriault rolled his eyes at the dramatic act and walked up to the only door in the room.

"Wait, hold on," Cu said, gesturing toward the now-frozen people. "They're all stuck there, unable to leave unless you unlock that door, once you do we'll have to fight them. That might take too long, the best bet is to kill every person you see."

Theriault raised an eyebrow, wondering how much more ridiculous things could go when suddenly he heard screaming coming from everywhere.

"Let's kill them quickly, we might be able to finish this stupid house before the end of the day!" Cu yelled, stabbing one of the frozen people in the head, blood gushing from the wound.

"Sickening... I'm in," Theriault rushed at another frozen pair. A man and a Woman who had been about to kiss. His dagger was swift, slitting their throats precisely.

Theriault noticed Cu rushing into the kitchen, pulling out knives and butchery tools, and returning to start murdering everyone left. He did it quite slowly, methodically, making sure to stab everything vital.

"The spear isn't enough?" Theriault asked, stabbing his hand through the heart of one frozen woman, her body dropping to the floor.

"Gae Bolg is always too eager, if I give it too much blood right now it may go rogue and try and kill everyone... Which would waste the time it can be used on Lucifer, best to feed it sparingly and save it for later."

Theriault just shrugged, killing another man.

"How did he plan on getting through that wall anyway?" Theriault muttered, seeing a man pressed against the wall, face and all, as if he was trying to step through it. stepping away from the bodies and walking closer to the closed door, Theriault held the small key to the lock on the door.

"That should be all of them..." He said, activating the ancient laws of the jinx.

"Seriously?" A voice interrupted just as Theriault began to turn the key.

"Did you think I'd let you try and cheat the system, especially you holder of hades, how very disappointing..." The voice was coming from everywhere, but no one was around. It was almost like they were talking to themselves, which felt strange.

Theriault turned slowly, searching every direction until he spotted a woman floating a few feet above him, hands clasped together beneath her chin.

"So cute, young mortals such as yourselves trying to outsmart the boss... Unfortunately, that means you get a penalty... You only have 4 rooms left, but now you're going to have to beat The Leviathan each time you pass..."

The woman laughed as she disappeared. Theriault looked at Cu with a confused look on his face. "What's a leviathan?" He asked, his usual confidence faltering as he saw Cu Chulainn's pale face.

"The Leviathan is one of the strongest monster in all of the lands, heroes fought it all the time to try and prove themselves... Not a lot of them beat it."

"Huh, is it really that powerful?" Theriault said, not caring about Cu's serious tone as he looked at the key in his hand.

"Yes... It is extreme, we should go, and you can go get Scathach... There's no one who's still alive that I can think of besides her to beat The Leviathan..."

Theriault frowned, "Then shouldn't we focus on beating it? Why let her do all the work If we have to beat it each time we pass... we might as well continue and put all our energy into that."

"No! Don't bother with that silly idea... We need to reset, we can't continue forward... This day is over, beating the Leviathan five times back to back is impossible, only she can do it."

Theriault looked at Cu incredulously. "We found the key in like five minutes, why in the world would we ruin that and leave the house?" Theriault asked, shaking his head as he turned the key.

"No!" Cu yelled, crossing the room in one step and grabbing the key from the lock, but it was too late. The door creaked open as the mansion door shut with a loud thud.

Cu looked at Theriault with wide eyes. "You've... Killed us."