Chapter 29: Labyrinth

15 people gathered outside of Cackling Crow Agency building. They are Mercenary. Tasked to kill Faust.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes this is the one."

"Are you sure that we'll be attacking this place?"

"Not actually attacking this building. We go inside ,find him and kill him."

"How can we be sure he'll not just escape from this place?"

"I can trap him in this place."

The woman with red hood explained. She pulled out an empty snow globe. She pointed it towards building. She shook the globe. Suddenly, snow started falling above the building. Slowly the snow falling more and more until it become snow storm covering only the building.

"Done."

"The Snow Globe huh? Neat Artifact miss."

"Well, only this far my contribution will go. I can't do any combat."

"That is okay miss. Like you said, the bounty reward shall be equally split no matter the contribution."

"Now stop dilly dallying guys. The money is inside. Let's go."

They opened the door and saw darkness. The building was in darkness. The hall was dark. They stepped into the building one by one. The moment all of them managed to enter the building, the door slam closed.

The lights then lit up one by one illuminating the hall. The hall was pretty bizarre. It was full of doors. There were also doors floating in the air, doors on the ground and doors on the wall with all kind of sizes and shapes. Unfortunately, there is no any stairs leading up.

"This is weird. I don't think the building is normally like this."

"He activates an Artifact. A trap type Artifact. I know the name of this Artifact. Door Labyrinth."

"So do we need to find the core like usual?"

"Yeah, I think so. No one ever use this Artifact except a hundred years ago. We can give it a try. All I know is that you can only enter the door once."

"Alright. Anyone can do combat might be better for searching the core. It must be in one of these doors."

"Alright let's go guys."

They opened the doors and entered through it one by one. Usually most of the rooms have metal dolls guarding the room. The Mercenaries have to fight them every time.

"This is tough. The doors are almost limitless. And every time we entered any door there are metal dolls."

"Hey guys look here. The stairs are forming."

"That means we are on the right track."

"Let's keep going then."

Then they kept opening and entering the doors to form the stairs leading up. The time the stairs are fully formed, they stop opening doors.

"Look! The stairs leading up are fully formed now. I think the core is upstairs."

A man in a brown jacket tried to take the first step up but the moment his feet reach the first step, the stairs disappear leaving a big black hole underneath.

"What-"

The man slipped and fell into the hole.

"Aghhhhh"

The other Mercenary were stunned.

"W-What just happened? Hey! What just happened? You said the core surely must be on the second floor and all we have to do are form these stairs. So why do this thing happen! Answer me!"

"Calm down!"

"What do you mean by calm down? We have spend too much of our energy for nothing!"

"I said calm down! Take a look at the person you are holding right now. Are you sure he is initially in our group?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that? He is in our group. I remember-"

*Stab* The man wearing full green looked at his stomach. There is a knife stuck there. He quickly pushed the man in red suit away. He looked really confused.

"Someone quickly treat him! Form a defensive circle around him!"

"What... What just happen?"

"Like I said, are you sure he is one of us?"

"You mean he is not?"

"Yeah, he is the real defense mechanism of this Trap Artifact."

"The real defense mechanism?"

"Yeah, it is weird actually. This Artifact is one of the oldest Artifact and we almost dismantle this trap that easily? Just by opening doors and clearing metal dolls inside of them?"

"When you mentioned it that way, it's hella weird."

"Right? This Artifact was rumored as one of the trickiest to activate and use. It is said that the conditions to activate this Artifact is too many and complex. "

The man in red suit open his mouth.

"Yeah you guys are half right? No a quarter right? I think." His face suddenly distorted leaving a black hole. His face disappeared leaving only a mouth. He is smiling wide with all his front teeth showing.

"This is not Door Labyrinth. I do not have the capability to operate that ancient Artifact."

"Operate? Are you Faust?"

"I'm not actually here but yeah. This is my avatar."

"This is not Door Labyrinth?"

"No this something much easier to operate. This Artifact is one of the Trixter series. Truth OR Lie Labyrinth."

"Truth OR Lie? That Truth OR Lie Labyrinth?"

"Yeah the one you are thinking about. The Trap Artifact where the only way to get out of it, you must clear the Labyrinth by choosing between two options. Only one person need to choose each time. If the answer you choose is a lie then you die like the guy that fell earlier but if your answer is the truth then you guys can proceed without dying."

"Then the man you just stab?"

"I'm not the one who stab him. It is the Labyrinth. He chose the wrong answer. The right answer is the girl wearing a yellow dress behind you guys. She always oppose everything 'this man' said but nobody cares because she look meek and weak."

The man in red suit slowly disappearing.

"One more thing. Me explaining all of these is the last condition for the Artifact to actually activate. Good luck~"

Faust avatar disappear leaving all the Mercenary in mad anger.