It's the great pumpkin! (Double exp)

Michael didn’t pay much attention to the male after telling him he would have to come with him. What the little guy knew about the pumpkin was unimportant but then again it would have been better if he didn’t know anything that would male him annoying. ”Unless you happen to mention the part where i’m sneaking around.” He added in, wondering if he was really just dealing with a stupid kid. Which was entirely possible but then again he didn’t want to hazard anything. ”I’m sure you mother wouldn’t approve of you attending a vampire party anyhow. I hear that’s bad for your health.” If only because of the fragile anture of humans and the rather ravenous nature of the blood drinkers.

”I regret nothing, ever.” if anything he just loved sarcastically qouting things, especially with a smug smirk. ”Buuuuut no, this little thing is just leading me to the magic pumpkin. Either that or a really specific magic signature.” He didn’t like being compared to a dirty pirate but not like it mattered to any real degree. Regardless he did end up finding said very conspicuous basement door, or something that vaguely looked like one. All it took was breaking the door open through a little super strength shenanigans to find that out.

”Should probably stay close to me. Never know what these vampires keep in their basements, might be some weird stuff.” The stairs themselves were relatively new from what he could tell, also the fact that they didn’t creak whenever they were stepped on. That was normally how things worked in dark basements/dungeons anyhow. There was the ominous sounding dripping, and the hand of the compass was spinning wildly as he began to descend.

The boy kept himself in check for the most part, though he would occassionally murmur things of disinterest or distain towards the situation at hand. He was compliant, though it was more in reluctance than anything else. The door had been broken open, leaving the guy to start a venture down the basement. Jack would tow behind a little, reaching into his pocket and getting out his phone, turning the light on as he tried to see the stairs. There was a very hollow noise that was serenaded by the sound of frequant dripping liquid echoing. This place sounded like a wind cavern, an almost ominous or perilous exhale sounding, almost wailing.

"I-I don't...what the fuck? This isn't normal...not at fucking all." The kid noted as he began to punch a few things on his phone, then toggeling the camera on and using the light to sweep the area. The compass continued to spin, but Jack was more concerned about literally everything else. The sound of something falling was quite clear as the door closed behind them, leaving them in almost utter darkness. Jack practically jumped out of his skin before he felt something move between his ankles, making him yelp as he made a made dash to the stairwell. The light from the phone fixated on something, a slithering shadow could be seen in the last glimmer of a moment before disappearing close to the ground.

"What the fuck is that?!?" Jack's voice broke as he began to shine the light around the forsaken and oddly empty basement. There had been old furniture that was covered in sheets of cloth, old rugs rolled up with dust collecting upon them, and strange scones upon the wall. There were plenty of things that littered the basement, but soon there was yet another shifting noise. There, upon the ground lay a suit of armor that had fallen over and been completely deconstructed. As Jack's attention had fixated on the odd silence he heard the scariest little growl he had ever heard. The light went to the armor once more as a single amber-yellow orb peered out and walked forward, a jet black cat with one eye purring as it approached Michael.

As Michael stepped down the many steps, he kept his senses keen on any small sound happening around him. The footsteps of the child following him, and whatever else was dripping deeper within the home. Something was rousing within it,  a faint sound that could be accustomed to a rat or particularly large spider. Luckily this weren’t a generic fantasy world, or it would have been giant rats. Now that would have been annoying. ”Things stopped being normal for you the moment you came here.” Michael muttered, letting his voice rise only enough for the kid to hear him. If something did lurk within this dark space, he would need to think of a way to both deal with it and perhaps avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.

Eventually feet would reach the bottom step and lead them into whatever room lay below. Utter darkness was what greeted then, Michael narrowing his eyes and grumbling something under his breath, of course the child would have yelped, running ahead of him as if that was a good idea. Luckily he had a phone, reminding Michael that he did have one. Having far more efficient means tended to make him forget he had substitutes for that.

So he reached into his pocket and removed a small smart phone, flicking on the flashlight function to add to the light that the little guy made. Dusty rugs, and various other things littered the floor, one catching his interest being a broken apart suit of armor. A low growl issuing from it as a cat emerged, missing a single eye and approaching him with an affectionate purr. ”What are you doing here little guy?” He said, kneeling and reaching to scratch the animal behind the ear. Having a cat around might have been questionable but then again cats were rascally little things.

”It’s just a cat.” He rolled his eyes at the male and let his eyes scan around the room as the compass continued to point in the direction forward. That either meant he was close or he had to punch through a wall.

The cat would purr as it's yellow eye flicked from the closest one to the younger of the two. The cat let out a little mewl as it twitched it's head side to side, as if having Mike scratch an it's it simply couldn't reach. The cat hopped up from the floor onto the stairs, and seemed to rush past jack before the sound of the cat gracefully leaping onto the wooden railing could be heart. With a small scratching noise, it wasn't long before it returned to the shadows. Jack turned the light to the cat, it began to slightly cringe as it's eye went half-lidded in attempts to shun the light. The cat was more than annoyed as the hair behind it's shoulders began to stand on end.

"Hey there, fun-sized. Can't a cat move around the basement without being blinded?" A very soft but irritated voice came across, the voice of a very irritated lady. Jack found himself slack jawed before he looked to his unofficial captor, whom had likely now realized that he had run into a wall. The compass would state he needed to continue onward, but the wall was well built, and any attempt to penetrate or topple the wall would most likely lead to wasted time and energy.

"D-did you just fucking hear that!?" Jack whispered, though it was hardly a whisper any longer. The sound of a light chuckle arrived as the cat dashed off into the shadows before popping up on a box next to the one who greeted it. Of course the voice was audible for all to hear, though it was probably just a little shocking to the other.

"It's been sooo long since I've had any visitors. Let alone such pleasant company." The voice came across with a light drawl, the cat nuzzled up next to the older of the two and cleared her throat. "Oh, very rude of me. I suppose so long in isolation will make one forget their manners. Introductions are in order. I'll go first; My name is Sibuna, and I am a Sphinx. With an I, not a y."  It stated, looking to Mike and Jack.

------
The Pup had held his own in the scrutiny thus far. Of course the two other vampires did most of the work. Many of the vampires seemed determined that their host's judgement was sound, the initial agitator was still a small problem. Vitale looked to Osiris sheepishly before letting out a chuckle. Despite everything, Vitale was still that ONE FRIEND that made nothing but trouble, and continued to over-complicate everything in his Victorian mannerisms. To simply eject the vampire would have solved the issue, but Vitale did not want to solve the issue...he wanted to unmake the issue. His thorough nature was something to be thankful for, it only played into the more negative aspects of his personality. He made a game of these things, and if one plays a game long enough, they're bound to lose.

"If he's truly Lord Vladimir Bludović, he should have children. You said it yourself. So how is it that this boy...has produced any spawn of his own?" Vitale's smile faded only slightly as he looked to Osiris. The little lord coughed a little before a small smile crept on his face. This was the most awkward situation he had ever been in in his life, and he didn't even have to say anything.

"Y-you want me to prove I can have kids?" He asked, weirded out by the simple concept of having to prove something like that. What was he supposed to do, look on his phone and try to find a contact that had his son's name?

"Well now. This is-This is not what I expected. But uh...I suppose if you're so interested in the "proof" that he can...produce...You might want to bring him dinner first." Vitale said with a laugh, a few chuckles came out as the vampire became enraged, he almost moved to attack, but he halted himself as he saw Osiris. The man growled as he stepped back.

"This will not stand...but in honor of the host, I shall take my leave. Adieu, Lord Osiris." He said quite formally, venom dripping from his words as he turned and took his leave. As the vampire walked towards the door you could hear a strange voice echoing.

"They're real! Goddamn! Go to a party of stuck-up assholes and the horns are too real. I come to this place and the horns aren't real enough!" The voice came loudly, causing a lot of looks to bounce around. The voice prompted another person to come from the crowd, a man with slicked back black hair, traces of silver and an eyepatch stepped through.

"Excuse me, I believe that's my nephew's temper." The man said with a slight Australian accent as he stepped through laughing, making his way towards the door.

"Get out of my way, or I'll burn ya blue ya ugly bastard!" The voice came again as a flash of bright blue flames poured in from the entryway, a man with large horns and a tail appearing. The raven haired boy was greeted by the man in the suit, seeming to be completely unaware of who he was. As much as The Pup would have loved to pay attention ot it, he looked to his phone and witnessed a slightly distressing message from a certain failure of a thief.

The cat purred in a fashion that sounded appreciative,  fingers scratching at places that likely it could normally not reach. Oddly taking to him more than the young kid that more than anything still looked afraid of the little feline. Michael could not resist enjoying their overwhelming fear which just brewed further with each shadow that moved within the dark, and this cat that did whatever it wanted. Free spirited little animals they were, and perhaps his second favorite overall. ”Sounds like we have someone else here.” Michael noted, cat seeming to narrow its singular eye at the light flashing in its face.

The foul mouthed child muttered something, acting as if talking cats were not a possible thing in this world. Breaking from the walk around the room, their feline friend would nuzzle up against him and speak up in a way that...well showed it was a talking cat. Now that just made things really interesting, or at the very least made things a little interesting. ”A one eyed sphinx in a vampires basement. Now that is something i’ve never heard of before.” He muse outloud, looking down at the cat with an arced brown and renewed appreciation. Perhaps it was the knowledge she was more than a mundane feline.

”I’m Hyperion, as for what I am...that’s a long story.” He smiled lightly. ”But I think ti’taen will work for convenience. Can’t speak for the little guy but i’m thinking human from how he reacts.” A few more strokes on the sphinx’s head. ”So, you wouldn’t happen to know where any pumpkins are kept around here would you?”

----

Osiris kept a neutral expression, watching Vitale likely make everything worse but friends were as they were. When life stretched into thousands of years he couldn’t afford to throw away longtime friends, which meant occasionally tossing aside likely true accusations for the sake of his odd friends. ”Well I must admit that would be a very awkward thing to suggest.” Osiris added, noting the tension within the vampire despite not even moving an inch. Like a statue that only really animated when he wanted to go into motion, subtle creases within the face or movements of the body that without effort were macabre in how in humans they were.

All it would have taken was a motion to deal with them, but pointless violence never suited him. So stone cold eyes kept upon the accuser, waiting for him to do something beyond bark. Before anything could develop he was on his way, giving him a venomous farewell.

He would be a problem later he could tell.

Once that was done someone ended up shouting within the crowd and making things even worse. ”I’m really reconsidering my choice in guests.” He massaged the bridge of his nose, and approached the odd horned one with his weird blue fire. ”Welcome to my humble party mister….? He approached the one with the eye patch and thick Australian accent.

"Hyperion? Oh, such a bold name." The Sphinx said, sounding amused by the choice. The little black cat turned to the human, who cleared his throat. He shot a glare at this "Hyperion" guy.

  "Nothing says 'I'm pretentious as fuck' quite like naming yourself after a God." The kid said as he looked to the sphinx. The cat let out a hiss as its eye narrowed. The boy quickly recalled the issue with light, and lowered the intensity of his phone  "My name's...Fox. Guy Fox. With an 'o-x'. Apparently the only non-freak here."

   "Yes...nothing says 'I'm lying' quite like borrowing a name from history." The Sphinx chuckled. It began to swing its tail back and forth as Hyperion asked for the location of a pumpkin. The question invoked a bit of a wry chuckle, an air of mischievous nature pulsating from the small cat.

   "A pumpkin? Darling, there's whole patches of pumpkins...But I think what you're BOTH searching for is a bit greater, no?" the little cat's soft voice let out a chuckle as it purred.

    "Well, I'm sure the Titan of Light knows all about the Sphinx; but for the little munchkin here I will explain." It said as it tilted it's head to the side and flashed it's eye about the room. "Sphinx are guardians of tombs. We pose riddles to test the wit of the worthy. Failure to answer the riddle in three attempts will result in death. Such is the coven of the Cosmos, there are none safe from the fate of the failed." The voice became akin to a stern mother before the kitty purred again.

    "Of course...I do have...SOME control over the circumstances. I would feel horrible about holding a child and such a nice young man to the same standards as the rabble." The feline said, though she broke free from Michael's entrancing petting and looked back over the shoulder.

   "Hyperion: 'I am anchored within. Forever a burden to man and kin. There are few who live without me. Fewer who can live with me. Yet somehow most people ignore me. You planted the seeds, what you reap with your deeds. While I am rooted in your mind, i never leave thy soul behind. A crushing weight, I am to thee. Because of me, you'll never be free. Saints could forgive thee, but I cannot. When it ends, I tell you...I will see you rot!'

   Guy: 'I have no hands, but you; I'll grip. Slowly squeezing out your grit. I'll whisper preminitions in your ear, even when the coast is clear. I'll dance and whisper in your head. I'll lay with you in your bed. I fill your nights with restless sleep. I make the most indomitable men weep. I strike you dead without a drop of blood. I trap you faster than mud. I dwell within your ponderings, and haunt you in your minds wanderings. I am what keeps the proud on their knees. I am the one the tryant needs.


(Posted from phone with a ton of issues. Excuse typos. Will continue the party portion next post.)

Bold was always one way of looking at him. Never quite content with anything mundane, simple or even just at the level people expected of him. Thanatos was not available but he took the next best thing when it came to representing his own heritage, and it was a high title indeed. ”Pretentious is not the worst that people have called me. Actually I think it borders on the better side of things. At least i’m not a kid playing failed revolutionary.” He seemed to examine a nail, letting the shade throw itself while the Sphinx made her little...speech was it? There was mention of something else, even if it wasn’t a little pumpkin that one expected when that was mentioned and that more than anything else interested him. ”Yeah, i’m searching for something more than filling for a pie.” He smirked, as the question of sphinxes came around.

”I know quite a bit about Sphinxes, part of making pacts was...learning an interesting bit about them. Always told me to tread lightly with them and their little games.” His tone was light, never disrespectful and always calm despite the implications that came with playing such a deadly game. Cats had a similar temperament to him, and acting as if they were the ruler of their domain, always put them in these little good moods.

Acting was of course another talent of his.

”I do hope the gracious sphinx is benevolent should the child fail.” A sweet smile, betraying nothing else, adjusting his tie and preparing for the riddle itself as the words rolled out fort him. Cryptic as all riddles were, and that reminded him why he hated them. Not to the degree of his father of course, but then again Michael always styled himself as more of an intellectual. A low hum worked from him, followed by a hiss of air through his nostrils and eyes wandering over the room while his mind worked over the possible answers.

Saints always brought about that inane notion of humans being guilty over wrong doings towards their gods.  Then another idea came to being, one he would try before just blowing the metaphorical answer load. ”Since we get three tries, I think i’ll go first in guessing. Is it Hatred?” He hazarded, the guess hoping the child didn’t throw their life away by answering wildly like a child would.

The posed riddles had come and so Hyperion took his first guess. The Sphinx chuckled a little before turning around entirely. The riddle-giver was stretching out and letting out a slight yawn before laying down on the cold ground and cocking it's little head to the side.

"Hatred? You do not sew hatred AND reap it with your actions or deeds. In hatred you sew them or your actions reap them. It is never both. Even if it were, my dear Hyperion, Saints can forgive you for hatred, and you can forgive yourself for hatred. Ultimately, however, the reason Hatred is not the correct is due to the fact that Hatred lives with all people... there is not a being out there that does not expeirece anger, or rage. Many would argue...but even righteous anger and justice is a form of hatred." The Sphinx said as she then looked to the young boy, whom scoffed and rolled his eyes. He tried to do so quietly, but he wound up sitting on the stairs and thinking over his own riddle. He was actually rather agitated that Hyperion was given a much easier riddle than his own. He didn't know why, but for some reason things weren't clicking with him. Little did he realize that it was the latent power of the Sphinx to provide such complicated and individualized riddles. For Hyperion, Jack's puzzle was likely easy to identify as well.

"Uh...Death?" The boy asked, giving it the best thought he could. The Cat let out a purr before rolling over to it's back. The boy's anxiety was mounting as the cat took it's sweet time to answer. But when the cat answered, things only got worse.

"No, I'm afraid not. Death does not strike people dead. Death is an agent of Chaos, a bound servant. Death is a slave to kings, men and Chaos. Death does not whisper, and while DYING can take up your nights and give you a feeling of asphyxiation...Death itself does not. At either rate, Death and Dying are incorrect." The cat explained, the boy began to panic a little more, realizing the severity of losing one of his chances to correctly guess. Death may not have been the answer to the riddle, but it was certainly an answer to the future if he wasn't careful.

"No, goddamnit no!" He hissed as he placed his head in his hands and began to think over everything that he could regarding the riddle.

--------------

Osiris had stopped the man and welcomed him to the humble little party. The man simply smiled and gave a warm chuckle as he looked around, arms open as if displaying the entire party itself. His arms came down and he extended a hand to meet with Osiris.

"A party such as this has no business being humble. My name is Giovega Pentighast. I'm an investor of sorts. I received an invitation from an old colleague of mine to be his plus one. Unfortunately, he came a little before me." The Australian man said before waving to a man off in the crowd. The vampire replied in kind before returning to his conversation. "So you must be Osiris. The Vampire, not the God. Or is it both? Osiris was quite the undead himself. although after his brother cut him up in that nasty business he was never quite the same. Never could find the part he needed most." The man's humor was likely lost on Osiris, though it was entirely possible that his odd colors struck an untapped well of social grace.

Michael frowned, seeing that his answer was wrong and working over what about it had been wrong.  Apparently the sphinx was kind enough to point out the flaws within the answer, even if he could see the answer within the childs. It was so painfully obvious but then again perhaps that could have been said of his own through the eyes of another. Still dying because he couldn’t answer a question did not sound good, so he had to get this question right. The fear was palpable within the air, faint curses coming from the child as if they had already signed their own death warrant. There was still a chance, and Michael was confident he would not butcher this thing entirely.

At the very least that was his own thoughts anyway.

At the very least the sphinx could enjoy watching the boy squirm with whatever answers he would dream up from that adolescent mind. Hopefully nothing that blew his remaining two chances. Part of him did not care to see a child get ripped apart by a cat, especially one the size of your average house cat. Even if that would have been highly amusing to see a human ripped apart by something that looked like it had no business doing so. Still there was a few more answers he could throw out, hopefully oat least one of two of them would hit the nail on the head.

Unless of course he wouldn’t be able to guess something like this. ”Is it guilt? Really feeling like this is closer than the other one.” Holding anything back now, well that would only lead him to an annoying grave.

The little cat would chuckle as it bobbed it's head to Hyperion. He had every right to feel better about his answer this time around. Especially consideirng his answer was correct. guilt was in fact all of those things, and the Sphinx was very pleased by the response. It let out a little purr before moving it's eyes from Jack to Hyperion, the voice echoing slightly.

"That's correct! Oh good, I'm so glad that you got that. With one extra guess to spare too! Mister Over-Achiever here..." none of the words were sarcastic, the praise was genuine. The Sphinx was impressed, though when the eye fell upon Jack, it was obvious that the boy was struggling. The cat waited patiently, only for Jack to stammer out his next response.

"I-Is it...the sub-conscious?" He asked. Truthfully it was a good guess, but it wasn't the correct one. The Sphinx let out a little hum before correcting his logic, just as it had before. But now, the corrections were centered around the fact the boy was actually over thinking the riddle. The boy was exasperated as the weight of the decision seemed to creep up on him. The door to the basement suddenly opened and there was a familiar looking young child in a suit with a very familiar masque.

"Hope I didn't miss too much of the fun." He said with a jovial little laugh as he sat down on the stairs next to Jack, the most informal posture he had been seen in so far.

"Not at all, you're just in time, actually. Your little firend here seems to be having an issue solving his riddle. But while he ventures on that, I suppose you'll need one for yourself too..." The Sphinx mused, though the boy "Vampire Lord" quickly producesd a small pen-like device and began to project small dots onto the grown, to which the Sphinx immediately became hostile towards, lunging and clawing madly at them. "By the Gods I will stop this infernal thing!! Quickly, I will grant access to whomever can catch that bloody speck!" The boy responded by slapping his hand against the wall and then pointing the light into his hand, leaning it just right so the cat could see it.

"Caught it..." The boy said before sliding the lazer pointer back into his pocket and looking back to the Cat, whom seemed absolutely dumbfounded as to how that was possible

"S-So you have...I suppose that means the last order of business is...the riddle." She stated as they cat settled by Jack, looking him over as he shook his brain, fear becoming more evident.

"Uh....Shit. fuck. I dunno. Is it fear?" The boy asked, and in the next moment the little cat laughed. Apparently that was in fact the answer, because now the way had been revealed.

Michael’s expression of pleasure was one that did not hide itself. It was not the first try but then again he did not expect to do so well against something like a Sphinx, known for their trickery and ability to dole out difficult riddles. ”Well I guess that’s me out of the way. Don’t screw this up little kid.” He narrowed his eyes to the nervous little guy, stalking over to the stairs and settling onto the, hands resting on his knees and just watching how things went from there. He had some kind of answer, not exactly it but he was getting there in the odd way that little kids tended to get places.

That was two guesses lost.

One more wrong one and that would have been that. However the door at the head of the stairs opened, and their little vampire master came walking down the stairs, wearing that same mask with him along with an air of mystery. Behind his fox mask, silver eyes narrowed in an almost suspicious fashion. Well, he should have kept a closer eye on the brat, and the likelihood of him using a phone to contact someone. Still no manner of mortal combat broke out, which meant he didn’t need to get defensive yet.

More riddles would have been made but all it took was the tomfoolery of a laser pointer. ”Well...she is a cat.” He muttered to himself as the sphinx got the correct answer it was looking for, preambled by the cursing that spilled so freely from this kids mouth.

Michael sprung to his feet hands burying into his pockets, and looking down to the sphinx with a bemused smirk.  ”So I guess that means we can get on with this, right? Know the way to this...pumpkin i’m looking for?” He asked, though the way would open itself soon enough.

"Of course, proceed through." The voice would coo before the cat shot through before them, making it's way into the darkness. The darkness was one that was absolute. No manner of night vision or darkness adept eyes could help. It was as if blindness itself had descended upon the group once they entered. Jack was the last to enter, though partially out of fear and caution. As the party wandered in the darkness, it was odd to hear the Sphinx's voice echo.
"The Great Pumpkin, as your mortals have taken to calling it, is guarded by three trials. Trials only passable by it's owner. But perhaps you too, shall pass. This is another riddle, but one whose answer you need not speak, rather it is the answer's content which must be poured before the others. Do this...and what you seek will be within sight, guarded only by one more plight."

"Fuckin' figures." Jack muttered as he continued to feel around the area in front of him, patting Hyperion's leg and The Pup's back. "Sorry! Sorry, can't see a damn thing..." He sighed, trying to cover his bases as he seemed to leave Hyperion alone and side towards the smaller figure.

"I didn't impersonate a vampire, get questioned on my viability to produce children, and troll an ancient feline with a laser pointer, just to get stopped here." The younger person said, their voice was rather firm and adamant, but then it suddenly changed to a more lighter "matter-of-fact" tone when he said; "I did that last one for fun. I do that last one a lot actually...more than I realized before now. Huh...you know, Jack we've come across a lot of ancient cats." He said rather casually, as if fascinated by the fact they had come across some pretty old cats in their misadventures.

"Oh, uuuuh... Michael. What do you even want this Great Pumpkin for?" The boy asked, not aware of the fact that the artifact that Michael sought was the same artifact he was sent to retrieve.

"I am the darkness deep within. I am the thing most hidden. I am surrounded by silence, for when spoken I spread with such violence. When spoken one, I am spoken to all. For once revealed a man shall fall. To speak me is to shed light upon thee, and it is only in light we may truly see." The riddle took a moment of silence afterwards before anyone spoke up. First it was Jack. He squeezed on his friend's shoulders as he stabilized himself.

"Riddles aren't my thing..." He sighed. But that posed a good question...what was his thing?

Proceed they did, but into a darkness that swallowed all light. Denied sight, though Michael was well aware of the fact that he couldn’t see well within it anyhow, but that did make him conscious of the fact he was now deprived of one sense. Within this all consuming darkness the sphinx’s voice resonated, a sound that bounced around and he tried to followed with his senses despite the fact hearing was all that helped.

The children were likely still around, meaning that...well what did it mean? That he would have to deal with two now blind children trying to walk through the darkness, or something else? This was likely another trial from the cat, another thing that barred his way to the odd thing that was called a pumpkin. Something potent was protecting it, which meant the potency of it was equally important.

A hand blindly patted his leg, barely registered but he did growl a low watch it at them. ”Surprised the vampires didn’t sniff you out kid. I doubt many enjoy being deceived like that, might have drained you even.” Also not a fond thought, though he had little reason to care much about the well being of the child beyond finding out how they knew his name. ”And I don’t know annoying kid who keeps using my name as if he knows me. Why don’t you give me a real name to call you and I might consider answering?”

Those who liked their secrets tended to not respond when confronted about them. Hence why he came back with such a sarcastic little answer as the riddle came, sounding easier than his other one. In fact thinking of the answer was too easy, but that was not the issue. A prior statement suggested that he didn’t need to give that answer, but...something else.

The answers content.

If the answer was truth then the riddles true answer was giving the truth about himself. Always wondered what ancient trials like these wanted with such information. He thought to himself, absently distancing himself from the two children with small little steps. One, two, three and finally four until he felt more comfortable with that isolation than anything else. ”If they aren’t, you are not going to like Sphinxes kid.” He added to the conversation, wondering if he should say it but then again the pumpkin itself held within the balance.

A part of him suggested that he could, not as if the kids needed to survive afterwards to say anything. Still it went ignored, Michael stroking his chin in an absent fashion as the words themselves tried to gather on the tip of his tongue. This had the feeling of the unavoidable.

”I’ll go first, since the only other ones around are kids and I doubt one of them has the mental capacity for anything beyond the word fuck and shit.” He rolled his eyes and let it be. ”I don’t want to be seen as the monster anymore. I guess I just don’t want death to define.” He shrugged, hoping that would suffice or if ominous cosmic forces wanted more despite how much actually went into saying it.

Michael would share his secret and his eyes would become aware of the area surrounding them. It looked as if they were in some form of ancient Egyptian tomb. Hieroglyphics chiseled upon sandstone, and occult inks drawn to the floor as an unsettling darkness remained. Jack looked as if he was to go next, but he just sighed and began to back away.

"I-I can't do this man. I'll just...wait outside. I don't wanna get in your way." He began to back away, the other boy just started to look around, obviously dazed and confused as he tried to locate the source of the voice. Jack had left, and when he walked through the archway, he vanished from Michael's sight. The use of teleportation was a rather interesting one, but not one that they were unfamiliar with.

"...I had the chance to kill him, and I didn't." The younger boy said as he clenched his jaw, a hard swallowing heard as he attempted to gulp down his own saliva and waited as the blackness began to give way to some light. The boy sighed as he reached up and repositioned his mask. He looked to Michael and smiled slightly. Despite his attempt to seem jovial, he wasn't able to hide the weakness. "W-well.. I guess my greatest secret I got left is my name...hehe" He said as he shook his head, not finding the concept funny at all. He pulled at the masque and ripped it off, tossing it aside and letting Michael see the familiar face of the detective's little compatriot.

"I told ya though, I can take care of myself. Speaking of, I'm actually doing this to help with the investigation you hired us for...so...back off." the boy stated rather clearly as he drug his forearm across his forehead to wipe the beading sweat off.

"Well, well. Look at this. How marvelous! Two have reached the final trial for this "Great Pumpkin"." In that moment the entire Ziggurat construct of sandstone lit up, a throne made of gold and brass was on display as the cat sat at it's feet. There, before the throne was a scale with a single, prismatic feather upon the one side. The black cat seemed to have a smile. Upon the throne was a lantern with a creepy, carved smile into it, like a deranged Jack O' Lantern. It has a cage surrounding it, and the device itself seemed to be shrouded in a shimmering magic.

"Oh man.... The great Pumpkin is actually the lantern I'm after?!  What a drag." The kid said as he began to formulate a plan.

"Tell me, Hyperion. Do you see it? Do you see The Great Pumpkin upon the throne? If you do, then I must ask... Do you know what this trial is?" the cat seemed to be more musing of Hyperion's vast supernatural experience. Maybe he would be able to know the trial before it was spoken. If that was the case, then it was in fact a great advantage.

Darkness would give way to something else, an obviously Egyptian looking interior that was to be expected from something like a sphinx. One of the children quickly backed out from answering, seeing that either they could not tell the truth or perhaps it was just that cowardice that radiated from him. In the end only two of them would be able to progress. Him and the odd boy with the name that he still refused to share.

That just meant more elaborate nicknames for him in the end...which was perhaps more fun.

Regardless he didn't hear any snide remarks about what he admitted, but then again that suggested they knew anything about it. Removing the mask from his face, he let the nether course through it, turning the porcelain construct into a black dust that fell to the ground. ”Forgive me if I don’t believe the twelve year old human can take care of himself.” He shot back, having expected the trench coated individual that seemed to come along with him.

Eventually they did come to the final trial, something a little more grandiose than a cat settled within a basement. ”Well, looks like you might have to wait your turn little kid.” he said without turning a glance to the little kid, narrowing his eyes as he took what looked to be a glowing feather into consideration as his lips fell into a frown.

”You have got to be kidding me.” He grumbled, knowing fully well what was going on the moment he saw. This cat knew what was going on, and likely how this would not go well for him.  ”A scale where your heart is weighed, with the hopes of being lighter than that feather.  Should it be heavier than that...well you’re devoured by Amenti and cease to exist. Tell me how much I got right. Lacking the crocodile headed god here though.” He smirked, already feeling  a little nervous.

"That's mostly correct. However, the devourer of souls is Ammit." The feline stated. Of course there was a flow and menacing growl that shook the entirety of the room, dust and sand falling. "-and she is very much here." From around the throne a large shadow creeped closer, the long muzzle seen as suddenly the growing shadow lunged forward and a small brown skinned dog came around the throne, little tail in the air wagging back and forth. It immediately saw Michael and charged at him, paws up on his leg as the dog barked.

"Do you...know her?" The small cat asked as the same small brown dauschund seemed to crowd Michael. It took a moment, but Michael would probably realize the slightly strange eyes. Yes, that's right. It was Lola. His dad's seemingly immortal mini-dog, that disappeared, was somehow the new devourer of souls. That just made things worse, didn't it?

"...I could swear that it's supposed to have the head of a crocodile, and that you should have the head of a human and body of a lion." The kid stated, slightly irritated by the lack of consistency, and obviously not having seen the little dog's shadow.

"Oh no, dear. These are the things we are made of, but not how we appear. The old world was just as easily confused as you were. That deception is why we can live amongst you so easily, and undetected." The creature explained before looking between Michael and the boy, wondering which of them would be the first to offer their hearts to the scale with the prismatic feather.