I smiled broadly, anticipating a response.
"Tsk!" Burges clicked his tongue and focused intensely on me, visibly shaken. "Tell me the truth. Did you lie before? Are you lying now?"
"No. I've always told the truth," I said irritably. "For God's sake, you're the criminals here. Why would I be the one lying? I just want us all to get out of here in one piece."
"How can I be sure?"
"That's the good part about logic, you can check the truth. Just do what I say and everything will be fine." I said, staring him in the eyes. "But the real question is something else. Do you trust me?"
"..."
Burges glanced over his shoulder at Grand once more, took a deep breath, then looked back at me intensely .
"No." He said. "I trust him, he is my boss."
His hands began to tremble.
He looked ready to grab my neck and strangle me.
The intensity in his gaze only increased.
Crack Crack Crack
He clenched his teeth like a bear about to deliver a savage swipe.
His body grew with explosive and violent power.
"You're not going to do that." I said to him with a dark expression. "Because if you do, I promise to guarantee the death of at least one of you. And you can be sure he'll be your beloved boss."
"And then you will all die against the traps without being able to do anything about it!"
I readied the torch.
There was still an arm's length between me and him.
My threats were not empty.
I could still fight.
He continued to stare at me indecisively, thick sweat running down his entire body. His eyes seemed troubled, caught in an overwhelming internal conflict.
"FUCK!!!"
Sigh
He sighed, lowering his guard and bringing a hand to his sweaty forehead. His expression turned desperate as he tried to contain his worst demons.
Gulp
"You're lucky," he said. "I'm tired of this life of crime. I don't want to kill anyone else. I don't want to go through that again... ever."
"Call it luck, just don't forget that fools never have it." I said with a smile.
"Ares, right?" he said tensely. "I don't want to kill you. So you have a chance. Prove your words."
I smiled amused.
I let him come closer.
He grabbed my shoulders.
"I'm being sincere. If I die, I'll die happy knowing I wasn't the one who deceived another man," he said, gripping my shoulders firmly. "So tell me the truth. Do you know the answer to the riddle?"
"I do," I said calmly. "Are you going to trust me?"
He closed his eyes, concentrating.
"Yes."
He opened his eyes.
"What should I do?" He looked at the doors once more. "Minotaur, Cyclops, Medusa, Harpy, and Cerberus. Which one should I choose?"
I pondered briefly, recalling my theories.
Behind each door, there is one of these mythological beings. Therefore, I need to choose one that is safe to remain in the same place.
Again, there is only one winged creature. That's probably a safe answer.
The answer is probably not the door itself.
"Choose Harpy," I said with conviction. "But prepare yourself mentally first. There will be a real harpy on the other side. And announce what you see so we'll know."
Gulp
Burges released my shoulder and took a deep breath before glancing at Drake and Grand.
"May God be watching this. I wasn't the one who lied or deceived," he murmured. "I wasn't the one who sacrificed my companions or executed them."
He looked up at the ceiling, holding back tears.
"I am the one who chose to trust. Even if it means death."
Tap Tap Tap
He marched toward the door with firm steps.
"Burges?!" Grand shouted. "What is this?! What are you doing?!"
"Saving our skins!" he shouted back as he pushed the heavy door, his muscles standing out with bulging veins.
"Burges! Come back here!" Grand ran toward him. "That's an order!" He grabbed Burges and tried to pull him back.
BANG
Burges slammed Grand to the floor with a shove.
"ARGH!!!" Grand exclaimed in shock as he watched Burges open the door.
Immediately, endless fog was revealed before Burges.
"Wish me luck!" he said, walking into the endless mist with his chest held high.
Click
The traps retracted.
BANG
The door closed by itself.
"What did you say to him?!"Grand shouted, trying to get closer to me, and again I pointed the torch at him. "He was my most loyal man! What have you done to him?!"
I started laughing.
"A servant is only loyal to a king." I chuckled softly. "Never to another servant."
"Now shut up."
Our eyes were magnetically drawn to the door, waiting to hear what was on the other side. It was time to discover Burges's fate.
"..."
"Ares! I am in a dark forest." Burges said and I listened attentively. "I am near a rocky stream. The sun is hidden, the wind is strong, and the clouds are thundering."
"I am alone and I can hear the howling of the beasts. The owls watch me from the treetops, blood dripping from their beaks."
"I can hear the beating of wings... above me are five pairs of broad wings. They fly through the lightning. The sky is getting even darker."
"They are approaching laughing."
WOOSH WOOSH WOOSH
Heavy wings beat on the other side as something landed in the forest, drawing Burges' attention.
"What the hell?! My God!What is this?!" Burges exclaimed loudly. "What did I do to deserve this?!"
"..."
Silence filled the room.
Burges remained silent while nothing happened on the other side.
"Mom. Dad. Thank you for the life you gave me."
Gulp
"Because today, it was all finally worth it!"
"Hehehe, come to daddy, baby!" He began to laugh, extremely excited. "Don't run away! Daddy's going to give you lots of love!"
"…"
I saved his life.
But I guess he'll be grateful for another reason.