CHAPTER 38: THE RIDDLE OF GRRBERUS

Hermes squared his shoulders as the riddle echoed in his mind.

"Three roads. One leads forward. One leads nowhere. One leads to death.

The Road of Bones is brittle but straight.

The Road of Glass is clear, but lies.

The Road of Snakes slithers left, but never ends right."

Grrberus’s three heads waited, eyes gleaming, teeth bared like they already knew the outcome. Magni, of course, was perched on a floating couch he’d summoned from fire, munching popcorn made from screaming kernels.

"Think fast, Brother Modi!" Magni called. "I love riddles! But I cannot solve any of them for the life of me."

Hermes closed his eyes. ’Road of Bones, brittle but straight... sounds like it leads somewhere, but might break. Glass is clear, but lies. So it’s deceptive. Snakes slither left, but never end right...’

Wait.

If you slither left, but never end right... that might mean it loops. You can’t reach the right direction. It never ends right.

"All three are traps," Hermes muttered.

"Tick-tock!" Barked the middle head. "Time runs out!"

The right head snapped, "Choose, mortal!"

"No," Hermes said aloud. "I refuse."

All three heads snarled.

"What do you mean, refuse?" the left head growled.

"I mean, this whole thing is a trick. You said only one leads forward, but all the clues lead to failure. One breaks. One lies. One loops. You’re setting us up."

The middle head lunged closer, snout steaming. "And what do you propose, then? A tantrum?"

Hermes stepped forward. "I propose a fight. Because if you think riddles and misdirection make you clever, then I’m here to prove that strength will matter just as much."

The growl turned into a full-bodied roar as Grrberus lunged.

Magni whooped. "Now it’s a party!"

Hermes exhaled sharply. He could already feel them awakening—the powers he’d injected days ago, now quietly integrated into his bloodstream.

His skin hardened as Grrberus’s paw slammed toward him. With a pulse of will, the Ironcage activated—his ribs turned to iron, absorbing the blow with a deep clang.

Hermes retaliated with a blinding flash. Snapshot burst through the camera embedded in his sternum. All three heads howled, temporarily blinded. The instant the light snapped, knowledge entered his mind—strength, speed, and weaknesses.

[Their right head hesitated more. Their middle was the most aggressive.]

"Good to know," Hermes muttered.

Grrberus shook the blindness off fast. Too fast.

The right head opened its jaws, charging up a plume of voidfire. Hermes darted to the side and slid beneath the beast’s legs. With a hiss, he narrowed his eyes—and Cryoshift ignited. Three jagged ice daggers burst from his gaze and pierced the beast’s underbelly. Grrberus howled again.

"You cut me!" the left head snarled.

"Yeah?" Hermes leapt backward. "You cheated."

The three heads snapped together, barking in unison. "You will not pass!"

Hermes opened his mouth—and the Sirentone surged.

"Sit." He commanded, voice cutting like a whip.

The middle head staggered. The right one whined, paws trembling. But the left head snarled, defiant.

It lunged—Hermes barely rolled away as its teeth grazed his arm. His skin sizzled, but he clenched his jaw and touched the blood dripping.

"Let’s make this personal." He muttered.

He pressed his bleeding palm against the rocks and activated Ironcage again—not just on himself, but on the enclosed space.

The ground beneath Grrberus turned to iron. The stone curled up and around like a blooming box. The beast was trapped in an iron cage of its own. For a second.

Then the beast exploded out of it, shattering the metal with a blast of heat and sheer force.

Hermes panted, stumbling back.

"Need a hand, Brother?" Magni asked casually from the couch, sipping lava soda.

"Only if I die." Hermes called.

Grrberus leapt again.

This time, Hermes summoned glitter. Necromagia flared through his veins, and his glitter shot like a cloud. As it brushed the bones buried beneath the path, the ground rumbled.

Skeletal hands burst forth—half-rotted animals, twisted into shape. They latched onto Grrberus’s legs. A spectral stag rammed its chest.

The beast shook them off, but not fast enough. Hermes hurled another dagger of ice—right into the right head’s eye.

"GAH!" It yelped, staggering.

Sirentone again. This time, lower. "Submit."

The middle head groaned. The left one still resisted—but the body faltered.

Hermes rushed forward and leapt. With one hand, he grabbed a spike on the beast’s shoulder. The other held a flash capsule.

"Say cheese." He said—and flashed the camera again.

Grrberus screamed.

Then collapsed.

Dust settled.

Hermes stood on top of the beast, chest heaving. "I didn’t want to fight. But you made this unfair. You tried to trap us, and you tried to crush me. That’s not guarding. That’s bullying."

He jumped down and stared at the middle head. "Find a new master. One who doesn’t ask you to play dirty."

The heads grumbled, but none answered. They were too stunned.

Hermes turned to Magni. "Let’s go."

Magni threw away his soda can and clapped. "Now that was a battle! Ten out of ten! Would spectate again!"

The road before them cleared. The middle path shimmered, pulsing like it acknowledged them now.

Hermes stepped forward. His blood sang with the powers inside him. Iron. Ice. Hypnosis. Glitter. Light. And more.

"Trivia’s ahead." He said, voice calm now.

He cracked his knuckles.

"I’m ready."

Hermes looked at the beast—scarred, battered, steaming from the wounds—and panted.

His limbs felt like jelly. His body was bruised, and his fingers tingled from the overload of borrowed power. But still, he stood tall.

"I’m not your enemy," Hermes said firmly. "But I’m not letting you keep serving a master who cheats and lies."

Grrberus wheezed through one of his nostrils. The three heads looked at each other again—less angry now, more contemplative. A low rumble echoed through his chest, not a growl but something gentler.

Regret?

Hermes stepped forward, even as his legs screamed in protest. He placed a hand on the middle snout, still hot to the touch.

After all, Grrberus was still a dog. His pet Xolotl has the same loyalty and eagerness he has... And that made it difficult for Hermes to even think about killing this creature.

"There are other ways to guard a gate." He said. "And other people worth guarding."

Grrberus’ eyes softened, and for a moment, all three heads seemed to bow. Then, without another sound, the beast stepped aside. The center path shimmered behind him, unobstructed at last.

From behind, Magni gave a small, respectful clap. "Bravo, Brother Modi. You beat a three-headed legendary gatekeeper and gave him a heart-to-heart. Just like the proganimist in the movies, saving the world through power of friendship!"

"You mean the protagonist." Hermes gave him a tired sigh. "Let’s just go before something else with teeth shows up."

They passed the beast slowly, the smell of smoke and scorched fur lingering like an old memory. The path ahead pulsed with strange lights, and Hermes could feel it—each step was pulling him closer to Trivia’s domain.

Before they vanished into the path, Hermes looked over his shoulder.

Grrberus was still watching him.

No growl. No snarl. Just a quiet stare.

"Find someone worth protecting." Hermes whispered under his breath. "Not someone who treats you like a pawn."

And with that, he stepped into the middle road with Magni. Like brothers of ice and fire, working together to clear their path towards the true enemy.