Joshua breathed out slowly, trying to regulate his heartbeat once again. Statues were everywhere in the castle but freaking hell why was one of the crown prince right there?! These royals.

He moved to the side table, examining the papers and some other interesting pieces. He picked them up. No doubt they'd be useful later on. They always tended to be. Although sometimes he just went home after a case solved and wrapped up with a pretty little trinket. He had a whole bookcase in his study dedicated to them.

Looking around he saw nothing but doors. So many doors. He moved to the nearest one, turning the handle. Hearing nothing but a click and that didn’t go through, sighing he rummaged through his bag. He did pick up a key on the table after sifting through the bowl of things. Putting it in he turned it, then he tried the handle once more. Thankfully is opened, swinging one door to reveal a study.

He coughed at the dust, breathing through his jacket. He needed to crack open a window. Walking in he noted the important places, the fireplace, the painting on the mantle, the desk, and the bookshelf. Those places would need more investigating. But for now, a window.

Joshua rifled through the desk, hitting jackpot as he found a diary and a blueprint of the original castle. He sat down on the chair, cracking open the diary. He read through, catching all the details and the worries the owner left. It was a man that much was clear. The king or the crown prince? As he reached the last entry he jumped up. It mentioned something important being left at the statues in the middle of the hallway that led up to the throne room.

He strode through the hallway noting the rooms that would need a key or the ones that would open with something harder like a puzzle. Entering the rotund room, he climbed the marble and started inspecting the statues. Something was here. But which one.

He was so lost in touching the statues and looking at them he didn’t see the monster until he heard the loud screech. He nearly jumped out of his skin as he took in the large spider. And when he said large, Joshua meant ing monstrous. What the was it doing here?

It started coming down the pathway that led from a secluded inner sanctum of sorts. Joshua looked around quickly, hoping to find a weapon. He always forgot to bring a gun. But those things never worked on magical things anyhow. He started to frantically push at the statues. A scrap of paper mentioned that there was a mechanism to bring down the gate at the inner sanctum in times of emergency. And if there was one now was the time!

He grabbed onto the crown prince’s statue, pushing down on the arm that carried the sword. Miraculously a gate started coming crashing down. It stopped the monster spider as it could no longer come out. But it also meant that Joshua couldn’t go any further.

He shuddered looking at its long legs and venomous dripping teeth. Freaking monsters.