Song is, "Hotel California" written by The Eagles, performed by Violet Orlandi and Melodicka Bros.
https/youtu.be/5pz4c0bBz1I
Chapter 6: Jogōmuro's Den
After equipping themselves with everything from the trunk, as well as giving Scotty some items to hold onto in his shell, Lugh, Sir Jack and Arthur exited the nursery with the scout drone Scotty. Scotty had a light shining from its lens, aiming it towards the hallway of the cursed door. Arthur was nervous about what exactly he was going to find, but he had to get over it. He took a deep breath and blinked suddenly.
"Darrach, should I...be able to breathe in here?" he asked.
"Yes. Your minds still have a connection to your physical body. Are you having difficulty breathing?"
"No. I just didn't think it'd be...ah hell, nevermind what the hell I thought. Let's go," Arthur said before walking through the barrier with Scotty.
Sir Jack and Lugh followed as the three men pulled out some blessed guns. Arthur had a Cattleman revolver in his hand, Lugh held a volcanic pistol and Sir Jack carried a double-action revolver. They gazed around at the dark corridor and like Darrach said before, it seemed to stretch on forever. The floors were old and had holes in them and the walls were rotten and peeling away from age.
"Should things look this old?" Sir Jack inquired as they continued their journey.
"It's hard to say. Who knows how long this has existed in Lilly's head."
Arthur's foot went through the floor but he caught himself as he went down. "Shit," he muttered before yanking his foot out of the hole. "We should watch where we're steppin', boys," he said before getting back up.
The group continued forward but a little slower than before, using Scotty's light to guide their steps. The further they got, the darker it became so Arthur became even further on edge, and the hallway went for miles. Luckily, there was nothing that popped out at them to try and kill them.
"This arsehole didna wantah make this quick or easy fer us, did he?" Sir Jack observed with a scowl.
"It's Hell, what did ya expect?" Lugh asked.
"I dunna know, fire and brimstone? Like in Arthur's vision?"
"I ain't sure it was a vision," Arthur brought up. "It seemed more like a threat."
"They must know the door's open and they must know we're coming," Lugh said.
"Do you think that demon lady was-ah!" Arthur grasped his forehead as he leaned on the wall.
"What's wrong?"
Arthur growled as he felt a headache coming on, then his sight was filled with flashes of grotesque and bloody images that went by too fast. "I think I'm gettin' another threat," he said, grunting through the pain.
"I'll try to catch them in my memory bank," Darrach said over the intercom. "Try to focus on one."
Arthur squinted his eyes shut, the flashes starting to slow until he saw Lilly kneeling on the ground and crying in front of him. "Please get me out of here," she begged.
"We're workin' on it, baby girl," he mumbled. "Just hold on, only for a bit longer."
Suddenly Lilly growled and screamed loudly, standing up and acting as if she was tossing things around. "Fuck! This god damn thing must be broken!" she snarled. "What do I gotta do tah get the fuck out of here, huh?! This is such horseshit!"
Arthur frowned as he watched Lilly continue to rage and cry about being trapped, about being away from her family, about how horrible it was down there for her. He suddenly had a feeling he was going to be getting plenty of these types of prayers. If he was in a situation like this, he'd be just as mad. The prayer ended and Arthur opened his eyes.
"Are ya okay, Sasanach?" Lugh asked.
Arthur nodded. "Yeah, just...saw another prayer. And hooooo, she was mad," he chuckled. "I'm just happy she's still got some fight in her."
"Did ya see anything else?"
"Yeah, but..." Arthur sighed and started walking again, the others following. "...they was goin' too fast."
"I'll try to review them from the memory bank while you guys continue. You should be coming up on the first door any minute now," Darrach said.
The light shined on a door down the hallway on the right and the men all approached it quickly. It was a white door with an acorn engraved into the wood. Arthur blinked in confusion.
"Darrach, this acorn weren't here before, was it?"
"What acorn?"
Arthur looked at the men behind him. "You see this, right?" Arthur asked, pointing at the image.
The two Irishmen shook their heads. "No, I only see a wooden door," Jack replied.
Arthur looked at the acorn and ran a fingertip along the grooves of the design. "Why am I the only one seein' this?"
"I'm not sure, but if it has an acorn on it...I think this is O'Callaghan's prison."
Scotty beeped a little down the way and the men drew their attention to something the drone was focusing on. The machine pulled out one of its needle arms and formed a small curve at the end before lifting something up. The curved metal encircled the small thing and the drone flew back to the group, holding the object out. Arthur grabbed it and examined it with a curious look. It was a key with a white acorn on the end of it. Arthur blinked before looking at the door knob, seeing a key hole.
"Do you find it strange that a key for this door just happened to be here?" Arthur asked as he looked at his friends.
"Yeah, that's...hmm..." Jack said, folding his arms before stroking his red stubbled chin. "This could be a trap."
"Then why am I the only one seein' the door for what it is?" Arthur glanced at the key and turned towards the door. "I am goin' with the premise that things ain't what they seem here, so..."
"But what if that's part of the trap so we'll fall fer it?" Jack questioned with a smirk.
Arthur paused when the key almost reached the keyhole. "Then we go in knowin' it's a trap and we'll use that to our advantage," he replied, inserting the key and turning it. The door clicked and Arthur pulled the key out before stuffing it into his satchel. "I'll take point," he said, pulling out his gun from his holster and cocking the hammer back.
He put his free hand on the door knob, the others holding up their guns. Arthur turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open with a creak. He aimed his gun as he and Scotty walked in, light illuminating what looked like a type of saloon with a stage at the back, the red curtains drawn. Arthur blinked as he looked at his surroundings.
"Huh," he said absentmindedly. The drone's light shined around, revealing puppets attached to strings that went into the ceiling. The puppets were lifeless and were slumped in dinner chairs at tables and on the stools at the bar. Some others were hanging behind the bar, and a few more were scattered around the area. "What in the hell?"
There was a second floor and there were two different sets of large, curved stairs that led to the second floor. "What is this place?" Lugh asked in awe.
"It looks like a theatre...and a restaurant...and a saloon all in one," Sir Jack commented. "That's pretty impressive."
Suddenly the lights switched on with a loud click and the men tensed, aiming their guns around. The red curtains on the stage opened slowly and the stage lights came on, then some puppets with instruments descended onto the stage, only held up by their strings. All the puppets suddenly came to life, their eyes black as they all situated themselves. One of the puppets on stage started plucking at his guitar.
Play music here
Mindless, incoherent talk filled the room, puppets laughing and speaking with one another like it was just another night out. Arthur looked around in amazement as puppet people walked by holding serving trays, those ones dressed in work uniforms. One Asian brunette woman walked up to the men. "Welcome to Jorōgumo's Den, would you care for a drink?" she asked them in a Japanese accent.
"Say no," Darrach said in Arthur's ear piece. "Who knows what's in the food or drinks here."
Arthur shook his head. "No thank you." He turned around and blinked. "Where's Scotty?"
"Stealth mode," Darrach replied.
Arthur turned back around and saw the performers on stage really come to life as a female puppet approached a microphone. "Spread out, find O'Callaghan," he whispered before walking through the area to search. Arthur kept a keen eye on the woman as she began to sing.
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Arthur saw Lugh head up the stairs.
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
He looked at the woman as he approached the stage.
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Arthur grasped his gun belt as he listened.
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
He heard a whisper behind him and he turned, seeing no one behind him.
There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Arthur took a deep breath before continuing his search.
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year (Any time of year)
You can find it here
Arthur saw a male puppet approach the microphone on stage.
Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes Benz
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget
The man backed off as the woman got near the microphone.
So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since 1969'
"1969?" Arthur mumbled in confusion.
And still those voices are calling from far away,
"O'Callaghan isna upstairs," Lugh said on the ear com.
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)
Such a lovely face
"She isna in the kitchen or by the bar," Jack said.
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise (what a nice surprise)
Bring your alibis
Suddenly the curtains went down but the woman continued the song.
Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
The curtains lifted again to reveal a big table with puppets around it, and they all had knives in their hands. On the table were lines of white saw dust and the puppets were sniffing up the lines, but the others were stabbing a white wolf puppet who was laying in on the table. Arthur blinked when he noticed a fiery line connecting to her chest and his.
"Get to the stage!" he yelled before running and jumping up, kicking and throwing the people puppets away.
Jack came rushing in with his sword shining brightly and in one swift move, he cut O'Callaghan's strings. All the puppets hissed and screeched, turning into monsters of all kinds while Lugh lit his staff aflame, Jack held his sword high and Arthur picked up O'Callaghan in his arms. They all ran off the stage, the light and fire keeping the monsters away except the woman who had been singing. She was now a giant spider witch and was floating in front of them as she sang.
'Relax,' said the night man,
'We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!'
Arthur raised his gun and shot her in the forehead, a blast of light erupting from the wound as she shrieked and fell over. The other monsters roared and screamed extremely loud but Lugh and Jack began to fight them with their weapons and magic.
"Get her outta here now!" Jack yelled.
"What about you?!" Arthur shouted.
"We'll be fine, just go!" Lugh bellowed.
Arthur ran as fast as he could to the door, light and fire filling the room as the puppets perished from both the elements. He burst through the door and slammed it shut before looking at O'Callaghan in his arms, still in the form of a wolf puppet.
"Work on taking the strings out of her, Arthur. Use a blessed dagger," Darrach said.
"I gotta carve them out?!" he yelled in agony.
"Yes!"
While Darrach helped Lugh and Sir Jack by being their eyes, Arthur pulled out a white glowing curved dagger from his satchel and pressed the tip to the string attached to O'Callaghan's paw. "Brace yourself, honey, this might hurt," he said before digging into the wood to carve out the string.
Sticky red tree sap flowed from the wound and Arthur paused for a moment, not liking the idea that he had to maim his wife to save her. He pulled the string out and her paw and arm turned into flesh, her palm flapping about as her body rattled. Arthur could hear the music and the fight still going on as he worked on taking out all the strings. His clothes were getting covered in tree sap and he was trying hard to hold back his emotions so he could focus on what he was doing.
"I know it hurts but it's gotta be done," Arthur said sadly.
Arthur cut and plucked on, absolutely hating himself at the moment and hoping to the gods that the kids hadn't managed to convince Darrach to let them stay. O'Callaghan's body slowly changed into that of a woman, section by section, and when Arthur got the last string out of the back of O'Callaghan's head, he was shocked as hell that her hair was now made of white curled oak leaves. She screamed and thrashed in his arms but he grabbed her face and forced her to look at him.
"Honey, it's me!" he said.
She screamed in his face and fought him, scratching at whatever she could. Arthur grabbed her arms as he tried to get O'Callaghan to calm down.
"Let me go!" she shouted.
"O'Callaghan, open your eyes!"
She took a sniff through her nose and opened her eyes, revealing brown scleras and ice blue irises. A look of recognition appeared on her pale face as she gazed up at him.
"A-Arthur?" she sobbed before pulling his face to hers. "Arthur?! Oh my god!" Arthur kissed her deeply as he held her close, both of them whimpering from desperate need. Suddenly O'Callaghan glared at him while grasping his shirt collar. "What in the bloody hell took you so long?!"
Arthur frowned as he pressed his head to hers. "I'm so sorry, honey. We had to kill Dubh to get the door open and he was really hard to find. Are you okay?"
O'Callaghan nodded and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder. "I am now," she cried as Arthur buried his face into her hair. "I'm gonna need a lot of therapy, though."
Arthur couldn't help but chuckle as he kissed her cheek. "I missed hearin' your voice," he sighed through his tears.
The door slowly opened and Lugh, Scotty and Sir Jack came out, all of them splattered in black blood. The men looked down at Arthur and O'Callaghan with wide eyes. "That was...we really wrecked the gaff in there," Lugh giggled. "But that was just like Budapest!"
Jack arched a brow at Lugh. "You and I remember Budapest very differently," he said.
O'Callaghan blinked in shock as she looked up at her father. "Daddy?"
"Yes?" both Arthur and Sir Jack said, then the men looked at each other.
"Wait, why the hell would she call you Daddy?" Sir Jack asked innocently confused tone.
Lugh snorted into his hand before cracking up. "Oh my gods!" he laughed as he bent over.
Arthur cleared his throat as he blushed, then he looked at O'Callaghan. "Uh, you were talkin' to him, weren't you?"
O'Callaghan was laughing and crying at the same time when she got out of Arthur's arms and practically tackled her father. "Dad! I can't believe you're here!"
Sir Jack clung to his daughter tightly. "Yer stepmother, yer sister and I were reincarnated intah Ethereal Wolves, Uain Bheag," Jack said. "Though...heh heh, yer not exactly a little lamb anymore, are ya?" [Little Lamb.]
Lugh walked up to them both as Arthur got to his feet, putting the blessed dagger back into his satchel and sighing at the state of his clothes. "I look like I just slaughtered an animal," Arthur groaned.
"We all look like we just slaughtered animals," Lugh remarked.
O'Callaghan was still bawling her eyes out but Jack still hung onto her. "C'mon, let's get ya outta here," he cooed gently.
O'Callaghan shook her head as she took a step back, wiping her eyes. "No. I'm going in with you."
Arthur shook his head. "Like hell you are! You just went through a very traumatic experience!"
"I know and I'll have time to process all that later, but right now, we need to focus on finding Rose and Lilly!" O'Callaghan snapped loudly. "And I have a bone to pick with that piece of shit who put me in that room! So try and stop me! I dare you!"
Sir Jack chuckled. "Ya canna tell an O'Callaghan what tah do, Arthur. We're a very stubborn lot," he said.
O'Callaghan looked at the men and held out a hand. "I assume you brought extra satchels and weapons?"
Lugh smirked as he tapped a knuckle on Scotty's acorn body. "Bring out the staff, Scotty."
