Holder of Respite

In any city, in any country, go to any mental institution or halfway house you can get yourself to. Ask the worker behind the front desk to see “The Holder of Respite.” If you're lucky, you'll be led to the back of the building and shown a rotting wooden trapdoor. The worker will open it for you. Once you descend, there's no going back.

You'll find yourself in a stony labyrinth. There are no windows, but the place is lit with the kind of golden-brown dusty light one might find in an attic in the afternoon. Don't dwell too long on the light.

Now you must find the Holder. Don't worry; it won't be too hard – he's already on his way to find you. A hulking, twelve-foot or taller beast with the body and legs of a man, but the head and feet of a bull. You won't be able to see him until he wants you to, though, and he doesn't like his prey to see him until it's too late. Keep your wits about you; you must defeat this Holder or become his next meal.

No matter how skilled or unskilled you are, if you manage to fend off the beast's initial blow, the two of you will be evenly matched. When you are ready to end the battle, ask the beast “Where is it safe?” Upon hearing this, he'll pause for the briefest of moments, and it is now that you must strike. If you let him give his answer, you'll find yourself horribly outmatched when the fight resumes.

You cannot kill this beast. Not permanently, anyway. The labyrinth will heal, in time, any wounds you inflict. Assuming you manage to render the Holder inert, approach his body and check the hand that wasn't carrying the axe. It ought to be tightly clenching a Thumbtack. If not, you'll have to search the ground around where you fought.

Stick the Thumbtack in anything and the stuck item will be hidden from all you'd wish to hide it from.

The Thumbtack is Object 158 of 538. Use it sparingly, lest what it hides fade from view forever.