damned_institute | Nightshift 39: The Sphinx's Chamber

The first thing that struck Claude about the room was how warm and inviting it seemed -- but not necessarily in a cozy sort of way. Still, the golden sheen the walls gave off stirred something in him that almost drew him further into the room. Once he caught sight of what was perched on the pedestal, though, he stopped in his tracks.

"A-a Sphinx..." he murmured. He'd be the first to admit that he'd seen a lot of strange things during his travels, but this was the first time he'd encountered something like this. It almost sounded crazy, but its majestic form was distinct and impossible not to recognize. Even though he wasn't an expert in mythology by any stretch of the imagination, he knew enough to realize leaving Dias alone with the Sphinx could be dangerous.

Without saying anything else, Claude moved to Dias' side, lips pursed as he stared up at the creature. He was still carrying his sword, but he didn't raise it. There was no reason to provoke a fight, after all.

While Guy had been a little apprehensive to see Dias cut down the tapestry, he didn't make a fuss about it. When he really thought it over, he realized that chances were that it would be back in its place, good as new, by next nightshift. If they needed to use it, then there was no reason not to.

The choice to enter the golden doors seemed like a good one as well, although Guy had the worrying thought in the back of his mind that it was a trick: Landel assumed people would be drawn to the door that caught their attention, when going through the plainer one was the better option.

Still, the decision had been made and he wasn't going to protest. Though he did feel his stomach tighten when Dias stopped short, and he quickly moved closer to see what was inside the room.

The creature there really was something worth seeing, and Guy couldn't stop himself from staring. The sharp claws made it pretty clear that it was some sort of monster, and yet it was in a whole different league from the things that they usually ran into here. He heard Claude say some word he didn't recognize, and he might have asked about it if he wasn't so distracted.

Either way, they needed to decide if they were actually going to go into the room or not, and Guy didn't think he was most qualified to make that decision.

Dias glanced at Claude with a mixture of consternation and approval. It would have been far wiser for both him and Guy to have remained out of sight, potentially avoiding a fight and being able to continue on...but at the same time, that wasn't in his rival's nature and he knew it. And, to some degree, applauded the mindset. It might have been practical to abandon him, but it was the very fact that Claude would never do such a thing that he admired about the younger man.

Since there seemed to be no point in standing in the doorway now that the creature had already seen them - and since it had yet to make a move against them - Dias rested a hand on the hilt of his sword and cautiously moved forward, watching it for any movement. Perhaps if they left it alone, it would take no interest in them and they could explore the room; he couldn't believe a room like this, with a guardian of such magnitude, would be empty.

Claude glanced back at Dias, and then Guy, but didn't say anything to them. Since this was uncharted territory, it was hard to know what they should do. On one hand, they could venture further and try to see what else the room had to offer. But on the other, Claude didn't want to somehow piss off the Sphinx, either. And it wasn't like they were seriously going to just turn around and leave.

Well, one thing was for certain -- they had to do something.

He moved forward with Dias, but took a few steps more and regarded the Sphinx for a moment. "Um..." Claude rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what he ought to say, if anything at all. "We're sorry if we're disturbing you," he finally stated.

He'd wait to see if they got some kind of response. If not, then maybe they could along their way. Still, with a gaze that human, Claude had a feeling it would at least understand their intentions. And if it was anything like the Sphinx from mythology, then, well...they'd cross that bridge if they got to it, he guessed.

Martin Landel sure was strange, though. Who had a live Sphinx just lying around their basement?

While Guy followed in after the others, he also felt apprehensive. The room was definitely worth giving a closer look, even though it wasn't all that large, but the fact that the creature hadn't taken its eyes off of them made him tense, like he was being pinned down by its gaze.

He was slightly baffled when Claude actually tried to talk to the thing - why would it understand him, or answer? - but as Guy continued to examine the beast, he could see where Claude was coming from. It was almost like the thing was waiting for something, and something about its bearing seemed almost sentient.

If that was the case, then this could turn out to be very interesting. He still wasn't convinced that they wouldn't have to fight the thing, but he wasn't going to attack unless he was attacked first.

Suddenly, the beast stirred. Its body rose slightly as it took in a deep breath and then fell again as he let it out. His gaze moved from the group of three to the side of the room, as if he wasn't impressed enough by the men to pay them any real attention.

"You aren't sorry," it said, and if his eyes hadn't been so intense, he might have seemed like he was rolling them in exasperation. "If you were, you wouldn't be apologizing; you'd be leaving."

He paused and then looked back on them, his line of sight settling down on the blue-haired man in the front. He waved a paw in the air dismissively.

"And please, don't be so tense. We've still got an explanation and decision to go through before any of you need to worry."

Dias straightened slightly out of his battle-ready stance, as much from surprise as anything else. It wasn't as though intelligent, articulate monsters were unheard of on Expel - they were rare, and usually powerful, but he'd run into instances of them before - but...well, most had never seemed this intelligent. And, more than that, most of their talk had been arrogant boasts and threats, immediately followed by an attack; this creature, however, seemed almost bored with them, and not interested in fighting at all.

He wasn't prepared to drop his guard entirely, but curiosity did blunt his caution slightly, and his grip on the hilt of his sword relaxed somewhat. "What are you talking about?" he asked, studying it carefully. What needed to be explained? And what decision was it referring to?

Claude was a little stunned by the response he got, but he kept himself from apologizing again. He guessed the Sphinx had a point about the sincerity behind his words, but, on the other hand, he always thought it was proper to excuse oneself when intruding in someone's home. Well, lair, in this case, he supposed.

Whatever. That wasn't exactly the issue right then.

"Are you the same Sphinx that gives riddles to travelers in those old stories?" he asked, trying his best to sound respectful. Just the fact it could speak definitely made it the most unconventional monster they'd run into within the Institute's walls. Somehow he got the feeling that, whatever this explanation entailed, what they wound up having to do next was going to be unlike anything they'd seen since arriving here.

Claude wasn't entirely sure he liked where this was going, but, if it meant finding a way home, he felt like he'd be up for doing almost anything.

[Sorry for the delay! School ate me.]

Sure enough, it could talk. Even though the creature was basically telling them to calm down, Guy just kept staring. This wasn't normal as far as he knew, and Dias seemed similarly shocked by the whole thing. Claude, having the advantage of actually being from this planet (even if it was in the future), seemed to have the answers once again.

Riddles, huh? Guy couldn't say he was the best at that sort of thing, and he would probably be more in his element if he was back home, but he wouldn't be against giving it a shot, and they might not even have a choice.

He could have said something (in a way, he wanted to get a word in), but he wasn't going to bombard the thing with questions. It was obviously at a human level of intelligence (maybe above that?), so there was no need to insult it any further.

Though it seemed like their very presence was bothersome. Had this Sphinx been forced to sit here and wait for patients to show up? Either way, this whole thing was so different that Guy was almost sure that it had to lead to something.

Whatever frown that Dias' question had brought to the creature's face was erased when Claude spoke. The sphinx's expression brightened somewhat.

"Ahh, finally, someone who's properly educated in these matters." He shifted on his haunches and sat up slightly. "But to answer your question... no, I am not the sphinx, but I am a sphinx, and my function is more-or-less the same. And if you're wondering why I follow an Egyption motif rather than a Greek one, well..."

A sly smile crossed his features.

"You can ask Martin Landel about that."

A monster that...asked people riddles? Dias' expression shifted from wary to bemused as he allowed himself to drop his battle-ready stance entirely. Claude seemed familiar with sphinxes(he assumed that was the plural, but it was a strange word), and the sphinx had seemed pleased to hear it, which meant that his information was probably accurate - however ludicrous.

"So what happens now?" he prompted. Whether he was asking Claude or the sphinx was difficult to tell, but he would have accepted an answer from either.

Claude was pretty sure that, if he ever got to speak with Landel face-to-face, asking about the Sphinx was going to be the last thing on his mind. Still, it was really interesting. After all, it wasn't like someone met a real, talking Sphinx everyday.

"It sounds like we'll be given a riddle," Claude softly replied. "I don't think it will be good for us if we answer it wrong, though..."

True, the Sphinx wasn't the same one from the myths, but if he behaved in more or less the same way, then it stood to reason that botching up on the riddle would likely result in fatal consequences. He didn't want to outright say that, though, especially since it probably wasn't a good idea to speak for the Sphinx. There was such a thing as borrowing trouble, and they probably needed to avoid it if they could.

While Guy didn't mind taking a shot at a riddle from time to time, it being a life-or-death matter was a different story. It would be pretty hard to think when the threat of getting it wrong was so severe, but he didn't work too terribly under pressure.

It just figured that the one time they were all armed and ready to fight a run-of-the-mill monster, they came across something unorthodox like this. Granted, they might still have to head off against the beast, but Guy would like to think that they could get the right answer between the three of them.

Eyeing the sphinx's claws for a moment, Guy then lifted his gaze to make eye contact with the thing. It was hard not to hold some respect for such a regal creature, even though it had a pretty dry demeanor. "Lay it on us, then," he said with a sigh.

"It won't be good," the creature replied to Claude, a sinister glint in his eye. He turned towards Guy. "And I do hope you're asking for the details rather than the riddle itself."

The sphinx paused, as if considering, and then smiled slightly.

"I guess I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

The sphinx closed his eyes and recited a speech he must have delivered many times before:

"You have two options of which there can be several outcomes: You may decline my test and I will allow you to leave at your leisure and brave the other trial; it is a daunting one, to be sure, and one you may not live through to the end. You may also choose to stay and ask to hear my riddle, though once you have heard it, the doors behind you will shut and only a correct response will get you out with the prize. Should any one of you address me with a wrong answer or should you find yourselves unable to respond within five minutes' time..."

He opened his eyes and gave a nonchalant, rolling shrug.

"Then you will find yourself in greater mortal peril than you could have ever encountered in the other trial."

"Give us the riddle," Dias said flatly, not so much irritated by the sphinx's long-winded explanation as he was simply made restless by it. He didn't wait to hear what Claude or Guy thought of proceeding; he couldn't imagine that they weren't as prepared for any eventuality as he was, and he at least was entirely confident in their ability to handle whatever might come - either the riddle or the consequences of not being able to solve it. And, if they could solve it...well, he couldn't imagine getting a reward any more easily elsewhere than they might here for merely answering a question correctly. The ratio of effort to payoff was too great not to make the attempt worthwhile.

As Claude listened to the Sphinx's explanation, his eyebrows faintly furrowed as his mouth creased into a small frown. It sounded straightforward enough -- leave now, or take the riddle and hope they answered it right, or else face the consequences if they didn't. If the old stories were anything to go by, then the punishment would probably involve the Sphinx trying to eat them or something. Not exactly how he wanted to finish up the nightshift, but at the same, it wasn't as if they hadn't ran into a sticky situation before.

But on the other hand, Claude hadn't forgotten that they were technically playing by Landel's rules right now. There was the chance that this was really a trick, and the consequences of answering the riddle incorrectly were something a sword wasn't built to handle.

Of course, none of that mattered as soon as Dias spoke up. Gaze whipping over to his rival, Claude looked like he was about to speak up, but he fell silent for a brief moment. No matter what he said, it likely wouldn't do any good. He'd already agreed to accept the Sphinx's challenge. It was probably too late to back out even if they'd wanted to.

"You could have at least asked for our opinion first!" he snapped once he'd gotten over his initial shock.

That had been pretty sudden, he had to admit. Dias could have at least given them the time to talk it over amongst themselves, and Guy really doubted that the sphinx would allow any backpedaling.

The creature had said that if they got the wrong answer, this would be worse than any other fight so far, and so Guy really didn't want to test that theory. Which meant that they needed to get this right somehow. Among the three of them, at least one had to be able to figure it out, right?

Well, they were going to have to at this point. While Guy could have given Dias a piece of his mind, Claude had already voiced his issue with it, and so he didn't see any reason to double up on the man. Besides, the words had already been spoken, so they were just going to have to suffer the consequences. And hopefully get lucky.

Letting out a deep breath, Guy shifted his weight and turned back to face the sphinx, waiting.

A sudden, heavy click sounded at the door as it slammed shut behind the adventurers. The sphinx sighed.

"Really, I'd recommend that you all talk amongst yourselves before jumping into something dangerous, but... humans have never been the brightest of the bunch."

He raised his head with regal poise, booming out in a level tone:

"My thunder comes before the lightning; my lightning comes before the clouds; my rain dries all the land it touches. What am I?"

The sphinx paused, then bowed his head.

"You have five minutes."

Dias gave the sphinx a glare - he didn't need a monster second-guessing him; that was what he had Claude for - before turning his attention back to his companions. "Stop complaining," he said irritably, before Claude could voice any more objections. "If we can get this right, we'll have gotten something valuable easier and faster than we probably could anywhere else in this damned place. If we get it wrong, it's no more of a threat than we all knew we might be facing and, as such, are armed and ready for. And I already gave you both the chance to leave, which you turned down. So just worry about the riddle and save your issues with me for later."

Being practical enough to take his own advice, Dias fell silent as he repeated each word in his head until he had it memorized. He remembered some riddles from when he'd been younger, enough to know that sometimes the very words used were critical clues, which made the exact wording important to remember. He was also aware that simplifying and rewording were key in working out what exactly was being referred to.

"Sound before light," he murmured, keeping his voice low so as not to carry to the sphinx. The creature had been relatively generous thus far and so it would likely make certain they were giving their final answer before leaping to any conclusions - or for their throats - but that didn't mean they needed to take any chances. "Light before clouds. And I don't know anything that dries land other than heat." He was silent for several moments longer before offering, somewhat dubiously, "Flint? If the thunder is it being struck, light, smoke, and heat all come from fire." He wasn't sure that was correct, and didn't like it; the answer to a riddle was meant to be obvious once it was found, which meant he probably hadn't found the right one.

Claude wanted to lash back with some kind of retort, but he knew he was just wasting time by arguing with Dias. What was done was done, and now they had to get the right answer in five minutes -- or else. Not that Claude was afraid, but he didn't exactly want to have this Sphinx trying to rip them to shreds, or whatever it was it had planned for them if they got the wrong answer. As for leaving Dias behind...he hadn't really expected them to do that, had he?

He held back a sigh and just tried to make himself focus on the task at hand.

Thankfully, Claude considered himself someone who worked well under pressure, so it was easy not to panic too much when the answer to the riddle didn't come to him right away. He silently went over the words, frowning to himself. Hearing Dias simplify things helped. Well, kind of. It was hard to say for sure until they gave the correct answer. If they did, anyway, but Claude didn't want to think about that right then.

"I don't think that's the right answer," he muttered under his breath. "It's got to be something bigger than flint, if it's able to cause something kinda like thunder or lightning." Eyes brightening, he snapped his fingers a couple times as if he'd just been struck by an idea. "Say, maybe it's a supernova." As soon as the words left his mouth, though, he frowned. "Well, no, that can't be right..."

Even though Dias' attitude was a little overbearing, he also had a point. It wasn't worth debating about, though, especially since they had a five minute time period to work under. It looked like they were all ready to take the sphinx's advice and talk this out, and so Guy went over the words and listened carefully to what the others had to say.

Neither answer that was posited sounded like a perfect fit, and they couldn't settle with anything less than perfect. He glanced at the two, cutting in when he got the chance. "I think Dias is onto something with heat. And it doesn't necessarily have to be something big just because of the terms that were used," he pointed out. "They're just euphemisms for other things. A loud noise, something bright, something wispy or smoky, and then something... dry."

That last part was the most confusing portion of the riddle, and Guy frowned and looked to the ground as he tried to work through it.

"What's something liquid that would dry up everything?" he asked, both to himself and the others.

"It might not be liquid," Dias countered with a slight shake of his head. "It could be something that rains down that isn't actually rain at all...light, or heat, or anything else that could be described that way. Light and heat are the only things I can think of that dry land. And perhaps, sawdust," he added as an afterthought, somewhat skeptically. He doubted that had anything to do with the riddle, but it seemed worth mentioning if only on the off chance that it gave Guy or Claude another idea to go off of.

He shot Claude a look. "What's a supernova?"

A loud noise...something bright...something wispy or smoky...and then something dry. It sounded like a simple description, but they were working on a time constraint here. They needed a perfect answer, and fast. Still, Claude was trying his best to keep a cool head, and he folded his arms as he mulled over the riddle.

"I'll explain it later," Claude answered Dias. Right now they needed to be focusing on coming to the right answer. "I think Guy might be onto something, though." He was pretty sure it wasn't sawdust, and rain seemed like a strange description to use for something like light or heat. But if that was the case, what was a liquid that could dry everything up? It had to be really hot, right?

"You think it might be something like a geyser?" he suddenly suggested.

Light and heat were good guesses, and Guy let his thoughts race as he tried to think of something that would fit all of that. With three of them working on this, they couldn't miss it...

"Wait," he said, quickly lifting his head as he stared at Claude. "A geyser, that works! They make noise, there's steam, but... what about the rain?" Once again, that part of the riddle was proving problematic. Still, the geyser idea quickly got his wheels turning, and then suddenly it popped into Guy's head like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"A volcano!" It had to be right, but he went through the riddle one more time so that he could double-check himself. Everything fit, though, and he just got this feeling that it was correct. Dias and Claude hadn't been able to come up with anything that worked better, and they were probably running out of time.

So, being impulsive for once, Guy turned toward the sphinx to give their final answer. "It's a volcano," he announced.

The sphinx opened its eyes and smirked wryly.

"As much as it heartens me to see humans with quick mental facilities, I do wish I got to tear apart some bones every once in a while."

After a moment of what seemed to be daydreaming, the creature shook its head and reached backwards with a foreleg, as if grabbing something from underneath his sizeable bulk. Once he finished, he outstretched his paw and presented to the humans their prize: A miniature shield made of silver and engraved with unknown markings.

"This is... well, this is one of the Coliseum Shields," the sphinx said, his voice a slight sigh, as if he'd gone through this far too many times. "I have handed out many versions of it in my long days, but I have yet to hear of a man, woman, or child for whom it has brought nothing but misery."

He placed it in front of the humans and then sat back on his haunches. "I can tell you where to use the object, but it is not a place for faint of will and heart.

"In the ballroom, you might have noticed a door to the south--one of such intricacy that it either repulses or entices all who see it. That is the door to the Coliseum, and if you have this artifact's brother, you will find yourself able to enter so long as you are willing to make a sacrifice. Should you survive the trials within, from which many venture but few return, you will be able to proceed further into the bowels of this heinous Institute."

The sphinx bowed his head and then laid down again, shifting a little before it stilled.

"That is all that I can tell you. I wish you luck."

He closed his eyes and froze as if he'd never been awake.

Claude was sort of surprised Guy turned around and gave the answer so suddenly, but on the other hand, he hadn't been able to come up with anything better. When the Sphinx confirmed that they'd gotten the correct answer after all, however, he couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief. Looked like they wouldn't be Sphinx food after all -- and it looked like they'd gotten a prize on top of that!

As he listened to the creature's explanation, however, his eyebrows furrowed, and he grew serious for a moment. It sounded like others had come through here before them -- many others, if the Sphinx was telling the truth. If that was the case, did that mean someone had found a way out of here before? Or had something horrible happened to them before they'd found an escape? He wondered what sort of sacrifice this Coliseum would require. But if it meant finding a definite exit, wouldn't most people here be willing to give up almost anything?

It was food for thought, at the very least.

He was a silent for a few moments after the Sphinx had frozen, but once he pulled himself from his thoughts, he allowed himself to properly bask in their victory. "Sweet!" he cheered as he pumped a fist into the air. "We got it! Awesome job, guys!" Without thinking, he loosened his fist and extended his palm out. "Gimme five!"

As it was revealed that he had in fact gotten it right, Guy felt his heartbeat even out. It had been impulsive of him to do that, but he'd only made such a bold move because he'd been ninety percent sure that it was the right answer. He didn't think Claude or Dias could be too mad at him for not consulting first, seeing how it had turned out all right in the end.

The sphinx's message was a bit of a downer, but Guy wasn't too put off by the information. He had knowingly gone into dangerous situations more than a few times in the past, so this wouldn't be any different. They had gone out on a limb this time and been rewarded for it, so their luck would hopefully continue as they kept working though the basement.

With the ornate shield sitting there in front of them, Guy pulled forward to grab it. It was heavier than it looked, but the weight was a comfort; for once, they had something to show for all the work they had gone through.

As he turned back around with a grin on his face, he saw Claude's outstretched hand and adjusted the shield into one arm so that he could give his friend a high-five. "Yeah, I definitely wouldn't have figured it out without your guys' help," he admitted, nodding appreciatively to both Claude and Dias.

Dias didn't begrudge Guy the shield in the least; while arriving at the answer had been a team effort, Guy himself had been the one to strike upon it, so it seemed reasonable enough for him to take the shield. (Besides that, the item had, to his eye, next to no practical value, so it hardly mattered who had it.)

He couldn't help raising an eyebrow, however, at Guy smacking Claude's outstretched hand. "What are you doing?" he inquired bemusedly.

Claude didn't have any problems with Guy taking the shield, either. Since he was the one who'd ultimately given the right answer, it was only right. If Guy hadn't gone ahead and taken it, he would have insisted on it anyway. Not to mention there was no doubt Guy would take good care of it until they needed it for later.

He wasn't all that surprised when Dias didn't reach to give him a high-five. Still, when his rival expressed confusion at the gesture, he rubbed the back of his head. "I guess they don't do that on Expel, huh?" he said. "It's just for fun. You know, to celebrate."

The blond grinned, letting out a contented sigh. "Anyway, we make a pretty good team, huh? At this rate, I'll bet we'll have stuff figured out in no time!" It was probably an unrealistic thing to say, but Claude wanted to bask in their victory as much as he could. He felt like he really needed it after everything that had happened to them the past couple of days.

Claude was about to add something else, but it was at that moment that nightshift ended.

Nightshift 39: The Sphinx's Chamber

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