Riddle Me This - Private Roleplay ( Noctivagus and I )

[Kalamu]

Kalamu breathed out, she had been so sure her days were counted. Turned out her answer had been correct, she felt like laughing out loud in relief, but didn’t dare. The sphinx was toying with her mind, he had said that not all the answers had to be spoken, whatever that meant. This time she would try and ask him a riddle she had made herself. She glanced around for inspiration and eventually got what she was looking for

“Crooked as an old man's back, slick as a silverplate,
Old yet new, big yet small
Not you or anyone else can by force alone pull me straight

But if you dig and lure, spade and please
I'll be running wherever you want with ease"

The gryphon sat back and waited for Nocturn’s response

((Hey, congrats!))

[Noctivagus]

Nocturn sat upright and smiled, he had never heard this riddle before. Obviously his opponent was thinking. He pondered what the answer could possibly be. It was truly a perplexing riddle. Finally, after nearly a minute had passed, he answered, "The only answer I can possibly think of is a river."

He was confident that his answer was the correct one, or was at least similar enough in form to be correct. He waited, though, unsure that it truly was correct and not wanting to break the rules of the game were it not.

[Kalamu]

"Was it too easy? And your answer was indeed correct." The gryphon looked down as she waited for the sphinx to riddle her. Waiting for the words stumbling out of his mouth was worse than waiting for his paw to strike

Around the edges of the canyon streaks of pink and purple had appeared as the deep blue of the night disappeared and took its white pin-point stars with it. In the forest above birds got out on their branches and started to chirp

[Noctivagus]

"Wonderful. Now, here is my riddle.It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, and empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, ends life, kills laughter." He smiled wickedly, doubting that she would get this one correct. It was a harder riddle, and one much older than the ones he had been using.

This was an ancient riddle, older even than he. Even he, when he was learning, had stumbled upon this one. However he answered correctly in the end. Perhaps she would get the answer as well. It wasn't impossible, after all.

[Kalamu]

Kalamu managed to not panic this time, nor did she pace the rock below her feet. She had begun to understand that every riddle must have a solution and that eventually, that solution would come to her. She watched as the sun, glowing red and gold over the mountains, sent rays of sunshine towards them and warmed her feathers

An hour passed and Kalamu was still staring at the sun, now a notch higher than it had been an hour ago. The sphinx showed no signs of impatience or annoyance and Kalamu continued to stare at the sun. The bright light stinging in her eyes

The bright light.

And then it dawned on her:

“Creatures of the night can very well see through it, but it would be like looking through thin air; knowing it is there, but never really glimpsing it. We--,” She paused and thought for a moment. “We cannot feel it, and still it brushes past us and surround us whenever we sneak through the woods, looking for something to fill our hungry bellies with. Under the stars and under the sky and under our full bellies it lies. It’s the end and the beginning of the day and without it light would be nothing. It’s the last thing you see before you die and the first thing you see before you’re born. And though we still can’t truly see it, it will reveal itself if we close our eyes or go to sleep.”

The gryphon nodded. "I believe that's the answer, O Master of all Knowledge"

[Noctivagus]

"Very good, very good. And you answered my riddle in riddle form. Truly impressive. I believe it is your turn to ask a riddle, young one." He replied, smile a true smile for the first time in many, many years. Indeed, she was becoming a worthy opponent.

He sat patiently, certain that this game would be a challenge yet. He was having to think harder than he had in years. Though he still had many tricks up his sleeve. He had no more tricks to offer her, no more advice to give. She had learned the rules of this game well.

[Kalamu]

"Hm. I've thought about this one for a while, and not only while I've been here with you. But seeing as you're the Master of all Knowledge, you might know the answer to it," The gryphon sat back and coked her head before she continued:

"Supposed there was a body of water, the source of eternal life. Then suppose someone found this source, but as they bent down to drink out of it they toppled over and fell in it. The edges are so slippery that everything they can do is nothing and eventually let their body sink to the bottom as their legs and arms grow tired. Suppose all this took place, would the person who fell in the source of eternal life drown?"

[Noctivagus]

"This is truly a thought provoking question, young one, however this is only difficult if you think overly hard about it. The simple solution is that yes, they will drown, though they may not die from it. For though the water will grant you life, it will not prevent injury." He answered, feeling fairly confident that his answer was satisfactory.

"Now, it is my turn to ask." He said, standing up and slowly circling her.
I turn polar bears white and I will make you cry. I make guys have to pee and girls comb their hair. I make celebrities look stupid and normal people look like celebrities.
I turn pancakes brown and make your champagne bubble. If you squeeze me, I'll pop. If you look at me, you'll pop." This was the hardest riddle he knew. If she could answer this correctly he doubted he would be able to beat her. However even if she did, he would not surrender until he was beaten.

[Kalamu]

If Kalamu had had ears, they would have laid flat against her head. She had a bad feeling about this one; this was the first time the sphinx had moved this much since the riddle session began. But as calmly as possible she sat down and stared at the sun again, waiting for the answer to come to her yet again

One hour passed, and the gryphon had to turn her gaze elsewhere, the sun was starting to burn as it neared zenith. Another hour passed and she began to realize that the answer newer may come to her. What could turn polar bears white and at the same time make girls comb their hair? Water? No. Air? No. Light? No, not that one either. No, no, no. Kalamu felt like banging her head in the ground, but only shifted slightly as she tried to think of other things that might have been the answer to the riddle

All the obvious answers found in nature itself seemed out of the question. Or did they? She glanced around her, as trees and clouds and rock and grass. And then she got it:

“My answer is," She paused and looked up at the sphinx who was now paying close attention to her. "THIS!” She sprung up and darted between the sphinx’ legs and disappeared among the cliffs of the canyon

[Noctivagus]

"I win!" The sphinx exclaimed as she bounded between his legs, knowing that he had finally won, though he had momentarily lost his prey. He was unconcerned, however, because this was the only way out of the canyon, and he knew every inch of his domain. He breathed deeply, getting a powerful scent from his prey. Fear.

He could smell her, and she was still nearby, in one of the many caves he often used as a den. It had only one entrance. He quickly bounded toward his cave, licking his chops. True, she had been one of the greatest opponents he had had in some time. He would grant her one request for this. Any request about her death, save that he not kill her.

He could hear her, now, the beating of her heart, the deep breaths she was taking. He was right outside of the cave. "Come out, young one. Face your death with honor, for there is no escape." He called into the cave, planting himself firmly across the only exit she had. She would not escape.

[Kalamu]

Kalamu knew she was trapped, of course. But even the most stupid and thoughtless of all animals wouldn’t go willingly into death if they had only a chance to wait a bit longer. The space grew dark as the sphinx blocked the mouth of the cave. God, why hadn’t she taken the other way, then she might have had the tiniest chance of survival

She searched along the walls after traces of fresh air, something that might lead her to another entrance to the cave. Then as she was about to give up she caught it. Only the faintest traces of non-cavern air. She scratched at the walls and tiny stones and dust fell of. She could feel her spirits rising as she grabbed at the stone and even larger pieces fell out. The smell was getting stronger now

[Noctivagus]

"Now now, don't go defiling my home. I'll have to come back and get you that much faster now." He said, standing and walking into the cavern, sniffing at the air intently, trying to find exactly where she was hiding. He found her soon enough, behind a rock, digging at the wall desperately.

"It's a shame I have to do this, you know. You truly might have beaten me, if only you had given it some more time." He said, emphasizing the word time, for that had been the answer to his riddle. "Now, however, I must end your life. However, because you proved to be so worthy an opponent, I shall grant you one request. You may choose the way you shall end your life."

[Kalamu]

The gryphon spun around, not looking at the sphinx’ face, but instead searching for openings she could escape through. It was rather futile; she doubted he’d let her run between his legs again. Kalamu was near blind with panic and, just like that, turned around and ran headfirst into the wall before collapsing on the ground

“I don’t want to die, please. I don’t want to die!” She pleaded, paws clutching at her head as she curled up in a feathered ball. Silence fell between them for a few minutes, giving the gryphon some time to relax. Then she removed her paws from her face and looked up at Nocturn with defeat written all over her face. ”And if you must, at least do it quickly”

[Noctivagus]

"Your only request is that I do it quickly, then? If that is your wish, then so be it." He said grimly, reaching out with his paw to gently pick her off the ground. It was funny, considering that he was going to kill her soon, how careful he was being with her. He was obviously fond of her. However he wasn't going to change his mind now. He was hungry.

He opened his cavernous maw, his large, pink tongue unfurling like a welcoming mat. He gently sat her down upon its soft, pink surface, slowly pulling it back into his mouth and clamping his jaws shut quickly. He savored her taste for a moment, before quickly gulping her down and following the bulge she made in his throat with his paw.

He felt her land in his stomach, and heard it gurgle contentedly as he let out a loud belch, her taste already on his breath, releasing almost all the air from his belly. He knew that this would end her life long before digestion truly began, though his stomach was already full of a gentle acid. It was something he simply couldn't help.

[Kalamu]

Kalamu slid down the tight, fleshy tube of muscle and struggled to breathe as the sphinx’ oesophagus squeezed her body from all sides. It had indeed been quick; suddenly she sat on the great creature’s tongue before everything went dark and she found herself going down, headfirst for the stomach

Suddenly she hit a tight ring of muscle and stopped briefly before her head plopped through and she hastily drew a panicked breath, but soon wished she hadn’t. The air was so damp she started to cough and it smelled like nothing else; the stench alone made her eyes water

Then the rest of her body slowly followed her head, Kalamu broke free and was weightless for a moment before hitting the firm, wet floor of the stomach. She tried to scramble to her feet, but it was impossible on the constantly moving walls of flesh around her. So she let the stomach work on her for a while, rolling her about and completely covering her in mucus and stomach acids that made her face tingle

Far above her head she could hear a loud belch and the space tightened around her, barely giving her enough room to move. The gryphon coughed violently and felt herself getting uncomfortably light headed as her air supply grew scarcer

[Noctivagus]

"I'm going to give you one final piece of advice," Nocturn said, patting his belly, "just let go. It's going to become unbelievably painful soon, if you're still conscious." He belched again, feeling her moving slightly in his stomach. For the first time he did not wish to hear the screams of his prey as they were digested alive. He had no desire to prolong her suffering as he did with so many others.

He began to hum an ancient tune, passed down through generation upon generation of sphynx, hoping to lull her to sleep before digestion would begin, which it would very soon. He lay down on his side, curled around his slightly bulging tummy, waiting to either feel her stop moving as she died from asphyxiation, or for her struggles to become violent, and her to scream in agony as he digested her alive.

He was doing his best to ensure that the former happened to her, rather than the latter. It was a far less cruel fate, he knew, and he had finished being cruel to her long ago.

[Kalamu]

Kalamu tried desperately to hold onto the last little thread of life and started to trash violently in the sphinx’ stomach. The space was cramped as anything else and the walls of the stomach responded to her movements by tightening even further around her. With her last powers she bit as hard as she could into the slippery walls around her. Her beak sunk surprisingly easy in and she shook her head like she would when she wanted to kill small creatures she had caught

From far away she could hear Nocturn’s song, but the rush of blood through her head and her own groaning silenced it. Darkness started to fold around her as the pain grew too great. She screamed in agony and her mouth filled with the foul liquid that slithered everywhere and burned and stung as the the acids ate away at her flesh and feathers and claws and eyes