Night 45: Sphinx's Chamber

[quickdrawbkiddo]

[from here]The room was very bright. That was the Bride's first thought and then she noticed why. Gold. Everything was gold. Everything, that was, except the Sphinx on a pedestal in the center watching them with eyes far more intelligence than any beast should have

Comments

[ruthless_hunter]

How could HK be from Star Wars if he didn't know who Darth Vader was? He was the Big Bad, practically the franchise's mascot. Hell, Vader was practically the only thing worth watching in that whole series, and he was pretty damn sure he wasn't the only one who thought so. "Pff, whatever. Tell me when someone makes a show 'bout robot-cars from space," He said to HK.

He fell silent when he entered the large, golden room. Now this took the Twinkie when it came to weirdness. The hallway and marbel room were one thing, but this... this was almost too much. Especially the thing in the center.

[arc_wrench]

HK was just about to snipe back with something biting and incredibly witty (just as soon as he thought of what it might be), when the doors opened, revealing...

...What? HK tilted his head quizzically, looking at the... thing. Was this a 'sfinks', whatever that was supposed to mean? "Statement: I'll try to break my programming and not call it m--...that thing that I'm required to say."

[damned_monsters]

[ Sorry for the hold-up, guys! Since notifs have been wonky lately, please e-mail/PM me when it's my turn so I don't keep you waiting. :> ]

The sphinx watched the three adventurers with eyes filled with disdain and more than a little irritation. It seemed that the beast was feeling less benevolent than usual; perhaps it was tired of its master's orders or of its inability to sink its claws into anybody that came into the room. Either way, it gave out a long yawn of a sigh and waved a large paw at the man at the woman who had spoken.

"Yes, do be careful," he said in something of a grumble. "A wrong word and you might break the rules and receive a penalization, which, while amusing wouldn't help your searching very much, I assure you."

He paused, as if realizing he was getting ahead of himself, and shook his massive head.

"I suppose you'll be needing some rules first, though?" it said dryly.

[quickdrawbkiddo]

[will do!]

Beatrix moved to the side, away from her companions. Should this creature decide to attack, it would be best if they were not all grouped together. Especially given 'Lance' and his less-then-affective combat capacity.

"Yes," the Bride replied. "Rules would be appreciated. If you'll, please?"

[ruthless_hunter]

Even though Lance had expected the thing to talk to them (how else could it ask riddles, after all?), the sight of the thing talking still made his eyes slightly widen in surprise.

He'd gone from a horror movie to a warped version of a Discovery Channel program. This sucked.

[arc_wrench]

HK literally had to bite down on his tongue to keep from saying anything. Normally, violence would be what he would want out of any situation.

But if he said anything now, it would likely lead to violence that would lead to the female meatbag making his heart explode. He didn't want that at all. So instead, he just nodded dumbly, possibly by either definition of the word.

[damned_monsters]

The sphinx nodded a little wearily and sighed as he settled on his haunches, looking almost bored. It definitely seemed as if his last encounter with adventurers had been the last straw on the camel's back of his enthusiasm.

"Yes, I'll please," he muttered to himself before taking in a breath and reciting

[quickdrawbkiddo]

Without hesitation, the Bride looked at HK-47. "You will inform us when our five minute time is almost up," she said to him.

Regarding the Sphinx once again, Beatrix met its eyes. She was not going to be deterred. She was not going to be stopped at this stage. She wished she had SubZero with them, the man was of quick wit, but she would have to make due with these two. And should any of them address the Sphinx and cause them to have to deal with the second option, she may just kill them.

"We accept."

[ruthless_hunter]

Wait, on top of everything else they had a time limit? Samurai-woman had better have enough riddle-solving powers for the three of them. He really didn't wanna get torn limb from limb by that thing.

[arc_wrench]

HK nodded, still somehow managing to keep silent. It was rather difficult when it wasn't in the name of sneaking up on something and introducing it to a knife through the brain, the stopping power of a good rifle, or the mechanics of nearly spontaneous combustion.

[damned_monsters]

The sphinx's face twisted into a grim smile as he received the near-immediate reply from the woman.

"Of course you do," he said.

The doors shut behind the three patients and the sphinx cleared his throat before staring straight ahead and reciting its riddle.

"With thieves I consort; with the vilest, in short; I'm quite at ease in depravity; yet all divines use me, and savants can't lose me, for I am the center of gravity."

The sphinx bowed his head with a long exhale.

"You have five minutes."

[quickdrawbkiddo]

Beatrix listened to the riddle and was immediately baffled. The first third seemed to fit together, as did the second third, yet the two did not mesh. And then there was the part about the center of gravity that turned anything the Bride was able to put together meaningless.

Her brows drawn down in thought, Beatrix moved back to the other two men. Keeping her back to the Sphinx so the beast did not mistake her words to be directed at it, something she was loathe to do on principle, she asked HK-47, "Repeat that verbatim for me."

[ruthless_hunter]

What the fuck did that mean? That made no fucking sense. Thieves, divines, and being the center of gravity? How were they suppossed to guess that?

Blondie and the Star Wars droid had better have enough riddle-solving powers for the three of them, or else Lance would be pissed. If he died because of these two, he'd spend his last breath telling them "Fuck you all".

[arc_wrench]

HK started counting the time, sighing just slightly. Riddles were the sorts of things Jedi loved, not assassin droids.

"Repetition: With thieves I consort; with the vilest, in short; I'm quite at ease in depravity; yet all divines use me, and savants can't lose me, for I am the center of gravity." He didn't really need to do it using the odd meatbag's own voice, but he copied that too, anyway.

He decided immediately that looking for symbolism was not the approach that was best suited to him. This was Earth, the most insular, self-centered little mudball he'd ever seen, after all. He had to focus on the wording...

Aaah. He had it. He also knew how much time they had left. ...He'd wait and see if the meatbags would figure it out. Of course by doing so, he was really giving them a vote of no confidence. He'd never give up the chance to show how superior droids were to meatbags.

[quickdrawbkiddo]

[We are to skip the Sphinx until we address it.]

Beatrix cocked her head as she listened to HK-47 repeat the riddle. It still didn't make sense. She didn't see the correlation between all those things. What did they have in common. Vile theieves, depravity, divines, savants and gravity. Gavity? That still threw her.

There was a solution. There had to be one and she would figure it out. She repeated the riddle in her mind. No, that wasn't good enough. She needed to see it.

"Again," she said to HK-47, retrieving her journal from where she'd had it in her waistband against her back so she could write it down.

[ruthless_hunter]

Lance was still mulling the riddle over when the other two started yapping. Oh, so HK thought he had a solution?

He whispered at the younger man, "It better be good, or else I might kill ya' before that thing does."