Labyrinth Adventure Reborn (Closed for lack of Attendance)
- Thread starter Floozer
- Start date
"Wait wait wait wait, let's just think for a moment here. You want me to answer the riddles?" Melanie thought it over in her head. She wouldn't exactly call herself the brains of the group, but as she pondered the idea more, she realized that the one who tried the test would probably be the one punished if they were to fail. Sure, that scared her plenty, but she would rather it be her than another member of the team. She could surely try and take the risk for their sake. "I guess... I guess I will."
Melanie was surely expecting more of a "six afraid of seven" sort of riddle, and immediately the poor girl paled. Still, she could do this. Her expression hardened with thought. The only display of her anxiety was the wolf tail thumping nervously behind her. Seas with no water... the letter C maybe? Coasts with an extra letter C? Mountains and Cs, c-cup "mountains" on the chest of a woman... Melanie pulled her mind out of the gutter and took a step back. She visualized the ocean without water. Desert? No, the coasts were without sand. She closed her eyes and imagined the inanimate sea again, followed by the sandless coast and all the rest. In her mind, they were like portraits on a canvas. A landscaping portrait, that could be it. It seemed specific though, wasn't there a simpler word for... "A map!" Melanie cried, throwing her hand to her forehead as she remembered the word. She didn't even know if it was right, she was just happy to realize that a landscaping portrait really was just a map.
H'vendrin smiled and calpped her hands "yes! A map! Very god! But that was only the first one! Two more to go!" She clears her throat "Often will I spin a tale, never will I charge a fee. I'll amuse you an entire eve, but, alas you wont remember me. What am I?"
Immediately, Melanie thought of spiders. Spinning a "tale" sounded kind of weird for a spider, but it was a start. DJs spun records, not tales, so that one was out the window as well. Her next thought was of alcohol. She knew many a drunk who could spin a tale, amuse an entire bar, and then forget the shitshow the next morning. These riddles seemed so refined though. H'vendrin wouldn't make her bring up alcohol, would she? Something told her that she wouldn't, but it was a damn good answer if she couldn't think of anything else. An eve... what the fuck even was an eve? Wait, beer had a fee. Melanie almost swore to herself when she realized that that one was out of the question, as were any other drugs of a similar effect. What about those cave mushrooms? Those were free. Nah, like Tom said, they weren't really drug-esque either. She pondered just what exactly was both drug-esque and free. From what she could gather from her days on the streets, in which the supposedly exciting life was nothing but wake up, walk around, eat, sleep, dream, and wake up again, nothing much. Sleep had been her solace most days. Things were more interesting when she was asleep. At night, in the evenings- evenings, as in eve... Melanie put two and two together, remembering how she'd forget just about every one of her dreams the day after. The answer took her long enough, but she said it with whatever confidence she could muster. "Dreams, I think the answer is dreams, or alcohol." She mumbled that last bit.
H'vendrin raises a brow but nods all the same "Very astute... a dream will tell you any story for free, but leaves your mind in the morning. Have you heard these before?" She questions before mvoing on. "This one is a bit harder. The smallest child might carry me, while the strongest man might not. The power to move an entire army without moving from a single spot. What am I?"
"Carry" was a strange choice of words. Melanie figured that it couldn't be physical, with the whole smallest child, strongest man bit. Maybe it referred to a disease? Diseases could kill people who were standing still, and armies stayed in close quarters anyways. Then again, diseases weren't exactly "moving" anyone. Or maybe they were, it just wouldn't be her first choice of words. If the thing truly wasn't physical, then "move" took on a different meaning. Tales of deadly diseases could move people. Maybe it was simply stories. Children had stories. But wait, so did strongmen. Melanie really wished she had more to go off of for this one. Either way, she could only take a shot in the dark. "Can I-uh, phone a friend?" She practically winced as she asked it.
Melanie was actually on the verge of panicking now. She was so sure for only a moment after answering the first two correctly. What did it take to "move" somebody? Other than the battering ram and forklift Melanie wished she had right now. Stories? Poems? Songs? Speeches? Riddles? No, of course not riddles. What kind of kissass answer would that be? She worked backwards as the stream of possibilities faded from her memory, just as her dreams did. Speeches... children don't really give speeches. Anybody could sing a song, but they weren't exactly "carrying" a song either. A sort of deja vu tugged at her mind. In musical terminology, people "carried" something. Was it pitch? People held pitches. Hold and carry were more or less the same thing, right? Poems. Little kids didn't write moving poems. Or maybe they did, but it seemed unlikely. She'd already expressed her complex with stories. What else could move someone? Love? You don't carry love. Melanie had to go out on a limb, too anxious to not blurt out the answer she'd created. "Pitch, because people carry, or hold musical pitch. Like in a song, or something, because songs are moving?"
"I have found 112 rooms in this place and there are still 3 more floors to go before you real the attic!" He says rather excitedly. "Rooms that lead to rooms that lead to rooms. Mind you... most are just studies or bedrooms... but there could be secrets!"
H'vendrin frowned and folded her arms over her chest. "That... is correct. You have passed my test." She scoots over to the side, revealing the path to the door "You are free to go to the next room I suppose."
H'vendrin frowned and folded her arms over her chest. "That... is correct. You have passed my test." She scoots over to the side, revealing the path to the door "You are free to go to the next room I suppose."
Melanie blinked, staying still and solemn for a moment as she prepared for failure, before uttering as squeal of delight and surging forwards into the mass of her team. "I bullshitted all of it!" She whispered to them, smiling her ass off, and wanted to never think about riddles or lions or dreams or carrying pitch every again. As far as she was concerned, that room was behind them now.
the group cheered and hugged Melanie, sharing in her excitement and quickly following her up to the new door and into the new room. The next room was very grand, with lavish decorations of gold and red cloth on the walls and floor, a huge bed to the left and a natural hot spring to the right. the entire place was decadent to the highest order.
Walsh: "Haha! This must be our reward!" Her cheered while ditching his clothes and jumping into the water "Aaaah, sweet release!"
Walsh: "Haha! This must be our reward!" Her cheered while ditching his clothes and jumping into the water "Aaaah, sweet release!"
"I'd like to think so!" Melanie followed his lead, slowly sinking down into the hot springs, and letting all the stress of the past ten minutes die down in the sweltering warmth. "Water's fine guys!" She practically groaned in bliss. "I'm thinking we're due for a hot tub party."
Busco was next, then Wendy, then Samara and finally Korlish. Soon everyone was naked and relaxing in the hot springs with relaxed sighs and happy smiles on their faces. A corus of ooh's and aah's rings out as stress melts away in the hot water.
[Should wait for Repti]
[Should wait for Repti]
Umi was tense the entire time "Mel" was answering the riddles but when she pulled through Umi cheered in both joy and relief. "Yes! Well done!" she said as she joined in on the hug they formed around Melanie. She was so relived that no one had to stay with that sphinx, and she let out a heavy sigh. soon they found them seves in very fancy room. with a bed a hot tub and all kinds of fancy stuff. For a momnet Umi was reminded of the mansion with the ghost man... she shivered "i hope this place doesn't have anything like that....", Umi thought as she wearily entered the room. Everyone was soon naked and in the hot spring, that just left Umi standing by herself. She didnt have stitch to her name at this point so she just walked in herself. the hot water felt very good on her skin, she was glad that she might actually get clean in this nice warm water. "ooooh~ ok I think i needed that...."
The water soothed their bodies and eased their minds, washing away the troubles and fatigue of that dirty time spent in the caves. However, no matter how much dirt and grime that was washed off, the water remaisn crystal clear.
Busco suddenly snorted and laughed, looking off to the side "Hey! Check it out! Food!" He said, pointing to a large table covered end to end in every kind of food imaginable!
Busco suddenly snorted and laughed, looking off to the side "Hey! Check it out! Food!" He said, pointing to a large table covered end to end in every kind of food imaginable!
A sense of joy swelled up in Melanie's chest, though a slighter twinge of dread was quick to follow. "This feels too good to be true, but this time, fuck it, I want a steak." She sounded conflicted, dragging herself out of the water and over to the buffet, searching for the biggest, juiciest t-bone she can find with some steamed carrots on the side.
There was a massive steak, grilled to perfection and covered in spices sitting on a large plate, still steaming as if it was fresh from the grill. Busco followed her over and licked his lips as he grabbed a big turkey leg and promptly went to town. Walsh was at the table in a flash, grabbing a bowl of noodles and stuffing his face into it while Samara rolled her eyes and picked up and picked up a sandwhich to eat. Wendy, used to eating not but fish and fruit, ran over and found a bowl of chili, promptly going to town. Korlish, however, did not go to the table. Instead, he watched the others from the bath with a suspicious look before getting out and moving to look around the room.
Umi herself was quite skeptical of the table of food. the water seemed harmless enough but the food? this really did remind her of of the ghost mansion... "Guys.... there was another place like this.... I was there... with Luna.... there was a ghost that wanted people to stay no matter what. He would make the place look wonderful so you would never want to leave..." Umi said her voice having a slight twinge of dread.
None of the others really seemed to register what she said, too busy eating fresh food after days of making due with whatever crap they could find on the way to the next door. The only one who gave her a glance was Korlish.
Korlish: "A place that made you want to stay? A clever trap to be certain... a gilded cage where the prisoner doesn't want to leave..." He rubs his chin and keeps looking about the room.
Korlish: "A place that made you want to stay? A clever trap to be certain... a gilded cage where the prisoner doesn't want to leave..." He rubs his chin and keeps looking about the room.
Much as she hated to do it, Melanie promptly heeded the suspicions of Korlish and Umi, took her steak, and dumped it on the floor beneath the the table so that she wouldn't be tempted. She could've cried just from looking at the sullied meal, and bit her tongue before speaking. "You're right, too good to be true right?"
The others stopped eating and stared at her, then back down to their food. A group sigh rang out and they all dropped their food onto the floor, walking away from the table.
Korlish: "Now that you are all done... has anyone else noticed the door we came through is gone and there is no other door leading out of this room?"
Korlish: "Now that you are all done... has anyone else noticed the door we came through is gone and there is no other door leading out of this room?"
"Maybe it's like an escape room. Y'know, where they trap you in a room and make you solve puzzles to escape." Melanie began to search the room for clues or secret passages, starting with the bottom of the hot springs, and then each and every corner of the room within reach.
"What'd you find?" Melanie called back, scooting over by the bed to see what Samara had found. Her initial urge to snicker was replaced with a sudden sense of paranoia as she remembered the old tales about monsters under beds, and cautiously, she snaked a hand down to reach for Samara's tail, just so she could grab her in case things went horribly awry.
"Just making sure nothing horrible comes and pulls you away is all." Melanie responded innocently, gesturing for the rest of the gang to come help appraise the stone. "Busco, you're the strongman, come work your magic on this rock."