The Riddle of Riddles 3
#16 of Tik Tik Begins
In the desert, Adaeze comes face-to-face with a monster that she's been hunting, perhaps for just this evening or perhaps all her life. She must confront the nature of what it means to be a beast or a person. What will come out of this encounter?
This is a collaboration between myself and Czine. She's actually the artist of a game I really enjoy, and working with her has been a blast! We came up with some ideas and she whipped up the art, and I came up with the story to go along with it!
Posted using PostyBirb
Adaeze stands in astonishment at the sight of the beast before her. The Hermaphrosphinx grins at the gnoll, the impressive and frightening creature growling in the back of their throat.
"Syros... you're the sphinx?"
The sphinx leaps forward with a pouncing snarl. The bounty hunter dodges out of the way, but the monster swipes, striking the gnoll against her armor. Sharp claws tear at leather, and flecks of blood fall to the sands.
"Syros, wait!" Adaeze says, tightening her grip on her sap. "We don't have to fight like this!"
"Don't we? You came here to kill me, and I'm here protecting my life, seeking what I desire more than anything in the world! To live... as my true self!"
The sphinx roars, and the sand beneath Adaeze's feet shifts and loosens. The gnoll's boots sink into the shifting ground, and the sphinx rushes in for another attack.
Adaeze drops her sap, the weapon disappearing into the newly-formed quicksand. She grabs the paw swiping at her, its claws inches from her face. "But... but we made love!" she growls.
Syros puts their weight upon the paw, pushing Adaeze deeper into the sand. "You foolish human-raised whelp!" they snap. This curse of mine that puts me in that abhorrent and weak humanoid form requires that I betray someone to retain my proper, bestial form! It wasn't until you saw me here that I was able to cast the spell! Do you know what it's like to be a beast and forced to live inside society, unable to show your true self?"
Adaeze yanks the arm down under hers and pulls against the more gigantic creature, slipping herself out of the sinking sand with a pop. Syros snaps at her with their jaws, but Adaeze grabs onto their mouth, muscles screaming from the fight. "Yes, I do! Every day, I live my life in the skin of a gnoll, but wanting to be just like anyone else around me! I can't be what they are, and that sickens me!"
Syros swings their neck, flinging Adaeze aside. Rolling their jaw, they turn back towards the gnoll and growl. "You privileged cur! How do you think it feels to be a superior and stronger creature, trapped in a weak body of a human, forced to hide one's true self? Sometimes a woman, sometimes a man, never the perfection that is my hermaphrosphinx self! I was never really whole, except on nights like tonight!" They leap forward again, slashing against the gnoll's snout.
Adaeze yelps and tumbles across the ground, blood dripping from her snout. She shakes her head, her mouth pulling back, showing off her sharp teeth and her maw. "He... hehehe... so, is my life just a joke to you? Make me feel like... I've got a friend--a lover, and then do away with me?"
"At least you're laughing at what a joke you are," Syros says.
"Laugh at this!" Adaeze roars, bouncing off of the ground and leaping into the air. She slashes at the sphinx's face, her jaw opening wide and biting down into Syros's shoulder.
The sphinx roars, thrashing around, desperately trying to throw Adaeze off. The hyenic woman holds on, biting deeper, feeling the rush of heat from the blood spilling out and staining her armor and fur.
Syros rolls onto their back, smashing Adaeze onto the sand, but the gnoll holds on, tearing a chunk of meat from the creature.
The sphinx clambers back to their paws, letting out mournful groans. "Aaah, if I'm to die tonight, let me die as myself, and not as some weak human!
Adaeze spits out the chunk of flesh and clambers up to her feet. Hunched over, she stares at the sphinx, breathing slowly. "You stupid... bastard..." she huffs, blood dripping from her maw. "Is it worth throwing away your life... to be something?
Syros, their legs trembling, chuckles, stumbling forward. "Is it worth living if you're forced to be something you're not?"
"Another fucking riddle?" the gnoll says, standing tall. "Let me guess, it's like that last one and up to interpretation?"
"Pathetic," Syros responds, front legs giving out. They collapse onto their side, their side rising and falling. "That you didn't realize the truth of it. 'When does a hunter gain a heart?' The answer is simple." Syros coughs, their whole body shuddering. "A hunter... gains a heart... when they tear it from the corpse of their prize."
Adaeze slumps onto her knees beside the creature, finally holding onto her bleeding side. "No, you're the pathetic one," she says. "I got an answer to your stupid riddle for you. 'When does a hunter gain a heart?" she chuckles. "When they mourn the loss of life they take."
"Your sentimentality... will be your downfall," Syros says.
"Maybe," Adaeze says, "But I'm willing to die for what I believe in, just like you are."
"Ah... so you finally... understand," Syros continues, looking up towards the night sky. "Do you know... how happy I am...?"
Adaeze slumps down on the ground next to the sphinx and stares up with her. "How exactly did you get this curse?"
With labored breaths, the sphinx responds. "Ah... looking to live... a transformed existence? The answer... is in... the Wildlands."
"The Wildlands...? But that's the middle of nowhere. What could possible be there?"
A moment passes, and Adaeze repeats her question, but silence follows her. The gnoll pushes herself up and looks towards her quarry, only to see the lifeless eyes that remain. "Yeah..." she says, pushing herself up and getting back to her feet. "I guess it doesn't really matter..."
The next day, a group of adventurers from the guild ride up through the desert. They find the gnoll in the shade of the mountain cave, guarding the corpse of her kill. When they approach, they double-take, but Adaeze gives them a wave and staggers to her feet. "You guys got something to transport this thing with? Drinks are on me tonight. I got quite the story to tell."