17 Deal With The Sphinx
1485 Words
The sphinx looked around then looked back at Peter like a lion preying for his food.
“So, it was you,” the sphinx said in an intimidating manner, changing his language from Orrinatta to English. His voice roared around the pavilion, just as powerful as his appearance.
Peter shivered. The sphinx had such a deep voice that he was unsure if he made the decision.
The sphinx then smirked. “You successfully conjured me here, what’s with the nervous look?” he asked.
He then started to walk around Peter as if studying his appearance. He gave an interesting smirk. “What an unusual event for a dream lord to summon me into his dream.”
Peter was cautious about the sphinx’s movement that he was ready to snap his finger and draw the spear. If the sphinx started to attack him, Peter wouldn’t hesitate to kill the sphinx.
“You have a lot of knowledge in your head,” the sphinx said and licked his lips.
“I didn’t summon you here so you could eat me and contain my language,” Peter said. He started to think where the heck his words came from. Suddenly, a lump was on his throat. He was scared of the creature in front of him. He nervously gulped. He said it anyway. “I’m here for a deal.”
The sphinx laughed in a calmed manner. “Oh, no. That’s not how it works. I’m the one to make the deal,” he stopped in front of Peter and sat like a tamed lion. Now he looked a little taller.
“What’s the deal, then? I just want an answer,” Peter asked.
The sphinx hummed. “I’m simple. I know you knew about me before you summoned me, I’ll ask you a question, and you answer me correctly. If you fail to answer me right and true,” he paused and grinned. “I will devour you and consume your knowledge without mercy.”
Peter felt like it was déjà vu.
After the dream goblin, it was the sphinx who threatened him for the second time. For some reason, he felt less threatened.
He was a dream lord, and the sphinx was just a creature on his dream. He could kill the sphinx at any moment he’d want. “Ask whatever you need to ask,” Peter challenged.
The sphinx looked at him hardly that Peter slightly felt intimidated.
“I only have one question,” the sphinx started. “How did you get the Book of Dimensions?”
Peter was flustered. Not because the question was complicated, it was rather easy. He thought he would be given a very difficult riddle that he wouldn’t be able to answer, but it was the easiest he was asked for.
He opened his mouth to answer, but he paused to think if it was a trap.
He thought why would sphinx would ask him such a question. What was his reason and what would he gain to ask him that.
He looked at the sphinx who was waiting for his answer.
“Why? Why are you not answering me?” the sphinx asked before he now lied down on his belly. Now he looked more like the Great Sphinx of Egypt. “Do you accept your fate to be devoured?”
Peter shook his head. “Hell, no!” he exclaimed. “I’m thinking. You might be dragging me into a trap.
The sphinx’s laughter echoed in the pavilion as if Peter asked the most ridiculous question in the world. “A trap? Me, setting you in a trap? I’m not that pathetic for traps. I don’t do such stupidly deceitful thing.” he asked and laughed yet again.
“Why is your question so easy, then?” Peter asked.
The sphinx’s laughter slowly faded. “You can ask me after you correctly answered me. I think you’re forgetting our deal,” the sphinx said.
Peter cleared his throat and decided to just truthfully answered him. “Okay, okay. I got it. I discovered it in my roommate’s new villa. It was in the basement, under a wooden drawer.”
The sphinx nodded. “I know that villa. Edgar Lee’s villa. But he died,” the sphinx said and shook his head with a sigh. “I’m one of the few who knew his death.”
Peter was surprised to hear that from the sphinx. He had no idea the sphinx new Edgar Lee. He didn’t know how he knew Edgar Lee, but Peter had the idea that Edgar Lee once summoned the sphinx or any of his kind.
The wonder lurked his mind. “How did you know Edgar Lee? Did he summon you before?”
The sphinx looked at Peter. “Is that your wondering question after summoning me here?” the sphinx asked seriously.
Peter shook his head in “No, no. That’s not my question,” he said.
“I know. If you’re wondering how to un-stone your fellow friend, I can give you three solutions,” the sphinx finally answered.
Peter almost forgot he’s a creature that could foretell. He thought that the sphinx was playing with him, knowing he could predict what Peter was about to ask.
He remembered the note on the mantra. He nodded in realization. That answered his question. He must’ve summoned him or any of his kind; that was why he knew.
“Do you have my answer?” Peter asked.
“What would you do if I don’t have the answer?” the sphinx asked. “Are you going to kill me?
Peter would, probably if the sphinx chose to attack him. If he wouldn’t attack him, then he would just send him back to his world.
An idea popped in his mind. It was his turn to smirk at the sphinx. “You’re supposed to answer my question. Answer me and I can answer your question.”
The sphinx burst in a laughing fit. He didn’t predict Peter to answer him like that. He had another reason why he wanted to consume Peter’s memory and knowledge. “Touché,” the sphinx acknowledged Peter’s humor.
“I can give you the answer,” the sphinx said.
“As you should. I gave you the answer to your question,” Peter said.
The sphinx gave him a look as if annoyed by how Peter talked to him.
“One, you could summon the shadow man from the world of shadow. He’s known to give deals. And by sacrificing a living person as a payment, he could make your fellow friend live again,” the sphinx said. “What do you think? Sounds great, right?”
“That doesn’t sound promising. I don’t know about shadow beings and I didn’t want to deal with them,” Peter said. “I’ll decline that one.”
“I see,” the sphinx nodded, expecting his answer. “Two, go back to the time and undo the stupid summoning of Medusa,”
Although he knew sphinx would know about it, he was still surprised to hear that he knew about the summoning of Medusa.
Peter shook his head. “Time travel? It’s not possible. Where could we get a time machine?” he asked the sphinx.
“I won’t answer that,” the sphinx said.
“Do you have any other idea?” Peter asked.
If the sphinx couldn’t give him an answer, he’d just send the creature back to its lair and just summon if not another sphinx, then another creature.
“Third, I could ask someone myself, but in return, I’ll take all your knowledge and wipe off all your memory,” the sphinx smirked.
“No way I’ll give you my memories,” Peter said. Besides, although Josh would be alive again, he wouldn’t be sure. What if the sphinx was just scamming him to get his memories.
“Okay then,” the sphinx nodded. “You decide.”
Peter looked at him and pondered. Summoning the shadow man didn’t sound like a good thing at all. He wouldn’t sacrifice another life in exchange for Josh’s return to a normal body. It was just utterly wrong, and the last thing he ever wanted was to let someone die in his hands. It’s just the same as killing.
“There’s one more thing,” he said as if he remembered. He grinned when Peter showed a spark of interest.”
“An invigorating blood can save your friend.”
Peter’s eyebrows furrowed. “What is invigorating blood?” Peter asked.
The sphinx gave him a look and decided to answer his question. “You’re the most interesting human I have ever met,” he said to Peter, which was true. He couldn’t tell, but he could see Peter was such an incredible creature. The sphinx added, “and I see you’re worth to answer questions for. “
He then explained, “Invigorating blood is a precious treasure most creatures seek for. Humans, monsters, any creature go after it. It’s a rare powerful resource material for power and energy. In human words, a special energy drink.”
“And where do I get this invigorating blood that you’re talking about?” Peter asked, and he had become more relaxed and comfortable. Not because of the sphinx, but because of the obsidian spear he had for assurance.
“Invigorating blood can only be found in one world. Kramer, the world of blood. That world is nearer on earth than any other world exists. The only summoner with pure and moral intention could summon one of them,” the sphinx said.
Peter noted everything in his mind and nodded. “That’s easy.”
The sphinx gave Peter a mysterious smile. “I hope you’ll successfully summon invigorating blood.”
Somehow, the sphinx made him feel a little anxious.
Would he be able to successfully summon invigorating blood?
- Writer
