[A little warning from the author: This chapter will contain quite a few riddles, some of them favourites of mine. If you want to solve them yourself, don't read too far ahead and take the chance to think of the answers yourself]
Green instantly sprinted back to the door and tried to open it without much success. *Not riddles, and especially not talking to people about riddles. Nixilei loves the damned things too much. Why couldn't she have been the one in this maze?* "Hey um, temple riddle god thing or whatever you are, can I maybe leave?"
"Of course youngling" said the voice
"How?" asked Green
"By answering my riddles" said the voice
Green sighed "Are there alternatives?"
"Death perhaps? Teleportation maybe but I think I had this place warded?" said the voice.
*Great… just great…*
"So I have pretty much no way to leave?"
"I'd guess so but I wouldn't want to assume"
*Dam, and the door sealed completely shut so my windwalking won't let me phase through it. There are no windows, and I don't even know where this voice is coming from*
"Right, so what can I do exactly" asked Green looking around for anything that stood out to her. Sadly it was all torches and carvings.
"You can answer a few of my riddles and then I'll let you go, and I think I'm supposed to give you something…" said the voice. Green heard the shuffling of paper before the sound of one particular piece being grabbed "Aha, I'm supposed to give you an orb of some kind"
*Ok, that's something at least. This isn't some random trap it's another orb challenge. Why did these have to be so intellectually challenging though? I mean, I guess it's a scouts job to know some of these things…*
"Ok, I accept your challenge" said Green with confidence she didn't truly feel.
"Great, Oh, and I was supposed to introduce myself I'm uh" more paper rustling sounds appear as the voice stumbles through it's words.
"Um, hmm, no that's not right, um… not that either" whispered the voice, just barely reaching Green's well trained ears "Aha, ok um… think of something a yes"
"My name is… Riddle, Mcloudvoice"
"Riddle Mcloudvoice?" asked Green trying not to let a smile show on her face by hiding it in her jacket. Sadly the shaking of her shoulders betrayed her.
"Do you find my name amusing" said Riddle
"Uh, no um, Lord Riddle" said Green
"Yes, Yes good. I Lord Riddle Mcloudvoice shall give you the first challenge. What gets shorter as it ages" said Riddle
*Ooh, I already know this one.* "A candle" said Green
"Wrong" said the voice. The light started to dim slowly and shadows seemed to reach out from the walls.
"A lit candle" said Green unimpressed at the semantics Riddle wanted to use. Instantly the torches relit as if it was simply a lapse in concentration on Green's part, but she was a scout, she knew what she saw.
"I'll give it to you, uh even though you got it wrong the first time. Next question What runs around a city but never moves?" asked Riddle
*Hmm, what runs around the city…* Green tried to picture the city she grew up in. The trees and plants that filled it, the overgrown grass trimmed into paths. *But there isn't really anything that runs around the city… I mean there is the couriers I suppose but move. And it can't be the pathways because they go through it if anything.*
*What about other cities. What major features do they have? The beast folk have nothing, or at least nothing unique to them… Dwarves have their great stone walls even though they are in the mountains… Wait that's it,*
"Is it a wall?" asked Green somewhat unsure.
"Correct, moving on from that.
"I begin eternity, And end space, At the end of time, And in every place, Last in life, Second to death, Never alone, Found in your breath, Contained by earth, Water or flame, My grandeur so awesome, Wind dare not tame, Not in your mind, Am in your dreams, Vacant to Kings, Present to Queens." said Riddle
*Oh these are easy, Nixilei hate these ones. Says the 'aren't true riddles but mockeries for any fool with enough cognisance to learn the language* "It's just the letter 'E'" said Green
"Huh, you seem to deride my riddles. Well how about uh" Paper rusltes in the background "I weaken all men for hours each day. I show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back, None suffer to have me, but do from my lack." said Riddle
*Oh, I can cheat here as well, my mother used to love this one. I heard it enough times.* "Sleep" said Green instantly
"Quite fast there. Perhaps you already knew the answer to that one then? As I was going to St Ives I met a man with 7 wives. Each wife had 7 kids. Each kid had 7 cats. Each cat had 7 kittens. How many were going to St Ives?" said Riddle
*Huh, um this is a new one… But it's just math right? So, 7 wives, 7 kids, is 49, then 49 times 7 again for each cat is 343 um, and then 343 by 7…* "Um, do you have any paper Lord Riddle Mcloudvoice?"
"Your mortal mind should be more than enough to comprehend the answer without tools to assist you. I suggest you think about it again" replied Riddle.
Right but… wait think about it again? Am I not on the right track… Green tried to recall exactly what was said. St Ives, I was going to St Ives… Wait it's only one man "One"
"Well it seems you realised your error… Um wait…" Riddles voice dropped "Does that even count as a correct answer? I gave a hint right… well let's give her an extra one then I think I have some"
"Ah yes um What kind of room can you never enter?" asked Riddle
So this is an extra question is it? *What room can I never enter… Trapped rooms? No that isn't right… Jail? No that isn't right either. Um, wait a minute what about a thing… like ah um… it's on the tip of my tongue… a broom, yeah a broom* "Is it a broom?"
"Um, uh, well ah… That isn't what I have written down but I can accept that" said Riddle slightly panicked. "Now for the final riddle then. Many have heard me, yet nobody has seen me. I won't speak back unless spoken to. What am I?" said Riddle
"It's you" said Green
A pause hung over the temple. "I believe that is wrong" said Riddle
"I believe I'm right" said Green
"Well that isn't how this works so I guess you fail then" said Riddle
"Now hold on, that answer meets all your criteria doesn't it?" asked Green
Green could hear riddle scoffing "Why of course not" then a pause "I mean, surely not… why don't you justify it then" stammered Riddle
"Well, firstly I'm pretty sure this whole thing is being watched by the rest of the groups so that means many people have heard you. But of those people that are hearing you, myself included can't actually see you. Finally you only speak when I say something, it has always been a back and forth and you haven't spoken out of turn"
"Well, I mean, I can speak out of turn though" said Riddle
"Ah but you didn't. Making you a valid option" said Green
"Um, just a moment" said Riddle. Green couldn't see what he was doing but she heard a button click.
A minute passed as Green just sort of stared awkwardly at the surroundings. There was never any indication of when or what Riddle was and the room didn't change at all. Green was started to wonder if she would ever hear back when a screen popped up in front of her with Thyme on it and the groups in the background.
"Hi Green, just checking in. So, technically I want to say you got that last one wrong… but at the same time I love the creativity and really, the guy I hired for" Thyme held up his fingers to do air quotes "Lord Riddle Mcloudvoice, which isn't the correct name I might add, didn't really do the best job. So in light of your clever decisions and interesting choices I'm going to give you a pass on this one. By"
Thyme waved and the picture shut itself off. Shortly afterward a pedestal with an orb on it slowly raised itself out of the ground just below where the screen Thyme had appeared on hovered. Green carefully picked up the orb and placed it in her bag. As she did so she noticed that it had changed. Instead of waving he now had a thumbs up directed toward Green.
Hugging the bag against herself Green left the now open temple ready to continue the maze.