The Asphirinx
"You're in the presence of the great Asphirinx of Tehndor. Kneel, mortal, and know your peril. Are you seeking passage to the tomb of Tantemoh the Third? If so, know that you must pass by me. Speak now."
"Wait. 'Asphirinx' you said? I thought this was the Sphinx's chamber" said the explorer, all grimy from spending three days drudging through the ancient tombs "damn, I must have taken a wrong turn" he said to himself.
"Ah! Tell me not about that treacherous fiend!" spit the Asphirinx "why would you want her anyway? Neither wisdom nor riches does she impart, only death, and her bloody riddles".
For as long as he could remember he'd dreamt of the sacred city every night without fault. At first he didn't know what the dreams meant, but growing up as the son of a historian he soon found out that his dreams pointed to a real place, one he thought he was destined to find. Since then, he had spent all his life looking for it, looking for answers.
"All my research says that the Sphinx of Tehndor guards the entrance to the sacred city, isn't that so? That's what I'm after, and I'm prepared to bargain my life to reach it" said the explorer.
This was his last chance. All his worldly possessions had gone into financing this trip.
The Asphirinx sighed and lay on her haunches with her head held high.
"So you have hopes of answering my cousin's riddles eh? That's because you don't know the kind of questions she asks." said the Asphirinx "and her power to bar entrances is the worst. Do you know what she did at our family dinner during the last opening-of-the-year festival? She bloody stood there and said no one could pass into the dining room until they answered what she's got in her pocket! She doesn't even have pants!"
"Errr..." said the explorer, now confused. The conversation had take a decidedly unexpected turn. It didn't seem wise to interrupt though.
"And then you know what she did? She bloody turned and bloody ate the whole bloody dinner all by herself, leaving nothing for the rest of us!" it seemed she was getting into the groove now "You would think she would be satiated with all those handsome explorers such as yourself that she's gobbling up all the time. Do you know when it was the last time I ate someone?"
The explorer deemed it wise to change topics. Talking about eating people was not something he thought smart to engage in with a person-eating creature.
"So.. why do they call you Asphirinx anyway? You seem very much like what I would expect a Sphinx to look like" he said tentatively. And with surprise noticed that the Asphirinx seemed pleased by the comment.
"Ah.." said the Asphirinx with a sly smile "smart of you not to answer my question directly! Not all sphinxes are as honorable as myself, and many would hide their mortal riddles in something that would otherwise appear as everyday pleasantries. And to answer your question, I'm called the Asphirinx in mocking by my peers." She seemed hesitant to say more.
"Why is that?" Pushed on the explorer hesitantly, and perhaps unwisely. There was something not entirely right going on, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
"Well, I take lots of aspirin to handle my pain. You see, on my very first night on the job an adventurer came to the entrance of the tomb where I was posted. We went through the usual process where I asked him an impossible riddle, and when he failed I ate him. However, the bastard managed to lodge his sword into my fangs and I haven't been able to get it out since"
As if to make sure there was no doubt she opened her jaws and the explorer could clearly see a broken piece of steel jammed at the back of the cavernous maw.
"Say. Would you be so kind as to take it out? If you do I promise to help you get past my cousin, the big and mighty Sphinx".
The explorer stood there, pondering what to do. Thinking whether this was a riddle or not. Even if it wasn't, the wrong answer might be deadly.
"Don't worry, that's not a riddle. Tell you what, you don't have to answer. Just walk away if you want. My species is bound by ancient and sacred laws to not hurt seekers unless they guess incorrectly our puzzles".
She gave what amounted to a slight smile and then slowly opened her mouth.
The explorer didn't know what to do. Walking away might be seen as an offence, and even if he believed what she said about ancient laws he didn't know to what extent these would protect him.
Moreover, the explorer didn't know anything about dentistry.
But overall, he thought his chances were better if he helped out the Asphirinx. He might be able to pull out the shard by sheer force, and knowledge that would bring him closer to enter the sacred city would prove invaluable in his quest.
"Ok, here I go" he said, as he rolled up his sleeves and put on his thick hide gloves.
Hesitantly he reached inside the Asphirinx's mouth and grabbed the jagged metal with both hands. Thank God for opposable thumbs.
"Ready?" he asked
The Asphirinx nodded and shut her eyes. The explorer took a deep breath and, hoping this was not a mistake, pulled hard.
"Oooouch!" yelled the Asphirinx "that hurt!" But her eyes opened wide when she saw the broken sword tip in the explorer's hands. "Is... Is that it? Did you get all of it out?"
The explorer nodded. "yes, you only had this single piece jammed in there".
The Asphirinx roared, flapping it's wings in joy and relief. "I've never said this to a mortal, but thank you. I've had that damned shard embedded in my mouth for over 2000 years now. For this I owe you a debt I intend to repay. Is it still your wish to know how to answer my cousin's riddle?"
"Yes, that is still my desire. I need to get into the sacred city" said the explorer
The Asphirinx stopped to look at him, a mischievous smile took shape upon her face.
"Tut-tut, I thought you had more sense and understood the basic concept of dealing with a Sphinx: never answer any question!" she said, as she prowled towards the explorer "You see, I am the one and only SPHINX and you've just answered my riddle incorrectly. However, I won't kill you. I grow tired of living under these dead stones, always guarding something, never able to leave. I have a much better idea"
As quick as that her paw flew towards the explorer who shut his eyes and put his hands up in a futile attempt to protect himself.
And yet, nothing happened.
Slowly he opened his eyes and had a moment of vertigo. He was up, looking down at himself. "what the hell?" he thought. And looking further down he saw huge paws where he expected to find his feet. His mouth dropped.
"You see, as the Sphinx I had special powers to enforce whatever punishment I deemed appropriate" she said "so I did us both a favor. You'll get to be the might Sphinx, able to roam through these dry corridors to your heart's content, while I get go out into the world and be someone once again" she said with a triumphant smile "It's the perfect arrangement"
Seeing her smile on his face was an uncanny experience. He tried to speak but all that came out was a broken growl. His whole body started to wobble while his mind adjusted to the altered position of his preexisting limbs, and the presence of a few new ones.
"It's not a bad life you know? Being an immortal magical creature definitely has its perks." She said as she circled him "There's even the odd explorer that will come to visit every now and then."
The explorer, having regained some control over himself, fumbled for something to say "What do you mean you'll get to be someone once again?"
She smiled knowingly "oh no, you won't get me with the same trick" he didn't know what she was talking about "Remember, now you're the Sphinx, take care of your words" she turned and started walking towards the darkened corridor, leaving the torch abandoned on the floor.
"Au revoir my dear explorer, or should l say mighty sphinx?" she laughed as she turned to walk away and the musty corridors all around seemed to laugh with her. "Enjoy your time exploring these old bones, and be mindful of sword-carrying fools".