Hitman With A Badass System

1409  The Riddles (Write your answers in the comment section)

"Why the crossbow?" Gaya asked, her voice laced with suspicion. "And don't tell me you don't have some fancy mirror stashed away in that space ring of yours. You've got everything in there."

"It's not just any mirror, Gaya," Michael said, a hint of amusement in his voice. He reached into his inventory, pulling out a small, ornate hand mirror and held it up, reflecting the symbols on the floor.

But the reflection was normal as the symbols remained unchanged.

"See?" he said, tossing the mirror back into his inventory. "It has to be a weapon. Something imbued with power."

He unsheathed one of his swords, the obsidian blade gleaming in the dim light, and held it up, angling it towards the symbols.

And there it was, the reflection and the true form of the symbols.

"Okay," he said, his gaze fixed on the reflected images. "Now we're getting somewhere."

The first symbol, the swirling vortex of blue Pisces was reflected as a fish, swimming in a circle.

"Water," Michael murmured. "What comes after water, in the zodiac?"

"Earth," Gaya said, after a moment's thought. "Taurus. The bull."

Michael scanned the symbols on the floor, his gaze settling on a brown square.

"There," he said, pointing. "That must be Taurus. Activate it."

Gaya, trusting his intuition, pressed her hand against the brown square. The symbol glowed, a warm, earthy light emanating from it, and then shifted. It was no longer a square. It was a bull, its horns lowered, its form solid, powerful.

"Okay," Michael said, his mind racing. "What comes after Taurus?"

"Gemini," Gaya replied, her eyes scanning the other symbols. "Air."

They found a yellow circle with two lines and activated it. The symbol transformed, revealing the twins, their forms shimmering, ethereal.

"Cancer," Michael said, his voice a low murmur. "Water again. Then Leo. Fire."

They continued, working together, their movements synchronized, their minds focused on the task at hand. They activated the symbols, one by one, following the order of the zodiac. Soon, the symbols changed, revealing their true forms which were creatures and objects that represented each sign.

A crab. A lion. A maiden. Scales. A scorpion. An archer. A goat.

"What's after Capricorn?" Michael asked, his gaze fixed on the last symbol.

"Aquarius, the water-bearer. We've come full circle. It's air." Gaya replied.

Michael pressed his hand against the final symbol, the blue circle with a dot in the center. The symbol pulsed, its light intensifying, and then it transformed. The water-bearer, its form shimmering, ethereal, its hands holding a jug from which water seemed to flow.

And then the floor trembled. The symbols, their true forms revealed, their order corrected, began to sink into the floor, disappearing beneath the marble surface. A low rumbling sound echoed through the chamber, and the statues that lined the walls shifted, their forms changing.

They were no longer scholars but warriors. Their hands, once holding scrolls and strange objects, now gripped weapons such as swords, spears and axes. If that was not enough, their eyes began to glow with a cold, malevolent light.

"Oh, come on!" Gaya groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Seriously? This is getting fucking old."

16:55

"Oh, come on!" Gaya groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Seriously? This is getting fucking old."

But the statues, instead of attacking, simply moved. They advanced, their movements slow, deliberate, until five of them stood before Michael and Gaya, blocking their path. The one in the center, a tall, imposing figure with a sword raised in a salute, stepped forward.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Michael and Gaya shifted. Golden chains, shimmering with ethereal light, erupted from the floor, wrapping around their wrists and ankles, binding them in place.

Gaya struggled, pulling against the chains, her face contorted in a snarl.

"What the fuck is this shit?!" she roared, straining against her bonds. Even Michael, with his enhanced strength and godly power, couldn't break free. The chains, imbued with Nithroel's grace, were strong and designed to hold anything. Even a Level Five God, probably.

"I don't think they're going to attack," Michael said, his gaze fixed on the statues. "It's a test. We solved half the puzzle. This is the other half."

The statue with the sword stepped forward, its voice a low, resonant rumble that echoed through the chamber.

"Answer and proceed," it said, its gaze fixed on Michael. "Fail and perish."

It raised its sword, the blade gleaming in the dim light.

"I have a blade, but I draw no blood. I have a spine, but I have no bones. I have a shaft, but I shed no tears. I'm wielded by hunters, but I have no hands. I'm a weapon, but I have no will. I'm a tool, but I have no skill. I have a point, but I am not a spear. I have a fletching, but I am not a bird. What am I?"

"Oh, fuck this," Gaya snarled, her eyes blazing with fury. "I hate riddles. Riddles are for nerds."

And before Michael could even begin to process the riddle, a hand, sculpted from the same red obsidian as the statues, shot up from the ground and punched her. Right in the crotch.

Gaya doubled over, a strangled gasp escaping her lips, her face contorted in a mixture of pain and outrage.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Michael couldn't help but chuckle.

"Good thing I didn't get punched in the nuts," he murmured, shaking his head.

"I hate you" Gaya growled, her voice a low, menacing hiss.

The statue with its sword still raised, remained motionless, waiting. Meanwhile, the chains around Michael's wrists tightened, a subtle reminder that they were on a clock. Ignoring the discomfort, Michael focused on the riddle as his mind raced to find the answer.

"A blade but it draws no blood," he muttered, repeating the words of the riddle. "A spine but no bones. A shaft but no tears. What could it be"

He ran through the possibilities, discarding them one by one. A sword? No, it draws blood. A spear? No, it has a point. A metaphorical blade? No, that's too abstract.

"Hurry up, Michael," Gaya hissed, her voice strained. "That thing is getting ready to strike."

The statue's sword, its tip glowing with an eerie, red light, was slowly descending, inching closer and closer to Michael's head.

And then it clicked.

"An arrow," Michael said, his voice a sudden burst of realization. "The answer is an arrow."

The moment the words left his mouth, the sword stopped its descent, hovering inches from his head. The statue stepped back, its movements jerky, unnatural.

"Correct," it rumbled, its voice devoid of any inflection.

One of the chains that bound Michael, the one around his right ankle, vanished, dissolving into motes of golden light.

When Michael noticed Gaya muttering something under her breath and squirming due to the punch to her crotch, he decided to tease her.

"So don't you have some words of wisdom darling?"

"Fuck you, asshole. You are enjoying this too much," Gaya grunted, her eyes still watering from the impact. "I'm not getting punched in my non-existent balls again."

Ignoring her jibe, Michael turned his attention to the statue with the spear. It stepped forward with its spear held before it and its gaze fixed on Michael.

"Tell me the riddle," Michael said calmly.

"I have a mouth but cannot speak. I have a bed but never sleep. I have a body but do not breathe. I have no life, but I can grow if fed. What am I?" The statue's voice, a low, resonant rumble, echoed through the chamber.

Still reeling from the below-the-belt attack, Gaya muttered a string of curses under her breath, too quiet for even Michael to hear. She was more angry and embarrassed than hurt. . Furious, actually that the fact that it had happened at all was..

Michael, however, seemed unfazed. He was focused on the riddle with his mind already racing through the possibilities.

"I have a mouth but cannot speak," he murmured, repeating the riddle's words. "A bed but never sleep. A body but do not breathe"

The statue, its spear held before it, slowly withdrew the weapon, pulling it back, preparing to strike.

Michael's eyes darted around the chamber, searching for something. A clue. A hint.

"A book?" he guessed.

This time, the spear didn't stop. Instead, it plunged forward, piercing Michael's armor, sinking deep into his shoulder.

"Argh!" Michael grunted, his body jerking from the impact. Blood, dark red against the black of his armor, welled up around the wound. Gaya, seeing Michael get hurt, let out a furious roar.

"You fucking piece of shit!" she screamed at the statue, her hands crackling with energy. "I'm gonna break you! I'm gonna shatter you into a million pieces!" n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Another hand, this one made of stone, erupted from the ground, striking her in the stomach, and knocking the wind out of her. She gasped, doubling over, her face pale. As she was growling in pain, the statue with its spear still embedded in Michael's shoulder, slowly withdrew the weapon, the motion agonizingly slow.

"Wrong answer," it rumbled, its voice devoid of any emotion.

Michael gritted his teeth in pain and tried to focus as the spear started to move again. Despite the pain, Michael's mind raced and finally, it clicked.

"A river!" he shouted before the spear stopped inches from his chest.

"Correct," the statue said in its voice monotone. As a result, the chain around Michael's left ankle vanished. Afterward, Michael answered the next riddle correctly, and the chain around his right hand disappeared. Then another, and his left hand was free. With each correct answer, another chain vanished, and another statue stepped back.

Finally, only one statue remained. The last one. It stood before Michael, its form imposing, its bow drawn, an arrow nocked and aimed directly at Michael's head.

"Answer and you may pass," it rumbled. "Fail and you will lose your head."

It was a threat and a promise.

"I have many eyes, but cannot see. I hunt in darkness but fear the light. I fly on silent wings but have no feathers. What am I?"