Haru looked over the map for perhaps the hundredth time as he stood over the dunes, looking up at the pyramid below.
"After all this time..."
He'd been searching for weeks, nearly dying in the dry, unforgiving sands. Several times he'd been on the brink of death, so dehydrated that his saliva had turned to glue in his mouth.
But he'd made it.
Somehow, someway, he'd made it.
"The Pyramid of Sanandra. Let's see if the legends are true," he said aloud to none but himself and the whistling winds. He took a quick look around, making sure that no unwelcome guests had followed him here. He'd skirted many a monstergirl in his journey. Two girtablilus, a sandworm (he still wasn't sure how he'd managed that one) some wandering mummies, and a sand serpent lamia at one of the oases he'd found. The last thing he needed was for something to follow him into the pyramid. He checked his sash and pulled out his scimitar, giving it a few test swings before tucking it back in. The blade could stand to be sharpened, but it would cut just fine in a pinch, he felt. He had a pistol as well, though he'd yet to fire it and if he was being honest with himself, he doubted it'd do him much good. In a pinch it might be able to sufficiently injure something enough to make it think twice about trying him. But other than that, if a monstergirl was baring down on him he didn't know that he'd have it in him to kill her.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
He dismissed the thought, mounted his camel, and set off for the pyramid.
It was much larger up close, and that was saying something because it was huge from a distance. If that crazy old merchant's directions weren't 100% accurate he could be looking for an entry point for hours, if not days. He knew very well the main gates would be barred shut. Pyramids weren't exactly open for visitors, after all. So he hoped and prayed that he'd remembered the directions he'd been given well enough. And, after some careful searching, a weight lifted off his shoulders as he found it. It was innocuous at first glance. A slightly displaced stone on the first level of the pyramid bricks. It wasn't particularly wide, and it was far too big for a single man to move without some serious magick to back it up. But he was a slim-built fellow of moderate height and good health, so he found it wasn't too, too much of a squeeze to fit through. After he readied himself to take the plunge, he patted his camel on the head, fed it a cactus on a stick, and climbed back up to the narrow gap that led into complete and unknowable blackness.
"Right. What could possibly go wrong, eh? Heh..." he said aloud, again to no one. He let out a nervous chuckle and pushed his traveler satchel through first, as he'd need it and the torch within to light his way. He squeezed and crammed himself awkwardly through the gap, and was surprised to see it emptied into a large chamber. The drop was, thankfully, only about six feet. Not a small height, but not so high that if he dropped he risked breaking his legs. He threw his satchel down, braced himself, and dove down, landing surely on his feet with a grunt and a scramble. He opened the satchel, using the one narrow beam of light from above to illuminate his hands as he lit his torch, and then took a long look around the place. He had no interest in going exploring, as the more he did the greater risk he ran of running into something he couldn't handle--or arguably worse, a trap.
"Find the sphinx's chamber, sneak past, get to the treasure, loot what I can cram into my satchel, make out like a bandit and buy myself a palace. Simple," Haru said aloud. "...I should probably stop talking to myself out loud."
He walked for what felt like hours, but could've easily been minutes, or hours...he really couldn't tell down here. He turned several corners, marking where he'd turned with a knife and a little etching into the stone.
Sorry architects.
And entered a large hallway that could've fit a small army inside, shoulder to shoulder, if they were so inclined. When he looked behind himself it stretched into darkness with a few pockets where light from above was allowed to enter. Not enough to see worth shit, but enough to see that if he went that way he'd probably be walking for awhile just to go nowhere. The sphinx's chamber was supposed to be somewhere to the north, and his compass said north was in front of him, so he went that way. He could see a doorway in the distance, just barely, so he knew he was headed the right way. That or he'd made a terrible mistake and was about to die down here broke, hungry, thirsty, and soon to be delirious when his water ran out and his torch burnt out.
He pushed that last thought into the back of his mind and resolved to never think it again.
"By the Gods, this door's big as fuck!" he said aloud, forgetting to keep silent again as he marveled at it. He lit the sconces in front of the stairs that led up to it and marveled at their height. Easily 20 feet. "...So how in the hells am I suppose to open it?"
He gave it a mighty push, and he was shocked to see that the door opened...a crack. He braced himself and kept pushing, and after several arm-burning, exhausting minutes, he managed to get the doors cracked open just enough for him to squeeze through. He was sweaty, covered in sand and grit, and tired, but at least he'd made progress.
He pushed his way through the door, again throwing his satchel through first, and whistled in amazement at the large chamber before him. Sconces burned all throughout, and he could see another, much smaller door across the chamber behind a large and imposing statue. As he drew nearer to it, he realized with a shock that the statue was none other than the sphinx herself! He marveled at the attention to detail the masons had taken to carve her so perfectly. Her hair, though it was dull grey stone, was long and flowing, tied into twin braids that framed her beautiful face, neck, ornate necklace, and the largest most life-like stone breasts he'd ever seen. He looked at them for perhaps an inappropriately long time, but figured it didn't particularly matter since, well, who was going to know? It was just him and the stone statue. He crept closer to it, looking over the more bestial portions of the sphinx. Beneath her buxom and beautiful upper body was the body of a large, eagle-winged lion with a nest of serpents behind its mane. The lion's head was big enough for him to look at it eye to closed eye with ease. The mouth alone was big enough to swallow several men crammed together at once. He didn't know how wide it could open, as it was solidly shut, but he figured if it could open anywhere near as much as the real thing, well, he was certainly glad it wasn't the real thing.
The wings were wide enough for each one to cover two men laid on the floor, toe to head. And the serpent heads, much to his disturbance, came in a myriad of sizes. The smallest no bigger than a puff adder or viper, the largest akin to a large python or anaconda's head. His eyes finally settled on the paws, and each one was easily large enough to encompass his entire torso with room to spare, with claws that would likely be able to shred armor on the genuine article. The sphinx's face was calm and beautiful, her lips full, her cheekbones high and striking, her nose wide and round. He didn't know what the real sphinx's skin looked like, but he imagined it was similar to his own, lightly tanned like the sands of the desert. He pulled off his hood and ran a hand through his hair. She truly was a beauty.
He'd heard that sphinxes were once revered and worshipped as goddesses during the reign of the monster lords. They were beautiful, fearsome, and revered. If you could solve their riddles, they would give you wealth beyond imagining, assuming you could find them. And assuming you could solve their riddles, of course. If you failed, well. From what he'd heard, she...ate you. The merchant shrugged that part off, assuring him that so long as he was quick and quiet, he'd surely be able to make off before she was aware of his presence.
"Crazy old bat forgot to mention the sphinx here was made of stone. Well, at least I don't have to go skulking about over here to get to my treasure," Haru said triumphantly. "You aren't so scary, are you, old girl?" he chuckled, placing a hand on the snout of the lion's head, the only part of her body he'd be able to reach, even at his height.
Strange. This stone feels...softer...than I expected.
And then he felt it move.
He pulled his hand away like he'd been burnt, held in a hiss of surprise and stepped back as the snout of the sphinx wrinkled, and their eyes opened. They were bright red beacons that sent a chill down his spine. He heard a cracking sound as the stone covering the body of the sphinx shattered like glass and fell away in a cloud of dust and crashing debris. He took that opportunity to run and hide, of course. He stumbled behind a pillar and watched with hitched breath as the dust settled.
"Who has awoken me from my slumber?!" The sphinx bellowed in a voice that was both feminine and monstrous at the same time. If he'd been a man of weaker constitution, he was sure he'd have pissed himself. "Show yourself, trespasser!"
He squeaked silently, or so he hoped, and crept slowly through the shadows just out of the radius of the sconces' light. He was terrified, of course. Nearly scared shitless. The sphinx was alive, not made of stone, and very much unhappy to have been disturbed. Of all the monsters he could've run into down here, he was pretty sure a live, angry sphinx was the last he'd wanted to come across. That and maybe an Apophis. He'd heard they could be nasty. Kinky, but nasty.
"Come out now, trespasser, and yours will be a quick and painless death!" The sphinx shouted as she plodded around, sniffing the air.
Shit, she'll smell me for sure!
He crept closer and closer to the door, ducking behind cover as much as possible before he froze when he heard the sound of her investigating his satchel.
Oh fuck I left my satchel on the godsdamned floor!
He cursed himself a thousand times in an instant as the massive beast bent low and emptied the contents of his bag onto the stone floor tiles. His food, water, and everything else he needed to survive and get back out was on the floor in front of the angry, likely hungry sphinx who was hunting for him.
Shit, shit, shit, fuck, shit, fuck, fuck me, fuck my life, fuck everything and fuck a duck!
He cursed as he made for the door. It was too small for the sphinx to fit through, and he figured it was his best bet to get some type of breather to figure out his next move.
