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TOMBQUEST
2. Mulfmorth
Abun Ke, made her way through the cold and wet passage, towards the empty room where she found nothing but a door. It was locked and looked as though it had been for years, if only she could find a way to open it. By now faint voices were emerging from the darkness of the strange room, it sounded like a pack of jackals, hungry for meat.
Abun Ke sat down on the sandy floor, putting all her effort into thinking of ways to unlock the door. She couldn't. She was beginning to get agitated and in doing so she spoke in a clear voice,
"I need to open the door, I need help, or I will die"
"I know how to open the door, that you are trying to open" whispered a heavy voice.
"Tell me" replied Abun Ke "Who are you?"
"I am half man, half jackal and my name is Mulfmorth. I am in the corner below the beam of light that is now visible."
Abun Ke lifted her head and saw the bright light and underneath it, an extremely ugly creature sat waiting.
"I need you to find my tail, and if you retrieve it I will allow you to open the door." offered Mulfmorth.
Abun Ke did not resist the offer, and set off in search for the tail.
"I saw a sphinx run off with it, he headed in that direction" and Mulfmorth pointed left of him. It looked grim and dirty.
Abun Ke started off on her challenge, she was seeing things. About every five minutes she saw someone running with a long tail, which was identical to the colour of Mulfmorth. In the corner of her eye she saw the real sphinx that had the tail. At least she thought it was. Abun Ke followed and when the sphinx stopped she introduced herself and started to question it.
"I am Abun Ke, on a challenge to retrieve my friends tail. It was stolen yesterday, you haven't by any chance seen it have you?" spoke Abun ke,
"I have the tail, but there is a problem I cannot answer this riddle. If you succed in answering it then I shall give you the tail" answered the sphinx.
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Abun Ke was not very good at riddles and was puzzling for a very long time over the certain one she had to answer.
"It cannot be seen, cannot be felt
cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
ends life, kills laughter. "
Fortunately for the Sphinx, Abun Ke had heard that sort of thing before and the answer was all round her anyway.
"Dark!" Abun Ke said without even scratching her head or putting on her thinking act.
For answering the riddle, the Sphinx rewarded Abun Ke the tail. It felt hairy and cold, just as Mulfmorf had felt, so it was obvious that it was his tail. Abun Ke made her way back to the dark room, gripping the tail tightly. When she had calmed down after the long journey, she set off in all the corners to find Mulfmorth. Eventually she found him asleep above the light. Abun Ke tried to attract his attention, after a while he woke up, and was pleased to know that she had found his tail.
"Thank you, you may now open my door" spoke Mulfmorth.
Abun Ke, made her towards the door and when she got there, she was staggered to know that there were four, but which one should she take?
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