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Unexpected Detour (Razgriz x Wingshadow)

The lizardman looked up at Sam's eyes, seeing the honesty that peered through his dark pupils. Reluctant yet submissively, she bent down on one knee before her would-be husband and gave him a silent nod as her reply, picking up her sword and sliding it back into place on her belt before turning her back to the Deadlands and slowly walking toward Ztir Grove far in the distance. She never once looked back at Sam or the two elementals beside him under the earthen dome, each of her steps as resolute yet sorrowful as the last. She wouldn't disobey a direct order from the one that she loved so dearly, even if it pained her to be apart from him. Her eyes fixed themselves upon the horizon and she resolved in her heart to become stronger... Stronger for him as well as herself. If she could stand beside him, she would no longer need to hold herself back for her own safety, nor would he have to be concerned about her life. No, he would no longer reject her if she were strong enough to once again consider challenging him. Until such a time, she resolved not to appear before him again.

"Well, that was easier that I thought it would be," Gnome sighed and pushed Sam up into a seated position on the sand, rubbing his limbs in an attempt to restore some feeling to his body, "For a second there I was worried that she would outright refuse to leave him again, I mean... He couldn't do much about it if she had."

"She doesn't want Sam to hate her," Undie shrugged, "And a lizardman disobeying her husband's direct command is akin to forsaking her marriage vow. Its extremely taboo in their society."

"How do you even know so much about lizardmen anyway?" Gnome asked, her eyes darting down toward Sam's still-hard member with mild interest. Undie didn't bother replying to the earth elemental's questioning, instead sliding up behind Sam and hugging him as she often did while helping prop him up.
 
Sam breathed a mental sigh of relief as the Lizardman walked off; he shared Gnome's sentiments indeed. She seemed hell-bent on staying with him, but he couldn't risk her getting in the way and potentially getting killed over him. That much of his argument was honest; though he would be lying if he said there wasn't a part of him that was glad to be rid of her for the moment. Still, he felt kind of bad about sending her off like that; all his life he tried to be the nice guy, the one that everyone could get along with. But he also knew that sometimes, one had to step on some toes to get things done and this was no different.

Though Gnome's question was warranted, it ultimately didn't matter; Undine's knowledge of the Lizardmen had ended up saving him from his stalker. He groaned as he was pushed up and had his arms and legs rubbed by Gnome; he could slowly feel the sensations returning to his body, allowing him to flex his fingers at the very least. That thrice-damned scorpion-woman.....Paralyzing him like that and leaving him with an incredibly painful erection. Its slightly purple length remained firmly at attention, awaiting someone to help relieve the immense pressure it was experiencing. Thanks to the effects of the venom, it would remain hard even after several orgasms.

Having two attractive women hug and rub him didn't do anything to help either; however, he soon gained back the ability to speak, albeit somewhat stiffly. "G..nome...Undine...." he groaned out, leaning back against Undine's rather soft form. "Ugh...I know....it's probably an inappropriate time...but could you two...help me with this?" he then asked; last thing he needed to do was be facing the Pharaoh with a raging hard-on.
 
"Of course, Sammy," Undie giggled and slipped around in front of him, wrapping herself around his throbbing length almost as soon as the words left his lips, "Just let it all out inside me as many times as you wish... I'll take all you have to give and then some. Perhaps I might even have enough energy to divide by the time we are done."

"Undie, you know that's not a wise move," Gnome grumbled, a bit disappointed that the water spirit had beat her to the punch, so to speak, "I know you are feeling a bit anxious, but we have more important things to consider at the moment."

"Easy for you to say... You already have a child with your darling Sam," Undie stuck her tongue out at the earth spirit in a playful manner as she began to push herself up and down on his member, her body soon beginning to squeeze and caress his entire length in time with her motions as she always did when they made love.
 
Sam groaned as he fell back onto the sand, feeling Undine's wetness squeeze and grasp his hardened flesh as she rode him. Sam made a mental note to try and take care of Gnome as well; he didn't want her to feel left out. Try as she might to deny it, he could tell Gnome wanted to do this as well. Plus, he still had to pay her back for stopping him from killing the Jurougumo and on top of that, helping restore his mobility. Meanwhile, he just laid back under the cover of the dome and let Undine ride his rigid flesh.

"Just because I have a child......doesn't mean she's wrong, Undine. But I don't know enough to really say either way..." Sam replied, feeling the first orgasm quickly welling up within him. The effects of Girtablilu's poison still heightened his sensitivity to sexual stimulation and semen production, so it wasn't long before Sam exploded inside Undine, his cock throbbing as he filled her with copious amounts of his seed, the white milky fluid spreading within the water elemental's body and turning her stomach white. As he released himself into her, the mark on his forehead glowed brightly as the rune on her back darkened even more, the exchange of energy between elemental and contractor occurring rapidly as was the process.

Even after he finished he was still hard as stone within her; he then said, after catching his breath, "Alright Undine, we're going to switch off until this problem goes away, alright?" He then turned to the Earth Elemental beside him, "Gnome, it's your turn....".
 
Undie practically purred as she felt him climax inside her, the energy that flowed through her and channeled back into him sending shivers like ripples through her body. She gave his length a few good squeezes for good measure to make sure that she extracted every last drop of his release before obediently sliding off of his member and into a relaxing position beside him. She motioned toward Gnome, who really didn't need any further encouragement than Sam's words.

The earth spirit timidly approached him, lifting the edge of her robe to reveal her damp and ready womanhood to his view, as if to give him a bit of a preview of what would soon follow. She stepped toward him and sat down on top of him, gently teasing herself with his hardened tip before sinking down to the hilt. She let out a sharp gasp as she did so, apparently a bit surprised at his slightly enlarged size. Undie could essentially accept a man of any size, even if he were exceptionally small or large due to her malleable body, but Gnome had to work with what she had. Sam still fit inside of the earth spirit, but she was pleasantly surprised to discover that the poison had swelled his size slightly.

"Y-yes... Its good," Gnome whispered as she began to ride him, pushing her hips forward in order to draw his manhood in and out of her slick yet tight inner channel, "I love you, Sam... What would I do with myself if you weren't by my side?"
 
Sam would have chuckled if he could; Gnome was rather cute with how shy she was. Her folds rubbing against his sensitive, bulbous head made sharply draw in air before feeling her tight channel wrap around his turgid length. Hearing her gasp made him worry that he'd hurt her somehow, but her words quickly quelled those fears. He could feel her pussy lips grip his shaft tightly as she bounced along his cock; her walls rubbed against his manhood so roughly, the fleshy head bumping against her cervix each time she let her hips fall back down onto him.

When she asked about what she would do if he wasn't there, Sam replied honestly, "Hopefully.....ng.....nothing too...drastic...." As their little session continued, the blue glow on Sam's forehead faded as the green glow on his palms brightened, showing the exchange now occurring between Earth and her contractor. "I'm really....glad to have you here as well, Gnome......And you also, Undine....Not just for this of course......" What he said was true, but he would be lying if he said this wasn't a nice bonus.
 
"O-of course not... I didn't mean it like that," Gnome blushed deeply, pausing briefly from her motions to explain, "I mean, before I met you I didn't really open up to anyone except for Dryad, and although I didn't realize it then I was quite lonely. Even with her companionship, there was something missing inside of me, something I couldn't quite grasp no matter how hard I tried. What I was missing was you, Sam."

She began to rock back and forth with renewed vigor drawing heated moans from her own lips as the friction between their bodies stimulated both of them toward that coveted peak. Already, sweat was glistening on the surface of her skin and the dampness of both her lubricant love juices and her own sweat caused her to make wet slapping sounds each time their hips met. She wanted to give him all that she could, both out of love but also out of thankfulness for everything he had done for her.

"Its really my pleasure, Sammy," Undie smiled and stroked her contractor's hair with one hand, and Gnome's back with the other, dabbing off the sweat from her body, "I'm glad I was able to find a contractor as kind and passionate as you."
 
Sam felt his heart warm at each of the elementals' words; he didn't really realize that he meant that much to them. Well, for Gnome he had a really good idea, given her reaction when he went back for her in Dryad's grove. And with Undine.....Even though he didn't know her that long, he already felt a fairly deep connection with her and was infinitely glad to have her around. "I'm glad.....you both...feel that way.....I couldn't have asked.....for better.....elementals to form.....contracts with..." Gnome's continued motions along his shaft started to distract him once, feeling himself reaching that glorious peak of pleasure, his thick length pulsing forcefully inside her tight channel. "G...Gnome! I'm....cumming!" Eventually, Sam's hips bucked, the throbbing head of his cock slightly penetrating her cervix as his plentiful, thick, sticky juice flooded Gnome's womb to overflowing.

From then on - after creating a more permanent dome out of the surrounding sand and making sure no other surprises would pop out from beneath them - Sam and his contracts would continue the rotation, each time causing Sam to last longer and longer while the amount of sperm he released dwindled with each successive release as the Girtablilu's poison worked itself out of his system. It was an unusually persistent concoction, keeping him hard and ready for what felt like hours; however, he managed to make sure that Gnome and Undine would climax with him so as not to deprive them of pleasure as well. The time came, however, when Sam's body just gave out, his cock quickly turning flaccid, unable to maintain its hardness anymore.

Though this extended session was not without its benefits; aside from helping to pass the time to where the sun wouldn't be at its peak intensity, he'd also helped to increase the potency of his powers with both Undine and Gnome's elemental affinities. Sam, however, was clearly in need of rest, if only for a short while; his chest rose and fell in a pronounced fashion, his body finally drained of that accursed scorpion-woman's poison. "Heh...Whew, thanks you two.....But, let's wait a little before continuing, shall we?" Sam managed to get out as he relaxed; when the dome was constructed, he made sure to condense the sand into stone on the sides and floor, letting no one in or out until they decided to leave.
 
Throughout the session, Undie's body had grown significantly, almost to the point at which her entire mass was nearly twice the size she had been when Sam had met her the first time. Although clearly pleased with their rather lengthy yet intense lovemaking, she was starting to appear a bit sluggish and restless, making a poorly concealed effort to veil her discomfort by pretending to sleep. Gnome knew it was due to her instinctive desire to divide, as she was far beyond the necessary threshold, but considering that they were going to confront the Pharaoh, it seemed unwise to the earth spirit for her to do so, as it would weaken her significantly.

Even so, the water spirit tried to make the best of the situation and calm herself down even though she knew it wouldn't so much good. Sam could tell something was up, in the very least because Undie was being so quiet for a change. Gnome cuddled up next to Sam in an affectionate manner, nodding to his words as she knew he was doubtless exhausted from such a long bout of physical exertion.
 
Sam was indeed concerned that Undine wasn't her usual lively self; she normally wasn't this quiet. But he figured that the session had tired her out as well, and plus, he was too exhausted to really give it much thought. So he wrapped his arms around the shoulders of his elemental partners - though due to Undine's increased size, this was a bit more difficult - and drifted off to sleep himself. As the three of them rested their weary bodies, the sun began to descend more and more, lowering the amount of heat that was prevalent in the desert climate so that their night-time travel would be significantly more comfortable.

About six hours later, Sam awoke from his nap; his body felt extremely well-rested and energized, though the loud growling of his stomach made a rather comical punctuation of the silence around him. He looked around and found the sizable stone gourd he was carrying with him; thankfully it hadn't broken when Sam was assaulted, as he'd made it permanent before even entering the Deadlands. He used some of his Earth power to open a small bottom compartment he'd made; this contained strips of dried meat that he (with the help of his elementals) had made along with the water in its upper main compartment.

He pulled out the meat and laid it before him, saying to both Undine and Gnome, "Alright, you two.....We should get moving. So if you're hungry, eat up; I packed plenty" He then looked over at Undine and realized just how much larger she was; she still didn't seem to move all that well. "Undine, are you....Alright?" he then asked; it was clear that he was concerned for her well-being, but for the life of him he had no idea what was wrong with her.
 
"I'm... I'm fine," Undie pushed herself up into a seated position, her declaration not at all matching with her body language as she was clearly uncomfortable, "I'm just not used to the desert, that's all... I think I'll just stay in spirit form for the rest of the journey if you don't mind."

"Undie... you want to divide, don't you?" Gnome ventured to guess the real reason behind her odd behavior, "I can see it in the way you move. Its painful, isn't it?"
 
"Undine....I can tell you're not fine.....Now please, tell me...." Sam started to say, but stopped when Gnome threw a figurative curveball at him. "Wait....Divide? What do you mean, divide?" Sam asked, now feeling a bit out of the loop. Did she mean divide, like when Ruby divided to make Rose? Well, Ruby did she was like 'the queen of the slimes'. But still, he didn't actually expect her to possess that trait. That is, assuming that was what Gnome was talking about.
 
"No, its not painful... It just makes me feel uncomfortable and on-edge. Its hard to focus on anything but the gradually increasing desire to split off a segment of my body," Undie explained briefly, "However much I would like to deny it, I'm actually quite similar to my less developed cousins, the slimes. I have a much thinner body, more similar to water than thick jello, but it doesn't change the fact that I reproduce in the same way."

"I know what I said before, but Undie... You shouldn't fight against it if its so distracting to you," Gnome placed a hand on the water elemental's shoulder, "Becoming a mother is a wonderful thing, and I'm sure you will understand when you have your own child to love and care for."

"Its a bit different for me... Water elementals such as myself don't need much care after they are born, as they have fully functioning and mature bodies just a few days afterward," Undie replied softly, "She wouldn't stick around with us long, unless she takes a particular liking to Sam and decides to stay until she finds her own contractor."
 
Sam listened as Undine explained how she felt; well, it at least served to make the answer that much more obvious. He couldn't stand seeing her so uncomfortable, and he smiled at Gnome's sisterly behavior towards Undine. Sam knew the whole developmental process all too well; Rose's body and personality were born as soon as she fissioned from her mother. He himself saw and heard the joy in Ruby when it happened, and had a feeling that Undine would be surprised at her reaction.

Laying a hand on Undine's other shoulder, Sam chimed in, "I think Gnome has a point, Undine.......If it really makes you uncomfortable, then you should do it. Even if she doesn't want to stick around with a horndog like me, I think you'll enjoy creating a new life. Not to mention it will probably take some of the tension off of you as well."
 
"If... That's what you think, I guess I can understand," Undie planted a kiss on both of their cheeks, showing her gratitude for their support before she began the process. She closed her eyes and stood upright, her large body flowing out beneith her like a giant blue carpet. She seemed to calm herself significantly, and a peaceful look spread across her face as she concentrated, the mass below her starting to pull in separate directions. it was as if she was being pulled in two by an unseen force, clean down the middle, then all at once the two halves divided and parted from each other, Undie's human form sliding to the right rather than being split in two like the rest of her. The slightly smaller half collected herself and formed into a new human-like body. Instead of sporting long flowing hair, Undie's new daughter had short hair that barely even reached her shoulders, and instead of her eyes being filled with playfulness they were much more serious and soft.

"Come here, little one," Undie held out her arms toward her daughter, her motherly instincts taking over almost instantly, "Won't you let your mother hold you?"

The young water spirit tilted her head slightly as if she didn't understand. While it was a bit odd that Undie was acting in such a manner toward a girl who looked to be at least teenage (although in actuality she had just been born) it was more likely that her daughter simply didn't understand what her mother was asking. Gnome approached her and boldly patted the little water spirit on the head, which startled her and sent her scurrying over to her mother, climbing up into Undie's arms much to the new mother's delight.

"She's beautiful," Undie sniffed, hugging her new daughter and fighting back tears.
 
Having only seen it once, Sam still wasn't used to watching how slime-like creatures reproduce. It seemed like something that would be so painful to even consider doing; however, the expression on Undine's face was so calm, so serene that it looked a personal heaven for her. He winced slightly as she cleaved herself clean in two, watching with growing interest as the two halves reformed themselves into the mother-daughter pair that was so long in the making. When it was all said and done, Sam saw that her daughter was quite different in terms of shape from Undine; her expression too, was clearly unique.

The smile from Gnome's earlier activity widened even more as Undine's personality shifted completely once more, except now it was one of maternal affection and instinct. Even with the advanced-age appearance of Undine's daughter, her actions showed a clear naivete to her request. Sam was about to speak up, but Gnome took the initiative and sent the newly-born water spirit running up into Undine's embrace. Her reaction fell right in line with Sam's prediction; the creation of a new life.....For Sam, the umpteenth time, for Undine the first.

The joyousness at which Undine held her offspring could be felt by him; well, she certainly looked and sounded better. He could sense the overwhelming happiness in the water elemental as she commented on the beauty of her newborn child. Seemed like a playdate was in order for Terra and Undine's daughter; however, that would have to wait for another time. "Well, it certainly helped that her mother was such a looker herself" Sam replied to Undine's comment; he would sit and give Undine the opportunity to enjoy this before leaving. She deserved that much at the very least; in fact, he felt quite terrible at dragging not only Terra, but now this newborn water spirit into a potentially lethal situation.

His eyes actually widened in horror at the sudden realization; his children would be coming with him! Into the lair of someone who could very easily kill him! "Oh God, what am I doing!? I can't go into the Pharaoh's chamber now! Especially not now!" Sam thought to himself; what the hell kind of father drags his kids into the middle of a fight like that?! Who knew what dangers awaited him as he got closer?
 
"Would you like to give her a name?" Undie turned toward Sam and presented her daughter to him whom she still held cradled in her arms. She didn't seem to pick up on Sam's consternation and horror at the moment, as she was too overwhelmed with excitement at the new life that curiously looked up at the world around her.

"Don't worry, Sam," Gnome hugged her contractor's side affectionately, "Both of our daughters will stay in spirit form for the entire fight. We won't loose. Its not even a possibility with the power of water by your side. We will have her sealed and begging for mercy before you know it, so please don't worry. The more you let such thoughts fill your mind, the harder it will be for you when you need to use Clear Mind, so please have some confidence in yourself... I know I would trust you with my very life. In fact, I already do every single time we fight."

Undie's daughter let out a little mumble of discomfort from all the hugging and cuddling that Undie was subjecting her to, as she was clearly not used to such much attention and coddling. If anything, she seemed to be a bit annoyed at how doting her mother was being toward her but offered no words of protest. In fact, she hadn't spoken a single word since her birth although considering her level of physical and mental development it seemed highly unlikely that she didn't already know how to talk.
 
Sam looked down as Gnome hugged him; she was right. He could do this, he just needed to believe. Like his elementals believed in him, like his other lovers believed in him. Once again he let his sense of self-doubt in the face of overwhelming odds get the better of him; he wasn't like this before! Then again, being the CEO of a business was considerably less dangerous than becoming the so-called savior of a planet in what seemed like the blink of an eye. But then, one had to take the good with the bad; plus, he wasn't really alone. He had two fantastic partners who were here to help him on the journey, both ready and willing to offer their support to him when he needed it. "You're right, Gnome; together we can do this" he then stated, the vibes of confidence returning to his voice.

Sam then turned to Undine as she presented their daughter to him; he couldn't help but chuckle inside at how the little water spirit reacted to Undine's behavior. It was like she was a teenager already in personality; hell, he half-expected her to yell out "MOM! You're so embarrassing!" or some other classic quip of the teenage mind. At her question, Sam thought about what would be a good name for someone like his newborn daughter. "How about.....Nami? Does that sound good?" he then asked the water elemental; she was her daughter too, so Sam felt she had some say in what her daughter should be named.
 
"Nami... I like it," Undie nodded and finally set her newly-named daughter down onto her own feet, "Now, go say hello to your father, Nami. He's that man over there. Go on, be a good girl and introduce yourself."

The young water spirit looked back at her mother, then turned to glance across her father as if studying him. She slowly walked up to him, and gave him a polite nod, "Hello, father... I thank you for bringing me into this world."

"Oooooh, Isn't she adorable? They grow up so fast," Undie squirmed with delight, "Don't you want to just hug her?"

Nami let out a barely audible sigh, in response to which Gnome giggled. She sat down next to her father then turned toward the earth spirit with a hint of confusion in her face, as if wondering why the two mothers seemed to be getting along so well. Gnome approached her calmly in an attempt to explain the situation.

"We are both contracted to your father, Nami, dear," Gnome smiled, "I know its a bit hard for you to understand all this since you are so young, but we are trying to restore the proper balance to this planet. To this end, we are going to fight against a powerful person known as the Pharaoh, but she's very dangerous so we need you to stay in spirit form until things are safe again."

"Well, I already knew some of that," Nami finally spoke up, "I got some of mother's memories when we divided... That isn't what I was confused about."

"Excuse me?" Gnome blinked.

"What I was wondering was... Why did both of you choose the same contractor? What made you both choose father?" Nami cut straight to the point, shocking both of the elementals.

"Well... I suppose when I saw him, something inside me told me that I should accept him as my contractor," Gnome replied timidly, "I just thought it was the proper thing to do, and I knew he would make me happy."

"He was the only one that didn't get absorbed by my body, so I knew he was the one," Undie spoke up without hessitation.

"You two are strange..." Nami sweatdropped.
 
Sam watched with gentle eyes as his newborn daughter approached him; her aqua hues meeting his bright gold ones as they looked each other over. He chuckled as she thanked him for giving her life; a few days indeed. "It was my pleasure, Nami, but you needn't thank me for something like that". She seemed awfully mature given the fact she was only brought into this world moments ago. Her rebellious teen attitude was further shown when Nami sighed at her mother calling her adorable; seemed someone liked being a mother more than she let on. "Yes, Undine, she is very adorable indeed" he replied as Nami sat down beside him; Nami seemed to be more like Undine before she became contracted to him.

The real surprise, however, came after Gnome's explanation of the situation of why things were as they are now; her response left him about as dumbfounded as Gnome. That was an....oddly insightful question for one so young, though he wondered what could have prompted her to ask such a thing. He then realized just it was he was doing: He was trying to contract all four elementals at the same time, something which likely had never been attempted before. Or if it had been, then - if Undine's stories had any merit - they had likely failed in their goal. Though he stifled a small laugh as Nami called them strange; he then responded with a slightly veiled compliment to both his contracts, "We're all strange in our own way, Nami.....But that's what makes us so interesting".

Having helped Undine get some much-needed relief, he could tell Undine was feeling better already. Even if it cost her some energy, at least she would be able to focus the remainder more efficiently. Sam then said, "Alright, you three, time to go back into spirit form.....We still have a ways to go. At least, I think we do". He paused to peer out an air-hole that had been formed into the side of the dome; it was still fairly light out, but the sun wasn't at its highest point anymore. Which meant that they could travel now, but the dome would still need to be maintained; however, given that Sam was well-rested and his belly was full of dried meat and water, he stood up and strapped the sizable gourd which carried his water supply to his back. Once all three were back inside, Sam deconstructed solid into a hemispherical parasol and reinforced the earth armor on his body; last obstacle he needed was to get assaulted by one of those 'things' again. And he wouldn't have an amorous Lizardman to save him the next time around.

Over the next few days, Sam and his now four elemental spirits - two adults and two children - traversed across the Deadlands in search of the Pharaoh's pyramid. They would stop their travel altogether during a ten-hour interval when the sun was at its peak intensity, using the time for Sam to rest up and recover his energy. Thankfully, no more attacks came their way, allowing the poor contractor a chance to have his maximum energy available to him; he also shrunk the giant gourd on his back as the water and food was used, reducing the load on his physical energy stores. He may have gotten stronger in terms of his body, but it was still heavy to carry a giant stone gourd full of water. Eventually, they would come across the goal of their travels: The Tomb of the Pharaoh and with it, all the dangers and tests that awaited them within. The gourd had been shrunk enough to where he could carry it on his hip, holding enough water for about a day. The sun was just cresting over the horizon now, barely illuminating the top of the giant temple, which resembled the Great Pyramids of Gaza on Earth. Except without the giant sphinxes guarding the entrance; he figured the Sphinx who resided here likely served that role herself. He took a deep breath and said, "Alright, this is it. Stay alert; who knows what kind of traps might await us".

(Sorry for the delay; finals are done now so I should be able to post more regularly)
 
"The Pharoah herself doesn't seem to have noticed us... Her waves have remained constant throughout our journey," Undie informed Sam, "I don't sense any shielding or protection over the pyramid, but once we get closer I'm sure the mummies and Anubis will start to take notice of our approach, which will make things that much harder. Of course, I've heard that the Sphinx should be the first one to approach us, but I can't seem to pick her out."

Gnome's ears perked up as she raised her hand, "A powerful presence is approaching us slowly from the north but isn't making any effort whatsoever to mask her approach... That's probably her."

"Why didn't I see her before?" Undie asked with a confused blink.

"You are probably still somewhat weak from your division," Gnome suggested, "Its not surprising considering how massive the Pharoah's power is... Its probably making it hard for you to read the flow of the other monster girls around here."

Before they could continue their banter, however, a distinctly feline creature approached them. Although she wasn't nearly as large as the stone statues back on earth, the Sphinx was still quite large at nearly eight feet long not including her tail. She looked similar to an anthropomorphic cat, also known as a neko, but she wore an elaborate headdress of gold and lapis lazuli. She sat down in front of him and gave him a pleasant, albeit slightly imposing, smile.

"Greetings, travelers... If you wish to speak with the Pharaoh, you must first pass my test and answer my questions correctly," the Sphinx decided to get right to business with the bare minimum of formalities, "I will ask you five questions, answer all of them correctly and you may freely pass by. I can't promise that the Pharaoh will agree to speak with you, of course, but you can try."

She cleared her throat and began, "Explain this to me: one face saw a second face. The first face said to the second, 'You look as I once did, but you are not me.' The second face said to the first face, 'Although I cannot change, I will live longer than you.' What are the two faces?"
 
Sam had to crane his neck back slightly to peer up at the Sphinx; granted, she was nowhere near as large as Poseidon, but she was still a fairly large woman. And she wasn't even fat or anything like that; she had a well-defined hourglass, clearly feminine figure and would have been easily mistaken for a human woman were it not for the paws on her hands and feet. That and her long, bush-tipped tail. He had to admit, the headdress and lazuli were a bit.....stereotypical, but oddly fitting for someone like her. Though her sitting down allowed Sam to look her in the eyes a bit more easily; he just listened as the Sphinx explained the rules of what it would take to gain entrance to the Pharaoh's pyramid.

"Five questions.....Alright, then let's hear the first one" Sam replied, eager to get this show on the road but at the same time a tad surprised at the requirement; he thought he'd either have to fight or fuck his way in. Most of the other conditions had been such thus far, but for once he would get to use his brain in a test of logic and wit. And she would pose quite an interesting and challenging riddle. "So it's riddles, huh?" he rhetorically asked with a grin, "Fair enough.....Let's see, first face....second face.....Look as I once did, but is not me.....Cannot change, but will live longer....." His hand cupped his chin in thought, his brows furrowing in concentration. First face, second face...Second resembles past self but is not the person in question, which also cannot change, but will live longer than the first face.

Several possibilities came to mind, but he wasn't sure if any of them were the right answer. No, no, he was definitely over-thinking this now; Sam took a deep breath and stepped back from the problem at hand. Second face looks the same as the first face, but the second one will live longer. The only way that could work.....Yes, that had to be it. Sam looked back up at the Sphinx and said, "The two faces are a person and a painting of him/herself"
 
"That is correct," the Sphinx nodded, appearing somewhat pleased by his prompt answer, "By the way, if you incorrectly answer any of my questions, there will be severe consequences... After all, I have to perform my duty as the guardian of the pyramid and I can't just let anyone waltz up and challenge the Pharaoh. She's a very busy person..."

Gnome and Undie let out a sign of relief. That was one question out of the way, but considering that the Sphinx was highly intelligent and well respected, it was likely that she had simply given Sam an easy one for the first of the five. Harder riddles would follow, which would doubtless put Sam's reasoning skills to the test.

Her fail flicked back and forth as she considered her next question, "For the second test, explain this to me: A queen spoke to crab, who consulted a dragon to find the answer. The dragon turned to the mighty hunter, who spoke to the great and lesser bears on the dragon's behalf. Who are these people?"
 
"I see....Guess that means I'll have to answer them correctly, won't I?" Sam rhetorically asked; he had a good idea what those 'consequences' were, but he didn't want to take a chance regardless. Last thing he needed was to have his energy drained in an unnecessary fight. So he too let out a mental sigh of relief and listened as the Sphinx posed her next question.

Sam's mind immediately processed her words; A queen who spoke to a crab.....That could only be Hera and Cancer, the tale of sending the crab to combat Hercules, only to have his body crushed by the warrior's heel. Cancer, as a result, was placed into the sky as a constellation; that would be going to consult the dragon. The dragon constellation, if he remembered correctly, was Draco. And Draco could only speak to Orion the Hunter; his mind had wandered to Sagittarius as a possible answer, but Sam then remembered that the constellation was known as Sagittarius the Archer. The real clue that he was on the right track was the mention of the 'Great and Lesser Bears'; that could only refer to Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, respectively.

Sam smiled slightly as he then spoke, "The Queen was Hera, the Crab was Cancer, the Dragon was Draco, the Hunter was Orion, and the Great and Lesser Bears were Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, respectively". Ironically, this one came to him a bit easier than the last one; then again, his company dealt with star-travel technology, so one had to be fairly proficient in locations and names of stars and related systems.
 
"Very good," the Sphinx did not seem particularly surprised that he had gotten this answer correct as she turned to the third question, "It is largest in the mornings and afternoons, but the smallest during midday. It fills the recesses of your mind and fills empty old tin pails riddled with holes. It never sees the sun, but it is never very far away from it. What is it?"
 
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