"What the fuck..." Tris couldn't help swallowing as he stared at the Sphinx before him.
As an avid enthusiast of magical creatures, he naturally recognized this powerful and highly intelligent creature native to Egypt. Wizards classified it as a four-star dangerous creature, but that was largely because it wasn't particularly aggressive.
In other words, as long as you didn't provoke it, it might not bother with you even if you wandered around right beside it-unless it was hungry.
But if you actually provoked it, or happened to wander nearby when it was hungry, heh, you would discover just how fucking troublesome a fantastic beast could be when it was strong, fast, highly resistant to magic, and capable of using more than one kind of magic itself.
Tris had read in books that Sphinxes were extremely difficult to deal with, but he hadn't believed it.
Especially since the Sphinx before him looked quite friendly. The emerald eyes in her beautiful human face were watching him.
"You are already very close to your goal. The quickest way is past me," the Sphinx said. Her voice was low and husky, yet magnetic, a little like that of the legendary musical genius Amy Winehouse.
"Then I assume you won't let me pass that easily, will you?" Tris asked with a smile.
"Correct, unless you answer my riddle. Guess correctly on your first attempt, and I will let you pass. Guess wrong, and I will pounce. Refuse to answer, and I will let you leave unharmed. Of course, you will not be allowed to take this path."
"Got it. Let's hear it, then." Tris nodded.
The Sphinx sat down on her haunches like a large cat. Unfortunately, her human face clearly wasn't suited to licking her paws.
"A moth devoured words. To me, this was