052 - Riddles and Rhymes

[Shad]

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing.
Now, wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?

[p:395ongj3]Glenn was so drained from the attack he'd launched that he couldn't even get to his feet, and watched the remaineder of the battle from the ground. This was what he wanted - to find himself in situations so dire that his sword would be forced to 'express itself'. "Damn I'm an idiot," he muttered to himself half joking as he saw the bird light up in flames, screeching and howling into the air. The trick to conquering a new attack was to focus on the elements that drew the first spark out. This creature's obvious affinity with wind was certainly relevant to what he'd accomplished.[/p:395ongj3]
The king was in his counting house, counting out his money.
The queen was in the parlor, eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden, hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!

[p:395ongj3]...What were they doing? Glenn saw his friends standing around like they'd won, but the giant bird, now fully aflame, was hovering right above them unphased. No, something was wrong here... Glenn tried to get to his feet, but struggled, and suddenly the bird came swooping down. "Look out!" he shouted, but no one seemed to hear him save the bird, rerouting its flight straight towards him only after it appeared to engulf his friends. Glenn raised his sword meekly to defend just as the creature seemed about to crash into him. His vision began to blur as the cloud of fire approached him.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Three blind mice. Three blind mice. See how they run! See how they run! They all ran after the farmer's wife, who cut off their tails with a carving knife..." Glenn's eyes snapped open. He was on his back in a room that reeked of formaldehyde. A young fair-haired girl of 10 or 11 was standing over him wielding a pleasant smile and rather enormous butcher knife. "Heehee," she said with a light-hearted grin. "Did you ever see such a thing in your life as three blind mice?" She stabbed the knife down into Glenn's shoulder with as much force as a girl of her size could muster and giggled again.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"AAAAAAAAAaaaaarhrhhhhhhhh," Glenn let out a shout and lurched forward, only to find that his arms and legs were strapped to the tabletop. The girl jumped backwards at such an outburst, leaving the knife still embedded in his arm.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Why'd you yell at me?" she asked with tears beginning to form in her eyes. Glenn just stared at her quite bewildered. Whatever the girl took this to mean, she promptly walked over to the corner, crouched down, and began to sob and moan at the top of her lungs.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]Glenn didn't hesitate. His head was free to move about, and the knife wasn't in him very deep. He pulled it out with his teeth and went to work on the ropes that bound his hands, making quick work of them both. He was in what looked like a windowless hospital room, though more white than one would expect. The only other object in the room besides the girl was a second bed, surrounded by a white sheet.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Krivin?" Glenn said, moving it aside. Unfortunately rather than uncovering his friend he found the cadaver of a dissected full-grown pig.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Heehee, his name is Teddy," the girl in the corner called out, walking up behind him. "Mr. Glenn is cute, don't you think so Theodore?"[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]The pig began to squeal and thrash about as best it could, its organs still pinned down to the table, and it was right about then that Glenn lost any nerve he once had and bolted for the door. "Meanie! You're making him sad!" the girl called out in protest, but Glenn was quite alright with that.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"There you are!" Krivin called out. He was outside again, and turning around he found nothing but open space behind him. "What's with you, just wandering off and leaving us to fight that damn thing alone?"[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]Glenn blinked and opted not to argue. "Where did it go?"[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"It flew off after a while," Red replied. "It's wounded, but it could come back."[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Where do we go from here?" Glenn asked, still rather dazed.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Lucky for you," Krivin replied, "more than one of us packed a compass."[/p:395ongj3]
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[p:395ongj3]Alex and Kevin had both encountered very little thus far, wandering around for hours it seemed in some vast catacomb crammed in every possible corner with pure nothingness. They'd found each other early on, but hadn't had much luck since. Hallway after hallway and room after room everything looked the same, and their feet alone gave sign of any progress at all. It was thus quite peculiar for both of them when upon opening a door at the end of a long, dark, featureless hallway, a door it seemed they'd opened a dozen times already, they found themselves in a warm and cozy living room filled with antique furniture and bearing a grand walk-in fire place. A door stood to the left of it, and a grand grandfather clock to the right. After a pause to take in their startling new surroundings, both made their way for the door.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Kookoo, kookoo, there is more to this than you might think!" a high voice called to the right of them. They turned to see a bird's head sticking out of a small door at the top of the clock. "A friend's in need, and if you desire to free him from beyond the pyre a riddle you must solve. Face me clearly, should care you dearly, and answer me times three."[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"What on earth?" Kevin proclaimed as the two of them stepped in front of the clock.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Answer true and he'll survive, but if you fail he'll burn alive!" the bird proclaimed, and exited the door ruffling its feathers.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Well, shoot then," Kevin ordered.[/p:395ongj3]
"Life to me leads and life from me follows.
Some try to kill me with pills and with bottles.
I revel in terror, treachery, hate,
Fire, fracture, fulfillment, and fate"

[p:395ongj3]"Hmm..." Kevin stroked his chin and thought for a moment. "Could you be death?"[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"It's true, it's true! And good for you! Two more remain, now here's your clue," the bird leapt from its perch as is cried.[/p:395ongj3]
"I lurch and I slink and I slide half the day
Then glide, flutter, glisten and go on my way"

[p:395ongj3]"A butterfly!" Kevin exclaimed with no hesitation at all. "Well, a caterpillar and then a butterfly."[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]The bird frowned, quite annoyed that it had lost twice so quickly. "The last I have for you my dear, and the hardest too, so listen here."[/p:395ongj3]
"Hobble and plop, hobble and plop
Skip, skip, hobble and plop
I'll bring you no joy if you dare let me drop
Skip, skip, hobble and plop"

[p:395ongj3]"You're a stone. A stone being thrown on a river," Alex called out. "That wasn't hard at all."[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]Well you're no fun. I worked long and hard to make those, and here you are making a fool of me. Do you really think I'll let your friend go?" The bird darted into its hole, and a moment later a knife shot out a good foot over either target's head. It crawled back out sheepishly a few moments later. "Damnable daylight savings time; I forgot to readjust my angle. Well fine, you can live today, now be off."[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Not so fast bird," Kevin said, pulling out his pistol and aiming it right at him. "We won your game. Let our friend go."[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"What a dreadful thing. Do you really intend to shoot me? My my, very well," the bird exclaimed all in one breath. "Have your bloody friend and piss off."[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]The fire went out, and Marcus immediately jumped out from behind it. "Thank God, I was trapped back there for hours!" he shouted, smiling at his nephew and friend. "Thanks guys."[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Let's get out of here," Alex said, turning to the door only to find it locked.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Not so fast! Not so fast! Your time my friends has come at last!" Suddenly the entire clock ripped off of its standing ground and came hurdling through the air towards them. Alex and Marcus both simultaneously shot ice and laser out towards it and turned the thing to splinters long before it reached them.[/p:395ongj3]
[p:395ongj3]"Kookoo! Kookoo! You assholes!" the bird shouted as it fluttered in the air above its demolished abode. Kevin had picked the lock, and the three walked outside without giving it so much as a second glance.[/p:395ongj3]