SoI Episode 3

Episode 3 - Beware Vermin Carrying Flowers

Steve swallowed hard. He held an answer to the skeleton's riddle on the tip of his tongue but suddenly found himself second-guessing. A wrong answer was death, and Steve had barely cleared the cave opening. Still, an answer was needed and knowing that trying to fight the skeleton was suicide, he gave it his best shot.

"Well," he said weakly, "What if the ages weren't necessarily in years?"

The skeleton's eyes burned a brighter red and he leaned closer. "Be wrong and eat a lancer, be that your final answer?"

"Y-yes."

Steve nearly soiled himself as the skeleton groaned and pulled out a dirk from his belt. The undead apparition brought the weapon overhead, preparing a killing blow on Steve who could do naught but close his eyes and await death.

To his surprise, laughter came instead.

The skeleton laughed a loud, bellowing roar. "Aww, man...you should've seen the look on your face!" Steve chuckled nervously. "Oh, I suppose I made it too easy for you, I just hate killing, that's all."

"Wait," Steve said. "What happened to the whole pirate, rhyming shtick?"

"My supervisor." The skeleton sighed. "'I hired you to be a scary rhyming pirate, not a lazy bitch,' he says. If it were up to me I'd just kick back and let you through, but if he ever caught me not giving out these stupid riddles, I'd get sent back to Purgatory."

"Is this job really that great? Laying on the floor until someone comes by and then asking them a riddle?"

"The job is terrible, don't get me wrong, but the benefits are fantastic. We even get dental."

"Dental?"

"Dental!" The skeleton showed off a set of pearly whites.

"I see."

"Well, peace out, adventurer. Be mindful, be vigilant, and above all else, whatever you do in this place--" Then the skeleton was gone.

Steve shrugged and continued onward. So far he'd battled through a smelly room and a riddling undead pirate, but he knew that far worse perils lay ahead.

A winding set of turns eventually led him to a forest grove. He gasped as he looked at the trees, babbling brook, and small critters that lived impossibly in this setting. How could this woodland exist deep inside the cave, he wondered.

As he pondered his surroundings, a chipmunk, a rabbit and a dove emerged and ran up to him. He noticed that each of them carried a flower in their mouths. The chipmunk held a blue rose, the rabbit a yellow daisy, and the dove kept a red tulip in its beak.

Each animal placed their flowers in front of him. Steve:
1. Took the blue rose
2. Took the yellow daisy
3. Took the red tulip
4. Took all four
5. Took none of them