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"Look out for those tricky fox spirits, they enjoy their little games!" A voice from behind me had said. Hah, right! As if I was going to be outwitted by some mangy fox. My laughter must've been picked up by the wind, as it started gusting about me when I stepped onto the worn path. I stopped and looked around, until I saw before me a fox spirit. "Well well well, what have we here? Come to rescue the leviathans so dear?" "Who...what..?" I stammered. "With ten, there are three of us, but with three there are five. What are we?" I stood still, my mouth still agape. Was this fox.. giving me a riddle? Ten or three.. five... three.. "Huh?" Was all I could manage. Before I knew it, the fox whipped up another wind, and the gust threw me back to Nagnang. I looked up to see the border guard laughing, the mountain of green squirrel pelts stacked next to him. It's always been like this. No one can outwit the riddling fox spirit. Many have tried, but the guard's pelt collection only grew, and the roar of the trapped Leviathans could be heard in the distance. Many scholars have concluded that the fox spirit always has the same four riddles, and yet no one knew the answer to any of them. They couldn't be killed, and they could hear even the quietest of steps down the worn path. I've even seen the craftiest of rogues morph into a fox to try and pass, but the sound of the border guard's laughter only told me what I predicted. I was determined, however, to outwit that fox, and finish my quest in saving the Leviathans. As usual, I packed up my travel gear and headed to the eastern part of Nagnang, and saw the amusing glint in the border guard's eye. Tossing him the usual green squirrel pelt, and waving off the same words he always cautioned with, I moved forward. This time I made myself walk slowly, searching for that crafty fox. "With ten, there are three of us, but with three there are five. What are we?" Came the spirit's voice. I turned to the fox, and spoke matter-of-factly. "There's two of these in every room and one in every corner. What am I?" "The letter O, you see. Now, if you'll excuse me..." And with that, the wind picked up around me, knocking me flat on my face outside the gates. "There has got to be a way past that fox!" I said annoyingly, hitting the dirt in frustration. "Hehehe... hohohoho.. You'll never get past it with a riddle!" The border guard chuckled. Then, someone clicked within me. I got up slowly, brushed myself off, and turned to the guard. "Maybe not, but.. I do have a question for you." The guard blinked at me, and demanded a pelt for passage back to the path. "If you know me then I am nothing," I said. "But if you don't then I am something, what am I?" Then something peculiar happened. The guard went pale, and fell to his knees. A bright light emerged from someplace and engulfed the guard, bringing with it the gale. When all settled, I found the spirit fox in place of where the guard was. "Very clever, young one. I did not think I could be outdone. Take this charm and walk on by, no spirit foxes will bother our ally." As quick as it had come, it disappeared, leaving a shiny fox charm in its wake. I smiled, and walked on through with a triumphant step. Now there is another guard, and the fox still riddles and stumps people to this very day. But a fox can be outwitted, for the answer was always a riddle. : Innysus : | |