Sleeping Next to the Pirate King

I felt a giddy feeling fill me as I held the small envelope in my hands. The riddle was written in blue ink and in a very rushed manner. This made the words blur and merge together. I felt my eyes shake as they read over the riddle once more.

"It is a 5 letter word if you take away first letter it is something you get from sun, if you remove second letter you will get something to eat, if you remove third letter you get a word you use in pointing at and if you remove the fourth letter you get something to drink."

Son of a bitch!

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS BITCH-ASS LIZARD!

I looked over at Maldonius and flipped him off. Maldonius's beautiful female face scrunched up as he glared and flipped me back. HIs left eye shone with the digit, "3", and his right eye with the digits, "30".

FUCK!

I only have one minute and a half left for solving this riddle. I breathed in and out as I read over the riddle for the umpteenth time. The best thing to do with these type of riddles is to start from the middle then work my way up to the full word.

With the second sentence I can deduce that the sun only gives either light, or warmth. It can also give flowers food through photosynthesis. Based on the scope of the riddle, I can deduce that the word is only five letters as it has stated. So, the word "warmth" is out of the picture. As well as the word, "light". That is unless the word has "light" in it.

My heartbeat quickened as my mind felt like an overworked machine. The only words that came to mind with the word "light" inside are either, "blight", "flight", or "alight". My head throbbed with pain as I realized that if I take out the "l" from any of the three words after the first letter all I get is "ight". And that isn't something one can eat, now can you?

I looked over to see that I was already in the two-minute mark. Jesus Christ, maybe I should look for synonyms to light and warmth. Several synonyms include brilliance, radiance, illumination, comfort, warmness, and heat. All of the words but heat are too long. Heat is a perfect word as I can add a letter before it. And technically the sun can provide it. Also, when I remove the "h", I could have the word, "eat". When I remove the "e", I have the word "at". With which the third sentence has a play on words with. And once the "a" is removed, all that's left is a "t", which is something that you can drink as it sounds like the word "tea".

I smiled. Now that I have the base of the word, all I need to figure out is the first character. I plopped on the dirt below as squirrels came next to me. only two words come to mind and that is either "wheat" or "cheat". The tricky part is deciding which of them works for the riddle.

I then stood up and held the rose bush envelope and the violet bush envelopes in my hands. I still have a solid minute left. Logically, age could be a punishment to me as the dragon in front of me could easily make me age to a point which could hinder how I walk, move, see, or hear. And I do not need that as something tells me the floors above in this ziggurat are harder than this one. I need my wits with me. And technically wheat could come as a tool or benefit as it could turn into bread or food that I would need later on. I nodded as I walked over to the two bushes. Maldonius smiled as he waved his hand dismissively causing the hot men beside him to disappear in thin air.

His ruby-red lips tilted upwards as he sighed and said to me.

"My dear, I believe that you have contemplated your answer and wish to present it?"

I nodded as I handed the two envelopes to Maldonius's thin and perfect hand. He nodded encouraging me to speak. I cleared my throat and said.

"The rose bush envelope holds the answer of age whereas the violet bush holds the answer of wheat. I believe that the punishment is age and the tool or key to the next floor is that of wheat."

Maldonius chuckled as he clapped his hands together and smiled.

"My dear, you truly are quite the inquisitive one, now aren't you? Thank God I didn't take a liking to a random idiot human. The fact that you've lived two lives must have added something to that small brain of yours."

I smiled despite my inner thoughts thinking of a thousand ways to kill the dragon bitch in front of me. Maldonius then snapped his fingers as the greenhouse area around me disappeared. I felt a whoosh of some sort of breeze blow past me as I turned to see that I was now in some sort of Roman colosseum area. Confusion filled me as I looked down to see that my white, dirty robe had now turned into armor as my saber was still in my hand.

The ground under me shook as the spectators sitting in the seats of the colosseum cheered and stomped their feet. I coughed as sand from the ground came into my mouth. The armor which I wore was both skimpy as it consisted of a breastplate, and knee plates along with a short skirt that barely covered my ass. The armor was hot and as heavy as fuck.

A sudden trumpet noise filled the colosseum as the crowd continued to cheer. I sneezed multiple times in a row. Jesus Christ, even in my second life my fucking allergies had to follow me here.

I looked up to see a throne-like opera seat at the top of the colosseum. A tan man with glittering blue eyes and shiny crimson hair, dressed in gold robes waved to the crowd. Several large men who resembled modern-day bodyguards stood next to him. Including the human forms of Serafina and Armon. They smiled at me while they stared daggers at Maldonius. As I stood like this, a certain movie with the name of "Gladiator" came to mind. I shuddered. I'm a ruthless bitch, but no way in hell am I going to be chopping off limbs.

I yawned as Maldonius's voice boomed.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome today to the second floor of my great ziggurat of riddles. Today we will be having my strongest fighter with the name of Mila, fight to the death as she tries to earn her freedom. Now, the question is, will she die before earning her freedom? I sure hope not, she is a guest after all."

I reached my hand back to feel that there was a bow and several arrows hanging around my back. I chuckled. Why don't I scare the shit out of that dragon man?

The days where I did some archery during college due to my interest in history came back to me. As the crowd cheered, I pulled back the arrow on the bowstring and counted my heartbeat. In order to successfully shoot an arrow and not scratch myself with the bow, I need to sync my breathing with my heartbeat. After a couple of breathing in and breathing out exercises I felt my breathing sync with my slow heartbeat. I closed my left eye as I aimed the arrow at the spot next to Maldonius's head on the curtain. I chuckled as I let the arrow go.

A second later the sound of something striking the curtain radiated and filled the colosseum. a shocked Maldonius looked at me from his perch as a small scratch formed on his left cheek. He licked the blood from his fingers as he smirked. Our gazes met as we both threatened each other. I felt energy and exhilaration fill me. Maldonius's melodic laugh filled the colosseum as the silence of the crowd filled the air with tension. Maldonius then hollered.

"What a rebellious fighter of mine. My dear, are you ready for this floor? You may still run away if you wish."

I shook my head as my hands clenched on the bow and arrow. My saber on the ground. I looked up at Maldonius with a smirk as I felt my blood boil. I then picked up my saber and pointed it at Maldonius.

"Bring it on lizard. I'll take the worst."

Maldonius gave me a toothy smile as certain doors around me opened in the colosseum.

"Don't come crying to me later my dear. This was your decision."

I nodded. I am the type of person to take responsibility for my actions. After all, I need to save my crew members. Their smiling faces came to mind as my opponents walked out of their cells around the colosseum. They then encircled me as I felt my knees slightly shake. Each of my opponents resembled Medieval time knights with their outfits. Their whole bodies covered in steel as they easily towered me. There were four of them. Each of them on a different transport. One on a horse, the other on a chariot, one on a small carriage, and on another on his feet. On a certain part of their armor was a paper with something written in gold.

I looked up at Maldonius as the crowd silenced with his raised hand. He then smiled and said.

"In order to succeed in this floor, you must successfully survive as well as solve the four riddles on the armor of your opponents. In order to get the riddles, you must kill each one of the opponents. Once they die you will be able to get the riddle. But here's the catch my dear. You will be attacked by all four of them at the same time. So, I would suggest that you gather all of the riddles first before solving them. And with that note, I wish you luck. Now please entertain me once more my muse."

I spit on the ground next to me. This lizard bitch was pissing me off in ways more than one. I'm not exactly weak, as I have trained in swordsmanship and the like while I was on my ship. I bit my lip as I looked at my four opponents whose different colored armors shone under the sun. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I surveyed them. Each opponent had a different colored armor.

The one on the chariot had a gold suit along with a bow and arrows. One opponent was dressed in a bronze suit and was on a horse with a sword in his hand. Another opponent in a silver suit as he sat in his small carriage with a rifle in his hand. The last opponent who was on his feet had a wooden suit along with a dagger.

I sighed. Their armors and transportation ways signaled the level of difficulty. I smiled as I backed up and noise of a trumpet filled my ears.

Maldonius's voice then sang out, "Begin!".

I felt my blood electrify in excitement as I looked at my opponents use their weapons and transportation methods. I smiled toothily.

Which one of them should I get rid of first?

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Stay safe and be careful my luvs!