Sword Art Online: A New Beginning

[Zarkon90]

Eve considered for a moment before answering.

"A coat of paint."  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga smiled and gave a slow clap. “Well done. I didn’t expect you to get it that quickly. Alright then, time for the next riddle. Here goes: With pointed fangs I sit and wait; with piercing force I crunch out fate; grabbing victims, proclaiming might; physically joining with a single bite. What am I?”  

[Mega90]

A dark, pleased smile touched Kaiyaga’s lips and he leaned back, taking a large drink of ale.

“A clever guess, but it seems that you got too hung up on the 'biting' details. The answer was a stapler.” He paused for a moment to let the answer sink in. “On to the next riddle. What has thirteen hearts, but no other organs?”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve frowned for a long moment, clearly unnerved by her previous wrong answer. She thought for a minute and a half before answering.

"A deck of cards." Her tone was even as she spoke, betraying none of the hesitation and apprehension Kaiyaga knew she was likely feeling.  

[Mega90]

“That’s right, kiddo. You’re getting good at these. Alright, on to the next question. This one is going to test your knowledge of this game. As you know, there are several large bodies of water throughout Aincrad and ALfheim online. In the largest of these bodies, where is the deepest point?”  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga smiled deeply, and shook his head, giving a slow clap for Eve.

“Alright, kiddo, I’m impressed. You know exactly where the deepest part of the games waters are. However, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for. Technically, you are correct, so I won’t fault you there, but the answer to the question that I was looking for was ‘the bottom’.” He paused for a moment and drank the last of his ale. “Alright, time for the last riddle. “Why is the letter A the most like a flower?”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve frowned.

"Why is.. because they are both followed by a bee?"  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga smiled, leaning back and placing his mug on the table.

“Technically the answer is, ‘because the B is after it’, but yours is close enough.” He paused for a moment to gauge her reaction. At length, he spoke again. “Well, that’s it. That was the last riddle that I’ll ask you to answer. Congratulations, you got all but one of them correct. But let me ask you something, what do you think the reason why I asked you riddles in the first place was, and why did I ask these particular riddles? Also, I’d like to know how you solved the riddles. What was the method that you used?”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve sighed, shaking her head.

"I honestly don't know why you asked these particular riddles. That wasn't really my concern. I was tasked with being tested and proving myself to you for master shiro and I intend to do that to the best of me abilities. As for how I answered them, I just used common sense. When I thought them through, the answers were obvious."

Eves tone was almost entirely flat, save the slightest hint of irritation.  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga raised an eyebrow.

“Is that right? Well, that’s a little disappointing. There was a reason why I asked you the riddles that I did. Each one asked you to think in a different way. If you are promoted to a higher rank in the guild, you will need to be able to approach things from multiple different angles. If you can’t think logically, abstractly, creatively, and see the humor in things, you won’t be able to last long in a leadership role. This same thinking applies to when I asked you how you figured them out.” He paused for a moment and leaned forward, coming closer to the young girl. “My instructions were to solve the riddles. I didn’t specify what methods you could use, nor did I specify what methods you couldn’t use. If I were you, I would have just opened up a web browser and searched them. It would have been faster and easier that way. When you are in a leadership role, you set the rules, and so you need to be able to think outside the box. If you’re going to seek a higher rank, you need to start thinking like a leader, not just a follower.” His tone was firm, though kind. He wasn’t mocking her, or teasing her for her mistakes. He legitimately seemed to be trying to impart some of the wisdom that he had gained over the years.

Leaning back again he summoned the waitress over and ordered another mug of ale. As the young maiden walked away, he turned his attention back to Eve.

“Alright, time for the third and final test. In this test, I’m going to ask you to be honest with me. Humans are creatures of lies and deceit. We have wrath, lust, envy, gluttony - so on and so forth. Your final test is to tell me, of all the sins that man performs, what is the one that you hate the most? What is it that other human beings do that makes you the angriest, or that upsets you the most? You aren’t limited to just the seven deadly sins. Tell me what the one thing above all else that you hate is.”  

[Zarkon90]

Eve leaned back, her long blonde hair draping around her as she crossed her thin arms.

"That kind of personal, don't you think?"  

[Mega90]

Kaiyaga nodded.

“Yeah, it is – and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Just understand what that means. If you don’t answer, you won’t have completed your test.”  

[Zarkon90]

The teen let up an irritated puff of air, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

"In other words I don't have to answer but if I don't all this will have been for nothing so I really have no choice.."

The young girl sighed softly, shaking her head slightly, causing the long hair to ripple around her.

Eve brought her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around them.

"The thing I hate most about people is when they try to force their will or views on you or anyone else. Taking control and leaving you no choice in matters.."

Eve's voice was soft as she spoke and her eyes were dark, hidden by the shadow of her bangs and the dim lighting in the pub.