A History Through Blood

Leo found himself having to, again, escort Victoria on one of her excursions outside the relative safety of the caravan. Normally she would send one of her familiars to act on her behalf, however her dealings had now caught Baru's attention. He would often try and place one of his guards nearby, trying to learn where she had sourced the horn. Something which was not conducive to summoning either Julianna or Rose. Unlike his usual duties, acting as both a physical deterrent and shield, he was now likely playing babysitter. Modibo and his son had volunteered to watch over their merchandise, so that was at least one less thing he had to worry about.

Baru's bodyguard, who had been non-so subtly following them, would likely be a hindrance to them sooner rather than later. Kahina had enough sense to follow Victoria's instructions closely, only asking questions when they were safe from danger or if she needed to translate words in a specific manner. The latest stalker was Zakoi. Since he held no ties to Victoria, the oaf was quickly identified as a liability. He was still wet behind the ears and had the inexperienced self-confidence to match.

One thing Leo had picked up over the years was that; the more innocent-looking supernatural creatures would often cause the most problems and that larger creatures could be slow to anger. Something which few would quickly recognize, fearing the destructive force associated with their more intimidating size. What they failed to consider was that the larger the beast, the less they were interested in those that were smaller than themselves. As one does not consider the presence of ants, at least, until they get stung.

Their next client, if one could even call it that, was an ancient Sphinx*. It had been described as a hybrid of a woman, lion and eagle, all of which combined to create a flying pain in the ass by his own assessment. Victoria had prepared a selection of wares in-advance that might appeal to the beast's tastes. Specifically: the last few pieces of the jewelry she had gotten from the werewolf stash, various mystical trinkets and cured animal hides. Supposedly, the she-beast had an interest in earthly goods and deadly games of intellect. Victoria held no such interest in their games, knowing better than challenging an all-to-eager veteran.

After a slightly difficult passage down a small cliff face, they arrived at the entrance of a well-worn cave. Waiting just beyond the entrance was the sphinx, observing them like a cat before a mouse. It had, of course, acquired some measure of comfort over the centuries it had survived. It lay on a rug of fine furs, surrounded by various signatures of wealth. Trinkets made of gold, silver and ivory lined the cave walls behind its frame, placed haphazardly in heaping piles. It would take several horses to cart away such a fortune.

At first, it greeted them in the Arabic tongue with a similar accent to that of the local populace. That however was short lived, as the Sphinx quickly seemed to switch to English once they identified Kahina was mostly acting as a translator. More so, it seemed to learn conversational English almost instantaneously. "So, have you come to test your wit against mine?" It asked, assessing their guests with a calculating stare. "The rules are quite simple, for each question you get right your reward doubles. However, if you answer incorrectly. I get to take something that I see as equal value." "I have not come to compete against you, instead I wish to offer you additional items for your collection. In an equal exchange." Victoria responded firmly, thankfully not wishing to play the creature's games.

"Hmmm...I will consider your offer to trade, if you partake in but a single round." Pondered the Sphinx, pretending to examine their paw. "I would usually wish to partake in an elongated game, but I will settle for a single instance of the wager. For instance, this lovely golden scarab from the age of Akhenaten**." This creature acted the same as the other scam artists and sleazy merchants, trying to manipulate potential marks into joining their game before raising the stakes. They would likely lose the first game or make the first one easy, before they would suddenly change the difficulty. Once their target was lulled into a false sense of confidence, they could now get them to agree to increasingly higher stakes. "I will decline." Victoria restated, beginning to pack what little goods she had back into their containers. "I appreciate your offer, but we will not be partaking in your games. My apologies for wasting your time." The Sphinx simply watched from afar, saddened that their latest visitor refused to engage with their antics.

As Victoria concluded her business, rocks cascaded down the steep decline behind them. Zakoi had apparently caught up to them and had clumsily stumbled down the path towards the cave. "Woah, woah, woah! Steady there friend" Leo motioned, hands raised indicating for him to stop. While his words were not understood, his sturdy frame did serve as a solid object to rapidly stop his descent. Evidently, their trip down the cliff face had been enough to lose him for only a brief moment.

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"Oh, Another guest? What an eventful day." The intrigued voice from inside the cave drew the mercenary's attention. Before Leo could block his path, Zakoi had already seen the massive piles of treasure that was piled up behind the beast. Blind to everything, except for wealth, the halfwit stepped forward towards the awaiting Sphinx. Once the dullard had become fixated on the likely unobtainable prize, very little would satiate his greed.

Left with little option, Leo opted to sucker punch Zakoi in the back of the head. His normally solid frame collapsing into the sand, consciousness fading almost immediately. Although the beast was disappointed, it knew that someone had been taken in by their wealth of treasures. It had surmised that he would try to return, mostly likely without someone with common sense accompanying them. Kahina could explain and dissuade their colleagues later back at the village, but now they had to carry the lumbering oaf up the cliff-side.

-

It once again fell on Kahina to play mediator, immediately escorting the enraged Zakoi back to his boss with the forceful assistance of Leo. He had regained consciousnesses only a few minutes after being carried up the cliff-side, unfortunately his lust for wealth had recovered just as quickly. They had to force him back to Baru's quarters at the point of Leo's sword, much to the surprise and apprehension of the rest of the caravan. Thankfully, Baru had agreed to see them quickly and settle the dispute. Despite its practicality and results, Leo's problem solving reflected poorly on their behavior.

"If I might get a word in." Kahina politely inserted, cutting off the barrage of accusatory statements from Zakoi. "We had little choice in the matter, given the location and surrounding circumstances." Wanting to at least get the perspective of their newly found partner, Baru silenced his hired muscle with a slow raise of his hand in order to listen to their side. The man knew that her potential value was far greater than his, giving her the benefit of doubt was a minor concession in the grand scheme of things.

"If any of your men had died while following us, without our consent might I add, all suspicion would immediately fall upon us as the culprit. Regardless of the cause." She began, repeating the practiced justification with proper emphasis. "Given his limitations, the sacred sphinx that we were attempting to barter with would have likely claimed his life. While the assault on his person was regrettable, he would not have left willingly once he had seen the treasures that the reverent Sphinx possessed." The man had unwittingly been proving her point, demonstrating how fixated he had become on the hoarded treasure.

"You very well have a point." Baru conceded, recognizing their position. "I assume that your group regularly associates with that sort of being?" "We do selectively trade with mystical beings of a certain degree of moral character and benevolent demeanor." Kahina reassured, phrasing in such a manner as to not overly conflict with his religious teachings. "The Sphinx tests those with arrogance and will punish those deaf to the Prophet's teachings, peace be upon him. It is a harsh and deadly lesson, something which those wise to the world would not willingly engage in." While it was technically true that the lethal nature Sphinx's riddles and games would constitute punishment for reckless gambling. It was not directly ordained by the almighty Allah's will. The Surah Al-Ma'idah*** did proclaim that gambling was the work of Satan, not to mention that Malaikah often were depicted as winged servants of Allah. But to imply they answered to his will was a stretch. Even if Victoria had advised that the Sphinx held an aura of holy magic.

This answer seemed to placate Baru, who now seemed more averse to pursuing such riches. Zakoi, still blinded by greed, continued to harangue him. "I promise you, Boss! We can beat the beast's games. Just give us the order and her treasure will be ours." No amount of reasoning could break his fixation on the Sphinx's fortune. The vast treasures that he had seen with-in that cave were far greater than anything he had seen, calling on him to return despite multiple warnings.

"We are willing to guide a select number of people back to the cave." Kahina started, knowing that they would likely return alone after watching them die before them. "On the condition that we are not responsible for anything which happens after. Neither I, nor Victoria, will accept payment for this. We only ask for us to be found blameless for what we know to be a fool's errand." No words could sway Zakoi, as his attention now fell on Baru, pleading him to permit his wasteful venture.

Everyone present knew that Zakoi had already forgotten the path they had taken through the desert and was relying on the Victoria or herself to return him to the cave. Without his bosses' approval; none of their group would take him back. "I will allow it." Baru decreed, looking straight into the man's eyes. "I share in the pale woman's opinion that you are unlikely to return alive. You may, at most, only take two others with you. And they must know full well what they are entering into. Nothing must be hidden." With ambitions of wealth, he ran off to the caravan. Trying to find two others willing to gamble their lives for the sake of gold.