A History Through Blood

Leo found himself, once again, at the entrance of the Sphinx's cave. He was still acting as glorified babysitter; however, he was given a lot more leeway with his use of applied force. The knucklehead, in search for willing conspirators, had been overheard by Modibo's spoilt nephew. Upon hearing of a magical beast with large amounts of treasure, the child began demanding to join in on their venture. His simpleton of a father was dragged along by Tidjani, slowing grew to like the idea once he had confirmed the existence of a vast trove of treasure.

As with last time, he was there to act as a physical deterrent. Although what was being deterred was far different in nature. Baru had sent another one of his more trusted guards along with him, Kabayao. Both had been instructed to stop the pair from inserting themselves into the ridiculous game Zakoi had joined. So long as they were brought back alive, preferably in one piece, they were given free rein to subdue them how they pleased. Given that there was a very capable doctor with them, broken bones were considered an acceptable outcome. It was better than a painful death after all.

The game, as it were, was being conducted in Arabic with Kahina was translating for those who did not speak the language. "The rules are simple." Stated the sphinx, her attention focused on the three challengers before her. "I will ask you a riddle and you will give your answer. You may converse with each other for a reasonable length of time. After each answer: the wager will double. One gold coin becomes two, two becomes four and so on. The game ends when you give three incorrect answers or when you all individually decide to stop. If you drop out, you may not re-enter. The starting wager is a collection of coins against the first segment of your smallest finger. Once a question has been asked, none of you may withdraw until it has been answered." None of them hesitated, only focused on the ever-growing promise of treasure, and accepted the terms.

Then began the game...

"Two twins we are, and, let it not surprise. Alike in every feature, shape and size.

We're square, or round, of brass or iron made, sometimes of wood, yet found useful in trade.

But, to conclude, for all our daily pains. We by the neck are often hung in chains.

What are we?"*

One of the merchant's children, Seyni, who had been lured in with the promise of treasure slowly gave their answer after careful discussion. "A merchant's scales is the answer." The Sphinx nodded in agreement, summoning trinkets from their hoard onto the mat in front of them. "That is correct. I shall keep the current winnings in front of you, so that you see how much you have won. Do you wish to continue our game, or would you like to leave with your current prize?" Each one eagerly agreed to continue, with Leo's temporary charges looking to join in. "Does anyone wish to enter the game from the side lines?" Beckoned on the bestial woman. "I can treat it as if you had played in the first round." Leo's firm hand on their shoulders and a disapproving look was all that it took to temporarily dispel any notions they had of joining. Their resolve would be tested later, once the accumulated pot had grown ever larger. "Very well. Shall we continue?"

She conducted the next four riddles, the same as before, with slightly increasing difficulty. Cheikh had approached Kabayao, asking to join the game as it appeared mostly safe after listening to the second riddle. Fortunately for him, Kabayao's cold stare and implied threats of violence soon shut him down. Kahina had provided Leo with some phrases for such an occasion. A simple mispronounced command: "Don't try me," was enough to dampen the growing excitement of the boy.

"Two bodies have I, though both joined in one. The stiller I stand, the faster I run*."

It was a short riddle, yet one the collective intellect struggled with. Leo, sensing the trio's struggles, looked towards Tidjani. His small frame was visibly shaking in excitement, seemingly having the knowledge that was so desperately sought by the participants. The child clearly believed that had the answer, something that would surely earn him a portion of the spoils. Obvious to the danger that speaking such an answer would bring.

Taking umbrage with the phrase: 'It's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission,' Leo swiftly subdued the child. Covering Tidjani's mouth with his gloved hand and locking his flailing arms in place. He had successfully stopped him from entering the game. Despite the child's best efforts, his leather gloves were far too tough for him to bite through with any meaningful force. Upon seeing this his father, began screaming in what likely amounted to: "Unhand my son!", "I shall have you executed for this!" and other such idle threats. Kabayao had already moved into intervene, raising his short spear in a menacing manner. A nod was enough to show his support; Baru would likely accept their explanation with an understanding reluctance.

"We will answer: a horse and rider." Answered Zakoi, somewhat faltering with uncertainty. "That is incorrect." Stated the sphinx, magically summoning a small human-shaped statue to her side to mark her wins. "The answer was: an hourglass. Are you ready for the next riddle?" While there was some hesitation from the trio, he could practicality feel the smugness from the gagged child who was silently gloating. Presumably because he had been going to provide the correct answer. "Yes, we will continue." They answered, assuming that the losses had not begun piling up.

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The following round began rather smoothly the usual cryptic riddle: "What is that which has been tomorrow and will be yesterday?"* The answer was quickly determined to be: Today. However, the reward seemed to contain far more valuable items than the previous round. At a glance, he estimated that the total winnings were worth roughly twice as much as their current stockpile. Something which only Seyni noticed. After mentally counting the rewards over and over, he realized the true nature of the stakes.

"I... I cannot play anymore." Stammered the merchant, staring at his open hand. "I would like to leave as is." "Are you scared?" mocked Zakoi, too blinded by treasure to see the noose tightening around his neck. "Scared, no." Seyni replied. "I am not willing to lose my life over gold. Getting away wit-." Every time he would try and justify his choices, Zakoi would just cut him off and berate him. "We've only lost a bit of a finger; everything will be fine." Only those skeptical of the Sphinx's games had seen through her game. Senyi raised his hands in surrender and went to sit with his guides, honoring the wager with resignation.

The remaining rounds carried on in a similar manner as the previous ones, with the Sphinx playing upon their lust for wealth like puppets on her strings. Dangling her vast fortune just out of reach, with riddles just difficult enough to feel like they could win. They of course lost another round, again with an answer that the remaining pair falsely believed they could reach. Seyni watched on, defeated, while the father and son grew envious of the growing pile of riches. Tidjani would constantly eye up Leo, looking for some opening to join in on the gambit at a moment's weakness. Unfortunately for him, Leo did not have to fear the Sphinx's wrath, as Victoria would protect him if needed. His focus was on his was solely on saving people from their own stupidity.

"Victoria, bring me some cloth and a rope." Leo called out, knowing what was likely to happen during the upcoming final round. He figured that the brat would try to escape his hold at the last second, aiming for glory and gold. It would take but a moment of negligence to seal his fate, so he would have to take the option away from him. A quick punch to Cheikh's gut from Kabayao was enough to silence him. They were now forced into being unwilling spectators for the final round, one which had been blindly accepted due to the sheer size of the stakes. "Last chance to bow out. Are you ready for the final riddle?" Asked the Sphinx, already being bombarded with an emphatic "Yes!" upon asking the question.

"Very well." The beast began, taking a long breath before giving the question. "At a dining table sits: a great grandfather, two grandfathers, one grandmother, three fathers, two mothers, four children, three grandchildren, a great grandchild, three sisters, one brother, two husbands, two wives, one mother-in-law, one father-in-law, two brothers-in-law, three sisters-in-law, two uncles, three aunts, one nephew, two nieces and two cousins. How many people are there?"** It took several repetitions, before the remaining pair gave their answer. "Forty-Two." They had double checked their count, ignoring the context of the surrounding game and had given the less than. With a gaunt smile, the sphinx said: "Incorrect. The answer is Seven People. Unfortunately, that is three incorrect answers. The game is over."

Leo didn't even bother double checking the arithmetic, figuring that the total number was more or less correct. The Sphinx's count used each member of the family multiple times in such a way that it amounted to seven. Previous encounters with supernatural entities suggested that if they had given the provided solution, it would've been honored under a quasi-mystical contract which bound them to the end result. Even so, that is why he disliked dealing with anything paranormal. Just getting involved tangentially could easily get you in trouble.

"Look away Kahina." Warned Victoria, who had started stoking a fire as soon as Seyni dropped from the game. "I shall take my prize first, as I won the last game..." She said, Kahina's translation muffled as she spoke from outside of the cave. "Between the three games, I seem to have accumulated your hand, two arms and... oh my... your entire body." Their protests fell on deaf ears, since their conspirator had already acknowledged the true nature of the game. "The wager doubled each round; did you naively believe that your earnings were the only thing which doubled?"

Kabayao, either under the orders of Baru or acting in his own digression, had already subdued Cheikh and forced him to watch what would happen next. Golden chains had already been summoned from beneath their feet, holding the pair in place as the sphinx rose from its comfortable spot. "Oh dear!" It cooed as she approached the pair. "It seems like no one will be able to claim your winnings. Such a shame that it will remain with the rest of my collection until someone can claim it."

-

After a short delay and many screams, Leo carried out Seyni's winnings in a provided crate while Kabayao escorted the deflated father and son out of the cave. The Sphinx had been charitable and had only taken Seyni's left foot, likely due to his ready acceptance of the terms. Victoria had quickly cauterized his leg at the ankle before wrapping it up with herb infused bandages. He would be able to walk once the wound healed, but for now he used his physician as a crutch. Hoping up the path back to the caravan.

Cheikh and Tidjani trailed aimlessly behind them on the long trip back, now empty husks trying to process what they had seen. Physically, they were untouched by the Sphinx. However, seeing her savagely maul two humans in front of them had shocked them to their core. Any innocence they had was left with the mangled corpses back in the cave. The Sphinx would have increased the difficulty of the riddles even further if either had joined in at an earlier point, never letting them reach the reward. Something they might never accept.