Tidal was growing impatient. He paced up and down behind the dirt mound where he, Caravaggio, and Rachel had decided to set up their ambush point. Caravaggio had swiftly determined that this area saw the least amount of traffic, though still frequent enough, to find a mark in a reliable timeframe.
Tidal glanced towards Caravaggio, who was silently watching the dirt road with his usual cold steely gaze. The road lead in from the badlands and into the flatlands of the carnival. Car, as Caravaggio had nicknamed himself, was leaning against one of the dead trees while Rachel was standing beside him. She was trying to look tough in case any devils passing by might mistake them for an easy mark. However, she didn't have the face for it thought Tidal. She lacked the creases on her face that would result from a life hard lived. Car on the other hand, was a different story. Tidal could tell from the look in his eyes, he had lived through something that had only made him stronger.
What doesn't kill you... thought Tidal.
Tidal's musings were cut short as he caught the subtle movement of Caravaggio slightly lifting his chin, indicating towards the dirt road as his posture grew more alert. Tidal turned his head to get a look. Down the road strutted a devil. It clearly stood head and shoulders above Tidal, and he was the tallest member of the group at almost 7ft tall.
The devil was humanoid in appearance. It's head resembled that of a dragon, with a long sinister snout. Jagged teeth protruded haphazardly from it's mouth. From the back of it's head, long black spines flowed down the creature's back. They resembled dreadlocks to Tidal. The devil also had a pair of leathery wings which were currently folded up behind it. It's pale white skin looked to be a mix of leathery hide and scales.
Tidal noted that this devil was similarly equipped as himself. A set of black metal pauldrons, and an armored skirt around the waist. There was a very large battle sword strapped to it's back.
As the devil drew closer down the road, Tidal could also make out a pair of flying imps, one on each of the dragon devil's flanks. Each imp was carrying a large burlap bag, which seemed to be slowing them down. They looked completely exhausted trying to keep up with the devil.
The three party members only had a few moments before the devil would be in ear shot of them.
"So what's the plan?" Tidal asked in a hush.
"Some cunning." Rachel replied flipping open her carry pouch. She pulled out three small envelopes. They were the ones they had found in the palace.
"Each of these contains a use of Dust of Disappearance." Rachel continued. "We'll use one on ourselves, sneak up behind them, grab the sacs before retreating back here. They won't even know what hit them."
Tidal let out a small chuckle. It was a crafty plan. As much as he'd like to fight the devil himself, he knew it would be a challenge for the other two, as they were currently down two party members. Plus, he was still nursing some of his own wounds from the fights at the palace.
Nodding to Rachel and Car, they began to set their plan in motion. The devil and his entourage passed by without so much as glance to the three of them. The devil was in a very cheery mood as he continued to strut towards the carnivals entrance, a slight spring in it's step. The two imps were too exhausted to care. Shortly after they passed, Rachel took one quick look to make sure no other devils were around or watching. Then she opened one of the envelopes and sprinkled the dust over the group. All three began to fade out of view, and in a matter of moments, were invisible.
It was a little unnerving for Tidal. He could feel his own presence, but when he looked to where his arm should be, or any part of his body for that matter, he saw nothing. The three of them set out form their ambush spot and began to creep after their mark. Within a few steps as they began to move forward, Caravaggio quietly called out to his companions.
"Tidal! You're too loud. They'll hear us coming. Head to the rendezvous position and we'll meet you there. You can provide support if things go south."
Tidal grunted in acknowledgement and turned to head back. His armor was not designed for stealth. It was meant for combat. The clanging sound of his armor faded into the distance as he made his way back to their meeting place. The other two quietly closed with their quarry.
As Tidal got back to his waiting spot, he turned to observe the heist. The devil and his escort were still moving towards the carnival's entrance. Tidal thought he heard an owlish 'hoo-hoo', but that didn't make sense as there were no owls in Baator. At least none that he'd seen. Then, almost a breath later, all three creatures disappeared. Tidal blinked, and tried to spot them, but they had simply vanished. There was a very loud howl from where the devil and his imps had just been. Tidal kept very still, listening as hard as he could for any movement or any indication that his companions were back at their meeting spot.
After a tense few moments, Tidal heard some soft foot falls. Instinctively, he put his hand on the hilt of his axe. Tidal cautiously called out in a hush; "Is that you guys?"
"Hell yea it is!" came the muted, but excited reply from Rachel's voice.
Tidal quickly and quietly marked an 'X' in the dirt near him so the others knew where he was standing. A moment later, and he could feel something brushing into him. Then he heard Rachel's faint voice reciting a spell. It was one Tidal recognized, as it was the spell for the hut.
Time felt like it was crawling as Tidal waited for the spell to be ready. Tense moments continued to pass as the group could still hear the devil roaring in the flatlands. The imps were also making some kind of shrieking noise as they moved about. It was hard to tell if they were getting closer or moving away. Tidal kept flexing his grip on the hilt of his weapon, ready to act at a moments notice.
Finally the walls of the hut appeared. The three party members sat down, though they were still invisible. Rachel explained that the dust would last for about an hour, so they'd just have to sit tight until it ended.
***
Tidal was the first to reappear inside the hut. A short time later, Car and Rachel reappeared. The three of them continued to cautiously listen to their surroundings. The howls of the dragon devil had faded into the distance, but they wanted to be sure no one was sneaking around their magical hut before they spoke. Rachel and Car had big smiles on their faces. Each was holding onto one of the burlap bags. They carefully opened up their newly acquired bounty and their smiles only grew bigger.
"Jackpot!" whispered Rachel, still barely able to contain her excitement. "Soul coins!"
"And quite a haul!" Added Caravaggio.
The two did a quick count and found between them that they had acquired 17 coins from the dragon devil.
"So what do we do with them now?" asked Tidal.
"The Choir said we could use these to heal ourselves quicker." offered Rachel.
"They also act as currency here in Baator." added Caravaggio.
"Well, let's figure out what to do with these things. We need to get in to the carnival and find Dido." Tidal said, a little impatient to get moving and a little excited to finally have a means to do something in Baator.
"I don't like the idea of a lone member of our team having all the fun!" Tidal added with a grin.
***
Dido found herself at the entrance of the tent at the top of the black iron Ferris wheel. It was a short distance to go after stepping of the platform that brought her there. Taking a better look, now that she stood at the threshold of the tent, Dido made a quick note of every possible exit, possible insurance should something go awry with her plan.
The scene inside the tent was appeared to be the aftermath of a lavish party. Devils were laying all about the room, collapsed wherever they had passed out. There where all sorts of bottles from drinks and all manner of clothing left haphazardly on the floor. Seated on the largest settee, directly opposite from the entrance, was the most prestigious of devils. With a dark read suit, bright red vest, the individual was strewn across it's lavish pink cushions. A rimmed black hat sat over his eyes while a cigar dangled between two talons on his hand. The cigar had long gone out, but the air in the tent was saturated in it's smell.
Dido scanned the room once again to identify any potential threats, or weapons. Of the half dozen devils present, the only one with a visible weapon was the Duke. Hooked to his belt, the dagger looked to be made of iron. There were runes inscribed along the dagger's blade that Dido couldn't make out, but they each glowed a vibrant hellish red.
Dido took a few steps into the tent and paused. No one reacted to her entry. She cleared her throat, but still no response. Dido cleared her throat again, but this time even louder and more exaggerated. Her second attempt did the trick. Duke Zapar took one of his talons and pushed the rim of his hat up. Peering from beneath, the Duke was trying to adjust his vision to make out the individual who had just woken him up. After a couple of blinks to clear his soft black eyes, a devilish smile crept across the Duke's face.
"Well now." came the smooth drawl of the Duke's voice. "Y'are a new face."
Duke Zapar slowly sat up on his settee. The chair was a covered in a bright pink velour. There were studded golden nubs along it's top and sides. The Duke picked his hat up off his head and ran his talons through his hair to straighten it out. Then, he looked around the tent and took stock of his surroundings. Content that things were as they should be, he tugged on his suit at the waist to straighten it out and waved Dido to come closer.
Dido took a few steps towards the Duke, but stopped just outside of arm's reach.
"Ah, Come own now." The Duke waved more exaggeratedly for Dido to come closer. "Aah ain't gonna bite ya darlin'!"
Dido gave him a stern look and the Duke put up his hands. "Fine!" he said in resignation.
"So, for what now do aah owe the pleasure darlin'?" inquired the Duke. He reclined back into his settee. Pulling the cigar up to his mouth, he snapped his fingers to produce a flame on the tip of his thumb. Relighting his cigar, he took a few puffs of it and put his arm out along the top of his chair. He fixed Dido in his gaze which felt like a mix of amusement and predatory hunger at the same time.
"My name is Dido Sarash. I have been told that you can cure me of my affliction." Dido said in a strict business tone. She gestured towards her exposed skin.
Duke Zapar looked her up and down, taking his time more to soak in the sight of her than to discern anything about her condition. His smile grew even bigger as his lips parted to reveal his sharp, dagger like teeth. The Duke leaned forward in his chair.
"Well now," he paused, still grinning, "that's the pits ain't it."
Dido kept her expression neutral, though she felt her fist tightened slightly as she moved to hid it behind her back. She wanted to punch the Duke right in the face, but that wouldn't get her what she needed.
"However, aah do have two options for ya." The Duke continued as he pulled the cigar up too his mouth.
He took a long drag from his cigar and blew a darkly colored smoke ring onto a small end table in front of him. The ring lingered while he spoke.
"The first, and least interestin'," he started, indicating the smoke ring with a wave of his hand, "is you pay me a soul coin, and aah will cure you're ailin' affliction."
Duke Zapar then stabbed the smoke ring away using a thrust from his cigar. He then opened a drawer on the side of his little end table. He moved some objects around inside the drawer before pulling out a small carved wooden box. The box had some intricate groves on it, but otherwise didn't seem out of the ordinary.
"The second, and more interestin' choice, is to draw a card." continued the Duke as he opened the box to reveal the top of a deck of cards with a velvety and ornate backing. "If you draw a card, aah will give you a soul coin, and cure you're ailin' affliction."
"And what is the deal with the cards?" Inquired Dido.
"Ah! Well, each card has it's own outcome. Some of these cards will grant you treasure's beyond you're wildest dreams." The Duke grinned at Dido, as he clearly enjoyed talking about this deck. "Other's however," he paused a moment as he waved his hand dismissively in the air, "can result in fates worse than death."
Dido paused to think over her options. She knew soul coins had been hard to come by so far during their adventure, and this was an opportunity to gain one. However, the unknown nature of this deck of cards meant that something unimaginable could happen and stop her from pursuing her quest. Dido was never one to let fear hold her back. She had been through enough trials in her life that she felt she could handle any curve ball thrown at her. With a nod, she made up her mind.
"I already died once." Dido said as she shrugged her shoulders. "I'll draw a card."
Duke Zapar's grin stretched across his face from ear to ear. He took the deck out of the box, then shuffled it up and then held it out in his hand for Dido to draw. Dido reached forwards and pulled the top card off the deck. She looked at it's picture. It depicted a hooded figure in some kind of underbrush. A small set of text was written along the bottom, but Dido couldn't read it. Likely the text was in infernal like everything else in Baator. She turned the card around to show the Duke.
"Well now, The Rogue." The Duke said slightly amused with a smile. He put the cigar in the corner of his mouth and waited for a moment, scanning the tent. After a moment, the smile left his face. A look of disappointment taking over. Dido also looked around, but saw nothing and turned to look back at the Duke. The card vanished from her hand.
"Dagnabit!" said the Duke, a little flustered. Then he let out a sigh. "That's disappointin'." A sheepish look crept onto his face. "Aah couldn't interest you in drawin' two more cards for three soul coins now could aah?"
The Duke grinned towards Dido. Dido slowly shook her head no.
"No thank you." she replied. "But I would like to have my situation resolved now." she continued.
The Duke sighed again then composed himself.
"Ah yes. A deal's is a deal." he said.
Duke Zapar put the deck back in it's box and closed the lid. Then he opened the drawer and placed it back inside. He seemed to move some more thing around in the drawer until he pulled out a soul coin. Placing the coin on the table, he then pulled the dagger from his belt.
"Darlin', if ya don't mind." The Duke said as he motioned towards the coin. "Aah need you to hold that."
Dido reached out to pick it up, but hesitated for a moment, knowing she was about to experience another soul's death. She pushed past her pause and grabbed the coin. Instantly, as her hands touched the coin, the new final memory of the soul entered her mind.
The soul was from an loxodon. A humanoid with the features of an elephant. This individual had been a healer, a practitioner of medicine. There was an operation happening. A rumble from the ground. An earthquake? Suddenly, a sharp pain. In the momentary loss of focus during the rumble, their hand had been cut. The wound was deep. The patient had an infection. Their blood was mixing...
Dido was suddenly brought out of the memory. She looked at the Duke, then down at the coin she was holding. Duke Zapar had driven his dagger through the coin. Suddenly, there was a flash and Dido was back in the memory.
The memory felt different now. It felt more intense than before. Some time had passed since the accident. The wound had become infected. Their hand hurt incredibly. They had a high fever. An orderly, their apprentice, was tending to them. They changed the wet cloth on their head. The village was too remote to get another healer fast enough to help. As their vision started to fade, in the individuals final moments, they felt regret. Regret for loosing focus during an important operation and having their own wound cause sepsis. Regret for not being able to save the patient either. Then, there was an intense feeling of fear. What happens next? Then everything went dark.
Dido's vision slowly came back to her. She was sweating. She reached for her hand, but there was no cut. The pain had felt so real. As the moments crawled forward, the memory slowly began to fade like a dream. Dido felt sick to her stomach. She felt uneasy from the experience, feeling another's final moments so intensely.
Dido then felt something on her arm. She pulled her sleeve back. The glowing fractures on her arm were receding. After a moment, the feeling was gone. The Duke held up a hand mirror.
"Aah reckon that did the trick." came the smooth drawl from the Duke as he offered Dido the mirror.
Dido took the offered mirror and checked out her skin. All the cracks were gone. There no sign she'd ever had them. Satisfied, she handed the mirror back to the Duke.
"Thank you for your assistance." Dido said as she nodded. The Duke nodded back.
"If you ever feel like gamblin' darlin', you know where to find me." Zapar said with a sinister grin and a wink. He then clapped his hands and one of the party goers who'd been passed out on the floor started to rouse.
"Za'gh-brule, would you kindly show our guest the exit?" requested the Duke.
The other half naked devil staggered to it's feet and shambled over to a rope that was dangling at the back of the tent. It fell, more than gracefully grabbed, onto the rope and pulled. As the devil fell to the ground, the pulled rope drew back a set of the tent's curtains to reveal a poll. Duke Zapar gestured to the poll behind him and smiled again at Dido.
"You have a grand time at the carnival now, ya hear." and beckoned her to the poll.
Dido nodded once again and strode over to the newly revealed exit. She looked down the hole in the tent's floor that the poll ran through. It ended somewhere near the path that would lead her back to the carnival's entrance. Dido reached out and grabbed the poll. Then she swung one leg around it and then the other. She began to slide down the poll. Slowly at first, but she began to pick up speed as she grew more comfortable.
In a matter of moments, Dido's feet were back on solid ground. She felt a sense of relief as if a burden had been lifted from her. She looked down the path that lead to the exit. It passed many different booths and huts. Perhaps there was some time to explore and enjoy the carnival while she was here. After all, Dido reasoned, she had nine tickets left, and maybe there was something of value she could pick up while she was in the carnival.
Dido started to walk down the path, feeling reinvigorated. It was time for fun.
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