Distraction

JP with Winteroak and Omni

After the two dark robes finished offloading their “goods” into the tent, a third one came to meet them, but stayed behind to guard the area. There was no question now that this was something of interest. Something the dark robes didn’t want in someone else’s hands. Voah wondered now if she had been hiding near one such barrel during her little scouting mission inside the den.

The guard took out a long, intricately carved pipe and a lighting wick, which he proceeded to dip into the flames of a nearby hanging lantern just as ornate and decorative in Ozainae fashion. The wick went from flame to bowl and the man began puffing smoke from the mouthpiece. He shook out the wick to extinguish it as plumes of smoke rolled from his nostrils and the corner of his mouth, playing gently past his upturned mustache and into the cool, nightly desert air. He gazed out into the night and would have even seen Voah if there had been enough light behind their camp. But his gaze moved on as he paced around slowly.

Malacost touched Voah shoulder softly so she would not be startled. He had understood her interest in the barrels and would help her get into the tent if possible. He pointed at himself and at the guard, and made a gesture as if saying he would try to attract the man away. When she nodded he slipped back between two nearby tents disappearing from sight for a few moments.

As the guard kept smoking and pacing around the tent, Malacost suddenly appeared from a different direction, staggering and mumbling under his breath.

He waved at the guard as he walked at a non threatening distance but enough so that the man kept his sights on the drunken fool that was coming this way. He passed the tent and paced quickly towards a nearby dune where he stopped and opened his breeches. The guard shouted something at him but Malacost simply waved him away and groaned loudly in reply.

A steady stream of piss fell on the cold sand steaming up in the cold night air. The guard shouted again and this time walked towards the drunk to push the man away. Urine attracted mice and mice attracted snakes.

It was good to know that the faithful Alcuin was on the same wavelength as Voah. He beat her to the punch with a silent offering to draw the attention of the guard away from her.

Trusting that he wasn’t eager to get himself killed over this, Voah wasted no time moving in on the opposite end of the tent as Alcuin conducted his distraction.

Slipping unobtrusively into the tent, she found the two barrels unattended and graciously capped with lids that could be easily lifted off instead of tightly sealed barrel caps.

In her triumph, Voah half-imagined Gonyaul dancing and singing on the top of the barrels as she recalled from months ago at her natalday celebration. Her lips twitched with a sly smile and she approached the vessels.

Choosing the left barrel, she lifted the lid as quietly as possible and peered inside…

Immediately upon opening the barrel, her nostrils were met by the overwhelming scent of something earthy and wet like petrichor but very cloying. From the light provided by a single burning brazier, Voah could see just beyond the inner ring of shadow, several large and bulbous shapes clustered within

She reached into the barrel with two hands and lifted one of the objects from the wet sands that lined the bottom. It was slightly slick and ovular in shape. Yes, an egg for certain. Her nose wrinkled in disgust, thinking back on the booze eggs she had found in the Neph'Kin village. This was much much bigger, larger even than a goose egg, and the thing felt fleshy and leathery in her hands.

There was no time to stick around and examine it further in the tent so she gently set it aside on the other barrel temporarily and put the lid back into position than exited the tent with her prize just as cautiously and swiftly as she came, dashing into the darkness of the nearby dunes.