The Black Teeth

IX - Clyde

After Jasmine's event with the old lady, they thought better to take no more chances and just all go together. Their second idea lead to a gambling hall.

"Now this is my kind of shi-"

"No Wes, your not blowing out your money on gambling. If I find you sitting at a card table once in this time, you'll find yourself beside Jackson."

Wes shivered at the thought and closed his mouth, one reason being he didn't want to test Clyde, the other being he actually wanted his tongue. After a moment of Clyde gathering his thoughts, Jasmine asked,

"Clyde, why is it your not afraid of killing and harming?"

"Mourning shows weakness. People fall around you everyday, you just have to learn to stand up." Clyde replied in a slightly poetic tone. Jasmine swallowed the comment, and they followed Clyde inside. People eyed them as they walked by the card tables, some clenching their drinks so hard Clyde thought they might break. Clyde ignored them until they eventually found their eyes back on their cards. Clyde approached the front table.

"Clyde, leader of The Black Teeth. Perhaps you hold information of our previous leader. Hardam, if that rings a bell?"

"Oh yes I know you. Clyde, a wanted fugitive, a criminal mastermind. Though your problems don't rest here as a customer is money." The young lady replied, pouring a drink in a dirty glass to then hand to a man across the bar. Her chocolate coloured hair covering her eyes as she continued.

"Your smart, most people would call the Grimace, ultimately leading to their demise." Clyde replied. Wes and Jasmine took a seat at the bar. Clyde leaned on his cane, waiting for a reply.

"Yes of course. I won't doubt it and wish not to test that theory. Unfortunately I have nothing in which Hardam has given me. Has he left the city?"

"Yes he has. You knew him?" Clyde asked curiously. Maybe if not directly giving him information, he could use his conversation as leverage.

"Yes I knew him. He came in commonly for a drink and gambled at the table usually once a month. His a very good tipper if I do say." She brushed her hair from her eyes and Clyde noticed her topaz eyes glimmer in the light.

"Your Jurian?" Jasmine joined the conversation. "Not many Jurian come to Bliskam."

"Juri was my home. My family immigrated from their when I was four. But after the death of The Amulet Holders, Juri has never been the same."

"May I ask, what was so special about The Amulet Holders? I'm not overly familiar with their tales." Wes asked.

"The Amulet Holders are chosen generation after generation to protect the ones who hold magical ability. The last chosen ones took it upon themselves to learn how to traverse Gates. Only these Amulet Holders were the most special of them all. Soldiers from other Gates learned how to enter our world, and a war broke out to close the way to our world. We lost the Fireholder, Windsummoner, and Naturling, and theirs rumours that the Tidemaker still walks. The amulets have been destroyed, except hers, supposedly. But those are just the tales." Once she finished they nodded a quick thanks and departed.

"Clyde, do you believe in magic?" Jasmine asked.

"I don't believe there is an all-controlling power in which is gifted from the past. Nor do I believe there is ones who just inherit magical abilities. There may be magic, but nothing controls that much." Clyde said.

"Do you believe in the amulets?" Wes asked.

"No." Clyde relied flatly. He didn't believe in ultimate power. Nor did he believe in no power. Magic was a curious thing to him. Power was leverage to him, anything he could use in the moment. The dry wind picked up around the city, blowing signs back and forth. The usually rain seemed to disappear, and the beating sun bounced of buildings.

"This is my last idea. And listen to me, I do the talking. One wrong word and we'll end up dead. This is no place we should be roaming." Clyde said warily. They approached a trader with his cart and Clyde whispered in a deep soft tone,

"Je'maki jurian de'serv excutoi." He spoke a broken tongue of what seemed to be Jurian. It was a code in which people would exchange to the trader to enter The Ring. The Ring was a place for people to illegally fight and kill each other for bets others would place. It was one place most of Bliskam didn't know about, or didn't want to know about. Jasmine and Wes exchanged awkward glances to each other, which Clyde ignored. The trader walked away for a brief moment and arrive again with three black robes and the same amount of masks. The masks were painting in what seemed to be a blood streak, and each eye hole was a deep black. The mask seemed also to be made of bone and was shaped awkwardly. Clyde turned towards Jasmine and Wes.

"Okay, listen to me. Don't mention anything about The Black Teeth, Hardam or yourselves. If someone asks, make up a name. In here everyone that knows us will do their damn hardest to retrieve our prize. I know someone here who might know something about Hardam's note," He began to follow the trader to a small hatch in the ground below his feet. "Oh, and for every sake, don't take of those masks." They put on the robes over their clothes, and put on the rotting bone mask over their faces before fully entering the hatch. It led to a small room in which had stairs descending into The Ring. People roared from below as they walked down the stairs. Clyde adjusted his mask, took a deep breath, and entered the crowd of masked people. Out of the thousand problems with this place, the major one Clyde dreaded is everyone looked identical, so following someone was a pain, and Clyde was trusting Jasmine and Wes. If they started following the wrong person, they could very likely end up on a ship sailing to the middle of the sea and trading their location for a large sum of coin, and who knows what would happen after that. That wasn't his focus though. He needed to find someone. He pushed through everyone unnoticed until he led himself to the outer edge of the Ring. Inside a pleading man begged for his life as some sort of creature feasted on his flesh, happily chewing on his bones like a dog. The screams echoed the large room, and within seconds, died out as he lay helplessly on the ground, getting devoured by the creature limb by limb. Clyde saw Jasmine shutter at the site and was glad they were still behind him.

"Who's next?" A booming voice shattered in the air.

"How 'bout this young fella?" A hand grabbed hold of Clyde.

"Get the hell off me." But before he could pull out any weapon, he was thrown into the Ring. The prior beast was brought back into its home as a wheel above spun for the new opponent, man or beast. Clyde took the opportunity to peek though the chains of the ring and tell Wes and Jasmine,

"I'll stall. Find Raze Devon. He'll stand out with a different mask. Get him here." Clyde said, a hint of scared in his voice.

"No, oh no. Clyde." Jasmine began to weep.

"Jasmine, we need to find him. How much time can you stall Clyde?" Wes asked fists grasping there chains. Booming cheers of voices blocked much of their hearing so they began to shout.

"Watch the Ring, I'll do whatever I can." Clyde said eyeing the wheel. It felt like slow motion as the dial ticked past each option. Finally it stopped, and Clyde began his prayers, which consisted of

"Oh fuc-"

He stopped as the gates began to open, releasing his enemy. He released multiple shaky breaths.

"Live alone," His hands dropped to his sides as he clenched his damp palms into fists. "Or die together."

The dance with the devil was about to begin.