TCGP (part 5): A trip in the Golden desert

A trip in the Golden desert

(Theraspy answering the riddle): "There might be different answers, but i found at least one of them. I would proceed to ask any guard the following question: If I were to ask the other guard, which door would he point toward to send me where I want to go?

If I speak to the guard who always lie, he would send me to the door where I die because he would lie about the answer the other guard would give me, and if I speak to the one that tells the truth, he would also send me to the door where I die because he would tell me the lie the other guard would feed me.

That was a hard one little guy, you had me sweating eh! Fun!''

(Rectis eyes wide opened): "Very smart that was and impressed I am."

The first thing I had in mind crossing the border of the Teslim region was to go to the Golden desert's capital. A race known as the Demariel's children inhabited the area and I was to meet up with their leader named without much surprise: Demariel, the god of sand lands. The people he ruled over had given him this name after he became the most renowned teacher when it came to long range combat at the capital, showing people how to ride shemps (four legged creatures with two lumps on their back) and throw axes while doing so. He soon after was known even out of his region for the same reason as influential families in the surrounding regions sent their offspring to learn specifically from him. And this, is how he became their god, interesting story indeed...

But for now, back to my own: I had a dream on the way there that after that kept me awake for days. I felt targeted by devilish spirits making me unable to sleep and I could not overcome it by any usual way such as singing to myself or breathing exercises (by the way you should look these up as they calm your soul when life gets hard to hold together). This very specific insomnia however seemed comparable to a curse. Whenever I slept for an hour or two, I would have the same recurrent dream over and over again, it was the most unpleasant nighttime I had since I left Genova's stomach...

I will try to describe the nightmare to you the best I can: It started in the darkness of the night. I was outside in the desert, with Idriss looking directly at me (second moon of Sagon), watching every step I took as if it was listening to me, waiting for I to speak to her, waiting for I to have a righteous mind misstep. I was alone at first and then had someone walking behind me. When I tried to run, I was unable to do so, the sand was swallowing all my remaining strength as I was trying to push myself forward.

My stalker looked like a paladin (the mix of a warrior and a priest, I had never seen one before but this is how I could represent them in my mind from the stories I had heard in the past. My mother had tales about those noble warriors and would call them the Shembaa followers), except unlike paladins she had described, he had that scary and evil look, his black cape was ripped in half in a vertical line and was floating somewhat upwards like bruised crow wings.

I could feel the rage he had, an hatred out of control in a god like body, he had a tainted silver full helmet that had for opening up front a cross for him to see, breathe and speak clearly. I had the impression that he had been converted to evilness by somebody else, an even furthermore powerful someone...

I was trying to run in the sand. I was dehydrated and could feel sand in my mouth, my mana was completely depleted and I had left my sword in my tent. I felt so defenseless. I then realized turning around for the third time that he was in fact at the head of a horde of mercenaries. Hundreds of them...

Hundreds running after me while I could hear his whispers echoing from another dimension, right into my mind. Over... And over. And over again...

As I was now able to run away from him, I would turn around sometimes and I could see a spirit behind him that was tall, standing all the way to the sky. The sound of his breathing was as if he had asthma and it echoed in the cold air of the night. After a few minutes I start to lose consciousness, and then I fall in the sand. At that point I know that they are going to get to me. Even if I try crawling harder and harder, the sand makes my efforts useless again and then I start to scream as I feel pain over whelming me...

Rectis had been the one to show up in my tent in the morning for a few weeks now when I was late instead of the usual sighing Theraspy to wake me up. This morning, I heard her soft voice in my dream:

"Hey, rise and shine mister. Can I get you more water? Very empty your gourd looks from here."

I then woke up sweating and breathing heavily looking around like lost, I found myself sitting a second later and was using my hands to push myself backwards a few times with terror in my eyes and by reflex stuttered:

"Don't, Don't touch me, go away!"

She was surprised and dropped the water she had brought for me. It spilled in the sand, she was now slowly walking backwards with a sad face, she then turned around and left hastily.