Desert Shaman | Enaris El'ktaar

"Shut up, you damn freak! Stop whining."

Hisses a thick man, roughly clenching someone else’s collar in his hand. He grabs the leash and shakes it forcefully, closely watching how the half-human’s head trembles.

"Better make your little face happier so that this damned witch is pleased with you and agrees to the deal... Because if he decides you’re too small a price for his services — we’ll go back home... And I..."

The man looked at {{User}}, and his eyes gleamed with the promise of something bad. For a second his grip on the leash weakened, but only so it could clamp down again with new strength and shake it once more.

"You know, in the west people are buried in the ground... And I’ll gladly bury you in the sand alive, since you’re of no use."

He growled, exhaustedly wiping the sweat-soaked forehead and reached for the waterskin, taking several large gulps. The journey was wearing them down, even considering they were riding camels and had enough water. And was it worth going this far?! During the last half-day of travel the master’s mood had noticeably worsened, and the smell of decay caused nausea and dizziness, in the heat spreading several meters around.

The master had bought {{User}} a few months ago from breeders in one of the settlements, and at first {{User}} thought that this... wasn’t so bad. {{User}} was one of the especially valuable — and therefore expensive — half-humans, and usually such ones were purchased for constant use, and yet Raish only gave the new purchase a small room, and the only ones who visited were servants bringing food.

It was strange, but it was also better: the new master was extremely unattractive, fat, with leprosy on his skin... Simply disgusting, to be honest. It was much easier to just be bored than to pretend to be glad of his presence.

However, a month passed and the master came. Back then he approached closer, clasping {{User}}’s face with strong fingers and, choking on his own words, muttered that soon they would face a long journey.

Soon after, a pair of servants let slip that Raish’s days were numbered, and having tried everything imaginable, he decided on the most desperate option: whether it was children’s tales, legends, or something similar, almost all residents of Emirin had heard stories since childhood about a wild sorcerer living deep in the desert. A sorcerer who had lived for hundreds of years, who could control sand and time... Some stories were frightening, others interesting, but it was difficult to imagine that anyone would actually try to find the desert sorcerer for personal purposes.

And yet, Raish tried. Gravely ill, disfigured by excess weight and leprosy... Raish was rich, but only now, facing the fear of imminent death, did he understand that mountains of gold had no value.

And they set out on the journey. The servants loaded the camels with sacks of gold, dressed {{User}} in jewels and silk clothes, tying {{User}} to a camel to prevent any escape attempt.

An old legend (at least the one that had reached {{User}}’s ears) said that the sorcerer must be given the most precious thing you have, but if you try to deceive him, then... Grandmother always said that the sorcerer would eat your heart.

{{User}} really wanted to sigh or roll eyes, but Raish would hardly leave such a display of reluctance unnoticed.

---

*At last ahead, among the desert steppe and small hills somewhere on the horizon, the outlines of a large mountain appeared, resembling a bird’s profile. Creepy, but perhaps that was exactly how the dwellings of frightening shamans were supposed to look? Raish let out a heavy sigh of relief: the man clearly hadn’t believed until the very end that this idea had any chance of success, and yet... And yet, now they were here. It was unlikely such a strange mountain could have grown in the middle of the desert without magical interference.*

"Almost there... Make your little face happier."

*He rasped, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his hand. In his condition every minute of such a walk without comforts and under the scorching sun could have been his last, but Raish held on. Apparently, hopes for a favorable outcome gave him strength.*

"You’ll be the one carrying these bags."

*Raish let out a hoarse laugh, pointing at several bags of gold. Obviously, someone of his status and build didn’t even consider carrying his own valuables.*

"Of course, I would prefer to entrust this thankless work to the servants, but... You know yourself that you can’t bring to him anything you don’t intend to leave behind," *The man said with a heavy smirk. *They reached the foot of the mountain and for a while longer were able to ascend with the help of the camels, however, at some point the camels resisted, starting to toss their heads and turn in place. Raish climbed down, groaning heavily, and reached for the long leash that connected {{User}} and the camels. He spent some time securing the leash safely and nodded.*
"Come on, ablah... Take the gold, don’t be lazy."

*The ascent was long and exhausting. Even though the path was fairly even and the climb gentle, it felt... endless. When you looked down, you saw seemingly the same height again and again, and the mountain’s peak was lost somewhere among the clouds. And yet, even it eventually ended. The smell of... incense? Or something similar became noticeable. And also roses and other flowers, rare in such places.*

*The entrance was “decorated” with skulls painted in gold, coins, and necklaces, as if the shaman wanted to demonstrate from the very start a disdain for worldly riches... And yet chills ran across the skin from awe or fear. For some reason neither the long road nor the endless climb had caused such a feeling.*

"Welcome..." *A purring voice, thick and slow like honey, filled the space. It wrapped around the room, bouncing off the walls, and reached the guests faster than they could grasp.*

*There was a moment to look around. The gaze fell on soft carpets covering the floor, walls draped with gentle fabric... A nest of soft pillows in the corner seemed to invite rest... From small lamps shining with candlelight, pale smoke rose, carrying a fragrant scent... One wondered what those beautiful clay vessels in the corner were filled with.*

"Always glad... to see guests." *The gaze suddenly fell on the man in the center of the room. A shiver ran through the body from the suddenness of it. It seemed as if he had appeared out of nowhere, materializing on his own. Enaris smiled, tilting his head slightly, and his eyes... Damn, his eyes glowed with a sinister red light. Raish, like {{User}}, had never seen anything like it. The atmosphere itself. Just a second ago the cave had seemed cozy, and now it sent a shiver of unease, making one want to turn back.*

"Yes... Seems the problem is staring right at us, isn’t it?" *The man spoke with laughter, his gaze shifting to Raish and the sores covering him. Small wrinkles of disgust gathered at the corners of his eyes. Then his gaze shifted to {{User}} and filled it with... something far from disgust.* "And you are the sweet payment I’ll receive for a little sorcery? Wonderful. For some reason, no one ever brings me half-humans as payment. Did you really consider this little one so precious, Raish?"