Avari

"For the last time, how do I get you off my shoulder, you little bastard?" I exasperate, scowling at the unwanted freeloader hitching a ride on my left shoulder. "I'm getting sick of having your ugly mug in my peripheral."

"Ohohoho~ No, my friend, no! We are allies, yes? You do not want rid of me!" it chortles obnoxiously. "I am the Generous! I am here to help you."

"Stop. Just stop. Stop calling me that." I snap back. "I'm not your friend, and I'm not calling you 'the Generous' either. As soon as I figure out how to get you off my shoulder I'll bury your damn amulet where no one will ever find you again."

Aurgh! What a fool I've been! Trying on strange amulets like I'm some greenhorn treasure hunter who doesn't know any better... It was a stupid mistake, but after running dozens of successful raids and never once encountering any of the fabled 'cursed objects' treasure hunters are so paranoid about, I began to doubt the legitimacy of their existence. Other hunters fib more than they tell the truth when giving advice, after all. The nature of our work makes it profitable for the competition to be dead instead of plundering potential caches. And the amulet was so beautiful and intricate, a masterwork of gold with a ruby centerpiece. I let my hubris get the best of me, and now I have this... this nasty wart of a demon attached to me.

I glance over at the small imp clinging to my shoulder, giving it another once-over and mentally reviewing what I know. It's not like any demon I've ever seen, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad one. Its body is made entirely of hardened terracotta, meticulously carved into the shape of what appears to be a monkey-esque gargoyle. It feels hollow, light enough to not weigh me down while I travel, but its hide is incredibly tough. All of my attempts to crack or break the material, whether by chipping away with tools or shoulder-slamming into boulders, have proved unsuccessful, and its grip is such a vice that prying it off seems impossible without severing my whole left arm in the process. Its head is an entirely different material - perhaps some kind of porcelain or ivory - unfortunately just as hard to crack. It's been painted and carved carefully, made to look like a creepy jester's mask. The face is also painted on, including the eyes, which don't appear to be real. I'm not entirely sure if this means the demon is blind, or if it perhaps has some other way of watching me. The only opening I can find on the mask is the mouth, which is perpetually upturned in a sort of mocking glee. I've tried looking into that cold void with a torch before, but its gullet festers with shadows that seem to quench the light before it can return to my eyes. I dare not stick my fingers inside.

"Warming up to me already, friend? I knew you'd come around!" it squeals jarringly into my ear as it notices me staring, making me reel. "I only want to help. We're going to get so rich together. You'll see..."

"Piss off. I'm not warming up to shit." I hiss, pushing on its face to no avail. "You want to help? Help me by shutting up."

"But I can be so useful!" it squawks in retort. "I know all about Ladeki! About its history. About the great King Faesli. About where the capital city is buried... Think of all the wealth waiting for us..."

I nearly trip over myself at its words, but try to maintain a balanced cadence. I don't want it to think it's getting to me. But still... How could this demon know about any of that? I haven't told it anything, but its words ring true. Ladekai is a harsh desert, a land scorned by life and abandoned by rain, but there are secrets here. The people that live here, especially the more superstitious sort, speak with a fondness for this place, passing down tall tales of the prosperous kingdom that their forefathers lived in. Supposedly, it was a resource-rich jungle at the turn of the century, or so I've been told, and as unbelievable as it sounds, I've heard it too frequently and too vividly to dismiss it as mere hearsay. This is isn't some distant legend, it's a fondly remembered legacy. And of course, the endless gold and jewels buried in the silt along the lines of dried riverbeds don't hurt corroborate the claims either. They're what I'm really interested in.

But this 'King Faesli' figure the demon mentions... That's not a name I've heard before, but something in the Generous's tone makes me reluctant to dismiss it as a fib. It spoke of him with such confidence, such... pride? Perhaps it knows more than the locals. Was it there? Is it reciting from memory? What if it really could help me find where the lost capital city is buried? Just imagining how much gold would be there makes my mouth water... But no! No, Avari! This is a demon. It's using you. Don't fall for its tempations.

"Do you not understand how to shut up?" I reply coldly, keeping my interest in its knowledge hidden. "Close your yapper, rat."

With a grunt I hope is finalizing, I refocus on the desert in front of me, finding it more pleasant to fixate on the uncomfortable dryness in my mouth and itchy sand in my shoes than on my insufferable companion. I need to move quickly, before night falls and the cold sets in. Journeying during mornings and evenings is only way to get around in Ladeki. In between the blistering heat and freezing cold at the apex of days and nights here is the only window temperate enough to travel in, and it's a little easier to wade through the desert when the sand isn't hot enough to cook and peel skin right off a person's legs and the cold doesn't cause frostbite. Not by much, though. The sand still seems to grab, drag, and slosh against my stride with every laborious step. It does little to discourage me at this point. Far away in the distance, I can see the light of an outpost waiting for me.

Ladeki is too bleak and barren for settlements of any size, and outposts are the obvious answer. Mostly maintained by stubborn ex-Ladekin locals profiting off greedy treasure hunters, outposts are singular buildings made for temporary and communal living. Neighboring kingdoms fund and supply these locals with the promise of a cut on the potential spoils of part of the vast riches hidden in the sand. In other words, I'll have to pay a fee the to both the local living here and the kingdom sponsoring this outpost. It's obscenely overpriced for what amounts to a bland, stone building with no amenities in the middle of nowhere, but while they're not luxury inns, they have food, water, bedding, and hold their temperance well enough to stay warm through the night and cool through the day. It's a hell of a lot better than dying in the dunes.

"Lucky, lucky~ Free food, free coin~ Everything is free, free, free~" the Generous chimes in a sing-song voice as we approach, briefly regaining my attention. "Won't that be nice, friend? I see this as an excellent opportunity to prove my loyalty to you. I bet you would enjoy some free things, wouldn't you?"

"Nothing in life is free." I answer curtly, done with this demon's shit. "Stealing from outposts is a great way to piss off an entire kingdom. And pissing off a kingdom is a great way to lose your head. I have plenty of gold on my person anyway. The hunts have been going well."

"Stealing? Me? Stealing?! Oh, you wound, friend! You wound!" it ratchets incessantly. "Never stealing! Never! No, my friend. You're just about to get very, very lucky... You'll see... You'll see when we get there... Oh, you're going to be so proud of me! Hehehe..."

Its words unnerve me greatly, sounding more like a threat than a promise, but I keep my face blank. I don't know what exactly it plans to do to get me 'free' food and bedding, but as long as it's stuck to my shoulder it should be fine... right? I'll just keep a close eye on it and stop it when it tries anything. Regardless, the sun is almost down, and I can't sit around solving the riddles of a half-mad demon. I just hope I don't get rejected outright at first glance when they see it perched on my shoulder. Maybe I can claim it's a deformed pet... some kind of cat or monkey. No, that'll only work if it shuts up, and I don't see that happening soon. Whatever. I'm here. I'll just have to figure it out as I go. Squaring my shoulders and trying to look harmless, I deliver three solid knocks to the shelter door.

"Hello?" I call out. "I need room and board for tonight! I have plenty of coin."