Law of Evolution: The Fifth Clan

The Problem

8th Day of the sixth Moon.
Writing: Nick, son of Unknown.

The sun burnt hot on it's mid-day throne, there over and above the clouds it cast its rays on us. I never complained about the heat, but this was starting to get overwhelming. Not only were my feet being scorched with every step I take on the sand, but both me and Tariq have been having illusions ever since we left the Springs. It's just the heat. We kept saying that, just the heat. Acknowledging didn't change much, but it help knowing our situation. Trouble, our situation was trouble.

"The City?" Nothing but a dry call managed to leave my lips. Dehydrated. That's what I was. Tariq ,on the other paw, seemed perfectly capable of handling the desert heat for days straight. "No, we're still four days away..." She halted, waiting patiently for me to catch up. This is humiliating. Someone waiting for me to catch up. I've always been the fastest and the most durable of the bunch back in Majula. How the mighty fall. "An Oasis?" I try.

The lack of response is a reply on its own. There is nothing. We're running out of water. If we hold on to the water and food we were given by the priestesses of the Spring, then we can last for another night, but... "Our odds are getting slimmer, this was a horrid idea" She transforms my thoughts in words and as she says it, I stop as well, now only a few steps behind her. She's right. The odds are against us. "Maybe, maybe not" I sighed. Who was I kidding? We had no choice after all.

A whisper "We... we should change course".

I can see it in her eyes, now more than when we made this foolhardy attempt of escape. She was fading, just barely holding on. I was in no better shape either. "To where?" I chuckled, more grimly that I wanted to, "Can you even tell where we're going?" As I said that, I faced her, and I could see the same doubt drip into her exhaustion and mix with it. She couldn't process the thought. "Maybe, maybe not".

She turned right and began walking, just like that.

"That's my line..." I grumbled, but followed her anyway. If she could get a roof over our heads and a flask of water, we would be luckier than we deserve and as much as I need to deliver the core, survival comes first.

"There is a town, near an Oasis here. My fath-... it's not hard to spot" The last words came out in a blur as she turned away from me. She still hadn't recovered. Four days aren't enough. But then again, I doubt she'll ever forget it. Who would?

So I just stumbled after her at a steady pace, taking small and careful steps. That was our last conversation for many hours to come, making it easier to focus on putting one foor in front of the other and leave the same  trail on the... sand. My best guess was that I was hallucinating again, just like I had been doing the past days. Footprints. More of them by the second. Spiraling around the sand, spreading across these golden plains. Their izes varied and shape as well, even felt real too.

"More illusions" I warned her, just for safety. She'd better know if I was losing my mind. "Don't worry" She brushed her foot against an elephant's footprint. It was swept away. "They're real" A smile crept across Tariq's lips.

"No they're not. We should have seen all these people by now" I rasped, licking my lips. They were so dry that not even my saliva coyld do anything to prevent them from hurting. "This place is magic, you idiot" She snorted, pointing down at the footprint she had just kicked.

It had reappeared.

"Nothing can be erased from these sands" She knelt and with her finger, Tariq drew a T on a patch of sand that hadn't been used. "A curse befell this place long ago, now people like to leave their mark here" She chuckled, drawing a N near her own mark. "Why me, too?" I kicked the letter, only to watch it reappear.