If Clarissa had any remaining doubts about how much trouble she was in, they were gone now. The Ergon prisoner, her prisoner, was now her cellmate. He was awaiting execution. Perhaps she was now too.
"You walk a dangerous path, I see."
The young man's voice was melodious, if not deep, and it startled her. Turning her body away, she hoped he would stop talking and let her stew. He did not oblige, and what he said shook her.
"I saw you when I drank from the river." Every Census Office agent was given a crash course in each of the major Ergon tribes. This one, based on his dress and now this statement, was from the central desert. The river was the River of Dreams. A poisonous and dangerous stream that cut through the desert. Some say it created the desert. How this could happen was beyond her, but she did know one thing: the clear water did not nourish. Nothing grew on the banks and those who drank from it could not quench their thirst. Many had gone insane trying.
"Spare me your ravings, wanderer."
"I know not what method the cultists here use, but you have drank deeply of its poison."
"I have been shown my errors. You have imbibed the draught of insanity," she shot back.
The man smiled slowly. "No, your waters have submerged your true self. Mine revealed the self. They are opposites. You quiver in fear of your masters, while I await my fate without care."
Clarissa snorted. "You betray your madness with your own words. I would prefer us to meet our fates in silence."
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It was three days before anyone spoke to them. Bread and gruel were slipped in by hooded figures twice a day. Her body was wracked with pain. It felt like every cell and nerve ending was hyper sensitive. Despite her hunger, keeping food down was difficult and had to eat slowly over the course of a few hours lest she overload her stomach.
She craved a session with the Pool. She didn't know why, but there was a painful process going on inside her. She felt thirsty, but not for regular water. Drinking what little they gave her felt like imbibing a mirage. The few hooded figures she saw didn't speak and did not respond to questions with even a nod. She stewed in herself the whole time.
"You are imbalanced."
The cryptic phrase came from the Ergon. The voice was calm, but cracked with thirst. Though as a desert dweller she thought he might be inured to such hardships. She didn't respond to this, having no idea what he was talking about and not desiring conversation. He continued, apparently oblivious to this.
"We see it sometimes. When a warrior waits too long to perform the proper rituals. I hear it is painful."
"It is," she croaked, anger seeping into her voice.
Clarissa heard a rustling of clothing and heard his voice, closer now. "Here. Take this."
She looked over at an earthenware cup. He was offering her his portion of water. They wouldn't get anymore for at least 8 hours.
She took it slowly, like a wary animal. In the dimness she could see a smile on his face. She took the cup. The water felt refreshing on her throat and she felt her body greedily accept the fluid. It did nothing to diminish her pain, but it was appreciated nonetheless.
"Thank you," she said, with less croak than before.
"You're welcome," he said and sat back in his spot.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Clarissa spoke. "Why did you give me your water?"
"You are not my enemy." This surprised Clarissa. The Ergon and her people were enemies. They routinely probed at the Conduit City's defenses, trying to get in and wreck as much as possible. They would shut down the Conduit Plants if they could. The Census Office held them at bay. She had been considering the man an enemy the whole time, automatically. She was still wary.
"What? Are you going to try and get me to help you escape?"
The man laughed. "No. I am where I need to be. As are you, but you cannot see it."
Clarissa was about to respond with sarcasm, but stopped herself. His kindness before could have been a calculated trick, or perhaps not. Instead, she said, "Why do you say that?"
"I would rather you told me. Why are you here?"
"Because I'm weak." The question crushed her. She had blurted out the answer without thinking. It had come from a place she she couldn't name.
The man's gaze was intense, but it was attentive rather than threatening. "You are not weak. The River of Dreams (TKCoolName) does not send its sons and daughters after the weak."
Clarissa considered this. "How do you know you are not hallucinating? Everyone goes insane who drinks from it."
"Of course they do," he replied, as if this she said food left out too long will rot. "There is preparation required, rituals to heed. Drinking from the well of the universe is not done lightly. Those who go insane are those who resist the change which the water brings. A few city dwellers have been allowed to drink. We kill the rest to protect them."
"Protect them?" Clarissa stared. "You murder whoever comes near, whether they are armed or not."
Note: How do I do this? An unprepared mind drinking the waters can allow Chaos into the world. How cool is that? Think of the infection at the beginning of Dark Souls 3.
The man paused for a long while, head bowed in thought. "I have not wavered in my path until now. This appears to be my choice." He back at her, his gaze matching the intensity of before. "This cult is deluded, but they have hit on one truth: the world is changing very soon. Leave, seek out my people. When they ask for the word, speak my name: Drarebe. If you do not, they will kill you."
This was too much for Clarissa. "Drink from the river? And become either like you or worse? Thank you, no."
"Heed me. This is why I was sent. You are not ready now, but if you make it there, you will be."
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"My calling is not common. Honored, but not envied. I am a shaman, but one destined for one thing. A short life with all the meaning jammed in rather than a long one with the meaning spread throughout. Some few envy me, but that is because they cannot see their own meaning lightly sprinkled in all their actions."
"I know some shamanic rituals, but I have no tools. You must fashion them yourself after initiation, but this was skipped in light of my path."