Deleyna's Spooktober 2022

For your amusement... a short story set more than 400 years before Dominion of Darkness. Explanation of the format follows the story.

1. Portrait

Vertrilia sat on a mat in her mother's hut and held the impossible parchment in her hand. The image, a portrait of one of her ancestors, was not much bigger than her hands. It was both thin and stiff, the colors still vivid after over 400 years. Her mother had shown her the image so that she could see how strong the family resemblance was to this woman who had made that first crossing from the Eastern lands.

2. Vanish

Behind the woman was an impossible city made of crystal and some form of metal. The gleaming surfaces soared high into the sky, forming a stunning backdrop to the smiling face. This ancestor, whose memory we had lost to history, had clearly loved this city. How could something that huge just vanish? History said a mighty battle between Light and Shadow had destroyed the city just after the first Draska set sail for the rest. No one had ever gone back.

3. Abandoned

But even after all of this time, surely something of that mighty city must have survived.

"Mother, what is the name of this place?"

"Look on the back - it is written there."

She turned it over. Ekroria. But was that the name of the city or the woman?

"And this place? You think it is still there? Abandoned?"

Her mother shook her head. "I doubt it. After this time and after the battle, I'm sure nothing survived."

4. Enchant

"But weren't they powerful magicians? Certainly, they had the power to enchant these structures. See how they gleam in the light?"

Her mother shook her head. "No one knows. It is an old picture. I just wanted you to see how strongly you look like this woman."

"It is weird to think that there was a place like this... and now there is no one there at all. That's tragic."

5. Misfortune

Her mother scoffed. "Tragic? This was not some misfortune that befell our ancestors! They brought this disaster upon themselves by betraying the Light in their desire for power."

Verti ran her thumb over the sparkling image, removing a piece of dust.

"Why hasn't anyone ever tried to go back?"

"Go back?" Her mother's voice was a strangled gasp. “Look around! Everything we need is here.”

"We do not have the knowledge that they had to make such a beautiful city. We have lost so much."

6. Chasm

"There can be no going back. The Light put a great chasm between us and that place. No one can go there."

"Has anyone tried?" A chasm? In the ocean? Wouldn't the water run off into it and fill it? Wouldn't it just be something that could be sailed across after all this time?

"Who would do something so insane? Our ancestors were happy to get out of that nightmare alive."

7. Thorn

She gave the portrait back to her mother and left to resume her work for the day, fishing and tending to the animals in her care.

But as she moved around the village, she realized how primitive the living conditions were. Images of that gleaming city became a thorn in her mind, drawing her towards that forgotten place in the east.

Sitting at the river's edge with her canine companion, she cleaned the last of the fish she'd caught and put them in a bucket to take back to the communal fire.

8. Howl

As she stood and picked up the bucket, she stopped to look towards the east. She would go. She would take a boat and go. Sailing was one thing she knew well, and her curiosity was boundless. It wouldn't be that hard. Steps formed in her mind, pulling her deeper and deeper into imagining the voyage.

A howl from the dog at her side drew her back to reality.

"Fine. I'll get back to work." She glared at the dog. Clearly, it was time for his dinner.

9. Mirror

It had taken her a year to get to this place. The sea was as still and reflective as a mirror. She'd lowered the sail and now floated mere feet from what appeared to be a curtain of darkness. It extended as far up as she could see and reflected down into the ocean below. Looking north and south, she saw no end to it. She'd sailed east, the only direction the ancestral records held.

This was the great curtain that the ancients had mentioned. On this side, the Light ruled. On the other side, there would be only Shadow.

Shadow and answers.

10. Broken

Picking up an oar, she touched the curtain, verifying that it was not solid. The tip of the oar passed through and came back unharmed. She'd come this far, broken all ties to the world behind her.

Her family and friends had called her insane. Servant of the Darkness, no less. How could it be evil simply to want answers? She wasn't planning on joining the Darkness.

There could still be things to be learned from the ruins. She put her oars to use and slowly pierced the veil, leaving the Light behind.

11. Escape

As soon as the veil closed behind the stern of her boat, she knew that escape from this realm would be difficult. No light penetrated this side of the veil. Where it had been full day only a moment before, it was now black as night. She coughed from the smoke in the air. Brimstone. Sulfur.

Verti tied a piece of cloth over her nose and mouth and blinked her eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness.

There was some light, a glow towards the east. There was also a slight breeze. She raised her sail and steered towards the glow.

12. Slime

The air was thick, and she was quickly coated with a sticky slime from the mist of the water combining with the warm ash. But over time, her eyes adjusted and she could just make out the shore. There appeared to be a stone pier jutting out towards her. Gently, she brought the little craft into the empty port, tying off the lines and climbing onto the shore.

She was the first of her people to set foot on this land in over 400 years.

13. Haunt

What ghosts would haunt this place?

The glow of fires was off to the north, but directly in front of her, she could see a reflected gleam in a surface only partially covered by the soot. Could it be that she'd come directly into the city? Perhaps the currents that had taken her ancestors from this place to Aurora had now brought her back? Or perhaps she'd been led to this place.

If she had been led, was it by Light or Shadow?

14. Ruin

Moving further towards the glow, she made out the ruin of the mighty city. Spikes of metal jutted up into the sky to improbable heights. While the crystal substance crunched under her feet, she could see that some buildings still held panes of the substance far above her head. Walking forward, she moved deeper into the city, at last finding a building that looked to be more complete than others.

The door stood open, and she entered cautiously, eager to see the wonders such a place could hold after all these years.

15. Mist

On the walls, some sort of flickering fungi illuminated the space, the smoke invading every crevice. The space she'd entered was larger even than the great hall at the King's castle. She'd never imagined such a space. The beams over her head disappeared into the mist, taller than the largest tree in the forest.

She summoned her power to create a small ball of light, hoping to see the furnishings better, but while she was not as strong as some Draska that she'd met, here she found herself even weaker. She could barely even summon a glow.

16. Whisper

A whisper of a laugh echoed behind her. "Your power won't work here, little one."

She whirled around, searching the darkness for who had spoken.

"Who's there?"

She hadn't expected to find someone alive, although she realized that part of her had hoped. "Please, my eyes are not adjusting to the smoke. I've come from the western continent. We have had no contact with your people in hundreds of years."

Silence.

She turned around again, searching the corners of the room. "Where are you?"

17. Shadow

The mist swirled in front of her, and a form took shape from the shadows. She'd thought the Shadow Lord was a myth, but now she squinted against the smoke, seeing him standing there, as human as anyone she'd ever known. Not a dragon. Just a human. He appeared only a few years older than herself. She shook her head. No, not a mythical being, just a person, stepping out from the smoke.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone lived here."

His head tilted. "You aren't afraid of me."

18. Spirit

Verti laughed. "No. I was just startled, is all. It isn't like you're a spirit or a ghost."

His smile broadened. "No. Of course not." He held out his hand. "See? Flesh and blood just like you."

"This is better than I'd dreamed. I came here hoping to find answers about where my people came from."

"And who are your people? You said you came from the west? I saw you sail into the harbor. Forgive the late welcome. I was curious to see what you were up to."

"We're called the Draska."

19. Relic

"Dra...s ka. What a fascinating relic of the past. Your people left this land hundreds of years ago."

"Our ancestors didn't keep good records." She gestured to the magnificence still evident in the destroyed city. "We do not understand how this could be possible."

He nodded. "Technology. Do you have that word?"

She tried to parse the words. "Study of technique?"

"It is a form of science, yes." He stepped closer. "You have stayed true to your original form, I see." He walked around her. "No mutations. Excellent."

20. Unquiet

Her nerves that had calmed once she'd realized he wasn't a spirit suddenly became unquiet. "What an odd observation."

"Forgive me. Our people have lived in darkness for so long, there have been certain physical adaptations. Allow me to show you around. Ask your questions. Our people live underground these days."

"The ancestors said that there was a great dragon that destroyed the land." She let her tone imply the question.

"A dragon? Your people are a superstitious lot, aren't they? I bet they didn't want you to come."

21. Shatter

"Definitely not. They were certain the Shadow Lord would subvert me and turn me into a slave of darkness."

His laughter shook the silence, causing a pane of something to fall and shatter in the distance. He stopped abruptly. "It isn't safe here above ground. Let's get you down into the actual city where you can meet your relatives. They'll be delighted to know that those who left have survived and grown strong enough to return."

He led her out of the crumbling structure and to a huge double door in a wall nearby.

22. Lock

The portal was huge, larger than the entrance to the castle. "You could fit a dragon through that!" Her words came out a little too fast, a little too high pitched. Oh well. He already saw her as a superstitious throwback.

He twisted several manual tumblers on a huge lock. As the door swung open, she was amazed to see that it was several feet thick.

"Yes. We believe in building on a grand scale."

"Wow."

"Our environment is hazardous. We do not come up here often. You will find the caverns below to be much more welcoming."

23. Door

The door closed behind them with a resounding thud. For a moment, all was black, and then the fungus glow brightened, brighter than it had above ground. Somewhere a whirring sounded and the smoke cleared from the room. For the first time since landing on the continent, she could almost see the surrounding space.

The door opened onto a room with a metal floor that led to a wide staircase going down what would have been the equivalent of two stories in the castle at home, but here it was only one level. She watched the ceiling move away as she walked down the echoing metal stairs with their wide treads. The metal of the handrail was warm to the touch, but not unpleasant.

The floor below was opulently furnished with seating for visitors. Beautifully woven rugs and tapestries covered every surface.

24. Curse

As they stood on the floor level, she noticed elaborately carved hallways leading off in many directions. "Where do these paths go?"

"Our people rarely go to the surface, so this space is unused. Those pathways lead to different districts of the city below."

"My mother believed this land to be under a curse. I never imagined finding a space like this or anyone that I could speak to!"

25. Posses

"If they knew the wealth that we posses, I'm sure they'd be eager to return. Our way of life would be threatened. It is a good thing that your people know nothing about us."

Again, there was something in his tone that set her nerves on edge. While he still seemed cheerful and welcoming, there was a coldness to his tone.

"Come. Let me show you the city. This is the way to the best vantage point."

26. Abyss

She followed him down a hallway. "Why did our ancestors leave this place? Why did they tell us such horrible stories about the destruction?"

"Well, you can clearly see that a cataclysm destroyed the cities above ground and made the surface uninhabitable. It sounds as if they never looked back to realize that their brethren had survived. Indeed, we didn't only survive, our culture has grown." He stepped aside and gestured towards a balcony that overlooked an abyss of a cavern. All was darkness. She could not see the floor or anything in the space.

"I don't understand."

"Let your eyes adjust. You have not learned to see as we do." He set a gentle hand on her shoulder and slowly, the darkness took form. Faint outlines of buildings appeared below.

27. Echo

In the distance, she heard an echo of movement. Slowly the space resolved in her mind until she saw below her a sprawling city, larger than anything in the west. Far below, she saw figures moving too far to see them clearly. People. Going about their business in this world of darkness. "Is there no daylight here?"

"No. We do not need it."

"You don't?"

"We have adapted. Indeed, we are far from the species we once were."

She looked at him. "You don't seem that different."

"Ah. Well, I appeared to you in a form you would feel comfortable with."

"Appear?" Verti took a step away from her guide. "What do you mean?"

"This is not my true form. Have we established a rapport? Will you be frightened to see me as I truly am?"

28. Darkness

She swallowed. "I don't know."

"Come now. You are not superstitious like your ancients. You're curious. Could you go home not knowing the truth?"

"Is this some form of the technology you mentioned?"

He laughed. "No. This is magic. Pure magic, much stronger than the magic you contain." He smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Don't be afraid. Let me show you."

Slowly, he faded to a mist, and then the cloud of mist grew and grew before slowly reforming into the shape of a mighty dragon.

"The Lord of Darkness." Her voice was a whisper, and yet she heard laughter echoing from thousands of those below.

29. Hunt

In terror, she turned to run, but he caught her tunic neatly with one talon. "Come now. Don't make me hunt you down. We were having such a pleasant chat. Don't judge me by my appearance. Or if you must, then worship me the way they do." The dragon's eyes glowed a deep emerald green as he nodded towards the people below and puffed out a breath of flame into the darkness, causing those below to cheer.

"I'd like to leave now." She tried to keep her voice steady. Tried to hide the fear. Tried to seem wise.

The dragon laughed, a puff of smoke spiraling up from his nostrils.

"You can't leave yet. I need you. I need your genetic material, your purity. Come."

He dragged her into an embrace, and then lept off the ledge, soaring down into the darkness of the city below.

by Deleyna via Midjourney

30. Tear

Terrified of the heights, she buried her head in his warm side. "There now." His voice was soothing as he set her on the ground and led her into a building where the inhabitants of the town greeted her.

She could not make sense of what she saw. Misshapen creatures of darkness surrounded her, their enormous eyes unblinking, multiple spider-like arms reaching eagerly towards her.

He shoved her towards the nearest ones and a pair of them grabbed her on each side.

"Add her genetic material to the vat," he said. "She will rejuvenate our young."

She screamed as they began to tear away her clothing. "Wait! You said that you were not evil! You said this land was not cursed."

"I said that we used technology to adapt. And we have." The Shadow Lord's smile revealed a mouth full of teeth. His eyes sparkled with fire. "Goodbye, little one. I'll be seeing you in the generations to come. Know that you have given me a valuable gift and that I will see your offspring returned to the west some day."

31. Drown

He turned to mist as he stalked out of the room, leaving her with the animalistic creatures who lifted her over a vat of something slimy and green. As she stared down into the depths, she had a moment of déjà vu, as if she had been here before. A dream, a memory, a fate. There was time only for a scream suddenly silenced as the acid ate into her skin, pulling her under. The pain was blessedly brief as her nerve endings died before her body could drown in the fluid that separated her cells into their base level genetic strands.

Spooktober is the October challenge from World Anvil to create 31 pieces of anything. Each piece must contain at least 66 words. There is no requirement that they be connected. In addition, a bonus challenge was issued to "Drown a Verti" which has deep historical meaning in the World Anvil community. This short story entry treats each of the 31 prompts in order...and then throws in drowning Verti at the end.