Esanx
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- Posted: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 03:08:27 +0000
"Is this the place?" whispered Yrint, placing a hand alongside the cold, stone walls. He narrowed his eyes and peered into the darkness, but found only shadows upon shadows.
"This is the cave." said Viranal, stepping besides his partner. "Stonent Cave." He crumbled up the map in his hands and tossed it to the ground. "Let's begin!" He kicked the balled up piece of paper and sent it scurrying into the dark.
"Into the golem's belly." gulped Yrint, glancing back at the bright outside. "Can't we bring a torch?"
"Said to be light within." reminded his friend, his voice distant.
"Hey, wait!" Yrint stole one last look at the sun and then darted back into the cave's mouth. "I asked you to wait." grumbled the man, catching up to Viranal.
"And I said let us begin." laughed his partner. He swatted before him, as if to knock away the ebony curtains of shades before him. "Blasted dark. Where's the light?"
"Behind us." groaned Yrint, looking over his shoulder. His eyes widened as a thin silhouette passed through the distant light at their backs. "Viranal! A person!" he gasped, whipping around with a finger stretched towards the cave's mouth.
"Hm?" Viranal followed his friend's finger, but saw only a small gap of light. "Don't see him."
"I saw someone though!"
"Shadows are quite the tricksters, aren't they?" chuckled Viranal, continuing his walk.
"A shadow cannot move alone." growled Yrint, hesitating before turning away from the light. "There was someone out there."
"Maybe a passing kid? A man chasing after his lover?"
"It was too big to be a kid, and too skinny to be a fit man."
"Big and skinny?"
"Tall, I mean."
"Tall and skinny, quite the combo! Would be creepy if it didn't sound so frail!"
Yrint rolled his eyes. He knew that Viranal would only offer jokes until more evidence of the mysterious man presented itself. "How long till we find the treasure?"
"Dunno, never said how deep the cave went." mumbled the man, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "Enjoy the nice breeze and the calm darkness, it'll make the trip better."
"Can't enjoy anything knowing there may be someone in here with us."
"A single man? Against two of us? And if he does have the build that you suggest, we'd be able to bring him down with only one hit!"
"I-" His words crumbled on his tongue as his face met cold stone.
"Watch out for the wall," warned Viranal sarcastically, grinning behind the walls of shadows that separated them.
"Thanks," snapped Yrint, rubbing his burning nose. "Ah, damn this darkness."
"A b***h, ain't she?" Viranal stroked the wall. "Touch her and see if we can get her to open up, eh?"
"You suggest a hidden door lies here?"
"Yes, so look for something that doesn't...fit."
"I'll try," sighed Yrint, his nose still aching. He placed his hand on the wall and slid it about. "Ah!" A warm stone exiled the cold from his hand. "A warmed part."
"Warmed, eh?" Viranal pushed him away and groped the stone. "Ah!"
"Ah, indeed," mumbled Yrint, holding his side where Viranal had butted into him.
"And now..." He heard a low thump and felt the ground tremble. "Oh, she liked that!" giggled Viranal.
Yrint whacked a falling piece of debris away from his head. "But I don't."
"Don't care." Viranal struck the wall again and a snake of light slivered out from the wall. "Oh!" He punched it and the wall fell with a loud crash.
"Gods!" gasped Yrint, shaken by the fall.
"Did I scare you?"
"Yes, you-"
"Look, more light!"
Yrint looked ahead and saw great ribbons of sunlight dangling above. A grin cracked across his lips. "Beautiful!"
"Aye, and the gold is said to shine even brighter!" Viranal stepped into the room, and cupped his hands under one of the golden beams. "So warm!"
"Let's just get the treasure and go, we can warm up outside." urged Yrint, growing anxious. Something isn't right. He watched the sunlight with piercing eyes. "Holes must lie above, right?"
"Aye." sung Viranal, showering himself in light.
"And it rained just this morning, did it not?"
"Oh, our breakfast is proof of that. Some real runny eggs, we had!" guffawed his partner.
"Yet no water greets us in here."
"So? Maybe the rain missed the holes."
"There are too many to miss!" exclaimed Yrint, sweeping the air with his hand. "Look!"
"Relax."
"I cannot! This isn't right! The shadow, the missing puddles..." A distant pillar of light suddenly died. "One is gone!"
"Perhaps a beast walks above us."
Another vanished. "A big beast?" wondered Yrint.
More luminescent ribbons were cut from the ceiling, fading before Yrint could blink. "A terribly giant one!" gasped Viranal. "Good hunting once we finish this treasure hunt, eh?"
Others disappeared. "No beast is that large. Something else is stealing the light, if it even was light."
"If it was light? This darkness has hidden your reasoning! Relax, we are fine."
"We are not fine! We have to leave-" A shadow passed under one of the lights before it faded. "See it?"
"What? Not the man again?"
"No, he cannot be mortal. He was- It was too quick."
"It?"
Another light died. "We have to go!"
"Wasn't it you who said that shadows cannot move alone? He is trying to scare us because he knows he cannot beat us!"
The shadow suffocated more snakes of light. "We must leave!" Only a few pillars remained.
"Not without that treasure! We've come too-" The light that bathed Viranal dried up as a scream cut through the darkness.
"Viranal!" gasped Yrint.
A warm liquid splashed against his face. "What-" It smelled of iron. "Blood!" cried the man, smacking the crimson fluid from cheek. "Viranal, are you alright?"
Another light vanished.
"Make for the entrance!" he screamed, running towards the distant light. He glanced over his shoulder for Viranal but found only darkness. No more light remained. "Please, Viranal!" He turned back to the cave's mouth and saw a tall, slender silhouette standing in it.
Yrint froze. "Who are you?"
The shadow shook its head.
"What are you?" he asked, his sprint replaced by a slow, cautious walk.
The shadow nodded.
"What are you?" Yrint repeated, shivering.
"A shadow." whispered the walls.
"A shade." murmured the floor.
"Nothing." hissed the ceiling.
"You...what did you do to Viranal?"
"Nothing."
"What will you do to me?"
"Nothing."
The air around him grew heavier. "What's happening?!"
"Nothing."
His bones cracked and cried as he felt himself be pushed to the ground. "Stop!"
"I cannot help you."
He felt the darkness constrict him. "Why? Please, stop this!"
"Shadows cannot move alone." buzzed the cave before the blackness took his sight and his breath.
"This is the cave." said Viranal, stepping besides his partner. "Stonent Cave." He crumbled up the map in his hands and tossed it to the ground. "Let's begin!" He kicked the balled up piece of paper and sent it scurrying into the dark.
"Into the golem's belly." gulped Yrint, glancing back at the bright outside. "Can't we bring a torch?"
"Said to be light within." reminded his friend, his voice distant.
"Hey, wait!" Yrint stole one last look at the sun and then darted back into the cave's mouth. "I asked you to wait." grumbled the man, catching up to Viranal.
"And I said let us begin." laughed his partner. He swatted before him, as if to knock away the ebony curtains of shades before him. "Blasted dark. Where's the light?"
"Behind us." groaned Yrint, looking over his shoulder. His eyes widened as a thin silhouette passed through the distant light at their backs. "Viranal! A person!" he gasped, whipping around with a finger stretched towards the cave's mouth.
"Hm?" Viranal followed his friend's finger, but saw only a small gap of light. "Don't see him."
"I saw someone though!"
"Shadows are quite the tricksters, aren't they?" chuckled Viranal, continuing his walk.
"A shadow cannot move alone." growled Yrint, hesitating before turning away from the light. "There was someone out there."
"Maybe a passing kid? A man chasing after his lover?"
"It was too big to be a kid, and too skinny to be a fit man."
"Big and skinny?"
"Tall, I mean."
"Tall and skinny, quite the combo! Would be creepy if it didn't sound so frail!"
Yrint rolled his eyes. He knew that Viranal would only offer jokes until more evidence of the mysterious man presented itself. "How long till we find the treasure?"
"Dunno, never said how deep the cave went." mumbled the man, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "Enjoy the nice breeze and the calm darkness, it'll make the trip better."
"Can't enjoy anything knowing there may be someone in here with us."
"A single man? Against two of us? And if he does have the build that you suggest, we'd be able to bring him down with only one hit!"
"I-" His words crumbled on his tongue as his face met cold stone.
"Watch out for the wall," warned Viranal sarcastically, grinning behind the walls of shadows that separated them.
"Thanks," snapped Yrint, rubbing his burning nose. "Ah, damn this darkness."
"A b***h, ain't she?" Viranal stroked the wall. "Touch her and see if we can get her to open up, eh?"
"You suggest a hidden door lies here?"
"Yes, so look for something that doesn't...fit."
"I'll try," sighed Yrint, his nose still aching. He placed his hand on the wall and slid it about. "Ah!" A warm stone exiled the cold from his hand. "A warmed part."
"Warmed, eh?" Viranal pushed him away and groped the stone. "Ah!"
"Ah, indeed," mumbled Yrint, holding his side where Viranal had butted into him.
"And now..." He heard a low thump and felt the ground tremble. "Oh, she liked that!" giggled Viranal.
Yrint whacked a falling piece of debris away from his head. "But I don't."
"Don't care." Viranal struck the wall again and a snake of light slivered out from the wall. "Oh!" He punched it and the wall fell with a loud crash.
"Gods!" gasped Yrint, shaken by the fall.
"Did I scare you?"
"Yes, you-"
"Look, more light!"
Yrint looked ahead and saw great ribbons of sunlight dangling above. A grin cracked across his lips. "Beautiful!"
"Aye, and the gold is said to shine even brighter!" Viranal stepped into the room, and cupped his hands under one of the golden beams. "So warm!"
"Let's just get the treasure and go, we can warm up outside." urged Yrint, growing anxious. Something isn't right. He watched the sunlight with piercing eyes. "Holes must lie above, right?"
"Aye." sung Viranal, showering himself in light.
"And it rained just this morning, did it not?"
"Oh, our breakfast is proof of that. Some real runny eggs, we had!" guffawed his partner.
"Yet no water greets us in here."
"So? Maybe the rain missed the holes."
"There are too many to miss!" exclaimed Yrint, sweeping the air with his hand. "Look!"
"Relax."
"I cannot! This isn't right! The shadow, the missing puddles..." A distant pillar of light suddenly died. "One is gone!"
"Perhaps a beast walks above us."
Another vanished. "A big beast?" wondered Yrint.
More luminescent ribbons were cut from the ceiling, fading before Yrint could blink. "A terribly giant one!" gasped Viranal. "Good hunting once we finish this treasure hunt, eh?"
Others disappeared. "No beast is that large. Something else is stealing the light, if it even was light."
"If it was light? This darkness has hidden your reasoning! Relax, we are fine."
"We are not fine! We have to leave-" A shadow passed under one of the lights before it faded. "See it?"
"What? Not the man again?"
"No, he cannot be mortal. He was- It was too quick."
"It?"
Another light died. "We have to go!"
"Wasn't it you who said that shadows cannot move alone? He is trying to scare us because he knows he cannot beat us!"
The shadow suffocated more snakes of light. "We must leave!" Only a few pillars remained.
"Not without that treasure! We've come too-" The light that bathed Viranal dried up as a scream cut through the darkness.
"Viranal!" gasped Yrint.
A warm liquid splashed against his face. "What-" It smelled of iron. "Blood!" cried the man, smacking the crimson fluid from cheek. "Viranal, are you alright?"
Another light vanished.
"Make for the entrance!" he screamed, running towards the distant light. He glanced over his shoulder for Viranal but found only darkness. No more light remained. "Please, Viranal!" He turned back to the cave's mouth and saw a tall, slender silhouette standing in it.
Yrint froze. "Who are you?"
The shadow shook its head.
"What are you?" he asked, his sprint replaced by a slow, cautious walk.
The shadow nodded.
"What are you?" Yrint repeated, shivering.
"A shadow." whispered the walls.
"A shade." murmured the floor.
"Nothing." hissed the ceiling.
"You...what did you do to Viranal?"
"Nothing."
"What will you do to me?"
"Nothing."
The air around him grew heavier. "What's happening?!"
"Nothing."
His bones cracked and cried as he felt himself be pushed to the ground. "Stop!"
"I cannot help you."
He felt the darkness constrict him. "Why? Please, stop this!"
"Shadows cannot move alone." buzzed the cave before the blackness took his sight and his breath.