Guide & Seek Prompt: Overcoming Adversity
If there was one thing that Dragut had always loved throughout his young, adventurous life it would have had to have been the taste of grapes.
But not just any grapes, oh no. He'd never tried a real one. He could only imagine a real grape would have paled in comparison to his favorite flavor and he never wanted to give it the opportunity to do so. Clearly a real, fresh, fruity grape could never be as good as the taste of favorite drink, the fake synthetic potion. One liquid sip was like high heaven to the guide, sweet and tangy in a way that set his tastebuds aquiver.
And fake synthetic potions were everywhere! It seemed like almost every alley had a sly figure offering you a taste of the Amethyst Isle in exchange for a handful of pebbles or leaves. Usually it wasn't hard to tell when something was amiss - if the deal seemed too good to be true? You would likely end up with a bottle of grape flavored nothing, a fizzy little cocktail as a lesson for your time.
But Dragut loved the flavor, and as a result he'd become quite the expert on seeking out these bogus bargains, getting his unique drink at an inexpensive cost. His friends shook their heads at him, joked about his addiction, asked him what he'd do if he ever did become synthetic, but the guide just laughed their concerns off with a wave of his hand. Nobody would ever sell a synthetic potion for a leaf or a pebble or two, they were clearly too valuable for that. Therefore, in his mind, as long as he paid in pocket change he was all but guaranteed his favorite treat with no problems.
But on that fateful day, alas! He should have realized something was up the moment it hit his tongue. It shouldn't have felt as cold as it did, nor tasted as bland, but he pinned it down to being past its expiry. Sometimes they could taste a lil funny if they had been sitting around in someone's pockets for months. It wasn't carbonated like he was used to either, but surely that was just another factor of it being so old?
The guide smacked his lips and tutted softly, frowning down at the now empty bottle in his hands before tossing it lightly over his shoulder and going along his merry way. He felt a bit strange heading back to his apartment, somewhat light headed and queasy. It must have been a really old fake.
Curled up in his bed that night he had restless dreams of a shimmering purple island, of slabsters waving their little legs at him and offering him more bottles of the rancid purple stuff before cracking apart into creepy little clones of themselves, swarming up his body and filling his mouth with that cold, bland taste. He awoke with a shriek that sent his next door neighbor's pebbling barking in alarm, and upon gaining his bearings decided he needed to wobble down to the river in order to splash some water on his face.
Why not just use the sink in his kitchen? Kitchen water was for commoners. The moon was out and the air was warm and the River of Life had such a refreshing coolness to it! So clearly it was the better option.
And so he drifted down to the riverside at the city's fringes, blearily peeling the gloves off his arms and dunking his head in the water. What a terrible dream, he thought as he shook strands of wet hair from his eyes, that'll teach me to buy the first potion of the day offered to me.
As he rubbed his face on his sleeve he noticed a reflection in the water, one almost as bright as the moonlight above, making him lean forward in curious concern. Normally when he looked into the river of life, there was a very beautiful, very charming guide staring back. Dragut knew he had flowing blonde locks and gleaming green eyes, so why was the reflection staring back at him as pale as the moon? Why were his eyes black as the night sky with pupils that shimmered like wine?
When the realization hit him, a second shriek went up into the night, causing the little critters in the river grass to scatter in all directions.
It all made sense in hindsight! That strange, cold flavor, the way it left him feeling off, the nightmares of the amethyst island.... somehow.... in some mad bargain of the century... some idiot had sold him a genuine synthetic potion for the low, low price of a single leaf!
Dragut groaned, running his hands down his face. The strange guide in his reflection did the same. What was he to do? He didn't recognize himself at all! How had he become a completely different guide in the span of a terrible night's sleep?!
And worse yet, how could he face his friends in the morning, what would they do when they saw the pale apparition he'd become?!
He sat there shaking on the riverbank, trying his best to breathe calmly against the rapid panic rising in his throat, unaware of the shadow that fell across him cast by a curious passer-by.
"Goodness me. That chilling scream just now... was that you, little fellow?"
Dragut nearly jumped out of his skin upon hearing the voice so near, whirling around to find himself face to face with a creature unlike any he'd ever seen upon the island before.
The being was an obvious visitor to the island, with a moth-like countenance and chitinous hide. His body was draped in a dusky cloak, and a mane of fur encircled his neck. The moonlight made his luminous silver eyes shine and danced over the shifting purple hues of his fur, and Dragut could not help but notice the fangs that peered from beneath a mouth that seemed much too wide and almost too sinister. There was something deadly and elegant in his angular form, despite the very clear look of concern on his features.
But all Dragut could do was stare, speechless. Whoever this city-tourist was, they were the most beautiful thing the guide had ever seen in his life.
Just when the silence began to stretch into uncomfortable and a flicker of regret flashed across the visitor's face, Dragut drew in a deep, dramatic gasp and found his voice again.
"What are you?"
The being paused, clearly surprised at the question. A little chuckle left his lips that soon gave way to peals of amused laughter as he leaned back on his heels.
"A vampire, little fellow, a very old one. Have you been hurt? Did you fall into the river? The scream I heard came from this direction and you're the only one here... are you quite alright?" He gently held out a clawed hand to the guide.
"Vampire..." Dragut tested the word on his tongue as he used an offered finger to help raise himself to his feet. "I uh. I'm not hurt, no. Not in a way that's easy to explain anyway. Um..." After a moment's hesitation he stepped onto the vampire's palm and found himself lifted in one graceful movement.
"Difficult to explain?" The vampire cocked his head as he rose to his feet. "Do the Isles of Guide and Seek have similar afflictions to me and my kind? Your appearance reminds me very much of my own kinsmen and I've been yearning for someone to show me around these lands... perhaps you could tell me of your plight while you show me around?" He flashed the guide a fanged smile. "My name is Saleos. What should I call you?"
Dragut felt something stir in his chest at the idea of looking familiar to this creature. He decided in that moment, he'd do whatever it took to become as elegant and as beautiful as him. Whatever a vampire was, he knew 100% that he now wanted to become one.
"You can call me Dragut." He replied, gazing into those luminous eyes. "And I will show you everything these islands have to offer in exchange for one thing."
"One thing?" The touch of amusement in Saleos' voice made him feel as though he had butterflies in his stomach. "Tell me what a foreigner can offer such an elegant little sir as you."
Synthetic be damned, he called me elegant! Dragut's felt his face burning with embarrassed delight as he made himself comfortable. With every second that passed, the guide became more and more certain that he belonged with Saleos as whatever Saleos was.
"Tell me more about vampires." he breathed. "My appearance is a mistake, a big mistake! But I don't care anymore. Not now. I think I can live with it if you teach me how to become one of your kind."
~fin