Clouds and Currents - VoK & HW 2021 Event Prompts
Author's Notes
BEGIN
That word fills your mind and your ears, loud and clear. Before you can react much, though, the sound fades. And with it, the darkness. You stand in a large cave-- well, not quite. There is a deep circle of water in the center, its darkness hinting at its great depths. The sand below your feet is hard-packed and oddly flat. Good for moving quickly or staying quiet. The natural stone walls are like a cave, yes, except above you the ceiling is open to the cloudless, starry night sky. The half moon hovers perfectly in the center.
Watch really catches your attention is a dark path around the small lagoon. It seems to grow darker and lighter following a specific point that moves around the circle again and again. In the air above where the darkest changes, it is hazy. The sight of it raises the hair on the back of your neck even though you have no idea what it could be.
It is between you and the lagoon. The depths call to you, insistent.
CONFRONT | SNEAK | TRICK
What will you do?
The Trial - Night Adventures
When again Tamaya slept, she found herself in the darkness once more. But she was ready. She could face her fate, and she could face these dreams. Or whatever they were.
And as if in response to her newfound confidence, a new word echoed in her mind. "Begin," it said. And with that, the void vanished, and the world lit up. No more was she standing in an expanse of seemingly endless darkness. Instead, she found herself in... a cave? No, not a cave, exactly. Or, perhaps... no, there was a term for this, the way the ceiling opened up above her. It was a cave, arguably, but one with a skylight. An oculus, opening up to the night sky above. And beneath it, the moon and stars hung reflected in a deep pool of water, one which called to her in the same way that the mists and shadowy symbols had before, except for a distinct lack of the unease she'd felt previously. Perhaps that feeling wasn't this place at all, but her own fear and despair, and now that she was moving forward, it had been left behind with the inky blackness.
Regardless, there was but one obstacle between her and the lagoon - A strange energy, turning the cave dark and light and darg again as it danced around the path, circling her destination. She couldn't tell if it was friend or foe... but she didn't plan to find out. Even if this place was a dream, it must have meant something, surely. She squinted and looked around. How could she...?
Something caught her eye, along the side of the cave. Small pieces of stone, as if chipped from the very walls that formed this place. The perfect size. She picked one up and, with a bit of effort, tossed it off to another side of the cave, where it clattered to the ground. The energy seemed to react, pausing in its circle and then deviating to investigate the noise.
Right. Then she could trick it, and get to the destination. She would need to be quick, still - The energy already was returning to its patrol - but she could do this. As it passed where she was hiding, she tossed another rock, as far from it as she could, but at an angle where it would be faster not to circle back towards her to investigate.
As it was distracted, she made her move. The energy wouldn't notice the intruder until the splash of water from the pool in the center alerted it. And at that point, she was already underwater.
So far, so good.
Author's Notes
Wordcount: 437 (Out of 100, 200, or 300)
Reward: 3 Ancient Coins