02-19-2018, 02:09 AM
IGN: Fritzb
Title: Haz and the Elder.
Category: A mixture, but if I need to choose one then (hopefully it's) Dark.
Word Count: 997 with asterisk dividers, 992 without.
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"...Citrusus, they practically flavour their own sauces!"
"...Fokyoush! Fried!"
"...whatever, just don't bring back another Poopaul..."
Haz chuckled as snatches of their Guild-mate's famished-fancies echoed through the mind. 'Dinner-Catch-Duty' was a welcome exception, as that week the guild were working on the Altar. Its glowing runes and eerie flames had always given Haz the shivers. No, that day certainly felt a good one to be with nature and away from those gloomy slabs.
"Human? What is your name, human? FOOL! Down here, you fool!" The voice was gravelly and resonant; an image of a dry, grey leaf with red, pulsating veins fluttered across Haz's mind.
Haz batted the image away as they carefully lowered themselves to a stomach-crawl. Fishing-knife in hand, they carefully gripped the pier rim and pulled themselves to peek over the edge, eyes parallel to the turquoise surface.
Orange? Yellow?
Haz gave way to relieved laughter. It was only a River Elder! Although known for their mysterious air and an unsettling gaze, at signs of danger, River Elders were more likely to dart off and lurk in safe shadows than cause harm to the fisher.
Haz snorted, shaking their head. "Okay, you can come out now. I could probably do with the company, if I believe I'm hearing fish talk! Bravo, etcetera..." Haz spread their arms welcomingly, demonstrating that the knife had been sheathed. Nothing. Haz checked each direction in case the voice were thrown somehow. "I say, come on ou-"
"SILENCE. First you draw a weapon in my presence, then dare to laugh at me. Now you have the audacity not to look at me when I am talking to you. You will look at me and you. Will. Listen. NOW, give me your name!" The voice ripped through the air like forked-lightning, rubbing more sickly images of throbbing husks through Haz's mind.
"My name is..." Haz's voice caught as curiosity turned to horror, for the River Elder had enlarged to fill almost the entire expanse of water. Those incandescent eyes then towered above Haz. Jet-black pupils sliding downwards to give Haz the extent of its gaze, the vacillating hues of its irises became all. As the Elder's will etched itself across Haz's mind, they fell to one knee in awe. "...Haz." They croaked, finally.
"Better." Whipped back the mocking voice of the Elder, its double-tendril moustache twitched over a warped cross between snarl and smirk. "There shall be no more playing, and you will make noises when I tell you to. Now, tell me, do you know what it means to 'Ascend'?"
"I think... I mean... yes? I know I've felt it more than once, but..." A distant tugging warned Haz that they should focus, but concern seemed a vague memory. "It's impossible now. Every time I've tried again I just... Blocked..." Haz's face crumpled.
"Pull it together, cadet! We can't afford to lose any more of you lot. Just setting up here cost a fortune. Combined with the cost of-"
The ranting behind the luminous green visor was gradually drowned out by the onslaught of memories in Haz's mind. Endless days of dumping waste, the merciless torching of the ice-bergs, mountains upon mountains of anything they could get their filthy orange mitts on becoming revolting pyres of constantly spewing-
"-AND FOR WHAT?" Haz erupted, the maelstrom of thoughts becoming lucid barks spattered inside their visor. Consumed, Haz couldn't hear their leader:
Everything appeared to slow down as Haz felt their heels slipping, falling backwards. Before the agony seeped in and their body melted out to the very same filth they created, Haz took in the skies of Beta as they sank.
"Oh, Haz, but you don't have a choice!" Came the mocking voice of the River Elder. As Haz gazed helplessly into those orange-yellow orbs, it removed something from the chest of Haz's rapidly deteriorating suit. Raising the badge with a long, fluffy white tendril, the Elder grinned as it tasted Haz's terror, the name tag read through the oily sheen of their visor:
You wake bright and early from your sleep pod, eager to make a good impression at your first day on the job. You can't help but glance over with pride at your new suit. Your name-tag reads:
Title: Haz and the Elder.
Category: A mixture, but if I need to choose one then (hopefully it's) Dark.
Word Count: 997 with asterisk dividers, 992 without.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...Citrusus, they practically flavour their own sauces!"
"...Fokyoush! Fried!"
"...whatever, just don't bring back another Poopaul..."
Haz chuckled as snatches of their Guild-mate's famished-fancies echoed through the mind. 'Dinner-Catch-Duty' was a welcome exception, as that week the guild were working on the Altar. Its glowing runes and eerie flames had always given Haz the shivers. No, that day certainly felt a good one to be with nature and away from those gloomy slabs.
**********
Enjoying the satisfying 'foomf' that the picnic-blanket made as Haz threw it down, they prepared for the monotonous solitude of the day's catches. Save for the occasional squawk of a Paulie or comforting 'bloops' near lily-pads, there was little for Haz to focus on besides the bizarre odour that Anana Fish-corpses emitted.
"Human? What is your name, human? FOOL! Down here, you fool!" The voice was gravelly and resonant; an image of a dry, grey leaf with red, pulsating veins fluttered across Haz's mind.
Haz batted the image away as they carefully lowered themselves to a stomach-crawl. Fishing-knife in hand, they carefully gripped the pier rim and pulled themselves to peek over the edge, eyes parallel to the turquoise surface.
Orange? Yellow?
Haz gave way to relieved laughter. It was only a River Elder! Although known for their mysterious air and an unsettling gaze, at signs of danger, River Elders were more likely to dart off and lurk in safe shadows than cause harm to the fisher.
Haz snorted, shaking their head. "Okay, you can come out now. I could probably do with the company, if I believe I'm hearing fish talk! Bravo, etcetera..." Haz spread their arms welcomingly, demonstrating that the knife had been sheathed. Nothing. Haz checked each direction in case the voice were thrown somehow. "I say, come on ou-"
"SILENCE. First you draw a weapon in my presence, then dare to laugh at me. Now you have the audacity not to look at me when I am talking to you. You will look at me and you. Will. Listen. NOW, give me your name!" The voice ripped through the air like forked-lightning, rubbing more sickly images of throbbing husks through Haz's mind.
"My name is..." Haz's voice caught as curiosity turned to horror, for the River Elder had enlarged to fill almost the entire expanse of water. Those incandescent eyes then towered above Haz. Jet-black pupils sliding downwards to give Haz the extent of its gaze, the vacillating hues of its irises became all. As the Elder's will etched itself across Haz's mind, they fell to one knee in awe. "...Haz." They croaked, finally.
"Better." Whipped back the mocking voice of the Elder, its double-tendril moustache twitched over a warped cross between snarl and smirk. "There shall be no more playing, and you will make noises when I tell you to. Now, tell me, do you know what it means to 'Ascend'?"
"I think... I mean... yes? I know I've felt it more than once, but..." A distant tugging warned Haz that they should focus, but concern seemed a vague memory. "It's impossible now. Every time I've tried again I just... Blocked..." Haz's face crumpled.
The Elder's eyes slid shut, to a mask of bittersweet satisfaction. Its voice rolled to a crinkling, purring whisper: "What if it were? What if you could just... keep, on, going?" Then, as if called elsewhere from its indulgence, the Elder simply stated: "It shall be. Goodbye, 'Haz'."
**********
Streaks of all frequencies and colours. Blocks of bizarre substances stacked where they shouldn't've been. Rising, pixelated fog threatened to...blind? Choke? Was that still possible? Enough. Find home. Haz tore to their house to find their pets. Tried to tear but... smudged there. Throwing open the pen gate, what should have been a wooden gate, were elongated shards of blue crystals.
Shrieking, reeling back, Haz stared slack-jawed at the shimmering field. Two hideous shapes slid out from a flickering tree. Comforting cuddles and gentle nose-presses had become punctures from splintered bones tearing from too-stretched flesh. The creatures spoke in wails of confused despair: "Hazzz... what have you done to us? Was it worth it? And for what, Haz? For w-"
Shrieking, reeling back, Haz stared slack-jawed at the shimmering field. Two hideous shapes slid out from a flickering tree. Comforting cuddles and gentle nose-presses had become punctures from splintered bones tearing from too-stretched flesh. The creatures spoke in wails of confused despair: "Hazzz... what have you done to us? Was it worth it? And for what, Haz? For w-"
**********
Once the dry-heaves had ceased, the world seemed to settle.
"Pull it together, cadet! We can't afford to lose any more of you lot. Just setting up here cost a fortune. Combined with the cost of-"
The ranting behind the luminous green visor was gradually drowned out by the onslaught of memories in Haz's mind. Endless days of dumping waste, the merciless torching of the ice-bergs, mountains upon mountains of anything they could get their filthy orange mitts on becoming revolting pyres of constantly spewing-
"-AND FOR WHAT?" Haz erupted, the maelstrom of thoughts becoming lucid barks spattered inside their visor. Consumed, Haz couldn't hear their leader:
"Just get over here! You have any idea the resources we burned through just to save you from your little fall NEAR that crud? Check in when you've cooled down, I've got dozens more to pump back to life because you're all too stupid to..."
Everything appeared to slow down as Haz felt their heels slipping, falling backwards. Before the agony seeped in and their body melted out to the very same filth they created, Haz took in the skies of Beta as they sank.
"Oh, Haz, but you don't have a choice!" Came the mocking voice of the River Elder. As Haz gazed helplessly into those orange-yellow orbs, it removed something from the chest of Haz's rapidly deteriorating suit. Raising the badge with a long, fluffy white tendril, the Elder grinned as it tasted Haz's terror, the name tag read through the oily sheen of their visor:
HAZ-MAT #9595
**********
**********
A Time After...
You wake bright and early from your sleep pod, eager to make a good impression at your first day on the job. You can't help but glance over with pride at your new suit. Your name-tag reads:
HAZ-MAT #9595
**********
#LOGS SUCCESSFULLY ERASED