The air in the dungeon was dry, overwhelmed by the metallic smell of blood. The stones that lined the walls did little to insulate the place of ritual - it awoke forces tempering reality.
Blood drip, drip, dripped from the lord's dagger. Once, twice, thrice. Percet. The lord plunged his dagger into his victim, cackling all the while. Unaware of the moving shadow behind him.
Three guards stood vigil as their Lord bent over the altar, markings made of blood connected them to the altar. The poor fools were unaware of their role in the ritual. Unaware of the callous nature of the one they served. Unaware of the lurking shadow preparing to strike.
The air became thick and heavy, the observant eye could see the blood sparkling on the old stones. Another presence entered the room. The lord tossed the dagger to the side and flung his arms in triumph.
"Yes! O' lord of the deep! Accept this meager offering!"
The guards were yet unaware that they couldn't move. That their lives were forfeit. Their eyesight started to blur as they all saw a human-sized shadow walking towards the altar. The shadow then grabbed the lord by the scruff of his neck, the ceremonial dagger in its hands as it struck their lord's neck.
The fat lord fell, his hand on his throat in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. The air became infused with death and blood and power as the foundation started to quake in its mercy. The guards fell to their knees, each spraying blood from a gash appearing identical to their lord's.
The shadow, now a cloaked man, assumed the position of the once-lord. The bloody corpse on the altar below him was slowly being eaten by the magic now roaming free in the dungeon. The ritual was in full swing and someone had to take up the mantle.
Before untold horrors befell the world.
"O' Lord!" The man took up the call. "Enjoy this meager offering!" As the corpse became nothing the man opened an empty vile. "O' Lord! Reward this offering! Grant me an ounce of your wonderous power!"
The vile in his hand became too hot to hold. The cloaked man let it fall to the bloody floor. Although corked, it started to fill with blood. Slowly but surely, it filled to the brim.
The magic in the room subsided, and the air no longer held that same awe as before. The smell of blood was a different matter entirely.
The man sighed deeply before procuring the now-infused vile. He made sure to acquire all the bile and snot he had in him from the ritual, swirled it in his mouth, and then spat at the lord's corpse. He spared a glance at the guards and their sacrifice. So many deaths, so much loss.
There was one last thing left to do. A small appeasement of the cosmos - or a broken man's heart.
"Who's there?"
The lady awoke from her troubled sleep. Lately, she'd had nothing but nightmares to accompany her at night. Her husband was once more absent from their nicely pillowed marital bed. The lady's heart was still beating fast when she saw the man standing in her room. That was no servant, that was -
"Shhh." The cloaked man stopped her rising scream before it left her throat. "I am not here to hurt you, my lady."
Something in the tone of his voice calmed her, soothed her. "Who... who are you?"
"Just a messenger, your husband is dead, my lady."
"You..."
"No. Your lord dabbled in powers he did not understand." True enough. "I say this to you so you can warn and prepare your staff. Tales of what happened in your dungeon will spread throughout the city. You must be ready."
"What -" this was all too much.
The man vanished before she could form her question.
Obligatory shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
Just a short write-up on a possible new world I'm mulling over in my head. Wanna start writing something Eldrich, something dark and bloody. These are my favorite stories and I have gone soft last year. Time to get back to my roots! 😈
If I do manage to connect this with other stories and world-building posts I'll make sure to inter-link them.
Hope you all enjoyed this little horrific piece! 😁 I amb ad at writing these horror-ish stories, even though I love them, so any and all feedback is appreciated. 🙏
👊 Follow me on my HIVE blog 👊
🖼️ Cover image source.
I hope you have a fantastic day! 🙌
Yay! 🤗
Your content has been boosted with Ecency Points, by @grocko.
Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!