13: The Curse of the Golden Record (fanfiction)
Thursday, October 4th, 2012 10:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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mindcrackloveBehold, the first fanfiction I have ever written. It's a little experimental, and not just because it's my first attempt, so let me know what you think. It's called 13, it's about 1800 words long, and it is about the infamous cursed golden record. For the best effect, read while listening to the actual track that's on the gold record. ;) Enjoy.
It was birthed in darkness, as many things are. Deep underground, the caves are unforgiving, but sometimes, for those able to delve that deep, there are things to find. A machine of monsters, allowing countless purveyors of evil into the world, guards its treasures. Trinkets, mostly, or trivial things without use, but sometimes their scarcity makes them desirable. It was one of the original two, left behind in these chests long ago, perhaps by some inscrutable god-- to what end is anyone's guess.
It had an aura of eeriness. Its ambient contents matched the darkness. But that wasn't the pull. It was a trophy, maybe even part of a set, but those who coveted its golden shine would stop at nothing to find it.
It could sense the desire, that someone out there was looking for it. It could feel that distant presence like a magnetic pull, not that it ever helped the seeker closer to his goal. But it awakened a quiet sense of awareness in the object. It knew.
It kind of liked the attention, as much as it was possible for it to feel liking. For it to have gained this level of awareness, there must have been a long outstanding desire to find it that only grew the longer it took. To have attracted that much devotion from someone who had never even seen it, it must be special.
It could feel his presence in other dungeons, and it could sense the continued disappointment when his prize was not disc he yearned for. It could sense others too, other mobile creatures conquering the darkness and collecting their rewards, and when the chance came when the lid of its containment chest was lifted and it saw light for the first time, it was always another who was there to claim it. Though there as always triumph in their eyes as they lifted their prize from the chest, it was always a perverse sense of satisfaction, one that irritated the desires of the one who searched on.
One of the others went further to actively pick that scab in the guise of a gift, being a wearer of guises himself. The disc, liberated from its original resting place, was packaged again under lids and left as a present, but not one with good intentions. It was a taunt, and the disc was aware that its presentation was not the preferred one. It had been ruined, passing through those extra hands. It was aware, but it did not understand.
Slowly it gained more power, more knowledge. Every time a lid creaked open and light glinted off its gold center for the first time, more light was shed on its consciousness. It drew power from the value people placed on it, especially the one who still sought it for so long. It too awaited the day they would meet.
There was a world of darkness this far underground, a world occupied by evil, until an adventurer sweeps the land of its inhabitants and its resources. But there is danger in challenging the world below. Lives are often claimed, if the darkness is challenged at all. Many dark places go undisturbed...
With the disc's rising awareness of outside desires to claim it, it also became aware of the darkness surrounding it for so long, knowing it could wait undiscovered indefinitely. It was hard to wait so long in dank darkness and not feel connected to that darkness.
Obscured by a cascade of gravel, a hidden room stirred with activity from newly beget skeletal archers-- signs of a nearby presence. But the disc could already tell. It could almost see the adventurer nearing, clearing the gravel and slaying monsters, bare feet slapping the cool mossy floor. Soon the dungeon was rendered harmless, now flooded with artificial light. Moments later, that light touched the disc. Anticipation gave way to a cry of triumph. A quest had been fulfilled.
The disc nearly buzzed with energy at the contact. It was as if a whole new door had opened on its consciousness. It could practically see inside its holder's mind, and it saw another thing that shared his attachment-- a beast of some description, but frail and lazy from too many fish, with no more awareness than what the disc had achieved. How could such a weak minded creature be worthy of the affection bestowed upon it?
Meanwhile the holder was having difficulties in his continued battle against the darkness. A few times he feared for his life, but above all, feared losing the disc. It liked that. But it still couldn't understand the other creature it felt nearby. Using the power gained from being united with its seeker, it reached out to this lesser presence. Perhaps there was a way to manipulate its weak will against itself...
"What the fuck are you doing down here, Paws?"
It wasn't long before the cat, displaced from familiar surroundings, found its way into peril. The owner's mind fell into a frenzy, shaken by his loss. The golden record claimed its first victim, and no one suspected. It felt pleased at its own influence.
As time passed it fell into other hands. It was removed from its pedestal, never to be conclusively identified again. Part of its power fell away as its owner declared it forever missing. It returned to waiting in darkness for fresh hands to find it.
It had taken quite some time to surface again, but the passing of time was a trivial thing. The gold disc possessed many physical incarnations, and though they can be destroyed or lost, the immaterial idea of it outlasted any one copy. That's where its true power laid. And finally, the day did come. During a rare streak of luck, the same seeker as before dug out the collapsed sand and unexpectedly, but gleefully, claimed his second golden record.
He was infused with an adventurer's spirit, thirsty for discovery and not bound to any home. All of his possessions were carried with him, and the disc held the most power when it was carried. It had plenty of time to drink in its new owner's energy, to feel reawakened and assess what to do next. In the end, it couldn't feel content just being valued. It was too saturated with the darkness that beget it, and it had already claimed one life before. When it was given this kind of power by being coveted and guarded, it had to do something with it.
Golden record still in tow, the explorer found his way into an ancient temple, designed by the same inscrutable gods that originally crafted the disc and left it in dark places. The disc just had to bring out the naivete in its holder's mind, have him linger too long near the detonating bomb. Though its physical copy was thoroughly destroyed, its spirit was satisfied. It had taken another life. Twice, in fact, when the explorer rushed back to see if anything could possibly be retrieved, then starved when there was nothing to find. A deliciously pitiful death, And still he never suspected. Not yet.
In a parallel dimension, a different adventurer journeyed on his endless walk, further than anyone had ventured before. The disc did not expect to be awakened here in this version of the world, away from its primary seeker whose desire first granted it awareness. But there was incredible energy surrounding this one's presence, as if his thoughts and desires were shared by thousands all at once, though superficially he appeared alone.
Mostly alone. Again there was a lesser presence-- a canine this time, one that had outlived an incredible amount of danger despite its appalling stupidity. Perhaps this one would not bend quite so easily, but the disc had plans. With this much rampant energy to draw from, there was no way it could fail.
Soon it had achieved something it had never done before. It wasn't a death-- it didn't have the same satisfaction as a death, but it was the next best thing, and it caused just as much turmoil. The wolf could not die from normal means-- if it could, it would have managed that on its own a long time ago. But it was too well protected. Instead the disc stole it from the physical plane, removed wholly from existence. The effect was powerful and widespread. Minds were thrown into worry and confusion, blame was flung far and wide, not least of all at the golden record itself. People were catching on, but there was enough discord that it hardly mattered. Then, with a small jolt, the disc felt a connection form to its first ardent seeker through some invisible and otherworldly strings.
"You should have left that golden record alone, man. It's messed up."
It could sense the conviction in his voice. He knew, but the disc decided it didn't mind. It liked the fear more than the envy and admiration. Such was its nature, containing so much darkness in its haunting track. 13 never was a lucky number.
Its current holder now sought to destroy the evil thing in an effort to restore his long time companion. Its form was cast into fire, and though it was scorched beyond repair, the damage it precipitated was already done. It felt satisfied as it burned, knowing Wolfie would not rise from the ashes.
Its metaphysical form lingered in the area, having accrued enough power to remain conscious here a while longer. The explorer was driven to desperate measures and proceeded to risk his well being to find his friend. The remaining spirit of the disc possessed a nearby zombie, the most easily corruptible mind there is, and launched one final display of its influence. Its only regret was that it did not quite claim the life of the farlander before it expired.
Once again the spirit lived on to be awakened someday again. But one thing it didn't foresee was that the same applied to the wolf it stole. Wolfie's form may be gone, but the spirit was still alive, and the farlander didn't play by the rules. Reality was altered. The disc's machinations were undone. It had been outsmarted.
A sense of anger welled up within its slumbering consciousness. It would not forget, but for now, it waited. The disc did not know defeat. One day it will surface again, and again. Infinitely it will respawn, appearing in new chests, in new dungeons. Its curse cannot be broken, only banished until the next time a glint of gold shines from within a dungeon chest, and every time it gains a little more power from the fear it inspires. The monsters are a distraction. The real evil is what they guard.
It was birthed in darkness, as many things are. Deep underground, the caves are unforgiving, but sometimes, for those able to delve that deep, there are things to find. A machine of monsters, allowing countless purveyors of evil into the world, guards its treasures. Trinkets, mostly, or trivial things without use, but sometimes their scarcity makes them desirable. It was one of the original two, left behind in these chests long ago, perhaps by some inscrutable god-- to what end is anyone's guess.
It had an aura of eeriness. Its ambient contents matched the darkness. But that wasn't the pull. It was a trophy, maybe even part of a set, but those who coveted its golden shine would stop at nothing to find it.
It could sense the desire, that someone out there was looking for it. It could feel that distant presence like a magnetic pull, not that it ever helped the seeker closer to his goal. But it awakened a quiet sense of awareness in the object. It knew.
It kind of liked the attention, as much as it was possible for it to feel liking. For it to have gained this level of awareness, there must have been a long outstanding desire to find it that only grew the longer it took. To have attracted that much devotion from someone who had never even seen it, it must be special.
It could feel his presence in other dungeons, and it could sense the continued disappointment when his prize was not disc he yearned for. It could sense others too, other mobile creatures conquering the darkness and collecting their rewards, and when the chance came when the lid of its containment chest was lifted and it saw light for the first time, it was always another who was there to claim it. Though there as always triumph in their eyes as they lifted their prize from the chest, it was always a perverse sense of satisfaction, one that irritated the desires of the one who searched on.
One of the others went further to actively pick that scab in the guise of a gift, being a wearer of guises himself. The disc, liberated from its original resting place, was packaged again under lids and left as a present, but not one with good intentions. It was a taunt, and the disc was aware that its presentation was not the preferred one. It had been ruined, passing through those extra hands. It was aware, but it did not understand.
Slowly it gained more power, more knowledge. Every time a lid creaked open and light glinted off its gold center for the first time, more light was shed on its consciousness. It drew power from the value people placed on it, especially the one who still sought it for so long. It too awaited the day they would meet.
There was a world of darkness this far underground, a world occupied by evil, until an adventurer sweeps the land of its inhabitants and its resources. But there is danger in challenging the world below. Lives are often claimed, if the darkness is challenged at all. Many dark places go undisturbed...
With the disc's rising awareness of outside desires to claim it, it also became aware of the darkness surrounding it for so long, knowing it could wait undiscovered indefinitely. It was hard to wait so long in dank darkness and not feel connected to that darkness.
Obscured by a cascade of gravel, a hidden room stirred with activity from newly beget skeletal archers-- signs of a nearby presence. But the disc could already tell. It could almost see the adventurer nearing, clearing the gravel and slaying monsters, bare feet slapping the cool mossy floor. Soon the dungeon was rendered harmless, now flooded with artificial light. Moments later, that light touched the disc. Anticipation gave way to a cry of triumph. A quest had been fulfilled.
The disc nearly buzzed with energy at the contact. It was as if a whole new door had opened on its consciousness. It could practically see inside its holder's mind, and it saw another thing that shared his attachment-- a beast of some description, but frail and lazy from too many fish, with no more awareness than what the disc had achieved. How could such a weak minded creature be worthy of the affection bestowed upon it?
Meanwhile the holder was having difficulties in his continued battle against the darkness. A few times he feared for his life, but above all, feared losing the disc. It liked that. But it still couldn't understand the other creature it felt nearby. Using the power gained from being united with its seeker, it reached out to this lesser presence. Perhaps there was a way to manipulate its weak will against itself...
"What the fuck are you doing down here, Paws?"
It wasn't long before the cat, displaced from familiar surroundings, found its way into peril. The owner's mind fell into a frenzy, shaken by his loss. The golden record claimed its first victim, and no one suspected. It felt pleased at its own influence.
As time passed it fell into other hands. It was removed from its pedestal, never to be conclusively identified again. Part of its power fell away as its owner declared it forever missing. It returned to waiting in darkness for fresh hands to find it.
It had taken quite some time to surface again, but the passing of time was a trivial thing. The gold disc possessed many physical incarnations, and though they can be destroyed or lost, the immaterial idea of it outlasted any one copy. That's where its true power laid. And finally, the day did come. During a rare streak of luck, the same seeker as before dug out the collapsed sand and unexpectedly, but gleefully, claimed his second golden record.
He was infused with an adventurer's spirit, thirsty for discovery and not bound to any home. All of his possessions were carried with him, and the disc held the most power when it was carried. It had plenty of time to drink in its new owner's energy, to feel reawakened and assess what to do next. In the end, it couldn't feel content just being valued. It was too saturated with the darkness that beget it, and it had already claimed one life before. When it was given this kind of power by being coveted and guarded, it had to do something with it.
Golden record still in tow, the explorer found his way into an ancient temple, designed by the same inscrutable gods that originally crafted the disc and left it in dark places. The disc just had to bring out the naivete in its holder's mind, have him linger too long near the detonating bomb. Though its physical copy was thoroughly destroyed, its spirit was satisfied. It had taken another life. Twice, in fact, when the explorer rushed back to see if anything could possibly be retrieved, then starved when there was nothing to find. A deliciously pitiful death, And still he never suspected. Not yet.
In a parallel dimension, a different adventurer journeyed on his endless walk, further than anyone had ventured before. The disc did not expect to be awakened here in this version of the world, away from its primary seeker whose desire first granted it awareness. But there was incredible energy surrounding this one's presence, as if his thoughts and desires were shared by thousands all at once, though superficially he appeared alone.
Mostly alone. Again there was a lesser presence-- a canine this time, one that had outlived an incredible amount of danger despite its appalling stupidity. Perhaps this one would not bend quite so easily, but the disc had plans. With this much rampant energy to draw from, there was no way it could fail.
Soon it had achieved something it had never done before. It wasn't a death-- it didn't have the same satisfaction as a death, but it was the next best thing, and it caused just as much turmoil. The wolf could not die from normal means-- if it could, it would have managed that on its own a long time ago. But it was too well protected. Instead the disc stole it from the physical plane, removed wholly from existence. The effect was powerful and widespread. Minds were thrown into worry and confusion, blame was flung far and wide, not least of all at the golden record itself. People were catching on, but there was enough discord that it hardly mattered. Then, with a small jolt, the disc felt a connection form to its first ardent seeker through some invisible and otherworldly strings.
"You should have left that golden record alone, man. It's messed up."
It could sense the conviction in his voice. He knew, but the disc decided it didn't mind. It liked the fear more than the envy and admiration. Such was its nature, containing so much darkness in its haunting track. 13 never was a lucky number.
Its current holder now sought to destroy the evil thing in an effort to restore his long time companion. Its form was cast into fire, and though it was scorched beyond repair, the damage it precipitated was already done. It felt satisfied as it burned, knowing Wolfie would not rise from the ashes.
Its metaphysical form lingered in the area, having accrued enough power to remain conscious here a while longer. The explorer was driven to desperate measures and proceeded to risk his well being to find his friend. The remaining spirit of the disc possessed a nearby zombie, the most easily corruptible mind there is, and launched one final display of its influence. Its only regret was that it did not quite claim the life of the farlander before it expired.
Once again the spirit lived on to be awakened someday again. But one thing it didn't foresee was that the same applied to the wolf it stole. Wolfie's form may be gone, but the spirit was still alive, and the farlander didn't play by the rules. Reality was altered. The disc's machinations were undone. It had been outsmarted.
A sense of anger welled up within its slumbering consciousness. It would not forget, but for now, it waited. The disc did not know defeat. One day it will surface again, and again. Infinitely it will respawn, appearing in new chests, in new dungeons. Its curse cannot be broken, only banished until the next time a glint of gold shines from within a dungeon chest, and every time it gains a little more power from the fear it inspires. The monsters are a distraction. The real evil is what they guard.
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Date: Friday, October 5th, 2012 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: Friday, October 5th, 2012 05:52 am (UTC)I think Guude would like this!
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Date: Friday, October 5th, 2012 08:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, October 5th, 2012 08:30 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: Friday, October 5th, 2012 12:36 pm (UTC)I love it >D
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Date: Friday, October 5th, 2012 08:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, October 5th, 2012 12:50 pm (UTC)Very, very cool. :)
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Date: Friday, October 5th, 2012 08:15 pm (UTC)