/lit/ - Literature

The ruins of castles and forts testify to the desperate battles of eras gone by. One after the next, empires rose and fell, destroyed by unspeakable creatures from Hell.

They wait ‘till you’ve settled, invested it all. Committed yourself, thrown your hat o’er the wall. That way you won’t run, but instead stay and fight what’s been watching from shadows, beyond reach of the light.

This is how they feed. They have no need to hunt. Prey comes to them, an ingenious stunt. Driven by greed, and dreams of return, that the empire they’ll forge might one day surface to burn, rape and pillage the kingdom which banished them there, but that dream before long turns into a nightmare.

As soon as they’re settled, there’s no need to pretend, no need to hide, no disbelief to suspend. Gracefully, they emerge from the walls. Silently crawling through chambers and halls. Shifting their shape while your back is turned. Just the way to stalk humans, their ancestors learned.

There is no free land. Nowhere left you can go. No freedom from tyrants, above or below. Lest you ignore my warnings and set off for the cave, know that the land underground is a grave. Containing the corpses of millions of men, but also of kingdoms they failed to defend.

The ones waiting there I am sure will not starve. No shortage of men more ambitious than smart, will continue to feed them thanks in large part to man’s unjustified but unwavering perception that despite all who’ve died trying, he’ll be the exception.

So despite the grand tales and the dreams they inspire, balance that against everything dire I’ve told you about what waits to be found, by the fools who would seek out the land underground.

linktr. ee/alexbeyman