Snippets

[Dylaria]

This is -not- a single story or a (what's the word)... anthology? (I think that's the one) Nope, this is just a bunch of stuff that has/will have only one thing in common. Shortness.

Beyond that this is going to be a mix of anything and everything that isn't any kind of major project. Read if you like, comment if you like. If you don't feel like it, no offense taken. I ask nothing of anyone.

[Dylaria]

1.

Notes: (Pronounce the name as you would "sell-en")

Past the star of darkest light
On a world bathed in twilight
We set our path without fright
To the tomb of Queen Sylen

With air of acid and dust
Past mountains made of rust
In the desert of heaven's crust
Lies the tomb of Queen Sylen

With guards of stone and steel
Ageless and unable to feel
I pray they are not real
The guards of Queen Sylen

Through the ancient door
Past halls without a floor
The treasure that's in store
In the tomb of Queen Sylen

May we someday find
That the lady may not mind
A hunter that can leave behind
The tomb of Queen Sylen.

[Allya]

Well I really like your first one. I like the picture you paint and I'm a sucker for poetry that isn't all angsty. (Is that a word?) Anywho, my only constructive criticism would be on the rhythm. It felt too short in some places and too long in others so I tripped a bit trying to find the right way to read it. It seemed like you mostly stuck to 7 syllables but every now and then you'd switch to six or eight or you'd switch from iambic to something else. /shrug Just food for thought.

[Dylaria]

2.

Notes: (I don't tend to write sea stories and this is generally why)



"Watch out for snakes."

Rigel laughed at the memory of his wife and her silly phobia. He had been sailing the trade winds for three seasons now, there were no snakes here.

From his post in the crow's nest he once again looked down with wonder at the Diamond's Eye. She was a beautiful schooner that had only been put to sea the year before. The crew even joked that the paint still smelled fresh.

"Lookout! Any sign of Seaspine Reef?" captain Mathory bellowed up from the bridge.

"Aye sir, far off the port bow. Near the horizon." Rigel called back with a muttered "you superstitious old coot" added at the end that Mathory wouldn't hear. While Rigel obeyed and respected the man he could only laugh at his belief in the old tale that a monster lived in Seaspine Reef. Some kind of leviathan that could sink an armada of warships. Rigel had been to school though and had long since lost such beliefs.

Down on the bridge Mathory was going to tell his wheelman to turn to starboard, true to the route he had taken to the ports of Tusaria for years. However his first mate nearly threw the looking scope at the captain with urgency in his eyes.

"Sir, look out to starboard. Got a nasty squall coming in that looks bad."

With a disapproving grunt Mathory put the looking scope to his good eye and looked out past the horizon. His first mate had made a big understatement.

"Argh, that's no squall man. That's the Breath of Temstra, but that shouldn't be on these seas in summer."

"Lookout, what side of the reef we on?" the old captain's gut telling him something had gone horribly wrong. "Out with it boy! North or south of the Reef!"

Rigel caught Mathory's words but didn't understand the question. Sure there was a squall on the southern horizon but surely if they kept east they would simply pass it.

"Reef's on the port side, so south sir!" Rigel couldn't help but make his indignation heard in his words. If the captain chewed him out it was worth it. But the next words he could hear from atop the mast gave him a genuine worry.

"Wheelman, turn hard to port! We're on the wrong side of the reef! Get the men down to row, pull the men from the masts. We need every man to push through!"

As Rigel and the rest of the crew made their way to the rowing lines to assist the ship along. Mathory shut himself in his quarters, pulling charts and maps across his desk in an attempt to find how such a grave error had occurred. He started tracing their course from the day they left to where they were now.

For the first segment everything was as it should have been, the course line following exactly as he had drawn it. Further down however there was indeed a subtle change. A small change in course toward the south in the middle of open sea, where nobody would notice it unless they looked for it.

The new line looked so neat and well plotted that if he didn't know any better Mathory would have sword to the gods he drew it. But this raised a new question, who changed the course line? This was the real question since only himself, the first mate and the wheelman were the only ones who ever touched the charts.

Going over it all in his head Mathory could of course rule himself out. He barely ever even looked at the charts anymore after making this run for so many years. The first mate was a loyal man who had been on board long enough to earn the captain's trust. Besides, the shock and confusion in his voice at the storm was real. A man couldn't fake that. Which left the wheelman but that poor sod was illiterate and couldn't draw a straight line if his life depended on it.

Mathory could feel the boat lurch to port as he worked out this puzzle. Whoever did this would need to understand charts and writing, meaning either a naval officer or someone with schooling. Going down his crew only one name fit that list. With raw fury in his heart the old man flew from his quarters to the rowing lines, with the guilty man's name on his lips.

"Rigel! You bilge-rat, you tampered with the charts! Do you know what you've done boy? Can your schooled head understand that you put us aside the Breath of Temstra on the wrong side of the damn reef?"

The lookout, now feeling the razor like gazes of all the other men stood up proud. Rigel didn't care what these fools thought, his schooling was right.

"I know exactly what I did sir. I altered the course to save a week off the journey. If we cut through the gap in the reef like I plotted we will reach port that much sooner. We won't have to navigate the shallows on the northern side and don't even mention that silly legend of a monster. All of you who believe that are lost in old drinking stories. The legend says nobody survives the monster but somebody had to if the story exists."

At the insubordinate crewman's speech Mathory had little to say. Rigel was a mutinous dog who deserved hell for what he did and his fancy words did nothing to change that.

"Listen to me boy. I'd keelhaul you if I could spare the manpower, so just count your blessings that you have some use to me. When we get to port this won't be over. Remember that."

With those words the captain returned to the deck. Forced to navigate the Seaspine Reef.

It was dusk by the time they had gotten to the outside of the gap and for the men on deck it was not appealing. Before them was a mass of churning water, crosscurrents and the occasional whirlpool. Monster or no, several men wanted to kill the former lookout for putting them through this. The bastard had been demoted to cabin boy and the plan was to leave him at the port.

Captain Mathory was shouting orders left and right as the Diamond's Eye and her crew navigated the treacherous waters of the gap. Rigel could hear his shouting and rough seas from below deck, where he was now relegated to scrubbing floors and hauling cargo around. Even now he was certain that once they got to port he would be lauded with killing a myth and opening a new trade route.

So engrossed was he with his thoughts of vindication he almost missed the call for all hands on deck. Though he certainly didn't miss the massive crashing sound that sent a shockwave through the whole ship a moment later. Despite his newly found spite for everyone else he made his way quickly as possible to the main deck, if for no other reason than to see his being right in action. What he did see was something out of a nightmare.

The waters of the gap were a twisting mess, and the main mast had been severed about a third of the way up. Rigel stood stunned as the men ran about trying to stem the damage and shouting about something he had obviously missed.

That was when he heard the roar of water and felt the sea rain down upon him. It was all he could do to look up and see the monster he had only hours ago denounced as legend. The massive serpentine creature rose up about 120 feet in the air before falling upon the ship.

In those final moments, Rigel didn't think about his foolishness. Nor did he have any apologies to anyone. In his mind was only the sense that a moment could last forever and the image of his wife and her last words to him before he had boarded the Diamond's Eye.

"Watch out for snakes."

[Dylaria]

3.

Notes: (First off, to anyone who comments. If I don't respond please don't take it as me ignoring you. I read every comment and do think about it. I just kinda wanna keep this as neat as possible. If you want a response let me know and I'll do it via pm. On a separate note, this is probably going to be a messy piece. Something invented to be oral doesn't always work so well in text. Can one put a tune in text? )


Home again in bleached white
Empty once more and soulless
In a corner of the room
The closet locked up tight

Backed up to the door
Staring at the locks
One day I'll sort it out
For now there's things to store

Playing with the key
Ghosts stand at my side
Tapping my shoulder
Phantoms of dissonant memory

Inside the treasure hoard
Relics of timeless worth
Some day I'll pull them out
Today's monument to discord

I toss this new thing in
The phantasms grow louder
Then seal them inside too
This closet door rattles, incessant din

Press myself against the flow
On once more go the locks
It's all just waiting to pour out
Everything must someday go

I make this promise today
That closet will be empty
On the day I find the space
Everything will be okay.

[Dylaria]

4.

Notes: This will likely read odd unless you find the exact pacing I used to write it. Apologies in advance. The edit was for a small pronoun mistake I didn't catch the first five times.

Ladies and gentlemen
Welcome to the show
Watch as dreams fall
And nightmares grow

I hope you like your seats
Because you cannot leave
Until I say that you can go
So just sit back and relax
Chow down on your snacks
Because now here we go

Welcome to this mad menagerie
See the angels hanging from the trees
Feel your heartbeat just begin to seize
Forget your prayers and just ignore the pleas

Here your darkest thoughts can just run wild
Watch us with the wonder of a child
As all your memories are now defiled
And the bodies burn as they are piled

Please may I now direct you
To the center ring
Hear the bards and all the minstrels sing
Now come out you clowns, fill the kids with fright
Take out the cannon and set it all alight

See them dancing now
Waltzing in the flames
This is reality no child's game
The melody of song
Now a choir of screams
Feel it tear you at your very seams

Now enjoy this mad menagerie
Just for you this whole show is free
At the end you may even flee
How very generous of me

Fill with wonder as the people fly
Till they hit the ground they go so high
Their hope is just to touch the sky
Now they learn that's just a bitter lie

Now here comes the final act
I think you like this one
For us at least its lots of fun
I hope you didn't think that we were done
Cause this one's got the fury of a thousand suns

Look up to the trapeze
She's almost set
This trick is without a safety net
When the ropes break and she falls
She'll hit the bomb that will kill you all

We hope you enjoyed this mad menagerie
Like I said you now can try to flee
But if you're smart just watch and see
Soon enough you'll all be free

Feel the warmth of the atomic light
Embracing you all with a brightest white
No more darkness for you no more fright
And so we bid you all a big goodnight

We all stand up now and take a bow
Catch the roses coming from the crowd
Before we vanish into misty shroud
For this is about to get really loud.

[Dylaria]

5.

I will never set you free
You're just a toy, just a puppet
The most worthless person I ever met
You know that is all you shall ever be

Just a doll under my sway
A pointless bit of fun
When I'm bored and done
I'll just throw you away

So now run, run where you will
Be forgotten in an hour, lost in a day
The price of freedom, are you able to pay
Or just drown in your tears, that pitiful swill

I know you'll just pull on your chain
Only to stop when you feel the hooks in your back
See the blood, feel the pain and your mind will crack
Come on begging back, like tears in the rain

Lie to your friends and play the queen
Pretty up and play the part
You were just property from the start
A pretty nothing, not to be heard but seen

[Dylaria]

6.

Notes: Well, here's some terribadness since I haven't actually written anything noteworthy in... awhile. No idea what I was trying to do with this, just got hit with random inspiration by my muse apparently.


I stand here in blowing winds arcane
A storm of time to make fate scream
I hear her in my nights and cry in vain
Ancient seer who killed my dream

She is called by some divine
A guardian of souls and land
Soon her blood will run like wine
When her wizened heart is in my hand

For I feel death, hate, fear
Taste the blood, hopes, tears
Its time to raise my steel
And break your ancient seal

I'll deny your sight
Shatter your wrong and right
Strike you with all my might
The blessed shall join the cursed tonight

Winds of fire scorch the dirt
Lightning breaks the dying sky
Her timeless gaze I must avert
Even now I can't say why

My dark destiny is in the stars
I won't stop what I've begun
You filled my heart and soul with scars
And now I'll see darkest justice done

For I feel death, hate, fear
Taste the blood, hopes, tears
Its time to raise my steel
And break your ancient seal

I'll deny your sight
Shatter your wrong and right
Strike you with all my might
The blessed shall join the cursed tonight

You refuse to raise arms in your defense
Not a moment will I stay my blade
Your final words speak of my death hence
Still hilt deep in your chest is my sword laid.

In victory I've sealed all fate forever
Everything was lost soon as I had won
Her power once held land and people together
With no regrets in my wrath I summoned oblivion

For I feel death, hate, fear
Taste the blood, hopes, tears
Its time to raise my steel
And break your ancient seal

I'll deny your sight
Shatter your wrong and right
Strike you with all my might
The blessed shall join the cursed tonight

[Dylaria]

7. This is really slapdash and just something I came up with in like 5 minutes while dusting off some old stuff I worked on long ago. Maybe I'll put up some of that here someday. Depends on if I think its even worth putting down something so... outgrown.


From ashes we are born
Survivors of apocalypse
Purpose is our faith
Soldiers for the last war

We will never be heroes
The traitor's crown we wear
Never welcome home again
But we love her just the same

Our abyssal heart is pure
Where light meets fire
And steel forges magic
We create a new machine

When the world burns
We will be there waiting
The sword of wrath reborn
A hope to save us all