"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster... When you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
I had a dream the other night... the setting took place at night, the sky was overcast, hints of rain could be seen in the distant sky. I was looking at a parapet, the balcony of a large home, manor, or maybe a castle...
Suddenly a man flew, crashing backwards out the window of the manor, and onto the balcony, and as he hit the ground he quickly backed up into the guard rail of the balcony; which over saw a brick alleyway. The man had short brown hair, with wide frightened brown eyes. He was leaning on one arm, panting heavily, with patches of blood on his face... a sign he was just in a fight. The slim metal pauldrons and greaves containing knicks and dings, while the leather breastplate showed stains of blood.
An imposing dark figure in the shape of a person proceeded to emerge from the broken window the man had flown out of. Not much could be clearly seen, except for the vicious outline of the being that seemed to snarl and twist into several devious horns and spikes, each pointed up; beckoning for someone or something to stand in its way.
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The figure stepped forward, towards the downed man. Its eyes glowing an eerie yellow, which reflected in the fearful eyes of the man,... eyes of a monster. The monster closed in on the man, a deep guttural laugh escaping from the monster.
The man attempted to beg for mercy, plead for his life to be spared, he even tried to barter with information.
"Nn No!, You Can't!"
Reaching with clawed fingers, the monster grasped the man's throat with one of his massive hands, a laugh still echoing out, as if he was enjoying every second.
With a deep voice, the monster spoke.
"I, I will be the last.... But You Will Go First!"
Panicking the man desperately tried to save his own life
"There are others I could show you! ... Please!"
With his pleas falling on deaf ears the monster pulled the man to his feet with one hand, still vice gripped around his neck. With complete inhuman strength the creature proceeded to crush the man's neck, bones giving way under the monstrous strength.
While still within the demon's grasp, the man's body gave one last shudder and went limp.
Without warning the demon dropped the man's lifeless body over the guardrail of the balcony, watching as the body smashed into the ground.
The man, had he not died from the demon, was surely dead now. Blood pooled around the man's body, his corpse sprawled in an unnatural position.... unmoving...
Waking in a startle, I sat up in my bed... checking my surroundings.... fearful that I was not alone...
After a few minutes of panic, the fear subsided, and I remembered where I was. In my bed, within my home, secure... Behind the walls of Candlekeep.