This is a re-post of Fade to Black. Took it down to rework it, lost it and now I am rewriting it again. If any had read this story before there will be changes. Hope you enjoy. I own nothing of the D&D world; just having some fun. Please review!
Also special thanks to D.B. Cooper for being my Beta.
…
Everyone ran in a panic from the walls that threatened to close in on them. They separated in all directions to find an exit, any exit from the long hallway. They got out through a few windows and doors just as the stone walls collided together.
Hank looked for Presto as he saw him climb out a window next to him. Presto was not in sight. Hank found himself in a garden full of some of the most beautiful flowers he had ever seen in his life. The air was filled with the sweetest smells he had ever smelled before. It was heaven to him.
Beautiful blue flowers with white stripes down the center of the petals caught his attention. He bent his head down to smell the rich aroma and inhaled deeply. As soon as he looked up from the flower it had taken him over. He smiled and fell to the ground, seeing the most beautiful sights and colors. Small vines slowly crept around his body, effectively pinning him to the ground. Hank was unaware of the danger wrapping around him as he enjoyed the sights before his eyes.
Presto fell hard to the ground hitting his head harder than he had wanted. When his vision cleared he realized he was in what looked like a study with lots of old books, papers scattered on the floor and desk. It smelled of ink and old books.
He realized someone was sitting at the desk writing on the paper. They were dressed in clothes like his but black.
"Hey, can you help me?"
"Hey, can you help me?" The person mimicked back. It sounded just like him.
"What the, you sound just like me."
"What the, you sound just like me."
Presto carefully walked up to this person to get a look at his face. He screamed and fell back when he realized that it was him in black robes with no face. The person continued to write on the parchment.
When Presto was sure that this other him wasn't going to attack or do anything he looked at the parchment and realized it wasn't writing but the beginning of a drawing. He watched as this copy of him drew Bobby fighting off small creatures that looked like a combination of spiders and rats. Bobby was crying and swinging his Club trying to fend off the creatures.
The next picture showed Bobby being bit by one of them and him screaming in pain as they continued to bite him, the Club now forgotten at his side.
"No! Bobby! This can't be happening!"
"No! Bobby! This can't be happening!" The copy self mimicked with no mouth.
Presto looked at other pictures on the ground and the table his friends were there being tortured or trapped in some way. He found Bobby, Hank, Eric and Diana whom were together under Eric's shield fending off fire bolts from two quick and nasty looking dragons. They were not large, only a few feet long each. The picture showed that Diana was struck in the back and fell to the ground.
"Sheila, where's Sheila?"
"Sheila, where's Sheila?
"You have to help her." He grabbed the shoulder of this other him and regretted it instantly.
"No, you have to help her." He stood and grabbed Presto, throwing him into the chair in front of the desk.
No matter what he did he could not remove himself from the chair and his hand instantly went to the quill and ink and began drawing. He tried to speak or scream but found his mouth sealed off. He turned and looked at his copy that now held his mouth.
Presto began screaming in earnest only making muffled sounds.
"You can't help them but you can see them. I need your eyes."
Everything went dark and he reached up to his face and found that he no longer had one. A quick surge of panic and he was instantly calm. A power came over him and he was no longer in control of himself. He saw images of his friends being harmed and he drew every gruesome event that happened.
Presto's copy collected the papers and was preparing to bind them into a book when Presto finished drawing on each piece of paper.
Sheila was the last to be drawn. She was in a room full of jewels of every shape and size imaginable. They were all dazzling and on display and ready to be touched.
There was nothing she hated or feared more than being alone. There were no doors in this very large room with a very high ceiling. Light came from the many bright lights all magically lit overhead. The light made every piece of jewelry very attractive to touch.
Very slowly she reached out and lifted one piece off a display case. Somehow she knew that if used she would have the ability to walk through fire. Another piece she picked up would give her the ability to turn anything she wanted into gold or silver. After touching piece after piece she realized that each one gave the owner an ability to do something.
"Which one of you would get me and everyone out of here?"
As if answering her question a pendant on a gold chain glimmered and shone to get her attention. It was at the other end of the room high on one of the many shelves. There was a ladder to climb up and reach it. As she held it in her hands she realized that it would get her out of the room and all of her friends if she needed. It would allow her the ability to walk between shadows and break any curse or fend off magic.
She took it off its display and looked at it more carefully when she stepped down to the floor. It was a plain black obsidian pendant surrounded in gold with a gold chain. Very pretty she thought as she placed it around her neck. Little did she realize the chain's length dimished some and the clasp locked in place.
Sheila realized it would be very easy to use the necklace as she instantly knew what to do. Going under the table in its shadow she thought of Hank and found herself in a sweet smelling garden.
"Hank!" Sheila ran to Hank and placed her hands on the vines that encased his body.
The vines instantly shrank away and Hank woke up surprised. "What happened?"
"Never mind, we have to get the others. Come on." Sheila pulled a very confused Hank through a shadow to find Presto.
They came out of a corner of the room. Presto's copy smiled. "I am sure glad to see you. He's holding me captive here. He's not real."
Hank nodded and was about to point his arrow at Presto who was defenseless against attack.
"Hank, wait! Look at him, I mean really look at him." She pointed at the black clad Presto and noticed that his eyes were not quite right. They held a reddish tinge to them.
"Your weapon will do you little good here Ranger. He's mine now!"
Sheila held onto the pendant and thought of Presto being released from the dark spell that bound him to the desk.
Presto's copy screamed. "NO! It's not possible. Not after all this time! You'll suffer for use of that pendant girl! He'll make you his slave and laugh at your anguish!"His words were of terror and Sheila almost thought for a moment that he was trying to warn her.
Within a minute Presto fell to the floor as his face reformed back to normal once again. Hank helped him off the floor and looked at his copy back at the desk resuming his role of sketch artist with no face.
"The others, Eric, Diana, and Bobby, they are really hurt."
Hank saw the pictures and knew that they would have to hurry. "Sheila, take us to them."
She brought all three of them to Bobby who was a bleeding lifeless mass on the ground. Sheila shrieked in terror that her brother may be dead. She felt for a pulse and was grateful that he was still alive. Holding the pendant a light went out to chase the little creatures away from them and heal Bobby.
He slowly woke up and held his sister bursting into tears. It was too much for him. He was a tough little kid but being so alone and defenseless was too much for him. Hank picked up the Club as Sheila carried her little brother. All of them traveled the shadows to find Eric and Diana.
Eric was covered with burns and cuts but held the Shield up to defend Diana from another attack. He dropped the Shield and was hit in the chest and fell to the ground. Sheila held the pendant and the two dragons turned to stone and fell to the ground smashing into rubble.
Diana then woke Eric. Both were confused as to what happened to them and the dragons.
"Guys we need to get out of here!" Presto pulled them up and told them to grab hold of Sheila.
No one needed to be told twice as they left that horrid castle and landed in the woods not far from a valley they had really enjoyed a few weeks back. They all fell to the ground thankful that they were safe for the time being. Rest was on all their minds after their recent ordeal.
Hank's eyes were filled with regret but even he was too tired to blame himself right now. He lay on the ground and fell asleep. Everyone followed suit and soon all of them rested just as the sun set in the sky.
…..
Venger's thoughts were interrupted with something, a feeling that he had not felt in a very long time. It came from a place that he had not thought about in over two hundred years. He reached out to this thing that danced on the edge of his mind.
"Veraknek."
That castle was buried long ago with everything in it. No, the children would not be foolish enough to venture there to find a way home. Dungeon Master would never lead them there. He cares too much for them to do that.
He reached out once again and realized one of his creations was being used.
"Show me my creation, who is using you?" Images of a young girl with red hair and a purple cape entered his head. "One of Dungeon Master's children is using dark magic?"
He smiled realizing that he now had the opportunity to finally take hold of one of those meddlesome brats. Through the connection he realized that the pendant had taken hold of the girl and would not be able to be removed without his permission. Had the magic entered her blood yet?
The connection was weak but he could feel through the pendant that the girl was slowly bending towards the dark magic. It was draining her and the urge to give in filled her thoughts. He pushed on this connection to lull her into sleep. As soon as he felt that she was indeed asleep he called upon his pendant to possess her. "Fade to black my newly acquired slave. I'll come to collect you when Dungeon Master has sent you away to protect your so called friends. It will be you will desire to serve."
Venger brought his thoughts to other matters at hand and left the pendant to do its work.
….