The tiny traveller looked up at the guard with a furrowed expression, which was greeted by an unwelcoming expression. The humourless guard sent a grunt toward the tiny adventurer, threatening to blow his miniscule form away with nothing more than a huff and a puff. The tiny wanderer, in naïve defiance or courageous rebellion bravely stood, anchored to the ground, before diving between the guard’s legs and into the sacred tomb, sprinting into the cave’s entrance with more speed than should have been possible for his little legs. After running far enough into the dark and hungry cavernous mouth that was the tomb of the luminous, he took a break to remark on the irony of the ‘luminous’ tomb being so lightless. Light. Something the whole kingdom sought after in the wake of the sun’s death over a millennium ago, acquiring light for his country was his way of proving his miniature might.
The tomb had been shut by decree of the fourth king over twelve hundred years prior, but of course the lone drifter was not the first to break this sacred law. All that would meet him on his way down farther and further into that pit were the skeletons of past travellers and the horrific abominations that stalked the walls of darkness, evolved and created in the midst of an apocalyptic world. The tiny and vigilant vagabond felt the tremble of the earth beneath his feet and dashed to the relative safety of the wall. He reached into his sack tied to his hip and drew a light crystal that he had ‘borrowed’ from the palace on the way to his destination, after all, the palace had plenty, the villagers and towns did not. It revealed nothing but emptiness. The mouth of the cave echoed with creature’s calls like the smacking of lips eager to gulp down the gallant galivant.
Ever fearless, or foolish, the nomad sent his first steps forward into the deep, his virtuous valiance guiding him into the belly of the beast, as caution was left on the cold stone behind him. Creatures leapt around him, giant quadrupedal monsters lumbered above him, paying no mind to the little light and its wielder, nor the shadows that stalked across their back. Unsettling cries pervaded the walls, a wailing that shot through the adventurer’s ears that made his quick fingers twitch for his sword, his minute hand resting on the miniature hilt. He lurched farther into the capacious cavern with excited feet and anxious hands. His cloak that covered his body from shoulders to toes gave him confidence against the darkness as he heard the growls and steps of prowling predators surrounding him. The lump in his throat was quickly thrown back as he attempted to silently draw his blade, scraping it across the floor creating a few minor sparks that quickly died in the growling grotto. A claw scratched at his cloak, tearing the patched fabric, the tiny traveller leapt away and spun to face his attacker. Shadows, caused by the light source, pounced harmlessly at his feet, including his own. Looking at the light crystal in his hand, and forgoing its value in the face of death, he smashed it upon his sword, releasing a blaze of light throughout the network of tunnels, burning and terrifying the creatures, and annoying the monsters lumbering in the giant empty clearings of the cavern, imbuing his sword with temporary radiance. Taking the opportunity without a moment wasted, the tiny traveller continued his journey in a sprint toward victory, glowing sword held ahead as a guiding finger, past the suspicious skeletons and the secretive yet highly aggressive shadows.
His anxious blade followed his overwhelmingly excited feet, as he slashed the foot of one of the creatures that pounced at his feet, not once losing his momentum as he fought off shadows and angered corrupt creatures alike with the powerful radiant steel. He kept his pace, following twisting hallways and treacherous routes down into the deepest chambers, his heart full and eyes gleaming. Light flooded his eyes. Shards, spheres, entire slices of the room were covered in abundant light, more than he had ever witnessed, light that the grey surface begged for, to banish the fog and the shadow. The Lilliputian venturer used all the strength in his petite body to fill his sack with light spheres, crystals and jars that he had filled with light like fireflies. Light swirled behind the glass of the many jars, just waiting to be released into the world, to add more chrome to the mono. The glow of all that light penetrated the material of his sack, acting as a lantern of sorts.
Finally, he turned to the grave of the luminous, a legendary character of mythology and history that bled into stories for the people’s children years after her death. The luminous, the light bringer, his idol. She lay, her coffin open, her everlasting light held tightly to her chest. The tiny traveller’s eyes scanned the room and registered the skeletons clinging to her grave, singed and covered in ash. He was not so naïve, paying his respects to the luminous he hoisted his sack to his shoulder, and stepped back into the cavern, his luminous sword leading the way. The pygmy pioneer began his arduous climb back to the surface, with nothing but ancestral light and bright steel to guide him ever upward to fame, glory and most importantly, the smiling faces of his townspeople.
(Image from offical Hollow knight artwork)
