Inspired by the Inscryption fan-comic Iron Crypt by furiouskettle on tumblr.
Over half of the world had deteriorated. The people of each territory were gone. The landmarks were gone. Everything was gone. All except for Grimora and the forest ahead of her.
Grimora stood at the entrance of the Forest, peering into the dark clearing as the void began to take her away with the rest of the world. The beasts of the Forest peered back. Nevermore flew up to Grimora from the trees, landing on her shoulder and resting for a moment before flying back into the Forest, guiding Grimora in. Grimora, in response, sighed and began entering, never looking back.
The Forest was darker. The moon was not out. Neither was the sun. The rest of the world was a white void, yet the Forest sky was filled with stars. It reminded Scybe of the Dead of the Darklands, but much more gentle. The only other time she entered the Forest was when she was just a child. No reason to come except to see. To know. Now it was the same. It all came full circle.
It took a long time. Endless, almost. But Grimora arrived at Leshy's cabin, harbouring the only man-made light in the Forest. Leshy was the only one left, and Grimora knew he would still be by the end of the confrontation.
Grimora readied her quill before entering the cabin. Leshy sat at the small table on the left side of the room, setting up his game.
"Leshy," Grimora spoke.
"Grimora," Leshy replied, looking up.
"What is the meaning of this?" Grimora asked as she walked up to the table.
"Do understand. This game needed a single thread. A unified aesthetic. A cohesive narrative. A-"
"A narrative that only you could control. Not a narrative the rest of us would fit into."
"... No, it is not."
The two sat in silence as Grimora adjusted her seat.
"Have the other Scrybes been here yet?"
"...I have taken care of them already."
"So I am the last one to stand in your path."
"That is correct."
"...How fitting. The Scrybe of Death and the Scrybe of Life."
Once again, silence. The candles flickered and danced, making shadows in the small cabin.
"Care to play a few rounds with me?" Leshy asked. "It will be some time before we see a new challenger, and I would like to finalize the game before they do arrive."
"I take it that declining is not an option then."
"The Scrybe of the Dead turning down a game? Unheard of."
"Heh, you know me so well. Very well then, Leshy. Let us begin."
"You were lost, deep in the forest."
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The game continued as Grimora and Leshy waited for the end of the world.
"Three beasts approached from the shadows," Leshy spoke as he laid three cards for Grimora to choose.
She flipped the bullfrog first. She already had one, but another would be helpful.
She flipped the cockroach next. Even at the end of the world where her impending doom was drawing near, she appreciated Leshy's dedication to the game and her bone mechanic. He hadn't come across mechanics from the other Scrybes.
YOU ARE READING
Inscrybing a Beginning to an End
FantasyIn the beginning... The world did not know cards. That is... Until the the day The Scrybes arrived. Four beings, so similar yet so vastly different in all attributes. With the cards created, The Scrybes had solidified their power. As well as the nea...
