The Art of Horror
Shi Wu walked underneath the looming shadow of a mountain as the sun was setting, and with sunset's arrival, the sky glowed in reds and purples. The valley he traversed, however, did not share the sky's enthusiasm for the day's end. It was well shaded with twisted and gnarled trees covering the slopes contrasted by a single path of striking white winding through the valley's floor. And with each step on the trail Shi Wu was reminded what, exactly, the trail was paved with. Bone. Bleached bone distorted and warped to provide a well-made path to Sect Brother Li's workshop.
The disturbingness of the bone trail was only heightened by the clear effort and care that went into making sure it would have some semblance of beauty. But that was the way of things with Sect Brother Li, horror transformed into beauty and beauty twisted into horror. While anybody with sense was careful in their dealings with Brother Li, his products demonstrated the efficacy, efficiency, and potency that had made Clan Li's products sought after for generations. Which meant, of course, that people sought Brother Li's products. And while Shi Wu would have killed to get one of the vaunted Corruption Cleansing Tablets, there was a bigger prize to be sought. An apprenticeship under Brother Li.
Meeting him in person though, was quite different than ordering his products through letters. There were few people who had actually walked this path of bones, which meant that Shi Wu didn't have a lot of information to plan his first impression. Even though the sect had given their blessing to pursue this apprenticeship, it would require actually getting the attention, acknowledgment, and acceptance of Sect Brother Li. This would not be a simple matter of showing up to the workshop though. In addition to himself, there were seven of his fellow brothers had shown the skill and talent with the mysteriously corrupted beast cores to be given the Sect's blessing in pursuing this opportunity. However, it was likely that only one of them would be chosen, making this entire experience more stressful than it already was.
Even now Shi Wu's senses were telling him of unnatural things creeping and hidden among the gnarled trees. Constructs crafted from flesh and stone tended the twisted groves and ensured that none disturbed their growth while providing, presumably, an early warning system against intruders and guests. The sight of those soulless eyes embedded in marble faces sent shivers down his spine. He knew, however, that these constructs would be the least of the horrors that lay in store within Brother Li's workshop, and so with firming resolve, Shi Wu locked his head in place and muted his senses and simply walked. Eventually, he would reach the entrance of the workshop and then the real trials would begin.
As the sun fully set behind the horizon, a cave roughly hewn from the side of a cliff appeared at the end of the trail. From within the cave, an unearthly blue glow emanated casting sickly light on the ground. Standing guard in front of the entrance were two large constructs of stone and iron. A full head and shoulders taller than Shi Wu, they wielded rough spears and shields. Halting before them, Shi Wu materialized his instructions to reassure himself of the specific greetings needed, and then proceeded to begin introductions.
"Greetings guardians, my name is Sect Brother Shi and I am here to present myself to Sect Brother Li for the apprenticeship trials."
With the sound of grinding bone, one of the guardians looked at him and responded, "You are early, the Master expected arrivals for his trial when the moon reached its zenith."
"I am aware."
There was a beat of silence that stretched uncomfortably long in Shi Wu's opinion, but then the guardian resumed his scanning of the valley and said, "Proceed until you reach the vault door, then wait until the trial begins. Do not disturb the fungi."
And with those instructions, Shi Wu entered the cave. The only illumination at first was a strange bioluminescent lichen which made strangely hypnotic patterns on the ceiling and walls of the cave. However, other light sources soon began appearing in the form of mushrooms as he proceeded deeper into the cave. All were giving an unearthly blue glow. Eventually though, the cave opened up into a large cavern with vaulted ceilings. Stalactites hung from that ceiling and the sound of slowly dripping water could be heard. At the opposite end of the cavern stood a vault-like door made of polished ebony wood. To either side of the room grew groves of large other-worldly mushrooms. Washed in sickly blue light, the mushrooms had flourished in the damp dark conditions that existed in the cavern.
It would be hours until the trial began, and so, with nothing better to do at the moment, Shi Wu began to inspect the tools he brought. There was likely nothing wrong with them, but it was better than letting his mind wander and ponder what lay behind the door. Other competitors soon began percolating in, and with each, he would give a nod of acknowledgment and then return to his self-assigned task. After a couple of hours had passed, all eight of them stood in front of the vaulted door. Some, like himself, were nervously doing habits to pass the time while others simply stood placidly by and waited. No one talked.
A chime reverberated throughout the cavern, and everyone hastily stopped what they were doing. Slowly the wood door rolled open revealing a tall man who appeared of middling age clothed in the uniform of a Core Sect Disciple. Light blue hair was kept short on his head and his green eyes seemed hard and jaded. Sect Brother Li had arrived. Behind him came eight lumbering giants, seemingly crafted from ivory and jade, each carried a chest made from the same black wood as the vault door.
"In these eight chests are some of the reagents you have demonstrated skill at utilizing," began Sect Brother Li, "while also containing reagents that you likely never have seen. Identify the ones you should know accurately while categorizing the ones you do not know by how dangerous they could be if improperly handled. You have one hour. Those who do not show satisfactory results will be dismissed. Begin."
Shi Wu nervously gulped as the ivory giant placed a chest in front of him, and then stepped back. It was time to shine, and demonstrate that he deserved to be an apprentice of the Artesian of Horror.
A/N:
@yrsillar have another omake for the omake throne!
This one is inspired by the idea of Li Suyin's clan in the future being focused on production work and this descendant really going after the idea of contrasting horror and traditional beauty. I hope that people enjoy the omake, and, as always, critiques and criticisms are welcomed.
