Hiya, this is an idea that follows on from a thread I made on the discussion forum, as I thought it might be fun to have some writing prompts!

The prompt is a one-word one, as I find those to be the most versatile and interesting.

The word I picked for this thread is 'vessel'.

I'm going to post my interpretation of the prompt below this as a 'chapter 2', so that my submission doesn't sway anyone's ideas on what to write, and hope you guys will get involved with your own takes on the prompt by adding new chapters/story paths below! Credit to SepiandDust for the general idea of how this is all set out :)

• Riot45

Thick metallic syrup trickled down the pallid stem of the plant. Seth worked quickly. He grabbed the small vessel from his mouth and pressed it into the area where the main flow of the sap came from. He then unravelled some of the cloth that surrounded his knuckles and created a small pouch to catch the precious liquid in. Some of the silver substance dripped onto one of his unprotected fingers and he let out a soft hiss as the stuff burned through his skin. This sharp sensation was one he'd experienced often. He could almost feel the potent liquid dissolve into his blood and run up his arm towards his heart and the rest of his body. As usual the waves began almost at once. His mind was a dilapidated vessel on a rough sea, waves pounding on all sides, roaring against his senses and creating a sensation that could only be described as totally and utterly overwhelming. The rock that enclosed him from all sides seemed to pulse, he felt his own heart beat pounding so ferociously that it very nearly deafened his enhanced ears. The silver sap always had this effect on Seth. He didn't fully understand why, but he knew it had something to do with the royal blood that flowed through his veins. The others always experienced the first part of the reaction—the acid-like burning, but never the after effects that haunted Seth's sanity.

The strange tremors in his mind never fully wore off but did subside slightly into a dull throb in the back of his head. It was enough for his eyes to see the fabric in front of him which drooped slightly as new dribbles of sap dropped into it. Seth lay on his stomach, the ceiling and sides of the tunnel pressed in on him, adding to the feeling that at any moment he could be crushed. He lay there for a couple more hours, only moving to replace the full pouches with new empty ones. Only when he was sure that he had harvested all of the available sap did he begin to edge himself backwards along the way he had crawled. The tunnel, if you could even call it that, was much too tight for Seth to move his unfortunate broad shoulders and muscular legs enough to face towards the exit. He didn't worry about this too much, for he had performed tasks akin to this enough times for him to know that all that was needed was get the hell out of the claustrophobic space as fast as possible and the manner in which he did so did not matter in the slightest. Seth kept the pouches of pure silver sap in front of him, and he moved them along with him each time that he heaved himself another few paces closer to the exit. The only way Seth could actually maneuver himself in a space like this was by sucking in his breath sharply and wriggling desperately in the exit’s direction before he was forced to release it and feel the pressing walls again which locked him in place. He never knew how long these journeys really took him but he suspected it felt longer than it must really be. When you spent as much time as Seth had underground then you really did lose all concept of time. When his legs finally found that they could bend and the tunnel had widened, Seth let out a small grunt of relief–it was all the celebration that he could muster. From then on, he followed the markings on his left forearm which indicated which tunnels to go through, as there were many openings at this level that had the chance of leading upwards; perhaps a shortcut to the greater cavern which Seth searched for, or maybe they led deeper, towards more confined spaces. Seth was not willing to take this chance and proceeded to go the way he had come, picking up the small pouches as he was finally able to stand, if not slightly stooped. Above him a faint glow emanated; this was the first sign of light he had seen in hours; it was a relief. He was greeted with a frantic whisper