While taking time to enjoy walking like a normal person I hear a faint scraping sound under my foot a moment before something slices over the top of my head, small bits of stonebark chipping off without doing any real damage.
Feeling as if the color drained from my body I step back, looking up to see a metal spear quickly pull back into a hole in the wall.
Cautiously I duck and step down, seeing four solid steel spears extend from each side wall, the lowest at the three foot mark. I repeat the act, rather impressed by just how fast the spears move. I also get a bit excited: it's the first trap I've found!
Sure, I almost got impaled, but still: an actual dungeon trap!
Stepping over to the wall I inspect the hole one came out of- finding it nearly 1 inch wide and situated at the corner where two blocks meet under the center of a third. Knowing they're there makes the holes easier to spot, doubly so once I activate the Perception skill. The holes aren't deep with the tip of the spears only an inch from the surface.
Moving back to the trigger I try to pick the stone above it up, eventually Disgorging a dagger to help pry it loose.
The mechanism under it is simple, using several metal rods at angles to counter the weight of the stone while a rope attached to it both helps keep the stone in place and activates the mechanism.
I'm curious how it works: is it just a pulley system, sets of gears, or something else? There's some fine work happening to transform a half inch of downward pressure into four feet of strong spear thrust in less than three seconds!
Sadly, like the spears, the ropes pass through a one inch hole in the sides of the space under the trigger and as far as I can tell there's no way to access the mechanics inside the wall. This means either it's never been disabled, or it's magically reset. I would try to take the metal spears but I can't get behind them and they're firmly attached to the mechanics in the wall.
Heading forward I keep Perception active and find the same trap in the next hall- or, at least, a similar trap.
This one activates on the stones two rows before the expected trigger, and rather than one column of spears from each side, it's six, with the added columns well hidden.
I shouldn't feel insulted for falling for the second trap; it's not like I have experience with them! But for some reason I feel like a sucker and want to get in the wall and Consume the entire mechanism in retaliation.
Recognizing the added danger I change to my usual Iron Spider form and move along the roof. Perhaps the vantage point helps, but I find more traps without triggering them first. There's a good mix of pits and weapon traps: none of the weapons seem designed to handle anything shorter than three feet tall, but some of the long pits make up for it. I'm a bit surprised there aren't any animal bones in the pits; you'd think something would've found its way in by accident.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Out of all the traps I'm only able to get a double sided ax head and spiked ball on a length of chain, the latter acquired by cheating the system and consuming multiple links at a time instead of the chain as a whole- a weird distinction that only happened when I thought about it with part of the chain in my mouth.
A few hours later the hallway ends in another roundabout and its lovely "No monsters allowed!' effect.
Not like that's going to stop me.
In spite of knowing whats happening I feel like a bug about to be struck by a speeding car: the ever present mental resistance in front of me causing my instincts to scream that I'm not supposed to be here.
And then, just like that, it's gone.
I stop and take a deep breath inside the landing of the Safe Zone, glad to be past the mind control- or whatever it is.
Unlike the first one that spiraled down, this one seems to have a series of ramps. Very long ramps. Very open. If anyone were to walk this way I would be in trouble. Definitely time for Stealth, so I activate it along with Disguise, my form turning blurry before my chitin tints a shade of gray. I think it's weird those are separate things, but I guess if you're human you'd use disguise in a totally different way. I can only imagine what James Bond and other secret agents could do with it.
An hour later after walking on the ceiling- and singing "dancing on the ceiling" the whole time- I reach the end and creep to the edge of the bottom landings ceiling, peeking into the room.
Empty.
"Thank goodness." Is what I should say, but after the two I saw getting attacked I kind of would like to see some people. Not to talk to of course: I doubt that would go well, but just to observe. Get a peg on what people here are like.
After waiting a few minutes to be sure it's clear I drop to the floor and shift to the new Deertaur form.
I stretch my arms and legs– front and back, before taking off in a run across the grass, faint warmth radiating from the stones above.
This form may not be good for fighting: my upper torso being relatively small to fit the deer frame means my arms are tiny. Perhaps if I had a short bow it would pair with hoof attacks, giving range and close combat. I wonder how hard it would be to make one? I doubt my spider one is big enough, unless I could make a hand crossbow.
… still debating on the "break your arm off" idea.
"Burt iz goo-" I speak out loud in Goblin, my soft voice tripping over the guttural language. "Burt iz good to haf hanz." I finish slowly; seems understanding a language doesn't mean you can speak it properly.
Raising my hands I flex my fingers in disappointment: it's not as unique as I expected. It feels the same as rat and Goblin Treant hands. I kind of hoped they would feel different. Maybe more "human".
Running was nice, so I lose myself in the feel for a moment. The form was made for it, something none of my others are. The earth under my hooves, the water splashing as I dash through, the smell of grass. It's enough to almost forget I'm in a Dungeon.