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Dreams Recounted
#5 | Dungeon

#5 | Dungeon

An idyllic town square, surrounded on all sides but one by humble buildings, a grey brick pathway goes around in a square connecting each house. In the centre is a square of fake grass, a chest that anyone can store things in or take things out of sits in the corner, and a big group of people with me.

Off of the middle of the grass square a pathway of it continues towards a blank brick wall. A giant door being the only thing to decorate the wall. I have experience with this dungeon and was appointed the leader because of it. Leading the group from the front I enter the dungeon.

On the other side of the door is a long hallway with an offshoot going off the right side close to the entrance. A little further up another hallway turns off to the left while the main hallway continues into the distance. This place is a labyrinth and I hope I remember the correct way and how to avoid the traps.

The first offshoot, the one closest and to the right was two doors, one after another, that open by sliding up into the roof and beyond them was a treasure chest. The doors can only be opened from the outside of them, only one can be open at a time, the other automatically closing by opening another one and closing after you pass through. This was one of the easier traps which was to be expected this close to the entrance. The trap only actually traps someone if you have less than two people with you. Plus you could always just leave to get other people to help.

I tell them to ignore it as it will only burden us and we can get it on the way back so we continue on until the hallway splits off to the left. This time telling the others that we have to do this one. The trap consists of a walkway attached to the left wall, a railing along the right edge to stop people from falling into the void that covers half of the hallway. This one is the reason I brought this many people with me. The trap working on weight.

Every time weight is applied to the walkway it would sink ever so slightly and if that weight is reduced for any reason without pulling the lever at the end of the hallway, the railing would shoot into the ground and the floor would angle itself as to make whoever or whatever is on it fall into the pit. Taking a step into the hallway my foot sinks a little, taking another step in, now both feet on the walkway. As I lift one of my feet another person steps onto the walkway, this repeating until I am at the end, stepping off the walkway into a hallway similar to the main one, almost ten people standing as still as possible behind me.

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Pulling the lever the red light that was above the lever turns off and everyone scurries back to the main hallway as quickly as possible. Just beyond the lever and the end of the hallway is a chest, and in it a key.

Heading back towards the group I tell them they can go off on their own now and I head further in. After walking for a bit and before I can see any of the other hallways, I can see hinges attached to the walls apparently holding onto nothing. Taking out the key I push into thin air and turn it. A red portal opened up in front of me. Unable to see through it, I close my eyes and step through.

As I come out the other end, a never ending plane of cooking utensils, food, pots full of meals, and cat people turn their heads towards me. After a quiet brief second I bolt to the right weaving between cat people and knives, the cat people in front trying to skewer me and the ones behind chasing after all the while screeching.

After only about ten seconds of sprint I come across a square hole in the ground jumping inside, a few dog people ushering me in and pushing me through a hole carved into a wall further in another portal this time green. Not being prepared for it I fall out the other end on my hands and knees breathlessly, desperately trying to hold on to my breakfast.

Five minutes of rest later I look up into another giant space. Two stone walls on each end, big and wide bridges connecting one end to the other each at a random angle. Looking to the left and right is nothing but more bridges and darkness. Flying around the bridges are stylized whales, all made of oak wood with flat square heads.

One of the whales stops randomly floating around, turning its head towards me as it rams the bridge that I currently stand in the middle of. Falling down with the rubble of the bridge into the darkness.