The group remaining felt a vibration on the ground, and further down in the corridor, a green smoke started to be ejected from the walls. Stone slabs started to fall from the ceiling.
That woke up the group enough to make them realize if they didn’t start moving now toward the exit, they would die, either crushed under a rock or by poisoning (well at least it was best to consider the gas to be poison).
So they started running.1I’m a big fan of Tensura (Tensei shitara Slime datta ken), and I first though of this scene before realizing it looked a lot like the three idiots fleeing from something... (Well except it’s in a cave and there are two females and one male characters :p)
“Okay I remove what I said, a door can increase drastically the difficulty!”
“If you have enough strength to speak run faster! It’s catching us!”
While they frantically rushed to the exit, they saw on the sides all sorts of monsters, including the ones that would normally jump on them, but all of them stood back, as if waiting for something. The three noticed this behavior but kept quiet about it, for they don’t know if that would anger the dungeon even more than it potentially was.
“Hey, why is there no branch‽ There was definitely at least two intersections we should’ve crossed by now!”
“Don’t... Know... Don’t... Care... Huff... Huff...”
Suddenly, they ran to a wall. As they started to despair, a sudden wall was formed behind them and every sound was cut off.
“Huff... So... Huff... I guess... Huff... Safe rooms exist, huh?”
“Well, I wouldn’t call this a safe room you know? We’re trapped here.”
“Oh... Huff... Yeah, I guess you’re right... But at least no monster comes to attack us and no ceiling fall and crushes us right?”
“... Yep. For now at least.”
“Dammit, if he was still here we could’ve tried to exit at least!”
“Hey, no use speaking of would bes! ...Though yeah, he could’ve at least spoken to us...”
“Though we would’ve tried to stop him, right? No way he didn’t thought of that.”
““Right...””
They stared at themselves then at the walls, wondering if they would be able, one day, to leave this dungeon of doom.
Half an hour later, a wall disappeared. The three looked at each other, then started walking carefully in the newly created corridor.
And after turning at the end of the corridor, what they saw was enough to make them pause for a moment.
Indeed, on a stone surface was...
Thirty minutes earlier
POV: Finn
When I tried to close the door gently, it suddenly closed by itself, dragging my hand in the process. Then without the only light source of the corridor, I found myself in deep darkness.
Though, as I realized quickly, this was not really the case as I could see myself perfectly, even though I couldn’t see any light source anywhere. It reminded me of an ancient theory of how we could see, our eyes would emit beams that would reflect off of objects and somehow transmit the information back to us. Well, if that was the case, then I am definitely not on Earth2by the way, all planets’ names should be translated to ‘Earth’ (or ‘Water’ for aquatic planets I guess), not a random name like XZF-37851 y’know? Just my 2 cents on the subject :p anymore.
“You are correct, you are in a [spiritual dimension] where the laws of physics are different. Well, that is mostly because by doing so the [gods] have no influence on here.”
“Uh, who are you? Wait no, first where are you? And “[gods]”? Why not “gods”?”
“Well, [I] are3Yes it's incorrect, yes it's deliberate. in front of you but pretty far away, hence why you cannot see [me]. And your vocabulary is not sufficient to translate the full meaning of what [I] mean. Though, [I] guess “god” is a sufficient enough description for now. As for your first question, [I] will let you take a guess.”
“... So the dungeon really is super-intelligent, right?”
“That is correct.”
In the blackness of that dimension, I saw a form becoming clearer and clearer. I see, so that’s the dungeon... Or rather, isn’t that me‽ Why is the dungeon looking exactly like me‽
In front of me was indeed a perfect replica of myself. As I was eyeing in astonishment the dungeon, he explained:
“Well, since we are in a [spiritual dimension] and [I] do not have a fixed form, [I] take the shape of whoever comes here first, which means you. Though [I] guess you are starting to understand what is written at the entrance, do you not?”
“Those that enter, be ready to be killed by yourself. Only by doing so, will those you want to protect survive through any hardship they will encounter.”
“Then I take it the ‘killed by yourself’ is in fact being killed by the dungeon, you, isn’t it? After all, you didn’t say it was going to be ‘killed by yourself, with your consciousness inhabiting the body’! How far would you go...?”
I laughed half-bitterly, half in disbelief. The dungeon nodded as he said,
“Indeed. It is nice to see you understand things so quickly. Then, you know what will happen now don’t you?”
I realized that the other ‘myself’ had just taken a sword out of seemingly nowhere. Blinking again out of confusion, I then refocused on the present.
“Ah, yes. But before that, can you guarantee what you said on the door was true? Those three idiots will survive for long right? Along with... My family...”
I said with tears menacing to roll as I reminisce myself of my mother, who suddenly fell ill and couldn’t move anymore, trapped in her own body afterwards.
“It all depends on your will. But yes, what [I] wrote on the door is true.”, was what the dungeon told me.
To what I reply, “then please, go ahead.” And I opened my arms and closed my eyes.
apple