A Set of Caverns

Walking in through the mouth of the cave, I felt a wave of questions pouring into my mind. Why did everything feel so real? What was the end goal? What happens if I die in the game? Do I die for real?

All questions I’d have to put aside for now, as I entered the cave, I heard a familiar tone ring through my mind. It was a sound used whenever a new portion of the map had to be rendered. It normally was a jovial little chime, but as it played in this new context, It felt so… otherworldly.

The light from the entrance vanished behind me, and I quickly walked into the damp and dark cave, the enchanting background music somewhat comforting, Before a glimmer of light appeared.

Following the light through the tunnel, I found myself stumbling into a familiar and rather large room. It was a standard cave looking room, with a few torches dimly lighting the hall.

I had seen this room plenty of times before. I called it the nexus. It was the starting room that first led to a series of potential paths to take. Like a series of connections.

It contained four main entry ways, each of which seemed to have some kind of theming, which was slightly more comforting, as I now had a vague notion of choice in the matter.

No text box popped up as usual in a choice scenario, which hinted that from now on, I may be on my own to explore. That was just the opposite of comforting. Well, as I’m here, I may as well see the choices in paths. I looked before me at the four separate tunnels, each with different walls and floor material.

The first was somewhat jarring, it was a swirl of pink and golden… like a spiral trailing down the tunnel. It seemed to be made of some kind of colored clay, or other hardened substance. Entering that way could potentially have good loot… at least, I assume that’s what the gold means. Do these colors even matter? It’s all random.

The second seemed to keep the cave floor I had been walking on before, however the walls were lined with large purple crystals, with a soft glow emitting. It was almost pleasing to look at. Maybe I’d be faced with some crystal monster…? It looks almost like I’m walking into a geode.

The third seemed to keep the entire cave tunnel design that I had just walked through, but the oddest part. as I approach the entrance… silence. Not just silence like no extra sounds, but it was dead silent. The background music was gone, and I couldn’t hear any soft tunes emitted from the tunnel. It sent a shiver down my spine.

The fourth seemed to be much more appealing than the third. The background music returned as you approached and I could see a distinct pattern on the floor… or rather… lack thereof? It wasn’t really a pattern, so much as a bunch of seemingly random materials, mixed and matched together. I saw metallic patches, concrete, rainbow tiles…? And to top it off… there was a large question mark painted on the ground before the tunnel… what could it mean?

Taking a step back, I once again glance at the four choices, a spiral of pink and gold, a glowing crystal cavern, an empty sounding tunnel, or a completely random one?

Well, I’ve been standing around for too long, and I’m not getting anywhere if I don’t make a choice? Which door should I go down? Will I make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?