Graverobbing the Starchamber of the Sleeping Ancient Princess of Pluto
There was a huge temple taking-up most of a relatively tiny satellite that housed the sleeping queen. It was a lost temple that didn't appear on any maps and that was only occasionally stumbled upon by spaceships. For the most part, people didn't visit the temple. Finding the temple was like winning the lottery - it was rare but it wasn't entirely unheard of.
I entered the temple, but I don't know where I came from - it was almost as if I just materialized there out of nowhere. I then descended a large spiral staircase, and found myself at the top of a gigantic pedestal. The room I was in was large, with statues on all sides and sarcophagi everywhere. But surrounding the room was about a 40 foot cliff leading down into a red fluid substance. And there were thick layers of moss everywhere. There were also some sort of semi-transparent human-appearing robot guardians that wore tattered black robes and belts that appeared as though they were once magnificent and beautiful. They patrolled with perfect rhythm, despite that they appeared as though they were going to fall apart and stumbled through the moss.
In the center of the pedestal was a hologram of a beautiful sleeping woman. I instantly fell in love with her, and knew that she was my first soul mate, from a thousand lives in the past. She was breathe-taking, and the image drove me to try and find her and awaken her. I looked around the room, somehow knowing that it was all just a puzzle. But I couldn't find anything. Then, I noticed an area above, between two statues. It looked like a hallway leading back, and I saw another of the robotic guardians walk by in the distance down the hallway. I somehow knew that was the way forward, even though I had never been able to get up there before.
Then the dream turned somewhat lucid as I remembered that I had dreamt this place before. I had dreamt it, noticed that area, and attempted to build a bridge. But the ghostly guardians then came to life and snapped my neck effortlessly. I had also tried jumping for the hallway several times, but every time I was 15 feet short and would fall down into the red liquid... which was some sort of acid, and dissolved me upon contact. I had also tried to break into the various sarcophagi, but again, the guardians would kill me before I even made a dent.
I knew that this place was dangerous if I were to try and succeed, but the image of the sleeping beauty inspired me. I wracked my brain, examining everything but finding nothing. Then I realized something odd; the temple had existed longer than any known civilization in the universe had, and no one was able to track it. And yet, much of it appeared run down. But if the technology was that advanced, one would think it wouldn't have moss growing everywhere. And then I remembered that one of the sarcophagi was cracked - that wouldn't have happened. I approached that sarcophagi, and while looking at the nearest patrolling ghostly guardian I started to push the lid off. To my surprise, while the lid appeared to be heavy stone, it was nearly as light as air. And inside, the sarcophagus was empty. There was simply a pillow, and when I looked underneath the pillow I found a small lever.
Excitedly, I pulled the lever. But my excitement didn't last for long. The only thing that happened was that some of the statues on the center pedestal area where I was began to trickle water down below. But I could see the water level, and as much as it was trickling down it was also draining somewhere. And it was then that I had a second epiphany. The robotic guardians killed me the second I began to damage the temple, but certainly they wouldn't kill me for maintaining it. And by playing the system, I just might be able to access that hallway.
I began to walk around the temple, cleaning the pounds and pounds of moss off of everything and dropping it over the edge, down to where the drain was. I spent a few hours cleaning moss off of everything, including the guardians, until the drain was well blocked. I then cleaned the moss out of where the statues poured water over the edges, returned to the fake sarcophagi, and pressed the lever repeatedly. This time, as the water flowed in it was unable to drain. And eventually the water level rose until it was at the level of the pedestal. The only problem now, was the acid. Anything that touched the liquid instantly dissolved, but I needed to cross it to get over to the hallway.
I then picked-up the lid of the sarcophagus, gently placed in the fluid so as not to splash any, and found that it floated. I carefully climbed into the sarcophagus, and pushing off from the center area floated over to the hallway. I had finally succeeded where I previous failed in so many countless dream. I now stood right in front of the hallway I had never been able to get to. But my problems weren't over.
I was about to step onto the other side, when I saw a guard in the distance began to charge at me. Terrified, and knowing that angering them meant instant death, I pushed off again and began to float back from where I came. As the guard approached the edge, it was unable to stop itself in time and fell into the fluid. For a moment I thought that it was the end, but then I realized that for some reason the guards didn't make a splash when they hit the water. All that was left was a robe, floating at the top - it was as if someone had dropped a tattered sheet onto a lake, and was casually floating there as if nothing had been wearing it and the liquid wasn't incredibly potent acid. I then pushed back to the area, and for about half an hour listened and watched to see if any other guards were there. I knew that I wouldn't be able to make a hasty retreat because even a sprinkle of the fluid from the moat meant death. And so I was cautiously entered the hallway.
This area of the temple seemed strange. It was obvious that they didn't intend for anyone to be able to access it, but at the same time it was as if it were to be used. I began to slowly progress down the hallway, when I found that a side room behind another of the statues. I could look out from behind the statue and see the pedestal room, but there wasn't enough space to squeeze through. The room had a simple bed that seemed out of place for the temple, and there is where I found it: some sort of strange notebook.
The notebook was strange because of how out of place it felt, and that somehow it felt like it wasn't there. It appeared as if it was a notebook from my childhood, and when I opened it, it was filled with text in English. I could read it despite that the temple was built by a civilization that some theorized predated the most recent Big Bang. And for some reason I got the feeling that if I had learned to read on papyrus that this notebook would have appeared as a scroll, while if I had learned to read on stone tablets that it would have appeared as a stone tablet. It felt so strange to hold, that it was a few minutes before I even began to read what was written inside.
I only read the first three lines. The first sentence said that it wasn't supposed to talk to me, but that it didn't really see why it shouldn't given what was about to happen. The second sentence said that the place I was in was a temple, a prison, an anchor, and a work of perfect art. The third sentence said that no one had ever crossed over as I did, that flying technology was disabled and winged creatures shot when they attempted to fly, but that since I had nothing the programs didn't activate, that I had managed to sneak by, and that it was a horrible mistake. Then I dropped the "notebook" in terror as I heard footsteps running towards me - it was another guard. This one was so close and moving so fast that there was no way I could get back to my makeshift boat - it was practically already at me.
My last thought was the realization that the ghostly guardian must have been running towards me this entire time, and that this place must be vastly bigger than it was on the outside. My last sight was the black blur of the guardian turning the corner and seemingly flowing straight into me. But it didn't run throw me - it dismembered me instantly and effortlessly as if I exploded on contact with it. It only hurt for about a tenth of a second before I woke-up.
I failed. Again. And this time I made it so that I would never be able to succeed, because the glitch that let me get to where I wanted to be had been fixed.
I entered the temple, but I don't know where I came from - it was almost as if I just materialized there out of nowhere. I then descended a large spiral staircase, and found myself at the top of a gigantic pedestal. The room I was in was large, with statues on all sides and sarcophagi everywhere. But surrounding the room was about a 40 foot cliff leading down into a red fluid substance. And there were thick layers of moss everywhere. There were also some sort of semi-transparent human-appearing robot guardians that wore tattered black robes and belts that appeared as though they were once magnificent and beautiful. They patrolled with perfect rhythm, despite that they appeared as though they were going to fall apart and stumbled through the moss.
In the center of the pedestal was a hologram of a beautiful sleeping woman. I instantly fell in love with her, and knew that she was my first soul mate, from a thousand lives in the past. She was breathe-taking, and the image drove me to try and find her and awaken her. I looked around the room, somehow knowing that it was all just a puzzle. But I couldn't find anything. Then, I noticed an area above, between two statues. It looked like a hallway leading back, and I saw another of the robotic guardians walk by in the distance down the hallway. I somehow knew that was the way forward, even though I had never been able to get up there before.
Then the dream turned somewhat lucid as I remembered that I had dreamt this place before. I had dreamt it, noticed that area, and attempted to build a bridge. But the ghostly guardians then came to life and snapped my neck effortlessly. I had also tried jumping for the hallway several times, but every time I was 15 feet short and would fall down into the red liquid... which was some sort of acid, and dissolved me upon contact. I had also tried to break into the various sarcophagi, but again, the guardians would kill me before I even made a dent.
I knew that this place was dangerous if I were to try and succeed, but the image of the sleeping beauty inspired me. I wracked my brain, examining everything but finding nothing. Then I realized something odd; the temple had existed longer than any known civilization in the universe had, and no one was able to track it. And yet, much of it appeared run down. But if the technology was that advanced, one would think it wouldn't have moss growing everywhere. And then I remembered that one of the sarcophagi was cracked - that wouldn't have happened. I approached that sarcophagi, and while looking at the nearest patrolling ghostly guardian I started to push the lid off. To my surprise, while the lid appeared to be heavy stone, it was nearly as light as air. And inside, the sarcophagus was empty. There was simply a pillow, and when I looked underneath the pillow I found a small lever.
Excitedly, I pulled the lever. But my excitement didn't last for long. The only thing that happened was that some of the statues on the center pedestal area where I was began to trickle water down below. But I could see the water level, and as much as it was trickling down it was also draining somewhere. And it was then that I had a second epiphany. The robotic guardians killed me the second I began to damage the temple, but certainly they wouldn't kill me for maintaining it. And by playing the system, I just might be able to access that hallway.
I began to walk around the temple, cleaning the pounds and pounds of moss off of everything and dropping it over the edge, down to where the drain was. I spent a few hours cleaning moss off of everything, including the guardians, until the drain was well blocked. I then cleaned the moss out of where the statues poured water over the edges, returned to the fake sarcophagi, and pressed the lever repeatedly. This time, as the water flowed in it was unable to drain. And eventually the water level rose until it was at the level of the pedestal. The only problem now, was the acid. Anything that touched the liquid instantly dissolved, but I needed to cross it to get over to the hallway.
I then picked-up the lid of the sarcophagus, gently placed in the fluid so as not to splash any, and found that it floated. I carefully climbed into the sarcophagus, and pushing off from the center area floated over to the hallway. I had finally succeeded where I previous failed in so many countless dream. I now stood right in front of the hallway I had never been able to get to. But my problems weren't over.
I was about to step onto the other side, when I saw a guard in the distance began to charge at me. Terrified, and knowing that angering them meant instant death, I pushed off again and began to float back from where I came. As the guard approached the edge, it was unable to stop itself in time and fell into the fluid. For a moment I thought that it was the end, but then I realized that for some reason the guards didn't make a splash when they hit the water. All that was left was a robe, floating at the top - it was as if someone had dropped a tattered sheet onto a lake, and was casually floating there as if nothing had been wearing it and the liquid wasn't incredibly potent acid. I then pushed back to the area, and for about half an hour listened and watched to see if any other guards were there. I knew that I wouldn't be able to make a hasty retreat because even a sprinkle of the fluid from the moat meant death. And so I was cautiously entered the hallway.
This area of the temple seemed strange. It was obvious that they didn't intend for anyone to be able to access it, but at the same time it was as if it were to be used. I began to slowly progress down the hallway, when I found that a side room behind another of the statues. I could look out from behind the statue and see the pedestal room, but there wasn't enough space to squeeze through. The room had a simple bed that seemed out of place for the temple, and there is where I found it: some sort of strange notebook.
The notebook was strange because of how out of place it felt, and that somehow it felt like it wasn't there. It appeared as if it was a notebook from my childhood, and when I opened it, it was filled with text in English. I could read it despite that the temple was built by a civilization that some theorized predated the most recent Big Bang. And for some reason I got the feeling that if I had learned to read on papyrus that this notebook would have appeared as a scroll, while if I had learned to read on stone tablets that it would have appeared as a stone tablet. It felt so strange to hold, that it was a few minutes before I even began to read what was written inside.
I only read the first three lines. The first sentence said that it wasn't supposed to talk to me, but that it didn't really see why it shouldn't given what was about to happen. The second sentence said that the place I was in was a temple, a prison, an anchor, and a work of perfect art. The third sentence said that no one had ever crossed over as I did, that flying technology was disabled and winged creatures shot when they attempted to fly, but that since I had nothing the programs didn't activate, that I had managed to sneak by, and that it was a horrible mistake. Then I dropped the "notebook" in terror as I heard footsteps running towards me - it was another guard. This one was so close and moving so fast that there was no way I could get back to my makeshift boat - it was practically already at me.
My last thought was the realization that the ghostly guardian must have been running towards me this entire time, and that this place must be vastly bigger than it was on the outside. My last sight was the black blur of the guardian turning the corner and seemingly flowing straight into me. But it didn't run throw me - it dismembered me instantly and effortlessly as if I exploded on contact with it. It only hurt for about a tenth of a second before I woke-up.
I failed. Again. And this time I made it so that I would never be able to succeed, because the glitch that let me get to where I wanted to be had been fixed.