The Dramatic Dungeon - A Dungeon Core Story

Chapter 28 - ???: Puff out your chest!



Rumble!

Hmm? What’s going on? Is master expanding again?

Lazily I taste the air and confirm that, yes, there is a rush of deliciousness into a new direction.

I suppose I should check it out… after a brief nap.

So sleepy…

Crash!

Yawn…

Why must my siblings be so rowdy?

Groaning, I lift myself up and stretch. My joints creak and groan. I must have been asleep for a while, so why am I still feeling like sleeping more?

I taste the air again, before finally committing to opening my eyes and taking in my surroundings. As I suspected, my siblings are being rowdy again.

As I watch, one of them climbs the shelf and knocks down a wooden box in the way. Come on, our cousin with the fine manipulators on his upper limbs just fixed that box yesterday…

That's when I see one of the flying cousins flying by giggling, smelling all tasty, and against my better judgment I join the reckless chase of my brothers, hopping and hobbling as fast as my square body will let me as I whistle and hiss joyfully.

There is just something about the taste of the deliciousness our flying family surrounds themselves with that makes me and my siblings excited, and so after playing with them for a while, we tire ourselves out and return to our shelves.

Wasn’t there something I wanted to do?

Oh, right, I wanted to see the new space that master is making. I guess I’ll go after a quick nap. Closing my eyes, I settle in again for a brief slumber.

Yawn.

That was a good nap. Only been jostled about several times as the fine manipulator cousin is looking for something on the shelves. I think he might have even opened me once, it's okay though, I don't bite family. He must have gotten confused since me and my siblings have shuffled stuff around. Sorry neighbor!

I remember there was something I wanted to do, but I don't remember what it was. I scent the air and sense deliciousness off in the distance.

Right!

I wanted to see the new space. I wonder how long it’s been. Hopping off of the shelf, I begin to make my way in the delicious smelling direction. Exiting out of the booth that we sleep in, I hobble my way through the grand room beyond, dodging the wooden feet all over the room as I go.

They all belong to things that look like my family, draped in differently colored and shaped pieces of fabric, but they don’t move, unlike my cousins. I think it's like what me and my siblings do with boxes and chests? Hide in plain sight and wait for tasty food to come close.

I hobble past older sister floating fabric and some other floating pieces of fabric that swish and swirl around the hall gracefully. They smell like me and my siblings, and I revel in their joy for a second.

Flying cousins float above and giggle and laugh and the mood is jovial. Master is making sweeping changes throughout, I can taste their presence on the air as I scent it.

Hobbling further, I veer off into a long hallway, the thunk of wood on stone echoing rhythmically with my movements. I mentally hum along as the positive emotions on the air infect me.

The mood carries me even as the hallway gradually turns less and less pretty as the master's new acquisition is still in the process of being reshaped and made pretty. At the end, I face a problem.

That being a door.

My boxy shape contorts and shifts to reach the handle, but I struggle until I reluctantly stretch out my tongue. The liquid dripping off of it slightly sizzles as it touches the metal, and I quickly pull back after opening the obstacle to box shaped individuals.

Sorry master, I didn’t mean to damage the handle, but I couldn’t reach it otherwise.

I shuffle in awkwardly and marvel as soon as my eyes adjust to the different lighting.

Unlike the other room that is bright and colorful, in here it is dimly lit. Rows upon rows of cozy looking shelves line the room. The finely appendaged cousin is present, polishing boxes and chests and drawers and other nice and wooden furniture. Two of the flying cousin’s are also in here, zipping about. Another hateful door blocks the exit on the side of the room, but I have lost all desire to explore further. I have found my favorite place. I yell down the hallway for my siblings, who have already begun hobbling over here.

Busy cousin waves at me and I extend my tongue and wave it back at him.

Then I meander around inspecting the… things that are everywhere here. Sure is lots of boxes and fabrics. Some nice chests too, that one has such beautiful curvature. I adjust my lid slightly in imitation.

Then I search for a nice spot on the shelves and watch as some other wooden cousins start bringing in their inanimate clones and arranging them around the room. My siblings arrive as well, one of them taking up position on a little table with a mirror in the shape of a nice little jewelry box. Another is assuming his position as a large box at the bottom. Then drowsiness overtakes me again. I’m so happy about my new home here. I can’t wait to get visitors to play with, maybe scare them a little. It’s gonna be so fun.


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