31 Eye See You

"So, what is my next trial?" I asked, staring at the weird creature with the fashionable hat.

"An easy task to be assured. Simply walk through that door, just right over there." Using an eye tentacle, it had pointed to a door on the opposite side of the room.

I look at the floating eyeball thing not believing it. I slowly walk over to the door and open it…or at least I would have if my hand had not passed through the door.

"You tricked me! This door is fake!" I yelled while turning towards the eyeball.

The eyeball used its tentacles as if they were arms holding its side while it laughed, its main big eye closed.

"Hahaha! Yes, sorry couldn't resist. This is your trial. You must find the correct door amongst all these illusions."

As he said that that room, I was in disappeared leaving darkness and thousands of doors then appeared. The doors all had a purple glow about them and if it weren't for that I wouldn't be able to see anything. I heard the fading voice of the floating eyeball as it spoke once more.

"Good luck and I'll be watching."

I stared up at the ceiling, or at least where the ceiling should be, and screamed several profanities before collecting myself.

"It's ok, ill just check each door. It's not like there are hundreds of them to check."

I walked over to the nearest door and tried to open it and just as I expected the door vanished in a purple mist. I gave a short sigh and walked to the next door. This continued for a long while I had stopped keeping count after door 130. After my last failed attempt, I reached for the next door, and unexpectedly it opened.

The door led into what looked like a big dimly lit warehouse. There were boxes and bits of clutter everywhere and rows of shelves holding more boxes. The atmosphere was already creepy enough, but the mannequins scattered throughout made it even more so. I could see more doors scattered around the warehouse.

"It is ok, just ignore the creepy mannequins and just open doors. Nothing has changed. Those mannequins aren't looking at me." I said with a nervous voice.

I cautiously made my way over to the nearest door. My nerves were high strung as the tension rose. I had just enough light to see around myself. I walked past the creepy mannequins that looked like they had been standing there for years.

On high alert, I finally reached the closest door. I slowly extended my hand as I grasped the handle. Once my hand came into contact with the door, just as I expected, the door disappeared. Suddenly a loud bang, like a piece of metal hitting the ground, echoed throughout the building. I jumped backward in fright only to bump into one of the mannequins.

I did not remember one being so close to the door. I scanned the area only to find they had all moved and were all staring down a dark unlit part of the warehouse. My heart was beating in my chest, and I could feel the perspiration dripping from my forehead. My mind was racing as I tried to convince myself everything was ok.

I moved away from the mannequins and walked with newfound haste towards the next door. Upon reaching that door I hurriedly checked it and found it too was fake. An eerie sound off in the distance towards that same unlit area I heard a faint but distinct sound of someone whistling an old nursery rhyme.

I franticly looked around for the next closest door and after spotting shot off towards it. I ran past several other mannequins and in my peripheral vision, I could swear I saw them turn their heads as if to look behind me. The smell of rot had hit my nose causing me to gag. The whistling was getting closer, and I could hear the slight noise of metal screeching across the concrete.

I reached the next door and found that it was fake. I quickly moved on to the next one. I was in full panic mode sprinting as fast as I could to reach the next doors. The surrounding air started to heat up slightly, the whistling getting closer. I now knew without a doubt that the mannequins were indeed moving, turning towards the looming threat. I took a quick glance behind me and saw in the darkness a red glow as something approached me.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth doors were all a bust. In my panic started to topple the mannequins over trying to slow whatever creature that was following me. I sprinted to the seventh door only to find it too was no good. The whistling was now loud and clear repeating that same nursery rhyme over and over. Looking over my shoulder I finally got a glimpse of the creature.

Moving slowly towards me as if it enjoyed the hunt was a tall skeletal creature of about 250 centimeters. It was covered in black gelatinous muscles that oozed down its body with a beating, red glowing heart in its chest. The top of its skull elongated and curved backward as if it was a scythe and in its hand, it held a massive spear which it was dragging behind itself. Its lipless mouth continually whistled that same nursery rhyme all while showing its abnormally white teeth.

The sound of its ooze dripping onto the floor shook me out of my daze. I sprinted as hard as I could muster to the next door with the whistling dread close behind. I ran and ran, checking doors and looking behind me as the skeletal horror chased me down. I was in such a hurry that when I finally found a useable door my body slammed into it knocking me over.

I scrambled to my feet just in time as the creature swung at me with its spear. I opened the door and rushed inside slamming it closed behind me. The next room I was in took me by surprise. It was well lit by candles and lanterns. It looked like a study with bookshelves filled with books and other items. The room was relatively normal except for the two things that surprised me the most. On the bookshelves, in addition to the books, were jars filled with eyes belonging to all manner of creatures. The second thing that surprised me was a hunched-over humanoid creature by the lone desk in the room.

The creature had ashy wrinkled skin, that despite being wrinkled looked as if it was strung taut across its body. I was completely nude but lacked any identifiable gender. Its body was covered in several eyes as they moved around and looked in every direction. I turned around but found the door I had used was now gone. The creature had probably spotted me long since I entered as it walked slowly over to me on all fours.

"Don't. Worry. Won't. Harm." It had said every word in between gasps.

"Wha…I mean, who are you?" I replied with a nervous shaky tone. Muscles primed, ready to bolt in any direction.

"I am. The. Keeper of. Knowledge." It said as it motioned towards its book collection.

I will. Aid you. For. A price."

"How will you help me and what is the price?"

The creature reached with a fist and slowly opened its hand. Its unnaturally long fingers, each with four joints, uncurled revealing a pair of magenta eyes.

"Eyes. Will. Help. See. The. Truth."

"Trade. Eye. For. Eye."

I looked on in revulsion as the thing offered me a pair of eyes as if it was normal. Though for all I know it could be normal for this thing.

"You want me to give you my eyes for those eyes? Are you crazy? You just expect me to pluck out my and just hand them over as if this is just a business transaction!?" I responded with slight disgust and anger.

"Only. Way."

"If. Don't. Stuck. Here. Forever."

"Magic. Make. Process. Simple."

With the mention of magic, I realized that this is all a game. Even if there was pain, the game dulls it down somewhat, so nobody is experiencing the full pain. I am just swapping out the eyes my game character has, no big deal.

"Ok, I accept."

"Good. Sit. There." The creature motions towards a chair behind the desk.

"Will. Try. Dull. Pain. But. Still. Hurt."

I move to the chair and sit down. Despite knowing this is a game I am still nervous as I am bout to experience an eye transplant. The creature moves behind me and places its hands over my eyes. I feel a slight warmth followed by some tingling. Then pain wracks my mind as I experience the worst pain ever. I feel my eyes leave my sockets and I grip the armrests, threatening to break them as I scream out in pain. Then I feel a cooling sensation as I notice my vision is starting to return.

My blurry vision slowly clears up as everything comes back into focus. I notice the creature putting a jar containing two blue eyes onto one of the shelves.

"Trade. Is. Done."

I try to stand but a bought of vertigo hits me and I have to use the desk to brace myself. All of a sudden, my vision changes on me. Everything becomes misty and the colors are muted. My vision shifts again, and it looks like the walls of this room are becoming transparent until finally they mostly disappear. Looking around I notice we are in a much larger room.

I walk to where the barely visible wall is and try to touch it, noticing my hand passes right through it. I focus on the wall, and it then starts to materialize a bit better but is still mostly transparent. As I relax my eyes the wall disappears. Confused I turn to the creature.

"What is going on?"

"Mind. Adjusting. To. Truesight."

"See. Through. Illusions."

Before I can respond a familiar voice boomed out. I turn my head towards it to see the floating eyeball from before.

"Congratulations! You are able to see the truth. You should now be able to see the real door you must use."

I finally notice we are in a large room, with bookshelves and the desk in one spot, a chess board in another, and a door on the far wall.

"What was the point of having me run through all of that just to get a new pair of eyes!? Why couldn't you do that from the beginning?"

"You needed to experience illusions first hand, to see how real they could be before you got your new eyes. Now that you have them next time you experience an illusion you can see through it and even tell if something is off. Plus, those eyes of yours do so much more than just see through illusions but that is for you to discover on your own later."

I look over and see the naked creature is now immersed in a book and back over the floating eyeball that has resumed his game of chess. Sighing I walk over to the exit and step through the door.

[Leaving Dungeon. Now Logging you out]

Everything goes dark and then I find myself waking up in my pod. I slide the top open and slowly sit up taking note that I am now in my room.