Warp. I was flying through a thick cloud in the night skies. After a minute of enjoying the moment, I recalled the TOTY. Swooping down, I looked around for any suitable place for such. Soon enough, I was hovering through urban streets. Around the corner of an apartment building, I stumble upon castle, of all things, composed almost entirely of carved stone. Good place to look as any. Leaping over the gate, I made my way into the keep's entrance. Things got laggy, and some force kept me from moving too close. Undeterred, I turned around, and let myself phase backwards through the structure's unfinished wood doors.
Inside, I was met by a long, empty, unlit hallway. I sped through it, when the surroundings changed into earthen tunnels. Eventually, opened up into a vast chasm. Much of this space was unnaturally rigid, much like you'd see in video games such as Minecraft. Wasn't too fond of that, but I didn't let that bother me. Anyway, I continued past it, and through even more tunnels.
An indiscernible amount of time passes in this underground . It's then that I arrive what could be described as pure chaos. All around, floating stone landmasses, up to hundreds of yards across, drifted about, slowly tilting, bobbling, and bouncing around at any provocation. Atop many of these planes were ruins and rubble, while others contained intact statues, trees, and even garden plots. Heavy clouds roiled in the horizon, a void of blue and violet, swirling ceaselessly, where the lands seemed to barely gravitate. This was quite a mesmerizing view, enough so, I almost let the dream slip.
Recollecting myself, I notice I didn't have a costume, nor a partner, for the task. With a gesture, I immediately donned my appropriate helm and jacket. Conspicuously, my gloves were missing. I tried forcing those gloves, and calling for Dryad. But ,I had enough difficulty keeping in state, as noted by my dimming sight, so I left those details be for now. Anyway, I jump from one island to another, bouncing off a broken pillar, then some debris. Only then did I notice the change in gravity for each landmass, not to mention how violently the void pulled me towards it whenever I was airborn. Thought it best to keep close to the tunnels.
I also noticed a green arrow at the top left of my view, an indicator of sorts. Guessed it was leading me towards my mark for the task? I jumped where it prompted, only to be pointed elsewhere at every other second. Eventually, I flew myself at one of the larger islands, a mound of sorts. On its slope were organized pots and troughs growing many kinds of plants, including orchids, palm trees, ferns, and herbs, among others.
At this site, the arrow remained transfixed. I brushed through a few pots, when I happen upon a mysterious blue powder. This must've been the artifact I was looking for, but I feared I might've broken it... So, I sift around some more, to find a rough gemstone of similar make, and perfectly intact to boot. That's a relief! Curious if there was more, I dig through a trough. There, I find a small plastic bag filled with even more uncut gems of many colors. All things considered, they were remarkable only in how mundane they appeared. Oh well, who was I to argue? Anyway, I fly through a tunnel (different from the one I'd arrived from, as I lost sight of that), and get warped out.
Now, I find myself in an underground hallway. It's then I call for Dryad once again. She arrives surprisingly quick, rushing from a corner. This dream depicted her exactly (and quite aptly) as a spriggan from Skyrim, from their twig-like "antlers", to their glowing aura of wind-blown leaves.
"Hey! I got it!", I exclaimed, holding out the bag to show her.
"I know. We have to move."
Dryad snatches my arm, then pulls me with her down the hallway. Soon, we arrive at a subway tunnel. At the far end and to the right blinked the faltering sign of a fire exit. My partner takes us through that door, only to end up in another hallway, this time for what seemed to be an office building, furnished in minimalistic white. We go to the first left, to happen upon a wide, sunlit foyer. A great line of people, under the leaves of huge indoor ferns, were waiting to be serviced at the reception area. Wasn't expecting there to be this many witnesses... er, other people. "Act casual", urged Dryad. I sauntered alongside her past the reception desk, then barged through a conveniently unattended security gate. A number of folk were giving us odd looks, but luckily, nothing came of this.
We were then walking through a different hallway, one with green tiled floors, and potted plants at every entrance. Colorful text could be seen hanging on the walls. I figured this must've been the structure's daycare. Anyway, at the far end was yet another fire escape, where I was being guided.
We make it halfway there, when suddenly, a klaxon blares. Oh crap! Reacting quickly, my companion and I hurry to an opening in the left, a play area, it seemed, of which had a patterned blue and red carpet for flooring. Anyway, I dart towards a small desk, where I shrink myself to fit right under. A bucket filled with some powdery matter happened to be there, so, as a precaution, I shrunk myself further to fit in it. As this occurred, Dryad phases into a small potted tree a few yards away, hiding seamlessly. What's more, the encounter theme from Metal Gear Solid sounded in the background, just to fit the mood further.
Half a minute later, a figure peruses the area, a guard lady. Seemingly exasperated, she barely made an effort to glance around, then quickly lost interest. Similarly, a random French maid investigated the place, perhaps far more suspiciously than the former, but she too gave up in time. With their dispersal, so too did the alarm (and song) end. Still, I figured we'd need to find another way out.
"What now?", I whispered at Dryad.
"Use a black stone. You'll get out that way."
Doing as told, I pulled out the like stone. Light glistened off its surface, as would be expected. Staring at it, I paused in thought. "Wait, but what about you?"
"Leave a black stone for me. I'll be fine."
Sifting through the bag, I pulled out another stone, and, after restoring its size, left it for Dryad's use. I then concentrate on the one in hand. Suddenly, the stone dissolved, and with it, I was pulled into a black void. "Mission accomplished", I thought, as I floated safely in nothingness. But, no, not quite yet. There's no guarantee Dryad escaped as well. Such doubts causes the dream to collapse immediately.
I struggled to visualize a dream, and to keep from muddling my mind with anxiousness.
...
Dream re-entry. I was at a restaurant's dish cleaning area. Touching the steel surface of a nearby countertop assured the dream state. Quite surprising, as I'd assumed this was just wishful thinking. With baited breath, I anticipated for Dryad to appear. And, lo and behold, she popped right around the corner. "Told ya I'll be fine!", she teases. Couldn't help but laugh in celebration.
