Alex jolted awake. his mind feeling the usual fogginess as just a mild irritation none but mixing this with waking up caused him to momentarily forget where he was. he tried to move but the form he had encased himself in didnt allow him much movement without shifting back to normal. a few seconds of panicked thinking reminded him that things had changed and that he had fallen asleep after disguising himself as part of the jutting rock wall.
He got to his feet after shifting his body back to his lightly armored form and took stock of how he felt. surprisingly he felt better than he remember feeling before, it seemed sleep refreshed and reenergized him. although sleeping to increase any of his stats or give him new things to try out it at least rejuvenated his mind body and spirit. it was odd to not feel an empty pit in his stomach from where he craved something to eat but it was only odd since he still thought as a human.
He decided to explore the other path leading deeper into the caverns. as he approached the previous room he had found the bones he moved as quietly as he could but it was a wasted effort for still nothing seemed to have returned there.
Easing the tension he felt he made his way down the other path a little faster but still keeping his eyes and ears peeled for anything that could mean something was alive near by.
the further he went down the passage the more sparse the glowing vegetation got to the point where he was having trouble seeing for short stretches of time.
He was starting to think that he should stop and experiment a little with making a light of his own since he had absorbed the mushrooms but mid step a ominous wave of energy so thick it was like running into a steam cloud. his body grew tense and he crouched lower to the ground as he moved along the right side of the tunnel, not pressing all the way against the wall, but still not wanting to walk in the middle of the passage.
He came to a small room filled with multiple colored plants that were giving off different lights of their own. these plants werent just the moss and mushroom but we flowers and even small trees that didnt look like they should be able to grow in such a dark place.
Hovering in the center of the room was a black crystal with a warm red glow, that seemed to pulsate like a beating heart, emanating from within it. the energy he had been feeling was coming from this gem, and at first he thought it was something wrong given the ominous energy that was projected from it. the plant growth and just signs of life in the room made him hesitate on those thoughts.
"Magical energy that caused creation even just passively like this couldn't be too evil could it," was the thought that went through his head as he approached the gem.
the closer he got the more drawn to it he became. He felt the urge to reach out and snatch it away, like a greedy creature protecting something precious. his hands slowly raised up and as he walked last few steps towards it his fingers brushed against the gem.
Beep. "Dungeon Heart found. Dungeon currently unclaimed. Do you wish to lay claim to this dungeon?"
the eerily disembodied voice floated through his mind once more and he thought of the most intelligent thing he could think to say.
"huh?"