True Dungeon 2020 - Infernal Redoubt - To be Tortured or to be Tortured

As you know, things are starting to go the party's way.  If you didn't know that, catch up with last week's here!

 “What happened back there?” I asked Michael.

“What?  Oh, nothing.  I was just thinking of the frost giants.  I’ll be fine.  I just haven’t been in a serious fight since then.”

“Fair enough,” I allowed.  “But you’re the hardiest one we have.  Erica can protect the wizard, but you need to keep everyone else, including Erica, safe while we’re down here.  We’re not with those scrubs we were with in Odin’s realm.  We’ve got your back.”

“Mm-hmm.  Right,” he muttered.

That would have to be enough for now.  Before long, we found ourselves in some sort of dungeon filled with various instruments of torture and a locked door.  Before we could pull the chain next to the door to see what happened, some skulls with glowing eyes began talking.  They were on pedestals labeled Flog, Mog, Bog, and Dog.  As they pattered on, it quickly became apparently that they were the real torture and anyone would welcome the distraction cause by the pain brought on by the tools of torment we found scattered around the room.

The skulls rattled off some puzzle and, before I could even ponder it, Matt surprised us all again by suggesting we match the weapons up to the skulls’ names.  “Check out the big brain on the barb,” I joked.  Nobody laughed.  Tough crowd.

If my jokes couldn’t lighten the mood, I could find other ways to make myself useful, so I grabbed the bow and made my way to the pedestal labeled “Bog”.  She harmlessly snapped at me as I attached the bow to a hook on her pedestal.  I stepped back and watched as my companions grabbed the flail, mace, and dagger, and worked on their appropriate pedestals.

Still convinced the barbarian’s plan couldn’t possibly be right, but without a better idea, I shoved my way past the wizard so that I could be the one to pull the door’s chain when it inevitably electrocuted whoever was foolish enough to pull it.  I might not be as good at guarding as Erica or as sharp-witted as Michael, but I could sure as hell pull a trapped chain with the best of them.

There was no electrocution, but I flinched and braced for impact as I envisioned boulders crushing me or something equally gruesome.  Or worse - being trapped in this room with the skulls.  A moment passed and I opened my eyes.  Everything was fine and the door was opening.  The others stared at me with worried looks on their faces – probably also anticipating the barbarian’s plan would trigger a trap and not worried that I’d suffered a stroke.  I put on what I hoped was a brave face as I gestured towards Erica to take up her position at the lead and followed behind her at a safe distance.