E-404 | Dreamnotfound

Chapter Three

The stone walls opened up, amazing the smaller boy. There was a large landscape, littered with trees and rivers. It looked as though it stretched back forever, but it was an allusion, one prompted by the density of the forest. They appeared to be underground, the stone ceiling still above the two men, but much higher.

"Where are we?" George asked, viewing his surroundings as Dream led him through the path, adorned with stray pebbles and high grass. In the distance, he could hear a child's laughter, probably due to the kids that had been mentioned before.

"This is supposed to be the training room," he answered, his voice twisted by a mask-covered smile, "But Philza felt bad for keeping them cooped up, so he built a treehouse for the kids."

George gave a small nod as they continued to walk. Even without natural lighting, lanterns were hung from multiple spots, creating a warm environment.

"I'm still a little confused," George admitted, re-thinking things, "If you don't know what the mission is yet, then what steps are you taking towards beating it?"

"There will probably be a meeting about this later so I won't go into much detail, but Technoblade has some possible leads."

The two approached a set of spiral stairs, supported by a large beam in the middle. There were no rails, something that raised a slight panic within George. He loved the view, but as they climbed further up it felt as though one-off step would bring him crashing down.

Dream seemed to notice, slowing his pace so that his steps were in sync with the brunettes, subconsciously pushing George closer to the wall as the blonde walked closer near the edge. Dream had always been skilled when it came to reading or interpreting emotions as an empath. He knew the importance of concealing expressions, one of the many reasons for his mask.

They both reached the top as the taller retook the lead, bringing George to a table as the other surveyed the room, admiring the view that was displayed from the window before turning his attention to the matter at hand.

Looking at the large variety of weapons, George noticed how each one looked unique, differing in size, and shape. He wanted to be surprised. He wanted to question the use of violence, but recalling what Dream had said earlier about the boss and the rest of society that kills upon site, he knew that surviving meant violence. He may have lost his memories, but he still retained his primal instincts.

"I'm going to train you to fight. You'll need it if you want to help." Dream looked down at the shorter boy, closing the space between them, "Are you sure about this, George? Once you're involved, there's no going back."

Although he couldn't see his face, he knew the intensity of the situation through the atmosphere. Despite being there for less than a day, George had already felt a connection with his new environment and the people. He also had a suspicion that his memory loss was linked to something much bigger. If he was correct, he couldn't sit around and wait. Plus, The Evolved plan on killing everyone anyways, why not join a team?

"I'm positive."

Dream gave a nod and returned his attention back to the table, "This part is kind of like a video game. When you pick your weapon class, you'll be stuck with it forever, so choose wisely."

George looked over the objects once again as he tried to determine the best one. He wanted to pick a sword, something he knew would allow a nice overall benefit, but he was hesitant to choose, unsure of why.

"How do I know which one to pick?"

Dream noticed the brunette's struggle and decided to add more context, "Let your intuition guide you."