Daily Dream 07-11-2016 Mazes, Magic, and Harry Potter

Mazes, Magic, and Harry Potter

“Alright ladies and gents, this here is a contest. A race to the finish. The first of you to find all the clues and make it safely through the maze will be the winners.”

Glancing up at the announcer, I shook my head. None of us would be here if we didn’t already know what we were getting ourselves into. The requirements to enter, not to mention the dangers of some of the obstacles in the maze, meant that everyone had to sign release forms. Not to mention the other contests just to reach this far. None of us were going to be surprised by the difficulty. Some might be surprised by the exact nature of the obstacles though. I was looking forward to it.

At the signal I was off like a shot, dashing down the corridor, the other contestants right on my heels. Leaning forwards, I ducked under a tentacle that suddenly reached through the walls. I heard a grunt from behind me as one unfortunate soul was caught. A leap took me over another grasping tentacle and a spin helped me dodge a third before I was finally able to make it past the first corridor and on to the first clue.

The search wasn’t nearly as long as I expected and I was soon on my way to the next section. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the sword I was looking for among all the other debris, so had to move on. I took the raft swiftly down the slide, the waters sloshing over the sides slightly as I dodged past the rocks. A tumble took me off the raft and onto the grate.

The sound of something sliding over the metal was the only warning I had as I dodged to the side. A hissing missile barely missed me as the massive snake crashed into the ground. Swiftly grabbing for the head, I wrapped one hand around the back of the head, trying to pin it to the ground, even as the snake wrapped its coils around me. Sure would have been nice to have the sword I was looking for earlier.

Looking around, I found a piece of hard cardboard the size of my arm. Knowing I had no other choice, I grabbed that with my free hand and began sawing away at the snake. The blood made my grip more difficult, but I finally managed to sever the head and escape the monster. Gathering up the rest of my clues, I made my way to the end, limping slightly.

Following the contest, I made my way outside, exhausted. My wife was there with her phone, staring into the distance. When I caught sight of the phone, it was telling here there was a pokemon around, but neither of us could see it. Suddenly, a tentacruel erupted from the ground, spraying asphalt and dirt in every direction. We weren’t the only ones in the area either, several people being knocked over by the flying debris. Fortunately, the prize from the contest was able to help us stop the pokemon and drive it away and after kissing my wife goodbye, I made my way to training.

Monster hunter wasn’t what it used to be. No longer did we have to rely on crossbows and swords as our only methods of attack or defense. Weapons were more advanced as were the techniques. Unfortunately, the tactics of the monsters were evolving as well in this battle for survival.

After the class, another student and I were discussing things in the parking lot when we had to dodge apart. Another car had come sailing through where we’d been standing not a moment earlier. Turning to regard the car, we could see that it was empty, an eerie red glow filling the interior.

It was turning back to attempt running us over again.