Traphouse

='Traphouse'=

It was becoming clear now that somehow, this creature had greater command over the Traphouse than they first anticipated. Though they'd seen it capable of shifting and transforming before, it had never done something like this -- it was almost as if it was purposefully holding itself back in order to see if they would survive. Now that they had, it seemed that perhaps the tyrant of this insidious maze actually -was- playing with them the entirety of the time. Life after life. Death after death. Day after day. Every single day of their lives. And never got tired of it, as they seemed to. So much so, one could almost say that they were being groomed by it in order to feed and sustain it... Not unlike a system. Yet, there wasn't any way possible that -alone-, this creature was intelligent enough -as a perceived child- to be capable of creating and controlling an entire systemic sequence that it not only could follow, but manipulate to any degree, playfully and skillfully, and then also still have some sort of extrasensory capabilities? And also a giant? All of the adrenaline must have given them the blood flow they needed to think that way, because it only made that much sense once they got the taste of real survival in their mouths, and not the feigned decoy 'Survival Simulation' that it allowed them to follow in order to establish a sense of safety in... What looked to be a -literally- controlled environment.
-Network-

Fortunately, increased blood flow to the head also meant a higher reception rate for psionic power through electromagnetic synchronization, and because they acted out of fear, the images and projections and voices they would hear would end up plunging them deeper and further, like a wild and crazed man into a woman commanding his genitalia. Such was the best way to transliterate such a relationship to this creature and the beings inside. It could feel their fear, and it fed on that, in order to fuel itself to fuel them into coming to feed themselves from it so it could lure them close enough to eat them. The relationship was pure and symbiotic, but wholly synthetic, formulated as a perfect corruption of all such virtue of life in order to be converted into a harmonic state of self-sustenance. For, every single last skill that was necessary for human life to thrive was exploited here, and all of it was done whilst also rewarding them, so they could and would continue, and only when they were completely useless would they be discarded. Otherwise, rewards all over would suddenly manifest... From people to assist them, to actual supplies, or even some food -- albeit, likely uncooked or raw, even as a person or animal in totality. It -allowed- them to live, but with -specificity- on feeding itself, so it could live. Not a one thing in the entire system it created was designated with singular purpose for their benefit. Everything had to end up feeding this -one- entity that ruled over -everything- in secret, because it was the only way for it to actually grow, thrive, and survive without ever becoming one of them, yet still ruling over them, making them do all of its bidding and the labors, allowing it to basically do whatever it wanted all of the time with all of the resources and pick off whatever was left. Though, the way they only conceived the thoughts just now... Still felt strange. Like, perhaps... It was the one showing them, not their own minds.
-Nest-

No matter what, they had to keep pressing on, and evading whatever else might have been around, from feral or afeared human to actual Traphouse creatures... Unholy sorts that came in much variety, though many were, unsurprisingly, Mimics. And the Mimics would imitate nigh everything, including the classic Treasure Chest. There were just as many deaths by Mimics than there were by the actual Traphouse in any other factor, quite honestly; whether a chair, stair, or bed, it could all be a Mimic, and more than often -was-. There weren't any scarcities of Mimics here. They made up most of the population of creatures, actually... Posing as stuff in plain sight, waiting only to snatch up prey interested in it at all. Almost like one who places important things on pedestals on purpose for people to get interested enough to touch or damage them specifically to make them have to pay for it, with only that intent, and not to display it for other values. Nearly every bed was a Mimic. Every refrigerator. Every cabinet or container or material object one could think of... All Mimics. It was rare to even find something real amongst them, and it was so dangerous to try, no one dared. That was why they could only keep going, without rest, and without replenish.
-Fake-

Once they were weary beyond all capacity to continue on, they were greeted by a supposed friendly face; another non-hostile. As it turned out, the Trap Walls also had hidden passages, as well as hidden sections that were larger than the corridors... Something like rooms, but in the scale of recreational centers, and not the rooms of a domestic house. People lived and rested here... Considering how all of the halls were narrow corridors now, it made sense that the negative space was still vacant, and therefore applicable to be utilized in some way. Yet, none of the Trap Doors led to any of these spaces... Only Trap Rooms that contained and confined the fodder or arsenal of the Traphouse. Utilities and such. Even living beings were utilities, nothing different than the mop or broom, and with far much functionality and features, inclusive to being able to utilize other utilities or features. This made the living and sentient the ultimate tool, above all others... And this creature understood both that -and- the capacity to give them utilities or other tools to accomplish tasks that they were assigned. Hence why the Trap Door-Trap Room combo was such a deadly one... Beyond just, first of all, starting off as an inescapable holding cell for the first one until useful, then doubling as a Trap in addition to the Storage Unit. But of course, if all the Doors were Traps, then the only way into any safe zone within the negative spaces was... Through Trap Walls.
-Puzzle-

Whilst it was, yes, peaceful and, yes, safe enough inside of the Trap Walls... It seemed like there were times when they could not escape them. Where the walls would not turn nor open up... Just the same as a regular wall again. It often brought them great distress, but after hearing their story, it became clear that they weren't at all aware of the creature that manipulated this place, and was likely toying with them, even in their safe zones. Likely herding them, and allowing them to believe it independence. So they would go out again and one day simply not come back... Consumed that day, as one from the many different hoards... Skillfully never picking from the same cookie jar, and keeping ever in motion the entire time. Obviously, it knew what it was doing to a degree most would never fathom, even outside of a realm like this. That was when they resolved that this creature could never be allowed to escape this place, or else it could do much worse to the outside world, even by making it anything like this... Hell it created. The only one that benefited at all was literally only that thing, and it was too good at what it did for that to not be effective elsewhere. Yet, they wondered about its intellect, and what it would even do or want? Could it really be this intelligent and have capacity to grow? It was only a baby... From the glimpses they'd seen. Or, a child's doll...? Maybe a little of both...?
-Autonomous-

During one of the times where the Trap Walls would not open, and a panic started, some of the electronics in the room would turn on involuntarily, projecting upon them the large, soulless, gaping eye of a baby doll toy, with cracks along it as if akin to broken porcelain. It gazed directly at them silently, and those who noticed would react, drawing the attention of others. Though wordless, those who were within definitely knew what that meant, and thanks to those who had learned the most being near them, -- which was the likeliest reason why the thing even viewed this room at all -- they also understood that it was only -this- room -specifically that was being targeted -because- they were here. So, in order to maintain their peace and haven where they were, they needed to get rid of outsiders, who brought their problems from outside, and never accept them again -- possibly even go actively seek them out from now on to attack them and deter them or eliminate them entirely. Whatever the case was, the very experience they went through all as a collective society ended up traumatizing the lot of them into societal hostility. And, from then on, that safe zone was a hot point, inhospitable to anything except what already lived there... New servants of the Traphouse, which would protect that one area at all costs, and thrive just long enough to make sure it happened, and to continue to thrive to just where they could keep up numbers and resources and such. A controlled society...
-House-