Dreamer's Throne

It was late in the night before Garrett finally put down his quill, waiting for the ink he had just deposited on his page to dry before closing the account book quietly. He was a bit less than halfway through with the account, and if his sense of time was on track, had been working on it for nearly eighteen hours.

Two more full days should be sufficient to finish it up.

With that thought, he blew out his candle, causing the room to fall into deep darkness. The only light in the room was from faint glimmers that seeped through the small window, but even that seemed unusually gloomy tonight. Closing his eyes, Garrett entered the Dream, taking comfort in the glow from the throne that lit up his small room. His goal tonight was twofold, and after checking both the hall and the office with Observe the Dream to make sure there were no surprises wandering around, he got up and walked over to where Ryn slept.

The last time he’d tried to interact with her, a pop-up told him he wasn’t high enough level yet, but now he had reached level one and was interested in discovering what he could do. Pausing before he reached out, he closed his eyes and tried to sense the seed he’d planted in Gorn. When he didn’t focus on it, the seed drifted at the edge of his consciousness, but as soon as he gave it any attention, it jumped into stark relief, pouring information into his head. He saw flashes of what Gorn had done throughout the day, flickering by in a confusing mix of feelings, thoughts, and sensory inputs.

Though there was little he could do with the information he was getting, Garrett got the feeling that would all change once the Dream Seed bloomed. When he’d first created it, the description had said that the seed would need the proper environment to grow, as well as nurturing. He wasn’t sure what that actually meant, but he hoped to do some experiments today to figure it out. But first he wanted to understand how interacting with other people’s dreams worked.

This time when he reached out to touch Ryn there was no barrier to stop his hand, and he was able to touch her gray, inert body. It was clear she was still alive, but Garrett still had no clear sense of how the world of the Dream interacted with the real world, since she looked more like a piece of furniture than a living, breathing person. Attributing that to her lack of soul spark, he agreed with the pop-up asking him if he wanted to enter her dream and, with a whoosh, his surroundings changed.

Peeling away, the room he was in transformed into a city street that dripped with dreary rain. A lamp post that should have lit the corner of the cobblestones where Garrett appeared stood in defeated darkness, water pooling in the broken glass scattered around it. The street stretched into the gloom of leaning ramshackle buildings.

Ugh. I should have brought a coat.

No sooner had Garrett processed the thought than he was wearing a long overcoat, its oilskin surface repelling the rain that beat down on him. Blinking, he stared at it in shock before realization struck him. He was in a dream, not the real world. A moment later, he added a bowler hat and swapped his coat for a suit. An umbrella appeared in his hand, creating a steady tattoo as the falling rain bounced away. A moment of thought passed before he added a mask, covering his face with a smooth, white shell. Despite his face being covered, there was no obstruction to his sight, breathing, or speaking, proving that the dream didn’t follow the rules of reality.

Pleased with the way he looked, he glanced at his reflection in a nearby window, only to grow slightly embarrassed by his own theatrics. His appearance in the Dream wasn’t the same as his appearance in the real world—rather, he looked like he had back on Earth, so it wasn’t as if anyone would recognize him.

On the other hand, even if people do see behind the mask, they won’t know it’s me either.

Comforting himself with the thought that his theatrics wouldn’t be traced back to him, he turned his attention to the more pressing issue. The streets were empty, completely devoid of anything but the steadily falling rain. Thick fog surrounded the street, and though the area he was standing in was mostly clear, he could feel his senses being dulled. Across from the corner he was standing on, he could see a building with a faint light in the window that flickered like a candle.

The room was on the second floor, but that proved to be no trouble for Garrett. As soon as he focused on the window he found himself standing outside of it, his white mask reflected in the glass as he looked in on the small bedroom. Trying not to think about the fact that there was nothing underneath his feet, he took in the shabby room. A small bed, a broken dresser, and a bowl with some water were the only things in the room, apart from the small girl curled up under the thin blanket.

Even from outside the room, faint shouts could be heard from deeper in the building, accompanied by the crash of something breaking and pained screams. With every noise the girl in the sheets shrank in on herself, trying to block out the sounds. A frown crossed Garrett’s face, hidden by his mask, as he watched the little girl. He had no idea what was happening, but there was no doubt in his mind he was witnessing a scene from Ryn’s childhood. Feeling the tug on his heartstrings, Garrett’s frown twisted into a pained smile. Lifting his hand, he snapped his fingers, intending to create something to block out the sound for her.

[Making an adjustment to another dreamer’s dream they can recognize requires spending EXP. Would you like to make an adjustment?]

Without a thought he agreed, and felt his soul spark dim as a small music box appeared in his hand. Winding it up, he passed through the wall like a wraith and stepped into the room. Placing it silently on the floor, he stepped back, leaving the room as the soft music started to play, causing the childhood Ryn to jerk up, her eyes wide. Before he could see how the situation would play out, Garrett’s vision twisted and the dream ended.

You have observed your first mortal dream. You have gained 1 EXP.

You have created your first dream item, the Dreamer’s Music Box. You have gained 3 EXP.

EXP: 19/20

Waving away the window that appeared, Garrett’s attention was on Ryn, who was starting to sit up. Though it was hard to see any sort of detail on her face from within the Dream, from her movements it was obvious she was quite confused. Realizing he’d been kicked out because the dream had ended, Garrett’s brow furrowed. He had spent one experience point to create the Dreamer’s Music Box, and gained four from venturing into her dream. Unfortunately, he had no idea if the music box would stick around in future dreams or not; but regardless, he had learned a valuable lesson.

Anything that was too jarring would wake the dreamer, ending the dream and forcing him out. He had put the music box in the middle of the floor, surprising Ryn with its sudden appearance. If instead he had placed it in the dresser, Ryn might have discovered its existence herself, making it less of a shock and allowing it to integrate into the dream in a more natural way. Chalking it up to a lesson learned, Garrett shook his head and turned his attention to the other piece of business he had.

Gorn’s Dream Seed was currently on the second floor of the inn, up the stairs at the end of the hallway. The thought of venturing out still gave Garrett the creeps, but he knew that if he was going to continue to grow, he would have to do it eventually. He only needed one more experience point to get to level two, and he was hoping there would be some options he could use to defend himself. At the very least, he wanted to get the Dreamer’s Cloak ability so he could avoid detection as he was moving around.

While he didn’t regret choosing the path of the Watcher, he was realizing just how hard it was going to be to advance. He got no experience points for seeing the same things over again, which meant he’d be constantly forced to seek out new experiences in this dark and terrifying world. Fortifying himself, he double-checked to make sure the hallway was clear and then crept out of the room, leaving the safety of the throne behind.

He could sense where Gorn was thanks to the Dream Seed, and that the man was asleep. Walking to the end of the empty corridor, he glanced at the door that led to the basement, noticing the dull markings etched into it. They looked suspiciously like a magical spell to Garrett, though he had no actual experience to speak of. Regardless, he wasn’t about to mess with something he knew nothing about, so he resolutely turned his head toward the stairs that led up to the second floor of the inn.

He hadn’t yet been up to the second floor of the building because there was no way he could manage the stairs, but Ryn had given him a rough sense of the layout during her rambling reports at lunch and dinner. Faint tendrils of fog drifted through the stairwell, but as Garrett began to climb the steps they vanished, clearing out the space. With every foot he placed down, Garrett heard the stairs creak, causing him to wince. His only reassurance was that the fog blocked both sight and sound, dulling the creaking considerably.

With careful steps, he walked up the first flight of stairs and peeked around the corner, trying to keep his body out of sight in case there was something there. Once again, he was faced with an empty set of stairs, causing a flash of embarrassment. Realizing it was the young nobleman’s influence rearing its head, Garrett took a moment to center himself and then continued up the stairs.

At the top of the staircase was another long hallway, this one with five doors on either side. Seeing the room numbers, Garrett thought these were the rooms the inn rented out, but he sensed Gorn in one of them, so he walked over to check the door. He had yet to come across a locked door in the Dream, apart from the heavily barred door that blocked the stairs to the basement, and this was no different. With a simple twist, the door opened up and revealed the room. A small dresser with a pitcher and bowl on top of it, a small table, and a narrow bed were the only things in the room, and after sweeping it with his gaze a few times, Garret stepped in, his senses stretched to their maximum.

Laying on the narrow bed, his arm hanging off and dragging on the ground, Gorn slept, his rough snores so loud Garrett could see the air of the Dream shaking. Carefully closing the door behind him to try and avoid any nasty surprises, Garrett walked over to the bed and examined Gorn. He could see both the soul spark and the Dream Seed, one in Gorn’s chest and the other in his head. Reaching out, he tried to touch the Dream Seed, but before he could his hand brushed the glow of Gorn’s soul spark and the system prompted him to enter Gorn’s dream.

Hesitating for only a moment, Garrett agreed, and once again the world peeled back, depositing him in a familiar-looking office. He had been in this office a number of times and recognized it instantly. To his surprise, Gorn was actually sitting behind the desk, glaring at Henrick, who stood on the other side of the desk, his thick hands nervously kneading a hat. Standing in the corner, Garret froze, afraid the others would see him. He was still dressed like an Edwardian gentleman, and with a start he realized the mask was still on his face, while his umbrella was folded neatly by his side.

As flustered as he was, neither of the other two men responded to his presence at all, despite the fact that he stood out like a sore thumb. Lifting his hand to wave, he saw no response and walked forward. Even when he came to the desk, he found that neither of the two men reacted at all, making him wonder if he was invisible. Waving in front of Gorn’s head proved his musing to be true, and with a sigh of relief he settled back to watch the dream unfold.

“What do you mean, you don’t have the money?” Gorn asked, his thick eyebrows squeezing together like two caterpillars.

Across the desk, Henrick grew more nervous, nearly twisting his cap apart.

“The… the other gangs took it.”

Glaring at Henrick, Gorn tapped his hand on the desk, his mouth set in a sneer.

“And how did they know about it in the first place, huh? Weren’t you supposed to ensure that it was kept quiet? No one knew about this job besides you and me, so how did the other gangs get wind of it?”

“I really don’t know, sir! I was in the process of retrieving it when the Swamp Shark gang showed up, all of a sudden. It was both of the Shark twins, sir. There was no way I could fight against two Awakened by myself.”

Gorn’s sneer just deepened as Henrick’s figure babbled on and his eyes drifted to the window. Following his gaze, Garrett noticed a small pot on the windowsill he hadn’t seen before. It was fairly nondescript, but as soon as he looked at it Garrett knew it contained the Dream Seed. Walking over, he reached out to tap the pot, but there was no response. About to turn away, a small window popped up, causing his eyes to light up with happiness.

[Dream Seed] - Observation Seed (dormant)

You have discovered a Dream Seed. Dream Seeds will grow slowly by absorbing their host’s dream or by being fed mental energy, but this process can be sped up if the owner of the dream gives them attention.

Realizing what he needed to do, Garrett snapped his fingers, spending an experience point to create a small watering can. He was about to place it on the windowsill next to the pot but hesitated, remembering how he’d knocked Ryn out of her dream with his abrupt action. Frowning, he stood there with the watering can in his hands as he watched Gorn and Henrick interact.