Dreamer's Throne

Before arriving in this strange world, Garrett hadn’t possessed any desire to understand dreams, but now, standing in a three-piece suit with a watering can in his gloved hand while he watched a fat thug bullying his boss, he couldn’t help but start to wonder what exactly he was witnessing. Had he not already experienced the two men’s interactions in the real world, he might have actually believed that Gorn was the higher ranked of the two. Seeing the secret delight Gorn was taking in bossing Henrick around, he could only assume he was witnessing the playing out of Gorn’s hidden desires.

The reversal of Gorn’s role spoke to the large thug’s desire to rise in status, and the fact that it was his current boss groveling on the other side of the desk gave Garrett some insight into the nature of their relationship, at least from Gorn’s side. There were a number of other small details that Garrett found interesting as well, including the way Gorn was dressed and the jewelry adorning his fingers.

However, as he watched, he suddenly noticed a change in the dream. The air seemed to grow heavier and a slight chill filled the air. It was such a subtle change that neither of the two men seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary as they continued to act out their farce. Eyes narrowing, Garrett scanned the room but was unable to find anything out of the ordinary until the shadows began to tilt. The only way Garrett could think to describe it was like the entire floor had suddenly been angled toward the center of the room where Henrick stood, receiving his tongue lashing. Like a drop of black ink, the shadow began to spread out, stretching tendrils here and there, as if feeling around for something.

Making contact with Henrick’s shadow, the inky darkness started to surge, growing in size and density as they merged together. Realizing that things were about to get dangerous, Garrett wanted to do something to stop the dark shadow, but he honestly had no way to deal with it. His path was entirely focused on observing, leaving him with no tangible way to harm the wraith that he knew of. Flustered, he could only watch as the inky darkness consumed Henrick’s shadow and then started creeping up his back, slithering upward like veins pumping out pure darkness. Slowly, a change came over Henrick, causing his skin to take on a grayish hue.

Gorn still hadn’t noticed the change, but Garrett was worried that, by the time he did, it would be too late. He had no idea what Gorn would be able to do but thought it would be better for him to do something rather than nothing. Concentrating on Gorn, he tried to use Whisper of the Dream to warn the thug about his boss.

“Something is wrong with Henrick.”

A faint whisper wrapped around Gorn, causing him to frown and look around, taking his attention off the flower pot as he turned to look at Henrick. Though he was still standing with his head bowed, the innkeeper’s fingers were straining against his hat, thin lines of pulsing black covering them like a web of fine veins. Those same types of veins were creeping up his neck, and slowly a bizarre smile was starting to stretch across his lips. Once he had been warned, it only took a moment for Gorn to realize something was wrong, but even as he took a step back Henrick took a step forward.

Bloodshot eyes rose to meet Gorn’s trembling gaze and the smile on his lips threatened to split his skin. Groping for the weapon that should have been at his waist, Gorn found his hand closing on a watering can instead. Staring down at it in confusion, he heard that same whispered voice echoing in his head.

“The flower will protect me from Henrick. I was about to water the flower.”

Slowly the shock of seeing the watering can retreated, replaced by an anxiousness that only grew as Henrick took a lurching step forward, the edges of his mouth beginning to bleed as his mouth slowly opened abnormally wide. Swallowing the curse that rose to his lips, Gorn hesitated, but once again that dream-like voice drifted around him.

“The flower! I have to water the flower!”

“Where are you going? Why are you running?” Henrick asked, his tongue slithering in and out of his mouth like a lizard. Almost every inch of Henrick’s skin was covered with the web of inky veins, and he had lost any semblance of normalcy as his bloodshot eyes bulged from his face. Yet, for how dangerous he looked, Garrett actually felt very little threat from him. The crimson-eyed Seeker Wraith had caused his blood to curdle in his veins, but this creature barely made his eyebrows twitch, despite looking much more dangerous.

With incredibly slow steps, the transformed innkeeper walked forward, pausing each time he moved his feet, almost as if he was just pretending he wanted to reach Gorn. Still, he was terrifying enough that Gorn hurried to back up, his hand still clutching the watering can. The large thug’s eyes darted this way and that, fear, uncertainty, and anger mixed together. Across the room, Henrick took another step forward, his body starting to twist and stretch, like he was growing into a deformed monster, but to Garrett’s surprise the sight of it seemed to calm Gorn down.

Resolution streaked through his eyes and he turned to pour water from the can onto the pot that held the Dream Seed. Truthfully, Garrett had no way of knowing if the flower would help at all, but he was here as an observer and was interested to find out what sort of impact it had on the situation. Sparkling water trickled from the end of the watering can, dripping into the soil in the pot, soaking it completely. Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, Garrett blinked and looked closer, but the shining water didn’t change.

Stepping closer, Garrett realized Gorn’s soul spark was emitting a thread of light that was being infused into the can he held, transforming the water he poured into the pot into something magical. The sight of the water enraged the monster that had merged with Henrick’s figure and it lunged forward again, as if it was going to pounce on Gorn. Torn, Garrett considered throwing himself in the way to buy the large thug some time, but that idea was rejected almost immediately. He had no idea why the monster wasn’t reacting to his presence, but he wasn’t about to change that by forcefully injecting himself into the confrontation.

Curled fingers reached for Gorn as Henrick got close, but at the last moment a gentle light appeared from the pot as the Dream Seed, fed by the stream of energy from Gorn’s soul spark, burst from the soil and bloomed into a small, five-petaled flower. Shimmering light ran across the surface of the flower, a thousand colors dancing together to form an otherworldly glow that captured Gorn’s attention. A sense of agitation seemed to seize the man as he continued to water the plant with increased fervor, upending the watering can as he channeled his soul spark into it.

In return, the Dream Seed bathed the room in light, causing Henrick’s face to twist in pain. Letting out a shriek, the monster tried to retreat, but the light that burned its influence away also trapped it in place. Seeing that it was effective, Gorn let out a savage laugh and poured himself into the plant, increasing the flow of energy from his soul spark. With each drop of energy the flower absorbed it grew slightly bigger, until the pot could no longer contain it. A faint cracking sound echoed throughout the room and roots began to spread at visible speed, burrowing into the windowsill and creeping along the wooden paneling.

Another scream pulled Garrett’s attention from the beautiful flower just in time to see the twitching monster fall to the ground, its once-hulking form shriveled into nearly nothing. One of the flower’s roots inched its way up onto Henrick’s face, crawling inexorably into his mouth and down his throat. Even though Garrett knew he wasn’t actually looking at Henrick, the sight sent a shiver down his spine, and he nearly left the dream then and there. Steeling his resolve, he forced himself to stay and watch how things played out, but he couldn’t shake the queasy feeling in his stomach.

The pulsing inky veins tried to flee whenever the Dream Seed’s roots appeared, but no matter where they went the flower was right behind them, sucking their essence out and transforming it into nutrients to fuel its growth. Within a few minutes, it was over and Henrick’s figure transformed into ash that blew away, vanishing into the depths of the dream. Gorn still hadn’t torn his attention from the flower, and had even begun to murmur soft words to it even as he continued to feed it from his watering can.

Beyond creeped out, Garrett stared at the flower, watching as a second, and then third flower appeared on it. Waving its petals gently, it turned them toward him, as if able to tell where he was standing. He felt no threat from it; instead it radiated a feeling of goodwill and servitude that only increased his feeling of discomfort. Watching as the last dregs of energy from Gorn’s soul spark were poured onto the flower, Garrett felt the dream shake and start to fade, depositing him in Gorn’s bedroom a moment later.

Stretching and yawning, Gorn rose and looked around. Watching him walk over to splash water on his face from the bowl, Garrett couldn’t help but notice the vague outline of a shining five-petaled flower imprinted on his pupils. It was with a heavy heart that Garrett went back to his room, not even bothering to check for nightmares as he walked down the steps. In front of his eyes hovered a window that shed some light on the situation, though it only added to the burden he felt.

[Dream Flower] - Flowered (3)

Your Dream Seed has flowered. As the number of flowers increases, your level of control over the host will continue to increase.

1 Flower: You are aware of the host’s presence and can sense information from their experiences.

2 Flowers: You can speak into and read from the host’s dreams, even when they aren’t sleeping.

3 Flowers: A sense of loyalty has begun to grow in the host as they realize the power of the Dream Flower, making them likely to listen to your suggestions.

Getting back to his room, Garrett slumped down in the Dreamer’s Throne, feeling the warmth that radiated out of it seeping into him and recharging his soul spark. He hadn’t expected the Dream Seed to have such a sinister effect, and now that it was manifesting he was torn about it. The idea of being able to control others through implanting Dream Seeds turned his stomach, though he couldn’t deny the whisper of attraction it carried.

As soon as he read the description of the Dream Flower, he’d realized that the monster who’d planted its crimson eyes in him had been trying to do the same thing to him. If not for the Dreamer’s Throne destroying the influence of the Crimson Eye that infected him, he would have ended up just like Gorn. Shuddering, he waved the window away and looked at the new window that popped up.

You have observed a Creeping Wraith, a lesser nightmare that preys on the fears of those who dream. You have gained 1 EXP.

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

You have observed a Dream Flower, a special flower that only grows in dreams. You have gained 2 EXP.

EXP: 23/20

[Congratulations! You currently have enough experience points to level up. Would you like to level up to level two?]

The level up came as no surprise to Garret, who’d figured that the number of new things he’d seen were enough to give him the experience he needed. He was also heartened by the fact that his second encounter with a wraith hadn’t ended as disastrously as the first. The Creeping Wraith had been much weaker than he thought it would be, and even if he hadn’t been around Gorn probably would have been fine. Nodding his head, he chose to level up.

[Please choose which of your skills you will level and then choose your second level advantage.]

The now-familiar window popped up, showing Garrett’s three abilities. Whisper of the Dream was exactly as it had been the first time, but Observe the Dream had changed, adding a new ability.

Observe the Dream

You have gained the ability to see the Dream clearly.

The energy cost of activating this ability has been reduced.

*NEW* You may now use your other abilities while using Observe the Dream.

Skill Level: 2 > 3

Garrett had been waiting for this upgrade, but before he selected it he opened up Dream Seed to check what sort of upgrade he could get from it. As much as the thought of the ability made him uncomfortable, he could sense the terrifying potential the ability carried.

[Dream Seed]

You have seized one of [???????], Crimson Eye of Shalmoroth’s abilities, Dream Seed.

1 EXP - Observation Seed

2 EXP - Communication Seed

3 EXP - Loyalty Seed

[Other types of seeds locked]

*NEW* You can now plant seeds anywhere in the Dream and nourish them yourself.

Skill Level: 1 > 2

Eyes widening, Garrett read the ability again, a slow smile stretching across his face as he imagined hallways filled with the shining flowers. The flower’s ability to capture and consume the Creeping Nightmare stood out to him, but he’d assumed it would only work if the nightmare infiltrated a dream where a flower was planted, but if he was able to plant the flower in the hallways, he could potentially secure not only this room, but larger sections of the inn. Considering his lack of offensive ability, this idea was like a cup of cool water on a blistering day, and Garrett didn’t hesitate to upgrade Dream Seed to level two.

After he’d chosen his skill to level up, he had to pick an ability. Looking at the tree diagram that showed his options, he saw that the path that extended out from Dream Seed was inert and no amount of focusing on it allowed him to see what came next. Figuring he wasn’t a high enough level for it, or that he hadn’t unlocked the condition necessary to continue down that path, Garrett shrugged and looked at his other options. Only Dreamer’s Cloak and Illusory Dream were available, so he selected Dreamer’s Cloak.

Dreamer’s Cloak

You have gained the ability to use the Dream to cloak your presence, reducing the likelihood that you will be seen.

Skill Level: 1

With his level up complete, he opened up his status window to see how he’d grown.

STATUS

NAME: Garrett Klein

PATH: Path of the Watcher

LEVEL: 2

EXP: 3/40

ABILITIES: [4/10]

Whisper of the Dream [1]

Observe the Dream [2]

Dream Seed [2]

Dreamer’s Cloak [1]