Published at 22nd of October 2023 9:41 am

Book 2: Chapter 2

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

“Hello Obe. You must be Ryn, who I’ve heard so much about. My wife got some of your soap as a gift and now she won’t stop buying it. Shame what happened to Henrick, but glad to see that you all salvaged some good out of it. My boys tell me that your inn is becoming one of the best stop offs for anyone running missions in the swamps.”

Aurther Tellson, the guild master of the adventurer’s guild was a charismatic man, full of a natural magnetism that drew everyone around him in. A big, booming voice, and the stature to go with it, allowed him to fill any space he entered. Yet even as he spoke, Garrett could see the calculations being run behind his smiling eyes. Sure enough, Aurther turned to look at Garrett, offering his hand for a handshake.

“But I don’t think I know you. Aurther Tellson, Guild Master.”

Lifting his right arm, to reveal his stump, Garrett returned a friendly smile.

“Garrett Klein. Apologies for not being able to shake your hand.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I meant no offense,” the guild master said, clearly not meaning it. “You must be that record keeper Henrick was boasting about. I’ve heard you’re quite adept with numbers.”

Letting his smile fade, Garrett nodded.

“I know enough to get by.”

As they spoke, Garrett could feel the guild master’s curiosity, driven by Garrett’s lack of reaction to the pressure that he was exerting. Though there was no way for him to know that Garrett was a shaper as well, the fact that Garrett didn’t seem bothered even when Aurther subtly increased the pressure clued him in that something was going on. Not wanting to let things get out of control, Garrett turned in his chair and gestured to the wall of missions.

“It looks like there have been an increased number of missions targeting monsters from the swamp and forest. Are there many monsters moving closer to the city?”

Stepping up next to Garrett, Aurther scanned over the missions, nodding seriously.

“More and more. We’ve seen a year over year increase for quite a few years, though no one knows exactly why. It just highlights how incredibly important our adventurers are. They’re the first line of defense we have against the wilderness.”

“The upside being that we’ve had a lot of materials flowing into the city, right?”

“Also true,” the guild master said, giving Garrett a sharp look. “Take that maragoth that was pulled in today. Second tier materials like that are exceedingly rare, so it’ll fetch a good price. I’ve already heard that the Royal Duke himself is interested and is sending someone down to take a look.”

“Interest from the palace? Wow. That’s pretty exciting. I’m sure you’ll get a tidy sum for it,” Garrett said before stifling a yawn. “I’m sorry. I tire quickly, so if you’ll excuse me, we’ll head back now. It was nice to chat with you a bit. You have a truly impressive guild.”

“Of course!” Aurther said, slapping Garrett on the shoulder, a bit harder than was necessary. “Stop back any time.”

With one last, measuring look that Garrett met calmly, Aurther walked away and Ryn began to help Garrett navigate out of the guild. None of them spoke until they were through the crowd, which had only grown larger since they had entered the guild hall, and out into one of the mostly empty streets beyond. Letting out the breath she had been holding, Ryn glanced over her shoulder at the guild building that jutted up into the air.

“Is it true that Guild Master Tellson is a shaper? I felt so intimidated standing next to him. I can’t believe you were able to have a whole conversation with him, Garrett.”

“I think he is,” Obe admitted, casting a fearful glance back at the guild hall. “I’ve met some strong awakened, but he puts them to shame.”

“Was he that strong?” Garrett asked, looking at the other two as if he had no idea. “I thought it was very nice of him to talk to me.”

Rolling her eyes, Ryn pushed Garrett around a pile of trash in the road, the whole time keeping half an eye on a group of thugs loitering near the edge of the street. Though they looked Garrett and the others over, the sight of Obe and the three large blue-coated helpers that accompanied them seemed to keep them from making any sort of move. After the long trip back to the inn it was time for dinner, and then Garrett went to his room. Ryn had taken one of the rooms upstairs, but Garrett continued to use the small storage room he had originally woken up in as his bedroom, in no small part because that was the location of the thing that lay at the crux of his power.

The Dreamer’s Throne.

Every time that Garrett lay down in his bed and closed his eyes, he felt like he was logging into a game of sorts, just one in which you only had a single life, and there were much worse fates than simply dying. When he opened his eyes, Garrett was sitting in the Dreamer’s Throne, its dull gold shine flooding his bedroom with light. He could feel the intricate carvings under his fingers, and though he had no idea what they were carvings of, the feeling of them gave him a sense of security.

The Dreamer’s Throne had saved his life on multiple occasions, and Garrett knew that all of his success stemmed from this mysterious object. With a thought, he brought up his soul spark, marveling as it bloomed into two gorgeous ten-petaled flowers that held a replica of the Dreamer’s Throne in the center. As a shaper, his soul spark had completely solidified, and the energy that had created it was now impossible to shift. Instead, it radiated a constant stream of energy that Garrett could use to power his abilities. That energy also seeped into his body, granting him increased endurance and strength, though from his thin, sickly frame, it didn’t look like it.

STATUS

NAME: Garrett Klein

PATH: Path of the Watcher

SUB-PATH: Dream Gardener

LEVEL: 4

EXP: 92/160

ABILITIES: [6/10]

Whisper of the Dream [1]

Observe the Dream [3]

Dream Seed [3]

Dreamer’s Cloak [1]

Beautiful Bewitchment [2]

Spirit-sucking Thorns [1]

Garrett’s status had not moved much in the last two months, though he had managed to steadily accumulate experience points. The problem was that he found he had to spend them just as fast as he earned them. With a self-deprecating laugh he stood up from the throne, walking to a doorway in his dream room that didn’t exist in the real world. Beyond the doorway was a short hallway that opened into a dimly lit bar. Already, half a dozen patrons sat at the bar, talking quietly as they waited for their drinks. This space had come into existence just after Garrett had taken over the gang, and he had been learning a tremendous amount about it ever since.

It was both his own personal dream space and a hub of sorts for all who earned the ability to walk the dream. To Garrett’s surprise, there were many more people who fit that criteria than he had anticipated. Anyone with a strong mental energy who slept in range of one of the dream flowers would, more often than not, find themselves pulled into the dream world where the door to Dreamer’s Rest would appear. There they would find themselves in a strange bar where an indistinct four piece band played unknown music in the corner and a masked bartender took their orders.

Dressed in his typical costume of a sharp white shirt, black slacks, a vest and a bow tie, Garrett made sure that his mask was in place before joining the bartender serving behind the bar. Seeing him, the bartender gave him a short nod before going back to the drinks he was mixing. Like most of the objects in the bar, the bartender was one of the reasons that Garrett’s experience points had been flowing out like water. It had taken twenty-five experience to create a permanent dream being to stay and work in Dreamer’s Rest, and though Barman, as Garrett liked to call him, couldn’t do anything but take drink orders, Garrett thought it was worth it as it allowed others to spend time in the bar when Garrett wasn’t there.

Greeting a few of the regulars with a wave, Garrett joined Barman in his work, helping the bartender with taking orders, mixing drinks, and cleaning up the empty glasses, all the while enjoying the music from the corner of the room. As time progressed, more and more people started to show up until the bar had gained a lively air. No matter how many people crowded into the bar, there was always plenty of room, and a few empty tables for those arriving late.

Tonight was a special night, and one that Garrett had been planning for a while. Though he gained experience points when he drew people into Dreamer’s Rest, he found that he had to spend just as many to keep it running well, but an idea had appeared in his head, specifically aimed at his star patrons, the half a dozen awakened who had made coming to the bar an almost nightly occurrence. There were close to a hundred mortals who showed up with regularity, but in the middle of the room sat a large round table that was reserved for a specific group.

Two of the seats had symbols carved into the back of the chairs, one showing a coiled snake and the other a clenched fist. In these seats sat Viper and a large woman who went by the name of Pax. The other chairs, though they lacked the symbols, had been claimed by four other awakened who had been drawn into the bar. Each night, they would gather together, swapping stories and information about the goings on in the city. It was this group that Garrett was particularly interested in, and once they had all arrived, he walked over to them.

“Look! It’s our favorite owner! Come to bring us another round?” a fiery red-headed man named Kinsley asked, causing the others to shake their heads.

“Come on Kinsley,” a sallow faced young man named Asher replied, “even if he did you’d still have to pay for it.”

Nodding, the middle-aged woman on the other side of Kinsley placed her glass on the table and spoke in a calm voice.

“As you should. One should only receive what they have earned.”

“Come on, Estel, you’ve got to relax a bit,” Pax said, patting the middle-aged woman on the shoulder.

Only Maron and Viper remained quiet, simply waiting for Garrett to speak. Amused by the banter, Garrett put the tray he was holding down and distributed the drinks to each of the awakened, causing the table to quiet down. In all the time they had spent in Dreamer’s Rest, Garrett had never once offered a free drink, instead requiring that everyone pay with coins formed from their own mental strength, so to see their favorite drinks sitting in front of them piqued their curiosity.

“This one is actually on the house,” Garrett said, looking around the table. “Because I’ve got something to talk to you about. But first, can you tell me why you think that this bar is called Dreamer’s Rest?”

The table was quiet, as everyone but Estel and Viper took their drinks. Estel looked at hers with some consternation, but Viper was completely focused on Garrett. As the silence stretched on, the red masked man leaned forward, causing everyone to turn and focus on him.

“Is it because there are monsters out there?” Viper said, gesturing to the walls of the inn.

“That is exactly right. All of you know better than everyone just how many monsters lurk in the shadows of this world. Many of them are even inside the city’s walls, despite the guard’s best efforts to keep them out. But that’s not all. What if I told you that there were even more monsters lurking among us, monsters that were even more frightening than those you faced in the real world?”

“You’re not talking about the merchants, are you?” Kinsley asked, causing a few chuckles.

“No, though I’m sure that some of them would qualify,” Garrett replied with a smile. “No, I’m talking about nightmares that stalk the dreams of mortals, slowly killing them and driving them insane.”

A grim air fell over the table as the awakened processed Garrett’s words. After giving them a chance to mull over what he had said, Garrett turned his hand over, causing a flower to appear on the table. It was a familiar sight to everyone, as the dreamer’s flowers were all over the bar. This one, however, pulsed with a faint power that had been hidden before.

“Dreamer’s Rest is able to be free from these nightmares because of this simple flower. If this flower could fill the world, the world would be free of nightmares, but the flowers by themselves cannot do this. This is where you come in. I have a number of tasks that I need someone to complete, and I will offer rewards for their completion, just as the adventurer’s guild does in the waking world.”

“Rewards?” Pax asked, a gleam in her eyes. “What sorts of rewards?”

Focusing his mind, Garrett stretched out his hand and tapped the air, causing mental energy to coalesce into a palm-sized shield. Passing it to Pax, he explained what it was while she examined it.

“Artifacts to increase your abilities. This will block damage from a nightmare, and even protect you in the waking world, helping you guard against mental attacks.”

“Wait, these things can be used in the real… I mean, the waking world? How does that work?” Maron asked, taking the shield from Pax.

“That’s not something you have to worry about,” Garrett replied. “The only question is, will you do it?”

Leaning back in his chair, Asher fixed his intense gaze on Garrett as he spoke, his words slow and methodical.

“Depends, what kind of missions are we talking about? We only discovered this place in the last two months, and it was already a month before I actually thought it was real. Now you want us to go out and face nightmares? Will we even be able to harm them?”

“Good questions. Initially, it will mostly be scouting and planting. I’ll identify a specific area, and you’ll go there in the dream, clearing any nightmares, and planting dream flowers. Once there are enough dream flowers in an area, they will be able to protect themselves, so you’ll have a mission to another area. Occasionally, I may ask you to kill specific nightmares, or even find and recover certain artifacts. While it will not be danger free, the danger will not be great, as once you expend your mental energy you’ll simply leave the dream, just like you do if you overspend here in the bar.”

Picking up the shield that had made its way around the table and looking at each person in turn, Garrett let the silence build for a moment.

“What do you say? Up for a bit of adventure?”

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