Dreamer's Throne

Chapter 16

You have planted a Dream Seed on a mortal for the first time. You have gained 1 EXP.

You have grown a Dream Flower on a mortal for the first time. You have gained 1 EXP.

EXP: 11/40

Having expected the experience points, Garrett waved the window away without thinking about it, but the next notification caught him off guard.

You have infected a mortal with an item from the Dream, forever changing their life. No longer will they be shielded from the Dream during their sleeping hours. Continue to watch over them as they experience the Dream for themselves. You will gain one experience point for each of the following that you observe them experiencing:

Lucid Dream

Exploring a new location in the Dream

Meeting a nightmare they have never seen before

Surviving a nightmare they have never seen before

Destroying a nightmare

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Reading it over no less than three times, Garrett finally closed the window, his mind awhirl with the possibilities this represented. He had been searching for how to use the path of the Watcher properly, but until this point he hadnt been able to come up with any ideas. Now, however, he had so many ideas it was nearly impossible to process them. Calming himself down, Garrett read over the window again, focusing on what he could glean from reading between the lines.

There were five different things that would gain him experience, and while he was unsure if they would give him experience multiple times, at least some of them seemed to indicate that they could be earned multiple times. Furthermore, it was beginning to dawn on him that his entire thought process around the path of the Watcher was wrong. Up until this point hed assumed that the path was one of exploration, leaving the relative safety of the inn to venture out into the Dream.

However, this new notification seemed to point to watching something or someone for a longer period of time, rather than moving on once hed gleaned the initial experience point. There were still a lot of questions surrounding, well, everything, but slowly a new picture was starting to coalesce in Garretts mind. Noticing that the gang member who sported the new flower had just gotten up from the table and was about to leave the inn, Garrett hurried to follow. He was curious to see if he could keep growing the flower, he focused his attention on the plant, stretching out his finger to try and inject more energy.

Before his finger connected, the mechanical voice sounded in his head, causing him to stop in place.

[Your target must be dreaming in order to connect them to your dream. You have not yet unlocked the ability to draw other people into your dream. Advance to level three to unlock this ability.]

Once again, Garrett found himself with more questions than answers, but his arm fell to his side as he watched the gang member leave. It was currently evening and the sun had already fallen below the horizon, so Garrett followed from a short distance. He hadnt been able to access the Dream during the daytime, as though the sun couldnt penetrate the dense fog that covered the ethereal city. He had, however, noticed that wraith activity appeared to be much lower at dusk and dawn. Not bothering to cloak himself, he kept a distance of about twenty feet as they wove through alleyways, heading southeast from the inn.

The closer they got toward the southeastern city wall, the tighter the streets became and the more confusing the twisting alleyways. Thick fog cut down on visibility and Garrett began to have trouble keeping his eyes on the man he was following. Coming around a corner, Garrett realized that his target had taken another immediate left so he hurried around the corner, only to feel a dreadful shiver pass down his spine. Throwing himself to the ground, Garrett activated Dreamers Cloak and rolled over, his heart pounding in his chest as three spiny legs stabbed through the fog, piercing the spot where his head had been a moment before.

He could feel his target getting further away, but right now Garrett had no time to think about that as he scrambled along the cold cobblestone to try and escape from the ghostly spider that had appeared over the top of him. With his breath choking in his throat, he saw the nightmares glowing green eyes raking across the alleyway, searching for him. Nearly a dozen feet tall at its back, the ghostly spider looked like it had been formed from sticky tar. As it shifted back and forth drops of corrosive darkness dripped down onto the stones, causing a wailing hiss that sounded like the faint cries of a baby.

Unable to see him, the nightmare spider turned to stare in the direction hed come from, revealing a twisted baby face on its underside. The face was stretched and warped, its mouth opening and closing like it was seeking food. Horrified, Garrett could do nothing but hold his breath and pray that Dreamers Cloak didnt fail. After what seemed like an eternity, the monster trudged away, leaving a thick line of corrosive goo on the ground where its feet landed.

Waiting until it was completely out of sight, Garrett moved as quietly as he could to try and get away, placing his hands and feet carefully so as to avoid any loose debris that might make a noise. He had just managed to get close to the next corner where his target had disappeared when he heard a slight sound behind him and froze, not moving even an inch. With growing trepidation, he slowly turned his head, only to come face to face with the twisted baby face, a scant few feet behind him.

The one good thing about being absolutely terrified was that it was nearly impossible to scream. Without being able to choke out a single sound, Garrett watched as the giant ghost spider walked past him, completely silently. He could feel the weight of its gaze, but despite its meticulous coverage of the alleyway, it couldnt catch sight of him. On skittering legs, the monster vanished into the fog once again, leaving Garrett to recover his breath in shallow gasps.

You have observed a Baby Faced Spider, a nightmare that preys on the fears of humans caught in its webs, and other nightmares to make itself grow. You have gained 1 EXP.

EXP: 9/40

In the distance Garrett could feel the connection he had with his target getting a fainter, so he forced himself to move. Getting up from his knees, he hurried into the fog, doing his best to hold close to the wall. Thankfully, either because of his ability or because the ghostly spider was resettling into its ambush spot, Garrett had no more trouble getting out of the alleyway. Slowly catching up with the gang member he was following, he had just arrived at another cross-street when he saw his target stopping to check for anyone following him. Garretts eyes narrowed.

I knew something was strange. What is this guy doing?

After making sure he wasnt being followed, the gang member stepped around a corner and then darted sideways into a small gap in a fence, tipping a board to cover the hole after hed passed through it. Startled by the sudden move, Garrett followed in the Dream, crouching to go through the hole in the fence. A short walk down the new alleyway led to a closed door, where the man knocked quietly in a short pattern.

Whos there?

The sound coming from the door was muffled, and Garrett was sure he wouldnt have been able to understand it if he hadnt been able to borrow the ears of the man who carried the Dream Flower.

Big ghoul, was the whispered reply.

Creaking open a hair, the person behind the door confirmed who it was and then waved the Ghouls Tooth gang member in, shutting the door in Garretts face before he could slip in. Frowning, Garrett reached for the doorknob but ultimately hesitated, letting his hand drop back to his side. He had no real idea what sort of influence his actions in the Dream had on the real world, and the last thing he wanted to do was freak out whoever was inside by opening the door.

Finding a corner of the alleyway to sit in, Garrett crouched down and activated Observe the Dream. Immediately three lights ignited in his mind, showing him the locations of the Dream Flowers that had bloomed. He could sense the inn, Gorn, and the gang member hed been tracking, and with a thought his view could switch between them. Selecting the man who was in the building in front of him, Garrett saw the inside of a small room that held a simple table, where two figures he didnt recognize sat with the Ghouls Tooth gang member. To make things even more suspicious, both of the other figures were wearing cloaks, despite the darkness of the room.

What have you learned?

One of the robed men spoke in a low voice, forcing Garrett to listen closely. As he watched, the Ghouls Tooth gang member leaned forward and spoke conspiratorially.

I spoke to the cripple, the one who found the goods in the first place. He said there were no more warehouses like the ones the gang raided. But I also found out that theres going to be a major trade. Henrick wants to offload some of the goods and has set up a trade with a merchant named Kaliburn for two days from now.

Why is this guy lying through his teeth? I didnt say anything at all.

At the table, the two robed figures shared a look and nodded.

Good, the one who had previously spoken said. We can launch our attack at that point. How many guards will there be? And where is the trade taking place?

Leaning back slightly, a pleased smile on his face, the traitorous gang member tapped his fingers on the table and then pinched his fingers together.

Thats really important information, isnt it? Look, Ive been working for you for close to five months, and I have yet to see any of the money you promised me. I dont mind telling you what you want to know, but unless I see real coin, you can forget it.

A heavy silence descended on the room as the two robed figures stared at him, a silence that stretched out until the man began to sweat. Licking his lips, he was about to speak up when one of the robed figures reached into his robe and pulled out a small bag of coins. Tossing it onto the table, where it landed with the light clink of metal rubbing together, the robed figure spoke slowly.

You are right. We have been remiss. Here is your payment for previous information.

Withdrawing his hand to reveal an even larger bag, the robed man placed it next to the first.

The information youre bringing now is worth more than all the details you have previously supplied, so we are happy to increase the amount of money youll earn.

Greed lit up the gang members eyes and he leaned forward, reaching for the bags. Pulling them to his side of the table, he undid the cord that tied them closed and poked at the coins, doing a quick count. Grinning widely, he tied them back up and put them into his belt pouch, pulling out a piece of paper. With a light laugh he placed it on the table for the two robed men to see.

The meeting location is in the sewer system, where it connects with the crypts. The exact spot is a bit hard to find, but I drew you a bit of map which should help. Theyll be meeting in two days, at noon. The goods are being moved into position now, and then the merchants men will take them from there. Because its cramped, there should only be six or so Ghouls Tooth members going for the trade, though Obe will be there, so youll need an Awakened or two if you want to beat them.

Obe uses a club, right?

Yeah, with a dagger in his offhand. Hes good at closing distance, so keep that in mind as youre finding an opponent for him.

Listening to the traitor continue to give details about the Ghouls Tooths upcoming trade, Garretts teeth clenched. He had a special distaste for those who sold out their companions, and what he was witnessing was no less than a wholesale betrayal. Tempted as he was to kick in the door and confront the people in the room, he didnt lose his cool.

It would be really nice if I could increase the number of flowers on him, but without being able to see him directly, I dont have that option. Lets see, I still need twenty-nine experience to get to level three. Huh, I wonder if I could plant a Dream Seed on one of the robed figures? That would help me stop whatever it is thats going to go down.

Standing up, Garrett took an experimental step, stopping in front of the door to the room the robed men were in. He was still in his Observe the Dream view, but as he arrived outside the door he could see himself standing at the edge of his top-down view. Feeling strange, he reached out, groping for the door. Moving in a top-down view was surprisingly challenging, and it took a while for him to manage to grab onto the doorknob. Once he had it, he started to turn it slowly, paying careful attention to the reactions inside the room.

Without a sound, the door opened up, not eliciting a response from the three men sitting around the table. Letting out the breath hed been holding, Garrett stepped into the room and canceled Observe the Dream, activating Dreamers Cloak at the same time. With a shimmer, his body turned hazy as his vision snapped back to a first-person point of view. Since what happened in the Dream didnt seem to have a direct correlation to the state of the real world, using Dreamers Cloak was probably overkill, but Garrett firmly adhered to the principle that it was better to be safe than sorry.

Now that he was up close, he could tell that the two robed men were both dangerous. One of them, the man who had yet to speak, showed a faint glow, making Garrett believe he was Awakened. Pegging him as a guard, Garrett focused on the other man, spending a full three experience points to create a Dream Seed and sending it to land on his head. Seeing it seep through the mans robe, Garrett felt the seed take and begin to bloom as he fed his soul spark energy into it. Swelling with power, the seed blossomed into a single flower that was quickly followed by a second and third.

[Hidden condition fulfilled. A new sub-path has been unlocked.]