Dreamer's Throne

If worries were raindrops, Garrett was certain that Insomnium would have long been washed away. As he watched the fat messengers splatter their payload against his window before dripping down in wide rivulets to join the rain-soaked streets, he felt control slipping away from him. The situation was ironic. He was more powerful than ever, his abilities and authority having grown tremendously after he defeated the great Ruler of the dream Agma-Yoth. Not only had he gained a new class, but the number of abilities he possessed had exploded. His position among the city's gangs had never been stronger. Yet, everywhere he looked, he found problems and challenges that, if not dealt with perfectly, would cause the Klein family to sink into the abyss.

Enemies lurked at every turn, watching for weakness, waiting to pounce. Garrett could think of a dozen forces that would happily swallow the Klein family whole if given the chance, and a dozen more who would be content to see the Klein family ripped apart. But that wasn't even the worst of it. All of Garrett's efforts to keep them under the radar had been destroyed by his unexpected election to the Ten Seats. He knew that the power the family wielded was significant, but he had really been hoping to keep that power out of the limelight.

Sighing deeply for what seemed like the millionth time in the last few minutes, he did his best to collect his scattered thoughts and refocus them. In contrast to the fierce storm that battered at the windows, his office was warm, a fire lit in a stone fireplace, filling the room with heat and the comforting smell of pine firewood.

As he turned away from the window, Garrett was suddenly struck by how nice his office looked. Henrik, the original owner of the inn, had paid little attention to the decor. But since inheriting it after Henrik had been possessed and eliminated, Garrett had slowly begun to update the furniture. His desk was a beautiful dark wood, with carved five-petaled flower motifs that matched the ornamentation on his wheelchair. The chairs for his guests had been updated, from simple hard-wooden chairs to more comfortable wing-back chairs. A crude set of shelves that had stood along one of the walls had been converted into built-ins that ran the length of the room. A few paintings had been added, as well as a glass case that displayed a number of oddities.

By far the most impressive item was a massive mirror that hung opposite Garrett's desk, reflecting the light from the lamps placed around the room. The mirror’s frame, originally a carved motif showing a woman combing her hair, had been transformed under Isabelle’s control and now consisted of carved flowers and vines. This mirror was a gateway to the hollow space, a maze-like collection of rooms and hallways inhabited by Isabelle, Garrett's dire-spirit guardian, and the pale fiends she had collected. It also served as the hidden base for Delrisa the Bone Witch, the new leader of the Remnants of the Dark Hand, necromancers who, until a week ago, had threatened the very existence of the city.

Once his enemy's strongest follower, Delrisa had been freed from Agma-Yoth's domination, and had chosen to commit herself instead to Garrett. Using a small hand mirror, Delrisa and the necromancers who followed her could enter the liminal space inside of the mirror, using it as a way to hide from the sight of the world. On a small pedestal next to the fireplace rested a simple red mask with a five-colored flower covering the left eye. When he caught sight of it, Garrett couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness.

This was Viper's mask, worn by Garrett's first guardian until he had fallen in the battle against Agma-Yoth. The guardian flower he had carried had transferred itself to Cynen of the Grave Walker Gang, transforming the already-powerful Shaper-ranked Awakened into Garrett's guardian, and the wielder of Lesrak's Flame, a terrifying fire that could both consume and generate life force.

Though he could have given the red mask to Cynen, Garrett preferred to have his guardian operate in the light, drawing attention away from himself and providing him with more direct support. No, the mask would have to wait until he had a third guardian seed. Hearing someone clear their throat, Garrett stopped his idle musing and turned his attention to Ryn, who, as usual, sat on his desk, watching him with a curious expression.

"Sorry, I was distracted for a moment. What were you saying?" Garrett asked, coughing lightly into his hand and attempting to smile.

Ryn's expression showed some of the concern that she felt, but she didn't voice it, instead continuing with the topic they had been discussing. "The workers have already been deployed to Parrow's factory, but they're starting to report trouble with the foreman that Parrow has in place. He's being quite disruptive."

Closing his eyes as he considered the situation, Garrett slowly nodded.

"That's to be expected. Please tell them to bear with it. I know that it's frustrating, but they just need to endure for a couple of weeks. As soon as our production facilities are back to work, we can move them as well."

"Alright, I'll tell them, but they're not going to be happy about it.”

“You can remind them that even ten years is not too long for a gentleman to get his revenge. Or a lady, for that matter. Parrow is in the process of digging his own grave, and that foreman is his shovel. All we need to do is get out of the way."

Hopping down from the desk, Ryn flashed a smile at Garrett and stretched her arms.

"That's good to hear, 'cause I don't like him at all," she said, before her expression grew serious. "You need to take care of yourself, though. I can tell you're getting tired, and you've been burning the candle at both ends. Francis says you're not eating either, which isn't good for you. Your body needs as much nutrition as possible."

Putting on a meek expression, Garrett nodded.

"I'll pay attention to my health, I promise."

"See that you do. If you collapse, the Klein family is doomed."

With another long look that Garrett didn't quite know how to read, Ryn turned and sauntered out the door, leaving Garrett alone in his office. Letting out a small sigh, Garrett turned to go to his desk, catching sight of himself in the large mirror hanging over the fireplace.

He had always possessed pale skin and delicate, aristocratic features. However, he had to admit there was a certain gauntness about his appearance that was somewhat alarming. Ever since he had absorbed Lesrak's flame, a faintly skeletal quality had emerged in his already thin body. Shaking his head, he wheeled himself to the desk and retrieved a thin book from one of his drawers. As he flipped it open, he pulled up his status, still unable to believe just how much he had grown.

STATUS

NAME: Garrett Klein

PATH: Dream Ruler

SUB-PATH: Dream Gardener, Path of the Watcher

LEVEL: 6

EXP: 335/640

ABILITIES: [9/10]

Whisper of the Dream [1]

Observe the Dream [3]

Dream Seed [5]

Dreamer’s Cloak [1]

Beautiful Bewitchment [3]

Spirit-sucking Thorns [1]

Illusory Dream [2]

Life and Death Bloom [1]

Skeletal Crown [1]

His abilities had expanded, reaching nine out of the ten maximum abilities he could possess. He was already at level six, and in addition to his dream ruler path, he had two sub-paths. One was related to the growth of the dream flowers that even now surrounded him, their ethereal forms invisible in the waking world. Then there was his original path, the path of the Watcher, a path that he was beginning to discover held tremendous power at the higher levels.

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Over the last few days, he had been receiving a steady trickle of experience points, even as he had spent a considerable number of experience points on replanting the dream flowers that had fallen during the battle against Agma-Yoth. Focusing on his new primary path, Dream Ruler, Garrett pulled up the details, marveling at the changes this path had wrought in him.

Dream Ruler

You have subdued multiple dream locations, bringing them under your control, and integrating their powers and forces into your territory. As you continue to grow your territory, you will improve the natural abilities granted by this class. Each territory increases the effect of existing abilities, while potentially granting new abilities.

Territories: [2]

Ruler’s Aura: Your soul spark exerts a field of authority that causes those around you to obey. The strength of this aura is determined by the number of territories you control.

Anoint Chosen: Grant special individuals your blessing to act on your behalf, lending them a portion of your power. You may have a number of Chosen equal to the number of territories you possess.

Awaken the Soul [Dreamer’s Rest]: Mortals who visit Dreamer’s Rest are more likely to awaken.

Flame of Life and Death [First Tomb]: You have subdued Lesrak’s Flame.

Survivability: High

Growth Potential: Unknown

In addition to granting him four new abilities, each with tremendous potential, becoming a dream ruler had fundamentally changed the way Garrett interacted with the dream. Though it was daytime, he could feel the dream even now. There seemed to be a veil across it, blocking his direct access, but Garrett could still sense its presence everywhere around him.

He was learning more and more about how the dream and the waking world interacted, and had begun to wonder if, as he grew more powerful, he would be able to pierce that veil, accessing the dream in the daytime as well as at night. He currently had control of two territories, the first being the inn in which he sat, and the second, the first tomb, deep under the crypts in the northern part of the city.

Both of them exerted influence on the dream around them, and the stronger Garrett grew, the greater the area of their influence. This was both a boon and a danger. The boon came in the form of more territory being brought under Garrett's control. Previously, it had been necessary for the dream flowers to propagate out into the dream in order for Garrett to be able to sense what was happening in a given area.

Now, Garrett could feel a sense of connection with the streets outside of the dreamer's inn. Likewise, he felt the same connection with the deep tunnels and crypts above the first tomb. It wasn't as if he would immediately know what was happening in those spaces, or even that he could directly control them. Instead, he could feel those areas of the dream feeding him mental energy, reinforcing his already prodigious power.

This, he realized, was one of the main reasons that Agma-Yoth's mental energy had been so overwhelming. When Garrett had gone up against him, he had not just been dealing with the mental energy of a powerful opponent, but instead had been fighting against the reinforcement of a large area of the dream.

There was still much for Garrett to explore and discover in regards to his new dream ruler path, but the one thing that Garrett did know was that along with the power the dream ruler path brought to him, there were planted seeds of danger that, if not properly handled, would undoubtedly prove his undoing.

The territory that Garrett controlled was constantly growing, though at an incredibly slow rate. Still, with enough time, it would eventually expand into territory controlled by other dream rulers. And when that happened, Garrett knew that the conflict would not resolve peacefully. He wasn't sure why, but the idea was fixed firmly in his heart. Dream rulers could not coexist in the same territory, and once their territories did begin to encroach, a ruler's war was inevitable. Feeling like he had inherited a ticking time bomb, Garrett shook his head and scrolled through the rest of his abilities.

[Whisper of the Dream]

-You have gained the ability to communicate with those who can walk the Dream.

Skill Level: 1

[Observe the Dream]

-You have gained the ability to see the Dream clearly.

-The energy cost of activating this ability has been reduced.

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

Skill Level: 3

[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

6 EXP - Guardian Seed [2/2]

10 EXP - Overmind Seed [-]

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

You can now set your Dream Flowers to the following states:

Defend [Default] - Dream Flowers will actively protect their hosts, or locations, from nightmares.

Hunt - Dream Flowers will release spores to attract nightmares with the intent of consuming them.

Growth - Dream Flowers will absorb the mental energy of their host or any creature that enters their location with the intent of growing stronger.

Your seeds now propagate naturally, so long as they have a steady source of mental energy.

Skill Level: 5

[Dream 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

[Guide Growth - Beautiful Bewitchment]

Your Dream Flowers grow, guided by your will to become objects of supernatural beauty. Those who look upon them cannot help but become enthralled.

Modify Dream Seed: Increase the bewitchment ability of Dream Flowers, strengthening your influence on hosts.

Increase the bewitchment ability of Dream Flowers against nightmares.

Modify Dream Flowers: Clusters of Dream Flowers will now produce a bewitching scent that will have one of the following effects:

Distract: Affected targets will grow distracted and forget what they were doing until the effect wears off.

Enthrall: Affected targets will grow enthralled and peacefully admire the flowers until the effect wears off.

Enrage: Affected targets will grow enraged and attack anyone around them until the effect wears off.

Skill Level: 3

[Guide Growth – Spirit-sucking Thorns]

Your Dream Flowers grow, guided by your will to become fearsome predators, hiding sharp thorns under their beautiful petals.

Modify Dream Seed: Increase the attack strength of Dream Flowers by improving their ability to consume the mental energy of their hosts and enemies.

Skill Level: 1

[Illusory Dream]

You have gained the ability to use the Dream to create illusions, confusing both dreamers and nightmares.

Your illusions grow more realistic, gaining a physical component.

Skill Level: 2

[Guide Growth – Death Flame Bloom]

Your Dream Flowers grow, guided by your will to hold Lesrak’s Flame.

Modify Dream Seed: Your flowers have melded with the powerful dream fire, Lesrak’s Flame, becoming immune to its’s effects.

Skill Level: 1

Skeletal Crown

The power of Lesrak flows through you, granting you natural control over undead.

Your mental strength produces a suppressive effect on undead you encounter, causing them to instinctively avoid attacking you.

Skill Level: 1

His highest level ability, Dream Seed, formed the foundation of his power, and the three Guide Growth abilities he had added transformed the relatively benign Dream Flowers into a terrifying force. He didn't have any particular love for the undead, and if it had been possible, would have been happy to swap them out for practically anything else, but he also wasn't one to reject a tool he could use to keep himself and the other members of the family safe. He was just reflecting on whether or not he should actively try to expand his forces in the crypts below the city, when he heard the sound of a quiet footstep in the hall outside. Whoever was walking there was trying to move slowly, and it took but a thought for Garrett to see who it was.

Clenching his teeth, he took a deep breath, stabilizing his emotions, and wiping the frustration from his heart. He carefully closed the book he had been about to read, and slipped it back into the desk drawer. Of all the problems that plagued him, the one about to enter the room was the most thorny. The doorknob turned slowly, and a moment later, Princess Eloise, the last remaining survivor of the royal family, poked her head into the room.

"Garrett, are you busy?"

Stifling the sharp words that rose to his lips, Garrett did his best to smile.

"Of course not, your highness. Please come in."