Chapter 183: Kowtowing

Howard entered into the strange horned man's lair and tried to weigh his options.

He felt the man's energy almost chaining him down, so he knew that he couldn't flee. Plus, the man's Dream Beast, White, had to be at least in the peak of the SS rank! Yet in front of this man, it seemed like a submissive puppy! What kind of strength did someone have to have to have such a powerful beast following him around? 

Dream Beasts, from Howard's understanding, chose a single Dream Rider their entire lives, and if that Dream Rider died, that Dream Beast would never again join the Varlen in their battles. Yet, one thing about Dream Beasts that Howard also learned is that they only obeyed people with stronger levels of Ki then them!

The Varlen almost always never fought, and used their Dream Beasts to do pretty much all the heavy lifting in fights of life and death. Yet they also had to train almost every day to control those Dream Beasts. Without that training, the Dream Beasts could go rogue and disappear from their owners sight. 

This was also one of the reasons that the Varlen almost always seemed to be walking around with their eyes closed. They gathered Ki with their eyes closed, by entering into their dreams to gather Dream Ki from the world around them. However, not only did the old sagacious man in front of Howard not have his eyes closed like a Varlen might, he seemed to be ordering the Dream Beast around like it was a weak puppy! It was at least 50 meters taller than him and had claws bigger than his head!

"White, stop it. I'm not feeding you." The man, Gravanal, said, laughing and gently smacking White while it whimpered with his nose reaching down to touch him. "You know we have guests. You're a messy eater in your sleep! I don't want him to have to watch it!"

"Ru! Ru!" The Dream Beast complained, and rolled on its back side. "It was so large, that the cavern shook, but Howard couldn't help but stare. It really was acting like a complete innocent child in front of its parent! How strong was this man? How did he never sense him!

'I guess… maybe there are a lot of things I don't know yet, haha," Howard smiled and walked over to Gravanal before he bowed lightly. He was trying to be as respectful as possible. After all, getting killed for no reason wouldn't come with any consequences for someone as strong as Gravanal. He might even get reward, and Howard wasn't about to die for no reason! He had too many things to do! Too many people that he loved waiting for him to intervene! "However, Mister… Gravanal, right? Do you mind telling me why you're making me visit? I'm much to weak to be of interest to you."

"I-I saw myself in you a few months ago," Gravanal pat White on the head. "I told myself, if I ever meet someone that can use Dream Ki and another type of Ki at the same time, I'd finally go out of hiding. However, are you scared of me boy? Do my eyes, with their white embers, scare you?"

"Hehe, you're using some type of Dream ability right?" Howard sighed and pointed at the man's eyes. "You-you… Are you able to see dreams? Are you able to see the dreams of those around you?"

"This… This is something I was born with," Gravanal sighed and pointed over at the wall. The next moment, a painting seemed to appear of a young boy with two massive silver eyes. "I-I was called a monster even by the Varlen. Apparently, my mother fell in love with a Horned man, and after meeting and having me, he just vanished never to be seena gain. However, he left me with these eyes."

"Because I'm both part Horned and Varlen, I can use my horns to detect frequencies further than most people, and because of that I've always been able to see dreams. You won't believe how much trouble I got in by saying things I wasn't supposed to say haha! One time, a young woman that recently married was dreaming about me, and I couldn't help but mention it to her husband! HAHAHAHA! But that's not the point why you're here. Not to hear my sob story, hahaha!"

Gravanal pointed at the wall and the image of him disappeared while a sadness seemed to spread through the room. "You're here. You're here because I want you to kill someone for me… So I can leave this mountain!"

Howard felt a terrifying feeling come from Gravanal's body before he stepped back from the pressure. It felt like a ten thousand kilogram weight shot into his stomach, and almost sent him flying into the distance. 

Howard also didn't understand how the man could be stuck in the mountain. He clearly went out earlier! 

"What do you want me to do, Mister? I-I'm hardly strong enough to harm anyone that could bother you, hahaha!"

"Ugh, maybe that's true, but that's why I can help you dream at night of getting stronger," Gravanal tapped his foot impatiently and pointed at the wall one more time. The next moment, a strange looking man with a large white beard appeared, floating in the center of a painting on the wall. He had such fierce eyes that it seemed with them alone he could kill an army. "Anyways, this man here, this man on the wall, will be your target. If you kill him for me, I'd forever be greatful."

"You see… I have a special ability that he doesn't like, and he created a strange array that seals me within a 100 kilometer barrier around this mountain. If I were to leave it, I'd instantly die."

"I-I see…" Howard said, nodding his head, 'However, what if I were to decline?"

Howard could tell this man was terrifying strong, but he had some faith that the man would at least be reasonable. After all, he seemed calm and cool headed and even adored by White. He couldn't take on any more responsibilities right now with Armecolith, the Arthraku, and an entire zombie army! There was too much he wanted to accomplish, and this would definitely set him back!

"Hmmm, you can't I think. I'm pretty sure you already agreed to it when you walked into this mountain," Gravanal pointed at Howard's head. "You see… I estimate the Furance is roughly 100000 kilometers across…. Your chances of walking in a line that passed my mountain, that's less than .1 kilometers long is roughly one in one million. Part of you, the part of you with Dream Ki, already planned on coming here. You just haven't figured out how to use it yet!"

"But-but I have a Dream Enchantress inside of me, haha! I think you're mistaken, senior!" Howard sighed and turned towards the door. "Anyways, if there's nothing else, I really got to go! I have an army to destroy!"

"I'll destroy half of that army if you promise to help me! I'll even have White protect someone you love!" Gravanal instantly bowed down onto his hands and knees and began kowtowing in front of Howard. "He-he still has her! He still has that woman caught in his dreams! Please! Please help me!"

Howard instantly felt a surge of the most intense feelings of sadness come from Gravanal's eyes. Stopping to look at him, for a moment, he almost didn't know what to say.

"I-I'm guessing the man that took the woman you're talking about is the one you showed me a picture of? However, seriously, please get off your knees mister! You're embarrassing me hahaha! I-I can't take you seriously with you kowtowing to me!"

"Is that a yes? HAHAHA! White! This is great! I finally don't have to take care of you anymore! One of his friends can do it!"

"You-you made me feel bad, and that instantly vanished," Howard sighed and crossed his arms. "So, about this training in my sleep, how does it work?"

"You got to sleep at night, and when you wake up, you'll be stronger." Gravanal smiled. "However, about White, I changed my mind… Can he stay here, I might get lonely."

"I-I'm more interested in you killing half an army," Howard said, "And when exactly are you going to go destroy it?"

"Eh, in an hour or two. Let me take a nap first," Gravanal pointed at White before he dropped down onto the floor and rolled over with a smile. He gently moved his white paw so that Gravanal could get in a comfortable position. "I-I have to feed White, and I can only do it when I'm sleeping. Anyways, when the army is 100 kilometres of here, wake me up. However, after I destroy one half, you got to destroy one tenth to be my student."

"You-you can't force me to do something and then turn me down!" Howard stomped his foot and laughed. "Ugh, I really hope Monica is having better luck than I am… In just a few days it will be my birthday. I wonder if she remembered?"