Book 3: Chapter 9

Book 3: Chapter 9

When the next morning dawned, it brought with it a deep sense of unease. Garrett had never felt anything quite like it before but he knew that it was most likely his subconscious alerting him to the danger that was coming. The deeper under the earth that Viper and his team went, the stronger the feeling became and from the symbols carved on the passage walls and guide stones, it was clear that they were getting closer to the first tomb. The monsters they fought had been getting tougher as well, appearing in greater numbers.

So, Garrett stayed in his room, not moving from his bed as he waited to see what would happen. His main concern was that they would run into trouble during the daytime when he couldnt access the Dreamers Throne and he wouldn't be able to help. He had considered having Viper ask them to wait, but he had no good explanation for why they should only travel at night, so he dropped the matter. Garrett wasn't the only one who was uneasy either. Asher, the awakened dreamer, who had once been enslaved by the Dark Hand, was clearly on edge as well. Still, Garrett had no desire to cause a panic, so he told everyone to go about their business as normal but pay careful attention in case the warning signs were triggered.

The one thing he could do to distract himself was experiment with the soul stealer that his flower ghouls had captured. They had dragged the monster to one of the smaller nest stones, and after feeding the nest stone one of the soul stealer corpses just to make sure it would take them, Garrett attempted to seed the soul stealer with a dream flower. The ghouls, who had a high amount of mental power for monsters, had been more susceptible to the dream flowers than the soul stealer proved to be, and the dream flower had a lot of trouble forming any sort of concrete connection. Rather than rush it, Garrett decided to slowly work at the problem. He could always go and capture more soul stealers, but if he didn't have to, it would be better.

He took his time, carefully feeding little bits of mental energy through the connection to the trapped soul stealer. At first, it struggled, attempting to free itself from the tightly wrapped petals that bound its legs and arms, but eventually, it seemed to grow confused and stopped moving. The dream seed had bloomed into a flower, but was struggling to take root in the monsters mind, largely because there wasn't much mind for it to take hold of. Rather than overwhelm it, Garrett elected to feed the dream flower just enough energy to keep it alive, so it didn't wither away as it tried over and over again to attach itself. Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

While he continued that experiment, Garrett also kept an eye on Viper and the others, making sure that he was ready for anything. Truthfully, there wasn't much support he could offer, given the distance, but he wanted to be ready in case there was something he could do. Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Viper and the others finally arrived where Gallant had found the First Tomb. By this time, they were nearly a mile under the earth, having passed through ever deeper tunnels that wound down almost like a giant staircase. When they came to a finely made stone arch, Garrett could feel the strange pressure in the air and knew where his disquiet was coming from. He had run into other people's mental energy before, and even faced off against powerful, monstrous mental energy from Shaper-level nightmares, but he had never felt anything like this. So thick it seemed to possess the air itself, Garrett had Viper stop before entering the doorway.

Seeing him pause, Cynen stopped as well. "Is something the matter?" She asked.

"We've arrived," Viper said. "Can you feel the presence?"

Cynen's expression showed her confusion as she looked around.

Presence? No, I can't. Should I be able to?"

Slowly, Viper shook his head.

"No, not necessarily, but there is a very strong mental presence here, likely above the Shaper-level."

"You mean, a Manifestor?" Gale asked, sharing a concerned glance with Gallant and his boss.

"I'm not sure," Viper admitted. "It could be even above that. All I know is that whoever lives here is very dangerous."

Carefully, Viper reached out his hand, allowing it to cross through the doorway. As soon as he did, it was like a jolt of electricity shot through his arm, causing him to shake abruptly. He didn't step back, however, and instead took a step forward as bone-white torches burst to life all along the passage. The sudden light was bright and forced the party to shield their eyes. As they blinked to clear the blindness caused by the sudden contrast, they saw a massive cavern through the doorway, and at the center of the cavern stood a pyramid with a flat top and a doorway guarded by two huge jackal-headed statues.

"That's incredible," Cynen said.

"And more than a little intimidating," Gallant added.

Under Garrett's control, Viper stepped through the doorway, feeling the heavy presence closing around him.

[You have entered the territory of Agma-Yoth, Skeletal Hand of Lesrak. To enter another great ruler's private territory is a declaration of war.]

Straightening slightly, Garrett's power swelled around his body, giving him more substance and weight in the dream space, and he fixed a hard stare on Agma-Yoth.

"I think of myself as a fairly tolerant person," he said, his voice clear in the throne room. "But some things I will not tolerate. Threats are among them, especially from one such as yourself."

Garrett's declaration seemed to amuse Agma-Yoth, and this time he chuckled, his voice booming as it bounced from the walls and ceiling.

"You are amusing, but oh so foolish. I have seen many such as you and all have fallen, crushed by true power. Many I crushed myself. You have made a grave mistake in coming here, but one that cannot be taken back. The war is joined, and until one of us is destroyed, it shall continue. You have no hope of breaking my realm, and my legion is uncountable. I shall drown your realm with the power of death until nothing remains."

Taking a small step forward, Garrett shook his head.

"I don't think you understand," he replied. "You're stuck all the way down here, and I'm far enough away that you can't touch me. I don't know how it works, but it's clear that you're trapped in that box of yours. So don't try to frighten me."

Again, Agma-Yoth laughed.

"You will see," he said. "A true ruler knows how to establish their reach wherever they need it. And even if you are here, your swords will not be able to cut me. Your power will not be able to reach me. There is nothing that you can do to harm me. But your frail body is a different story."

Slowly, Agma-Yoth moved, one of his skeletal hands that had been crossed across his chest stretching out to point at Garrett.

"You see, I know you. I have seen you. I know your weakness."

For a moment, Garrett felt a decided chill racing down his spine. There was something about the giant skeleton's words that shook him, planting a seed of fear in his heart. But he shook his head and stepped back, firming up his courage.

"This is a waste of time. Ive come to kill you, and that is what I will do. We will do battle and you will be destroyed."

With those words, Garrett left the mental space, returning to Viper for a brief moment before jumping back to his body in the inn. Only a few minutes had passed since Viper had entered the large chamber underground, but already Garrett could tell that something was different. A glance at the window showed thick black clouds billowing up in the sky, gathering over the giant graveyard on the edge of the city. A fierce wind rattled the shutters on the inn, seeming to carry a vengeful spirit's howl as it raced through the streets. A moment later, heavy raindrops began to fall, first sporadically and then in large sheets as thunder and lightning crashed above. There was something foul about the wind, and Garrett knew that things were about to get rough.

For all his bravado when facing off against Agma-Yoth, Garrett knew that he was outmatched, at least on a personal level. He was currently level five, the bottom of the shaper level, and Agma-Yoth was at least a Manifestor, meaning that he was likely level eight, if not even higher. Worse still, he couldnt even level up in the middle of the fight since his experience gain was locked. Thankfully, Garrett wasnt without his own advantages. His biggest was that Agma-Yoth appeared to be limited in the amount of power he could actually use. The Great Ruler seemed to be trapped by the casket he rested in, and even though his mental strength was intense, he had not been able to use it on Garrett directly. Hopefully, this meant that the best he could do would be to send his minions after Garrett. If that was the case, there was a slim possibility that Garrett and the Kline Family might actually survive.

"Isabelle."

At his command, the dire spirit appeared from the mirror, bowing her head. She appeared as calm as always, but Garrett could tell, from the glances that she sent outside and the way her hair curled up in agitation that she could feel the coming misfortune as well.

"I need to know what's happening in the city," he said. "Do your best to watch from above."

In a moment, she was gone, transferring herself into the reflection of the window pane and then flashing on to one of the drops of water outside. In a rainstorm such as this, she could dance freely across the sky, feeding information back to Garrett. At the same time, he concentrated on his connection with the thousands of dream flowers spread across this district, sending a simple message, "Prepare for war. The March of Lesrak begins."