My communicator rings as I'm scrolling on the next work. I decline texting Avery
"Y call?"
"Bitch pick up the phone."
She calls again and pick up
"Finally! God ■■■■ pick up next time."
"No promises"
"Anyways your going to be part of the dreamscape torment"
"Healer. Healer my good friend, pal, buddy, what the fuck are you talking about?"
She scoffs
"Not alone of course, you'll be part of a group of warmth holders."
"No no, please explain, why are you demanding me to participate in the dreamscape tournament and who are the warmth holders?"
"Okay okay fine. I forget how much you don't care to be informed on things. 1, for the rewards, valor is giving out some real good stuff this year, 2 the warmth holders are a subset of the fire keepers i lead, their the people you saved during the final fight"
"Okay.....so what kind of rewards. Also its like 2 weeks away"
"Yes yes you'll meet up with them in two days to get to know each other a bit better and all that"
I pause
"I don't think we're going to win you know that right"
"Still, you'll get some money, its like free stuff"
"Makes sense"
I go downstairs, its early morning and the child is here currently eating breakfast. I grab my plate.
"So child, what did you think of the song of light and dark, or i think thats the name"
She looks over
"Well... its good I guess"
I glace at sunny who seems to be about to stab me
"Who's your favorite character?"
She thinks
"Nephis, she's truly what a awakened should be"
I nod
"Yeah she's cool, what about sunless, or heat seeker, or even raised by wolves?"
"Heat seeker.... I didn't like them much, even more so with them working with the enemy, he didn't stick out to me, and she's cool i guess, too suggestive and loud"
I laugh, i then wave my hand
"So about throwing knives, how have you been doing with them?"
She perks up
"Oh, I've been able to consistently get the knife in the wall!"
I nod
"Good good. Soon you'll have to have a target too"
I notice sunny still about 2 inches away from stabbing me. He really does hate that movie.
Sitting on flame it finally gets to the island I was looking for. I had asked the white feather clan for large groups of at least awakened nightmare creatures that are weak to the cold, or at least not immune.
Apparently there was one around thankfully enough, how lucky am I. Anyways ill just wipe them out and get a new core in time for the tournament. Hopefully it doesn't hurt as much as that first time
I cut down another nightmare creature. There was more then I thought but thats good. This should fill up my core fully. Just one more awakened beast and it will finally be done. I hear a loud crunch as flame takes out the last creature needed.
"Protect me you two"
flame and Singer surround me. Oh, oh no it hurts even worse than the first time.
I slowly stand up, i fail almost falling on my face but singer grabs me, floating up and putting me on top of flame and we get to moving.
"God this sucks. Big time"
Singer nods
"Yes you almost threw up"
"Yeah. I'm aware.... how long has it been?"
She waves her hand
"A few hours"
I sigh deeply. Flame jumps onto the chain.
"Lucky me you can make us immune to the crushing"
She looks over
"Yes I suppose it is. I mean it was quite painful before."
She tilts her head
"You don't use your awakened aspect ability often, why is that?"
I slowly sit up
"It's just not as versatile. It tears things apart and thats all it does"
She floats around flame
"So its because you value how versatile your abilities are and snow storm simply isn't"
I wave my hand
"My sleeper ability is simply more useful"
She tilts her head
"So his ability is something you'd like"
huh?
"Suns?"
She tilts her head and she looks away. Well that was weird.
Soon I get to the citadel. I wave at the guards who wave back. I slowly drag myself to my room, desummon my armor and i lay down. I wake up later slowly getting up with a yawn.
A few hours later I get up, stretch and I leave. I'm not as flexible as sunny but sunny is a bit of a freak. I go to the waking world, I find sunny sitting on the couch watching something random, Effie is still probably making her way to the chain isles.
"Hey sun, I've got a proposal"
He looks over quite interested
"And that would be?"
I dump every coin i had found out, its about 300.
His eyes go wide looking from me to the coins
"A preemptive trade. When the time comes you give me something valuable of my choosing for all of these"
He jumps up
"Deal. Do I get these now or....?"
I nod and he quickly shoves them in his mimic.
I lay on my stomach watching my phone, its pretty early but there's going to be someone calling me. Finally healer calls, I answer the call after a little bit of hesitation.
"Good you picked up. So where do I pick you up?"
I think for a bit
"I'll send you the location of a Cafe by my home"
"You bought a house?"
I flip over onto my back
"Oh, yeah I did. It was with sun, he does the cooking and stuff and I do some extra chores"
"Hmm. Yeah seems about right"
"I'll send you the café to meet me at"
I get up sending her the location as she hangs up. I smooth myself off as I get moving. I wave at Effie, the child, and sunny as I leave, he's in that jacket and those gloves i got him, making him look like a opossum.
Soon i get on the train and it gets moving. This time i hope i don't have to help with a gate.
I sip my drink and I eat a bag of chips I bought, I hadn't eaten breakfast, as I wait for healer. A PTV pulls up and the door opens
"You bought a PTV? And you know how to drive?"
She nods
"Yeah, now get in"
I climb in sitting next to her. I look around the car
"It's pretty nice"
We start moving, I lean on my hand, watching as we move throughout the city.
"You know ■■■■, you really have to start telling people around you things that happen in your life"
I nod watching as building pass by.
"Oh and, if you get crumbs everywhere ill make sure you pay for a deep clean"
I slowly lift a chip to my mouth.
We finally stop at a building i don't recognize
"So this is where ill be meeting my cohort for the tournament?"
We get out and I follow healer in
"Yup. This is a place where awakened train and all that. You'll be training in the dreamscape."
I tilt my head
"Against what?"
"Likely just some simulated nightmare creatures."
I throw away the empty drink and chip bag
"I think i have a better idea. We could train against my two echos."
She hits me on the back of the head
"Ah! what the hell!?"
"You got a echo and didn't tell me twice now"
I rub where she slapped
"Sorry sorry"
We walk into the room, there's about 3 people already there 2 boys and a girl. They look up when we enter
"Heat Seeker?"
I nod at one of the boys words
"It is nice to officially meet you, during the raid of the spire you saved us"
Well now I feel quite sheepish, to be fair she seems just as sheepish. It was my goal at the time and all but still.
"I was made aware. If I'm correct you'll all be working with me for the tournament"
Healer steps forwards
"Yes yes. I'll be the healer of course, this is Karin he is the shielder he can change his weight"
She gestures to the one who spoke,
"Jaclyn is the archer her weapons are poisoned"
She gestures to the girl
"And he is the mage with control over wind"
She gestures to the last boy. I nod
"I heard we will be training in the dreamscape. Our goal will be taking down my echo, flame of the divine."
I slide back, I duck under a tail swipe. I rush forward, healer gets swiped away along with mage. Flame slams a hand down on the shielder he's able to hold out for a minute but the shield breaks and he gets flattened.
"Okay okay, restart"
I clap my hands. Ranger reappears tapping her foot.
"Are you sure we can beat flame of the divine?"
I nod
"We've got almost no teamwork. Once we beat flame consistently we will train with my other echo"
She nods. Healer scoffs
"This is going to be a long 2 weeks. I somewhat doubt this is worth it"
The child keeps swinging the sword over and over. I'm not paying too much attention as I'm training my essence control.
"Really sun? Are you sure this isn't bullying"
He scoffs
"It's how i learned"
I glance at him
"And the person you learned from would dip her hands into lava if it meant even a tiny bit more skill or power"
He stays silent for a little
"I mean she would but still her teaching methods weren't that bad"
I wave him off
"So kid. Here's a tip on cohorts. Healers are always needed and someone to do damage. Now a Scout, Shielder, Seer, Ranger and Crowd Controller aren't needed but their real nice to have. Someone who strikes at stronger enemies and a planner are roles that are nice but less needed"
She nods
"I want to be the Ranger"
I nod
"Makes sense. I'll teach you how to butcher nightmare creatures."
I slide back, flame takes another swing at me but a strong wind knocks it off balance a a arrow takes out its eye it swipes at healer but shielder blocks it and I use a pillar of ice knocks it over. I rush forward and i cut its head off. I clap my hands
"It seems we can now consistently win against flame."
I resummon flame who i the pet. The group walks over i gesture to flame
"You can pet flame if you want"
Ranger slowly reaches out hesitantly petting flame. Shielder climbs on top of flame who huffs at it
"I'd pet flame, but you didn't think it necessary to tell me when you got it"
I look away embarrassed. Mage leans on flame and he yawns.
"Okay so new we are taking on frozen singer my other echo"
there's a collective groan.
I get hit in the side with a chain
"Ack!"
I roll back i slowly get up, shielder blocks a attack but the chain phases through it and smacks him away. A chain comes up from the ground slamming ranger down not letting her take another shot. Healer tried to move away but gets a hand through the chest. I clap and everything resets.
"Let's go again."
Healer groans
"this sucks"
Shielder pipes up
"Think of the money"
"Think of the money...."
Ranger pats her on the back. Mage wipes off his clothes
"Hm I suppose we should, it would also put us on the radar of the great clans"
I wave my hand
"Yeah it would but I'm looking for memories"
My essence control has gotten to the point where I can have a conversation while training it. I point to a diagram
"You see these tend to be weak points for armored creatures. Not everywhere can be armored, so eyes and joints as well as inside the mouth tend to be unarmored but that can change."
She nods
"What about unarmored creatures?"
"For unarmored creatures they tend to have a gimmick. Like for bug like ones the wings tend to be easy to take out or for things that stay mostly underground, those are mostly blind and have either very armored skin or thinner skin."
"But each creature is different"
I nod
"Yes every creature is different."
I get hit on the side but I braise myself for it with my arm and shielder helps me not slide away. I use my other hand to grab the chain pulling her foward archer gets a shot in on her shoulder, finally mage gets a clean hit cutting singer in half. I clap resummoning singer who does a bow
"It seems we're just about ready"
healer scoffs
"Finally, it took long enough"
Ranger smiles
"I'm glad. Thank you for training us"
Singer covers where her mouth is in a embarrassed gesture.
"Well! Its good we're ready its only 2 days away after all"
Shielder picks up his shield and he desummons it.
"It will take a lot of effort to win."
Mage fixes his appearance.
I come downstairs, sunny is talking with the child. I nod to them
"Meeting up with some people i have to go"
"Oh, are you watching the dreamscape tournament?"
I glace over at the kid
"Something like that."
I then leave. I quickly get to the train hopping on i see a message pop up
"You ready"
"Ye"
"Good good. If we lose I'm blaming you as the leader"
"k"
I watch as the buildings pass feeling the train car move. It's almost time for the dreamscape tournament. I don't know if I'll win, but it will be surely interesting thats for sure.
Healer picks me up, the whole cohort is in her PTV as well. I toss each a bag of chips and the like
"Remember we have to stay together. Keep your eyes open my heat sense can't scout everything. Its likely we will be ganged up so if we do don't panic"
shielder laughs
"Like we'd panic, nothing will ever be worse then the raid."
Healer scoffs
"Of course, its was hell, what else could be worse."
Mage stays as chill as ever
"Still, we shouldn't compare, this is a multi day thing so as long as we get into the event itself then we will get rewards"
Ranger takes his hands
"Do you really have that much faith in us?"
He looks away
"Of course I do, we are quite powerful after all."
We get to healers place its pretty nice and its in a good neighborhood too. I reach out
"Do not touch anything"
I pull my hand back
"How cold"
Shielder laughs
"Yeah how cold"
She scoffs
"Shut up you idiots."
We go down into the cellar she gestures at 5 dreamscape pods.
"Oh and if we get any soul shards, ■■■■ get that roommate of yours to sell them in his shop"
I nod
"Yeah he'll want a cut but that can work" her face scrunchies up. Ranger pipes up
"Or maybe to the Han Li clan, they will probably take them"
I nod, a good plan.
"Well there's also the memories and credits as well but most importantly powerful people will have their eyes on us"
I nod to them walking to one of them
"well let's win no matter what"
We each get into one. I find myself in a dark space a voice speaks but I ignore it. I've played in the dreamscape a few times but it was boring so I stopped. I summon my armor and other tools. I walk forwards pressing the white one with the weird symbol on it, the one for the tournament