Chapter 13: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Every time I awake from this dream of the white halls. I'm in the Etris Inn. Sometimes I wonder if everything going on in my dream is real. They seem real, but only in my head. It's not like it's actually happening. Sure, the knives of Eylis are a real mercenary group. But I don't think they'd have their headquarters inside of dreams. Quatermine told me that we, and by 'we' I mean 'they', use the Grasp of Eylis to materialise ourselves close to our victim. And if 'we' wish to return to the 'Dream', we use the Voideye. If I ever find that man who saved me 2 years ago then I'll have to ask him, Quatermine seems unreliable since he's always the one in my dreams.
"Morning Aloysius, you have your wacky dream again?" Asked Ken, this tavern's Innkeeper.
"Yuh. I dunno if it's a sign but I don't know if I wanna find out"
"Fair enough, you have a good day. Try not to go 'hunting' anyone"
Etris, the capital of the Etrean Kingdom. It's a beautiful city. Birds are singing, the sun is shining. The current King, Lord Regent, everyone adores him. I do too. However one thing slightly off is how he's always up on his throne, and never comes down. But it's none of my business, what's the worse that could happen?
As always, I head to Lance Leshi's restaurant to start my shift. Lance Leshi is the best cook in all of Etrea. He's the famous inventor of the Megurger, made from the meat of Megalodaunts. It's expensive, however. Megalodaunts are very hard to harvest and take experienced Pathfinders to defeat. There's always a customer that reads his book here all the time. Flamecharmer Ganymede, Ploom. He looks to be a die-hard fan of Amorus Pleeksty, the first Flamecharmer. It's said that he ate a piece of Drowned God, Korilfiend, and gained the ability to charm the flames themselves. "You enjoying that book? Ploom?"
"Yes very much so."
"Anything you could teach me"
"I could...but at a price."
"I don't think I have enough, just real quick. One thing"
"mmmmmm...no."
After my shift, I nab some lunch and head to the library where I just eat omelettes and read about texts from the Old World. There are these creatures called "Horses" which would travel by land and could carry loads upon loads of cargo. Pretty wacky huh, how these lands would later be engulfed by the waves, and all these ancient texts and traditions would be lost beneath them.
After I've finished my lunch, I usually head back to the Inn, talk with some of the guards, chill with Ken, and then head to bed. Where again and again, the white halls appear before me.
Chapter 14: Voidheart
I can feel it. I can feel the strength and power surging through my fingertips, arms, legs, torso, and entire body. It's right there. I'm so close to defeating Quatermine. I feel that one more sparing match will seal the deal and I can finally start hunting. In my latest spar with him, I managed to land a quick combo onto him. I feinted with my dagger and spun around to kick him. Managed to knock him back a bit to deliver three quick slices with my stiletto. I'm very proud of that. Ever since I got my hands on the training equipment, I feel like I can grow in strength.
My next sparring lesson is tomorrow. I should get some rest until then, or maybe look around. These halls, even though I've had the same dream for about 2 years now, something new is happening. Just the other day one guy who looked to be some thug kept breaking down over pineapples. Everywhere he'd go, there would always be a pineapple there waiting for him. He'd say things like, "They know, They see, They hear". Every time he'd come back, he would be more insane than he was before. He said that the pineapples were there when he woke up, beside him, in his lunchbox, in his gear. This one's sanity must've already crumbled...
As I look around, I found a woman, besides a long dining hall, trying to figure something out. I've seen her once, but I've forgotten where..."Hey, uh, are you a gremor, cuz I'd like to see you gre-MORE. ahah.." My attempt at sparking a conversation with her had failed due to my illness called "Geek". "Quiet, knife. I'm quite busy with something here." Her voice seems familiar. I can almost make out who she is. I loom over to see her glaring at pictures of a pirate ship, which I'm assuming to be Beloved Zofia. And a man who looks to be a Felinor Panther with a pirate hat. "Sorry for my rudeness, miss, but. Who are you?" She lifts her head just a bit to peer at me from the side. Her side-eye could pierce anyone and leave permanent scars. Should be a criminal offence. "I am who you call 'Eylis', the Punished Dreamer." I know of this name. She's the one I made first contact with 2 years ago "You should know this, knife. You've read the contract, haven't you?" I did not. I'm sure nobody did. "What can I do here?"
"You can start by leaving me alone. Other than that, you can talk to 'Her"
"Her? Whose 'Her'?"
"Why the Voidmother of course. Why else would you be here? You look too young to take on any jobs anyway."
I take my leave and look for this 'Voidmother'. It's odd. All the halls keep changing, and i'm about to wake up, I can feel it. As I turn the corner, i'm greeted by a black orb with something white that's glowing in the middle. Something tells me that if I want to keep my life, I shouldn't interact with that. In the middle of thought, I open my eyes
It's my room, in the Etris Inn.