As one of the strongest Shapers in the city, Gero was confident in her own strength, confident in her speed and the strength of her swords. Yet anyone who could manhandle Paskal, killing him like a dog, could likely do the same to her. She had experienced the overwhelming sense of pressure the giant had exuded, and felt as if she was starting to get a handle on his style of operation. Truth be told, it was one that suited her, calm and gentle on the surface, ruthless and brutal underneath.

The one thing she still hadn't wrapped her mind around, however, was what she would actually be doing as a Chosen. The last thing she wanted to do was get dragged into some terrible fight that she couldn't win just to get out of a small power struggle with the other gangs. Heading up to her room, she took out the mask and looked at it for a moment before resolutely putting it on. Almost immediately, she heard the sound of the giant's voice rumble in her mind.

"Tonight."

After that, there was nothing but silence, and with a sigh, Gero took off the mask. In the inn, Garrett had grown momentarily distracted, his gaze blanking for a brief second before he shook his head and returned to the subject at hand, his gaze sweeping across the gathered leaders of the Klein family.

"Excuse me, I didn't mean to get distracted. As I said, we will soon see the Ebony Alliance bringing goods through our territory, just as they used to. We won't be charging them a toll, and we should just be able to ignore their carts."

Seeing Coleridge lift his hand, Garrett gestured for him to speak.

"Meaning no disrespect, Mr. Klein, but doesn't an arrangement like that mean we've lost?"

Coleridge and his mercenary group, Cleaver's Edge, had stuck around after the fight against the undead. By this point, they had pretty much integrated into the gang. Judging from the way he asked the question, it was clear that Coleridge had already begun to see himself as a member of the Klein family. This suited Garrett just fine.

"It might appear that way on the surface," Garrett said, "but it won't be without its advantages. First, by establishing their route through our territory, the Ebony Association will be forced to defend us if it's ever threatened. Additionally, though we're still in negotiations, we'll likely get a discount on any materials that we buy directly from the Ebony Association. The same will be true for the people, and more importantly, the shops, who fall under the Klein family. Getting preferential access to monster materials will be wonderful for business. Just these two points alone are worth more than any fee that the Ebony Association might have paid.”

Coleridge sat back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest, nodding happily.

"Most important, however," Garrett said, "we'll have an ally on the Council of Ten Seats."

After he finished explaining how he wanted the leaders of the gang to take the information to their subordinates, Garrett dismissed the group and returned to his room. He still had a few hours before it was time to pull Gero into the dream and hear her answer, but he didn't have time to rest. Instead, he closed his eyes and took control of Isabelle, sending her deep into the bowels of the earth to meet with Delrisa.

Even though they were on the same side, the vampire had a healthy fear of Isabelle. After all, her main abilities revolved around physical attacks, which Isabelle was completely immune to. Furthermore, having been chased for almost an entire night by the Dire Spirit and her strange artifacts, Delrisa couldn't help but shiver whenever she saw Isabelle's long flowing hair.

"Greetings, Guardian," Delrisa said, putting on her best smile. She bowed to Isabelle.

"Don't do that," Garrett replied bluntly through Isabelle. "It makes you look creepy."

Delrisa wanted to retort, but before she could, a strand of Isabelle's hair unrolled, revealing a gleaming staff.

"This is the Staff of Bones," she said, "though you probably already know that. It's being given to you for a specific purpose. This as well," another strand of hair unrolled, revealing the slightly angry-looking lost library of the Necromancer.

The skull on the front of the book glared at Isabelle, its jaws opening as if it wanted to bite down on her hair, but a calm look from the Dire Spirit made it think twice, and with a rattle, it flew up into the air to examine Delrisa.

"There's a specific task for you, one that will require time and a lot of experimentation. The Staff and the Grimoire should help."

"Of course," Delrisa said, licking her lips as she stared greedily at the Staff and Tome. "What is it you would have me do?"

"We wish to replicate the Flower Ghouls, but with other creatures. Our tests with the Soul Stealers have failed so far, but the Master simply doesn't have enough time to devote to it, to figure it out. Additionally, we want an aquatic creature as well, something that can be used in the Swamp. It would be best if it was amphibious, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter."

"I hear and obey," Delrisa said, reaching out and taking the Staff. She brushed her fingers lightly over the skeletal hand that rested on the end, unable to contain the excitement in her eyes. She had once seen this artifact in Agma-Yoth's hands, though she had never seen him use it, and had always dreamed of the day when she would get to wield artifacts like this as well. When she reached for the Grimoire, it floated out of her grasp, and the skull hissed at her.

"You may bind the Staff. The Grimoire, however, belongs to the Master," Isabelle said. "It would be better not to try. However, it will assist you, sharing with you what information you need to know."

Delrisa bowed again and hurried off to gather her minions and begin hunting for monsters who could be transformed like the Flower Ghouls. Still controlling Isabelle, Garrett headed to the Cauldron of Souls. This was the last of the artifacts left behind, and he had a feeling that it would take a lot longer to refine than any of the others.

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After examining it for a while, Garrett realized that night had fallen, and with a thought, he summoned Isabelle back, before disconnecting and entering the Dreamworld. Gero had already shut herself in her room and was lying down on her bed. With a deep breath, she put the mask on her face, and a moment later, she felt a tug on her consciousness. Instead of fighting it, she went with it, and found herself standing in the stone hall she had dreamed of a few nights earlier.

This time, there was nobody in the other seats, at least that Gero could see, but the giant still sat on the throne, exuding a faint pressure that caused Gero's heart to palpitate.

"Have you made your decision?" the giant asked, leaning forward slightly as he stared at Gero.

It took all of Gero's fortitude not to quake. Though she couldn't see the giant's face, it was as if two massive eyes were staring down at her, weighing and judging her usefulness, ready to crush her if she said anything but yes. Not even daring to breathe, she nodded.

"Yes, I would be honored to serve as your Chosen."

Her words hung in the air as the giant continued to stare at her before slowly straightening up.

The pressure shrouding Gero eased, and in a light tone they revealed just how happy the giant was with her answer. The giant spoke, "A wise choice. There will be a day when you look back on this decision and understand that it is the best you possibly could have made. Welcome."

Stretching out his hand, the giant pointed at the mask Gero held, causing it to glow brightly, flooding the hall with golden light. The flower seemed to come alive as the giant's power flooded through the mask and into Gero. Garrett, who was sitting on the throne, pretending to be the giant, saw a window pop up.

[Would you like to select Gero Twin Blade as your first Chosen?]

Accepting the prompt, Garrett felt a small sliver of power streaming out from him and sinking into Gero, binding into her heart and soul to connect them to Garrett's. It was strange, almost as if he had a second heartbeat that echoed his own. When he didn't concentrate on it, it would fade into the background, but as soon as he wanted to, he could pull it forward, listening to it carefully. It would serve to keep him updated on Gero's condition, as well as the conduit through which he could pass messages to his new chosen. As for Gero, she could feel a mysterious power coursing through her, filling her body with a sense of weight that infused her aura with the same kind of pressure that she had felt from the giant.

"Now, let us discuss your responsibilities," Garrett said. "First, do not interfere in what I am doing with the Klein family or the Grave Walkers."

Gero was unsurprised to hear this command. Indeed, she had already understood that by joining this mysterious, powerful figure, she would be giving up her fight against the Klein family. Though it stung a little bit, Garrett's preemptive agreement to allow the Ebony Association's goods through the Klein family territory softened the blow, as that could easily be spun into a clear success.

As soon as the thought occurred to her, she paused, her eyes going wide behind the mask, as she realized that this must have been exactly the same thing that had happened to the Grave Walkers. The whole scenario with the Grave Walkers had been mysterious, as they had been intent on crushing the Klein family in its entirety. And yet, after a meeting with Garrett Klein, they returned as allies.

Though it appeared on the surface that the Klein family had lost out, becoming a subordinate to the larger Grave Walker gang, Gero couldn't help but see the similarities with her own situation. Even though the Klein family seemed to have come out on the bottom, the reality was that they had just gained a second powerful supporter, one that wasn't public like the Grave Walkers. In the midst of her fear of the giant sitting on the throne observing her, Gero couldn't help but feel a faint hint of admiration. This was playing the game of power on a different level.

Quickly, she bowed, "Of course, my lord."

If the giant noticed the change in the way she addressed him, he didn't make a point of it, and instead simply waved his hand, causing a large scroll to unroll in the air. It was a map, showing the swamp outside of the city.

"There is a significant value in the swamp, and it is here that I wish for you to focus your attention. However, your gang will no longer just be gathering materials. Instead, we need to fully explore this place, understanding each path, what is safe and what is not, understanding where the monsters live, and where large groups of people can move unhindered. If there are supernatural oddities, I need to know about them. And if there are major threats, you will be sent to eliminate them. You'll have complete access to the markets, and the Klein family and Grave Walkers will both guard any materials you send into the city.

“Additionally, you're to begin recruiting, gathering more adventurers as you push out further into the swamp.”

“My lord, the expense of such an endeavor…”

“Will be borne in part by you, and supplemented through other channels. It will not be long before some of my other forces begin to move out to support you, but it is imperative that you provide the main thrust of the effort. That way, at least on the surface, our progress will seem reasonable. Our goal is within two years, to not only have mapped the entire swamp, but to control it, giving us an open path wherever we desire to go."

The giant's words seemed to carry a pointed energy, and Gero found herself staring at the large dot representing Port Reverie on the other side of the swamp, not daring to think about what her mysterious new lord was planning. Gero simply bowed.

"Continue to operate as you see fit," the giant said. "I have no desire to control what you do. Just remember that you are not alone. You have allies. The Klein family, the Grave Walkers, and many other hidden forces. Protect them, and they will protect you. If there is a need, I will summon you. Until then, use your best wisdom to carry out the exploration of the swamp. If you have need, or there is something that you don't know how to deal with, see the leader of the Klein family."

"My lord, is there a way for me to contact him without going in person?"

"There is," the giant replied, lifting his hand. "I will introduce it to you now."

As he snapped his fingers, the hall shifted, seeming to break into a million pieces and reform in the same instant, leaving Gero with a chaotic feeling in her heart. The giant was gone, the throne sitting empty. But Garrett and Cynen, as well as a few others, had all appeared in the various chairs scattered around the room. Cynen was the first to stand, and then each of the others, excluding Garrett, stood as well, bowing slightly in Gero's direction.

"Welcome," they said, their voices echoing around the hall in unison.

As everybody sat back down, Garrett cleared his throat.

"This is the hall of the dreamer," he said, "a special area connected to Dreamer's Rest. If you ever wish to discuss something in private with another one of the Dreamer on the Throne's supporters, this is where you can do it. You can access it through your mask, simply by sleeping."

"I see, thank you. You mentioned something about Dreamer's Rest. What is that?"

"It would be easier to just show you. Geller, would you mind?"

A figure lounging in one of the chairs across from Garrett stood up and nodded. He wore a simple white mask, and his clothing was strange. Still, Gero didn't dare underestimate him, as he moved with the calm certainty that she had only ever encountered in those absolutely sure of their strength.

"If you didn't catch it, my name's Geller," he said. "If you come with me, I'd be happy to show you around."