“Do you know how Gero became one of our allies?”

Taking another bite of chicken, Ryn shook her head.

“The reason she became our ally is simple,” Garrett said. “She gained access to a particular kind of power. You've been to Dreamer's Rest, and you've seen the VIP area, but there's another place beyond that, for those who serve the Dreamer on the throne. Gero had the opportunity to become one of the Dreamer's chosen, allowing her to wield a limited amount of his power. As she grows in ability, the amount of power she can access will grow as well. Additionally, it allows for those of us who serve the Dreamer to interact in a more regular way."

"So what do these Chosen do?" Ryn asked, her eyes narrowing.

"As of yet, nothing really," Garrett admitted. "But I was curious if you would be interested in the role."

"That's one I'd have to think about," Ryn said. "I do value my freedom, but I'm also always interested in more power." She put the drumstick down and held out her hand, flexing her fingers. "I never understood the allure before, but ever since I was awakened, I admit I've grown quite addicted to the feeling."

"I know exactly what you mean," Garrett said. "Once you begin taking up power, it's very hard not to strive for more.”

“Will there be other Chosen? I mean beyond just Gero and me if I choose to take the position."

"There will," Garrett said. "In fact, I have a particular person in mind."

"Let me guess, you're not going to tell me who."

"No, I think I'll leave it for a surprise."

Rolling her eyes, Ryn took another bite of chicken and put the now-empty bone on the plate. "Why me?" She asked, licking her fingers.

"For two reasons, really," Garrett said. "First, you're exceptional, and I can't see where the limit of your growth is going to be, though it's exceptionally unlikely that you'll ever be more powerful than I am. Your soul spark continues to grow stronger, even when you don't do anything, which tells me that I want to keep you as close as possible. Second, at some point, probably in the next year, you're going to Port Reverie, and this will give you an added layer of protection."

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Ryn slowly smiled.

"You know, I always knew that picking you up out of the gutter was a good idea. I'm touched that you care for me. I honestly didn't know if you cared about anybody."

"I do have a tendency to be rather detached, don't I?" Garrett said with a smile.

"That is an understatement, Garrett. A criminal understatement. You know what? Yes, let's do it. I'm already in the family, so I might as well go all the way, right? What do I need to do?"

"Nothing," Garrett said. Reaching into the air, his wrist twisted, and he seemed to pull a golden mask from nothing. "You can use this one instead of your black one," he said, sliding it across the desk.

Picking it up, Ryn gave Garrett a long look as she turned the mask over in her hands.

"Does anybody else know?" She asked.

"Know what?"

"That you're the Dreamer on the throne."

Considering for a moment, Garrett shook his head.

"No," he said. "No one else knows, and I intend to keep it that way. You'll have to bear the burden of being my anchor all by yourself."

Taking a deep breath, Ryn nodded.

"That's fine," she said. "I'm up for the challenge."

Later that night, after darkness had fallen over the city, but before they went down underground toward the arena, Garrett sat on the dreamer's throne and sent out a call. At the same time, he shifted into the stone hall where the dreamer on the throne held court. One by one, figures began to appear, as those he had called entered the dream. Each wore their mask, and when Gero caught sight of another golden-masked figure, she hesitated only for a moment before stepping forward to say hello.

Though it would have been easy for Garrett to use the power of the dream to make it impossible for anyone to tell who the other masked figures were, he felt as if that would spoil some of the advantage of what he was trying to do. Instead, he let them interact freely as he sat on the throne, towering over them.

"You're Ryn, right?" Gero asked. Her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the new, golden-masked figure.

"At your service, Madam Twin Blade."

Smirking under her mask at Ryn's flippant response, Gero was about to unleash a hint of her Shaper-level aura when she realized with a start that the aura Ryn had wasn't much weaker. While Gero's was sharp and biting, like a cold wind, Ryn's was deep and mysterious, and carried a heavy scent of danger and darkness.

Taking a deep breath, Gero reined in her ego. The last time she had seen Ryn, she was positive that the young woman was in the lighting stage. But now, the feeling she gave off was clearly of the Shaper stage, which meant that either she was so strong that she could hide her aura, or that she had grown faster than anyone Gero had ever encountered.

The truth was that as soon as Ryn accepted the appointment as a Chosen, the power of the throne had flowed through her, forcefully accelerating the condensing of her soul spark and causing her to naturally enter the Shaper level. Her soul spark, though blurry, appeared to be a dark raven, wings outstretched, whose feathers bled into darkness that trailed behind it. This was the soul of the black raven that Ryn had inherited from the crypt in Port Reverie.

Though her soul spark had yet to stabilize, the power it gave off was unmistakable, and Gero was quite pleased, as it meant that the Klein family had another Shaper level awakened. At this point, Gero was more than confident that the Klein family could go up against any force in the city and emerge victorious. Even without using the flower ghouls who were rapidly reproducing underneath the city, or the necromancers hidden in the first tomb, the Klein family would be able to go toe-to-toe with anyone apart from the Duke himself. And once he accumulated enough experience points, Garrett was confident in beating even him.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Once Ryn and Gero had been introduced to each other in their roles as Chosen, the giant on the throne finally spoke to them. "I'm aware that you have a meeting to go to, so I won't keep you long, but I did want to take the opportunity to have the two of you meet. Additionally, I have a job for each of you."

Immediately, both women stood up straight and faced the giant. Gero's expression was serious, as this was the first genuine task that she had been given. Having tasted the bit of power that her appointment had given her, she was eager to perform well and earn more.

Standing next to her, Ryn had a slightly teasing expression in her eyes as she stared up at the giant, who she knew to be Garrett. For a moment, Garrett wondered if he had made a mistake in having her as one of his Chosen, but seeing how she quickly adjusted her expression to match Gero's, he put his worry out of his mind.

"As you know, it is my desire to support the princess as the next queen, and more than that, to ensure a stable rule for her. After all, though fishing can be easier in chaotic waters, it's only when the city is at peace that we can truly grow and develop. Gero, in addition to mapping the swamp, I need you to begin working to take over the Ten Seats. Garrett and the Klein family can assist you in this, and Cynen of the Grave Walkers will provide any muscle you need. How you do it is up to you, just see that it gets done."

Her eyes gleaming, Gero bowed.

"It will be done, my lord."

"Good. Ryn, I have a different task for you. The nobles are involved in many schemes. Discover who is allied with who, and what sort of power plays the nobles are planning. It will be a gift to Princess Eloise to celebrate her coming inauguration. That is all."

“I hear and obey,” Ryn said, bowing.

Before she had straightened up, Garret was gone from the throne, and one by one the others in the stone hall faded as well, leaving Ryn and Gero alone.

“If you need any help,” Ryn said, “let me know. You certainly got the harder of the tasks.”

She had fully expected Gero to brush off her offer, but to her surprise, the leader of the Ebony Alliance nodded heavily.

“Truthfully, I could use any help I can get, so I'll take you up on it, and I'll let you know if there's anything you can do.”

In the waking world, Garret opened his eyes and stretched, more from force of habit than anything else. With the new improvements to his physical body, he rarely felt fatigued or experienced any of the aches and pains that typically came from remaining in one place for a long time. A few minutes later, Ryn arrived and knocked on his door. After he had wheeled himself into the hallway, she pushed him into the great room, where there were half a dozen awakened waiting for them, and together they headed down into the basement, entering the tunnel system that led to the underground arena.

Since they were a bit early, Garrett had Ryn push him around the black market to see if he could find anything interesting. A surprising amount of the goods were things he recognized, as they had come through the tunnels controlled by the Klein family. There were other, more exotic items, however, scattered throughout the market that Garret found quite interesting. These included colorful feathers that were hard as steel, savage-looking weapons made from natural materials that carried some sort of enchantment, making them nearly impossible to break, and texts in unknown languages.

What Garret found rather surprising was the relative lack of mysterious artifacts. Though, on further reflection, it made some sense, as few individuals wanted to handle such dangerous objects. The mysterious artifacts he did identify were all hidden in and among the other items, and as they strolled around, Garret instructed Obe to purchase them.

By the time the other members of the Ten Seats had gathered, Garret had a nice little haul, including a blue and red feather that weighed almost three pounds and clanked like metal whenever he tapped on it, an old bronze key, and a silver cup that happened to have the same motif as the plate Isabelle currently possessed.

Garret didn't actually know what the three mysterious artifacts did, or what was special about them. He could just feel the power of the dream that infused them. So he bought them, intending to explore their use later. Rather than carry them around directly, he took out the small box he carried, and with a thought, infused a little bit of power into it. The box shook slightly, and the three mysterious artifacts disappeared, sucked into it.

Hold these for me. Make sure they don't go crazy.

Though the Warden couldn't reply directly, Garret felt Kabod's Maze shake slightly, indicating the spirit's agreement. Putting Kabod's Maze away, Garret and Ryn made their way up to the central platform, where the other members of the Ten Seats were beginning to gather. One by one, they took their places, with Garret transferring himself from his wheelchair into the large, straight-backed chair that bore the symbol of his guild, which had been made for him after his successful election to the Council.

Thomas was the last to arrive, looking much refreshed, no doubt having taken a nap that afternoon. Apart from Garret, everyone else was standing, and once Thomas had taken his place, they all sat down together.

"Welcome, and thank you all for coming on such short notice," Thomas said. "Rather than begin with the normal preamble, I think it only appropriate that I turn the floor over to those who called this meeting. Chief among them, Louise."

Leaning back in his chair, Thomas gestured towards the leader of Silver Song.

"Why don't you go ahead and get us started," he said.

With a nod towards Thomas, Louise stood up and looked around the table, her gaze hesitating ever so slightly when she reached Garret, before passing on to Henry Janus, who was next to him.

"As Thomas said, thank you all so much for coming. I know that this meeting was probably disruptive to your schedules, but it is an exceptionally important topic. We are about to enter a new era, and it only behooves us to meet and decide what it is we're going to do."

"Just cut to the chase, Louise," Garret snapped from across the table, flashing a not-so friendly smile.

Louise nodded.

"Fine. Our network has uncovered three major factions vying for political power in the city, all centered around the coming inauguration of Princess Louise."

"The princess is being crowned? Why hadn't I heard of this?" Arthur Tellson asked.

"The information is brand new," Louise replied, "but it poses a significant problem for us. On the heels of such an event, it's likely that the city guard will crack down on illegal activity in order to show the power of the new monarch. However, I think there are a few ways to get around this. First is probably the worst option. We can lay low. And when I say we, I mean all of us. If we can reduce our activity for the next six months, it's likely that we'll be able to resume normal operations without any major repercussions."

"Six months is a long time to be operating at half-profit," Jonathan Moran said.

"I know, which is why I say it's the worst option," Louise replied.

"You mentioned a few factions," Thomas chimed in, leaning forward. "Who are they?"

"Three different groups of nobles," Louise said, holding up three fingers. "The first supports the princess. Unfortunately, allying ourselves with them means practically shutting down for the next six months. The second group supports Duke Arkov to remain as regent, even after the princess is made queen. The third supports a clean break from the monarchy. And you can imagine what joining them will entail."

Many of the eyes at the table glanced towards Thomas Gelavin, causing him to chuckle and hold up his hands.

"Don't look at me," he said. "I'm not part of any of those groups. My loyalties lie here with all of you."

Nobody believed that for a single second, but that didn't bother Thomas one bit. Looking around the table again, Louise smiled, clearly pleased with the effect she had created, and then sat down, intending to let everyone else argue about their course of action.