“You met the God of Dreams?” said Rami with wide eyes.
“Well, that’s what he said,” replied Alice.
“I don’t think you understand the implications of meeting not one but two gods in less than 3 days,” continued Rami.
“It’s not like I’m out there looking for them, Rami. This guy just showed up in my dream out of nowhere. It was a nice dream too, very rude of him to interrupt it.”
“Alice, the God of Dreams is not someone you want to disrespect. He is not one of the ‘nice’ gods,” said Grimmy.
“He is not?” said everyone confused.
“I thought dreams were supposed to be nice,” said Rami.
“The God of Dreams likes to manipulate people through dreams. Trust me, you don’t want anything to do with him.”
“So, what does it mean that he took an interest in Alice?” asked Bonetta.
“I don’t know, but it can’t be good.”
“Great…” said Alice resting her head in one hand. “Should we let Joe know about this? Maybe he can help keep him away.”
“Oh, I’m sure he already knows,” replied Grimmy. “Since you have his boon, it would automatically alert him of you being in the presence of another god.”
“Good! Nothing to worry about then, right?”
“Excuse me, guys,” said a familiar voice at the entrance of the cave.
“Gary?” said Grimmy.
“It’s me… again,” replied Gary. “I have another package for you.”
Gary pulled a small box from his mailman bag and gave to Alice.
“Thank you, Gary,” said Alice. “Nice seeing you again so soon.”
“Oh… yeah nice to see you too, Alice,” said Gary awkwardly with a little red on his cheeks.
Alice opened the package and pulled out three small lapel pins in the shape of a scythe accompanied by a letter.
Dear Alice,
Sorry I could not deliver these myself, but I’m entertained in other matters at the moment.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
I was made aware of your uninvited guest and decided to give you and your team a little something to keep your mind at ease.
These lapel pins will not only protect you from Dream entering your dreams uninvited but will also give you immunity from any mental attacks.
I’m sorry for the inconvenience Dream may have caused you, but rest assured you have nothing to worry about for now.
Focus on getting you and your team to D grade and when you do, remember to go back to the place where we met for a little surprise.
Yours truly,
Joe
“He doesn’t sound that terrifying in this letter,” said Rami.
“He is not! He really is a nice guy,” responded Alice.
Alice gave Bonetta and Rami their pins and they all put them on.
The moment they put it on, they felt as if an invisible veil was placed over their heads. They instantly felt as if a brick wall now surrounded their minds, protecting them from outside influence.
“This feels nice,” said Bonetta. “I somehow feel sharper, and more agile.”
“This feels amazing,” Rami said as he moved around and started to cast a small water sphere in the palm of his hand. “My concentration is much better now. I think I should be able to cast spells faster.”
“Yes, you should all be feeling the same way,” said Grimmy. “Your body has adapted to the fact that it no longer needs to spend resources protecting your mind from mental attacks, so it shifts that energy to other places.”
“Neat!” said Alice. “I told you there was nothing to worry about, Joe has all of this under control.”
“Yeah, Lord Death is amazing!” said Gary from one corner of the cave, trying to join in on the conversation.
“Oh, you’re still here?” said Grimmy.
“Ah, yeah…” said Gary awkwardly.
Everybody stared at Gary, having forgotten that he was still there.
Gary cleared his throat. “Anyway, yeah so, I delivered the package and now I’m off… See you all later.”
“Bye Gary! Thank you!” shouted Alice.
“Anyway, it’s almost sunrise. We should get a move on,” said Grimmy. “We still have a long road ahead before we reach the mountains.”
The team, equipped with their new lapel pins, picked up their camping gear and started making their way again to the mountains.
image [https://i.imgur.com/7THHRk0.png]
“Lord Death… I mean Joe, you called for me,” said Lucilla, bowing her head.
“Yes Lucilla, please come in,” said Joe, sitting on his throne.
Lucilla made her way through the room and stood a few feet away from Joe.
“How may I be of service? Is there anything you need prior to the meeting with the other gods?”
“I want you to accompany me if you don’t mind. I need an extra pair of eyes.”
“Of course, sir,” said Lucilla. “Is something bothering you?”
“Seems like my chosen has a new fan.”
“Oh, is that so? Who is it?” said Lucilla with raised eyebrows.
“Dream.”
“The God of Dreams? Is he trying to pick another fight with you, sir?”
“I’m sure it bothers him that he has not been able to take my place as one of the four pillars even in my long absence. He might be looking at Alice as an opportunity.”
“You’d think he would have learned by now.”
“Some never do, Lucilla.”
“Do you need me to make any preparations, sir?”
“No, I already took care of it. Alice and her team are now equipped with an item that should prevent Dream from bothering them anytime soon, but I do want you keep an eye out for anything unusual at the meeting.”
“Will do, sir. Is that all?”
“Yes, you may go. Just be here a few minutes before the meeting and we will portal together from here.”
“Understood.”
Lucilla exited the throne room and made her way to her office.
“STEVE!” shouted Lucilla.
“Yes, Lucilla,” said Steve, as he magically appeared next to Lucilla on his knees bowing.
“Do we know where the Lord’s chosen is?”
“Yes, she is on her way to a mountain and is accompanied by her team and Mr. Grimaldi. I believe they are completing a system quest that was assigned to Ms. Alice.”
“Good. They should take advantage of those system quests while they can. Those will go away soon,” said Lucilla while in deep thought. “Fine, keep me informed of how they are doing, and let me know immediately if Dream or any other god interferes with them again.”
“Will do.” Steve bowed his head again and disappeared.
image [https://i.imgur.com/7THHRk0.png]
“How long before we reach the mountain? I was not built for long hikes,” complained Rami.
“Come on, Rami. Look at all the nature around you. Breathe it in!” replied Alice.
“I can’t breathe, Alice… That’s what the goggles are for,” said Rami, pointing at his face.
“Oh, right, my bad.”
“We are almost there, stop complaining already,” said Grimmy.
The team stepped through some trees and made it to a clearing. In the distance you could a see a gigantic mountain a few kilometers away. The mountain was painted green with trees all over the bottom half and sprinkled with snow towards the upper half. The higher you looked the more snow you would find.
“There it is. Should be a couple more hours now,” said Grimmy.
“Perfect. I haven’t punched anything in a while now and I’m feeling antsy,” said Bonetta, cracking her knuckles.