“Is it my imagination, or has this place gotten bigger?” Myles asked the monsterkin at his side.

Squishy gave a curious chime before remembering she had words to use now and responded simply. "Bigger.”

With Nod following closely at his left, Squishy wound as tight as a spring, and his powers at his call, Myles didn’t worry about whatever else the island had in store for him. Nod had been a challenge and had nearly killed him, but otherwise, the creatures of the astral seemed few and far between here. Occasionally, he’d hear plants rustle or see a few flakes of frosting fall from the sweet treat trees, but it never amounted to much of anything but a passing thought.

Eventually, the island began to change. The baked goods and sweet scents began to wane becoming something more like hay and grass. The deeper the group traveled, the more the scent grew in strength and the trees began to grow.

Myles was sure this hadn’t been here before.

Nod stopped before taking another step. “We have passed from your dreamscape, Myles.”

The [Monster Tamer] looked at his newest ally curiously. “We haven’t left the island.”

“And yet we have moved to another’s dream,” Nod reaffirmed. “Do you not trust my intuition, Myles?”

He shook his head. If anyone knew anything about Somniums, it would be Nod after all. “Can you tell me anything else?”

Nod shook his head. “Only that it is a primal dream, more monster than human. Why it is part of yours, I cannot say. I could only speculate.”

A primal dream connected to his own that smelled of hay and grass. No, he didn’t need Nod to explain that. A quick check of his links told him all he really needed to know in that regard. All around him, Ashra’s presence pressed back. It was as if this entire realm was hers, an island within an island.

“Nod, take point. Squishy, on my left,” Myles ordered as he summoned his staff to his hand. Again, his mind felt… strange as he called on his weapon from his inventory, but it had to be done. He’d have to find out why later, and Silpha probably knew.

The further they walked into Ashra’s Dreamscape, the more familiar the realm began to look. The baked goods gave way to trees and the ever-present light gave way to a sort of twilight, the sun barely giving light through the treetops. Unlike his realm, the peaks at the sky here revealed a shimmering blue, like he was looking through a prism and lines of something else crisscrossed this way and that forming strange shapes here, almost words there, and other things Myles couldn’t begin to imagine.

A few minutes later, the group entered a small clearing in the trees. Here the sun shone through easily, the sky lines continued, and the rainbow film over the blue sky continued to gleam like stained glass.

There, in the center of the grove, neatly placed and surrounded by the most perfect, carpet-like grass Myles could imagine, sat a chest.

With gleaming metal reinforcement, hinges, and no visible lock, the polished brown chest was like a beacon to all things greed as it sat there, illuminated in the center of the light. In the distance, a bird began to sing just so as if to signal its discovery.

It was far, far too perfect a scene.

Myles eyed the chest warily, going no closer as he focused on it, trying to trigger his Monster Lore. When nothing happened, he turned to his monsters.

“Test it.”

Squishy questioned the order, but Nod didn’t. Rushing forward with all the speed his armor could allot, the massive shield came crashing down on the treasure chest with the full intent of spilling its loot.

As the shield connected and bits of the chest’s lid began to fly, the chest burst into a cry of distress as its lid was smashed in with the wet crack of bone. The mimic continued to squeal like a wounded animal as it tried to shake off the attack and raise itself on an emerging pair of six, spindly legs.

It wasn’t fast enough.

Myles reacted first and flung a pair of bolas made of dough at the long, chitin stilts and watched as the dough obeyed his command flawlessly, spinning in a perfect circle until it reached its target before momentum took it to another to snag a second leg. The dough wrapped back together as much as dough could before Myles enacted his will to constrict them until it fell back over on its side. With a wet slap of flesh on bone, tentacled eyes and limbs flopped out from the overturned creature rather than treasure.

Myles wretched slightly at the wet noises and undulating parts before Squishy entered the fray.

Unlike before, the mimic was prone, and Squishy wasn’t just a slime anymore. Much like Ashra, the slime monsterkin seemed to have an instinctive control of her abilities. Metal flowed, and her arms became spears as she launched forward with a thrust into the wet mass. The weapons pierced flesh and wood before planting into the ground and pinning the mimic to the ground as she chimed in angry tones.

Not wasting the chance, Nod followed through and jumped into the sky. Using something similar to Ashra’s mid-air jump she’d displayed at the latest boss battle, the monster known as [Shardking’s Shield] hurtled back to the ground, shield first and with all the force of a meteor.

The mimic cracked under the force of the impact and exploded into a mess of eyes, limbs, and copper-colored blood. Squishy, Nod, and Myles were coated in the viscera before it vanished with the body of the creature.

Mimic Ambush Defeated.

Combat Analyzed - Bonus Awarded for LV 1: Somniums Forest Glade Clear

Treasure Distribution has been set to Need before Greed.

Note: No other members of your party are in range or contributed to the battle to receive the benefit of combat.

Assigned Treasure:

Myles Chase

Mimic Ambush Victory Statue

Chime of Mimic Detection

Myles groaned. At least this time his paranoia paid off. Then again, he had against the hoard slime too. With a sigh, he resigned himself to the fact the dungeon had mimics, he would face more mimics, and mimics were thankfully much less common in the real world.

Taking a moment, he checked each new item in his inventory.

Mimic Ambush Victory Statue

Value: 900

Home Upgrade - Decoration (Uncommon)

Description: A statue to commemorate an uncommon victory over a unique foe.

Detail: This statue carved from cherrywood, a mimic’s favorite wood, will prevent rogue animation magic from allowing a mimic to manifest. Instead, the victory statue will become a loyal luggage minion with the same effects as the victory statue. Only one Victory Statue effect can be used in a room at a time.

Primary Effect: Prevent the formation of mimics.

Secondary Effect: Absorb rogue animation magic and become a luggage once a threshold is reached.

Chime of Mimic Detection

Value: 200

Tool: Accessory (Tool)

Description: A small bell made from mimic shell with a crystal striker

Detail: When struck with the crystal striker, the bell emits a noise mimics cannot ignore. Like a whistle to a dog, the mimic will either be repulsed or come running. Either way, all hidden mimic-classified monsters will be revealed. Monsterkin are not affected by this item.

Each use has a 20% chance of breaking this item.

Effect 1: Force mimics to reveal themselves when struck.

Effect 2: Attract or repel all revealed mimics in an area.

Putting the items away, Myles sighed. At least the items were useful, but they were also so specialized that they might be useless. Then again, the victory statue was a form of protection he couldn’t pass up, and the chime would give him peace of mind if they ever found a treasury on the lower floors.

Turning to the two, he smiled. “You both did excellently.”

Pride and joy flooded his link to Squishy while Nod felt more satisfaction at a job well done. The two returned to his side, and Myles looked around as a hand ruffled Squishy’s hair. She squealed and grabbed it before the sense of familiarity continued to eat at Myles. The grove just looked so familiar…

“Help me!”

A blood-curdling scream caught his attention from just outside the grove, deep in the underbrush somewhere beyond his sight. A pained, frantic screaming followed by a howl of pain erupted from the depth, and a much, much less sympathetic voice rang out jovially.

“Just shut up already, will you? They can’t help you anymore.”

A strange sensation washed over Myles, and he didn’t hesitate a beat as his feet moved faster than his mind could process.

Someone was in trouble, and he could tip the scales in their favor.

He hoped.

As he ran, the forest closed in behind him, and an unnoticed message appeared on his interface:

You have entered a nightmare zone.

***

With Nod and Squishy at his side, Myles didn’t notice the spring in his step, the speed of his approach, or how he didn’t hesitate to think of the consequences before bursting out of the foliage against not one, but two humans. Weapon raised, Myles noticed the two humans looming, weapon raised to strike as his dough struck true, binding their weapons with a simple command.

“Stop.”

Weapons ripped free of the dough, and thankfully, the pair stopped their advance on…

He froze, almost dropping the staff as Squishy chimed in confusion.

The memories rushed back to him like a tide as Ashra, beaten and bloody, slumped against a tree already smeared with purple blood. The ambush rabbitkin was defiant to the last despite her injuries. Her long ears were nicked once more in several places and bleeding freely against the bark that supported her as one slumped dangerously to one side, nearly removed. Her arms were worse than he remembered, bleeding from near countless cuts and painting the light fur there purple. She seemed to have sacrificed cuts for her legs this time. Myles remembered the pain of her leg when they’d first bonded, so the bruises were a good trade in compare. Still, as she looked at him, the way her eyes widened told him all he needed to know.

Just like last time, the two humans looked at him, but there was no mirth or kindness in their dark, void-stained eyes. The darkness within them was unnaturally cold, and the longer they looked at him, the more uncomfortable Myles felt. The eyes were like utter darkness looking through him, pulling at him, and would devour him given the chance. Danger flared in his mind as he felt an outside force tugging at his connections to the others like a spider trying to re-spin its silk.

Monster Lore Unlocked!

Dream Devourer information obtained!

Dream Devourer

Astral Creature - Nightmare Manifestation

Rank ? Threat Level

Best trait - ?

Preferred Method of Attack - Empathic Dissolution

Special Attack: Psionic Damage

Breeding Groups: Astral

Special Ability: Transformation, Body Manipulation, Emotional Manipulation

Empathic Dissolution?

Immediately, Myles slammed his connections shut to all but Nod, Squishy, and Ashra. He couldn’t afford to let those links close right now. With the connections closed, he could feel the two still trying to pull at his empathic links, but they were too well grounded to be teased out, and his awareness kept the links intact as his Skills were active.

With the others safe, he called out, practically grabbing the link to Ashra, trying to get her attention.

I’m here!

He packed the words with as much reassurance as he could. He was here, and if she were in this bad of shape, not a moment too soon. The thought resounded in his mind, almost echoing before there was a meek reply, barely a whisper of the mind he’d become accustomed to dealing with.

“Who are you? How is this possible?”

Ashra, this is a dream.

A fire entered her words as she responded with a wash of anger he’d never felt from her before. “You dare to call this problem a dream? This is no dream!”

It’ll all make sense when they’re dead.

There was a pause, a hesitation as Ashra rose back to her feet and turned to face Pecca in obvious exhaustion. Then, Myles saw the smile quark across her face.

“They will die by our hand.”

Quickly, if I have anything to say about it.

Confidence flowed from the link as Ashra straightened just a bit more. “Then you will be my champion, warrior of the desert. Keep them busy, and I will repay you properly.”

You have been designated by Ashra Snowpelt as the champion against her nightmare.

You have been augmented to fit the scenario the dreamer has set.

Your Traits and Skills have been updated to fit the scenario.

Please take a moment to adjust to these changes.

Myles didn’t stop to ask questions, and he didn’t falter as he descended on Pecca. He couldn’t remember the name of the larger warrior Nod clashed with, but he’d never forget the one that robbed him.

Healing potion after potion found Ashra’s hand from her inventory and poured over her wounds as the nightmare version of the [Rogue] Pecca drew back his blade and faced Myles down. The sharp edge gleamed dangerously in the light as purple blood dripped from it like rainwater from a roof, but Myles had been waiting for this.

He was going to enjoy knocking Pecca, even a dream version, down a few pegs.

Myles reached into his reserves, prepared to choke the nightmare to death with a large pile of dough, but as he touched his mana and prepared the spell, something else answered.

A ball of kinetic energy from his fist distorted the air and flew towards the nightmare [Rogue]’s head with the force of a cannonball, kicking Myles’s hand back with its wake.

“What in the Mists?” Myles choked.

Ever the [Rogue], Pecca dodged the deadly attack, launching himself into a low-hanging limb as the sounds of battle dimmed.

“Look at what we have here,” the shadow of Pecca crooned. “What are you going to do to stop us? You can’t protect your princess anymore than yourself!”

His princess?

Myles looked at him, confused for the moment, but Pecca wasn’t going to be crooning for long. He’d wipe that smirk off his face soon enough. Calling his weapon from his inventory, a gleaming metal staff flashed into his hand…

And Myles froze for the second time this battle.

No…

No, that wasn’t his hand that held the staff.

His hand wasn’t fur covered.

His hand wasn’t the color of sand and steel.

His hand wasn’t like Ashra’s.

He looked up and down his arms, protective lines of steel and sand-colored fur coming from under his sandy-colored leather armor that protected his lithe form. It was almost the only normal thing he could focus on at the moment as his hands went to feel at his face and traced lines across the furry patterns and steel flesh that mingled on his visage.

Confused, Myles looked down and gawked at the massive size of his feet, the huge, almost bare thigh muscles, and felt at the thick bones under the toned muscle hips his body had now.

No, this wasn’t his body wasn’t his anymore.

Myles Chase had become a monster.

The once-human felt his mind flicker like a candle as his consciousness wavered from the shock of disassociation he tried to process. Somewhere during the time, his head tipped forward and a pair of floppy, wide, sand-colored ears came down and blocked his sight.

The dream devourer Pecca was under no such confusion and had no more mercy than his progenitor. In Myles’s confusion, the [Rogue] cut deep into his right arm with the blade he held and draw a bubbling brook of purple-silver blood. Myles felt muscles snap and the limb scream as his hand snapped up to hold the wound shut.

“Squishy!” Myles called, clutching the wound.

An explosion of metallic spikes launched at the nightmare as Myles tried to turn and defend himself, but everything was too slow. The attack was almost sluggish as Pecca leaped back into the trees, and the spikes missed their target by a mile following Myles’s gaze. Confused, Myles looked for the younger monsterkin, but the grove was empty. Stranger, he found each of the fallen spikes still attached to his hair…

His fur…

And the large, mace-wielding warrior was on the approach with Nod nowhere in sight. Everything was wrong. His body was wrong. His stomach churned. His muscles suddenly felt like alien forces on him, and his head felt like it was a mask. His hands rose, trying to pull it off, to tell him it was all a joke, but the world refused to give in to the demand. The creatures of Somniums drew closer with each step as the two dream devourers licked at their lips with long, alien black tongues as accents to their void eyes.

A hand steadied him for a moment as a voice resounded in his mind.

“I am with you, champion. I still have a potion for after.”

Ashra was at his side, covering his back as she had so many times before, and pouring the red liquid over his hand and into the wound with the skill of a practiced [Medic].

As the bleeding ebbed and the wound mended, Myles recovered some of his wits. His mind still reeled, trying to come to terms with the changes, but if he didn’t do it quickly, they were both dead. As his monsters were missing in action and his body was no longer his own, he did the only thing he could to prepare for battle.

Myles called his interface.

Name: Myles Chase

Age: Adolescent

Sex: Male

Race: Desert Steel Rabbitkin

Patron: Unaligned

Primary Class:

Desert Steel Rabbitkin

Neophyte

Attributes:

Brawn - 21

Dexterity - 29

Will - 20

Influence - 20

Resources:

Soul Energy: 200/200

Mana: 100/100

Elemental Alignment:

Tier 1: Sand

Tier 2: Steel

Tier 3: Monster

Talents:

Monster Invoker

-Dream Ripper

-Kinetic Iron Slime Monsterkin

-Ambush Rabbitkin

Titles Available: 2

Active Title: Champion

Locked Title: Leader (Rising Star) [Locked]

Desert Steel Rabbitkin

Skills

Traits

Invoke Monster Skill

Monster Lore

Kinetic Strike

Kinetic Manipulation

Kinetic Redirection

Steel Barrage

Leap

Invoke Monster Trait

Situational Awareness

Instinctive Adaptation

Staff Mastery

Body of Sand and Steel

[Locked - Essence Bond]