Still , the pressure mounted , and Ogras couldn’t take it . He glared at his companion as he methodically destroyed a flock of teethy balls of fur .
How are you so damn calm? -
Huh? - Zac said , looking over with that dull look of his .
This place , - Ogras waved with exasperation . - How is it not stressing you out? My nerves are on fire and I’m losing my mind! -
Really? - Zac said . - It’s not too bad compared to some of the other zones I’ve visited . These dream beasts are on the weaker side , and I have you to deal with the shifts . We’ve eradicated the imperials , and the others are afraid to mess with us after the rampage inside Vastness City . I think things are pretty good right now . -
Why does it feel like you’re cursing us when you say things like that? - Ogras muttered . - Asking for trouble . -
His composure was aggravating , but Ogras had to admit the man had a point . The Undead Empire had become scapegoat and shield , and guests took a wide berth around Zac and his girl when they appeared . No one wanted to be the next one to appear on the Undead Empire’s hit list . Even the powerful coalitions opted to look the other way after the Undead Empire confirmed it was a matter between two warring factions .
Why get involved in that kind of mess?
Ogras continued until he noticed Zac had stopped . Did he have something more to say? Or was it . . . ? Ogras shuddered and prepared for the worst . Had this fate-touched bastard really brought down a Calamity on their heads with his words? He should have known better than to taunt the Heavens .
No sudden dream shift swept through the region , and no horror popped out to make their life miserable . Zac was simply staring off with a small frown . Ogras glanced in the same direction , but there was nothing there . Apart from the rippling opalescent clouds that made up the ground and sky , there was just a small pond and a couple of trees .
As far as the Shifting Dream went , it was quite calm . Too calm , perhaps?
What are you looking at? - Ogras asked with confusion .
I . . . think we should go in that direction , - Zac said , distractedly fiddling with his invisible beads .
Ogras laboriously held back a sour comment , opting for magnanimity over jealousy , even if that uncanny Luck was enough to ruin one’s day . He had to focus on the positive . They were in his world now , and there was a good chance anything the Heavens threw Zac’s way would end up in his pocket .
Veering off their original course , they moved by instinct . Both used every tool in their arsenal to find anything of interest . It took ten minutes , but then it finally paid off .
Hmm , - Ogras said , vaguely sensing odd ripples from far off .
It was minute , to the point he wouldn’t have given it a second look if not for his buddy’s uncanny nose for treasure . But as things stood , it was worth investigating .
Do you see something? - Zac asked .
Might be nothing , - Ogras said , hating the sense of defeat that had snuck into his voice .
Let’s go , - Zac grinned .
Two hours later , Ogras blankly looked on as his buddy gleefully infused a shimmering wooden figurine into his hammer . He’d been the one almost driven mad unraveling the illusory layers protecting the thing , yet there wasn’t even a stalk of grass he could use inside . He should have known the Heavens wouldn’t steer its chosen one off-course for the sake of someone else .
Don’t look at me like that , - Zac said with that infuriating smile . - All the Fossilized Dreams for the quest will go to you . And isn’t there that creature as well? -
Ogras slowly exhaled , steadying his mental state . - You’re right . You’re right . There’s still the Dreamgeist . -
Continuing into the realm , they soon reached depths neither would have reached alone . Zac would never have managed to stop the shifts , and he would never have been able to withstand the nightmarish onslaught that followed . Every figment was at the D-grade . They’d even sensed a Late D-grade aura .
They soon managed to unearth one quest target after another . They were odd anomalies , dreams that had failed to form spirituality yet had become more than an illusion . Instead , they’d turned into rocklike formations that contained dense deposits of the Dao of Dreams . They couldn’t quite be considered Natural Treasures , but they held far greater truths than Dream Crystals . And there were quite a few of them .
They spent two full weeks in the heart of the dream , fighting dozens of waves of beings brought from the depths of Ogras’s mind and then twisted by the dream . Then , they finally found what they were looking for . What he was looking for , anyway . Hiding far in the distance to ensure they weren’t discovered , Ogras’s cheeks burned as Zac slowly turned to him . He studiously avoided meeting Zac’s gaze , but he could guess the kind of thoughts they held .
That’s . . . That’s the thing you want to fuse with? -
67
KARMIC DEBT
Well . . . - Ogras said , his voice trailing off as his perfect plan suddenly felt in need of revision .
Zac’s voice held an unmistakable mix of disbelief and mirth , and Ogras couldn’t blame him . The description of the Shifting Dreamgeist had painted a vivid picture , yet it paled to the real thing .
The Dreamgeist was only one meter tall , looking like an incredibly fat floating baby . A baby born from the unholy union of an ogre and a de-feathered rooster , with three tentacles instead of stubby legs . The thing had thin purple eyes whose pupils moved independently of each other as it took in the surroundings , and a wide , flat beak that seemed perpetually locked in a brainless smile .
No feathers or scales adorned it . Rather , it seemed born from the clouds that made up most of the Dream Shift . Except the clouds were more condensed , like they’d been crammed into a container too small a size . Its whole body shuddered and rippled like it would erupt at any moment . Altogether , it looked one part ugly and two parts stupid—a far cry from the intimidating creatures Ogras had first considered for the next layer of the Spiritlock Physique] .
Won’t you turn into that thing if you fight? - Zac said , looking at him askance .
Not necessarily , - Ogras coughed . - I can choose which aspects I use when activating the lock . Besides , I don’t want this thing for its appearance . I want it for the affinities and Bloodline Talent . I walk the path of the Illusory Shade , but my affinity to the Peak of Fantasy will hold me back unless something changes .
The two beasts provided by master drastically improved my affinity to Shadows , and the Dreamgeist’s bloodline is far greater than both . Its Bloodline Talent is also a perfect match to my flag . Who cares what it looks like? -
Ogras normally wasn’t one to share the details of his path , but what could he do? This odd bastard would ruin his good name if he didn’t clarify things . A little bit of pillow talk and that obsidian-eyed vixen would have ammunition for the next couple of years .
If you say so , - Zac said , clearly holding back a laugh .
Whatever , - Ogras spat . - Just help me deal with its minions , and I’ll do the rest . Be careful not to harm it . -
That bastard Rez hiding in the Towers of Myriad Dao obviously had a plan with his soul-grafting experiment , even if his execution had been laughably crude . The Umbra had been an assassin , and he’d picked creatures useful for his own craft . The planeswalker was a shadow elemental who excelled at moving unseen . Its enemies were dead before they had a chance to realize someone was targeting them from the shadows .