[ti]closed[/ti][S][C/Morpheus] Asleep at the Wheel

Morpheus was tired. Dead tired. He was exhausted from school lately and it was only days away from the grand finals. He shouldn't have played UNOVR at this time. However, he needed it so he could unlock what he was here in the first place. And to do that, he had to be exhausted enough to sleep in the game. It might be a bad idea on paper, but to unlock the Dreamer subclass, he needed to sleep a lot as one of the requirements to unlocking it. He already slept two times before, so he had full confidence he could unlock it by the time he did for the third time in Misty Timberland.

This time, he was near its shrine as his Poipole and Glaceon looked at him in concern while he looked around for a place to nap. <<Are you sure you're going to be okay, Morphy?>> Pica asked in concern.

"You two are here to protect me, right? All you have to do is to guard my body from any wild Pokemon here," Morpheus instructed. "If they tried to battle me in my unconscious state, there's a chance it might be interrupted. So it's best for you two to stay here awake."

<<Okay, I get you, Morpheus. But you shouldn't risk yourself sleeping here. Why don't you do that in that human settlement nearby?>> Yukina asked.

"They said the Precipice Shrine is connected to the Dream Kingdom, so it's better to take it than play safe in Briarbane." He continued looking around the area near the shrine. "Now let's see where... Huh?"

He walked closer and saw a familiar face in the area. "Shalin! I didn't expect you to be here," Morpheus greeted. "Are you here to get the Dream subclass, too?"

As expected, Shalin Nariya was here to get the Dreamer subclass, albeit with a different reason behind it. He could already tell from her large Espeon that she was on the right track. "I see you found the motivation. But I'm a bit surprised by the Mew DNA's requirements. As for me..." He took out his Solrock and it created a small portal without his input. "I managed to unlock it a day ago. I'm still getting the hang of its abilities, but I got what I wanted for this game. However, I do have a new objective here."

Morpheus looked around the shrine and at Shalin again. As for his Poipole and Glaceon, they went off to play for a while until their trainer would call them again. "Which begs the question. Have you seen any loony NPCs on your way here?" He sheepishly asked. "You don't need to answer. I need to confirm something." It sounded like a stupid question for Shalin, but after his strange encounter that led to unlocking a new Quest line, he had to make sure it was an exclusive one for him.

Shalin Nariya wasn't the only one with heavy eyes as Morpheus struggled to keep his open while holding off his yawn. However, he was still conscious enough to tell her why he visited the shrine. "It's part of the mini-quest line I'm currently in. Several NPCs were hallucinating around these parts, muttering about their innocence or being chased by the "bobbies". Not only that, I saw a dream of a Victorian London-like city or town within the Dream World. I hoped to test my Dreamer abilities and check out the town I just saw."

The conversation was suddenly interrupted by his yawning. Morpheus could feel like he was about to fall, so he knew it was time. "You know what? How about you join me in my quest for a while? Maybe I can help you unlock your Dreamer subclass in the Dream World." He then lay on the ground while his Pokemon looked at him in concern. "You know the drill, you two guard our bodies while we're dreaming. If something happens, do everything to wake us up. But don't do it a bit too much..."

With that said, he moved a little to give Shalin space for her to sleep on. Then he closed his eyes and awaited his travel into the world of dreams.

Into the Dream Kingdom... Loading...

The experience of loading into the Dream World was surreal even for an aspiring Dream Seeker like Morpheus. The feeling of falling and the dizziness that followed. When he opened his eyes, he and Shalin Nariya found themselves in the middle of a dark forest. The trees have too many leaves in the branches to the point they can't see the sky. Looking at his attire, it seemed like it was unchanged for a moment and the same could be said for Shalin's. During his first two visits, his attire changed into formal since on both occasions required him to do so. Since he wasn't at the castle this time, it made sense their clothes remained the same because they landed in the isolated part of the Dream Kingdom. Now the only thing left was to find the location in question. Though he wished there was a map included since it was much foggier than in Precipice Shrine.

First things first, he turned to Shalin first since this was her first visit to the Dream World. "How are you feeling? If you feel strange or unwell, just let me know." He narrowed his eyes as he looked around his surroundings. "It might be easy for us to get lost here, so I suggest you don't stray off from me until we reach that town."

While this was his first time exploring the Dream Kingdom on his own, he was nervous he might get lost if he strayed off a path. He needed to calm down first and assess the situation before they could move. He quickly took out his Solrock from its Poke Ball and said, "Solis, can you use your power to lead us out of this forest or find a nearby settlement?"

<<I can try,>> the Rock/Psychic-type Pokemon said in a monotone voice before spinning itself to activate its powers. After a while, it stopped. <<I sensed a powerful energy at the west side of the forest.>>

Morpheus hummed. "It will take us about a day to get through this place. Maybe..." He walked in the said direction where several bushes, trees, and vines blocked a path. "Solis, help me remove the blockage. If this is similar to lucid dreaming, then we might able to make our own path!"

With his Solrock's help, Morpheus focused on the blockage without breaking his concentration. If Shalin watched them, she could see the leaves and the plant life started to move on their own as they parted, revealing a small path ahead of them with a visage of a town not far from where they were.

"Good, that should be enough." Morpheus turned to Shalin with a smile. "Come on, the town should be up ahead."

Morpheus and Solis then head deep into the path with Shalin possibly following them from behind. If they continue their way, they could see the said town growing closer to them.

Morpheus wasn't much of an imaginative person. But considering his interest in lucid dreaming, he knew there were times he had to let his imagination loose and let the dreams guide him there. Whether through falling into another world or letting himself act a role in a nonsensical play, he wanted to see how much he could manipulate with this method, especially in the Dream Kingdom.

Thanks to this, he and Shalin Nariya arrived in town. Looking around, the buildings and houses resembled Victorian-era designs. This was even reflected in their attire, as they were changed into suits and dresses to help them fit into the vintage setting. Even if it happened without warning, Morpheus already expected this since his outfit was changed a few times when he entered the Dream World. However, he didn't expect a new message to appear in front of him.

Lucid manipulation is disabled in this area.

Morpheus hummed at this. He knew it was part of the quest he took, but this window gave him warnings in his head. He had no idea what he could find here, but after recalling those maddened NPCs in reality, he knew it wasn't good. He was about to turn to Shalin to warn her again. But then, a gentleman approached them.

"Good day. I don't believe I see you in these parts," he greeted. "Are you all visitors from a faraway kingdom?"

The Dream Seeker raised his eyebrow. This man was wearing a stereotypical black suit and top hat while holding a black wooden cane with a gold rim. He doubted he was another player, so it didn't take long for him to answer. "Why, yes. Can you tell us where we are?"

"Oh, why it's a quaint little town. That's all you know."

"Uh... Right..." Morpheus stared at the gentleman a while longer. "I mean the name of this town."

"A name? Oh, dear me. It's rude to ask for my name without getting to know about me. This town is all about manners and etiquette and you need a lot more until we see ourselves as acquaintances."

Morpheus tried his best to hold out his groan. If he asked another question about the town's name, this NPC would try to deflect it somehow. Regardless, he knew this was the right place. "You want to take a crack at it, Shalin?" He whispered. "Maybe have him slipped a name by accident or something?"

Even if Shalin tried, there was a chance it would have the same outcome. Not even manipulating his code wasn't enough to change his mind...

Morpheus grumbled at Shalin's words. He had a feeling that this gentleman wouldn't even tell them of the town's name as well. He might as well drop the topic and move on to the next. "Anyways... Other than being a quaint little town, are there any landmarks that I should know of?"

"Why, of course! There is the lord's mansion where they held the most grandiose party in all the land!" The gentleman exclaimed. "Only the most richest and famous nobles would come to enjoy the splendors of our lord's gifts!"

Morpheus narrowed his eyes. A party in a seemingly foggy town seemed like an odd way to cope with the isolation in the Dream World and it didn't explain all of the loony NPCs that got out of it. He had a feeling he might find some answers there.

As for Shalin Nariya, her Espeon found something, but not in a way they could expect.

Voices... Distorted voices echoed from the man's mind. They uttered nonsensical dribble and unrelated memories. But then, a voice boomed as the thoughts broke.

"SPIES WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN!!!"

It was enough to break out of Starr's telepathy. Seemed like lucid manipulation wasn't the only thing that was prohibited.

It didn't take long for Morpheus to notice Starr's disturbed expression before Shalin Nariya recalled it back to their Poke Ball. Whatever she did to help him must have backfired somehow. Regardless, it was a sign that he got everything he wanted from the gentleman. "Ah, I see. Must be really grand when all of the kingdoms came here for a lord's party. Is there any way we can get an invite?"

"Sadly, only the grandiose nobles could get an invite," the NPC answered. "But if you do something that would grab their attention, you may. Just...don't do anything that would land you behind bars."

"Noted. Well, thank you for your help, sir."

The gentleman tipped his hat with a nod. "Been a pleasure, strangers. Good day!" With that, he left the two trainers, leaving them alone in the foggy town. However, he got a window confirming that he was progressing into the quest smoothly.

"Breaking into the mansion is out of the question, though," Morpheus answered Shalin's question. "But we can check out the mansion itself just in case. We might have some clues if we do." He opened the mini-map after checking the quest window. "At least the quest is more grateful to give us directions than that gentleman. Then again, it might be one of the biggest buildings around here."

---

True to his words, he and Shalin found the mansion in question blocked by a large gate and bricked fence. And it was not like any Victorian-era mansion he would see in any media. This one has bricks that seemed to glow into a golden aura bright enough to pierce through the dark fog and flora growing abundantly around the garden while surrounded by a golden brick road and statues of Growlithe, Arcanine, and Articuno.

It was not far from the town, yet it felt too isolated from it due to the fog and the gate in question. If Shalin inspected the fence, there might be no signs of loose bricks and rust on the fence itself. If she dared to attack them with a Pokemon attack, there was a chance they would invite some trouble. Either way, Morpheus would have stopped her before she could try.

"Geez... The lord would have dumbed down the glamour on the exterior design," he grumbled. "But he wasn't exaggerated when he said it's grandiose." He turned to Shalin. "We should have a look around the gate. After that, we should get back to reality immediately."