Chapter 12 – He who lives in dreams

*Skill have been created: He who dwells on the precipice of delusion (Passive)*

Dryads were so surprised by the voices they did not notice Noah's eyes snapping open. Noah jumped up from the lap while turning around and slashing with the knife at the dryad.

However much she was surprised she still managed to dodge. The knife slashed her skin a little bit lower than her neck but did not manage to make a too deep wound before she disappeared from his knife's reach, leaving only a few drops of blood on the ground.

"How is this possible?"

"He is lucid within the dreams?"

"Someone woke him up"

Spoke women aloud. While carefully observing Noah from a distance.

"Round two, girls. But this while you're on my home ground."

"It is foolish of you to think, child, that you can match us in a mind battle."

"I don't need to match you. I will crush you…."

User. I would like to remind you that you are within your own mind realm. Performing corruption skill here would deal a colossal damage to your own mind. Received the words of advice from the system, through the thoughts, Noah just before he used the Malign Aura skill.

Dryads got ready to defend and cast protective magics of their own. While growing out sharp as knifes nails out of their fingers and standing in the battle ready poses

…?….

….???….

Silence settled in the mind realm

/You know? You could have said that before I posed like that in front of these three gorgeous women. Man do I look like an idiot now/ Sent his reply with thoughts Noah.

"Are you taking us for fools,with bluffs like that child?" Said the woman in the middle.

/Fuck, I don't even know what to reply here/

It was at this moment another sudden voice sounded across the mind realm.

The world is just a dream, why be so serious

*Ding Conditions have been met. Creating skill.*

Sounded the voice that Dryads had already heard before the boy woke up. This time they were not as shocked as before so they did not lose their awareness. This helped them notice that the drop of blood that one of the women left on the ground had been sucked into the ground as it disappeared. This send a shiver through the wounded women body. She had a bad premonition from this.

*Skill created: He who lives in dreams (passive)*

Skill list open

Noah immediately checked to see if this new skill could somehow help him in this situation and was shocked at his own luck.

//Skill: He who lives in dreams (Passive)

//Allows user while asleep to enter and travel through the dreams of others//

"Change of plans, girls. Let's take this to your dream world" Said Noah. If he was right, then being here in a dream with these three women means all of them dreaming. In other words if they could get to his dream, somewhere out there was their dream that he could travel to. Noah willed in his head to connect with them using his new passive skill.

The next moment three women saw how the boy before them vanished dispersing in the dream space. They looked in astonishment at each other and saw the same look on each other's faces, that basically said "Oh, crap!"

Next moment they vanished from Noah's dream world too.

******

Noah appeared in the middle of the grand hall entirely made of wood. The hall's floor that he stood on was one big green clearing of grass. Strange huge flowers were hanging down from the ceiling instead of chandeliers. However what amazed him the most, was that he stood in the room full of women, all of whom seemed to be dryads, just like the three in his dream. Right in front of him stood a huge throne on which sat giant like gorgeous beauty with a crown of golden colored flowers on her head and one brow raised in amusement while watching him.

"Who are you?!" Roared a woman standing at the wall with a black wooden spear in hand. "How did you get here?"

Next moment three women from his dream appeared near him as well.

"To arms sisters! The demon has infiltrated our domain!" Roared the woman on the ground.

All dryads in the hall hissed and extended their knife like nails and opened the mouth full of shark like teeth, all of them ready to pounce at him

"SILENCE!" Roared the regal voice of the woman sitting on the throne.

"Is this correct, child? You were the one to pollute my forest with that malign miasm?"

"That…was an accident...Ma'am" Said Noah.

"Accident? Please satisfy the curiosity of an old lady. How did you do it?"

"I just awakened my new systems skill and used it by accident Ma'a….your highness. I never meant to do any harm to your…forest."

"A skill? With such power? I have never heard of a system with such a strange skill. It must be quite a unique system you have, child."

"You could say so, I mean,yes, your highness lady Marva."

"Oh, you seem to know full well where you are, don't you?"

"Yes, your Highness. However, I have no idea how I traveled here. This was a pure accident you highness"

"It seems you have the power of dreams, child. All dryads live in the realms of dreams. My realm of dreams. The forest is me and I am the forest. My daughters are born of my forest as well as part of my own dream world. Traveling to their dream you entered my domain."

"I apologize for my transgression, your highness. I had no intention to do that…well not exactly that."

"I assume you had the intention to travel into their dreams" said the Dryad Queen pointing at the three women behind him. "to use the skill to corrupt their minds and souls."

"As a self defence only…."

"I see. How would you act now that you have come here?"

"If it is possible I'd be glad if this conflict has ended with my apology, your highness."

"Apology?!" Hissed the woman behind him

"Shut your mouth until I allow you to speak daughter or I will shut it myself" Said Queen.

"I agree. Let us end the conflict here. If you promise not to commit the crime of defiling my forest with miasm again, that is."

"I swear to not do that ever again, your highness."

"Wonderful" said the Queen clapping her hands and sitting laid back into her throne.

"It was nice to make an acquaintance with you, child"

"Noah. Your highness. My name is Noah. Noah McDaniel."

"It was nice to make an acquaintance with you, Noah McDaniel. You can travel back to your dreams. None of my daughters shall bring you harm within the forest anymore."

"I thank you for your forgiveness, your highness."

Noah used his skill again to return to his own dreams and vanished from the throne hall.

"Why? Mother? We should have killed him. How can you forgive him for…"

A back slap of the Queen that disappeared from the throne and appeared in front of her daughters with an eye blinking time, stoped her from speaking further.

"YES I SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM FOR HIS DEED, BUT I SHOULD TURN YOU THREE TO DUST FOR LEADING HIM INTO OUR CORE. HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHAT WOULD TRANSPIRED HAD HE USED HIS SKILL TO POLLUTE THE VERY CORE OF OUR DOMAIN? HOW MANY OF YOU SISTER WOULD HAVE FALLEN TO THE POLLUTION? HOW WEAKENED WE WOULD BE TO THE OUTSIDE ENEMIES?"

Roared the Queen at her three daughters.

"Mother we did not…"

SILENCE! This time the Queen did not order. She willed it. At this very moment the forest succumbed into total silence. No bird, no bug, produced a sound.

"Had he striked here with his skill we would at least lose many of the weakest of our kind, that grow protected within the core domain. At worst the Labyrinth core would have judged us weak and rejected us bringing doom to our nation. "YOU HAVE BROUGHT DOOM INTO OUR CORE!" Seethed with anger the Queen. Does letting him go with a promise to not commit such a deed again seem less of a bargain to you daughter?" After these words her hold on the very wills and souls of the forest dwellers lessened. Allowing her daughter to speak again.

"Forgive me mother. I have spoken without thinking."

"Forgiving you three would require a proper punishment first. You three are to be in your rooms until I decide what to do with you."

"Yes mother" answered all three women.

The Queen disappeared, reappearing sitting on the throne again. With this the sound returned to the forest.

"Milena. Meet the humans that hunt the demon within the forest. And tell them my words: I have settled the incident of forest pollution myself. They may return to their settlement."

"Yes mother."

"However, speak nothing more than that. These humans are treacherous. They should not hear even the wind of what has transpired here. Otherwise they will find a way to use this against us. They all may seem friendly and helpful, yet there is no doubt that they would be the first to barge in here to make us kneel between their legs as whores if we show even the slightest weakness."

"The boy, will he be a problem?"

"His power is blight to his kind far more than for us. He knows that, would he make trouble for us the world will know of his unholy power too"