The three were offered a room in the old man's barn. Going far distances at night were I'll advised. It was really the only choice the three has.
Gabu was curled up, sleeping on the end of Kris's cot.
"It's already asleep. This thing seems a little too calm for its situation. Maybe it is naive," Kris said to Milmilia who sat on a cot across from him, in her bird like Siphoner form.
"Gabu, are simple creatures. They eat, and they sleep. Simple," she replied.
"Thankfully he was dumb enough to be willing to leave with my offer of food," Kris said. "If I was a Gabu, I would of been sceptical".
"See, simple," Milmilia said looking at the Gabu. "Simple creatures. What do you plan with Gabu?" she asked. Kris adjusted as he folded his arms.
"I am thinking, we can work WITH the Gabu. Let me explain. He is able to get into people's heads, and with that we can pick wealthy targets and when their sleep is disturbed and they want an Oneiromancer, well thats when we swoop in to get Gabu out, get paid and do it again," Kris said. Milmilia nodded with the idea.
"Of course Milmilia, you would assist me in this venture. If we are going to encounter more creatures, I may need an assistant who understands them better than I do".
She nodded again. "But what do I eat"?
Kris thought for a moment, followed by a snap of his fingers.
"We can set up a location right between the outer districts and the residental district. Close to work, but for you close to a food source. The Homeless"!
She tilted her head as she scanned him.
"You are offering me OTHER humans?" Milmilia said in astonishment.
"I don't know them, you need to eat, humans are awful creatures blah, blah, blah do I need to say more. You'd be able to eat that right? I assume you don't eat human food," Kris asked.
"We can eat human food, but it is not sustainable. Dreams, thoughts and minds are on my diet," she said.
"So that'll fix that problem. We will just have to convince Gabu," Kris said.
"I don't think that will be difficult. You only promised food and he followed you like a lost kitten. Imagine how much he will obey if he has a constant food source," Milmilia explained. Kris nodded and let out a sigh of relief.
The two sat in a moment of silence, the lantern flickering in the room.
"You said you had a companion. Someone you followed around. Now with your appearance, is it similar to a bird thing"?
Milmilia raised and eyebrow as her expression changed.
"What do you mean a bird thing"?
"You know, I've heard people say that birds pair for life or something like that. Just curious," Kris said attempting an explanation.
"No not like that. I hated her. I really did. Thankfully the locals in the town we were harvesting caught onto her game and killed her, with a pitchfork, and three different kinds of shovels," she explained. This shocked Kris. The way she made it sound before it was like this Siphoner lost a romantic partner.
"We pair up, because we don't like being alone more than disliking a personality of someone. Siphoners always usually travel in pairs," she said gesturing with her feathery claw.
"Gotcha, and since I didn't kill you, you figured what the hells right?" Kris asked. She nodded in an almost embarrassed way.
Kris laid back, positioning his legs next to Gabu's sleeping body. He stretched his arms upward and placed his hands behind his head.
"Still have those dreams?," she asked.
"Nope, we are in a new month I think. Like I told you, it's always at the end of month," Kris replied. She nodded.
"Blessings are a strange phenomena. God picks one mortal to fight back against the miasma. Save Graediya from destruction. A lot of responsibility,"Milmilia said.
"That's why I don't want it. I don't want responsibility. I only want to be responsible for me," Kris said.
"We rarely get to choose what happens to us. Things that happen to us shape us into the best versions of ourselves," she said.
Kris raised an eyebrow as he looked over.
"Heard it from a priest once," she said embarrassed.
"I guess I get it," he said. "I appreciate you trying to help. My fate is sealed".
Kris closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. On any other circumstance, he would be on edge but being consumed by the Siphoner and passing in your sleep wasn't a bad way to go. He was secretly hoping for it. Milmilia takes the opportunity and consumes him.
No Blessing, and he gets what he deserves. Everybody wins. Kris shot his eyes open. The room was dark, Gabu still slept and Milmilia was curled up asleep on her cot.
"Damn," he thought. He guess the Siphoner had no interest in killing him.
--------§--------
Morning arrived and the three left, heading back into the residential districts of the Capital City.
Kris's pockets were heavier than usual with all the silver he got. This was an unusual feeling. He wasn't use to actually having money.
"Won't anyone notice the weird pig following us?" Kris asked glancing over his shoulder at Gabu, who was gleefully trotting behind.
"These people are too self centered to even take the time to look, but also I cast a illusion spell on his trunk. To everyone, it looks like a regular snout," she said as she had reclaimed her elderly woman disguise.
"Smart thinking," Kris said passing by a couple as they crossed a bridge.
Water ran through the city, in something called an aqueduct. He only knew the name from his old form of employment. That was their method to sneak around the city.
The Capital City was a established as the last bastion of humanity. The city was big, but too big for its own good. Their were entire cultures hidden in districts that most people don't even know about. Kris visited these spaces once in a while, but it's even an area he avoids. Constant violence, lack of guards and security and unexplained phenomena.
Now that Kris was aware of creatures brought in by the miasma, he made a connection that the phenomena he has heard about may be large in part due to these creatures.
"Milmilia," Kris asked. The older woman shot him a look, waiting for his next words.
"Do these creatures," he said pointing to the Gabu "have a name? Is there something we call them"?
"Not really no. The most consistent word I have heard to call them is creatures".
Kris nodded. "Alright then".
The three finally arrived at their destination. Kris stood before a run down, obviously uninhabited building. The windows were covered in dust, the door was locked but also had an impressive collection of spider webs.
"What's this?" Gabu asked as he waddled up to Kris's side.
"Where we are going to start our business. Right now, it's empty. We will use this as our home until we can actually purchase it," Kris said.
"Won't someone notice? Won't the guards check?" Milmilia asked nervously.
"They barely patrol this street. Besides, before I came to you Milmilia I have been living here for almost a month," Kris said walking to the back.
The three rounded the building. It was a single story building, assembled with brick and stone. From what Kris could understand, it use to be a business of some kind. He wasn't quite sure what though.
There was a window, propped open with a small shred of wood. Kris lifted the window and invited his guests in. Milmilia scrambled through as Gabu attempted a few jumps, but was unsuccessful. He couldn't get enough height and slammed into the window sill.
"Here," Kris said hoisting the pig up and passing him through. Milmilia and Gabu took in the building. A few tables were positioned on opposite sides of the room, with towers of older paper and leather bound books.
"I think it use to be some type of book keeping company? A lot of the books just have numbers, dates and lists of cargo," Kris said pulling himself into the room. He shut the window behind him.
"The backroom has a bathroom and a small sleeping space. That's where I sleep, you two are free to pick whatever," Kris said dusting himself off.
Gabu wandered over to a table, then to another. He was sniffing around.
"I am going to go find something to eat. I will return," Milmilia said. Kris nodded and held the window open for her. She quickly crawled through and vanished into the Capital City.
"Alright, Gabu, let's talk about strategy," Kris said. The pig darted over.
"Food?" Gabu asked.
"Yes, food. Now Gabu, how do you enter into someone's Dreamscape?," he asked.
Gabu thought for a moment, then poofed into a purple cloud that floated around the room. After a moment, the cloud descended to the group and reformed into his pig form.
"I go into ear," he said using his trunk to point at his ear. "Then I eat. Tastey, tastey food".
"Easy enough. So what I think we do Gabu is pick somebody. Preferably very rich, you eat their dreams and I will come in and take the job. I got into the dream I give you a 'Lets go' then you leave and we do it all over again to someone else," Kris said.
Gabu looked puzzled, and brought his trunk to his chin like a man holding his chin to think.
"Gabu think he understands," Gabu replied.
"We won't do anything crazy to start, we start small and work upward until we have a good system," Kris assured.
The pig creature jumped in excitement as it darted around the room.
"Gabu getting food, Gabu getting food!" he said to a melody. This made Kris smile. Rare these days. It wasn't that he never smiled or even looked upset, he was just...present. A person in the crowd, just another passerby.
"Alright bud, let's find someone for your debut," Kris said.