Dream-Maker Part 4: The Sleeper Awakes

The well deserved rest of the heroic allies I travel alongside was now over, the treck back to civilization soon to come. The expedition to the Shar was one for people more learned than I, a man of little knowledge or ability. With the professor and his assistant concluding parts of their research, we all begin the long walk down the path of homecoming. Many strange creatures we met on our way, with the Owl managing to strike up proper conversations with them, learning many wonderful things about the deepest parts of the jungles. Alas, I bore witness to events far more important in the days to come, thus this tale has somewhat faded from my mind. I only now, many days later, find the time to continue writing the story of the Dream-Maker. Arriving in Qesrir, the air was heavy and somehow sad, something I immediately picked up on. No, the others are far too pure of soul to understand what this place was being plagued by. Something lurked in the alleyways of the town square, something that none were prepared for. Spending our time recovering from the exhaustion of our previous journey, the Talima lodge was contacted by the local law enforcement, one Inara requesting our presence. As we already knew of her, having worked with her men before to manage the case of the attack on the market recently, my heroic friends prepared for the worst, arming themselves for what was sure to be a horribly violent situation. Worry was painted on their faces, even the Son Of Rock was oddly round in shape, his rectangular appearance fading briefly as doubt settled in. My inability to aid them in any way did the heroes no favors. After what seemed to be an eternity of walking, we reached Inara's office and were informed briefly of the situation she was dealing with. Evil drew closer, yet she had managed to somehow catch rumors of a coming trade caravan, coming from the Talaros house. With the wind giving signs of a stormy weather to come, suspicions arose. Everyone but I drew the same conclusion; The kidnapped people would be taken out of their hiding spot from inside the town and out into the great unknown. The plan was swiftly set for the coming night, the night when it would all take place, and we began strategizing.
 
Despite all my desperate attempts to make the Dream-Maker change his mind I was drowned out by the voices of the others and was thus separated from my trusted friend. Oh Bellamy, how foolish of you to stand among evil without one of darkness to warn you about it. The plan was for us to split into two separate parties, one guarding the wagons that would head southwest, the other guarding the one heading for the town center. The weather swiftly shifted to match the coming storm of blades that would follow soon, a terrible omen only I was able to understand. The downfall of heroes often comes from their own lack of understanding of evil and its ways. Everything up to the point of no return was a blur for me, with many voices being silenced by the raging wind and the crashing thunder. What I last remember was a man of shadows unleashing his countless minions upon us, waves of shadow-magic flooding the immediate vicinity. At home in such vile depravity, myself was kept safe and my skills, however meager they are, carried me through the worst of it... However, not everyone else was as fortunate. After the dust was settled, the ever-pouring rain was not enough to cleanse the land of the blood of those who died that day. Many men and women lay dead beneath my feet, while others struggled with denying the stranger their soul in the afterlife. In horror did I watch as my friend and Dream-Maker lay wounded and seeing the end approach. An inglorious end for a hero that history will remember until the end of time. I never got to say goodbye. I never got to hear his last words. All I knew when it was all over was that Bellamy Bashira was no longer by my side. A manic euphoria filled the voice in my head when the realization hit me, I was no longer safe from it. The Dream ends here, the sleeper awakes... but what nightmares does he bring from the other side?
 
-Dream-Maker, The End