Chapter 28: The second nightmare

Chapter 28: The second nightmare

Left all alone in the desert once again, Xander found plenty of time to ponder his recent encounter. Even though he had been on this path for two years, he had never encountered a merchant during any of his visits to the Nightscape.

He wondered if there were other such merchants beyond the veil or if this wandering being was the only one of his kind. There had been accounts of a mysterious trader visiting the more experienced Dreamwalkers, but the descriptions always varied from one person to another.

Xander would have liked to get to the bottom of this mystery, but since there were more pressing matters at hand, he couldn't dally any longer.

A few minutes after the merchant had left, Xander's system displayed a new notification.

[Welcome to the Nightscape]

[New Objective: Traverse the shifting sands and find the Last Memory.]

[Bonus Objective: Unseal the scroll to learn its secrets.]

Seeing the words flashing on the panel, Xander remembered the relic he had acquired from the vision. Unzipping his leather jacket, he fished out the scroll from its inner pocket.

"How exactly am I supposed to unseal this?" he asked his system.

[Hint: Perform the Ritual of Light at the Shrine of Kiya to unseal unidentified relics.]

"I suppose a map would have helped," Xander sighed, glancing at his Chronica. Since the hour hand always pointed in the direction of the Last Memory, it was clear that the minute hand was indicating the way to the secondary objective.

Heading straight north would lead him right to the Shrine of Kiya, but the Last Memory was located on the northeastern side. Xander had to choose between the two objectives.

After a bit of pondering, Xander decided to head for the Shrine. Though closing the portal was of prime importance, he had a hunch that the scroll he had obtained from the vision was connected to the cultists.

Out here in the Nightscape, time was on Xander's side since each hour spent here was only equivalent to ten minutes in the real world. He had no reason to hurry, but the longer he stayed inside this nightmare, the more hostile it would become.

Without wasting another precious second, Xander used his Beast Companion card to summon the white direwolf once more. Climbing on its back, he commanded it to follow the trail of withered palm trees which snaked around the dunes.

Although riding the direwolf was faster than traversing the desert on foot, the presence of a summoned entity in the Nightscape was bound to attract unwanted attention.

Riding the howling western wind, the direwolf darted across the sandy terrain like an arrow. Xander held on tight, grabbing the creature's fluffy white fur and leaning forward.

Cold cerulean eyes watched from the darkness as the beast bounded over the tumbling mounds of sand overlooked by barren palm trees in the distance.

Xander was about to pull out his Chronica to see if they were on the right path when a series of unearthly howls shattered the silence, sending shivers down his spine.

As the Dreamwalker looked around, he saw ghastly canines standing atop the surrounding dunes. There was not a shred of flesh on their dull white bones, and their skeletal flames were enveloped in pale blue flames.

"What the hell are Flame Barghests doing inside a desert? This is one messed up nightmare," Xander mumbled, his throat drying up in fear.

Barghests were usually found inside desolate woodlands and swamps. These ghastly Ethereals were born out of dark magic and existed for the sole purpose of hunting wandering travelers and smaller Ethereals.

Having encountered a Barghest in the ruins of an old moon temple before, Xander knew it was almost impossible to outrun these creatures. They were unrelenting while pursuing their prey and could cover hundreds of miles in mere minutes.

Flame Barghests were among the most powerful spectral pack hunters in the Nightscape. Even a pair of these spectral beasts could set entire forests ablaze, and here Xander had run into five of them.

Any experienced Dreamwalker knew that the best way to deal with a Barghest was by undoing the curse that had turned them into ethereal entities. However, to force a Barghest into its corporeal form, one needed to lead it into the light.

Unlike the undead, Barghests weren't afraid of sacred shrines and could easily enter hallowed ground. The only light they feared was the bright glow of the morning sun. noVE-LB-1n

Unfortunately for Xander, it was the middle of the night and since this was a twisted nightmare, there was no telling when the sun would rise.

The only other way to harm a Flame Barghest while it was still in its spectral form was by dousing its flames. For that, however, Xander needed to find a source of water.

With the Barghests growling behind, Xander slapped his direwolf on its side to make it sprint faster. Even though the desert looked bone dry, the presence of palm trees and clumps of Dream Dorrels suggested the presence of a nearby oasis.

As the Barghests quickened their pace and closed the distance, Xander made his direwolf turn to its right and jump over the bushes. Once they were clear of the Dream Dorrels, he looked over his shoulder and fired at the egg-shaped golden berries hanging from the prickly green strands.

The Dream Dorrels being sentient plants immediately responded to the threat by sprouting thorny vines and lashing out furiously in all directions. Xander had managed to get far away by this time, but the Barghests weren't so lucky.

Before the cursed Ethereals could leap over the bushes, the Dream Dorrel vines latched onto their bony limbs, holding them down. Out of the five Barghests, not even one managed to get past the bushes.

By firing at the Dream Dorrel berries, Xander had triggered an improvised trap. It was the best idea he could think of at that moment, but he knew it wasn't going to hold back the Barghests for long.

Xander's eyes kept scanning the horizon as he frantically searched for any signs of a water source. His direwolf was gradually beginning to tire, but it kept pushing on.

And just when all hope seemed to be lost, Xander spied a pond of crystal clear water in the distance surrounded by desert lilies and palm trees.

By this time the Barghests had managed to burn through the vines holding them down and break free once more. Their howls resounded across the barren desert as they picked up the Dreamwalker's trail.

Xander drove his direwolf hard, slapping its sides like a frenzied jockey. The beast bounded across the desert as fast as its tired muscles could carry it.

"We're almost here. That's—

The words were pushed back into Xander's drying throat as he discovered that the oasis was nothing more than an illusion. There was no pond there, not even a small puddle. Just like many others before, he too had been tricked by the Nightscape.