historical

Chapter 31: Homeward bound

Once Xander was back in the real world, his system flashed open before his eyes, displaying the completion notification he had been eagerly waiting for.

[Death Nightmare ended.]

[Nightmare Portal closed.]

[Primary objective completed: Appease the Last Memory.]

[1000 exp gained.]

[Accumulated exp: 200/3000.]

[Level Up!]

[Current Level: 5.]

[One Skill Point Acquired.]

[500*2 Nightmare Coins Acquired.]

[Blessings of Mordred withdrawn.]

[Rank enhancement available.]

[Head to the Shrine of Mordred to gain a new rank.]

"Finally," Xander sighed, opening his skill tree. Adding the extra skill point to the Mystic Armory skill, he confirmed his selection.

[Skill upgraded!]

[Mystic Armory (Level 2): The Dreamwalker can store up to four Mystical Weapons in his armor.]

With that, Xander successfully completed upgrading all the basic skills available to him. To unlock the next tier of skills, he needed to enhance his rank.

At one time, starting from square one had seemed like the most frustrating thing in the world, but he had leveled up rather quickly due to the recent Ethereal encounters.

All that remained now was acquiring more cards and a wider selection of weapons to help in his future exploits.

As Xander stepped out of the shadows, the first rays of the morning sun swept away the daunting darkness, ushering in a hopeful dawn.

With the Nightmare Portal closed, the birds flew back to their treetop homes, and the park was once more abuzz with the chittering of insects and hooting of distant owls.

Accompanied by Detective Locksley, Chief Volgin approached the Dreamwalker to try and make sense of all that happened.

"You can ask your men to withdraw from the park. I've closed the portal. The Ethereals won't be back anytime soon," Xander reassured them.

The Chief of Police had witnessed many a bizarre phenomenon during his long career, but nothing came close to this. There were several questions in his mind, but for now, he stuck to the most important ones.

"What did you see on the other side?" he asked.

"Nothing good," Xander replied. "We were lucky that only a Goblin and a bunch of Implings managed to cross over. Things would've ended a lot differently if the Barghests had found a way out."

"Barghests? You mean the spectral black dogs from folklore?"

"I wish it was just an old tale, but those things are pretty real in the veiled world." Xander zipped his jacket back up as the cold air nipped at him. "My job's done here. I believe you owe me something."

"What?" the Chief asked curiously.

Xander extended his right hand and added, "My payment. Fifteen thousand for clearing the park, and another fifteen for closing that portal."

Before the Chief could utter a reply, Detective Locksley cut in sharply. "You just did the city a great service by taking out those monsters. And now you want payment for this?"

"Of course I do," Xander replied without any hesitation.

"Tell me one good reason why I should humor your request instead of just throwing you in some damp old cell," Chief Volgin spoke in a much sterner voice, hoping to intimidate the Dreamwalker.

However, it had little effect on Xander. He sneered at the Chief, showing his complete disregard for his authority. "You're a cop. You're free to arrest me, Chief. But who's gonna solve your Ethereal problem once you've put me behind bars?"

"There are other Dreamwalkers like you. I hate to break it to you, but you aren't special."

"Call them. See if they have time for you. Most of the Dreamwalkers have left the city by now," Xander replied, demonstrating the same clinical composure he had exhibited back at Esther's apartment. "Like it or not, Chief, but I am your best bet. Thirty thousand vireks," he repeated..

Although Chief Volgin couldn't stand Xander's inflated ego, his choices were limited in these troubled times. He knew his men would never have stood a chance against those things if Xander hadn't shown up when he did.

After a long spell of silence, Xander spoke again. "I'm not trying to con you. All I'm asking for is fair payment for my services. A meagre sum of thirty thousand vireks shouldn't be such a problem for you."

"It's not about the money. It's just disturbing to see someone put a price on saving lives." The Chief corked an eye at him, questioning his motives and principles.

"I don't care what you think of me," Xander replied curtly.

"You could've become a hero for the citizens, but you choose to belittle your own efforts by asking for payment. The city would have—"

"I don't want to be a hero," Xander cut in sharply. "I'll leave that to you and your men. If you want my help, you will have to pay me. It's as simple as that."

"Your fees are quite steep. I don't have that much money on me right now," the Chief muttered in annoyance.

"That's fine. I accept cheques as well."

Chief Volgin frowned at him. He had met many Dreamwalkers over the years, but there was something different about Xander. It was almost as if he didn't care about anything else as long as he was getting paid.

After a long spell of silence, he finally relented. "I'll have the cash sent to your apartment by afternoon."

"Appreciate it," Xander replied curtly, with little intention of prolonging the conversation. But just as he turned to leave, the Chief called him back.

"There are still other portals in Merantis that need to be closed."

Xander stopped but didn't turn around. "If it's not in Faros, it's not my headache. Call me when you find any leads on the cultists. I'll take them down for free."

***

Hailing a cab, Xander returned to his apartment, but not before making a couple of stops on the way.

On his third knock, Leena opened the door. Her drowsy eyes and messy hair suggested that she hadn't slept all night. Nonetheless, she welcomed him with her usual warm smile and helped him to a cold glass of water.

"How did it go?" she asked after Xander had taken off his jacket and sprawled himself on the couch.

Pulling off his shoes and socks, Xander stretched his legs and then went on to take off his shirt. "I closed the portal. The park's safe for now," he replied cracking his stiffening neck.

"What the hell is that?" Leena was shocked to see the black patch of skin on Xander's back. She could smell the rot even though she was sitting on the other chair.

"I let one of the Implings get too close," Xander answered, popping a painkiller into his mouth. "Unfortunately, my amulet can't heal rot."

"Guess you're in luck today," Leena huffed, rolling her eyes. She moved in to take her seat right next to Xander and pulled out a shiny star-shaped pendant from inside her tee. "Stay still. This should take a minute."

Holding the pendant in her left hand, she placed her right palm on Xander's back. Her fingers lingered over the rotten spot and her lips moved in rhythm as she uttered an ancient incantation.

Leena's fingers lit up with a faint green glow as the pendant started vibrating within her palm. A numbing coldness spread across Xander's back, and the pain gently eased. The rotten patch of his skin gradually returned to its natural color, and the scar underneath faded into a faint scratch.

"What would I do without you, Leena?" Xander chirped, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You need to be more careful next time," Leena replied. Rubbing her palm gently over his back one final time, she put the pendant back inside her clothing. "It's done. You should be all good now."

Xander put his shirt back on and thanked Leena. She was the only person he knew he could count on almost blindly. Even though Xander's life was a complete mess, their friendship had withstood the test of time.

Xander had learned at an early age that the world was a dangerous place, and those who tried to act selflessly always ended up paying a hefty price. And after losing his sister, he'd shut everyone out of his life. Everyone, except little Tiva and his only friend in the world, Leena.

"You mind telling me what happened out there?" Leena asked, interrupting Xander's thoughts.

Xander took a deep breath, and washed the painkiller down with a generous gulping of water. He then went on to narrate everything starting from his visit to the Shrine of Mordred, to his encounter with the cultist's distorted Last Memory.

"They're going after the Verlaine-era artifacts," Leena said after hearing everything.

"The what?" Xander asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"There are three artifacts from the age of Emperor Verlaine. The Ordinaires often refer to them as the Tainted Relics."

Xander was surprised by her knowledge. Though he had read about Emperor Verlaine in the history books, he had no idea about the tainted relics. That piece of information was reserved for the scholars and bookworms.

"Do you know where they're located?" he asked.

Leena shook her head. "I don't. But our Guild library has a map that can be used to track them."

"That's convenient. Looks like we need to pay our guild a visit." Xander checked the time on his watch and added, "We'll head to the Guild House in the evening. I need you to come with me."

Leena readily agreed to join him but on one condition. He had to promise they wouldn't try to break into the Guild Master's room and would only take the map and nothing else.