A dragon sighting wasn't uncommon in the Nightscape, but most of them were either fledglings of the Golden Horned Dragons or weak Bone Dragons summoned by necromancers.
However, the dragon in front of Xander wasn't one of the common species. It was one of the rarest Elder Dragons in existence and was often depicted as Shamura's pet in the forbidden texts.
Xander felt a bitter chill run down his spine as his eyes stared in awe at the fearful sight. The three-headed dragon had a wingspan of several hundred feet and was covered in blood-red scales that glowed like rubies in the dark. Its eyes were blacker than the blackest night, and its claws sharper than polished steel daggers.
Its spiky red tail alone surpassed ten horses laid end to end, and its enormous black tongues were longer than the longest vipers found in the forests of Asunia.
Sharp, white fangs stuck out of its mouth, and a hundred spiny scales formed uneven ridges on its back, stretching all the way up to the start of its tail. The beast looked like it had been summoned straight out of the underworld.
Xander knew he had no chance of defeating the monstrosity, much less repelling the entire opposing army. So instead of trying to play the hero, the Dreamwalker chose to flee the battlefield.
Kicking the Griffin with his spurs, Xander compelled it to nosedive toward the ground. The crimson dragon's heads bobbed up and down as the creature opened its gaping black mouths.
Swirling hot flames from its ever-burning belly spiraled upward through its three throats and collected in the black pit of its maw. Embers erupted from its mouth as it exhaled vigorously, dousing the entire battlefield in fire.
Tongues of flames licked the edges of Xander's jacket as he steered his Griffin out of harm's way.
The Crimson Dragon pushed the air back with its massive red wings and turned around to pursue its prey. Though its enormous size had crowned it the ruler of the bleeding skies, it didn't help when chasing fast prey.
Xander's Griffin swiftly cut across the sky, using the western updraft to gain momentum and increase its speed. The dragon kept on its tail, charring everything in its path with its fiery breath.
A few sharp turns helped the Griffin avoid getting hit by the swirling fire spray, but the extreme heat singed the feathers on its wings.
With the Crimson Dragon hot on his tail, Xander looked around frantically for a cave or hollow he could take shelter in to avoid being roasted alive, but the plains offered no protection.
It was just acres upon acres of tall green grass and clumps of thorny bushes.
Xander's eyes widened in horror as he looked down. This side of the battlefield was overrun with dark creatures summoned from the bowels of the Nightscape.
A hundred Chaos Mages were standing in line, their shriveled fingers holding crooked wooden staves and their lips moving in unison to complete the dark spell.
Protecting the magic casters was a horde of undead Hobgoblins armed with halberds and polearms. All of them were dressed in tattered black rags and engulfed in a hazy black miasma.
Black, three-headed bulls with glowing red horns were rampaging across the battlefield, whipped forward by the ash-skinned imps riding on their lumpy backs.
"There's no way any living army can win against these creatures. Not even the Royal Cavaliers can take them on."
The words were barely out of Xander's mouth when he spotted a regiment of Blood Elves dressed in tainted mistral armor, holding enchanted wooden bows.
As soon as the cursed archers spotted the Dreamwalker, they started pulling out arrows out of thin air and leveling them against the bridges of their bows. With their bowstrings drawn back, they lifted their weapons at an angle and aimed at the human who had dared to fly into their territory.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Xander realized he was about to be riddled with arrows and tugged at the reins of his mount, forcing it to change direction and pull a hard left.
The arrows whizzed past him, piercing the dark clouds like needles. Though Xander had survived the elven attack, the Crimson Dragon was still hot on his trail.
A torrent of searing hot flames gushed at Xander, threatening to turn him to ash, but before it could reach him, he flew between the narrow gap between the twin hills in the distance.
It was a narrow escape, but Xander wasn't out of the woods yet. Though he had managed to create some distance between him and the dragon, it wasn't ready to give up the chase.
"Why the hell do you keep following me?" he shouted, looking over his shoulder.
It was as if the Crimson Dragon had marked Xander as its favorite prey.
The deeper Xander ventured into enemy territory, the more horrifying it became. Grotesque monstrosities with mutilated limbs and scarred bodies were lumbering across the undulating grasslands, mindlessly clubbing everything in their path.
The red clouds swirling overhead were replaced by dark gray ones rumbling with thunder. A glowing red eye peeped from the smoky canopy, gazing at the carnage below.
"What the hell is that?"
"This world is ours for the taking!" a hoarse voice echoed in the distance
"Zorril! So, you're the one leading this army!" Xander exclaimed, spurring his Griffin forward.
A hot gust of air nearly knocked Xander off his mount as the Crimson Dragon dispersed the clouds with its scorching breath. Beads of sweat rolled down his smooth forehead, and his throat turned drier than a desert in summer.
Flying for so long was beginning to take its toll on both Xander and his mount. The Griffin was starting to slow down, and the dragon was gradually gaining on them.
Xander took the reins in his left hand and held out his right hand. "I need a spear!"
A new lighting spear materialized in his hand almost immediately. Xander pulled the reins of his Griffin, making it climb upward. With the last ounce of power left in its tired muscles, the beast tore through the clouds and emerged on the other side of a darkening sky.
Undeterred by the elevation, the Crimson Dragon stormed upward, sweeping the clouds back with a gust of wind from its massive membranous wings.
As the dragon's horned head appeared on the other side, Xander took aim and hurled his spear like a javelin. It shrieked across the sky, emitting sparks of electricity, and went straight through the dragon's right eye, impaling its middle head.
The beast growled in pain as lightning coursed through its body. But it wasn't enough to bring the monstrosity down. The attack merely slowed it, buying Xander a few precious seconds.
"Why don't you just go down, you bastard?" Xander cursed in frustration. Even with the spear lodged in its eye, the dragon wasn't ready to retreat.
Seeing no way out of this mess, the Dreamwalker turned his Griffin around. "Please don't die on me here. I need to get out of this mess. Tiva is waiting for me. I can't die here."
As if understanding the words that came out of Xander's mouth, the Griffin let out a shrill cry that echoed across the sky.
Within seconds, hundreds of wild Royal Griffins flocked to Xander, their golden feathers radiating an aura so bright that it dazzled the eyes. It was a sight to behold. A sight that was as rare as an encounter with a Crimson Dragon.
Xander's mount flapped its feeble wings and let the dying winds carry it onward. The roar of the Crimson Dragon sent shivers down the Dreamwalker's spine as it approached from behind.
But before the dragon could open its mouth to spew fire at its prey, the Royal Griffins swarmed it from all sides, their talons and beaks tearing at its scales.
Even with their superior numbers, they were no match for the monstrosity. The dragon's fiery breath incinerated them in seconds, clearing a path for it.
Just when Xander was ready to give up, he saw a bright red portal opening in the sky. Without even thinking about it, he flew into it. The dragon exhaled once more, flooding the sky with fire, but the portal closed before the flames could burn the fleeing Griffin.
The Dreamwalker suddenly dropped from the sky and landed on a cold stone floor, almost breaking his jaw. The battlefield had been left far behind, and he was lying inside a cottage now.
[Objective completed: Navigate your way through the carnage!]
[2000 exp gained.]
[Current Level: 6.]
[Accumulated exp: 2000/3500.]
[30 Nightmare Coins obtained!]
[Unidentified Relic acquired!]
Dusting himself, Xander slowly raised himself back to his feet. Floating a few paces away from him was a glowing white scroll with two pointy silver tips sticking out from both ends.