The street lamps flickered restlessly as the Dreamwalker made his way down the blind alley. It was a cold and silent night, and the only sound that Xander could hear was the panicked beating of his own heart.
Dusty old windowpanes looked on as the lone wanderer navigated his way through the darkness. What lay before him was a bewildering crisscross of light and shade.
Xander pulled his jacket close and wrapped it tightly around himself as a cold breeze cut through his skin. His Chronica chimed thrice in quick succession and then turned silent again. He took it out of his pocket and glanced at its dial once more.
Both the hour and the minute hand were still pointing at twelve, but the glass had become foggy and dark.
As Xander crossed the little pawn shop on his left, the moon disappeared behind a veil of clouds, drowning the alley in darkness. The ground suddenly started rumbling under his feet, and a cackling laughter echoed in the distance.
With cautious steps, Xander continued his journey, groping his way through the darkness. At the blind end of the narrow alley was a shabby little inn teetering on its last pins. The dull brown paint on its walls was peeling off, and the pilasters supporting its slanting roof were full of cracks.
"Ale and Hearty," Xander read the name on the wooden display board, and he remembered hearing about this old inn on the news some five years ago. It had shut down during the last Red Plague, along with a host of other smaller shops in the area.
"I don't see any shrine here." Xander looked around, scanning the nearby buildings, but there was nothing resembling a temple or a shrine anywhere close. "Damn it, Mordred. I'm tired of your games!"
No sooner did he say those words, the inn collapsed into a heap of rubble and the ground underneath caved in, exposing a pit of flames. It swallowed the debris whole, drowning it in its fiery maw, and spat out a black skeletal key which Xander caught almost instinctively.
The very next second, the fire died out and the gaping hole in the ground mended automatically. A black portal appeared where the inn previously stood. Pieces of rocks and shards of broken glass came swirling out from the other side and converged together to create a terrifying wonder.
It was a black marble shrine with stained glass windows and a wooden double door bearing the image of a three-headed black dragon.
[New dark wonder discovered: Shrine of Mordred.]
[100 exp gained.]
[Accumulated exp: 0/500.]
[Level Up!]
[New Level: 2.]
[One Skill Point acquired!]
"Finally," Xander huffed, opening his skill tree. He put the additional skill point into the Master of Arms skill, instantly upgrading it to its next level.
[Skill upgraded successfully.]
[Master of Arms (level 2): The Dreamwalker can carry two weapons with him.]
With the upgrade added to his skill tree, Xander approached the shrine. He tried to push the wooden door open, but it refused to budge. Just then, he remembered that skeletal key he had acquired a while back.
Xander inserted the skeletal key into an oddly-shaped keyhole and twisted it gently, turning it to the right. The lock clicked inside, and the door opened with a rumbling groan..
As Xander entered the shrine, the door shut behind him, and the torches lining the walls lit up with purple flames. Up ahead in the distance, he saw the statue of Amara, and beside it was a gilded chest resting atop a granite pedestal.
Seeing the familiar objects once more, Xander breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could finally equip himself for what lay ahead.
Xander walked past the ancient candelabra stands and made his way to the chest first.
"Give me access to the Mystic Armory. Unlock the weapon's chest."
The chest responded to his command and its lid was thrown open. Inside it lay two brown clay tablets. By dropping to level 1 he had lost the other two items stored in it.
Xander picked up both the tablets and put them in his pocket.
[Weapons selected:]
[1. The Eyeless Watcher (Nightmare Weapon)]
[2. The Dream Cleaver (Nightmare Weapon)]
[Objective Complete: Acquire Mystical Weapons!]
[200 exp gained.]
[Accumulated exp: 200/500.]
[50 Nightmare Coins Acquired.]
[Blessing of Mordred Acquired: For the next two hours, the Dreamwalker will gain double shards and coins by defeating Ethereals and completing objectives.]
"That's good to know. It looks like he's really got my back."
Having acquired his weapons, Xander approached the statue of Amara. As he uttered the ancient incantation, a halo appeared behind the statue and a deck of Mystical cards materialized before him.
However, since his Card Collector skill had dropped to level 1, he was left with just the five previously used cards. Those were the same cards that he had equipped while entering Esther's Nightmare.
To add to his difficulties, his Dealer's Gift Skill was also at level 1 now, which meant that he could only take three cards with him.
After a great deal of pondering, he finally picked up three cards from the floating deck.
[Cards selected:]
[1. Beast Companion (Dream Card)]
[2. Destiny's Child (Dream Card)]
[3. Arctic Kiss (Dream Card)]
Now that he had everything that he needed, Xander was prepared to confront the Ethereals. He was about to turn around and walk away when the ground started rumbling.
A faint red aura spread across the room, and a red sandstone altar appeared between the statue and the gilded chest.
"What the hell is this? Don't tell me I need to worship Mordred now."
[Altar of Corruption has appeared!]
[Approach the altar to harness the power of corruption.]
Xander recalled Moreas using a corrupted card in the vision. One that allowed him to leech Xander's life force with a simple touch. Everything became crystal clear to him now.
"So your sister had appointed a herald too," he mused. "It makes sense that you would need my help."
Although Xander realized how dangerous it was to wield the power of corruption, he knew he couldn't defeat the cultists without it. With the flames of revenge burning in his heart, Xander approached the altar and knelt before it.
"Your herald is here, Mordred. Grant me the power of corruption!"
Almost instantly, the altar erupted with flames, and a demonic skull made of smoke appeared before him.
"Welcome to the temple of my master, Dreamwalker. You seek the power of corruption, but do you have the strength to wield it?"
Xander recognized that voice at once. "So, it's you, Gamkin. What a pleasant surprise," he snickered.
"You are an arrogant one, Dreamwalker," the demonic skull shrieked at him.
"I don't have time for all your theatrics. Just tell me how to use this altar."
"The Altar of Corruption demands sacrifice."
Xander looked up at the skull with knitted eyebrows and asked, "What kind of sacrifice?"
"The soul of a Mystic," Gamkin replied in an ominous voice, and the whole room filled up with dense gray smoke. "Every time you kill another Mystic, their soul will become bound to your Chronica. You can sacrifice their souls at the altar to acquire a corrupted weapon or card."
"You can forget about it. I'm not sacrificing any souls to your master," Xander snapped back. "I don't need Mordred's help. I can handle the cultists and Ethereals on my own."
Although Xander was hell bent on seeking revenge, he wasn't blind enough to let his hatred get the better of him. He knew that sacrificing souls to a dark deity was never going to end well.
Hearing Xander's reply, Gamkin roared with laughter. "Don't be so sure, Dreamwalker. You will be back soon enough to seek his dark blessings."
With those ominous last words, the skull dived onto the altar, dousing its flames. The smoke filling the room, gradually dissipated, and the door behind Xander was thrown open by a sudden gust of wind.
As Xander walked out of the shrine, his radio started beeping. It was Chief Volgin on the other end.
"These monsters are more resilient than we thought. We need your advice. Where are you?"
Xander crushed one of the clay tablets, equipping the Eyeless Watcher in his right hand. "I'm on my way. Just make sure none of the Ethereals get out of the park."