Chapter 38: Chapter 37 Scattered Dreams

They navigated the hidden waters of the sea of dreams. A shimmer drew Helios’s attention as it attempted to flee from them. True to his word, Tuktuk remained a silent observer and didn’t make any commentary. Helios pursued the shimmer in the overbearing darkness, casting out his web. His first toss missed and he was forced to try again. He got it on the second try and began to emulate Tuktuk’s actions of reeling it in. The shimmer surrounded the pair and transported them to a new location.

 

***

 

The pair floated in Echo form on the outskirts of a dark forest on an isolated mountaintop. Thick and pristine snow blanketed the ground in front of them, a blizzard buffeting the lonely peak. Amid it all sat a small cabin, firelight filtering between the cracks of the neatly stacked logs making up the walls.

 

“Stop wasting time and enter the dream,” Tuktuk instructed, giving Helios ethereal form a nudge. 

 

Helios stepped from the shadows and took on the appearance of a fat man dressed in silks. He wasn’t dressed for the weather but he didn’t feel its effects inside the dream. A half-empty sack was slung over his shoulder, it clinked as he walked. He paused to pull the sack from his shoulder and placed it on the snow in front of him. 

 

He untied the drawstring to examine the contents. The moment he got it open, gold coins spilled from inside. He tried to grab the coins but the moment he touched one, it lost its lustre and became colourless. He noticed one glimmering with a golden shimmer reminiscent of the previous dream. Picking it up, the coin retained its golden hue. 

 

He tucked the coin inside his shirt and left the others in the snow. He approached the lonely cabin and stepped onto the front porch. He walked past rickety furniture made from crudely cut logs covered in a layer of snow to the front door. He ignored the scent of woodsmoke pervading the air and kicked open the door. 

 

He burst inside and discovered the inside was completely different to the outside. Mountains of gold were heaped in every corner of the room. It was much larger on the inside than the exterior implied. The coins radiated a mesmerising glow accompanied by a pleasant heat. 

 

Coins clattered from the top of a hill to roll to a stop scattered across the floor at Helios’ feet. He looked up to discover a starved man with balding hair standing naked at the top. The man looked at him skittishly and began scooping up armfuls of coins in panic. 

 

“The God-damned tax collector! He found me all the way out here in the ass end of fucking nowhere. Leave me alone!” The dreamer shouted and angrily waved a fist at Helios.

 

“I don’t have the patience for this,” Helios said, walking forward. 

 

The lustre of the mountains of gold dimmed with every step, reducing the coins to ash. The dreamer retreated from him and tripped. He slid down the pile of gold until bumping against a wall to come to a stop. A thin stream of golden light flowed to the coin in Helios’ shirt. 

 

Helios paused and pulled the coin out to rest in his open palm. It became a focus for all the golden light. Torrents of light from every corner of the room concentrated on the coin as its weight became substantial in his hand. Helios looked up and spoke a single word.

 

“Break.”

 

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The skinny man watched in horror as his dream crumbled away. The walls crumbled away into the sky. A gale of wind blew the rickety door from its hinges and carried it away. Everywhere it passed, the mountains of gold were reduced to ash to be lifted in the strong wind. 

 

The snow turned into embers as the sky settled into a slow rotation, the storm clouds replaced with the vortex of the Hellgate. The dreamer scurried away from Helios getting closer, his figure turning transparent. The wooden floorboards of the cabin changed to the charred dirt of Hell under his desperate hands.

 

“You’re not the tax collector. What are you?...” the dreamer demanded, staring at Helios’ true visage for the first time. The guise of a tax collector replaced with his demonic appearance.

 

“It’s of little importance to you. I’m here to collect your ego to feed this offering. Just know that your sacrifice is not in vain,” Helios indifferently replied, holding up the single coin. The dreamer tried to speak but no sound came out as he transformed into a golden light that flowed into the coin.

 

***

 

The scenery once again returned to the sparsely furnished Nightmare lounge. Tuktuk was staring at Helios with a mixture of admiration and disgust.

 

“Now, that’s just cheating. How dare you completely disregard the antiquated traditions of being a Nightmare? Tuktuk is flabbergasted with you,” Tuktuk said in exasperation.

 

“It’s too easy not to. What do I do with this?” Helios asked, flipping the coin into the air and catching it in a different hand.

 

“A dream token. Not entirely useless, they’re required to purchase entry into certain Nightmare clubs. There, you can build connections or sell your services. Another option is to just treat it as a magic focus and augment it,” Tuktuk replied with a dramatic shrug. “Before we do anything though. You have all of these teeth and claws to convert into Nightmare tools. Get to work.”

 

Helios placed the dream token on the workbench before obediently pouring Genesis Aqua over a second tooth. He eagerly dove back into the sea of dreams to craft his next item. It was a lot easier to enter with practice. 

 

This is far easier than I anticipated. It seems my name’s true meaning is perfectly suited to becoming a Nightmare. I wonder what I should make next? It’s obviously important to have an idea before entering or the dreamer gets to shape it in my place. I won’t tolerate that happening again. I think I should make a set of weapons for Tsiyaha, Krutak, and my future Familia. 

 

With his plan in mind, Helios quickly submerged himself in search of his next victim.

 

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