After a surprisingly sound, albeit short night's sleep, Iris awoke to the aroma of fresh soup filling the cave. When she groaned and rolled over in search of the source, she spotted Autumn and Adan preparing break in the large cooking pot across camp. She groggily climbed to her feet and meandered her way over to the chefs, hoping she'd be lucky enough to get one of the first servings.

"I thought all your ingredients were in my bag?" she asked as she approached Autumn, who was standing atop a stack of flat stones and stirring the huge pot with a comically long ladle.

"They are," Autumn said without looking away from her work, "now add the salt."

Adan lifted a paper bag of salt over the edge of the pot and dumped it into the mixture. Before Iris could ask for clarification, Autumn spoke again.

"Abby got them out for me while you were sleeping."

Iris looked down at the bag tied to her waist, then back to Autumn, "I didn't realize she trusted you that much."

"What? We're besties, right Abby?"

Uncertain but positive sounding tones emanated from the bag.

"See?"

Iris shrugged, "when's breakfast ready?"

Autumn withdrew the ladle and gently took a sip of the broth, "about five minutes."

A short while later, Iris and her party were gathered outside their tent sitting on whatever buckets, crates or rocks they could muster. Adan had been gracious enough to offer to handle serving the rest of the crew so that Autumn could eat with her party, and they were all glad to enjoy a meal together -- an occurrence that had grown increasingly rare since setting sail on the Gaping Maw.

"So how was the fight?" Eli asked abruptly.

Iris's eyes shot up from her bowl and towards Victoria, who shrugged, "don't look at me."

Eli pointed at her robes, which were singed from flames, "the other option is that you fell in the fire, but considering I haven't heard any screams around camp--"

"I went for a walk last night," Iris said, lowering her bowl and straightening her shoulders in preparation for an argument, "I ran into a ghost, it wasn't a big a deal."

Eli nodded calmly, "good thing you have that silver-edged sword, then."

"Actually it didn't help much, I ended up having to use my stick," she said, relieved that Eli didn't seem to be upset.

"What do you mean it didn't help much?" Victoria asked.

"I don't know, it didn't really seem to do a lot? I stabbed right through it, and it didn't even react."

Victoria placed her bowl on the ground and reached out towards Iris, "let me see your sword."

With a skeptical expression, Iris gently tapped the bag at her waist. A tentacle rose out of the bag, doubled back on itself and reached into the void. A second later it pulled out the silver and marble great sword, which it carefully twisted around to avoid hitting anyone before reaching out and orienting the hilt towards Victoria.

Victoria shifted into her spectral form, drifted over and lightly placed her fingers on one of the silver bands that splintered through the blade. The tips of her fingers instantly turned to flesh, and shortly after began to sizzle. She snatched her hand away, shifted back to her physical form, and held her hand out towards Titus without looking. He reached out a glowing white hand and gently tapped her palm to heal the burns on her fingers, then returned to his soup.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"That wasn't a mimic wraith," Victoria said flatly.

"What?" Iris asked.

"If it was a wraith it would have reacted to the silver."

"Then what did I fight?" Iris was growing nervous.

Victoria thought for a moment while she returned to her seat and picked up her bowl, and then shrugged, "I don't know."

Iris leaned forward, "what do you mean you don't know? What if I didn't kill it?" she quickly glanced over either shoulder, "what if it's still after me?"

"I wouldn't worry," Victoria said, "unless you start having nightmares."

Iris's eyes went wide, "why? What would that mean?"

"That would mean the thing you fought might be a nightmare. Not like, the dreams themselves, but a creature called a nightmare that causes them."

"What else do they do? Where do they come from and how do I get rid of them?" Iris was speaking quickly and about to rise from her seat.

Victoria seemed surprised by how worried she was, "it's very unlikely it's a nightmare, they only show up after particularly traumatic experiences, usually after someone has almost--" she stopped abruptly and glanced towards Eli.

"Almost what?" Iris asked, finally shooting to her feet.

"almost died," Eli finished.

"I forget--" Victoria stammered, "I mean, it happens to you so often I kind of just got used to it."

"Am I haunted again?" Iris demanded.

Victoria and Eli exchanged glances, while Titus set aside his soup and looked to his frequent patient with concern.

"If it is a nightmare," Victoria said, "which we don't know it is -- then no, not exactly. Nightmares aren't ghosts, they're living creatures made of mana."

"Oh good," Iris scoffed, "so I'm not haunted, I'm just being stalked by a shadow person."

"We don't know that--" Eli started.

"How do I get rid of it?" Iris interrupted.

"You have to vanquish it in battle," Victoria explained, "but not in the real world -- in your dreams."

Iris collapsed back into her seat and put her face in her hands, "how am I even supposed to do that?"

"I'm not sure," Victoria said with an apologetic tone, "Eli?"

Eli shook his head, "I don't know anything about nightmares that you don't."

"How urgent is this?" Titus asked.

"Well," Victoria took a breath, "not extremely. Nightmares work slow, they deprive victims of sleep, assault them with traumatic visions, and in rare cases cause hallucinations. Their goal isn't usually to kill the victim, but to slowly drive them mad until they kill themselves. They only attack directly when the victim is alone in the dark, so as long as Iris avoids that, we have time."

All eyes turned towards Iris.

"What?" she asked.

"We need to figure out something quick," Titus said.

"Agreed," Eli said.

"It's not like I go running off into the dark every night," Iris seemed offended, and the others seemed unconvinced. Seeing the skepticism in their eyes, she shifted her approach, "okay then, fine. I'd rather solve this problem sooner rather than later, anyway. What do we do?"

No one spoke for a moment, and then Victoria sighed, "I know someone who might be able to help -- or at least tell me how to help."

Eli shot a glance towards Victoria, "tell me you didn't."

Victoria looked back at him with a blank expression. It would be unreadable to anyone else, but Eli saw through her.

"Dammit, Vic!" Eli shot to his feet and stormed away, but promptly paced back and pointed a finger at her, "it's way too soon, you knew that!"

Autumn and Titus exchanged uncomfortable looks, while Iris looked back and forth between Victoria and Eli with confusion, "what's going on?"

"She made a pact with the Dreamweaver!" Eli nearly shouted.

"You don't have to tell the whole camp," Victoria said, rising to her feet to confront him.

"And you didn't have to sell your soul, but here we are!"

"I didn't sell it. I made a deal that benefits me--"

"Benefits you?" Eli asked incredulously, "you saw her out there, Vic. She doesn't care about anyone but herself, she'll put you in danger and let you die like all the others -- or did you already forget how many people we lost under her command?"

Victoria stepped up to Eli and put her face an inch from his, speaking quietly but sternly, "I dragged their bodies out of the webs myself, and I remember each of their lifeless faces. Don't ever accuse me of forgetting them."

Eli looked angry for a moment, but then his expression softened and he took a step back, "Vic, I-- you're right. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to like my decisions but you don't get to tell me how to make them."

"I just wish you'd talked to me first--"

"I did," Victoria said sternly, "I considered your advice, and then I made my own decision."

Eli wiped a hand down his face, "okay. I'm going for a walk."

He turned and walked away towards the entrance to the cavern.

"I'm sorry, Vic," Iris said, "I didn't mean to--"

"It's not your fault," she interrupted, "he was going to find out sooner or later. The Dreamweaver should be contacting me in the coming nights, I'll let you know when I learn something."

Iris wanted to say more, but simply nodded. Victoria shifted into her spectral form and sunk into the stone, out of sight.

"How long has that been brewing?" Autumn asked.

"Since we left the city, I guess," Titus said.

"Whelp," Autumn said, shooting to her feet with an empty bowl, "not my problem. Anyone else want seconds?"