"I can't believe you actually did it!" Slade said, grinning from ear to ear. "You broke into the Church of Rhore and made it out alive!" He shook his head in disbelief.

"We were just lucky that Quimby had an open mind," Jasper said, "and not just that - but he might've given us a real lead on this Mask of Mandu."

"Don't hold your breath just yet," Rogue John said.

"We'll know how solid it is soon enough."

The three of them had gathered in what they now referred to as "the planning room" - the back room of Slade's tavern. Vesper was watching the bar, though it was early morning and there wasn't much traffic in the place. Jasper, Artie, and John had gotten back in early morning and gotten about three hours of sleep. Slade had stayed awake to greet them, and had already had beds prepared for them upstairs.

Artie had gotten up first and gone back to the college to try and find information on the mask, while the others had taken down all the maps and diagrams off the walls of the planning room. He'd been gone for a few hours already, and when John asked Jasper if he thought Artie needed help, Jasper replied with a chuckle and shook his head. "The library is Artie's domain. He'll be back soon." And not a few minutes later, Artie was walking through the door, clutching a bag of books and scrolls.

"You'll never guess what happened to me!" Artie said, shutting the door and taking a deep breath.

"You brought us all breakfast?" John asked.

"I got robbed! Well, almost."

"Are you okay?" Jasper asked, now noticing Artie's robes were dirty and disheveled.

"It was the strangest thing. Three guys stopped me in an alley and pushed me to the ground. I dropped the scrolls and was trying to scramble to get them. When I picked them up and tried to run away, they were all laying on the ground, groaning in pain. Some of them were even bleeding!"

"You didn't see what happened?"

"No, I was focused on the scrolls."

"Did you finish 'em off?" John asked.

Artie looked mortified. "Kill them? No!"

"Seems like someone's looking out for you," Slade said. "Probably not Rhore, though, since you broke into his church last night."

"I'll take it," Artie said, unloading the scrolls onto the table. "I found what Quimby was talking about. This scroll talks about the Mask of Mandu."

"What's it say?" Jasper asked.

"It's named after the dragon whose scale the mask was carved from. It was removed after the dragon's death and blessed by a shaman of the Holy Valley. After that, it was reported that anyone who put on the mask was healed of any illnesses or lingering pains. Even old scars disappeared!"

"Sounds like exactly what Cerana needs, but what's the catch?" Slade asked. "There's always a catch."

Artie shrugged. "It doesn't mention anything. I've read through it twice."

Rogue John asked, "If the answer to your friend's problem was at your wizard club all along, why didn't anyone think about the mask already?"

"Have you ever seen the library there? It's massive!"

"If the answer was there the whole time, I'm not sure if you do have someone looking out for you," Slade said.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"That doesn't matter now," Jasper said. "We need to find out where this mask is. Does it say?"

"It doesn't. These things get passed around throughout the years, so it could be anywhere. Our only lead would be in the Holy Valley to the east, unless we get lucky again and find someone who knows about this thing." Artie laughed nervously.

Slade said, "We just might."

Rogue John smirked and shook his head. "Oh, bollocks..."

----------------------------------------

About four hours later, the door to the meeting room opened and a dragonborn walked in. Jasper's eyes went wide at the sight of the man who stood a foot taller than even Slade. He had orange scales on top of dark yellow skin, and multiple red horns jutting straight back like slicked hair. He wore the armor of a samurai, as well as a katana and a tanto in his belt. A giant smile was plastered across his face.

"Slade, my friend, it's good you called on me! It's been too long!" The dragonborn moved in for a hug, which Slade returned.

"Good to see you, Ryujin," Slade said.

Jasper was still a little surprised. In all their mentioning of Ryujin, they had never said he was a dragonborn. The race wasn't rare in this part of the world, but it was uncommon as they tended to stay in the east or the south.

Ryujin turned his attention to Rogue John, who stood in the corner scowling up at the dragonborn. Ryujin laughed gleefully as he approached the halfling. He squatted down low and reached his arms out for a hug, only stopping when John pulled a knife and poked him gently in the chest with it.

"Ah... Perhaps a handshake will do?" Ryujin held his hand out.

Rogue John laughed and the knife disappeared with the flick of his wrist. He reached out and shook the dragon's hand, though it made his look like a child's. "For pleasantries sake, it's good to see you, you big, scaly bastard."

Ryujin said, "I know you've missed me, Rogue John. I would have visited you, had you only given me your address."

The halfling sighed as Slade interjected, "Ryujin, meet Jasper Hemlock and Artie Gibberton. They're students at the wizard college."

The dragonborn shook both their hands. "Learned men, I see. Well met."

"You too," Jasper said. "Slade and John mentioned you might be able to help us with something."

Ryujin looked at his two friends and said, "I will certainly try. What do you need?"

The five of them took seats around the table and together they told the tale as it had been so far. Ryujin expressed sympathy for Cerana's plight, a smile at the mention of his old friend Udai, and solemnity as they described their infiltration of the Church of Rhore. At mention of the Mask of Mandu, he sat straighter, closed his eyes, and breathed in deeply.

"So you know about this mask?" Artie asked him.

Ryujin nodded and opened his eyes. "I do. I killed the dragon who bore it's namesake, and from whom the scale was used to carve the mask from."

"You killed a dragon?" Jasper asked. He and Artie looked at each other, eyes wide and mouth gaping.

"I've killed four."

Jasper didn't think he could be any more surprised, but he was wrong. The initial shock of having met someone who had killed multiple dragons turned into the shock of realization that a dragonborn had killed them.

"What made you do that?" Artie asked. "I mean, you're descended from dragons..."

"This is not my natural form. I was human once, like you."

"I have a lot of questions."

Slade and Rogue John chuckled together, and Ryujin said, "I will tell you my story one day, but for now, let's focus on the task at hand. You wish to retrieve the Mask of Mandu?"

"It's our only lead to helping our friend," Jasper said. "Do you know where it is?"

"Last I heard, it was still in the east. Let me speak with some contacts I have, and I'll see what we need to do."

"We?" Jasper was surprised to have Ryujin's aid so easily. "You'll help us?"

"I will. I have been wandering, as of late. Like a ronin. It will be good to have purpose again, and what better than to help someone in need? I will do what I can for your friend."

Artie said, "Thank you!" Looking to Slade and Rogue John, he added, "And thank you both, as well. We couldn't have made it this far without you. I guess you'll be wanting to go on about your own lives now?"

Slade crossed his arms. "I've been feeling a bit of regret for not helping you with the church. If you'll be going east, I suppose I'll join you."

"You will?" Artie lit up, and Jasper smiled as well, nodding thanks to Slade.

"What about you, Rogue John?" Slade asked, smirking at the halfling.

He grumbled something under his breath and said, "Dammit, you and Ryujin are going to make me look bad... Fine, I'll help you find the bloody mask. But I'm only going so I can be pain in Ryujin's arse!"

Ryujin clapped John on the shoulder with a massive hand, nearly knocking him into the floor. "Very good! Now the only person we need is Udai and the entire family will be back together!"

"Family?" John murmured, perplexed.

"I'll try talking to him again," Slade said. "Maybe he feels regretful, as well."

Jasper couldn't help but smile. This was the most hopeful he'd felt in a long time, after a string of mishaps and dead leads. Please, Cerana, just hold on a little longer...