Logan ran back to Sidney’s house and found Elijah and Eve tending to Sidney on the ground. The dragonslayer let out a sigh of relief seeing Eve wrapping one of the woman’s arms with a bandage. She was just unconscious . Elijah stood as Logan approached.

“I contacted Lance and Josh” the psyche user said “they just picked up Matt from the hotel and are heading here. Skye is getting Louie now, what happened to the killer”

“He got away” Logan said “we should get inside in case any police were called”

“How could you let him get away?” Elijah asked angrily “you saw what they did to Brutus and Sidney”

“How could you not see him coming” Logan responded, heat entering his voice

“He didn’t have a psyche!” Elijah spat out “I can’t see what’s not there”

“What do you mean he didn’t have a psyche” Logan questioned

“My scan lets me know if any living and thinking creatures are around” Elijah replied “I scanned the house just before Billy came around and the only person in there was Sidney. Whatever was behind that mask didn’t have a mind”

“Or it was simply cloaked” Logan said bitterly “I wouldn’t expect it since you're new at the skill but God changes movies to have psyche force blocking. Certain places and people will be immune to your scan”

“We can move her” Eve interrupted

“That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard” Elijah said ignoring Eve “I just got the ability and now it doesn't work on the only person we need it to. Thats bullshit”

“It’s a pain alright” Logan agreed, bending down he picked up Sidney “tell Lance what I said and lead them here as quickly as possible”

Walking into the house Logan got a better idea of the damage done to Sidney. Dark bruises covered most of her body, bandages were wrapped on random parts of her body, indicating where she had been cut deep. Several smaller cuts were spread across her body but all had stopped bleeding. One of the cheapest healing items available was a hemostatic spray which forces blood to clot, good for small cuts but bigger wounds would need something extra.

Entering the house Logan took Sidney to the couch and laid her on it, Eve and Elijah following behind him.

“Is that the killer’s mask?” Eve asked

“It is” Logan said, holding the mask up to show them “Louie knocked it off and I grabbed it”

A bang sounded as Louie and Skye rushed into the house.

“What the hell?” Louie called “What happened out there?”

“A lot” Logan responded “Quiet down and i’ll explain it”

“Start with explaining why i’m out a thousand points” Louie demanded

“What do you mean?” Logan asked in confusion

“I shot the guy you had pinned earlier” Louie explained “Soon as I did I got some voice in my head saying I lost a thousand points. I thought we could kill and not be penalized”

Logan looked at his watch “God said we only get a penalty for killing someone innocent. There's no reason you should be penalized. Why did you shoot him?”

“That’s my fault” Skye said “I thought if I let my guard down Billy might try to use a secret attack or something. All he did was pull out a knife and try to stab me”

“I caught the reflection of the blade and fired” Louie finished “Now i’m out my reward for this movie”

“I’m really sorry about that,” Skye said, sounding genuinely regretful “I could have handled it. You can have some of my points after the movie”

“Don’t worry about the points” Logan said “I’ll make sure you are well compensated for the kill”

“Maybe some armor?” Louie asked

“I’m sure we’ll find something,” Logan said “For now Skye and I are going to move the bodies before any police show up. Elijah contact Lance and fill him in on what happened”

“Already on it” Elijah said

“I’m sorry about your friend” Skye said

“He was a bodyguard” Elijah corrected “and clearly not a good one if he left me behind for a ridiculous attack. I’m just glad I didn’t waste my points on him”

“No you wasted over three hundred of mine” Logan lamented.

With a wave Logan led Skye back outside. The two went to work moving the bodies, Logan began digging a pit in the back while Skye went to get Billy’s body. By the time she came back Logan was fast at work, having covered his hands in jade he could dig through the firm dirt with little effort. By the time Logan was done Skye had brought Brutus over as well, the hole was about eight feet deep but only four foot at its widest. Logan had dug it in a circular shape and planned to return tomorrow to cover it with grass seed. The dragonslayer noticed how comfortable the teen was with moving dead bodies but decided not to question it. Having to bury someone he shared a meal with hours before left Logan disinterested in conversation.

After refilling the hole with the impressive mound of discarded dirt, Logan and Skye went back to the front of the house in time to meet a car pulling up. Once the car was turned off the lights faded to reveal Lance and Josh in the front seat. Matt could be seen in the backseat. The three men exited the vehicle calling out greetings.

“Heard you had a rough night” Josh said once he was closer

“Got pretty crazy for a moment” Logan said “Lost Brutus but Sidney is alive at least”

“Eve said it didn’t look like the killer was going for a killing blow” Lance noted

As if hearing her name the front door opened and Eve exited the house and joined the group.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the wounds?” Logan asked when she neared

“You were too busy dealing with Elijah and Louie” Eve stated “The cuts were never close to any life threatening areas. Instead he seemed to cut parts that she relies on to move. I would guess he was just trying to keep her from putting up a fight”

“Meaning the killer was only meant to incapacitate Sidney before Billy arrived” Lance surmised

“They didn’t expect us though” Skye said confidently

“And we didn’t expect this,” Logan said as he pulled out the stone mask.

Josh and Matt flinched when they saw it, both taking a step back.

“What is that?” Skye asked

“What is it?” Lance asked, looking between Matt and Josh.

“There’s something weird about the mask” Matt said

“It feels..." Josh said hesitantly “Powerful”

“Like it's dangerous?” Lance asked

“Its kinda like an ice cube” Josh said “Just looking at one you can tell you’ll feel cold by touching it”

“Except instead of cold it feels like we’ll gain insane power” Matt finished

“Why can’t I feel anything?” Lance questioned

“I don't feel anything as well” Eve said

“It must be related to unlocking the genetic constraint” Skye guessed. For the first time since pulling out the mask Logan looked at Skye. Her eyes were on the mask but her gaze was unfocused.

“You’ve unlocked your constraint” Logan stated

“Of course” Skye said with a smile “Don’t tell me you thought my training was that lax. I’d be dead long ago if I hadn’t unlocked”

“How’d you survive the breakdown?” Logan asked

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“My dad had some medicine he exchanged before he left here” Skye explained “He also had a drug that helped me unlock in the first place. He planned everything through before I was born”

“You don’t have some of that drug do you?” Lance asked

Skye hesitated before answering “No, i’m not sure if he had anymore, he never mentioned it again”

“I see” Lance said “Let’s go back to the mask for now. What information do we have on it?”

“It’s clearly magical” Logan started “I believe it shielded the wearer from Elijah’s psyche scan. The wearer also showed super human strength and speed, probably from the mask”

“Did he still have power after you took the mask?” Lance asked

“He was definitely running as fast without it” Logan confirmed

“It looks like the original mask,” Matt noted. The mask did look like the ghostface mask, A series of pitch black and bright white stones were cemented together to recreate the iconic visage.

“God has a sense of humor” Skye chuckled

“Billy also had a mask?” Lance inquired

“Just a regular plastic one” Logan answered

“So this could be the only one” Lance said, looking at the mask with more interest

“I doubt we’d be that lucky” Matt said

“We might be” Logan said “This could be a quest item like the diadem, there's usually only one of each for the movie world”

“What diadem?” Skye asked

“Rowena Ravenclaw’s from Harry Potter” Lance answered

“Cool!” Skye exclaimed “Why haven’t I seen it yet?”

“Elijah refuses to wear it” Josh answered “He doesn't like how it looks”

“Idiot” Logan huffed

“Let’s focus on the mask” Lance said “Do we have any idea how it works?”

“We could find out” Skye suggested

“You want one of us to try it on?” Matt asked

“What better way to find out what it does than by experiencing it” Skye defended

“Could it be dangerous?” Josh questioned “Don’t these things usually have something bad happen with them”

“Only one way to find out” Skye said eagerly

“We shouldn't experiment like that tonight” Lance said “we should try and find a better environment to test it and have some fail safes prepared”

“That would take too long” Skye objected “The killer could come back at any time to get the mask back”

“I highly doubt that, at least for tonight” Lance said “If the mask was that important to the killer he would have grabbed it when he lost it. Instead he let Logan take it”

“He might've panicked” Skye argued “He might decide it's worth the risk to come back for”

“Logan!” Eve called suddenly.

All eyes turned to the dragonslayer who was staring transfixed at the mask, he had turned it over so the plain stone inside could be seen.

Logan had checked out of the conversation after discussing Elijah. Out of curiosity he had turned the mask over to see the inside. The moment he saw the blank stone everyone around him disappeared. He could vaguely hear they were talking but he knew nothing of interest was out there. What he needed was the mask. Logan could feel it calling to him, promising unimaginable strength if he put it on. He felt certain even God wouldn't be able to rival him, as long as he wore the mask. The background noise turned into an uproar as Logan’s arm twitched and the mask cleared what little space was between it and Logan.

In his mind, an image began to form for Logan. Eve, Josh, Lance, Skye, and Matt were all standing in a circle surrounding a kneeling masked man. It took a moment for Logan to realize he was the masked man, just like with a psyche scan he was looking at the scene like a bystander. He tried to look another way but his sight remained focused on the group. However the masked Logan rose from the ground to stand among the group. Logan tried to focus on Lance, hoping he may have some control of his body. The masked Logan did turn to Lance but continued moving.In an instant the masked Logan covered his arm in jade and with a single swing decapitated the strategist.

In a blur the masked Logan passed Skye, leaving a gaping wound across her throat. Lance’s body hadn’t hit the ground before his stepbrother was sliced in half from a single swing of the jade blade Logan’s arm had become. The last one standing, Matt covered himself with his dome spell. He seemed to be saying something but no noise could be heard. With a single leap Logan jumped over the barrier rising until he was directly over Matt. Positioning himself so his blade led the way, Logan descended rapidly. Breaking through the barrier without effort and skewered his oldest ally. The dome vanished, revealing Elijah standing at the door with a look of horror scarring his face. Logan leaned back as he took in a large breath and then shot forward releasing a mighty roar. The jade tornado was the biggest Logan had ever made, blasting a hole in Sidney’s house big enough to drive a minivan through. Some remains of Louie and Elijah could be seen in the rubble but a second dragon roar brought the house crumbling to the ground.

In a flash Logan no longer stood among the wreckage, he had returned to the Lobby. He was alone except for a young girl who was running towards him. She stopped when she saw the mask, tears began to flow as her father’s hand began to glow.

“STOP!” Logan shouted, bringing the image to a halt.

A chilling voice spoke into Logan’s mind “Don’t stop now. Don’t you want the power?”

“Never like that” Logan responded

“Sacrifices must be made” The voice said “Look at what power you have already gained from slaughtering your comrades”

The image changed and Logan watched as a series of events played in front of him. Logan delivering the killing blow on a serpent ten times the size of the mother basilisk. Logan holding the head of the Creeper over a volcano, about to toss it in. Dozens of dragons lay slaughtered beneath Logan. In every vision Logan wore the mask.

“With this final sacrifice you will reach heights you had never imagined” The voice whispered.

The image changed and Logan stood over his daughter. Her broken form lying in a pool of blood. Turning Logan glared challengingly at the large sphere of light that was God. Without hesitation the dragonslayer jumped into the air, a pair of green dragon wings erupted from his back. With a defiant roar Logan soared to face his captor.

“You’re lying,” Logan accused.

The voice laughed “You can feel for yourself, power is my guarantee”

Logan could feel it, his genetic constraint was unwinding. He had been in the first stage when he put on the mask. Through his visions he had felt himself enter the second stage and reach his peak. Now though it was still unwinding, pushing him farther than he had ever been.

“What are you?” Logan asked

“A benefactor” the voice replied “One who saw the potential hidden within humans and learned how to draw it out. A gift I have already shared with you and one that will free you from all limitations”

“I don’t want your gift,” Logan declared.

The voice laughed again “Now you’re the one who’s lying”

“I don’t want your gift!” Logan repeated.

“Then why are you ignoring your friend?” the voice asked smugly

Logan paused at the question and tried listening. A faint voice could be heard, someone calling him.

“Let’s chat again soon” The voice cooed.

All too fast the repeated calls grew in volume. Suddenly an unbearably grating voice exploded in Logan’s mind.

“Logan!”

Suddenly Logan was aware of his body again, a hand was squeezing tightly onto his shoulder. Instinctively Logan reached behind him until he made contact and shoved violently. His enhanced strength sent the person flying backwards, the sound of glass shattering hinted at where they landed.

“Logan” Josh called out

“Stop!” Lance ordered and suddenly something was wrapped around Logan, restraining his arms. Effortlessly he stood up, ignoring the vain attempts Lance was making to pull the leader. With an exaggerated toss of his head Logan tossed the mask off of his face. He locked eyes with Josh who stood with his hammer in hand. Turning to his left Logan saw Lance on the other end of his papyrus.

“I’m fine” he said “you can let me go”

“Elijah would probably prefer I keep you tied up” Lance answered.

Behind Logan, Matt could be heard casting his healing spell.

“That was an accident” Logan said “the mask left me feeling defensive. I will apologise to him”

“You no longer want to hurt any of us?” Lance asked

“I never did” Logan promised “I acted without thinking”

“Skye can you grab him if he runs?” Lance asked the teen

“I’m not sure now” Skye admitted, looking at the fallen mask, “he definitely got stronger from the mask. I can't be sure how big the change was”

“I promise I wont run” Logan pledged

“What the fuck was that” Elijah shouted as he ran up to Logan. With an exaggerated swing the psych force user punched Logan in the face. A sickening crunch sounded and Elijah fell to the ground gripping his hand. Logan stared down at his teammate.

“Sorry for the push” Logan apologised.

Matt strolled up with his book open. As Elijah was healed again the papyrus released Logan, flowing back to Lance.

“You’re letting him go?” Louie questioned, revealing herself for the first time.

“If Logan meant any harm Elijah would be dead by now” Lance said with a shrug “besides I doubt if even all together we could take on Logan”

Logan frowned at the comment but didn't say anything.

“So what happened with the mask?” Skye asked

“We should destroy it” Logan said without hesitation “whatever it is its dangerous”

“But it did make you stronger” Skye clarified

“It doesn't matter” Logan stated “we are destroying it”

“I want a power up too” Skye demanded “If you could handle it so can I”

“This isn’t a discussion” Logan said “I’m destroying it before it destroys us”

“What do you mean?” Lance interrupted “How would it destroy us?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Logan yelled “I’m destroying it”

“Not yet” Lance declared, his papyrus lashing out and grabbing the mask

“What are you doing?” Logan growled “Give it to me”

“You’re still affected by this mask” Lance said “You can’t make any decisions right now”

“What are you talking about?” Logan huffed

“Take twenty four hours” Lance offered “If you still want to destroy it we will”

“I want it destroyed now” Logan demanded

“Do you want that or does the mask?” Lance questioned. Logan flinched at the question, he looked to the ground thinking.

“Fine” he declared “Tomorrow we will discuss this more”

“Excellent” Lance said “Now let’s see to Sidney”