Stella was still laughing as I shot her a flat stare. She stifled what was left so I returned my attention to the epic mask sitting near the top of my sorted inventory screen. “Not sure what was so funny…” I started to say, but Stella pitched forward, coming closer, as she interrupted.

“No way were you expecting a mask, ha! The look on your face was priceless,” she said with a laborious grin. “Thanks for that!”

Rolling my eyes, I did my best to ignore Stella’s excited state. Still, I was happy my friend’s mood had shifted from her broody, doom and gloom from earlier. Shaking my head a little, I willed my newest item to appear in my hands. In an instant, as if it had always been there, appeared an interesting leather mask. The material was thin like a roll of parchment and had a stiff molded shape. Turning the tan leather in hand, the mask reminded me like it was a cheap hockey mask. I didn’t instill confidence in its epic status just by looking at it.

The leather was smooth and supple. A rich appealing scent permeated which reminded me of sweet hickory run over freshly cut grass. Bearing only a pair of eye holes, there were none of the expected nose or moth slit to allow easier breathing. A part of me worried I would feel claustrophobic while wearing it. It looked entirely uncomfortable. Continuing my visual inspection, the back of the mask was just as plain and unadorned. Further, a bit of confusion entered my thoughts when I discovered no way to hold the mask to my face. There were no straps, nothing to tie the piece of leather to hold it in place.

Not seeing anything else of note, I paused. The leather was… shifting? It was as if the rigid material was adjusting itself in small, miniscule ways. “It’s adjusting itself. Wow, I think it’s form-fitting itself to my face,” I said with some wonderment as I renewed my inspection. Though it would fit tightly against my face, the smooth texture devoid of texture unless you were within inches from the leather, the mask would make it impossible for anyone to identify the person wearing it even though it would fit me perfectly. In a way, it reminded me of a certain shapeshifter from Star Trek, smooth and emotionless.

The thought wasn’t altogether appealing unless I intended hide my appearance. It wasn’t necessary as my cloak already had an enchantment that would shroud my face in darkness. Moving past how plain-looking the mask was, I asked Stella an important question that needed an answer. “How does it stay on? If I put it on, it looks like it’s going to fall off. Nothing is holding it in place.”

“I doubt it would fall off so easily, it’s a magical item after all,” Stella offered. Her pleased grin morphed into a supportive one as if she had become a tiny, floating teacher. “When you place it over your face, I’m confident it will secure itself completely. You should inspect its description, it’s a pretty nice reward.”

“It doesn’t look comfortable to wear, at all,” I uttered in disappointment before willing the item description to appear. Perhaps the magical properties of the mask would make up for its meager appearance.

{Mask of the Shrouded Seeker}. Treated from the hide of the elusive Tracerhound, this impossibly thin mask enhances the user's ability to remain undetected, as well as enhancing perception skills like a predator stalking its prey. Quality: Exceptional. Rarity: Epic. Type: Leather. Slot: Face. Durability: 15,000/15,000 Armor: 15. Effect(s): Plus 20 Dexterity, 10 Constitution, and 10 Intelligence. Plus 10 levels in Stealth and Tracking, up to the current level of the user. Plus enhanced sight and sense of smell.

Secondary Effect(s): The user’s scent is wholly masked. Creatures relying on scent to find prey will be incapable of detecting the user. Additionally, magic and non-magical means of detection and tracking are blocked, up to enhanced tier spells and skills.

Note - When worn, the user can elect to have this item become invisible. In either state, the user’s sight and other senses will be unimpeded.

“Well, I’m glad for that. I doubt I’ll ever make it visible,” I said, moving the mask close to my face. It slipped over my features and, as if pulled by a magnet, seemed to snap in place. At first, I expected the leather to feel uncomfortable like I actually was wearing a hockey mask. Instead, the smooth texture belied the stiffness felt earlier. The mask was perfectly form-fitted. When I smiled, the material moved with my skin and cheeks. Though I could not see it anymore, with a brief desire of will, I opted for the leather to disappear from sight.

Pressing my fingers first to the bridge of my nose, then my temples and forehead, I found no evidence the item was there. Nothing impeded the light touch of my fingers across my skin. At the same time, I got the sense I could remove the mask with a simple thought. I did just that, the leather popping off my face to easily snap back in place a second later at my command.

“Nice,” I said as a flood of energy rushed into my body. It radiated from my face to quickly encompass my entire body, like stepping into a cool spring. In a moment, the sensation abated, though the power it imparted remained. I felt lighter on my feet and, as I looked to the rough, uneven rock all around us, I was better able to pick up tiny details from everything around us. Checking my character sheet, my tracking skills had doubled, jumping from ten to twenty, and my stealth skill was listed at a maximum of twenty-three.

Peering next at my attributes, the small increases from the mask to my dexterity, constitution, and intelligence, I was reminded of the seven points to distribute from my level gain. Luck was only two points away from reaching the hundred-point threshold, so it was easy enough to place two there. For the remaining five, I debated placing them in either strength, dexterity, or wisdom. None had reached the same threshold that I was hoping to get sooner rather than later. Considering I was mostly a spell cast who liked to dabble in melee combat, I figured it best if I would use the points with the attribute to capitalize on my strengths.

“Wisdom,” I said confidently. Stella knew exactly what I was referring to as she was capable of viewing the same window I was. “Let’s get it to one hundred as soon as we can. We have a ton of mana, so I’m thinking we work to improve the other side of the coin.”

Stella nodded along with my words, “Mana regeneration. I’m curious to see what the next threshold is too.”

Unless we picked up another item that increased my wisdom, it would be at least two levels before reaching such a lofty number. I was about to dive deeper into my inventory, on the lookout for the loot from the dwarf leadership team, but a sound from nearby instantly grabbed my attention. Tallos was stirring! I locked in my attribute point selection, causing a System notification to appear a split second later.

Luck Threshold Reached (100). Benefits: Plus 25% increased chance to find hidden treasures and extra rewards (up from 20%).

Ripley was the first to sense Tallos regaining consciousness, she was already in the process of lying him down gently. A couple of swift steps brought me next to them as I swiped away my last notification. Tallos moved a hand against the rocky floor underneath him to hold himself upright. The move caused a wince of pain to flash across his face. His free hand shot to cradle his head as if he was plagued by a sudden migraine.

“Tallos, are you okay?” I asked, my words at first hopeful, but turned to worry. I didn’t like seeing friends in pain.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Stella floated near, resting a paw atop Tallos’ shoulder as she peered concerned at her friend. “Tallos?” she asked. “Anything we can do to help?

Only a stifled grunt came from the lean elf, though his movements were becoming less sluggish by the moment. “He’s probably feeling like I did,” I offered to the group, hoping that was the case. He had been the focus of my first revivification spell, so perhaps there were some unknown side effects. “It may take him a few minutes before he’s feeling alright.”

Though we were likely free of danger, nothing had shown up so far on our trek to the surface, Tallos’ vulnerable state reminded me danger could always be lurking nearby. My head swiveled to Ripley, and then to Lowki. “Please stand guard on either end of this tunnel,” I told my loyal companions. “We don’t want anything sneaking up on us while Stella and I help Tallos get back on his feet.”

Without hesitation, Ripley moved a dozen feet down the tunnel, her sword and shield held protectively in front of her as a bounding Lowki moved in the opposite direction. The great cat hunkered down, using a natural outcropping of stone to hide his body from sight. We would get plenty of warning if anything approached from either direction.

My attention returned to my friend, who was beginning to open his eyes. As Stella and I waited patiently, Tallos grew more present with each passing moment. It wasn’t long before his elven eyes locked first onto me, before moving to Stella’s tiny form.

“What happened,” he asked, finally able to form the words as the lingering remnants of unconsciousness receded. “The last thing I remember was something burning my body.”

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to explain to our friend he had died back in the boss fight, only for me to revive him moments later. Stella beat me to it as I was contemplating what to say.

“You… didn’t make it,” she said with some reluctance. “Thankfully, you were not too far gone and Xaz was able to revive you.”

“I didn’t make it?” Tallos asked in a disbelieving tone. “How can that be? I feel… well not fine, but fine enough. I’m groggy as all hell but feeling better with each breath.”

“That last dwarf, the wizard,” I started, my tone soft and empathetic. “His spell was too much. Lowki and I finished him off but not before he… killed you.”

“I don’t remember dying,” Tallos confessed, his face marked with confusion. “All I remember was falling unconscious then…” Tallos tilted his head and closed his eyes as if trying to remember a distant memory. “Something tugging at me. Well, not me, but a part of me. I can’t really describe it, but I get the sense I was being asked to come back.”

Stella glided closer to the distraught Tallos, resting a hand against his cheek. “We’re so sorry for what happened. I am grateful Xaz was able to bring you back.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Tallos responded, his brow creased tightly in contemplation.

“Neither did we,” Stella said. “I wasn’t aware such a thing could be done, not in this world at least. When Xaz saw you, he refused to let you go. He did, something. He put everything he had into keeping you with us. The System, thankfully, responded. I still hardly believe it. He brought you back.”

“Well, I’m glad for it,” Tallos said, releasing a great sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “That battle was a tough one. If not for my bow, I doubt I would have accomplished much against their magical protections.” Tallos looked around himself as if searching for something. Knowing what he was looking for, I pulled his bow and pair of quivers from my inventory and handed them to him. With practiced ease, Tallos reaffixed the quivers. One hung at his hip, the other high over his shoulder. With our help, he regained his feet.

“If you need more time, we can take it slow,” I offered. “We’re back in the silver mines below the city.”

“I think I’ll be good in just another minute,” Tallos said as he brushed himself off, small pebbles ticking off hard stone. “What happened with the dwarves after I fell?”

Stella pipped up, her cheery demeanor returning. “We demolished a silvern node behind the commander’s room, then we came back through the teleport node leading back to the mines. We’ve been a little worried the city may still have fallen under attack, so have been trudging our way back there.”

“You think the city is still in danger?” Tallos asked as he twisted his body in a few light stretches, removing any stiffness that had developed while he was unconscious. When he finished, I recalled Lowki and, as a group, we carried on. The darkness of the cave proved no match to our collective Darkvision.

“We think it could be a possibility,” I answered simply, before elaborating further. “The dwarf battlelord mentioned something about possibly having more than one route to the city. Hopefully, it was all bluster, but we can’t ignore it. Part of me wishes we had somewhat to warn the city, way back when we first discovered the dwarves were planning an ambush.”

“We need to be careful,” Stella added. “Unfortunately, Xaz doesn’t have access to any of his spells for at least another half day.” Tallos shot her a questioning look as she continued. “The spell he learned to revive you has some side effects.”

“For something so powerful, I find I am not surprised,” he said with raised eyebrows, a slight bit of awe in his voice.

As we walked, I kept an ear out to detect even the slightest indication of explosions going off over our heads. So far, only our footsteps and the occasional splatter of distant dripping water could be detected.

“If they are under attack, I still have my normal abilities and this,” I said hefting Frostrend. Tiny bolts of electricity played across its surface as I was no longer willing the weapon to hide the impressive spectacle. “With you back in shape, your keen shots can do much to help the city if need be.”

Stella grimaced though didn’t say anything at first. Eventually, she spoke her thoughts. “If they are under attack, we need to be extremely careful. No spells mean no healing. Also, no DoTs, and no way to significantly impact an enormous battle. You’re powerful, Xaz, but you’re no top-of-the-line fighter.”

“We won’t rush in without thought,” I said, reaching out a hand to place it over her disheartened shoulders. “Still, if they need our help, I intend to give it. We’ll be smart about it, I promise. I may not be an expert, but with my aegis, I have an essential health pool of over thirteen thousand. That would make up for my… inexperience, as you call it.”

“All I’m saying,” Stella said in a rush before looking at Tallos. “We need to be very careful. We can’t afford to lose anyone else.”

I too looked at our recently returned friend. He had died, so was it right to ask him to jump right into another one? I needed to pose him that question. “Tallos, you went through something, an ordeal, unlike anything you ever faced,” I said, keeping my eyes on the lean elf. “You don’t need to join us. You’ve already given so much and it nearly cost you everything.”

Tallos mulled my words over in his mind. When he finally spoke, his tone was flat, carrying none of the normal optimism we had come to know. “I don’t know what I want, yet. A part of me is still coming to terms with learning what happened back there. I once told you I owed you a life debt, now it seems I owe you another.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” I stated with as much confidence as I could spare. “Consider any debt fulfilled, paid in full.”

Stella looked back and forth between the two of us as silence came over our small group.

“For right now, I’m with you, the same as always,” Tallos said at last. “Let’s do whatever we need to do if the people above us are in need. Then, after that, I see no reason to not continue with you all, at least until we reach the elven city to the east. I’ll have plenty of time to think about my place in all of this. For now, I’m right here beside you.”

Stella smiled before resting on his shoulder in support of whatever Tallos decided. I rested a hand lightly on the ranger’s shoulder. “We’re glad for it,” I stated with sincerity. “Whatever you decide, we’ll support you.”

“Yes, we most certainly will,” Stella quickly added. Tallos bobbed his head in acknowledgment, an easy smile on his lips.

We pressed onward through the ever-twisting tunnels with me and Ripley leading while Lowki brought up the rear. Silence once more settled as we each worked through our complicated emotions. I felt guilt for my quest against Duke nearly costing Tallos his life. True, I brought him back, but it didn’t diminish what happened. Doubt intertwined in my stomach, right alongside my guilt. Perhaps I should have refused him accompanying us after we settled the Minotaur business. Tallos stated he owed me a life debt, and I went along with the notion, even though I never saw it that way.

In the end, Tallos was my friend, and we enjoyed his companionship. If he decided to walk his own path, we would support it. Of that, I was certain. Yes, he would be missed, but I was truthful when I said he owed me nothing.

We were getting close to the main entryway of the silver mines. Thankfully, there was no still sign anything was amiss. No tremors rocked the stone beneath our feet. No debris fell on our heads in the wake of a rushing army. I could only hope the lack of evidence was because the city carried on uneventfully and unawares above us, and not because a thousand tons of rock shielded us from sensing the city was about to, or already had, fallen.