It was unusual to see Deldes or Delirin weighed down by anything, but as I emerged from the trail leading to the near shore of the alpine lake, I could see it written on their faces. Although in some ways I didn’t know her all that well despite our adventures the past few months, I could tell at a glance that Deldes was embarrassed. Delirin typically took things less seriously than Deldes did, but even she still had a shadow of regret clouding her otherwise happy face.

Yeah. So a little awkward, but I needed to get a better sense of what happened and why. I started the conversation with my typical charm. “So you two aren’t going to try to kill me today? I am glad. That is a big improvement over yesterday. Anyhow, can you describe for me what happened from your perspectives?”

“Delirin and I discussed it at length. It wasn’t just being startled when you appeared. For some time, more for me and less for Delirin, after you appeared we didn’t remember you at all. We didn’t know who you were. We didn’t really question it too much, but reflecting back for over a day neither of us had a specific recollection of who we were waiting for or why. I don’t know if it is your class interacting with your skills or a matter of your visualization, but needless to say that doesn’t usually happen.” Deldes had obviously put earnest thought into the situation, but it seemed like the phenomenon that they experienced was outside of her experience.

Delirin picked up that same thread as she said, “It isn’t uncommon not to have full control over a skill that you pickup the hard way, like you did with your stealth skill. The skill that you did get is definitely a powerful stealth skill because I had no idea that you were there before you appeared. I didn’t have a tingle in the back of my neck, a feeling of unease or even any hint that someone else was there. To leave no trace is the mark of an exceptional skill. Whatever else happened I do not know, but I believe it was part of your skill and it is dangerous.”

“Not providing specific guidance and forcing someone into a situation where a skill is needed is one of the oldest ways to catalyze the development of a skill. Your need creates the vessel within which the magic particles flow and it typically takes the perfect shape for you, your image and your goals. This technique crosses class divisions and, like the ritual at the falls, it is the way that many found their skills before the Unified System. It is a dangerous way by necessity, but it also leads to powerful results. As in your case, Harris, it can also lead to new and unexpected things.”

Delirin smiled a genuine smile at this as she continued, “Although we can speak directly to your skill, we can help you learn to control it and its effects. I don’t think I have to explain how critical better control will be for you Harris, unless you enjoy living alone.” The last part Delirin added with her signature smirk. It was good to see that some things hadn’t changed, and why should they? I mean what is a little attempted murder between friends?

Deldes concluded, “We will spend a few hours up here by the lake teaching you some of our techniques to improve skill control. We’ll then move back to our camp by the falls as you work on refining your control over your stealth skill. When you have it mastered, come join us again in camp. You have until the new moon to master this. You will not want to enter the trial with the chance that your skill may go haywire as you complete the rite.”

I had brought all of my equipment with me on the hike and Deldes and Delirin assured me that the area near the lake was as safe as anything in the wilds. They had cleared a relatively flat area near the edge of the lake and added a split log bench, a small stone fire circle and an ample stack of firewood. I felt like the gesture was by way of apology and I appreciated it. True to Deldes’ word, the elves spent a couple of hours sharing their techniques for skill control refinement with me. It came down to experimenting with parts of your visualization, observing the changes in the results and separately varying the intensity of the flow of magic particles to the skill. Apparently this was easier for those with more experience, but they thought that I should be able to manage some rough adjustments even at my level.

I appreciated their attempt to help me, but the situation seemed to be pretty hopeless. I had limited means to observe any image driven changes in the results of my skill while I was sequestered alone at the edge of a distant lake. On the other hand, I wasn’t about to ask them to stick around to be my test subjects. I was still recovering from the beatdown that they had given me the last time they were affected by my skill.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I thanked them before they disappeared down the trail back down to the base of the falls. I was alone again. I wasn’t going to lie. I liked being alone, though I did wish I had a way to get some real food while I was up there. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about it. I settled in, began meditating and started fiddling with my stealth skill.

***

I walked back into the wild elves’ camp a few hours before sundown on the day of the new moon. I was out of time to refine my control over my new stealth skill if I also wanted to participate in the class trial at Ghostlight Falls this month. I definitely didn’t want to hike back out here again next month, so I was highly motivated to make this happen. I was also highly motivated to avoid getting slashed, shot or poisoned again by Deldes or Delirin.

I enlisted the pair in a few last minute experiments to gauge my success, but not before having them stash their weapons on the other side of the camp and give me at least fifteen feet of distance.First, I activated my stealth skill with the intention of disappearing from both of them, but not impacting their recollection of me. Both elves reported seeing me disappear and reappear as planned without forgetting a thing. I was also able to disappear to one elf, but remain visible to the other. I could also make them both unable to hold focus on me and selectively apply this effect to one elf or the other.

The last experiments that I tried had to do with removing my presence completely. They went just like I expected based on my own, albeit stumbling and limited, efforts to impact this part of the image that I was using. I couldn’t target this effect or adjust its range. I could switch it off and on, but for now that was the extent of my control. I took a glancing punch from Delirin and Deldes already had her bow in hand when the effect of my last failed test dissipated. I called it there. First off, Delirin hit like a truck even through my energy armor and second this was enough control for me to participate in the class trial.

I had a nice dinner with Deldes and Delirin. They had made some hunter’s stew that was absolutely delicious and I had three bowls. Feeling full from the excellent dinner, I began to prepare myself to enter the falls. Apparently, energy armor didn’t hinder the process and I decided to keep mine active if I could manage it. I had a robe to wear in the falls. The water was quite cold, but awakened individuals had enough natural resistance to the cold that I didn’t anticipate an issue.

The Dream Tender jellyfish that made the falls their home apparently sometimes floated participants in the rite along with them in falls. This wasn’t a common occurrence and the conventional wisdom was that this was a mark of good fortune, rather than a dangerous event. The main threats of the trial were mental. The dream experiences could take place in just a few minutes or over hours of objective time. To those experiencing the dreams vast amounts of subjective time could pass, which could be both disorienting, disruptive and emotionally crippling.

I was more excited than anything as I entered the falls. I sat down on one of the prepared stone seats and let the water begin to wash over me. It was as cold as advertised and the cold was painful until it faded to a pervasive background numbness. The water glowed around me and I faced out into a wonderful sea of stars peaking through the canopy of the trees. I could feel some of the Dream Tenders approach me, though they were almost indistinguishable from the cold water by touch, though they added an additional glow.

All the sudden the forest and the stars began to swim before my eyes as the icy numbness from the water pushed deeper into the background of my thoughts. When I could focus properly again, I was somewhere else and I was someone else as well.

***

Deldes and Delirin watched as Harris took his seat beneath the falls. As he relaxed the Dream Tender jellyfish in his vicinity began to gather around him. Soon the curtain of water above him was filled with dozens of the strange creatures. This rite of passage had been known to vary greatly in length, but the average duration was about twenty minutes.

By the time that Harris had hit the twenty minute mark nearly every dream tender visible in the falls had migrated to the area around him. As densely packed as they were, their luminescence combined to illuminate Harris as if it sat in the afternoon light of a blue tinged sun. It was disconcerting to the elves that were acting as Harris’ spotters and protectors during the rite of passage. As twenty minutes became an hour and an hour became two, Deldes and Delirin began to fear that something was very wrong.