Birds chirped and the orange hues of the sunset bled through the tree's canopy. Numb pain flared across my body as I sat up in the wagon.

  I was wrapped in bandages, skin burning and itching like I had fallen asleep in the sun on the beach for the entire afternoon.

  "Cyprus?" Lexington asked. "You can move?"

  "Where are we? My apprentice..." I turned my head and saw Viessa riding a horse in front of my wagon beside Wedgmund and Naila.

  Nate, and three of Pearl Banner's surviving members trotted behind us.

  "And Westcott?" I asked.

  "He's alive... Not well, but alive. Pearl Banner's few survivors are pulling him in a wagon behind us. He's a bit bruised up, but fared better than most of us. Yet, he's completely non-responsive. Hasn't spoken a word since we found him," Lexington said.

  I blew out a sigh of relief only for a frightening realization to come winding back my way.

  I'm not in control.

  Something terrible had evicted me from my body. The same fiend that absorbed those void spells and expanded the mastery of all my class abilities.

  Was this part of my Shadow Weaver class or a nefarious plot put in place by Chaos? Smuggling an ancient evil up my ass sounded exactly like something Chaos would do.

  I need to speak with Fayador ASAP.

  The void hound was a valuable source of information I hadn't fully tapped yet. That was, if my shadow even allowed him to speak. He had told me I wasn't possessed.

  Then what the fuck was that?

  More than anything, I needed some time off. I had too many plates spinning and if I didn't act soon, they'd all come crashing down.

  "What happened after I blacked out?" I asked.

  Naila glanced over her shoulder. "First, why don't you explain how you escaped from that legion of undead?"

  "I didn't. After their defeat, I linked up with Westcott's party and then we were ambushed by the Lich Lord."

  Naila's skeptical gaze could've bore a hole in the side of my head. "And the boss? The dungeon lit up the light of 100 stars and the remaining undead collapsed. When we found you, I thought you were dead. After your apprentice tended to you, we discovered Westcott and the boss’s loot, but no sign of the Lich's corpse."

  "It was an intense battle and I'm too exhausted to discuss it."

  "Now you won't speak either? What did you two see?"

  Oh, nothing much. Just the true monster residing within my shadow, who needed some snacks.

  The horror of what transpired wasn't lost on me. I knew something was wrong with me. But I had clung to the false hope that if I ignored it, it would go away. And if not, did it matter if my shadow tagged in for an assist once in a while? Hijacking my body crossed a big line.

  Even worse, the bastard had the nerve to let Westcott live. He could snap out of his trance in a day, a week, or in the next few minutes. I wondered if containing the fallout from his loose lips would even be possible.

  "Cyprus, if you can manage, I'd like an answer," Naila followed up, eviscerating my stare off into the woods strategy.

  "I saw nothing. The Lich Lord lit me on fire instantly and I was out of commission. I assume Westcott and the rest of his group dealt with it from there."

  "I've never heard of a boss ambushing a raid party before. They always exhaust all of their units first, and rarely move outside of their lair. After you get some rest, I'll need more details for the raid report."

  "Stop sweating the details. A split dungeon of that size completed in a matter of hours?" Wedgmund hooted. "Bards will be singing ballads of our triumph for years. And to think of all the juicy job offers--"

  Naila punched Wedgmund in his shoulder. "Show some dignity. Pearl Banner suffered tremendous losses."

  "Sorry."

  I reached for a canteen, pulled the bandages from my face and drained it, drawing an audience.

  "What?"

  "A few hours ago you were mortally wounded. Terrible burns across 90% of your body. Your face was horrifically scarred," Lexington said. "Now you're just sunburned?"

  "I've always had a naturally quick recovery from injuries and illness. Do you have a mirror?"

  "Natural my ass."

  Lexington retrieved an oval pocket glass from a satchel tied to his horse and tossed it over.

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  David Cyprus

  Level: 10 (55,210/125,000 XP)

  Karma: +6,750

  +1 Unspent Ability Point

  I scrolled further and saw I had gained another point in Recovery while I was passed out, bringing that stat up to three. Coupled with a third point in Resilience I should've felt invincible if not for the severe beat down I had just endured.

  In a world of unforeseeable spells no amount of defense was enough. Although, even with Griffin's level advantage he was breaking his bones against my flesh. Without his cheap ass Inversion Touch it would've been a total massacre.

  The entire ordeal once again proved all it took was a momentary lapse in awareness, and bam, you're dead. It's not like I had eyes in the back of my head.

  The rest of my raw stat points remained unchanged. I had been hoping for another point in Agility which would've brought the stat to 10 and unlocked a bonus passive.

  Scrolling further, I saw the new mastery effects under the Shadow Weaver ability tree.

  Shadow Weave Mastery 4/5

  Active Bonus: Weave complex patterns using shadows from multiple sources of darkness with ease.

  Passive Bonus: Significantly reduces stamina costs and reduces incoming physical damage while shrouded in darkness.

  Passive Bonus: Infinite ability range, only limited by stamina.

  Is it the same as before?

  I re-read it and realized only two words were different. "With ease," had been added to the active bonus. Without testing it, I was unsure of what to make of such a minor change. The rest of the upgraded masteries were obvious.

  Dreadshade 1/5 Mastery

  Passive Bonus: Targets are now more susceptible to fear. Those with low mental resistance may suffer hallucinations.

  Void Seer 1/5 Mastery

  Active Bonus: Create a tether to any shadow, allowing instant vision upon ability activation.

  Abyssal Veil 2/5 Mastery

  Passive Bonus: Reduces the duration of debuffs, curses, and similar effects by 50%.

  I smiled for a split second before I remembered how I gained those automatic mastery levels. The only conclusion I could come to was the Lich Lord overloaded me with void energy and I had absorbed it.

  Is that what unleashed the entity within?

  It said I was a friend, but friends didn't snatch each other's bodies without consent.

  I shuddered, then realized the next tier of Shadow Weaver abilities had been revealed.

  Flicker Cloak: Gain a passive 10% chance to become intangible when struck by physical damage, allowing the attack to pass harmlessly through.

  Wraith Phase: Shift through the shadows, becoming untargetable for 2 seconds, greatly increasing movement speed.

  Ember Veil: Generate a burst of smoke and flames, blinding nearby enemies and increasing reaction speed.

  While Flicker Cloak sounded like a decent defensive choice, I couldn't help but imagine how people would react if they saw their fist phase through my body. Ember Veil also paled in comparison to Wraith Phase. Besides, as soon as I read its description, I knew how potent it could be combined with Agility Burst.

  I briefly considered spending the points in the Rogue or Fighter skill trees after what had occurred in the dungeon. However, I'd be investing points in the low tiers again. Aware of the much steeper XP requirements for each subsequent level made that notion impractical.

  New Ability Learned

  +Wraith Phase 0/5 Mastery

  "I didn't expect you of all people to be so conceited." Lexington laughed, breaking me out of my trance.

  "Ah, lad, don't lose any sleep over it. Women find scars distinguished," Wedgmund chimed in.

  "You're right," I said and tossed the pocket glass back to Lexington. "Thanks."

  "Well, it's been over five minutes and he hasn't asked about the loot. Looks like you owe me five silver, Lex. You can pay now or buy my drinks when we arrive at Vaulter."

  "Fuck you fat man, if I'm buying anyone a few rounds, its him," Lex nodded toward me. "I never agreed to the odds in the first place."

  "Like I'll let you wiggle your way out of another gentleman's agreement. Cyprus, take a guess."

  "A chaos shard?"

  "No... Nothing that valuable." Wedgmund sighed. "Want to make a wager on the total profit before we get it all appraised?"

  "No."

  I think they were still expecting me to ask about the loot anyway, but I simply didn't care. It's not like I was entitled to a cut. The contract I had signed with the Gilded Board didn't have a profit sharing clause. No, the real loot was waiting for me back in Ingcaster with Hannover.

  ***

  A crowd awaited us on both sides of Vaulter’s northern gate, forming a corridor of reverence as we rode through the moonlight. Vendors showered us with freebies ranging from fruit baskets to sets of hand towels with their store's embroidered name and logo.

  The guards raised the gates, thanked us for our service and bowed. Another round of loud cheers, and celebration awaited us inside the city's walls.

  Westcott was now sitting up in the cart being pulled behind us, his expression blank. I hopped out of my own wagon, shocking everyone in the raid party as I strolled over to Westcott's wagon.

  "Anybody home?" I waved my hand in front of his face, then crouched down and met his gaze.

  No response. No sign of anything going on behind his empty eyes.

  I walked away, stretching my legs beside the caravan as everyone arrived at the stable and handed their horses off to the stable master. Pearl Banner's few survivors heaved Westcott out of his wagon, and carried him across the street, through the crowd. The fanfare faded when they realized our numbers had been reduced by more than half.

  "May Galdir bless you all for your sacrifices," the stable master said, bowing his head.

  "Can you prepare two fresh steeds?" I asked.

  "Right away, sir." he nodded and bowed off into the back.

  "Have I got shit in my ears or are you planning on leaving right now?" Wedgmund said.

  Lexington and Naila had been busy warding off the crowd with thank-yous and tired smiles outside of the stables, but when they heard Wedgmund's loud mouth, their politeness wore off. They excused themselves and slammed the barn doors shut, nearly claiming the fingers of an over eager man who was begging for Naila's hand in marriage.

  "You can't leave. Not after suffering such dire injuries," Naila said. "I must insist you stay the night."

  I squinted hard, pretending to consider her recommendation for a grand total of 2.5 seconds. "I'm grateful for your concern, but I assure you I'm fine."

  "Mate, you're covered in bandages from head to toe. We were gonna tell you after we got back and had one of Vaulter's healer's look over you. But you were dead. No pulse, third degree burns covering every inch of your body," Lexington muttered. "I'm embarrassed to say I told your apprentice not to bother."

  "He expended a tremendous amount of mana bringing you back and keeping you alive. They must be exhausted," Naila piled on.

  "Have they complained? Don't underestimate my apprentice," I said, then nodded toward Viessa, who was leaning up against the door to one of the horse's stalls. "Look, is that the posturing of someone who's too exhausted to sit on a horse for a few hours?"

  "It's almost a day's ride," Naila said.

  I was about to counter when Viessa took a single step and collapsed.