The dim light of the war room was the final straw to put Wyn on edge. Being in the room alone with the four masked Climbers was already disconcerting, but not seeing as well was strangely gnawing at him. Normally he would activate his lantern to help, but he refused to do that now.

  His Mushroom Lantern was the exact reason he was being cornered, now, and he didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of seeing it again. So, he tried to calm his various emotions. The anger he felt towards the masked group. The fear that was bubbling inside of him, threatening to spill over and make him look weak or like a target more than he already was. The annoyance about the entire situation as a whole.

  His meager attempt at calming down didn’t work.

  “Thank you for finally agreeing to see us,” the leader said, settling into a chair on the other side of the large, wooden table.

  The largest of the group was basically a giant, and he stood beside the door like he was guarding the exit. Wyn internally cursed seeing that. If he wanted a quick escape, that man would be a problem. He could teleport using his Sprint skill, but would it work through solid objects like a door? He never wanted to try it out, and a large part of him still didn’t, now. As long as they could open the door, though, he’d at least try the maneuver.

  The other two seemingly average-sized members sat in chairs around the table. One seemed nervous, fidgeting with their hands and fingers on the table. They wore a mask that looked like a sphinx. Wyn only knew of the monster because they had encountered one a few months back as a floor boss, and it looked to be a rudimentary carving of the creature. The other person looked relaxed and disinterested, lounged in the chair with terrible posture, almost as though they were obligated to be here. They wore a phoenix mask, and it was more obvious to recognize that image.

  The leader leaned forward and put his hands on the table, interlocking his fingers. “You seem on edge. Do you think we’re going to hurt you?”

  Wyn thought that was the worst opening line he’d ever heard from someone trying to be welcoming, but he didn’t want to offend them. They seemed on edge and dangerous. There wasn’t any sense in pushing them. “I honestly don’t know. It’s hard to tell much when you’re wearing those masks.”

  “Don’t mind them,” the phoenix masked Climber said. Their voice sounded feminine. “It’s part of the appeal.”

  The large man at the door chuckled. It was so deep it sounded like it came from a monster rather than a person. That sound didn't help his negative emotions.

  “Okay, then,” Wyn said. He took another deep breath to try and settle himself. If he was talking to someone of authority, how would he talk to them? He needed to be professional and succinct. Better to let them feel in control and as though he was cooperating rather than abrasive. “You’ve been… forthcoming with how much you’ve wanted to talk. It scared my sister when you approached her at night, and didn’t leave a good impression on me.”

  “Oh, that was harmless,” the woman said. “Woman to woman, we just had a brief talk.”

  “If you want something from me, don’t you think it would be better to be more appealing than approach my sister at night with two of you? After what she’s been through to get here?”

  The sphinx masked Climber turned their masked head towards Wyn, then tilted it to the side. “How are we supposed to know what’s happened to you both?” They were clearly a man, though his voice seemed hollow. Like he was simply asking a question rather than actually concerned.

  “And why should we even care?” The woman added.

  Wyn smiled softly. “I have to say, your approach is awful. You should care because you want something from me, and you’re going about it in the worst possible way.”

  The leader nodded excessively, as though he was trying to make it obvious he agreed since his face was covered. “That’s a fair point. Alright, then, I’ll be direct and respectful. My name is Landon. This is Jane, Octavius, and Corbyn at the door. No one else here in the city knows our names, which I offer as a show of good faith.”

  “Thank you,” Wyn said. He felt himself relax a little. Maybe they were misunderstood but just curious, and absolutely awful at interacting with others.

  “You’re welcome,” Landon said. “As for all of the effort, well… We want to see your lantern, of course.”

  “Why?”

  “Simple! It reveals quite a bit of the tower’s magic, doesn’t it? Let’s not pretend we all didn’t see what its light showed during the guild meeting. That’s a special ability.”

  “Useful,” Jane said.

  “Powerful,” Octavius added.

  Wyn nodded. “It is all of those things, yes. But that still doesn’t answer why you want it? Is it just because you want more powerful items? There are plenty of those circulating the trading hall. Might even be another one like the lantern.”

  Landon chuckled. “Oh, believe me, we’ve looked. We haven’t found any that reveals the magic that makes up our equipment. And I have a feeling it does more than that.”

  Wyn thought for a moment. He just didn’t trust them, no matter what they said. The sense of fear was beginning to subside as they talked, their conversation putting him somewhat at ease, but it was starting to rise again.

  “Look,” Octavius said. “I just want to study it. I have an ability that -”

  “No,” Landon said sharply, cutting Octavius off.

  “It’s fine, Landon,” Octavius said. “I can at least share that much.” He turned his masked face back to Wyn and pointed at it. “I have an ability that also lets me see magic. But what your lantern revealed was more than my ability. I want to see if there is any overlap. Any similarities to what I can see and what the lantern reveals. Or if it reveals something I miss, so that I can be more efficient.”

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  Wyn stared at the sphinx mask, unable to see the man’s face underneath. It was impossible to read if he was lying or not, which was incredibly annoying. But his words felt genuine. As though he was truly interested in the study and the information, similar to Cedric or Daniel.

  “So I'm assuming you mean your mask is what gives you an ability like that,” Wyn said. “To see magic. Did you all find your masks separately then group up, or find them as a group over time?”

  Each of them looked to Landon, which Wyn found interesting. Were they not capable of answering themselves, or did they rely on him to be the one to decide on what or how much information to divulge? It was a subtle but interesting point that Wyn needed to remember.

  “We can tell you about our masks if you tell us about your lantern,” Landon said, his voice flat.

  Wyn expected that. Was that trade worth it? Did he need to know about their masks as much as they obviously wanted to know about the lantern?

  He quickly came to a conclusion in his mind. Something that he had kept at the back of his thoughts but decided that it was now relevant and important. If these four people were to ever become aggressive, something Wyn thought they were slowly leading towards, then he wanted to be ready to defend himself and his family and friends. That meant knowing more about them. Their strengths. Their weaknesses. Fighting blindly, especially against a group that was as strong as guilds with only four of them, would end very poorly.

  They could likely attack and take his lantern anyway, so Wyn decided information was worth knowing. If they did attack at some point, he could rely on his friends to help. At least that wouldn't be so one-sided.

  “Okay,” Wyn finally said. He sat the lantern carefully on top of the table, and everyone there immediately grew attentive. “I can show you what it does if you tell me about your masks.”

  No one answered him for what felt like an eternity, but was actually just several seconds of silence. Each of them seemed to stare at the simple jar as though it was the greatest thing they’d ever seen.

  “I can tell you,” Landon said. Jane twitched her head towards him, but it was subtle. “Our masks work like a set.”

  Wyn furrowed his eyebrows. “Like a set? As in, you get set bonuses for wearing them and lose it if you take them off?”

  “In a way, yes. There are other effects, of course, but the full potential is only given when we all wear them.”

  That was incredibly useful information. Wyn had never heard of a set of items that required different Climbers in order to be used. Cedric or Daniel might know more, but just knowing that existed was a great step in the right direction.

  Still, there was obviously more to each of the masks. Wyn decided to reveal just a bit about the lantern. He didn’t want to activate it, though, as the light would reveal the runes again. That needed to be his final reveal. There was no telling what they’d do if he did that now, and he didn’t want to be in this situation too much longer.

  “I can change the light to be either bright light or dim light,” Wyn said. “As well as change the color.”

  “Change the color?” Octavius asked. “Interesting.”

  “Can you activate it?” Landon asked.

  Wyn shook his head. “Why do you want to study it, anyway? You said to reveal the magic of the tower. That’s a lost cause.”

  “Is it?” Jane asked. “We stumbled upon some secrets and found these.” She pointed to her mask. “Who says there aren’t more special items out there just waiting to be discovered?”

  “So treasure hunters, then?” Wyn asked.

  “Not exactly,” Landon said. “Though it would be quite fortunate for us to find more relics like these, we still don’t know everything there is to know about them. Your lantern showed runes on our masks and we need to study them to see if there is any additional, latent power we’ve missed.”

  Wyn didn’t know what to think. That didn’t feel right. Why would they care? Obviously their masks were powerful, but they couldn’t be that special compared to other items. And, wouldn't their parchments tell all of the abilities anyway? It just didn't add up.

  If he activated the lantern, he could now read the runes on their masks thanks to the lantern’s upgraded effect, something that wasn’t there before. What would he be able to read? If Octavius said he had a similar ability but didn’t see as clearly as the light from the lantern, then they must have a point about having some more intricate or hidden runes.

  Wyn suddenly had a curiosity that wasn’t there before. What would it hurt for them to read the runes while he activated his lantern? It wasn’t like they could read it, only him. That would give him a serious edge about their abilities in case they turned hostile.

  Though he still needed to be smart on how he approached it.

  “Only for observation and study?” Wyn asked.

  Landon nodded. “Octavius here can record the runes we find and then we’ll leave you alone. That’s all we really want. Honest.”

  Wyn still hated that he couldn’t see the man’s face. The way he said it so nonchalantly and easily, it felt… sly. Like a practiced lie said over and over again that gets muddy and unclear even to the liar.

  Despite not seeing his face, Wyn felt like he was truly a wolf, embracing the characteristic of the beast depicted on his mark. Duplicitous and suspicious.

  Wyn decided to be careful with his next words.

  “Alright, then,” Wyn finally said. “If you want to record the runes and then leave me alone, I can activate it for us to see. But you must place your masks on the table.”

  Jane shot out of her seat, slamming her hands on the table. The abruptness made Wyn flinch.

  “Absolutely not,” Jane said.

  Wyn stared at her. That was an extreme reaction for a simple request.

  “Jane,” Landon said, his voice soft. “His request is… reasonable.”

  “Landon,” Jane said, “no way in the hells am I going to -”

  “How about just my mask?” Landon asked. “We’re not overly fond of revealing our identities.”

  Everyone looked back to Wyn. He looked at them curiously. “How is Octavius going to study his mask if he’s wearing it?”

  “That’s… a fair point,” Octavius said. He rubbed his fingers and hands over and over again, his hands trembling.

  Was he nervous?

  “How about just mine,” Landon said. “That will do for our intent.”

  Wyn didn’t believe him, but he wasn’t about to argue. They were getting more unstable by the second, and he was more than ready to leave.

  “Fine with me,” Wyn said. “I’ll activate it once your mask is on the table.”

  Landon reached up to his mask, and everyone stared at him, anxiously waiting. Slowly he grabbed his mask and lifted it, and Wyn felt a pulse of magic leave the man’s body. It was unlike anything he’d seen before. Just how powerful were these items?

  Landon quickly set the mask on the table, and Wyn shook the lantern. He decided to keep the same yellow color as before, and made it a bright light. The four masks shone with runes and a heavy aura like before, though Landon’s reaction made Wyn startle.

  The man hissed in pain and covered his face with his cloak. The large man at the door – Corbyn – came over and threw another cloak over Landon’s body, completely hiding him like a child would hide under their covers. Wyn stared curiously as smoke started lifting from the cloak.

  Before Wyn could think about what that meant, he felt his heart race. A chill ran down his spine. The hairs on his neck and arms stood, and he felt his body freeze. His eyes were drawn to the runes on the masks, and his mind filled with what the runes meant.

  Octavius quickly took out a piece of paper and a quill and began hastily scribbling on it while staring at the mask on the table. “Just another minute more, Landon, and I’ll be done, I swear.”

  Landon grunted and groaned as more smoke rose from his cloaked body.

  Wyn tried to will his body to move. He was so taken aback from what he kept reading that fear gripped him like an iron claw. A fear unlike anything he’d ever experienced. A fear that was otherworldly.

  The mask on the table didn’t represent a wolf. It was of a jackal. The runes spoke of great powers, powers that Wyn had never seen on a single item. It was no wonder they were so strong. But the runes also spoke of a great curse. A curse that was affecting Landon at this very moment thanks to the bright light from the lantern. A curse that would kill him.

  It now made sense why they didn’t want to take off their masks. They couldn’t. It was a part of each of them now, and would be until they died. Corrupting them slowly like a disease.

  But that wasn’t all. On the jackal’s mask was also a name showing ownership. A name that made Wyn realize these masks weren’t meant to be possessed by Climbers. A name that was not Landon.

  He glanced over to Jane’s mask and saw similar powerful effects as well as a terrible curse. And another name.

  Wyn looked at Octavius’s mask to try and see what the runes said before the man looked at him and pointed a finger. Was he talking? Wyn couldn’t hear anything over the sound of his own beating heart, sounding like drums of war echoing in his head.

  “Turn the damned light off!” Octavius yelled.

  Wyn grabbed the lantern and willed the light to stop. As he did, he saw that the door was free. He was readying himself to activate Sprint to leave, but seeing Landon made him stop.

  The man reached up and grabbed the mask with a burnt arm full of sores and singed flesh. It looked as though his arm was placed in a hearth. As he grabbed his mask and put it on under the covers, Octavius healed him, causing a white aura to completely envelop his body. He took several ragged and shaky breaths while Corbyn took off the cloaks.

  “Did you get it?” Landon asked, his voice rough and hoarse.

  Octavius nodded. “I did.”

  “Excellent,” Landon said. He turned towards Wyn. “Thank you, Wyn, for your services.”

  “I’ll be leaving, then,” Wyn said, grabbing his lantern and briskly walking to the door. He didn’t want to wait any longer.

  Landon caught him by the arm. It was completely fine, now, though his body still glowed. His grip was firm. “Before you go, I’d like to kindly ask for your lantern’s effect on one other item we found. If you’d be so kind.”

  Wyn actually laughed. “Our deal is done. I have no interest in helping you any further.”

  Landon pulled out an object from under his cloak, and Wyn tried with all of his might to keep his face flat, devoid of a reaction.

  Landon held a piece of a stone tablet. One that looked to be part of the same ones Wyn and his group currently possessed.

  Before Landon could talk more, Wyn pulled his arm free and rushed out of the room. He needed to talk to his friends immediately.

  The Faceless Four weren’t just a four-man guild. They weren’t Climbers. Not anymore. They were far, far worse.

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