Four new magic items had appeared in the Equipment section of Anser's character sheet. Two were shrouded in black-red light.

They were the Wight's bow and blade, Common magic items bearing the same curse.

Wasting Curse: Once per day, the user must make a moderate-difficulty (18) Constitution saving throw. On a failure, Necrotic energy erodes the user's life force and reduces their Hit Point maximum by 1.

'Not worth it.' Anser sighed inwardly.

Necrotic damage directly attacked a target's life force, causing disease or curses or reducing its Hit Point maximum. Minor damage could heal naturally, while severe cases might cause permanent harm.

Anyone who unknowingly used a weapon bearing the Wasting Curse would grow steadily weaker.

The other two magic items were relatively normal: a hand-and-a-half sword and a silver cup.

The hand-and-a-half sword had belonged to the Amnian captain. Named the Silent Sword, it was Fine quality and possessed the Durable and Windcutter properties.

Windcutter was fairly rare. It made the longsword nearly silent when swung and increased the speed of its slashes.

The sword was valuable. Martial weapons were always in short supply, though Anser had no intention of selling it for now.

The silver cup glimmering with flecks of golden-white light brought him the greatest surprise.

[Magic Item: Guardian Chalice]

<Category>: Wondrous Item

<Rarity>: Rare

This sacred item comes from the Church of Helm and contains pure power from the Life and Light domains.

<Aura of Clarity>: You gain a +2 bonus to saving throws against spells that affect the mind, such as Sleep, Suggestion, and Confusion.

<Guardian Radiance>: When activated, fiery radiance erupts in a designated area and deals 1d8 (1–8) Radiant damage. If the target is a Fiend or Undead, the damage increases by 1d8.

Each charge covers a 5-foot (1.5-meter) square. Every 10 charges deal an additional 1d8 Radiant damage, to a maximum of 3d8 (3–24).

Current Charges: 0/30.

While carrying the chalice close to your body, every vigilant, protective, or promise-keeping act you undertake willingly and on your own initiative causes it to resonate with the Life and Light domains, restoring 1 charge.

Followers of Helm gain 1 additional charge each day.

'Helm?'

Anser took out the chalice and wiped it clean. Sure enough, he found Helm's holy symbol—an upright metal gauntlet—on its base.

Helm was the God of Guardians, presiding over protection and vigilance through the Life and Light domains. He guided his followers to remain watchful, clear-minded, and true to their word.

'Powerful, but demanding.' Anser did not know how else to describe the sacred item.

At full charge, its damage matched Chromatic Orb. Yet Chromatic Orb struck only one target, while Guardian Radiance could cover an area 45 meters—nearly 150 feet—across. The difference was enormous.

More importantly, it did not require attunement. Anyone carrying it could use it, though an ordinary person would find it difficult to activate its core property.

"Willingly and on your own initiative" meant both the user's motivation and the outcome had to meet the requirements. Motivation even took priority over results; achieving the right outcome by accident did not count.

But if someone continually acted according to the chalice's demands, would they not eventually become a follower of Helm?

'Whoever made this chalice was playing eight hundred different angles.'

'The Aura of Clarity isn't bad either. I suppose I'll use it.'

He tied the chalice to his necklace and tucked it beneath his cloak alongside the holy symbol.

These items were spoils from a battle he had fought alone and were entirely his to dispose of.

The Amnians had been wealthy. The weapons and equipment they had thrown into the lake were probably valuable too, but he had no intention of retrieving them. Their accomplices were nearby; perhaps he could return another time.

Or he could make a treasure map when he had time. Selling the map might work too.

—

Daylight brightened as the group traveled across the wilderness in a long line.

Dozens of people carried their families and piles of belongings, their bodies filthy and disheveled. They looked like refugees.

At the head of the column, a black-cloaked rider sat atop a black stallion standing over 2 meters—six and a half feet—tall. From time to time, he rode to high ground and stopped to survey the surroundings.

The wilderness stretched endlessly, however, with no obvious landmarks. Determining their precise location was difficult.

Anser sighed and stuffed the map back into his pack.

He should leave navigation to Finn in the future. He had no talent for it. Even in games, he could get lost while following a three-dimensional map with a location marker, never mind a situation like this.

Aemon caught up from behind and waved to him from a distance.

Anser patted Nornoth's back. The steed turned downhill and trotted over.

"Anser, no one's following us, are they?"

"No."

"Good. Then perhaps we should part ways here. Our people can't keep walking and need half a day's rest." Aemon did not want to exploit his relationship with Bratt and burden Anser.

Anser was a spellcaster. His time was worth far more than an ordinary person's.

"We'll rest too and leave after a short nap." Anser nodded.

"All right."

Watching Aemon rush about pitching camp, calming people, and preparing food stirred something in Anser.

Everyone made their own choices. In this life, he only wanted to be properly responsible for himself.

In his previous life, many people spoke of how they had failed this person or that. In truth, they had failed themselves most of all.

Anser waved to Bratt and Finn, and the three found another patch of dry high ground.

They did not cook this time. The three sat side by side, each holding a bag of emergency rations.

Emergency rations were a loose mixture of cheese, sausage, cured meat, dried fruit, salted crackers, and similar foods. They did not taste bad.

After the night's ordeal, everyone was hungry and ate with relish.

"Thank you, Anser," Bratt suddenly said.

Anser smiled but did not answer.

By appearances, Anser had helped Bratt many times, but the risks had always been small. At the entrance to Wyrm's Crossing, when the javelin came flying, Bratt had known he might die and still planted himself in front of Anser.

How many people could do that?

"Do you want the Silent Sword? It should be a little better than your current blade." Anser changed the subject.

"I'm not accustomed to hand-and-a-half swords." Bratt shook his head. "Sword and shield suit me better."

His Fighting Style was Interception. He favored one-handed swords and was not particularly skilled with either shields or handaxes.

"Teach me some melee techniques later—unarmed combat, short blades, or longswords." Anser's Alter Self was best suited to close combat.

The Sorcerer class already granted proficiency with Simple weapons such as daggers, quarterstaffs, and sickles. Learning Martial weapons or unarmed combat should not be too difficult.

"Of course," Bratt agreed immediately.

As they spoke, an eagle cried overhead. Finn froze, his eyes turning vacant.

After a long while, he looked at Anser. "A group emerged from Cloakwood. They have several enclosed wagons, and they're heading... toward Giant Elk Village."

"Nashivaar." Anser suddenly remembered the dying Amnian's threat.

"Nashivaar?" Bratt looked astonished. "One of Amn's five High Houses?"

"Probably." Anser knew of Amn's Council of Five but did not know which five families composed it.

"House Nashivaar controls Esmeltaran and mainly deals in minerals and slaves. Its reach extends across half the Sword Coast, and it's extremely powerful. We need to be careful. House Nashivaar never forgives a slight."

Bratt had lived in Amn for a time and understood the Council of Five's tyranny and greed far better.

There were no true secrets in this world. Both corpses and spirits could speak, so it was only a matter of time before the truth became known.

"Let them come. They're only a band of slavers." Anser spoke fiercely, though inwardly he raised his guard.

Fighting Style Feats

1. Archery: You gain a +2 bonus to Attack Rolls you make with Ranged weapons.

2. Blind Fighting: You have Blindsight with a range of 10 feet.

3. Defense: While wearing Light, Medium, or Heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class.

4. Dueling: When you're holding a Melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

5. Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll damage for an attack you make with a Melee weapon held with two hands, you can treat any 1 or 2 on a damage die as a 3 if the weapon has the Two-Handed or Versatile property.

6. Interception: When a creature you can see hits another creature within 5 feet of you with an Attack Roll, you can take a Reaction to reduce the damage dealt to the target by 1d10 + your Proficiency Bonus.

7. Protection: When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you within 5 feet of you, you can take a Reaction to interpose your shield if you're holding one.

8. Thrown Weapon Fighting: When you hit with a Ranged Attack Roll using a weapon with the Thrown property, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.

9. Two-Weapon Fighting: When you make an extra attack as a result of using a Light weapon, you can add your ability modifier to the attack's damage.

10. Unarmed Fighting: Your Unarmed Strikes deal 1d8 + your Strength modifier in Bludgeoning damage.

(End of Chapter)