Hunter woke with a start. For the first time since he had arrived in the Rift, he had dreamed. His dreams were fragmented, twisted things. In one fragment, he was an avenging angel smiting demons and nonbelievers. In another, he played a monster. He siphoned souls and used emerald hellfire to burn his enemies into ash. With a sigh, he wiped the sweat from his brow and pulled out a vial of water from his storage ring. He drained it.

Why couldn’t the dreams of being a ninja last longer?

He rolled his feet out of his bed, and mechanically went through the motions to get ready for the day. It was almost ironic. Just a few days ago, he would be getting ready for school—maybe grabbing a pop-tart before catching a ride with his friend Sundaresh in his beat-up Toyota. 

Damn, I miss Sundaresh. 

Hunter was surprised the words rang true in his mind. His friend Sundaresh was one of the few oddball individuals who stuck by him throughout high school. Hunter’s friend was exceedingly intelligent. His dad worked for one of Phoenix’s big tech companies as a senior developer and taught his son how to code since early middle school. Sundaresh didn’t even plan on going to college. He had already applied and accepted a junior developer position for a tech startup in the city. 

Hunter was a little intimidated by his friend, but Sundaresh was so damn cheerful and supportive about everything that Hunter felt like a dick whenever he got jealous about his friend’s life. After all, it wasn’t Sundaresh’s fault that Hunter’s dad had split while he was a kid. Sundaresh had also tried to help Hunter learn some necessary developer skills on multiple occasions, and Hunter couldn’t pick up the material no matter how hard he tried.

I hope he isn’t dead, Hunter thought as he toweled off and began padding toward the crafting area in his boxers.

Thankfully, Hunter’s strategy of washing and drying his padded tunic and trousers had worked. When he grabbed his clothing, he was surprised to see that the Flames of Avarice were still burning in the forge. He assumed that all of the fuel would have been expended overnight. After a quick check, he realized that none of the coal had been burnt away. Not only that, but the stone interior of the forge had started to turn gold.

Hunter pursed his lips. If the forge is transformed, does that mean I’ll gain more faith? Or will the forge itself start to influence my actions? 

Hunter didn’t like the idea of slaving away to a sentient forge for the rest of his life. He gingerly picked up his armor and slipped it on. After that, he pulled out all of his equipment except for his Goldwrap and got dressed quickly. Apparently, he couldn’t put the Goldwrap within his Ring of Holding because it had its own enchantment. Grumbling about holdception, Hunter finished arming himself. 

The warrior walked back into the armory and started looking around for a suitable helmet. He wanted to be sure of his choice before committing to transforming it with his Midas Touch. He probably could get away with wearing an unpowered piece, but if he was going to go fight demons, then he wanted to do it at his best. 

After perusing the various options, he found a helmet that reminded him of a spartan helmet. It was a metal bowl with a triangular ridge on the forehead. It extended into cheek guards that left his eyes and nose open. Hunter hefted it with a hand and was happy that it didn’t feel too heavy. He tried it on, and it wasn’t a perfect fit, a little loose on his head, but it would have to work. He didn’t want to be caught on fire again. 

With a thought, he activated Midas Touch and the helmet started melting in Hunter’s hand. The warrior dropped it in shock. His power hadn’t caused an item to become destroyed before. Typically, all that happened was a cosmetic change. Nothing so….dramatic. Hunter watched as the molten silver started to shift in color. He raised his eyebrows as he watched the puddle of metal. Once the helmet was completely dissolved, it shifted until it formed into the shape of a golden mask. 

When it was finished transforming, Hunter picked it up and activated his Covetous Eyes. 

Damaged Visage (Lvl ???): The False &(% smiles upon those in its service. This artifact has been blessed by great power. $^#^&() is at the heart of all things but takes many faces. When worn, your appearance is changed to become more appealing to the observer. The effect is negated if observed at the same time by two individuals from different factions. ERROR: This item has been critically damaged. All further effects sealed. This artifact can be repaired by absorbing energy.

Hunter had to admit it. He was confused. He had not seen an item with errors in the description. The most significant part about the explanation was that the mask was called an artifact multiple times. Everything he had seen so far had been trash or common-tier items. That meant whatever this mask was, it was powerful. 

Physically, the golden visage was beautiful. It looked like a perfect replica of his face except that the nose was too straight, the eyes were too symmetrical, and Hunter was pretty sure his jaw wasn’t that wide nor his cheekbones that high. The mask looked like a model version of himself. It fell squarely into the uncanny valley. Despite that, he wanted it. Every gamer bone in his body told him to wear the item.

But it’s a greed item. It has to be if the Midas Touch created it. Plus, it doesn’t protect the rest of my head. I’ll need better protection than that. Maybe a cloak?

Hunter grabbed a nearby cloak. It was brilliant white, but that didn’t matter to him. He activated Midas Touch and watched as shadow crept from his fingers like ink in water. Soon the entire cloak was black, and he was somewhat relieved to find typical results.

Cloak of Desires (Lvl 5): This common-tier cloak is used by members of the Internal Horde. This item has the ability to reduce environmental effects and can make minor adjustments in color to blend into its surroundings. The effect is enhanced with further evolution.

Hunter donned the cloak and grimaced as he felt the stirrings of his own greed. It wasn’t enough to overpower him, so he was thankful for his extra points in Willpower. He glanced down at the visage in his hands and wondered if he should leave it behind and pick another helmet.

No, that would be downright criminal, he decided.

He exited the armory, walked back to the bathroom, and looked at his face in the mirror. His steel-colored eyes still had a hint of emerald fire, but it had neither grown nor been diminished by his new points in Willpower. He was satisfied with the result. With a last look at the mask, he placed it upon his face. 

Hunter was shocked as the mask moved with his own expressions. He raised one eyebrow and then the other. The visage mirrored the actions perfectly. He smirked, and a golden copy was displayed within the mirror. Shrugging, Hunter went to remove the mask. It wouldn’t come off, so he pulled even harder. It didn’t even budge. He tried to pry his fingers underneath the edge of the visage, but he couldn’t find purchase. The mask seemed sealed entirely to his face.

The mask shifted into an expression of horror before the eyes lit up in emerald flames. 

Covetous Eyes has become permanently activated. Mana cost is deducted from Faith pool.

Congratulations! Faith has risen by 1 point.

When the messages scrolled by, the image in the mirror changed. The visage warped until it looked like Hunter’s own face. If he hadn’t known better, he would think he wasn’t wearing the mask at all. However, he could still feel the cooling fire burning in front of his eyes. It matched the chill in his spine.