The guide watched her charge with newfound interest. His ability in the battle was quite remarkable. And his ruthlessness had made her hesitate to even talk to him. She wondered if the pieces of his memory she had decided to return would be enough to temper his cold blooded nature. She dug around and added one more item to the list of memories. It was a pleasant one of the feeling of walking in the woods. He was alone, at peace, on a day not so different from this one.

  All her choices were careful not to return any hints of his past life outside of the game. No technology, no memories of family or friends. She limited her returned memories to his hunting alone in the woods. It would have to be enough. She wished she could give him back his name, but that could cause a cascade that could actually harm his recovery. Besides, he had one now and he seemed to like it.

  She decided to wait until he entered the woods. She would briefly amplify his sense of smell and then bring back the memories. She blurred the bow in his hands leaving its feel but blocking its actual appearance. A memory of compound bow would not do.

  "I hope all this memory editing is worth it. You better not get killed right away."

  * * *

  The leather worker’s shop was a mess. Things had been knocked over and there were two bodies on the floor. She hadn’t been captured easily. The smell of smoke from the tanner’s shop made the place smell bitter. I cast out my “Inspect” skill looking for the magical items I had seen before.

  The jacket had been knocked to the floor, and I picked it up and cast “Inspect”.

  Elven Jacket of Silence. +5 defense, +1 silent movement

  I slipped it on. It took some time to find the pants I had seen before. They were beneath a pile of ordinary clothing.

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  Elven Pants of Silence, +1 defense, +1 silent movement

  Finally, I hunted down the cloak I had seen before.

  Elven cloak, +1 to concealment

  I started to make my way out of the shop when my eyes caught another pile of goods on the floor. They seemed out of place. I began moving things out of the way. I brushed aside a number of shirts and ordinary pants. At the bottom of the pile was a pair of thigh-high leather boots.

  “They are too narrow for me,” I thought, intending to toss them aside.

  “Some armor and footwear magically adapts to the wearer,” said my guide.

  Again I called up “Inspect” and was rewarded.

  Elven Boots of Travel, +4 silent movement, +10 movement speed

  I shook my head. I was like a kid in a candy store. If the situation wasn’t so serious I would be laughing. Which brought me back to what I was doing.

  I had just finished slipping off my old boots and putting on the new ones, when the tanner came in. He glanced at the bodies. "I'll take care of those he said."

  I nodded and moved to leave.

  “Wait,” he said. I saw something on his back that made me stop. He swung it off and held it out.

  “I want you to take this.”

  It was a medium length bow, curved at both ends. It was made out of a beautiful rose colored wood. The handle was made of hand carved bone. It must have taken at least a year to carve and shape. I put down my own and took it from him. He smiled.

  “She gave me this for when I went hunting. Said it would improve my aim. Don’t know how she knew my eyes were failing, but she was right. I certainly did a lot better when I used it.”

  Once again I turned my eye to the bow and summoned my “Inspect”

  Elven Recurve Bow, +5 to hit, +5 damage

  “I’d go with you if I could, but I have to warn the hamlet. So, take this too,” He reached behind and removed his quiver. I could see the elegance of the design and as he removed it I noticed that the arrows did not move or rattle.

  He handed me the quiver.

  “She said it was the best thing she had ever made. I think she was right. It’s enchanted to never run out of arrows. And, the arrows never rattle or catch trying to come out.”

  Once more I used “inspect” and gaped at the results.

  Epic Elven Limitless Quiver, Arrows are +1 to hit, +1 to damage

  I looked up at him.

  “I’d like her back too,” he said simply.

  I nodded, took the gifts, and set out to find her.