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In Kynigo\'s mayor\'s manor, Pelaros sighed as he slouched into his couch. His company today was Myropsis and Evale. They were both just as despondent. Work simply kept piling up.

Originally, Myropsis had come to her uncle\'s to avoid all the trouble her birth brought. Somehow, it was all catching up to them. Perhaps not in the form of political struggles, but the responsibility she felt was certainly heavy.

"At least we\'ve managed to avoid further damage." Evale mumbled. "We\'ve also confirmed their army\'s size. We should be able to handle it with our preparations..."

The unspoken intent was clear. They would be fine as long as their enemies weren\'t too strong. With the monsters wreaking havoc in the west, the chaos land\'s armies laying waste in the north, and the undead already besieging the east, the kingdom was spread thin.

Should the undead come with a strong enough force, the city would fall. Their numbers were the least of the group\'s worries. They could deal with numbers. One strong lich, such as the one Eldrian had faced, however, could spell a big problem.

The magic towers could prevent it from destroying the city. Should it, however, do something as drastic as Eldrian. Then the outcome would be hard to predict.

It could also focus on simply bringing down the border wall they had built. Laying waste to the recently recovered farmland and even ignoring the city to destroy the cities behind it.

Liches tended to be overly concerned with their research and own well being. The thought of letting it have Eldrian had flashed through Pelaros\' mind. Of course, he had immediately dismissed it.

It was better to face the lich than give in to its wills. Besides, they needed Eldrian. While he was currently weakened and injured, he was a friend and once he recovered, he would certainly be a powerful ally once again.

"Myropsis, what was the duke\'s response?"

"Of course, he is willing to lend his aid. Dad wouldn\'t leave me to die."

"So, he wanted you to come home?" Pelaros asked, playing with a teasing smile. The duke would prefer to avoid the battle, that much was clear. Even if it meant abandoning another city. It was simply how thin the kingdom was spread.

However, they couldn\'t continue to take that approach. They had to stand their ground somewhere. Even if losing then would mean the entire kingdom would be lost.

"What of Eldrian?" Evale asked, shifting to topic to the rumors she had heard. "I haven\'t met him since... But I heard he was injured, even after resurrecting."

"Yeah..." Myropsis sighed, remembering when she met Eldrian when he handed her a ton of books. "He was wearing a... a prosthetic, he called it. It looked like an arm made of Mithril. He was able to move it about fine."

—

At Eldrian\'s usual training spot, he and Vivian were resting in the house Skepsi had fixed up on her last visit.

"Do you think she\'ll really appear?" Vivian asked, skeptical that it could be so easy to meet with a god.

"That was the deal." Eldrian confirmed. A couple of minutes later, a purple-haired girl entered the house. Finding the two waiting for her in the foyer. They were having a conversation over some drinks.

"Oh? And who is this?" Skepsi asked, looking at Vivian with clear interest.

"A friend." Eldrian replied, his smile disappearing. "Do you have the ring?"

"As promised." Skepsi nodded. The ring appearing before Eldrian, floating in the air. Ready for him to reach out and take it.

[Artifact, Ring (Avyssos Ring)]

[A magical artifact connected to the magic abyss, capable of matching its wearer\'s powers. It has been imbued with the power of teleportation.]

[Passive Abilities:]

[Attunement: By binding with the ring, the wearer will find their magical abilities greatly enhanced.]

[Match: When bound to its wearer, the ring\'s powers will be strengthened to match their current prowess.]

[Active abilities:]

[Return: After linking a location, the wearer can at any given time activate the power of teleportation. Bringing themselves, and any members assigned as their current party members to the linked location.]

[Cost: 100MP]

[Cooldown: 3 days]

[Possible growth]

"Careful, aren\'t we?" Skepsi asked, noting how Eldrian was refraining from taking the ring. He wasn\'t just inspecting its abilities, he was also looking for traps.

"It seems fine." Eldrian nodded, reaching for the ring with his prosthetic. He didn\'t wear it immediately. Instead, he stored it away for now. "Were you entertained?"

"Very. It was a bit disappointing when you came to but..." Skepsi left it there, having already received an earful from Ziraili. Vivian was giving her the same look.

"Then we\'re done."

"Oh?" Surprised, Skepsi asked, "Aren\'t you going to curse me or something? You lost something precious, didn\'t you?"

Her little teasing stung far more than she expected. Eldrian had been so afraid of her last time. This time, he seemed willing to make an enemy of a god. His aura changed. First was a flash of cold, then heat.

Flames were leaking from his skin, though he quickly reined them in when Vivian grabbed his arm. "We\'re done."

"Don\'t you want to continue growing stronger?" Skepsi called out as the two left. They both ignored her. While they both graved power, they knew working with her would not be their best course of action.

Skepsi didn\'t care for them. She simply wanted something entertaining to watch.

—

"Sorry about that." Eldrian said. They were following the river as they walked to cool down. While the confrontation was brief, and Eldrian would have loved to vent more, he had nearly lost control. If Vivian hadn\'t grabbed his arm, he would have attacked.

She had been burnt, but she simply waved Eldrian\'s concern off. The damage wasn\'t much, and a little healing magic should fix it.

The reason they were walking along the river was simple. They needed to cool down, and the undead wandering around were the perfect targets to vent against. Unlike the goddess, they couldn\'t do anything against either of them.

"What now?" Vivian understood the importance of the ring. If Eldrian had had it before going to the city of the undead. Then he wouldn\'t have needed to make such a big gamble.

Of course, that meant he had to abandon everyone living as slaves. But the end result might have been better for them too. It was hard to know whether they would thank him for ending their misery, or if they would curse him for it.

Some people strived for life even in the worst of situations. Those were certainly not pleased by Eldrian\'s intervention.

"I was thinking of doing some training. But..."

"You don\'t want me near, in case you lose control?" Vivian asked, and Eldrian nodded.

"That won\'t do! I know! What about we spar?"

"Mmm..." Nodding, Eldrian thought that was a great idea. In his current weakened state, he was actually below Vivian in stats. It would do them both some good. It would also allow him to grow more accustomed to his prosthetic.

"Here I come!" Vivian shouted. Wreathed in blue flames, she rushed Eldrian with all the speed she could muster.

Blocking her attack with Crystoi, Eldrian smiled. He might be weakened, but his eyes were just as sharp as ever. He could keep up with her attacks and with the help of a few spells, he ensured he didn\'t fall too far behind in speed.

As their fight continued, Eldrian\'s smile grew. \'This brings back memories.\'