AN: I know that you all hate this story, so I decided to inflict another chapter on you. Deal with it. :P

We have maybe one or two more chapters in this setting for the volume, so we are almost there.

Chapter 22: The Flame that Burns, Eternal

The arisen, a soul that will not be claimed by the long claws of death. Unforgotten, the ashes of a former soul will not go down into the dark and remain forever lost. Scott was such a being. Once again, he rose from the bonds of death, the fires of his soul rekindling. The flame of his will renewed.

"Mother fucking murder scarf," said Scott as he sat up near the obelisk.

He respawned in the location where he bound his soul. That much worked in his favor at least. Unfortunately, the soul desiccation took its toll. His arms were now little more than skin and bones. Now he creaked as he sluggishly made his way to his feet.

It was the true horror of this world, at least for one such as him. He could not die for real, but over time the penalties of death would build up more, and more. Eventually he would be too weak to even move. When that happened all he would be able to do was die, and die, and die forever.

Once he was able to think straight, he checked to see if all of his items were gone. Strangely, they were still with him. Only his torch was left behind. "So, that's how this place works. The items are all made from the memories of those died."

It was no wonder that outside equipment was not allowed normally. Scott would have laid easy money that outside items would be left with his corpse, unlikely the stuff he found here.

"Why the hell was I so eager to put on that scarf?" Scott frowned. It made no sense. It was not even a good looking scarf. It was so plain, unassuming.

Scott took a deep breath, and then sighed. "Well, I'll have to go get my EXP back..."

Before that, he checked two things. The first thing that he checked was his new pair of boots.

Ains' Boots of Travelling +2

The moderately well-known adventurer Ains never found an adventure that he did not like. Unfortunately, his last adventure did not like him. He had nice shoes, though.

"Nice bit of lore there, I guess," said Scott. The flavor text for these items could be humorous at times.

Ains' Boots of Travelling +2

Level: 3/4

Essence Cost: 0/40

EXP Cost: 0/1

Durability: 37/37

Weight:0.6

Physical Defense: 2.4 - 6

Arcane Defense: 1-3

Mystic Defense: 1-3

Defense Bonus: 0.9[Resilience]

Special: Speed of the Wind(b)[Vitality]

"Speed of the wind, huh?" Scott looked into the nature of that special option.

Speed of the Wind

The well-experienced traveler can move like the wind when traversing the countryside, even when wearing a heavy pack.

[Passive][Vitality]

Stamina Increased: 1.2

Weight Limits Increased: 1.5

Walking Speed Doubles

Scott wasted no time in equipping his new boots. A sense of relief washed through him as his bowed back straightened a little. The desiccation still took a terrible toll, but he did feel lighter on his feet. His shield and sword did not feel quite as heavy, either. It was almost back to the way it was before the third desiccation.

"I still don't know what the numbers mean, but there's an obvious effect," said Scott.

He did not want to dwell on things too much at the moment, however. There was one more thing to look into before trying to go back to get his EXP. He checked the current state of his desiccation.

The numbers of screen made him sigh loudly. "Seriously?"

Heal Soul Desiccation[Lv.3][7500 Essence][188 EXP]

"No option to heal it in stages either..." Scott sighed loudly. There was no choice. He was going to have to try to grind those stupid monkeys until he healed his desiccation. A little further grinding probably would not hurt, either. His items could be upgraded with EXP, and he intended to do so.

Speaking of upgrades, he did have that memory of an unwary traveler. "Bet the poor sap was eaten by that scarf, too."

Scott used the crystal memory and received twelve EXP. He released a low, slow, whistle. "An increase of four thousand to my soul desiccation only increased the EXP needed by one hundred. That's a forty to one conversion..."

He decided then and there that one EXP was probably worth forty essence. It fit with what he had seen before, and there was a strong possibility that when the system was in doubt it would merely round the cost up to the next EXP. Rounding up sounded like something the bastards who ran these worlds would do.

"Twelve EXP... That thing was worth four hundred eighty essence..." Scott rubbed his chin.

After the thoughtful moment passed, he went ahead and tried to upgrade his boots. One EXP was all that it should take. However, no matter how he tried, he could not do it. Something was missing from the equation.

"Well, it was a good idea. Too bad, I can't do it," said Scott. Perhaps he would discover the method of upgrading items, later? For now, he had to get going.

With a rattle, and a creak of old bones, beef jerky Scott shuffled toward the tunnel that would lead him back to his corpse. The bony monkeys were back in force now. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed in this place, but it was no doubt long enough to repopulate the area entirely.

His rock throws barely met their targets, but they still worked. The monkeys frequently came close to recovering after their fall, before Scott could finish them off. It now took well over twenty strikes to defeat a single monkey. Even with increased stamina, Scott still stopped to recover between every few strokes.

How long did it take to make it back to his corpse? A half hour? An hour? It was impossible to say, but he had to cut his way past far more monkeys than he remembered. Was it the result of being near the obelisk? Had he been dead for a long time, and that was the reason? He might never know for certain.

After his numerous battles, two items dropped. One was a broken sword that held little interest. The other was a small memory crystal.

Back in the room where he had recently died, Scott did not see his corpse. The only thing left behind was a gently pulsing light that floated atop a dried blood stain.

Scott reached out to the light and regained his lost EXP. There was not a lot of it, obviously, but it was there. Every little bit helped.

"Where's the damned scarf?" he asked. Scott glanced over to the battered treasure chest then groaned. The lid was down. The little wool blend fucker had gone back into lurking.

He eventually made his way through all of the tunnels he could access in this direction, and cleared out the monkeys in a slow and methodical manner. It took a considerable amount of time, but time was something he had in abundance.

Slowly, in his jerky shuffle, he made his way back to the obelisk. Throughout his journey, he made certain to keep an eye out for creatures that respawned, but none did.

Once he made it back to the safety of the obelisk, Scott sat down and sighed. "That took forever, but it was easy enough. He took a drink from his vial to finish restoring his health then refilled it. Scott felt it more cost effective to heal himself with his vial and then refill it than to heal himself and have to refill his vial anyway. He had used it twice during his trip. Sometimes the monkeys recovered faster than he did.

"So, my haul was six memory crystals, and two broken items," said Scott. He checked the obelisk to see if it would fix the broken gear, but it would not. Apparently, if an item dropped as broken then it could not be repaired.

His other equipment was badly battered at this point. Thankfully, it did not require a lot to fix any of it. He spent a grand total of twelve EXP to repair his equipment to full, and then took stock of his crystals.

After absorbing everything, and paying his repair bill, he had exactly one hundred EXP. "What was that, forty monkeys?"

The smallest crystals granted him two EXP, but the larger ones granted five or seven. When one of them dropped, it was like the little bony monkey had paid him twice the experience points.

"I wonder if I would get EXP here even outside of a mission?" Scott considered that for a moment. If he ever made it out of this place, it should be unlocked for non-mission visitation. That would be interesting. It was supposed to be a premium world, did that change the equation?

Scott wandered around the room for a while. He did not know how long it would take to make the monkeys start to respawn, though it should not be too long. What he did not want to do, was take a new series of tunnels. At least, not until he healed his desiccation. Grinding twenty-five EXP would be a hell of a lot easier than several hundred, if he died again. Plus, it would make his hair fall out if he had to do a corpse run to retrieve the EXP he just earned.

"It didn't take as long to get back to grinding last time," said Scott. It was time to get back to work.

So it went, for quite some time. Scott cleaned the monkeys from the tunnels, and gained one or two soul crystals. Instead of immediately absorbing them, he chose instead to let them build up in his inventory. Each time he went back to the obelisk and waited for what he considered to be about half an hour, ten to fifteen monkeys respawned in the area.

EXP built up over time. After several hours of grinding and resting, he had five crystals in his inventory, fully stocked vials, full health, repaired equipment, and a little over two hundred EXP.

Scott paid the price for restoration, and then felt warmth surge through his body. His flesh filled out once more. His eyesight cleared up. His senses became sharper, and he felt much lighter. His soul desiccation was healed, at last!

He danced around a little, and then lifted his sword up and down. It felt light, incredibly light. "Woo! I'm back, baby!"

Still pale, and cold like someone fresh to the grave, Scott could only rejoice so much. There was work to do. If he wanted to cleanse his curse entirely and be free of this place, he needed to risk further exploration.

There were three tunnel entrances to take from this point. One led to the left, and back to the monkeys. The other led to the right, and unknown danger. There was also a central tunnel that was similarly unknown in its nature and destination.

Scott chose to enter the middle tunnel. Cautiously he made his way down the tunnel, shield up. Sword ready.

Soon, the tunnel developed into an incline plane. Scott walked upward for a short while, nothing accosted him. Once the tunnel leveled out, he saw something interesting. There was a lone figure up ahead.

Carefully, as quietly as he could. Scott snuck up on the standing figure. He spied an axe in one of its hands, a big one.

As Scott got closer he heard something soft, a hiss. It was the sound of hissing laughter, like someone struggling not to give the punchline to a joke.

Scott got too close after that, and the standing figure slowly began to turn toward him. It was immediately recognized after that. Scott attacked without hesitation. This was no man to talk to, it was the bastard that had killed him the first two times!

Broadsword lashed out, but was met with stiff resistance when it slammed against the monster's shoulder. The beast's eye sockets suddenly emitted a bright red light, and it roared a challenge.

Greataxe swung outward in a fast, brutal, strike, but was deflected by Scott's shield. An opening was presented then, and Scott capitalized on it. His sword slashed down with lethal intent. The sound of bones cracking, echoed throughout the area.

The axe swung upward suddenly, slipping past Scott's guard and neatly slicing a deep cut along his torso. Blood spurted outward with great volume, but it was not like the first time. The wound was deep, but not deadly.

Scott slammed his shield forward and knocked the monster back. Staggered slightly, it was left open for a second, and then a third shield bash. It slipped over the edge of the ramp then fell hard to the ground below. It hit with great force, but was not dead. A wild, stupid, plan formed inside Scott's head.

He leapt off the top of the ramp, a distance less than the ridge he had hopped down earlier, but still farther than the farthest drop he had taken before. Just as the beast rose halfway to its feet, Scott's sword slammed down atop its skull with incredible ferocity. He hit the ground with great force, and felt every bit of that force throughout his body.

The axe wielding beast gurgled loudly then fell to the side. The light faded from its eyes. "Yeah," said Scott while panting a little to ease the pain. "Yeah, you take a nap fella."

He drank from his vial after collecting a whopping six EXP. That thing had been worth something like one two hundred forty essence. It dropped a small memory crystal, but nothing else. Scott kicked its side with his boot. "Give me your axe or something next time, you bastard."

Scott made his way back up the ramp and returned to the obelisk. Curious to see what would happen, he waited a few minutes then went back to visit the place where he had fought the axe guy. He was not there, sadly. Either he did not respawn, or it took a while.

Back at the obelisk, Scott opted to go through and clear out the monkeys once more. It did not take too long, but he did net a few EXP and a rusty meat cleaver that counted as a broken item.

Repairs were made to his equipment at a low cost, and then he went to check on the axe guy. He still had not respawned. Scott grumbled a little, but then let it go. He was not that big of a price. Three monkeys were much easier to kill and netted slightly more experience. He mostly just wanted to see if it would drop anything good.

Down the unexplored tunnel, he found his way to room with a table and a few chairs. There were old dusty books scattered here and there. He picked them up, one by one, then nodded. "I have no fucking idea what any of these things say."

However, he discovered that he could absorb them into himself just like any other item. He stored the books in his internal inventory, just in case they proved useful later, and continued on. Not every item glowed, it seemed. Some were already manifest in the world. The key was to be certain that they did not try to eat you before you wore them. The books had proven harmless, but he might never wear a scarf again.

The tunnels cave way to corridors made of brick and stone. Scott soon exited one of the stone corridors and entered a room that held several broken crates and a chest. Much like before, he pummeled the chest with all manner of debris.

He then beat the hell out of it with his sword. Nothing happened.

Inside the chest, he found another book, and a glowing soul light, or perhaps he should think of them as the lights of memory. Something like that? Either way, the glowing light granted him the Memories of a Dark Scholar. The book, after a moment of poking and prodding with his sword, revealed itself to be a diary.

Scott tried to read it, but only recognized a few letters here and there. He put it into his inventory for later. He would no doubt spend a while at the obelisk, if he died. If he did not, then he could take the time to study it once he had finished his current search.

The next room held danger. An undead soldier charged at him with a spear. Scott did his best to deflect it with his shield, but it was an imperfect deflection that led to a large bloody tear forming in his shoulder. He did not know much about using a sword and shield. He mostly used guns, and ran around a lot.

Still, a partial deflection was all it took for Scott to lash out with his broadsword. He took the soldier across the abdomen, which staggered it slightly. Emboldened, Scott kept the pressure on the undead beast. A spear was deadly at range, but less useful in close. Scott was smart enough to stay in close.

He slammed the top of his shield upward to knock the monster's spear arm away then stabbed it in the chest. The battle took several minutes, as the soldier was quite healthy for a dead man.

Scott smiled in satisfaction once it finally fell, as it was worth six EXP. It even dropped loot. Scott looked around carefully while he collected it, nothing jumped out to try and murder him. The loot was a small memory crystal.

He left the room after a thorough search, and then entered another corridor. This one had two paths to take. One led left, another led right. Scott creeped along the left path for a moment and then went back the other direction. Once he had gone right for a time, he doubled back to the left once more. As ridiculous as it might seem, he kept doing that.

Each time he changed directions, he did so after going just a little further. Soon, he knew where both paths led. They led to the same place.

Scott snorted loudly. "So, a large open room with a single pedestal in the center, and a glowing gemstone on top of said pedestal... Yeah, that's not ominous, or anything," said Scott.

"Yeah, I'll be right back," said Scott. He left the area and returned to the obelisk to prepare himself. He went back and forth from obelisk to the room twice before he made it without taking any sort of damage. It was now time to fight the good fight... probably.

On the far side of the room was a tunnel that was blocked by a door made of steel bars. He descended the stairs that led into the open room, and then kept his back to the wall as he investigated the area. He saw no obvious traps, other than the bait in the center of the room. The steel door was locked, naturally.

Scott eyed the bright red gemstone, patiently waiting for him on the pedestal. "Oh gee, I wonder how I get the key."

He sighed. Everything about this set up screamed boss fight. What was he to do, though? He had to get out of here, somehow, and to do that he also needed that burning heart thing.

Even before he walked over to the pedestal, Scott would have laid even money about what he would find there. He would have been correct.

The sibilant whisperer, hiss softly in his ear, "You have discovered the Burning Heart of Saelil Lothuialeth..."

Scott laid his hand on the brightly shining gemstone then turned quickly when a piercing scream erupted from behind him. A whirling tornado of fire and lightning appeared in the room. It reached from the floor to the ceiling, a height several times that of Scott himself.

"God dammit," muttered Scott.

The whirling mass of fire and fury coalesced into a corpse white woman, she had lengthy ears that jutted out to the side like one of those anime elves, but the blazing eyes that could only come from hell. She wielded a staff, and wore dark red robes, the color of old blood.

"You won't take my heart, mortal!" said the elf emphatically, before she rushed toward him.

"You're not my type!" quipped Scott as he dodged to the side. It was surprisingly easy to avoid her staff strike. He countered by hacking into her shoulder.

She screeched at him, then flailed at him with her staff once more. Her attack was easy to counter with his shield. Another easy stroke of his sword sent her reeling.

Scott started to feel a little cocky, but then shut that feeling down immediately. There was no way that it could be this easy.

The battle continued in the same pattern for a few minutes. Scott would dodge, or block, and counter strike. He did not seem to do much damage to the angry undead elf, but he did it regularly. However, that was about to change.

"You won't make a mockery of me, fool!" she snarled before spinning around. She became a whirling mass of energy once more.

Lightning cracked outward and struck Scott on the shield. He cried out in pain as the high voltage attack surged through his body. His muscles immediately felt stiffer, it was harder to move with the agility that he had before.

Scott saw a wave of fire heading in his direction, and instinctively threw himself to the side. The stiffness of his muscles was no different than the jerkiness that came from being desiccated. He had much practice with that sensation. He barrel rolled to the side, and avoided the wave of flame, and kept rolling to avoid another arc of lightning.

Blocking the magical attacks was a bad idea. The smart money was on running the ever loving fuck away. After a series of rapid magical strikes, the whirling winds died down. The angry undead elf returned to normal and descended to the ground. She then bent over and seemed to be weakened briefly.

Scott tried to get closer to her, but she recovered before he could cover the distance. A wave of flame erupted from her staff, and caught him before he could roll. His shield rose up, and blocked part of the attack, but he could feel his dead flesh begin to cook. He was not a zombie. His nerve endings worked. His undead state was a supernatural one, not a result of disease.

Forced back by her magical assault, Scott felt himself weaken considerably. He had only a split-second to dodge another wave of flame, but did so. His vial of spiritus renewed some of his health after drinking a dose, but he was close to the end. It was just not enough to keep up with the damage this hell bitch could put out.

Scott was forced to dodge a few more times before he could swallow another dose. It would have to do. He could not keep up the dodging act for much longer. Scott was forced to run in a circular manner as the flame trailed after him, but he moved in close enough to strike at her when the fire was close to dying out.

His sword lashed toward her, but she blocked with her staff then punched him square in the nose. "Take that fool!"

Scott slammed his shield against her, knocking her back a step, and then followed it up with another sword strike. She recovered quickly enough to deflect the strike with her staff, but then tried to capitalize with another punch to Scott's face. He was ready this time. His kite shield knocked her hand upward, and revealed a solid opening. Scott slammed his sword forward into her abdomen.

Staggered heavily by the attack of opportunity, the undead elf screamed in pain and panic as several hard strikes tore into her.

"You bastard!" she raged, before unleashing a sphere of energy from the core of her being that sent Scott flying.

He rolled to a stop like a discarded rag doll, his arms and legs flared wildly around him. He could not move for a moment, but neither could the elf. The spherical wave of energy continued to radiate wildly around her for a while.

Scott recovered before the energy field came down, and drank his last dose of spiritus. He felt strength return to his body, but he was still badly hurt.

The moment the protective sphere dropped, Scott raced in and pummeled the elf with a series of wild strikes. She was unable to block at all due to her magical exhaustion. Yet, she withstood the constant hammering of blows. Scott's final strike was deflected by her staff, and he took a hard kick to the groin that caused his eyes to water.

"Ha! Such is the fate of all men who challenge me!" snarled the evil she-elf, before she reared back and slammed the head of her staff down across Scott's face.

"No man will have my heart!" she raged while whipping the ever loving shit out of him with a series of weak, but numerous staff blows that kept him reeling.

However, she continued the pummeling for too long. Scott recovered from having his taters mashed, and rose up with a fury. The pommel of his sword slammed into her chin with great ferocity.

"I said..." shouted Scott. "You're not my type!"

Scott roared angrily as he continued his assault by slamming his shoulder into her chest. Knocked to the ground, she was completely vulnerable when he leaped in and slammed his blade down atop her. It was his turn to pummel her with attacks.

The sphere of energy returned to defend her once more. Scott was sent flying, much of his life fading as he hit the ground. He was at the end. He could still fight, but one more hit would do him in, and he knew it.

"I'm every man's type, fool!" raged the elf maiden as she floated to her feet. "I was known as the most beautiful dark elven sorceress in the city!"

Scott rose to his feet, and snorted. "Baby, you got real ugly."

It was not entirely true, to be honest. Even as a raging undead, she was still reasonably pretty. She would have been quite the attractive woman in her day.

"Don't lie to me, mortal! I'm beautiful still!" she cried vainly.

"I wouldn't touch you, but I know a few men who might do so if you paid them by the hour," remarked Scott snidely.

She hissed at him like a cat, then came in swinging. Strangely, she did not use any magic.

More by instinct, than by skill, Scott managed to deflect her strike and trip her to the ground. His sword flashed downward in a brutal strike that took her across the back.

However, she turned quickly and howled. "Tell me I'm beautiful!"

"Sure, if you say so," said Scott, before he struck her again.

"I'm beautiful! Say it!" she cried.

Scott lashed out at her again and again. The fight had gone out of the undead she-elf. The more Scott denied her beauty, the less she struggled.

Finally, a heartbreaking sob erupted from her throat. "I just always wanted to be beautiful."

"Why?" asked Scott curiously, before whacking her across the back of the head with his sword.

"S-so, I would..." she said with a hiccup. Scott whacked her again.

"Tell me," he said, before slamming the bottom of his shield down on her lower back.

"I just wanted to be with him, forever!" she cried.

With that, her body flared with light and burst into fire and ash. Scott stood there panting, his body on the verge of death once more. "Crazy ass girl.... kind of sad, I guess."

He received forty Eighty EXP for defeating her, and three items. "Whoa, treasure trove," said Scott.

Scott took the burning heart and put it into his inventory, and then checked his new haul. He had a robe, a staff, and a ring.

Saelil Lothuialeth Crimson Robe of Flames

Wrapped in the luxurious silks of the far eastern lands, Saelil Lothuialeth spent many days in quiet study. Her heart longed for the gentle touch of a powerful lover, but her studies would not allow for such things. The path of the archmage was paved with heartache.

Restriction: You cannot wear this item or view its stats.

"What... I can't wear it?" Scott frowned. That was some bullshit. He would discover a similar issue with the staff.

Divine Thunder Staff of Saelil Lothuialeth

Carved from the heart of an ancient tree struck by lightning, the powerful dark elven sorceress Saelil Lothuialeth used this staff to forge her destiny. Her lust for power caused her to deny the other lusts that a woman might feel. Despite her many suitors, she died and was forgotten in all but her violent destructive acts.

Restriction: You cannot wield this item or view its stats.

"Man, really? Come on..." That staff sounded far too cool not to be able to use it or even see what it could do.

He was not particularly excited for the ring. Clearly, these items were not meant for him. They were probably meant to be worn by a woman, or something. Scott looked to the ring then blinked.

True Heart of Saelil Lothuialeth

A symbol of eternity, and innocence, the powerful sorceress bound her true heart within this ring. He who wears it will receive a beautiful gift.

Restriction: Only the one who defeats Saelil Lothuialeth, may equip this ring.

Scott rubbed his chin. "A beautiful gift? Maybe this thing will let me have her powers or something?"

The idea of summoning tornadoes, fire, and lightning did seem like a beautiful gift. Scott slipped the ring on his finger then looked around expectantly.

Nothing happened for a moment, but then a soft feminine whisper echoed in his ears. "With this ring, I thee wed..."

Scott's eyes widened. "Oh, oh hell no..."

"Don't be cruel, beloved..." whispered the sweet voice.

He sighed loudly. How was this a beautiful gift. "Seriously... I'm not interested in being married."

"We'll just live in sin, then... Naughty, naughty, sin," she replied with a throaty giggle.

"Dammit..." he muttered. What was even going on here, anyway? Was his beautiful gift supposed to be, being haunted by a dead elf girl?

"Say my name, beloved. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised..." whispered the girl.

Scott sighed. Well, what was the worst that could happen? "Saelil Lothuialeth."

The ash on the ground began to rise up in a whirl of wind. Soon it coalesced into a physical form, a transparent ghostly image. Though, admittedly, it was quite the attractive ghostly image.

Completely nude, the undead elf girl from before had reappeared before Scott. She was quite fit for a dead woman, but Scott could not see how a relationship would work out.

"Thank you..." she whispered softly, "for everything thing."

"Did I do something?" he asked curiously. Sure, he kicked her ass, but she had nearly killed him in the process. He was honestly surprised that he did not die during that fight.

She smiled shyly. "I spent so much time studying that I never really allowed myself to do anything else. I killed my enemies, destroyed demons, and studied."

"So, alright... what does that have to do with this ring?" he asked her.

Her shy smile shifted to a nervous one. "It represents what I truly wanted before I died... someone who could accept me even when I was not beautiful, someone who was strong enough to defeat me."

"Am I really that guy? I'm pretty sure you used to be a lot stronger," he said.

"It is true. The long years that I have lived my nightmare have taken much from me. My own faults have caused it, and you have delivered me from that darkness," she said.

"What now then? Are you doomed to be a ghost, or something?"

She shook her head. "My doom is yours to decide, beloved. You may break the ring that seals my heart, and send me to my final rest in the cold darkness of the true death, if you wish. If not..."

"If not...?" asked Scott.

Saelil ran her hands down along the curvature of her sides. "The ring acts as a contract, a permanent bond between I and the wearer. If you would have my power at your side, I would gladly serve you in any way that you wish."

"Any way?" asked Scott curiously.

Her throaty giggle returned. "Oh yes."

It was strange, but she seemed like a much nicer girl after beating the ever loving snot out of her. Was that thought misogynistic? Probably. But then it was hard to think that beating an undead fire hurling tornado girl into submission meant that he was less of a man. Besides that, she'd started it.

"Are you the jealous type?" asked Scott curiously. How he would explain this situation to his other team mates was something he would have to think about carefully. Breaking the ring was not an option. At the very least, she might be able to teach him about magic.

She laughed softly, but said nothing. An undead dark elf who wanted to keep at least one secret about herself, who would have thought it? Either way, his little mission was finally progressing.