As I started to check the lab for important items I found several items and noticed that mom liked to hide things in weird places.
Eventually, I noticed a ring hidden in a box in another drawer.
I pulled out the ring and examined it. It was a simple bronze ring with a small agate set into the metal. I remember Mom would be wearing this ring whenever she went on quests but never seemed to carry a bag.
"I wonder..." I cut my finger with my dagger and let a few drops of blood fall on the ring [1]. I could feel a connection with the item, proceeded to pick up a pencil, marked it with a symbol and visualized it entering the ring.
The pencil disappeared.
I visualized it appearing in my hand again and the same pencil appeared I'm my hand.
This ring was a storage ring. It's a rare special magic item that functions like a magic storage. There are other types of items with similar abilities and different sizes.
This type of item was extremely rare and valuable. So valuable that nobles would send assassins and bandits to try to kill me and take it.
I put the ring on and tried to see if any items were in it already. I could feel some items inside but couldn't get them out so I left it.
Thinking about the ring I got an idea and started putting any items of value into the ring.
I searched the room and found several more interesting items and several I could sense magic on.
Sadly I didn't know what they could do so I saved them in the ring and made a mental note to try them out or have them appraised another day.
Some of the items were a hairbrush radiating magic, a cloak with magic symbols sewn into it, some rocks the size of my fists, a map, a chess set, several sheets of strange silk-like material, and a paintbrush.
It's an odd assortment of items I found stashed away in corners They all have magic so I will see if they are useful.
After I finished searching most of the room I placed the entire desk and all the books in the ring along with a few other items.
as I left the room I found Terra and Rirki standing outside the door
"Is everything ok? you have been in there awhile." Terra asked
"Y-yeah I'm ok. I was going through Mom's stuff and sorting out what I should bring." I responded
she seemed to be relieved and we walked down to the living room.
Rikki and Terra had reached the main rooms and found some food and other items they figured I would want to bring.
I started to sort through the items.
After some time Terra hesitantly asked, "D-did you manage to find out how she... did that?"
I smiled with a hit of sadness and explained it in minor detail
"It was a spell that can only be cast when dying. It pours all your magic into the weapon of a loved one in the hope that they survive. Her soul manifested probably because of my surge yesterday as that wasn't supposed to happen."
they both nodded and we all smiled thinking about how much they both loved each other.
When we finished sorting the items in the living room rirki noticed the ring on my finger.
"Jack, did you happen to find some magic items in your mother's lab?" he asked cautiously.
I looked at him and subtly gestured to the ring.
he nodded
"I did find some but aside from this ring I don't know what they do," I said
"Oh? What does it do?" Terra asked curious
I looked at Rirki and he shrugged, silently saying 'It's your choice.'
I sighed and said, "It's a storage ring."
Terra's face lit up and shouted excitedly "Is it really?! Those are so rare I haven't seen one before! Can you let me borrow it?"
"calm down," I said
"it is I have already tested it and no you can't borrow it. it requires a blood pact and I already made it."
"aw. no fare." she pouted
"haha. if you want I can show you how it works." I offered
her face instantly lit up and she furiously nodded.
I laughed again and placed my hand over the items I decided to bring with me. I gave the mental command and all the items disappeared instantly.
"Is that it?" Terra asked disappointed.
Rirki and I looked at Terra confused.
"what do you mean, 'is that it'? what were you expecting?" Rirki asked
"I thought I would look cool instead of the items just disappearing. Like in a swirl of magic, they are sucked in or a giant shadow emerges from the ring and eats the items."
we both looked at her with black expressions.
"..."
"..."
"What?" she asked,
"...you read too many fairytales and face adventures," I said bluntly
"Awe" she pouted
"he is right you read too many fake stories. The only way something like that could happen was if it was an Artifact, which it is not" Rirki said
"Artifact?" she asked while acting confused while also trying to divert the conversation from us bullying her to us explaining something she already knew.
"Weird magic items of any grade that do weird things," Rirki said not knowing her little game.
"What kind of weird things?" she asked
"I heard of a pitchfork that when stabbed by it can cause your pinkie toe to fall off, grow a face, start screaming and biting your other toes."
She stared at Rirki waiting for him to laugh at his weird joke.
It wasn't a joke.
"... wait... you serious?" she
""Yeah"" we both nodded.
"...ok," she said still trying to process it and just sat back down.
Rirki didn't mention it but it was my dad who owned it at one point but he sold it to the mage tower for study as it was useless to him.
Rirki and I looked at each other and laughed to ourselves.
After a few minutes, Erik arrived and we started talking.
Afterr even more time Rirki said, "Hey Jack didn't Alex say Draven left a note for you."
"oh yeah," I said and pulled it out.
I looked at it and felt a sliver of worry worm its way into my mind. 'what if he confesses he was a criminal or he was cheating on Mom... no wait Mom said she knew and would have killed him if he did.'
I shook my head trying to clear it as I knew I was just being paranoid.
I breathed in and out, opened the letter and started reading
If you are reading this it should be the day after your 8th birthday. If not close this letter and put it down.> I laughed as he knew I liked to snoop sometimes. Your determination to become like us is heartwarming. I won't deny that I am a little worried about what will happen to you in our line of work but your mother comforted me and reassured me that if we train you properly then we have less to worry about.Noo matter where your path leads you I will always support you.> I could feel tears running down my face as I read this letter remembering every time these things happened. I wiped away the tears and continued. the reason you never met my family is that...> I continued to read the letter shocked about what we wrote. It talked about his past, why he left home, who he was before he met mMomand a location he asked me to meet him in so he could teach something he wouldn't disclose. Tears fell more now as I read this with a mix of emotions. Sadness that I couldn't learn what he wanted to teach me, surprised at the name he used to go by, his past and how different he is now but what caught me so off guard is a bit added at the bottom that was added recently. It read a message I had a million thoughts crossing my mind trying to figure out how it could be true. "Jack, is everything ok?" Rirki asked. I looked at him and asked, "What did you know about Dad before he met Mom?" He was caught off guard by my cold tone, but he answered. "Truth be told, I met him after they got together and I never really asked about his past or anything. Why?" I gave him the letter and let him read it. He was shocked just as much as I was. After a few minutes, he put it down and, like me, tried to understand how that was possible. "What is it?" Erik asked concerned. We looked at him, then at each other. "Did you read the whole thing?" I asked while holding my wand He looked at me, then the wand, the letter, then back to me and nodded "Do it," he said Before Erik or Terra could understand what was happening I pointed my wand at it and used lightning to burn the letter. Erik and Terra panicked and tried to put it out while we stayed there, both in agreement When the letter finished burning Erik asked me. "Why did you burn it?!" "The fewer people who know the safer we will be," Rirki said Erik took a moment. "The seriousness of that information was so dangerous you had to burn the letter?" Erik asked confused and concerned. "depending on how you look at it, it could be considered an international secret. If it got out it could cause the destruction of the entire kingdom." I said [1]: this method is forging a blood pact. For items like the ring that requires a mental command, a pact is necessary and remains for life. Blood pacts are kinda similar to Jack's contracts with some differences. The ring used to belong to Jack's mother but when she died the ring lost its pacts and was ready to forge a new one. Yes, any items she left In the ring are still there but Jack needs to know what the item is to get it out. 2 requirements are needed for a blood pact to be made. The blood of the person it will be bound to and the intent of the person to make the pacts. You can't force someone into a blood pact unless they want it.