"A spatial ring, how rich," Mistress Kering's eyes sparkled as she looked at the little ring in Kigen's hand. It looked quite huge in the hands of a fairy, which looked more like a finger than a hand.
The ring suddenly started shrinking. Kigen had held it by lifting under the top side of the ring, and hence his entire arm was inside the ring. The ring must have reacted to this, confusing the hand for a finger.
"Self-adjusting too," Just as Kigen was beginning to panic, the human spoke again, her voice laced with curiosity. "Quite a treasure," she remarked. "Where did you find it?"
By now, the ring had shrunken, fitting tightly around Kigen's hand like a bracelet. It was quite comfortable, and it had a fancy sense to it.
"This was on the golem," Naturally, Mistress Kering knew all about the epic fight between Kigen and the intruder. The fairies had filled her in on all the hot gossip.
"Impressive, to have something so precious given to a puppet," Mistress Kering said, her eyes deep in thought. "It would seem the enemy this time is not so simple."
"Anyway, enough with the suspense, quickly look inside," she prompted, reminding Kigen of the next step. This was a spatial ring, in essence a bag loaded with all kinds of treasures. There was bound to be some good loot inside.
"Uhm, how do I do that," Kigen asked awkwardly. He had never used a magical treasure before, so he didn't know how to use it.
"Focus on the ring, try and connect to it," Mistress Kering said, sounding sagely. She didn't say that she too did not know how to use the ring, and all she was doing was giving Kigen some theoretical advice based on educated guesses.
Kigen did as she said, guiding his consciousness to the ring. After much fumbling about, he finally felt something. Like some kind of connection was being created between him and the ring.
As all this was happening, he felt the ring clamp tightly around his wrist, before relaxing into a very comfortable feeling. Only then did he finally see it.
At first, Kigen was not sure what he was looking at. "A mountain of gold coins," he exclaimed. Well, not a mountain, but quite a huge pile. The human in him was excited, but he wondered where he would use this treasure. He did not need the metal in any way.
There was also a plethora of many things inside the ring. For once, Kigen believed the serpent's story, to a point. No one could have this much wealth unless they made it by sacking multiple kingdoms, Kigen thought.
One thing caught his eye. It was a black crystal, much like the one Kigen had absorbed. He quickly tried to grab it. Something magical happened. Instead of actually holding it, Kigen seemed to 'exit' the ring, and the crystal appeared in his palm.
"An earth element golem core," Mistress Kering marveled at the object in Kigen's hand, saving him the trouble of having to ask what it was. Rather, it was just as he had guessed.
"You mean with this, I can make a golem?" he asked.
"Why would you do that?" Mistress Kering asked in horror. "Any golem generated from a core is loyal to the maker of the core. If you activate it, it will just attack you." She explained.
Kigen noticed how apprehensive she was towards the thing. This caused him to worry. Something he had briefly thought about before.
"I consumed the core of the golem we fought earlier," he said, phrasing it as a question. His meaning was clear.
"I heard of that," she said in a serious face. "Are you worried there will be any problem?" She teased.
"Of course," He answered. Only she stood a chance of answering that.
"I doubt it. The bigger question is, how did you manage it? Can you absorb magical treasures just like that? Also, have you felt any changes since you absorbed it?" Kigen was stunned by how quickly she had changed. He gave it some thought.
All this while, Kigen had been so busy he had not taken time to internalize his gains. Other than the feeling of being full after consumption, he had not noticed much difference. However, now that he was looking for it, he could feel it.
There seemed to be some power in his body, waiting to be unleashed. It was like a box in a room. It was locked but he somehow knew he could open it if he wished.
"Now's not the time," he said to himself. "I don't have any answers," he said this out loud, for Mistress Kering's benefit.
"I guess we just have to keep experimenting," she lamented, "If only there was a treasure trove somewhere with several magical treasures."
Kigen knew she was talking about the ring, but he pretended to not know what she was saying. He bid her goodnight and flew up to his stalk. Just before he jacked in, he took some time hovering there.
There was plenty on his mind. The looming threat was something he could not overlook. The enemy this time was quite fierce, nigh undefeatable. Moreover, the fairies were in the open, while the enemy lurked underneath. This was not a good place to be.
As he flew there, plenty of ideas passed through his mind. He had to keep his juniors, and the mother tree safe. There were several strategies to implement, some early warning signaling. He also planned to keep a watch over the serpents.
All this was secondary. Kigen knew that he had to grow his own power, and the power of the clan. If not for his own sake, but for his juniors and everyone who depended on him, he had to be extremely powerful. He needed it. His fairies also needed to have the ability to protect themselves too.
Hence, he took out the various treasures he obtained from the serpent, and the golem core he obtained from the ring. He placed them on a tray-like formation of vines and tendrils. This new organ of mother had a crazy story behind it.
Due to the competition, the fairies had been bringing in several kinds of prey for the mother to consume. Which worked out well. Hence, the mother, recognizing their effort, formed a semi-permanent organ for the fairies to place their offerings to her.
This was where Kigen placed these treasures. He made sure to watch as they were consumed by the mother tree, before retreating back to his personal space.
Once that was done, he moved on to the next step, improving his power. He mentally reached out for that box and opened. A powerful surge of energy pulsated across his body, shocking him and causing him to convulse. He felt as though a foreign energy was trying to assimilate with his energy, forming a new and more potent power.
As this was happening, he felt a weird sensation. It wasn't pain or pleasure, just some excitement of his body cells. He remained in this state for several minutes, before finally coming to.
He had landed on one of mother's branches. He felt both very weak and tired. He needed to get some shut eye soon, or he would collapse. With great difficulty, he mustered the energy to get onto the mother tree's stalk.
Soon as he popped into the mind palace, he found the fairies waiting for him. As expected, they had guessed the purpose of him remaining behind.
"As it turns out, we have struck gold this time," Kigen said, smiling. He briefly explained the gains as he had understood from Mistress Kering, as well as the contents of the ring. Unlike Mistress Kering, who he did not trust, he completely trusted his kin, so he did not hold back.
Many of the treasures were not recognizable, but they could tell, they were some solid gains. Once done, Kigen went on to meet mother, who had an approving look on her face.
"You've done well child. Your brothers and sisters seem to really love you," she said warmly, "and you love them. I will fully awaken soon, and them I shall have more treasures to give. For now, keep protecting each other."
Not just Kigen, but even the fairies were excited to hear that. Mother was at the heart of the family. Moreover, she seemed to have certain treasures to offer. This was good news for Kigen's ultimate goal.
With that, he stepped forward and touched her hand, zoning off to sleep. This time, this was real sleep, a proper rest. No dreams though, which was weird.
Bright and early, Kigen woke to a huge shock.