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~~((The July 4th Special -- page 7 of 12))~~
There were only four of them, all fastened in tight little wedges while the rest of the box was filled with a pillow-like cushion. Clearly, they were special in some way, but Raul wasn't quite sure how until Orric spoke up.

'These are the remains of an aberration,' the reaper said.

Raul's eyes widened. Now that he was looking at them more closely, they did look like bone. He hadn't realized it at first because of the polished sheen they had, as well as how small and thin they were.

Renart again said nothing.

'Where did you get these?' said Orric.

Raul doubted that question would be answered, but he was wrong this time.

"Abolish," said Renart. "Where else?"

Raul could see the disgruntled expression on Cousin Melchor's face, and indeed, he could even feel a bit of that emotion himself. These Ridgemarkers obviously weren't aware of House Blackburn's experience with aberrations.

Renart seemed mildly confused, perhaps he could sense their displeasure but didn't understand why. The man posed another question. "Are you familiar with the kind of power that can be harvested from aberrations?"

"...We have heard of such things, yes," said Melchor.

"Try them on and see for yourself," said Renart. "They will not come off easily, but the ability they grant should prove very helpful in your mission."

Raul's jaw clenched as he eyed the rings in the box another time. It was hard not to feel sickened.

All he could think about right now was Ibai.

What if someone out there tried to do this to him? Lord Goffe had told them that he was safe, but... Ibai's power would no doubt tempt many people if they ever discovered that they could "harvest" it from him in this way.

'Is something wrong?' said Renart's reaper.

'...No,' said Orric.