Defiance of the Fall

"You've already cracked the seal?" Zac exclaimed while his human half asked Ventus to plot a new course.

"A few days ago. I didn't want to distract you while you had your hands full," Esmeralda said as she handed over Kator's Spatial Ring.

"Isn't it too easy? Didn't Valsa's ring take years?" Zac said.

"How's that the same? I wasn't even a Beast King back then. A few months are more than enough for that bratling's stuff," Esmeralda said. "According to our agreement, I've picked out two things I want."

Zac didn't bother asking what she'd kept for herself. Esmeralda had more than earned her share when she stepped in during the fight. Besides, she wouldn't have taken something that could give Zac a power-up while relying on him to enter the Mercurial Court. That said, Zac couldn't help but look up at the toad with suspicion after infusing his will into the ring.

"Did you take two or two-thirds?"

The number of items in Kator's ring was only a fraction of what Zac carried around at any given moment. The neatly arranged stacks of treasure couldn't compare to one of the mountains of resources he'd stockpiled. The ring's space was also larger than the best of Zac's Spatial Rings, making it seem even more empty.

"He was all business," Esmeralda shrugged. "And while the quantity is lacking, it's all good stuff."

That part was true. The Miasma Crystals were all the equivalent of Late D-grade Cosmic Crystals. Crystals of that level rarely appeared naturally in Zecia. The few that were mined were monopolized by the powerful factions. Kator's crystals were even superior to the standardized version. They were all engraved with arrays to improve their energy capacity and transfer speeds.