Abyss Magic

"E-Eric! What brings you and A-Asami here?" She asks before gasping when she sees the blood on my armor. "Are you o-okay!?" She asks and I nod.

"Yeah, I've stopped the bleeding. It's just a mild pain now. But I don't want to ruin my uniform so I haven't changed yet. Anyway, Ramia do you know what Abyss magic is?" I ask and she shakes her head no.

"No, but my p-parents do. They worked with it b-before." She says before leading us to the farm. Her parents are planting some seeds. "Mom, w-what's Abyss magic?" Ramia asks, causing her mother to look at her shocked.

"Why do you ask?" Her father asks.

"I'm the one who asked her." I say quickly before continuing. "I found something that contains trace amounts of it. So it got me curious." I explain and he nods.

"Well, to put it bluntly, Abyss magic destroys the soul. It doesn't leave any wounds and ignores armor. It's incredibly deadly and very dangerous. In fact, casting it destroys your own soul as well. There are only three monsters in existence that can use it without dying. We call them the Abyss Reapers. There are other monsters that have it or contain traces of it. But only those three can cast Abyss spells." Harry explains and I nod.

"Also, Ramia mentioned you worked with Abyss magic before. What was it, if you don't mind me asking." I ask and he smiles.

"It's fine, feel free to ask anything. The Abyss magic we worked with was from one of the Abyss Reapers. It was the blood of an Abyss Warlock. It attacked the Elven Village we were at. The Elves managed to beat it and had us make a recovery potion with it. Since Abyss magic damages the soul directly it can't be healed by normal magic or potions. You need specific potions containing Abyss magic to recover. They had us make a lot of them for their warriors." Harry says and I nod. "But what did you find that contains trace amounts of it? I doubt it's an Abyss Reaper or it would be more than just trace amounts."

"You're right. I got some Ultra Elemental Slime Ruler Gel." I say and he drops the shovel he was holding. He starts moving his lips like he wants to say something. But he can't decide on any words so he remains silent. I see his wife and Ramia looking at me and smiling. "Do you want it? I can't use it and I'd hate to waste it." I ask and he nods before stopping himself.

"I couldn't. You already let us start a farm here. We can't take your ingredients too. Especially ones so valuable." He says and I sigh. I'm about to say I'll just give them to Ramia when she speaks up.

"W-what if you joined his Guild? That w-way you could pay h-him back by working for him." Ramia says and her parents look at each other.

"That would work, as long as we still make the potions for the Elves. It wouldn't interfere with the contract." Her mother says, thinking aloud.

"Eric, would you let us join your Guild?" Harry asks.

"Yeah, I don't have any problems with it. But are you sure this is what you want?" I ask and they each nod.

"It is the best way to repay you. Besides, we'll get to work with our daughter." Anna replies and I nod. I take out my Guild Registry Device and add them. Afterward, I store the Ultra Elemental Slime Ruler Gel, Acidic Slime Gel, and the Acidic Slime Cores in separate containers Ramia brought me. As I finish storing the materials, Ramia taps my shoulder.

"Eric, I f-finished the measurements for the f-fence. We'll need a-another 49 fence posts. We s-should only need 43, but it's b-best to have extra." She says and I nod. I create the posts, using 245 wood. I set them in a pile in an empty corner Ramia led me to.

"What about the actual fences?" I ask after dropping the posts from my inventory.

"W-we'll take care of t-that. We have a few i-ideas for it. Also, certain ingredients will grow similarly to vines. So we need to have the right kind of wood for that. But the wood used in the posts shouldn't matter." Ramia says and I sigh with relief. After making all those posts, I'm down to 19 wood.

"Okay, I'm going to head back to the Cabin. I'll see you later Ramia." I say and she nods. I turn to Asami who's walking over to Ramia.

"I'm going to stay here. I want to help them set up the fence." Asami says and I nod. I start walking back to the Cabin. I start thinking while looking up at the blue sky. I wonder if I can get the rest of Bergeths Soul Fragments during my break. I have 5 left to get, but I have no idea how far they are from me. Only one way to find out. I think before pulling open the door to the Cabin. I see Gaia standing on the other side of the door. Her eyes are red from tears.

"Eric, I was just coming to find you." She says while stepping back. I walk in before closing the door behind me.

"What do you need me for?" I ask causing her to smile.

"Verona has something she wants to tell you." She says and I nod. She starts walking towards the stairs.

"Gaia, before I forget. Do you want me to keep your resurrection a secret from the Guilds?" I ask her while we start climbing the stairs. She thinks it over before nodding.

"Yes, if you can. I doubt they'd tell anyone else about my return, but the more people who know the harder it'll be to keep it secret." Gaia says before we get to the Craftsman Workshop. She pauses before opening the door. "Thank you for bringing Verona here Eric. It means more to me than you can imagine." She says before opening the door.