The next day, at sunrise, a patrol of sixth and seventh-level soldiers arrived at the front gates. I was quickly ushered to the courtyard, where they introduced themselves as elite soldiers from Whitemarsh. They were all older, with the youngest perhaps five hundred years old.
"We've brought the mana cannon as requested," the oldest said, handing me a ring.
I took it, holding it up so it caught the morning light. It was a slender gold band with a small ruby set within. "A spatial ring?"
He nodded. "A military grade one. These are capable of carrying far greater items. Consider it a gift from Lady Whitemarsh."
I slipped it on my finger aside my other spatial ring and threaded my maan into it. It flashed white and resonated with my soul, keying itself to my unique mana signature. Inside, as promised, was a small mana cannon. From the size of the core, it seemed it would barely be capable of launching a beginning-stage sixth-level attack. But it was a mana cannon all the same.
