“Do we have any idea what that thing is now?" he asked; looking at the silver band.

“It is powerful. Unimaginably powerful. And it seems to be content with you as its wearer." Valise summed up the only things she could surmise of the mysterious trinket.

“Though if you value your soul I would not wear it again unless the circumstances were truly dire. What in the world made you put it on?"

“I was ambushed at the glade. Rolk and his lackeys had gone there to look for you guys. They'd somehow slipped past Ishka. There were too many of them, and I only had a knife and the ring. I figured that if I was done for, then putting the ring on might let me take them with me if it did what it did to Freddie."

Hearing this softened Algra's somewhat aggressive stance considerably.

She hadn't known that he'd put the ring on as a last resort, and assumed he'd worn it somehow knowing that it would give him an advantage in battle.

“How Long was I out?" he asked.

“Two weeks," Valise replied.

“Your spirit has recovered a little, but if you had held on much Longer then there wouldn't have been enough of it left to restore itself."

"You mean that the ring uses my soul to power itself?"

"No," the pale woman shook her head. "It's more like holding a candle against a raging inferno. It would be consumed with the force of its power."

“Right, ok then. I don't plan on putting it on again any time soon anyways."

“I am glad to hear that, Gregory. That kind of power is not easy for most men to resist."

“Yeah, well it's easier to resist when you know the damn thing makes you feel like your skull is hosting a fucking brass band after you take it off." The world was getting awfully spinny again, so he closed his eyes to prop up his brow with his hand whilst taking another drink of water.

“There are other things you must know." Algra stepped forward and took a seat on the edge of the bed beside him.

“Now is perhaps not the-" Valise began, only to fall silent when Algra gestured to her.

“What's up?" he removed the bucket from beneath his head and placed it off to the side.

“Gregory, many orcs are suspicious of the part you played in the battle. Elder Wren has created a following of orcs who want you placed before the council to answer for just how you managed to do what you did. What's more, the camp was infiltrated by black orcs hiding within our trade caravan. You have been accused of colluding with the enemy."

“Well, that sounds about right." He Laughed mirthlessly and shook his head.

“That is not all." Algra paused, and looked to Valise hesitantly before taking a breath and coming out with it.