Security Detail First (3)

"There," Skullius said with a cheery smile.

The only thing missing from his current image; the dirt on his hands and knees, the pleased look on his face and the glow of the sun behind him, was a few drops of sweat and a straw hat. If only those two elements were added into the fold, one would think he was a farmer who had just finished planting seedlings for a fruitful year.

What he had dug into the earth though, wasn't a plant, but in a sense a seed.

Three hundred and forty meters deep, and close to the wall was the glass box containing a vibrant mana core. As company within the dirt, two slender swords were at its sides, and around them in turn was a collection of runes with a bright purple glow.

Protection runes.