Runes

About one hour later Line smiled wryly. Originally, he was ready to leave the tower but now he was back in the training room. Four different materials laid before his eyes.

The young warrior took a deep breath. He was eager to engrave his first spells. Thanks to his new friends he was able to plan thoroughly.

Many beginner warriors didn't have this luxury. They were either forced to learn whatever they got their hands on or were forced to learn the spells their organization provided.

In this respect, Line had more freedom, but this also meant that he couldn't rely on any existing combination of spells. But the young warrior was confident about his choices. He took a deep breath, starting the engraving process.

Focused, Line grabbed the first material. Enclosed within a special glass sealing a colorful flower grew from a pile of dirt. For plants it was important to keep them alive.

A dead plant would lose its abilities, making it impossible to copy them for spells. This was also the reason why beast spells were the hardest to learn.

Let's see. Flaming Vuranis. It can set its own petals on fire. Although the fire is weak, it spreads incredibly quickly if touched. If I copy this ability, and use it in combination with my weapons, it will be hard to deal with.

Line took a deep breath as he activated his [Scan] ability. He focused on the colorful plant. Golden rings appeared in his vision. They sat in the middle of the stem.

The three broad rings resembled those in Tepo's chest. A core even sat in their center, stabilizing them, defending against the Force of Natural Perception.

Each of those rings were separated into four segments. But contrary to Tepo's segments, the plant's segments weren't all empty. Three of them contained a single rune each. Together those gave the plant its ability.

Tepo gradually moved his mental strength. For the first time it slowly left his body and carefully connected with the plant's rings.

Immediately a strong rejection hit Tepo. The plant's core pulsed. It was ready to hit back against the intruder.

But luckily, the Core of Time wasn't just for show. Just the opposite. It was incredibly powerful. With a single movement it suppressed the plant's core, allowing Tepo to connect with the plant's runes.

The warrior's mental strength slowly spread. He closely analyzed the runes.

Line remained calm. He told himself to be confident.

Engraving spells has two major difficulties.

First, the spell has to be engraved without interruption. This means I need to be careful not to take too long, or my mental strength will run out.

Second, although runes appear to consist of straight lines, they are actually made from the tiniest waves. Those are hard to see with the naked eye. Only with my mental strength can I perceive them.

Ok, Tepo. Those obstacles won't stump you! Let's begin!

Firing himself up, Tepo started to engrave his first rune. His mental strength separated into two, flowing towards his chest.

When engraving spells, it was important to keep the same pattern. The positions of those runes in relation to each other dictated the spell's effect greatly.

Thus, Tepo imagined his circles to be like a compass, starting within the northern segment of his innermost ring.

As the warrior's mental strength moved, he began to engrave the first line. It was strange concentrating on two spots at the same time, but with a stable mind Line made continuous progress.

After a few minutes the first rune was already taking shape. The tiny waves didn't hinder Line. He had a refreshing sleep and a relaxing bath. His mind was in perfect shape.

Soon, a faint golden light filled the segment. A weak pulse spread through Tepo's circles. His first engraving was successful!

The young man smiled happily. He looked at his rune, feeling elated. But it wasn't the time to celebrate yet! Line still had to engrave the subsequent two runes to finalize the spell.

Keeping the expenditure of his mental strength in mind, Line observed the second rune.

It was placed in the second ring, one segment to left of the first rune.

For Tepo, this meant the western segment of his second ring.

Already used to the process, the young man engraved his second rune. Although he felt some exhaustion creeping in, the warrior could still handle it. Gritting his teeth he successfully engraved the second rune.

By now, his head began to hurt faintly. It became more difficult to concentrate. The tiny waves seemed to blur in his mind. But Tepo had already managed to engrave two runes! He wouldn't faulter now!

Animating his mental strength again, the young man concentrated on the third rune. It was in the same line as the first rune, within the third ring.

Tepo took a deep breath. Sweat trickled down his back. But he continued. Carefully, he directed his mental strength towards the northern segment of his third ring.

The first line gradually formed. The tiny waves were engraved carefully. Tepo continued, fully focused. Left, left, right, right, right…

Line's breath quickened. He closed his eyes, fully focusing on his mind.

Finally, after an excruciating twenty minutes the third rune pulsed. A faint shimmer spread.

Suddenly the runes seemed to react to each other. An invisible connection formed. A line started from the first rune, followed along Tepo's circle towards the left, connected with the second rune, and forked towards the right again, connecting with the third rune.

The runes pulsed. Shimming like the gorgeous brilliance of the morning sun. Even the greedy Core of Time had to give up some of the Force of Time. It shot into the runes, finalizing their connection.

Tepo's first spell [Infectious Flame] had finally formed!

A lot of pressure dropped off Tepo's shoulders. The young man felt tired, but the expenditure wasn't as much as a full day of training. Line surmised that he could continue with his second spell after a short rest.

With the mindset of a child gaining a new toy, Line quickly took out his knife. Naturally, he had to try his first spell out. Tepo did as he had read before and connected with the Core of Time. He willed it to use his spell.

Fortunately, the stubborn core complied without problems this time. It shot out a bit of the Force of Time. The three runes lit up quickly. A strange feeling appeared in Tepo's mind.

The young warrior wasn't yet familiar with spell casting. He had the sensations as if something had appeared in his body, waiting for his command.

Uncertain, Tepo thought about the knife in his hand. Abruptly a flame spread from his hand. The room's temperature only rose slightly. The flame wasn't extremely potent, but it climbed up the knife rapidly.

Almost dropping his weapon from the surprise, Line stared at his hand, incredulous. This was the first time he casted a spell! Never before had he felt this magical feeling.

A second later the flame vanished. Line blinked his eyes, bewildered. But he soon understood that he had to continuously fuel his spell. Or only use it when he was about to hit someone.

After his first impulsive action, Tepo was satisfied for now. He still had other spells to engrave.

After two hours of relaxation Tepo was ready to continue. He took the second material in his hand.

Lonarzium. A good defensive choice. The hardened skin will reduce damage but will also hinder my movements. I have to use it carefully. Its three runes are arranged in a straight line. Let's memorize them and begin!

Taking a deep breath, Tepo began confidently. He already had some experience now. Therefore, nothing surprised him during the second engraving. He controlled his mental strength, cleared his mind, and repeated the process.

Soon, a new spell formed in Tepo's circles. He had chosen the three western segments, hoping for something particular to happen. And he wasn't disappointed.

As soon as the three runes were engraved, a golden light spread again. But suddenly a chain reaction ensued. It originated from the western segment of the second ring. This segment contained two runes, which suddenly reacted with each other.

All of Tepo's runes lit up again. Connections formed. New spells were birthed. Tepo grinned as everything calmed down again.

Something special happened! By engraving two runes within a single segment, the spells connected together. Although Tepo could still cast the original spells, he had also gained a fusion spell!

The combination of [Infectious Flames] and [Lonarzium Skin]: [Lonarzium Infectious Skin]!

Tepo was feeling delightful. Naturally this spell wasn't his invention. He had read about it in the library. But his curiosity was awakened. Tepo realized that experimenting with different spells would be great fun. One could only imagine how many possible spell combinations existed.

Although the young man already knew the effect of his new spell, he was still eager to give it a try. He took out his knife and casted [Lonarzium Infectious Skin].