“Where to?” I catch up to my old mentor as she leads me down the corridors of the Fort.

“To the smithy.” She winks enthusiastically. “My informants told me about your newfound interest in the letters of power and I think I can help.”

Informant? Who could’ve…

“Did you interrogate Valka?” I ask with an unimpressed look.

“Please, it’s been ages since I last visited the Crab Festival. I wanted to hear about how you fared.” Her reasoning feels a little thin. “I’m cooped up here most of the year so cut this old lady some slack.”

Yep, something definitely stinks. She almost never calls herself old. With that said I’m still in the dark so proceeding with caution is the best I can do.

“Any advice on how to deal with Zarah?” I inquire about the unbearable smith I’m about to face. Know thy enemy and whatnot.

“Hm,” Martha taps her chin, sorting through her thoughts. “Don’t talk unless it's absolutely necessary. Zarah works secluded not just to keep her abilities and identity secret but also because she’s…”

“A lone wolf?” I add.

Martha’s disappointed eyes tell me the woman in question wouldn’t value the pun either.

“Anyway, she does things at her own pace and it's often difficult to follow her line of thoughts.” We approach the armory and I’m starting to feel antsy. “Try not to get on her nerves but even if you do… Well, it’s not like there aren’t any other capable inscriptionists around, but I doubt most of them would be willing to share much of their wisdom. Zarah just isn’t the type to care.”

That doesn’t sound as reassuring as it was meant to be.

Once again heat welcomes us as we enter the hidden smithy, however, this time without the constant singing of the hammer. Instead, my supposed teacher is just leaning against her anvil, wearing fucking glasses of all things, and reading through what seems like a romance book.

“Well, do you have an inscriptionist Class now?” She gets straight to the point exactly as I feared.

“Did you have a blacksmith Class before you started hammering stuff?” I cross my arms and ask back instead of simply saying no.

“What a waste of my time you are.” Zarah shakes her head and closes her reading. “So tell me why should I bother teaching you?” It’s her turn to cross her arms.

“Because we’re paying you to.” Martha mutters right beside me but her comment gets completely ignored.

I decide to go with my signature move of conjuring four different elements, literally the impossible, and have them dance around me like stars. It’s not the pinnacle of my magic but the fine control coupled with Ethereal Stage creates a true spectacle no one else can replicate.

But Zarah only shakes her head. “Girl, you just proved my point.” She turns away, ties her hair up, and retrieves her tools. “It is not your Blessing I asked about. You are not your Skills…”

She ends the conversation there, lighting the furnace and working the bellows to increase the heat while I merely gape at my own incompetence.

No, not even that.

I’ve grown too accustomed to being special and the superb treatment that comes along with it. Do I want to delve into the art of making inscriptions due to my Blessing, hm? No? Then why in hell did I react like that?

Why do I even want this?

“Can’t say I didn’t expect that.” Martha sighs and puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll have no issue finding another-”

“Wait.” I interrupt her and take a step towards the smith likely putting even dwarves to shame with her stubbornness. She’s already hammering away, back in her little world isolated from interruptions.

But I don’t want other teachers.

“It’s…” I open my mouth and although I’ve bothered to gather my thoughts in advance, expressing them doesn’t come as easy. “I always destroy and hurt and take… It’s what I do best and I’ve accepted that, but I also want to leave something behind. I want to create just for the sake of it. To see if I can make my ideas into reality, to do it with my own two hands… To make something pretty. Ever since inscriptions first caught my eyes… it was so pretty.”

Definitely not the speech I’ve prepared. Halfway through, or rather after the first sentence, my mind just went blank and I was no longer in control of what I said. I didn’t even notice the sound of hammering come to a halt.

“See, it wasn’t anything difficult.” Zarah lays her tool on the anvil and picks up a red-hot rose of iron I didn’t notice until now. “There’s no need for any grand goal or selfless calling to put your mind into a task. It’s fine to be selfish, to let you choose instead of your circumstances… Making something pretty sure is worth the trouble.”

From her apron, she retrieves the pen used to free Val and starts working on the rose once more, smiling slightly to herself as her hands dance around the petals. Mana Perception allows me to trace the lines left in however they follow a completely different pattern than the Runes I’ve learned about. It’s closer to… an intricate web.

Once complete Zarah simply taps the top of the iron flower and it comes to life. The heat lending its colors flares up, while the air carries the flames and makes the rose float in the air in all its fiery glory.

It’s pretty.

Then Zarah’s eyes land on something past me. “Aren’t you busy?” She asks Martha, giving her a look.

My mentor however just keeps gaping at the spectacle before asking. “Can I have that?”

“Hah, five gold.” Zarah huffs and asks a ridiculous price for something requiring so little work.

But Martha coughs up the money without a word of complaint. Unlike its creator, she handles the delicate work of metal with care as it's still insanely hot before turning to me. “Behave!” And she leaves us to ourselves.

And things get awkward really fast.

“So… are you willing to teach me?” I’m the first to fold.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Not really.” She crushes my hopes in a blink. “If what you want is a person to hold your hand and guide you through every step then keep looking! I’m not teacher material. If you don’t believe me, go and ask my son.”

“Who?” I tilt my head.

“Nevermind. Look, I’m busy and I’m sure the hag will be able to find you a dozen other teachers who can explain all the theory better than me. Let’s not waste each other’s time.” Zarah leans against her anvil the same way I first saw her today.

Daring of her to say that word out loud about Martha but I most definitely won't wait around a week until the hag finds me a decrepit, old gnome who hasn’t touched a single tool in more than a century. Not to mention theory won’t do the crafting for me…

“It’s okay, I’m adaptable and you don’t even need to teach me.” I shrug off her attempts at trying to weasel her way out of this responsibility. “Just do your thing, maybe let me help from time to time and we’ll see where that gets us.”

“You do know I have the right to decline you as my apprentice?” Zarah’s eyes narrow as she asks.

“Uhum, and you did not once tell me no. Besides, that’s not what busy looks like and I’m much more interesting than some book.” I’m not used to trying this hard to get something. I wonder if a social Skill would’ve already made her fold…

Zarah just sighs and shakes her head after clenching and unclenching her jaws a few times. “You can stay for today and we’ll see how everything goes. Do not make me regret this, because chances are, I’ll be the one to keep your future gear functional.”

“Yesss!” I fist pump and up my cold aura as I hop closer.

“Don’t do that!” Zarah instantly shoos me away. “If you want to fool with your magic, do it outside. Some metals might start to decompose if you mess with the temperature.”

Metals will do what? Like plants?

But it’s ridiculously hot in here… So I pull my cooling aura closer, basically creating a second skin, before I add another outer layer to up the heat. The small trick eats my mana like an actual armor but other than that Maintained Magic takes care of the rest.

“So, what’s first?” I’m basically vibrating with anticipation. “What should I know and oh, can I do the inscriptions on a sword?”

“That’s not exactly what we agreed on, is it?” Zarah sighs once more, a weird habit people develop around me. “First, the basics?”

“Right.” Then I go into explaining what I’ve learned from the dwarf. The four common arts of inscriptions, and how they’re made.

“Well, that’s not an awful lot.” Zarah huffs.

“Why do you think I’m here?” I roll my eyes, about to inspect some of the tools before I think better of it. “That grump said Runes were the most common and clearly the best.”

“All of them are the best in their own way but I can’t deny, Runes are definitely the most popular. They’re simple and sturdy.” Zarah nods. “Think of each style as a different language, very different ones. Their values and rules are hardly comparable and put more emphasis on certain aspects. Like how dwarves have thirty ways of saying stone while the same goes for orks and tearing your spine out before beating you to death with it.”

Heh, nice.

“And what you used on the rose was… not the Runes.” I try sharing my observation but fail halfwaythrough.

“It was the Grand String. Good, you’re not hopeless.” Zarah flashes a half-smile. “A ridiculously convoluted style designed by gnomes to be highly modular and just as time-consuming to prepare. Considering you’re not the type to sit around in a basement and carve for days I’d advise against it.”

“So… then what are we doing?”

“I don’t know.” Zarah shrugs and I feel a dark urge growing in the back of my mind, telling me to bite through her throat. “I told you I’m a horrible teacher. Scribbling a few runes, learning some history and whatnot, maybe even making one a symbol run smoothly for a few seconds… Those sound like the prerequisites to a beginner inscriptionist Class.”

Okay, we’re getting somewhere. Unlike learning how to wield my magic I can’t just wing it and rely on Savant, but once I have at least a proper Class in place the rest might be no longer as much of a hassle.

“Show me a symbol or whatever and I’ll replicate it.” I retrieve some water from a nearby bucker as a spark of genius ignites in my head. This’ll be so easy.

“That’s what I had in mind but I fear you’ll have to dirty your hand a little.” Zarah gets to work with her pen. “Mana needs an empty canal, and any material you’re wielding as a Mage is anything but. Not to mention what you want to do is a mockery toward every artisan. Keep that in mind going forward.”

“Oh, sorry.” Some of my enthusiasm dies right away because I do acknowledge what she said. And this is exactly why I was so hell-bent on finding a proper teacher. “What does this one do?” I poke my head around her to observe the work.

The doodle on the simple sheet of metal looks like someone broke a bunch of letters into pieces before merging them all into one… symbol. I have absolutely no clue how this works or what it does, that’s how useless those books I’ve been reading are.

“See for yourself.” Zarah steps back and allows me to do my thing.

A little mana is all I infuse into the Rune and the metal… disappears. From our eyes that is. Mana Perception allows me some insight into how the light envelops the simple iron and bends the light around it to create the illusion.

Clever.

Now it’s up to me to replicate it to the best of my ability and maybe make it work. At least a little… “Was there nothing more basic?” I complain moderately after a good minute or three of observing the thing.

“There is but you’d complain all the same if I’ve drawn something simple.” Zarah answers and I fail to find a rebuke. Damn right, I would. “Besides, I don’t think I need to introduce you to the rules governing Class quality.”

Also true. Let’s do this.

Instead of iron, I choose a piece of paper as my surface, likely there to draw up any plans of symbols. Not to mention my Mana Scribe Class might even benefit from this tiny exercise.

“But why Runes?” I ask as my hands get to work. “Rather, which one should I focus on, the one relatively useful even in combat?” I know Martha advised me to limit the breath I waste on talking but I’ll try to learn as much as possible while Zarah is still cooperative.

“I think your thinking is slightly flawed if you’re looking to use inscriptions in combat. Don’t ask what you can do in the heat of the moment but rather what the preparation and infinite store of tricks you can put together.” She taps her furry chin. I wonder if she’s fluffy… “I’d say Runes suit your needs because they’re quick to scratch down even if quite dumb and… stubborn. Think of them like simple words with broad meanings spoken in the tongue of Aelion herself. At least that’s what the dwarves claim.”

Speaking to the dirt… very dwarf-like I have to say. Simple does not mean bad. Runes are most definitely among the styles I hope to learn.

“The Grand String, in theory, tries to replicate the mana vessels found in living beings through weaving and interlocking formations. Perfect for smaller enchantments and very versatile. The Song is… well, a song written to the mana. I swear the elf who came up with this must’ve been high.” She growls slightly in frustration, clearly not fond of the method. “The mana dances to the tune and poof, magic. I don’t know every detail because this one is probably my least favorite. It’s very fickle, almost impossible to achieve precise results, but plenty powerful in exchange.”

This reminds me of that elven woman who played around the marketplace a year ago. Her voice was so soothing and even the world seemed to relax a little as she sang.

“There’s little known about the origin of the flow but it basically depicts the desired result like a painting. A very specific, and artistically questionable painting but quite a potent one. Sadly it requires a lot of surface.”

Hmm, I can see some fantasy in all of them to be fair, be it normal equipment or some extras. Mostly bombs but I’m sure with time my mind will open up to new possibilities.

At last, I finish sketching the mega doodle that is a Rune and give life to it by adding mana to my Shimmering Lines Skill I used. The lines do glow and they are truly pretty, just what I wanted but that's not all. The paper disappears, mostly as the symbol is still very glittery and visible, however the Class does serve its purpose exactly as I hoped.

[Your class Skill [Shimmering Lines] has reached lvl 4-> 7.]

[Your class Skill [Precise Hands] has reached lvl 3-> 4.]

[Your class Skill [Penmanship] has reached lvl 4-> 6.]

No Beauty in the Craft? C’mon, it wasn’t that bad.

“Good, we might not need to waste as much time as I feared.” Zarah crumples up my work and throws it into the furnace. “Now time to get to work.”

Fuck.