Tiber was given a spare room in the farmhouse, but the space was limited and the rest of the soldiers would need to set up their tents outside. After Patrick marked out an area for them in the yard to build their camp, he walked back over to Lucius.

"Hey, can I speak with you about something?"

After giving him a nod, Lucius followed Patrick back to his office, taking a seat in the spare chair on the opposite side of the desk. Glancing around at the many vials holding liquids that looked like blood, likely from various different creatures, he noticed the strips of leather and assortment of mundane materials covering the desk, all containing inscriptions. The amount of magical power that could be felt emanating from the items on the desk was impressive—Patrick's ability seemed to be growing at an increasing rate. From having quite modest usefulness, his talent's were starting to become a force that might truly make a difference in the potential growth and safety of the community going forward.

Lucius pulled his attention away from the oddities and looked up at Patrick with a curious expression.

"What is it that you needed to speak with me about?"

Patrick remained silent as he picked up a large piece of leather with an intricate inscription on its surface, handing the item over for inspection. Lucius raised an eyebrow as he accepted the leather, running his hand over the perfectly uniform inscription. Of all the things on the messy desk, this piece was one of the few items containing the greatest amount of magical power.

"I can tell that it's stronger than the inscriptions I’ve seen you create in the past, but that's all I can discern. What am I looking at here?"

Patrick wore a small grin as he glanced toward the leather Lucius was holding, waving his hand in the air dismissively.

"It's just a simple durability inscription, designed to increase the defensive power of the material it’s inscribed on. The important thing about this inscription is not the inscription itself, but that my proficiency with it has passed a threshold. Instead of the modest boost in defense this inscription used to provide, it can now increase the durability of the item it’s inscribed on threefold! Of course... it only has such an impressive effect on mundane materials—it wouldn’t be able to triple the defense of something as powerful as that armor on your chest, for example."

Patrick accepted the leather back from Lucius and handed him a different item to look at. This one was very odd—it was a large round stone strapped to the top of a stick, but in a way that would make it awkward to use as a club. It looked like a failed attempt to create a primitive weapon.

Lucius chuckled as he looked at the oddly crafted item, glancing back toward Patrick with a smirk.

"No offense, but maybe you should leave the weapon crafting to Jack..."

Patrick's expression remained unchanged as he reached forward and tapped the stone. Lucius was forced to squint and move the item away from his face as a bright illumination was released from the stone. Suddenly, the odd contraption made much more sense—rather than a useless weapon, it was actually a light!

Patrick's smile widened as he observed the look on Lucius' face.

"Okay, I'm impressed. This is incredibly useful. Is it necessary to use something heavy like a stone at the top, though? What about making it lighter by using wood?"

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Patrick slowly shook his head in response to Lucius' question.

"It's possible, but the quality of the light differs between materials. Wood only releases a dull glow. Glass works even better than stone, but it's too fragile. I plan to place these illumination stones on the new wall and around the perimeter defenses once they’re completed. For that purpose, sturdy, hard stones are much better suited."

Lucius rubbed his chin as he held his fingers close to the stone. He could feel a slight heat emanating from the item, but not enough to burn his finger. When Patrick reached over and tapped the stone twice, the light disappeared.

"I see. You've really outdone yourself, Patrick. The contributions from you and Mary have both been really impressive—this community is lucky to have you both. Was there anything else you wanted to show me?"

Patrick accepted the lighting stone back from Lucius and replied, "There are a few other things I think you’ll be interested in, but they aren’t quite ready yet. The actual reason I brought you here and showed you these things was so you’d understand how much potential this work has—and how essential it is to the community."

Lucius' brows furrowed as he listened, unsure why Patrick was saying all this.

"Uh... sure? We’re very lucky to have you, Patrick. I would’ve thought you already knew that."

Patrick nodded, casually waving one hand back and forth.

"Of course, of course. The thing is, these inscriptions will be essential to our survival going forward, but they take a lot of time and effort. The more I try to complete everything myself, the further behind I fall."

"Okay... You're the only one capable of doing inscriptions, though, so I don’t know how I can help you with that."

Patrick smiled again at Lucius' response, then stood and stepped toward the window behind his desk. He motioned down toward the yard to the overweight young man, currently covered in dirt and sweat, who was helping maneuver a large log into a hole in the wall construction area—it was Nicolai.

"I spent some time speaking with one of the new young men you brought with you. When Nicolai learned about my work he explained to me how he was taught some Latin as part of his religious education as a child."

Patrick turned back toward Lucius, looking the young man directly in the eye as he finally spoke his request.

"I think if you allow me to tutor him, there’s a very good chance he’ll unlock an inscription ability similar—or identical—to mine."

Lucius' eyes widened slightly at the revelation. He stepped beside Patrick at the window, staring down at Nicolai and rubbing his chin as he considered what Patrick was getting at.

"So... you want me to commute his sentence? Give him back his freedom early—is that it?"

Patrick moved back to his desk, gently shaking his head.

"Not necessarily. I understand why you did what you did, and I agree that Nicolai's group needs to face punishment for their gross indifference. Just change the terms of his sentence. Instead of serving his time doing hard labor that anyone could take his place doing, allow him to be of much greater service to the community by learning inscription under my tutelage."

Patrick steepled his hands together tightly as he laid all his cards on the table, glancing up at Lucius hopefully while he waited for the young man's verdict.

Lucius placed his hands behind his back, holding one hand in the other as he slowly paced back and forth across the office floor, while he considered the proposition. After a few moments, he came to a stop, glanced back at Patrick.

"You really think you can teach Nicolai to inscribe items like you?"

Patrick stood up from his desk, nodding firmly.

"I can do it, Lucius. I know how I unlocked the talent. I don't think it's a skill that relies on someone's innate qualities, like so many others. I believe it's uniquely teachable and can be learned through dedication and hard work."

"How exactly do you know that?"

"It's... Hard to explain, it's more of an instinct than anything else, but if you give me a chance to prove it with Nicolai you won't be disappointed!"

Lucius nodded at Patrick's declaration, rubbing his chin.

"It would be valuable to discover if some talents can be taught to others. That information alone might make the entire thing worth trying."

Walking back to the desk, Lucius picked up the lighting stone and casually turned it on and off as he smiled.

"Fine. Take Nicolai—work him to the bone day and night if you have to. Just make sure he learns the skill."

Patrick clenched his fist in celebration of his minor victory as he received permission to move forward with his plans. Then, knocking his finger firmly against the desk, he replied with a stern expression.

"He will learn the skill, even if I have to inscribe it into his bones myself."