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JULES
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“He didn’t introduce the Tome Inker,” Cyrus said. “But our esteemed Island Elder is renowned to shower his honored guests with lush respect and due admiration.” Jules elbowed Cyrus in the ribs. They were within earshot of the old coot, who had personally disciplined Cyrus many times.
“I recognize him,” Jules said. “He was a Master Inker that came for the Summer Ceremony.”
“Ah, precisely. And he still is, a Master, that is. If you two would apply your interest to Scripts to your other teachers… But yes, we are not graced with a 4th Rank’s presence today, I’m afraid. Fin Rivers must be rushed. He pre-wrote his Tome, and he didn’t wait for a Genius Inker to carve it into his back.” Some of the students winced. “The Hydromages have been busy culling the Shattered Isles’ Shrines. He’s probably leaving for the front lines straight from this Ceremony. Must really need that Tome, too.”
As Isolda continued her lecture, which was more of a harsh critique, on Tomes, Jules watched the Hydromage. He took off his shirt and lied down on a padded table. It made him uneasy, and the tattoo—or emblem, or whatever it was on Jules’ chest—burned slightly. The Master Inker touched the Druid's Script with his left hand and began painting on the man's back with his right, careful to match the symbols exactly.
“...so watch closely,” Isolda lectured. “See how the Inker works, infusing the knowledge and Skill of the man who wrote the Script with his own knowledge and command of the Runes it’s composed of. When the Tome is etched into his skin, he’ll be able to use the power of it without—Oh, wait, they’re starting on the Apothecary.” Isolda herded her flock of students down the stage's edge to its center, in front of the Scroll recipient.
Sal lifted up his shirt sleeve and lied down in a chair with a footrest so all could see him. A Journeyman Inker began the same process on him. Isolda continued her lecture, a little more vibrantly than how she spoke of Tomes. The Devil’s Work, as she called them. During a lull, Jules asked Isolda for that book on Conjuration.
“Ah, hold on, the First Years are starting their Runes!” Her eyes lit up again, and she ran over to the other side of the stage, not bothering to shepherd them.
All the ten-year-olds, First Years in school, lined up on stage before another Inker. Each child held onto a small piece of paper they had inscribed their Runes on, and each child looked nervous. They stood during their portion of the Ceremony, not receiving the honor of sitting or lying down for their procedure, their rite of passage.
“Ah, seems they all have the common Water Rune,” Isolda said. “Not exciting, but a Coralithian tradition nonetheless.”
“Why is she getting it on her right hand?” asked Aidyn, one of Jules’ classmates. What an idiot.
“Yeah, it’s customary to wear elemental Runes on your non-dominant hand,” added Kaidyn, Aidyn’s twin brother. Both twins smirked at Jules. Here we go.
“You just answered your own question,” Cyrus said. It’s a trap, Cy… Cyrus raised his right hand to showcase his elemental Runes. “She’s left-handed like I am.”
“Ohh,” the twins replied in unison. “So, which hand do you use, Jules?” They snickered. Jules felt the familiar lump in his throat and burning chest. “Thought this’d be your year.”
“I already have my Rune.” I just can't show you…
“Oh yeah, where?” one of the twins demanded.
“I knew you’d want to see it.” Jules grabbed the back of his pants and feigned pulling them down.
“Children, this is a most honorable Ceremony,” Isolda said. Jules sensed the sarcasm, and Isolda looked keenly at Jules. “Besides, some families pass down secret Runes in private, opting out of the ceremony. Be careful, you two.”
The heat dissipated from Jules. He felt grateful to her again. True, but all those families are all rich. Rich, rich. They’ll see through that smokescreen. “Thanks,” Jules said to Isolda after the Aidyns moved away.
“Barbaric,” Isolda scoffed. Jules was confused. Is she talking about them? He followed her gaze to the stage where one child had progressed through the process. After the Inker painted the script on them, he then etched it into their skin permanently with a special needle only used by the Inkers Guild.
“What is…?” Jules asked.
“Ah, nothing,” she replied. “Now class, Runes are obviously just the first steps in Scripts. The Island Elders and—outside the small world of the Shattered Isles—society as a whole want you to progress to Scrolls and Runes. But never forget that Runes are the basis of learning, knowledge, and wisdom.”
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Jules glanced at both of Isolda's hands. For the first time, he noticed she also didn't have a Water Rune on either one. Just like me…
They watched more kids processed through the Inking assembly line. Though they held their sore hands daintily, each child walked away from the Inker to applause from the crowd. There were still a few children left, but Isolda ushered the class back to the Apothecary, who was wrapping up. As they navigated the crowd, the Aidyns bumped shoulders with Jules, out of Isolda’s sight.
“Hey, Jules,” said Kaidyn. Or maybe it's Aidyn, they match today. How cute. “You think your mom will be next? Heard she’s still an Apprentice Apothecary.”
Rage swept through Jules, but he was confused as to why he felt so protective of her. He grabbed one hand from each twin and twisted them behind their backs and pushed them forward through the crowd. “You know, my mom’s adept at culling weeds. In fact, she taught me how to chop them down.”
The twins struggled to escape. They winced and groaned, but he refused to let go. Jules’ Hand-to-Hand Skill was unmatched to all the other kids in Coralhaven, especially these two. Eventually, he pushed them forward and freed them, and they scurried away from him.
> [Pang! Hand-to-Hand increased to level 10.]
Oh really? I must have been right on the edge after fighting that wolf.
“...see the patterns start to take more intricate designs and shapes here. Runes are fixed glyphs, and Tomes are, well, horrendous. They’re just hundreds, sometimes thousands, of Runes in a row. Nothing pretty about industry. But Scrolls can be adapted into beautiful designs… I certainly admire that, I'll admit.”
Jules' heart skipped a beat when he remembered one of her Scrolls, that he'd seen years ago, in the shape of a butterfly, in a place that he probably wasn't supposed to see.
“...see the patterns start to take more intricate designs and shapes here. Scrolls can take the patterns of tribal patterns, animal and plant shapes, constellations…”
“Why is that?” Cyrus asked. "That Tomes aren’t as…appealing.” The Inker finished his design work and picked up his needle.
“Ah, the designs represent the efficiency of a Scroll,” Isolda said. “Combining Runes into a Scroll makes a task more efficient, something the almighty state appreciates. That’s why everyone is encouraged to equip as many Scrolls as possible.”
“But Runes seem so much more versatile,” Jules said. Isolda beamed at him.
“They certainly are, Jules,” she said. “You can do much more with Runes than with the others.”
“But not as much work, right?” Cyrus asked. “Scrolls use less Ryoku and are quicker to activate than combining individual Runes when—”
“Only for those who lack imagination,” Isolda said sternly. “Ah, I’m surprised, Cy, I figured you would understand the importance of Runes…”
“Runes, Scrolls, Tomes, back to Runes,” Cyrus said. “That’s the path of an Alter.” Isolda laughed.
“Ah, you certainly keep the end in mind,” she said. “Look, he’s almost finished.”
Sal, the Apothecary, stood and thanked the Journeyman Inker with a deep bow. The Inker returned a shallow one, as a 2nd Rank would not bow deeper than a 1st Rank. Unranked recipients, like the First Years, never showcased their new Scripts, but Apprentices and upward always did.
A Master Alchemist, the highest Ranked in Coralhaven, brought out an alembic filled with black liquid onto the stage. The Apothecary brought forth some tools from his pack and heated a fire under the alembic with a Rune. Jealousy crept across Cyrus’ face. The mixture bubbled, and Sal grabbed a vial with his right hand. He touched the burning alembic with his bare left palm. The tattoo on his left arm lit up as he invoked the Script. Pure, clear liquid dripped out of the alembic and into the vial. The crowd roared with applause.
“Ah, yes,” Isolda said. “He’ll be a Journeyman Alchemist soon.”
The crowd calmed down and started to disperse. Only family members, students, and those truly interested in the Ceremonies would remain for its entirety. The Tome would normally take an hour from a 4th Rank Inker, but since only a 3rd Rank was present, they probably wouldn't finish today.
“Now we’re left with the Hydromage, defender of the Shattered Isles,” Isolda said. Another student chimed in.
“Oh, I’ve heard that they’ve finally joined forces with the Royal Navy to bring down The Flying Dutchman!” Isolda smirked.
“Ah, they certainly have their work cut out for them there, unless they learn to breathe underwater.” The class laughed. “As your teacher, I’m required to remind you that—where’s that damn propaganda sheet—Ah, yes: ‘Tomes are your societal duty. You are charged with formulating and donating a unique Tome to mankind. It is why we live in the level of society that we do. So leave your Runes to the children,'" Jules felt she adlibbed there, “‘and master Scrolls until ye beget grandchildren, and then dedicate your heart to…’ Well you get the idea.” She threw the slip of paper away and let it blow with the cool breeze. “Alright class, you can disperse for now, but be back when those bells chime for the finale. Jules, if you wouldn’t mind holding back.”
Cyrus stayed back as well, though he gave them some space.
“Shouldn’t you be more careful, especially at this Ceremony?” Jules asked.
“Ha! I’m leaving for a trip soon. In the meantime, if they think of firing me… Well, they'll realize how much they need me."
“Why do you…say the things you say? About Scripts, and society, and all that.”
“Hmm, Cyrus.” Isolda motioned for him to join.
“Yes?” he asked.
“What are the Alters charged with?”
“Finding new Runes.”
“But aren’t they the highest Rank? Shouldn’t they give us more Tomes instead? Benefit all of society, yada yada?”
“Well, I think that finding new Runes is important, too. It helps expand our knowledge—”
“OK, but why doesn’t everyone focus on finding new Runes, then?”
Jules and Cy looked at each other, confused.
“I want you both to think about this. If Apprentices focus on Runes, Journeymen focus on Scrolls, and Masters focus on Tomes—Then why do the few who reach the Genius Rank always go back to Runes again?” They met her with more blank stares. “You don’t have to answer now. Think about it, and use these books as reference.” Isolda handed Cyrus a few books. Then she handed Jules books one by one until his pack was full. “Ah, alright, that should do it,” Isolda said. “Oh wait, Jules! Take this one, too.” She handed him a satchel with one final book. “Take care!”
With a mischievous grin, she turned and strutted away.
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