Rune mage

Chapter 24: side projects

The arena floor was two thirds covered, and I needed to take a break from the task. I was getting too many questions about how often I paused in my form practice to meditate.

So I worked in my little courtyard.

I started by trying to activate the old runes by using a blood overlay.

It didn't bring the old runes to life. But it accepted the power. I didn't know what it meant, that instead of sliding off, my power sunk in. Maybe I didn't understand enough about the old runes.

I made metal daisies. Dozens of them. They collected lose power just like my other power source rune designs. But they also took in the warmth and light from the sun. For all that we called this season the wet season, the sun shined a little every day.

Each daisy could power a small metal pendant, that was etched with a wellness rune.

I had been working with Fa Mai and Lee two months. I was perpetually exhausted and had not been able to do any work for Steph or train with Fredric or Isa. I had not had time to do more than write down ideas for offensive runes. Only though the use of runes did I have any ability to work on these side projects. I had finally made progress enough to create a potential for an offensive rune.

If it worked, it would give me a way to attack mages.

And of course there was this little daisy, for health and healing, this was special.

This little design had been in my mind since learning that Lee had some sort of terminal Illness. Lee had hair as long as mine and could easily braid this flower and pendant into her hair

I set it down and then looked at the next rune experiment.

I collected power all the time. Sometimes just by collecting the power people put into the world through emotions and magic that wasn't directed or controlled. Now I was going to try forcefully collecting it as an offensive skill.

I had asked Fredric to meet me, and I could hear him climbing over the wall. His swearing and cursing as he had to deal with his fear of heights might have been humorous if he weren't showing up at my request.

He landed firmly and offered me a smile. "What can I help you with?"

I scanned his power level with my awareness rune and smiled. "Would you like to hit me?"

He laughed. "Last time I did that, you were hard as a rock. I'm guessing you have some nasty response for me."

"Actually,  if I've done it right, you won't feel a thing."

He eyed me skeptically. I understood.

He sighed. "Do I need to hit you for it to work?"

I shook my head. "But I thought you'd like to feel like you did something."

He moved to hit me, then dropped to the ground.

I looked at his power level, then looked at the rune design on the belt I wore. It was glowing. Too much power.

I checked that Fredric was breathing. His eyes were open and he smiled with a slow blink.

"I'm going to sleep. It's so peaceful. What is this? It feels so...soft."

I frowned and tried to reverse the rune, tried to put some of the power back.

Nothing worked.

I placed a rune of wellness on him, and it helped a little but not much. "I'll be honest, I didn't expect it to work so well. You need to get up, the breakfast bell will ring soon."

"I'll stay here." Fredric said happily.

I huffed and then shook my head. I was going to need help.

Since I was supposed to be with Fa Mai next, I asked him for help.  He heard me out and then calmly followed me to the little alcove. He didn't have any trouble going over the wall.

He took one look at the still overly peaceful Fredric and chuckled.

"What did you do wrong, lad?" Fa Mai asked.

"I took too much, didn't put a limit. I could have killed my friend."

"True," Fa Mai said and knelt at Fredric's side. "But in my mind there is only one thing you did wrong, which was doing this experiment without one of us here."

He lifted Fredric- who was no small guy- with enviable ease and then pressed on a knob in the wall. I had not even seen the knob until he pressed it. A small portion of the wall opened. It needed some heavy pressing to open all the way, and then to close again.

"How did you know that was there? I've used this for years and didn't know." I said as Fa Mai brought Fredric towards the healers hall.

I hadn't been back to the healers since I had been whipped. I wouldn't go now, except I wanted to know more.

"Hannah made that alcove, and she was my friend." Fa Mai said.

The name sounded familiar but I couldn't think of why. "Who was Hannah?"

"A rune mage, some ..." he paused. "I guess it's been almost twenty, twenty five years, since she was here at the school."

I weighed my desire for more information with the discomfort I felt nearing the healer hall.

"Should I go to the arena and start warming up?" I asked.

"If you don't face that which makes you uncomfortable, the discomfort will only grow."

I growled a little, not liking that he saw through me so easily.

We walked into the hall and an apprentice who saw me first glared then schooled her expression as she gave a cot for Fredric.

"What happened to him?" She asked Fa Mai.

"We had a bit of a training accident," Fa Mai said smoothly. "He just needs a good Looking over and the chance to rest."

The healers agreed to take care of Fredric.

Then it was back to training. Before we reached the arena, I pulled the daisy charm from my belt and set it in the sun.

"What is this?" Fa Mai asked. "Another experiment?"

"It will send out wellness to whoever wears it. It's a hair piece. I was planning on giving it to Lee."

Fa Mai looked at me, the tilted his head toward the center of the arena.

He was perhaps a little slower or kinder, or perhaps I was getting stronger. I only flew out of the circle twice.

On our way to train with Lee, Fa Mai cleared his throat. "It is best if you don't give her the charm specifically for her. Perhaps as a design you are wondering if it would work. Given how spectacularly the other one worked today..."

I blushed and nodded.

Lee had already heard that I had somehow drained Fredric of his primary power. Apparently the healers are terrible gossips.

But instead of yelling at me, she congratulated me on finding an offensive rune and asked me to walk her through the process.

I showed her the rune charm on my belt and then showed her the daisy. Both created in the same time frame. One offensive, the other a healing aid that could be used by battle field healers.

I thought I saw Fa Mai smile as I explained this to Lee.

By the end of the class, Lee had a list of questions she wanted me to consider, and some thoughts on what to try next. And she volunteered to test the daisy design for portability.

Overall my side projects had turned out decently well.