Rune Magic

10: Champagne Supernova

.^^ Jotun Star ^^

— James —

"No."

"Oh come on, I only need-"

"I said No." Khaime crosses his arms stubbornly, standing in front of the building with the Star inside.

"Just for a minute?" I pleaded.

"No."

"Can you at least tell me where I can get one of my own, then?" I sighed.

"No."

"Is that all you know how to say?!?"

"...No." He smirked.

"Uuuuuuugh! Fine!!! I'll find one on my own! Stingy, Senile, Dusty Old Windbag..." I growled, stomping away.

He snorted. "Good luck, Brat!"

—

Mum caught my collar, as I was about to fall into my bed. "Not happening, Mister! You stink like an entire barn, and your room had better be clean by tomorrow! You can't just ignore your chores at home, just because you're off in other realms all the time! Find a balance, or I'll find one for you!" She snapped, and threw me bodily into the bathroom.

I sighed and took a thorough shower, to make her happy. I was still looking for another Star, even a month and a half into my search. Jotunheim protected its own so seriously that I hadn't managed to even see one.

Summer was almost over, and grandfather had been commandeering a lot of my time, for the first month, until he realized I couldn't actually do his type of magic anymore, without blood magic to assist.

When I'd shown him my Grimoire, several times as thick as his own, and filled with magic he'd never dreamed of, he had cut off our training, though we still spent time together, usually fishing. It was an odd sport, seeing as we never kept anything we caught, but it was very relaxing, and so I enjoyed it.

Qin Long hadn't found anything about another star, in any other sanctuaries, and the other realms had no need of them. If I could make my own, that would be great, but I had no idea how they were made, or even who had made them in the first place!

The thought made me pause. "Wait... don't I? The Dwarves, obviously... maybe I could convince one to teach me how to make one... maybe Kiana knows?" I dried my hair lightning-quick, and leapt through a portal.

Kiana flinched, swinging a sledgehammer at me reflexively, and I caught the metal head, grinning. "Nice to see you too!"

She sighed, and yanked the hammer back. "Dammit, James... what do you need?" She went back to hammering the ceramic plate over the sand in her trough, and therefore the metal under said sand. It was an old method, which allowed for a more uniform compression of the metal against a mold, or the bottom of the trough.

I sat next to her, and timed my words between her thunderous swings. "Well, I need to make a Star of Atropos, and I think you might know how, and that you might teach me." I said simply.

She slowed her swings, and then stopped. "A what?" She asked, confusion written plainly on her face.

"The stars that jotuns use to keep their Realm cold? Contains a nearly immeasurable amount of magic?" I clarified.

"Ohhh, a Jotun's Star. Yeah, I know how to make one. The key is ingredients, honestly, because the enchantment is very simple." She shrugged.

"What ingredients are necessary? Is there a way I can convince you to teach me how to make one?" I asked.

She shrugged again, and cracked her left shoulder loudly, making me wince. "No convincing necessary, I guess. I don't really mind, but if you could make me one, as well, I'd be happy for it. It takes a massive amount of Wild Magic, as well as the ingredients, like I said."