The box also contained his Master project with the comments, corrections, and annotations of the examiners. They told Sam to make sure to go over the notes before he used the runic sequence on anything more important than a garden shed.
Good to know they took what he created seriously, but also a little humbling to see many corrections on it.
Instead of knocking, he just opened the door, closing it behind himself fast, knowing that Sir Mipsy Floppington would take the opportunity to escape through it, which couldn’t be allowed…
He found his mentor in the workshop fiddling with a machine that was supposed to be the spiritual successor of the one that sent them hurtling through the dimensions while Sir Mipsy was sitting on the desk, wearing a tiny top hat and holding one of the tools in their mouth, ready to assist Fitzgerald.
Sam narrowed his eyes and cast his mana sense at the bunny. Suddenly being helpful? That was mighty suspicious after the effort the bunny made to make their lives a living hell.
Fitzgerald, however, interrupted his musings on how to catch the bunny’s next trick and expose it, with a giant smile.
“Welcome back, young man! Were you successful?”
Instead of answering, Sam just held up the decorated wooden box with a proud smile of his own.
The other man jumped up and did a little jig before striding forward and shaking Sam’s hand vigorously.
“Congratulations! I knew you wouldn’t fail!”
“Really?”
“Not at all. But usually, it takes prospective students two or three tries to clear the committee!” came the prompt response from the man as he kept shaking Sam’s hand, whose smile froze upon hearing how much his mentor believed in him.
“But you read my project!”
“Well, I wasn’t grading, was I?”
To that, Sam grudgingly had to agree.
Before he could further comment, Fitzgerald finally let go of his hand and took a step back while reaching for a set of documents hidden behind the device he and Sir Mipsy were constructing. The diabolical bunny – there will come a time when Sam would be able to prove it – was just staring at them, slowly and methodically chewing on a fresh lettuce leaf that was nowhere to be seen a few moments ago. The top hat still sat on the bunny’s head, very dapper-like.
“Interested parties… have made sure that I can only discuss this with other masters,” began Fitzgerald. “Thus, now that you achieved your Mastery, I can finally talk about it!”
Hoping that this was it, Sam tried to keep his excitement in check and cooly answered. “About what, sir?”
“You’re a rather worldly person, aren’t you?” Fitzgerald asked instead.
Sam looked into the man’s eye and sighed, inwardly cursing the game. ‘Right…fetch quests. Can’t forget about them…’
“What did you need me to get for you?” he asked in a deadpan tone.
Fitzgerald looked back at him, confused. “I don’t really need anything picked up… the interested parties had ensured I’m not hurting for any material or tool. Rather, I would like it if you could find me something.”
“Find something?”
“Yes,” the man nodded. “More specifically, a plot of land.”
Sam nodded and gave the system notification a quick read.
[New quest acquired!]
[Location, location, location!]
[Your mentor, Fitzgerald, wants you to find a plot of land. Listen to his request and fulfill it.]
[Time Limit: None]
[Penalty: ???]
[Reward: Continued working relationship with the man]
Closing the screen, he returned his focus to the other man. “What kind of plot are you wanting?”
Fitzgerald raised his hand and began awkwardly to scratch the back of his neck. “Well, you see, this workshop is big enough to house my prototype, but not big enough to fit any of the larger devices I had planned.”
“And you need a plot of land to build a bigger workshop?”
“Exactly!”
“Also needs to be easy to defend, reach, and supply, correct?” Sam asked with a small smile.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Fitzgerald just nodded vigorously. “I knew I chose well! You’re indeed perceptive enough to be my student!”
Sam just smiled and allowed the man to celebrate a little. Then he interrupted the impromptu dance.
“Then my job is done, sir.”
“What?” asked Fitzgerald, flabbergasted. “What do you mean?”
“Check this out!” Sam exclaimed and took out the latest map Lara sent to Lucy, which was then forwarded to him. Dan’s girlfriend had managed to clear a respectable area in the center of the ruins with the help of the guild and the people the Silvercrest family sent over, and they were probably ready for a few new buildings.
He made a small space on the desk, pushing Sir Mipsy to the side to the disapproval of the bunny, but Sam had no time for the feelings of diabolical rabbits. He spread the map out and began pointing.
“You can choose from any of these. Recently cleared, the foundation is good, protected twenty-four-seven by a guild of mercenaries and the Silvercrest family. The travel distance between Ironwood and it, is around an hour without any magical assistance. And with enough space to expand. What do you say, sir?”
Fitzgerald stared at Sam for a long minute, then at the map, taking in all the information. Finally, he pointed at one of the bigger plots on the map. “This one will do!”
Sam marked it on the map and nodded. “Excellent. I’ll notify the relevant people.”
Instantly, a system notification sound filled his ears.
[You completed the quest: Location, location, location!]
[You have a killer merchant instinct.]
[Reward: Continued working relationship with the man]
Sam grinned as he dismissed the screen and looked at his mentor.
“Anything else I can help you with, sir?”
The other man just gaped at him for a moment before shakily nodding.
“Yes. Now that you’re finally a master, I can start teaching you about my device and maybe we can use your paranoia to improve the design…”
Sam glared a little, and the bunny let out a chitter sound that felt like laughter to Sam.
“Here you go, young man!” Fitzgerald exclaimed as he slapped down a stack of papers on the desk in front of Sam.
“What is it?” Sam asked, eyeing the stack with a small amount of trepidation.
“Your paperwork for joining the Guild of Runemasters, of course!” came the unexpected answer from his mentor.
“Why would I need to join?”
“Well… first of all they don’t really like if masters are unaffiliated,” Fitzgerald began to explain. “They may get ideas, you know…”
“Would they cause trouble for me?” Sam asked with a frown on his face. Joining a guild would limit him somewhat, as all guilds had natural enemies among other guilds, not to mention the enemies they made over their long existence.
“Of course not! They would never do that…” came the sarcastic answer from Fitzgerald, who was grinning. “They’re the epitome of grace and dignity…”
Sam let out a long-suffering sigh and pulled the stack of documents over to himself. As he began to fill it out he idly asked another question.
“Do they have some kind of membership fee?”
“Yes, they have. You can see it on the last page…”
Curiously, Sam pulled out the last page from the stack and took a look at the number, only to immediately curse.
“Why the hell is it so high?”
“You are a runemaster, thus your income should be high. Naturally, this reflects on your membership fee,” Fitzgerald explained cheerfully. “The money you pay is used to support beginner rune carvers, if it helps…”
Sam just grumbled as he continued to fill out the forms.
Naturally, after that, they went over the plans that Fitzgerald was working on. They were so far simply plans for a building that would be perfect for experiments with portals – Sam made sure there were no ‘experiments’ with lemons – they sat down and Fitzgerald began to explain his device and how it worked.
Sadly, as fascinating as it was, Sam knew from the moment they started he wouldn’t be able to make use of it. His first thought was to see how the portal device worked and then transfer that knowledge into opening portals for his team and guild. But both Fitzgerald, his own knowledge and education told him that the device would be mandatory as the anchoring effect couldn’t be replicated without it.
And without the anchoring effect, no portal would work properly. Or at least they would work, but instead of a straight line, they would meander through the space between dimensions or simply cut through existing dimensions or even fractures, causing chaos and destruction.
Still, just in case, he recorded the basic portal rune circle in his Grimoire for any emergency situation.
Nobody would like what would happen, but at least he would be able to escape…
Hopefully…
Then, for a while, he played the role of assistant – and he was much better than Sir Mipsy – for the other man as he built his newest prototype. It was a monstrous device, but now that he went through some official education about runes, he could see why certain things were affixed in specific spots and the hows and whys of the rest of the parts.
It was still very chaotic, emblematic of Fitzgerald, but he knew it would work as intended.
A few days later, they left behind the capital and moved to Ironwood.
They stopped to introduce themselves at the local branch of the Guild of Runemasters, where the local head of the guild almost fell over when he heard Fitzgerald’s name. The fact that Sam was also a master, now with a shiny, enchanted ring and neat guild pin that marked him part of the same guild, didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
The ring itself was a neat project. It took some time to figure out what to enchant it with as while it was very receptive to enchantments, it only had one ‘slot’ for said enchantments. But in the end, with a little help from his mentor, he settled on one.
[Ring of Mastery (Enchanted): A ring symbolizing that you attained Master level in Runes. Made from a special alloy that is very receptive to enchantments. The enchantment on it allows the wearer to store mana inside it and retrieve it at a later time. Capable of storing 1000 units of mana. Current Mana: 1000/1000.]
A very nice emergency backup option. According to Fitzgerald, if he grew out of the ring such that his mana grew large enough that one thousand would be practically useless, there were ways to request better materials. Or he could craft his own ring based on the plans provided by the guild. After all, he wasn’t the first one to have a great amount of mana…
They didn’t linger much in Ironwood, as they immediately moved toward the ruins that Lara was working on. Fitzgerald was very enthusiastic about seeing the future location of his workshop. He was even thankful enough to offer to pay for it.
Sam had to refuse it several times, explaining to the man that his very presence and the results of his experiments would be enough as a payment. After all, Sam totally planned to convince the powers-that-be to place a portal in their yet-unnamed city after they were finished. Maybe even the first one…
The ruins were steadily disappearing, thanks to the tireless work of Lara, the guild members, and the workers the Silvercrest family sent over.
Travelling there was nothing special. As always, there were a few roving groups of monsters that coincidentally decided to snack on Sam and his mentor, but Lucky was luckily there to teach them the error in their ways.
It was around sundown when they reached the outer boundary of the construction.
They looked over the ruins, shadowed by the giant cliffs from one side and surrounded by forests that were in the process of being cleared out.
“Shall we see the location you’ve chosen, sir?” Sam asked as they basked in the view.
Fitzgerald just grinned. “Indeed, my young friend. Let’s go!”
Sam nodded and headed for a nearby group of guards that had already spotted them – not that they were attempting to be stealthy – and were walking toward the duo.
Owed bonus chapters: Two (2)
Titles:
[Apprentice: You are an apprentice learning under a master. Increased experience point gain in the key skill of the apprenticeship.]
Magical Items:
[Ring of Minor Health Regeneration: A small ring, made from subpar materials, with a low-quality magical gem. As long as the gem holds mana, it aids with health regeneration. Can hold 100 Mana Points, and regenerates 10 Health Points for every point of mana consumed. Current Mana: 100/100.]
[High-quality Troll Leather Armor: Created by a journeyman crafter employed by your own company. They worked extra hard to make sure to return your goodwill. Excellent quality, given the materials and the crafter. Enchanted to decrease the sound it makes during movement, as well as has increased durability. Thanks to the substance it was impregnated with the troll leather it lacks its customary weakness to fire.]
*Not actually bottomless.]
Quests:
Active quests:
[Just walk in there!]
[Prove yourself!]
Finished quests:
[Monster Parade!]
[Topping the tree!]
[Reap what you sow!]
[Seaside opportunity]
[Another seaside opportunity]
[The booty of mystery!]
[Demonic demonstration!]
[The Test of the Survivor!]
[To the city you go!]
[Eternal Vigilance!]
[Returning Champion]
[Volatile Valley]
[Ride forward to be not killed in nasty ways!]
[Location, location, location!]
Skills:
Mana Skills:
[Mana Body: Level 7/100 (21%) (Passive) Your mana permeates your body, enhancing and improving it. The better your control of your mana is, and the more mana you have, the bigger the effect is. For every 100 Mana Points, it grants you 1 Base Health gain. For every skill level, it increases the Health Regeneration by 0,1.]
[Mana Shield: Level 99 (99%) Using mana, you can form a simple shell around yourself, which decreases the damage you take. Damage decrease depends on the amount of mana invested. For every unit of Mana invested in the spell, the shield will protect you from 9,9 (physical) damage.]
[A/N: Currently: WIS: 50 / MAG: 50 = 1 --> +2 Mana Regeneration per skill level]
Neutral Mage skills:
Elemental Mage Skills:
Wind Mage skills:
[Wind Blade III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Active) A spell that allows you to launch a blade of wind. The cutting power and speed of the blade are increased. You have greater control over its movement after creation. Allows you to slightly control its path after launching the wind blade.]
[Wind Blade Storm: Level 6/10 (7%) (Active) A spell that unleashes a storm of wind blades around you. The damage of the released Wind Blades depends on the Wind Blade spell and your mastery over it.]
[Wind Bullet III: Level 9/10 (99%) A spell that allows you to launch a bullet made of concentrated wind. You have excellent control over the projectile’s speed, size, and path.]
[Wind Explosion: Level 3/10 (21%) A spell that allows you to create a singular bullet of wind mana, and then fire it, which will, upon impact, detonate. The strength of the detonation depends on the amount of wind mana channeled into the bullet and your mastery over the Wind Bullet spell!]
[Wind Movement: 39/100 (19%) (Active) You can use your mastery over wind to move in any direction you wish. Your movement speed is increased significantly. This speed boost is increased by 1% for each skill level.]
[Wind Edge III: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) A spell that allows you to enhance the edge of any bladed weapon you wield with the wind. Thanks to the spell, the speed of your strikes will greatly increase. The power and reach of the blade will be greatly increased further.]
[Wind Affinity: Level 61/100 (17%) (Passive) You have a good affinity for the wind. Beings born of the wind will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Wind-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
- Wind Flurry
- Wind Bullet Barrage
- Healing Wind
- Wind Jump
- Wind Drill
- Wind Blade I-III
- Wind Blade Storm
- Wind Bullet I-III
- Wind Explosion
- Wind Movement
- Wind Edge I-III!
Utility skills:
Companion skills:
Shadow skills:
(Shadow Cloak triggers this benefit.)]
[Shadow Affinity: Level 30/100 (14%) (Passive) You have a good affinity with the shadows. Beings born of the shadows will be more favorable to you. The cost of the Shadow-type spells and skills is reduced and their power is increased by 0,5% for each skill level.]
Physical skills:
[Basic Armor Mastery: Level 91/100 (6%) (Passive) You learned the basics of wearing armor. Decreases the Stamina consumption slightly while wearing any kind of armor.]
[Clean Armor: Level MAX (MAX%) (Passive) Your mana got used to a certain spell, so the waste mana radiating from you will, over time, permeate and clean your armor.]
[Resistant Armor: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Thanks to your practice, you can fully utilize everything that your armor provides, granting you increased resistance against the environment. Grants 2% increased environmental resistance per skill level. Environmental resistance protects against environmental effects only.]
[Durable Armor: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) You learned how to roll with the punches. This includes knowing when your armor can take a hit and when it can’t. Increased durability for any armor you wear from incoming damage from non-environmental sources.]
[Epic Breathing Technique: Level 9/10 (99%) (Passive) You breathe, and the world breathes with you. You move along your own rhythm. Decreases stamina consumption even more during any activity and further increases stamina regeneration when not in a fight. Gain +2 Stamina Regeneration for every skill level.]
[Tranquil Heart: Level 11/100 (54%) (Passive) Your heart beats to the same rhythm as your body. It’s efficient and harmonious. You have an even easier time resisting mind-altering effects and a portion of of those effects are reflected back to the source. The portion is 1% per skill level. You also radiate an aura of tranquility that confers the resistance portion of the skill to your allies near you.]
[Flow: Level 77/100 (9%) (Passive) Thanks to being a natural sensor, you can read the flow of the mana. Increases your stability and the bonuses any movement or martial art skill provides by 1% per level in the skill.]
[Focused Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) When focusing on any enemy beyond what is normal, your ability to read their flow becomes clearer and more precise.]
[Controlled Flow: Level 5/5 (MAX%) (Passive) Your read of the flow is more controlled, allowing you to see the flow much better. Increases the flow visibility by 20% for every skill level.]
[Immersed Flow: Level 0/5 (0%) (Passive) When you start reading the flow a counter starts. After every ten seconds, the effect of the Flow skill increases by 1% for each skill level. Maximum 600 seconds.]
Parry: Level 24/100 (13%) (Passive) Decreases the stamina consumption of defensive weapon movements. It allows you to more efficiently and accurately parry incoming attacks. Decreases the damage of the blocked attack by 0,5% for each skill level at the moment of blocking.]
Resistance skills:
General skills:
[Dwarven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dwarven language.]
[Elven Language: Level 7/10 (8%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Elven language.]
[Dark Elven Language: Level 5/10 (1%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Dark Elven language.]
[Sarkan Language: Level 3/10 (42%) (Passive) You managed to learn the basics of the Sarkan language.]
Crafting skills:
Pet skills:
[Strong Jaw: Level Max (Passive) The jaw of the wolf is strengthened.]
[Lucky Aura: Level Max (Passive) Those who are in the same party as the wolf receive a buff to their luck. It depends on their luck how big the increase is.]