Runes and abrasions

Alisha stepped forth lightly. The light bounce of her chest was unmistakable, even though her robes seemed slightly baggy. Her amber eyes glanced left and right, discerning the empty corridors as she and Lucas made their way through the Academy. The silence encompassing them was only broken by their boots clicking against the hard floor, faint echoes bouncing and mingling with water crashing against the wide windows. Long streaks running down the glass surfaces stretched like the roots of a tree.

Using the time they traveled in silence, Lucas took a moment to look at the blonde woman better.

She was somewhat above moderate height, maybe a centimeter or two taller than Dorothea, which from his experience would mean she was about 1.75 m tall. The blonde of her hair was slightly dirty, faint streaks of darkened tint gracing its length. It reached just below her midriff, and the density allowed it to make a full curtain with how the woman hadn't tied it in any way. The only tending she did to it was two small clips she used outside of the classroom to tie some stray strands outside of her round face.

The voluptuous shape of her body could not be hidden by the robe entirely, the protrusions on her chest swaying almost incitingly with every step. Her backside pushed against the material every time she slowed or turned, its size only faintly visible. With the eyes of his imagination, Lucas could imagine the girthy thighs and smooth skin of the woman's legs, not dissimilar to Seraphina's, albeit likely slimmer.

However, his momentary thought was silenced as he noticed Alisha come to a halt. Looking around, Lucas almost immediately recognized this place as the door leading into the inner courtyard.

His gaze fell on the woman next to him. She was looking through the door's window and into the place.

"Drats," Alisha frowned, sighing. "I thought they'd have activated the central barrier."

"A barrier? Does the courtyard have one?"

"Yes," Alisha nodded. Her expression became slightly stern. "It makes it easier to observe the weather, and creates a nice atmosphere when it rains," she said, opening the door and extending a hand outside. Her palm was immediately graced with a few droplets. "But it seems they decided not to this time," a sigh escaped her mouth, marked by a disappointed undertone. "A shame."

Lucas didn't answer. His eyes traced along the length of the courtyard, noticing the number of small trees and a couple of benches alongside a couple of paths going to a few entrances back to the Academy's corridors. No soul was in sight, the place drenched by the ever-increasing torrent. The dirt of the paths was already turning into mud streams.

Suddenly, the man noticed Alisha move in the corner of his vision. Looking at her, he expected to see her turn around to leave, perhaps giving him one look that said 'come with me', no doubt compiled with the naturally gentle stare of her amber eyes. That was, however, not what he noticed.

Alisha's hands were in front of her, lifted to around her chest level. In one hand, she held a small mana stone, no larger than her pinky and maybe twice as thick. Its polished, gleaming surface told Lucas that it was no raw material - it was a processed mana stone that could be feasibly used in many applications.

Alisha's other hand traced along the stone's surface with gentle moves. As her green nail scratched the item, it left behind a bright blue trail, almost like ink from a feather. The inscriptions she was making glowed faintly, and their shapes struck Lucas's memory strongly.

'Is that a rune...?' the thought erupted in his mind. 'She can create runes? There are very few classes that can do that, much less without any preparation...'

Runes were tricky in nature. They were a utilization of mana developed in Riverut hundreds of years ago. In essence, they were inscriptions of mana made on items, usually mana stones. Depending on the incription, there was a range of effects that could be given. Some were as simple as merely generating a spell, like Magic Missile, by taking the user's mana, and some could be used to ward off an area against monsters. Some runes could help crops grow, and others helped preserve food. Their utility was virtually endless.

However, runes were challenging to create. The shape of the inscription had to be precise, and even a slight fluctuation of mana in the creation process would end up wasting the materials. Impurities in the items affected the results greatly as well. That was why, bar a few exceptional cases, runes could only be made by Rune Mages and the like.

Alisha lifted her finger from the item's surface. The mana stone let out a faint sound akin to glass vibrating. The symbols on its surface gleamed, pulsing like veins as power coursed through them. After a second or so, it went silent, but its heightened glow remained.

Seeing the stabilization, Alisha turned to Lucas. Her soft smile and warmth told him that she was content with the result.

She opened the door. Unbothered by the sudden wave of moist air, the blonde woman threw the mana stone with a light hand. The item sunk into the mud and water immediately. However, the light coming from the stone pierced through.

Alisha quickly closed the door, letting out a shallow sigh.

"Let me show you a small trick," she turned to Lucas, her expression slightly mischievous. Her hand lifted, the long fingers forming into a snapping position. Lucas's eyes were instantly drawn to the mana stone in the mud.

The reaction happened the instant he heard the snap.

The mana stone glowed slightly brighter, its entire form vibrating momentarily. Then, a pulse traveled out of it, forming a dome roughly 5 meters in diameter, centered on its position. Within the dome, multiple water particles were suspended, vibrating in one spot briefly before dropping to the ground. The entire spectacle was accompanied by a strange, almost eerie sound, similar to a discharging sound often associated with Magic Missile.

And then, it stopped.

The dome was finished, its nigh-translucent cover like a pane of blue-tinted glass. The water dispersed and flowed down its surface to form new puddles around the construct, the inside shielded from any fresh wetness.

Lucas hardly found himself able to react. As he eyed the construct, his mind surged with multiple thoughts. None of them, however, came in full to the surface as he glanced at Alisha. The woman stared back, seemingly awaiting his reaction. Her gentle and warm expression, inviting as always, graced her face.

"What do you think?"

"That's... runic magic. You're a Rune Mage?" Lucas finally broke the silence, his tone genuinely surprised, yet with underlying admiration. 'I've only ever read about Rune Mages... they are extremely rare, and most of them end up in the military because of their utility.'

Alisha's smile widened. Her blonde hair waved as she nodded. "Now, how about we go in?" she gestured at the dome. Her hand went to the door handle.

Lucas followed her lead. The two of them stepped outside the door, a wave of rain immediately hitting them. Alisha didn't wait around, going inside the barrier. Glancing at the man, she gestured invitingly.

However, as he tried to enter, his hand instead met a solid wall.

"?" he raised a brow, his confusion palpable. "I can't enter?" he half-asked, half-stated. 'It feels like a wall, but... if I press, it gives in slightly. I could probably **** my way inside without much an issue, but I don't know how that'd affect her spell.'

Alisha's amber eyes lit up. "Ah, I'm sorry," she said, quickly stepping forth. "Give me your hand," she requested, extending her wrist through the barrier.

Lucas heeded her words. As their hands touched, he felt Alisha's soft hand creep around his wrist, clenching slightly before pulling. However, contrary to what he expected, Lucas phased through the barrier. Sensing that he was finally inside, he promptly swiped his hair, getting out whatever water made it in there. Looking over his robe, he confirmed that it had seen dryer times, numerous darkened spots strewn across the fabric. However, as his eyes raised to Alisha, the woman didn't look much better.

She picked up the mana stone and rubbed it gently against her hands, getting the mud off it. Unbothered by the dirt on her palms, Alisha made her way to a nearby bench, swiping away the water with a sleeve. Strangely enough, the entire wood became seemingly dry after one motion, almost as though she had used magic. She didn't have to look at or invite Lucas for him to join.

"Quite the view, isn't it?" she asked, looking above them both.

A brief flash of light lit up the sky, followed by a loud rumble. However, its ear-splitting volume was heavily dampened by the barrier. In fact, Lucas could no longer hear the signature pitter-patter of the rain. Right now, the two were in almost complete silence.

"Yes," he nodded, unsure what more to say.

"I imagine you're wondering why I dragged you here. Truth be told, I wanted to speak with you," Alisha turned to him. Her gaze was scrutinizing as she spoke. "And I didn't want you feeling uncomfortable, so I opted for some privacy. I hope you don't find that too imposing of me."

"It's alright," Lucas nodded. "What did you want to speak of?"

"Well, it's about the assembly," Alisha admitted, shuffling in her spot a little. "How did you enjoy it, Lucas?"

"It was... different from what I expected," Lucas gave a slightly hesitant answer. "Not in a bad way, just... different."

Alisha nodded, a faint hum escaping her mouth. "I understand how you feel. Our approach to things must be a little difficult to wrap your mind around, isn't it?" her amber eyes flickered. She appeared to have seen through his thoughts as she giggled again. "I know it's not every day you see someone like Dory and Arand. She, in particular, can be challenging to get along with initially. She has always been the type to strike first and ask questions later. I hope she didn't come off too strongly."

"It was alright," Lucas shook his head. 'Definitely eccentric, but overall, it wasn't in a negative way. Given my experiences with alchemy, I can tell. She was just being cautious.'

"I tried talking to her about that, but getting through her skull is difficult. But despite that, I can wholeheartedly tell you that she is capable when push comes to shove. She's the only one of us three that had classed as Alchemist, and she changes completely when there's a task to do," the blonde woman looked to the sky, her gaze unfocusing faintly as though she reminisced about something. "You can rely on her is what I want to say. On Arand, too. The two have a good synergy when they put their minds to working together on something."

Lucas nodded, unsure how to answer.

A couple of prolonged seconds passed. The white-haired man swiped a hand on the bench, feeling the wood's texture. Despite its state just a minute ago, it now felt like the rain had never happened. A momentary ponder entered his mind, wondering just how Alisha was able to dry it like this without casting any magic. Did she use a rune as well? But he didn't even see her drawing it, and the time wasn't plentiful.

"Then," she broke him out of his spell. "While we're on the topic of the assembly, do you have any first ideas on the subject we picked?"

"...I haven't given it much thought yet," Lucas shook his head gently.

Alisha nodded. "That's understandable. Well, there's no rush," she said, and her tone, despite its softness, sounded almost flippant. "We can sit to it on Thursday. Have you been to the Academy's library?"

"I have," he confirmed.

"Splendid. You said you should be present on Thursday, no? When exactly do you end?"

"I can't recall my schedule completely, but I'm almost sure I end at half to 11."

Alisha nodded. Her expression turned slightly calculative, the amber of her eyes disappearing behind her eyelids for a few seconds.

"Hmm, yes, that seems to be a good time. Then, can you meet me in the library, let's say, at 12? We can search for a few books on the topic, bring them to the assembly room, and then brainstorm. How does that sound?"

"Fine by me. What about Dorothea and Arand, though? You said something about their schedule being full?"

"Unfortunately, that's the truth," Alisha's expression hardened. Her eyes lost some glimmer as her lips tensed up. "They both have plenty of classes on Thursdays and Fridays. Just like Arand has classes that end in tandem with us beginning assembly on Tuesdays and more classes later. Professor Schweizer probably will speak about it with the deneanery, but I'm not sure about the result."

"Is there a problem with the deneanery?" Lucas's brow raised.

"Well, so to speak. Professor tries not to talk about it, but it's kind of obvious. I've heard that she's had issues with the current headmaster already before he reached his position, but it seems to have escalated."

Alisha's tone was tinged with sadness. With a sigh, she interlaced her fingers atop her hips as if giving herself a bit of reassurance. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Lucas. His ponders immediately shifted toward the small ginger-haired woman. Just what was she going through right now? A swirling, unpleasant feeling surged in his chest at the thought.

Suddenly, he felt something in his mind stir. At the very edge of his consciousness, a strangely familiar presence resonated. It silently nodded, agreeing with his thoughts.

"!" Lucas's head snapped in a direction instantly. It felt like he could almost sense where the presence watched him from, in an unsuspecting place right in the corner of his vision.

Alisha's attention was piqued at his action.

"Is something the matter?"

"...it's nothing," he replied, focusing on her. "Did you want to talk about something more?"

"Hmm," Alisha put on a thoughtful expression for a blink, then shook her head. "No, I think that's everything. We can figure out the details on Thursday. Did you want to talk about anything?"

Lucas shook his head. "I should be going home..." he trailed off, his eyes wandering above them. "...nevermind. I'll just go to the library."

"Hmm?" Alisha made a noise. Glancing upward, she recognized what changed the man's mind. "You don't like rain?"

"It's not that. I forgot to take my umbrella, is all," 'I was quite lightheaded this morning, wasn't I?' he chastised himself silently. Yet, a smile entered his face as he reminded himself of the reason for his forgetfulness. The voice in his mind quietly chortled.

The voluptuous blonde giggled as well, seemingly understanding his predicament. Without any hesitation, she extended a hand toward him. The rune-covered mana stone lay on her palm, its surface slightly cracked, a somewhat strange change to what it had looked like before.

"Then, take this," she said calmly, her amber eyes glistening with softness.

"What? No, I couldn't," Lucas opposed. 'It's a nice gesture and all, but I don't want to make it seem like I'm using her.'

"No, take it," Alisha pressed on. "I'm not leaving the Academy for some more time, and I haven't put a deactivation rune on it," she expressed, extending her hand further. The benign smile on her face seemed to signify the sincerity of her gesture. "Best put it to some use, no?"

Lucas didn't answer for a long moment. Eventually, he bowed his head in a gesture of gratitude as he accepted the item.

"Thank you, Alisha."

"Don't mention it," she replied warmly. "It should last about 20 minutes from now. Is that enough for you to return?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I'll be sure to repay you on Thursday."

The blonde woman waved her hand slightly dismissively, her mouth letting out a soft laughter. Her amber eyes lit up almost playfully. "You can do that by meeting me in the library. Remember, at noon if possible."

"I will. Thank you again. I'll be going."

Lucas immediately stood up. The Rune Mage followed in his steps, not wanting to be left behind in the rain. As they entered back into the Academy, the white-haired man gave his group leader a goodbye before almost bolting to the exit.

...

Alisha sighed. However, her cheerful expression did not wane. She felt quite accomplished with the talk she had with the newest team member. She could tell that despite the welcome Dorothea had given him and what he'd seen, Lucas was not opposed to staying in the group. This made her feel that much more uplifted.

'I can see why Professor Schweizer agreed to have him in the group. He does seem capable.' she conceded. Not many students before the third year knew even the basic properties that can be measured in a material. Lucas, however, finished the list she started without missing a beat. It was a clear testament to his sheer knowledge level. 'Though, I do wonder what his class is. I don't think I caught his family name...?' she put a thoughtful expression before dismissing the thought. 'It's not that important anyway.'

Lifting a hand, she traced a shape in the air. Mana left her hand, flowing into an imaginary shape she created and lingering there motionlessly. Finishing the rune within a few seconds, Alisha grasped it with her hand. The magic she infused immediately responded, layering itself on her palm. Inspecting the construct on her skin, she felt it pulse in sync with her heart. However, rather than pressure, the magic on her skin sent faint pulses of warmth up her radius, dissipating by her shoulder.

Alisha channeled her mana, concentrating it on the few intricate symbols. As she did so, a bit of warm air started blowing from the runes. Smiling at her success, the Rune Mage started walking away, blowing the air all over herself to dry the water.

Then, her thoughts shifted in another direction.

'I wonder what the cafeteria has on the menu today...'

-Meanwhile-

"You have to take this issue to the planner, Professor Schweizer."

The man sitting in the headmaster's seat spoke calmly.

"That's where I just came from."

Elaine's resort was immediate, punctuated by the sharpness of her speech.

"Nevertheless, I'm not responsible for how the classes for the years are planned. The planner is responsible for those matters."

Elaine adjusted her position in the oversized chair, its leather creaking under her weight as she leaned forward. The grandeur of the headmaster's room did nothing but flare her frustration up. The room's atmosphere was barely lit by the silver of the sky coming from a window in front of her and behind the headmaster who sat in his opulent armchair. She took a better look at him.

The man's head, almost comically plump, sat atop a similarly-shaped torso. The wide suit he wore had a dark tone, its long sleeves ending right behind his wrists that most bracelets would not fit on easily. His fingers stretched, showing a few rings shining.

"The planner who you put in that spot," the ginger-haired woman replied, her gaze sharp. She already knew before that this confrontation was unavoidable. Therefore, she had prepared herself for many angles from which the dean could attack.

"Nevertheless," Rufus replied, his tone dripping with condescension, "I am not in charge of how the schedules are arranged. That falls under the planner’s purview," his dismissive attitude was clear. The gray hair on his head seemed to bristle slightly. If his mustache were poking from beneath his nose any further, Elaine was sure he'd be twirling it between his fingers right now.

She groaned lowly. She hated this man. There were several reasons for that, a few even personal.

"Cut the crap, Rufus," Elaine responded. "We both know why you're doing this. My assembly group can barely even function as is. Two of the members can't even attend one of the meetings completely thanks to the planner's work."

"Are you suggesting what's happening is the planner trying to make your work harder?" Rufus's brow raised almost daringly. "Professor Schweizer, you should know better than throwing such accusations around."

The ginger-haired woman squinted. "You know what I'm saying. It's your way of getting back at me for Treseleer."

The man's dark eyes dimmed. He sighed, looking to the ceiling briefly as though searching for divine intervention.

"*Sigh* Again with Treseleer. I told you many times already. He was not fit for the Academy. It was for the best of all of us, him included."

"You had no grounds to expel him, and you know that. He was a model student. Perfect grades, never made a fuss, never missed an appointment. All he's ever done was being Classless," 'And even then, he was better than most of you bureaucracy-struck idiots.'

Rufus shifted in his seat. "I'm sorry that your friend met a rocky road, Elaine. But even you know that, in the long run, I did him a favor. Even if he did graduate, nobody would take him in afterward. Just face reality. This place is not for people without a class."

A predatory gleam sparked in Elaine’s eyes. The man had fallen into her trap.

"Then, what will you say about admitting the Stormrider kid this year?"

The name dropped like a stone into the conversation. Rufus stiffened, though his face remained composed. His fingers, however, moved to twist the ring on his index finger. "Ahem," he cleared his throat. "He showed extraordinary levels of knowledge," Rufus replied carefully, his voice measured. "I had **** but to allow him an examination using an artifact. He was still capable of failure. But he managed to prove his worth."

The headmaster spoke confidently, but his gaze skittering to the side occasionally spoke volumes of his discomfort in talking about that. She knew it made him feel like a hypocrite. No, rather, she knew it made him realize his hypocrisy. Elaine's lips curled slightly at the corners, a cold smile threatening to break through her otherwise stern expression. She had him now.

"Funny you say that. If memory serves right, 'proving himself' was what Treseleer did when he attended under Suvellain's eye. Time and time again."

Rufus's hands tightened on the armrests of his chair, his fingers twitching at the mention of his predecessor. He let out a controlled breath, clearly aware of the trap the small Melidan woman was setting. "Weydan Academy is the second best in Etnal, Elaine. We have a reputation to uphold, you know that well. That Stormrider boy is a special case, a spark your friend was not. That is all."

"A spark, is he?" Elaine almost snorted. Her orange hair waved as she made half a snort of ridicule. "And who will be the one to harvest the fire he sets?" she asked rhetorically, measuring the man with her verdant eyes. "Egis was just as brilliant. The only real difference between him and Lucas was, he lacked a big family behind his back. He was admitted by headmaster Suvellain himself," Elaine's voice lowered. She knew she skipped a fact or two, but that didn't matter. She knew Rufus Demegar was a coward who would cover with bureaucracy. "Just be honest for once. You don't want a spark. You want the benefits from when he classes. But what if he doesn't? Will you bear the consequences?"

Rufus’s gray hair bristled as if electrically charged at the small woman's question. The room’s silence was punctuated only by the occasional rumble of thunder, which only seemed to emphasize the unpleasant thoughts that flew through his head.

That attitude, however, did not last.

"Even if what you say were true, Professor Schweizer, and the Stormrider admitee does not class in time," the headmaster replied, focusing his dark eyes on her petite frame. "this bears no significance to you."

"And here's where you're wrong," Elaine replied, her voice sharp. A glint of victorious spirit sept from her confident posture. She knew she was in a winning position. A surge of triumph rose in her chest as she saw Rufus falter. It was the time for her trump card. "The research groups will apply their lists of attendants by the end of the week. You might be surprised to see who joined mine."

A flicker of confusion crossed Rufus’s face, quickly replaced by a mask of grim realization. His eyes widened, and he seemed to shrink into his chair, the weight of Elaine’s implications hitting him with full ****.

"You don't mean--"

"I do," she cut him off. "Now, I wonder what will happen if the group is **** to dissolve due to its inability to even meet at reasonable times? Rather, what will the Triminis say when they learn a Classless attended a group that failed so spectacularly?" she threw a rhetorical question at the man.

The name of the organization hung in the air. Elaine knew it well, and she was aware even Rufus, ignorant as he was, was mindful of their influences. It was one of the largest alchemical organizations on the continent. They supplied many items and potions to all who had the coin, ranging from purified mana stones to elixirs. Their web of influences was woven deep within all five countries. Repercussions of one of the best academies on the continent failing to upkeep a group related to alchemy were not that serious on a large scale. The one who would take the most backlash for that was Elaine Schweizer, the main alchemical expert in the academy. It would be painted as her own inability, and the problem would end at that.

However, the situation would take a drastic turn if it came to light that there was a Classless who attended that group when it failed. Many would not care for the details, and they would connect the presence of that person with the failure of the whole group, even if it were proven that that had no impact. But from there, they would dig further. Why would Elaine Schweizer take a Classless into her group? In the first place, why was a Classless admitted into the academy? Elaine would probably receive an even bigger hit. However, Rufus Demegar would definitely not be left out of it.

Rufus swallowed hard. His palms, slick with sweat, gripped the armrests of his chair with as much **** as his fat fingers could exert. The sounds of rain hitting the window behind his back became distant as he took in the moment of calm. He knew what Elaine implied. At the same time, however, he felt doubtful. For all he knew, she could be bluffing about taking in the Stormrider kid into her group. This dissonance made his mind race, searching for the best way to approach the situation in the limited time he knew he had.

Eventually, Rufus let out a long, weary sigh, the sound carrying a mixture of resignation and defeat.

"I will speak to the planner about the schedules," he said slowly, gauging Elaine's reactions as though he was dealing with a wild animal. He didn't like conceding like this, but he knew it was the best solution, at least for now. He could not guarantee Elaine was bluffing.

---

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