EA Chapter 19 - The Branding Rune

“I have to admit,” Kane said, tilting his head to one side, “for a Tin-rank cadet, you have some truly phenomenal qi control.”

Luna said nothing initially, too focused on balancing her weight solely on the index and middle fingers of her right hand. It was tough enough to do, even without the great weights on her body. She had to focus much of her power into her fingertips to help maintain her balance.

Kane lazily flicked to another page in his book, giving Luna a sideways glance. “I suppose that’s Helsen’s influence at work?”

Luna scoffed, briefly closing her eyes. A warm breeze wafted over the training platform. “Helsen did what he could for me, I suppose. But, most of what you see if all natural talent.”

“Such phenomenal humility,” Kane said, flashing her that same cryptic little smile as he often did.

“I fail to see why you’re here, Kane. I’m quite capable of exercising on my own.”

“Curiosity. And someone has to make sure you don’t overdo it and hurt yourself.” He slid a glossy black bookmark from his coat pocket and slid it into his book. “Given that I’m a year your senior, I suppose I have to take that role on.”

“I certainly didn’t ask you to.” She curled her fingers and then shoved herself a few meters off the ground. She spun deftly in the air and landed neatly on her feet. The tiles splintered under the heels of her boots. “At any rate, this is only a light bit of training. I don’t want to exert myself too much, with the first bouts taking place tomorrow.”

Kane nodded. “Smart call. Think your teammates have good odds?” he asked.

“Some more than others,” Luna admitted. Kiharu and Syri were capable, at least. The twins, well, she worried about them. So she had already taken her poison plan for a test run on Rema’s opponent. Come tomorrow the White Serpents would be feeling just a touch sluggish.

“Well, you can only do your best... at least, that’s what the instructors for those they don’t have high expectations off. You know, it is a little odd that you’re quite so passionate about the Cadet Tournament of all things.”

Luna shrugged, giving him a glance from over her shoulder. “If I’m to be put into a competition,” she said pointedly, “I intend to win it.”

“My my.” Kane shook his head. “I wish I had that same drive in my first year. May it serve you well. Still, win or lose, you’re always gonna have room to grow.” He let his aura rise as he spoke, which swirled around his body like a haze of lime-hued smoke. Luna felt the pressure in his aura, but something was... off about it.

She just wasn’t sure what.

Kane was an Arcanist, on paper, but his qi felt distinct compared to any other Arcanist she had seen at the Citadel thus far. As if there were another presence to it.

“Know what I mean?” he asked, grinning.

“Trying to impress me?”

He smiled again, running a hand briefly through his dark curls. “Depends. Is it working?”

“Luna!” Syri’s voice echoed from the stairs, quickly drawing the attention of both Arcanists.

“Hm. Suppose my Paladin wants something. Try not to die in my absence,” Luna bluntly said, turning and strolling away. He’d make for a good sparring partner, in time, but otherwise she found Kane to be another in a long list of irritants.

She and Syri set off together, moving back toward the main body of the Citadel. “Something happen?” Luna asked.

“No, er, it’s just...” the Paladin chuckled, scratching nervously at the back of her head. “I wanted to pull you out of a risky situation. The Citadel takes fraternization between cadets very seriously.”

“Frater-” Luna balked at her. “Good gods Syri, don’t think for a moment that I’d ever waste a moment of my energy on such nonsense.”

“Well, you might not... But you know how boys can be,” she said, deciding there was no need to elaborate. “My Old Gram, back home, she said that lads at that age are interested in only one thing. She taught me a very useful move for kneeing them somewhere right painful, if you’re in need.”

Luna fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I don’t care about the intent of others. My sole interest right now is winning this tournament. As should be the case for you too, Syri.” She raised an arm and inspected it, the weight of her bracer feeling marginally less imposing now than it had at first.

That night, after her teammates had gone to bed, Luna had snuck out and ventured quietly through the darkened corridors of the Citadel. She moved with care, ducking into shaded alcoves whenever she spied the lantern of a patrolling guard roaming the corridors.

It did not take long for her to reach the roof of Klein Tower. It was a foggy, chilly night outside, the thick grey clouds still smothering the colossal moon. Luna closed the door behind her, careful not to make any sound, and strode to the middle of the tiled floor.

Then, slowly, she pulled a piece of sculpted metal from one of her robe pockets. It was a crude circle, within white were welded six thin lines of steel that gave it the appearance of a wheel. This was another of Luna’s secret projects, something she had been working on this past week, taking scrap metal she had covertly lifted from broken training weapons.

It was hardly a glamorous piece of runecraft, but it would be entirely functional for her purposes. Particularly now that she had finally grown strong enough to make use of at least one rune. Luna raised her makeshift rune and examined it. The symbol, in the old Ylvin tongue, was ‘Khos.’ Or, ‘shield.’

Runes, in her old world, were the language of the cosmos. To create a rune and to charge it with magic was to activate the purpose of said rune. Khos was an obvious one, and as emperor she had worn a few charms with said rune upon it. Layers of defence within defence, overlapping her body and automatically defending her from harm. Once charged with a portion of her magic, a rune could then recharge on its own once its power had been depleted.

Luna stared at the metal. On its own, a piece of warped metal like this was useless as a conduit. It would burn out and shatter once faced with a bit of strain. Back home, Luna had had access to the finest materials to imbue runes into. Nigh indestructible metals that could absorb titanic amounts of strain from her own colossal power.

Here and now, she only had access to one thing that could handle such strain: Her own flesh.

She took a breath, channelling flame into the metal until it began to steadily adopt a bright orange glow. Steam rose off the steel in thin, pale wisps.

She reached into her pocket with her free hand, lifting a small branch that had fallen from a tree in the main courtyard. She had whittled it down into a smooth stake of wood, which she promptly clenched between her teeth. If she used her qi to dull the incoming pain, it would render her flesh too tough to be burned by red hot metal. All she could do was put enough power into her fingertips to keep them from being burned.

She stared at the rune, now fully aglow from the heat.

Luna lowered the run with great care, beads of nervous sweat starting to dapple her brow, while she gripped the branch tighter in her teeth. She hadn’t been branded since her pre-emperor days. The city of Kalmoris saved that particular punishment for horse thieves.

The wood cracked and splintered under Luna’s teeth as the burning metal made contact with the crook of her elbow, the sound of sizzling flesh just loud enough to down out the hissing growl that rose from Luna’s throat.

She tossed the rune aside, letting it skid across the tiles, and promptly spat the broken stake from her mouth. “Damnation,” she growled. Looking down, she could see the rune had already blackened her pale skin. Not the cleanest linework, the young Arcanist would readily admit, but as she channelled her qi into the mark she could see it glow a faint purple hue in response. It was good enough to work.

Luna exhaled, briefly closing her eyes. Light flickered briefly around her body and then went still. Just like that she had a free barrier which, by her own estimation, could easily tank a few hits from a beast as powerful as the dire crayfish.

Come tomorrow, she’d be ready.