A needle and time

[Vick]

310 Av, Spring 80 The young child Nuit took the seat along the desk as his eyes looked upon more scrolls, quills, bottles of black ink and books. Boss was sitting next to him with a normal smile it would had seemed. “Now Vick, I know your Malediction is going well however I am going to let you learn another world magic. It’s called Glyphing. I am going to teach you the runes and you will understand what they can and can’t do by the end of the day but you really won’t be using it to the full effect until later. That later depends on how fast you learn and how much time and energy you put into it. Now grab the scroll and the quill.” Boss was always pushing Vick to do his best it seemed along with talking to him one on one about his magic and what he could do to learn more about the world around him. However Vick was unsure if he had other plans down the road for him or not but his child like mind still did not think like that as he did as he was told. “I want you to take notes on this book. It tells the basic understanding of it with the risks. It use to be taught to almost all students in the past but well it has died down for clear reasons. That is another thing I want you to do is to brush up on your history but that is for another day. For now work on this and soon you will be stronger and wiser then your peers.” That was another thing Boss liked to do. Tell him something and put books in his hands but he did think that was his way of making sure he knew the information plus it gave him time to work on his research and writing which was something that was needed in life in on the island. Key concept is to draw symbols and runes to manipulate magic. Can be made to focus ones magic by drawing on the skin or storing into scroll. Has a risk of back lashing if the symbols are poorly made or damaged. Greater skill is needed to store hostile magic or wild magic. The sigil is a collection of glyphs that performs a given task which can range from simple to very complex uses. Focus- Normally a large glyph that stores magic. Once magic enters it will fade until needed. Acts like a mirror in which the spell or magic will be let go at the same speed it went into. At higher levels any magical being (such as summoned or golem) could be put into the focus. Barrier- Most of the time it is in a circle of glyphs that are around the focus. Used to keep the focus safe and unused. Trigger- Used in a different color on the scroll. Triggers the focus by breaking the barrier. Path- Made by two barriers that act as boundaries. Used to channel magic or connect different sigils. Can be used to transfer magic to the Focus. Switch- Also used in a different shade of ink. Can merge different magic effects or spilt larger magic into smaller effects. More often or not used with Paths. Should be noted not all scrolls will use all the sigil blocks. Very rarely would just one have them all. Vick let out a soft sigh of air at last. His lungs filling with air and letting it out as he was still getting use to not breathing. He then showed his notes towards Boss who took them without a word as he read them. “Seems your writing and research skills are getting slightly better. I am sure in time you will match the top researchers on the island. Now to go over what it all means. A glyph is also called Rune. It can be made in any way but as a Wizard you will know the meaning by heart as if you made it. It can be made in anyway from ink, blood, ashes, wood, clay and so on but once the power has been used up then it will break or burn out. Sigils are just a larger collection of what glyphs are and are used to make the scrolls and in magical research labs.” Once Boss did talk of something he went into clear detail and knew the topic as if he made it himself. Vick slowly understood and took notes on that as well as he paid close mind to what Boss told him. “It uses Djed to form and handle the runes and the most common product is the magic scroll. Which you can place a spell or more depending on your skill. The scroll will then be read by a person and then they will have use of whatever spell you put in the scroll. You can earn a good bit of Miza if you work on as you just need to buy scrolls and the ink or even use something else but that will be down the road once you work more on your Malediction studies and get better with this field of magic.”

[Vick]

Maybe it was a good thing the young Nuit was good at drawing for he had spent ages just doing that. Drawing symbols along the scrolls. He really was not making any headway it felt as Boss just told him to get into the feel of drawing them as it would take him awhile before he was good enough to really let it have a effect. “You said theses look different to everyone right?” “Yes Vick but I will know the meaning just like you.” “Yet they seem normal doodles to me.” “Don’t forget to channel your own Djed into drawing them as you craft them but for now just worry on learning your style of runes.” It was not hard to learn the art of Glyping but it felt like it would take ages to really master and even then it felt like a lifetime for Vick. He did have to wonder how the island had the gold to fund his research training and the research on the island. He knew they sold items in the mainland but he had to wonder what else they had to do to make money but he did know most of them being Nuits did make things slightly easier when it came to food. He could lose himself in the magical research as his child like mind took the information like it was a new toy and really it was to him. His whole life was normal until just almost a season ago when he learned Malediction and became a Nuit. Granted he did miss his family and did wonder about them often but Boss made sure to keep his time up in books with learning of magical information. Time just kept passing as Vick filled scroll after scroll and used bottle after bottle of black ink as he kept drawing different runes just understanding them apart. He was told he could worry on making the right formations afterwards once he knew the building blocks of the glyphs first then the sigils. At last he placed the quill down even if his hand did not feel any tiredness from it. He almost forgot what it felt like to feel tired or even sore. That was a blessing as he looked at the many scrolls he made which he kept working on without break as Boss watched him without a word. It would seem this was another teaching lesson that he was paying mind to like his Malediction studies. A idea came to him at last as he took the quill dipping it in the black ink once more. He then took it along his right temple drawing the runes along his face near his eyes. A simple use to help force his own Djed along his eyes to let him use his own personnel magic faster then without it as he placed it down once more after the runes were done with. He kept his eyes shut as he let his mind clear out of thoughts before taking a hand in his Djed forcing it from the soul core along his shell of a body as the marks along his face felt warmer before the ink faded into nothing leaving behind soft white marks along his skin as the power of Auristics came to him like a rain drop coming towards the ground. The once dull room filled with colors as he kept his eyes closed still seeing the world around him in a new light. He saw Boss in a light of green shades and the golems of a darker blue. The scrolls that he made had a faint trace of silver light along the symbols as if glowing slightly under the dark room even if it was lit by candles and magical items of light.

[Vick]

It was a new lesson yet this time with a female Nuit that was not Boss. Vick found himself standing in a lab that held more items then he was use to as the female nuit was talking in a soft voice as she looked upon the young child. “Boss thinks it is wise for you to have your own craving set but as a gift from him he is letting you work on your picks which he has told me you use the most. You see young child I am the magecrafter of this island and this is my lab. I will give you two choices, you either work around the lab doing as I say or I teach you the basic understanding and uses of magecraft and then you will aide me and work until I see fit. Either way it is not just free.” Vick did not know her nor her dealings with people. However he would learn with whatever choice he made as it would had been the same deal to him. He just lacked the status and skill to hold his own on the island and even with Boss doing most of his events he was still a slice of fresh meat to everyone. The only way to change that fate would be by learning and getting better along with proving both his worth and skill to the island and even world if he could. “I will like to learn the art of Magecrafting if I may Miss.” The young nuit said in a small voice as he heard a laugh coming from the female. His fate was sealed it would seem as she waved her hands leading him deeper into her lab. “I have no time for slowness so pay mind. I will teach you the basic steps or at least what I call the basic steps to magecrafting. Also keep your mind out of the clouds. If I even think you are daydreaming I will make sure you learn to stop that childish act.” She spoke at a fast rate as she took a chunk of chalk from a box and just as quickly as talking wrote along the board for Vick to read. The Magecrafting process is the sum of a number of modular steps that are more or less independent of each other. The number of enhancement steps determines the cost and power of the resulting artifact. This can be expressed with a number, the Magecraft Coefficient which now you will know only as MC. Structural - one of the item's physical properties is improved. Behavioral - either the item acquires a new behavior, or an existing behavior is enhanced. Intellectual - the item acquires greater awareness, intelligence, and ability to interact and communicate Magical - the item becomes capable of wielding personal magic just like a wizard. Gnosis - the item can receive a Gnosis mark by a deity. Complex items require reagents to aid the crafting process. If the item has three MC in one area then it needs a reagent. This is the law for every three MC it has. Some Reagents can be added that does not take up a MC. Her writing was very neat however it all sounded like it came from a book of sorts as she kept talking about each area of the notes as she made them not even turning to face Vick. It was like she was in a rush unlike the other wizards on the island but for what he could not understand for the life of him. “Now, listen. You’re going to work under me until I see fit. I am only going to let you take one break for one bell for what you want to do. I would use that time to tell your master that you are in my care. However that is not now. Once I see fit I will let you read books on the field and also let you read some books I made which can tell you the type of profits you can see for what MC you made. However while the office may hold your profits I will hold even more. You will be lucky if you see even a half but enough talk. Time to work.” She moved to the main part of the lab as he saw what looked like a pedestal standing in the middle of glasses lenses, mirrors and tools. The pedestal had what looked like glyphing runes along it as the female just pushed Vick to stand in front of it. “Living beings can take days to make a item however it will take you days it won’t take as long. Now your first task is going to be taking a arrow and altering the structural of it to be sharper then normal. For now you will just be able to add on Two Mc classes. You will use them both to make it as sharp as you can so it can dive deeper then a normal arrow can. You do this by taking the hammer on the table next to you and hit it while it is on the pedestal. This will alter the Djed pathway of the item and mold it as you see fit. If you don’t know what Djed is then go read up on it on your own time. Now, the glyphs under the arrow are meant to help and aid you. Boss told me you know some of it but you will take care of some yet I will take care of most of them. Now the mirrors and lenses over the item will let you see the aura of the item. Always always and I mean always pay mind to them. You will be able to tell something is wrong first with the aura of the item as it can blow up or worst.” She did not take a single breath as she kept talking on and on filling the room with her voice as she kept waving her hands. It was as if she needed to move them in order to talk and the faster she talked the faster her hands moved. She did not really go over it like Boss did where he used books it seemed she used a more hands on idea as she took a wood arrow from the shelf placing it on the pedestal. The tip looked like it was made out of iron but he was not sure off hand as she waved him over handing him some coal. “Focus on that side, your aim is a barrier and a path. A basic barrier around the object and then a path on the outside letting it channel back in the weapon in case any Djed leaves the barrier. I will do the same over yours as I don’t want this lab to go boom. Plus I don’t trust your skill level yet. However this will teach you faster then mere books.” Vick did take notice of a odd sigil under the arrow as he slowly made out the runes along the arrow in question. It was very slow work and more slow for the fact he was fearful of making a mistake as he knew his new master would see it and he did not know yet how she dealt with things like that. His hands pushed his Djed into the runes as he made the letters for the barrier in the ancient tongue which he found made things easier on him in the short and long run of things. Afterwards he then placed another two barriers moving between the first one making a sort of circle like path between them that went in the center of the first barrier. The chunk of coal fell into dust almost after he was done and he was not sure how long had passed but his new master did not say a word other then having a grunt before making her own set of sigils and runes around his and only talking once she was done which was far sooner then Vick did his. “Your skill level lacks so much. If I left it just up to you then it would had been as helpful a poking a glassbeak in heat. Your runes are pointless yet you are going to learn faster by doing in the field then some book crap. My sigils will keep the item and us safe. If it blows then the spare Djed will go into the sigil and the barriers will do there best to keep us safe but I would still duck and make friends with that hard ground.” She did not wait for a reply from Vick as she moved the lenses of glasses over head focusing on the arrow which she did the same for the mirrors. “Theses will let you see the aura of the object. Also I can tell you know Auristics but theses will work better then your sight. However once you make the item then I want you to see with your own eyes. You will improve only by doing and then maybe one day you won’t be just a lifeless weight.” She said moving her hands once more but this time holding what looked like a small smithing hammer which she just pushed in Vicks small hands yet it felt almost weightless in his hands for some reason. “That will be your main tool. Magecraft tools are really just magecraft products that you can make yourself once you learn enough in the field. You will find theses tools work very well and are lighter then your normal tools. Once you hit the item you will then be able to change the Djed pathways of the item. Once you start you can’t remove it from its resting spot until you are done or it will be useless or become a danger. You will know it is done with how the pathways are. Use the mirrors and lenses at all times to keep an eye on it. Then you will take the tongs on the table to move the item placing it the water near you. This water will cool it down and once it is rested it will be done for better or worse. However once it is done you can’t ever again use magecraft on it.” When she did talk she had a long time of talking he found as she stood next to him. She was closer to him then how Boss stood over him but she just kept her unblinking eyes on him and the mirrors above the arrow. He saw the light blue Djed of the arrow in the mirrors and with a simple nod he let his hand fall along the arrow filling the room with a soft bang almost even if the arrow was out of wood and it should not have made any sound in his head. After the first hit he saw in the mirror that the arrow held a silver lining like trails in the forest mapping a path or at least that is how his brain took it as the arrow looked normal with his eyes. Another bang and his body almost jumped as the female nuit took her hand along his guiding the hammer on the arrow. “You need to focus your own will and Djed in the hammer and will the pathways to change to what you want. Find the passion and form the Djed to change the structural of it to make it sharper. Just hitting it like a mindless slave won’t do anything other then waste my time. You will know once you change a level of the MC by how the pathways change. Read the aura in the mirrors to see your status of the weapon and make it as sharp as you can. Once you are done then I will grade it but this will take days to work on if not longer depending on your own passion and will.” Magic dealt a lot with the soul and feelings of the user. Just like this it felt like as it was his own will it seemed that crafted and changed a simple arrow into something else. He did not spend much time thinking as his eyes went back and forth between the arrow and the mirrors near him as he watched the silver lining change ever so slightly with each hit of the hammer. “Time for a history lesson but pay mind to your work. Areesa Tallshade. It’s a name I truly distaste but not for her work or skill but for who she became. She is the reason I am doing what I do today. She was so gifted, so much of a god in the field of magecrafting and really did make what it is today due to her work. She did not do the magic lifestyle but did pass all her subjects I am told but became so focus on magecrafting that she made so many items that today are of myth.” Vick was only paying the slightest mind to her as he kept his main focus on the project. She talked on and off as she walked around him. He was unsure her goals but one thing was clear. She made sure he was working nonstop on the arrow at hand and he was very glad his body did not tire from the movements or even standing. More then once she stepped in grabbing his hand moving it to hit the object but never once doing it herself alone but she never did tell him why she did it other then telling him he was not putting enough will into the arrow. At last his eyes saw what she meant by reaching his limit. He saw how the pathways changed and just would not alter anymore as he could tell the weapon was far sharper then before as he placed the hammer down before grabbing the tongs. He grabbed the arrow with care moving it slowly over the pool of water placing it inside. No steam came out as it was not hot but if he was looking at the aura he would had noted it would had changed as if staying in place like a craving in stone would stay still. His new master just looked at the arrow and took a nod. “Now, it will stay in the water for awhile to cool down more or less. Give it a few Bells but work on the next arrow with the same idea. I will re do the sigils but you will know what to do. I have a order of ten arrows however you will only do two of them. I will take care of the rest but this is coming from my personnel funds and I already have a buyer waiting so do hurry up yet make no mistakes. I will go over how you price MC items once you are done.” Another swing of the hammer and another start to the project. How long would it take him before he understood the level of magecraft like she did? How long before he felt the passion she did? He had yet to really work on his craving set like she said she would let him do or maybe he was mistaken in that. Maybe she did not say that but she would teach him and use him until she saw fit? Another swing of the hammer along the tip of the arrow head as his eyes glanced at the mirrors and his own Djed coming to the surface as he saw the arrows pathways change slowly with each hit as he willed it to become sharper. She did not step in as many times as she did with the first arrow he took note of but she still kept a eye on him. He slowly did understand what it meant by focusing your own will as the crafter to take a hold of a mundane item and turning it with the power of magic to form something else. Time passed once more yet it did not feel like it to him. He just kept pounding away at the arrow letting the hammer and his own self alter the Djed pathways letting it forever alter the status of the weapon as she told him the steps once more letting it sink into his brain. She was slowly molding even him without him seeing it. Maybe in time he would but for now he was just a eight year old child who was easily molded by whatever outside force had the time and drive to mold him. At last he took the tongs placing the arrow in a new pool of water that she drew forth. The other arrow long gone in a stash that she was keeping and with that he just let out a sigh. He was done with the second arrow and without a break she took him to the other side of the room that held the blackboard. “You need to learn more math. I know you know the basic understanding over it yet I do hope you can have the grasp to learn it more as it will aide you in so many things in life. Now listen. Without taking the base price of a item it will cost you 1,000 Gold Miza roughly for a one MC item and that price will go up by 3 for each third MC in place. For a second MC you are looking at about 1,700 GM to sale. Now this is to make however to sale you will triple the price to make a profit. So if you made a MC 1 item you can make a profit of 2,000 GM if you sold it for 3,000 GM. Now the items in question I made and you helped with cost me 17,000 due to they were roughly 1,700 per. Now I can make 51,000 GM which is 34,000 roughly. As this is my own project it will be used to fund something else down the road however I just might give you 500 gold for helping out if I am feeling in a good mood. Now I am going to go and give theses items to the right person who should be coming on the next ship but for you. You are free yet if you are smart I would clean up the lab and a cleaner golem will help you with simple tasks.” With that she left Vick alone in her lab as a small golem on wheels came by with what looked like simple arms. “Mr. Vick, I have been order to watch and aide you in learning of the lab. Please let us work now.” With that Vick knew he made a deal with something that would not let him go with ease as he started cleaning as his brain broke just slightly from the numbers she told him. Maybe he would learn her name after awhile but for now he knew his Malediction studies were on hold.

[Panna Cotta]

VICK Research 1 Drawing 2 Glyphing 2 Auristics 3 Magecrafting 2 Lore of the Basics of Glyphing Lore of the Basics of Magecrafting Lore of using Auristics to augment other magical skills Lore of Drawing Runes Lore of Making a Sigil Lore of Focusing own Djed Lore of Working Endlessly Lore of Master Varubicht Lore of Master Unknown Name (partial) Lore of Areesa Tallshare (partial) Lore of Being a Wizard's Apprentice Calculating the costs of Magecrafted items Notes Inasmuch as Magecrafting sounds like a really good way to earn money, I cannot provide you with 500 gm in a heart's beat when you made the thread at 0 magecraft skill. I'd love to be generous but at your skill level, please accept this 10 gm as reward.