Shadows flowed over boulders as the creatures tried to reach me.

  I tossed the flickering light rune into the air, and it crumbled into dust as two more of the creatures vanished. Another rune flared to life in my hands, taking out another round of creatures when I set it on top of the quartz.

  It pulsed only twice as I rushed a third carving, barely getting it done as the second died. Again, I placed it on top of the quartz crystal as I partially carved a fourth, and fifth, but kept them by my side unfinished as the rest of the shadows retreated.

  My heart-beat slowed down as I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to mess this up.

  Instead of rushing, I studied the quartz.

  Something had to be different with it to make the rune permanent, and I dove into the rock just like I would with a crystal, using my perception skill. The aura of the stone flared to life, a circle of energy much weaker than the crystal I was used to.

  Still, it was much stronger than the regular rock with a rune carved in it. Everything had energy inside it, I’d seen that before, but I hadn’t spent a ton of time just watching the energy move, or seeing how different substances had different amounts of energy within them.

  The light rune interacted with that energy, making it grow thinner and more stretched out.

  That energy was what my runes needed to draw on, but with more intention, and maybe with a lighter pull. That way it could refill with natural energy as fast as the light used it up, so it wouldn’t run out.

  I carved the light rune into the quartz, but I didn’t immediately fill it with energy. I waited and went back to the regular stone. The energy inside it had lessened, but at a slower rate then when the shadows attacked. Destroying them used more energy then just keeping things lit.

  More shadows gathered beyond the boulders which blocked the light from the stone on top of the quartz. As a few more joined the group, I braced myself.

  The first shadow rushed at me, followed by a second. Both went poof, and the rock crumbled. More rushed me, but my fourth was ready to go, along with the fifth.

  Both blazed to light as even more of the creatures gathered. I knew this was it.

  I touched the quartz crystal and concentrated on filling the rune with energy from myself, but also linking it to the quartz crystal’s energy. Bright light filled the area as the light rune flared to life.

  The Rune anchored itself into the energy from the stone, twisting the string of energy into its shape. A chime came from above as several bright crystals in the ceiling started glowing, all the same quartz as the one in front of me, almost like stars dotted across the cavern's ceiling.

  Screams echoed from all around me as creatures crumbled into dust.

  [You have gained major insight into Runic Scribing and Attunement. Runic Scribing and Attunement - II: You can scribe simple runes onto various surfaces, infusing them with the rune's power. You can recognize and understand common and uncommon runes on sight.]

  [You have completed the Apprentice Runic Scriber Challenge.]

  The cavern vanished and I appeared next to the campfire. This time, the giant eyes were nowhere to be found. Instead, a creature stood across from me. Its upper body was humanoid with four arms, while its lower body reminded me of a scorpion. It was segmented, with 6 legs and a sharp singer on its back.

  “You did well for not having the profession,” he said as he stared. His face had armor covering it, but was generally the same shape as a human, with nose slits, and a mouth. The creature had bright yellow eyes, matching the giant eyes from before.

  “Thank you for giving me the carving tool.” I held it out to him to give it back.

  He chuckled and it made me want to flee.

  Yet I resisted, not letting myself flinch. He couldn’t be any worse than Noseen.

  “You can keep it,” he said, holding up a hand. “You’ve earned it, yet you do not have a runic profession. What are your plans for your profession?”

  I jerked back a little in surprise, but took a moment to gather my thoughts. I wasn’t sure how much to tell this person, or whatever they were, but they obviously were someone who knew runes, and had built their life around them.

  “My current profession…”

  “Yes, you’re a Crystal Singer. It's similar to what runes are used for on this world.” He nodded lightly.

  I snapped my mouth shut as he continued.

  “The question is, are you going to switch professions?”

  “No.” The answer slipped out before I could consider whether or not it was offensive. “My hope is to combine the two. I enjoy working with both crystals and runes. But I don’t know how to go about doing that.”

  “You are on your way, focusing on the skills you are.” His eyes narrowed, but he slowly nodded. “You will want them to be as close as possible in skill level but before you rank up again.”

  It didn’t feel like he was done speaking, so I waited.

  “The sooner the better. The higher level your profession, the more you will miss out on with the combined profession, and the harder the merge will be.”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “But is it possible?” I asked, hoping for a confirmation.

  “For someone like my descendants, no… but a creature like you? Potentially.”

  He knew what I was. Somehow I was certain, he completely understood what I was. How did I keep finding myself in these circumstances?

  I didn’t dare try to use insight on him, but I had to ask to see if my guess was correct. “What is your name? I should have asked earlier.”

  This time he laughed, and he waved a hand in my direction. “A polite devourer, how delightful… Use your perception.”

  [Hai, The First, The Scribe, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown.]

  That confirmed my guess. At least I was pretty sure I’d been polite enough, and Noseen would be pleased.

  “Get those combined and you might be able to try the next level of my challenge.”

  I nodded. That was my goal.

  He stared at me one more time, and this time I felt a chill go up my spine. “You need to make his sacrifice worthy.”

  I froze.

  “Danlino.”

  My hand tightened into a fist. “I will. I promised I would.”

  “You can leave him with me.”

  “I wanted to bring him home…” It was what I hoped someone would do for me if I didn’t make it.

  He shook his head. “He would want to rest here, in a place of learning open to all.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded. Yet, as I went to grab his body out of my inventory, it was already gone.

  He nodded at me once, then waved his hand at me and I found myself back in the hallway.

  My eyes burned, but I resisted crying. Instead, I held the carving tool to my chest for a moment. “Rest well, Danlino, though part of you will always travel with me.”

  I didn’t know how much time had passed and I headed back to the bunk rooms when I felt ready.

  Sleep. I needed some sleep, then some food, and maybe a conversation with Lenna.

  She and Kabi were still sleeping, but Dengu wasn’t in the hallway. With a shrug, I climbed onto a bunk and passed out.

  #

  Someone shook my shoulder.

  “So you’re finally back,” said Lenna, as I frantically blinked.

  “What?” I asked with a yawn. Still, I felt pretty good. My stomach growled a little, but some breakfast would take care of that.

  “Dengu said you went into a challenge and then we didn't see you for three days!” She glared at me.

  It took a moment to sink in.

  “Three days!?” I sat up wondering how I was still in such great shape and not gnawing on her. “What happened? How long until the dark night?”

  “What happened to you?” she asked in response.

  Kabi wasn’t in the room, and neither was Dengu.

  “I did a challenge for Runic Apprentices, and met the First, Hai. Turns out he was a scribe.” I didn’t mention ‘The Scribe,’ since it wasn’t relevant. “What have you been doing?”

  Lenna shook her head and marched to the doorway without an answer.

  “Kabi was right,” she muttered. “You always find some sort of trouble.”

  “Wait!” I leaped out of bed after her, and followed her into the hallway. My stomach growled again as the mouthwatering smell of cooking meat hit me.

  Kabi stood next to a pot cooking on a campfire in the open area. Dengu stood next to him, talking in a low voice. Both looked up as we approached.

  “Alpha!” Dengu bobbed his head at me.

  Kabi chuckled at me, then frowned as he stirred the food. “I figured you’d come back with several more levels… but at least we have a few nights still.”

  “Not this time. I upgraded a skill though, and met Hai, the First…”

  He dropped the spoon inside the pot and swallowed hard before peeking at Lenna.

  She just rolled her eyes. “Did it at least help?”

  “Yeah, I think I know how to go about fixing my class…” At least I had a path forward. “I need to level my skill with Runes one more time, then merge it into my crystal skill. That should trigger a professional evolution.”

  “Merging skills is dangerous,” said Kabi in a low voice.

  “I think it's because I’m different then you are. Hai, said your kind couldn’t do it…” I added, hoping to reassure him.

  He pressed his lips into a line before nodding. “Makes sense. Your kind is strange, after all.”

  Lenna caught my eye and nodded as well. She knew it wasn’t my people. Just me.

  “I leveled,” said Dengu.

  I quickly checked everyone's levels.

  [Dengu, Bonded Raptor, Razor Talons, Level 99, Friend.]

  [Lenna de La Dengu, Pathfinder, Arcane Arrow, Level, 96, Friend]

  [Kabi, Swordwarrior, Dance of Thorns, Level 107, Friend.]

  Kabi still had a level on me, while Dengu had gained a few, bringing him closer to me. Plus, he’d upgraded his talon skill.

  “We all are making significant progress,” I added with a smile.

  “My people normally recommend much more rest then we’ve been getting after leveling.” Kabi glanced off down the hall to the entrance. “We are pushing hard.”

  “Not for too much longer,” said Lenna. “The stars say we are almost there, then we’ll get some rest.”

  “Some rest would be good,” I said. While I didn’t need a ton of it, a week or two in one location that had a hot spring, marketplace, and food stalls sounded amazing.

  A voice whispered in the back of my mind, wondering how my family was doing at Lakeside Landing. I hadn’t checked the screen for the town in a long while, intentionally. All it’d do was make me think about them more, and right now I couldn’t help them.

  “Soon,” said Dengu. “Soon.”

  “Well, until then, any updates on the forces from Steadfast?” I asked, taking a seat near the campfire.

  “They are on the way,” said Lenna. “They reached out with the communication stone, and ran into a little trouble with the people we freed. It delayed them, but I expect they’ll show up in two days.”

  “That’s not the problem though,” said Kabi. “I checked back on the last tower we saw, and the Forgers have sent forces into the canyons. They are headed this way.”

  “Hunting time…” growled Dengu with all of his teeth on display. “Pick them off one by one.”

  “They really aren’t the problem either… it's the creatures…” Kabi shivered. “Things are waking up in the canyons because of them, since they are higher leveled. We need to be careful.”

  “Some levels sound like fun, plus…” My voice trailed off as I thought of the crystal collars. “We might be able to free some people. How long do we have until they reach this area?”

  “No clue, unless we send someone to scout them out.” Kabi glanced at me and Dengu.

  I looked at Dengu.

  “I can scout.” Dengu nodded at me then Lenna.

  “What are you going to do?” asked Kabi with a confused look on his face.

  “Traps. I learned some wonderful traps from the challenge that I can put to good use in tight spaces.” I pulled the carving tool out of my inventory, and twirled it in my fingers.

  The rock walls of the canyon and the ground were great surfaces to place runes. Now I just needed to replicate them without blowing myself up, or worse, giving away our location.