Jeze’s adventurer rank, athleticism, and balance allowed her to quickly learn how to ride a horse. She wouldn’t be doing tricks or fighting from horseback anytime soon, but she was competent enough to ride if a fast getaway was needed.

  “Meet us in the library,” Kalina said.

  Jeze dismounted and handed the reins of the horse to a stable hand. She was in the Guild Academy compound at the edge of Giblet. It was much smaller than the one in Angston and roughly the same size as the Old Crone’s school. This town does remind me of home, Jeze reflected to herself. There were many differences. Here, the students learned horseback riding, archery, and weapons combat in addition to Rune casting. Jeze chuckled as she imagined the old ladies trying to teach students how to ride a horse. This compound also had a practice trial course that developed athleticism and prepared students for the Initiate trials. Jeze watched half a dozen students, maybe three to five years younger than her, scramble through the course. I want to give that a try, she thought to herself as she climbed the steps that entered the large square building with a sloped roof made from thick logs. Jeze recalled that lumber was a major resource for the Ironfist Kingdom since it was rich with thick forests.

  “This way,” Kalina stated.

  Inside was dark and illuminated by candles that hung from scones that were evenly spaced along the walls. Jeze paused to study a tapestry made out of thick linen and cotton. It depicted Templars fighting with swords and Earth magic against dragons and other monsters. This is Mastery, Jeze thought.

  “Hurry up!” Kalina hissed.

  This snapped Jeze back to the present and the teenaged girl ran after the pale skinned lady. On the way she passed small dormitories for students and a large kitchen with stone ovens and the smell of freshly baked bread. She traveled through several hallways that were lined mostly with dormitories and passed one exercise room with mats and stone weights, and a crowded mess hall filled with students that were eating supper. The whole academy was illuminated with candles and the late afternoon sunlight that came through the large windows.

  Finally, they arrived at the library. It was one of the biggest rooms in the academy, roughly the same size as the exercise room and mess hall. It was rectangular in shape, with tables on one side and rows of bookshelves on the other. Each of the tables had flickering candles. There were large windows on the walls of the room that made up the smaller sides of the rectangle that faced east and west to allow maximum sunlight throughout the day. Currently, there were only a handful of students that occupied the tables. Most of the students were out in the compound or in the mess hall. Grifus stood before the centermost table, where Jeze noticed a small pile of books and tomes. He clasped his hands together and smiled upon her entering the library.

  “Lady Kalina informed me that you are a competent Rune caster,” Grifus said.

  Jeze nodded. “I get by.”

  “She is aiming to be a Gestalt Warrior,” Lady Kalina stated.

  Jeze looked up and growled, “A what?”

  Grifus nodded in understanding. “Like our Templars?”

  Jeze held up her hands and said, “I’m only interested in learning how to use the Stoneskin ability. I see a lot of utility with that spell.”

  “That is how the Templars fight. They are Gestalt Warriors that blend weapons and magic,” Kalina pointed out.

  Jeze growled, “Last I checked, you are not a Templar.”

  Kalina chuckled and explained, “But I blend magic and blade, well I used to at least.”

  Grifus gripped the pale lady’s shoulder and said, “In time. You will learn to master your new form like the way you have mastered everything else.”

  Kalina looked at her teacher and nodded her gratitude for his remarks. She shook her head and said, “Enough about me. Let’s help Jeze here.”

  Grifus clasped his hands and faced the teenager. “From what I hear, you are knowledgeable in several of the foundation aspects. Can you share with us what you know?”

  Jeze arched an eyebrow and said, “I never heard the term foundation aspects.”

  Grifus appeared taken aback by that, and he glanced at Lady Kalina.

  “She came from a backwater town,” the pale lady explained.

  The old man narrowed his eyes and observed, “But she was able to craft channeling tools and enchanted items.”

  Jeze shrugged. “I learned what I could to be a better adventurer.”

  Grifus nodded and stroked his goatee. “That means you have a solid understanding of Rune magic, but your teachers never instructed you on the concepts of foundation aspects and compound aspects?”

  “I blend two aspects to enchant items,” Jeze added.

  Grifus’s face broke out into a warm smile. “Yes, that is similar. Knowing that will help you to learn the compound aspects.”

  Jeze crossed her arms and asked, “Can you explain the difference between the two?”

  Grifus nodded. Lady Kalina sighed and took a seat. She found a book and began to flip through it. After a moment, the pale lady set it aside and closed her eyes to meditate.

  Grifus explained, “Foundation aspects are ones that operate alone. They can be learned independently without knowledge of the other aspects. There are ten known foundation aspects. They are Affliction, Darkness, Light, Fire, Earth, Water, Life, Force, Mind, and Spirit.”

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  Jeze tilted her head and asked, “What about Portal?”

  Grifus chuckled. “That is a new one that we discovered from the Wandering Spire. As far as we can tell, it can only be used in conjunction with tools and objects. Meaning, a caster can not activate a portal on their own without a Portal Arch and a strong power source. I have heard that the Guild’s Runic Research Division figured out a way to power portal arches for a short time with other aspects, like Fire and Light.”

  At the mention of the Runic Research Division, Jeze felt a pang in her heart. “I know the Division well. I was a part of the Safe Zone Squad. Did you know Seb?”

  Grifus smiled, “Good for you! And yes, I knew Seb. How is that small ball of energy doing?”

  Tears threatened to burst from Jeze’s face as she told Grifus the story of Seb’s fate. The old man’s face clouded over like an impending storm.

  “That is unfortunate news,” he said and added, “and it makes what we need to do much more urgent.”

  Jeze nodded. Lady Kalina remained in a meditative pose.

  Grifus clapped his hands. “As I was saying, we have not determined if the Portal aspect is a foundation aspect or not. For now, it is placed in a separate category for crafting, and much needs to be learned from it.”

  “Have you heard of the Rift aspect?” Jeze asked.

  Grifus nodded, and he said, “There are rumors of powerful Demons and Celestials having the ability to create Portals without arches or tools.”

  “They are true, and Fiends can grant this power to people. One of the Cultists, and Seb’s murderer, has the ability to create portals without arches,” Jeze said, and she seethed with rage when she mentioned the blonde-haired Cult Leader’s name.

  So much needs to be done! I need to stop the Fiendish Lord, find my brother, stop the Lich, and kill Val! Jeze thought to herself. She was breathing hard when she felt a strong but gentle hand squeeze her shoulder. It was Grifus.

  “Easy child. We can not fixate on the destination without first finding the right roads to get there,” he said.

  Jeze nodded. His words calmed her. I understand why Kalina respects this man as a teacher, she reflected.

  “How can I cast Stoneskin?” She asked and added, “I’m pretty good with the Earth aspect. I can Summon and Shape boulders and large walls of stone.”

  Grifus arched an eyebrow and chuckled. “That is good, but you will need to learn more. You see, Stoneskin is a compound ability.”

  Jeze scratched her head and asked, “Is it a compound aspect?”

  Grifus explained, “Naming all the possibilities is difficult, and it can be confusing. But yes, Stoneskin could be considered a compound aspect. However, there is only one spell that is attached to it. A compound aspect is one that is made up of two more foundation aspects.”

  Jeze perked up, “For my illusions, I use the Darkness, and the Light aspects for the image, and I use the Earth aspect for sound.”

  Grifus motioned toward her with a calloused hand. “There you have it! You know, Illusion, a compound aspect. Show me how you do that.”

  Jeze tapped her channeling tools and formed the glyphs with her hands. She needed to form the Darkness and Light aspects separately, but was able to create an image of herself that looked real. Then she focused on the Earth aspects to create noise that sounded like footsteps as the phantasm of her walked.

  Grifus clasped his hands together and exclaimed, “Very good! You are on the path, but you are still shaping each Aspect separately. Right now, you are layering each aspect onto each other, but that is a start!”

  “Someone skilled in Illusion is able to shape the glyphs as if it was a single aspect?” Jeze observed.

  “Precisely, though it will take longer to cast than a foundation aspect, but you are correct. It will be seamless,” Grifus answered.

  Jeze sat down and she clasped her head in her hands. This was something she was very interested in learning, but she didn’t see any practical use.

  Grifus arched an eyebrow, “What’s the matter?”

  “I don’t think I could use this in a practical sense. It would take too long in a fight,” Jeze answered.

  “Nothing worthwhile is easy. Think about how effective you will be if you train hard and master this?” Grifus replied.

  He sat down next to her and opened a book. Jeze recognized the Earth and Life aspect runes written on the pages.

  She asked, “Is Stoneskin a combination of Earth and Life?”

  Grifus nodded. “Yes, you are familiar with Life?”

  “I can mend cuts and do minor healing,” she answered.

  The older man smiled. “You are impressive, Jeze. That is good. That will make learning Stoneskin easier.”

  He flipped to a page and pointed with a thick finger to the lines of Runes written on it. “Study these Life aspect Runes.”

  And just like the Old Crones, he placed a pouch filled with bracelets and rings onto the table.

  “Normally, we ask students to engrave on wooden sticks to practice, but seeing as you are already a decent craftsperson and one that appreciates utility. Go ahead and create a channeling tool for these Runes. Once you have successfully etched them, you can learn the next half of the Stoneskin aspect,” he said as he rose from his seat.

  Jeze read the Runes and blinked. “I can not determine what this Rune chain does.”

  “This will enhance your body’s durability,” Grifus answered.

  “To prepare it for the blending of the Earth aspect for the Stoneskin spell?” Jeze wondered.

  Grifus smiled. “Exactly! Now get to it.”

  Lady Kalina remained meditating. Both her and Jeze were working on improving themselves. The smile faded from the old man’s face.

  “Not to pressure you, but you have about two days to master this ability before they arrive,” he said.

  Lady Kalina opened her eyes. “Who arrives? You said the Templars won’t be here for a few more days.”

  “That is true. But the one you seek is also hunting you. He has many minions, and they have already infiltrated Giblet. Soon, they will come for you,” Grifus answered.

  Lady Kalina narrowed her eyes, and a snarl appeared on her face. “The Lich,” she said the word as if it were a curse. “How is that possible?” She asked.

  Grifus shrugged and replied, “My guess? He has Summoned Spirits to look for you at every major town and city.”

  “He is coming here? We can’t face him, and he can not obtain the Hold Core!” Jeze cried.

  “No, not him. His agents. But he will come as soon as they are able to inform him. That is why we must depart right after we defeat them, to ensure that Giblet is safe,” Grifus replied.

  “I’m sorry for bringing this burden here,” Lady Kalina said.

  Grifus shook his head. “You are not the evil. The Lich is, you have nothing to apologize for.”

  Jeze’s mouth opened and she stammered, “How, how are you knowing this?”

  “The Sage aspect. It is a combination of the Spirit and Mind aspects,” the older man replied and added, “I have many more years than you child. In that time I have studied a lot.”

  “How could you have mastered so much?” Jeze wondered, and to herself, she asked, Could I ever learn that much?

  Grifus chuckled. “That is a story for another time. In the meantime, learn those Runes.” He pointed to the tome in front of her. “We are at the beginning of a long adventure. One where you two need to get stronger if we have any hope to succeed,” he added.