The sun was high in the sky, and far below, Val was brimming with energy. His wounds had almost completely healed in a single night. Charred skin had sloughed off, and seared flesh had mended without even leaving scars. The mysterious mark on his chest remained in a sort of resting state. In the hour he had been awake, it caused him no pain. Val felt a power growing across his body as if his heart was pumping new strength to every limb. The mark remained a deep black, having an opacity more like a sticker rather than a tattoo.
Val noticed his senses were sharper, though it was hard to tell considering the previous fatigue, concussion, and general confusion. If he focused, he could hear the rustling of leaves beyond the trees bordering the stream. Val felt a definite improvement in his muscles. He felt heavier, but it was a good feeling of weight as he shifted his shoulders. Val eyed the shackles binding his arms with a smirk.
He gripped and wound the chains around his arms, pulling himself higher up the boulder. Taking a deep breath, he focused his mind on his core, lifting his legs entirely out of the water and above his head. Feeling for the spike anchored into the top of the boulder with his feet, he hooked a leg around it and pulled himself up to stand atop the rock.
The spike was firmly anchored in the stone, pinning the chain with it. Val grinned, pleased with the strength he had gained. The chain and its anchor looked to be of the same material, whether the chain or the spike would break first, he did not care. Pulling with all of his might, the link anchored by the spike strained and snapped open. Val leaped down from the boulder, satisfied with his test.
Free from his prison, Val stretched his limbs and bathed in the stream. The weight of the chains dangling from his wrists did not bother him. The cold water no longer felt chilly, and his skin remained warm to the touch. Val frowned as he inspected his hands. He had no scars or traces of the wounds he experienced when he was dreaming, but his palms and fingers did not feel so soft anymore. It had been half a decade already since he had lost the calluses on his hands after he quit practicing for fencing competitions, but these were to a much more significant degree than even that.
So, not all of it was a dream? Strange place, Karl better have a key for these shackles. Val dressed, but the shirt bothered him and clung too tightly to his shoulders. It had been a tight fit to start with, but now felt uncomfortable to wear. Thinking to borrow one from Karl, he left the stream to return to camp.
Val stepped out of the woods and into the clearing. The sight of Karl and the ravens greeted him. They all stood up with some alarm and suspicion in their eyes.
Raising an eyebrow, an amused expression appeared on his face. "Seeing ghosts?" Val asked with a smirk.
"… Do you remember who we are?" Huginn asked with some uncertainty.
Val lifted his arm and pointed to each of them in turn. "Asshole bird, dirty old man, peeping Jane." He said.
Worry and suspicion faded from their expressions.
"Hmph, ingrate." Huginn said. Though he seemed relieved in his tone, regardless.
"How do you feel?" Muninn asked.
"Honestly, a lot stronger, and a bit too warm." Lifting the chains dangling from his wrists, he looked at Karl. "Can you do something about these?"
A grin spread across Karl's face as he chuckled. Taking a key, he walked over, removed the shackles, and clapped his hands on Val's shoulders.
"I knew you could survive the trial. Thank you." Karl's words seemed full of confidence, but his expression held relief and guilt.
Val thought back to the shadow he fought with. "What was that anyway? I dueled with someone who looked eerily similar to myself. He was much stronger than me, but after risking my life to win once, he let me go. Though I suspect he went easy on me."
"He's a curious fellow, mighty, but very particular. He is Valor itself, but a fragment of what he once was. A master of duels — Not once has anyone been able to best him in single combat in his prime. Though, with the conditions you fought under, that is beside the point. You also have it backward, you look like him, after all, you are of his blood, diluted as it may be." Karl explained.
"He's my ancestor, then? The bastard tortured me for what felt like a year." Val frowned, wondering what kind of twisted minds his ancestors had.
"He trained you, in the only way he knows how, and gave you his blessing the end, did he not?" Karl was staring at the mark on Val's chest, seeming to be satisfied with the result.
"How long was I out?" Concern colored Val's face.
"It has been nine days, any longer, and we feared there would be nothing left of your mind or body." Muninn answered.
Val looked to the East and asked. "What's the situation now?"
"Relax, the humans are fine, the goblins are up to the same business, as usual, looting nearby towns, but not spreading very far. There is plenty of food and supplies left behind, so there is no reason to expect them to go anywhere soon." Huginn answered in an offhanded tone.
"I see, that's good." Concern faded from Val's face.
Smiling wryly, he looked to Karl and held up his shirt. "Do you, uh, have any spare clothes? Mine seems to be a bit tight now."
Karl erupted with laughter and fetched a black shirt a size larger that fit Val much better.
"You must be hungry, it's about time for lunch, I'll heat up some of last night's leftovers." Karl set about lighting a fire and began to cook.
Val took a seat by the fire. "So, can I handle magic now? I feel much stronger."
Karl leveled an eye as he looked Val up and down. "If you were able to break that chain, you have the strength of several grown men. Your body is suffused with mana, the brand feeds magic to your heart, and it pumps power into every part of your body. You should be able to handle the runes with no problem, the brand will even help you."
"What is this brand, anyway?" Val had studied it earlier, but aside from a variety of different runes arranged in two rings, he could not tell much from it, particularly why the one in the middle was larger.
"That is the mark of Tyr at the center. The two rings around it comprise a complete set of the runes. You must still learn to use them, but through the brand, I have carved their knowledge into your very flesh. Once you associate the intent and knowledge with the feeling, they will come easily to you." Karl explained as he handed Val a small leather-bound book, it was maybe half an inch thick, and looking through the pages, each depicted a rune and a couple pages about their affiliations, meanings, even historical references of their use. To Val's dismay, the text itself comprised yet more runes, but a few translations had been provided, though they covered a scant fraction of the pages.
"So, I need to study these, and I should be able to use them just fine?" Val asked.
"For the most part, yes. The knowledge within will teach you the individual meanings, forming more complex words of power from them will be up to you, in a bit, I will teach you how to invoke a rune. I left enough for you to start, and the rest will be up to you to decipher the language."
"What other kinds of magic are there?"
"Many. Every civilization, race, and culture had their own paths of study. You will find there are advantages and disadvantages to each. They are all tools meant for a purpose, they reflect the culture and desires of their creators. With runes, they were a gift to men and dwarves by the gods. They do not require incantations, and their power is easy to use. The power unleashed by a rune will be proportional to the amount of magic infused into it. As you have personally attested to, they can even forge enchantments." Karl demonstrated by holding out a palm. A faintly glowing pale blue rune identical to the letter 'I' was carved into the space above it, and small frozen droplets fell into his palm. Dismissing the power, Karl repeated the action, but this time the rune shined brightly, like a neon blue light. In a couple seconds, a large solid mass of ice grew to the size of a baseball.
"I shouldn't even be surprised anymore, but there are dwarves? They wield the same magic?" Val asked, eyebrows raised.
"They exist, and while they do wield runes, they are not as capable of wielding them directly, preferring to use them as enchantments in their craft and construction." Karl explained as he served Val a large bowl of stew.
Val's hunger returned in force upon smelling the savory aroma. Forgetting his questions, for the time being, he cleaned out three bowls with gusto before finally feeling content. He lounged pleasantly in the camping chair, casually skimming the contents of the small book. Many passages were written entirely in the runic language. He would have to learn it to read the original text. Karl explained that some of their nuance would not survive translation. As he grew more familiar with these runes, he would understand and appreciate the deeper meanings in the original text.
In the late afternoon, Karl beckoned for Val to follow him a few paces from the camp. In a clear area, he stood opposite Val to begin a lesson on invoking runes. Muninn sat to the side attentively while Huginn seemed bored, almost dozing off.
"Invoking runes are rather straightforward, you carve the rune with magic and pour your mana into it. The greater the intensity of magic used to carve will decide the capacity of mana you can expend on the rune, and consequently the intensity of its effects." As he explained, a sharp point of blue light appeared above his palm, and a crackling noise, followed by what sounded like hundreds of popping sounds blending into an almost constant screech, assaulted Val's ears as the very air split to make way. The point moved upwards as it viciously carved a jagged 'S' shape like a lightning bolt, shining with a light that brightened the area despite the sun still being out.
"Sounds easier said than done." Val smirked.
"True, but the fundamental skill is to be able to use magic to construct the rune by carving its shape." Karl dismissed the rune and picked up a coarsely cut wood slab.
"Practice carving your magic into runes upon this slab, carving air will take a bit of practice. The harder and smoother the surface is, the easier it will be. The grain of the wood should provide a minor challenge. Any of the basic runes will do." Karl smiled, handing the slab to Val.
"How about 'Feoh'? The young boy dreams himself a wizard, casting flames from his fingertips." Muninn suggested, seeming to suppress a giggle.
Val glared at her, mild embarrassment coloring his face as he realized she had watched him attempt to light a cigarette with magic.
"Peeping Jane…" He grumbled, taking the slab.
"Focus your will into a point, like the tip of a pen, magic in the air shall respond and subject itself to your will." Karl instructed.
Val focused his mind, staring intently at the slab, he held his hand over it, imagining 'Feoh,' which had a shape reminiscent of an upside-down 'F.' A small point on the slab smoldered but stopped a moment later.
"You are focusing too much on the entire rune, construct it in parts, trace it with your finger if it helps."
A thought struck Val. Like most people, writing letters was second nature. He did not think about the parts of the character. Or even where he started when the pen was put to paper. He simply thought of the letter and wrote it without thinking. Focusing on his more recent memories, learning complex Asian characters, Val thought of the rune in parts.
He narrowed his focus and tried again. To his surprise, it was not a blue light that appeared, but a bright red-orange light like fire. Maintaining the feeling, he willed the point upwards, carving the first line. He repeated the action twice more, constructing a crude, but passable carving of a rune.
Delight at his success brightened Val's eyes, as Karl instructed. "Good, you have a rune, now to invoke its power."