Harnio walked into the library he touched his pocket and looked around. "I'm sure that they'll be here soon… Pity they're my test subjects."
He walked amongst the bookshelves running his finger along the shelves and stared at the now clean window. He shook his head sadly. "If it wasn't for my time here so far, then things wouldn't have to go this far…"
"Hey weirdo… the professors pet. We've told you countless times not to come into the library. Only people approved by us can be in here, and you're not approved, and never will."
Harnio looked at the ground and at their feet and sighed quietly. He put his hand in his pocket and waited.
"This time, we're going to take your arms then there is no way you can try and be a professor here."
He looked at the bookshelves ignoring the voices and name calling around him. "Look… He's not even listening. Let's just beat him up…"
"Our beatings have done nothing. I think it's time we stepped it up a notch."
Harnio heard a battery being turned on and shook his head. "A wind battery…"
"Are you going to use that on him? Wow… he's toast, especially when you're the best in our class for battery manipulation."
"Weirdo… Your body is going to be squashed against the wall, and your arms and legs will be part of it. You'll never be leaving the library every again. Hahahahaha."
"I've got a meeting with the professor today… So please stop this and walk away…"
"Hahahaha. Weirdo this isn't how people beg… You're not even worthy of being the professor's apprentice. I'm also sure that you stole all that research from him when you were in the classroom."
"Yeah… That's right. You're a cheater, and when I go to the professor with my own research and say that you're cheating. They'll be kicking you out, but… only after I have finished dealing with you. Unfortunately they'll never find you. Hahahaha."
Harnio looked at the ground. "Thank you…"
"Hahahaha. This weirdo is strange. He's saying thank you. He must have a guilty conscience. Hey… weirdo why are you saying thank you to us? It can be your last words. Admit to your cheating… I won't torture you too much if you admit to cheating on your research."
Harnio looked at their feet and shook his head. "Cheating me no… The professor's own study is in something I find boring. This was all my work. The reason why I'm saying thank you is that you're my test subjects."
"Test subjects for what weirdo?"
"For this…" Harnio pulled out a leather glove and put it on.
"What's that weirdo?"
"Originally I was just writing things on parchment but that would mean carrying a large amount of items around… However, a leather glove would be quite light and easy to carry."
He waved his hand and the glove started to glow with inscriptions.
"For example… If I want a wall of wind, all I have to do is write the language patterns in the air like this…"
Harnio started writing in the air. He smiled as he finished and stared at a wall of wind that formed and pushed back the students against the shelves and on the floor.
Harnio walked around the students as they were stuck against the wall. "Why isn't the battery working?"
Harnio looked at the battery in the student's hand. "That's the problem with batterys… Anyone can use them, but it pales to the knowledge of words."
"Weirdo… let us go…" Harnio looked at the books and shook his head. "You've damaged many books here. You can stay with the books until the wind dies down. I wouldn't struggle too much. The wind will push against you harder every time you move."
Harnio put the glove back in his robe pocket and walked out of the library. He leaned against the wall taking deep breaths. "I did it… I can protect my friends now." He looked at his shaking hand smiling.
"Apprentice… It seems something good has happened. Please come with me… We need to talk in my office."
Harnio lowered his head and nodded. "Yes Professor. I was planning to go and see you today as well."
Harnio stopped walking as he saw Eiken's feet not moving.
"Harnio… You seem more confident… What's happened?"
Harnio looked around the hallway and scratched his arms and smiled. "I can protect my friends now… People won't hurt them anymore."
"Ohh. Let's talk more inside my office."
Harnio nodded and followed Eiken to his office. He watched the door close and sat in his usual chair in front of Eiken's desk.
"Do you know why I've asked you here to the office?"
Harnio shook his head. "No professor I don't know, but I wanted to tell you about my completed experiment…"
He pulled out the glove and put it on Eiken's desk. "What is it? It looks like a glove with some glass gems on it."
"Do you remember how you told me about writing the essence on parchment and see what would happen…" I was able to do that, but logistically not a good idea. So, I designed these gloves."
"You place the correct gem on the glove and start writing in the language what you want to happen, and it'll work…"
He scratched his arm and looked at the bookshelf. "Professor… One of your books are missing." He stood up and looked at the bookshelf in confusion.
"Harnio… you surprise me… do you know what… you've done?"
Harnio shook his head. "I just saw a problem, and I created a solution for it… Did I make something bad?"
"No, No, No… Harnio you've made something that us here at the tower have lost the ability to make for hundreds of years. Did you know many professors have been trying to do something like this for a very long time? Just this glove alone, can make you a professor here in the tower."
Harnio shook his head. "Professor the missing book…"
He heard Eiken sigh and the chair move as the professor stood up and walked to the bookshelf. "A professor came and borrowed a book. Do you know which book is missing?"
Harnio nodded and stared at his feet. "Battery annuals. It talks about the theory of making large batterys, but the theory behind it has a small error."
"What do you mean apprentice?"
Harnio sighed and shook his head. "The author seemed to have a dark side to them and wanted someone to try and make it. It's not stable, the inscriptions are incorrect on purpose."
"Let me deal with that apprentice. I'll talk with them and ask what they'll do with the book. Now about you…"
"Every year the professors come together and decide if there's any potential professors in each grade, and your name has come up. The professors wish you to take the position of language professor and teach the students the language of the ancients."
Harnio shook his head and touched his chest starting to breath heavily. "I… can't… people… scary…"
Harnio sunk in the chair. "Not… me… another… many students to chhooooosseee from." He looked around the room.
"Yes… We're aware of your nature, and your feelings towards others, but this is a chance for you to become a legend along the same as the Armsmen guard from the time of the guard."
Harnio looked around Eiken. "What's the Armsmen guard? I've never heard of them?"
"Hohoho… You're smart, but there're many things about this world you still haven't learnt… Here read this, it talks about the history of the guards. You might get a few ideas about new techniques."
Harnio looked at the book in front of him.
"Ohh, I have all these letters for you from the professors… They're asking questions about your research with the language. Please have a read through and answer them."
"Yes professor… May I be excused now? I have a lot of work at the smith with the blacksmith."
"Yes… You can go... Ahhh one final thing… The students in the library how long will they be stuck for? I'll have to tell their professors, but I do admit it was a good way… You handled it better than I would."
Harnio looked at the bookshelf and smiled. "I estimate that they'll be stuck for about a week… They won't hurt my friends anymore, and next time I can keep them their longer except I was thinking… of hanging them over the staircase…"
Harnio looked around the room. "How did you see what happened in the library?"
"As the head of the tower, I can see everything that happens in this place. A perk you could say… Maybe one day in the future you'll also experience this as well. That is if you become a professor…"
Harnio picked up the book and stood up. "Thank you, professor… To be a professor is not for me… Too difficult… Too scary. I prefer outside the tower in a smith."
"I hope you'll change your mind one day."
Harnio walked out of the office making his way down to the smith. He flipped through the book once he stood outside the tower and turned looking at its base. "See everything in tower… hmm."
He scratched his arm and closed the book walking towards the smith. He placed the book and his bag in the room out the back and walked into the smith wearing a leather apron.
"Hello blacksmith… I'm ready to start today."
"Ahhh. Harnio you've arrived… We've got a lot of orders thanks to those glass gems of yours…"
Harnio shook his head. "Not mine… Their ours… We both made them together."
"Harnio… Actually, there is so much work here that we'll have to hire more people to work in the smith… Are you going to be fine with that?"
Harnio stopped moving and looked at the forge heating up. "If they don't interact with me too much…"
"About that… I have a gift for you as thanks for your hard work… Follow me"
Harnio put the book down on the design table and followed the blacksmith out of the forge to the rear of the building. "Back in the day. The smith was not doing well, and I was about to go to the surface and try my luck up there."
Harnio nodded while looking at his feet. "I remember you've told me about this"
"Yes. Well this store was built over one of the access tunnels… So I've had the builders come in during the night and add something to the forge. This is it here. Your personal space and forge, where only the both of us will work. The others will never come out here."
Harnio looked at the new building and smiled. "This looks great. Thank you, brother..."
"I've told you kid… I have a name… Have a look inside. It should be to your liking, since we've been working together for nearly a year."
Harnio walked into the building and looked around at the bookshelves and design tables not far from the forge.
"This forge is not as hot as the one in the smith, but your work is delicate and doesn't need high heat…Also, there is a cot out the back for you to rest, hopefully I can use my cot again without being covered in books and notes of yours. Hahahaha."
"Also, I have another gift for you… Here…"
Harnio looked at the table watching as the blacksmith placed a rolled leather pack on it. He walked up and unrolled it. His eyes opened wide and stared at the blacksmith's shoes. "Thank you, blacksmith… I don't know how to respond."
"I've been watching you all this time tapping the inscriptions on different weapons and armor all this time, and when I saw your writing design. I made this so your work is not as tiring for you."
Harnio held the metallic pen in his hand and looked at it closely. "There's a small hammer on the top of it and when you write on metal it will hammer the inscription as you write it."
Harnio looked at the chest of the blacksmith. "Thank you... I will use it to help you as much as I can."
"Hello Blacksmith… Is anyone here?"
Harnio looked at the blacksmith's belt and smiled. "You stay in here, get used to your new forge. I'll go see the customer…" Harnio nodded opening the book with his eyes wide open… "Armsmen guard…"