The knock echoed through the room, causing all three of us to freeze. I exchanged quick glances with Lucas and Kiran, their expressions mirroring my own mix of curiosity and apprehension.
With a steadying breath, I got up and approached the door, Lucas and Kiran trailing behind me.
I twisted the door handle and pulled it open with a click, my heart racing.
My heart calmed down when I saw it was just a women dressed in black and white maid clothes, blonde hair and blue eyes.
I spoke to her my voice curious, as Lucas and Kiran watched with interested expressions.
"Yes?"
She glanced at all 3 of us with a bland expression before, pulling out 3 metallic squares, which were bronze in colour, and thin like almost like paper.
'Artifacts? We're getting artifacts already? Let's go!' Just as I was about to open my mouth to speak to the maid, she spoke.
"These 3 low grade artifacts, that can be used basically as storage holders, they hold 3 different uniforms for the Acadamy. To access the Artifact, you must solve the runic code, just see it as a separate language. You must solve the symbols on the runic code, once you've solved it, spill a drop of your blood onto the artifact and recite what the runic code translates to, but some symbols don't have direct meanings"
She paused glancing at us, her expression unreadable "any questions before I carry on?"
Kiran shook his head as he folded his arms, his expression as if lost in thought processing the information still "No questions over here"
Lucas lost as ever glanced at us two with furrowed brows before shaking his head also "Nope"
"How are we supposed to know what the symbols mean?" I asked looking at her, my gaze going back and forth between the artifacts and her face.
"I was just going to get to that, here's a basic rune book" she took out a single small book out of her pocket and held it in the same hand she held the artifacts "Now, once finished solving it, the artifact will transform, even though it's low grade. It's a growth unique low grade, each of these artifacts, are found but artificially enhanced over the years by dwarves to be growth unique types, using at least two, Teir 3 low mana beast cores from beasts. So if you've lost or destroyed yours, you will not be given another"
We looked at either before all nodding to her.
"Good, you have 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete this, before heading to the main hall for a speech, from the head mistress of the Mystic Acadamy" she finished off with a blank look before handing me the artifact and the basic room book, before leaving, closing the door behind her.
"Let's get to it! I hope I get something good" Lucas said as we all 3 of us sat on the brown hardwood floor between our beds and placed the artifacts down, I looked at them both and handed them each one artifact and held one for myself.
We began to inspect the artifacts, I saw a square and inside the square was a 'r,4,Rafko,Quazo' in four sections separated by a lines.
'Such a language? Who on earth can communicate like this? I can recognise the letters but the words are gibberish and unrecognisable'
"Uhh? Hashekehat,Rothlo… and 4 gem symbols!" Lucas groaned out loud looking at the artifact as if it insulted him "Seriously, what am I even looking at?"
"Well I guess we'll find out when we read the rune book, Kiran what about you?"
Kiran held the artifacts close to his eyes as he looked intently not answering me, as me and Lucas looked at him curiously 'is he blind? Why does he need to look for so long'
Finally after a short while Kiran answered as he placed the artifact down "Rockoao,3, and a crow symbol"
"A crow? That feels ominous" i said to Kiran, 'in storys a crow would most of the time suggest something dark'
"At least yours makes some sense. I've got gems and random letters over here" Lucas said waving his artifact around.
"Could be worse, at least we've got the rune book"
I held up the palm sized rune book in my hand.
"Now let's see the meaning of our runic codes"