Hellbane Sword (Platinum Rank)

I look at the Crystal and put it back in my sack. I feel its cold weight in my palm, and I let it slide to the bottom of the leather bag, and the drawstring pulls tight with a rasp.

It's not the right moment to train for this right now.

I severely underestimate how fast I burn money in Ytrial, and I hate that I only realize it after the fact. Fatty tells me why Skill Crystals cost so much here, because nobles hoard coin and demand is constant. It isn't only nobles, since Quests pay well. I have checked, and I still can't touch a single one because I am not an Apprentice yet.

I could try the Adventurers Guild, but I prefer not to waste time. I have reviewed the board, and the pay is inadequate for the hours it takes.

Runic Notation can make a real difference.

We can visit the Astral Library because we have been accepted into the Academy.

When Fatty and I reach it, I understand why it has that name.

There is no ceiling above us. The hall opens into a sky that holds a slow drift of constellations, and the light falls like dust that never touches the floor. The place looks like the oldest part of the Academy that still sits inside the fortress walls, and a spatial enchantment twists the space in a way that turns my stomach if I stare too hard.

Yekrek's tent looked clever when it stretched inside itself, but this makes that trick look like a child's toy. I cannot take it in with a couple of glances because every aisle refuses to end when I follow it with my eyes.

Shelves of polished white marble run in lines that bend out of sight, and veins of gold thread through the stone like roots. Pale figures drift between stacks in slow patrols. They wear old armor and carry swords that look clean and unused, and they give off a cold pressure that reminds me of the Knights who guarded the shore.

"This is enormous," I mutter.

Fatty nods. "I've taken a few cleaning jobs here and it's… incredible."

For once, he looks in awe, and he keeps his mouth shut.

"So, you said we have to pay to access it?" I point toward a round station where clerks sit with tablets and rods. Students move in and out, stopping at the station, carrying translucent tomes.

Fatty nods and scuttles after me while I walk to the counter.

"Hello," I say, and I offer my obsidian token. People use it to count points and to identify themselves, and the thing resists damage like nothing else I have handled.

* * *

Elder Karl looks at two faces he has never seen before. He has an exceptional memory and a True Diamond Skill that helps it, and he never forgets anyone. He sees the two, and he can tell at once that they are new recruits.

Knight and Squire, most likely, Elder Karl nods at himself.

He appreciates that they walk into the Astral Library before classes begin, yet he already sighs because he knows the answer he will give them. The Library has prices for its sections, and those prices never take coins. If the Academy allowed coin, then Royals would buy their way into anything, even the ones who never earned it. The Headmaster hates favoritism, so all access is based on Academy Merit Points, commonly referred to as Merits.

"Hello," the one who looks more dignified between the two says, and he offers his obsidian token.

He knows? Elder Karl is surprised.

"Jacob Cloud?" Elder Karl asks.

"Yes. Huh, I wanted to consult some books on Runic Notation."

Elder Karl raises an eyebrow, and he nods.

He must be a smart fellow.

"They start at Bronze, Jacob Cloud. How many—" Elder Karl's eyes go wide when he sees how many points the kid has unlocked already.

Holy shit, did he rob an Elder?!

"Ahem, under Platinum, all books can be accessed as long as you pay for the Rank. From Platinum and above, the access is tied to the specific field and, in some cases, to the books. Bronze access requires three Merits, Silver access requires five, and Gold access requires ten. Which one would you like to unlock?"

The young man frowns and speaks.

"Sorry for my ignorance, Elder…"

"Elder Karl."

"Elder Karl, I'm very sorry for my ignorance. May I ask a clarifying question?"

"Of course," Elder Karl smiles. He always liked polite students. Manners matter to him.

"How does Runic Notation work, exactly? I have been taught the flaws of several Skills, but I've never been taught Runic Notation."

His master must have been a lunatic, Elder Karl reasons.

"First, there are many kinds of Notation, sadly. The most common one is Akraik. It's the notation popularized by Infernals. However, you'll find that each kind has its own problems. Usually, based on the Skill, everyone uses a different kind of Runic Notation, Cloud."

"Huh," the student nods. "But what about, let's say, Ranks. If I learn Gold Rank Runic Notation, does it work for Bronze and Silver too?"

Elder Karl shakes his head.

"No. Ranks fundamentally change which pathways and which veins are used and how they're used. That means that a different type of notation must follow each Rank."

"So…" Jacob frowns. "I'd like to start from Bronze then."

"Of course," Elder Karl smiles and taps the obsidian token with a bronze rod.

"Three points have been deducted."

He gives the token back to Jacob Cloud. A small bronze etching now lies toward the bottom of the token, and it glints like a new coin.

"Thank you, Elder," Jacob Cloud bows. "Can I bring my Squire with me?"

"Of course. Squires can access the same material that their Knight can. They must provide lots of help, but they reap many of the benefits that their masters have worked for."

"Thank you again, have a nice day."

This is a promising kid. He might even learn the Bronze Runic Notation basics in a few weeks. He looks like a hard worker.

* * *

I move through three aisles, then five, then more, and I give up on guessing the layout. I flag a Clerk and I ask for help because I refuse to waste half the day just to find a shelf. He walks with brisk steps, and he brings me straight to a section where the air hums with fine light.

I study the stone spines and the carved titles, and my brow knots.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Wait, how does this work?" I reach toward a book. My fingers brush cold stone, and an Astral copy appears in my hand in a shimmer that moves like oil.

"Holy. I suppose they don't want to use perishable materials…"

Runic Notations, Akraik. Basics. Bronze Rank.

"Fatty, could you start taking out all the Runic Notation books you can find? Skip history, skip specifics, just the general ones."

I open the book and I start reading. The script is sharp, and the diagrams cut across the page like cages.

After half an hour, my eyes are already bloodshot.

Holy shit, this is terrible.

Runic Notation is not standardized at all. It doesn't even pretend to be. If I follow the Akraik manual in my hands, I will need a month just to crawl through the scribbles that these people use. They repeat symbols with slight variations, and they shove them into bodies as if they had never seen a real person. The same symbols appear in book after book, yet every author twists the diagram of the body differently because bodies vary more than paper does. Those diagrams create the chaos. Those diagrams make the whole thing seem like a foggy, hazy dream.

If I map runes and pathways and channels directly, I can build a precise target for my hands and my Mana.

"Fatty," I say to the Squire in front of me. He tried to open a book and failed. His cheek sits on the table, and drool leaks toward the spine.

"Yes, boss?" Fatty yawns.

"Get me a pen and paper. I just had an idea."

"Sure."

Perhaps the perfect notation exists, and a true scholar can create it. If I were the greatest scholar of all time and I had infinite time, I could hunt flaws across every diagram, and I could stitch a system that matches every Skill without custom work. That would turn Runic Notation into a tool that anyone can read and apply.

I am not that scholar, and I refuse to spend months here.

So, I take the standard body diagram and decide to cheat.

"Give me an analysis," I mutter, and I nudge the Grimoire.

The vein pathways on the page light up, and the glow spills across the margins. It looks like fireworks, and it climbs through every line I can see. It's…

"Holy…"

It's all red.

The diagram used to describe a Skill like Fast Punch sits in front of me, and it looks like a drunk man drew it.

"Holy shit," I mutter. "This is…"

The Runic Notation in the book is what they teach people, and it is wrong across the whole page.

"Huh."

This is interesting. If this is so bad, what happens if I fix it? How much money would a Skill with perfect Runic Notation be worth?

Fatty returns with a stack of thick paper, two quills, and a pot of ink that smells like iron.

"Alright," I say, and I crack my neck.

I work twelve hours, sketching runes, pathways, and alignments. I test the page against the Grimoire, then erase with a knife and redraw with slower strokes. I pull books from the shelf that cover three schools, stripping their diagrams for parts, and use them to show the Grimoire what I reject. One by one, the warnings fade. The red gives ground. The last marks shift to orange and then to yellow, and then the page clears. The Grimoire offers me a diagram so corrected that it glows pure green.

Anyone can use this, regardless of their build. They can read it clearly and trace their insights without guesswork or the associated costs.

"I guess I should…"

The library has slipped into night. The starfield above has become slower and colder. My attributes keep my hands steady, and I don't feel tired like a normal person would.

* * *

Elder Karl means to leave his post and get some sleep, and he stretches his old bones. Jacob Cloud walks back to the counter and speaks.

"Good evening, Elder."

"Cloud, how was your first study session?" Elder Karl smiles. He is honestly pleased. Few students spend their first visit like this.

"I'm sort of done with Bronze Rank Runic Notation. May I buy access to Silver Rank books?"

Elder Karl frowns.

"You're done?"

"Yeah, I think… I got the hang of it. I think I'll move on to Silver."

"You have understood Bronze Runic Notation?" Elder Karl asks, and skepticism shows on his face.

Is he mocking me? Is this a farce?

"Well, sort of. Could I…"

"Sure, I was just about to leave. Do you plan to stay up all night?"

"Just a little bit more."

Jacob gives Elder Karl the token and gets it back with five fewer Merits and a small silver etching above the bronze one. A tiny book now sits below them.

I hate students who have to pose and pretend to have learned more than they actually know, Elder Karl sighs.

* * *

The next morning, Elder Karl takes his post and sees Jacob Cloud amble toward the counter with bloodshot eyes and heavy purple bags under them.

"Cloud?" Elder Karl asks, confused. "You actually stayed up all night?"

He sees the Squire of Jacob Cloud, the morbidly obese fellow, rub his eyes. The boy looks like he slept well, and he almost looks fresh.

"Good morning, Elder," Jacob Cloud says, and he carries a large stack of papers.

Elder Karl counts in his head. About twelve hours have passed since he last saw the boy.

He can't be here for the Gold Rank access, can he? He couldn't be that shameless? Is he trying to impress me?

"Cloud, I really suggest you take a break, child. You're studying a lot, but the courses haven't even started. Why don't you go catch up on some sleep and come back later?"

"Elder," Jacob asks with a raspy voice, "I'm done with the Silver Rank Runic Notation. May I have, please, access to the Gold Rank section?"

"Are you serious?" Elder Karl frowns. "Are those all your notes?"

The old man points at the stack of paper in Jacob's hand.

"Yes," Jacob replies. "It's… may I have—"

"Cloud, would you mind if I followed you, son? I would like to take a look at what you're doing."

Jacob Cloud looks back at the Elder and smiles crookedly.

"Sir, yes. No problem."

I really want to see what sort of clownish behavior this kid is up to.

Elder Karl follows Jacob to the Gold Rank shelves for Runic Notation after granting him the rights for it in exchange for ten Merits, and he takes a chair beside him. The light here sits cooler than in Bronze and Silver, and the script on the spines grows tighter.

Jacob opens a random book. It does not even use a standardized notation. He takes a page and he starts to sketch diagrams in the margin and on one of his sheets. His hand moves fast and then slows for checks. He stops, stares, and writes again.

What the hell is he doing? Elder Karl leans to see, yet he cannot read the half-formed shapes that crawl over Jacob's page.

"Cloud, what are you doing?"

"My master taught me a better way to use Runic Notation. But I need to see the right diagrams to remember. I'm just piecing them together."

"Huh, do you mind if I take a look, son?" Elder Karl points at the papers. "I won't steal anything. If there are secrets…" Elder Karl slashes his palm of his own accord. "In blood, by blood, I won't reveal your secrets, son."

It is normal in the Astral Library to swear on blood for small deals. The oath is not a jest. If you break it, the penalty drags on your leveling, and it does not let go.

"Sure," Jacob slashes his palm and accepts the oath.

Elder Karl begins to read. He enters with skepticism, yet he has earned the right to read advanced courses when he wishes. He knows Runic Notation to the point that he can record True Diamond Skills with it.

He studies the first diagram, and he frowns because it looks wrong to his habits and right to his instincts.

Seconds pass, and his eyelids twitch.

This… He looks at Jacob Cloud, terrified, and he feels an urge to beat the child half to death for being reckless. THIS IS PERFECT! HOW IS HE DOING THIS IN PUBLIC?! IS HE INSANE?!

"Cloud, get up and follow me immediately."

"Huh?" the kid replies, but Elder Karl has already grabbed him by the collar, and he drags him toward a private room. He chooses a door that students do not use unless an Elder sends them there.

They move three steps, and a cry of pain cuts through the aisle.

"Fatty!" Jacob snaps out of his sleepiness. Elder Karl lets him go, and he gathers the abandoned pages with both hands.

Those are priceless! Elder Karl sweats, and he strokes the paper with caution. Who's this kid, damn master? Does he still take students? Hell, I'll shave my beard and put oil on my face if he thinks I'm too old! What kind of monstrous being crafted this Runic Notation?!

Karl rounds the corner, and he sees the trouble.

Two large Infernals block the aisle like pillars. Their horns curl back, and their uniforms hang open to show marks burned into their chests. One of them holds Fatty by the throat and lifts him high enough that his feet scrape the floor. Students stand two aisles away, pretending to read, and the air holds the kind of silence that invites worse things.

Jacob clenches his jaw. "Put him down, right now."

"He bumped into me, this little cockroach," the Infernal sneers. "Who does he think he is? I should punish him."

"I had sent him to get me some tea," Jacob says with a tone that makes Elder Karl raise an eyebrow.

Is he trying to get into a fight with two Infernals over his Squire? Is he insane? Those look like first-year students, but they're clearly much, much stronger than he is.

"I said," Jacob states again, and he steps forward, "put him down."

Rules don't allow me to interfere unless this turns dangerous, Elder Karl thinks, and he grinds his teeth. Damn it. Stupid Headmaster and his rules!

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