Master Of None

"So you're telling me that this little ball attracts fire elemental mana and boils water?" Walker was holding a solid iron ball covered in white rune cravings. 

"Yes, if you add a little mana to start the run it will boil water for you without using fire. It is very useful for safe traveling during the dry season." The rune smith had become more and more involved the more questions Walker had asked. He was not used to having such curious customers and was enjoying it.

"Then I will buy one too. How about this?" Walker held up a small metal zig zag shape. To him, it looked like scrap metal with multiple runes carved on it.

"That is actually a very important building material. It has wind, fire, and light runes all carved on its small surface. I also add a little water rune to bind it. It has the unique ability to cause lightning to strike it instead of nearby trees, people, or homes. It functions like a miniature lightning rod" 

"So it can balance the manas and attract lightning without being destroyed?" Walker had become much more serious. He had made lightning before but it was too dangerous and uncontrolled. He had given up until improving all of his elemental mana understandings.

"Yes. It attracts certain amounts of each based on the rune length carved on it. Without the right ratio, it won't attract lighting but become a producer of static electricity." This was such a wild difference. One made small dry zaps and the other brought brutal lightning to it? This question resounded through his mind. 

"Can you share with me the amounts of each mana needed? I think I could use it very much." The rune smith looked at him wondering what in the world Walker would do with this information. 

Walker saw and understood the confusion so he decided to explain himself. " I have made lightning before. But it was not controlled at all. I need to understand the ratios so I can make another fusion spell that I can control without the risk of harming my party. This item has the potential to do that." 

"So you wish to use it in battle, hm, you got it then. I'll pass down my book on beginner runes. I never use it anymore anyway. I have another that I wrote myself that is much better." The rune smith headed to the work bench and grabbed a tattered book from under a large stack.

"Are you sure that it's alright to give me something so valuable?" Walker was worried that he would be taking something that could harm the rune smith's business. 

"Of course it is. I could find a hundred copies of this book just by walking out the door and yelling for it. I don't see why your kingdom wouldn't be the same." The rune smith tossed the old book to Walker who barely managed to catch it at the last second. 

Walker opened the first page to see the basic rune formations all laid out explaining the relations to the elements and the patterns they formed. This felt like Walker had just opened the most complicated text possible, mostly because none of it made any sense. "Leader, are you planning on learning runes?" Su was curious if Walker would be trying to craft things too.

"Well, I don't see myself as much of a crafter. But if I learn the ratios of what elemental runes attract lightning then I might be able to understand what creates it better. Then I can gain control over the fusion spell I have messed around with before." Su understood immediately. She remembered the loud boom sound from when Walker had tried before.

"Wait, you're trying to make lightning? You know how crazy that sounds right? It could burn half the forest down in a few hours." The rune smith wasn't ashamed to be listening in as he walked back to the accessory shelving.

"It could be a very strong attack for me to use., I also have a lot of fun experimenting with all of the magical fusions. I just need to do it safely." Walker looked like an excited kid the more he talked about it. 

"Well, don't go testing this stuff in my shop. I don't need to rebuild again. The last time some wind mage fooled around my shop ended up half way in to the swamps." The rune smith was very dramatic and make Su laugh, but Walker could feel this was a true story and not a joke.

Walker looked at the stack of accessories they had and wondered just how much they would end up paying, the worst part was that he hadn't even looked at everything.

"Sir, what does this green petal do?" Si held up a pin that was shaped like a founded flower petal. It was a smooth and light green color with leaf pattern veins. 

"I still have one of those in stock? I thought I stopped making those years ago. They never sell for anything." The rune smith looked like he was not happy having the failed business venture brought up. "That is called a falling petal charm, it has some wind runes carved in the veins of the leaf pattern. Pretty tough to make but it causes a greater effect." The more he spoke the more curious the two became.

"With the multiple layers of runes, it is able to slow a high fall. The wind element will get pulled from the air and make a slight cushion. I thought it would be good for anyone that fell from the trees, but that was not a wise decision. I had the idea when I was drinking some berry beer and made one the next morning. But do you know how rare it is for an elf to fall out of a tree?" 

Walker and Su saw the immediate problem with this item, they had already seen the fact that elves would run and catch branches or vines like it was part of their own body.

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