Master Of None

Bree kicked out and slammed the door open letting the spirits rush in and explore. "GooooodMorning!!!" There was a huge amount of shuffling and a few tools fell. 

"You damn spirits rushing around. I swear if you don't put leashes on them I will craft a crystal that seals them away!" The loud voice of an older man crashed in to their ears. 

"I knew you were sleeping. I should have brought some cold water to help you wake up faster." Bree was going in hard on the crystal craftsman. She looked as if she would have kept going after him if Walker, Su, and Liam weren't there. 

"This is my older brother Bart. He might be an old man now, but he is a pretty OK crystal craftsman." Bree elbowed him in the side to get him to look at the guests she had brought.

"I am not just an OK crystal craftsman. I am an elemental crystal craftsman. I craft specifically with elemental crystals to make weapons and enhance crystals themselves." Bart held himself tall. He was drastically different than Bree who was still youthful in appearance. He was older and had a flurry of unkempt hair.

"Sir, please accept this sword I have crafted as payment to become your apprentice." Liam didn't waste any time and offered the sword in front of him. 

"Did you really come down here to throw another kid at me? I told you I don't want another apprentice. Just let me work and I will get what you need done." Bart was staunchly against having an apprentice. 

"This is why you let the elders go first little one." Bree gave Liam a small bop on the head before she turned back to Bart. "What did you do to your hand this time? I noticed that the crystals aren't as good. You can't hide things from me." 

Bart was frozen with his hands behind his back. Bree had called him out and he was unable to escape. "I didn't hit it with a hammer if that's what you think. It was those stupid glowing moles. They cause a small collapse in the crystal bed I was farming. And this happened." Bart showed cuts all along his fingers and bruises in his arm. 

"You should have headed up to the top for a healer. I told you this over and over last time." Bre looked apologetically at Walker, "It looks like we are going right back up." 

"No, we can stay here." Walker held out his hand and used his mid healing skill. The wounds started to straighten and heal in front of their eyes.

"So you can heal too, a man of many talents. I bet you have many people after your attention." Bree teased Walker while Bart gave him questioning looks. 

"I'm sorry if this old crow dragged you down here. A human healer being pulled all the way here for me." Bart clicked his tongue a few times not knowing what to do. 

"I didn't bring a healer all the way here. But that is a good idea since you never come up to the surface. I swear you are worse than those hermits who hide away. Now look at that sword and tell me what you think." Walker and Su were enjoying the interactions with the siblings. They had been worried about the injuries Bart had, but now it looked like they two were just catching up.

"Fine, give it here." Bart took the sword and held it to the light, He examined it for a few minutes. Tapping here and there and listening to the sound of the metal and carefully inspecting the runes. 

"You changed the rune formation last minute resulting in slightly slower absorption. That keeps the crystal aspect from breaking but making it take longer to enhance a skill. The work isn't bad but next time use a higher quality crystal with less crystal shaping and more old fashioned chipping away." Bart was letting advice go without even a thought. He was no longer worried about the people in his home but instead the quality of the item he held. 

"And brother dear, what would you say the item is ranked?" Bree was feeling very confident now that she had snagged Bart's attention. She knew exactly what he was like when he got hold of something he likes. 

"A little lower than mid tier. I would say this is worth selling or having for any up and coming spell sword." Bart looked at Bree and realized that she had tricked him again. "Every time you come here those spirits cause problems, you pester me about going back up top, and this time you brought an apprentice." Bart shook his head. 

"What's your name kid?" Bart looked like he was about to use the sword on Liam.

"Sir, thank you for your appraisal of my sword." 

"You start here tomorrow. Go and let your family know or celebrate or whatever. And take this.: Bart handed him a cloth with a rune pattern. "That's my crafting rune formation. I am the only one that has it and it will identify you as my apprentice. Wear it on your arm." 

"Thank you. I will look forward to working under you as your apprentice master." Liam took the cloth and tied it around his arm. "Thank you miss Bree and Walker, and Su. I hope to see you again before you leave for more heroic duties." Liam rushed off to tell his parents. 

"Ohh, don't you look so smug? If he wasn't good enough I would have broken the sword in front of him and told him to start over." Bart was brutal but this was the very reason he did not have an apprentice at the moment. 

"Yeah yeah, so meet my new friends. They might be able to stop here and help you with those glowing moles." Bree pointed at Walker and Su, they just looked at her with confused faces.

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