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What Talents You Have

The door to Samuel's rooms was small, and unadorned. A plain piece of wood, with a simple iron handle and lock. It served its purpose well enough, keeping unwanted visitors out and giving Samuel his much-needed privacy.

The insides however were another matter. While they were for the most part as unadorned and plain as the rest of the chambers, there were a few key differences that set them apart from those of the other apprentices and wards. Namely a large open window looking over the castle courtyard and a location on the third floor of the main keep.

Samuel entered the room, carefully locking the door behind him. He let out a deep sigh and finally began to relax. He was smelly, grimy, and utterly exhausted.

There were two small doors in the main chamber, one leading to a small bedroom with a writing desk and a few bookshelves, the other to a simple bathing chamber. He pulled off his overshirt and headed towards the bathroom.

The plain metal tub was set against the back wall, under a simple copper pipe that Samuel knew led down to the reservoir underneath the main keep. He strode across the room to take a closer look at the pipe. Inscribed into the front was a simple carving of another rune, like an upside down "L". The water rune, amongst other things -though it was typically used to draw and conduct pure fluids.

Samuel ignored it, slipping his finger inside the pipe instead. Anyone could use the rune on the faucet, it simply required one to hold tight to the metal it was inscribed to and focus on the water flowing up through the pipe. The process took time however, and often left the person a little drained.

The otter had another method however; one that took much less time and energy. Samuel focused on the feeling of the cool liquid several stories below him, and focused on the image of the same rune on the pipe in his mind. Once he'd sensed the liquid, he "pulled" so to speak, and felt the water pull up through the pipes and towards him.

A few seconds later a steady stream of water began to pour out the end of the pipe. Samuel pointed it towards the tub with a flick of his finger, and let go. The water continued to flow, powered on by the rune on the pipe. Just another advantage of being a rune caster. Samuel thought.

The tub filling, he left the bathroom and headed to the bedroom. The room was dark, curtains pulled shut to keep out the heat of the sun. It was much warmer here in the south. Samuel was used to the gentle summers and long winters of the Northern Lands -a collective name of the various city states and kingdoms to the north.

A small brazier sat on the desk, empty of fuel and cold. The metal bowl was one of the few things that Samuel had carried with him on his trip down to the south. Most other things had been provided to him by the keep's quartermaster. The copper it was forged from was inscribed with various pure and bind-runes. In the center was a large spiraling bind rune, one that Samuel knew from years of study meant life. It was the crux of the assembly, and the most important piece.

Samuel reached for a small jar of oil under the table, and used the provided ladle to pour a small amount -just a few hours- into the brazier. He put the jar away and focused on the liquid.

With a breath, he hovered his palm above the oil and focused on the same rune from the field earlier. The one that meant -at its most basic definition- fire.

A small spark jumped from his palm and to the oil. Instead of igniting in an explosive burst of flame like one would expect, the runes carved into the sides of the copper kicked in, burning a faint orange-red color. The spark hovered roughly a quarter of an inch above the oil, and a small stream began to flow upwards towards it.

The flame grew, growing larger by the second. Once it had reached about twice the size of a candle flame it stopped, hovering above the oil like a star in the sky.

"Hey Laelgi. How are you doing?" Samuel asked, speaking to the flame.

Laelgi shimmered for a moment, before a crude facsimile of a face formed in the heart of the fire. Just two ovals for eyes and a line for a mouth. The bind rune at the bottom of the brazier, the one meaning life, came alight with a vibrant green. Laelgi changed to that color as well, the eyes "blinking" as it stared up at Samuel.

Two small crackles and a slight increase in size -Laelgi's equivalent of a hello.

Samuel chuckled a bit. Candle pets made simple but enjoyable companions, each with their own individual personalities that were hard to predict. They weren't uncommon in the Northern Lands; most families had at least one. It wasn't rare for a particularly treasured one being passed down from person to person as the family grew and expanded.

A small clink in the other room drew his attention. Samuel had rigged a small coin to drop to the floor when the tub reached a certain level -rather useful, since he wasn't usually in the room to monitor the tub's flow.. He quickly returned to the room, shut the water off, and stripped down.

The water was freezing as he lowered himself in. Not that Samuel minded. His fur kept him warm from all but the most chilling waters, and the cool embrace soothed his sore muscles. Samuel settled back for a soak, and to let his mind calm down.

...

The hot sun felt good on his fur, drying the last bits of water from it. Samuel closed his eyes and basked in its warmth. That tight knot that had formed in his upper shoulder after his training session that morning had mostly faded, and he spent much of the last hours just reclining in the windowsill looking over the courtyard.

Samuel had brought Laelgi's brazier over with him, and now just idly glanced between it and the open field outside the window. The courtyard was a hive of activity. Half a dozen different species bustling about their daily business. The keep was placed at the top of a large hill, looking over the small agrarian town it had been tasked with watching over.

A knock at the door drew him from the placid trance that had settled over the otter. "Come in." He answered out the side of his mouth. He'd unlocked the door after his bath, knowing more than a few people in the keep that had a habit of barging into his rooms randomly.

The door creaked open, and the soft footfalls of a large creature made their way over to him.

"Here, brought you this." Said a voice as a large paw thrust a mug of what looked like soup at him. Samuel took it, looking for the source of the gift. The paw was connected to the well-toned arm of a wolf, which was in turn connected to a defined chest and torso.

Samuel took the soup from the wolf. "Hey, thanks Erik. What prompted this?"

Erik sat across from him, nestling into the other side of the windowsill, Laelgi flickering happily between the two of them. The large wolf pulled a small slip of paper out of his breast pocket and fed it to the flame, who sparked and hissed with delight.

"Heard Sir Carnell grumbling about your training to Laura. He seemed impressed, though I got the feeling it didn't go too well."

The otter frowned and stared down at the mug. Small chunks of what looked like potatoes floated in the deep brown broth. Such a simple gift, but a meaningful one. "That's an understatement." He muttered.

"Want to talk about it?" Erik asked. The wolf looked up at him with those big green eyes, full of concern and set into his ruddy brown fur.

"Not much to talk about. Got knocked on my tail again. I-" Samuel stuttered. He couldn't find the words to express his annoyance. "I'm just frustrated I guess. I just don't seem to be good enough at this. I know I grumble and moan about how swords are for those too dumb to use their head, but if I'm being honest, I really want to learn."

Erik met him with a deadpan stare. "Gee, thanks." He said flatly. Samuel's gut dropped, realizing what he said. The wolf was an accomplished swordsman, and well on his way to becoming a knight.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! That's not what I meant!" The otter apologized.

Erik's muzzle broke out into a small smirk. "You really should learn to speak before you think. You know that otter?"

Samuel met the smile with one of his own. "I know, I know. I'm just tired. Things aren't going very well." He groaned. "I just thought I'd be progressing faster than this. It's a little rare for me to struggle with things, especially once I put my mind to it."

"I mean, that's natural, isn't it? Besides, you've only been at this for a few months. No one becomes an expert after a few months."

"I know, I know. I just wish there was some quick way to progress. Some cheat that I could use to get better faster."

Erik shrugged. "Hard work is the best way forward. Putting your muzzle to the grindstone and pressing forward is the most surefire way to progress."

Samuel took a long sip of his mug. "There has to be a way to speed things along though. Maybe another teacher, or a different style of sword? Maybe there's something in the library?" He said, starting to get up from his perch.

"There you go, putting that big brain of yours to work. Use what talents you have to help with the ones you don't."

The otter stopped. Use what talents you have. Use what talents I have! Erik you're a genius! Samuel hastily put his mug down on the windowsill, patting Erik's thigh with gratitude. "Thank you!"

"Um, thanks? I just repeated some advice I got a long time ago. What do you mean by-"

Samuel stood fully and moved quickly to his writing desk, set up to face the door to his chambers. He pulled a jar of ink from a small drawer, and set up his writing reed. There was already a roll of tanned paper attached to the surface and weighted down with a set of four stones carved especially for that purpose.

The wolf stood up, carefully carrying Laelgi's holder over to the desk with him. "Samuel, what are you talking about?" He asked as the otter took a seat and picked up the reed.

"Erik, how much do you know about runes?" Samuel asked as he dipped the tip of the pen into the ink. Deep dark droplets of ink splattered onto the parchment as he drew on the paper with thick strokes.

"Enough to not be afraid of them like the common people, but less than a dedicated scholar." The wolf responded calmly. He peered over Samuel's shoulder at the page.

"Well sit down then." He gestured to a small stool next to the desk that he normally used to put his feet up. It should be sturdy enough to hold Erik's considerable bulk. "There are two types of runes. Pure runes -of which there are 24- and bind-runes, which are just pure runes smashed together. When a rune mage needs an effect that isn't necessarily covered by a pure rune, they combine two or more to get the needed effect."

"I see." Erik hummed. His large fingers drummed the desk as he listened, tail swinging back and forth lazily. He seemed to be enjoying this sudden lecture on the intricacies of runic magic. "What bind rune are you making then?"

Samuel smiled. "You caught on fast. There are several runes that relate to strength, and a few that have to do with balance and speed. I figure if I can combine them..." He trailed off.

"And do what, put them on a sword? I don't see how making the sword strong and agile will make you a better swordsman."

The otter let out a small chuckle. "Bind runes don't just go on objects. They can also be drawn or tattooed onto flesh."

Erik's eyes lit up, like little lime orbs with a dark core. "Really? I had no idea."

"They're well hidden, I guess. They need to be applied directly to the skin, so your fur has to be shaved to apply them. And after that the fur grows back so you don't see anything."

"That's very clever. And any runes can just go on someone?" He asked. There was a glint in his eyes, like he had an idea. Or a concern.

"Not just any rune." Samuel responded, still focused on the paper in front of him. The bind rune had already begun to take shape, as the various pure runes he'd sketched around the page for reference were mixed and matched into a shape that would work. It wasn't an exact science. More like an art that came with specific rules. "A dagaz for instance won't do anything. Well, I guess it could maybe make you glow a bit. But nobody sane would do that. So no, the rune has to be something that could logically affect the body. You just use common sense."

"So this would...?" Erik asked, peering over the edge of the desk. He seemed genuinely interested in this. Samuel smiled slightly. It was nice to have someone to listen to his rambles.

Samuel put the final few marks onto the paper. The bind rune was rough, but hopefully serviceable. If it showed promise he'd refine it later. "Theoretically, it should give me an increased sense of strength and balance. Maybe a small boost of speed, but I don't know. I also didn't attach any energy boosters, so it'll drain whomever it's inked onto pretty quickly."

The otter placed his pen into the pot, blowing on the paper a few times to dry the ink. He looked over at Erik, who was watching his every moment. He had this strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was it, appreciation? Gratitude for the fact that someone was actually listening to him for once? Samuel shook his head and pushed his head away. That was something to think about later.

"So, want to test it out?" He asked with a wide grin.

(Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I have a few more sequels planned for directly after this, so expect those at some point.)