After meeting the representative, I met with Nightshade, but learning how she made her batteries wasn’t helpful. Her special plants worked by enchanting a false replica of herself into the plant. The enchanted simulacrum could override the plant's original capabilities, but it required constant connection, and the plant connected had to be isolated because if it leveled up, the construct would collapse. With the density of mana in comparison to its natural capacity, it would result in extreme and unpredictable results.

  For now I’ll just have to accept that my mana will have to be enough, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try engineering an earth solution. My understanding of how to make electricity was very limited, and the magic of propulsion using it was also just as spotty. However, using runes to fill the gaps with conceptual guesswork was a viable option for experimental tests.

  Now I just needed to source materials. For wires, any of the standard currency coins were viable (copper, silver, and gold), but we live next to an ocean, and gold has the best resistance to corrosion. Anything made to last long-term will undoubtedly make my wallet cry, but to start using copper was enough.

  Master Yoren was entirely baffled by my idea, which I could only describe as sealing lightning in a box as an alternative to storing mana. However, he also seemed greatly encouraged with my interest turning back to runework. I’m not sure why, but for some time he has seemed nervous about my interest in other fields. It wasn’t a problem, though, and at worst I assumed he didn’t want me losing a passion for what he had dedicated years to teaching me. After reassuring him Runecraft was the pillar of my craftsmanship, he seemed to be relieved of a great weight.

  Master Yoren then brought over an ornate letter, which was sealed with a wax-engraved rune.

  “lad some o' tha big shots in tha clans have heard o' ye. It's causing a bit o' a stir an' I was passed an invitation ta have ye go an learn from tha earthkin masters when. It be for when yer 15 I'm nae sure for how long. Open tha letter an' they will send a team ta escort ye.”

  With his statement done, he left the letter in my hands. I vaguely found it amusing that in a world where scholarships were common, I ended up with a pile of student debt, but in this life I’m being offered a personal escort and full-ride scholarship under the guidance of the greatest masters in the world. At the same time, I’m not ready to leave home, so I store the letter in my void space.

  Master Yoren just grins happily seeing me accept his letter. I can’t help but remember how pushy Grandmaster Slate was whenever I showed something of interest to him. It’s not hard to imagine the other grandmasters were also a bit pushy. I can only silently apologize to Master Yoren for having to deal with that, but a trip to the Earthkin territory also sounds like a fascinating experience.

  With my prototype built, Master Yoren and Gam both come along with me to see my first battery test. The idea was to use runes to charge chunks of nickel, one positive and the other negative. I had a simple copper wire connecting them. A simple runic compass should react to the magnetism of the wire, letting me know if there was electric flow.

  I activated the device and almost cheered seeing the compass react, but when I stopped actively charging one chunk, the compass stopped. My master and I got up and went over to investigate. Without thinking, Gam reached over to pick up one of the chunks from its clay pot. Immediately he yelped, reeling back in shock. His vitality easily resisted the damage, but when his hair started standing up, both Master Yoren and I hit the floor laughing.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Master Gam’s beard had fluffed out and was sticking straight off of his head.

  “What be this! Why be me beard an' hair,” However, he struggled to finish his statement. His new afro was a sight I would never unsee. Master Yoren was equally puzzled by the bizarre circumstances.

  “Be this what tha power o' lighting does?” He reaches over to poke the floating hair, but Gam shoves him over, and in doing so, shocks Master Yoren.

  “Nae more o' this; I'm done with this,” With that, Master Gam bails on the project and heads out. Outside I hear Callia break into wild laughter as Gam marches through town with his temporary afro.

  Now back to my work, I have to figure out what went wrong. Eventually I resigned to bash my head into a wall. I had seen technical descriptions of batteries before but not the function of material components. It just wasn’t something that came up. I could skip batteries entirely by just having one rune discharge electrons and another at the other end of the circuit absorb them, but I was after the battery.

  Master Yoren just patted me on the shoulder.

  “Your weak lighting rock was already an interesting device. Maybe ye be thinking ta much an' need something simpler?”

  I struggle to think of anything simpler. This felt like the simplest entry step to batteries, but then a thought hit me. What if I make a potato battery? Then I could also just make a runic multimeter. It wouldn’t be hard if the word itself was a rune and could fulfill the complex functions if I had enough Will to make it.

  I burst into the kitchen and snatch a potato and then go back to my forge, where I grab a piece of wood and a strip of metal. I shape a number of holes for the digit display and slap a somewhat haphazard enchantment on it. I wrap my wire around a copper coin and shove it into the potato and then freeze it. Potato batteries use a nail and a penny, not two pennies. I look up to my earlier ‘Battery’ and realize where I screwed it up. I need different metals.

  I’m not sure which works better, but that can be tested. All I needed was a functioning battery. I grab a chunk of nickel and wrap the other wire around it. I connect my two wires to the ‘multimeter’ and see no change. I stab the nickel into my potato, and a number appears on the display. It was small and wouldn't power anything, but it was there, and at last I had the absolute minimum baseline. Master is, of course, absolutely confused by my crazy laughter, as he barely understands anything I just did.

  Lord Grammark

  Grammark listened to his man report the results of the aid trip to Port Town. The aid had been greatly delayed because news of the Hive Worm had set off a panic and mass search in most of the towns nearby. Only after the panic was calmed did he have time and resources to send support to Port Town. The initial report pleased him greatly; he would of course provide the essential support to the town, as is the royal mandate to keep the town functioning as a naval port. Hearing that nothing else was needed and that the town was in fact thriving was wonderful.

  However, it was the next part of the report that froze him. A boy named Callen of around 13 years of age had become a champion. He would normally be excited at the prospects of a champion rising in his territory; he had carefully maintained a strong relationship with the people of his domain. That didn’t mean there were no incidents, and there was one incident that had occurred years ago while he had been off on a hunt. It involved a number of maids harassing the wet nurse he had raised for his son.

  Their name was Ela, and they had a son named Callen who would be around 13 years of age. Who had moved to Port Town to join their husband after resigning from his service. It truly hit when his representative reported the boy was the son of Sir Marek. Lord Grammark thanked his representative and dismissed him.

  Lord Grammark recalled the drama that had occurred before he had wed the two together. At the very least the couple had a positive impression before the drama occurred, but he felt the need to call everyone involved. The maids, the inspector, and even his wife. From their perspective it wasn’t unreasonable, but that very same ‘incompetent servant’ had successfully raised a champion and maybe even two if the twins truly were bond twins.

  Relying on the impression he left when he wed the two was clearly insufficient. He would have to make a gesture to make sure they had the right impression.

  His representative had done a good job, but penalizing the maids who had participated in the harassment seemed reasonable. In fact, this was the perfect opportunity to arrange an expedition to clear out the roads from Grammark to the outer towns. Just one expedition shouldn’t draw the duke's attention, and if he reported the news of a champion after it was completed, the duke should easily forgive this transgression of his order to let monsters fester.