The streets were busy with people. People were lining up at market stalls, vendors calling out to pedestrians passing by, the market was as lively as ever. The stalls varied from selling preserved meats, to cold resistant crops. Other stalls carried a variety of trinkets, ranging from surprisingly useful to borderline idiotic.

  While on the surface, Ravenshollow seemed dull and dreary, this was the only place where you could find runic gadgets for some of the oddest things.

  ‘I’ve found a few good things here and there, but none of them are nearly as good as Calagen’s work.’

  Passing by a small stall, an older gentleman called out to Soren. He had long dark black hair tied up in a bun, with shifty black eyes. The man was surprisingly well built for an inventor. He was operating one of the stalls selling runic devices. Though, unlike the others, his stall lacked a lot of customers.

  “You there! The boy with the bruises. Come here, I’ve got something special just for you.”

  Soren knew this was just a ploy to get some coin from him, but humoring the man wouldn’t hurt. Who knows he could find something useful.

  Stopping in front of the stall, the eager vendor hurriedly reached into a box neatly tucked under the stall. After a moment he pulled out what seemed to be a mechanical glove.

  “You look like you just got your ass handed to you. A young man like you shouldn't be walking around without some protection.”

  The man moved closer to the neighboring stall, waited for the owner to turn his back, then swiped an apple before the vendor could see him. Setting the apple down on the stalls counter, eagerly slipping the mechanical glove on, he gave Soren a devilish smirk.

  “You often find yourself on the receiving end of a beating?”

  Rubbing the side of his ribs, Soren gave a short and simple reply.

  “I usually try to avoid them.”

  The man chuckled.

  “Not so lucky this time I see… Not to worry, I've got just the thing for you. With this you no longer need to rely on luck.”

  From his pocket he retrieved a small glass vial, inserting it into a socket on the back of the glove. Placing his hand on the apple, the glove shined with runic light.

  Streaks of lightning cascaded across the surface of the glove, then shot down into the fruit. As they did, the apple's skin went from a pristine red into a muddy brown. Steam was rising off the apple, and a low sizzling sound was given off from the fruit.

  “What do you think? It will surely give whatever thugs knocked you around a run for their money.”

  Staring at the glove for a moment, then at the apple, Soren was a little impressed. If used on another person it would most certainly cause severe damage. Things like this weren't hard to make, the sequence engraving behind them was rather simple. However, making a weapon with runic sorcery was highly regulated.

  One could attain the proper documents to produce and distribute runic weapons, though the process was arduous and often unsuccessful. Given the demeanor of this vendor, it was highly unlikely that he had said papers.

  “You know it’s highly illegal to produce weapons without the proper documents.”

  An offended look appeared on the man’s face.

  “Weapon!? No, no, no… You clearly misunderstood what I was saying. This is only meant to scare away any unsavory company, whatever you use it for is out of my control.”

  The man leaned in closer to Soren.

  “It’s the same as locking your door… Think of it as peace of mind.”

  Letting out a sigh, Soren shook his head.

  “Thanks, but I think I'll pass.”

  Sliding the glove off, the vendor tucked it back under the stall.

  “Pft… Fine, fine. But if you ever change your mind…”

  In his hand was a small card, sliding it over to Soren, he let the young man leave.

  As he continued to Callagen’s place, he examined the card. On it was a name and a location. Harden Roy-Harlet’s Embrace. Almost immediately a sour expression found its way to his face.

  ‘Tsk… So, the black market is expanding their reach…’

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Carefully tucking the card away, Soren came to a stop at the entrance to a tall building. Like the other buildings neighboring it, Callagen’s lab was built from cold grey stones, chips and cracks present in various places. His stood out though, the windows were boarded with heavy wooden planks, behind them flashes of light could be seen.

  Deciding not to waste more time, Soren pushed the door open walking inside.

  Once he entered he was greeted to a heavily disorganized workshop. Scraps of metal and discarded blueprints lined the floor, tables were crowded with half built contraptions. Sitting at one of those tables was a small old man.

  ‘Looks like the old man still hasn’t learned to clean up after himself… Though, I’m no better.’

  Collagen was short in stature, he had a long brown beard with patches of grey. He was mostly bald, though some hair was still stubbornly clinging to the sides and back of his head. He had a pair of welding goggles on, the large round frames of them made him look like some mad inventor.

  Currently he was in the process of deconstructing a large mechanical arm. The large hunk of gears and metal was about the same size as the old man, if not a little bit bigger.

  “Still trying to get that thing to work?”

  Callagen let out a surprised gasp, then spun around in his chair quickly. He pulled up his goggles revealing his dark grey eyes. After staring at the boy, he grinned widely, revealing the various gold capped teeth he had.

  “Ah… Soren, my boy! You should know better than sneaking up on old men, I could have had a heart attack… Oh my! What happened? You look like you’ve been hit by a car!”

  Soren leaned back against one of the tables, his gaze never leaving the old man.

  “It’s nothing to worry about… Just got a little bruised training with Seline.”

  Callagen scratched his chin, staring at Soren for a moment, then promptly spun back and continued working on the arm.

  “Ah yes, Seline is a fierce one. Though I’m surprised you took part in her training. I never took you for a masochist.”

  The old man let out a chuckle at his comment.

  Soren didn’t feel good about lying to Callagen, but the truth would surely stop his heart. It was better to keep him in the dark. Having Seline involved was one thing, but Callagen wasn’t a fighter. If something happened to him, Soren would never forgive himself.

  “Come on… She’s not that bad. And I need as much help to prepare for the academy as I can get.”

  Soren walked over to the heavy metal arm, placing his hand on the cold steel.

  “That’s actually part of the reason I decided to stop by… I was hoping you could give me some advice about keeping up at the academy… I feel like I’m lacking.”

  The old man perked up at the mention of St. Luminos.

  “Ah yes! I had almost forgotten… You leave next week, correct?”

  He suddenly sprung up from his chair at a surprising speed for someone of his age. Quickly skirring off into another room, he loudly rummaged through a few drawers. He seemed to disregard the question Soren had asked.

  “Uh… Yes, I leave next Sunday.”

  From the other room he could hear the old man call out.

  “What a shame! I was hoping for your help again.”

  A slight smirk appeared on Soren’s face.

  “It almost sounds like you’re gonna miss me?”

  Returning from his search, Callagen walked towards Soren with a small wooden box in his hand.

  “Quite the ego you have there, son. Though, having you around is fun. Not to mention you’re my star pupil.”

  Soren was quick to reply.

  “I’m your only pupil.”

  As he stopped in front of Soren, he raised the box up to him. When standing next to him, the old man’s short stature made Soren seem tall.

  “Here! Consider this a going away gift.”

  Taking the box from his hands, Soren opened it. Inside the box was a small black ring, the ring had silver engravings all along its surface. It was incredibly small, taking a closer look Soren could see that they were… Runes!?

  “What is this Callagen?”

  The old man proudly scratched his beard, puffing out his shoulders a bit.

  “That my boy, is one of my finest works. I created it with you in mind, It serves as a way of sharpening the mind.”

  He tilted his head, perplexed by what Callagen was insinuating.

  “When you say sharpen, do you mean…”

  Soren was swiftly cut off.

  “Yes!! It boosts your ability to take in information. It took a while but I got it tuned just right, so as to not give you severe migraines.”

  He held the ring in his hand, studying it for a moment.

  “Isn’t that considered cheating?”

  Letting out a loud laugh, Callagen patted him on his back.

  “Pft… It’s called innovation! Only people with fragile egos call genius like this cheating!”

  Looking at the ring, he couldn’t help but feel a little slimy. Sure, he had broken into buildings, damaged plenty of public property, even killed a man. But to him all that was justified. The ring would be incredibly useful, but it would also make him dependent on it, stunting his growth.

  As he set the box down, he tucked the ring into his pocket.

  “Thanks… But back to my question earlier.”

  Continuing to scratch his beard, Callagen sat back down at the work table.

  “Ah yes… You have no need to worry, you are one of the most brilliant minds I've met. You just need more confidence in yourself. And if you find yourself still doubting, use that ring.”

  Letting out a deep sigh, Soren walked to the door.

  “Thank you Callagen… For everything.”

  The old man gave him a quick nod before returning to his work. Standing at the door for a moment, he finally left the familiar confines of the workshop. It would be a long while before he would return. Now, he needed to figure out how to spend his days before his departure.