Yu was relieved that neither Bao nor Gui clansmen were in her enchanting class. She felt the peace would be nice. Or at least a nice change.

Yu had read the books and was looking forward to learning how to actually do what it said.

Elder Pei welcomed them warmly. “Today is going to be exciting. You will have read at least the introduction and some basics of the first runes and rune structures.

“Now. Let’s begin at the beginning. All enchantments, no matter the type, level, medium, or method, start with runes. Let’s see who remembers the material. What do the runes do that makes them the source of enchanting?”

She looked around the room. Yu felt like kind of a cheater so she waited to see what others did before answering.

Three students raised their hands and the elder called on one of the Ice Affinity twins. Ming Niao was her name and she said, “Runes define all the details behind the enchantment. The more there are, the more complicated it is.”

Elder Pei stared at her waiting for more, but the girls blushed and said nothing more.

“What happens, do you think if you put together an incomplete enchantment?” the senior enchanter asked.

The girl looked down and mumbled, “It fails, elder?”

“Indeed. It fails. It can fail by simply not working. It can fail by destroying the medium. It can fail by exploding in the enchanter’s face. You all will learn the complete introduction by hands-on class on Day 5 or you will be gone from this class. We don’t need enchanters who don’t know the basics after more than a week and a half of opportunity to study it. Now. Who can fully answer the question?”

Seeing that nobody was raising their hands, Yu did.

Elder Pei called on her. “Apprentice. I hope you can give a complete answer.”

So did Yu. “Runes define the parameters of an enchantment by being grouped into rune structures. The runes themselves define Qi type, affinity, power level, duration, source of power, and interactions. Only the first two are required for all rune structures.”

Elder Pei smiled widely at Yu and said, “Correct. That is exactly what it says in the Introduction to Runes section. Now, the real question is what does all of that mean? Let’s start with the idea of rune structures. Rune structures are groups of runes tied together with Qi. As the book and apprentice told us, there always must be at least two runes, Qi type and affinity. The more runes and rune structures an enchantment has, the more complex it is, the harder it is to create, and the greater the chance it has of failing in some horrible way.

“You should also know by your reading that enchantments and thus enchanters are assigned levels. Enchantments fall under the same structure you are used to for cultivators, Novice through Grandmaster. The levels are broken down as follows, Novice enchantments contain between two and three runes, Initiate four to eight, Adept nine to twelve, Expert thirteen to eighteen, Master nineteen to thirty, and Grandmaster anything above thirty.

“Enchanter ranks are aligned to keep it simple. Apprentice Enchanters like yourselves can create novice and initiate level enchantments, regular Enchanters can create adept, Senior Enchanters expert, and Master Enchanters master and above. I am Senior Enchanter Pei and that is what you should refer to me as while we are in this building. We currently have three Master Enchanters in this Enchanter’s Hall, which is quite something considering there are only a dozen or so in the entire empire. Those few masters are well respected and sought after for their exceptional enchantments. I will call each of you Apprentice until you have earned the right to be called something else. Are there any questions so far?”

Nobody asked any so she went on. “Excellent. So enchanting requires three things. An enchanter, obviously, a medium, which is what is being enchanted, and an enchanting tool, which is what creates the rune or formation. There are two kinds of tools. Who knows what they are?”

The metal affinity disciple. . . err apprentice Yu corrected herself, answered. “A brush for painting and a veiner for carving.”

“Good. Given your affinity, I’m not surprised you remembered that. For the foreseeable future, your runes will all be painting. Do you know why?”

Someone else said, “Because they are less volatile?”

“Well, yes and no. They are more forgiving is really a more accurate term. All enchantments are limited by the source, medium and tool, among other things. Painted enchantments specifically are constrained by the quality of the ink and since you are going to be using the least expensive ink available, there is only so much that can go wrong. Not that you will be doing any of that before you can paint a straight line.”

The prospect of finally getting started made Yu wish she could speed up time and get to Day 5.

“So, let’s talk about mediums. I’m sure what you all thought of when I said painting was talismans. Those things that Qi calligraphers create.” That was indeed the first thing that came to Yu’s mind. “Well, you wouldn’t be wrong, but it is also far from complete. One can paint enchantments on anything, including metals. The advantage of painting is simple. It’s easier. Much easier. The disadvantage is that paint doesn’t last, particularly on anything that cannot actually absorb the ink. As metals tend to reject ink, their enchantments fade quickly and therefore require repair often. Parchment absorbs ink quite well, obviously. But so does stone if you use the correct ink so don’t think that painting is useless. Everything has its strengths and weaknesses in enchanting.”

After once again asking for questions and having none, she continued.

“Throughout this year you will be working on the study of runes through painting your own rune structures, repairing damaged enchantments, and identifying existing enchantments. Competence levels will define anything beyond that. At some point, you will be able to paint a rune accurately, and it is only then you will be taught to move Qi through your tool, a brush, and into a medium, paper. Once you are able to understand and accomplish that consistently, you may be asked to participate with each other, more experienced apprentices, or even higher-level enchanters in order to assist with enchantments. I encourage you to at least think about it. For those of you with rarer affinities or multiple affinities, you will be especially sought after. I will discuss this with you personally when the time comes to talk through which proposals to accept and how to be fairly compensated for your time and effort.

“The next thing we will talk about today is mediums. What are mediums? They are what you enchant. Different mediums offer different advantages and disadvantages. The most basic medium is parchment. No, you can’t just go painting a rune on a piece of parchment and, poof, you have a talisman. Both the ink, the medium and the tool have to be prepared to accept Qi. Parchment has grades, as does anything. Talisman parchment is prepared in a special way that requires the use of powdered beast core among other things. The next most common mediums are wood, leather and steel. After that come precious metals such as jade and gems. Beyond that are rare products with special properties of their own. Like this.”

And in her upraised hand appeared a fist-sized clump of what looked like light blue stone.

“This is ice iron ore. Ice iron, as you might guess, is a product that can be used to make steel that has a particular ability to absorb Ice Qi.” It vanished and she continued, “Materials like that are highly sought after and quite rare. Wars have been fought over mines or veins of such mediums. But that is not the only way for materials to acquire an enhanced ability to absorb specific Qi. Does anyone have an idea what I mean?”

Thinking of the bow that nearly made her drool, Yu raised her hand. “A tree that is struck by lightning might provide wood better able to accept Lightning Qi?”

Elder Pei nodded and said, “That is an excellent example. Can anyone think of others?”

The boy ice twin guessed, “A bone from an Ice Affinity creature?”

“Potentially, yes. It has to be grade 3 at an absolute minimum, but that is definitely one of the reasons hunters gather the carcasses of powerful beasts. Think beyond bones too. Parts like tendons can make excellent enchanted bowstrings when engraved and wound tightly. Teeth, bones, tendons, eyes, pelts, claws. All of those and more make excellent mediums or components to mediums when from a strong demonic beast. That and the meat are the primary reasons beast hunting is such a profitable profession and why the price of grade 3 and above are so much higher than grade 1 and 2 beasts.

Yu wondered if some light or darkness product would be produced from the grade 3 fox she had killed.

“And the final topic for today is a discussion of tools. Any old brush you pick up off the street will paint an excellent rune. But it will explode if you attempt to send Ether Qi through it. All tools, be it a painting or carving one, require their own enchantments to be able to safely pass Ether Qi though. Ether is actually quite volatile when forced to do things, which we will discuss at another time. Tools have the same measurement as the enchantments, novice through grandmaster, which denotes the amount of Qi they can support as well as if they provide any additional support capabilities such as increased compatibility with a particular affinity. You all will be learning with a standard brush and then—if you are competent—a Novice-level brush this year.”

“And that does it for your first lesson. We will be spending the next weeks in this class working on specific runes and rune structures and the hands-on class practicing painting them. I’ll see you in a few days.”