While the description of the rune was quite vague, in concept, it was anything but. It allowed for Jonathan to reduce the costs of his skills and energy consumption in general, spreading out his resource pools beyond their natural limits. With this new rune, he had reworked his Runic Array of mana gathering, creating an even more potent version that could ward off the symptoms of mana deprivation up to two tiers below his own. It would create a massive zone of emptiness in terms of mana, but it would be handy in a pinch.
As it was, in a realm that had the right amount of mana for him, it noticeably impacted his regeneration rates, for the better. The most important part, however, was that he could control it. The fused concepts of Hunger and Thrift allowed him to control it to a greater extent than his previous array.
You have upgraded a runic array!
Mana Magnet Array-> Mana Siphon Array
This runic array devours ambient mana, funneling it into oneself. No longer is it an endlessly hungry void, it can be controlled if the situation demands it.
In any case, it really seemed like his runes ran the whole gamut of concepts. Thrift was not something that he had expected as a rune, but apparently, it was a real thing. In comparison, his other Runes seemed far more normal.
Sitting cross-legged on top of a lonely spire of rock, a mile or so away from the others, who were training, Jonathan observed the various powers of his Runes at work. The four expressions of universal concepts spun in a circle around his right hand, seemingly etched onto reality by his will and Divinity. A tiny world of meaning surrounded each Rune, tied into its concept.
From the Rune of Vengeance, a bloody mist spread to the world around it, filled with a faint echo of blades ringing. Next to it, the Rune of Attraction tugged at the air, with a corona of darkness occluding it from view. Threads of power drifted in from all directions, drawn into its depths.
The Rune of Hunger looked similar, but felt far sharper in its desire to consume. Whereas the Rune of Attraction was orbited by the energies that fell into its embrace, the Rune of Hunger simply devoured them whole, ending their existence.
Finally, the Rune of Thrift was dwarfed by the others in mass, looking more like a spider web than anything else. A nearly invisible ball of power, it spun along with the others, seeming to regulate everything that it passed through. The effect was subtle, but the overall resolution of the matter that it passed through decreased, to the point where the air itself grew slightly fuzzy.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Jonathan watched them for almost an hour, trying to glean as much insight as he could. At his current level of Runecrafting, he could honestly feel pride in his accomplishments, at least compared to before. In the grand scheme of things, however, he was barely beyond the starting line. There were many more Ranks of mastery, each of which would be exponentially harder to achieve. Although Jonathan could simply lift Runes from his skills, he had to have a basic understanding of their nature first, which was easier said than done.
Eventually, he closed his fist, and banished the runes, letting them fade away as the Divinity serving as their fuel was cut off. Even then, he did not rise, simply taking in the sight before him. It was rare that Jonathan could afford to relax, and take some time to rest between the constant battles. Now was one such time, and it seemed especially sweet because of its rarity.
The subtle light of a realm’s worth of lava suffused the entire vista, painting the desolate landscape in shades of orange and red, like an eternal sunset. Specks traveled across the plains and badlands, Uthraki and monsters alike. Cities twinkled in the distance, light reflecting off of metal and polished rock. Seas of molten rock roiled beside them, sending pillars of superheated air up into the atmosphere, the thermals visible from thousands of miles away.
Sighing, Jonathan let his worries leave, if but for a moment. The race for survival that had defined the last few months receded into the background of his psyche. His vast, epic quest vanished with it, leaving him simply as Jonathan Harlowe, a man of Earth, and a simple one at that.
What a journey this has been, he thought, well aware that his true adventures were only beginning. Many would think this life a curse, but it really has transformed me for the better.
His mind was calmer at that moment than it had been since arriving in the Hells, but it was shattered by a voice, drifting on the wind.
“Jonathan?” Edgar called out, his voice traveling across the air for miles. “Where are you? Arkanon wants you for something. A new skill he wants to test, I think.”
Jonathan shook his head, smiling slightly, and leapt off the pillar, gravity carrying him at speeds that would have terrified a mortal man. One of the key changes between realms was that of gravity, a subtle change, but one that Jonathan had realized within the last month. Gravity here was many times greater than that of the Ash Heaps. The only difference was that his perception far outstripped it.
He plummeted to the ground, landing with a thud, and a spray of dust. Racing towards the source of the voice, he reached the temporary encampment mere seconds later, seeing Arkanon standing there, holding his fist before him. The man stared at it intently, watching as a crackling nova of flame burned around it, condensing in on itself every second, quickly growing in heat. Notably, all the others were standing a mile away from the man, looking at him warily.
