About twenty minutes and one failed attempt later I finished a working moisture collection stone.
[Class Quest 1 Completed]
[Follow the enclopedia's 'Intro to Runemaking' course to master basic runemaking and create a moisture collection stone!
Rewards: List of Runemasters seeking apprentices, 'Intermediate Runemaking' course unlocked, 2 Affinity Points]
[List of Runemasters in Greyrock kingdom now available]
['Intermediate Runemaking' now unlocked]
[(12 AP) currently available for assignment]
"Sweet, let's check out the goods…" I opened the intermediate runemaking course immediately.
[Intermediate Runemaking Course]
[Materials recommended: 1 beginner or intermediate inscription wand, 1 Intermediate or advanced magnification tablet, 10-20 low-grade magic crystals (minimum qualities ok), 2-3 low-grade magic crystals (10 layers or higher)]
[Recommended tandem course: Beginning Alchemy Course]
"Ah," I looked at the material list with a falling heart. "That looks a little expensive…" I sighed. "I imagine if I was in a town this wouldn't be a problem because I could just sell the stones I can make so far and gradually earn my way towards the total, but living out here in the woods…I wonder if Violet could maybe get me some of the materials…? Actually now that I think about it there was a glowing crystal in one of the cupboards, maybe that's a magic crystal?"
I got up to look back through the cupboards of the kitchen and pulled out the crystal I'd found on my first day in the house. "Ok, glowing blue crystal, yup, but how exactly does one go about figuring out whether it's a magic crystal or not?" I tried to scroll through the course, but the information I wanted didn't seem easily accessible, so I just searched the general encyclopedia for entries on magic crystals instead.
"Ok, let's see…magic crystals drop from monsters, occasionally found in mana veins at key intersections of leylines…ok, emits a constant low glow, low-grade crystals are clear or tinged with a light blue, medium grade crystals are more blueish and the insides are more crystalline and subdivided, whereas high grade crystals are darker blue sometimes almost black and are more opaque.
"Well this definitely fits the bill," I held up the glowing blue crystal to the light looking at the many refractions coming from the subdivided interior. "I guess that makes this a medium grade crystal? That's pretty rare, I wonder what it was doing lying around in here…"
CRASH
I heard a loud noise from outside the hut and spun around rapidly to see what it was. Unfortunately I couldn't see anything from inside the house, so reluctantly I drew closer to the window to try to see outside.
Standing over the body of a large wolf-like monster with four red eyes and a sharp blue horn was Violet, shadow blades still retreating from where they had pierced the monster back into the folds of her long black dress.
Only a moment after I saw her her head snapped towards me and I fell back onto the ground as her red eyes seemed to bore into me. I sat there trembling for a moment as I heard soft footsteps approach the door, before a hand settled at the latch and the door swung open.
"Ahhh!" I exclaimed weakly, covering my head in my hands.
Violet just looked down at me and blinked. "Are you ok? Were there monsters in here?"
"Ah, um, no, I'm fine…" I said lamely. She extended a hand to help me up, which I took rather ashamed of myself.
"Are there…normally monsters like that in the woods?" I asked, remembering what Flow had told me about the quests for monster subjugation in the other parts of Elaria.
"No," Violet looked off into the distance and frowned. "This is a druid-managed forest, there should be no monsters here. But there's been a mass migration of monsters from the new human settlement to the east. They've been struggling to keep up."
"Oh," I looked down a little guiltily, wondering if this was the result of the local starter town being developed.
"Stay inside until it is safe. Do you have runestones to manage water and things or should I fetch you a large water jug for the house?"
"Oh, um, I just made this," I scrambled towards my desk, inexplicably nervous at the prospect of showing her my work. "This is a…moisture collection stone? I guess?"
She took it from my hand and looked over it closely, activating it as she did so. The stone slowly gathered a mist around it, causing a constant dripping to form at its lower edge. "Well I can't say I'm an expert at all this, but it seems to be doing its job right." She handed it back to me. "But It's small and requires frequent recharging. I'll fetch you a water jug."
"Umm, thanks. I guess that works then…"
She looked at me for a moment. "I need to drain this monster before it spoils. Do you have other needs? I will return tonight."
"Oh! Um, yeah, ah…I could exchange some runestones for it if you'd like, but I need a, um…" I checked the system screen again. "Magnification stone as well as ahh 10-20 low grade crystals and 2-3 low grade crystals that have ten layers or higher."
"Hmm," She looked down thoughtfully. "Magic crystals will be no issue. The magnification stone…I'll have to check if the druids have one. If not, it may take a week or longer."
"Ah, Well, ok. I'm happy with whatever." A week? How far out are we exactly…? "Any of the stones I've made that you want?"
Violet shook her head. "Runestones carved without crystals can't do much because of their low storage capacity. Once you finish using the magic crystals, I will take five 12 hour light stones and a water pump powerful enough to draw from a 25 meter deep well. Tell me when you have completed the products to my requirements."
"Ok," I nodded, relieved that I could be of some use to her.
"And your food supply?"
"Oh, um, I think I'm alright, but I'm not really much of a cook, so some more bread or jerky would be nice…"
"I see," She looked over to the counter where the raw meat she had given me was still sitting out untouched. "Would you rather me take the meat back with me?"
I shifted my eyes, twiddling my fingers. "Um…yeah, sorry."
She looked at me and gave me a smile, which looked entirely unnatural on her face. "Very well then." And then she vanished into a cloud of smoke, the meat and the beast outside disappearing alongside her.