The company stayed the night in their new accommodations. Bones didn't sleep as he didn't need to and the dwarves could sleep, apparently, anywhere. On a bed without a mattress and sheets, at the table and even under the table, as witnessed by Hemdus. On the third day, they packed their things and left, but not before Darsumi worked his way around the entrance, properly covering it up. Bones had to admit, the dwarves were good at what they were doing.

It was evening when they returned to the smithy and contrary to what he expected, the dwarves didn't take up drinking. Each headed their own way. Darsumi went to set up a meeting regarding a heist job and Hem took up his hammer and got to work. Bones once again witnessed the virtue of the dwarves. He saw Hem lazing about before but once he started working on something, the dwarf didn't stop until he finished!

Bones left the workshop and sat at the table in the kitchen, took out a mana potion and poured himself a drink. Once again, he would spend the night at the smithy. Hem was apparently used to other dwarves spending the night over so he had rooms to spare on the first floor. Bones was an exception to the rule and was allowed to stay.

The next day, Hemdus acquired a set of tools for Bones to practice mana engraving. The first tool was an ice pick-like tool used for engraving on hard surfaces and the other was a pen-like tool used to smoothen the engravings made by the first tool. Bones inspected the tools and could swear those tools weren't cheap. Both tools were enchanted with minor durability enchantment. Proper engravings tools would be dual enchanted with durability and mana infusion enchantments to make both mana infusing and engraving smoother and easier.

Bones had imbued mana before. It happened during the fight with the Viper, the miniboss, in the dungeon. Back then, he did it by imbuing his summoned lance first but switched to imbuing his sword because of extreme mana cost. If he remembered correctly, the sword shattered not long after. Bones looked at the tools in his hands and noted it wasn't iron or steel, it was made from something else. A reddish metal, very well known to dwarves as orichalcum. Alright, I should find myself a quiet spot in the workshop so I wouldn't be in Hem's way, and get to it!

The workshop was big and quite messy. When Bones entered the workshop with tools in hands, Hem approached and gave him a few tips on how to get started. "Is all bout control! Ye hav advanced mana manipulation ye?" Bones nodded and Hem continued. "Gud! Imbuing mana isn't as hard ye know! Ye just shove yer mana into it and expel it out eh? *wink wink*

"Ahem…wut ye need is to infuse mana 'nd channel it gently like makin luv to yer lady ye know? Channel her Bones! Channel her…"

"I think…I got the picture, Hem. I didn't ask for it, but I got it." Bones replied. "I'll go over there, the spot way over there." Bones motioned to a remote spot at the other side of the workshop.

Hem nodded approvingly. "Dat right, ye need yer space! Go Bones and remember!"

Don't say it…Bones thought.

"Channel heeer…"

Bones headed over to a spot and took out the thickest bone from his inventory. He wasn't expecting to succeed on the first try, but for him to get a feel for it. He started by infusing mana into a tool and felt the mana leave him. The tool lit up faintly with blue veins running through it and he adjusted the bone ready to make contact.

The tool and the bone made contact and Bones started to chip at the outer shell, making lines. The first line was faint and the second line went in too deep as he had a hard time controlling the mana output. Channeling wasn't hard to do, it's the constant and the steady flow that was hard to control. Bones made a mistake and instead of channeling mana through the tool, he expelled it out in a burst and shattered a bone.

*sigh* I didn't expect it to be easy but would it kill me if it was, for a change?

Bones wasn't going to stop at first failure, of course. He took out more bones and continued. Unbeknownst to him, Hem stopped working and was watching him from afar, his eyebrows raised and mouth agape. He didn't expect Bones to infuse the mana as easily. Usually it took time for the newbies to successfully infuse mana into the tool and even more time before they could successfully channel the mana through the tool and into the object they were engraving.

By evening, Bones managed to engrave the lines properly into the bone. They were rough lines but they could still be considered a success. The system didn't think so as Bones was yet to receive the prompt on the profession. With lines made, Bones took the other, smaller and thinner pen-like tool and began smoothing out the lines. It was detailed but easy work, and Bones finished by midnight. Hem said goodnight and left Bones working. Bones barely responded to Hem leaving, too focused on engraving. By morning, he met the minimal requirements and finally, the awaited prompt appeared.

New profession available: Mana Engraving

Accept: Yes/No

Bones accepted and was now officially a mana engraver. Of course, he was nowhere done with learning a profession. Like any other profession, engraving too, required practice and hard work.

"Boney? Ye still workin?" Bones turned around and saw Hem by the door of the workshop. "What do you mean? What time is it?"

"It's mornin'. Ye been workin 'ole nite?" Hem asked while rubbing his eyes.

"Apparently so. I made good progress and learned the profession just moments ago."

"Oh? Dats nice, gud for ye Boney! Want a coffee or an ale?"

"Err, coffee would be nice, thank you."

"Arright, come." Hem motioned for Bones to follow then stopped and turned. "Wut profession??"

"What do you mean by what profession? Mana Engraving, of course." Bones replied.

"Huh...ye gon be learning the runes already?"

"Not yet but soon yes, why?"

"Nothin, @%#%(." Grumbled Hem and left the workshop.

Bones was puzzled but followed nonetheless. Today would be just him and Hemdus. Others were too busy working on the necessary preparations for the opening of the shop. Hemdus left the smithy in the afternoon and headed towards the construction guild where, to everyone's surprise, he took on the two apprentices.

The first shop will be opened in Stonefalls in one week's time. Among general adventurer necessities like sleeping bags, tents and water containers, the shop would offer armor and weapons made for bronze rankers and those below.

Once the location and the space for the shop was acquired, under the dwarf's scrutiny in the small corner of the shop, Bones put up his bone decoration (small item) for sale. One small, cat shaped construct made out of bones.

During his bone shaping practices, he made many small and simple figurines and those made recently? He thought they were good enough to put up for display.

Once I gain more experience, I should try to shape larger and thicker bones. Maybe even my own! Last time…he shook his head and dismissed the idea. He remembered that one time he tried to shape his arm and…his failure was etched onto his soul. The pain…was very real.

The runes were different. More complicated than engraving lines. They looked like simple symbols but the intent behind each rune was complicated. Not only did the runes have to be precise, with not much room for error, but they needed to have aim, design, end, goal, intention, objective, object and purpose. All of it together fell under intent, and the flexibility and the function of each rune depended on the user's ability to inscribe the rune. What that meant was that even the simple rune connecting and lightening up manaposts, had clear intent inscribed behind it.

The runes held great value inscribed on armor and weapons. Inscribing runes on wearable items like armor, weapons and accessories was called enchanting and required more intent than said manaposts. Runes could make armor sturdier and resistant to a specific damage type for example.

Bones' reason for interest in mana engraving and rune smithing was a bit different. He didn't plan to enchant weapons or armor, but enchant something else that was tested and already experimented on before and it was greatly frowned upon and made illegal in a lot of kingdoms. He planned to enchant his body! Bones to be more precise.

He knew it was only a matter of time before he wouldn't be able to keep up with other classes, physically, even in an empowered state. His solution to his weakness was found in engraving and eventually, he wanted to inscribe runes on his body. It wasn't his original idea. Many had tried to do so before and the results were disturbing to put it mildly. Not all were failures though. Some races had better and more adaptive to mana, constitution than humans. One such race were the Rune Elves.

From what Bones found in the books about them wasn't much, but enough to give him an idea. The Rune Elves were natural casters and their tradition and culture involved inscribing runes onto their bodies once they were of age. The process was very painful but once done, their ability to cast was among the best! The runes on their bluish bodies looked like tribal tattoos, giving them that barbaric warrior look.

Bones didn't know if inscribing runes onto his bones would work, but he didn't see the reason why they wouldn't! He had to try at least. He wouldn't test it on himself first, of course! That's what he had the golem for! Another thing he learned was that it wouldn't do him any good to use any simple material to inscribe the runes on. Just like with the bones that shattered when he was practicing engraving, he needed better and higher quality materials, or in his case, bones.

He considered using human bones for creating a golem as he was most familiar with human anatomy. The other option would be the bones of a monster. They would be a better option of the two as monsters held physical superiority, but would also prove to be more difficult to inscribe precisely because of that.

There's also the matter of the quality of bones. The level and who the bones come from would dictate the capability and level cap of the created golem.

For now, bronze rank bones will suffice. If I show up with the human skeleton golem, I'd imagine people would freak out. It has to be monster bones! A more difficult route it is, then!

Bones was working on the bones of his next, test-to-be golem in the workshop. He planned to make a simple golem, a bit shorter than he was with simple instructions on how to move. Simpler instructions were easier to follow and they would be enough for the test. As for the purpose of the test? It is to test and observe how much easier and smoother the mana flow from the nucleus would be on engraved bones. He had a hard time shaping the larger bones but he still made it work somehow. Bones he used were the bones of the massive Steel Tusk Boars he acquired after clearing the dungeon. By nightfall, he completed shaping the bones.

The next step would be to engrave the lines in a simple, straight pattern to make the flow smoother. He would have to wait with the next step though, as he just sensed dwarves entering the smithy. A dozen of dwarves to be more exact!

Bones cleaned himself with a dirty towel resting by the hanger and headed for the exit of the workshop. Before he reached the exit he could hear the clamor and shouting of each dwarf trying to outdo the other. Once he appeared, the clamor settled down and everyone turned to him. All eyes on me huh?

"Alright…I thank you all for coming here tonight. I'd like to start with a simple joke I know all of you will appreciate."

The onlookers had confusion written all over them and their faces twisted like they were about to ask, "wut?". Bones ignored their confusion and continued…

"Hm…sorry! I'm wrecking my skull for a good joke about dwarves, but keep coming up A LITTLE SHORT!"

Silence permitted the room and one of the dwarves dropped and broke his mug on the floor. Their eyes went wide and their faces red. A moment later, the smithy shook from the boisterous laughter. One by one they approached and greeted him. "You have balls!" One of the dwarves said.

“No, not anymore!” Bones replied. The last one to approach him was Darsumi who, with a deadpan expression said, "I thought all undead were dead serious?!"

….

The night was productive and yet, nothing productive was done. Dwarves threw a feast and brought kegs of ale. Even the only silver rank enchanter in the city, a human, made appearance and he and Bones spent most of the night conversing on the topic of engraving and enchanting.