Amelia was happy now that she was done 2/3 of the Aetts she had to make. Not that she hated making Runes, but she was sort of wanting to be done this Final. Her belly was starting to feel hungry, and the prospect of eating dinner with Zayden was rather appealing.

With a sigh, she looked at the next Aett she was going to create and saw that some of these shapes seemed rather hard too. Here goes nothing, she thought to herself as she picked up the last eight wood pieces and placed them in front of her. First was Tiwaz, which looked like an upwards arrow. "Intalgio Tiwaz... Tiwaz...," she said as she pointed her wand at the wood. The shape was etched onto it.

The next Rune she did was Berkano, which not only looked like a B, but was also the Rune she wrote about for the last homework assignment. She remembered that it was a mostly female Rune, and could also be associated with Healers. That fact made her smile since she was aspiring to be a Healer after Graduation.

Come on September.

Ehwaz was easy, as it was basically a M, but Mannaz was harder. She definitely could see that it was very similar to Ehwaz. It also sorta reminded her of two flags standing opposite of each other and touching at the point. She was concentrating more than ever as she tried to create that one, "Intalgio Mannaz... Mannaz... Mannaz."

Laguz and Ingwaz were rather easy, however... so that made up for the harder one she had to do before. She just didn't know why some Runes were harder for her to make than others. It was just a great mystery.

Only two more to go now, and it was with a smile on her face that she pointed her wand at the next one. "Intalgio Dagaz... Dagaz," and she couldn't help but notice that that Rune looked a lot like Mannaz but bigger and without the legs. It had definitely been easier, she mused as that one was added to her almost complete collection of finished Runes.

Lastly was Othala, and she could tell that one would be hard as well. But then some of the ones that she had assumed would be hard turned out to be pretty easy, so she wasn't going to despair. "Intalgio Othala... Othala," and the last Rune was finished and placed with the others.

Ella couldn't help but smile. She was almost finished carving her rune set and over all, the runes looked quite good. She glanced down at her text to figure out what rune was up next. Mannaz. This rune had to do with a group of people, usually the ones surrounding whoever pulled the rune, and how that group thought of the person. Ella pulled over another blank disc, picking the gouge tool up and gently carving the rune into the willow.

Laguz was the next rune to carve. This rune was not considered to be a good one because it meant uncertainty, which was never a fun feeling. Ella reached for another blank willow disc and first carved a line in the center, then adding the line pointing down and towards the right.

After Laguz came Ingwaz. This rune was cool because it had to do with the earth and with nature. Ella felt that this rune was particularly significant at the moment since she was surrounded by such a beautiful forest scene. She carved the diamond shape into her next blank disc and placed it gently to the side.

Dagaz came next. This rune had to do with having a well-led life. Ella hoped she would encounter this rune when she was older because it seemed like a good one to have. She picked up her gouge tool again and carved the rune carefully into another piece of wood. Almost done!

The last rune Ella had to carve was Othala. The meaning of Othala was kind of confusing to the first year, especially since it represented so much. Pulling the last empty disc towards her, Ella used the gouge tool to carve her last rune into the willow. When she was done, she pumped the hand holding the gouge tool into the air, excited. She had done it! She had made her own rune set!

The interior of the groundskeeper's hut was eventually replaced by a shady wooded area filled with occasional rays of sunlight and trees and various shapes sizes and no doubt wood types. Some of which he reconized from being around them most of his life and others seemed familiar from the earlier lessons on wand woods. When he saw his fellow students at least he knew he was in the right place....Buckinghamshire. That and the return portal was right there behind him as he stepped into the clearing.

Success!

It certainly fit as an appropriate place to find the perfect specimans for the runes set they were to make on their own. As well as a beautiful change of scenery to being inside the castle. Even though they had been spending more and more time outdoors for lessons with the warmer weather. Now he just had to accomplish the task set before him.

After a minute or two Jory was ready to start carving again. The next rune was Berkano and was shaped kind of like a capital B. “Means growth, liberation, loss of control and family loss,’’Jory read aloud completely forgetting about being bored with talking to himself. With his wand at the ready over another disk, the Puff cast the spell. “Intaglio Berkano…Berkano!’’ he said. And there was the rune on the disk. After examining it, he placed it next to the other completed runes and moved on to the next.

“Tiwaz means honor, leadershipand communication difficulties,’’ the third year read. “And this one’s the full arrow shape.’’ Taking a disk, he placed it in front of him and positioned his wand. “Intaglio Tiwaz, Tiwaz!’’ he exclaimed and the rune began to carve. Another perfect rune. Jory began to feel a bit pleased with himself. He was glad e at least got the hang of this spell.

The next rune was Sowilo. “Achieved goals, success, loss of goals and destruction. Shape’s sort of like an S.’’ Concentrating Jory positioned his wand over a new disk. “Intaglio Sowilo, Sowilo, Sowilo!’’ he said. A few moments later there was a rune just like in his text on the disk. He put that aside with the others.

“Algiz. Shaped like a trident and means protective and hidden danger,’’ Jory said. “That doesn’t sound good, the hidden danger.’’ With a new disk, he concentrated on the rune. “Intaglio Algiz…Algiz…Algiz!’’ he said. This carving came out alright as well.

Vickers returned to his work area staring at the little wooden hazel discs. What was he supposed to do again? Oh yeah. Runes carving. The most important part of the whole task.

He reached into his bookbag and took out his Runes textbook, flipping open to the page that featured the first rune Fehu. He took his self-inking quill and lightly traced the rune onto the wooden disc. He didnt want to make a mistake and waste precious wood pieces after all.

"Intaglio Fehu..." he started to chant repeatedly, the carving spell cutting into the wood's surface. He repeated the motion a few more times, wanting to get a nice deep engraving onto the hazel piece. He straightened up to examine his work. Very not bad if he must say so himself.

He flipped to the next Rune on his textbook and took the quill again, outlining the shape of the Uruz rune onto the new wooden piece. He then reached out for his wand and started chanting the spell again, but this time for the Uruz rune.

The Ravenclaw repeated these steps until he has completed carving out all 24 runes onto their individual discs. Groaning ever so slightly he straightened his back to look at his work. Almost done, but there was still one more step he needed to do. And it was gonna get a little messy, not to mention painful.

Perthro was the next rune. “Means Mysteries, loneliness and addiction,’’ the Puff read. As for the shape, he could make neither heads nor tails of what it was. Frowning, he tried to concentrate on the rune. “Intaglio Perthro!’’ he said. To his disappointment, this rune was a disaster. It looked like a unicorn horn to Jory instead of….whatever the rune was supposed to look like. Jory tossed the rune to the opposite side of the perfect runes and busied himself with cutting a new disk. “Here we go again.,’’ he said after he’d done. “Intaglio Perthro, Perthro!’’ he exclaimed as he concentrated more on the rune. This time the rune came out just as how it was in the text.

“Eihwaz means strength and trustworthiness and when reversed means confusion and destruction,’’ Jory read “And shaped like half an arrow on both ends.’’ Wand at the ready, Jory hoped he’d have no trouble with this rune."Intaglio Eihwaz…Eihwaz!’’ But to his relief, this one came out ok.

The next rune was Jera. “Succession in efforts. In reverse means poverty and set backs,’’ the third year read. He observed the shape- two Ls. He concentrated on this one, it looked a bit complicated. “Intaglio Jera, Jera,’’ he said. He need not to have worried though- this one came out just right.

Jory consulted his text once again. “Isa. Challenge, dullness, blindness…all negative,’’ he said not liking this rune. The shape was simple- a vertical line. “Intaglio Isa, Isa!’’ he said and the carving began to take the right shape of Isa.

Kurumi hadn't really blacked out, she had more been hiding her face and been on the verge of doing so, but thankfully Vickers had arrived at her side soon enough to prevent that from happening.

"Hmmmm?" she asked in a shaky voice as she lifted her head, unaware that one of her recently carved runes was stuck to her forehead. Ironically, the particular rune stuck there was Sowilo. "I'm...o-o-okay. Just...um..." she mumbled, pointing her finger at all the students all using their own blood to paint. "N-N-No need for that!" she nearly shouted. "I'm fine, see." As if to prove her point, she lifted both hands high above her head and sort of took on a ridiculous position. Yep. That proved it.

Kurumi rushed to pick up her wand and continue carving using the spell, doing her best to keep her eyes off everything else that was going on. She really didn't want to faint during a lesson...not again at least. "Intalgio Tiwaz...Tiwaz...Tiwaz..."

She was probably going to have to paint her runes red once everyone else was already done using their...their b-b-blood. Even her red paint was making her a little queasy now.

So with Nate knowing that he had everything there with him, he was rready to start making the runes. First he grabbed his saw and started to saw away at the alder wwood he had. He went back and forth, back and forth. Then after he had his first piece he examined it to see if it was the correct size. After that then Nate started to saw even more knowing that the runes had to be like the first piece. He just kept on sawing away. Next after he had twelve he put them in a pile and put them aside for now.

Now he only had twelve more pieces to go, but first he had to take a little break before he started again because he was starting to feel a bit fatigued. He just waited for a bit. Then when he was ready again he got back up he started to saw again. Once he had his thirtenth piece of wood he examined it like the first one. Then he went back to sawing. After about ten minutes he was done making his pieces of wood for his runes.

Now that Ella had completely finished carving her runes, she was ready to complete the last step, smearing them with blood. She was seriously thinking about using the paint but decided that using her own blood would only make the runes stronger. If she had gone through all the trouble of making them, she wanted them to work as well as they could. Blood would surely help that happen.

Pulling the saw towards her, Ella used one of the sharp teeth of the saw to slit her finger, as her previous cut wouldn't provide enough blood. She gagged a little when the blood started to flow but decided to suck it up, she'd be finished soon enough. Her runes lay in a line on the workbench and the first year held her dripping finger over them one by one, watching the blood fall on each individual rune. As the blood splattered on each one, Ella thought of the individual rune's name and what it meant, trying to make a connection. Once she had gotten to the last rune, she went back over each with her finger, spreading the blood around and once again repeating each rune's name over and over in her head as she went along.

After she had finished, she picked up her finger and frowned. It stung a little but it would heal. Now that the blood had stopped, she shook it, hoping that would somehow relieve the little throbbing pain she was feeling. Next she moved her rune set off to the side so she could clean the bench which was covered in saw dust and now, blood. ICK. Then, she picked up her wand and pointed it at her work space, working quickly to clean the mess.

When she was done, she sat back and picked up her text book feeling accomplished, deciding to do some reading in the shady paradise while waiting for the next directions. Were they supposed to travel back through the portal alone? This question was on her mind but she didn't want to disturb any of her classmates who were working hard. Instead she just relaxed for a bit while she waited for the Professor or one of the older students to make a move.

Finished carving out her Runes now, Amelia knew that it was time for her to stain them with blood. She had no problem with blood really; it didn't make her squeamish usually... she just wasn't really sure she would have enough blood on one finger for all 24 Runes. Maybe it would be best to do them one Aett at a time and take a break between them. She could prick three different fingers that way.

Yes.

After looking at the textbook again to get the meanings of the eight Runes somewhat committed to memory, she moved the Runes of the First Aett carefully in front of her one by one. Next the pin that she had thought to put in her pocket was removed. Holding it in her left hand, she pricked her right index finger before squeezing a little to draw more blood out. It wasn't so bad.

She started with Fehu, letting a few drops fall on the rune while concentrating on it. Repeating the name of the Rune over and over again in a low voice, she thought of what it represented; it was related to wealth. While she was thinking about this, she smeared the blood all over the Rune so that it was covered. Then she set it aside.

Drawing a little more blood now, she started thinking about Uruz and what it meant, before dropping the blood on it and smearing it in while repeating the name in a low voice. She thought about how it was a generally masculine Rune and had to do a lot with raw physical power. Tat rune joined Fehu

As she smeared blood on Thurisaz, she frowned inwardly. She didn't like the sound of this Rune because of the mention of Frost Giants and such. But she supposed that it was a good Rune because it was to protect people from said Giants.

She made her way through the other five Runes in the same manner until she had finally finished doing the First Aett. It was time for her to take a little break before pricking another finger.

So after Nate was done with cutting the wood he took the pile he put to the side and put it in front of him. He then took his wand, and got ready to say the spell to carve the runes into the wood. So he took a deep breath and said "Intalgio Fehu Fehu." Then the piece of wood that Nate's wand was pointed at was being slowly carved to have the rune Fehu on it. He then put that piece aside.

Next he took another piece of wood, and put it in front of him. He readied his wand. He took a deep breath. Then he said "Intalgio Uruz Uruz." Nate had to get this one correct the first time because for the fist ancient runes homwork he chose this rune which was his favorite one. He looked at the rune which had the symbol of Uruz on it. He then put that piece to the side.

Then he took another piece of wood and put it in front of him. He took a deep breath with his wand at the ready. Next he said "Intalgio Thursiaz Thusiaz." He watched as the rune started to carve itself on the wood. he put that piece of wood to the side. He took his next piece of wood. He took a deep breath and said "Intalgio Ansuz Ansuz." Once again the rune was carved into the wood. He put that piece to the side.

He then took yet another piece of wood. He then said once again "Intalgio Raidho Raidho." The rune was being engraved with the rune. He put that one to the side, and grabbed another piece of wood. He said "Intalgio Kenaz Kenaz." After the rune was carved into the wood he grabbed another piece of wood. He then said "Intalgio Gebo Gebo."

Once that rune was set in, he grabbed yet another piece of wood. He then said "Intalgio Wunjo Wunjo." The rune of wunjo was set in. He put it to the side. He then realized that he was finished with the first Aett. Now he nly had sixteen more runes to go. Which was the next two Aetts. This was easier then Nate thought it would be.

Gideon stepped further away from the portal as another student came through to join them in the final process. He supposed he should get to starting, the Gryffindor headed off in one direction through the woods. He followed the path when he could but at times wandered off to try and improve his chances of finding windfallen branches that he could use. At first it seemed like his classmates had picked through the area he was in so the fifth year ventured a bit farther then he might have originally planned on.

In the end he had couple of pieces to chose from that he had picked up in his walking, finally deciding on the aspen branch in his grasp. The fifth year believing he remembered something about the connection between aspens and capricorns so maybe it would be an appropriate choice. And the overall branch seemed long enough to make a complete set of runes with it so it was certainly a keeper. No longer in need of the others, Gideon gingerly returned them to the ground.

Step one down...however many more to go.

Oh good, so she was conscious. Vickers eyed the stuck rune on her forehead and reached out to pick it off when Kurumi suddenly jerked her hands up at the mention of the Healer. Startled, her rune slipped off his fingers and bounced off a few times in his hand as he struggled to catch it. Clasping it finally in mid air, the Ravenclaw turned his attention back to Kurumi and handed her rune piece back “Alright, alright… I wanted to be sure you were ok. Just being.... neighborly thats all.” Neighborly? Pffft yeah keep telling yourself that.

*****

Well now comes the painful part. Vickers took a small bowl and filled it with the red paint. He knew he was going to need at least half a bowl of liquid to stain all 24 Runes pieces properly, but he was also fully aware of the potency of actually using his own blood to empower a rune. With a quick glance at the Gryffindor Prefect he shifted his position so his back was completely towards her, his body blocking the majority of the unpleasant task that lies ahead.

Gritting his teeth, he took his wounded hand out of his pocket, staring at the bloody finger that has clotted off. As he brushed off the dried mess, blood started to seep towards the surface. With a deep breath he pinched the wound a few times, coaxing more scarlet fluid towards the surface. He shifted his hand over the bowl and squeezed a few drops of his blood into the paint, then at the last minute, tapped his finger on each of the 24 runes pieces, smearing however amount of blood onto each of them. He has no idea if that would make it any more effective than just his blood mixed in paint, but hey he figured it couldnt hurt. The runes anyway. He was sucking his breath through his teeth in pain already.

He took a small stick to mix the paint and his blood in the bowl thoroughly, then dipped the paintbrush and started to coat each of the hazel wood pieces carefully, going through one side of the disc then waiting a few minutes before flipping it over to stain the other side. He ran a second coating for each of the discs before finally standing back to examine his work.

He was almost done. Just a few more. Jory was relieved, this was a good amount of work. Next up was Nauthiz. “Means delays restrictions and starvation. Another bad rune…hmmm,’’ he said. This rune was shaped like a t only with a twisted cross. “Intalgio Nauthiz…Nauthiz!’’ the Puff exclaimed and then, he had a perfect rune.

Back to his text, the third year read.''Hagalaz destructive, pain and loss,’’ he saidAnother negative rune. This one was shaped like an N. “Intalgio Hagalaz, Hagalaz!’’ he chanted to carve the rune into the disk in front of him. No problem with this one.

“Wunjo means joy, conmfort and intoxication,’’ he read. “Looks like a P.’’ No problemo. That was an easy shape. “Intalgio Wunjo, Wunjo,’’ he said and the rune was carved the right way on to disk.

Next in line was Gebo. “Gebo. Sacrifice and generosity. In reverse mode it means loneliness and greed. Shape is a simple capital X,’’ Jory said. He pointed his wand to the new disk. “Intalgio Gebo…Gebo!' he exclaimed. And not long after there was the X shaped rune.

The Puff consulted his text again. Next, was Kenaz. “Kenaz means vision, revelation and knowledge. In reverse, means disease, break up and lack of stability,’’ he read. Placing another disk in front of him, he cast the spell. “Intalgio Kenaz…Kenaz!'' he said. And here was his rune.

Jory took all five and placed them beside the other completed runes.

Aspen branch in hand, Gideon made his way back to the part of the wooded area that seemed to have the most activity going on at the moment...the workbenches. Setting the wood down, he almost took out his wand to accomplish the cutting of the runes having been using magic all along at least with the portal. But that might have had something to do with figuring it would be best not to dally over the creation of the carving needed, not wanting to hold others up. And then the 5th year remembered something the professor had said about mixing magics and the effect it could possible have on the runes, another reason pushing him towards the more hands-on approach.

"Perhaps doing it by hand would be better," he mused quietly, his gaze coming upon the various tools provided for accomplishing just that. Sure it would take longer, but the effort might show he had learned something about not always using magic especially when mixing such magiks. Gideon picked up the handsaw and paused as he held the saw in one hand while the other held his branch to the workbench, the boy trying to eye where best to place cuts before he started. Had he something to mark it with, the 5th year might have went in that direction but he was left to meerly visualize. Once he was satisfied he began sawing at the branch, working hard at his cutting and counting as he went.

One...two...three...four...five...

Just five more carvings to go! Next up was Raidho. “Raidho means travel, vacation and relocation. In reverse, crisis and disruption. Shaped like an R,’’ Jory noted. Ready to carve, he positioned his wand. “Intalgio Raidho, Raidho,’’ he exclaimed. This one came out right as well.

“Ansuz means communication and inspiration. In reverse, boredom and manipulation by others,’’ Jory read. The shape looked tricky though. It was like an F but now quite so. The front lines were sloping downward. “Intalgio Ansuz…Ansuz!’’ he said his wand pointing at a new disk. He need not worry though. This one was carved just as it looked in the text.

“Thurisaz reactive force and conflict. In reverse, danger, betrayal and evil,’’ he read. This was a baaad rune. “Intalgio Thurisaz…Thurisaz!’’ Jory exclaimed. And here was the rune.

Uruz was next. “Uruz means physical strength and speed. Also health. In reverse, violence, lust and rashness.’’ He noted the shape. It was tricky, sort of like a common n but not quite. The Puff concentrated well. He didn’t want this rune to be ruined. “Intalgio Uruz…Uruz,’’ he chanted. He need not worry. This one came out just fine.

And now for the last rune. “Fehu means Possessions won or earned, earned income and luck. In reverse…greed, cowardice and stupidiy.’’ He noted the shape. Here was the rune shape opposite to Ansuz. “Intalgio Fehu…Fehu!’’ he exclaimed.. And he was done! Jory added the last five rune to the pile with the others.

Now for the final part!

She didn't mean to, knowing how subconscious Vickers was when it came to these sort of things, but Kurumi giggled when he juggled with the rune that had fallen off her forehead. She hadn't even noticed that it had been there, but she was thankful to have it back. She probably would have been crawling around on her hands and knees looking for it. "Thank you, Vickers," she smiled as she took the run back from him and set it back with the others. "Well, it's nice to know you are looking out for me." You know, in case she fainted she at least knew that Vickers would be there to take her to the hospital wing sort of thing.

Tugging on her pony tail, Kurumi returned her attention to her own runes that were still not completely carved yet. So, wand back out, Kurumi set to using Intalgio to finish off the rest of her runes. When she had about two left, she noticed that the Ravenclaw boy had shifted his position, turning his back towards her and she giggled again. That was...going a bit above and beyond what was really necessary, although it was much appreciated. When Kurumi had finished carving the last rune with magic, she took a deep breath and just leaned back in her seat, banishing the saw dust and bits of wood that were all over her station.

Next came the part that she wasn't really looking forward to, but her mind was clear enough now that hopefully she wouldn't faint. Unscrewing the top on her paint, Kurumi used her index finger to apply the paint. Sure, her blood wasn't in it...but sweat was a bonus, right? The only problem was that she now had red paint all over her hands and a little on her nose when she had gone to scratch it earlier. So...time to clean up?

Removing her handkerchief, Kurumi removed all the paint from her hands, and then waved it over the runes to help them dry. Did this mean they were all done? Could she flop over in that tempting looking pile of leaves?

Twenty-two...twenty-three...twenty-four...twenty-five...twenty-six...twenty-seven.

There, he had them all cut. Granted he only needed 24 or 25 if he kept a blank rune for the set but having extras never hurt, especially if...Merlin forbid...he messed up in the carving of them. Carefully wiping of the wood dust from the saw with the edge of his robe, he set it back where the supplies had been kept, picking out a gouging tool to replace it so he could move on to the next step.

Gideon then looked in his bag for textbook so he had the exact images he needed to make for each one. Turning to the page that began the first Aett, the Gryffindor focused on fehu...the cattle rune and the first rune of the set. It was not quite exactly like an f for the horizontal lines were tilted. When he was ready, he positioned the gouging tool on the first wood circle and started carving the shape into the wood. It took some time and pressure on the tool but it was done and satisfactory in not too much time.

Now he just had to repeat the process 23 more times.
Whew...

Ira rubbed her eyes. Ah! So she finally was here. She had walked trough, no, rather traveled through the portal and somehow, had landed up here. Her hands were still sort of shivering.. Rubbing them together, she looked around.

Forest! All she could see were trees, and more trees. There were trees of so many kinds and colors! It looked all so beautiful!

But with it, came a problem. How was she supposed to know which wood to use. All kinds of woods appeared beautiful to Ira right now. So how to choose?

So she just walked along, touching the barks of trees and caressing the wood, hoping that her type of wood would itself display itself to her!

With the first rune done, Gideon moved on to work on the rest. The next one in the aett was uruz...or the ox which looked sort of like an "n". Using the gouging tool once more, the Gryffindor didn't have too much trouble however he was inwardly grateful that the non-existance of curves in runes was in fact true. Straight lines were certainly easier to carve the curved ones.

Uruz was complete before long and he set it aside with fehu before picking up another wooden round. On that one, Gideon carefully carved purisaz, the giant. When done with the latest one, the fifth year moved onto the anzus and then the raido, kenaz and the gebo. But by the time he hit wunjo, the last rune of the first aett he had to take a break. It might not be too complicate a work but it certainly took work. He surely was debating on his decision to no use magic.

Now what to do? Ira wondered how others had selected their wood? Maybe they had trusted their instincts. So maybe she should do the same too. So yes, she would do that.

She was just walking alone, when a branch caught her eye. It seemed like it was the Hazel tree but she wasn't sure of that. But nope, she couldn't take it, because Professor had specifically told them to take only fallen branches. So walk, walk, walk!

There was a fallen branch near her feet where she was walking. It seemed to be of Oak, and seemed perfect for her rune. So maybe this was it.

Smiling, she picked by the fallen branch and made her way back to her work-bench.

Amelia allowed herself to have a five minute break before deciding that she would start working on the next Aett. Again she consulted her textbook first, so that she could get a better grasp of what Rune she was working with represented. It was sad that only three of them had actually been in her brain before this, and two of those had been subjects for her homework assignments.

After feeling that she had a grasp on what she was working with, Amelia moved the eight Runes that she would be applying blood to in front of her. Now picking up her pin again, the middle finger of her right hand was pricked and then squeezed so that more blood came to the surface.

The first Rune that would be stained was Hagalaz, and she remembered that it had something to do with putting the past behind you; destruction and rebirth. Thinking about what the Rune meant and repeating its name over and over again in a low voice, she applied the blood to the Rune and smoothed it in.

Nauthiz was a negative Rune related to wanting, and it was hard for Amelia to keep from thinking of all the things she was in want of and actually do the work at hand. But she managed to keep her focus, and was more deliberate in repeating that name over and over when rubbing the blood into the Rune.

She worked through Isa, and was happy when it was time for Jera. This was a Rune of change -- generally positive change. That was something she liked. A permanent reward after hard work, and that push to finish a job. It was with a smile that she stained that Rune.

Amelia worked through the rest of the Aett now, feeling that she liked a lot of these Runes, and Nauthiz was the only one that she didn't care for. Placing the last Rune in the row with the other completed ones, she decided to take another break.

Lily stumbled out on the other side of the portal, dazed a bit but not harmed. Once she realized where she had ended up, the ravenclaw looked around for a while. Many, if not all of the other students were already well on their way working on their runes. Lily just took a while looking around at the scenery before she decided to get to work. Her first job at the moment was dealing with her bleeding finger. Carefully, she squeezed her finger until it stopped bleeding. Then it was off to work to try and find a wood that would work for her runes.

After a short break and a few minutes thinking over the issue, Gideon faced the second aett with a decision to switch to magic for the time being. Slipping his hand into his pocket for his wand, he took it out while grabbing for the next black piece for him to work with. The next rune up was Hagalaz. Taking a deep breath to gather himself and focus, he pointed his wand tip at the wood.

"Intaglio...hagalaz," he cast gradually moving his wand in the way he wanted it to go. The form of the rune's design started to appear as he worked and Gideon smiled. It was a little easier in the area of physical exertion even if it did need the same amount of effort. Setting the finished rune aside he moved on to the next and cast again.

"Intaglio nauthiz." The effects were mostly the same so he added it to the growing pile. The fifth year then moving to finish up the rest of the second aett, repeating the magically assisted carving process until they were all complete.

There was only one Aett left to do and then Amelia would be done the final. She was excited about that, because she was getting more and more eager to be back at the castle with Zayden.

After her few minutes break, she turned back to the textbook so that she could read about the Runes of this Aett stifling a yawn in the process. When she was sure that she knew what she needed to, she brought the Runes closer to her before pricking her right ring finger and bringing out more blood.

She started with Tiwaz, and as she said the name over and over again she thought about how this was a Rune about triumph and victory. It was one that she rather liked the thought of. She rubbed the blood all over it before she moved to do the next Rune in the Aett.

Berkana again. The one that she had used for her second homework assignment. The one that she felt a special connection to because not only was it a feminine Rune related to nurturing, it also could relate to a Healer. She felt more of a connection to this Rune than any of the others when she was smoothing the blood over it. Maybe it was just a random feeling that came from her wanting to be a Healer.

She made her way through the next few Runes, but wasn't too happy when she reached Laguz because it was another negative Rune. It represented uncertainty and powerlessness in the face of opposition. She couldn't help but want to frown when she repeated this name and stained it.

The last Runes in this set were a lot better than Laguz, and finally after a few more minutes she was done staining them all. She had done so much work for this final and she was proud of herself. She had managed to find her holly branch, cut it into pieces, care the shapes, and stain them. And this was someone who wasn't an expert in this class and relied heavily on the textbook. D:

Not really sure if she was allowed to leave or was supposed to stay until everyone else was done, Amelia decided to stay where she was for the moment. She could see that she wasn't the only one that was done. Alyssa was finished by the look of things.