Damned world knights. Chapter 5: Chapter 5: how runes and magic work.

Read chapter 5 of Damned world knights. by Burnbright on NovelPedia.

The sun rises, but it brings no warmth. Crows caw overhead—loud, restless. The sound echoes through the twisted trees. Ellowen and Linda stir awake. They stand, brushing leaves and dirt off their clothes, and begin packing their belongings. Ellowen hands Linda the sleeping bag, watching as she stuffs it into her bag and pulls her crow-feather cloak over her shoulders. "Thanks for letting me use the sleeping bag," he says with a soft smile. "It made sleeping... actually possible." Linda smirks and gives him a playful nudge. "You're welcome, partner. Couldn't let you cuddle up with the ants all night." As they begin walking, Ellowen checks his wristwatch. The strange glowing needle still points steadily north. "I wonder what's north of here... and how long it'll take to get there." He sighs. "Then again, we're walking, so… yeah. Long." The forest around them is dim, shadows stretching between the gnarled trunks. Weapons lie scattered in the undergrowth—rusted blades, broken spears, shields half-buried in dead leaves. Here and there, they pass old corpses, some long decayed, others newer, as if the land refuses to bury them. The crows don't seem to mind. Linda's eyes wander from Ellowen's side, where a sword hangs sheathed, to the pouch on his back. "So... I've got something to confess," she mutters. "When I was dragging your half-dead self out of that ruined village, I may have… accidentally peeked in your pouch." Ellowen snaps his head toward her, narrowing his eyes. "What. The. Heck," he mutters, deadpan. "You know that makes you sound more suspicious, right?" "The pouch just fell open!" she protests, holding her hands up. "It was an accident!" "Uh-huh. Sure." Linda pokes his arm, ignoring the glare. "You didn't tell me you had an M.E. lamp," she says, a grin tugging at her lips. Ellowen's tail twitches slightly. "M.E. stands for...?" "Magical Engineered. Your lamp's one. So are your shoes, actually." Ellowen frowns, glancing down at his feet. "I knew they weren't normal. Never wear out, grip like glue... I figured they were just high-end boots." "Yeah, well, they're better than high-end. They're enchanted tech. Pretty rare these days." He pulls the lamp from his pouch. It's palm-sized, metallic, and smooth. Holding it up, he notices a line of red script along the side. "Crecer y iluminar," he reads aloud. The lamp whirs softly. With a sudden click, it expands in his hand, and a brilliant flame ignites inside, casting a fierce light. "Whoa," he breathes, eyes wide. The wind stirs their cloaks as the firelight flickers. Around them, the forest seems to shrink away from the glow—almost like it fears the light. Linda laughs and pulls a small orb from her coat pocket. "Same phrase." She says it. The orb grows, floats into the air, and shines like a mini sun above them, pushing back the gloom. "See? This is what we use to light up caves," she says proudly. Ellowen looks from the hovering orb to his hand-lamp, unimpressed. "Okay, how come yours is better?" Linda smirks. "Yours is a lamp. It's got a heat rune and a size rune. Great in a storm or when you're freezing to death. Mine's got three: light, size, and weight. But it needs a recharge and doesn't last as long." She squints up at her orb. "Encogerse y atenuarse." The orb shrinks, dims, and floats down into her hand. Ellowen repeats the phrase for his lamp. It contracts instantly, going dim, and he tucks it back into his pouch. "So... the shoes. You think they've got runes too?" "Probably," she says. "But they're really well-integrated. Need to realy know your runes to see how deep they go-plus to make something this good you are going to need engineers, rune crafts and mages." Four days pass as they continue walking, sleeping, talking. As they walk, the forest begins to thin. More signs of battle litter the trail—dented helmets, shattered bones, and blood-slick rocks. The land here is cracked and gray, like it's been drained. Even the air feels wrong—stale, heavy, as if the ear