Forged Destiny [Book 6: Ch. 6]

Shaking my head, I placed one hand atop her shoulder to keep her still and the other flat against the back of the pauldron. I needed some metal to work with and since Ruby's outfit was so heavy on leather and cloth, this was the only way I could work a Rune into her. I used my thumb to brush an area flat, and then used my Engraving Skill to slowly etch it into the metal. It was slow, at least at first, but I'd done the Minor Rune of Constitution a few times now, so it was easier to work from memory than it was with something else. The Rune didn't activate when it was complete, and I had to push some heat into it first. When I did, it flashed blue for an instant before it faded to a seemingly inert pattern.

—Forged Destiny [Book 6: Ch. 6]