The Runesmith

The next morning, Roland woke up feeling more rested than he had in a long time. Sunlight filtered through the window, casting a warm glow across the room. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the light, and then noticed the woman dozing off against his bare chest. For a moment, he wondered how he entered this room but soon he recalled dozing off in the dining room.

‘Ah right, now I remember…’

His sleep had been short-lived due to a certain oversized wolf deciding to nap next to him. The snoring was so loud that his heightened senses mistook it for a monster attack. After waking up he spotted the blanked Elodia placed over him, which he assumed she had done to ensure he was warm. Eventually, he found himself in their bed and had a nice intimate encounter with his wife.

‘It’s good to be back…’

He gently moved, trying not to wake her, but her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled up at him, looking just as content as he felt.

“Good morning, Dear.”

“Good morning, Elodia. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She stretched, her smile already making this day a lot brighter. Roland was still getting used to being married and having someone who cared for him so deeply. It was a feeling he was slowly embracing. He was a loner, so having someone like Elodia by his side was somewhat new. However, it was not a burden but rather something that motivated him to strive even harder for their joint future.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're back and I hope you’ll be staying longer this time around?”

“I hope so but…”

“Is it about your sister?”

“Yes but also a few other things.”

Elodia's voice was soft and full of warmth. She already knew about his adventures at the magical academy and the possibility of his return there. He had not detailed how he planned to return, but she had been informed about Lucienne. Keeping secrets from his wife was not something he wished to do, and having someone who cared for him offer advice was always welcome.

“Of course but remember, You don't have to shoulder everything alone. If there is something I can help you with, just let me know, alright?”

“If you keep saying things like that, I’m not sure I’ll be able to control myself…”

Roland nodded at her words of support, his desire to tackle her down into bed once more momentarily overshadowed by the warmth of her encouragement. However, before his carnal instincts could take over, a loud sound echoed from inside his home. It sounded like scratching, and upon further investigation, it appeared to be Agni scratching against their bedroom door.

His disappointment was immeasurable as he was forced to open the door. There he spotted Agni wagging his tail around which caused some of the wooden chairs to break. Roland sighed, resigned to the fact that his time alone with Elodia was over, at least for the moment. With a sigh, he left his bedroom and pushed the oversized wolf out of his home. His size had become a problem and letting him inside was not the best idea anymore.

“Borf!”

“No, you can’t stay inside, you have your own place, that’s why we made it, go stay there!”

“Warf!”

Roland rolled his eyes as Agni continued to protest against being shoved out of the house. Luckily, with some coaxing and well-placed scratches behind the ears, Agni relented and trotted off to his designated wolf house. He looked a bit saddened and his tail was curling downward but nothing could be done about it. His size was too large for his workshop so he couldn’t keep him company like he used to when he was a puppy.

‘Maybe in the future, something could be done about that though…’

There was one idea in his mind that would allow his wolf companion access back into the underground smithy. His time at the Institute was well spent and his research into dimensional magic had been extensive. If he was able to create the core of the structure he desired, then perhaps making some more space without digging around would be feasible. However, such things would need to wait for later as he first needed to do some other things.

“Does he seem more clingy than before?”

“He just missed you and then there are also the people from the Solarian church, some of them can be peculiar…”

Once Agni was taken care of, he had a business meeting with his wife. She had kept informing him about the state of Albrook while he was gone and there were indeed several pressing matters to attend to. The presence of the Solarian church caused an influx of believers and refugees from other cities. A new growing city was always an opportunity to start over so it attracted people that weren’t necessarily able to bolster the economy. Work was scarce and the influx of people wasn’t necessarily a good thing. If something wasn’t done now, then in the future he knew that this place would resemble Aldbourne with its extensive slums and criminal element.

“I have my work cut out for me. Well then.”

Roland knew what had to be done and soon he set off to take care of some business with Arthur. Over a month had passed since he had left this place and the presence of the Solarian church had only grown stronger. The priests and believers had set up new shrines and small temples, attracting a steady stream of pilgrims and new settlers to Albrook.

‘Did they enlarge the main church through some magical means? I don’t remember it being this tall…’

With the help of his helmet, he spotted a high concentration of people beneath the church, some of them belonging to the Solarian Paladin order. It seemed they had begun expanding downward, likely digging to create more rooms for their priests and perhaps also escape tunnels. These cathedrals were large structures with thick walls that could become important military structures during a siege attempt. They wouldn’t be easily breached, as they were reinforced with holy magic, which was particularly potent against undead and evil creatures.

It was early in the morning but already many adventurers were crowding the streets. Many of them seemed to be of the gold rank but platinum ranks were also there. He noticed a few races he hadn’t seen in a while, such as gnomes, who likely belonged to the recently formed Alchemical Guild. The same that wouldn’t let Rastix into their circle. The man would soon have some interesting work to do and perhaps with it, he could show that they were mistaken.

“It’s the Knight Commander, make way!”

As he was walking through the streets, people started moving to the sides. The cape he was wearing had the Valerian crest on it and he was also being followed by a small squad of soldiers. Roland didn’t like the attention but had already made peace with standing out. His two-meter-tall armored form could no longer blend into the crowd. Soon, he found himself at Arthur’s estate, ready for the strategic meeting.

The estate was abuzz with activity as Roland arrived. Arthur had clearly been preparing for his return, and the knights and staff moved with purpose. Roland made his way through the familiar halls, greeted by nods and salutes from those he passed. His presence commanded respect, something that took a while to earn. Arthur was waiting for him in his office where on his desk maps and documents were spread out.

"Sir Wayland, good to see you. I trust you managed to get some rest?"

"Yes, Lord Arthur. Thank you. It was much needed."

"Good, good. We have a lot to discuss. Please, take a seat."

Mary was here with them but they had to keep up the appearance of lord and Knight Commander. Spies could be anywhere and if someone noticed that Roland wasn’t a true Knight, there could be some potential trouble. Roland settled into a chair opposite Arthur and finally, they could start discussing the future of the city.
"We've made significant progress while you were away, the ‘power grid’ that you proposed is almost finished and that generator for the dungeon is ready. The dwarven craftsmen are waiting for you to supervise the installation.”

It seemed that a large chunk of work had been finished and the city workers had laid out the bulk of the cables. What was left was to construct the main generator that would turn the dungeon’s heat into power. For this purpose, he decided to go with geothermal energy which consisted of tapping into the natural heat of the dungeon to generate electricity.

The volcanic activity beneath the dungeon provided a consistent heat source, capable of boiling water and producing constant steam. It wasn’t much different from the old steam generator he had once built; they just needed to create a water reservoir underground that would be heated by the dungeon's lava.

Something like this could be easily achieved with the help of water magic. The heated water would produce steam at high pressure, which would then be pushed up into a turbine chamber. Once the turbine began spinning, it would start charging the generator to produce electrical energy. The cooled steam would turn back to water which was then guided back to the water tank and the process would repeat itself.

"That's excellent news, Lord Arthur. I'll begin overseeing the installation as soon as possible. Once the power grid is fully operational, we can start improving changes to the infrastructure and we’ll have enough energy to bolster our defenses.”

“Yes, the new golems and turrets. The dwarven craftsmen have been creating runic batteries, once they are charged…”

Roland nodded as not only would the generator provide energy to the whole city it would also be responsible for powering a regiment of their blossoming army. As it stood now, their forces were outnumbered. One Knight Commander from Theodore’s side could call up troops that were equal to theirs and this didn’t account for mercenaries or adventurers that they could always hire. While Golems couldn’t truly replace real soldiers they had one major advantage, they were cheaper in the long run and didn’t require sleep or be paid. With the dungeon being a gold mine, gathering resources for their production wasn’t hard either.

“Things are looking great but we need to be vigilant, I’m not sure my brothers will just stand idle and let this city grow.”

“Probably not.”

He nodded, recognizing that with time, Arthur was becoming a thorn in Theodore’s side. It was wise to address a problem early on, as allowing it to fester could lead to much larger issues down the line. They anticipated sabotage attempts and efforts to hinder the city's growth. A direct assault was unlikely, but even nobles had their hidden organizations that functioned similarly to the thieves guild, or even hired them directly. Fortunately, the Thieves Guild Master was their ally, so they had one less problem to worry about. If a mission were directed against them, they expected her to inform them or handle the issue at her leisure.

“Have you managed to recruit any members to your group?”

“There are a few promising recruits, but we are still looking.”

Replied Mary as Roland inquired about the ninja organization that she was responsible for. It was best to fight fire with fire and having a group of assassins was part of being a high noble. With his technology, Arthur’s compound was quite safe but the runic devices weren’t perfect. The scanners he used worked on mana pattern recognition that could be fooled by skilled individuals. Having a group of trained assassins would serve as a deterrent and also allow them to gather intelligence and perform covert operations when necessary.

“Well then about the other issues…”

They continued discussing the city and its challenges. With two competent Tier 3 knights present, his responsibilities as a Knight Commander could be delegated to them. They could handle training the new recruit and maintaining the command structure. Meanwhile, he could focus on his strengths: designing innovative runic devices and crafting armor.

“Well then, Sir Wayland, I won’t detain you for too long. I understand your eagerness to continue your research, but we must prioritize getting the generator in order first.”

“I agree. However, Once it's assembled, I'd like to proceed with my other project, if that’s fine with you, My Lord.”

“Certainly, that's acceptable.”

The decision had been made, and the geothermal power plant needed to be constructed first. Although he was eager to begin crafting the prosthesis immediately, the generator parts had already been completed. He could also enlist the aid of his dwarven allies to fashion a suitable replica for Bernir’s arm, one that wouldn’t necessitate a backpack with batteries for operation.

Once both of these tasks were completed, he would also need to refurbish his own battle armor. The runes on it had been used up repeatedly and fallen in rank. The only way to restore them would be to erase the old ones and craft them again from the start. However, he wasn’t sure if that would be all. The phantom limb technology that he had developed could be used in various ways, not only to restore missing arms. In theory, he could create something akin to power armor or even larger constructs if given enough time.

It was time to move and Brylvia was probably tired of pushing back the project in his absence. After going outside, he first made sure that all the turrets in Arthur’s villa were in good shape before moving towards the Union’s forge. To his surprise, he didn’t find his Master Runesmith friend there; he was informed that she had already done most of the heavy lifting. They were waiting for him at the dungeon, which he appreciated as it saved him a lot of precious time.

The city was bustling with activity, The streets were filled with merchants peddling their wares, adventurers boasting about their latest conquests, and workers hurrying to their jobs. It was a vibrant scene, but there was no time to enjoy the sights as he needed to be at the dungeon. Thankfully, his current standing made navigating there quite straightforward and was aided by a borrowed mount. The horse wasn’t slow, yet it wasn’t fast either. Perhaps he would have to reconsider going back to an older product he used to rely on as a horse replacement. He could see it flourishing after the magical energy was supplied to the city and they had readily available charging stations.

After reaching the dungeon entrance, he ventured inside. The craftsmen were situated in a deeper section, which had been scouted beforehand. The placement of the water container required precision, near the lava yet not at risk of collapsing. Fortunately, his mapping device pinpointed a spot devoid of monster interference.

"The business seems to be thriving."

En route, he encountered spider golems darting about, presumably returning from aiding a stranded adventurer. Deaths in the dungeon had reached an all-time low, with his golems being rented by nearly anyone with coin to spare. This enabled the city to gradually recoup the golems' costs, and they were close to making profits on their investment.

“Well, look who decided to finally show up.”

“Good day, Master Brylvia.”

His Master Runesmith acquaintance appeared somewhat annoyed by his arrival, having been forced to wait for his approval. From her perspective, it was impolite to have someone of comparable expertise scrutinizing her work. Nonetheless, the technology was his invention, and spotting errors in runes was his forte. The debugging skill that had helped him to get this far was activated, and he began to quickly go over the large metallic container that would become part of their new geothermal power plant.

While the runic structures weren’t all of the highest order, the craftsmanship wasn’t bad. What impressed him most wasn't the runic work but the meticulous structuring of the cave. The entire space had been excavated to perfectly fit the water container, with the walls reinforced with metal to prevent the dungeon from closing in on them - similar to the door he had previously constructed with Bernir.

“Overall, this looks good, Master Brylvia. I don’t see any major issues with the runes or the structural integrity.”

“Of course it does, I made sure of that.”

She replied, her tone sharp as she bristled at his inspection. Despite her gruff demeanor, Roland knew she took pride in her work, and rightfully so. Brylvia quickly nodded at her people and they began with the assembling process, which would take a while. The heat here was quite immense but with some runic magic, a barrier of cold was created around the workers.

Roland watched closely as the dwarves deftly maneuvered the heavy metal components into place, securing them with enchanted bolts that ensured both stability and durability. The container was positioned perfectly over a magma vent, which was a critical aspect of their geothermal energy system.

‘Everything is progressing smoothly, at this pace I’ll be free to make that limb… but that might not even be the most tiresome task.’

While looking over the installation, Roland's thoughts drifted to the upcoming challenges beyond the generator. Constructing the prosthesis for Bernir was a complex task, but his mind kept returning to a different issue. His time here might have been limited but to connect himself back to the mainland, he would need to begin building a structure similar to a mage tower.

I would like to officially inform all my readers that I have started writing a new story called Heavy Metal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]