The Runesmith

After taking a deep breath, Roland ascended the stairs cautiously, his senses heightened, and his eyes glued to his minimap. Every step was a planned motion and he was readying himself for resistance once he arrived at the next destination. The path leading out of this dungeon was devoid of any signs of life. It was clear that every adventurer had fled due to the ensuing confrontation between him and the knight trio.

Roland was afraid that the confrontation wasn't entirely concluded. Once he arrived outside the dungeon, another assault might be imminent. A large group of knights and adventurers might have been waiting for him, with an order to end the mission that Cerberus had failed. However, as he neared the exit, a wave of relief washed over him. To his surprise, the dots on his map painted a different picture.

“Hm… those don’t look like soldiers, did they flee? or did they hire more adventurers?”

Once he was close to the exit he noticed a lot of dots on his minimap. It reminded him of the old Lich incident, when the dungeon had been evacuated and left many adventurers lingering outside the entrance. Despite the abundance of dots, they belonged to weaker individuals, many of whom were mere tier 1 class holders, not something he would ever worry about.

He expected something like a coordinated attack but there were too many prying eyes out there. There was a reason that he had been ambushed inside a swamp dungeon with limited visibility. Even though he was up against knights and nobility, they still couldn’t directly assassinate faculty members from a magical Institute. It seemed that they decided to do the sensible thing to pull their forces back, at least that’s how it looked at this moment.

‘What should I do…’

Roland asked himself while getting ready to make his way outside the dungeon. The individuals outside were mostly tier 1 class holders but there were some stronger groups. They were more than likely platinum adventurers and for those he needed to look out for. Eventually, he steeled his resolve and finally emerged before the large group of people who instantly noticed his arrival.

“Hey look, someone is coming out?”

“That robe, is that person with the mage school or something?”

“Then what’s with that suit of armor underneath… and why is his visor glowing?”

Once he was outside the people started whispering. His identity was obvious to the others as he had put on the Institute robe again. However, he was stuck scanning the area with his skills which left his helmet visor glowing and prompted some of the onlookers to back away. Yet, some pressed forward, a group of tier 3 class holders, likely platinum adventurers judging by their equipment.

Roland remained calm, his demeanor composed despite the tense atmosphere. He knew that any sudden movements or signs of aggression could escalate the situation further, and he had no desire for unnecessary conflict. His eyes scanned the approaching group that was composed of multiple tier 3 holders who didn’t have any notable strengths. They reminded him of the group involved with Rastix, not anyone who could threaten him.

“A mage from the institute? Could you enlighten us on what kept you there for so long? The dungeon has been sealed due to an unusual monster spawn…”

“...”

Roland didn’t reply as he took in the information of this group of five. It seemed the disturbance in the dungeon was attributed to a rare monster appearance, something similar to what transpired when the Lich appeared in Albrook. They were even in the process of creating a makeshift wall with large logs to keep the dungeon sealed. Perhaps later his death would have been attributed to the rare monster spawn.

‘They must be working with the guild or at least someone that can force a fake report…’

It was obvious what was happening here, and he had to give it to the Baskerville family who prepared a plausible alibi. A seemingly strong mage like him would not go down without a fight. This dungeon was rated as something that had strong tier 3 creatures on the lower levels and if an anomaly appeared, it would potentially be able to dispose of him.

One man approached him, he seemed to be the leader of this group of Platinum adventurers and could potentially be in on the whole grift. However, it could be one of the higher-ups like the city’s Guild Master. There was no telling who was his enemy or ally in this situation, so it was better to treat them all as the former.

“Move…”

“What?”

“I said move.”

Runic suppression was activated by him to weigh down on the lesser tier 3 class holders. This skill was quite handy when going with the ‘might makes right’ approach. While he wasn’t a fan of it and had usually found himself on the receiving end of such suppression, he understood its utility in situations like this. The platinum adventurers, now under the effect of his runic suppression, seemed to struggle. While they could resist it to an extent, they were below him in strength and this skill was there to showcase it.

“Wha- What is this? What are you doing, we just w-wanted…”

The leader of the group stumbled back, clearly caught off guard by Roland's sudden use of such a skill. To make things worse a ball of crackling energy appeared in his hand to make the situation even more dire. It was clear that there was no room for talking here and the five started to quickly spread out.

“Hmph.”

After snorting audibly, Roland took advantage of their confusion and swiftly made his way past them. His eyes were stuck to his minimap as he scanned the surroundings for any other threats. The lesser adventurers were already stumbling back, terrified of a potential fight breaking out between tier 3 class holders. It was quite the sight which made him look like the villain but he didn’t care, he needed to get back to the city to check on his sister.

It was a strange feeling, he had mostly lived his new life here in fear of potential repercussions. Even now pushing these platinum adventurers away without an explanation felt a bit surreal. However, the truth was obvious as the problem had been resolved instantly. Everyone was scared of the strange unknown mage and unwilling to confront him. He was able to easily move through the group that spread out to the sides.

‘... I could get used to this… but, I’m sure they will report this to their Guild Master.’

While it was true that this could cause an incident later, there was no time to lose. He needed to get back into Hazelfront. Professor Ernas was with the students and he wasn’t sure if he could be trusted. While he didn’t spot any lesser knights at this location there was a possibility that they were up to no good in the city, so he needed to hurry.

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‘Should I try that?’

The dungeon was near the city but it still took around half an hour to get there. If he buffed himself and started running then he would probably cut the time down to ten minutes but there was another way. Instead of following the winding path back, there was an option to go back in a straight line, if he moved from above.

It would undoubtedly be faster than navigating through the winding paths of the swamp, but it also came with its own set of dangers. He had been slowly delving into flight technology by examining flying ships and books regarding this issue. There was one tool that he could use to propel himself forward without relying on his armor.

There were many complications when attempting to use his armor for pure flight. Constantly using the floatation spell and another propulsion spell was quite draining. Then there was also the issue with landing and keeping balance. However, there was one way to do it that seemed plausible and the idea came to him when he observed the floating platforms in the institute. Getting his hands on the design wasn’t that difficult and after going over the runic code, he managed to adapt it.

‘I guess if I fall down then I’ll just run the rest of the way…’

Eventually, he concluded that it was probably better to just go for it. The people at the dungeon entrance would probably also try to follow him, so putting as much distance between them as possible was crucial. Thus, it was time to use his shield once more. It was quite thick, large, and something that he could easily stand on even with his armor on.

After placing it down on the ground the large mithril shield started glowing and slowly rising into the air. It was a somewhat awkward ascension and at first, he had some balancing issues with the shield tipping almost over to one side. But Roland quickly adjusted his stance, finding his equilibrium as the shield lifted him higher into the air.

‘The balance seems to be in order…’

From his back plate emerged exactly three of his floating cubes. They slowly floated under the shield and attached themselves to it through means of magical magnetism. With them in the back, it was ready to attempt his sky surfing attempt. Soon the cubes started glowing red and produced enough propulsion to push him forward.

“Hey, what is he doing?”

“Quick we need to…”

Behind him, the group he strong-armed had finally arrived. They were just in time to see red magical flames appear from behind the shield that jolted him forward. Due to their involvement, he lost a bit of his concentration and almost tipped over. However, after stretching his arms to the sides and using his palms to shoot out bursts of air, he managed to stabilize himself on his flying shield.

As Roland soared through the sky, he couldn't help but feel a rush of exhilaration mixed with a tinge of anxiety. This was his first time attempting such a feat, and the idea of falling into the depths below was not a comforting thought. However, he pushed those concerns aside and focused on maintaining balance which wasn’t such an easy feat. Only if he concentrated was he able to keep himself steady but eventually his speed began to increase.

‘I should install a speedometer on this next time… how fast am I even going?’

Despite not knowing his exact speed, Roland could tell that he was moving significantly faster than he would have on foot. The wind whipped past him, ruffling his robes while his armor kept him safe from the strong winds. For a moment he forgot why he was speeding towards the city as the world from above looked beautiful. He could see everything zooming beneath him, a long winding river cut through the landscape. The lush greenery of the surrounding forest and the city of Hazelfront that he was quickly approaching.

‘I can’t get distracted by the view, I’m not here to test out new prototypes.’

As he approached the outskirts of the city, Roland began to slow down, gradually decreasing the propulsion from his floating cubes. He wanted to land safely and if it was possible with some discretion. However, once he approached the city gates he noticed many people looking up at the strange sky surfing armored man.

‘If it’s like this…’

His previous plan had been to land near some trees where no one could spot him and then approach the city gate without making a fuss. The topography of this place was mostly unknown to him and he was too focused on steering his new creation, which exposed him to some onlookers. The robe that he was wearing over his suit of armor was clearly from the institute, thus under this guise, he decided to just continue flying forward. The institute was highly regarded within this city and he assumed that no one would stop a flying mage.

As Roland approached the city gates, he could see the guards looking up to see what the commotion was. Their expressions were a mix of confusion but also awe. The unconventional mode of transportation was probably nothing that anyone here had ever seen. With his robe fluttering in the wind and his armor gleaming beneath, he was not stopped or even shouted at, something that he had expected.

Instead, the guards scrambled to make way for his approach, uncertain how to react to his unexpected arrival. Roland had lowered his speed which allowed him to stand up straight. He attempted to seem like an imposing mage who didn’t have a care in the world. As long as he made it seem that he was allowed to do this, then he knew that these people wouldn’t react.

Roland slowly passed through the upper side of the gates while trying not to make eye contact with some archers on the guard towers. Then eventually he started to descend in an attempt to make a proper landing. With a soft thud, he finally landed just outside the gates, his shield gently settling onto the cobblestone street.

For a moment, the city fell silent as its inhabitants stared in wonder at the mysterious mage who had descended from the sky. Their eyes darted to the strange shield he was standing on and bulged out once strange floating cubes moved into his backplate, seemingly disappearing into nothingness. Roland, without uttering a word, used his mage hand spell to slowly take the shield from the ground and quickly slipped towards the bustling streets of Hazelfront.

‘Well… everyone saw that so I bet it won’t take long for everyone to become aware of my presence… I need to find Lucienne.’

Once inside the city, he started to blend into the crowd. When his armor wasn’t glowing he didn’t look much different than any other eccentric adventurer. His destination was clear as the small spider drone was still in his sister’s possession. It had not been destroyed which meant that she was probably safe. While he didn’t know this city, maneuvering through it wasn’t that hard, and eventually, he arrived at his next destination,

‘This is? A restaurant?’

To his surprise, once he was there he found him before an expensive-looking building. seemed to be a high-end restaurant, with polished wooden doors and large glass windows. The sign above the entrance bore the name “The Golden Goblet”. It was a place Roland had heard of before and it was known for its exquisite cuisine and elegant atmosphere.

‘This place… Think Ernas mentioned it before…’

Without thinking much he stepped forward, his map quickly searching through the database to identify the mana patterns inside. To no surprise, he was picking up all the students along with other faculty members from the Institute. They were all in this singular building but before entering through these polished doors, he needed to handle the bouncer.

“Ah… you must be from the Institute, please come in.”

“...”

He just nodded as the burly-looking man identified him by his mage robe. Once the doors were opened he stepped through to arrive inside the lavish interior of The Golden Goblet. The atmosphere was sophisticated yet inviting, with dim lighting casting a warm glow over the finely decorated space. The aroma of delicious food wafted through the air as he tried to ignore it to find his sister.

As he made his way deeper into the restaurant, he noticed several familiar faces among the patrons. Professors and students alike were scattered throughout, engaged in lively conversations or enjoying their meals. Roland's gaze settled on a group of students sitting at a table near the back, their laughter filling the air. It was Lucienne who was together with her two friends Atasuna and Marlein.

‘I guess, I was worried for nothing…’

It finally dawned on him that there was nothing to worry about. It seemed that Professor Ernas had just brought everyone here and was spending the Institute's funds on lavish food and drink. A sense of relief washed over him as he saw everyone safe and sound. However, this was not the end of everything. There was a lot of explaining left to do and judging by the signals from outside this place, someone more formidable was approaching.