The Runesmith
chapter-467

"Are you sure about this? Have you tested it properly?"

Rastix nodded vigorously at the question, almost dropping his prized new creation. Roland raised an eyebrow at the concoction as he was unable to confirm the short man's claim. The gnome looked unusually enthusiastic, a lot different to his usual demeanor since most of his previous experiments had failed.

"Yes, yes! Well, as much as I could before the explosion. But the preliminary tests were very promising. Here, let me show you, just let me use some of your equipment.”

Roland wasn't sure about this but was curious about the new creation, so he nodded. The scene of the experiment was clearing up, and the extent of the damage was about the same as always. A hole had been blown through one of the walls, and several alchemical tools were strewn about the charred remains of a workbench. Fortunately, the area was walled off so that even if an explosion occurred, it would be contained.

To enter this area, one needed to go through a specific gate that required proper credentials. It was there to keep all the kids that lived nearby from getting injured. He had already installed a ventilation system to take in the fumes as sometimes, they were quite toxic. One of the authorized individuals, Bernir, had also arrived at the scene. He brought his runic prosthesis and was in the process of examining the damaged items.

"Leave it for now. Let it air out before you start any repairs."

"Aye, boss, that might be better..."

It seemed that his assistant had also grown accustomed to these occurrences and was just shaking his head in resignation. The potions he made weren’t selling too well either, as his shop couldn’t offer a better product than what was readily available in the city. At the moment, they were thinking of pushing potions in bundles with runic weaponry to entice their clients, which was a somewhat successful tactic.

"Alright, Rastix, let's head back to the workshop and see what you've got."

“Let’s just use mine, it’s closer.”

Bernir chimed in, and the three nodded. Soon they were walking, and just as they expected, a few rascals were waiting by the automatic gate to peek at the explosion. The moment they saw the three craftsmen, they giggled and took off running. Roland didn’t react much, but it seemed that the kids had started to like him. Previously, many of them were afraid of his gaze, but once he removed the hood and helmet, they saw that he was just a man.

Roland led the group to Bernir's workshop, a spacious area that was once an old shed. Once there, he started reminiscing about the good old days when everything was quite peaceful. Back then, it was just him and his assistant, hammering away at pieces of metal. It was a tranquil time, and they spent their days expanding toward a future that had now become reality. Nowadays things were a lot more nosey, with many people running about making all sorts of noise.

“Hey…”

To Bernir’s shock, Rastix started clearing his workbench which was covered in some tools. They all started hitting the ground with a clang, causing Bernir to wince as his carefully arranged tools clattered to the floor.

"Careful with those! Some of those are custom-made!"

Bernir protested, but Rastix was too excited to heed his warnings.

"My apologies, friend! But there is no stopping brilliance, I promise, this is going to be worth it!

Rastix exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he placed the flask in the center of the now-cleared workbench. After setting it down like some kind of costly artifact, he started to look around. From the tools available, he picked out some scrap metal along with some leather scraps, which seemed to be there to emulate skin or flesh. Using actual flesh for this demonstration would have been better, but no pig legs were nearby.

Soon he applied a thin layer of the adhesive to both surfaces and then carefully pressed them together. Almost immediately, the adhesive started reacting with the two materials, forming a bond. Roland used his enhanced eyes to look closer and saw that the reagent was causing both sides to fuse with each other before hardening.

As the adhesive cured, the bond between the metal and the leather seemingly grew stronger by the second. However, even though it looked promising from his standpoint some more tests needed to be taken before they could move on to real testing. Rastix was also aware of this so he grabbed a hammer and a small chisel to showcase the strength of the bond.

After placing the chisel in the middle of the two materials, he started hitting it in an attempt to separate them. To Roland’s and Bernir’s surprise, instead of the two sides separating, the tool started embedding itself in the leather. Even after the whole chisel pierced through the middle, and after leverage was used, the two sides didn’t want to come apart. Roland, who had the most strength, took it into his hand and attempted to separate the two parts, eventually ripping them apart.

“These bonds are deep…”

Once the two sides were separated he could see just how far this alchemical adhesive had gone in. There was a thick bonding layer which was not actually glue but some type of new layer of material formed from the reaction between the metal and leather. It seemed to have somehow melted both sides and combined them together to form some kind of leather-metal mix.

"Remarkable…"

Roland muttered while intending to examine this new bond closely. While this was more than he expected in this short amount of time, he couldn’t just use this on Bernir without performing multiple tests. What if after a few days or weeks, the bonds ceased to exist? Wouldn’t parts of his flesh turn into a strange mix of metal that would need to be removed if it failed? Then it could also be rejected by his body and become infected. At this moment, he still had a working elbow with most of his forearm missing, and losing even more due to insufficient data was not something he could allow.

"It does seem that you’re onto something here but, we need to perform some tests.”

“Yes, of course! More tests, that of course means… more funding!”

The gnome beamed with pride, his chest puffing out as he watched Roland examine his creation. A sigh escaped his mouth at the mention of more funding but if this concoction worked well, then the runic prosthesis would be more complete. A fucion between metal and flesh was normally not possible and no one had really tried to perfect it. This was uncharted territory that probably required a more drastic approach.

‘Should I get a few pig carcasses for him to experiment on, or…’

Roland didn’t want to waste too much time on testing the bonding concoction. From what he knew, people worked on animals before moving on to clinical trials. Bernir was the only real patient here, and even if it worked on dead animals or living ones, it was still not the best option. However, in this world, there existed monsters, some of which were quite close to humans in their physiology. There was no reason to work on animals or humans when there were other options available.

"Alright, Rastix, we'll need to conduct a series of tests to ensure the durability and safety of this adhesive. Once we're satisfied with the results, we can move forward with integrating it into Bernir's prosthesis. Give me some time, I’ll have something prepared.”

Bernir nodded in agreement, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement at the prospect of having a more responsive arm. Throughout the week he had tried getting used to the harness but it was quite not the same as having a real arm.

“Can I help with something, Boss?”

Bernir asked as he spotted Roland deep in thought.

“I’m not sure you’d want to see this…”

“Why wouldn’t I? This is about my arm, and shouldn’t I know the whole process behind it?”

“I guess you’re right about that… but you don’t have to force yourself.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Roland was contemplating something unsavory, something that some people from the modern world might consider inhumane. He wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do, but to help his friend out, he was willing to resort to drastic measures. The loss of Bernir’s arm occurred while protecting him, and Roland wouldn’t rest until he made it right.

“Alright, Bernir. If you’re sure you want to see this, then I won’t hold you back. But I must warn you, it might be a bit… unconventional.”

“Hah, don’t worry Boss, I’ll be fine.”

Bernir reassured Roland with a laugh, and soon the three craftsmen prepared a new plan. Rastix would give them half of his new product and return to his laboratory. There, he would reexamine it and see if he could improve upon it. He was also tasked with preparing a counter potion that could restore the changed flesh to its former state in case something went wrong. Meanwhile, the other two would head to the city and then Arthur’s estate, but before that, Roland needed to make a call.

“We haven’t done this in a while, huh Boss?”

“That’s true.”

“You really do fit the role, should I carry your cape for you, Sir Knight Commander?”

“Cut it out.”

“Hehe.”

Roland rolled his eyes at Bernir’s comments as he had to get changed into his armor. It was a more ceremonial piece with less functionality than his mithril armor but it still had some good spells on it. The cape that was attached to it shifted around to create a robe that covered his whole body. While he intended to head to Arthur eventually, first the two would need to visit a less savory establishment. Roland didn’t want to go there but knew that it was better if he personally handled this to hasten the process.

Elodia was there to wave both of them goodbye and the two delved towards the city while Roland attempted to hide his true identity. This was quite hard considering that he was a well-known Knight Commander and some of the soldiers just recognized the way he carried himself. Nevertheless, after having a few people point their fingers he along with Bernir ended up in the city pleasure district.

“Boss… why are we here, if Mrs finds out, I’ll be in a heap of trouble…”

“We’re not here for that, just keep on walking and try not to stare.”

Bernir seemed to have trouble keeping his gaze away from some of the working ladies. Even though it was the middle of the day, many establishments were trying to entice new customers. It was working, as his assistant was easily drawn by the gazes of half-dressed women and the allure of cheap alcohol. On several occasions, Roland had to pull him back as he was about to walk into an establishment that Armand frequented. Luckily, his idiot brother-in-law wasn’t around to ruin everything this time, and the two disappeared through a series of narrow alleyways.

They ended up at a nondescript building at the end of a side alley. The sign above the door was faded, but Roland knew it was one of the Thieves' Guild-run places he had called earlier. He was here to seal the deal for a few unconventional goods needed for the next trial on the artificial limb. He knocked on the door in a specific pattern, and after a moment, a small hatch slid open. A pair of sharp eyes peered out at them.

"Who seeks entrance?"

"An old weary friend in need of a favor."

The eyes scrutinized them for a moment longer before the hatch slid shut. There was the sound of heavy bolts being drawn back, and the door creaked open. A tall, lean man with a scar across his cheek stood in the doorway, eyeing Roland and Bernir suspiciously.

“Come in, good friend.”

The man grinned widely at Roland, who had just pronounced the thief's password for this specific location. The man seemed rather docile, thanks to the type of password Roland had offered - one reserved for VIP members, which he was. Once inside, Bernir started fidgeting, as he was not used to seedy places filled with intense-looking individuals.

“Just ignore them and follow after me.”

“...Ah, s-sure boss.”

“We won’t be staying long, don’t worry and whatever you do, try not to stare for too long.”

“...What will happen if I stare for too long?”

“Not much, you just might get stabbed…”

“What?”

Bernir started sweating and moved closer to Roland as they ventured further into the strange building. They went through another secret entrance that led them to a winding corridor. While people like Bernir were aware of the existence of the Thieves' Guild, most never had the pleasure of wandering through their underground tunnels. This particular tunnel led to a loud place where Roland would retrieve something important.

“Yeah, get him!”

“Nooo… what are you doing? I’m going to kill you if you lose!”

“Haha, I’m going to be rich!”

Roland tried to ignore the shouts of the people, but they were quite loud. This place looked like some kind of underground arena. People were holding up strange pieces of paper used for betting. In the center was a small ring about fifteen meters wide. Inside it, a lone man was fighting against a green monster commonly known as an orc.

This place was an illegal fighting ring where betting was allowed, and Roland, as the Knight Commander, was well aware of it. After the last incident with the crime lords from the city, a few agreements with the Thieves' Guild were made. He, along with Arthur, made the decision to allow certain establishments that operated in a gray zone. They were required to pay a fee to continue existing, and as long as they didn’t engage in activities like killing, slavery, or selling people's organs, it was deemed acceptable. This compromise was seen as one of the lesser evils for the city.

Arthur realized that he couldn’t keep expending resources battling the Thieves' Guild and all the criminals. Thus, they decided to work together to a certain degree. As long as they didn’t cross certain lines, Arthur and the knights wouldn’t intervene, but this didn’t mean they wouldn’t step in if the Thieves' Guild made things too obvious. If someone was getting robbed or reported something, they would follow through to clear up the issue. However, if people wanted to waste their money on betting and the pleasure district, then no one would stop them.

This might have seemed quite hypocritical considering his recent clash in the Theodore Valerian-run city. However, they ensured that certain thresholds were not crossed, and the thieves' guild master was on board with everything. She had promised to keep her guild orderly and would not go out of her way to protect any killers that might wander in from outside. It was somewhat of a necessarily evil and it was better to keep them in check, then risk another guild forming with a guild master that wasn’t willing to cooperate.

“If it isn’t the honored guest, please come!”

A man greeted them, appearing a bit out of place with his large belly and fancy attire. He seemed to be the owner of the establishment Roland sought goods from. Alongside Bernir, Roland followed him into a dimly lit room, presumably his office. Two intimidating guards stood behind, though their prowess paled in comparison to Roland's which they were certainly aware of. The man showed a lot of decorum and his body language was quite submissive.

"What brings you to our humble abode, esteemed guest?"

"I wish to procure a few monsters from your collection. Do you happen to have any goblins or hobgoblins available?"

The man's eyes lit up with interest, and he leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin in contemplation.

"Goblins, you say? Interesting choice. We do have a few in stock, though they're not the easiest creatures to come by. How many are you looking to purchase?"

"I’ll take two each to be on the safer side.”

The man nodded thoughtfully and swiftly agreed to the deal. Roland sensed he might be under pressure from the thieves' guild leader he had contacted earlier. With the goblins and hobgoblins now in their possession, the tests could continue further. It took Bernir a moment to realize the purpose of the goblins, but he remained steadfast in seeing the plan through to its conclusion.

“Good, there will be a few men waiting outside to guide you, follow their instructions while transporting the monsters, do I make myself clear?”

“Of course good sir!”

The man smiled content with their agreement, and bid them farewell with a wave. Roland's status exempted them from payment, and soon he was escorted out of the fighting establishment. The monsters would be packed up and transported to the hidden skill training facility at Arthur’s estate since, for the time being, Roland lacked a similar place to house them. Once they were delivered and secured, they could proceed with the final adjustments on the runic prosthesis.