The Runesmith

"Master, how can I assist you?"

"Contact the Institute. I need to speak with Arion."

"Please wait, executing task..."

A small glowing orb of light floated in front of Roland's face. It was Sebastian, the artificial spirit of his workshop, who had recently begun learning new words. Sebastian functioned much like an AI. While he carried out the task, Roland focused on trying to understand why he couldn't locate one particular person at home. He even connected to the city's monitoring system but still couldn't track down his missing friend.

"Is everything alright? Are there more enemies nearby?"

Before Roland could resume his search, he heard a voice call out from the side. After turning his head, he saw his brother Robert and Robert's companion, Lucille, standing together, holding hands. Robert had removed his hobgoblin mask and parts of his armor. Roland quickly realized why they seemed concerned as he must have looked strange, pacing around and shouting orders to a glowing orb, as if there was an imminent threat.

"No, you can both relax. This place is safe. We're back in Albrook, at my home. We're just underground. Count Graham won't be able to find you here, nor will Wentworth Arden. These are Valerian lands. Even if they wanted to track you, it would be extremely difficult for them to get here."

Relief washed over Robert and Lucille as they clung to each other, taking in the dim surroundings of Roland's underground workshop. Despite the cold, impersonal walls of stone and metal, it was a haven - far away from the turmoil that had haunted them for so long.

"Thank you, Roland."

Robert said, his voice somewhat weak. He looked quite tired from the whole ordeal and it was probably better to give these two a room to rest in as they looked exhausted. Lucille managed a weak smile, her eyes quivering as she tried to keep herself from dozing off.

The space around them didn't feel particularly welcoming - it was mostly an empty laboratory. Roland had only managed to set up a teleportation gate here, while Sebastian's core was housed in another room. Aside from a few workbenches and chairs, there was little else. It would probably be best to guide Robert and Lucille to the elevator and let them get some fresh air. He had a guest room in his home where they could stay while he figured out what to do next.

Now that Robert and Lucille were here, Roland knew he would need to create new identities for them. He considered crafting a new suit of armor for Robert - one that would conceal his identity and alter his voice. Robert could pose as one of Arthur's knights, working under Morien or Gareth, both of whom were now Tier 3 knights. Robert's level was high for a Tier 2, and with some runic scrolls, Roland believed he could help his brother reach Knight Commander status soon.

Hiding Robert's identity wasn't only necessary because of Count Graham. Robert had also served in the royal army and held an official rank. While he had completed several skirmishes and been granted leave, it wasn't indefinite. Although no one could object when Lord Marshal Arden took him, Robert could be considered a deserter if he didn't return. Roland and Robert had discussed this before, but it was clear Robert preferred being labeled a deserter over letting the love of his life, Lucille, become a bargaining chip through noble marriage.

As for Lucille, the laws didn't bind her in the same way. She could renounce her De Vere title, but her father could still use his influence to drag her back. The laws in this world heavily favored the nobility, and her feelings would matter little. Roland thought about designing a robe for her - something lighter than runic armor but with some of its functionalities. As a rune mage, Lucille could make good use of his work, as she had the required passive skills. Altering her voice and concealing her identity with a mask wouldn't be difficult, and she could easily work at his workshop or with the Dwarven Union.

Forging new identities for them wouldn't be hard, especially with the guild's help. Their noble lives might be over, but with his support, they could soon become Tier 3 class holders, and from there, the world would be theirs for the taking. The adrenaline from their escape still lingered in his veins, but exhaustion was beginning to creep in. He had spent weeks planning every contingency, but now that the most dangerous part was over, he felt the weight of the unknown bearing down on him. There was still one person missing and he had an idea why.

"You also have my gratitude, Sir Roland, if it wasn't for y…"

Lucille was about to give a slight bow but nearly collapsed to the floor. Fortunately, Robert, who was holding her hand, quickly pulled her close, offering his shoulder for support.

"Ah, careful"

Roland could tell they were both utterly exhausted, and to make matters worse, Arion wasn't picking up. With Sebastian around, he could always take the call through his helmet once the connection went through. But for now, it was more important to take care of his sibling.

"Let's get you two somewhere to rest. You need sleep. We can talk more once you've recovered."

He gestured toward the elevator that would take them up and out of the underground workshop. It wasn't far, and it would lead them directly outside. However, to no surprise, the elevator was already occupied. At first, Roland thought only one person was inside, but he quickly realized his mistake when the doors slid open with a soft ding.

"Awooof!"

"Agni… your tail is in my face! Please stop moving. I told you to wait outside."

"Awwwooo…"

It was quite a sight. Agni, Roland's large companion, had curled up tightly to fit inside the elevator. His fur covered a woman - his wife who looked both amused and mildly annoyed. In his Sunlight form, Agni appeared fluffier than in his secondary ruby appearance, and while the flames were off, the ride must have been uncomfortable for her. She managed to squeeze her way out of the cramped elevator, but Agni was having a harder time. As he tried to shift after she exited, the elevator groaned, shaking as if the metal would buckle under the strain.

"Agni, stop moving, you're going to damage the elevator."

Roland said in an annoyed tone. His words were met with a soft whimper from Agni, clearly not enjoying the tight quarters or that he was being reprimanded by his master.

"Roland! Are you alright? Take off that helmet and let me see your face."

Before he could continue to be angry at Agni he looked down to his wife, Elodia. Although he had informed her of his entire plan and everything that had transpired at the De Vere estate, that didn't mean she wasn't worried. He couldn't dismiss her feelings, so he decided to remove his helmet, revealing a face that looked quite sleep-deprived.

"You're so pale…"

Elodia's eyes widened as she took in the sight of him, her concern evident. She stepped closer, brushing her fingers gently over his cheek. They shared a tender moment, but then her hand shifted, fingers pinching his cheek and tugging at it.

"Ow…"

"You haven't been sleeping for days again, have you?"

"Um… I'm sorry."

Roland could tell that his wife was unhappy with his state. In their previous conversations, he had omitted the extent of their workload, knowing she would disapprove of his tendency to pull multiple all-nighters in a row. Despite being a Tier 3 class holder and having access to elixirs, his body still needed proper rest.

"Ah… what will I ever do with you?"

She had been frowning for a moment but after sighing and shaking her head, Elodia's expression softened. Her concern for him clearly outweighed any frustration. Gently, she took his hand in hers, while turning towards Robert and Lucille.

"Are these two?"

"Yes, that's Robert and Lucille, they will be staying with us for a while."

Elodia glanced at both of them and could tell they were barely holding on and needed rest. However, one problem remained - Agni was still stuck in the elevator and needed help getting out. Roland hurried over, grabbed his paws, and started pulling. Eventually, the large wolf managed to squeeze his way out.

"Hey, stop!"

Agni showed no mercy, licking Roland's face enthusiastically while wagging his tail like a propeller. Luckily, the ceiling in this underground part of the workshop was high enough, so fitting the horse-sized Sunlight Wolf wasn't much of an issue. Once he was out, Roland took a moment to ask his wife about the missing person, someone that should be here.

"Is Bernir somewhere? He should have arrived before me, did he contact you?"

After a resounding push, Roland managed to get Agni off. The wolf snorted with his nose but still let his tongue flop out before barking like a dog a few times.

"Bernir? No, but isn't he at the Institute? Maybe he is just having a good time with those other blacksmiths, you mentioned that they did accept him?"

"Perhaps…"

This was the crux of the current problem - Lucille and his brother were now safe, but his assistant was missing. He didn't want to use the teleportation gate in Graham's territory and directly link it here, as that would reveal the coordinates of this one. The institute had these coordinates, but no one else did, at least for now. If his enemies linked his previous green disguise to this teleportation gate, they could uncover his true identity.

That's why he had told Bernir to go to the institute first, then return home with Arion's help. There had been enough time for Bernir to return by now, but he was still missing. Perhaps he was worrying for nothing and Bernir had simply stayed behind to chat with his newfound friends. But for some reason, his instincts were telling him something was wrong. There were a few reasons Bernir might not have returned, and one of them involved a certain powerful mage - a possibility that deeply concerned him.

"Master, Professor Arion is waiting on line one. Would you like me to bring him up?"

Before Roland could ask for clarification, a ball of light floated closer. It seemed Arion had finally picked up the call, and Roland would be able to ask directly about Bernir's whereabouts.

"I…"

Roland hesitated for a moment, but Elodia shook her head, already knowing what he was about to say.

"I'll take these two upstairs. Just finish up here and come eat something. We'll talk later."

"Thank you, this won't take long."

Though his wife was a bit pouty, Roland could only smile slightly. He turned to Robert and Lucille, who had yet to meet Elodia in person. When they visited five years ago, Elodia had still been working as a receptionist at the local Adventurer Guild. They might have seen her during their time in the city, but never with him around. While Roland had kept in touch with Lucille after their departure, their conversations rarely touched on his love life; instead, they had focused on what his brother had been up to.

"I suppose, I should introduce you. Robert, Lucille, this is my wife, Elodia."

Robert blinked in surprise, clearly caught off guard by this news. He knew that Roland had been married through Lucille's letters but he had never seen his wife. Lucille on the other hand gave a weak smile, her tired eyes flickering as she tried to keep herself awake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lucille managed to speak but her voice was barely above a whisper. Elodia smiled warmly, her earlier concern giving way to a more welcoming demeanor.

"The pleasure is mine. We'll talk more after you've rested. You both look like you could use a long nap."

"Please go with Elodia; she'll show you to your room. Get some rest, you two."

"O-our room? You mean we'll be sharing the same one?"

Robert held Lucille close but looked bashful for some reason.

"Uh, yes? Is that a problem?"

"A problem? No, not a problem at all!"

Elodia caught on quickly and chuckled. Roland had asked her to prepare the guest room, which had only one large bed, suited for a couple. It seemed, though, that his brother and Lucille had been in more of a long-distance relationship. Sharing a room—and one bed—might feel awkward for them, but after what they had just been through, it shouldn't matter much now.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of them. Just don't take too long and come up soon."

"I will," Roland replied, watching as the three entered the elevator and ascended. He was left alone with a calmer Agni and the low hum of the runes. There was no time to waste; he needed to get to the bottom of this mystery.

His assistant Bernir was indeed missing, and he wasn't anywhere near Albrook. The only explanation was that he was at the Institute, and Roland feared he already knew the reason why.

"Sebastian, pull up Arion on the main monitor."

"Yes, Master."

The main monitor flickered to life, casting a cold, pale light across the dim room. As the image sharpened, it revealed Arion, the distinguished professor from the Institute. His face was much too close to the runic camera he was using. It made his feline face look much larger than it should and enhanced his feline eyes to look especially large.

"Professor Wayland, it's good to see you. Oh dear, I think we have a small problem."

Arion said while adjusting himself slightly to bring his face into a more proportionate view. Despite the professor's usual calm demeanor, there was a hint of concern in his feline eyes that immediately put Roland on edge.

"What kind of problem?"

Roland wanted to know but first, he needed to find out what had happened to Bernir.

"Before that, do you know where my assistant is? Is he still at the Institute with you?"

Arion's whiskers twitched slightly, and his eyes narrowed.

"Ah, yes, Bernir. About that... well, it seems that he's being... detained."

"Detained?"

Roland's voice hardened and his fatigue vanishing in an instant. He had assumed something like this would be the case but he still had some hope that he was wrong.

"By whom? For what reason?"

The screen flickered for a moment as Arion adjusted the device he was using. His feline face shifted into a more neutral expression before he responded.

"I'm afraid the Headmistress herself has ordered it. She didn't explain much to me, but she's prevented him from using the teleportation gate to return to you. To make things worse, she also forbade me from using it…"

"Headmistress Arvandus did? Did she state a reason for it?"

Roland contained his frustration while talking. He had been planning to leave the institute life behind as there wasn't really anything left for him to gain there. Arion was there to provide him with any future research papers and he had managed to create upgrades to his spatial technology, teleportation technology and he even made a tower spirit in Sebastian.

"She did not but It seems my house arrest and your assistant's return depend on you."

"On me? I see…"

"Ah, were you expecting it my friend?"

"In a sense… I suppose she wants me to come to her office to explain what happened at the De Vere estate?"

"I'm not sure. She rarely gives clear explanations, especially to the rest of the faculty. It was quite a surprise when she gave the order. But don't worry too much; your assistant isn't being held captive in the dungeon. He's with the other dwarves from the Runic department, exchanging smithing techniques."

"That's good to hear."

Roland replied, though he remained confused. It seemed he couldn't leave without confronting that woman. She was a Tier 4 class holder, and he had indirectly used her status during the De Vere estate incident. It wouldn't be strange if she were angry with him, but there might be another explanation. Wentworth seemed to know her, and there was a possibility it was related to the Arden estate.

'The timeline doesn't quite add up, though. I rescued Robert several hours after Bernir arrived at the Institute. This might be about something else but I won't know until I go there…'

He wondered about the true reason she had detained Bernir. If he wanted to see him back, he'd need to return to the Institute - something he'd hoped to avoid in the near future.