The Runesmith - Chapter 658 – Underground Railway Underway.

“Thank the gods, you’re back, child!”

An older woman embraced a younger one who bore a strong resemblance to her.

“Don’t thank the gods, Mother. Thank the Rune Knights!”

She spoke while glancing over her shoulder. Behind her stood several armored riders on horseback. At their head were two knights clad in runic equipment, the so-called Rune Knights who had recently appeared in the city of Aldbourne.

“You should wave at them.”

The robed knight Curtana, whispered to Durendal, the leader of their group. He did not move as disappointment weighed on him.

“I don’t deserve it. These people should never have been captured in the first place.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. We brought everyone back safely and cleared out their hidden base of operations.”

Curtana reminded Durendal, whom she knew as Robert, and her husband, of what they had accomplished.

“They do seem happy. I can’t imagine what they must have endured for this to be enough to win their hearts.”

Robert spoke quietly, and Lucille nodded. They had been here for months. Time had passed since the culling event and since they seized this territory from Theodore Valerian.

“Why wouldn’t they be happy? This is probably the safest the city has ever been. After we removed the thieves guild master, crime is at an all time low. We reduced the number of slaves and freed the ones that were turned into slaves through illicit means. To them, it is all thanks to us.”

“I suppose so.”

He nodded, recalling what the city had looked like when he first arrived. The other nobles had been driven out. Though the mayor remained, he was little more than a puppet controlled by Robert and Lord Arthur Valerian. Their ranks held knights of even greater power, such as Sir Wischard, who commanded a regiment enhanced with rune prosthetic limbs.

“You need to stop doubting yourself. Those smiles are real, and they are because of us.”

Lucille gestured toward the cheering crowd. Trade from one direction had diminished, yet the city was neither starving nor in ruins. With support from Albrook, they had managed to keep everything functioning, though problems remained.

For now, the city was a burden on their operations. Without money and resources from Albrook, sustaining it would be impossible. Part of the population had already left, and many merchants could no longer make a living.

Even though they had managed to eliminate the fake bandits created by Theodore, the problem would eventually return to haunt them. Merchant convoys would be forced to hire more armed guards for protection, cutting deeply into their profits. Most would then choose to avoid the volatile route altogether and use the more established roads instead, since their concern was profit, not whether a city prospered.

Even if Robert managed to make the roads safer, he could do little about the malicious rumors spread by various intelligence guilds in the region. Every minor incident was falsely reported as a massacre, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Still, there was supposedly a plan already in motion to overcome this predicament.

“Sir Durendal.”

As he returned to his base of operations within the mayor’s mansion he currently occupied, one of his men approached him. He was still not accustomed to being a tier three knight commander, a position he had once dreamed of attaining. Now that he held it and was respected by many, he questioned whether he truly deserved it. It felt as though the title had been granted out of necessity by his brother rather than earned solely through merit.

Although he had some doubts about his ability to lead, he did not shy away from the responsibility. He was determined to prove that he was worthy of the position. Even if it had come to him through family ties, he needed to show everyone, and himself, that he truly deserved it.

“Speak.”

“The High Knight Commander has sent a personal message.”

Robert nodded to the squire who had delivered the news. It was the same boy Roland had asked him to mentor. His first squire was quite skilled for his age and, more importantly, eager to learn.

“Good. I will see to it.”

His brother was a secretive man. Unless absolutely necessary, he avoided sharing direct information with anyone outside his inner circle. Robert was not even certain that he himself was fully trusted, as his brother clearly kept certain secrets from him.

“Shall we proceed, Sir Durendal?”

“Yes, Lady Curtana.”

Even so, Robert did not resent his brother’s secrecy. For someone so young, he possessed remarkable wisdom. At times, it even felt as though he were twenty years older than Robert, despite Robert being the elder. His plans, though occasionally reckless, somehow always worked out in the end. Robert would not call him a traditional leader but rather a visionary. Roland lacked the charisma and eloquence that Arthur Valerian possessed in that regard. To Robert, both men were exceptional, and the more he served under their banner, the prouder he felt of his role.

He and Lucille moved forward into a newly built chamber in the mayor’s mansion, once a basement. It had been expanded significantly to house large machines and complex runic devices that he did not fully understand. Although he was a knight capable of using runes, his knowledge could not compare to that of a rune mage or runesmith. Fortunately, his wife stood beside him, fully capable of operating the intricate contraptions.

“Leave us.”

After they arrived in the large underground chamber, their squires and guards withdrew to stand watch outside. Once they were alone, both quickly removed their helmets.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to wearing one of these. I’m not sure how your brother manages it.”

Lucille sighed with relief as she lifted the helmet from her head. During the mission, they had been forced to keep their faces concealed at all times. The threat of being discovered by their families was still real and would probably never truly disappear. 

“I don’t know. Even I get tired of wearing one eventually.”

Robert set his heavy helmet on a nearby table, then rolled his neck until a sharp crack echoed through the chamber.

“Perhaps we should try those face masks instead. I heard the high-quality ones feel like a second skin.”

“If you wish.”

Lucille had recently heard about Roland using advanced facial concealment technology, and the idea clearly intrigued her. Robert did not care much either way. He was accustomed to the helmet, but his wife seemed eager to experiment with a new appearance.

“Should I be blonde or brunette, or perhaps emerald-green? What do you think?”

Robert shrugged. Hair color did not matter much to him. Lucille’s blue hair, a trait of her mage ancestry, was something he had always liked.

“Well, you’re no fun…”

She sighed when he refused to choose, then turned to the large console at the center of the chamber. Its surface was covered in runic symbols and fitted with a display screen similar to the one in Roland’s workshop.

“Let’s see what our High Knight Commander has left for us, shall we?”

After a few beeps and the clatter of keys, a voice message appeared on the display. As always, it was brief and direct.

“I’ve seen your progress with the bandits. Good work. As for the trade routes, the rune train project should be completed soon, so prepare a few willing merchants to test the new underground route.”

“Oh. They finished preparing it while we were gone?”

Robert watched as Lucille’s fingers danced across the interface. A diagram soon appeared on the screen. It showed a map between Albrook and Aldbourne. A line connected the two cities. It had once been red and shorter, but now it stretched farther and glowed blue.

“They did it. Wait, the rune train is moving right now? Why didn’t anyone tell us that they would be doing this today!?”

Without elaborating further, Robert saw his wife nearly trip over her own feet as she hurried to open a doorway leading into another tunnel. The door slid open slowly, forcing her to shuffle impatiently in front of it.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” 

He called as she was about to dash through.

“What?”

He pointed to the helmet resting off to the side. Realizing her mistake, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand and rushed back to retrieve it.

“Oh gosh, what a scatterbrain I’ve become…”

She blushed as she secured the helmet on her head. Robert chuckled and followed after her. She was practically giddy with excitement. The tunnel led to a restricted area, one of the passages discovered during the recent dungeon break incident. It took them a few minutes to reach it, and they arrived just in time to hear a distant rumble approaching.

“Rob… I mean, Sir Durendal, the rune train is coming. Look!”

“I’m looking, Lady Curtana.”

Lucille was usually calm and composed, but anything involving runes transformed her into an eager child. Her eyes sparkled beneath the helmet. As Robert focused on the machine barreling toward them, he had to admit it was an extraordinary sight.

“It’s coming quite fast. Maybe we should take a step back.”

He was far less enthusiastic than his wife. The area did not appear entirely safe, and the tracks were not fully secured. To him, the approaching machine looked like a potential death trap. If it failed to slow in time, both he and Lucille could be seriously injured.

“It’s fine. Dwarven craftsmanship will not fail that easily, and if the High Knight Commander approved it, then it must be safe.”

A loud screech rang out as metal ground against metal, sparks dancing along the rails. The massive construct began to slow, glowing runes pulsing steadily along its sides. Yet that was not what caught Robert’s attention. Instead, he stared in disbelief at the number of dwarves riding the train, not inside it but clinging to the outside.

They gripped safety rails along the sides, their faces lit with glee much like Lucille’s beneath her helmet. All of them were old, bearded men, strangely jubilant for seasoned craftsmen who should have known better.

Several whooped at the top of their lungs, braids whipping in the wind as the enormous construct rolled into the unfinished station chamber. One even held a tankard high, froth spilling out and trailing behind him like a banner.

“HAH! Smooth as polished granite!” 

One dwarf shouted as the rune train ground to a halt.

“Told ye the third recalibration on the braking arrays would do the trick!”

Another smacked the metal carriage with his fist as it stopped.

“Didn’t even shake loose a single rivet!”

Robert stood speechless as the large magical locomotive came to a stop a few meters away. Lucille hurried forward, analyzing the contraption while the dwarves continued cheering until their leader silenced them.

“Shut yer traps!”

It was Brylvia the Master Runesmith. Robert knew her from Albrook but had never interacted with her much. He was a knight and had little interest in such matters. Lucille, however, eagerly waved at the dwarven woman. The two had become friends since arriving in the city.

While they spoke, Robert examined the imposing machine. He had seen trains in the kingdom and had even traveled by one when he attended the Knight Academy. This one was different. It felt more advanced and radiated with far more mana. It also seemed capable of much greater speed than the kingdom’s magical trains. 

‘With this, we might finally bypass the constant bandit attacks.’

Robert understood what this meant and what Roland intended. Once the train was opened to merchants, they could transport goods safely through the underground tunnels. There were only a handful of entry points, all of which he and his men could guard with minimal forces. Trade could soon resume without fear, but first, just as he had been asked, he needed to find merchants willing to test it.

“I bet those people will agree.”

With someone in mind, he nodded to himself. Instead of leaving, however, he waited for Lucille to finish what seemed to be a lengthy conversation.

‘This could take a while… should I see what’s inside this train?’

He wondered as he stared at the bunch of loud dwarves that were having a blast. 

*****

“We need to hurry!”

A voice rang out through the forest. A group of adventurers, led by a gnome mage, moved quickly along the narrow path.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to catch up to an assassin of that caliber, Master Harphon. Perhaps we should head back.” 

One man said to the gnome.

“Head back? We just put this group together. We can’t give up. What if Siegfried was lured into a trap?”

“If it’s that Siegfried, he will probably survive.” 

Another man replied, sounding as if he knew him well.

“That’s true, but… wait, stop. Something is coming.”

Before they could continue, the bushes ahead began to rustle. Everyone drew their weapons. Some raised their shields, others their bows. However, when a creature stepped out, they quickly lowered them upon recognizing it.

“Is that Amun? Does that mean…”

Behind him stood the man they had been searching for, Siegfried the adventurer, wearing a black suit of armor covered partially by a robe.

“Were you looking for me?”

Roland raised a hand to make himself noticed as he stepped out of the brush. To them, it appeared that he had just returned from a chase, but in reality, he had been waiting for the right moment to reveal himself and make it believable.

“You’re alright, my friend! But what happened to the person you were chasing? Did you manage to catch him?”

Harphon did not waste a moment before firing off questions. Roland had already decided what he would say, and so he spoke. 

“I did catch him, but…”

“But?”

“Regretfully, this is all that remains of the assassin.”

He pulled out a bundle of rags that gave off a strange smell.

“That is… just like the other ones?”

“Yes. I managed to catch up and confront him, but just like the other assassins, he took his own life.”

What he said was only partially true. The remains belonged to one of the lesser assassins who had tried to kill him on the second ring of the dungeon, with a few additions. The rags were clothes that Eleven had worn and meant nothing to Roland. He knew there was a chance the remains could be linked to the real assassin, so he had taken precautions to avoid being exposed later.

“Only this much remained. Did he reveal anything?”

“No, he killed himself before I could question him.”

Harphon scratched his beard and used a mana hand spell to lift the remains. Though little remained, he placed them in one of his spatial bags. Roland expected the old mage to examine them later, perhaps to record mana patterns or gather other evidence. He could even attempt a tracking spell. If it somehow led back to Albrook, Roland would either confess then, but more than likely, he would just deny everything.

“So… does this mean we can head back?”

Captain Varek had joined the search party for some reason and now interrupted their conversation. Roland just nodded. It seemed that Harphon had assembled a group to find him, and Varek had answered the call. There were adventurers from Varek’s own party, along with others Roland did not recognize.

“Yes, but do not expect full payment.”

The gnome snorted, and several adventurers looked displeased.

“What?”

“You want me to pay you for taking a stroll through the forest?”

“What do you mean? You were practically begging me to…”

Before Varek could continue, Harphon cleared his throat loudly.

“Fine. I will give you something extra, but do not expect to be paid for work you did not do.”

“So stingy.”

Roland remained silent during the exchange and followed the group back. As usual, he kept his answers brief and avoided revealing too much. Agni trotted at his side while he reflected on what had happened in Albrook.

The rune train had been assembled, and there was little left to correct. It activated almost flawlessly, though he had needed to adjust a few runes. The dwarven craftsmen had been overly enthusiastic with their modifications. A train built that way would be far too powerful and would burn through mana too quickly. The speed would be impressive, but it would not last long.

Once it was operational, he had sent it on a test run after being informed that the rails had been completed in one direction. With the trial underway, he returned to the dungeon to present Eleven’s remains. Now he would likely need to go back to the settlement and answer more questions about the assassin. While he had Harphon’s trust, he could not say the same about the Guild Master…