The Runesmith

A long carriage moved through the early night, surrounded by nearly thirty soldiers. All of them were on high alert, their eyes scanning the dark forest edges as they moved steadily through the quiet roads. The moonlight cast long shadows over the trees, creating an eerie atmosphere. The soldiers guarding the convoy were hardened men, veterans who had seen countless battles and they would complete the mission their leader had tasked them with.

"Hey, stop this, let me out!"

"Please calm down, don't make this difficult on us, we are just following the Lord Marshals orders."

From inside the heavily reinforced carriage, Robert Arden's voice carried outside. It was accompanied by the ringing of shackles as he struggled against his restraints. His frustration echoed within the confined space, though his captors remained unmoved. The soldiers were loyal to Wentworth Arden, their expressions impassive as they rode horses alongside the carriage, determined to carry out their duty without question.

"Let me out, I'll never forget this! I'll remember all of your faces and names!"

"Please calm down, you'll just make things worse for yourself, young lord."

The forest loomed around them, the only sounds being the steady clop of horse hooves and the occasional rustling of leaves. Despite Robert's pleas and threats, none of the guards besides their commander dared to respond. They had their orders, and nothing would break their discipline - not even the protests of their lord's son. The carriage was built like a fortress on wheels, reinforced with iron plating to withstand attacks, but the soldiers remained cautious. After the deal with the Count was made they were not expecting any direct assault, but in times of political unrest, they needed to stay vigilant.

"Shit…"

Robert pulled at the chains, his wrists raw and bruised from hours of futile effort. No matter how hard he tried, the chains wouldn't budge. His hopes of reuniting with Lucille, his love, were slipping away, becoming nothing more than a distant dream. Deep down, he knew it was pointless to struggle. Even though he had won the duel and his father had intervened, the deal was made. He longed to see her again, but doubt gnawed at him. Was he doing the right thing? Could he even offer Lucille a better life?

Even if he managed to break free and escape the guards, what then? How could he possibly get to Lucille, let alone get her out of the mansion? The Grand Knight Commander would hunt him down, and that would be the end. His father's deal wouldn't protect him from the Count's soldiers and their blades. They would likely kill him on sight, and his father would be powerless to stop it.

"... Is this it? Should I just give up?"

Robert mumbled to himself as he gazed through one of the tiny slits in the carriage. The slits, barely large enough to see through, were designed only to let air in. The interior was barren, purposefully built to contain Tier 3 class holders, for him a tier 2 this was more than enough. There was no escape. The metal restraining him felt familiar - similar to the alloy used in the power armor he recently wore and He wished he had it now.

Thinking of the armor brought his brother, Roland, to mind. Their father had knocked Robert out before the two of them began their conversation, leaving him in the dark about what had happened afterward. Asking the soldiers for information was out of the question as he couldn't afford to blow Roland's cover. His brother had always been secretive, a person who preferred to keep to himself. Yet, whenever it mattered, he had been there for Robert.

Memories of their childhood resurfaced - times when Robert used to pick on his younger brother, who only wanted to be left alone. A deep sense of shame settled over him as he recalled how he had treated Roland. He wondered if he was part of the reason his brother had fled the noble life. Robert couldn't blame him. Now, he too found himself caught in the web of a noble's deal, possibly facing a long imprisonment. Whatever deal his father had made with the Count, it likely ensured that Robert would never see Lucille again. That thought weighed heavily on him and it was something he might have to accept.

"I should have just asked for help sooner, but now I have no room to complain"

Slumping his shoulders, he began to wonder how different things might have been if he had turned to Roland for help from the start. His brother's magic and runes had proven far more powerful than he ever expected. Roland had created something that allowed Robert to win against a Knight Commander - one who had even been enhanced by illicit substances. With that kind of magical power, smuggling Lucille out of the mansion might have been easy. But instead, Robert had ruined it all. His recklessness had gotten them caught and now he had to live with his choice.

As the carriage trundled on, Robert sat in grim silence, his mind awash with regrets and self-pity. The rhythmic clattering of hooves became almost hypnotic, soothing him into a restless, half-conscious state. He had been so close - closer than he ever imagined to living a life with Lucille, but now, it all seemed distant, slipping through his fingers like grains of sand.

At first, his only goal had been to impress his father, to rise above his brothers, and to prove his worth. He tossed himself into many battles against enemy soldiers and monsters alike. But now, as he sat in chains, he realized how meaningless that ambition seemed compared to what he had lost. What would becoming a Knight Commander even matter if he was never to see Lucille again?

However, just when Robert felt he had hit rock bottom, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, the horses faltered. He sensed the change immediately as the carriage began to slow down. Sitting up straighter, his instincts screamed that something was afoot. Peering through the familiar slit, he noticed a thick, smoky fog creeping in and enveloping the entire carriage.

"Hold! Hold!"

The commander's voice rang out sharply, and the carriage came to a grinding halt. Robert tried to peer through the narrow slits in the walls, but he couldn't make out what was happening. The chains holding him to the center of the prison carriage clinked as he shifted, and he could sense something was wrong.

"Ambush!"

One of the soldiers outside shouted before abruptly falling silent, leaving the outside world eerily muffled.

"A monster attack? Or did that bastard Graham decide to tie up loose ends?"

He muttered under his breath as the carriage shook violently. Something struck it hard, but he had no way of seeing what was happening. Robert knew Count Graham despised him, but he wasn't sure if the man had the nerve to break the deal he'd made with Robert's father. There were always ways to twist a written contract, though, and it was possible the Count had arranged this - an assassination disguised as an ambush. But the soldiers guarding him were some of his father's elite troops. They wouldn't go down easily.

"A silencing spell? Are they really here to kill me?"

It was a common trick used by skilled killers - removing all sound from the vicinity. Most fighters relied on their ears just as much as their eyes, and sudden silence left them disoriented. Robert, however, could still sense the vibrations through the tight chains binding him. He felt the tremors from outside. It seemed that one by one, the soldiers and their horses were collapsing to the ground. Even the heavy carriage quivered from time to time. Then, suddenly, everything stopped. Silence engulfed him and it seemed the battle was over.

"Is it over?"

His voice, previously muted by some kind of spell or ability, returned. But now, he could hear something else - a strange, faint humming sound growing closer. The carriage he was trapped in was no ordinary vehicle. It had been specially designed, with a mechanism that prevented it from being opened until it reached its destination.

The soldiers outside didn't have any keys, and the door could only be unlocked under very specific conditions. It was built to ensure that no one could escape - and more importantly, no one could get inside. Even if someone managed to steal the carriage, freeing its prisoner would be a tedious and difficult task. A magical pulse had likely already been triggered, alerting nearby troops to the disturbance. Reinforcements were probably on their way, but whether they'd arrived in time was uncertain.

*Tzzzzz*

Out of nowhere, a red dot appeared above him, quickly growing in size. Suddenly, a searing ray of heat erupted at his side. Something had melted through the thick outer shell of the carriage's ceiling and was now moving in a slow, deliberate circle. It continued its motion, steadily burning through the reinforced plating while Robert was forced to sit and wait, helpless.

At first, he assumed it was the work of a powerful mage, using advanced fire or heat magic to breach the armored carriage. But as he watched, he realized this wasn't raw, chaotic magic. There was a precision to it, as if someone were carving a perfect circle with a tool rather than using a wild spell meant to kill. This wasn't the work of an assassin intent on destruction. Whoever was behind this wasn't trying to harm the prisoner inside - they were being careful not to.

Soon, the metal overhead groaned as a circular section of the roof came loose. But instead of crashing down into the carriage, it floated upward, then was tossed aside by whoever had cut it. Robert looked up to see a strange hooded figure, their face hidden behind a mask that resembled a goblin.

The figure said nothing but reached out with a metallic hand. The moment they did, glowing magical symbols appeared on the shackles binding Robert's wrists and ankles. The symbols shifted, glowing brighter until a loud click echoed through the carriage and suddenly, he was free.

"If you could do this, why didn't you just open the door?"

Robert rubbed his now-free wrists, fully aware of who the person above him was, though he couldn't understand why he had come back for him. His savior appeared a bit annoyed by his question, and as they answered, a ladder made of black rope and metallic steps was lowered.

"I had my reasons, just grab the ladder."

He didn't hesitate and grabbed onto the lowered ladder. The person outside leaned back for a moment, allowing a strange contraption to come into view. It was dark outside, making it hard to see, but it resembled a winged bird made of metal. The rope ladder he clung to was connected to its underside, and once he had a firm grip, the contraption began to lift them into the air.

The man with the goblin mask stood atop this strange floating device, which somehow pulled them both upward. As Robert passed through the circular opening, he could see all the soldiers who had been guarding him sprawled on the ground. Some were lightly injured, and there were holes in the earth indicating that explosions had occurred. Remarkably, no one appeared to be dead; instead, they seemed to be in a deep slumber, covered by a strange, mist-like substance, most likely a type of sleeping gas.

Robert felt a chill wash over his body as he was hit by the cool night breeze. His armor and thicker clothing were taken away from him, replaced by simple pants and a linen shirt that didn't protect him too well against the elements. Even so, the night air felt invigorating against his skin, a stark contrast to the oppressive confines of the carriage. He knew that the masked man was his brother, he wished to ask him about why he was here but before he could, he called out to him instead.

"Hold on tight, this isn't over yet."

"It's not over?"

"No, we still have one more person to rescue, don't we?"

As the metallic contraption soared above the treetops, Robert's heart raced. He had wanted to rescue his lover for the longest time but had given up all hope. Now his brother appeared to reignite that burning desire.

"Wait, you mean Lucille?"

"Who else? Now shut up or you might bite your tongue or eat some bugs!"

His savior offered little explanation before the flying contraption began to glow. Suddenly, bright orange magic erupted from one side, propelling it into the night sky. The ladder he was gripping jolted back as they shot through the air faster than Robert had ever experienced before.

The wind howled in Robert's ears as the glider sped through the night, slicing through the air with incredible speed. He clung tightly to the ladder, the cold metal steps biting into his palms, but the rush of adrenaline kept him focused. The forest blurred beneath them, and soon, the dense tree line gave way to a clear road, one leading to the city and estate that Lucille was in.

He wished to ask his brother why he was doing this, why would he do something this stupid to help someone as irresponsible as him. Roland, perched on the glider, stayed silent, his goblin-like mask hiding his expression. Instead of complaining he just nodded, if someone could help then it was him and for this aid, he would be forever grateful.

*****

'I got him out, it should take them at least an hour to get to that carriage but that doesn't mean that I won't have more time…'

Roland zoomed through the air on his glider while his brother held onto the ladder below it for his dear life. While he wasn't as fast as a modern jet plane he could infuse enough mana to get close to the speed of an older model plane with a speed up to five hundred kilometers per hour. Robert's inclusion slowed him down slightly but it was still fine.

He had a reason for taking his time to open the wagon from the top and leaving most of the people inside unharmed. If he had tried to enter through the reinforced door, it would have triggered a signal, alerting those outside that something was wrong. The same would have happened if he had simply killed the soldiers, who were equipped with special devices that monitored their vital signs and in some cases, even their souls.

When it came to airborne creations, the world was still in its early stages of development. Small aircraft like this glider were unheard of, and only large airships were considered viable for air travel. Roland's main concern wasn't a rival aircraft, but flying beasts like wyverns, which people had tamed and used for airborne combat. Although their top speed was slower than what his glider could achieve, he wasn't eager to test his creation while carrying two passengers.

As Roland and Robert raced through the night, Roland's mind was already calculating his next move. The rescue mission wasn't over yet. Getting Robert out had been the easy part - now came the real challenge: freeing Lucille from the heavily fortified estate of Count Graham.

The city glowed with lantern light in the distance, but Roland took a detour, steering around it as he made his way toward Count Graham's estate. He wasn't sure what to expect, but for now, their approach remained undetected. Some of his golems, previously deactivated, sprang back to life as he re-established his map. Dots representing key figures like the count, his daughter, and the grand knight commander appeared on the display, and for the moment, Roland had the upper hand.

His pace began to slow as he approached the magical barrier surrounding the estate. Though his enemies seemed unaware of his presence, that didn't mean their defenses were weak. The mages who had arrived for the duel were still on site, and some of them weren't sleeping. If he didn't play his cards right, even a single spell could reveal their positions. He would need to approach the situation with precision and strategy.

"Robert, can you hear me?"

"Y-yyeah…"

His brother wasn't too used to the fast and turbulent flight but he managed to gather himself and respond.

"This is the point of no return, so before we go in I need to ask you, do you want me to take Lucille with us? I'm sure you know what this will mean for the both of you, right?"

Roland had talked to both of them before and somewhat knew the answer to this question but he still needed to make sure. If they entered the estate grounds and rescued Lucille they would be crossing a line, something that they wouldn't be able to come back from.

Robert took a deep breath, his grip tightening on the ladder as Roland's words sank in. This was it - the point of no return. If they went through with this plan, if they rescued Lucille, it would mean defying his father, Count Graham, and possibly the entire noble class. The consequences would be severe, and there would be no turning back. His life would be forever changed.

"Yes, I know… and still…"

"I see, that's all I needed to hear but before we go in… I think you might need a change of clothes."