The Runesmith

“It’s a superior tier 2 magical beast, you know what you have to do. Move according to the strategy we discussed and there won’t be any problems!”

The man in the most expensive-looking armor shouted out at the group of knights. A red wolf composed of a type of organic rubies just appeared from within the shop. Its growls were ferocious but the men that were gathered here weren’t fighting monsters for the first time. This was all something that they had gone through, the drills they performed at the training camp for such an occasion were ingrained in their very being by now.

“No stop, what are you doing!”

In the back, there was a woman with a reddened cheek and a bloodied lip. This was the trigger for the guard wolf to appear but even though the knights knew this to be true, they didn’t care. Their mission was to take the store owner with them to the Valerian villa and the creature that stood before them was not an important part of it.

“It's going to use magic, get ready!”

Just like the knight leader mentioned the beast opened up its toothy mouth to release a surge of magical flames. At the same time, two red orbs started circling around a horn that stood erect on the wolf’s forehead. It was a combination of two skills, while the breath was a wide-area attack meant to distract, the real problem was the two floating spheres.

First came the surge of flames just like the Knight Lieutenant foresaw. It was easily deflected by the magical shields that the men had with them. The moment the flames collided with them a chilling light was produced. All of the magical fire was pushed to the side without causing any harm or discomfort to the men standing there.

Then just like the knights assumed the magical orbs were initiated. As the flames were surging forward to create a screen of flames the two orbs shot out. One was aimed for the leader of the knights while the other to another important target, the magician that was standing behind the wall of knights.

A strange spinning motion was applied to these orbs that at the enhanced speed looked like some kind of drill. This peculiar spell was not something even the mage that was there had ever seen before. The opponent that they were facing was a Ruby Dire Wolf, a rare magical monster that sometimes appeared in volcanic dungeons. Its size was a bit larger than the variants the knights were prepared for but even with this change, they were confident in their victory.

Before the spinning orb could arrive at the mage’s head two heavily armored men with tower shields created an impassable wall. The magical orb that collided with their shields continued to drill in to a point. The shields they were holding started changing to create a magical barrier filled with frost mana. Flame energy was a ruby wolf’s elemental affinity and so were all of its spells. Everyone here was already aware of the challenges they could be facing and even a surprise spell wouldn’t be enough to counter their preparations.

It was the same for the Lieutenant, before the red orb could collide with his head he was assisted by a few other soldiers. They all came prepared before this battle, the creature they were facing off against was known to them and even a few surprises wouldn’t be a problem.

“Ice field!”

After the initial attack of the monster failed the mage was able to complete casting his spell. The area around them with the center being in front of the magical store filled out with icicles. It was known to everyone that beasts with a fire elemental alignment were susceptible to water and frozen energies. Turning the whole place into a frozen zone covered in ice would give them the edge to win.

“Take heed, the monster is faltering but it isn’t the only enemy!”

Even though the ruby wolf failed to produce much damage and they were able to push it back with the ice spell, it had some help. The magical contraptions that were on top of the walls activated soon after and the knights knew it. Everything was playing out as their strategist informed them.

Their group had an intelligence agency that went through this region before. They noted down all the important points about the area and the runesmith’s home was one of them. Before arriving here they were prepared to fight a magical craftsman. The traps that he liked to use along with the turrets that could fire bolts of energy were a known fact. There was a reason why they didn’t go inside, fighting the guard dog outside was much more favorable to them.

All of their equipment was prepared to counter the tier 2 spells that were being produced here. Their shields were capable of bouncing the energy bolts back with ease and while the turrets were focusing fire at the knights that were holding them, the other ones utilized their own ranged means.

“You’re not the only ones with magical equipment, use it now!”

Throwable magical bombs were part of their preparations. They were quickly thrown at the two turrets that were firing blue bolts of energy at them. Even though a magical shield blocked the first few ones it wouldn’t take long for them to get through. Magic was a strong means of combat but even it had its faults.

The knights reacted to the order by throwing strange pouches into the air. When they connected with the magical shields of the runic turrets there was a reaction. The blue light started flickering before soon shattering into particles of blue light. Right after the magical bombs were used again, this time around there was no resistance. The devices that were effective against the swarms of skeletons exploded into chunks of metal.

This silvery dust seeped into the turrets and interfered with the mana traces. It was a special alchemical creation that would disperse mana. Magical devices like the runic turrets were capable weapons but if there was a disturbance in the mana inside, they would not be capable to function correctly. Soon enough all of the defensive turrets were shattered and they could continue focusing on the crimson monster.

“Push it back with your shields, the alchemical powder will work on the monster too! Watch out for the golems!”

The leader continued to shout out commands while looking over the battlefield. Everything seemed to be under control as even after a few golems that were shaped as spiders appeared, they were no match for them. Their group was large enough in numbers and experienced in this type of battle. With The support of their mage, they were able to combat the fast-moving automatons. The powder only affected objects and people that it came in contact with so their spell caster was safe from its influence.

“Lieutenant… this thing is stronger than it looks, it's breaking through!”

To their surprise, the monster wasn’t slowing down. Even though the whole area was turned into a field of ice and was covered in the anty-magical powder, it was still ferocious. Its tail continued to mole like a whip and was even able to puncture through some of the weak spots in their armor. Only thanks to the number advantage were they able to escape from getting their throats ripped out by those sharp teeth.

“Ice Prison!”

Soon all the pesky magical contraptions were turned to scrap metal and the knights were able to focus on the monster. The spell that was activated encased the wolf’s hint legs in ice which also gave the soldiers enough time to use their last tactical advantage.

“Use the net!”

A large net was tossed over their enemy's large form. Even though it was able to quickly rip its legs out of the trap it couldn’t get out in time. The moment the net was introduced into the equation the battle was over. Even when the creature tried to bite through it or raise burn through it, it was impossible. It was a special trap that worked against magical monsters and would disrupt their mana flow just like the alchemical dust. It also weakened the monsters in different ways and with so many knights there to hold it down, the fight was over.

“Kill it!”

“No!”

A woman’s cry could be heard by all of the men but they didn’t pay attention to her pleas. Their spears and longswords made their way through the open parts of the net to finally draw blood. Even when their opponent started whining like a scared dog, they continued to plunge into their weapons. They were all trained in hunting monsters and knew that at any moment it could be their life on the line. Only when the monster stopped moving could they be assured of their safety.

“What do you think you’re doing, get of him!”

Yet before the killing blow could be dealt a beam of light shot out toward one of the knights. It came as a surprise and right through his shoulder. The man recoiled in pain and was quick to use his good arm to shield himself. This magical blast came from the side of the magical store. The assailant was quickly identified as a dwarf-looking person with a strange magical weapon in his hand.

It was clear that it was this device that produced the attack as several other shots were released from it. The knights that let their guard down for a moment were forced to abandon the injured creature in the middle to take shelter behind their magical shields. The man above seemed to be enraged and shooting without any sense.

“Cease this instant, you are attacking the Valerian knights! If you don’t stop, all of you will be detained!”

“What's going on, knights? Why are you attacking Agni?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to a commoner, you are in violation of the law of this land, if you don’t want to rot in the dungeon along with your family for the rest of your life, then stand down!”

The lieutenant was quick to identify the attacker. It was not the runesmith as his appearance didn’t fit what they were given, instead it was probably the other worker that was mentioned in the papers. He was aware of how commoners were, if he threatened them with the law and jail time they were quick to cower in fear. Bringing in their family into the picture was just icing on the cake.

“Miss Elodia, w-what should I do? Where is the Boss?”

“I… I don’t know Bernir… w-what if they hurt the children?”

“That’s it, stay there and it will all be over soon. If you even dare to move, I will all arrest you in the name of Theodore Valerian, this I promise you!”

“T-the Duke’s son?”

“The same!”

He could see the confusion in the red-haired man’s eyes. His hands began shaking as he was not able to go against the ingrained fear of the nobles. No one could go against the noble's personal army, if they did then it would be all over. They would be branded as criminals and this was the same for their family members.

“This has gone on for long enough, you will all come with us. Put down your magical weapon and get down here unless you wish to be branded as a criminal!”

The man started shouting while looking up at the half-dwarven man. The weapon he was holding seemed quite dangerous if it was able to go right through one of the knight armors.

“W-what will you do to him?”

“The beast? Don’t concern yourself with its fate and don’t test my patients.”

The knight lieutenant looked to the mage on the side that nodded. While they were arguing another spell had been finished casting. The red-haired man was clearly not a composed fighter nor was he paying enough attention. It was quite easy to let their mage silently cast a binding spell that produced a mass of vines to entangle him into place.

“Argh… what?”

“Idiot, beasts that attack the Valerian Knights deserve their fate, don’t think that we will be lenient with you either, you shall be tried for the crime of injuring a knight!”

Before he could figure out what was the right choice a large number of green vines shot out from the stone floor Bernir was standing on. The gun that he was holding on to shot a magical beam up towards the sky before it was wrapped close to his body. Now that he was disabled the last form of resistance at this place was eradicated.

“What a mess.”

The Knight lieutenant looked at his group of knights that had gone through the battle. One person had a big hole in his shoulder while the others had many scratches and nicks. He was maddened by the fact that this place and the dire wolf had given them this much trouble. The runesmith wasn’t even here and they had already lost this much time, the Knight Commander would certainly punish him for this.

“Damn monster.”

With a longsword in his hand, he approached the one that was the cause of this mess. The red wolf was still under the net, even though his body was riddled with holes from getting stabbed it continued to resist. At least it could give him some experience for all this trouble, the final blow would be delivered by him.

“Hold it down.”

“Yes, sir.”

In his eyes, this was what the monster deserved. It had attacked them first with no proper justification. Hitting the woman that was annoying was not something that he was even concerned about anyway. After killing this thing he would just drag her and the dwarf-looking man to the meeting point.

This runesmith that he was trying to get wasn’t worth the trouble. Judging by the info that he was given, if they took the woman and the other blacksmith with them, the runesmith would come to meet them. Leaving a few knights behind would be probably enough as they didn’t have the time to waste here. If the Knight Commander saw that they had this much trouble with one magical craftsman, then he would certainly get punished.

Thus he approached the injured creature. Even at the moment of its death, it looked ferocious. Perhaps if the net wasn’t holding it back the monster would even try to plunge itself in his direction. The teeth were still there but they were now covered in blood along with the rest of its body. Even if he didn’t deliver the last hit the monster would probably bleed out in a few minutes. Leaving the experience out on the table would be a waste, if he delivered the last hit a little bonus was waiting for him.

The sword in his hand started glowing as he took aim at the wolf monster’s head. It was a simple stabbing skill that he had practiced to a perfect form. He took aim for its head, there was no way of dodging his skill after it was activated. The speed and power would be tremendously enhanced. His hand turned blurry as the sword flew forward. The people that were related to this creature closed their eyes. He on the other hand had them wide open to relish in this monster's demise.

Blood splattered everywhere as the skill was concluded. The sound of flesh being sliced apart was quite audible and hard to listen to. Bernir along with Elodia could barely force themselves to open their eyes as they saw blood splashing everywhere. Yet to their surprise, the arc of gory liquid was not coming from who they thought it would, instead the Knight Lieutenant’s whole arm all the way from the shoulder was flying through the air.

This bloody appendage along with the sword it was clinging to just flew to the side while the man it belonged to cried out in pain. They couldn’t really tell where the attack came from, their eyes were incapable of seeing it. However, in their minds, there was only one person capable and daring to attack a Valerian Knight.

Soon enough they could see the surprised Knights looking up towards a strange orb of concentrated mana. This glowing sphere quickly exploded into many tiny strings of light that each flew at the armored men. They were quick to jump back with their shields raised to protect themselves. Even the man that lost his whole arm along with his shoulder was quick to retreat at the sight of the sudden explosion of magical energy.

The whole place was turned upside down by the sudden mass of explosions that was somehow focused around the injured creature. A cloud of dust from all the attacks quickly formed in the area as the group of knights attempted to get a grasp of their enemy's location.

“Defend the Lieutenant!”

“ARGHhhh!”

“Hide behind the shields!”

Their screams could be heard from within the dirt cloud that was constantly increasing in size. Only after the magical sphere in the air dispersed could they grasp the situation as their new enemy had shown himself willingly. He was there, right in the middle where the dire wolf was bleeding out. Without saying anything he was just glancing at the whimpering monster that for a moment looked to be at peace.