The Runesmith

Chapter 468: Amputation.

“Quite the interesting gift you’ve brought me.”

“I apologize, but there wasn’t really another facility to use at short notice, Lord Arthur.”

“It’s fine, and you can call me Arthur down here.”

“I’m not sure I should…”

Roland remarked while glancing at a certain angry-looking cat-eared maid. The three of them were watching a group of soldiers transporting goblins and hobgoblins into holding cells. This place was created to hold tier 3 undead monsters from the dungeon, so managing a few lesser creatures wouldn’t be that hard. At this moment they were disabled by a sleeping spell and bound, making it easy for the soldiers to handle them.

Bernir was also here, waiting in another room for Roland to come and get him. This place was a secret from most, but his assistant had proven himself trustworthy enough for even Arthur to agree to this. Bernir was already aware of almost all of Roland’s secrets, and granting him access to this underground area wasn’t really a big security risk.

He had not planned this, but there was no similar place to hold monsters in his underground workshop. Roland was planning to create something similar, as improving his skills was important, but he just didn’t have the time. Moreover, having tier 3 undead under his own home, where many young children and his wife lived, would be quite irresponsible.

At this location, they had built an extensive underground holding facility that looked like a dungeon, which was perfect for his current experiment. Arthur already knew his true identity, so revealing his latest invention wasn’t a significant concern. It was even an opportunity to get him on board with the new invention. If the runic limb was successfully created, the money this city could gain from them was extensive. That is if he could work out a good enough attachment system that could replicate the real thing.

“If I understood correctly, this research of yours will be quite… unsavory?”

Roland remained quiet and only nodded as Arthur posed the question. He was about to do some inhuman things to these goblins and he was having some second thoughts about the ethical implications. However, his determination to help Bernir regain full functionality in his arm overshadowed his reservations. Arthur observed Roland’s struggle by reading his facial expression which was more tense than usual.

“Well, they are just goblins, the little buggers would slit our throats without thinking twice.”

“That’s true.”

There was a reason he chose goblins and hobgoblins as these creatures were considered pure evil. In the past, people had attempted to reason with these creatures or domesticate them, but every attempt had ended in bloodshed. Goblins were notorious for their cunning and cruelty, making them a constant threat to humans and other peaceful races. They liked to torture and play with their prey. To some adventurers being captured by goblins was a fate worse than death.

“I understand your dilemma, but you should not look at these creatures as part of the intelligent races, they are nothing more than evil monsters, their minds corrupted by something truly vile.”

He noticed Arthur trying to give him a pep talk about what was about to happen. It seemed that his noble friend had caught onto his internal dilemma. Roland appreciated the emotional support Arthur was offering and took it to heart.

“Thank you, Arthur. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright then, I’ll leave you to it. While I’m intrigued by the idea of artificial limbs, I’d rather not stick around, I’m sure you understand.”

While Arthur was fine with lending the area for his research, he was unwilling to stay and watch. Mary felt the same, and soon only Bernir, Roland, and a few guards stationed here were left. These guards were bound by strenuous magical contracts that would cost them their lives if they leaked any information.

“Alright, let’s get this over with. Bernir, are you sure about this, you don’t really need to be here for this.”

“I’ll be fine boss, stop worrying and not like we’ll be doing all that stuff, right?”

“Yeah…”

The two walked towards the holding area, where one goblin awaited them. While Roland intended to perform some tests with the creature's help, he would not be the one inflicting the pain. He took no joy in causing deliberate suffering to monsters, and these creatures would be also sedated for most of the process. The person carrying out the initial procedure was already waiting for them and was part of Mary’s troops. Cutting things was supposedly one of her talents.

“Well met, Knight Commander.”

The woman greeted him with a bow, her large black cat ears twitching slightly. Her eyes, brown with a golden tint, peered out from beneath her neck-length black hair, which draped over one of her eyes. This woman was supposedly Mary’s right-hand woman, part of a small unit of shadowy maids that roamed this noble estate. They were responsible for Arthur’s protection and information gathering. Sometimes, they would be tasked with odd jobs like today, and they usually wore maid uniforms to blend in with the regular people living in Albrook.

‘Did she work for an assassination guild before?’

Name :	Giana L105
Classes	T2 Nightblade L5
	T2 Dagger Rouge L50
	T1 Thief L25
	T1 Scout L25

Roland took a glance at her true stats, which could not be hidden from his runic eyes. The woman seemed to be treading the path of an assassin. The Nightblade class granted passive buffs to stealth during the night and in dark surroundings. It wasn’t particularly effective for combat in the field, but it excelled in surprise attacks.

For this occasion, the woman came wearing something more appropriate for the kitchen with a large apron over her uniform. The maid outfit might have seemed unsuited for combat but it was especially good for concealing weapons. This woman was definitely skilled in her trade and the sharp knife on the side made her look dangerous.

“I’m sure Mary informed you about your task, Giana?”

“Yes, Knight Commander. I am to assist you in conducting the necessary tests on the goblins.”

Giana seemed to smirk for a moment while mentioning performing tests on the monsters. She was someone he had already been introduced to earlier. From the onset, she felt like a scary individual who enjoyed her job a bit too much. Even now, it seemed as if she was joyfully anticipating slicing some goblins apart. Roland didn’t care as long as the woman didn’t point her knives in his direction or toward the people he knew.

“Good, now I’ll need you to make the incision on the right forearm, the same as it’s here.”

He pointed to Bernir who was remarkably quiet. It seemed his friend could feel the bad air around the knife-wielding maid and had become rooted out of fear. Bernir was still only a blacksmith and some battle classes exuded a certain aura that would cause normal people to shrink back in fear.

“Right forearm, got it.”

The maid nodded, her eyes glinting with a strange luster as she delved into the room where the goblin was being held. She approached the goblin, which was lying unconscious on a metal table, its greenish skin covered in warts and filth. The stench emanating from the creature was repugnant, but she didn’t seem to care. Roland moved forward and turned around after noticing that his assistant was not moving forward.

“You can stay outside if you want, Bernir. Don’t force yourself.”

“Huh? I… I’m not forcing it…”

Bernir's voice wavered slightly as he spoke, his eyes fixed on the closed door behind which Giana was preparing to perform the procedure. Despite his attempts to appear composed, Roland could see the unease written all over his friend's face. However, he was a man with his own convictions and would not back down once his mind was set.

“I’m fine.”

“Good, here wear this then, it will help with the smell.”

Roland was wearing his secondary half-plate armor with a helmet, which would protect him from the fumes. What he handed over was more of a face protector than a mask. It covered both his mouth and eyes and resembled a modern gas mask, with the filters replaced by a runic enchantment that purified the air. Bernir gratefully accepted it and put it on, trying to steady his nerves. With the mask in place, they entered the room where Giana was already at work.

The goblin was securely restrained, and Giana had already started making precise incisions on its forearm. The creature twitched slightly but remained unconscious, thanks to the powerful sedative they had used. Roland watched closely as Giana with one quick slice, severed the entirety of the monster's lower arm.

Once the arm was gone, Roland sprang into action. His hand hovered over the monster’s bleeding limb, and the healing process began. His pseudo-divine spells had become even more potent than before, reaching levels quite close to what advanced priests could achieve. Even though this monster was considered evil, it was not undead, so healing its flesh could be done through regular holy spells.

The light from Roland's spell enveloped the goblin's severed limb, and within moments, the bleeding stopped. Flesh began to knit itself back together, forming a smooth, scarred surface where the arm had once been. The goblin remained unconscious, oblivious to the rapid regeneration taking place. While he had the power to restore wounds like this, it would be impossible to restore the whole limb without a tier 4 variant.

“Will this do, Knight Commander?”

“Yes, this will be enough, I’ll take it from here.”

The woman nodded but seemed disappointed that the procedure ended with just one severed monster limb. Goblins had a body structure similar to humans and were a great analog for his prosthetic research. Now, Roland needed to use Rastix’s concoction to see how well it reacted with actual flesh before attempting to use it on Bernir. If it only attached itself to a few layers of skin, it would be quite useless, as it would probably tear off eventually.

This world was a bit different from the one he came from, and not everything made logical sense. There were perhaps ways to magically anchor the prosthetic limb to the body, which he also needed to examine. First, he needed to see how this flesh glue worked; if it connected well to skin, bones, and muscle, then it could potentially be viable. This goblin was here to test all the ratios, and if the initial tests were successful, he planned to bring Rastix over for some advice.

The first round of tests was quite simple as he attempted to attach a hastily produced metallic sleeve. He applied the concoction to both the metal and the goblin’s arm before creating the connection. Using his magic, he carefully constricted the metal to push it closer to the green skin. Once they were close enough, the bonding reagent took hold of it and the two began to fuse.

The metal and flesh began to meld together, forming a seamless connection. Roland carefully observed the process, noting the changes in the goblin's skin and how it reacted to the adhesive. The bond seemed to be forming deeply, as it had with the leather and metal earlier, but this time it was penetrating living tissue. After a few moments, the process appeared to be complete and the metal sleeve was now securely attached to the goblin's arm.

Roland used his various skills and runic magic to examine this new bond, and on the surface, it looked very promising. The adhesive was sticking well and seemed to have penetrated deeper than just the skin. He could foresee some issues with a connection like this and knew that further modifications to the sleeve would be necessary. However, this was just the first test, and many more goblins were being prepared for further experimentation.

Next, Roland conducted a series of strength tests. He pulled, twisted, and bent the metal sleeve, but it remained firmly attached. Even when he applied a fair amount of force, the bond held. However, it had its limits, and eventually, he saw blood flowing from the connection, prompting him to quickly heal the wound.

"Remarkable..."

He muttered while rubbing the bottom area of his chin. The alchemical adhesive was performing beyond his expectations but he knew that a single successful test wasn't enough. He needed to ensure the long-term viability and safety of the bond.

“We’ll need to observe this goblin for a few days and see if this bond remains stable and doesn’t cause any adverse reactions.”

“Is that so but Knight Commander, wouldn’t it be a waste to not use the other arm? Don’t you need more tests?”

“Uh… you do make a good point…”

Giana chimed in while holding something resembling a cleaver now. He wasn’t sure where the woman got it, but she seemed eager to delimb the goblin from the other side. Considering they were still in the beginning trial phase, the goblin wouldn't really need any of its arms as it wouldn't live much longer. The hobgoblins were meant for the end phase while the lesser goblins were quite expandable. Bernir shifted nervously beside him, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of further mutilating the helpless goblin. Roland shared his discomfort, but he knew that sacrifices had to be made in the pursuit of progress. With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly nodded to Giana, indicating that she could proceed with removing the goblin's other arm.

Giana wasted no time, swiftly bringing down the cleaver with a precise strike. The goblin's other arm was cleanly severed, and once again, Roland sprang into action to heal the wound. The process repeated, with Roland using a slightly different sleeve shape this time around.

“This should be enough for now, I have enough data for now.”

“As you wish, Knight Commander!”

The cat maid carted the goblin into a separate chamber where it would be observed by runic cameras. Other monitoring devices were also included to measure any adverse effects of the operation. With this task completed, Roland needed to return to his workshop and work on variations of the prosthetic sleeve that he planned to create as a permanent limb attachment. Once created, the prosthetic would be connected to it as a separate extension.

He envisioned a modular solution for the runic limb. Despite the runic components being able to function on tier 2 metals, they would eventually burn through them. It would be preferable if they didn’t need to repeat the connection procedure each time the artificial limb needed replacement. For this reason, he wanted them to be two separate parts, as he wasn’t sure if Rastix’s adhesive could be restored back into flesh once it had gone through the bonding process.

“You feeling fine?”

“Aye Boss, don’t worry about me, I’ve seen worse things when I was younger.”

Roland nodded at Bernir, who managed to keep his food in this time around. The half-dwarf had spent his life as a porter for adventurers before becoming a full-time blacksmith. Thanks to this experience, he had witnessed monsters and adventurers being torn apart inside the dungeons.

The tests were over for today, but his work was far from finished. Both of them left the underground facility and headed back home. They parted ways in the city as night had already fallen, and Bernir headed to his own home where his wife was waiting for him. Roland did the same, knowing that the process of moving the orphans had been fully completed during his stay at the Institute and Elodia was probably waiting.

“How was it?”

Once back, she greeted him with open arms and a smile on her face. They retreated to the dining area where luckily no kids were running around. All of them stayed at their dorm area during the night with some of the older kids looking over them.

“It went better than expected, if things continue like this then Bernir will have his hand back.”

Elodia nodded, her expression turning soft as she noticed the slight excitement on Roland’s face.

"That's good to hear. I'm sure you’ll be able to do it.”

The two exchanged glances and started moving closer but suddenly, a loud noise resounded from the side in the form of some munchkins riding an oversized sunlight wolf.

“Awooo!”

“How many times have I told you to stop riding Agni!”

“But he likes it!”

“Worf!”

Two boys, around the age of six, were clinging to Agni’s mane and being loud outside. Elodia leaned out of one of the windows and started shouting at them. Roland just chuckled and took this as a chance to slip away to his workshop. While he had made some progress with his research, the prosthetic limb was not the only project he was supervising. He needed to check up on his tower spirit and perhaps start tinkering with some of its features.

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