Chapter 494: More Testing.

Chapter 494: More Testing.

"How in the blazes does it move like that?"

"Aye, it’s leagues better than the old models... Ye tellin’ me Master Wayland made it all on his own?"

"Well, o' course! The Boss is the best smith alive, figured it all out himself - though, mind ye, I did lend a hand!"

"Ye reckon... it could take the place of an eye?"

"An eye? Ahh, not so sure 'bout that... but it’d sure do better than that ol' peg leg ye’ve got!"

A group of dwarves huddled around Bernir, examining his runic prosthetic arm. Several days had passed since they began working on the runic power armor. Eventually, they noticed that, while his arm was fully mechanized, it moved no differently than a regular arm. Typical golem-hand replacements were slow, usually only capable of clamping down on objects.

“Hey, are you done resting?”

The group’s chatter was abruptly interrupted by the arrival of Roland, fully dressed in his mage robes. In his right hand, he carried a suitcase that previously contained all his workshop tools and apparatuses. Clearly in a hurry, he didn’t wait for the dwarves to respond before setting it down and letting it unfold. The exoskeleton of the power armor was finished, though it still lacked most of its outer shell.

“We’re ready, Boss,”

Bernir called out while putting back the glove he covered his metallic hand behind.

“Great. Follow the schematics. I’ll be back later.”

The internals of the power armor hovered in the air for a moment before being relocated onto the ground plate. The dwarves watched as it sank into the metal floor, folding back into the shape of the briefcase. Roland swiftly grabbed the case and hurried out of the workshop as he needed to collect data from his brother, Robert.

‘Bernir seems to be getting along with the dwarves at least.’

It didn’t go unnoticed that the small group of craftsmen appreciated his assistant's expertise. Despite being only half-dwarf, years of working alongside a runesmith had made him the perfect helper. Initially, they were skeptical and some even reluctant to follow his orders. However, after spending time with him and witnessing his skills firsthand, they accepted him into their group.

They couldn’t help but marvel at his runic prosthesis, especially since some of them were missing body parts as well. This sparked a question: could his technology replace other types of organs? While crafting a prosthetic limb was one thing, something as complex as an eyeball was another matter entirely. After that came other organs like the heart or lungs, would something like that be feasible? It probably wasn’t impossible, but it would require quite a lot of further research, research he had no time for at the moment.

‘I should focus on Roberts's issue first, I didn’t expect those bastards to use something like that, could it really be those things?’

It didn’t take him long to reach the De Vere estate. Since he had taken on the role of Robert’s squire, he was granted permission to visit him. Robert was allowed to train and even temporarily leave his cell. Those in higher positions were sometimes allowed to leave entirely, with the condition of appearing on the date of their duel. Failure to appear would result in an automatic loss and immediate conviction. However, after several individuals fled to avoid punishment, the rules were changed. Now, prisoners could only train in sealed-off locations, like underground dungeons, with all exits guarded and secured.

‘That’s the location? They are keeping him hidden...’

As he was let through the main gate and escorted toward Robert’s holding cell, Roland glanced into the distance. One of his hidden golems, stationed far away, was monitoring a certain knightly individual. The knight’s movements were swift, his swordsmanship precise. He was sparring with the Grand Commander in preparation for his duel with Robert. At first, nothing seemed unusual, but Roland quickly noticed something was off as the knight’s movements were far too refined for someone of his level.

‘ Blood crystals, huh? I didn’t expect to see them here, let alone used by knights’

It appeared that Count Graham wasn’t leaving anything to chance. He had allowed one of his men to use the forbidden blood crystals, notorious black-market items that heightened a person’s skills without the need for training. They were rare and frowned upon by most, but undeniably effective.

‘His movements are much better now than before. This is going to be tricky.’

Roland’s runic power armor was still largely untested, and he had no idea how it would perform against a true tier-3 opponent. To make matters worse, the knight’s active and passive skills had been significantly boosted by the blood crystal, even though his overall level remained the same. While Roland wasn’t sure about the side effects, one thing was clear - the knight would be a far tougher opponent than he’d originally anticipated.

‘They are cheating, but not like I’m doing things fair either.’

“Runic Frame Operating System? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Robert asked, puzzled.

“Well, Arion wanted me to give the system a name, so we went with that. I guess he wants his work to stand apart from the Runic Power Armor.”

“Runic Power Armor? Is that what this is called?”

“It will be, once it's finished. But for now, let’s focus on getting you moving. Once you're ready, try taking a few steps. After you've familiarized yourself with the movements, we’ll use that training sword over there for practice. Now focus, we don’t have all day!”

“Ah, sure...”

Robert felt strange taking orders from his younger brother. It was as if he were interacting with someone much older, as though Roland were the elder sibling, not him. The screen before him displayed strange indicators and flashing lights he couldn’t decipher. Yet, once he started moving, everything began to make sense.

Initially, the weight of the suit was overwhelming. It felt as if rocks were strapped to his limbs whenever he tried to move. However, after a few flashing lights and a nod from Roland, everything changed. Suddenly, he felt lighter. It was a completely new sensation - there was almost no weight to the suit now, as if the armor was moving with him instead of against him. The heaviness faded as the mana-infused joints and runes responded to Robert's movements, enhancing his strides and making his motions feel almost unnatural.

"How does it feel?" Roland asked.

"It's... strange. It's like I'm not even doing the movements and this armor is doing them for me.”

Robert replied, still trying to comprehend the technology. Ordinary armor felt like nothing more than heavy clothing that weighed a person down. It provided knights like him with some protection and enchantments but usually restricted their movement. This exosuit, on the other hand, felt weightless, allowing him to move faster than he had ever imagined. However, this didn’t stop him from tripping several times as he was having trouble maintaining balance.

“Good. That’s the idea. But there still seems to be a slight delay, especially when you are using the legs, we will have to address that but first, why don’t you take this and do a few practice swings.”

At first, Roland intended to use the practice sword Robert had been given, but a single glance revealed it was too small. The suit he had created was quite large, and the frame's hands would be too big to wield it effectively. Instead, it was better to give him a larger sword, and fortunately, Roland had just the right one - the sword he had earned from the Emmerson fight.

Normally, he would have been hesitant to lend it out in such an official manner. The weapon was quite recognizable and could likely be traced back to Albrook. However, at this point, it didn’t matter. His identity as Wayland was already partially exposed and would probably become even more apparent after everything was over. There was no better weapon for this fight, and it fit perfectly into the large mitts of the rune frame.

Robert accepted the large sword with a sense of awe, feeling the weight of the weapon in his hands. Despite its heft, the suit's enchantments made it feel as though it were almost weightless. It was a weapon fit for a Knight Commander and he was just given it like it was nothing. At this point, he wasn’t sure what to think of his brother but one thing was clear, he was someone that was probably a genius.

He began executing forward slashes, leveraging his skills to their fullest. His current best class was the Noble Blade, a knight class known for wielding swords, often two-handed ones. It boasted high attack power and speed but had limited defensive options - something this armor might help address. If he could forgo all defense and allow his opponent to land a few hits, then with one well-placed strike, victory would be his.

As Robert continued practicing, the armor’s runic inscriptions continued to glow softly. However, suddenly he noticed an increase in heat close to his thigh. When glancing down he could see a part of this exoskeleton glowing brightly. He could do nothing but to stop, his body clung around this machine and if nothing was done, then his leg would probably be burned.

“That’s enough...”

Luckily he wasn’t alone here, his brother quickly noticed the issue and deactivated the armor. Once the runes stopped glowing the heat started to diminish.

“Six minutes and twenty-three seconds... We’ll have to do something about that... Perhaps make a safety suit for the frame user...”

Roland shook his head around while glancing at the heated rune that almost ate through the metal lining. It was clear that this apparatus was not yet fit for the field but with only five days left, they would be cutting it close.

“I guess this will have to do.”

Robert took a deep breath as Roland began disassembling the exoskeleton. The armor had potential, but the overheating issue was troubling. It was evident that the runes were working beyond their intended capacity. The enhancements to Robert’s speed and strength were impressive, but that wouldn’t matter if it burned his flesh while he was wearing it. Soon, the armor was back in the briefcase, and the shrouding spell was undone. Half of the allotted time had been used up, and the prototype was still not ready. Time was working against all of them but potential success was almost around the corner.