Chapter 449 – Deputy Professor.

“What’s aw this fuss aboot?”

“It’s the new Assistant Professor, Chief. He said he didn’t want to be bothered. I reckon it ain’t a guid idea to…”

“A guid idea? Hae they forgotten who’s the head honcho o’ this Forge? Why’d ye numbskulls let this slip by? Ah step out for a couple o’ weeks and this is whit Ah come back to?”

“Chief, ye were gone for more than two months…”

“Shut yer trap.”

“Aye, Chief…”

An old dwarf was berating one of the other Runesmiths present here. The old dwarf, known simply as Chief among the Runesmiths, was a grizzled veteran of the craft. His presence commanded respect but on this peculiar day, his authority was being questioned. A strange black barrier had been erected in his private crafting area, preventing him from entering.

“What’s wi’ this barrier here?”

“The Assistant Professor is doin his experiments there, Professor Arion said no’ to disturb em.”

The old dwarf, Chief, grunted in irritation, his bushy white eyebrows furrowing deeply. He was not accustomed to being barred from any part of the forge, especially not by someone he deemed as a mere assistant.

“Assistant Professor, ye say? Hmph! He’s no more than a greenhorn! An’ he’s barricadin’ himself in ma forge? Not on ma watch!”

With determined strides, Chief approached the barrier, his thick hands clenched into fists. He wasn’t about to let some upstart scholar dictate the use of his workshop.

“Stand aside, lads! Chief’s comin’ through!”

The other Runesmiths exchanged nervous glances but knew better than to challenge their Chief’s authority. Many received some bruises from those large first of his. They hastily stepped back, giving the determined dwarf space to approach the mysterious barrier. However, before the man could approach the black barrier something strange transpired.

This strange black barrier was taking up quite a bit of space but suddenly, it started to expand to the sides. At first, it looked like a balloon being slowly inflated, but eventually, the surface started to ripple and expand chaotically. Chief halted his advance, his eyes widening in surprise as the barrier expanded before him.

“What in the blazes…? Lads… Get back!”

It didn’t take long for him and the others to realize that something wasn’t right here. While they weren’t mages they could feel a tremendous amount of magical energy leaking out. Whatever was happening inside was going to erupt and they needed to escape. With a chorus of hurried footsteps, the Runesmiths scrambled to retreat to a safe distance and quickly grabbed various protective tools that would shield them from magical explosions.

The barrier continued to swell and distort, its inky blackness pulsating with an otherworldly glow. Then, just as suddenly as it had expanded, the barrier popped. A surge of magical energy erupted upwards and collided with the forge’s ceiling. The Chief and the other Runesmiths stumbled backward, shielding themselves from the debris that scattered in all directions.

A shockwave was sent in all directions and rippled through the workshop. Luckily, most of the magical force was aimed up into the air where no living being resided. Chunks of stone and metal rained down upon the workshop as the magical explosion shook the very foundations of the building. The Chief stood his ground through the chaos, his rugged features showing a scowl.

As the dust settled and the echoes of the explosion faded away, the Runesmiths cautiously emerged from their makeshift shelters. What they beheld left them dumbfounded. Where once stood a black barrier and an enclosed workspace, now there lay a gaping hole in the ground, surrounded by scorched earth and twisted metal.

In the epicenter of the explosion stood a lone man. His clothes had all been burned by the magical eruption but a few metallic parts remained, like the strange runic helmet that he wore. His whole body was covered by black soot and some strange runes emanated from the armor parts he was wearing.

“Wha… What in the name of the Forge is goin’ on here?”

Chief exclaimed, his voice tinged with disbelief and anger. The other Runesmiths murmured amongst themselves, exchanging bewildered glances as they tried to make sense of the spectacle before them. None could comprehend how the man had survived such a powerful explosion unharmed, let alone caused it in the first place.

“I uh… Sorry?”

……

“I want ye to kick this man oot o’ the institute, did ye see whit he did to mah poor forge?”

A few hours later Roland found himself in the Vice-Headmasters office, with the Forge Master of the Institute. The man was an older dwarf with a long white beard and a stern expression. Roland felt a hint of guilt and apprehension after his experiment had gone awry. It seemed that experimenting with dimensional runes and rifts was quite volatile. While he had succeeded in creating a prototype, he had gone overboard with a few settings, causing a magical meltdown.

“Forge Master please calm down, from what I heard it was an unfortunate accident.”

“An unfortunate accident? There’s a hole in mah forge big enough to fit a dragon through!”

Roland decided to remain silent for the time being as he was unsure of what to say. He couldn’t deny his responsibility for the massive explosion inside the man’s forge, but fortunately, no one had been hurt. In a way, it was also this man’s fault for taking such a long break. As someone responsible for the forge, he seemed to be absent far too often.

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter if they kick me out now, I’ve gotten what I came for, an explosion like that will not happen again.’

He thought to himself while the man continued to shout. With this breakthrough, a lot of capital could be made. There were no working magical prosthetic limbs that could work for non-magicians out there. It would take some time to refine it but now that he worked out all the theory, implementing it would be easy.

It was evident that this breakthrough in runic engineering, as confirmed by his newly gained title, held great potential. There was a strong possibility that this was groundbreaking technology, with potential applications beyond mechanical limbs. While initially intended for such prosthetics, Roland could envision its use in various other fields. Having devices react to a person’s movements hinted at the possibility of creating another technology that he had been pondering over.

‘Well, before I do that, I’ll have to get out of here… but they might have me pay for the damages to their forge…’

His budget was large but he wasn’t sure if they gave him a fair price. The technology he created would probably take some time before it was implemented on a wider scale. However, he did make a mistake and it was normal for the Master Runesmith to be angered. His mind was made up and Roland decided to take responsibility for the accident that he caused.

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“Forge Master, I apologize for the damage caused to your forge. It was indeed unfortunate, and I take full responsibility for it. I assure you, I did not intend for things to escalate to this extent, and I am fine with reimbursing you for all the damages.”

The Forge Master grumbled, clearly still upset, and quickly responded.

“Ye mages are aw the same, thinkin’ ye can fix aw yer problems wi’ gold!”