The Runesmith

“Welcome back Mr. Wayland we are finished here as well.”

The busty elf lady smiled at Roland as he returned with the puppy. He had taken it down from his head by now. This was done out of concern that the puppy would grow up thinking that he might be the leader of the pack. He couldn’t just let his tamed monster literally walk over him.

Bernir was to the side waving at him as well, he looked happy for some reason after looking at the puppy that was now in Roland’s hands.

“Welcome back Mr. Wayland, did you decide on the name?”

“Not really…”

The old man that explained how taming creatures like these had informed him about this. The monster contract wouldn’t be fully complete unless he named the monster. This was done through the system window and he just needed to concentrate while looking at the wolf pup’s status.

“How about I just call it potato…”

The wolf pup gave out a menacing whine the moment he mentioned the name. It clearly didn’t like Roland’s naming sense but he had no idea how to call the red creature. It looked quite cute at the moment but when it grew up it would look closer to a wolf.

“Little potato? That would be a cute name for such a little cutie.”

The elven woman looked down at the barking dog while chuckling.

“Sure… so everything has been cleared up? Then can I get my adventurer card updated?”

He asked as he had signed all the papers relating to the new party member. The Ruby Wolf Puppy would become his tamed monster. His adventurer card was taken to perform some updates.

It was interesting how these cards worked. They would add certain symbols onto it which would then inform people about certain things. A little picture of a beast would be added in the corner which would indicate that he was an owner of a beast.

This card could then be given to any guild and they could scan it for the detailed information about the monster in question. This all was not done with any runic components though as he couldn’t identify any of them it worked on some other magical system.

It was probably done through regular enchanting which used a slightly different language or maybe something else entirely that he wasn’t aware of. Runes were not the end all be all in this world, many other magic languages existed that could produce similar or even better effects.

The old gnome also told him to get a collar for the wolf pup. It would then signal other people that this monster was owned by someone and keep them from attacking it.

The papers that explained things about his creature were also given to him by the old man. He could present them to the guards the next time he saw them which would be proof enough to not pay any more tolls. This could also be done by showing his adventurer card but it wouldn’t always be accepted outside the guild. If the monster went through an evolution he would need to return to the adventurer's guild to have everything updated.

The creature would be judged again, sometimes monsters got extremely violent which in some situations caused them to be banned from entering cities. Other times they would change into a poisonous or corrosive variant that by just being in contact with others could cause them harm.

“Yes, Mr. Bernir had explained everything. Are you willing to sell the damaged golem core? Even if it's damaged the materials can still be used by some craftsmen.”

Roland had dumped a lot of money into buying resources for his deep steel armor but he wasn’t that strapped for cash. He could always enchant some disposable weapons on the side to earn more. The golem’s core on the other hand was a rare commodity that could be melted down and turned into an alloy. If done correctly this alloy could boost the regular metal’s capabilities.

“I’ll keep it for now...when can I get my card back?”

“It shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes Mr. Wayland, why don’t you sit down and have a drink while you wait?”

The elven woman pointed to the side where a small section of tables was at. The guild did have a dining section. They mostly served beer and some easily made dishes for the adventurers that were stuck waiting like him. He just nodded and turned around, his little dog continued to bark in his hands as he carried it around.

“Calm down or I’ll really give you the name Potato or how about Beetroot? You’re quite red like one.”

The pooch instantly went quiet after Roland continued to mention vegetable names. It was clear that this wolf to be didn’t want to be named like this. It felt like a drag to come up with a fitting one. While going towards one of the tables to sit at he tried remembering some popular dog names that were used in his old world.

‘Max? Charlie? Boomer? Woofer? Crimson Fang?’

There were just too many to choose from for him to decide on such a short notice. He could go with a regular name similar to a person or try something more interesting or cool. This puppy would evolve into a more ferocious-looking Ruby Wolf or maybe even something else entirely.

The interesting part about tamed monster evolution was that their master could affect the evolution in one way or another. He had this explained by the old man during the paper signing. Depending on what he fed the wolf it could even change its elemental affinity in the next evolution.

A tamed monster like this didn’t go through any class changes and trials like people did. It was more or less automatic for any regular wild beast. It was slightly different for the monsters that were taken out from dungeons as he did.

Apparently, after reaching the first threshold of the 25th level he would be actually able to decide between some evolution options. It was even possible for him to keep the monster unevolved and wait for it to gain more skills and achievements in hopes of earning a rare class. It was very much a game-like system which made it more interesting.

While thinking about the future he finally sat down at the table. He didn’t eat breakfast due to the unforeseen monster birth so he was a bit hungry. This place’s food wasn’t the best though but it would get a person through the day. There were also more people that looked quite hungry with him. Bernir followed him here and he could even hear the man’s stomach giving out strange noises.

“You hungry?”

“Huh? Oh no I’m fine... “

It was clear that the half-dwarf had gone through a traumatic experience and probably famished. Roland was somewhat aware of his situation which probably caused him to not have much money. While Bernir was out cold he had gone through his backpack and there was actually almost no gold in it. The prices in the guild were higher when food was concerned so he assumed that saving money was probably Bernir’s agenda.

“Is that so…”

Soon a young cat lady showed up to take their order.

“What will it be?”

She called out in a quite energetic voice while mostly focusing on the red puppy that was squirming around. Roland had forced it into his armpit so that it wouldn’t cause trouble.

“Bring us some kiełbasa with bread and butter. Make it enough for three people. Then give me two glasses and a bowl with water.”

“Coming right up Mister.”

The waitress nodded at the order and then promptly walked away into the back room. There she would bring it to the cook while getting the glasses for water faster.

“For three people?”

Bernir asked from the side while swallowing some of his saliva. Roland didn’t answer as he waited for the waitress to return with the glasses. The bowl was placed on the table by him along with the small pup that started to quickly drink from it.

His long tongue worked fast causing some of it to drench the table. This was something that he had to contend with as he was afraid that if he placed the dog on the ground it would run off somewhere. Then he would be stuck chasing after it, if it did any damage to the city or anyone in it he would be responsible for it.

‘I need to train this dog to behave…’

While thinking about his future ‘taming’ headache he offered one glass of water to Bernir. He himself slowly looked at his own glass before giving out a sigh to move his visor up.

“Mr. Wayland?”

“It’s fine…”

Bernir was a bit surprised by Roland exposing his face to the adventurer’s guild. From the previous talk that they had, he made it seem that he didn’t want to reveal that he was a runesmith to others.

Roland on the other hand was tired, tired of constantly running back and forth from the city to his house with and without the armor. It had been over a year since the encounter with the cultists and his family hadn’t found him in six years. It was safe to assume that no one knew where he was or cared if he was alive.

His face had changed with the years, long gone were his childish features. Now his face was more adult-like and with every day his physique was getting bulkier due to all the fighting and smithing. Even his brothers might not have been able to recognize him if they met him out on the street.

He had thought about it hard for the past year and arrived at the conclusion that he might be sticking out more by hiding his face constantly. If he actually wanted to live in this city he would need to take part in it. That would require him to work with other people and depend on others in one way or another.

With that, he gulped down on the water but when the waitress walked back he quickly moved his visor down so that she wouldn’t see his face. The sausages were brought over and she left after giving the two a nod.

‘Well… I don’t need to reveal everything today…”

Bernir looked at him a bit taken aback by how quick he hid his face from the guild worker. He was too busy devouring the kiełbasa sausages to take it to heart though. The little wolf pup received his share of food as well. The little guy’s ruby-tipped tail started smacking into the wooden table as he ate up.

Roland himself only ate half of his portion while mostly inserting it into his mouth with a half-closed helmet. It was still a hard for Roland to let go of old habits. It would be a slow process to relearn how normal people operated but he hoped that he could let go of his fears in the coming future.

The half dwarf looked quite happy after eating the meal, the puppy on the other hand started going into snooze mode. It just plopped down between Roland’s legs and started sleeping after devouring quite a sizable sausage.

After some uncomfortable silence washed over the two young men, Bernir was the one to speak up first. Roland was a person of few words, never really speaking out without a purpose behind it. His new friend on the other hand wasn’t that reserved.

“How long have you been here for Mr. Wayland?”

“For about a year.”

“Oh, did you make that armor yourself or did you buy it somewhere?”

“Did you decide on a name for that little pup?”

“Will you be going to the dungeon again? Do you need help carrying things? I’m pretty good at disassembling the monsters, my skills are quite high!”

What followed was a series of questions to which Roland replied in either a nod or a quick sentence. Luckily the receptionist from the adventurer guild waved him over as he peeked to the side. After getting an earful from Bernir, he wanted to run up and kiss her from saving him.

“Ah, is your card ready?”

Bernir asked while Roland stood up. The half-dwarf looked a bit saddened at the quick end of their conversation. He was still worried about his future prospects. Working for Roland as an assistant was something he was aiming for.

All the smithies were taken over by dwarves that liked to stick to old customs that wouldn’t let any outsiders in. Only after many years of doing side work would they ever consider him as a valid apprentice. There were many people looking for work, so there wasn’t really anything holding them back from keeping their traditions running.

Roland was made aware of the half-dwarf’s predicament during their walk here. This did explain why such a promising craftsman was carrying gear for adventurers instead of working in his own field.

“It does seem like it is.”

He left towards the lady elf who returned his adventurer card for him. He could clearly see that he had the little symbol for the tame beast included in it but there was also a little bonus.

“Silver rank?”

The card had switched from the steel grade to silver grade as well, it looked that defeating the floor boss was enough to prove himself.

“Yes, congratulations Mr. Wayland. The Ruby Golem’s core was enough. I hope you will continue to do business with our adventurer’s guild. Would you like me to list all the benefits of being promoted to the silver rank? Or would you like to take the pamphlet instead? “

Roland looked over his card, it had a distinctive silver hue to it. He wasn’t that informed about jewelry but silver, platinum, and mithril rank cards looked a bit similar to each other. The silver one was a bit darker than the other two with the mithril one being the brightest.

“I’ll just take the pamphlet.”

“That will be three large copper coins!”

Roland’s eyes narrowed when asked to pay for this pamphlet but he also didn’t really want to stay here and have this woman explain everything. He had already been here too long due to his tamed beast.

“Here…”

“Thank you for your support, remember to look at the notice board, you’ll find all the silver rank listings there.”

“Right, thank you.”

After saying his goodbyes he turned around to leave. With the puppy in his hand, it was time to go home and figure some things out. There was no reason to look at the notice board as even without taking specific missions he could just hunt tier 2 monsters and sell items to the guild.

Sometimes there would be specific listings that offered more money for some body parts. Those were mostly placed there by people like alchemists that needed them for potion brewing. Depending on the recipe some monster parts sold better than others. Sometimes other adventurers placed offers for new members or for temporary help.

He reached out with his hand to the adventurer’s guild door and pushed it open. Before leaving he turned around as Bernir had stopped in his tracks. Normally this would be the moment that these two would part their ways. Roland had delivered the information and also received his card upgrade but after thinking some things threw he had come to a decision.

“For now I can offer you free lodging and food. If you prove yourself we can talk about a set wage. But you’ll have to show me how you work with a hammer first.”

Roland called out to Bernir from afar, the red-haired youth’s gloomy expression quickly changed as he moved forward.

“T-thank you, I won't let you down!”

“You’ll be sleeping in that log cabin though, now let's go there is still some work left to do.”

The two young men soon left afterward, the day was still young and Roland had some tasks for his new ‘apprentice’. He would need him to prove himself before being allowed to be part of his workshop. Then a proper employment contract would need to be produced a similar one to what he had signed back in Edelgard.

“Woof!”

“Quiet down Tomato…”