Runesmith: Chapter 465 – Firm Grip. (Patreon)

 "Alright, this is the moment of truth"

Roland said, his voice tinged with both anticipation and concern as he held up the newly forged prosthetic arm. The intricate runes glowed faintly, casting a soft blue light in the dimly lit workshop. Bernir sat nearby, wearing a strange bowl-shaped helmet over his head. Cables attached to the chair gave the setup an eerie resemblance to the electric chairs used for executions. Additionally, a panel with some writing was to the side with what looked to be a silhouette of a person presented on a graphical interface.

“Um… Boss, what is all of this for?”

Bernir's nervous chuckle echoed in the workshop as he glanced around at the unfamiliar equipment. Roland was engrossed in making final adjustments for the runic limb and didn't immediately respond. He was focused on ensuring everything was in place for the first test.

“It’s something like a monitoring system but will also allow you to alter the settings even when I’m not here. We need something to track your body’s responses to the artificial limb.”

His battle armor could do many things, but it wasn’t meant to be a diagnostic device for runic limbs. For this reason, he decided to assemble a chair that would monitor a patient’s vital signs. Its main purpose was to record the spiritual mana pattern along with the regular kind. There was a certain attunement needed for the limbs to work, and there was a possibility of misalignment over time. This chair was designed so that, even in Roland's absence, Bernir could fix any issues by himself.

“I see…”

Bernir nodded slowly, trying to suppress his anxiety. The idea of being the first person to test a never-before-seen magical prosthetic was quite terrifying but also thrilling. Roland's confidence was reassuring, but the half-dwarf could not help but feel stressed. He trusted Roland but there was always a chance of things going wrong and he certainly did not want to explode while testing new runic equipment.

“Are you ready? First, we'll connect the arm to the harness. Once it's secure, I'll activate the runes, and we'll see how it responds to your spiritual mana.”

“Aye, Boss!”

His assistant was ready to proceed, even though he didn’t fully understand the mechanics behind this new technology. He wondered how it would work. Would he be able to move his hand again as he used to? Would it even give him the sensation of touch or would it just be a minor upgrade from the golemic arm he had been trying to use for the past month?

Roland took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. This was the culmination of weeks of intensive work and research. It was the moment that would determine if his decision to go to the Institute was right. He attached the prosthetic arm to the harness, ensuring it was secure. The intricate runes along the length of the arm glowed faintly as he continued to adjust the parameters. Attuning it to Bernir’s soul wasn’t as easy as working with his own, but eventually, everything clicked into place.

“Everything seems to be in order… Okay, Bernir.”

“Yes, boss?”

“I’m going to boot it up, I’m not sure how you will feel during the activation process but there might be a slight tingling sensation at the start.”

“Ah, alright…”

Bernir nodded, gripping the arms of the chair tightly. Roland began to chant softly, his voice resonating with the magical frequencies embedded in the runes. The glow intensified, spreading from the arm to the harness and finally to Bernir's body. The runes on the arm flared up briefly before settling into a steady glow, indicating the successful establishment of a magical connection.

As the runic prosthetic came to life, Bernir's eyes widened in amazement. He felt a strange warmth spreading from the connection point where the arm met his flesh, radiating outward until it filled the entire limb. There was indeed a tingling sensation, not unpleasant but certainly unique.

“How does it feel?”

Roland asked while keeping his skills activated. The world in front of him was filled with mana particles, and he could see the mana phantom from Bernir’s limb twitching. The prosthetic was connecting to it and slowly adapting to the spiritual mana there. It took about a minute for the connection to be established, and it seemed to be a success.

“It’s… it feels strangely warm. I can feel something, like… like it's a part of me, but also not. It’s hard to explain…”

“Try moving it around.”

It was finally time to see if his research had been fruitful. Everything seemed to be working fine, but there was a chance that it could all be for nothing. Bernir was still missing an arm, and if he couldn’t make the prosthetic move, then everything would be meaningless. Roland assumed that the phantom limb phenomenon would take hold, but first, he needed to see if Bernir could actively control the prosthetic.

Bernir flexed his new fingers cautiously. At first, the movements were jerky and uncoordinated, but as he concentrated, they grew smoother. The arm responded to his will with surprising accuracy, and he was soon able to perform basic gestures. It was clear that he would need some time before he could use it but, it was a resounding success.

“By the gods… it’s moving! I can feel it moving!”

Bernir’s voice was filled with awe and excitement as he flexed the fingers of his new prosthetic arm. The movements were slightly jerky and there seemed to be a slight delay but once they moved on from the alpha model, this problem would be non-existent. The soul always moved before the body did and so did the mana phantom Roland could see. He needed to account for this and attune it to Bernir’s deposition.

“Good, how about you try making some simple hand gestures like making a fist or moving your fingers one at a time?”

“Sure thing!”

Roland watched with relief as Bernir's new arm performed simple tasks like opening and closing his hand. The glow from the runes pulsed rhythmically each time, activating whenever the soul energy was initiated. The connection between Bernir’s spirit and the mana receptors was quite stable. For once, everything seemed to be working just as he had intended.

“Boss this is great… I have to show this to Dyana!”

“Now, hang on for a minute, this device isn’t ready for public use quite yet. How about, you try holding this first…”

Bernir seemed eager to storm off the chair to show his new prosthetic to his wife but it was quite dangerous to use. There was one thing that his assistant had forgotten about and this next test would showcase it. Roland had prepared an apple which he placed in the palm of this deep-steel arm.

“Now, try squeezing it… gently.”

“Hm? Sure… like this… oh…”

Soon, Bernir realized what Roland was getting at as the apple was crushed into chunks before his eyes. The runic prosthetic possessed the strength of a tier 2 golem, without any inhibiting program limiting Bernir's soul. The power of this artificial limb exceeded what his natural strength could achieve, and it would likely take time for him to adjust. If he attempted to grasp his wife's hand in this state, he could accidentally shatter her fingers.

“Don’t worry, this is just the alpha stage and it can be fixed. I think putting an inhibitor on it first should do the trick, but perhaps eventually you’ll be able to learn how to fully use the limb’s capabilities.”

“Aye, that sounds reasonable…”

Fruit juice started leaking down onto the ground, and Roland quickly grabbed a towel from the side to clean up the mess on the artificial limb. Soon, it was time to move away from the chair and conduct some tests. However, the weight seemed to be a problem. When Bernir attempted to stand up, he started tipping to the right side. The harness they were using to attach the limb wasn’t quite suitable, but it would have to do for now.

“I’ve prepared a few things for you, give it a try.”

On a nearby bench, Roland had laid out several objects of varying sizes and weights. He motioned for Bernir to approach and pick them up with his new prosthetic arm. The whole area was being monitored from all sides and information was being fed to the console he was now operating. They needed to get as much data for this arm as possible before they could move on to a finished product.

“Okay, how about you first try picking up that wooden hammer there and then the heavier metal one?”

“Aye, sure boss.”

Bernir reached out with his prosthetic arm, fingers curling around the handle of the wooden hammer. He lifted it effortlessly, but the wooden handle seemed to have suffered a few cracks. To alleviate this problem, Roland started playing around with the settings in an attempt to lower the grip strength on the new limb.

“Now try the heavier hammer…”

The arm appeared to be quite dextrous, allowing Bernir to grip onto things rather well. However, it still had some shortcomings. Occasionally, items would slip out of the metallic fingers, which were too slick. It seemed that having rougher skin affected one's grip more than anticipated, but it was a problem that could be addressed later. The hand may have been metallic, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be coated with a special material or covered with a skin-imitating glove to mimic real skin. It presented a perfect opportunity for a certain Alchemist to shine.

“This is incredible, it’s much better than that other golem arm! It almost feels real!”

“I see, how about the feeling of touch, can you feel anything at all?”

Roland approached Bernir and used his nail to poke at the metallic fingertips. He wasn’t sure what to expect from the connection between the arm and the soul, but he hoped that it might be possible to fully regain the sense of touch. If such a breakthrough was achievable, then these prosthetic arms could indeed replace costly tier 4 elixirs and the services of priests. It seemed to operate rather well even with non-tier-3 materials, so it could perhaps be used by a wider range of individuals.

Bernir blinked in surprise as Roland poked at his prosthetic fingertips. He concentrated, trying to discern any sensation. At first, there was nothing, just the metallic coolness of the arm. But then, faintly, he felt a tingling sensation, as if his own fingers were being touched. It wasn't a perfect replication of the sensation, but it was there, a glimmer of hope that perhaps with further refinement meant that the sense of touch could be eventually restored.

“There’s...something. It’s not like the real thing, but it’s there… I’m not really sure what to make of it Boss…”

Roland nodded thoughtfully, taking note of Bernir’s observation. It was a promising development, one that would need further experimentation and tweaking to refine. But if they could truly replicate the sense of touch, it would revolutionize this new field of prosthetics. It would take some time before he could make it official but if touch could be restored, then this was a breakthrough he did not expect.

“That’s good to hear. It means the connection is working. With more fine-tuning, I believe we can enhance the sensitivity and make it feel more natural.”

Bernir flexed his fingers again, a smile forming on his face as he started to get used to the new sensations.

“Aye Boss, this is incredible. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“No need for thanks, Bernir. This is just the beginning. We still have a lot of work ahead to perfect this. But if you want to thank me, then get ready for more tests…”

The craftsmen nodded at each other as it was time to perform the usual stress tests for new products. All sensors were on Bernir, and his job was to use the new prosthetic as much as possible throughout the day. The battery life needed to be tested, as well as the usage of the runes. In the future, Roland planned to introduce a power-saving mode that the limb would enter automatically, but for now, more tests were needed.

“Aye, I’m up for it. Let’s keep at it, boss.”

With the initial tests showing promise, Roland and Bernir delved deeper into the calibration and fine-tuning of the prosthetic arm. Roland made notes on Bernir's feedback, adjusting the runes to refine the sensory input and finger control. The process was grueling and involved countless adjustments, but Bernir's enthusiasm never waned. Eventually night arrived and it was time for a break but his assistant didn’t seem to want to part with his new arm.

“I don’t think it would be a good idea to take it home with you, it’s still experimental technology…”

“That’s true but … what if I just stay here for the night?”

“What about your wife? Will she be fine with you staying at the workshop?”

“Probably not, you’re right, it’s probably not safe around the little one either…”

With a heavy heart, Bernir gave up on showing the new arm to his wife and child. He had still trouble controlling his strength and there was always a possibility of something going awry. The arm was stored away for further testing tomorrow and eventually Bernir left the workshop with his old piece of equipment. Roland was left alone to ponder the next step which entailed renovating the workshop.
“One down and another one to go…”

He mumbled to himself while heading to the elevator that would take him to the lowest section of his workshop. It had been designed with one thought in mind: further expansion and security. Some of the technology he created was quite dangerous, so it was better to place it between layers of reinforced magical rocks that could absorb any potential explosions. The elevator came to a halt on the bottom level, which was currently empty. Here, he would attempt to create his next invention.

The walls were thick and sturdy, adorned with various runic symbols embedded in the rocks. Metal wasn’t the only material capable of holding runic traces and structures. This had been demonstrated to him back at the Institute, which had many enchanted surfaces not made of metal. During his research on mage towers, he learned about specific techniques used to alleviate the challenges of runesmithing with non-metal materials.

It was possible to reroute a lot of the strains of the runes into specific sections of the tower. These would be made from precious materials like mithril or other magical alloys specifically created for consistent use, just like his armor. The most pivotal element of the tower was its core as it would handle most of the strain and calculations. It was in a sense the main power source and the mainframe.

“I hope this won’t come back to bite me in the ass later, but I don’t think I’ll be able to make it within the next few weeks otherwise…”

Roland stepped toward a lone workbench in the center of the chamber. The place was devoid of much, but he intended to fill it with various runic artifacts to support his new project. While constructing a full-blown magic tower would take too long, he planned to start small and create something else first: a teleportation gate. With it, he intended to create a gateway for himself that would connect him with the entire kingdom, making travel something trivial.

"Alright, let’s get started…”

To begin, he needed to create the core to funnel everything into and the artificial spirit that would function as a supercomputer. For this task, he chose an old enemy - or, to be exact, its remains. He produced a cracked orb and placed it on the workbench; it would serve as the blueprint for his runic version of a tower spirit. It was a monster core that once belonged to a peculiar Lich monster affected by his otherworldly mana. This bonding effect would simplify things greatly, and soon it would be time to start his next project.

“This will probably take longer than just a week, so I better start now…”

After rubbing his tired eyes he dropped down a large notebook on his workbench. It was time to make a magical AI and in a sense, he was quite excited about this next project that could open a plethora of future possibilities.