It was now 3:00 PM and the sun had come back out from behind the clouds, making everything brighter, The temperature went up to 16°C, which felt nice after all that cold from earlier, Alucent's frock coat was muddy now from all the crawling around and investigating, his blue eyes scanning the wreck in front of them.
The Steamcart was a complete mess, derailed and lying on its side like a dead animal, It was about 2 meters long, made of brass that used to shine but now was all dented and scratched. This thing probably cost around $300 when it was new, now look at it.
Raya's braid had gotten frayed during their chase through the forest, loose strands hanging around her face, She tied her cloak around her waist to get it out of the way while they investigated, Tavin's tunic had snagged on something, probably a branch, and his hazel eyes looked nervous as he stared at the destruction.
The Ironvine trees around the wreck were splintered, huge chunks missing from their trunks like something had exploded, Glowroses were scattered everywhere, their light flickering weakly instead of that steady glow they usually had, Even the Runepaths were scorched, the copper trails looking burned and twisted.
"Look at this" Alucent pointed to something near the overturned Steamcart, There was a Runewell, about a meter across, probably worth $100 under normal circumstances, But it was pulsing weakly, like it was sick or dying.
What could have done all this? This wasn't just an attack, could it be what the Clockstag was running from?
A voice came from behind the wreck "Hey! You three, what are you doing here?"
They turned to see a man walking toward them, probably 32 years old, about 6'0" tall with broad shoulders, He had short blond hair and gray eyes that looked suspicious, But what really caught their attention was his left arm, it wasn't normal, It was mechanical, made of brass and about 0.8 meters long, clearly powered by runes, You could see the intricate gears and pistons moving as he walked.
Whoa, that's incredible, I've never seen a mechanical arm before, How does it even work? This world is crazy.
He was wearing a leather vest and boots, both stained with oil and grease, This guy clearly worked with machinery a lot.
"I'm Gryan" he said, getting closer, "This is my Steamcart, or was, Who are you people?"
"I'm Alucent, this is Raya and Tavin" Alucent said, gesturing to his companions, "We were following a Clockstag and found this wreck, What happened here?"
Gryan's mechanical arm whirred softly as he moved it, the brass catching the afternoon sunlight, "Shadebinders attacked three days ago, I was hauling cargo to the outer settlements when they came out of nowhere, I barely escaped with my life."
"But you stayed here?" Raya asked, her hand resting on her Weaveblade.
"Had to, Some of my cargo is still salvageable, and I need parts to fix my arm" Gryan flexed his mechanical fingers, they moved smoothly but you could hear the tiny gears working, "Been trying to get the Runewell working again, Without it, I can't power anything."
His arm must need constant maintenance, That's probably why he's oil-stained all the time, so this is how it works, interesting.
Alucent walked over to the damaged Runewell, kneeling beside it, The pulsing was irregular, weak, "I might be able to help with that, I've been learning repair runes."
"You know runework?" Gryan sounded skeptical, "How old are you, kid?"
"Well, I'd say old enough to have purified two Runewells already today" Alucent said, pulling out his Runequill, Those borrowed memories were stirring again, showing him patterns he'd never learned but somehow knew.
Let's see if this works, The pattern is different from purification, more complex this time, It's about restoration, not cleansing, hope it goes smooth, can't risk doing anything wrong.
He started etching around the rim of the Runewell, the pattern taking up about 6 square centimeters, The lines were more intricate than anything he'd done before, curves and spirals that seemed to flow into each other, As he completed each section, it began to glow with a silver light.
"That's Thread 1 Runeling mastery" Raya said, sounding impressed, "How are you advancing faster than anyone I've seen?" she asked in awe and surprise.
The repair rune was almost complete when Alucent felt it, that familiar swell of Runeforce building inside him, But this time it felt different, stronger, The Runewell itself was responding, its weak pulsing becoming more regular.
This is working, I can feel the connection forming.
He finished the last stroke and released the Runeforce, letting it flow from his core into the repair rune, The effect was immediate, The Runewell's pulsing became strong and steady, its inner light brightening until it cast clear shadows in the afternoon sun.
But the effort left him sweating, his body overheating from the Runeforce usage, That was more intense than the purification runes, fuck. I need to be careful not to push too hard.
"Incredible" Gryan said, staring at the restored Runewell, "I've been trying to fix that for three days, How did you..."
He didn't finish the question because something else was happening, The repair rune wasn't just fixing the Runewell, it was affecting the Steamcart too, Pipes that had been cracked started sealing themselves, dented brass began smoothing out.
"Get back!" Gryan shouted, his mechanical arm moving to shield them.
The Steamcart lurched, steam hissing from its restored pipes, Slowly, impossibly, it began to right itself, the repair rune's energy flowing through all its systems, Within seconds, what had been a total wreck was now a functional, if battered, Steamcart.
I didn't expect that to happen, The repair isn't suppose to affect the steamcart also, or is it that powerful?
"You just saved me weeks of work" Gryan said, pulling a small pouch from his vest, "I have to reward you, Here is 15 Copperweaves, You earned it."
Alucent took the coins, they felt good in his palm, That was $1.50 worth, more than he'd made all day, This runework is actually profitable, Maybe I can make a living at this.
Tavin, who had been quiet during all this, suddenly stiffened, His hazel eyes went wide and unfocused, "The visions" he whispered, "They're stronger now."
"What do you see?" Raya asked, moving closer to him.
"Eloha" Tavin said, his voice distant and shaky, "He's working with something dark, A Void Rune, bigger than anything we've seen, It's... it's eating the light."
A Void Rune? What is that? And if Eloha is really behind all this corruption, then is that who has been causing all these?
Gryan's mechanical arm whirred as he clenched his fist, "Eloha? I've heard that name, He's been recruiting people with mechanical skills, offering good money for work in the deep forests."
"You know about Him?" Alucent asked.
"Know about her? I almost worked for him" Gryan said, "Good thing I didn't, From what I hear, people who work for Eloha don't come back the same, if they come back at all."
The conversation was interrupted by a sound from the forest, footsteps on fallen leaves, Multiple footsteps, moving in coordination.
"We've got company, there's someone or something coming" Raya said, her Weaveblade already in her hand.
Two figures emerged from the shadows between the Ironvine trees, Both were about 5'8" tall, cloaked in that same dark fabric that seemed to absorb light, Their red eyes glowed under their hoods, and each carried a Voidshard blade about 15 centimeters long.
"Shadebinders" Gryan said grimly, "Same ones that attacked my Steamcart."
The first Shadebinder moved fast, faster than seemed possible, Its Voidshard blade cut through the air in a vicious arc aimed at Alucent's chest.
Gryan's mechanical arm shot out, deflecting the blow with a shower of sparks, The impact rang like a bell, his brass fingers barely getting there in time, Maybe two seconds from attack to deflection.
That arm is incredible, It moves like it's alive, wish I can get one.
"Can you get that Steamcart moving?" Raya shouted, already engaging the second Shadebinder with her Weaveblade.
Alucent looked at the restored Steamcart, then at his repair rune still glowing on the Runewell, An idea formed, If the rune is still active, maybe I can control more than just repairs, just maybe I can engage in fighting also.
He focused on the connection between his rune and the Steamcart, pushing more Runeforce through the link, The vehicle shuddered, then lurched forward, Steam poured from its exhaust ports as the engine came to full power.
The Steamcart rumbled across the forest floor, heading straight for the first Shadebinder, The creature tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough, The brass hull slammed into it with a satisfying crash, sending it flying into an Ironvine trunk.
It worked! I can control it through the repair rune, this is amazing.
The whole attack took maybe twenty seconds, but it was enough, The first Shadebinder was down, possibly unconscious, The second one, seeing its companion defeated, began to retreat.
Raya's Weaveblade flashed in the sunlight as she drove it off, the crystalline edge leaving trails of light in the air, The whole fight lasted maybe five seconds once the Steamcart joined in.
"That was impressive" Gryan said, examining his mechanical arm for damage, A few scratches on the brass, but otherwise intact, "You controlled my Steamcart like it was an extension of your own body."
I'm getting better at this runework, Maybe too good, That felt almost too easy.
"We should get moving" Raya said, cleaning her blade, "Where there are two Shadebinders, there are usually more."
Gryan walked over to his restored Steamcart, running his hands over the formerly damaged hull, "I owe you more than fifteen Copperweaves for this, Here." He pulled out a small fuel canister from the cargo area, "This is worth five Copperweaves easy, High-grade steam fuel, hard to find."
Alucent handed over five of his Copperweaves, "Fair trade, We might need fuel where we're going."
Now I have eighteen Copperweaves total, plus fuel, Not bad for a day's work.
Tavin was examining the ground near where the Shadebinders had fallen, "Look at this" he called out, "Tracks, Big ones."
They gathered around him, In the soft earth were impressions that definitely weren't from normal boots, These were heavy, metallic, with a distinctive pattern.
"Rune-Armor tracks" Gryan said, his gray eyes serious, "Someone in full magical armor was here recently, Those tracks are fresh, maybe an hour old."
Rune-Armor? Like an actual armor but with runes? Who would need that kind of protection?
"Could be connected to Eloha" Raya suggested.
"If he's building some kind of army..." Alucent didn't want to finish that thought.
"There's only one way to find out" he said, shouldering his pack, "We follow the tracks."
Gryan looked at his restored Steamcart, then at the group, "Mind if I come along? My cargo run is ruined anyway, and I've got a score to settle with whoever's been attacking travelers."
His mechanical arm whirred softly as he made a fist, "Besides, you might need someone with Steam Path knowledge, That arm of mine isn't just for show, it's Thread 1 Cogspring work, I can handle most mechanical problems you're likely to run into."
Steam Path? I didn't even know there were other paths besides Rune Path, This is getting more complicated.
"Welcome aboard" Alucent said, "The more help, the better."
They gathered their supplies and prepared to follow the Rune-Armor tracks deeper into the forest, The tracks led away from the main Steamcart routes, into the darker parts of the Ironvine forests where old things still moved in the deep places.
The afternoon sun was starting to lower, casting longer shadows between the trees, Somewhere in the distance, that Runestorm hum was getting stronger, and Alucent could feel the hair on his arms standing up from the electrical charge in the air.
We're walking into something big, I can feel it, But we have to keep going, Too many questions need answers.
As they started following the tracks, Gryan fired up his Steamcart's engine, The brass vehicle would make their travel faster, and its restored systems hummed with power, The sound echoed through the forest, announcing their presence to whatever lay ahead.
But Alucent noticed something else as they prepared to leave, The repair rune was still glowing on the Runewell, still connected to his Runeforce, He could feel it pulling at his energy, a constant drain.
I should probably cut the connection before it exhausts me completely, But what if we need the Steamcart's power again?
He decided to leave it active for now, accepting the gradual drain on his energy in exchange for keeping their mechanical advantage, Whatever they were walking into, they'd need every edge they could get.
The Rune-Armor tracks led deeper into the forest, toward places on maps marked only with warnings and question marks.