The Runic Alchemist

“I will go back and get the others. The waygate will open near you, and it will be quite big. You should stand where you want them to stay,” Damian said after descending into the palace with Vidalia.

The soldiers, maids, and many Eldoris lords had returned to the massive hall. Damian didn’t sense Tristan and others anywhere, but this was just one of the many places where Vidalia had her men stationed. They could be anywhere in Ashenvale.

Activating the waygate to Lockwood, Damian walked into it. Before stepping through, he asked, “What is this place called?”

“Fayengin City,” Vidalia answered.

Damian nodded. Evrin and Einar were staying with Vidalia. He alone walked through the portal and emerged in Lockwood, near Sam, whom he had asked to wait in the garden. It had barely been ten minutes since he left.

The Baron, Lord Silas, and others gathered near the waygate immediately, eager to hear the Spellmaster’s response. Even with Evrin present, many worried that Vidalia would not allow them to go through with this. They were, after all, Dawnstar people, well aware of the conflict between their two nations.

“Okay, gather everyone. We go through in five minutes,” Damian announced loudly so that all the gathered lords could hear him.

“She said yes?” Souldealer asked.

“She says it’s a hopeless endeavor, but you guys can try,” Damian answered honestly.

“She isn’t wrong,” Maelor added.

It was strange how only the enemy and the king’s own son seemed to understand the man better than anyone else. But then again, who knew—perhaps the king had more sense than he let on and would realize that this was his only chance to emerge from the losing war unscathed.

With the knights forming orderly ranks and leading their units, Damian opened the waygate—wide enough to let Dreamlight through—and within minutes, they were all in Ashenvale.

The last to cross were Damian, Reize, Lumi, and Sam with Grace. Lucian and Maelor were more focused on leading the people through. Once they were aboard Dreamlight, they too crossed the waygate, leaving behind many soldiers and knights tasked with protecting the entire North.

Vidalia had chosen a vast open field near the outer walls, slightly removed from the city, where her soldiers could keep watch over the newcomers as they grouped together. She clearly did not trust them, and with good reason—they were, in name, her enemies. Not all had thoughts of violence, but one could never be sure what any individual was truly thinking.

Damian landed Dreamlight at a distance from the gathered Dawnstar people. When he and Reize disembarked, Vidalia and Souldealer were already deep in conversation, standing apart from the others. Was Vidalia trying to recruit her? She certainly was an opportunistic elf. Souldealer couldn’t even outright refuse—historically, the Spellmaster’s name carried far more weight than her own king’s. She was a legend that everyone learned about in their history books. They were enemies, but she was still a figure that demanded respect.

Damian approached the Dawnstar lords to conclude this part of the endeavor. If he could put this behind him, he could focus on other matters which was the main reason he had come here. Seeing him, Vidalia and Souldealer ended their discussion and flew over.

Using Dreamlight’s mana, Damian constructed a large wooden enclosed building with tables and chairs inside. The Dawnstar lords took the hint and kept unimportant people outside, gathering in private to speak with Vidalia.

Once everyone was inside, Vidalia and Souldealer gave Damian incredulous looks. They could sense the sheer amount of mana he had just used as if it were nothing. Of course, they were already aware of his artificial mana core research, but witnessing it firsthand was an entirely different experience.

After some pointless chatter, they got to the main issue: Vidalia agreed to let them stay, but only for as long as Damian remained. After that, they were on their own. The bald knight, along with a select group of skilled knights, would set out to find the king’s host across the Mother Lake—an hour-long ride on horseback from the city. The boat journey across would take around twenty hours, depending on the wind, and once they reached their destination, Damian could use the waygate to transport the rest of the Dawnstar people directly to their king.

However, only the lords would go—Vidalia was adamant about this. The knights and soldiers would remain under her control, ensuring that the Dawnstar king did not receive free reinforcements. After some back-and-forth discussion, they all agreed to these terms.

Damian, all his friends—including Maelor—and Souldealer were invited to stay at the palace atop the hill overlooking the city. The rest were confined to a small designated area and were not permitted to enter the city without an escort, and even then, only in limited numbers. Vidalia did provide them with wood for fires—the temperature was tolerable, but the fast winds carried a biting chill.

Damian shared a room with Reize. It was still early afternoon. The bald knight, Warren was his name, had already left with his team of knights. After resting for a few hours and idly passing time in their room, Damian and Reize decided to put the time to good use—he would teach her how to fly Dreamlight.

With everyone else in their rooms, only Damian and Reize boarded Dreamlight. He started instructing her from the very basics: how to ascend, read the instruments, control, steer, and manage all essential systems. She already had a rough idea of how most things worked, but she asked questions and learned the rest step by step.

The ride was shaky, and more than once, Damian had to intervene to prevent them from crashing into the Mother Lake. But slowly and steadily, she was getting the hang of it.

“This is amazing! So much mana! I can do anything!” she yelled excitedly.

“Yes, yes, now focus, or we’re going underwater…” Damian tried to rein in her enthusiasm, but she just kept grinning and shouting in excitement.

It was fine, though. She was doing much better than he had expected. Controlling the ship wasn’t particularly difficult if one understood the basics—the real challenge was the mental calculations and overall awareness of everything going on rather than any physical handling.