ã€ŠReturn of the Runebound Professorã€‹


 Chapter 1: Even in death

    Death, Noah Vines found, was not what he had been expecting. He¡¯d never considered himself a particularly religious man, but he¡¯d always thought there was something that came after.

    He was pleased to discover that there was indeed something.

    He was less pleased to discover that the something involved waiting in a line. A very, very long line. To make matters worse, he had absolutely no idea what he was waiting for. There hadn¡¯t been any introduction. He even would have settled for an onboarding video.

    Instead, he found himself standing behind another man, as naked as the day he was born, slowly wandering toward something. The only thing that existed was boredom. There was nothing around them but more lines of people, winding through empty space and standing on faint, translucent paths of energy. Time passed ¨C at least, Noah felt like time was passing. He didn¡¯t have any way to tell for sure.

    Several times, he thought about talking to someone. Each time, he decided against it. It just didn¡¯t feel right. Perhaps that came with being dead. It did give him a little time to self-reflect, though.

    Unfortunately, what he reflected on didn¡¯t make him feel particularly great. He would have loved to arrive at the afterlife ¨C whatever it was ¨C with a little bit more to be proud of. Thousands of successful students, or perhaps a loving wife and kids.

    He hadn¡¯t quite made it that far. Noah had a grand total of four years of teaching under his belt, along with a useless university degree that had barely gotten him the job ¨C the same job that had forced his fellow teachers to give up their sick days so he could afford the hospital bills.

    God ¨C Gods, however many or whatever type there are, I hope those kids have a good start to their life. They deserve it.

    The line inched along. Time stretched. It passed, but by how much Noah was unsure. Hundreds of years. Thousands. He wasn¡¯t sure anymore. The only thing that really kept him company was his own voice, echoing within the silent confines of his mind.

    He just stood, occasionally taking a step whenever the soul in front of him moved.

    The world changed.

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure exactly when it had happened. But, one moment he was standing in line floating in infinite nothingness, and the next his feet were on solid ground. The lines all converged on a single point, where a tall woman towered above them all. Behind her was a huge lake full of glimmering silver water.

    Unlike everyone else, she wore clothes. Beautiful silk hung from her body and danced around her like streamers, but nothing on or beside her could compare to the woman herself. She was perfect to such a degree that the only emotion that Noah felt was fear. Without a doubt, she was not human.

    One by one, the people in the lines stepped up to her. They paused for a minute, as if in silent conversation. Then they continued, walking into the lake dipping their hands into it. They raised the silver liquid to their lips and vanished, transforming into streaks of white light.

    The line continued on. Before Noah could even truly process it, he was standing before the beautiful woman. Time froze around him as they locked eyes.

    ¡°Noah Vines,¡± she said, as if reading from some invisible prompt. ¡°Died at the age of twenty-six. You were an influential figure for eighty four of your pupils. Many prayers have been sent up for you. A life well lived.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C are you god?¡± Noah asked, speaking for the first time since he¡¯d died and instantly cursing himself for it.

    ¡°I am Renewal, one of the many goddesses of Reincarnation,¡± she replied, looking slightly bored at the question. ¡°You have been chosen to be reincarnated in a higher plane. Drink from this well of the Waters of Life and, in losing the memories of your current life, continue unto your next. A suitable body will soon be born for you.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I won¡¯t remember anything? Nothing at all?¡±

    Renewal opened her mouth to respond. Then time snapped back into motion. Thousands of streaks of black light carved through the nothingness like a shower of falling stars. Noah stared up at them in awe, his mouth hanging askew.

    The first star hit, falling into a line of people just a short distance away from Noah. It obliterated them and smashed through the floor, sending huge chunks of it spiraling away into nothingness.

    A massive rumble shook the ground as more of the stars fell, each one tearing the serene scene into smithereens. Renewal raised her hands. A beautiful pink flower bloomed in the air before her, moments before a lance of black energy slammed into it.

    It crushed the flower and narrowly missed Renewal as she spun out of the way. More of the stars continued to rain down all around Noah, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to move. All he could do was watch as they tore through the other souls surrounding him, ripping them to shreds or sending them plummeting into nothingness.

    A deep, grating howl echoed through the air. Renewal staggered as a jagged black spear erupted from her shoulder. Cracks formed in the air around her and a gurgling mass seeped out from within it, pouring onto the ground like sludge.

    Screaming faces rose up within it, as if they were straining to escape the bubbling goop. It rose up, forming into the blobby shape of a man. He ripped the spear free of Renewal.

    ¡°I finally found you, Renewal,¡± the man said, his whispery voice laden with a mocking tone. ¡°My beautiful flower.¡±

    Renewal¡¯s face didn¡¯t budge. She thrust a hand toward the man. A beam of brilliant energy erupted from her palm, searing into him. A thousand voices screamed in pain and he clutched his chest. Black liquid poured down his body and into the pool of silver water, tainting it.

    Another falling star slammed into the ground just beside Noah, snapping him out of his reverie. There wasn¡¯t a single other soul left that he could see. He¡¯d been so close to Renewal and the terrifying man that he¡¯d been spared from the destruction so far, but it didn¡¯t take a genius to tell that sticking around for a battle between gods was a terrible idea.

    His eyes latched onto the Waters of Life. He glanced up at the two, but neither of them were paying attention. Noah scrambled to his feet and threw himself forward. The man turned, and for a single instant, he locked eyes with Noah.

    Then Noah plunged into the silver pool. He drank without waiting to see what would happen. It poured into his throat, sweet and syrupy. A sense of peace enveloped Noah, cradling him in its comfort.

    The terror that had been gripping him just instants ago faded away. He was safe. There was nothing to fear. All that mattered was moving on to his next life. His past didn¡¯t ¨C

    Noah recoiled as something bitter hit his tongue. It spiked through the peace, binding around him like a thorny vine. The fraying memories of his mortal life suddenly stopped decaying and rushed back into him, packed into his body along with the disgusting taste.

    And then Noah was gone, a streak of light shooting across the cosmos.

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    Worlds stretched past him in a blur of color across a black canvas. He streaked through the infinite black, his mind a muddled mess as he tried to comprehend the visions flashing before him. Time became a foreign concept. To Noah, existence became the dancing shapes and universes that he passed by.

    But, as all things must, it came to an end. He felt a sharp jerk in the area that would have been his chest, had he had a physical form. The dull pain was the first thing that he had felt in ¨C well, Noah wasn¡¯t sure. A while.

    Images bloomed before him, no longer of flitting worlds or stars, but of endless green fields and massive mountains. Lakes the size of an ocean and intricate cave systems deep below. Awe filled his being as he hurtled through the new world, his awareness sputtering as it tried to fully reignite.

    For the briefest instant, Noah spotted two massive, reptilian eyes looking down at him from within the stars. Then he was gone, getting lower and lower to the surface of the planet. A faint drawing force pulled him down into a village and he slipped through the wooden planks of a small house.

    A woman laid in bed, a newly born infant mewling in front of her. Her features were a mixture of relief and pain, but Noah didn¡¯t get to examine them long. The force tugged at him, pulling him toward the child¡¯s body.

    He descended, brushing the crying boy¡¯s face for an instant. Tight bands wrapped around him, sending flashes of agony throughout his body. No more than a second later, he was yanked away and sent hurtling across the planet once more.

    Several more times, Noah was pulled into scenes of births, where his floating body tried and failed to merge. The tightness grew stronger, to the point where he could barely even muster the meagre thoughts that he¡¯d managed thus far.

    Noah caught a glimpse of the towering walls of an enormous castle the size of a city an instant before he shot through them. He pushed through the cracks in the stone and continued onward, hurtling past forests and great plains.

    He slammed to a halt in a small clearing surrounded by charred, blackened trees. They stretched into the air around him like withered hands reaching for the heavens. To his surprise, there was no child. There wasn¡¯t even a mother. A greasy black haired man sat beside a dying campfire beside a small lake. His features were sharp and pinched in pain. Blood trickled down his chest from a deep wound. Noah wasn¡¯t a doctor, but he was pretty certain that it wasn¡¯t the kind of wound that people walked away from.

    The corpses of several furry creatures laid around him. They roughly resembled monkeys, but had large, jutting fangs and claws far longer than any monkey on Earth. Their fur still smoldered, and they were all riddled with holes as wide as quarters.

    Drawing a labored breath, the man fumbled in his belt and pulled out a small gourd. He snapped the wax seal at the top and lifted it to his mouth with trembling hands, drinking greedily from it.

    Noah tried to move, but he had no control over his body. All he could do was float and watch. The wound on the man¡¯s stomach rippled and bubbled. Strands of flesh and organ reached out, reconnecting themselves.

    The man went to take another drink. He stopped halfway through the motion, his eyes bulging as he grabbed at his throat. The bottle slipped from his hands and fell to the ground, liquid spilling from its mouth.

    A sharp tug pulled on Noah¡¯s navel. The man glanced up just as Noah was yanked downward and into his body. Ice rushed through Noah. It felt as if he¡¯d been plunged into the freezing ocean.

    A scream split through his thoughts, but only later did he realize that it hadn¡¯t been his voice. Noah drew a ragged, desperate gasp for air ¨C and it worked.

    Noah froze. He slowly reached up to his face, pressing against skin instead of ghostly ectoplasm. He patted himself down, slowly at first, then leapt to his feet. His foot landed on a patch of bloody mud and he lost his footing, slamming onto his back with a loud crash.

    Pain flashed through him, but he didn¡¯t even register it. Noah scrambled on all fours over to the lake and peered into it. What stared back was the man¡¯s body, but no traces of his wound remained.

    ¡°Gods above,¡± Noah muttered. His head throbbed and he grimaced. He ran his hands along himself again, just to make sure he could still feel. ¡°I¡¯m alive. I¡¯m alive!¡±

    Noah burst into hysterical laughter and slapped himself across the face, just because he could. He had a physical body again. Sinking down into a small ball beside the lake, Noah continued to laugh until tears streaked down his cheeks.

    He was alive.

    The bout passed, bringing considerably less joyous emotions with it.

    ¡°I thought I was supposed to lose all of my memories and be reborn,¡± Noah said, staring at one of his pale hands. The voice that emerged from his mouth wasn¡¯t his, though it wasn¡¯t all that different from it. ¡°Neither of those seem to have happened.¡±

    A shudder ran through him at the thought of the terrifying creature that had attacked Renewal. Whatever it was, he never wanted to see it again. But, possibly worse, someone had been inhabiting this body before his¡­ arrival.

    ¡°Did I just murder someone? Or did I just watch them get murdered and take advantage of it?¡± Noah asked himself, swallowing nervously. He crawled over to the gourd the man had drunk from and picked it up.

    A small piece of parchment was tied to its lip with tweed. To Noah¡¯s surprise, he could read the words on it perfectly, despite knowing full well that they weren¡¯t English.

    Thanks for everything, Magus Vermil. I hope this healing potion helps you out.

    Evidently, some of the man¡¯s memories were still bouncing around in his head. That might have explained the throbbing headache. Something sharp poked into his chest. Noah reached up, pulling a small metal badge with the words Magus Vermil carved into it from a slot in his jacket. He tucked it into his pant pockets with a grimace.

    Judging by the man¡¯s expression moments before he¡¯d died, Noah was pretty sure that this potion had done more than just heal him. From the looks of things, it actually did more to kill him.

    Whoever this guy was, he had some enemies.

    ¡°Tough luck, man,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°The line isn¡¯t too bad when you get used to it, though. Hope things go better for you next time around.¡±

    He gave it a hesitant sniff. The gourd smelled like honey and cinnamon. Noah carefully set the gourd back on the ground, making sure not to spill any of its contents on himself. Just because it didn¡¯t seem to be affecting him anymore didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t work again if he got more of it on himself.

    ¡°Well, this certainly isn¡¯t anything like monkeys on Earth,¡± Noah said, studying one of the dead monkeys. Now that he had an actual pair of eyes to look through, he was even more certain. The dead monkey¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and its fur was so matted that it could have been armor. There was no word to describe it other than monster.

    He pushed himself off the ground, standing on shaky legs. Strangely, Noah felt no panic or fear. He¡¯d spent more than enough time coming to terms with his life when he was waiting in line for the afterlife.

    If gods existed, it wasn¡¯t hard to extrapolate that monsters did as well. More importantly ¨C something had seriously injured the previous owner of Noah¡¯s body, and he wasn¡¯t sure if it was still around.

    An image of a towering, furry mass flickered through Noah¡¯s mind. He paused, trying to bring it back, but the memory was already gone ¨C and it certainly wasn¡¯t one of his.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Noah muttered, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Is that what gored this Vermil guy before I got around to him? I hope not. I don¡¯t want to be anywhere near that thing.¡±

    A shadow passed over Noah¡¯s head. He stared down at it, as it eclipsed him, passing far into the campsite. His lips pressed thin. ¡°Ah. Of course. It¡¯s behind me.¡±

    He turned around and came face to face with the fattest, ugliest monkey he¡¯d ever seen. The monster towered nearly twice his height and had long, gangly arms that ended in disproportionately long clawed hands.

    Its eyes were small and beady, and fangs jutted out of its mouth in every which direction. If someone had taken a rabid orangutang and shoved a bunch of extra teeth into its mouth before driving its face into the wall half a dozen times, then it probably would have been this thing¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± Noah said, lowering his gaze as he desperately tried to dig through his old memories of earth to recall what to do when one came face to face with a predator. Avoid smiling. Don¡¯t make eye contact. Give a firm handshake and talk with confidence.

    Wait, that last one might be for an interview. LinkedIn articles didn¡¯t prepare me for this. I don¡¯t think ¨C

    The monkey screeched. Its awful voice tore through Noah¡¯s ears like a rusty saw. He clapped his hands over his head and spun, sprinting away as fast as his legs could carry him.

    Screw the rules. Those are for bears, not the goddamn sasquatch¡¯s hillbilly son.

    Heavy thumps behind him marked the monkey as it charged after him, but Noah didn¡¯t dare waste the time to glance back at it. He was fairly sure it was gaining on him, but the jagged trees surrounding the clearing could slow it slightly.

    Out of the corner of his eye, Noah spotted a massive gangly claw hurtling toward his head, jagged claws glistening in the light of the setting sun. Panic flooded through him. His body moved of its own volition. His hands rose into the air and white lines danced in the air before him, forming a strange pattern.

    A streak of wind ripped out from his palms. It bit into the monkey¡¯s paw, carving a deep cut into it, and pulling a pained screech from the monster¡¯s lips. Noah stumbled as energy rushed out of him. He stared at his hands in disbelief, overwhelmed for a moment.

    ¡°I just did magic. I can do¨C¡±

    Four huge claws slammed into his head as the monkey swung its other hand at him, carving down through his body and cutting the rest of Noah¡¯s sentence as short as his life.

    It was his first death on this new world ¨C but it would be far from his last.

 Chapter 2&3: Civil

    Screaming in agony, Noah¡¯s soul split apart from his body. The desecrated corpse pitched to the ground, its top half cut into ribbons. He stared down at it, the pain fading now that he no longer had a body with which to feel.

    ¡°Well, shit,¡± Noah said. ¡°That was fast.¡±

    Invisible energy tugged at his chest, pulling him away from the world. Noah sighed.

    Oh well. So long as there are other places to revive, I already know what¡¯s going to happen. What¡¯s a few thousand more years of waiting?

    Something wrapped around his throat. Noah¡¯s ghostly eyes bulged and he choked ¨C something he hadn¡¯t thought actually possible for a spirit. A black ribbon materialized around his neck, leading back off into the clearing.

    The force pulling him away from the world vanished as the black ribbon yanked him back down to the world. Pain erupted throughout him once more and his eyes snapped open, drawing in a ragged gasp and clutching a hand to his thundering heart. He was in a body once more.

    His head slammed like an entire orchestra had been trapped within it. Noah groaned in pain, unable to even move from his spot. It was several minutes before he gathered the energy to push himself upright.

    There was no sign of his clothes. He was completely naked. Noah staggered upright. A heavy fog hung around his mind, even though the pain started to recede. He was in the same clearing.

    The gourd of poison still sat on the ground where he¡¯d left it. In the all too close distance, Noah could hear crunching noises from the direction of where he¡¯d run. Swallowing heavily, Noah crept up to the pool of water and peered inside it.

    The face of the man whose body he¡¯d stolen looked back at him. He¡¯d kept it, somehow. Unfortunately, the clothes didn¡¯t seem to be part of the package deal.

    ¡°I came back to life?¡± Noah whispered to himself. He touched his face, just to make sure it was there. A roar split the forest behind Noah and he paled, launching himself into the lake. He swam down as deep as he could go and latched onto a stone at the bottom, holding onto it for dear life.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how long he waited there. Time had lost most of its meaning during his stay in the afterlife. Noah didn¡¯t dare release the rock until his lungs burned so much that he could hardly feel them and shadows danced before his eyes.

    His body barely managed to propel him back up to the surface of the lake. He gasped for air, slumping over the edge as his lungs desperately pulled oxygen in. Suppressing a groan, Noah rolled over and glanced around.

    The clearing was empty. His head still felt like mincemeat, but it was better to feel it than to actually become mincemeat¡­again. Noah pulled himself the rest of the way onto dry land and pushed himself upright.

    He glanced at his hands, then held them up before him. The image of the strange pattern that had appeared before them felt etched into his mind. He tried to picture it forming before him, but the fog surrounding his head grew thicker. A spike of pain ran down his spine and Noah dropped his hands, grimacing.

    A cold breeze rustled by him. He shivered and tilted his head to the side, listening as hard as he could. He couldn¡¯t hear the monkey anymore. That didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t still there ¨C he hadn¡¯t forgotten how silent it could be when it wanted to be.

    Pants or not dying? Which one is more important?

    Noah crept into the burnt woods. He hadn¡¯t made it far in his previous escape attempt. He spotted the bottom half of his corpse lying in the tussled dirt between several trees. There was no sign of his upper body or the monkey.

    He crept up to his former legs and quickly tugged his pants and belt off. Noah pulled them on, grimacing at the still-warm blood covering them. A small book clipped to the belt thumped against his side as he pulled it on. As soon as his legs were through the holes, Noah shuffled off into the trees, tying his belt with numbed, fumbling fingers as he walked.

    Despite his best ¨C and largely ineffective ¨C efforts to be stealthy, Noah winced at every dry branch that cracked beneath his feet. He threw glances over his shoulders every few feet, jumping at the slightest winds.

    He didn¡¯t allow himself to calm down until he¡¯d been walking for so long that the sky started to darken and night fell. Noah slumped against a scorched tree and slumped down.

    ¡°This is not how I saw my afterlife going,¡± Noah said to himself in a low whisper. He shivered as a cold wind dragged its chilly fingers across his bare chest. The fog covering his mind had only just started to peel away a few minutes ago.

    Inventory. I need to take inventory. See what I have.

    He dug through his pockets. They were empty.

    Right. A book, a badge, and some torn up pants. That¡¯s it. Not bad considering I didn¡¯t even have a body yesterday.

    Noah unclipped the book from his pants and flipped it open. Detailed notes drawn in tight, flowing handwriting covered many of its pages, each of which was dedicated to a single, complicated pattern similar to the one he¡¯d drawn in the air a few hours ago.

    A Rune.

    The words drifted to his mind of their own volition. Noah frowned. Runes certainly felt like the right way to describe the feature, but he was quite certain the thought wasn¡¯t his own. He¡¯d retained a lot of his previous body¡¯s memories, but it didn¡¯t seem like he could access them consciously.

    At least I can read.

    Noah flipped through the pages, searching for the Rune he¡¯d envisioned while fighting the monkey. His efforts were rewarded by an old page near the very back of the book. It was covered with dozens of sketches of plants and animals that he didn¡¯t recognize, along with descriptions of each one.

    ¡°Wind Rune,¡± Noah read, tracing the pattern with a finger. He raised his hand from the book, picturing the Rune in his mind. A thin blade of wind leapt from his palm and carved deep into the brittle trunk of the tree in front of him. A faint blanket of weariness fell over his shoulders.

    Noah scrambled to his feet, eyes darting around to see if anything had heard him. He stood still for several seconds. Nothing came. He crept over to the tree, inspecting his handiwork. The magic had carved a deep cut into the rough bark.

    He envisioned the Rune again, this time pointing his palm at the ground. Another blade of wind leapt forth and bit into the earth. The weariness grew stronger, but the fog didn¡¯t encroach on his mind again.

    Okay. Brain fog comes from dying. No magic when foggy. Conclusion: don¡¯t die.

    Noah looked up at the night sky. Bright stars twinkled far above, glowing with faint golden light. Despite his situation, he let a small breath of awe slip out from between his lips. It was beautiful. Nothing like the dull, smog-muted stars that he could make out through his apartment window back on Earth.

    He looked back down at his book, determination etching itself into his features.

    ¡°I need to get to civilization.¡±

    ***

    Noah didn¡¯t sleep that night. He just walked, trying to move in a straight line as much as possible. It was as good a direction as any, and the last thing he wanted to do was wander in circles.

    The crunch of dead and burnt foliage beneath his feet was the only noise in the still night. Windy gusts slithered through the trees, but despite their stark chill, they were nearly soulless. The trees had no leaves with which to rustle.

    Noah came to an abrupt halt as he stepped around a tight group of scorched trees and found himself face to face with a monkey. His breath caught in his throat and a tiny yelp slipped out of mouth before he managed to silence it. The monster¡¯s eyes were closed in sleep. It hung upside down from a blackened branch with its hind legs.

    He swallowed heavily, taking a slow step backward. This monkey was roughly the size of the ones that had been lying dead in the clearing when he¡¯d arrived in this world, but that didn¡¯t make its claws and teeth any less deadly.

    A branch cracked beneath Noah¡¯s heel. The monkey¡¯s eyes snapped open, instantly catching onto him. It hooted, dropping from the tree and landing on all fours. Noah cursed, scrambling backward and thrusting a hand toward it.

    Wind whipped from his fingertips, and a thin blade of white magic carved into the monkey¡¯s chest. It screeched in pain and blood splattered across the ground from a deep wound. The monster threw itself at Noah and he threw himself to the ground.

    It flew over his head, slamming into a tree behind him with enough force to crack the wood. He bolted upright and sprinted in the opposite direction of the monster as fast as he could. Loud whooping yells followed Noah, growing closer at an alarming rate.

    Noah spun, raising his hands to fire another arc of wind into the monster. He had a pretty good head start on it, so he was pretty sure that there should have still been enough room to ¨C

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    Its face was an inch away from his. Noah screamed, his bolt of magic cutting across the monster¡¯s shoulder an instant before its claws dug into his throat, ripping it out. Agony seared through the wound and he choked, gasping for air that wouldn¡¯t come.

    The monkey screeched in victory. It didn¡¯t last long. A final arc of wind leapt from Noah¡¯s numbing fingertips and caught it in the throat, severing the monster¡¯s head from its body. A weak grin flickered across Noah¡¯s lips, even as blood bubbled up behind them.

    ¡°Serves you right,¡± he muttered.

    A strange feeling of warmth flooded into his body. For an instant, he felt Greater than he had before ¨C but Noah didn¡¯t get time to appreciate it.

    Death took him for the second time that day. Noah¡¯s soul slipped out from his body. He hovered above his corpse for an instant, but a familiar force started to pull him away within seconds.

    Noah narrowed his eyes, memorizing his surroundings as best as he could. The pull grew stronger, and then he was hurtling through the forest. Noah focused, keeping track of the trees that whistled past him and taking note of anything that could be used as a marker to orient himself.

    A few seconds later, reality slammed into him. Cold, wet dirt pressed into his bare back and his eyes snapped open. Heavy fog hung in his mind. His lips felt gummy and dry. Noah grimaced, pushing himself to his feet.

    He was naked. Again.

    The clearing was empty, at least. Noah shivered in the cold night wind. The empty gourd rested just by his feet, in the same place he¡¯d left it. A small frown flickered across his lips as a thought pushed its way out of his muddled mind.

    ¡°Why do I keep coming back to this clearing?¡±

    He turned in a slow circle, trying to see if there was anything that might be causing him to reform here rather than anywhere else in the world. Aside from the dead monkeys and the empty gourd on the ground by his feet, there was nothing.

    The gourd.

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed. He picked the gourd up carefully. It sloshed faintly, a little liquid still left within it. He studied it for a moment. The gourd certainly didn¡¯t look like anything special.

    He scanned the ground until he spotted the wax seal. He picked it up and carefully pushed it back into place. Noah would have loved to have a pair of pants to hang the gourd from right about now.

    ¡°Right. You¡¯re coming with me,¡± Noah muttered. He looked up at the sky, then located the direction he¡¯d come from. Then he set off once more. There was a pair of pants waiting for him.

    His second trip through the forest went quicker than the first. He hadn¡¯t managed to memorize everything perfectly, but he¡¯d gotten enough of his bearings to retrace his steps. It was several hours, but he spotted his body lying on the ground across from an equally dead monkey.

    Noah grinned despite the bitter cold. He jogged up to his corpse and stripped it, pulling his pants back on and tucking the gourd into a loop on his belt. Whole once more, he turned in a slow circle. The fog in his mind finally peeled back, letting him think properly again.

    Unfortunately, the dead forest stretched in every direction for as far as he could see. Rows on rows of scorched, dry trees stood in silent parade arrest for a general that would never come.

    What the hell was this Vermil guy doing here in the first place? Did he have a death wish? He had to have some way to get out. And then there¡¯s that feeling I got when I killed the monkey thing. What was that?

    No answers came. Noah pursed his lips, then shrugged. Standing still was making the chill even worse, so he set off once more.

    Noah continued for several more hours, but he quickly realized that there was a bigger problem. Even though he didn¡¯t seem to be getting much hungrier, weariness had started to set in. It had taken longer than Noah had expected, but it was relentless in its approach.

    No more than a few minutes after Noah first realized he was getting tired, he found himself barely able to drag his feet across the dry ground. He staggered up to a large tree and, after a cursory glance in the area to make sure nothing was watching right behind him, he curled up into a ball and fell into a restless sleep.

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure how long he slept. When his eyes cracked open again, the sun hung directly above him. He grimaced, blinking heavily and wiping the crust from his eyes as he slowly stood up. He was absolutely parched, and his stomach rumbled irritably.

    At least nothing attacked me this time.

    He reoriented himself, then strode away in search of pretty much anything other than the endless trees.

    Time passed. How much Noah wasn¡¯t exactly sure. The sun was moving overhead, but he had no idea if the days were as long on this planet as they were on Earth. The burning emptiness in Noah¡¯s stomach grew stronger with every step, but he had no choice but to ignore it.

    Trees blurred together as he passed them. Either the forest was getting more uniform, or he was just so exhausted that he couldn¡¯t recognize the differences in it anymore. Noah was so distracted as he walked that he nearly bowled straight into a monkey hanging from a tree directly in front of him.

    Noah caught himself at the last second. He¡¯d managed to come up on the monster¡¯s back, and it didn¡¯t seem to have noticed him yet. He instantly raised his hands. A blade of wind shot from them, carving straight through the back of the monster¡¯s head. It dropped from the tree before it could make a noise, dead.

    A wave of energy rippled through his body, starting at his toes and rising up until it reached his head. With it came a strong feeling of refreshment. Noah¡¯s hunger abated and his parched lips felt just a little wetter.

    Noah froze, basking in the feeling for a few seconds before it faded away. He glanced around, checking to see if there were any other monkeys in the area. When he found that there weren¡¯t, he wasn¡¯t sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

    Somehow, killing the monkeys seems to sate me. Magic, I guess. When I get out of this stupid forest, the first thing I¡¯m going to do is sit down and figure out how all of this works.

    Before he moved on, Noah¡¯s eye caught on the monster¡¯s long claws. He paused a moment, then knelt beside the monkey. He gingerly picked up one of its hands, holding a claw like a knife and working out one of the claws on its other hands.

    It was bloody, grisly work that ended with him covering a good portion of himself and the monkey with rancid blood, but he finally managed to hack it free after several agonizing minutes of constantly glancing over his shoulders to make sure nothing was gaining on him.

    The claw came out with a finger length piece of bone attached to its end, which suited Noah just fine. He tested its weight in his hand, then nodded to himself. He¡¯d handled more than a few knives in his previous life ¨C and every single one of them was for cooking, not stabbing people. Still, the claw felt hefty and sharp enough. He set back off through the forest, leaving the corpse in his wake.

    ***

    The monkey was back. Noah pressed his back to a large tree stump, struggling to control his terrified breathing. The huge, lanky monster that had killed him just seconds after his arrival in the burnt forest was somehow right in front of him, and he was pretty sure it had been looking in his direction.

    Everything had been going so well.

    Well, I suppose nothing at all was happening other than walking. Nothing is better than something, though. I¡¯m going to count that as well.

    It didn¡¯t particularly matter what he counted as well. What did matter was the slow, uncomfortably heavy breathing of the massive ape as it slowly grew closer. The beast took deep, ragged breaths, as if savoring the scent of his fear.

    Noah¡¯s eyes darted around and he searched for any place to hide or trap the creature. Running wasn¡¯t an option. He¡¯d already gathered that much. And, worse, he¡¯d brought the gourd with him. He¡¯d yet to determine just how long it took to revive. If the monkey was still around when he came back¡­

    A shudder ran down Noah¡¯s spine. He could end up getting killed over and over again ¨C forever. Dying now wasn¡¯t an option.

    He did a quick mental check of what he had to work with. A gourd. His book. A pair of pants. A monkey¡¯s claw. He barely suppressed an amused snort that would have given his position away immediately.

    I¡¯d almost wish for a monkey¡¯s paw over a claw at this point.

    An excited hoot echoed through the dry forest. Noah flinched, but nothing happened. For whatever reason the monkey hadn¡¯t done anything yet. It was close, though. He could smell the stench of its matted fur, like a mixture of sickly sweet earth and week old feces.

    Noah¡¯s grip tightened around the claw in his hand. He stilled his breathing even further.

    Okay. On the count of three.

    Three.

    Two.

    Noah sprinted out from behind the tree, bringing a blade of wind to his fingertips. The monkey jerked upright, standing just a few trees away from him. It spun in his direction, opening its mouth in a shriek.

    The wind blade carved into its chest, splattering thick blood across the ground. Noah charged the monster and it reared back. In the back of his mind, Noah noted the move. It was the same one he¡¯d been killed with.

    He dove to the side, predicting the monster¡¯s strike. Its claws ripped through the air where he¡¯d been standing and he rolled to his feet, lunging forward and driving his makeshift knife into the monkey¡¯s chest.

    The padded fur was far harder to penetrate than he¡¯d expected. His claw bit deep, but not deep enough. Noah cursed, trying to disengage, but he heard the next strike coming before he saw it.

    He threw himself to the ground, but it was too late. Thick claws raked across his back, tearing apart flesh and snapping bone. Noah screamed in pain. He grabbed the gourd from his side, throwing it into the trees with the last of his strength.

    A heavy foot crashed down on his head an instant later, tearing his body free of his soul. Noah snarled as his ghostly form was tossed into the air, ties to flesh severed. The monkey grabbed his corpse and lifted it into the air, sniffing curiously at it.

    Energy gathered around Noah¡¯s neck, tugging him into the forest. Toward the gourd. A tiny grin flickered across his lips, but it was equal parts nervous. If the revival process took any real amount of time, the monkey might just find him before he was alive again. The only way to know was to find out.  He was yanked forward, hurtling past several trees before he slammed back into existence.

    Noah snapped into being, stiffening to keep the pained groan from escaping his lips. Every part of his brain thumped in protest, and nausea passed over him with such strength that he nearly threw up over himself.

    Instead, Noah rolled to his feet. Through squinted eyes, he could just barely see the back of the large monkey chewing on something. Noah was pretty sure it was one of his arms. He clenched his fists, trying to call on his magic.

    All that responded was a deep, throbbing pain. Noah gritted his teeth and padded forward, moving as silently as he could as he approached the monster. His dagger laid at its side, discarded.

    He didn¡¯t give himself time to think. He couldn¡¯t afford it. Noah sprinted, scooping the blade off the ground and spinning toward the monster in all his naked glory. Its eyes widened and it screeched, tossing his arm aside and lunging for him.

    Another attack Noah recognized ¨C this time, the one that had literally just killed him. He rolled backward, narrowly avoiding the massive claws as they carved through the air above him. It reared back, lifting its paws above its head.

    Noah lunged, driving his knife into the open wound on its chest. He twisted the blade, then threw himself to the side just in time to avoid the monkey¡¯s overhead slash. As soon as its hands hit the ground, he lunged forward and threw all of his weight into the dagger.

    Something crunched as Noah¡¯s shoulder slammed into the monster¡¯s enormous ribcage. Bone gave way and the dagger punched deeper, driving into the monkey¡¯s heart. It shuddered, and Noah locked eyes with it for an instant.

    He bared his teeth in a primal snarl, fury and determination swirling in his eyes. All that met them was terror.

    The monkey pitched back and crashed to the ground, blood pouring from the deep wound in its chest and flowing down its fur to pool in the ground around it. Noah took a shaky step back, his head still pounding furiously.

    Energy filled his body, rushing through his limbs like a cold river ¨C more than what he¡¯d gained from killing the smaller monkeys. Much more. It did nothing to assuage his furious headache, unfortunately.

    On autopilot, he staggered over to what remained of his corpse and pulled his pants off. He tugged them on, then trudged into the woods to retrieve his gourd. He looped it into his belt, then headed back over to the monkey.

    He pulled the claw from the monster¡¯s chest, shaking the blood from it. Noah looked down at his tormentor, his lips pressed thin. Part of him almost felt bad for it. That part was very, very small. After all the time he¡¯d spent dead, Noah had absolutely no desire to try it again. If monkeys had an afterlife, he hoped that its wait would be extra-long.

 Chapter 4: Arbitage

    Noah flopped down against a tree. He couldn¡¯t remember what time of day it was, and his head hurt too much to look up at the sky to find the answer. He squeezed his eyes shut and massaged his temples, trying to push some of the pain away while he recovered.

    He wasn¡¯t sure how much time passed as he sat there, but a distant noise reached his ears. Noah blinked, letting his eyes crack open. His head was still thundering in pain, but he could have sworn ¨C

    ¡°¡­somewhere here.¡±

    Holy shit, people.

    Noah scrambled to his feet and yelled as loud as he could. ¡°Help! Over here!¡±

    A moment passed and he strained to hear if anyone had picked up his calls.

    ¡°Hello? Please, I¡¯m lost! I need help!¡±

    Two men floated into view above the trees, each standing on a long piece of ornate metal. Both wore sleek black robes with hoods that cast their faces in shadow, even from the angle he was at. Noah stared up at them, his eyes wide.

    ¡°Gods, what are you doing?¡± one of the men asked as they lowered, touching down in the clearing across from him. ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    Noah opened his mouth then froze.

    I can¡¯t tell them anything. I don¡¯t know what Vermil was doing here. I don¡¯t even know who he is.

    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m injured,¡± Noah said lamely. ¡°I got hit on the head pretty hard by some giant monkey, and my memories are all screwed up. I don¡¯t know where I am or how I got here. All I know is that my name is Vermil.¡±

    The men exchanged a glance as Noah pulled the small metal badge out of his pocket and held it out. One of them pulled his hood back, revealing a grizzled salt and pepper beard. He took the badge from Noah and studied it.

    ¡°He¡¯s a teacher at Arbitage,¡± he said, glancing back at his partner. ¡°Must have been quite some monkey. Was it the Hellreaver?¡±

    ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t,¡± the other man said with a scoff. ¡°He¡¯s alive and not scorched to a crisp. Was probably one of the Maulers. Do you really think he¡¯d be walking around if he ran into that flaming demon? Let me guess. Was it a big ugly bastard, about this high?¡±

    He held his hand up above his head. Noah frowned.

    ¡°No. It was about twice that high.¡±

    ¡°Slasher,¡± the bearded man said, grimacing. ¡°Tough buggers. I can see how that might have done some damage. You don¡¯t look cut up, though. Didn¡¯t you have any healing potions?¡±

    Noah grimaced and patted his waistband. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. All I¡¯ve got is the badge on my uniform and my book. Look, can you get me back to¡­ Arbitage, was it? I¡¯m sure they can help me. I might collapse if I have to stand much longer, though.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take you. It¡¯s not too far,¡± the man said with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s an ill omen if Slashers are getting strong enough to beat teachers. Not a good sign at all. Come stand on the back of my board. I¡¯m Fredrick.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Noah staggered over, still barely able to believe his luck, and stepped onto the metal plate. He steadied himself on the man¡¯s shoulders as it shimmered and lifted into the air.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Fredrick said. ¡°And at least warn me if you think you¡¯re going to fall off. I don¡¯t want to have to deal with explaining that one of Arbitage¡¯s teachers leapt to his death while I was ferrying him around.¡±

    Noah grunted his assent. Fredrick¡¯s partner floated into the air as well, and then they were off, rocketing through the sky just above the burnt treetops. Noah clutched Frederick¡¯s shoulders for dear life, squeezing his eyes shut to keep his already throbbing head from imploding.

    His consciousness fluttered in and out, and it took everything he had to keep his hold on Frederick. Noah wasn¡¯t sure how long they hurtled through the air, but it felt like it couldn¡¯t have been more than a few seconds.

    Someone nudged him, and he realized that the howling winds had stopped. He slowly let his eyes open, grimacing at the sudden bright light that pierced into his skull. Noah squinted, raising a hand to block out the sun.

    They¡¯d landed on the grass before a tall, ornate stone building. Large pillars rose along the sides of the buildings. Statues of monsters clung to them, as if trying to claw them apart during their climb toward the top.

    The letter ¡®T¡¯ was emblazed upon each of the pillars in shimmering gold, each one roughly the size of Noah¡¯s head. Noah squinted at it.

    Actually, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the literal letter T as much as the closest translation to English. Egh. This is just making my head hurt even more.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be in good hands,¡± Frederick said. Noah glanced around for any sign of Frederick¡¯s partner, but the other man had somehow vanished without him noticing.

    I suppose that probably wasn¡¯t too difficult to do in my current state.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Arbitage, the Fourth Bastion,¡± Frederick replied. He saw the blank look on Noah¡¯s face and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If there¡¯s anything that can be done, you¡¯ll be fixed up. Any moment now¨C¡±

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    A pair of double doors with a chimera carved into them swung open, and a short man strode out following after Frederick¡¯s still unnamed partner. He wore plain white robes and carried a small wooden staff in his hand, though he didn¡¯t seem to be getting much use out of it. The two of them hurried over to Noah.

    A frown passed over the short man¡¯s features and he slowed, losing nearly all of the panic that had been originally on his face.

    ¡°Magus Vermil. You appear... injured.¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ hi. Are you a healer?¡± Noah asked, rubbing the back of his head to try to force the pain and fog away.

    ¡°I was informed that you suffered from a bout of memory loss,¡± the short man said. ¡°Do you remember who I am?¡±

    Noah shook his head. ¡°I ¨C no. Not at all. I¡¯m sorry. Should I know you?¡±

    ¡°My name is Richard. I am specialized in healing Runes.¡±

    Richard paused, studying Noah¡¯s face. It remained blank. They stared at each other for a few moments.

    ¡°Nothing?¡± Richard asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I don¡¯t recognize you in the slightest.¡±

    Richard chewed his lower lip. He stepped toward Noah and raised a hand, pressing it to his chest. "Where did you find him?"

    "In Scorched Acres," Frederick replied. "I know what you''re thinking, but I don''t think he''s been replaced. He''s too... helpless."

    "We shall see," Richard said. ¡°Stay still for a spell.¡±

    Noah obliged, and what felt like a cold spotlight filled his insides. It traveled throughout his entire body, starting at his stomach and running up his spine and into his head before slowly dispersing throughout the rest of him.

    The small cuts that remained on his body from the fight with the monkey sealed over and faded away. His headache didn¡¯t abate in the slightest, though. If anything, Noah was pretty sure the fog in his mind got even thicker.

    ¡°He''s indeed human. But... strange. I don¡¯t see anything physically wrong with you beyond some minor injuries, but it¡¯s quite clear that your memories are not intact.¡±

    ¡°Really? How can you tell?¡± Noah asked.

    And, more importantly, can you tell that the old Magus Vermil is dead and gone?

    Richard snorted, which Noah felt was quite the odd thing to do in the face of such a question.

    ¡°No reason in particular, Magus Vermil. You may simply need to spend some time resting, but there is nothing a healer can do for you. Your mind and body are as intact as they have ever been. If anything, better.¡±

    ¡°Better?¡±

    ¡°Never mind that,¡± Richard said, shaking his head and failing to suppress a small smile. That only served to confuse Noah even more, but he wasn¡¯t about to press his luck. The less people questioned his supposed memory loss, the better.

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unfortunate.¡±

    ¡°Quite,¡± Richard said dispassionately. ¡°Frederick, thank you for delivering the good Magus. We¡¯ll ensure that your efforts are properly rewarded.¡±

    Frederick touched the edge of his cowl. ¡°Any good man would have done the same. Best of luck, Magus.¡±

    He hopped back onto his board and shot into the air. Noah watched them for as long as his throbbing eyes would allow, then turned back to Richard. He raised a hand to block the sun from poking needles into his sore eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have absolutely no idea what I¡¯m supposed to do,¡± Noah said. ¡°I really can¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s quite all right. I¡¯ll let the headmaster know you were injured. I can lead you to your room for the time being, so you can get some rest,¡± Richard offered.

    ¡°That would be great. Thank you.¡±

    Richard just nodded in response. He headed back toward the ornate building, and Noah followed after him.

    The halls were a vague blur to him, and Noah wasn¡¯t exactly sure where in the building they went. He recalled walking up several stairwells and traveling through halls lit only by the light outside, but everything melded together in his addled mind.

    They finally came to a stop before a plain stone door with a keyhole in its center. A metal plaque to its side read Magus Vermil. Richard sent Noah an expectant look.

    ¡°Key?¡± Richard asked.

    Noah stared blankly at him. Richard sighed.

    ¡°Override it is, then.¡± He pressed his hand to the door and thin lines of white energy stretched out along it, illuminating a pattern hidden within the rock. The door clicked and swung open smoothly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone sent to check on you soon,¡± Richard promised. ¡°I suggest you remain here until then. Perhaps some of your memories will be jogged.¡±

    Noah nodded absentmindedly and stepped inside. A small frown flickered across his lips. The room was a complete mess. Piles of papers covered a large wooden desk and had fallen to the floor around it. A metal key sat on top of the desk beside an unlit candle.

    This is probably for the door. Why did Vermil leave it behind?

    The bed was messy and unmade, and the window behind it was covered with grime and dust. A small door in the side of the room led into a bathroom, which wasn¡¯t in much better shape.

    There was a soft thud as Richard wordlessly closed the door behind Noah. He glanced over his shoulder.

    Something tells me he doesn¡¯t like me much.

    Noah pushed the haze and pain to the side. He walked up to the desk and leafed through the papers, trying to see if there was anything that could be of any use.

    ¡°Skinwalker group spotted in the area. Be wary of colleagues or students that you recognize that speak or move in an odd manner, especially those that have been missing for more than three weeks,¡± Noah read aloud. He tossed the paper to the side.

    He leafed through a few more, then paused as something caught his eye.

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Noah asked, picking one of the papers up. It had been a while since he¡¯d seen something of its like, but he¡¯d filled out more than enough of them in the past to recognize the key features. It was an extension request for some sort of assignment.

    A signature had been scribbled across the bottom, along with an extra line. Noah¡¯s mouth dropped open in disgust as he read it.

    Meet me in my room an hour after class if you want the extension. Wear something cute.

    Magus Vermil

    Noah looked back over the note, desperately hoping he¡¯d misread something, and this was meant for the man¡¯s lover. There was no such luck. Without a doubt, this note had been submitted by a student. It even had their year number beside their name.

    ¡°Shit. The last bloke in this body was a creep. No wonder someone killed him.¡± Disgust washed over Noah¡¯s face. He leafed through more of the papers and some of the blood drained from his face. ¡°Wait. He was a teacher. Am I supposed to teach people magic? I don¡¯t even know how to use it myself.¡±

    Noah ruffled through the rest of the papers, desperately trying to find out if there was any semblance of order to them. Unfortunately, Vermil must have taken some degree of pride in the complete mess that was his room.

    Half of the papers were ruined by water stains ¨C at least, Noah hoped it was water ¨C and the others were either outdated, worthless, or just made absolutely no sense. He did his best to organize them, filtering out the most useless papers of the lot and stacking them by the door.

    Before he realized it, nearly two hours had passed. His headache finally receded somewhat, though some of the fog remained. The fruits of Noah¡¯s work was a fairly clean wooden desk and somewhat dusted floor. Noah sat down in the chair across from the desk and chewed his thumb.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Noah said to himself, rocking back slightly in his chair. ¡°I can work with this. I¡¯m good at teaching. It¡¯s not like I ever had all that much time to prepare myself on subjects back on Earth. There¡¯s got to be some sort of reference packet, right?¡±

    The back of his hand brushed against the book hanging from his belt. He unhooked the book and flipped it open. His head throbbed again and Noah pressed his hand to his temple. He lowered into his chair, studying the pages.

    Maybe, if he could make some real sense of its contents, he could pass his memory loss off and avoid detection.

 Chapter 378: Dont shake the cat & BOOK 5 START

    Noah nearly blew himself up. All things considered, it had been quite some time since he¡¯d last mistakenly killed himself, so perhaps it had been a long time coming. But, even so, he was pretty happy with his streak of only dying when he wanted to.

    The only thing that saved him from splattering as his Formations shattered and released all their magic directly on top of him was the fact that he¡¯d been in the very final notes of the song he¡¯d been playing when the snap tore through his mind.

    Noah stumbled, a wave of shock slamming into him like a stormfront and turning his fingers stiff around the bow of his violin. His breath caught in his throat, the final note turning from melodious into a grating screech.

    The Formation he¡¯d been practicing slipped away and the violin vanished from Noah¡¯s hands as he braced himself against a wall while his mind reeled and spun. For a moment, he thought that Wizen himself had shown up and attacked him.

    But, as Noah forced himself to turn in a circle and search for his assailant, his search turned up nothing but an empty room. His thundering heartbeat started to slow as he took slow breaths, gathering himself.

    What the hell was that?

    Noah plunged into his mindspace, searching for what had happened. Natural Disaster, Sunder, and the Fragment of Renewal all greeted him with waves of pressure as he arrived, but nothing was off about any of them.

    His eyes scanned the darkness, trying to figure out what had happened. There was no way that snap had been his imagination. It had been too visceral, too intense. Even now, he felt like a portion of his mind was¡­ different. Empty, somehow.

    And then, finally, Noah realized what had changed. It wasn¡¯t that something had happened to him. It was that something had left. The thread that had connected him to Azel was gone. It had snapped, peeling away from his soul and leaving him alone in his mindspace.

    For several seconds, Noah stared in disbelief. He sent his senses out, trying to feel and see if Azel was somehow hiding elsewhere or playing a trick on him. Noah found nothing. His soul was entirely his own once more.

    A grin started to form on Noah¡¯s lips, but it died as quickly as it arrived. Being free of Azel was undoubtedly a good thing, but the demon wouldn¡¯t have severed their connection for no reason. It probably meant he¡¯d found a new host ¨C and that had disastrous consequences.

    Goddamn it. The last thing I need is Azel running around with someone else wreaking havoc on the school. Don¡¯t we have enough problems right now?

    Noah yanked himself out of his mindspace and returned to the real world. He grabbed his grimoire, slinging the large book over his shoulder before attaching the gourd to his hip and striding out of his room ¨C and nearly tripping over Mascot with his first step into the hall.

    Cursing, Noah grabbed onto the doorframe and managed to keep from falling flat on his face. He turned as Contessa ran down the hall, scooping Mascot up into her arms and sending Noah an apologetic look.

    ¡°Sorry. He teleported out again.¡±

    ¡°Again?¡± Noah asked, narrowing his eyes at the smug-looking cat. Mascot was definitely more rotund than Noah remembered him to be. ¡°What has the little shit been up to?¡±

    ¡°Mostly just killing rats and the like,¡± Contessa said. ¡°He¡¯s been really relaxed as of late. I don¡¯t know why he suddenly ran out here.¡±

    That seems like it might be an ill omen. Mascot seems to enjoy showing up whenever things are about to go poorly. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s because he likes helping or because he likes watching, but I suspect it¡¯s probably a mixture of the two.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Noah said, shaking his head and closing the door behind him. ¡°Have you seen Moxie or any of the others?¡±

    ¡°Just Karina,¡± Contessa replied. ¡°Are you expecting someone?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but you never know. Just let me know if any advanced track members show up at the door, okay?¡±

    ¡°Advanced track?¡± Contessa¡¯s eyebrows rose, but she didn¡¯t press any further. ¡°Okay.¡±

    Noah turned to head off.

    ¡°Oh, one more thing,¡± Contessa said. ¡°Your pay from Arbitage showed up. The girl delivering it looked pretty confused that I was accepting it for you, but I figured you¡¯d rather I take it than have to go to the Office to receive it instead.¡±

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    ¡°Much appreciated. Can you hold onto it for now? Use it for expenses or the like, I don¡¯t really need it right now. Just don¡¯t spend all of it.¡±

    Contessa blinked. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°It should cover some of your promised salary for a while, right? Arbitage pays peanuts anyways,¡± Noah said with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯d make more money hunting two monsters and selling them for parts than I would from their pay.¡±

    Especially since they¡¯ve probably got me listed as a Rank 2 still, the idiots. I highly doubt the attendant at the Office actually recorded that I hit Rank 3, which is perfect for my purposes but less than ideal for the pay.

    Whatever ¨C it¡¯s crap either way, and I¡¯ve got a much better way to make money in the form of that noble I met at the auction. I just have to wait for someone to roll up using the abilities of the Violet Transference Rune¡­ whatever those would be. He said it would be easy to tell, so I¡¯ll deal with that when I get there. For now, I need to figure out where the hell Azel is.

    Noah waved farewell to Contessa and headed out of the T building in search of the others ¨C particularly Lee. Azel had been spending time with her, which meant that she was probably involved in whatever had happened to him.

    I just hope everyone is safe. Where did they head off to practice? Maybe I should find Tim.

    ***

    Tim wasn¡¯t in the transport cannon when Noah arrived. Nobody was ¨C the area was deserted. There weren¡¯t any signs of a fight or indication anything had gone wrong. It was just¡­ empty.

    Growing concern building in the pit of Noah¡¯s stomach, he walked up and down the streets of Arbitage in search of someone who might know what was going on. He considered going to the Office but dismissed that thought right out the gate.

    If he¡¯d known where Silvertide lived, Noah would have set off to find him. Unfortunately, he had absolutely no idea where to find the elderly soldier. Noah returned to the transport cannon several times, over the course of the next few hours, the tension building within him rose.

    Why don¡¯t I have a damn way to track Moxie and the others? Shit! I should have made them take my gourd with them. Then I could have just killed myself and found them instantly. Wait, that wouldn¡¯t work. I¡¯d show up without magic and wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.

    Damn it. Even that would have been better than wandering around and wondering what the hell happened to everyone. Maybe I should find Isabel and Todd. Where¡¯s Jalen when you need him? Shit, shit, shit. What if Wizen showed up while they were practicing?

    Noah¡¯s stressed pacing intensified as he ascended the transport cannon one more time, arriving in a now-unsurprisingly empty room. A flash of anger built in Noah¡¯s chest and he resisted the urge to kick the wall.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Noah snarled, spinning to head back onto the elevator, only to trip over something.

    He hit the ground with a crash, rolling to his feet with a slew of curses. Mascot stared at him with wide eyes, then licked his paw.

    ¡°You ornery little shit,¡± Noah snapped, but a moment later, his eyes lit up. ¡°Wait. You can find Moxie, right? Can you take me to her?¡±

    Mascot stared at Noah, then rolled over onto his back and scrunched his body, starting to groom his backend. Noah¡¯s eye twitched.

    ¡°I know you can hear me,¡± Noah said. ¡°Stop licking your asshole and help me find Moxie. I¡¯ll give you some fish, or something. I don¡¯t know. Just find her!¡±

    Mascot paused mid-lick and glanced up at Noah. Then he got back to his duties. Noah ground his teeth and rose to his feet, preparing to reach down and grab the cat by the scruff of its neck. He was pretty sure there was absolutely nothing he could do to Mascot, but that wasn¡¯t going to stop him from shaking the damn furball until it brought him to Moxie and Lee.

    Energy buzzed at Noah¡¯s back. He grabbed Mascot reflexively and the horned cat let out a surprised yowl as Noah spun toward the source of the energy, taking Mascot with him.

    Moxie shimmered to existence at the base of the cannon¡¯s tube, her hair frazzled and expression weary. She blinked as she spotted Noah and Mascot.

    ¡°Noah? What are you¨C¡±

    The rest of Moxie¡¯s sentence was lost in a yelp as Noah ran over to Moxie and scooped her into a tight hug. She let out a muffled grunt into his shoulder, unable to speak through his embrace.

    Mascot let out an affronted hiss and batted at the back of Noah¡¯s legs before sending everyone a smug look and stepping through a portal, vanishing.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Lee?¡± Noah asked, finally releasing Moxie and taking a step back, though he kept his hands on her shoulders just to make sure she was actually there. ¡°I¨C¡±

    Another crackle filled the air and Alexandra materialized at the base of the cannon, followed shortly thereafter by Emily.

    ¡°She¡¯s safe,¡± Moxie said, putting a hand on Noah¡¯s chest. ¡°How did you find out? Did Tim find you?¡±

    ¡°Tim? No, he¡¯s bloody missing,¡± Noah said, letting out a relieved breath. ¡°I¡¯ve been running all over campus trying to find out where you guys are. Wait ¨C what do you mean by find out?¡±

    ¡°Someone attacked us,¡± Emily said, lowering her voice and glancing around the transport cannon.

    ¡°Who? Where are they?¡± Noah demanded.

    ¡°Dead,¡± Moxie replied. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. None of us got injured.¡±

    ¡°Wizen?¡±

    ¡°No. It was the same group that attacked you some time back,¡± Moxie said, giving Noah a pointed look. ¡°The one that has reason to dislike Lee.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me,¡± Noah said, his fists clenching at his sides. ¡°They found us? Where¡¯s Lee?¡±

    ¡°Maybe I should give you the full story,¡± Moxie said gently. ¡°Lee will be here soon. She entered the transport cannon after us, remember? And Brayden is here as well.¡±

    ¡°Brayden showed up?¡±

    Father did say he¡¯d send Brayden, but that was to deal with the Wizen problem, not for goddamn Inquisitors. What the hell is going on?

    ¡°Yeah. Just after everything was done,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°Moxie is right, Professor Vermil. Lee is safe.¡±

    Noah drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to reign in his anger. Lee and Moxie were more than capable of defending themselves, but that didn¡¯t make him like hearing they¡¯d been attacked any more.

    ¡°Maybe filling me in would be for the best,¡± Noah said. ¡°But, before that, where is Azel? Did he have anything to do with the attack?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Moxie said, a frown flickering across her lips. ¡°He didn¡¯t have anything to do with the attack, but he¡¯s probably the reason we survived it. He died protecting Lee.¡±

    ¡°He what?¡±

 Chapter 379: I promise

    Moxie convinced Noah to wait until Lee showed up for the full explanation of what had happened, keeping the students from sharing too much and only heightening his distress.

    He was pacing back and forth in a line like a trapped tiger when Lee appeared with a flash of blue at the base in the transport cannon¡¯s tube a few minutes later ¨C but the Lee appeared wasn¡¯t the one that Noah recognized.

    It wasn¡¯t an external change. Sure, Lee¡¯s eyes were slightly sunken and an aura of exhaustion wrapped her like a heavy cloak, but she still looked like Lee. That was where the resemblance ended.

    Noah¡¯s domain prickled as it washed over Lee, swirling around her body but failing to grow close to it. He couldn¡¯t quite put into words what the sensation was, but it almost felt like an air of hunger and desire encircled her entire body.

    She reached Rank 4. Did it change her that badly? I remember how worried she was about it. If I need to, I¡¯ll rip the Rune right back apart.

    ¡°Lee!¡± Noah exclaimed, taking a step toward her. She flinched back and Noah froze in place, his features creasing with concern. ¡°What happened, Lee?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get close to me,¡± Lee said. ¡°I ¨C I¡¯m different. It¡¯s not as bad as I thought it would be, but it will be.¡±

    ¡°Bah,¡± Noah said. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. You aren¡¯t injured, right?¡±

    ¡°Only small cuts,¡± Lee said with a shake of her head. ¡°But¨C¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all that matters,¡± Noah said, crushing the information his domain was sending him. He didn¡¯t care if Lee didn¡¯t feel the same as she used to. As long as Lee¡¯s mind was intact and she was who she wanted to be, he refused to see her any differently.

    And, if her Runes were going to stand in their way, then they¡¯d find a way to shatter them and reform everything until Lee was safe.

    ¡°Maybe I should take the kids and let you talk privately with Lee,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I think she needs someone who will understand her situation a little more, and an audience is going to make it harder for her to speak.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Noah said with a frown. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe considering what just happened? How do we know there aren¡¯t more?¡±

    Moxie considered his question for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°We can¡¯t live in terror permanently, and Brayden said it was only the one. I trust him. Silvertide also said he handled Wizen¡¯s clones, so we should be fine.¡±

    Noah drummed his fingers against his thigh, but Moxie had a point. The threats should have been handled ¨C for the time being, at least. He couldn¡¯t follow everyone around permanently, and Arbitage was still technically a neutral ground.

    Lee and I should be the only ones at risk of any attacks from normal people, and Wizen has been sent packing for the time being.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Can you stay at the room after you¡¯re done, though? I know how you felt when Jalen kidnapped me, and I can¡¯t say it¡¯s a particularly enjoyable feeling. I was really damn worried.¡±

    Emily made a gagging noise. ¡°Could you do this somewhere you don¡¯t have company? It¡¯s gross.¡±

    ¡°I was worried about you too,¡± Noah told Emily.

    She snapped her mouth closed and looked to the side while Alexandra laughed.

    ¡°Just not as much as Moxie, huh?¡±

    Noah blinked in surprise, then chuckled. Alexandra wasn¡¯t the type to make jokes often, and he was pleased to see that she was relaxing at least a little, even if it was in the face of nearly getting killed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Moxie said, rolling her eyes. She herded Alexandra and Emily onto the elevator and it rattled down, leaving Lee and Noah alone in the top floor of the transport cannon. It struck Noah that Tim was still nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Not to delay our conversation, but do you know where Tim is?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°He should be fine,¡± Lee said, chewing her lower lip and staring at her hands. ¡°Brayden said that Tim was the one that found him. He¡¯s probably at the Office or something. I don¡¯t smell any blood or fear in the area ¨C none other than yours, at least.¡±

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    ¡°Then this should be pretty private, at least for the time being,¡± Noah said, stepping closer to Lee despite her warning. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to say anything, but I¡¯m not going to sit around while you clearly suffer. What happened while you were out, Lee?¡±

    She didn¡¯t respond immediately. For several seconds, she waged an internal battle within herself. It played out on her features in a mix of emotions that finally ended in her shoulders slumping.

    ¡°A Rank 5 Inquisitor showed up. He didn¡¯t seem to know which of us was a demon, so he must have been following our group as a whole. The weird scent I smelled while we were at the party was him.¡±

    ¡°Shit. He might have been tracking me or Azel, then,¡± Noah said.

    Lee shrugged. ¡°Maybe. Either way, he wanted to test us. Moxie attacked him, but he had a really strong domain with his blood magic that made it impossible to move while we were in it. He was going to kill Moxie. I was strong enough to reach Rank 4, and it was the only way I¡¯d be able to move inside his domain.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you reached Rank 4 mid fight?¡± Noah asked, blinking in disbelief. He could still recall just how much effort and concentration it had taken to advance his Runes to Rank 4. Sure, the actual process hadn¡¯t taken that long, but making sure that everything was set up and getting himself into the right place to do it had.

    ¡°Azel helped,¡± Lee said, a flicker of emotion that Noah couldn¡¯t place passing through her eyes. It might have been sadness, or it might have been anger. It was gone so quickly that by the time he registered it, it was gone.

    ¡°To save himself? I know he was transferring large portions of himself to you, so I suppose that makes sense.¡±

    Lee shrugged in a way that made Noah suspect she didn¡¯t agree with his guess in the slightest, but she was just too tired to come up with a better answer. He didn¡¯t press and just remained silent, waiting for her to start speaking again.

    ¡°I managed to reach Rank 4, and that made me strong enough to move. Azel wanted me to run,¡± Lee said. ¡°But, if I ran, then Moxie would have died. I might have been able to save Alexandra and Emily, but not Moxie. She was in Rafael¡¯s domain. So I attacked him.¡±

    ¡°You attacked a Rank 5? On your own?¡± Noah asked, unable to contain his surprise. He¡¯d fought higher tiers himself, but Lee didn¡¯t have any of the advantages that he had ¨C and she¡¯d been the one that had gotten attacked rather than the other way around.

    ¡°I had the boost from Ranking up. It¡¯s stronger in demons than it is in humans because of how closely tied our bodies and souls are,¡± Lee explained. ¡°But¡­ that wasn¡¯t it. When Azel realized I wasn¡¯t running, he helped me. Filled me with magic that helped me resist the Inquisitor and hurt him.¡±

    I suppose the aid of a Rank 5 demon, even a weakened one, would be enough to let her trade blows with a Rank 5 for a short time. But I still don¡¯t see how she could have killed him ¨C not unless Lee is much, much stronger than I thought she was.

    ¡°I was holding him off for a bit, but I started to lose,¡± Lee said. ¡°So Azel gave me even more of his power. The Inquisitor got scared and used something called a Bloodline Curse on Moxie. I could tell it was really strong, and she couldn¡¯t dodge, so I jumped in front of it. He thought it would kill me, so he used most of his energy.¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t, though.¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t.¡± Lee nodded. ¡°And he wasn¡¯t ready for me to attack again, so Azel and I killed him. But¡­ the reason I lived through the Bloodline Curse was becase Azel took the hit for me.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Noah muttered, trying to figure out what had been running through the demon¡¯s head. Azel had saved Lee, and it had killed him. Nothing else would have caused their connection to snap the way it had.

    Why would Azel do that for Lee, though? He could have retreated to my body.

    ¡°That¡­ isn¡¯t it, though,¡± Lee said softly. ¡°My Demon Rune was too strong, and it nearly turned me into a real demon. Azel stopped it ¨C temporarily, at least. It was the last thing he did before he died.¡±

    If Noah had been confused before, now he was completely baffled. Whoever Lee was describing didn¡¯t sound like Azel at all.

    ¡°Just like that? Why?¡± Noah asked.

    Lee swallowed. ¡°Before he died, he talked to me. I ¨C he said he was my dad, Noah. And I think he was telling the truth.¡±

    And, finally, the pieces clicked into place. Azel had known about Lee from the start. He¡¯d always planned to leave Noah¡¯s mind and enter hers.

    I never thought Azel was the type to care about his offspring, though. I would have thought Lee would have just been another tool for him. What changed? Or did he play me from the start?

    It only took one look at Lee¡¯s face to tell Noah that now wasn¡¯t the time to pry. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

    ¡°It sounds like Azel made his choice clear, Lee. He wanted you to live ¨C and it sounds we all owe him a thank you.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Lee said, staring at her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll never get to find out anything that I wanted to. He¡¯s just gone. It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not completely gone,¡± Noah said. ¡°He gave you his Runes, Lee. I¡¯ll be honest. I don¡¯t know why he changed, and I didn¡¯t like the person he used to be. But it sounds like he died as someone better than what he was.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Lee said bitterly. ¡°What good is it now? He¡¯s dead.¡±

    Noah let out a soft laugh. ¡°Death is just the beginning, Lee. It¡¯ll be millennia before the last traces of Azel are gone. We can still get you those answers.¡±

    Lee blinked. ¡°What? How?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the afterlife, and my goals have always been to get strong enough to never fear it again,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯ll make it, and you will too. All of us will. Then we¡¯ll find Azel and get your answers.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ what about my Demon Rune? It¡¯s going to consume me,¡± Lee said. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time if you don¡¯t Sunder it. Azel said what he did wouldn¡¯t hold forever.¡±

    ¡°Did you forget who I am?¡± Noah asked. ¡°We¡¯ll find a way to fix it. One way or another, we¡¯ll all make it. You¡¯ll see Azel again, and you aren¡¯t going to lose yourself to your own Runes.¡±

    ¡°Promise?¡± Lee asked.

    Noah held her gaze. ¡°Yeah. I promise.¡±

 Chapter 380: Dont eat the potion

    ¡°Was there anything else that happened while you and the others were out?¡± Noah asked after giving Lee enough time to fully process their conversation. ¡°Or was that the extent of the damage?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Lee said. She hesitated for a second, then wrung her hands together. ¡°Should we break my runes now? So they can¡¯t hurt anyone?¡±

    ¡°Do you feel like it¡¯s going to overwhelm you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so, but I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know how long whatever Azel did will hold, though.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll take a look at it as soon as we get home with a Mind Meld potion,¡± Noah said. ¡°If it really looks like everything is going to fall apart, then I¡¯ll separate it on the spot and we¡¯ll figure out a different way for you to reach Rank 4.¡±

    ¡°What if it looks like it¡¯s going to hold, then breaks later?¡± Lee asked. ¡°I could hurt someone.¡±

    ¡°Possibly,¡± Noah admitted. He wasn¡¯t going to deny it on the spot ¨C that would have just been plain stupid, not to mention dismissive of Lee¡¯s feelings. ¡°But even Azel wasn¡¯t strolling around and randomly killing people. I mean, sure, he was stuck in my head, but he feeds on emotions, not murder. And his emotions were definitely more aggressive than yours, right?¡±

    Lee nodded slowly. ¡°I ¨C yeah. I guess so.¡±

    ¡°For that matter, did you figure out what your Emotion was? What is this Rank 4 Demon Rune you made?¡±

    Lee rubbed the back of her neck, her cheeks reddening as she looked to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°What? How?¡± Noah asked. ¡°You can¡¯t make a Rune without knowing what it is. Can¡¯t you just¡­ read it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to. The more I know about it, the stronger it¡¯ll become.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow,¡± Noah said. ¡°Your Rank 4 Rune should be made up of all the Rank 3s you put together, and you had to put them together with intent. How could you do that without knowing what Rune you were making?¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work the same way for demons as it does for you,¡± Lee explained, pausing as she searched to find the proper words. ¡°We¡¯re similar, initially. But the stronger we get, the more that changes. Think about it. You don¡¯t have Human Runes, do you? They¡¯re just Runes.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah allowed with a thoughtful frown. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. I didn¡¯t really think too much about it, but maybe I should have. You don¡¯t have domains either, right?¡±

    ¡°Not the same way humans do.¡± Lee nodded. ¡°At Rank 4, our runes and our bodies become much closer. They¡¯re two parts of the same whole. So, while humans keep their runes exactly as they are and combine them without interference, the Rank 3s that I had were more like fuel for the combination, not the only components.¡±

    ¡°Your body played a part as well,¡± Noah muttered, finally realizing what Lee was getting at. ¡°It was like an 8<sup>th</sup> rune?¡±

    ¡°Something like that. It took the other runes and changed them into what fit me ¨C but how do you know what that is? How do I know what that is? I don¡¯t know what kind of rune fits me, and my body is just going to choose the one that lets me survive. That means it¡¯s probably some kind of emotion, and obviously not a good one.¡±

    ¡°I could be talking out of my ass here, but that doesn¡¯t seem like the full story,¡± Noah said after thinking for a few seconds. ¡°Everything I know about rune combinations tells me that they become what we tell them to be. Runes don¡¯t have minds of their own. Are Demon Runes different?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. But they can affect your mind. It¡¯s the same thing.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Noah said, shaking his head. ¡°You still made that rune, Lee. There is a part of you that desired it to be the way it is. It might not have turned out exactly how you wanted it to, but it should have still become what you wanted.¡±

    ¡°You mean you think I wanted to become a monster?¡± Lee¡¯s features crumpled. ¡°Like it¡¯s latent in me, or something?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Noah exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant at all. I meant you¡¯re assuming this rune is so bad, but you don¡¯t even know what it is. Understanding something isn¡¯t going to make it stronger. If it¡¯s dangerous, then we¡¯ll find a way to control it. If it¡¯s truly just evil and a threat, then we¡¯ll destroy it. But don¡¯t treat a part of yourself as¡­ reprehensible, or whatever it is you¡¯re picturing. You¡¯re you. I didn¡¯t care that you were a demon before, and I don¡¯t particularly care now. We just have to make sure you can make it to the point where you can control yourself like Azel, right?¡±

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    Lee¡¯s brow furrowed in thought. A second later, her eyes went wide. Noah would have laughed if Lee hadn¡¯t looked so stressed. It didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d registered the fact that Azel, despite being a Rank 5, was fully in control of himself.

    Sure, he¡¯d been an asshole, but he¡¯d also chosen to sacrifice himself for Lee. If he¡¯d really been completely consumed by his Runes to the point where he was just a slave to his desires, it shouldn¡¯t have been possible for him to make any decisions like that.

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Lee muttered. ¡°Maybe I just need to reach Rank 5.¡±

    ¡°Whatever it may be,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out. Worst case, you stay at Rank 3 while we gather runes and fill them up so you can jump all the way up to Rank 5 in a single session.¡±

    Lee nodded, some of her usual energy entering her posture as a small smile pulled across her lips. ¡°Yeah. We can do that. But¡­ if for some reason my Rune gets away from me and I do try to hurt someone, will you make sure I can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even have to ask, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll come to that,¡± Noah said. He nodded to the lift in the center of the tower, which had returned shortly after Moxie and the others had left. ¡°Shall we? If you¡¯re concerned about that rune, we should go get a Mind Meld potion and check it out as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lee said, stepping onto the lift. Noah followed after her. It rattled away, lowering them down to the bottom floor, and they started across the grass in the direction of the market so they could buy a potion.

    ¡°By the way,¡± Noah said. ¡°I was told Brayden showed up. Did he leave already or something?¡±

    ¡°No. He got sent back for a longer amount of time. It¡¯ll be a few more hours before he gets back. I think he was expecting a really difficult fight. He kind of showed up after everything was done, though. He didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s the thought that counts,¡± Noah said. ¡°What about Tim? He¡¯s always in the tower. Moxie said he was the one that ran into Tim, but do you have any idea where he went? Can you smell him out or something?¡±

    ¡°I probably could,¡± Lee said. ¡°His scent was really strong back in the tower, but aside from the concern he left behind when the Inquisitor first pushed past him, I can¡¯t smell anything else. I think he¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Noah said, chewing the insides of his cheeks. Tim had done his absolute best to save everyone¡¯s lives. He¡¯d been saying that he¡¯d find a way to replace the elderly man¡¯s runes for far too long.

    Lee seems confident he¡¯s fine, so I¡¯m going to find Tim tomorrow and just straight up tell him that I¡¯m fixing his runes. Forget hiding my abilities ¨C the old guy is in our corner and I¡¯m not leaving him hanging any longer.

    ***

    Noah and Lee got back to Moxie¡¯s room about an hour later. They¡¯d initially just planned to stop at the markets on the way back to get a Mind Meld potion, but the literal instant Lee spotted the first food vendor, Noah realized they weren¡¯t going to be leaving without spending at least a gold or two on snacks. At least, he¡¯d only planned to spend a few gold.

    All things considered, any amount of gold was a small price to pay to get Lee¡¯s mind off what had happened. She mowed through twelve pies, a dozen hot dogs, some dead rats, and a not-so-dead squirrel that hadn¡¯t been fast enough to avoid her watchful gaze ¨C and that was just on the way over to the alchemist.

    Noah¡¯s pockets were lightened of more coins as Lee ate her way through all the vendors on the way back over to the T building. He still had no idea where she put all the weight, but he wasn¡¯t about to ask.

    The food seemed to bring Lee at least a little distraction, and he didn¡¯t want to bring her thoughts to anything possibly related to being a demon. They got back to the room and Lee opened the door for Noah, whose arms were full of meat pies that he¡¯d picked up for Moxie whilst following the wake of Lee¡¯s tour de force.

    A tiny flicker of concern passed through Noah as the door opened and he didn¡¯t immediately see anyone, but a relieved sigh replaced the worry as he finally spotted Moxie at her desk, balancing on the back two legs of her chair.

    She hurried to stand as Noah and Lee entered the room, nearly knocking her chair down. A vine shot out, grabbing the chair at the last second and straightening it before sliding it back over to the desk.

    ¡°How are you doing, Lee?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°Noah¡¯s gonna look at my Rune,¡± Lee replied, sitting down at the base of the bed. ¡°But I¡¯m alive, and I think I should be fine.¡±

    Moxie nodded, looking over to Noah. Her eyes caught on the pies in his arms. ¡°Are those¨C¡±

    ¡°For you, yes,¡± Noah said. ¡°It¡¯s probably a stupid question considering you¡¯re just sitting here, but I have to ask ¨C the kids made it back okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re both fine. Emily is a bit shaken up, but Alexandra was talking formations with her on the way back. That girl has been through a lot,¡± Moxie said with a sigh. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be so used to near-death situations.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you only a little older than her?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°Oh, I already get that from Emily. I don¡¯t need it from you,¡± Moxie said with a mock glare. ¡°Just because I had to live through shit doesn¡¯t mean I want others to, you know?¡±

    Noah laid the pies out on the table and handed the Mind Meld potion to Lee. She raised it to her mouth and Noah grabbed her wrist. ¡°Make sure to only drink half. No eating the glass.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Right,¡± Lee said, working the first wax seal off.

    Moxie walked up beside Noah and tapped him on the shoulder, a pie in her other hand. He glanced over to her just as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

    ¡°It was my turn to apologize for almost dying,¡± Moxie pulled back and gave him a small grin. ¡°Thanks for the pies as well. And don¡¯t worry, Lee. We¡¯ll figure something out with your runes.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Lee said, tipping the potion back and swallowing half of the shimmering liquid. She handed the bottle to Noah, who removed the second seal and sat down beside her.

    ¡°Keep watch to make sure no stupid shit happens?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°What else would I do?¡± Moxie replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve got a bunch of pies to keep me occupied. I¡¯ll be here. Good luck.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Noah said, tipping the potion back. ¡°But we won¡¯t need it. Lee¡¯s determination is going to be more than enough.¡±

    A familiar buzz enveloped his mind, and then the world was gone in a swirl of color.

 Chapter 381: Mix and match

    Lee¡¯s mindspace was different than Noah remembered it. Inky darkness still surrounded him when he took form, strands of jet-black crisscrossing through the air around them. Where there had once been seven runes remained only a single Demon Rune. The rune was, as expected, completely unreadable to Noah¡¯s eyes. It looked like a child had been force-fed sugar and let loose with a growing crayon.

    Squiggles and lines twisted around each other, pulsating with faint energy. Even though the rune was a Rank 4 ¨C the same as Natural Disaster ¨C a faint sense of unease settled on Noah¡¯s shoulders.

    But, even if Noah could have read the Rune, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to see all of it. Thick bands of grey energy wrapped around it, faint motes of dull orange ember rising off them.

    Noah went to take a step and nearly tripped over his own feet. The ground felt softer and more pliable than he recalled, and he could feel his feet sinking ever so slightly into it. It took a little more effort than he¡¯d expected to raise a foot, and tiny strands of black snapped away from it.

    It¡¯s like putty. Odd.

    Lee barely even seemed to notice Noah¡¯s arrival. She stood beside him, staring up at the Demon Rune with wide eyes. The faint orange-red light washing off the Rune illuminated her face in a ruddy hue.

    ¡°You okay?¡± Noah asked, squelching over to Lee.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lee said after a moment, not even looking in Noah¡¯s direction. She reached up to her head, massaging her temple with a pained grimace. ¡°There it is.¡±

    ¡°So I can tell,¡± Noah said. He craned his neck back, squinting into the darkness in search for the Broken Enveloping Dark Master Rune. He couldn¡¯t seem to spot it, but that wasn¡¯t that much of a surprise. Lee¡¯s mindspace was pitch black, and the pressure coming off the rune wasn¡¯t enough to give Noah much hesitation. His own Master Runes were considerably stronger, and it being broken probably wasn¡¯t doing anything to help its power.

    Maybe that¡¯s for the best. I want to figure out what I can do with a Broken Master Rune and maybe fix it at some point, but Lee doesn¡¯t need more things to deal with right now. Having it weakened should go a pretty long way for reducing its power and any potential problems ¨C but damn, it shouldn¡¯t be this hard to find. It was a bloody Master Rune.

    ¡°Lee?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Lee still didn¡¯t pull her eyes away from the glowing Rune.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your Master Rune?¡±

    Lee finally tore her eyes away and looked up. The frown on her lips deepened and she blinked, her features furrowing in confusion. After a second, she shook her head. ¡°I ¨C I have no idea. It vanished!¡±

    She sounded as if she were half-drunk. As Lee turned back to look at her Rune again, Noah caught her by the shoulders and gently turned her so that her back was to it.

    ¡°Look at me,¡± Noah said, tightening his grip slightly to keep Lee¡¯s attention. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than the Rune, Lee. It¡¯s part of you, not all of you. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly, then focus on me.¡±

    Lee gave him a weak nod and did as he said. Her eyes sharpened faintly and she repeated the breath, shaking her head.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m here. Sorry. The rune is just so¡­ beautiful. I want to touch it ¨C but I don¡¯t want to touch it either. I don¡¯t know what will happen if I do, but I get the feeling it might get stronger and break Azel¡¯s bonds.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps let¡¯s hold off on that until we figure out what¡¯s going on,¡± Noah said. ¡°Remember, we¡¯ve only got around thirty minutes to deal with this, so let¡¯s go as quickly as possible. What¡¯s the name of your Rune?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Lee admitted reluctantly. Her head twitched but she caught herself before she could look back at the glowing energy. ¡°I was so certain it was Gluttony. It would have made sense. I like eating.¡±

    ¡°So you do.¡±

    ¡°But it isn¡¯t Gluttony,¡± Lee said. ¡°I know the rune for Gluttony, and that isn¡¯t it. I don¡¯t recognize whatever that Rune is.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that was possible. I thought you could read Demon Runes.¡±

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    ¡°I thought I could too,¡± Lee muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I can¡¯t read it. I should be able to. It¡¯s literally meant to represent me. How am I supposed to be represented by a rune I can¡¯t even understand?¡±

    Noah squinted at the rune over Lee¡¯s shoulder. It really didn¡¯t look all that different from any other Monster Runes that he¡¯d seen. If it hadn¡¯t been for Azel¡¯s magic binding it together, he would have assumed it was just a random powerful rune.

    Is it possible that Azel¡¯s magic is actually hiding the identity of the Rune from Lee to keep her from understanding it?

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Noah said. ¡°Don¡¯t stress over it. It would have been nice to figure out what the rune does, but it¡¯s not mandatory by any means. We already know it¡¯s powerful, so what¡¯s more important is figuring out if it¡¯s actively hurting you and if there¡¯s anything we have to do to make sure it doesn¡¯t break free.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Lee said, but she didn¡¯t sound particularly convinced.

    ¡°Just stay here for a second,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a closer at your rune. Don¡¯t turn around, okay? Not until I¡¯m back, at least.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lee said. ¡°I can do that.¡±

    Noah stepped past her and approached the rune. Energy prickled at his skin and pressure built the closer he got, but his own runes were still more powerful than Lee¡¯s. Compared to Sunder and the Fragment of Renewal, this Demon Rune was nothing.

    Noah drew to a stop just before it, studying the energy wrapping it. Whatever Azel had done looked pretty sturdy. He didn¡¯t want to mess with it in risk of possibly damaging the demon¡¯s work, but the restraints around the rune didn¡¯t show any signs of giving in.

    Energy crackled faintly along where Azel¡¯s bindings met the rune, but he couldn¡¯t feel the energy from either the rune or its constraints weakening in any way. At least as far as he could tell, the restraints would hold for quite some time.

    His primary purpose accomplished, Noah took a few minutes to just study the rune itself. It was definitely more complex than the other Demon Runes that he¡¯d seen in the past nestled within Lee¡¯s mindspace, but that wasn¡¯t really a surprise.

    The other runes Noah had seen had been Rank 3s, while this was a Rank 4. But, even in comparison to his own Rank 3 and 4 Runes, the complexity of this rune felt like it was a little higher than it should have been.

    I wish I could read the damn thing. Normally, this is where I¡¯d ask Azel what the hell I was looking at, but I guess I won¡¯t be doing that anymore.

    Noah was surprised to find that he felt a faint sense of regret at that, and not even because of what Lee had revealed. He¡¯d always known that things were likely to end in a fight between him and Azel, but he¡¯d actually started relying on the demon.

    Unfortunately, regret wasn¡¯t going to change anything. Azel wasn¡¯t around to help, which meant Noah had to figure something out on his own. He couldn¡¯t read a Demon Rune, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t try to decipher it.

    Noah walked around the rune, chewing the insides of his cheeks as he thought. Every rune had a pattern. That was a fundamental of nature, and the core of what his studies had revealed to him. There was no reason that demons would be an exception, so there had to be a pattern in this one as well. It wasn¡¯t easy to find, but it had to be there.

    And, as Noah studied the rune, he occasionally found lines and swirls that felt like they were part of a pattern ¨C but the thread of logic vanished into squiggles the moment he started to follow it.

    The pattern just didn¡¯t make any sense. Noah¡¯s frustration grew as minutes ticked away. Lee had claimed that demons and humans were different, but he refused to believe that there was such a chasm between their races.

    Magic is magic. It might be different magic, just like music and rune circles are different ways to use Formations, but I refuse to believe that demons are just random worthless squiggles while humans have nice patterns in their Runes. There¡¯s more to it.

    Noah completed another loop around the rune, then came to a stop before it again. He wasn¡¯t even sure how much time had passed now, but he still hadn¡¯t come any closer to understanding how the rune worked.

    Lee had been patiently waiting for him all this time, and he didn¡¯t want to come back to her with nothing more than a shrug and an empty promise that things would turn out all right. If he wanted to be able to tell her anything, he needed to understand.

    Come on. There¡¯s a pattern in there. I know there is. I see the traces of one, but none of them go anywhere. It¡¯s almost as if ¨C

    Noah¡¯s thoughts ground to a halt and his eyes went wide. He walked back to the other side of the Rune, staring at it for a few seconds before making his way back over to the first side. He walked a few more circles around it, excitement building in his chest.

    ¡°I figured it out!¡± Noah exclaimed.

    ¡°You did?¡± Lee asked. ¡°What is it? What did you find? You can read the Demon Rune?¡±

    ¡°No, not that,¡± Noah said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. ¡°Possibly something more important, though. I know why you can¡¯t read your Rune.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± Lee¡¯s hands twitched at her sides as she fought to keep herself from turning around to face Noah. He took pity on her and walked back over so Lee could see him again.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said. ¡°I thought it was weird that I couldn¡¯t find the pattern in it, you know? I mean, sure ¨C Demon Runes aren¡¯t the same as normal ones, but there still has to be some form of pattern in them. That¡¯s how magic works!¡±

    Lee squinted at Noah. ¡°Please just tell me what¡¯s wrong with my Rune.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Sorry. There¡¯s nothing wrong with your Rune, Lee. At least, I¡¯m almost certain there isn¡¯t. The reason you can¡¯t figure out what the heck is going on with it is because you aren¡¯t looking at a Demon Rune at all.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lee asked, frowning. ¡°How is that possible?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the reason your Master Rune is missing,¡± Noah said, shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°When I was studying your Rune, I realized that the reason I couldn¡¯t find a pattern was because there were two patterns overlaid on top of each other. You somehow merged your Demon Rune with the Master Rune, and I¡¯ve got no idea what it left you with.¡±

 Chapter 382: Fine for now

    ¡°My Demon Rune¡­ ate my Master Rune?¡± Lee asked. She glanced over her shoulder in surprise and locked in place. Noah carefully turned Lee so she wasn¡¯t looking at the rune anymore and she shook herself off like a wet dog. ¡°I really hate that. I can¡¯t get hypnotized every single time I look at it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll find a way to deal with it soon enough,¡± Noah promised. ¡°For now, I¡¯m almost certain that¡¯s what happened. The two patterns are overlayed.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean, though? I didn¡¯t think Master Runes and Demon Runes were the same kind of Rune.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t either,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t actually know what this means. I suspect it probably has something to do with the fact that your Master Rune was broken. If it was whole, I don¡¯t think there would have been any way it could get absorbed, though I could obviously be wrong.¡±

    ¡°Why would being broken make anything different?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a guess right now, but generally things want to be whole,¡± Noah theorized. He didn¡¯t remember all that much of his high school science classes about atoms, but he did remember that the little dots around the ones in the center tended to try to fill the layers and would then become harder to separate or change. ¡°It¡¯s possible that the Broken Master Rune was basically an energy magnet. It was waiting for something to attach to in attempt to fix itself, and your Demon Rune ended up filling that slot.¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it have tried to do something earlier, then?¡± Lee asked with a frown.

    ¡°No idea,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°Maybe because it was looking for a specific wavelength or amount of energy? Probably the former, because if it was just looking for energy, I¡¯d assume it would have sucked up your normal Runes.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Lee said. They were silent for several seconds. Lee scratched the side of her head. ¡°Can you fix it?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Noah said. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure if we want to yet.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a Master Rune, even if it¡¯s broken,¡± Noah said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happens if we use Sunder on that. I mean, it can¡¯t be viewed as a whole because it¡¯s got broken in the name. So, if it gets chopped up, what state does it revert to? It can¡¯t be whole either ¨C that would be making something from nothing.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C oh. Shit,¡± Lee muttered under her breath. ¡°I could lose it?¡±

    ¡°Or it could do something to your other Runes. I don¡¯t know, but I suspect the best way to go about dealing with something like this would be to preemptively get energy that the Master Rune can absorb again the moment it gets split apart.¡±

    Lee nearly looked over her shoulder again, but she caught herself before she could turn all the way around. She shook her head and let out a huff. ¡°So what about dealing with the problem? It could be dangerous, right?¡±

    ¡°Could be,¡± Noah allowed. ¡°But more to you than to anyone else, I think. Remember how we had that talk about how demons tend to keep their magic within their bodies and aren¡¯t as good at projecting it externally unless they¡¯re really strong?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Well, I figure this isn¡¯t all that different. I don¡¯t think your rune will hurt anyone at the moment, and Azel¡¯s bindings on it look pretty damn strong. As long as those are holding, I doubt this will be too dangerous. You just need to be careful yourself and avoid pulling too deeply on it until we find a way to get around to fixing everything.¡±

    ¡°So you think I should just keep it for now,¡± Lee concluded.

    ¡°So long as you¡¯re fine with it, yes. I don¡¯t see anything about the rune itself that make me concerned for anyone¡¯s immediate health,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°I think we should try to salvage the Master Rune and see what we can do in preparing to get you the Rank 4 Rune that you really want ¨C but only so long as you don¡¯t mind keeping this one for now.¡±

    Lee thought in silence for nearly a minute before finally giving Noah a nod. ¡°Okay. If you think it¡¯ll be fine, then I¡¯ll trust you. Maybe you can study it and learn more about Master Runes. I don¡¯t know much about ¡®em, but I¡¯ve never heard of anything like this happening before.¡±

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    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m definitely not going to pass up on the opportunity if you keep the Rune,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re fine with keeping it, then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lee said, speaking more confidently now. ¡°I don¡¯t have a logical reason to think it¡¯s going to be a problem right now. Not as long as Azel¡¯s bindings are holding, like you said. But, if they start breaking, I think we should remove the rune.¡±

    ¡°I can do that. Just keep me updated, and I¡¯ll get some more Mind Meld potions so we can keep an eye on things as well as try to figure out what¡¯s going on,¡± Noah said. ¡°Does the whole hypnotization thing only happen when you¡¯re in your mindspace? I didn¡¯t see you acting odd outside.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Only when I see the rune, though I haven¡¯t tried using it since the fight. I didn¡¯t feel very hypnotized during the fight, for what it matters.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Noah said. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll keep a close eye on you and we¡¯ll let Moxie know as well so there¡¯s no chance of anything slipping through. Don¡¯t stress too hard though, Lee. We aren¡¯t going to let you lose yourself.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. Did you want to study the rune a little longer before the potion ends? Just in case we missed something?¡±

    Noah gave her a nod. He wasn¡¯t sure if Lee wanted him to research the rune because it was useful or because she was still worried about what effects it would have on her, but spending some more time trying to figure out how it worked certainly wouldn¡¯t be remiss.

    He headed back over to the rune and started studying it closer, trying to completely pull the two patterns apart in his mind. They were both incredibly complex, so it was far from simple work. Even all the time Noah had spent studying and memorizing runes in the past months, it was still difficult.

    It was one thing just memorizing the pattern of something he was looking at. It was a whole different problem when he was trying to pull the patterns apart, even when he recognized that there were two of them.

    Whenever he started getting into a flow, he¡¯d mistakenly start down a line that was part of a different pattern and have to start over. Time slipped by, and he was slowly starting to make progress, but he wasn¡¯t quite able to finish before the familiar buzz of the Mind Meld¡¯s potion started to set in.

    ¡°Ah, damn it,¡± Noah muttered. He took one last look at the rune, committing as much of it as possible to memory. He didn¡¯t even have time to turn back to Lee before the effects wore off and he was yanked away, sent hurtling back to his own body.

    Noah¡¯s eyes snapped back open at the base of the bed beside Lee. Moxie had moved to lay on it behind them, a book in the air over her head. She lowered it and rolled over to watch as Noah and Lee shifted.

    ¡°Any luck?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°Yeah. Things are fine for now,¡± Noah said, rolling his neck to get some of the stiffness out if it. He¡¯d evidently chosen a bad position to sit in. ¡°It does look like Lee¡¯s Demon Rune somehow absorbed her Master Rune, though.¡±

    Moxie set the book down. ¡°What?¡±

    Noah spent a few minutes describing everything that he¡¯d learned to her. By the end of it, all Moxie could do was shake her head and laugh.

    ¡°Ridiculous. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re fine though, Lee.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Lee said, her stomach punctuating her words with a loud rumble. She cleared her throat. ¡°And I am also hungry.¡±

    Noah snorted. ¡°At least that hasn¡¯t changed. We¡¯ll go get some food, then. There are a few errands I want to run while we¡¯re out anyway.¡±

    ¡°What are they?¡± Moxie asked, arching an eyebrow. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you did anything other than practice or blow yourself up.¡±

    Ouch. I don¡¯t think this was her intention, but now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve taken Moxie on a proper date since we got together. Wizen might still be something we need to deal with, but I should really do something there at some point before we get so busy that I can¡¯t.

    ¡°I want to find Tim,¡± Noah said. ¡°Maybe not today, but I want to fix his runes. He¡¯s done too much for us to just sit around and do nothing in return.¡±

    Moxie and Lee both nodded.

    ¡°I think he¡¯s trustworthy,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Maybe don¡¯t tell him exactly how you do things, but I know you¡¯ve got more than enough runes in that grimoire of yours to share. I have no idea where Tim went, though. He wasn¡¯t in the cannon.¡±

    ¡°Lee said it smelled like he was safe, so I¡¯m thinking we¡¯ll find him back to work tomorrow,¡± Noah said. ¡°If not, I¡¯ll have to hunt around. But there¡¯s another thing as well. I want to go find Silvertide.¡±

    ¡°Wizen stuff?¡± Moxie guessed.

    ¡°Yeah. I want to bring him up to speed on everything we know. I probably should have done it earlier, but I¡¯m so used to keeping my cards close to chest that I didn¡¯t. Also, do you still have that dagger we took from Gentil?¡±

    Moxie slipped out of bed and walked across the room to her shelf, taking out a small, cloth wrapped bundle after a minute of searching. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s over here. I¡¯ve had it sitting around because it hasn¡¯t really been a priority, but I was researching it a bit ago to see if it might have anything to do with the clones. I couldn¡¯t find any plant-related magic in it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I want to show Silvertide,¡± Noah said. ¡°I think it¡¯s better to get more eyes on it. Even if he doesn¡¯t know anything, he can show the Enforcers. Wizen might be too big of a threat for us to try to keep information to ourselves.¡±

    ¡°So long as we¡¯re careful with who we share with,¡± Moxie warned, handing Noah the bundle. ¡°Wizen already has his eye on us. We don¡¯t need even more of that attention. Right now, he¡¯s up against a whole lot more than just our group. No need to bring his focus in.¡±

    ¡°Agreed,¡± Noah said. He slid the wrapped dagger into his bag and stood up, stretching his arms over his head and shaking his stiff limbs off. ¡°Right. Shall we go get some food, then? After that, I¡¯m drafting Lee¡¯s nose to help me find Silvertide.¡±

 Chapter 383: Tea for your troubles

    After lunch, Lee seemed to feel considerably better. Noah wasn¡¯t sure if she was just faking it for their sakes or not, but food did generally improve her mood. Moxie ¨C who had foolishly offered to pay for their meal ¨C ended up spending nearly fifty gold on Lee¡¯s endless appetite.

    They drew a crowd large enough that Noah wished they¡¯d charged a silver just for the show. If they had, he was pretty sure they¡¯d have made their money back and then some. Once they all finished their food and headed off, it didn¡¯t take long for Lee to pick up on Silvertide¡¯s scent and set off, guiding them toward the old soldier.

    ¡°I still have no idea how you can do this,¡± Noah said as they walked. ¡°Aren¡¯t there so many different scents in Arbitage? How can you track down Silvertide¡¯s so easily, especially when we don¡¯t have anything for reference? If your nose is that strong, aren¡¯t you constantly getting overwhelmed by information or something like that?¡±

    ¡°If I¡¯m not careful, I can be,¡± Lee said, coming to a stop at a junction in the street and sniffing at the air before turning to the left and continuing on. ¡°But it¡¯s not really that bad once you get used to it. Some scents are stronger than others, and you can filter them out pretty easily once you get used to it.¡±

    ¡°Which scents?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Stronger ones.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eye twitched before he realized that Lee didn¡¯t just mean scents that smelled more intense ¨C she meant stronger scents.

    ¡°Like from people that are more powerful?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Higher ranked people have more magic. It¡¯s easier to track, even if they haven¡¯t been using it too much recently. Silvertide is basically a walking stick of magic because of his leg. It¡¯s impossible to miss him.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Noah said. ¡°What about Jalen?¡±

    ¡°He smells strong too, but he¡¯s got some way to contain it,¡± Lee said, pausing for a moment to think. ¡°It¡¯s weird. I know he¡¯s powerful, but his smell is covered by¡­ a blanket, I guess. It¡¯s hard to describe, but he conceals it somehow.¡±

    ¡°Probably something to do with his Rank 6 domain,¡± Moxie theorized. ¡°When you get that strong, you get really good control over your powers. I¡¯d be surprised if Jalen wasn¡¯t intentionally reining it in so people couldn¡¯t track him down as easily. Lee probably isn¡¯t the only person good at tracking others down.¡±

    Lee came to a stop in front of a small restaurant with an open patio, then pointed at it. ¡°Silvertide is here.¡±

    ¡°Huh. That was closer than I thought,¡± Noah said. It only took him a moment to follow Lee¡¯s finger over to a table near the edge of the patio, where Silvertide sat drinking from a ceramic cup.

    Their arrival hadn¡¯t been unnoticed. The elderly soldier raised the cup in greeting, a wry smile flickering across his lips. He took another sip as they walked up to join him.

    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s a coincidence seeing you here, but judging by the way the little one was sniffing the air, something tells me I may have been sought out,¡± Silvertide said with a chuckle. ¡°Or was it the tea? This restaurant is quite good at it. Never quite figured out what leaves they¡¯re using, and the bastards won¡¯t tell me. I¡¯ve been trying to steal it for years. Give it a shot every time I come to Arbitage, but they always manage to catch me.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here for you,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°It¡¯s about our plant mage problem. I¡¯ve got some more information on him. Is now a good time?¡±

    Silvertide took another sip of his tea, then shrugged. ¡°Tell me, and then I will decide.¡±

    That was enough of an agreement for Noah. He took the wrapped dagger out of his bag and set it on the table before Silvertide, who took yet another sip before finally setting his cup down with a slight frown.

    He pulled the wrapping away from the dagger, revealing its black blade. His eyes narrowed faintly as he studied the weapon. Nearly a minute passed in silence. Finally, Silvertide moved ¨C his hand toward the tea pot.

    Silvertide poured himself another cup and, ignoring the steam rising up from the scalding liquid, took a sip from the cup without even blinking. He set it back down on the table with a soft click.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Silvertide said, a sage air surrounding him.

    ¡°You know what it is?¡± Moxie asked, leaning forward. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to figure it out, but I have no clue where to even start. I¡¯ve never seen it¡¯s like before, but I know it¡¯s got some form of magic in it. There are Runes, but they¡¯re well-hidden and either broken or not normal.¡±

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    Silvertide gave her a nod. ¡°Yes. There are.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Noah asked. ¡°What is it? Is it useful?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I have no idea,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°Tea just makes me feel very intelligent. I¡¯ve never seen something like this before.¡±

    Noah coughed into his fist, trying to muffle his laugh as Moxie visibly deflated. Lee patted her on the shoulder.

    ¡°That said,¡± Silvertide continued, a wry smile passing over his features before he abandoned it in pursuit of another sip of tea, ¡°this is useful. As you said, Moxie, it has some strange runework on it. How do you know it¡¯s connected to the plant mage?¡±

    ¡°Because I think I know who it is,¡± Noah said. ¡°The mage¡¯s name is Wizen, and I¡¯ve come into conflict with him before.¡±

    That got Silvertide¡¯s attention ¨C but not enough to completely pull him away from his drink. He took one last sip before pushing the cup to the side and interlacing his fingers on top of the table. ¡°Go on.¡±

    ¡°When I was traveling in Dawnforge with Moxie and Lee, we ended up stumbling into a criminal underground by accident,¡± Noah said. ¡°Some idiots came after us and we traced them back to their base.¡±

    ¡°And you met Wizen there?¡± Silvertide asked, tilting his head to the side.

    ¡°No. We met someone else ¨C his name was Gentil. Real shitstain of a human. He pretended to be benevolent, but he was a psychopath. He wanted to capture Moxie for some reason, and he had Alexandra around as one of his soldiers. Wizen used some form of Mind Rune to force Alexandra to do what Gentil wanted.¡±

    Silvertide¡¯s lips pressed thin and his eyes narrowed. ¡°Mind magic. Despicable, wretched magic. What happened to Gentil? Can we question him?¡±

    ¡°Only if you can contact the afterlife,¡± Noah said. ¡°He¡¯s dead. I sent him to kingdom come. There might be a few scraps of his flesh scattered around the remains of his base, but I doubt it. We took that dagger from him, though ¨C and Gentil revealed that Wizen wanted Moxie. We never found out why.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Silvertide said. He drummed his fingers on the table, his displeasure evident. ¡°Wizen has both powerful Plant Runes and Mind Runes, then. And, considering the way he was using the former, he¡¯s focusing on magic that lets him control things from afar, without getting his own hands dirty. Do you know anything else?¡±

    ¡°Not much,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°Most of our information came from what we heard from Gentil as well as a talk I had with Father. The only thing I know about his motivation is that he¡¯s after the Torrins for some reason. They must have something he wants, but I don¡¯t know why he¡¯d want Moxie in particular. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s in good standing with the rest of the family.¡±

    ¡°Curious,¡± Silvertide said. He was silent for several seconds. Then he seemed to remember that he had perfectly good tea in front of him that might risk going from scalding hot to just merely warm if he didn¡¯t drink it, so he rectified the problem. ¡°And Moxie, you can¡¯t think of anything that may have drawn his attention?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I have no idea what the Torrins would have that he¡¯d want so badly, and even if I did, I don¡¯t see how he¡¯d accomplish anything by attacking Arbitage. Why wouldn¡¯t he go for Blancwood?¡±

    ¡°My thoughts as well. The Torrins don¡¯t have a strong presence in Arbitage, so it doesn¡¯t make much sense if it was his end goal.¡± Silvertide picked up his pot, going to pour more tea, only to find that it was empty.  His nose scrunched in disappointment.

    ¡°Is there anyone you know that could help with the dagger? Maybe some of the other Enforcers?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Yes. Neir may very well be of use here. He¡¯s always enjoyed studying old Runes,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize your group was so wrapped up with this problem, but I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. You seem to have a talent for it.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°That was not a compliment,¡± Silvertide replied. He reached into his pocket in search of something, then paused. A grimace passed over his features for a second, then faded away. He brought his hands back to rest on top of the table and let out a sigh. ¡°If you¡¯d be willing, I¡¯d like you to accompany me to a meeting in three days¡¯ time. You know enough about this that I believe the other Enforcers would benefit from speaking to you all.¡±

    Noah shrugged. ¡°I think I¡¯d be fine with that, especially if it keeps Wizen out of our hair. As much as I want him dead, I¡¯ve also got a class to teach and a life to live. I don¡¯t care to spend it with my skin crawling because Wizen could be lurking in the shadows.¡±

    ¡°Oh, trust me. I know what you mean,¡± Silvertide said darkly. He pulled the top of the tea pot off and peered into it, reaching in and pulling out a small pinch of leaves to rub between his fingers in thought. ¡°This will be helpful. We haven¡¯t had any good leads before, but the dagger changes things. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Do you mind if I hold onto it for a short while?¡±

    Noah glanced to Moxie, who shrugged.

    ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t want the stupid thing. Just let me know if you figure anything out.¡±

    ¡°I will. Say, have you ever eaten at this restaurant before?¡± Silvertide asked.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. Why?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°You really should. Their tea is fantastic. It can be a little expensive, though,¡± Silvertide said. He brought the pinch of leaves toward his pocket, still nodding.

    The door to the restaurant flew open and an elderly woman skidded out, thrusting an accusatory finger toward Silvertide. ¡°No! Hands off the leaves, thief!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a few days!¡± Silvertide flew from his chair, vaulting over the patio¡¯s railing and sprinting off, his cane clutched at his side. The old woman didn¡¯t even flinch. She sprinted after Silvertide, hurling curses as she gained on him. The two of them turned a corner down the street, then vanished ¨C though the old woman¡¯s voice marked their position as they faded into the distance.

    A polite cough caught Noah¡¯s attention as he turned, still baffled, to find a neatly dressed waiter standing at their table.

    ¡°The tab for today¡¯s meal still hasn¡¯t been covered,¡± he said. ¡°Silvertide said he knew you, and I¡¯m afraid I need someone to pay for the meal.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eye twitched.

 Chapter 384: Old friends

    Fortunately, the bill that Silvertide left them with was only a gold ¨C but still, for tea, that was a pretty ridiculous amount. Moxie had ended up covering the tab, but Noah suspected it was mostly so she¡¯d have an excuse to make him speak with her at some point in the future.

    For someone as rich as Silvertide, there¡¯s no way he¡¯d actually need to stiff anyone from a single gold. Old bastard was just screwing with us. Do we not know anyone that doesn¡¯t have a completely screwed up sense of humor?

    ¡°I want some tea,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°Sure, but you can¡¯t eat the kettle,¡± Noah said absently, only half paying attention.

    ¡°Oh. Never mind, then.¡±

    ¡°Well, that was enlightening,¡± Moxie said with something between a sigh and a laugh. ¡°At least Silvertide will show the dagger to the others. The Enforcers should have access to a lot more information than I do, so hopefully they figure out something useful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to have someone else do something for once,¡± Noah agreed.

    ¡°To be fair, I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ve gotten ourselves into most of the shit we¡¯ve had to deal with,¡± Moxie pointed out. ¡°Not that I¡¯m arguing. But¡­ what now? Do we just wait around and wait for news on the dagger to come back to us?¡±

    ¡°That is exactly what I plan to do,¡± Noah said, rising from the table. ¡°Wizen has a whole bunch of people on his ass now, and I¡¯ve got no desire to stick my nose further into his business until the time comes to deal with him. We¡¯ve got a group of students that still need training ¨C not to mention that competition we¡¯re running.¡±

    ¡°And patterns to practice,¡± Lee added. ¡°I still need to work on mine.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t your pattern basically just eating?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s valid. If you chew in the right way, it¡¯s a pattern.¡±

    Huh. I wonder if that pattern would actually have anything to do with Lee¡¯s Demon Rune. If it¡¯s actually Gluttony overlaid with the Broken Master Rune, then mastering the pattern of eating might actually be pretty beneficial. I don¡¯t know if encouraging Lee to eat any more than she already does is a good idea, though. She might end up popping.

    ¡°Patterns are patterns. Getting back on track isn¡¯t going to hurt anyone. Just don¡¯t eat too much,¡± Noah said. ¡°I need to get some practice in myself. I still need to push my Formations farther, and I got interrupted the last time I tried to work on them. I imagine the advanced track will start doing things fairly soon as well.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Moxie agreed with a nod. ¡°Especially since the puppets have been dealt with. I doubt they¡¯re going to want to sit around and waste time when exams are already creeping up around the corner. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some of the professors were already practicing together.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll get around to that whenever it happens. We¡¯ve got our own training to handle,¡± Noah said. ¡°But that can come tomorrow, after I find Tim and help him fix up his Runes. For today, I think the only thing I want to do is relax.¡±

    And figure out what I can do for a date. I can¡¯t take Moxie out to a restaurant ¨C Lee would feel left out, and I¡¯m not sure she¡¯d actually understand the concept of a date if it involved food and didn¡¯t involve her. Are there movies on this world? Plays, I guess?

    That seems kind of lame.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°You look kind of troubled. Are you thinking about Wizen?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah replied honestly. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m not concerned about dealing with that crazy bastard ¨C I just have other things I want to do. I can¡¯t afford to worry about all the powerful assholes we¡¯ve somehow managed to piss off, since that number seems to grow every time I turn around.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably because you¡¯re flipping them off as you turn,¡± Moxie said with a wry smile. ¡°But I certainly wouldn¡¯t say no to a little relaxation before we really get into the swing of the year. A rest day sounds great, especially after¡­ well, you know.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°Same. Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m looking forward to this. Perfect timing, really,¡± Decras said, a grin pulling across his lips. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an asshole,¡± Renwewal said. ¡°I want to see them do something cute. Can¡¯t you keep your stupid surprise held off for a little longer? You could at least wait until after Noah takes Moxie on a date. He¡¯s clearly planning on it.¡±

    ¡°Are you kidding? No. It¡¯ll be far more interesting if I speed my surprise up so it shows up during the date. Think of the drama,¡± Decras said, spreading his arms wide. ¡°I can¡¯t time it that perfectly, unfortunately. My influence is constrained, but this should be more than enough to give us entertainment.¡±

    ¡°I was going to get entertainment already,¡± Renewal said with a cross frown. ¡°Not everything has to be death and slaughter, you know.¡±

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    ¡°Says the woman who was perfectly thrilled to see the surprise just a few short blips in time ago,¡± Decras pointed out. ¡°You change your mind like the seasons.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of having a mind if you can¡¯t change it? I forgot how cute it can be to watch mortals play around. They¡¯re so¡­ innocent. Their stakes are so infinitesimally small in the grand scheme of things. So unimportant. And yet, they place such value on those worthless stakes. It gives those moments of peace a lot more meaning than the endless sea of nothing that we¡¯ve got to deal with.¡±

    Decras leaned back in his chair and sighed. ¡°Have you already forgotten that you¡¯re mad at the stupid little thief? He took our Runes, and he took your avatar.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s going to put them to better use than we would,¡± Renewal muttered, sinking into her chair. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever get exhausted of this shit, Decras? There has to be more to the universe than what we have.¡±

    ¡°Oh, every single day,¡± Decras replied. ¡°But I¡¯ve learned that there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Compared to those little specs running around on the world we¡¯re watching, we¡¯re the peak of power. But¡­ in the grand scheme of things? Nobody would notice if we vanished, Renewal. If you really want to challenge the way things work, then go push your Rune farther.¡±

    Renewal gagged. ¡°Oh, yeah. Lovely. Spend all the energy I¡¯ve gathered and lose an enormous amount of time for what ¨C a promotion to watch a bigger line of mortal souls? The real freedom only comes with power greater than what my talent will ever let me claim.¡±

    ¡°And yet you won¡¯t abandon your line,¡± Decras observed, interlacing his fingers and kicking his feet back. ¡°Do you care about your job or not? You could always just leave. Become a rogue god.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not nearly strong enough for that,¡± Renewal said. Her eyes drifted to the shimmering image, where Noah was walking back toward his room with Moxie and Lee. ¡°But things might change. This mortal has been progressing at a ridiculous rate. He may actually discover something that I can use.¡±

    ¡°If he survives,¡± Decras put in.

    Renewal sighed. ¡°Yes. If he survives. But do you really think it likely he runs into anything that can actually kill him? His companions are the ones at risk. As long as he isn¡¯t captured, he¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Decras asked. ¡°There¡¯s more than one way to die. Because of his little bout of thievery, Noah kept all his memories of the afterlife. He¡¯s not mentally stable. If he loses the others ¨C he¡¯ll snap.¡±

    ¡°Which is why he¡¯ll protect them,¡± Renewal said. She went to say something else, then paused and sent a look at Decras. ¡°Wait. You just used his name.¡±

    ¡°What? No I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Yes you did,¡± Renewal said, a grin stretching across her lips. ¡°You¡¯re just as invested as I am, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I most certainly am not. That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing my utmost to kill him in an entertaining way,¡± Decras snapped, crossing his arms in front of his chest and glaring at Renewal. ¡°Unlike you, I¡¯ve never been a fan of this sappy garbage. The only thing that forces mortals to grow is their greatest fear. Death.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a miserable outlook on life. I can see why you can¡¯t advance your Rune any farther.¡±

    ¡°Says the one who can¡¯t advance hers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m probably still farther along than you are.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to find out?¡± Decras asked, his eyes narrowing. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to oblige.¡±

    ¡°If you want me to chop your hand off again that badly, you can just ask,¡± Renewal said, not even looking over to Decras. ¡°Be honest with yourself and admit you¡¯re just jealous of Noah and Moxie. Their relationship is cute.¡±

    ¡°Your brains must have gotten rattled loose over the years,¡± Decras said, flopping back into his chair and rolling his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re like a child playing with dolls. If you really care that much about them, you really shouldn¡¯t have let me send them that surprise.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not going to be that big of a threat, is it?¡± Renewal asked. He didn¡¯t respond. Renewal glanced at him out of the corners of her eyes. ¡°Decras? You just said it would be a challenge. How big of a challenge is this?¡±

    ¡°Well, one of them might survive.¡±

    ¡°Show me the damn creature you sent their way,¡± Renewal snapped. ¡°I swear, if you kill Moxie and Lee in such a stupid way, I am going to be pissed. What¡¯s the fun in watching Noah on his own?¡±

    Decras reached out toward the screen and the image rippled. Noah and the other mortals vanished, replaced by a grassy field. A huge figure strode through it, a wicked double-bladed axe strapped to his back and a dark hood pulled low over his face.

    ¡°You sent one of your apostles?¡± Renewal said, her voice raising in disbelief. ¡°I thought you said you were going to send a challenge that would give them a good gift if they managed to survive!¡±

    ¡°I did!¡± Decras said defensively. ¡°If they actually managed to beat him, think of the Runes they¡¯d get!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s Rank 7!¡± Renewal exclaimed. ¡°Are you an idiot? They¡¯re going to die! Call him off!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Decras said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°The idiot isn¡¯t talented enough to hear my voice. I can only communicate to most of my apostles through their head. The rest of them are a little¡­ tone deaf ¨C and Garina is ignoring me. Can¡¯t you contact your bald churchgoer?¡±

    ¡°He barely even follows me. He¡¯s too busy flirting with your little temptress,¡± Renewal snapped. She nearly rose out of her chair before she caught herself. It wasn¡¯t like she could actually interfere herself.

    Not without drawing the attention of the other gods ¨C and that was the absolute last thing she wanted to do. But, as she watched the screen, a frown crossed her lips.

    ¡°Wait. Why is he walking? Shouldn¡¯t he be at Arbitage already?¡±

    ¡°I told him to go slowly so he wouldn¡¯t arrive too early,¡± Decras said. ¡°It¡¯s not going to change anything. An extra day or two won¡¯t save them.¡±

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Renewal muttered. She glared at the screen, strongly considering splattering the apostle, consequences be damned. It had been so long since she¡¯d found something of interest that even the ridicule of the other gods felt like it wasn¡¯t as bad as losing the flower blossoming before her.

    The apostle skidded to a halt in the grass. Renewal let out a relieved sigh.

    ¡°You managed to get through to him?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Decras said, confusion muddling his words. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. I¨C¡±

    A shadow stretched out across the ground before the apostle, and a scythe carved up from within it. From within it rose a man with a shit-eating grin plastered across his face.

    ¡°Hullo,¡± the man said, slinging his scythe across his shoulders and draping his arms over it. ¡°Care to direct that murderous stride of yours somewhere else? I¡¯m conducting an experiment in that direction.¡±

    ¡°Who is that, Decras?¡± Renewal asked. Decras didn¡¯t respond. He was too busy staring at the screen.

    ¡°Revin,¡± the apostle said, his voice a mixture of derision and poorly hidden unease. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on now.¡± Revin¡¯s grin widened, revealing his pointed teeth. ¡°That¡¯s no way to greet an old friend, is it?¡±

 Chapter 385: We all get hungry

    ¡°We are anything but friends,¡± the large apostle spat. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re here, Revin, but this is the only warning you¡¯re going to get. Leave.¡±

    ¡°Anything?¡± Revin arched an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re already ready for the next step. I¡¯m not sure I can see you as anything more than a friend, though. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to refuse.¡±

    ¡°Out of my way, Revin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just my luck that you¡¯re the one that comes bumbling along my way,¡± Revin said with an exasperated sigh. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it have been someone interesting? How¡¯s Garina these days, Audren? She was always fun.¡±

    ¡°She never recovered after the damage you did to her,¡± Audren said. ¡°She had so much potential, and you ruined it by turning her into a nutjob, just like yourself. Step down. I¡¯m on a mission from the Master himself, and that means I¡¯m allowed to cut right through you if I need to.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Revin exclaimed, taking a step back. ¡°Cut through me? Oh, no. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s very likely. How long has it been since we last saw each other, Audren?¡±

    ¡°Not long enough.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t disagree with that answer, but I believe you¡¯ve skirted the question. If I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯ve forgotten myself. I don¡¯t tend to remember people that don¡¯t draw much of my interest, and the only reason you even got a spot in my memory is because of those lovely sounds your body makes when I slam it against walls. You could never beat me, Audren. Not then, and not now.¡±

    ¡°You used to be a real threat,¡± Audren said, reaching back to the large axe on his back. He hoisted it at his side, baring his teeth in challenge. ¡°But not anymore. You couldn¡¯t handle the power that the Master gave us. It broke your weak mind and burned what remained of it away like kindling.¡±

    Revin glanced down at himself, then back up at Audren. ¡°I¡¯m right here, you know. If I burned away, would I really be standing around wasting a perfectly good day by speaking to a walking bag of rocks?¡±

    ¡°You got your warnings,¡± Audren snarled. His body blurred as six streamers of black smoke erupted from him, streaking out through the air. Revin brought his scythe down, carving the smoke apart before it could reach him.

    ¡°I really do hope you¡¯ve learned to do more than that in the time since we last had the misfortune of meeting,¡± Revin drawled, spinning the scythe and driving its butt into the ground. ¡°Because that was disappointing, Audren. I already don¡¯t expect much from you, but it¡¯s been years since I left your group. If I¡¯m being honest, the costumes were a bit too much for me. I mean, come on. Dressing up in dark clothes and meeting in caves? How can you say I¡¯m the one that¡¯s insane when you manage to make the Church of Repose look legitimate?¡±

    Audren wasn¡¯t goaded so easily, but the flurry of axe swings he unleashed on Revin had considerably more anger behind them than they needed. Every single strike whistled harmlessly past Revin as he stepped around, his lips pursed in disappointment.

    ¡°The others will thank me when I take your head.¡± Audren¡¯s axe hummed with power as he lunged, narrowly missing Revin as the other man stepped out of the way again.

    ¡°The others will thank you when you take a bath,¡± Revin replied. ¡°Or perhaps you just forgot to wash your costume. You know, if you want to be all secretive, shouldn¡¯t you meet in really plain clothes in a plain building? Nobody would ever suspect that. Now, a bunch of hooded mushroom eating idiots? That¡¯s definitely a cult.¡±

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Audren screamed. His axe split apart, dozens of afterimages carving through the air with keening howls. The grass all around them was carved to shreds and the earth collapsed, falling out from under the pressure of Audren¡¯s domain.

    ¡°Is that really all you can do?¡± Revin asked with a wry smile. ¡°Or are you restricted? You can¡¯t use your full force, can you? Worried that Garina will come spank you if she realizes that a Rank 7 is strolling around in her domain?¡±

    ¡°Garina is one of the Apostles,¡± Audren snapped. ¡°She¡¯s on my side, not yours.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re so sure about that, why aren¡¯t you using more power?¡± Revin asked. ¡°You¡¯ve attacked me with nothing that a Rank 4 couldn¡¯t have done. As a matter of fact, I know a Rank 4 that could probably do it better. Maybe two.¡±

    Audren ground his teeth. His eyes flicked around the clearing, clearly searching for some form of escape, but wherever they landed, Revin seemed to stroll into view a second later. It wasn¡¯t like Revin was omnipotent ¨C he just seemed to know exactly wherever Audren was going to look before he did.

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    ¡°Are you this dead set on interfering with our duties?¡± Audren asked. ¡°Even if you can hold me off, do you really believe you could hold off all of the Apostles when they come for you in retaliation for standing in the way of our holy mission?¡±

    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re calling it now? I kind of figured you liked getting bossed around by a mysterious figure. You know, I figure I could probably do that. If I put on a cloak and tell you to get lost, will you do it?¡±

    ¡°You dare disrespect the Master?¡± Audren asked. ¡°I am no fool, Revin. I know your mouth runs like a river to distract your opponents ¨C but are you really stupid enough to believe you can stand against a god?¡±

    Revin heaved a sigh. The grin fell away from his face and he leaned against his scythe. ¡°Audren, for old times¡¯ sake, I¡¯ll give you one honest answer in the form of another question. Do you really think this Master gives a shit about you? I mean, I don¡¯t blame him. He gets free labor. Who says no to that?¡±

    ¡°He gives us power! You¡¯re nothing without the Rune he gave you,¡± Audren said. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for his mercy, you¡¯d be a crippled husk by now. I suspect he just enjoys watching your antics, but he specifically ordered that I kill two weaklings ¨C weaklings that I suspect you are stopping me from getting to.¡±

    ¡°Look at that. You can get smarter,¡± Revin said with an overexaggerated nod. ¡°Good job.¡±

    Audren¡¯s axe carved through the air, whistling harmlessly past Revin once more. Revin stepped past the considerably larger man, rapping him on the back of the head with his scythe.

    ¡°Stop with your delay tactics!¡± Audren demanded. ¡°Fight me or leave. This is ridiculous. We are not children.¡±

    ¡°Funny you say that. If you don¡¯t start taking this fight seriously, you¡¯re going to die,¡± Revin said. ¡°It¡¯s time to make up your mind. Either commit to your god given orders and use those powers that you¡¯re hiding ¨C prove that your Master really did order you here, and what do you have to lose? Against both you and Garina, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d struggle.¡±

    Audren grit his teeth, and Revin¡¯s grin grew wider.

    ¡°Unless you¡¯re concerned that Garina would turn against you. Or are you more worried that she won¡¯t show up at all?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯ll show up,¡± Audren said. ¡°She always does. It¡¯s the one damn thing she held onto from before joining us, and not even the Master could get her to stop. It¡¯s a waste of time, but she¡¯s obsessed with it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s smarter than you are,¡± Revin said. ¡°Last chance to turn around and walk away, big man.¡±

    ¡°Eat shit.¡±

    ¡°Ah, well,¡± Revin said. ¡°Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t try.¡±

    ***

    ¡°What am I watching?¡± Renewal asked in disbelief, staring at the fight ¨C if it could be called that ¨C playing out on the rippling image before her and Decras.

    ¡°Revin,¡± Decras replied. It was impossible to tell if the tone of his voice was annoyed, impressed, or a mixture of the two. ¡°He was one of mine, at one point. One of the strongest.¡±

    ¡°Something tells me that isn¡¯t true anymore. He doesn¡¯t seem to think much of you. Maybe he should join up with me.¡± Renewal snickered.

    ¡°He¡¯d rip your church apart from the inside,¡± Decras said. ¡°And you¡¯re right. Revin is mad. Audren wasn¡¯t wrong about that.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem mad. Just annoying. Driving your enemy up a wall in a fight is a perfectly valid strategy,¡± Renewal observed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s a respectable one, but it¡¯s a strategy nonetheless.¡±

    ¡°Does anything you see right now look even remotely sane to you?¡± Decras asked.

    Renewal turned back to the screen. Audren was stumbling around, swinging his axe and shouting obscenities at nothing. Revin sat on a rock about a hundred feet away from him, his chin resting in his palm and a bored expression on his face.

    He hadn¡¯t moved once from that spot. Not once had Audren actually spoken to his real form, and the answer was the very same one that Revin had been pushing Audren to take. Revin¡¯s domain was out ¨C and in full force.

    Invisible energy wove out from him in a huge globe, working into every single thing around him. Revin hadn¡¯t ever pulled his domain back. He was strolling around with it practically pouring out power at such an intense wavelength that a lesser mage wouldn¡¯t have even noticed it ¨C but Garina certainly should have.

    ¡°Garina is choosing to ignore him?¡± Renewal asked, her eyebrows lifting. ¡°She made an exception?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that Garina chose to make an exception,¡± Decras said. ¡°She didn¡¯t have a choice. Revin has long since twisted himself into something that he should not be. Just like Noah to you, Revin is my own experiment gone awry. One that may bear fruit one day, but for the time being, does nothing but annoy me.¡±

    ¡°All of your Apostles have some of your energy,¡± Renewal said with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s not really that much of a surprise.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± Decras shook his head. ¡°Yes, the Apostles have some of my power ¨C but Revin doesn¡¯t. Not anymore.¡±

    Audren¡¯s eyes went wide. He doubled over, coughing violently and clutching at something invisible in his chest.

    ¡°Revin got rid of the magic you gave him?¡± Renewal blinked in surprise. It was rare to find a mortal that would actually throw power away in exchange for freedom, but there was a lot to respect there. ¡°That¡¯s actually quite interesting.¡±

    Audren spun, running in the opposite direction as fast as he could without drawing enough power to pull Garina¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Revin didn¡¯t get rid of it,¡± Decras said, as if the words were bitter in his mouth.

    Renewal pulled her eyes away from Audren, frowning. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°The magic. He didn¡¯t get rid of it.¡±

    ¡°What did he do, then?¡±

    ¡°The annoying bastard consumed it.¡±

 Chapter 386: Revin problems

    Revin slung his scythe back over his shoulder and sank into the shadow of the rock he stood beside, disappearing and leaving the grassy plain silent. Renewal struggled to keep a laugh from bursting out from her mouth.

    ¡°Decras?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Decras asked irritably.

    ¡°Your Apostle kind of sucks. That was pathetic.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like anyone from your church would be any better,¡± Decras said with a grunt. He stole a chocolate from the bowl before Renewal could stop him. ¡°Damn it. I can¡¯t tell if I like watching Revin or get fed up with his constant interference.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should be at least a little bit concerned that our experiments have found each other?¡± Renewal asked, the smile fading from her face.

    ¡°Experiments? Don¡¯t group that little thief in with Revin,¡± Decras said with a scoff. ¡°He¡¯s not an experiment. He just stole some Runes.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Renewal said dryly. ¡°Well, whatever he is, he¡¯s working together with Revin.¡±

    ¡°Doubt it. Revin doesn¡¯t work together with anyone. Not anymore. The thief just managed to catch his attention for a little while. I wouldn¡¯t concern yourself about it because that¡¯s not going to last long.¡±

    ¡°You sound really certain of that,¡± Renewal observed, waving her hand and dismissing the image as she turned to face Decras. ¡°What if it does?¡±

    ¡°Bah. It¡¯ll be fine. What are you worried about?¡± Decras asked, leaning forward and bracing his arms against his knees. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re going to form a union or something?¡±

    Renewal blinked. ¡°A union? You think they¡¯ll get married? They better not. Noah and Moxie go together too perfectly.¡±

    ¡°What? No.¡± Decras let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°The mortals of some other planets have unions where they all get together to try and get more rights for themselves against their masters. Forget it. Either way, Revin is just mildly interested. Even if it was more, they¡¯re mortals. We don¡¯t have anything to fear.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure fear would even be the right word,¡± Renewal said. ¡°I¡¯m not scared of Noah. Even if he managed to ascend to godhood, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d actually be a threat. More like an ally. His goals will align with ours.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Decras said, his eyes widening as he matched Renewal¡¯s posture. ¡°You think that he¡¯s going to make it to godhood? Someone from that shitty little planet? They understand absolutely nothing, and there are millions of people with more potential than average.¡±

    ¡°He has our Runes.¡±

    ¡°The Apostles have had my runes for centuries. Fat load of good it¡¯s done most of them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you gave it,¡± Renewal said. ¡°Noah took his, and he¡¯s changed them. He¡¯s changed yours too.¡±

    ¡°Just like Revin,¡± Decras muttered, his eyes narrowing. ¡°Fine. Perhaps he makes it to godhood. Do you really think the first thing he did wouldn¡¯t be to come after the rest of the power he¡¯s taken? I say we kill him the instant he ascends.¡±

    Renewal tilted her head to the side. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. He¡¯s certainly power hungry when the time comes, but his concern is more about his friends than it is about himself. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d go picking fights that they won¡¯t all survive. A new god isn¡¯t going to be able to defeat us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because you¡¯re attached.¡±

    ¡°If you truly wanted to kill him, you¡¯d have already done it yourself,¡± Renewal pointed out. She crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ve always skirted the rules, Decras. This wouldn¡¯t have been any different. You were secretly happy when Revin showed up, weren¡¯t you? You¡¯re having just as much fun with this as I am, even if you¡¯re too cocky to admit it.¡±

    ¡°Your head is full of delusion and pink fluff.¡±

    ¡°And yours wishes it was. Better to be honest and have fun than to keep being stuffy,¡± Renewal said. ¡°Why do you think the other gods don¡¯t even so much as say hi to you? They¡¯d be friendlier if you stopped being such a dick.¡±

    ¡°I have no need for worthless people. The majority of the other gods in our area of the universe barely scraped their ways to godhood and care for nothing but telling each other how great they are.¡±

    Renewal cleared her throat. Decras wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. It was hard to believe how much more enjoyable his company was than that of the other gods, especially given how much of a prick he was.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you that,¡± Renewal said. ¡°But I still think that you could stay true to yourself without using fighting as your main excuse to see people.¡±

    ¡°Fighting is what makes us grow.¡±

    ¡°So is deep conversation.¡±

    ¡°Whatever helps you sleep at night,¡± Decras said through a yawn. ¡°Turn the spell back on. Do you think Noah is doing anything interesting?¡±

    Renewal flicked her hand and the image bloomed, shifting to Moxie¡¯s room. Her eyes widened and she hurriedly waved it away, banishing the spell before it could even fully take form.

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    ¡°Maybe we can look at other people for now,¡± Renewal suggested, coughing into her fist.

    ¡°That might be a wise idea,¡± Decras said. ¡°What about some of his students?¡±

    ¡°His students?¡± Renewal tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow as the embarrassment faded from her cheeks. ¡°That¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve shown even the slightest amount of interest in them. Which one?¡±

    ¡°The crippled one,¡± Decras said. ¡°She¡¯s taken to the fundamentals of Runes better than most. In any normal circumstances, it wouldn¡¯t even matter. She¡¯d have no chance of making it past Rank 3 because of those Body Runes¡­ but Noah changes things.¡±

    ¡°Aha! You used his name again!¡±

    ¡°Make up your mind on what you want me to do,¡± Decras snapped.

    ¡°I ¨C ah. Well, I suppose that¡¯s a fair request,¡± Renewal said with a frown. ¡°Fine. Sorry. Let¡¯s take a look at Alexandra, then. She¡¯s got some spirit to her. I¡¯m personally looking forward to how she deals with the members of that little club Noah¡¯s group joined. There are some decent mages in there ¨C for their Rank, at least.¡±

    ¡°I hope she kills them.¡±

    ¡°The solution to everything does not have to be killing.¡±

    ¡°I still hope she kills them.¡±

    ***

    Alexandra lowered her sword and opened her eyes, letting the outside world slip back into awareness. The sun had traced through the sky overhead ¨C it had been hours since she¡¯d started practicing for the day.

    Not enough. I feel like I¡¯m so close, but I¡¯m still not there. When I was fighting with Gero, I think I had it for a moment. But, no matter what I do while training, I just can¡¯t recapture whatever it was that I did there.

    Maybe I should go find Isabel and see if she wants to spar.

    Alexandra sheathed her sword and headed out of the small dirt circle that had been serving as her training area. It was just a short walk back to her dormitory, where she quickly rinsed off before setting off to Isabel and Todd¡¯s room.

    She only made it down a single turn in the corridor before having to jump back, having nearly walked straight into Todd.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Todd said. ¡°Sorry. Didn¡¯t see you there, Alexandra. I was just going to try and find you.¡±

    ¡°We must have had the same idea. Is Isabel busy? I was hoping to do some sparring with her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s out training somewhere, actually,¡± Todd said. ¡°She just headed out thirty minutes or so ago, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to be back anytime soon.¡±

    ¡°Ah, damn it,¡± Alexandra said with a frown. ¡°Maybe I should ask Vermil, then. I¡¯ve been stuck on this for too long. I need to advance already.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s actually why I came looking for you,¡± Todd said. ¡°You¡¯ve been working on your pattern a lot, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alexandra said with a nod. ¡°I was making great progress at first, but it feels like I¡¯ve hit a wall. No matter what I do, I don¡¯t get better. It feels like I understand the pattern perfectly, but I logically know I don¡¯t. I¡¯m missing something and I don¡¯t know what it is. What about you? Have you been having any luck with your pattern?¡±

    ¡°Some,¡± Todd said. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not sure if I¡¯m headed down the right path with it. That¡¯s why I was going to look for you. I¡¯d ask the professor, but I don¡¯t want to wait until next class.¡±

    I suppose it can¡¯t hurt. Maybe I¡¯ll find what¡¯s wrong if I have to explain it to someone else.

    ¡°I can try,¡± Alexandra said.

    ¡°Awesome! Thank you,¡± Todd said, turning and heading back down the hall toward his rooms with Alexandra at his side. He pulled a bracelet out of his pocket as they walked, running a thumb along the runes carved into its surface. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to figure out exactly what my pattern is, you know?¡±

    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t know?¡± Alexandra asked, blinking in surprise as they reached the door and Todd pushed it open. ¡°How can you practice if you don¡¯t know your pattern?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the problem.¡± Todd waved Alexandra over to Isabel¡¯s chair, then sat down in his own and rocked onto its back legs. ¡°Your pattern is like a single thing, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to embody the changing nature of wind.¡±

    ¡°Right. A single thing. I¡¯m trying to improve my imbuing,¡± Todd said, nodding to the band in his hands. ¡°But that can¡¯t just be ¡®embody fire¡¯ or whatever. It needs to be a conceptual understanding. But how do you summarize understanding imbuements as a whole? I don¡¯t want to just figure out how to make better fire imbuements or the like ¨C I want to improve my imbuing overall ¨C but I can¡¯t just make my pattern being better.¡±

    ¡°That is a problem,¡± Alexandra admitted. ¡°I didn¡¯t really think about trying to expand a pattern to such a large concept. Are you certain it¡¯s even possible?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Vermil said it was promising, and he obviously knows what he¡¯s talking about. The problem is that he doesn¡¯t know imbuing that well. Of the group, I¡¯m the one that knows it the best.¡±

    Todd¡¯s tone made it clear that he wasn¡¯t bragging. He was just being completely honest. It felt a bit odd for a student to claim they were better than their teacher at anything, but everything about Vermil¡¯s class was strange.

    ¡°Is it possible you¡¯re too deep?¡± Alexandra asked after thinking for a few moments.

    ¡°Deep? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, the more you know about a subject, the further you enter it,¡± Alexandra said. She tapped the sword at her side. ¡°Like swordsmanship, for example. It¡¯s much more than just swinging a blade around. It¡¯s the mindset, the footwork, everything around you.¡±

    ¡°Right, that makes sense. But what does that have to do with patterns or imbuing?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever focused so hard on a problem that you¡¯ve been stuck on for ages, but then someone who knows absolutely nothing about it walks over and gives you the answer almost by accident?¡±

    Todd¡¯s brow furrowed and he gave her a slow nod. ¡°Yeah. All the time, actually.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s that. You could be trying to get so deep into imbuements that you¡¯re focusing on them instead of the pattern. Have you considered toning it back instead of pushing farther?¡±

    Todd tapped his foot on the ground, chewing his lower lip. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s a really good idea, actually. Easier said than done, but it gives me something to work with. Damn. Now I feel stupid.¡±

    ¡°Having an outside perspective can help.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Todd agreed. ¡°Is that why you were looking for Isabel? Maybe I can help in her place.¡±

    ¡°I was going to try to spar with her.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Well, I can do that.¡±

    Alexandra gave Todd a doubtful look. ¡°You can use a sword?¡±

    ¡°Barely. I¡¯m worse than she is. But why are you only fighting someone with a sword? Didn¡¯t you say your pattern was wind? That has nothing to do with your sword. You¡¯re just using it as the way to express the wind.¡±

    Alexandra blinked. Then her eye twitched. Todd burst into laughter.

    ¡°You did the same shit you just told me about, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexandra muttered, but she couldn¡¯t stay distracted for long with the building excitement. Todd was right, and now that she knew, it was so obvious that it was painful. She¡¯d figured out how to embody wind with her sword, but her pattern had to be far more than just swordplay. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take you up on your offer. Can we spar hand to hand?¡±

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Todd said with a grin. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 387: Fixed up

    Noah headed out of Moxie¡¯s room early in the morning, adjusting his jacket and combing his hair out of the way as he headed down the hall. His grimoire was slung over a shoulder, and the large book thumped against his back with every step.

    He¡¯d been slightly waylaid after he¡¯d woken up, but he was determined to find Tim and repair his runes before the day was over. The only question was if Tim would be back in the tower by the time he got there and ¨C if he was ¨C how Noah would be able to justify what he could do.

    I wish there was a way I could do this without revealing the existence of Sunder. Actually ¨C what happens if I knock him out while we¡¯re in his soul space? Or, what if I knock him out before the Mind Meld¡¯s potions take effect?

    That kind of feels like assault with extra steps, though. Damn. Maybe Tim will give me permission to bludgeon him with a heavy object. That would make it fine.

    Noah arrived at the base of the Transport Cannon a short while later. There was a small line built up at it, which was a good sign as to Tim¡¯s whereabouts. After a few minutes of waiting in line, he found himself standing on the lift as it rattled up to the top floor.

    Tim sat at his desk, stroking his beard and reading a book as Noah arrived. He glanced up, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he smiled. ¡°Vermil! What brings you here? I don¡¯t see your students.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to see you, actually,¡± Noah said. ¡°I heard about what happened yesterday.¡±

    Tim¡¯s smile faded and he nodded. ¡°Yes. It could have been a horrible thing. I was relieved to hear that they were all safe, but I heard that speaking about it was a bad idea. The person responsible may have had some dangerous ties.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here,¡± Noah said. ¡°Not specifically, at least.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Headed somewhere, then?¡±

    ¡°Not that either,¡± Noah said. He glanced through the window. The majority of the line had already gone through the transport cannon, but there were still a few more people waiting. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ve got a little while? About half an hour or so?¡±

    ¡°I suppose so,¡± Tim said. ¡°Let me just handle the rest of the crowd and then I¡¯ll shut down for a little while.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Noah said, moving to stand in the corner of the room. The lift rattled back down, and Noah waited as Tim spent the next few minutes sending everyone off to a variety of different areas.

    Once he¡¯d finished and the line had dried up, Tim pulled a lever at the corner of his panel and pressed his hand against the desk. A small wave of energy ran throughout it, racing through imbuements. The lift rattled up, locking in place at the top floor.

    ¡°All closed up for the time being,¡± Tim said, sitting back down. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I¡¯ll be able to help, but I¡¯d be glad to hear what I can do for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more the other way around,¡± Noah said. ¡°Some time ago, you told me about how you ended up here.¡±

    ¡°Did I?¡± Tim asked, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°My memory isn¡¯t what it used to be, but I suppose I must have. What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°Well, you mentioned that you landed this job because your Runes weren¡¯t good enough to let you advance, right?¡±

    Tim grunted. ¡°Yeah, but I haven¡¯t been beat up about that for years. You learn to deal with your lot in life as you get older.¡±

    Noah reached into his bag and pulled out a Mind Meld potion, setting it on the counter. Tim tilted his head to the side, studying the vial with a confused look. ¡°Is this alcohol? It¡¯s quite¡­ shimmery.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°It¡¯s a potion. One that¡¯ll make it easier for us to speak privately.¡±

    ¡°Alcohol does the same thing when you use enough of it,¡± Tim said with a cackle. He pulled the wax seal off the top of the potion and sniffed at it, then shrugged before draining his half.

    Noah took the bottle and removed the other seal, draining the rest of the bottle before returning it to the table.

    ¡°Stay sitting,¡± Noah said. ¡°You might feel a bit dizzy.¡±

    Even as Tim nodded, a buzz enveloped Noah¡¯s mind. He quickly lowered himself to lean against the wall, keeping one hand on his grimoire as the potion yanked him out of his mind and into Tim¡¯s.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    When Noah¡¯s eyes opened once again, he found himself standing on a plain grassy hill. Seven Runes floated in the air around him, and Noah wasn¡¯t surprised to find that they were all horrendously bad.

    They were all Rank 2, and even though they¡¯d been filled, Noah could tell that not only were there constituents probably horrible, but they¡¯d been combined rather poorly as well. But, despite that, the hill was probably one of the most hospitable souls that Noah had been to.

    Gentle rays of sunlight warmed his back, and a brilliant blue sky rose overhead. Tim stood at the top of the hill, looking around in surprise.

    ¡°Is this a Mind Meld potion?¡± Tim asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never used one before, but it appears that we¡¯ve entered my soul.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said. ¡°You drank that without realizing what it was? I thought you were joking.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Tim said with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m much too old to care about what gets put in front of me now. I doubt poison is going to kill me much faster than anything else, and I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯d try to poison me anyway. So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?¡±

    ¡°This,¡± Noah replied, gesturing vaguely around himself. ¡°But first, I¡¯m going to need a promise from you. Everything that I say and do here needs to stay between us. Nobody can ever find out what happened.¡±

    Tim¡¯s smile faded as he took in the intensity in Noah¡¯s voice. ¡°This sounds serious.¡±

    ¡°Incredibly so,¡± Noah said. ¡°And it¡¯s dangerous enough to get all of us killed if the wrong person finds out.¡±

    ¡°Do you want a Rune Oath?¡± Tim asked.

    Noah almost refused on the spot but paused to think for a moment. He did trust Tim, but as kind as the old man was, the information he was about to share had dire consequences. If anyone stronger than him found out about Sunder, infinite lives would do nothing for him. They¡¯d torture him until he gave them the rune or imprison him for its powers.

    Except making an oath here really doesn¡¯t even do that much in solving the actual problem. The only thing it helps is if Tim was going to rat me out intentionally, and I don¡¯t think he¡¯s got any plans to ever do something like that. It¡¯s more likely that someone figures out he knows something and tries to get information from him forcefully. A Rune Oath would do nothing there. Either Tim says nothing, or his runes get shattered and he tells them anyway. But therein lies the problem with Rune Oaths. If I made it so strong that it killed Tim if he broke it, he might just get killed and give my information away anyway.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°I don¡¯t want a Rune Oath. They¡¯re flawed tools. I will take a normal promise, though.¡±

    ¡°I can do that. I swear I¡¯ll keep anything you tell me to myself, no matter what happens or who it involves.¡± Tim paused for a moment, then cleared his throat. ¡°Unless it brings threat to a student. I take my job as a worker at Arbitage very seriously. If you¡¯ve got issue with any students, it may be best that you do not tell me.¡±

    Noah smiled, even more confident that he¡¯d made the right choice. ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing like that. This is entirely about you, Tim.¡±

    ¡°Now I feel like I¡¯ve done something wrong.¡± Tim laughed. ¡°Just tell me, would you? What is this about?¡±¡±

    ¡°Your runes.¡±

    A flicker of shame passed over Tim¡¯s features as he looked out at the poorly constructed runes circling them. ¡°Ah, yes. They¡¯re not much too look at, are they?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah admitted honestly. ¡°But that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I can help you fix them.¡±

    Tim coughed into a fist, hiding a smile. ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you, Vermil. I¡¯ve had the offer before, but I appreciate it every time. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t accept. No matter how much I would be thrilled to repair some of the damage my younger self did to me, it¡¯s impossible. At my age, the soul damage would tear me apart.¡±

    ¡°I can circumvent that,¡± Noah said. ¡°I have a way to handle the soul damage, and I have Runes as well. Not an infinite supply, but I have a lot of the basic ones. Even though you¡¯ll probably get sent back to Rank 1, I can give you another chance at this.¡±

    Tim lowered his hand, narrowing his eyes in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry? You¡¯ve found a potion that¡¯ll heal soul damage?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ something like that,¡± Noah said. ¡°And a way to remove the runes from your soul without being too invasive. It¡¯s safe, so long as you actually want me to do it.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke, is it?¡± Tim asked.

    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m completely serious. Just say the word. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to handle everything at once, but I can do a lot of it.¡±

    ¡°Just like that?¡± Tim stared at Noah, letting his hands drop by his sides. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I think we should probably focus more on if you want it or not,¡± Noah said. ¡°The exact details are¡­ well, I¡¯d prefer to keep them as close to chest as possible. It won¡¯t be relevant to its effectiveness, though. I¡¯d be willing to show you with a single rune if you¡¯d feel safer that way.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C no, I don¡¯t doubt you,¡± Tim said hurriedly and shaking his head. ¡°I just ¨C well, it¡¯s hard to believe. You¡¯re claiming the impossible, Professor Vermil. Nobody can remove runes without soul damage. If you¡¯ve gotten a potion that lets you do that, is it really wise to waste it on me? It would be worth millions. Maybe more. You could retire for the rest of your life and never worry about another thing.¡±

    ¡°Sounds boring,¡± Noah said. ¡°If I was going to sell it, I would have. It¡¯s up to you. Don¡¯t feel pressured if you aren¡¯t comfortable with it, but the offer is there.¡±

    Tim swallowed. ¡°Show me.¡±

    ¡°What kind of Rune did you want?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I may not have it, so I¡¯d have to go get my hands on it.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ an Earth Rune, perhaps?¡± Tim asked hesitantly, still sounding like he couldn¡¯t tell if Noah was playing with him or not.

    ¡°Ah. That, I can do,¡± Noah said. This had been a long time coming, and he was eager to get started. ¡°Ah¡­ could you turn around? The less you see, the better.¡±

    Tim turned to face away from Noah. ¡°Is this fine?¡±

    ¡°Perfect. Just stay there for a minute.¡± He cracked his knuckles. ¡°Let¡¯s get you fixed up, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 388: Busy man

    Noah extended his senses to the grimoire pressed against his hand in the outside world, sending it a mental request for an Earth Rune. He knew he¡¯d gotten a fair number of them from all the monsters he¡¯d killed during vacation with Moxie and Lee, but he wanted to make sure the book hadn¡¯t decided to eat any of them before he started cutting anything of Tim¡¯s up.

    Fortunately, the book responded, albeit reluctantly. Energy gathered at Noah¡¯s palm and he traced his hand through the air, forming a Rank 2 True Earth Rune in the air before him. It only took a few moments for him to create the relatively simple Rune.

    It was roughly half full, and though Noah couldn¡¯t remember the exact amount the rune had been filled when he¡¯d put it into the book, he was pretty sure it was less than what it had now ¨C though not by much.

    The book seemed to like taking the energy from the runes and distributing it amongst them. As to why, Noah still hadn¡¯t managed to find out. The artifact was clearly far more than just a storage item.

    Perhaps it just liked screwing with his runes, or maybe there was some purpose to what it did. For the moment, all that mattered is that he had the rune that Tim needed. Noah turned his attention to Tim¡¯s existing runes.

    Tim already had an earth-based rune that he¡¯d pulled closer for Noah to work on while he¡¯d been drawing the True Earth Rune. The mere sight of Tim¡¯s rune made Noah grimace. There was no word to describe it but horrendous.

    Shattered Craggy Earth ¨C Rank 2

    Part of Noah was surprised that the rune was even holding itself together. He wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d seen such a poorly crafted rune before. Not all of Tim¡¯s runes were this awful, though most weren¡¯t much better, but this one seemed like a great spot to start the repairs to Tim¡¯s soul.

    After one more glance to make sure that Tim wasn¡¯t watching, Noah called on Sunder. He didn¡¯t want to wait around with an extra Rune in Tim¡¯s soul for long. With how weak his runes were, there was a good chance his soul wouldn¡¯t be able to safely contain an extra high-quality Rank 2 Rune without a lot of undue stress.

    Noah carved his hand downward, and a streak of black light carved down the center of Tim¡¯s pathetic rune. It shattered instantly, a tiny sputter of wispy energy rising up from its remains. Seven Rank 1 Runes flew out from it its sputtering remains.

    The ground beneath Noah¡¯s feet bucked and he stumbled as a thick white crack split through the grass just a short distance from him, pouring glowing light into Tim¡¯s soul. Behind him, Tim let out a wheeze of pain and stumbled, falling to his knees.

    Holy shit. His soul is so weak that even Sunder¡¯s much more surgical removal still managed to damage it?

    Noah hurriedly released Sunder and summoned the Fragment of Renewal. The crack in the ground was massive ¨C far larger than anything Noah felt was remotely safe to let stick around.

    Gentle pink smoke poured out of his palms, infusing itself into the crack. The damage started to knit itself immediately. To Noah¡¯s relief, the weakness of Tim¡¯s soul worked to his advantage instead of his detriment.

    Because of how little soul there was to heal, the Fragment of Renewal worked at a remarkable speed. It knitted around the damage, pulling the grassy field back together and sealing over the white light in just a few seconds.

    Now that the damage was averted, Noah turned to the seven Rank 1 Runes that had come out of the one he¡¯d just destroyed. They were still part of Tim¡¯s soul, but they were going to cause trouble if he left them floating around ¨C Tim didn¡¯t have a large enough soul to store too many extra runes.

    Also, it might be wise to avoid letting him know exactly how I took his rune out. If he sees seven Rank 1s, he might be able to realize that I¡¯m not just changing runes, but I¡¯m splitting them apart.

    Noah extended his senses to the seven rank 1 runes. They shuddered at his mental touch. Their connection to him felt weak and feeble. Noah paused, a thought striking his head. The remains of the Fragment of Renewal¡¯s energy were still twisting within Tim¡¯s mind, leaving him room to do a little extra work.

    Cutting the original rune with Sunder must destabilize them. I think I can just¡­

    Noah summoned the runes to him, then pressed his hand to the first one. He felt the grimoire warm against his touch in the real world. There was a soft pop, and the rune disappeared. The grimoire had eaten it through Noah.

    Tim didn¡¯t seem to be too pained by the theft, so Noah did the same to the rest of the Rank 1s. The grimoire sent Noah a warm, satisfied feeling of approval. Something told him that none of the Rank 1 runes had survived the trip out of Tim¡¯s mind.

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    Whatever. I need to feed it anyway, and those weren¡¯t particularly important.

    Several small cracks formed in the grass from the removal of the already-destabilized runes, but the remaining energy from the Fragment of Renewal handled them before they could go anywhere.

    ¡°Tim,¡± Noah called. ¡°You can turn around.¡±

    Tim spun, his eyes going wide as he saw the Rank 2 Rune floating before Noah. His eyes darted around his mindspace, searching for any traces of his original rune, but they were gone.

    ¡°I ¨C how?¡± Tim stammered.

    ¡°Worry about drawing this first,¡± Noah suggested, sending the Rank 2 Rune toward Tim. He tried to keep the smug grin from his face, but he wasn¡¯t so sure he¡¯d succeeded. The expression of delighted disbelief on Tim¡¯s face was difficult to ignore.

    Tim hurried to comply. He placed a hand on the Rune, then started tracing it with his other. It took him a lot longer than it would have taken Noah, but Noah had more experience drawing Runes than most people.

    Tim managed to get the Rank 2 Rune secured in his soul after about two minutes of work. His hand dropped in relief, his eyes sparkling as the new rune drifted back through the air, joining the rotation of the other six.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Tim muttered, swallowing heavily as he turned to watch the rune¡¯s slow flight through the air. ¡°I never thought¡­¡± He trailed off, not even able to finish his sentence. Shaking his head, Tim looked back to Noah. ¡°Thank you. I don¡¯t know why you did this, but I never thought I¡¯d have such a nice rune. I¡¯ll cherish it. With this, I may actually have a chance of pushing to Rank 3.¡±

    ¡°What, with the rest of what you¡¯ve got here?¡± Noah¡¯s eyes widened as he gestured to the other runes around them. ¡°We still need to get you six more, Tim. One good one isn¡¯t going to do you any good. Even if you managed to cobble this into a Rank 3, it would be terrible.¡±

    ¡°You can fix my other runes?¡± Tim asked, his mouth hanging agape. ¡°All of them?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. Why would I just fix one and leave it at that?¡±

    ¡°I just didn¡¯t think¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think,¡± Noah suggested with a grin. ¡°The less you think about what I¡¯m doing here, the better it will be for the both of us. The best way you can thank me is to completely forget that I¡¯m the one that helped you at all. Just think of this as the universe paying you back for your kindness.¡±

    Tim chewed his lower lip, clearly uncomfortable with all the help Noah was giving him. It wasn¡¯t like he could refuse ¨C Noah wasn¡¯t just offering him power. The stronger runes would expand his lifespan and open up countless opportunities. New runes were quite literally a new lease on life.

    Finally, Tim nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can forget it completely, but I can assure you that not a word of anything that happened here will ever so much as grace my thoughts. It will be banished to the deepest recesses of my memory and I will die twice before I speak of it.¡±

    ¡°Or live once,¡± Noah offered. ¡°I¡¯m not doing all this shit so you can get yourself killed.¡±

    Tim let out a laugh. ¡°I think I can do that, Professor Vermil. Are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Going to do the rest now?¡± Noah finished. ¡°No. I¡¯d like to, but your soul is really fragile. It wouldn¡¯t be able to handle more modifications today. We¡¯ll have to come back to it tomorrow, or on whatever day you¡¯ve got some time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d make time in the middle of the night if that was what it took,¡± Tim said with a bark of laughter. ¡°Whenever you can slot me in will be perfect. It¡¯s not like I have a very busy schedule. It¡¯s just me and the transport cannon.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, then,¡± Noah said. He¡¯d have to get another Mind Meld Potion, as he was keeping the extra one he¡¯d bought for Lee in case her Rune became too problematic and he had to Sunder it for her safety. ¡°We¡¯ve got a little more time before the potion wears off, so you might as well get used to your new Rune.¡±

    Tim didn¡¯t need to be told twice. Energy curled around his hands as he called on the True Earth Rune, and Noah couldn¡¯t help but smile as he watched the old man play with the magic like a child that had just gotten a new toy.

    It¡¯s strange how much a Rank 2 Rune has changed for me. There would have been a time when getting one would have been an enormous change. Now, I can harvest them at will with almost no effort.

    I hope Tim¡¯s future combinations are much better once I get him all fixed up. It would be a shame if he ends up having a bad Rank 3 combination. I¡¯ll talk to him a bit about combination theory after I replace all his runes so he can avoid that.

    If Noah was honest with himself, Tim¡¯s situation sat poorly with him. The man was clearly hard working ¨C he basically never left the transport cannon and always kept it running. An attitude like that should have served him well in school.

    He was failed. His teachers should have ensured that he had the tools to succeed, but they didn¡¯t because he wasn¡¯t a noble. And, because he wasn¡¯t a noble, he wasn¡¯t able to get good runes either. Compound that with no guidance on combinations and it¡¯s no wonder he got stuck at Rank 2.

    How many other people are like this? It¡¯s such an enormous waste. The noble houses are literally crippling everyone by suppressing information and runes just for the sake of keeping their power.

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure if there was anything he could do about it. Squaring up against every noble house sounded like a great way to get his students killed. And, if Noah was honest with himself, he didn¡¯t properly care about anyone other than the people close to him.

    I¡¯m not putting any of their lives at risk for someone I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s just not worth it. But, one day, it would be nice to find a way to help everyone that deserves it. Just¡­ not at the cost of anyone¡¯s safety.

    Noah sat as Tim tested his new Rune, waiting out the rest of the Mind Meld potion¡¯s time until he felt a buzz building in the back of his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s time,¡± Noah said, rising to his feet. ¡°As more of your runes get repaired, we should be able to fix them faster. I¡¯d say this should only take two or three more sessions.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Tim said. ¡°I¡¯ll make time whenever you¡¯re ready, but don¡¯t feel pressured. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a busy man.¡±

    Noah nodded, and the buzzing intensified. His soul slipped out of Tim¡¯s and into a sea of darkness as it shot back toward its proper body.

 Chapter 389: Traumatize

    Like Noah had requested, Tim didn¡¯t mention a word of what had happened the moment they both awoke in the outside world. Noah rose to his feet and helped Tim up. The old man stared at his hand for a second, then finally nodded to Noah.

    That was all he had to say. Noah returned the nod and stepped onto the lift. The floor bucked beneath him and the chain rattled as the platform lowered. Light flickered in the room above him as Tim reactivated the transport cannon.

    Even after everything that happened, it didn¡¯t look like Tim had any plans of taking a break. Noah suppressed a laugh. The lift reached the top of the stairwell and he stepped out, heading for the T building.

    It felt like a large weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He¡¯d been telling himself that he¡¯d fix Tim¡¯s runes for nearly as long as he¡¯d been at Arbitage. It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t have done it before, but the risk had just been too significant.

    The wait had likely helped Tim in the long run. Only recently had Noah gotten enough runes in his grimoire to really be able to hand them out. Before, he¡¯d have had to seek out the runes Tim wanted after confirming that Tim wanted help.

    That¡¯s not to say I¡¯ve got an infinite number of runes. I still need to get more. A lot more. And not just for other people. I¡¯ve been at Rank 4 for a little bit now. I¡¯m starting to get pretty used to Natural Disaster.

    It should be just about time to figure out what I should get for my next Rank 4 Rune. Something that synergizes with it ¨C that¡¯s a no brainer. The problem is what. I still feel like working some space magic into whatever I¡¯m doing would be clever. Being able to teleport is insanely useful. Brayden showed me that much.

    Noah arrived at the entrance of the T building and paused at the steps. A frown crossed his lips and he tilted his head to the side.

    Huh. Speaking of Brayden, I wonder where he is. Didn¡¯t Lee say that he would be out last night? I guess he had other things to do than come straight to us. It would have been odd if he showed up in the middle of the night.

    Noah headed inside. He hadn¡¯t spoken to Brayden in person since he¡¯d revealed that he wasn¡¯t actually his brother. The fact that Brayden hadn¡¯t cut them off forever had been a huge surprise. He hadn¡¯t thought there was all that much he cared about in this world. That hadn¡¯t been true.

    Brayden had proven to be a true friend and losing him would have hurt. But now that he was somewhere in the area, Noah wasn¡¯t sure what to feel. They couldn¡¯t just pick things up the way they were.

    I suppose I could try to tell him the rest of the story. I think I can trust him enough for that. This is probably going to be awkward either way. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it but deal with things when the time comes.

    Moxie was alone in the room when Noah got back. She was hunched over her desk with a book open in one hand and a quill in the other. It scratched furiously against the paper as she copied something down. Noah closed the door behind him with a soft click to avoid distracting her.

    He craned his neck back to check the ceiling for Lee. The rafters were, however, devoid of demon. The open window was a strong indication that she¡¯d yet to return from her nightly adventures.

    Noah walked up behind Moxie and waited until the quill stopped leaning in to wrap his arms around her. She pressed her head against his.

    ¡°How¡¯d things go with Tim?¡± Moxie asked as she set the quill down in its holder.

    ¡°Really well. His soul is completely screwed,¡± Noah said. ¡°I was only able to modify one rune before I had to use the Fragment of Renewal to keep him from splitting apart. That was the worst soul damage I¡¯ve seen from such a little change ¨C not counting Lee, that is.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it makes sense if his runes are really that bad,¡± Moxie said. ¡°The soul expands if there¡¯s a lot of pressure within it. If there isn¡¯t, then it¡¯s only logical that it shrinks. He¡¯s pretty old and his runes are awful. That¡¯s not conducive to having a very healthy soul.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Either way, I think it should start going smoother soon. I gave him a True Earth Rune. Next time, we¡¯ll have to figure out exactly what it is he¡¯d like to do in the future. I might have to get specific runes if I don¡¯t have what he needs.¡±

    ¡°By hunting?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Maybe a class trip,¡± Noah said. ¡°I need to get more runes either way. I bet the students would all like to start getting more of their own as well.¡±

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    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. They¡¯ve been fighting each other a lot recently. It would be nice to see how far they¡¯ve grown with some hunting. Maybe we can work it in between advanced track meetings ¨C whenever those normally are.¡±

    ¡°I figure Ulya or someone else will roll up soon enough to tell us,¡± Noah said. ¡°It feels like they¡¯ll probably meet in the evenings or have announced events. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get more than enough warning. Nobody is just sitting around and waiting for them to show up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m more expecting a letter, but I digress.¡± Moxie picked up the paper she¡¯d been working on touched the ink to make sure it was dry. She tucked the paper into the pages of the book and closed it.

    Noah let go of Moxie and stepped back as she rose to her feet. ¡°I saw Todd and Alexandra sparring early this morning when I was heading back after doing some training with Isabel and Emily.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I take it something was out of the ordinary?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d say it was out of the ordinary. They¡¯re both quite talented. But Alexandra was fighting without her sword and it looked like Todd was holding his own. It was pretty clear Alexandra was keeping her power limited to his level since she¡¯s a whole Rank up on him, but still.¡±

    ¡°Huh,¡± Noah said. ¡°Was it just hand to hand combat?¡±

    ¡°No. I think they were trying to use patterns,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Alexandra definitely was. Todd was using his bracers. But, considering his pattern has to do with imbuing, I suspect that he was doing the same.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Noah asked. ¡°How¡¯d it seem like they were doing?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to see for yourself, but I think it might be time to move them to the next stage of what you¡¯re teaching.¡± Moxie shook her head and smiled. ¡°Alexandra definitely has it down. I felt like I was watching a butterfly fight. And, considering Todd wasn¡¯t completely getting crushed, I think he¡¯s brought himself close to her level.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of patterns, how¡¯s yours doing?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t had time to see how you¡¯ve been progressing there recently. Have you been having any luck?¡±

    ¡°A lot,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I had to adjust my angle a little bit to understand it better. I think some of my sparring sessions with Isabel actually helped.¡±

    ¡°Isabel? Really?¡± Noah raised an eyebrow. ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°Her pattern is basically mounting pressure. I know it¡¯s meant to be a landslide or the like, but it feels like she¡¯s steadily growing more and more aggressive as fights lengthen. It gave me a lot of insight into the plants I was trying to focus on. Instead of just plants, I¡¯ve been focusing on their growth. That seems to have gone a really long way.¡±

    Noah considered her words for a moment. Growth seemed like a pretty solid pattern to focus on. It was definitely versatile. There were a lot of different ways he could see it being applied both in and out of a fight, and it meshed very well with her current Runes.

    ¡°That seems to suit you really well,¡± Noah said. ¡°And what of Lee? Do you happen to know if she¡¯s been making progress?¡±

    ¡°If you count eating things as progress, then yes.¡±

    Noah snorted. ¡°I¡¯m assuming she¡¯s probably out terrorizing the local wildlife right now. If that includes eating it, then I assume it would technically count. You know, in some ways, Lee reminds me of James.¡±

    Moxie squinted at Noah. ¡°How? I don¡¯t think I can think of a single similarity between them.¡±

    ¡°Their patterns. James¡¯ pattern is literally doing nothing. Lee¡¯s is stuffing her face. They¡¯re both ridiculously outlandish and really feel like they shouldn¡¯t work. And they do. James has already demonstrated he¡¯s actually quite good at embodying his pattern. Lee¡­ well, I have full faith in her. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s ever failed to do anything she set out to.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I see it now,¡± Moxie admitted. ¡°To be honest, I think everyone in the class has really gotten a good handle over their abilities in recent days. And, especially after the fight in the Windscorned Plateau, I think everyone is eager to get stronger. Do you think the students are ready to move on to the next step?¡±

    ¡°They very well might be. What about Emily? I remember she was having some trouble.¡±

    ¡°That was the next thing I was going to mention,¡± Moxie said with a wince. A note of disappointment intertwined with her words as she continued. ¡°She is. She¡¯s made great progress, don¡¯t get me wrong, but she¡¯s really fighting to catch up with the others. I wanted to ask if you could privately tutor her sometime today so she doesn¡¯t fall too far behind. I¡¯d do it myself, but¡­ well, I don¡¯t really understand enough to.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure Emily would want that?¡± Noah asked. ¡°We¡¯re at a point where I think we both understand each other, but I still don¡¯t think Emily likes me much.¡±

    Moxie snorted. ¡°Emily doesn¡¯t like anyone. Not externally, at least. She¡¯s scared to show any feeling because of how the Torrins are. Connections are weakness when you aren¡¯t strong enough to defend them. Trust me, she thinks rather well of you. If she didn¡¯t, she¡¯d be telling me how much she hated you every single time we met.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°In that case, I can try to find her today and see what I can do. Maybe you can handle the normal class while I do that?¡±

    ¡°That would work,¡± Moxie said with a smile. ¡°And, speaking of which, we should probably head out to meet the kids. We¡¯re probably late.¡±

    Noah looked out the window and cursed. ¡°Oh, shit. I forgot. I hope they don¡¯t think class is canceled.¡±

    Moxie grabbed the book with the paper that she¡¯d been working on and stuck it under her arm. ¡°Yeah. I know. Let¡¯s go. If I had to guess, Lee is probably distracting them right about now.¡±

    That was a sobering thought. Lee¡¯s distractions a tossup between mandatory stretching sessions or handing everyone half-eaten squirrels to snack on.  They hurried out of the room and set off for the transport cannon to meet the kids before Lee could use the lack of supervision to traumatize anyone too badly.

 Chapter 390: Enlightening

    Lee was indeed with the students. It seemed that she¡¯d decided to attempt to further their practice of patterns through a demonstration of her own. That had spared them all of a session of stretching, though Noah suspected that the assortment of objects, both living and non, that Lee had shoved into her mouth were having considerably less fun.

    He and Moxie arrived just as Lee swallowed and somehow managed to make something around two or three pounds of food vanish down her gullet and disappear as if it had never been there. Todd gave her a hearty round of applause that drew looks from everyone else.

    ¡°What?¡± Todd asked as he lowered his hands and glanced around at the attention he was getting. ¡°I¡¯d rather she eat other things than decide to see what something more intelligent tastes like.¡±

    That might be one of the smartest things you¡¯ve ever said.

    ¡°Good to see everyone¡¯s having fun,¡± Noah said. Everyone had been so focused on Lee that they hadn¡¯t even noticed him or Moxie. They turned toward him in varying states of surprise and Lee turned her gaze from a plump bird on the top of a nearby building. If the bird had any sort of guardian angel, Noah suspected that it had been the one hastening his steps.

    ¡°Fun¡¯s certainly a word for it,¡± Emily said as she covered a laugh and turned to make sure Todd couldn¡¯t see the flicker of a grin passing across her lips. ¡°Do you think I could learn that pattern? If I could eat that much and not puff up like a ball of dough, I think I¡¯d swap on the spot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Lee said with a wide grin and a nod. ¡°You definitely could. I¡¯ll teach you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that particular pattern is going to work for anyone other than you,¡± Noah said with a laugh. As usual, Lee had covered for his ass. Nobody had so much as noticed that he was late.

    Honestly, Lee is the absolute master of completely distracting people to the point where they don¡¯t even realize they¡¯re being distracted.

    ¡°No, you can definitely do it,¡± Lee told Emily with such confidence that Noah almost believed she knew what she was talking about. ¡°You just have to build up to it. It¡¯s like training your muscles. All you have to do is eat until you can¡¯t eat anymore and then have some more after that.¡±

    ¡°That is not how you train your muscles,¡± Noah said, though Lee¡¯s words did give him quite an insight into why her stretching sessions were the way that they were. ¡°But I digress. We¡¯ve got some work to get to and, according to what Moxie has told me, you¡¯re all just about ready to move to the next step.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t say what the next step was ¨C he didn¡¯t know who was in the area, but speaking in terms that a normal teacher would use was going to make it pretty hard for anyone other than his students to figure out exactly what it was that he meant.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes ¨C other than Emily¡¯s, whose eyes flicked to the side and broke contact with Noah¡¯s as her face creased with a flash of concern ¨C lit up. It looked like Moxie¡¯s warning had been right. Emily didn¡¯t feel like she¡¯d progressed her pattern enough to take it any further.

    No point making her suffer.

    ¡°But, before we get around to that, we¡¯ve got some slightly more mundane things that we¡¯ll be working on,¡± Noah said, starting toward the transport cannon. Everyone fell in line behind him and he continued to speak. ¡°Moxie and Lee are going to lead some sparring and combat practice.¡±

    A round of grimaces passed over the students¡¯ faces ¨C particularly those of Alexandra, James, and Todd. That was another one of Moxie¡¯s theories proven correct. They were the farthest along in formations and likely wanted more.

    Well, James was probably disappointed because he was going to have to do actual work, but that was just James.

    ¡°Whoever shows the most improvement from the last time is going to get points in our competition,¡± Moxie added, and all of a sudden, there wasn¡¯t a single person who looked even vaguely reluctant.

    After a short walk up the transport cannon¡¯s stairs and a ride up its elevator, the group reached the top. Tim¡¯s face creased in a smile and he raised a hand in greeting.

    ¡°Professor Vermil, Moxie. Good to see you and your students again. Have anything fun planned today?¡±

    ¡°Just some boring practice, that¡¯s all,¡± Noah said with a shrug. Tim wasn¡¯t acting even slightly differently than he normally did. That was what Noah had asked him to do. If anything, Noah was somewhat surprised to find that Tim was this good of a liar.

    I guess he probably overhears a lot of stuff while working the transport cannon. It might take a degree of discretion to keep a job where you interact with so many different people.

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    ¡°Of course, of course,¡± Tim said. ¡°Well, where can I send you? Just give me the word.¡±

    ¡°Windscorned Plateaus, please,¡± Moxie said. Noah sent a quick glance over his shoulder at the students. The plateaus were definitely a good training area, but after what had happened just a few days ago, he wasn¡¯t so sure either Emily or Alexandra would be keen on returning.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Alexandra said, catching Noah¡¯s look. ¡°We¡¯re students, not children, Professor Vermil. We can handle going back to train in an area where something dangerous happened. It¡¯s not like anyone died.¡±

    The others nodded. It was pretty clear that Alexandra and Emily had let them know what had happened. Noah suppressed a smile and turned back to give the older man a nod. Tim set about adjusting the direction of the transport cannon.

    The more the kids share with each other, the better. They¡¯re in this together. It¡¯s a relief to see that Alexandra is meshing better with them than I initially thought she would. The divide between her power and theirs is pretty significant, but I think their worries and goals are close enough that it doesn¡¯t matter.

    The transport cannon shuddered as the tube adjusted its angle and set in place. Tim raised his hands from the control panel and gave them an encouraging nod. ¡°Go on, then. We¡¯re all set.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Tim.¡± Moxie headed over to the cannon and laid down on it. A moment later, she was gone. Lee followed after her and the rest of the students trailed. Noah was the last to lie down on the cannon¡¯s cold metal surface.

    ¡°Have a good trip, Professor Vermil,¡± Tim said, raising a hand in farewell. Noah only had time to utter a single syllable of thanks before the cannon activated and he was gone in a streak of blue light.

    He slammed down in the Windscorned Plateau just a few moments of mind-numbing travel later. The others had all already gathered themselves and were waiting patiently in a semicircle before him.

    Noah adjusted his jacket. Despite his words just a few moments earlier, he glanced around the area to make sure there wasn¡¯t anyone lying in wait for them. As far as he could tell, the plateaus were as plain and desolate as they normally were.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go ahead and get started, then,¡± Noah said. ¡°Lee, if you do any stretching, make sure to leave everyone with enough mobility to spar without falling on top of each other like two piles of wet noodles.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the point of stretching, though.¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe a little stretching,¡± Noah said, much to the horror of everyone else. A grin pulled at the corners of his lips and he held himself back from laughing. It wasn¡¯t like he was going to be the one stretching. Lee would make a great distraction so that nobody was too focused on what he was ¨C

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you catch up and get an extra stretching session later, since you¡¯ll be missing this one,¡± Lee said.

    Noah¡¯s smile fell away. ¡°Ah, right. Lovely.¡±

    It was everyone else¡¯s turn to grin. Noah just sighed and shook his head. ¡°Emily, you¡¯re up first. Let¡¯s go see what you can do.¡±

    A look of panic flashed across her face and she sent a discreet glance at Moxie, who gave her a small nod of reassurance. It didn¡¯t seem to do much. Emily swallowed and stepped away from the others. She walked over to join Noah and stood as stiff as a board by his side.

    Noah drew his flying sword from its spot at his waist and tossed it to the ground. He got onto it first and Emily, after a second of delay, stepped on behind him. She put her hands on his shoulders to keep her balance.

    ¡°Good luck. Call out if you need me for whatever reason,¡± Noah said. He nodded up to the plateau above them. ¡°We won¡¯t be far. Just at the top of that.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Moxie replied. She glanced at Lee. The demon was practically vibrating with excitement at her side. Heaving a sigh, Moxie sat down. ¡°Everyone else, find somewhere to sit. I¡¯m going to give Lee a little while to get the stretching out of her system before she pops. I don¡¯t want to hear any complaints. Just be glad I¡¯m having her do this first so we have an excuse to stop when we need to get to the rest of class.¡±

    Noah activated the flying sword while the students moved to follow Moxie¡¯s directions. Wind hummed through the air around his feet and it lifted into the air. He waited for a moment to make sure that Emily had a good hold of him before taking the sword up and over to the plateau above.

    He landed gently on the grass. A flicker of memory passed through his head at the thought of his old flying sword. As chaotic as it had been, landing it anywhere successfully had made him feel pretty accomplished.

    ¡°Magus Vermil, I¨C¡± Emily started.

    ¡°Magus Vermil?¡± Noah asked, aghast. ¡°Why the hell are you being so formal? I¡¯d get professor, and I¡¯m certainly not asking you to call me Teacherman, but Magus? Relax, Emily. Moxie talked to me. I¡¯m not here to make you do something you aren¡¯t comfortable with.¡±

    The tension flooded out of Emily¡¯s shoulders and escaped her lips in a relieved sigh. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to help, you know,¡± Noah said. ¡°I want all of you to succeed. If you¡¯re struggling with something, you can find me after class or something. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know where to look.¡±

    Emily shifted from foot to foot. Her gaze moved to land anywhere other than where she could see Noah. ¡°I know. I just¡­ I don¡¯t know. I want to do it myself.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that, but you can¡¯t brute force everything.¡± Noah paused for a second and scrunched his nose. The moment the words came out of his lips was the moment that he was reminded that he had quite literally brute forced everything he knew. ¡°Actually, scratch that. I suppose you can brute force everything. It¡¯ll take way longer than asking for help, though. Why ignore resources when you have access to them?¡±

    ¡°I ¨C yeah. I guess you¡¯re right,¡± Emily admitted reluctantly. ¡°I just don¡¯t like it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. For now, it doesn¡¯t matter. Just show me where you are and what you¡¯re having trouble with.¡±

    Emily nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    She closed her eyes and a look of concentration passed over her features. Noah crossed his arms and settled in to watch. He was confident that everyone had the ability to use a pattern. Emily was no exception. She was a bright, if slightly argumentative, student. That meant that the problem was probably something the others would run into at some point as well.

    This should be enlightening.

 Chapter 391: The Start of Formations

    ¡°I can attack you, right?¡± Emily asked, pausing to crack an eye open.

    ¡°Feel free,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Whatever lets you demonstrate your pattern the best.¡±

    Emily closed her eye again and nodded. She took another second to steady herself and drew a deep breath in through her nose. Letting it out through her mouth, her eyes snapped open and she lunged forward.

    Noah shifted to the side, dodging out of the way of her punch as it whistled past his face. She whirled and sent a hook kick flying at his head. It went wide as Noah leaned back. More attacks followed it in rapid fire succession.

    Emily had definitely gotten down the chaotic aspects of a snowstorm. Feet, legs, and elbows mixed in a flurry of strikes. None of them connected. Part of that was because of Noah¡¯s own experience ¨C he¡¯d been in too many fights to get caught off guard by Emily, who was considerably less experienced.

    The frustration in Emily¡¯s features built as she pushed herself even harder. Attacks came faster. But, if anything, that only made the attack less effective. Emily was already avoiding targeted attacks because of her pattern, which seemed to embody the chaotic path of wind and snow in a storm.

    Getting mad only made her blows even less accurate and easier to avoid. Noah dipped and stepped around the attacks. He paid careful attention to Emily¡¯s movements and posture. The pattern she was using felt like it had potential. She just wasn¡¯t bringing that potential out fully.

    Noah caught Emily¡¯s wrist as it shot for his face, then spun her around. She let out a yelp and stumbled, nearly completely losing her balance in surprise. She frowned as Noah let her go.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Emily asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t done yet!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Emily. You were just going to exhaust yourself, and I think I already got a pretty good understanding of the problem,¡± Noah said.

    Emily blinked. She let her hand drop and crossed her arms in front of her chest, the frustration clear in her features. ¡°What is it? I¡¯ve spent so much time trying to study the snow and ice. I mean, it wasn¡¯t like there was an actual storm to look at, but I made small ones to look at. Why won¡¯t it click for me?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d say it¡¯s not clicking,¡± Noah replied. He held a finger up to forestall any more questions. From what he could see, the issue Emily was having had absolutely nothing to do with her understanding of her pattern.

    If anything, she seemed to be quite on top of it. Moxie¡¯s fears that Emily was on the wrong track were mercifully wrong. The problem seemed to be that Emily¡¯s pattern was just so chaotic that it was difficult to be effective.

    She was wasting an enormous amount of energy and only a small portion of her attacks even had a chance of ever landing. It was basically a pattern that relied fully on overwhelming her opponent or getting a lucky strike in.

    And you can only overwhelm an opponent that you¡¯re evenly matched with or stronger than. Emily doesn¡¯t need an ability that lets her win fights she should be able to win on her own. The pattern should be an edge that pushes her ahead.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Emily asked desperately, unable to contain herself any longer. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell me something? What am I doing wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Noah replied. ¡°That¡¯s why this is difficult.¡±

    ¡°Nothing?¡± Emily stared at him in befuddlement. ¡°Are you just trying to make me feel better or something? I can kind of match up against Isabel, but only just barely. Her pattern is so much better than mine. I have to be screwing something up.¡±

    ¡°I think the issue is with the pattern itself,¡± Noah said. He caught himself and coughed into a fist. ¡°Sorry, that was poorly worded. It¡¯s not that the pattern is bad or anything. It¡¯s that I think you might be using it wrong.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    Noah sat down on the grass and crossed his legs. After a second, Emily did the same. She stuck her arms out behind her and leaned back as she watched Noah with an expectant look.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say you and Isabel were perfectly matched, okay?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t. She wins literally every fight that she tries in. She went easy on me a few times, but that was because she felt bad.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a hypothetical.¡±

    Emily shrugged. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°So, let¡¯s say you each have 100 units of power to work with,¡± Noah said. ¡°The power is perfectly equivalent, since no pattern should be better than another.¡±

    Emily nodded for him to continue.

    ¡°When you and Isabel have a serious fight, you both use all your energy. Isabel spends all one hundred on attacks that are all intentionally directed to win the fight. That works for her because her pattern is concentrated into her sword and she¡¯s focused on every individual attack as a portion of her pattern.¡±

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    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s really strong.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Noah said. ¡°But right now, your pattern spends energy attacking¡­ well, everywhere. I feel like less than ten or twenty percent of your strikes are actually something that threatens me. If I was fighting really seriously, I could ignore even more of them. A glancing blow to the shoulder is a worthwhile trade if I pay you back with one to the heart.¡±

    Emily¡¯s brow furrowed and Noah remained silent to let her think. To Emily¡¯s credit, it only took her a few seconds to realize what he was saying. She leaned forward and picked at some of the grass before her with a frown.

    ¡°Shit. You¡¯re saying I can¡¯t beat Isabel because she¡¯s using all her energy to attack me while I¡¯m basically only using a small portion of mine back at her?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. If you were fighting a whole horde of enemies, it would be different. You¡¯d need to be able to attack in every single direction at a rapid pace. Your pattern, as it stands now, would be perfect for that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not really a common scenario, though.¡± Emily pulled up another blade of grass. She pushed it into a ball in her palm and squeezed her hand shut around it. ¡°So my pattern is functionally useless.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. I think it would be more accurate to say it was useless right now.¡±

    Emily burst into laughter. Noah blinked in surprise. That wasn¡¯t the response he¡¯d been expecting to get. Shaking her head, Emily tossed the ball of grass to the side and gathered herself.

    ¡°At least you¡¯re honest about it,¡± Emily said. ¡°I prefer that to just being told everything will be fine if I try hard enough. How do I get past the whole right now part, then? What do I have to do?¡±

    ¡°Not much, actually. The big problem is that your pattern is ill suited toward hand-to-hand combat,¡± Noah said. ¡°Fortunately, patterns are only the first step. Just because something doesn¡¯t work now doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll be completely useless once you start adding magic.¡±

    ¡°So I¡¯ll catch up to Isabel once I use magic?¡± Emily asked.

    Noah waggled a hand back and forth in the air. ¡°I don¡¯t want to promise that. There¡¯s no guarantee your pattern suddenly becomes useful the instant you start sticking power into it. But I know it can become useful. It¡¯s going to be about how creative you can be with your powers and your pattern. And, if you can¡¯t find a way to make them mesh, then you¡¯ll have to find a new pattern and start over.¡±

    Emily chewed her lower lip. She looked back down to the grass. Neither of them spoke for several seconds. There was no reason to press Emily any further. She was a smart girl, and like she¡¯d observed, dancing around the topic was useless.

    I¡¯m pretty confident she can find a way to make a pattern like this effective. She just needs to find a way to really optimize it. I don¡¯t know what that way is yet, but I¡¯d be shocked if she can¡¯t figure it out.

    ¡°How do I put magic into my pattern?¡± Emily asked. ¡°Is that the next step? Can I do it now?¡±

    Noah chuckled. ¡°I figured those questions were coming. Yes, you can ¨C but slowly. I want to stress something again to you. Using patterns normally is safe. Using them with magic is not. You could die if you do it without me present. Hell, you might even die if I am here. You need to be incredibly careful. Do you understand?¡±

    Emily swallowed and nodded. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s kind of everything with runes though, isn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t get stronger if I don¡¯t put myself through risks to get more energy and better runes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hardly true. Noble families routinely make Rank 5s that haven¡¯t seen danger once in their life.¡±

    ¡°And they¡¯re horrible fighters,¡± Emily said. She crossed her arms and locked eyes with Noah. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. I know what goes on. I don¡¯t want to be some pampered brat that can¡¯t defend herself. Moxie won¡¯t always be around to watch over me. I want to be able to defend myself. And, to do that, I need to be strong.¡±

    Noah nodded. He rose to his feet and held his hand out. Emily studied it for a second before reaching out and letting him pull her up to her feet.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do everything I can to help you fulfill that goal,¡± Noah said. ¡°And I figured you¡¯d want as much, which is why I pulled you aside first. Before we get started adding magic to patterns, I need you to try to think on why.¡±

    ¡°Why what?¡±

    ¡°Why are we adding magic,¡± Noah said. ¡°What is it that magic will do to your pattern? What do you want it to do? Think on how it will take the pattern and optimize it so that it can capitalize on its differences instead of suffering from them.¡±

    Emily nodded sagely. Then she frowned. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°If I knew the answer to that, I would have told you already,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°That answer is entirely up to you. If it were me, I¡¯d probably try to find a way to use less energy on the attacks that didn¡¯t hit. I don¡¯t exactly know how I¡¯d do that, though.¡±

    ¡°I think I see what you¡¯re getting at. If I use less energy, I can afford to miss all those attacks, right? So then I¡¯d be able to keep the current pattern. But¡­ how do you have an attack that doesn¡¯t use energy until you know it¡¯s connected?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the hard part. Just keep thinking on that. Now that it¡¯s in your mind, we can get started with the absolute basics. And remember ¨C no practicing this on your own.¡±

    ¡°Or I die. I remember,¡± Emily said.

    ¡°Good,¡± Noah said with a nod. He paused and pursed his lips. ¡°The remembering part, not the dying one. Now, focus on your pattern again. Whenever you¡¯re ready, start it again. Then let a tiny amount of energy start flowing from your Rune and into your motions. It¡¯s going to be really slow, but don¡¯t try to push it at all, even if you feel resistance. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Emily lowered into a fighting stance and Noah¡¯s domain shifted around her. He still wasn¡¯t great at controlling it, but he pulled the aura away from Emily gently. He left a very thin layer of it around her to repress any power she used.

    She slowed her breathing and closed her eyes to center herself again. Then she burst into motion, trickles of magic tickling Noah¡¯s domain as they entered her movements. It was so subtle that anyone who hadn¡¯t been paying attention would have missed it ¨C but Noah was paying attention.

    Tiny motes of crystalline energy swirled off Emily¡¯s fists. It wasn¡¯t doing anything quite yet, but it wasn¡¯t clashing with her. Noah¡¯s lips parted in a grin. This was the first time his theory had been proven.

    Emily was channeling magic through her pattern. It might have been a miniscule amount of it, but she¡¯d done it. His student ¨C who had only been practicing for a short time ¨C had transformed her very motions into the beginnings of a Formation.

 Chapter 392: An Accident

    The faint magic shimmering around Emily ebbed in and out of existence as it struggled to find any purchase in the outside world in the face of Noah¡¯s domain. Keeping it thin enough to let Emily use her power while also making sure it would snuff anything that might be too dangerous was proving to be considerably more difficult than Noah had expected. He needed to keep the invisible energy at the perfect level, and he just wasn¡¯t quite a master of manipulating it yet.

    But, even in spite of that, Emily continued pouring energy and effort into her pattern. Her strikes flew through the air aimed at nothing in particular, the howling gales of a snowstorm embodied within her. The air around Emily dropped just faintly enough in temperature to make Noah¡¯s skin prickle.

    He said nothing. Any words might have interrupted her focus and there was nothing that Noah needed to say. Emily was doing everything exactly how he wanted her to. Even though her magic-infused pattern was still relatively useless, the important part was that she was using it.

    Her hands finally dropped at her sides and she released the pattern, kneeling over to brace her hands against her knees and breathing heavily. After she caught her breath she looked up at Noah. Pushing the hair out of her face, she straightened.

    ¡°Did I do it?¡± Emily asked.

    He released his domain and let it return to its normal form around both of them. ¡°Did you do it? You did fantastic!¡±

    ¡°I did?¡± Emily blinked. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t tell?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± A grin spread across Emily¡¯s lips. ¡°I mean, it felt a bit cold and I could tell I was doing something, but I didn¡¯t know if that something was the thing I was meant to be doing or if I was just floundering around.¡±

    ¡°I would have stopped you if it was wrong. You did great.¡±

    ¡°What exactly did I do?¡±

    Noah coughed into his fist. ¡°Well, nothing. But, if we¡¯re speaking strictly technically, you started making a Formation.¡±

    Emily stared at Noah, her grin twitching. It fell away when it became clear that Noah was telling the truth. Emily looked down at her hands, then back to Noah, a befuddled frown on her face. ¡°What? That was a Formation? I used a Formation?¡±

    ¡°The beginning of one,¡± Noah corrected. ¡°If anything, you can think of that as the first step of laying the guidelines for a Formation.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to combine a bunch of runes for a Formation?¡±

    ¡°Yes and no. You need to find a way to balance it. Just like the runes in your own soul. If you¡¯ve got 7 identical runes in your soul, it can eventually cause an imbalance in pressure. This is a somewhat similar principle. You need a way to hold in the runes that you use in the formation. The pattern itself handles a good portion of that ¨C why do you think that is?¡±

    Emily chewed the insides of her cheeks and tapped a foot on the ground as she thought. ¡°Is it something to do with what you were talking about regarding patterns and runes? Like patterns are kind of runes¡­ or something like that?¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Noah said. ¡°At least, that¡¯s my running theory. Runes are just patterns that hold power. The patterns in a Formation can have a similar effect to having other Runes in opposition to balance out the pressure.¡±

    ¡°So I can make a Formation with just one rune?¡±

    ¡°You could make the housing with one rune. There wouldn¡¯t be much reason making a whole Formation with just one rune because the whole point of a Formation is to amplify the rune¡¯s power or combine them with other runes. I¡¯ve frequently made Formations that are focused on maximizing the power of a single rune, but other runes go into the rest of the Formation in order to help its pattern contain the power running through it.¡±

    Emily nodded her understanding. ¡°Okay. So I¡¯m basically halfway to making the first half of a Formation.¡±

    ¡°Precisely.¡±

    ¡°Can I try again?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Emily blinked. ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Given how long you kept that up, I know you¡¯ve already used most of your magical energy. This isn¡¯t something you should be practicing when you¡¯re even a nudge worse than peak condition. That¡¯s how things go wrong.¡±

    That¡¯s how you blow yourself up.

    ¡°Can I try again once I¡¯ve got my energy back, then?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m all too aware of how tempting it is, but this isn¡¯t something you can practice on your own ¨C or with anyone other than me, for that matter. I¡¯ll let you know once you get to the level where you can safely use Formations without me present, but until you reach that point, it¡¯s too dangerous. You¡¯re liable to kill yourself.¡±

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    ¡°How does you being present stop me from messing up, though? I mean, you can warn me I¡¯m screwing up, but it likely be too late to stop anything from happening. The only way you''d be able to stop something preemptively is¨C¡± Her words trailed off as the confused furrow in her brow faded. Emily¡¯s eyes widened with realization. ¡°You¡¯re Rank 4. You have a domain.¡±

    Well, that cat came out of the bag earlier than I¡¯d planned it to. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised, but I was hoping to get a bit more of a dramatic reveal to the whole class. I suppose this isn¡¯t too objectionable, and Emily has already gotten far enough into her practice that it won¡¯t affect her for today.

    ¡°You got me,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°It¡¯s the only reason I decided it would be safe to teach all of you how to use Formations. It would be way too dangerous otherwise.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ when did you reach Rank 4? You were Rank 1 just a little while ago!¡± Emily exclaimed. Her eyes widened even further as another thought struck her. ¡°Wait. Is Moxie also¨C¡±

    ¡°No, Moxie is still Rank 3,¡± Noah said. ¡°But she¡¯s not far from reaching the next Rank. The incident at Blancwood delayed her. She would have gotten Rank 4 by now if it hadn¡¯t been for that. I trust I can count on you to keep all of this between us, though?¡±

    ¡°Why, though?¡± Emily asked. ¡°What¡¯s the point of hiding this?¡±

    ¡°Part of it is purely ego,¡± Noah admitted with a sheepish laugh. His grin fell away as a serious expression replaced it.  ¡°But the real reason is I don¡¯t want you all relying on it, consciously or subconsciously. You need to believe that your own actions are the ones keeping you alive whilst working with Formations, not mine. I could screw up or fail to catch something in time.¡±

    ¡°Is it really that dangerous?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°More than you believe. But there¡¯s a lot of power that comes with it as well. Just don¡¯t practice on your own and you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Noah promised. He put a hand on Emily¡¯s shoulder and shook it slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t get caught up in danger or potential. Just focus on doing what you¡¯re comfortable with and continuously improving. You¡¯ll eventually get there.¡±

    Emily drew in a slow breath and let it out, shaking her head. ¡°Okay. When are you going to tell everyone else?¡±

    ¡°Probably pretty soon. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll have time to get through everyone today, so I¡¯ll probably do Alexandra next since it would be cruel to do it to just one of Isabel and Todd ¨C and I don¡¯t think James cares either way.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re probably right about that,¡± Emily said with a snort of laughter. ¡°He¡¯s such a lazy idiot.¡±

    Lazy, yes. Idiot, I¡¯m not so sure. Then again, I don¡¯t think Emily actually thinks that way either. The way she talks about James isn¡¯t the way you¡¯d speak about someone you don¡¯t like. You aren¡¯t fooling anyone, kid.

    Noah stepped onto his flying sword and nodded to Emily. ¡°Let¡¯s head back down there and swap you out for someone else, shall we? And remember, don¡¯t tell anyone about what we covered. Not yet. I don¡¯t want someone getting overexcited and blowing themselves up by accident.¡±

    ¡°The way you say that makes me think you¡¯ve got firsthand experience with it,¡± Emily said as she got on behind him and held onto his shoulders. Noah activated the flying sword and it lifted into the air.

    ¡°I do.¡±

    The sword zipped into motion, taking them over the edge of the plateau before Emily could say anything else. Wind streaked past them in swirls that nipped at their eyes and hair. They flew in, touching down on the ground a short distance from the others. Isabel and James were both in a sparring match against Lee, and it didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d yet to land a single blow on her.

    Isabel¡¯s sword streaked through the air. Nothing but wind from its passing came close to Lee. James faded in and out of sight, using flashes of light in attempt to blind Lee, but she wasn¡¯t even fighting with her eyes open. The only thing she needed to know where they were was her sense of smell.

    Emily headed over to join the others and Noah approached Alexandra. He tapped her on the shoulder, then jerked his head toward the flying sword, not wanting to make noise that would distract anyone sparring.

    Alexandra didn¡¯t need to be told twice. She followed Noah back to the sword and, after he waved to Moxie, they took off and flew back up to the plateau that he and Emily had just been on.

    ¡°Well then,¡± Noah said as he stepped off the sword and turned to Alexandra. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve come to realize, you¡¯re probably the farthest along in patterns from everyone in the class. You¡¯ve taken to them really well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Alexandra said simply. ¡°Practicing with the others has helped me a lot as well. Todd gave me some particularly insightful comments recently and I¡¯ve been working on incorporating them. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve mastered my pattern just yet.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t mastered my own pattern yet,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯d be seriously concerned if you thought you¡¯d mastered anything already. You¡¯re still leagues ahead of the others, which is not something I say to disparage them but to acknowledge all the effort you¡¯ve put in yourself.¡±

    Alexandra glanced over her shoulder and down the plateau at the class below. Her hand shifted to the hilt of her sword and she drummed her fingers against it. ¡°I am only ahead because I have no choice. I¡¯m a rank up on them, and yet I can feel them closing in. My Body Runes can only take me so far. I need to work harder. But no matter how hard I work, I¡¯ll eventually fall behind. I just want to delay that for as long as possible.¡±

    I don¡¯t think now is the right time to tell her I can modify her runes. I trust Alexandra enough to repair the damage she did to herself at some point, but if she knows there¡¯s a way out, it might distract her from patterns. The last thing I want right now is any sources of distraction.

    Perhaps this is a bit scummy, but having all the extra motivation from thinking this is her only good option to get stronger can¡¯t hurt either. It¡¯s a very powerful driving force. Sorry, Alexandra. I won¡¯t be adjusting your thoughts there quite yet.

    ¡°Which is what we¡¯re doing here,¡± Noah said. ¡°I believe you¡¯re ready for the next step so long as you¡¯re comfortable with taking your patterns farther.¡±

    Alexandra nodded. ¡°I¡¯m ready. But¡­ I have a question I¡¯d like to ask about the next step.¡±

    ¡°Feel free. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Is it inserting magical energy into your pattern?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Noah nodded. ¡°Good guess. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been doing some thinking,¡± Alexandra said, shifting from foot to foot and frowning uncomfortably. ¡°And I think I may have already done that by accident.¡±

 chapter 393: Forgot about that

    ¡°You used magic in your pattern by accident?¡± Noah repeated. ¡°Are you certain?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional,¡± Alexandra said hurriedly. ¡°It happened while I was fighting Gero.¡±

    ¡°Tell me more,¡± Noah said with an encouraging gesture. It wasn¡¯t like stressing about things now would change anything. Alexandra wasn¡¯t dead, so either she¡¯d successfully added the magic to her pattern or she¡¯d misunderstood what happened.

    ¡°Gero had some form of magic that made it impossible to hit him with physical attacks,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°My sword was going right through him and I thought I was going to lose. He had me inside his domain so I couldn¡¯t even use what little magic I do have. I tried to push myself harder, but it was clear he wanted me to try and make space to attack from range.¡±

    ¡°Which you can¡¯t do,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°You¡¯re fully focused into close combat.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. All I could do was try to hit him faster and hope that he couldn¡¯t actually ignore every single physical attack. While I was trying to push myself to do more, I felt magic slip out of my runes, and I think it went into my pattern. I¡¯m not completely certain. Gero ended the fight almost immediately afterward.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t have been too much of a surprise for Alexandra to be correct. She was the farthest along with her pattern out of everyone and Noah had lost track of the amount of times that frustration and impatience had pushed him to try something he probably shouldn¡¯t have.

    The entire purpose of a pattern was to contain and use magic. If Alexandra had been drawing power without any intention, it was possible that it could have slipped into the pattern and empowered it.

    ¡°Is that bad?¡± Alexandra asked and swallowed nervously. ¡°I haven¡¯t done more damage to my body or anything, have I?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing like that. If something went wrong, you¡¯d definitely know,¡± Noah promised. ¡°That¡¯s not to say it wasn¡¯t dangerous. What you did was the first step to casting a Formation. If it had gone wrong and you¡¯d screwed up your pattern, you could have seriously injured or killed yourself.¡±

    ¡°I cast a Formation?¡± Alexandra asked, completely glossing over the second half of Noah¡¯s words as her eyes went wide.

    He did his best to resist the urge to laugh. This was the time to be serious, and so much as chuckling would take the weight out of his words. The attempt was only partially successful and he couldn¡¯t keep a grin from tugging up one corner of his lips.

    ¡°You cast the beginnings of one,¡± Noah said. ¡°Much like Emily did. The difference is that I wasn¡¯t there to oversee it. If you want to keep all your limbs where they currently are, I suggest you avoid doing that in the future. Only use Formations when I¡¯m present until I tell you that you¡¯re ready for it.¡±

    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t a promise. Fair enough. She knows the risks, and she¡¯s been through some shit. I can respect that she¡¯s not committing to something she doesn¡¯t plan to do. I¡¯m her teacher, not her father. I just hope it doesn¡¯t get her killed.

    ¡°Good. Then we¡¯ll focus on trying to see just what it was you did in a more controlled environment.¡± Noah extended his senses to his domain and peeled it back in the area around Alexandra, leaving only a thin layer of his mental presence behind. ¡°Whenever you¡¯re ready, go ahead and demonstrate your pattern. Let a tiny amount of magical energy seep into it ¨C as little as you can. The magic is going to flow slower than normal, but make sure to increase the amount you use very gradually.¡±

    Alexandra drew her sword and lowered into a fighting stance. In stark contrast to Emily, it only took her an instant to slip into her pattern, the blade of her sword flitting out and spinning around her like the path of a distracted insect.

    It flicked and danced and spun around Alexandra in a mesmerizing dance. Noah couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the pattern. The tip of her sword seemed to have a life of its own. It changed speeds and accelerated seemingly at random.

    If I were fighting against her and had the same Rank as she did, Alexandra would be a terrifying opponent. I wouldn¡¯t be able to let her get close to me or I¡¯d definitely lose. I can barely track that sword. What a menace.

    Alexandra wasn¡¯t done. Noah¡¯s skull prickled as she started to draw on her magic. Energy rose off her as she pushed it into the pattern. Once again, there was very little hesitation in her moves.

    While Emily had started from almost nothing and gradually brought her energy up to a visible level, Alexandra ramped up her power almost immediately. Wisps of white wind gathered around the edge of her blade, just barely rising off the weapon. They raced down her body and traced her movements.

    Alexandra accelerated. Her blows zipped through the air with audible hums. Noah couldn¡¯t even see the tip of her blade anymore, just the streak it left in the air behind it. He kept a careful watch with his domain in case Alexandra drew too much power. It was tempting to turn his full attention to her movements, but he still had a responsibility to keep her as safe as he could.

    The energy pouring into Alexandra¡¯s pattern intensified. Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed as the power contained in her movements started to grow. She¡¯d gone beyond the bare minimum that he¡¯d suggested.

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    She¡¯s using my presence as a way to test more of what she can do in what she believes to be a controlled environment. If I stop her here, she¡¯s probably going to just try to practice it on her own. But I think Alexandra is still taking this a bit too lightly.

    Noah would have stopped her on the spot if her pattern hadn¡¯t been so flawless. But, since it was, he decided a different lesson was more in order. He gave her a few more seconds to use the more intensified magic, then knelt and picked up a small pebble from the ground beside him.

    He tossed it at Alexandra, boosting its flight with a small swirl of wind from Natural Disaster. The pebble streaked through the air and smacked into her shoulder. Alexandra stumbled in surprise.

    Her sword missed a movement. She tried to resume the pattern as it had been before, but it was too late. The magic she¡¯d gathered rebelled. Noah¡¯s domain clamped down on her and the power sputtered. It resisted him, trying to fulfill its purpose, but Noah gave it no quarter and it slipped away harmlessly. Alexandra let her blade lower, breathing heavily and staring at Noah in surprise.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dead,¡± Noah said. ¡°Or at least, you could have been. The instant your pattern goes down, if you don¡¯t adapt and change your pattern, it¡¯s gone. Best case scenario it does nothing. More likely, you go boom.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to throw a rock at me!¡± Alexandra rubbed her shoulder. ¡°I had it under control.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to let the insect buzzing by your ear the next time you train know that,¡± Noah said dryly. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°You can¡¯t control every single circumstance, Alexandra. If you¡¯d been using less power, there was a chance you might have been able to abandon the pattern or otherwise escape. You didn¡¯t do what I said to, though. That was a lot more power than you needed.¡±

    Alexandra¡¯s shoulders stiffened and she averted her gaze. ¡°I wanted to see how far I could go. I could have handled it.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Noah said. Alexandra looked up at him in surprise.

    ¡°If you do, then why did you¨C¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s not about if you can handle your pattern in a normal situation,¡± Noah said. ¡°It¡¯s about if you can handle it when things go wrong. I understand how you feel. You don¡¯t want to fall behind. You¡¯re worried about getting passed up by the others, so you try to force more out of yourself. But tell me something ¨C are you going to be able to catch up with them if you¡¯re dead or so badly crippled that you need a ten thousand gold healing potion to fix all the damage?¡±

    Alexandra cringed back as Noah¡¯s words bit into her. Her jaw clenched and, after a few moments, she shook her head, not willing to speak any further.

    Noah sighed walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re not going to fall behind, Alexandra.¡±

    ¡°How can you say that when¨C¡±

    ¡°Alexandra.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You specifically asked for me as a teacher. Do you trust me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexandra said.

    ¡°Then trust me. You aren¡¯t going to fall behind. Not unless you do something stupid to yourself. Train with all the intensity you can muster. But¡­ not this. If you¡¯re willing to throw your body away, you eventually will.¡±

    ¡°This is the only option I have!¡± Alexandra protested. ¡°Formations and patterns are the only way I can progress in the future. If I don¡¯t master them¨C¡±

    ¡°Are you a liar?¡±

    Alexandra blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Answer the question.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I am.¡±

    ¡°Then do what you just said you would and trust me,¡± Noah said simply. ¡°You will not fall behind. I swear. The world is bigger than you think it is.¡±

    Alexandra turned to meet his gaze and he held it. Several seconds passed before she pulled her eyes away and nodded. ¡°I ¨C okay. Fine. I¡¯m sorry for pushing so hard. I just don¡¯t want to become obsolete.¡±

    ¡°Just trust me. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Noah took his hand off Alexandra¡¯s shoulder and gave her a nudge. ¡°Now stop looking so put out. If we ignore the part where I interfered, you were doing absolutely fantastic. Your understanding of your pattern is incredible and you¡¯re using it perfectly.¡±

    A small grin pulled across Alexandra¡¯s lips. ¡°Thanks. I had an epiphany after training with Todd. He pointed out that the pattern has to be my whole body, not just my sword. You don¡¯t fight with just your sword, after all.¡±

    ¡°Well, that makes me want to see just how far Todd¡¯s pattern has come,¡± Noah said with a wry grin. ¡°But for now, we¡¯ll stay focused on you. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you did use your pattern while fighting Gero. I won¡¯t order you around but be careful with doing that again. You saw how easily things can go awry.¡±

    Alexandra nodded. ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Good. Your next task is going to be working on doing your pattern ¨C without magic ¨C while people try to interrupt you. I¡¯m sure the other students will be more than willing to help, and you¡¯ll get a chance to get your revenge when it becomes their turn.¡±

    ¡°Understood. When can I¨C¡±

    ¡°When I¡¯m there and tell you that you can,¡± Noah said firmly. ¡°Unless you¡¯re literally about to die and have no other choice.¡±

    Alexandra sighed. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°If you can¡¯t help yourself, then come find me after class and I can help you practice then.¡±

    That lightened her expression. She gave him another nod. ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Noah said. He turned to his flying sword and stepped onto it. ¡°I think that¡¯s all I had specifically planned for today, so let¡¯s head back to the others and see how they¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Alexandra said, her tone shifting.

    Noah glanced over his shoulder at her. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You stopped my magic,¡± Alexandra said, her eyes going wide as she thrust an accusatory finger at Noah. ¡°You¡¯re a Rank 4!¡±

    Noah snorted. ¡°Bit of a delayed reaction, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°I was focused!¡± Alexanra exclaimed, her cheeks reddening. ¡°But when ¨C how? Are you getting fed runes or something?¡±

    ¡°Or something. You¡¯ll see soon enough,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d think you were the favorite child of the Linwick family,¡± Alexandra muttered as she walked over to get onto the flying sword.

    ¡°How do you know I¡¯m not?¡±

    I didn¡¯t think Alexandra knew all that much about my relationship with the Linwicks. Assuming they¡¯re funding me wouldn¡¯t be that much of a stretch.

    ¡°I spoke to a few people when I came to Arbitage,¡± Alexandra reminded Noah. ¡°They were pretty clear as to where you stood. Your reputation really sucks, Professor.¡±

    Noah sighed.

    ¡°Right. Forgot about that.¡±

 Chapter 394: A little risk

    Noah returned Alexandra to the group and swapped her out for Todd before flying back up to what was becoming a familiar looking plateau.

    ¡°You¡¯re pulling us up here to put magic into our patterns, right?¡± Todd asked as soon as they landed.

    ¡°Yep. I guess the next step was kind of obvious, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Noah asked with a laugh. ¡°Either way, I¡¯m curious to see what you¡¯ve got considering your unique choice of pattern. Did you manage to figure anything out? I haven¡¯t seen much of it since the first Imbuement you showed me.¡±

    ¡°Kind of,¡± Todd said. He took a metal bracelet off his wrist and held it out to Noah. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on something ever since I had a talk with Alexandra. It¡¯s not too far along yet, but I think it¡¯s got promise.¡±

    Noah took the bracelet from Todd and studied it. Thin, nearly invisible lines had been carved throughout it in a borderline unreadable swirl. Noah squinted. There was definitely intention to the lines, but it was hidden so well that he could barely make it out. It took him nearly five minutes just to find a single pattern within it.

    ¡°Really complex,¡± Noah observed. He turned it over in his hands and shook his head, handing it back to Todd. ¡°Well, damn. I can¡¯t read this, Todd. I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re beyond me in imbuements.¡±

    ¡°I thought I might be,¡± Todd said with a laugh. There was a smug note in his tone, but Noah didn¡¯t blame him for it. He¡¯d worked hard to get to the level that he had been, and Noah had barely studied imbuements beyond the basics so he could imbue himself. ¡°That¡¯s fine. The main threat of a Formation is that you get distracted and the energy breaks free in an unexpected pattern, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It holds true for putting magic into patterns, since that¡¯s functionally creating a Formation¡¯s earliest steps.¡±

    ¡°The housing for the magic.¡± Todd nodded.

    Noah didn¡¯t even bother to hide his surprise. Todd either really knew a lot about Formations or had managed to talk to Emily about what he¡¯d covered with her already. Noticing the expression on Noah¡¯s face, Todd grinned.

    ¡°I got a book on Formations and started studying it. I already knew a bit from my dad, so it was mostly just touching up,¡± Todd explained. ¡°It¡¯s nothing compared to what you¡¯ve been talking about, but there¡¯s still some interesting information in it. Most Formations were pretty targeted at Imbuers since their standard medium is in rune circles.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Noah said. ¡°But it leads us to an important question. I can¡¯t help you the same way that I can anyone else. Your pattern is something you¡¯re working into your Imbuements, not any active abilities. I could be present whenever you activate items you¡¯ve imbued, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a bit pointless. I¡¯ve been Imbuing things for longer than you have, so you won¡¯t be able to figure out if it¡¯s going wrong or not ¨C and your domain isn¡¯t going to be able to do anything against an imbued item. The magic is already in it and I doubt you¡¯re at a rank high enough to start overwhelming imbued objects.¡±

    Noah started to nod, then froze. His eyes narrowed. ¡°Wait. How did you know I had a domain? Did someone go around telling others what I¡¯m doing up here? It was meant to be a surprise so you wouldn¡¯t overthink what you¡¯d be doing.¡±

    ¡°Nah, it was just kind of easy to guess.¡± Todd shrugged. ¡°I mean, why else would you insist that we not put any magic into our patterns unless you were with us? The only logical answer would be that you¡¯d already reached Rank 4 and had a way to stop the magic should something go wrong.¡±

    ¡°Well, damn,¡± Noah said with a huff. ¡°Does Isabel know too?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± Todd flashed him a grin. ¡°I thought it would be funnier if she figures it out herself. And, since you didn¡¯t tell anybody, I get the feeling you had the same idea. I didn¡¯t want to spoil the fun.¡±

    ¡°Good man.¡± Noah clapped Todd on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I wish I could offer you more with regard to this. Is there anything you think I¡¯d be able to help with? You¡¯re in a unique spot from the other students in that I¡¯m not really sure how much help I can give you. Your time might honestly be better spent sparring with Moxie or Lee.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± Todd asked.

    Noah tilted his head to the side. ¡°You want to spar me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Lee is really fast and Moxie can control the environment, but you¡¯ve got the most destructive power. If I ignore your¡­ unique qualities, you¡¯re probably the one that lines up the most with other mages. Also ¨C well, it¡¯s not like I have to worry about hurting you.¡±

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°Just because I can die doesn¡¯t mean I like it,¡± Noah said, but Todd¡¯s request had a lot of logic behind it. He¡¯d been planning on sparring the students to give them more training against higher ranked opponents anyway, but he¡¯d wanted to do that after they figured out their patterns. ¡°I think that¡¯s a fair ask, though. I can do that. Just don¡¯t expect me to go too easy.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Todd said with a grin. ¡°My spar with Alexandra reminded me just how much faster you grow when you¡¯re fighting someone stronger than you. Also, I need someone that can survive stronger magic. I don¡¯t want to risk using it against the others.¡±

    Just how dangerous are your imbuements? If it was someone else talking, I¡¯d assume they were just boasting or something. Something tells me Todd isn¡¯t doing that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it then. Just be careful when you¡¯re making those imbuements,¡± Noah warned. ¡°All the threats that come with patterns still apply. They could even be worse, considering you¡¯re containing the magic instead of letting it escape. Triple check everything. I¡¯d do it myself, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I got you. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Todd¡¯s expression turned dead serious and he rubbed at the side of his neck. ¡°I know what happens when I¡¯m not ready for a fight.¡±

    The look in Todd¡¯s eyes told Noah everything he needed to know. Todd wasn¡¯t going to take any risks. That was all he could ask and, unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t give any more. Not yet, at least.

    ¡°Good,¡± Noah said. ¡°Then let¡¯s get you back to the others. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else we can do here and I need to make sure Isabel and James both get a chance to test out putting magic into their patterns, so we probably don¡¯t have time to spar this time around. It looks like I should be able to get both of them before the class ends.¡±

    ¡°When will we have a chance? I need to prepare a few things first.¡± Todd asked as he and Noah walked back over to the flying sword. They¡¯d only been on the plateau for a few minutes, but there was no point wasting time.

    ¡°Feel free to seek me out at any point after class. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make time during the next one.¡±

    ¡°That works. I¡¯ll aim for next class and use the time before that to prepare,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡±

    The flying sword hummed to life beneath their feet and they took off. They got some surprised glances at the early return.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Moxie asked as Todd stepped onto the grass and headed over to the other students. ¡°Did something go wrong?¡±

    ¡°No. Todd just already had a lot of what he had to do handled,¡± Noah replied with a shake of his head. ¡°His pattern is a bit different than everyone else¡¯s, so there wasn¡¯t as much I could provide. He¡¯s on the right path, though.¡±

    ¡°Can I go next, then?¡± Isabel asked. She stood across from James ¨C the two of them looked to have been sparring before Noah and Todd had returned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to finish your match?¡± Noah asked.

    In response, James sat down and laid back on the grass with a loud yawn. ¡°I¡¯d really rather not. You have good timing." Emily flicked him in the forehead. James didn¡¯t even seem to notice. He just yawned again and closed his eyes. ¡°The sun is too nice. I don¡¯t know how anyone can do anything when it¡¯s this comfortable outside.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a miracle you survived Revin,¡± Emily informed James.

    One of his eyes cracked open. ¡°You have no idea.¡±

    Isabel shrugged and sheathed her sword. ¡°I¡¯ll get that match with James later. It¡¯s not like he¡¯ll run away. I think that would be more effort than just fighting.¡±

    ¡°Very true,¡± James agreed sleepily. ¡°The path of least resistance is always the best one.¡±

    I can¡¯t wait to see what his pattern does when it¡¯s got magic in it. Will he just put himself to sleep? James is such an enigma. I don¡¯t understand how Revin¡¯s student would end up like this. They¡¯re basically total opposites.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get you handled so you can get back to sparring,¡± Noah said to Isabel. ¡°I¡¯ll be back for you soon, James.¡±

    James murmured something that could have either been an acknowledgement or a curse. It was impossible to tell with him. Isabel shook her head, hiding a smile, and walked over to join him on the flying sword.

    It lifted into the air. For the fourth time that day, Noah flew over to and landed at the top of the plateau. The tiny trips were starting to feel a bit ridiculous at this point. It felt like getting into a car to drive one house down the street.

    ¡°How¡¯s your pattern coming? I heard from Emily that it was pretty impressive,¡± Noah said as he stepped off the sword.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing a lot,¡± Isabel said. She wasn¡¯t really one to brag about any of her accomplishments, but Noah could still hear the pride in her voice. ¡°Alexandra is better than I am, though.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve all got our own unique problems and talents.¡± Noah shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about comparing yourself to Alexandra. Don¡¯t forget she¡¯s also a Rank 3 and has a lot more experience fighting than you do. Besides, I¡¯ve seen you give her a pretty good run for her money with that pattern of yours.¡±

    A small grin crossed over Isabel¡¯s lips. ¡°She¡¯s been a lot of help. But I want more from it. We¡¯re going to be putting magic into the pattern, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Feeling ready for it?¡±

    ¡°Do you even have to ask?¡±

    ¡°Figured I would just in case,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°Just a few ground rules. Put the magic in very slowly. Slower than you think you have to. You¡¯ll have some resistance while you¡¯re letting it flow, but don¡¯t overcorrect.¡±

    ¡°I can do that.¡±

    ¡°Also, no trying this without me around,¡± Noah said firmly. ¡°I know I¡¯ve said this before, but patterns are just as dangerous as they are powerful. I¡¯m no stranger to how badly you want to grow strong. But you aren¡¯t going anywhere if you kill or cripple yourself with this.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± Isabel said, giving Noah a firm nod. ¡°I learned my lesson back in the Linwick Estate, Professor.¡±

    Noah gave her a smile. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s do this. Begin your pattern ¨C and stay concentrated. I can¡¯t completely remove the risk from this. All I do is lower it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Isabel said, drawing her sword and holding it out before her. ¡°I¡¯m used to a little risk.¡±

 Chapter 395: The power of laziness

    Isabel¡¯s sword crashed through the air. She shifted from blow to blow in a series of intensifying strikes. Magic trickled into her blade and swam in her movements, constrained just as Noah had requested.

    Every slash Isabel made came faster and stronger than the previous. Even though she was restraining the amount of power she was using, Noah¡¯s domain tingled as her body started to pull more magic.

    He didn¡¯t stop her. She was using a small enough amount that interfering here would have been pointless, and something told Noah that her pattern wasn¡¯t going to physically allow her to keep using the same amount of power the entire way through.

    Its entire purpose was to encapsulate a ramping avalanche. It started light and grew stronger with every attack until it overwhelmed her opponent ¨C or she ran out of energy to fight with.

    I can¡¯t let her get that deep into it, obviously, but she¡¯s still within the acceptable range of runic power where the risk is minimal as long as she maintains concentration.

    Noah shifted out of the way of the sword as it passed by his face. Her blows were starting to accelerate even more now. Aside from using wind magic to fling himself around, he didn¡¯t have any way to accelerate his reaction speed, and Isabel¡¯s attacks were getting close enough to the point where he couldn¡¯t just mess around anymore.

    The magic prickling Noah¡¯s domain grew stronger still. Isabel was starting to approach the upper limits of what was safe. Her sword rose and fell again and again, a relentless march of ramping power and speed.

    If he hadn¡¯t spent so much time in other fights, he wasn¡¯t sure he would have been able to keep letting Isabel swing at him without some form of retaliation to slow her. But, even with the pattern empowering her attacks, Noah still had far more experience with close calls.

    The sword whistled past his nose, passing a hairs¡¯ width from it. Isabel jaw clenched in concentration, but she didn¡¯t get time for another attack. Noah released his hold on his domain and let it swirl out in full force.

    Oppressive magic around Isabel¡¯s body and crushed her pattern. Her eyes widened in surprise but, instead of getting caught off guard or stumbling, she finished her blow to avoid shattering the pattern.

    A grin passed over Noah¡¯s features. That was the level of concentration he¡¯d been speaking of. Even though the magic had randomly disappeared, Isabel knew her pattern so well that even such a jarring shift didn¡¯t make her drop it.

    That¡¯s a really good sign for her mastering and using Formations in the future. Definitely at Alexandra¡¯s level. Maybe even a bit better in a few ways. They both really felt like they understood their patterns perfectly, but Isabel was really one with the pattern.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Isabel asked, pausing to catch her breath as she squinted at her sword. ¡°I was doing it! I could feel the pattern activating. Where¡¯d my magic go? I didn¡¯t run out.¡±

    ¡°I stopped it,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°You were definitely doing great. One of the best today, actually.¡±

    ¡°You stopped¨C¡± Isabel¡¯s confusion shifted to shock. Then her eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re Rank 4.¡±

    ¡°Surprise.¡±

    ¡°How is it that you went from Rank 1 to Rank 4 so quickly? I know the Linwicks aren¡¯t feeding you runes,¡± Isabel said as she shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Are you going to teach us that too?¡±

    ¡°If I ever find a way to, yes. For now, just be satisfied with knowing that your professor is badass.¡±

    ¡°And very humble.¡± Isabel let out a dry laugh and sheathed her sword. ¡°Is that the reason you were having us do this alone?¡±

    Noah coughed into a fist. ¡°It may have been a portion of it. I didn¡¯t want you comparing yourselves to each other or getting distracted by how things went. I wasn¡¯t lying about how important the focus bit was. If you had an audience, things may have been different. A portion of you would be thinking about the others and how things were going.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably true,¡± Isabel admitted. She brushed a few strands of hair away from her face and threw a glance over the edge of the plateau in the distance before returning her attention to Noah. ¡°So¡­ I did well?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say so. Fantastic control of your pattern, especially at the end there.¡± Noah gave her a thumbs up. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was hoping to see. Don¡¯t let that get to your head, mind you. It only takes one tiny mistake to go boom.¡±

    ¡°When you say boom, do you mean that literally?¡± Isabel asked.

    ¡°Very.¡±

    ¡°Have you¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. A lot.¡±

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    Isabel paled. She and Todd were the only students that were aware of his inability to die, and that made his warnings considerably more threatening. He was pretty sure telling the others would have been great motivation to keep them focused, but the secret was a little too significant to share for such an unimportant reason.

    My name and some of Sunder¡¯s powers are already a huge risk, but my immortality is too much to share with anyone that doesn¡¯t absolutely have to know about it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let that dissuade you,¡± Noah said, pulling his attention back to Isabel before she could start getting too worried about pursuing Formations. ¡°It means that I¡¯ve stumbled into most of the mistakes for you. As long as you don¡¯t go too far on your own, it¡¯ll be relatively safe.¡±

    ¡°Relatively?¡± Isabel cleared her throat. ¡°Is that relatively on your scale or a normal person¡¯s scale?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere in between. You don¡¯t have to do more if you aren¡¯t comfortable with it. I won¡¯t force you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. That wasn¡¯t at all what I meant.¡± Isabel hurriedly shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no way in the world I¡¯m giving up. I was just trying to figure out exactly how much risk there was. I want to get stronger. Risk was always going to be a part of that. It has been ever since you started teaching Todd and I.¡±

    ¡°Maybe a bit too much, eh?¡± Noah thought back to his initial teaching strategies with the Slashers and other monkeys in the Scorched Acres. He wasn¡¯t sure how many moral and ethical rules he¡¯d broken in their training there.

    ¡°Hey, it worked. We¡¯re alive. Does anything else matter?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. ¡°But that¡¯s a topic for another time. Let¡¯s get on to the more important parts so we don¡¯t run out of time. You had great control over your pattern and it was really working well together with your magic. It does have one large, glaring weakness. Do you know what it is?¡±

    Isabel¡¯s brow furrowed for a second and she chewed the insides of her cheeks in thought. ¡°The amount of energy it needs? I wasn¡¯t paying all that much attention to the magic aside from trying to keep myself from pulling too much, but I feel like I used more than I was planning to.¡±

    Noah nodded. ¡°Exactly. To be completely accurate, I¡¯d say the aspect you need to be aware of is that your pattern ramps up the power you use really aggressively. It starts off small, but just by the nature of what it is, it quickly starts pulling more and more. That¡¯s good if you¡¯re trying to overwhelm someone¨C¡±

    ¡°And bad if I¡¯m trying to not blow myself up in the process,¡± Isabel finished. She pursed her lips. ¡°Is there anything I can do about it to make training safer?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°Not unless you want to change your pattern. Remember that your magic follows it. You can¡¯t have something that embodies a growing landslide if you don¡¯t feed more power into it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. I suppose that makes sense,¡± Isabel said. She drummed her fingers on the hilt of her sword and let out a huff. ¡°I know where this is going. I can¡¯t practice at all on my own, can I?¡±

    ¡°Not if you like your body in one piece,¡± Noah said. ¡°Unless you¡¯ve got someone with a domain that can shut your magic off the instant something goes wrong in your pattern, it¡¯s far too risky.¡±

    ¡°Well, damn.¡± Isabel sighed, then gave him a nod. ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s that much of a surprise. I¡¯ll hold off on trying anything when we aren¡¯t in class. I should still be fine to continue practicing my pattern, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep. There¡¯s still a good bit to work on there as well, don¡¯t you worry. You aren¡¯t going to be sitting around and twiddling your thumbs as you wait for class. The next thing you should really focus on is what exactly your magic is bringing to the table when you infuse your pattern with it.¡±

    ¡°Kind of like intention when combining Runes?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much exactly that. You have to figure out what it is that the magic is actually helping you with. Sticking power into a pattern will make it stronger, but if you don¡¯t have direction, it might not be as useful as it could be.¡±

    Isabel tilted her head to the side, nodding along with Noah¡¯s words. He gave her a few seconds to think before continuing.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to come up with an answer now. I¡¯m still working on my own Pattern. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s something that you ever truly master. We just keep getting better.¡±

    ¡°Can I see yours?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°Maybe it would give me some inspiration. It¡¯s your violin, right?¡±

    ¡°Music, actually, but the violin is the medium that I use. The pattern is the music itself. And I¡¯ve never been one to turn down a song request.¡±

    The violin materialized in Noah¡¯s hands and he laid the bow against it. Energetic notes sprang forth as he slipped into a song. As tempting as it was to fully sink into the music, there were still more things he had to handle. Noah didn¡¯t let himself get carried off and only played for a few minutes before bringing it to a close.

    ¡°Helpful?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Not as much as I¡¯d hoped, but it was really nice to listen to,¡± Isabel admitted sheepishly. ¡°I think the pattern is so different from mine that it¡¯s hard to draw inspiration. I logically know there¡¯s pattern in what you were doing, but I just couldn¡¯t see it.¡±

    Noah dismissed the violin and clapped Isabel on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll get there. It¡¯s equal parts practice and not blowing yourself up. One is harder than the other. You might get some more inspiration during our next class when we¡¯re all practicing patterns together, but feel free to talk to the other students before then to get ideas. Just don¡¯t¨C¡±

    ¡°Do anything,¡± Isabel finished with a smile. ¡°I know. I won¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Noah said. ¡°Good job today, then. Unless you¡¯ve got any more questions, we can head back and let you rejoin the others while I see where James stands.¡±

    ¡°Nothing pressing. I¡¯m good to go,¡± Isabel said. She hesitated for a second. ¡°I really want to see what James¡¯ pattern does when he¡¯s got magic in it.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°But you¡¯re going to have to wait until next class or until he tells you. James and Lee have really interesting patterns. If they come into fruition¡­ well, only time will tell.¡±

    Isabel nodded absently. Noah could tell her mind had already moved on to thinking on how she could improve her own pattern. He recognized the lost, distracted expression on her features from the one that had graced his own so many times.

    They got onto the flying sword and Noah waited for an extra second to make sure Isabel had actually remembered to hold onto him before activating it. They rose into the air and shot back off to rejoin the others.

    Only one more student left to test today. Out of everyone, you might be the biggest enigma. Revin¡¯s student¡­ anybody that can survive getting taught by that guy is going to be interesting.

    Let¡¯s see just what that laziness of yours can accomplish, James.

 Chapter 396: Blackmail

    Noah and James stood at the top of the plateau.

    ¡°I was kind of hoping you¡¯d forget about me.¡± James rubbed at the corners of his eyes and yawned. ¡°Would it count for my pattern if I just sat down and fell asleep?¡±

    Somehow, I feel like I should have seen this coming.

    ¡°Only if you¡¯ve found a way to control magic while you¡¯re asleep,¡± Noah said dryly. ¡°And, if you have, please let me know how. I feel like that would be a revolutionary new technique.¡±

    ¡°Why would I want to find a way to do more work? The whole point of sleeping is to do less,¡± James said with a grimace.

    Noah crossed his arms and studied James. It was one thing to be lazy, but James was something else. The boy had seemed pretty eager to join his class at first, but the moment Noah had accepted him, he¡¯d gone from lazy to straight up slothful.

    But despite doing his best to sleep through just about anything he could, he was keeping up with all the other students. Something about that felt off. It didn¡¯t make sense to really want something, only to stop caring the moment you got it.

    There was no way James would be able to keep up with the others if he was actually putting in the amount of effort he was pretending to. There was only so far that natural talent could carry anyone.

    Not to mention I can¡¯t see Revin ever letting natural talent carry anyone anywhere. That doesn¡¯t strike me as his style. If he was training James, he almost certainly had a good reason for it.

    ¡°You ever planning to come clean?¡± Noah asked.

    James blinked drowsily and tilted his head to the side. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°The whole lazy shtick,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got a reason for it, but I¡¯m not seeing what purpose it¡¯s serving.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I just don¡¯t like doing extra work. Existing happily is more than enough for me.¡±

    ¡°Which I have no problem with, but the last time you showed me your pattern, it was almost as developed as Isabel and Alexandra¡¯s ¨C and they¡¯ve been practicing nonstop.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just doing something I¡¯m good at.¡± James waved a hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s quite literally nothing in every meaning of the phrase. It¡¯s logical that I¡¯d be good at a pattern I¡¯ve already spent so much time practicing.¡±

    ¡°See, that¡¯s just not true.¡± Noah shook his head. ¡°Because your pattern isn¡¯t just sitting around and being lazy. It¡¯s doing nothing. There¡¯s a very distinct difference between those two things. One is just slacking off. The other takes intention.¡±

    James¡¯ lips pressed thin. His eyes narrowed and he let his head roll back to match Noah¡¯s gaze. ¡°You¡¯re not going to let this drop?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I have a right to know when you¡¯re the one asking to be in my class? You aren¡¯t an official student, but I¡¯ve let you stick around anyway. I¡¯m not asking you to spill your life secrets with me. But, if you¡¯re actively working to keep me from understanding what you¡¯re doing, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to help you all that much.¡±

    James¡¯ nose scrunched and he let out an annoyed sigh. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair enough. You aren¡¯t wrong. I¡¯m not actually sleeping through class. I¡¯m just a pretty good actor.¡±

    ¡°Then why? What¡¯s the point?¡±

    ¡°People don¡¯t pay attention to someone they don¡¯t think is a threat. You get overlooked.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think the other students see you as a threat? Or are you referring to the competition for the Master Rune?¡±

    James snorted and shook his head. ¡°Nah. The last thing I¡¯d want is a Master Rune like that. I¡¯d be fine with one that was a bit less flashy ¨C but definitely not the one you¡¯re giving out. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s great and all, but it does the exact opposite of what I actually want to accomplish.¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°I love learning things,¡± James said simply.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem exactly conducive to your actions in class.¡± Noah¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion.

    ¡°Not just class things,¡± James said. ¡°Things about people. Secrets. Locations of stuff I¡¯m not meant to know. I want to know everything about someone before I ever meet them. The best way to hide is to not be visible at all, and the second-best way is by being in plain sight but so worthless that nobody cares.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ you just really like gossip,¡± Noah concluded.

    James snickered. ¡°I guess you could put it that way, sure. Don¡¯t get me wrong, though. After dealing with Revin for so long, being able to actually sit around and do nothing is incredible. I love it.¡±

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    ¡°And that¡¯s it? You just want to hear people gossiping and like relaxing, so you shape your entire life around it?¡±

    ¡°I want control,¡± James said. His gaze darkened as he locked eyes with Noah. ¡°Do you know how it feels to be trained by a madman? Nothing is constant. Every single thing in your life can be there one day and vanish the next. The world doesn¡¯t make sense ¨C not until you learn the way it works.¡±

    ¡°So you learned all this specifically so you could try to pick up on what Revin was doing and try to adapt to it?¡±

    ¡°Well, that was the intention.¡± James¡¯ cheeks reddened and he cleared his throat, averting his gaze. ¡°It didn¡¯t work that well on him. But I got so good at doing it around other people that I realized I could keep at it here. Also¡­¡±

    He trailed off. Noah raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop when you¡¯re just getting to the most interesting part.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is.¡±

    ¡°It is.¡±

    Noah walked over to the edge of the plateau and looked down at the class below. They were far, but he could just barely make out a flash of silver hair as Emily saw him watching and turned her head away. A small smile flickered across his face.

    That long hair makes it pretty easy to tell when you¡¯re trying to stare at something. I guess nobody ever told her that if you get spotted staring, the best thing you can do is either nothing or move very, very slowly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose part of the reason you¡¯ve taken to acting lazier is to get extra tutelage?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side as he turned his head back toward James.

    ¡°When have I ever come to you for extra teaching?¡±

    ¡°Not me,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. He nodded down at the class. ¡°Emily. Is she filling you in on all the stuff you supposedly miss in class?¡±

    James hesitated for a second, which was just about all the confirmation that Noah needed. He let out a laugh.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything!¡± James said defensively. ¡°I don¡¯t have ulterior motives! I¡¯m just practicing blending in!¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Noah said. ¡°Just out of curiosity, if I were to ask Emily how she felt you were doing in class, do you think she¡¯d say she was worried that you weren¡¯t keeping up and that she¡¯d been tutoring you after class?¡±

    ¡°I, uh, think that line of question would probably be best left unspoken,¡± James said, shifting his stance. ¡°Please.¡±

    Noah laughed again. ¡°I¡¯m not going to spoil your fun, but I feel like there are probably better ways you could go about trying to flirt with Emily. Have you considered just spending time with her normally instead of going back over classwork that you already know?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that!¡± James protested. ¡°She¡¯s the heir to the Torrin family! There¡¯s no way she¡¯d be willing to do anything other than work.¡± He cut himself off, realizing that he¡¯d basically confirmed everything that Noah had just said, then grimaced. ¡°I barely even qualify as a noble.¡±

    ¡°Bah. That didn¡¯t stop me and Moxie. If she didn¡¯t like you at least a little bit, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d be spending that much time even bothering to teach you anything. Stop stressing the poor girl. She¡¯s got enough shit to worry about.¡±

    James looked down at the grass in shame. ¡°I don¡¯t think¨C¡±

    ¡°Look, the love life of my students really isn¡¯t something I want to press too deeply into, but you morons literally spent an entire summer together. From what I¡¯ve seen, Emily barely tolerates anyone other than Moxie. The fact that she¡¯s still hanging out with you when you¡¯re putting on this front is probably a good thing. I¡¯m not saying you have to change what you like doing, but you¡¯re not an idiot. I¡¯m sure you can figure out a way to spend time together that doesn¡¯t involve wasting her time.¡±

    ¡°I ¨C yeah. I suppose you¡¯re right,¡± James said. His cheeks were bright red in embarrassment.

    ¡°Now show me your damn pattern and stick some magic into it,¡± Noah said. ¡°Just not too much. It¡¯s going to be really awkward if we had this whole conversation only for you to pop yourself like a grape. You remember what to do?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t much I don¡¯t remember,¡± James replied. He crossed his legs and sat down on the grass in front of Noah. ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell her anything, are you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of my business what you do. Just don¡¯t hold her back. You¡¯re both capable students. I¡¯ll be honest, there¡¯s a non-zero chance she¡¯s already figured out that you¡¯re only faking being an idiot to keep her around. She¡¯s not stupid.¡±

    James paled. ¡°Wait. Really?¡±

    Noah shrugged. ¡°Find out yourself. I don¡¯t know. Now get your head screwed back on. I really don¡¯t want to explain to Emily that you blew yourself up because you were too busy thinking about her.¡±

    James groaned and ran his hands through his hair. ¡°Can we forget this conversation ever happened?¡±

    ¡°Only if you put up a competent showing.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that blackmail?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done worse and I¡¯ll do it again. Get to it.¡±

    James grimaced. He closed his eyes and adjusted his posture. His chest rose as he drew in a breath, then relaxed as he let it out. Noah¡¯s domain tingled. Shimmers of faint light swirled around the boy as he started to channel magic through himself.

    He used less power than any of the other students had, but something about him shifted. It wasn¡¯t that James was any different, but Noah¡¯s eyes were drawn to look right past him. He wasn¡¯t breathing. He wasn¡¯t moving. It almost felt like he wasn¡¯t even there.

    Noah blinked. For a sliver of an instant, he¡¯d completely lost track of James ¨C but there the boy was, sitting in front of him once more.

    A few more seconds passed, and Noah¡¯s eyes tried to drift on their own volition again. Noah¡¯s eyes and mind were in disagreement. The eyes were convinced that there was nothing before him, whilst the mind knew there was.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for his domain, Noah might have completely lost track of James. He let a few more seconds pass, then let his power snuff James¡¯ magic out. The boy¡¯s opened a second later.

    ¡°Well?¡± James asked. ¡°Good enough?¡±

    ¡°More than, I¡¯d say,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°That is officially the farthest along anyone is with putting magic into their pattern. What was that, light magic?¡±

    James nodded and rose to his feet. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°And I note you¡¯re not too surprised about my domain.¡±

    ¡°Already knew you were Rank 4. Todd looked really smug when people were getting pulled up, like he knew something they didn¡¯t. Also, I figured you had some way to protect us from pattern magic if you were insisting we only used it near you. That meant you either had a weird Shield or a domain ¨C and I¡¯ve never seen you use a shield.¡±

    ¡°Good deductions.¡± Noah gave James an approving nod. ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot to be proud of. Seriously though, you should be the one helping Emily here, not other way around. Stop being an idiot, okay?¡±

    James bit his inner cheeks and nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Noah said. ¡°Then let¡¯s get going. I need to announce the results for who gets today¡¯s points for the Master Rune contest.¡±

 Chapter 397: Consuming knowledge

    Isabel and Lee had just finished a sparring match when Noah and James returned from the plateau. James stepped off the flying sword and went to sit down beside the other students.

    ¡°That¡¯s everyone,¡± Noah said as he picked the flying sword up and returned it to his side. ¡°How did things go down here?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Moxie replied. ¡°Aside from nearly popping my arms out of their sockets while we were stretching. Lee is still a little overzealous about a few things, but she¡¯s getting better.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that your body is so stiff,¡± Lee said defensively. ¡°You should have considered having joints that actually move the way they¡¯re supposed to.¡±

    ¡°Joints don¡¯t move in every direction, Lee,¡± Moxie said as she rubbed at her shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve gone over this. They¡¯ve got specific directions that they¡¯re meant to go in.¡±

    ¡°You should fix that,¡± Lee suggested. ¡°It sounds sub-optimal.¡±

    Noah shook his head and hid a laugh. If he looked too amused, Lee might take offense and try to apply some of her stretching to him when he wasn¡¯t expecting it. He might have been able to come back from death, but that wasn¡¯t going to do anything if she ripped an arm off by accident.

    ¡°It looks like this is a decent spot to stop for a bit, then,¡± Noah said. ¡°Everyone is now up to date on patterns and has successfully put their magic into them.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s cheeks reddened slightly. She¡¯d yet to actually put any magic into her own pattern yet. Noah made a mental note to make sure they had a private session where she could practice that before continuing.

    ¡°You all did a great job. Everyone is advancing really fast ¨C possibly faster than I had thought you would. We¡¯ve only been working on this for a little while, but the results are already starting to show.¡±

    ¡°Can we get to the part where you tell us who the best one was?¡± Todd asked with a grin. ¡°We¡¯re all dying over here.¡±

    ¡°A little patience wouldn¡¯t kill you, Todd.¡± That got him a sharp look from Moxie. He coughed into his fist and pointedly ignored it. Hypocrisy was great when he was the one doing it. ¡°Anyway, I was getting there. You¡¯ve all got a lot to be proud of, and I¡¯ll be honest, it was pretty difficult to determine exactly who had come the farthest from where they were last time.¡±

    If it were purely just who had the strongest magic-infused pattern, I think Alexandra or James would win. Probably James. He¡¯s got his pattern mastered perfectly and his magic already flows through it really well. I¡¯m curious to see what he¡¯ll do once he gets to actual Formations.

    But¡­ if I account for how far people have come rather than just their current strength ¨C

    ¡°Third place, Emily,¡± Noah said. Emily¡¯s eyes widened slightly as Noah continued. ¡°You¡¯ve made huge improvements from last time. There¡¯s still a lot you can work on, but in terms of percent growth, you¡¯ve come really far.¡±

    Emily¡¯s cheeks reddened and she just nodded, not saying anything else.

    ¡°Second place, Alexandra,¡± Noah said. ¡°You had one of the strongest patterns and a great understanding of how to use it. You need to work a bit on your concentration, though. But, given the amount of effort and time you¡¯ve put into things, you¡¯re coming along great.¡±

    Alexandra inclined her head in appreciation. That just left Todd, James, and Isabel as the remaining students. James was probably the strongest of the three in terms of his actual ability, but Noah was pretty sure he¡¯d been restraining himself before. He hadn¡¯t actually grown that much if he¡¯d already mastered everything from the start. And, possibly most importantly, Noah could tell James didn¡¯t actually want to win. Even if his laziness did have a few small ulterior motives, he also really did just like sitting around and doing nothing. And, if that was what he wanted, there was no reason to stop him.

    Todd ¨C well, Noah hadn¡¯t seen all that much of his pattern at all. It was hard for him to give it a real grade until they sparred. He definitely understood the basics of what he was doing and seemed confident, but it did put Noah in an awkward spot.

    I don¡¯t want to exclude Todd, but I genuinely just don¡¯t know how to grade him yet. Maybe I should have had that sparring match before we did this. Whoops.

    Todd caught Noah¡¯s eye, a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips as he gave his head a small shake that told Noah not to worry about it. He took a tiny step back to make sure Noah understood. Noah gave him a small nod of appreciation. Avoiding the situation entirely was the best-case scenario.

    ¡°In first place ¨C Isabel. You¡¯ve been improving at an incredible rate and your understanding of your pattern is very solid. I can honestly say that all of you are neck-and-neck, so this was quite difficult to decide.¡±

    James looked relieved at the results. He¡¯d probably have been peeved if he¡¯d actually won.

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    Nobody looked too put out about the results. If anything, Emily still seemed shocked that she¡¯d placed on the ranking at all. Moxie wasn¡¯t even watching ¨C as soon as he had returned, she¡¯d pulled her book back out and was leafing through it once more.

    Either way, Noah was satisfied with how the day had gone. He¡¯d accomplished just about everything he¡¯d wanted to with the students and all of them were doing great.

    ¡°After the points Moxie gave out last class, that puts Isabel in first and Alexandra in second for actually getting the Rune,¡± Todd observed. ¡°How many more contests are we going to have?¡±

    Moxie gave out points? She must have done it while I was off distracted while she covered class for both of us.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t figured that out yet,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°If you want the Master Rune, I suggest pushing to catch up over the next few days.¡±

    ¡°Noted,¡± Todd said with a laugh. ¡°I suppose I should have guessed as much.¡±

    ¡°Probably. No point trying to think too far out when we¡¯re all still learning, after all. I¡¯ll bring the contest to a close once you¡¯re all starting to use proper Formations. That should give you a target to work toward,¡± Noah said. ¡°But, moving on. This went a lot faster than I¡¯d initially thought it would, so we¡¯ve got a fair bit of time left before we get pulled back to Arbitage. We¡¯ve got two options. Either spar some more with each other while I pull people aside for some more personal training, or we can go hunt some monsters to keep in practice. It¡¯s definitely been a little while since we¡¯ve done that.¡±

    ¡°Monsters,¡± Isabel said. ¡°I want to practice against something I can kill.¡±

    After a few seconds of deliberation, the others all nodded their agreement.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it, then,¡± Noah said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°One monster hunting session, coming right up.¡±

    ***

    Class ended a short while later after a rather productive hunt. The group wiped out several plateaus worth of monsters, and Noah added a few new Greater Rank 1 Wind Runes to his grimoire in the process. He also broke away from the group for a few minutes to claim a Monster Rune that Lee identified for him as a Thickened Fur Rune. It didn¡¯t sound particularly appealing, but it was still a Monster Rune.

    Noah had yet to find the rich noble that had bought the previous Monster Rune from him, but it felt like a good idea to prepare for their next meeting in case there was a pile of gold burning a hole through the man¡¯s pockets.

    At this point all the students were more than capable enough to handle Fluffants without even needing supervision. It was probably just about time to find a new location to start hunting monsters ¨C preferably one with some Rank 2s.

    ¡°Noah, do you think¨C¡± Moxie started as the lift brought her, Noah, and Lee down while the students waited in the cannon room above them.

    ¡°We¡¯ll find some time to work on your pattern together so you can properly get magic into it,¡± Noah promised before she¡¯d even finished speaking. Moxie raised an eyebrow, then grinned and shifted the large book under her arm.

    ¡°Great.¡±

    ¡°By the way, what is it you¡¯ve been working on?¡± Noah asked, nodding to the book. ¡°Rune stuff?¡±

    ¡°No. Well, yes. I¡¯ve got a few papers wedged in here,¡± Moxie replied. ¡°The main thing I¡¯ve been looking at are artifacts. Wizen was after my family in particular. If he¡¯d just wanted Runes, he wouldn¡¯t care about me.¡±

    ¡°But he did,¡± Noah said. The lift reached the bottom of the cannon and they stepped off. It rattled back up to collect the others. ¡°Did you have any artifacts that he¡¯d care about, though?¡±

    ¡°Not personally, but I was Evergreen¡¯s aide. It¡¯s possible he was going to try to use me to get access to something. I just don¡¯t know what ¨C and I don¡¯t know why Arbitage would have anything to do with the Torrins. We don¡¯t have anything that rare here as far as I can tell ¨C but that¡¯s what I¡¯m checking for.¡±

    ¡°Smart,¡± Noah said. He thought for a few seconds to see if there was anything that would come to mind with regard to Wizen¡¯s motivations, but he came up blank. Nothing in his fight with Silvertide had revealed his motivations. ¡°Any thoughts, Lee?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Lee said with a shake of her head. ¡°But don¡¯t a bunch of noble families all have things they donate to the neutral grounds to keep them neutral or whatever? Like the Linwicks gave the Hellreaver.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡±

    ¡°No record of what the Torrins gave?¡± Noah guessed.

    ¡°Yep. Guessed it in one shot.¡± Moxie sighed. ¡°Hence the research I¡¯ve been doing. They had to have given something to the school. It would have had to be pretty important as well. I just don¡¯t know what it would be.¡±

    ¡°I can try to help you look later,¡± Noah offered.

    Moxie sent him a surprised look. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°What? You don¡¯t have to look so surprised. I know how to read.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve just barely ever seen you voluntarily choose to go to the library when there was literally any alternative available,¡± Moxie said with a laugh. ¡°I won¡¯t turn down help, though.¡±

    ¡°I can come too.¡± Lee offered. She paused for a second, then frowned. ¡°Wait. Can you eat in a library? I think I saw a sign on the door saying I couldn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°They don¡¯t want you getting the books dirty.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t. I¡¯m very clean when I eat.¡±

    A thought struck Noah and his eyes narrowed. ¡°You can¡¯t eat the books either.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lee exclaimed, her eyes going wide. ¡°That¡¯s stupid. They¡¯re all just sitting around on shelves like pastries.¡±

    ¡°What part of a book even vaguely resembles a pastry?¡± Moxie asked through a laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t think they could possibly be more different.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re flaky.¡±

    ¡°Lee probably has more experience than you do with eating books,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to believe her.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you can eat the books, though.¡±

    ¡°Aw. Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll find some other books for you to eat later. Just settle for actual pastries or something in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Lee grinned and nodded; the topic completely forgotten. Noah snuck a glance back at the book under Moxie¡¯s arm. A small frown crossed his lips. If there was an artifact sitting around Arbitage that was strong enough for Wizen to put this much effort into getting¡­ it didn¡¯t take a genius to tell that it was bad news.

    But what does it have to do with any of what he¡¯s done so far? Why all the clones and extra shit? Stealing something feels more like an espionage angle, not this.

    What is Wizen playing at?

 Chapter 398: Last warning

    The students stepped out of the transport cannon as the lift dropped them off and Lee joined them in returning to their lodgings, having gotten stuck in an intense conversation with Todd over what breakfast foods were the best.

    Noah was pretty sure Todd was fighting a losing battle, as Lee was insisting that pancakes were crunchy. He¡¯d probably figure out that she was including the texture profiles of the plates and utensils as part of her meal at some point, but until then, it was hard to argue with something that you couldn¡¯t even properly comprehend.

    Interesting strategy, actually. If you can¡¯t surprise them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit.

    ¡°Is there a reason we¡¯re standing around at the base of the transport cannon instead of heading back?¡± Moxie asked, breaking Noah¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, not really. I was just thinking about Lee¡¯s argument strategies.¡±

    Moxie followed his gaze and snickered. ¡°She¡¯s certainly unique. Todd has no chance.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely none,¡± Noah agreed. He looked over his shoulder at the transport cannon above him. A small line had formed to use it. Other professors, from the looks of it, taking their students to practice.

    ¡°It¡¯s not all that long before the first of the exams. They¡¯re getting ready,¡± Moxie said.

    ¡°The Retrieval Exam, right?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I take it they¡¯re not going to tell us what monster the kids have to hunt down?¡±

    ¡°Probably not. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Advanced Track makes sure they get assigned a more difficult monster,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Speaking of, I do wonder when they¡¯ll actually get around to doing anything. Has Ulya shown up to tell us when the next meeting is and I just missed it?¡±

    ¡°Not as far as I¡¯m aware. We can ask Contessa and Karina if she came by my old room,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯ve got to help Tim out as well. He¡¯s still got a few Runes to get around fixing.¡±

    ¡°Did you want to do that now?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°There¡¯s a bit of a line.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll probably wait around until it dwindles away and then head up after he¡¯s not swamped by people. I¡¯ve got a Mind Meld potion on me.¡± Noah patted his bag, then looked over his shoulder again. ¡°This is unrelated, but have you seen Brayden since he showed up to help you out?¡±

    Moxie tilted her head to the side, brow furrowing in thought. She shook her head after her second. ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe I have. I thought he¡¯d seek you out. Has he not?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Haven¡¯t seen him at all,¡± Noah said. ¡°You don¡¯t think he¡¯s avoiding me, do you?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t really sound like him, but I can¡¯t say anything for certain.¡± Moxie gave him a shrug. ¡°He could also be busy. Father did send him here to help stop Wizen. Maybe he¡¯s researching.¡±

    Moxie didn¡¯t seem too certain of her words. It definitely didn¡¯t feel like Brayden was the kind of man to skirt around addressing his problems, so Noah was inclined to believe her ¨C but he wasn¡¯t sure if that was just his mind tricking him into optimism.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find him soon enough,¡± Noah said. ¡°Were you going to head back and keep reading on the artifacts and stuff?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The most dangerous part of Wizen is that we don¡¯t know what he wants or what motivates him. Nobody knows what his next move is. Once we figure that out, we can deal with him.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. Let me know if there¡¯s anything I can do to help.¡±

    Moxie laughed and bumped her shoulder into his. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be sure to send you into the library to leaf through books for the rest of the day.¡±

    ¡°Hey. I can read, you know. Just because there was a time when I was more focused on flinging myself from problem to problem without stopping to think about what I was actually doing doesn¡¯t mean that¡¯s my only state.¡±

    ¡°So you do want to hunt through the books in the library for all the records of all the artifacts that the Torrins have had?¡±

    Noah gagged. ¡°Absolutely not. I¡¯d do it if you really needed me to, though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll spare you that fate, I think. I¡¯ve got enough books to sort through already. I think it¡¯s more a question of figuring out which one Wizen would actually want.¡± Moxie flashed him a grin as he let out a relieved sigh.

    ¡°Thank God. Well, don¡¯t work too hard. Don¡¯t forget we¡¯re meeting Silvertide sometime tonight to talk to the Enforcers ¨C and try to leave some space sometime tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°I remember the Enforcers, but what¡¯s happening tomorrow morning?¡± Moxie asked, her nose scrunching in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t remember having anything planned for then.¡±

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    ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t. I was thinking we might get breakfast.¡±

    Moxie squinted. ¡°We get breakfast basically every single day.¡±

    ¡°Just the two of us.¡± Noah rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°You know. A date. I know we¡¯ve been together for a little, but we haven¡¯t had all that much time to just do¡­ normal things, I guess.¡±

    Moxie blinked and her cheeks reddened. ¡°I ¨C oh. Yeah, I¡¯ll make time. I can make time for that.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Noah said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with you tonight. Come find me if anything interesting happens, though. After Tim, I¡¯m probably just going to go practice some Formations in the garden. The kids are catching up to me, you know.¡±

    ¡°Somehow, I¡¯m not so sure about that. And I want to book a personal session for some pattern work as well. Think you can make time for that after breakfast?¡±

    ¡°I suppose something can be arranged, but we¡¯ll have to see. I¡¯ve got a busy schedule, you know.¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tonight, idiot.¡±

    She strode off, and Noah¡¯s gaze followed her until she turned at a corner of the road and disappeared from sight. He shook his head, realizing a smile was still on his lips, and turned back to the transport cannon to wait for the line to die down a little.

    ***

    The flow of professors slowed after an hour and a half. Noah knew ¨C he spent the time counting the seconds, drumming his fingers on the grimoire he¡¯d pulled off his back and leaned against his side.

    He waited a second to see if anyone else would suddenly pop up, but when it became clear that everyone who¡¯d been waiting for the transport cannon had finally gotten to use it, he headed up the stairs to the lift himself.

    It rattled up, and Noah arrived in the room at the top of the cannon a few seconds later. To his surprise, it was empty. He glanced around, just to see if Tim was hiding somewhere, but the he was nowhere to be found.

    Noah walked up to the older man¡¯s desk, spotting a small metal placard sitting on top of it. The placard was facing the wrong way, so he couldn¡¯t see what was written on it. He picked it up and turned it around.

    Temporarily out for maintenance.

    ¡°Maintenance?¡± Noah muttered to himself, setting the placard back down with a frown. He looked around the room. This wasn¡¯t the first time Tim had randomly gone missing. It wasn¡¯t like something obligated him to be in the transport cannon literally every second of his life ¨C but he definitely didn¡¯t seem to like leaving it.

    I didn¡¯t see Tim actually head out either. That means he¡¯s still in the transport cannon. The door would have to be somewhere up here, since I had view of the elevator and there were people heading up it just a few minutes ago.

    It might have been a bit of a breach of privacy, but Noah had never prided himself on being particularly respectable. He walked around the room, kneeling by the corners and running his hands along the floor to see if he could find a trapdoor or some other way to get around the cannon other than the lift in its center.

    He made his way around the entirety of the cannon¡¯s top floor ¨C it wasn¡¯t like there was all that much ground to cover ¨C and arrived back at Tim¡¯s desk. There was nothing. It was like Tim had just vanished into thin air.

    A thought struck Noah. He paused, then leaned forward to peer over the desk at the only spot in the room he hadn¡¯t touched yet. Noah took care to avoid accidentally touching any of the Imbuements or levers on it. He had absolutely no idea what screwing with the transport cannon would do, and he had no desire to find out.

    Oh, you¡¯ve got to be kidding me.

    Resting on the ground was a large, cashmere rug. It was covered with colorful swirling designs that looked like they were meant to symbolize runes without actually drawing any of them.

    ¡°A rug?¡± Noah asked aloud. ¡°Is there really not a better spot to hide something?¡±

    Then again, it did take me like ten minutes of looking literally everywhere else. Maybe a rug is more than enough.

    He hopped over the table and reached down, pulling the corner of the rug back to reveal a trapdoor. Noah repressed the urge to let out a heavy sigh.

    Well, I found it. Now what?

    A few seconds passed. It was one thing to snoop, but it was another to literally follow Tim down into ¨C well, whatever he was doing. It wasn¡¯t exactly polite. Then again, if Tim had a more private area where they could use the Mind Meld potion, there was no reason not to use it.

    This is for his greater good, not because I¡¯m curious to see what he¡¯s doing.

    Noah pulled the trapdoor back. It opened soundlessly to reveal a long, dark slide that ran at a steep angle. He could just barely see rungs running along its top. It didn¡¯t look like climbing in ¨C or out ¨C would be particularly enjoyable.

    He held his grimoire out, making sure the huge book actually fit into the confined space, then returned it to his back. Pulling the trapdoor up, he adjusted the rug so that it was draped over the top and stepped down into the hole, hanging from rungs of the ladder. It was at such an angle that he was nearly upside down.

    Noah lowered the trapdoor and the light in the tunnel vanished. He looked down into the darkness, tempted to just drop and use wind magic to slow his fall. Instead, he started to climb down normally. There was far too high of a chance of him slamming ass-first into a turn or corner and having to hobble the rest of the way.

    He continued into the darkness, clinging onto the ladder as it twisted and turned. It was impossible to see where he was actually going. The passage went a lot deeper than he¡¯d thought it would. The tunnel eventually righted itself and let him return to climbing the ladder straight down like a normal human being.

    Just about fifty feet below him was light, dim and yellow. His angle only let him make out a few muted spots of bronze pipe and purple smoke bathed within the light.

    But the light wasn¡¯t all he found. With it came voices. Noah froze in place. He hadn¡¯t expected Tim to have company.

    Maybe I should leave. I don¡¯t want to intrude¨C

    ¡°Get out of my way. This is your last warning,¡± a woman¡¯s voice said.

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    Never mind. Anyone causing Tim trouble should have chosen somewhere to do it where there were witnesses.

    He released the rungs of the ladder. Wind swirled past his face as he plummeted through the darkness and rapidly approached the light.

 Chapter 399: Heated Barb Moment

    Noah used a swirl of wind to slow his fall a few moments before his feet hit the ground. His jacket fluttered around him as he landed safely, eyes adjusting to the sudden light. The room around him was surprisingly large ¨C far too large to fit anywhere in the transport cannon¡¯s body.

    Metal pipes ran along the walls and twisted past each other like the pattern of a woven scarf. They crisscrossed beneath his feet and jutted up, all covered by imbuements and obscured by inscriptions that ran alongside them.

    Shimmers of purple energy swirled at cracks in the pipes and curled up in twists of faint smoke that made the room smell like a mixture of sulfur, brass, and sweat. All the pipes congregated at a single glass pillar in the center of the room. It was so heavily etched with Imbuements that it may as well have been opaque. Something deep within it flickered with muted energy.

    Standing before the pillar was, rather than Tim, Brayden. The large man leaned on his sword, streaks of blood running down his arms and his shirt ripped to shreds to reveal seeping wounds beneath.

    Across from him was a woman. She wore a flour-stained apron and was a little portly around the waist. The woman spun toward Noah. Her eyes were creased with wrinkle lines from smiling and her cheeks were plump. Several ragged cuts ran through her clothes, but her body was unharmed.

    She looked more like a baker than a warrior. A baker that was somehow winning the fight against Brayden, one of the strongest Rank 4 mages that Noah knew. He called on Natural Disaster instantly, letting its power course through his body like a raging river.

    ¡°The hell is going on here?¡±

    ¡°Oh goodness,¡± the woman said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting company so soon. You wouldn¡¯t happen to¨C¡±

    A thick bolt of lightning roared as it split the air, ripping out of Noah¡¯s hands and slicing out for her. The air around the woman shimmered, waves of heat rolling off her body as the lightning bolt vanished about ten feet before it could reach her.

    Shit. She¡¯s got a domain, and it¡¯s stronger than mine.

    ¡°That was rude,¡± the woman said. ¡°Wait your turn, son.¡±

    ¡°Go get help,¡± Brayden growled. He pulled his sword from the ground and raised it before himself. ¡°She¡¯s a multi-Rune Rank 5. One of Wizen¡¯s. Uses fire.¡±

    The air around the woman ignited with a whoomp and a wave of heat slammed into Noah. He raised his hands defensively, his domain pressing back against her power as he grit his teeth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go chatting while we¡¯re having a fight,¡± the woman scolded. Fire rolled out across the floor before her and slammed into Brayden. An instant before it could connect and push through his domain, he flickered and vanished in a flash of purple.

    He stumbled as he reappeared beside Noah, his breath coming out in ragged bursts. ¡°Come on. You need to go. Now.¡±

    ¡°Wait. Where¡¯s Tim?¡±

    ¡°The old man is fine. He¡¯s hiding somewhere in the room,¡± Brayden said through a cough. ¡°They¡¯re not after him. There¡¯s an artifact in the transport cannon. I think¨C¡±

    Another wall of fire rolled toward them. The woman¡¯s power sputtered and faded as it drew close to Noah and Brayden, unable to push through both of their domains. But even though it didn¡¯t connect, the waves of heat that rolled through the air were enough to singe Noah¡¯s eyebrows.

    ¡°I told you to stop talking. Don¡¯t you realize it¡¯s rude?¡± the woman asked.

    ¡°Talk about rude. I don¡¯t even know your name,¡± Noah said, his eyes darting around the maze of pipes in search of Tim. He didn¡¯t give a shit about who the woman was or what he wanted.

    ¡°Barb,¡± the woman said. She flicked her hand and a bolt of fire ripped out, streaking toward Noah. He dove to the side and it screamed past him, slamming into a pipe at his back. A loud hiss escaped it and a stream of purple smoke started to pour out. ¡°And don¡¯t lecture me on manners when you¡¯re the one that attacked me mid-sentence.¡±

    ¡°I got impatient waiting for an answer,¡± Noah said as he came to his feet.

    ¡°She¡¯s got a healer somewhere here,¡± Brayden said, grinding his teeth and raising his sword again. ¡°Don¡¯t overextend. He¡¯s got light magic that obscures his location and has something that¡¯s letting him hide from my domain.¡±

    ¡°How strong?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Not as strong as the old lady.¡±

    ¡°Old?¡± Barb demanded, her eyes narrowing. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I¡¯m barely scratching my golden years.¡±

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    She snapped her fingers. Fire coiled around her body with a roar like a dragon. Roiling heat slammed into Noah and he called on Combustion, trying to snuff out the fire. It did nothing ¨C the Master Rune was completely outclassed, and Barb wasn¡¯t relying on combustion to create her fire. It was coming straight from her Runes. He released Combustion and swapped to Natural Disaster, drawing from the moisture around him. There wasn¡¯t much to work with, but he managed to form a rippling barrier an instant before Barb¡¯s flames slammed into it.

    The water boiled and evaporated, but it bought their domains enough time to dissipate Barb¡¯s power. She was strong, but she wasn¡¯t powerful enough to completely overwhelm both of them through brute force.

    ¡°You seem to be evenly matched against two of us,¡± Noah said, letting power build in him as he continued to search the room. Even if Barb couldn¡¯t overwhelm them, he didn¡¯t have a way to easily get back at her without using Sunder or a Formation. ¡°What¡¯s your goal here? Why are you attacking Brayden?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about him. If you both stood out of my way, my quarrel with you would be over.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give her the artifact,¡± Brayden said. ¡°I know what it is.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯re going to have to do a bit more than stand there,¡± Noah said, lowering his tone and speaking out the corner of his mouth. ¡°Can you hold her off?¡±

    ¡°What does it look like I¡¯ve been doing?¡±

    ¡°Well, do more of it.¡±

    Flame erupted around Barb and washed across the room toward them. Brayden dashed forward and swung his sword. A wave of purple energy followed the weapon¡¯s tip. It cut through the roiling fire and Brayden dashed through the flames as they faded. He lunged at Barb and she raised her hands to send out another torrent of fire ¨C only for Brayden to vanish.

    He reformed beside her, his huge sword already hurtling for Barb¡¯s side. The woman leaned back, vaulting out of the way and narrowly avoiding getting carved in two. She landed on her feet and skidded a foot back, her teeth gritting.

    ¡°Bah. Sword users. Can¡¯t you just use magic like a normal mage?¡± Barb complained, pulling her hands through the air. Flame screamed through the air and ripped through pipes, filling the room with even more purple smoke. Brayden teleported away from the attack and formed before Barb, his sword crashing down once more.

    She was forced to retreat once again, but her attention was occupied once again. Noah summoned his violin to his hands and started to play. He hadn¡¯t forgotten Brayden¡¯s warning that Barb had a healer somewhere in the area, so it wasn¡¯t like he could completely forget the rest of the world as he played, but he¡¯d been practicing since the fight against Evergreen.

    Notes of magic swirled around Noah and filled his song as he started a Formation. The violin muted the sounds of his music to keep it from being too obvious, but it would only be a matter of time before Barb noticed that he was playing a soundless violin.

    Before she could do anything, she¡¯d have to throw Brayden off. He was clearly exhausted and running low on magic, but his attacks were relentless. Over and over again his sword fell, forcing Barb to retreat before someone a full rank beneath her.

    Noah had no delusions of Barb¡¯s strength. He¡¯d felt the heat of her magic. She¡¯d been summoning flame from nothing. That was something only a Rank 5 could do, and it was clear she was no stranger to it.

    Fire was only good if it could connect with its target, though. Brayden¡¯s form slipped through the fire in swirls of purple magic. His features were clad in stone and his blade an advancing wall of metal.

    Not for the first time, Noah was grateful that Brayden was on his side. His domain prickled with pulses of magic that washed across it, and Noah let it play into his music. A roaring inferno danced to protect its heart from the wounded hound. The beast¡¯s pursuit was dogged, but while it could nip at the fire, the battle could only end in one way ¨C unless something changed.

    The violin grew louder. Energy poured out of Noah¡¯s body as he drained power from Natural disaster to make the housing of the Formation. Whoever Barb¡¯s backup was had yet to strike, but¨C

    A shimmer bent the air at Noah¡¯s side, right at the edge of his domain as it destroyed the magic trying to enter it. From within the magic came a short man wearing white robes and bearing a wooden staff.

    Noah recognized him. It was Richard ¨C the healer that he¡¯d seen the day he¡¯d arrived at Arbitage. Surprise played across Richard¡¯s features but he carried forward, sprinting at Noah and rearing back with his staff.

    Not a Rank 4, so he can¡¯t use magic in my domain.

    Twisting, Noah dodged out of the way of the strike. His music grew faster as he moved around Richard, deftly avoiding the strikes of the man¡¯s staff.

    You can¡¯t use my own trick against me, especially when it looks like you¡¯ve never tried to hit someone without magic in your life.

    Barb¡¯s eyes flicked over to Noah as his music approached a crescendo. The moment of distraction cost her a deep wound across her shoulder as a line of purple energy carved out of Brayden¡¯s sword and she failed to fully avoid it in time.

    Flame erupted around her like a blooming flower, detonating with a brilliant explosion. Brayden flew back, his arms crossed and smoking before his face. He slammed into a nest of pipes and dropped down. Purple smoke hissed out around him from the pipes.

    Richard turned to run over to Barb. He took one step before Noah hooked his foot forward, still playing, and yanked the healer¡¯s legs out from under him. He poured Sunder into the Formation building in his song.

    ¡°Stop him already!¡± Barb yelled, pain in her voice as she turned toward Noah and gathered fire around herself.

    Richard rolled over and tried to jab his staff up at Noah¡¯s throat. Noah leaned back, avoiding the strike, and kicked the healer in the side of his head. He played faster still. Adrenaline and magic intertwined within his veins.

    The violin sang with Noah. Elation grew within it as the song drew closer to its conclusion. Richard groaned and lunged from his spot on the ground, only to catch a heel to the nose. His nose shattered with a crunch and his head slammed back into the ground.

    Fire roared toward them from Barb¡¯s hands, the power rippling within the curling sea of red and orange far too great to be held back by the dam of his domain. Heat bit at his face and prickled against his skin. He played one more note.

    The violin fell silent.

    The Formation came to life.

 Chapter 400: Portals

    A crescent of black tore out from the notes of magic that Noah had laid, streaking out to meet the immense torrent of flame bearing down on it. The wall of fire curled like a wave as it made to crash down on top of Noah, screaming like a scorned god.

    Sunder¡¯s arc touched the flames.

    The room fell quiet. Barb¡¯s magic was swallowed, sound and flame alike, up by a devouring silence and an endless black. Firelight blinked out. All that remained was Sunder and its advance toward Barb.

    Her eyes widened and she flung herself to the side, three glistening Shields erupting around her body preemptively. Sunder didn¡¯t even register their existence. They were beneath it, so pathetic that they weren¡¯t even worth destroying.

    Its black blade continued on, disappearing into the wall without a sound. Barb hit the ground with a pained grunt and rolled to her feet. Fear gripped her face for the first time as she looked back at where Sunder¡¯s power had gone. Her shields still shimmered around her, waiting in silent anticipation.

    ¡°What was¨C¡±

    Barb¡¯s shields shattered. Three rings fell from her fingers, their power completely spent, and clinked against the ground. Even as she looked down in shock, a wet squelch split the silence. Her arm hit the ground before her, severed right above the elbow, the blood only just starting to come as it realized that it had been cut.

    The pipes behind Barb screeched. Purple smoke hissed out in a deluge, curling around her body as she clutched at the stump of her arm and took a stumbling, terrified step back. Blood poured out of the brutal wound as her vessels finally remembered that they were meant to be bleeding.

    Barb grit her teeth and fire erupted from her remaining hand. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air as she cauterized the wound. Before Noah could try to draw on his powers again, Barb thrust a palm toward him.

    A spark caught in the air, then detonated. Brayden rolled over and sank into the ground with a shimmer of magic, then reformed before Noah, slamming his sword into the ground. Purple energy erupted from his blade and swirled up into a shimmering wall an instant before the room disappeared in a flash.

    Fire roared past Noah and pipes shattered all around them under the force of Barb¡¯s magic. His domain shuddered and desperately tried to hold strong. Even with Brayden by his side, the fire licked hungrily past them. The only patch of the room that wasn¡¯t completely devoured in its hungry grasp was a small cone behind them.

    Brayden¡¯s purple magic cracked. His grip tightened around the hilt of his blade and he snarled in defiance. Noah tried to call the moisture in the room to create water, but there was almost nothing left to work with. Barb had evaporated almost all of it. He quickly gave up and turned his attention to the flame, trying to push it back with Natural Disaster.

    It was like trying to fight a brick wall. There was so much magic coiling within the fire that it was completely untouchable. All Noah and Brayden could do was stand there and bear the brunt of the attack, hoping it would end.

    After what felt like minutes but was truly only a few seconds at best, the fire sputtered out. Brayden¡¯s grip on his sword slacked and he pitched forward. He caught himself just before he could fall face first, bracing a trembling arm against the ground.

    There was no sign of Barb. She¡¯d vanished in the flames ¨C but she hadn¡¯t gone alone. The glass cylinder had melted to slag. Any imbuements that had once been on it had been reduced to nothing but molten trash. And, of the artifact that had been hidden within it, there was no sign.

    There was something far more important missing than any artifact.

    ¡°Tim!¡± Noah yelled. ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Over here. I¡¯m fine, Professor.¡±

    The relief struck Noah with such intensity that he nearly dropped on the spot. He turned around as Tim rose from behind a cluster of pipes, his hair badly singed but otherwise unharmed. Tim brushed soot of his arms and walked over to them on shaky legs.

    ¡°Thank God,¡± Noah said, grabbing the older man by his shoulders. ¡°I thought you¡¯d gotten fried.¡±

    ¡°I almost did,¡± Tim said. ¡°That healer had me by the neck. I was waiting for a good time to fight back, but when you knocked the life out of him, I figured it would be best to hide and avoid drawing any of your attention.¡±

    ¡°Probably for the best.¡± Noah turned back to scan the room. None of the purple smoke that had been pouring out of the pipes remained. It had been completely burned away by Barb¡¯s magic ¨C along with just about everything else.

    The floor, and ceiling where Barb had been standing strongly resembled the Scorched Acres. Pipe and bronze had blackened and turned partially to ash. The damage lessened the farther it got from where she¡¯d been, but the room was still thoroughly torched. A grimace passed over Noah¡¯s lips as he spotted Richard. Or, more accurately, as he spotted what remained of Richard.

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    It looked like he¡¯d tried to run while Noah and Brayden were distracted with Barb, but he¡¯d only made it a few steps away from them and toward Barb before her spell had gone off. His lower half was mostly in one piece, but the entire top of his body was nothing but a pile of soot on the ground.

    ¡°You okay, Brayden?¡± Noah asked. He kept Natural Disaster at his beck and call as he spoke. There wasn¡¯t much area left to hide in the room, but he wasn¡¯t going to take any chances in case she was biding her time somewhere.

    ¡°Alive,¡± Brayden said with a grunt. He grabbed his sword and pulled himself up with a groan. ¡°She¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I felt spatial magic a moment before she disappeared. Wizen pulled her back. We figured out what they were after too late. I only just caught on a short while ago and raced over here, thinking I could grab the key and move it elsewhere before Wizen¡¯s people arrived. Evidently, I wasn¡¯t fast enough.¡±

    ¡°That was a Rank 5,¡± Noah reminded Brayden. He couldn¡¯t lie ¨C he didn¡¯t really give much of a shit about what Wizen wanted. If it wasn¡¯t Moxie and it wasn¡¯t him or anyone he cared about, Arbitage could eat dirt. Their secrets weren¡¯t worth dying for. ¡°You did everything you could. But¡­ what happened here? Was Arbitage seriously keeping some super-weapon just¡­ sitting around in the transport cannon?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a super weapon,¡± Tim said. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t just sitting around. That¡¯s how the transport cannon operated. Magic doesn¡¯t come from nowhere, and Space Runes are incredibly difficult to get to high ranks. For an operation this powerful, normal imbuement would have been almost impossible.¡±

    ¡°So you drew magic from a spatial artifact to power the whole thing?¡±

    Tim nodded. ¡°Yes. It wasn¡¯t any sort of weapon, though. Not as far as I¡¯m aware. The Torrins donated it some time ago because they couldn¡¯t figure out how to use it, and Arbitage set it up as a transport service. That¡¯s all I know. That woman ¨C Barb ¨C she had an Arbitage researcher badge, so I paused operations on the cannon to show it to her. You saw most of the rest.¡±

    ¡°She had an inside agent,¡± Brayden said. He nodded to the remains of Richard¡¯s body, then grimaced and swayed. He braced himself against his sword again. ¡°This idiot. Probably got paid off. It¡¯s not your fault, old man. Father is going to be furious ¨C or elated. I can never tell. He might actually be more of the latter. The Torrins, on the other hand, will definitely be furious.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you. If Blancwood was on fire, I wouldn¡¯t piss on it to help,¡± Noah said. He glanced around the room again, then slowly let Natural Disaster slip from his grip. It didn¡¯t look like Barb was still around. ¡°Most of the Torrins can rot. They get whatever comes to them.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about them either, but Father gave me orders to interfere with Wizen. He won¡¯t be happy about this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Father,¡± Noah said with a wave. ¡°Have you really been running around this entire time trying to find what Wizen was after? You should have worked with Moxie. She was already doing the same thing. If you¡¯d told her, you probably would have found it earlier.¡±

    Brayden coughed into a fist and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. ¡°Yes. That probably would have been advisable, but I didn¡¯t consider that she¡¯d actually be doing anything. I¡¯ll apologize to her later.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not too badly injured, are you?¡± Noah asked as a flicker of concern passed through him.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Brayden let out a dry laugh. ¡°What about the old man?¡±

    ¡°Alive,¡± Tim said through a sigh. He wiped some of the soot from his face. ¡°And probably in better shape than you. We should go find help immediately. Someone needs to report what happened to Arbitage.¡±

    ¡°I agree,¡± Brayden said. ¡°Do you think you can go do that? I need to have a talk with Vermil.¡±

    Tim glanced at Noah, who gave him a small nod in response.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back with aid soon,¡± Tim promised. He hurried over to the ladder. It had been mostly warped and destroyed, but some of the metal had managed to hold its structure. He jumped and grabbed onto the lowest rung that hadn¡¯t been completely destroyed before pulling himself up and into the tunnel.

    ¡°So,¡± Brayden said wearily. ¡°You just cast a Formation with music.¡±

    ¡°So I did,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°You¡¯re Rank 4 now, and with a pretty strong domain. Midway through it, if I had to guess.¡±

    Noah nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the Rune you were using as its head. That might have been the most oppressive Rank 4 Rune I¡¯ve ever seen. Even with a Formation, cutting straight through the domain of a Rank 5 and nearly killing her in a single blow is almost unheard of. I take it there¡¯s a reason I¡¯ve never heard of the magic you were using?¡±

    Noah nodded once more. ¡°Yes. I¡¯d prefer to keep any information on it completely wrapped up.¡±

    ¡°Would I be remiss in guessing this is somehow connected to the way you can¡¯t seem to stay dead?¡±

    Noah gave Brayden a noncommittal shrug. He trusted the large man, but the truth of Sunder and how it worked was something he had no plans to give any more information on than he absolutely had to.

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Brayden said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell anyone if I were you. I¡¯ll avoid mentioning it to the Enforcers and anyone else that comes to look. I don¡¯t think Tim understood the magnitude of what he saw, but we can play this off as you being a Formation master. I¡¯ll avoid mentioning just how powerful that final attack was. Acceptable?¡±

    ¡°More than.¡± Noah gave Brayden an appreciative nod. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Brayden corrected. ¡°Saved my ass. I would have been dead if you didn¡¯t show up.¡±

    ¡°Any time. But¡­ before anyone else gets here, do you have any idea what that artifact actually was?¡±

    Lines of concern creased Brayden¡¯s face and he drew in a deep breath, letting out in a sigh. ¡°Yes. I do.¡±

    ¡°And? Is it something we have to be worried about?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Brayden admitted through a grimace. ¡°It was a key that opens a very long-distance portal.¡±

    ¡°To where?¡±

    ¡°The Damned Plains.¡±

 Chapter 401: The City of Gold

    One day ago.

    <hr>

    Wizen let out a rattling breath. He leaned back in his stone chair, his hand tightening at his side as the connection to his puppets sputtered and wheezed. Silvertide had done a lot more damage to Evergreen¡¯s runes than he¡¯d initially thought.

    The old woman wouldn¡¯t last much longer. He¡¯d already ripped every shred of power that she had to spare from her body. It was only right. She¡¯d cheated him. The key hadn¡¯t been on her.

    Perhaps I should have seen that coming. I can only blame myself. Why would the puppet of the Torrin family be carrying around an artifact like that? I should have gone after one of the important ones ¨C but it hardly matters now.

    The information flowing from the puppet sputtered to a stop. The last thing Wizen saw through its eyes was the plant matter filling its core seeping out and souring the Torrin Family¡¯s library.

    ¡°I knew it,¡± Wizen breathed. His fingers twitched at his sides and old wounds burned his back. He ignored the pain and rose to his feet, stepping past the cracked bulbs and striding out of the room.

    The darkness pulled away from him, as if in fear of his shadow. He strode down the hall, turning the corner and pushing through an old doorway to enter a kitchen. A middle-aged woman stood at the counter, her hands covered in flour and a ball of dough on the counter beside her.

    Several finished pastries laid on the wooden table between them, stuffed full of glistening cherries. The woman¡¯s hair hung around her face in a bob, and her face was slightly rotund. She smiled and brushed her hands off on the apron hanging from her neck.

    ¡°Wizen, honey. How have you been doing? You¡¯ve been working really hard lately.¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Wizen agreed with a dry laugh. He took one of the pastries from the table and bit into it, a delighted expression pulling across his features as the bright, sugary flavor of the fruit mixed perfectly with the flaky pastry. ¡°And it seems you have as well, Barb. You¡¯ve outdone yourself once more.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you flatter me,¡± Barb said with a soft laugh. ¡°I¡¯d be honored if it was my cooking that brought you out of your hole, but I suspect that I haven¡¯t gotten that good.¡±

    Wizen polished off the rest of the pastry before responding. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. Something far more important gives my feet flight.¡±

    Barb¡¯s eyebrows lifted. ¡°You found it, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I found it,¡± Wizen said. His smile stretched even further across his face and he picked up another pastry. ¡°At no cheap expense, mind you. Hundreds of puppets. An entire set of Rank 6 Runes, wasted.¡±

    ¡°Wasted? I¡¯d hardly say that,¡± Barb said. She stepped around the counter and took one of her pastries, taking a bite from it. After chewing for a moment, her lips pursed and she shook her head. ¡°Too sweet. I need less sugar.¡±

    ¡°I rather like them sweet,¡± Wizen said. ¡°And perhaps wasted is the wrong word. They did what I needed them to. I just didn¡¯t expect to lose so much at this stage. Silvertide is stronger than I thought.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s an old codger. What did you expect?¡± Barb shook her head and laughed. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate that he¡¯s going to be in our way. I¡¯ve met Silvertide before. He¡¯s a good man.¡±

    ¡°Most men are,¡± Wizen said. He finished his second pastry and wiped his mouth off with a napkin. ¡°But good men turn blind in the plight of those they care not for. We have no need for good men.¡±

    ¡°Everyone can be used,¡± Barb said. ¡°You¡¯re just too black and white, hon. Learn some shades of gray.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you and the others,¡± Wizen said. ¡°For now, all I care about is the key. As I suspected, it is within Arbitage.¡±

    ¡°It is? Well, color me a dunce,¡± Barb said with a sheepish smile. ¡°I was convinced they¡¯d never let something like that out of their sight. What a stupid move.¡±

    ¡°The more you know of the Torrin family, the more sense it makes. They claim to be warriors, but they are rats. They hide their strength and lurk in the shadows, hoping to take their opponents by surprise. It is ironic that the Linwick family somehow has more honest men than they do.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s saying a lot,¡± Barb said. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±

    Wizen snorted. ¡°You speak of Father? He is honest. He does not lie. Words are a weapon which must always be wielded when in his presence, but he does not lie. I respect him.¡±

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    ¡°He¡¯s a codgery old asshole who should be rotting in a grave. The world would be better off without him. He sent you a black primrose, Wizen. He¨C¡±

    ¡°Cannot get on my nerves that easily,¡± Wizen finished. ¡°Father seeks to anger me. It will not work. The only thing that matters is results.¡±

    Barb flashed Wizen a smirk. ¡°Are you sure? I saw you speaking to Silvertide and those brats with him. That didn¡¯t look like pure results.¡±

    ¡°There was a purpose to it.¡± Wizen coughed into his fist. ¡°And some conversation may have not been remiss. It has been some time since I¡¯ve spoken to people other than those within our circle. Proper ones, that is.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I understand. It can be quite the downer,¡± Barb said. She walked back to the counter and started to work the dough again. ¡°But I still can¡¯t believe the Torrins sent the key away.¡±

    ¡°It makes sense. The key holds no power for a coward. It may not hold power for a bold fool either. It is nothing but an opportunity,¡± Wizen said. ¡°But it is the opportunity I have been searching for.¡±

    ¡°So how are you going to get it? Your puppets are all gone, and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to wring any more magic out of Evergreen¡¯s old husk. Silvertide gave you a ringing slap, hon.¡±

    Wizen let out a small laugh. ¡°He removed my puppets from the play, but I have far more pieces on the board than just them. Surely you don¡¯t think so lowly of me to only have a single plan, Barb. Even Father knows better. He sent someone to guard the key and stand in my way.¡±

    ¡°Father did? Who, the one that killed Gentil?¡±

    ¡°No. His brother,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°He arrived at Arbitage some time ago and I haven¡¯t seen him since. There¡¯s no doubt in my mind that he watches over the key ¨C but he will not be able to stop my agent.¡±

    Barb raised an eyebrow. ¡°Brother¡­ Brayden, was it? Big man. Beautiful muscles. I just want to squeeze his cheeks.¡±

    ¡°Please keep your fantasies to yourself,¡± Wizen said with a weary sigh. ¡°But yes. The Space Rune user. He likely lies in wait for us to make our next move. Brayden should not be underestimated. He may seem to be a lumbering idiot, but he is intelligent and capable. If he was not, he would not have survived this long in Father¡¯s presence.¡±

    ¡°So I see. And where is this key?¡± Barb asked. ¡°A vault beneath the academy? Locked deep in their rune research rooms so that only their best mages can gaze upon it and attempt to discern its function?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Wizen said with a dry laugh. ¡°That was where I believed it would be as well. It is honestly quite ingenious. I must give the Torrins credit. They know how to hide. That is the only way they evaded me so long. I shared your beliefs, Barb. Come.¡±

    Barb glanced down at her dough, then back up at Wizen as he headed for the door. With a huff, she walked after him. The two returned to the room with the bulbs, where Wizen lowered himself into a chair.

    Dirt rippled at his feet, rising up into a chair for Barb across from him. She sat down as the dirt continued to bubble, forming into a perfect replica of Arbitage.

    ¡°Arbitage is my favorite of the bastions,¡± Wizen said, a smile drifting across his face. ¡°So many different goals, all of them competing. Their schooling is inadequate. Their teachers are fools. Their researchers are greedy and hoard knowledge instead of sharing it. They steal from even their own families.¡±

    ¡°Wizen, hon, did you forget what favorite means again?¡±

    Wizen let out a huff. No matter how strong he got, Barb never seemed to enjoy wallowing in arrogance for too long. It was good. She kept him grounded.

    ¡°The reason Arbitage exists is not for any of the reasons above,¡± Wizen said. ¡°Arbitage is a storage. It exists to give the top noble families a location to put their artifacts ¨C the ones they want studied, but the ones they don¡¯t want near their actual homes. They send their children ¨C the ones that look important but lack true value ¨C as a cover. In truth, nearly everyone in Arbitage is replacable. A few rise above the rabble, but the rest are only there to take up space. Arbitage is not a sanctuary or a school. It is an agreement between the top noble families to designate an area where they could store the weapons that proved too great a threat to keep close to chest. It is an armory.¡±

    ¡°So they all pitch in some garbage to make it seem like a proper school, then stick all the bad news into it somewhere in hopes that the problem becomes someone else¡¯s issue to deal with when it goes wrong?¡±

    Wizen nodded. ¡°Yes. They obviously want some students to be successful as well, but they take no risks in their training. Those who have talent occasionally succeed, but their purpose is merely to keep the attention of other noble families ¨C and even some members of their own families ¨C averted from the Bastion¡¯s true purpose.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ where¡¯s the key?¡± Barb asked. ¡°A vault?¡±

    ¡°Hidden in plain sight.¡± Wizen¡¯s smile returned. He waved a hand and the buildings faded away until only a single one remained. A thin tower, cannon at its top pointed to the heavens. ¡°What better place to store a spatial artifact than a cannon that uses its powers as a battery?¡±

    ¡°Clever,¡± Barb said. ¡°You¡¯re sure? That¡¯s¡­ bold. Even for them.¡±

    ¡°The information lines up. I am certain. You will go.¡±

    ¡°I figured as much,¡± Barb said. She pulled her apron off and folded it up, setting it down on the arm of Wizen¡¯s seat. ¡°You¡¯ve got things arranged to get me into campus?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Be hasty. Do not let yourself get caught up in a long fight. Arbitage¡¯s students may be largely worthless, but its protectors are not. You will not survive a fight if they all come down on you.¡±

    ¡°I can handle myself, hon. Don¡¯t you worry,¡± Barb said. ¡°I might need a little help if things go south, though.¡±

    ¡°Already handled. I¡¯ve had an agent in Arbitage for some time now.¡±

    ¡°Is there anywhere you don¡¯t have an agent?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Wizen replied with a dry laugh. ¡°Finish your preparations, Barb. The key will be mine by nightfall.¡±

    Barb gave him a sharp nod, then headed out of the room. Wizen watched her leave, then drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Twinges ran down his back, but he ignored them. He was so close. After all these years, everything was finally sliding into place.

    ¡°Count the days, old friend,¡± Wizen breathed. ¡°The City of Gold awaits us.¡±

 Chapter 402: Smoking

    Barb dropped through the portal, smoke curling up from her body. She dropped to the floor of the cold cave and let out a heaving cough that racked her entire body, expelling soot from her lungs.

    ¡°Barb!¡± Wizen exclaimed, rushing to her side. His fingers flew to his side and pulled a vial full of glistening green liquid free, popping the wax seal off in the same movement. He brought it to her mouth and tipped it in.

    Barb drank greedily, wrapping her lips around the lip of the bottle to keep herself from spilling any of it. Magic worked its way through her body and she let out a relieved breath. The burns that covered her body quickly started to turn pink and pull back.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains happened?¡± Wizen demanded. ¡°It was meant to be a fast in-and-out! How did you get so badly injured?¡±

    ¡°Father figured us out,¡± Barb said through a cough. She wiped her lips with the back of a hand and grimaced. ¡°His kids were there. Both Vermil and Brayden, though it seemed that Vermil was acting on his own volition.¡±

    ¡°Children gave you this much difficulty?¡± Wizen asked, trying and failing to contain the shock in his voice. ¡°A Rank 4 and ¨C what was Vermil? A Rank 3 at best?¡±

    ¡°Rank 4,¡± Barb said grimly. The wounds covering her body continued to heal and she pushed herself upright. A frown crossed her lips and she looked down at her missing right arm. The burn at its stump was fading, but the arm showed no sign of regrowing. ¡°What kind of potion did you give me, Wizen? Am I not worth better than this drivel?¡±

    ¡°Drivel? That potion was over fifty thousand gold,¡± Wizen said. His eyes followed Barb¡¯s and his brow creased in disbelief and confusion. ¡°What happened to you? Did they have an Enforcer lying in wait? Brayden is competent, but not that competent. You shouldn¡¯t have had any trouble.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t Brayden. It was Vermil. He was the stronger of the two, and by an enormous margin.¡±

    ¡°Vermil was? Impossible. He barely beat Gentil.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a Formation master,¡± Barb said flatly. The last of her wounds faded away. Her missing arm made no moves to return. It was as if the potion had registered her ¡®whole¡¯ state as missing an arm. ¡°And he¡¯s got one of the most wicked Formations I¡¯ve ever seen. His domain put him at mid Rank 4, but he cut straight through my own domain and would have killed me if I hadn¡¯t dodged in time.¡±

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Wizen said. His mind spun as he searched through all the information he¡¯d gathered. Vermil had been an anomaly. Father¡¯s least favorite child and a lecherous pervert. Something had changed in the man some time ago and he¡¯d started growing in power, but nothing had indicated the rate of growth was this intense.

    There was a chance that he¡¯d met with someone strong enough to feed him Runes, but as to who, Wizen didn¡¯t know. His closest allies were an exiled servant from the Torrin Family, his students with an all-too-common vendetta against the nobles, and an over-eager girl with an appetite far too large for her body.

    Even if Jalen himself had decided to step in and deliver runes straight to Vermil, this result shouldn¡¯t have been possible. Mastering Formations in mere months, not to mention having such a Formation strong enough to nearly kill someone a whole rank above him¡­ the chances of that happening were astronomically low.

    Which means one of two things. Either Vermil has been a plant from the start and has been hiding his power this entire time, or he got his hands on one of the most powerful Master Runes to ever exist. I can¡¯t think of anything else that would let him challenge Barb.

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    Between the two options, the former was the most likely. Father had always liked sowing his seeds far in advance. This one had just slipped under his nose. Wizen cursed under his breath. He¡¯d been convinced that he¡¯d gotten the upper hand on Father, but the cunning bastard had been a step ahead.

    ¡°Damn it all,¡± Wizen cursed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Barb. I was confident¨C¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, hon,¡± Barb said with a curt laugh that contained all the anger that her words lacked. ¡°Can¡¯t predict everything. It¡¯s a miracle everything has lined up as well as it has this far. An arm is a small price to pay.¡±

    ¡°It is not. Things will be harder now than they ever were,¡± Wizen said. ¡°You¡¯re one of my strongest warriors. I can¡¯t afford to waste your power like this. We don¡¯t have anything to spare. Arbitage will doubtlessly have moved the key now. I will have to act myself. It¡¯s the only way to keep anyone else from¨C¡±

    Wizen¡¯s words died on his lips as Barb opened her remaining hand. Nestled within it was a glistening golden key. Thin purple inscriptions ran along its surface and glistened in anticipation. The power within it was so faint that he could barely feel it, but the key¡¯s appearance was undeniable.

    ¡°You got it,¡± Wizen breathed.

    ¡°Barely,¡± Barb said with a chuckle. ¡°Had to torch the entire room and nearly kill myself in the process. I¡¯m not immune to my own fire when it¡¯s hot enough to rip through my domain. I knew we weren¡¯t getting another shot at this. Not an easy one, at least. There was too much on the line to fail.¡±

    ¡°Have I ever told you how much I love you?¡± Wizen asked, taking the key from Barb. His throat tightened, the hand of the past wringing it dry. The key was so light. So small. So powerful.

    It had been the only thing he¡¯d thought about for years, to the point where he¡¯d started to wonder if he¡¯d ever actually get his hands on it. The power the artifact represented was immense. It was spatial magic perfected ¨C something that humanity had failed to achieve for years upon years.

    His studies had shown him countless ways to turn it into a deadly weapon. It possessed the ability to level entire cities, were it properly connected to a few other choice artifacts and controlled by the proper wielder.

    Wizen couldn¡¯t have cared less. There was only one thing he wanted the key for, and it wasn¡¯t any power that could be claimed on this plane of existence.

    ¡°Rest, Barb,¡± Wizen said. He pulled a chain out from his pocket and threaded it through the key. He hung it around his neck and tucked it into his shirt. ¡°You have done well. I will find a way to deal with your arm. The rune that did that somehow completely severed your arm, both body and soul. It is a powerful one, clearly aided by its Formation.¡±

    ¡°Are we going to go after it?¡±

    ¡°Want it for yourself, do you?¡± Wizen let out a dry laugh. ¡°Perhaps. But not now. We must keep sight of our goal. Father is a deadly opponent, and it seems Vermil is a card that we did not place. We cannot afford any distractions or roadblocks. There is only one thing that matters.¡±

    Barb gave him a sharp nod. ¡°I suppose so. I¡¯ll hold you to that promise about my arm, Wizen. I can¡¯t bake with one arm. Not as well as I could with two, at least.¡±

    ¡°The Damned Plains will possess all which we seek. Even if there is no cure, there will be an acceptable replacement.¡±

    Barb brushed her burnt clothes off and rose to her feet with an unsteady wobble. She adjusted her shirt and let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m going to need a new apron as well.¡±

    ¡°It will be arranged for. Go rest.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°I will do what I always do,¡± Wizen replied. His hand lifted to the key resting against his chest and his eyes darkened. ¡°I will prepare. This phase of our work is complete. Now that we have the key, I will gather the rest of the five. We must move quickly. Father will doubtlessly set his own plans into motion when he discovers the key is lost. He must not be allowed to interfere.¡±

    ¡°Something tells me that he will anyway.¡±

    ¡°Most likely,¡± Wizen said. He spun and started for the exit of the cave. ¡°But he always has, and it has not stopped us yet. This time, the reason for that is you. But, from here on out, I will be taking a much more aggressive position. We will not be caught off guard once more. The Damned Plains will open to us, and I will take what is mine.¡±

 Chapter 403: Plans in plans

    It didn¡¯t take the Enforcers long to arrive. Just a minute after Barb had vanished, while he and Brayden were still getting their bearings again, a ripple of energy passed over the transport cannon. They both stiffened, but instead of Barb or another one of Wizen¡¯s men, the one who stepped through was an old man in an Arbitage uniform.

    He held a staff in one hand, his eyes scanning over the room before he¡¯d even set foot in it. Behind him came Neir and another man that Noah recognized ¨C Godrick, the head of the Advanced Track. Tim stepped out after them and walked back over to rejoin Noah and Brayden.

    ¡°You again,¡± Neir said, his eyes locking onto Noah as Tim passed him. ¡°Why is it always you?¡±

    ¡°Professor Vermil,¡± Godrick said. ¡°What in the Damned Plains happened here? Who is this?¡±

    Noah let out a breath and let his hands lower, releasing his hold on his Runes. This wasn¡¯t a threat that flinging magic around was going to solve. He forced himself to bite back a sarcastic laugh. It didn¡¯t seem like Arbitage¡¯s enforcers could ever show up on time.

    They were late when he¡¯d killed the Hellreaver, and now they were late to getting their artifact stolen out from right beneath their noses. Tim must have had some way to get their attention at the top of the transport cannon.

    ¡°Wizen attacked,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°One of his people, more accurately. A Rank 5 woman by the name of Barb,¡± Brayden corrected. ¡°My name is Brayden.¡±

    The old man didn¡¯t bother exchanging any words. He made a beeline over to the melted glass, stepping over shattered pipes with a distasteful frown on his lips.

    Neir massaged his temple with two fingers. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with both people present. They¡¯re from the Linwick Family. Brayden is a Rank 4 space magic user. Vermil is a Rank 3¡­ well, something. I don¡¯t know what he does other than get his nose stuck into problems.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not Rank 3,¡± the old man said from the far side of the room, turning to look over his shoulder at them. ¡°He has a domain.¡±

    Neir blinked. He did a double take, then squinted. ¡°Wait. I thought that was Brayden¡¯s. How are you Rank 4, Vermil? You were Rank 1 a few months ago.¡±

    ¡°A few months is an exaggeration. I¡¯ve been working hard, and I¡¯ve got connections.¡±

    ¡°His rank is irrelevant to the matter at hand,¡± Godrick said. His eyes swept over Tim, who had yet to speak, but didn¡¯t stop moving. He drummed his fingers on his thighs, irritation evident on his features. ¡°What did Wizen take? The expressions on your faces tell me we didn¡¯t win this particular confrontation.¡±

    ¡°A key to the Damned Plains,¡± Brayden said. ¡°Wizen¡¯s operative was severely wounded, but she appears to have survived. We have no reason to assume otherwise.¡±

    ¡°A key to the Damned Plains?¡± Neir repeated. He sent Brayden a baffled look. ¡°Who in their right mind would want that?¡±

    ¡°This may be news to you, but I don¡¯t suspect Wizen is in his right mind,¡± Godrick grumbled. ¡°How did you know he would be here, Vermil? And why did you not warn anyone else? If the advanced track had known, we could have¨C¡±

    ¡°I only stumbled into this on accident,¡± Noah said. He nodded over his shoulder at Tim. ¡°I was looking for him and thought it strange that nobody was manning the transport cannon, so I went looking around. I showed up while Brayden was fighting Barb.¡±

    ¡°And why did you tell nobody? Or did you also stumble into this on accident?¡± Neir pressed Brayden.

    Brayden shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t work for Arbitage. I work with it. There¡¯s a difference. Father told me he had some suspicions as to what Wizen¡¯s goals were. Barb showed up shortly after I arrived to investigate.¡±

    ¡°There are traces of powerful spatial magic here,¡± the old man said, walking back over from the melted glass tube to rejoin them. He tapped his staff on the ground as he came to a halt. ¡°Rank 6. Beyond anything these two could create.¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous. I can¡¯t believe a lone Rank 6 manage to steal from us. It doesn¡¯t matter how strong he is. This is unbelievable,¡± Godrick said.

    ¡°You think that¡¯s bad?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Wizen had an agent in the school.¡±

    ¡°Another clone?¡± Godrick¡¯s eyes dropped to the burnt body on the ground behind Noah.

    ¡°No. As far as I could tell, this one was just a guy. Someone by the name of Richard. A healer. Brayden probably could have held Barb off if it hadn¡¯t been for him.¡±

    ¡°What-ifs are irrelevant,¡± the old man said. His grip tightened on the staff and he knelt beside Richard¡¯s body, studying its remains with a growing frown. ¡°Were you able to determine anything about why they wanted the key?¡±

    ¡°No. Barb never mentioned it,¡± Brayden said. ¡°It seems very likely that this key was their end goal, though. I believe all those clones Wizen was spreading across Arbitage were likely him digging for information by taking the bodies of people with access to hidden information. That¡¯s why he was targeting a mixture of people with access to archives belonging to the Torrin Family and members of the Advanced Track.¡±

    And it explains why he was after Moxie as well, not that I¡¯ll be telling these jokers any of that. The less involved they are with me or anyone I care about, the better. In a way, I¡¯m glad Wizen got the key. I don¡¯t know what his goals are with it, but now he¡¯s not going to be after Moxie anymore.

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    ¡°A logical theory,¡± Godrick allowed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and frowned. ¡°We¡¯ll have to run damage control. Again. We can¡¯t have word getting out that Arbitage can be easily robbed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you care about anything other than appearance?¡± Neir asked. ¡°There¡¯s a madman with a key to the Damned Plains strolling around who knows where. He¡¯s got access to a Rank 6 Space Rune on top of things. Do you even realize how much of a threat that is? Do you know how many Space Runes are well made enough to make it to Rank 5, much less Rank 6?¡±

    Now that he mentions it, I do recall Space Runes being really rare and difficult to rank up. Maybe I should pull Brayden aside at some point and help him with his combinations and advancement to Rank 5. He already knows about some of my secrets, and we¡¯re pretty much in this together at this point.

    ¡°Appearance controls the public. It is a powerful weapon, even if you find it distasteful.¡± Godrick¡¯s wide jaw clenched and he shook his head. ¡°Am I remiss in assuming the transport cannon won¡¯t function without that artifact? I gather the key was powering everything.¡±

    ¡°It was,¡± Tim said from behind Noah. ¡°The cannon is a big tower without it. I suppose we could temporarily reactivate it with enough space magic, but the costs would be enormous. I don¡¯t know where we¡¯d find space magic users that powerful that would be willing to lend themselves to powering a tower for any amount of time.¡±

    ¡°There are some members in the advanced track that can help,¡± Godrick said. He turned his eyes toward Brayden. ¡°And you ¨C you¡¯re a space mage, yes?¡±

    ¡°I take it this is for the upcoming exams?¡± Brayden guessed. ¡°If so, I can help. You¡¯re correct. If we have people start going into a panic now, Wizen will thrive off the chaos. We need to keep a united front.¡±

    ¡°Figure the logistics out later,¡± the old man said. He straightened back up and shook his head. ¡°Vermil is correct. Richard was not a puppet. I also failed to sense any magic lingering on him beyond his own Runes. He was working on his own volition. Not mind controlled.¡±

    ¡°Meaning Wizen could have more people here working for him,¡± Neir finished. ¡°Shit.¡±

    ¡°It only matters if he needs more from Arbitage, and I doubt that to be the case. We will be vigilant, but this may be someone else¡¯s problem. Godrick is correct. Our first priority is making sure nobody loses doubt in the sanctity of Arbitage.¡±

    Noah nearly bust out laughing. The old man had said his own thoughts almost exactly, but he hadn¡¯t expected them from someone who was supposed to have a responsibility to protect the entire school. Maybe he had more in common with the Enforcers than he¡¯d thought.

    ¡°That said,¡± the old man continued, his eyes narrowing. ¡°We must retrieve the key. It is not a weapon, but it is an immense power source. It is too dangerous to be left in the hands of a monster.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to find him first,¡± Neir said. ¡°Unless you¡¯re strong enough to rip that portal back open.¡±

    ¡°It would be possible, but it would also be an ill idea,¡± the old man said with a shake of his head. ¡°Wizen is powerful enough to give me pause. I would not barge into his home ground like a fool. It would not end well for us.¡±

    ¡°Wizen won¡¯t be able to use the key for whatever he¡¯s planning anytime soon,¡± Godrick said. ¡°It¡¯ll take him time to figure out how to draw power from it. I have to assume it was a difficult artifact to operate considering how it was being used.¡±

    The old man nodded. ¡°Yes. The inscriptions on the glass were incredibly complex and took months to create. Brayden, Vermil ¨C did Barb get a look at them? A long one?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Brayden said. ¡°She never had a chance. She might have gotten a glance during the fight, but not enough of one to memorize anything.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Neir said. ¡°We¡¯ve got time then. Two months, if we assume he¡¯s faster than we were.¡±

    ¡°Likely,¡± Godrick said. He ran his hands through his hair and adjusted his uniform, letting out a huff. ¡°I came here ready for a fight, not a political disaster. No matter. I will handle things with the rest of the Advanced Track. Vermil ¨C I hope you¡¯re ready to field questions. You already had interest on you. The other professors are going to be even more interested.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to mobilize them to find Wizen?¡± Neir asked. ¡°We could use the help.¡±

    ¡°No. Their duty is to their students. Unlike the rest of Arbitage, we actually care about teaching our charges. There are more than enough Enforcers to handle searching for Wizen, and I¡¯ll help you with any domestic issues, but finding the madman is your problem. He is not an immediate threat to anyone¡¯s safety.¡±

    Noah caught himself before he could nod in approval. Godrick actually seemed like he was genuinely interested in the wellbeing of his students. That was ironic as, according to Silvertide, he quite literally didn¡¯t have a heart.

    No need to support him too publicly in front of Neir. I¡¯m surprised he¡¯s not frothing at the mouth. I have to look ridiculously suspicious at this point. If Brayden wasn¡¯t here, I¡¯d be screwed.

    ¡°Figures,¡± Neir muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll need Silvertide. Possibly Vermil as well.¡±

    ¡°Their schedules are theirs, not mine.¡±

    ¡°Great. There was going to be a meeting with the Enforcers tonight, but it¡¯ll have to be postponed to tomorrow morning so we can gather more information. Vermil, you can come report¨C¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got something scheduled, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Noah said.

    Neir blinked. ¡°What? What are you on about? We¡¯ve got more important things to do than whatever it was that you were planning. You were a witness. I need to know everything that happened.¡±

    ¡°Brayden knows more than I do,¡± Noah said without a flicker of shame. ¡°But we already told you almost everything. I¡¯m more than willing to help figure this whole shitshow out and track Wizen down, but not at the cost of what I¡¯m already doing. It¡¯s like Godrick said. Wizen isn¡¯t a threat to anyone¡¯s safety right now. I have duties to the advanced track, my fellow professors, and my students.¡±

    I have a date with Moxie. I¡¯m not missing it for this shitshow. Wizen is Arbitage¡¯s problem, not mine. I really don¡¯t care if he decides to screw off to the Damned Plains.

    Godrick gave Noah a small nod of respect and Neir let out a huff of annoyed breath.

    ¡°Figures. What about tomorrow night?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the advanced track meeting,¡± Godrick said. ¡°They¡¯re every three days.¡±

    Ah. I finally learn the schedule. Right on time, buddy.

    ¡°Day after tomorrow?¡± Neir tried.

    ¡°That will work.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Neir said. ¡°Thank you. I suppose that works better regardless. Gives me time to gather more information ¨C and to vet the Enforcers. We need to make sure Wizen doesn¡¯t have any more spies in our midst, even if all his puppets are gone. Godrick, even if your group is busy, I hope you¡¯ll make sure they aren¡¯t working against us.¡±

    ¡°We already had a re-vetting process recently. Nobody in the advanced track is working with Wizen,¡± Godrick said. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to sit around here any longer. Julius, will you handle sealing the cannon down and come up with an explanation as to why it¡¯s broken until I can get a replacement running?¡±

    The old man nodded.

    ¡°Good,¡± Godrick said. He heaved a sigh, then shook his head. ¡°More work. Let¡¯s get to it then. With any luck, Wizen has what he wanted and will leave us alone from here on out. We¡¯ve got exams to prepare for.¡±

    Noah couldn¡¯t agree more, but he got the feeling that he wasn¡¯t quite done with Wizen quite yet.

    I wonder if Lee could get any use out of that key he took. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to want to go back to the Damned Plains, but I should probably let her know what¡¯s going on.

 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

    Howdy guys! Return of the Runebound Professor is finally out on Amazon! It''s been edited up, polished, and is a big ole chunky 750 pages. Now for the part you care about:

    If Book 1 gets to top 100 on Amazon Ebooks, I will release 5 bonus chapters in celebration!

    My audiobook company kind of trolled me and suddenly rescheduled the audiobook release, which did some damage to the launch. I''m doing everything I can to manage that, which is why I''m digging into my backlog here. Every single rating, review, and purchase help me a ton. If you don''t have KU, you can leave ratings/reviews for free! Just click the link below. Thanks so much for your support guys. It''s been a really damn stressful day due to the aforementioned incidents, but I really love this novel and I want a lot of people to be able to see it. You all rock.

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    You can check the novel out HERE!</a>

 Chapter 404: Lizards

    Everyone headed out of the Transport Cannon. Noah wanted to hang back to speak with Tim, but he didn¡¯t have any way to do it without coming off as suspicious. He¡¯d have to pick the time he chose to repair the rest of the man¡¯s runes carefully. There was a good chance someone from the Enforcers would be watching over him in the near future.

    He headed off across the grass alongside Brayden while the others all split off in separate directions and Tim remained behind, presumably to explain that the cannon was temporarily out of commission to anyone that came by to use it.

    ¡°So,¡± Noah said after a few seconds of walking in silence. ¡°Now that Wizen managed to steal what he wanted and you don¡¯t have anything that needs to be guarded, what¡¯s the plan?¡±

    ¡°Help the Enforcers figure out what he¡¯s doing, I suppose,¡± Brayden said with a shrug. ¡°Father told me to interfere with Wizen¡¯s plans. I would have preferred to cut them off at the head, but I got too cocky. You were right. I should have tried to work with you,¡± Brayden admitted with an embarrassed sigh. ¡°I thought my Runes would let me handle whoever Wizen sent. I just wasn¡¯t expecting them to have backup in the form of a healer.¡±

    I know Space Runes are strong, but I wonder if I¡¯ve been seriously underestimating them. Brayden was able to hold off someone a whole rank above him ¨C and he nearly won the fight. To do that without Sunder or any of the other unfair advantages I have¡­ damn. I think I know the direction my next rune is going to go in. Some form of space-related disaster, perhaps?

    ¡°You did better than anyone else in your position probably would have,¡± Noah said. ¡°Nobody could blame you for that. But does this mean you¡¯re going to stop avoiding me now?¡±

    Brayden let out a snort. ¡°Has anyone ever told you how much of a little shit you are?¡±

    ¡°Moxie tells me all the time.¡±

    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d say this, but that Torrin has a good head on her shoulders,¡± Brayden said. ¡°And yes, I¡¯ll be around. You lot always seem to have something interesting happening. Wouldn¡¯t mind swinging by some of your classes to see how those kids of yours are doing. Isabel and Todd were pretty interesting. They¡¯ll be good mages one day.¡±

    Noah nodded in agreement. There was a note of awkwardness to both of them that hadn¡¯t been there the last time they¡¯d truly spoken, but if anything, Noah was surprised it wasn¡¯t worse. They hadn¡¯t truly had a chance to interact ever since he¡¯d revealed that he wasn¡¯t actually Vermil and was actually just puppeting his body around.

    I¡¯m really glad Vermil was a burning piece of shit. If I¡¯d taken the place of somebody who was actually a good man, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d ever have been able to forgive myself.

    ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome to swing by a class. The next one will be tomorrow. It might be a bit of an odd once since we normally use the transport cannon to get around. That obviously isn¡¯t going to be happening.¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Brayden agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll come back tomorrow morning, then. Until then, there¡¯s still some work I need to handle for Father. I¡¯ll have to let him know what happened as well. What a bother.¡±

    ¡°Good luck with that. Let me know if there¡¯s anything I can do to help. I have a way with Father.¡±

    ¡°A way with pissing him off, more like.¡± Brayden snorted and shook his head. ¡°I can handle him myself, I think.¡±

    Fair enough.

    ¡°Good luck, then. You know where to find me. Oh ¨C go to Moxie¡¯s room, not mine. I kind of gave mine to Contessa and Karina.¡±

    Brayden started to nod, then froze. Confusion passed over his features as he did a double take and turned to fully face Noah. ¡°You what?¡±

    ¡°Oh, did you know them?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Brayden said, his voice taut. ¡°I know Karina. Why in the world is she staying in your room? Did Father not let her out of the contract? I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re tolerating her presence.¡±

    ¡°Oh no, he did. I¡¯m not entirely sure why she¡¯s sticking around,¡± Noah admitted, rubbing the back of his head. He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t really care, though. She and Contessa seem to get along well enough. I¡¯m already letting Contessa use the room, so there¡¯s not really a reason to complain if someone else is as well.¡±

    ¡°And who is Contessa?¡±

    ¡°Moxie¡¯s handler and go-between between her and Evergreen. Well, she was. That was before Evergreen met her, ah, untimely end.¡±

    Brayden¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I heard. The news of a Linwick that just happened to be visiting Blancwood being the reason that a coup failed wasn¡¯t as suppressed as they would have liked it to be. What a¡­ beneficial coincidence for you and Moxie.¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Noah just grinned. ¡°She won¡¯t be missed.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t suppose she will be.¡± Brayden shook his head and let out a laugh. ¡°Sometimes it baffles me that Father tolerates you when he¡¯s had people ripped limb for limb for doing half as much as you do. Then I remember that you somehow walk out of every situation with the upper hand. The more I learn, the less I think I actually understand.¡±

    ¡°That tends to be how knowledge works anyway.¡± Noah shrugged. ¡°Generally, I¡¯ve just found that bullshitting through every situation ends pretty well for me. It¡¯s an effective strategy.¡±

    ¡°For you, maybe.¡± Brayden looked at Noah out of the corners of his eyes. ¡°The rest of us aren¡¯t insane.¡±

    ¡°Well, you should give it a try sometimes. It seems to work pretty well. By the way ¨C unrelated question. Is it really that hard to successfully combine Space Runes?¡±

    Brayden came to a stop and Noah did the same.

    ¡°Why do you ask? Planning on trying to form some yourself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m strongly considering it. You¡¯re an absolute menace. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d try to form the exact same ones since they probably wouldn¡¯t fit my current path, but adding space to my abilities would definitely be useful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a very powerful form of magic, but it¡¯s every bit as difficult to combine as people say. Think about it this way ¨C can you think of fire in your head? Can you picture it and what it does? What causes it, and what makes it snuff out?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Now do that for space. What is space?¡±

    That¡­ huh. I don¡¯t think he just wants me to say something that literally just takes up space. How would one actually describe space, not something that takes up space?

    Noah¡¯s brow furrowed as he thought. A few seconds passed as he dug for the words to answer Brayden¡¯s question. It was surprisingly frustrating. He knew what space was. Everyone did. And yet, despite that, he couldn¡¯t actually find words to describe it. The harder he thought, the less he could actually explain.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°I think I see what you¡¯re getting at. I¡¯ve got no damn idea what space is.¡±

    Brayden chuckled. ¡°And that¡¯s the problem. I could tell you. It wouldn¡¯t change much. Logically knowing something isn¡¯t quite enough. You have to completely understand it. That¡¯s why space runes are so difficult to form.¡±

    ¡°So how in the world did you figure it out?¡±

    Brayden¡¯s grin faded. ¡°Practice. A lot of it. Father wanted to see what would happen when someone grew up entirely focused on understanding a rune that few could completely comprehend. I¡¯ve been learning about these runes since I was a child, but even that has only taken me so far. I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯ll do at higher ranks. I¡¯m reaching my natural limit.¡±

    Sunder could help a lot with that. Even if you don¡¯t perfectly understand what you¡¯re doing, you could just put them together and break them over and over.

    ¡°Where do you think that limit is? Rank 5?¡±

    ¡°Probably. I suppose I¡¯ll find out when I reach it. I¡¯m not too far from forming my last Rank 4 Rune. I¡¯ve been taking it pretty slow to ensure my understanding of everything is as extensive as possible. That said, are you still considering getting into space magic?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°I¡¯d warn you off of it, but somehow I doubt that would do anything. Feel free to ask me if you need help with anything, but I suggest you try to test things out a bit yourself first. Buy a Rank 1 Space Rune and feel it out. If that doesn¡¯t completely turn you away from the idea, then talk to me again.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that,¡± Noah said with an appreciative nod.

    Brayden clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. Until tomorrow, then.¡±

    ¡°Just not too early. I¡¯ve got a date with Moxie, so I¡¯ll be busy in the morning.¡±

    Brayden snorted. ¡°Rub it in, will you?¡±

    Noah tilted his head to the side. ¡°Wait, are you looking for someone? I never really thought about it, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to set me up.¡± Brayden¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I am more than capable of handling all aspects of my love life myself.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Noah said. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t push. I don¡¯t think I really know that many single people anyway. You could try your luck with Contessa or Karina, but I¡¯m not so sure¨C¡±

    Brayden blanched before Noah could even finish the sentence. ¡°I think I¡¯m quite all right. I¡¯d sooner pursue a leprosy-ridden lizard than Karina.¡±

    Ouch. Cold. Not that I blame you, but cold.

    ¡°Not Karina, then. Well, maybe Moxie knows someone.¡±

    ¡°I already told you that I don¡¯t need any help in my damn love life. Go back to focusing on those space runes, will you? That¡¯ll be a better usage of your time. Or, more accurately, you might want to try to start saving up. Space Runes aren¡¯t cheap. I could probably part with one of mine, but¨C¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You already gave Lee one, and she really needed it. This is just passing fancy for me, so I don¡¯t want to take your hard-earned energy.¡±

    It wouldn¡¯t feel right just constantly using Brayden for free stuff. Besides, I can just wait for that bloke who bought the last Monster Rune from me to reveal himself so I can scam the bugger for another shitload of gold. That¡¯s just as easy and it gives me time to think about what kind of rune I¡¯d actually be making with space in it.

    ¡°If you¡¯re sure.¡± Brayden shrugged. ¡°Good luck. Feel free to change your mind and let me know. It really isn¡¯t that much of a hassle.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Thanks for all the information.¡±

    ¡°No problem. Just don¡¯t waste too much time on this stuff until you¡¯re completely certain it¡¯s right for you. Space Runes aren¡¯t rare for no reason.¡±

    When it comes to Sunder, I don¡¯t think there are a lot of Runes that can really cause me trouble. But now that Brayden¡¯s hyped these things up so much, I think I¡¯ve got no choice but to find out. I think Lee actually said that she had some space runes she could share with me at some point. I¡¯ll see if I can take her up on that.

    Noah nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Until tomorrow, then?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Brayden raised a hand in farewell and headed off toward the center of campus while Noah made for the T building to meet back up with Moxie.

    Space Runes were important, but there was a more pressing matter that had to be handled first. He had to find out how to explain to Moxie that he¡¯d somehow managed to get into a fight with one of Wizen¡¯s people just hours after heading off without her.

 Chapter 405: The Groundbreaking Question

    ¡°Well,¡± Noah said as Moxie stared at him over the top of her book, ¡°at least you don¡¯t need to try to figure out what Wizen was after anymore.¡±

    She let out a mixture between a long-suffering sigh and a laugh. Shaking her head, Moxie closed the book and tossed it onto her bed. ¡°How do you do this? Are you cursed? Do you just have a nose for trouble and a burning desire to follow after it?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to see where Tim went.¡±

    ¡°And so logically your first thought was to break into restricted Arbitage property.¡± Moxie burst into laughter. ¡°I suppose that tracks. It sounds like it¡¯s a good thing you did. Nobody was seriously injured other than Barb and the healer that got fried?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Brayden and Tim are both okay. It didn¡¯t look like Barb was trying to kill Tim and Brayden had some nasty cuts but nothing too significant. He basically shrugged all of them off when we walked out of the tower. They weren¡¯t anything a healing potion won¡¯t handle.¡±

    Moxie rose from her chair and ran a hand through her hair. ¡°And the artifact that Wizen was after¡­ a key to the Damned Plains?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I couldn¡¯t even begin to hazard a guess as to what he wants with it. There¡¯s no way he¡¯s after the same thing that Father was with when he tried to summon Azel and got me instead, right?¡±

    ¡°If he was, this would be the absolute worst way to go about it. There are much easier methods to summon demons,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Such as the one that Father had Vermil try. Vermil only barely screwed up. If he¡¯d been more competent or actually knew anything about demons, there¡¯s a decent chance he might have pulled it off.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking something along the same lines. It doesn¡¯t really make sense to get a whole ass key straight to the depths of hell just to go knocking on the door of a random demon to ask them to come help out,¡± Noah said. He hesitated for a moment as a disturbing thought struck him. ¡°Unless Wizen is after a demon that¡¯s too powerful to summon normally?¡±

    ¡°That could be a possibility. I don¡¯t know why he¡¯d even bother with something like that, though. It seems like an enormous amount of overkill. If he needs the key to speak to the demon in the first place, chances are the demon will be stronger than him ¨C and all Wizen will get for his efforts is killed.¡±

    They were both silent for several seconds. Then Noah clapped his hands against his knees and cleared his throat as he rose to his feet.

    ¡°Whelp. At least we know one thing.¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t care about you anymore.¡±

    Moxie burst into laughter. ¡°You really do have a one-track mind on certain issues, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Are you not even slightly concerned about the greater effects of this? If Wizen is completely insane, he could be planning to just release all the demons in the Damned Plains into the mortal realm or something like that. I mean, that seems ridiculous, but who knows. He could want anything.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like that¡¯s his goal. Who knows. I could be wrong ¨C but Wizen strikes me as someone with a plan. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s just trying to destroy things for the sake of it. Barb was¡­ fairly decent, actually.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s brow furrowed and she tilted her head to the side. ¡°Decent? What¡¯s that mean?¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t seem insane. Or evil, for that matter. She was just determined. I mean, she never tried to hurt Tim even though she could have probably used it against us. The only time she did anything that could have hurt him was when she basically blew the entire room up to buy herself time to get away.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying you don¡¯t think she¡¯d be working with Wizen if he was a madman? You haven¡¯t forgotten the part with the mind control runes, have you?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not,¡± Noah said. He rubbed his chin. ¡°But you remember how Alexandra was, don¡¯t you? She was forced to be there. It was clear she didn¡¯t have a choice. Barb was completely in control. It was voluntary.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Moxie said. She rocked back in her chair and drummed her fingers against her knee. ¡°That isn¡¯t really complete proof that Wizen isn¡¯t insane, but I see where you¡¯re going with it. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that Wizen now has an immensely powerful artifact that could do a lot of damage.¡±

    ¡°Oh, definitely not,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°But it does mean he¡¯s probably not going to bother us in the near future. We¡¯ll probably have to work on getting rid of him once the Enforcers actually find something marginally useful to work with, but at least we won¡¯t be getting jumped by puppets in the middle of the night ¨C or whatever else it is that Wizen would have done to get the information he wanted from you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Moxie let a small smile cross her lips. ¡°All we had to do was let him make off with an important artifact. Though, to be fair, Arbitage were the idiots keeping it sitting around almost completely undefended. What were they thinking?¡±

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°Probably that the best defense was being forgotten, and that being in the middle of campus would be enough to ward off people,¡± Noah said. ¡°Did you find any information about a key while you were looking through artifacts?¡±

    ¡°No. Granted I wasn¡¯t looking for anything along those lines, but it certainly wasn¡¯t somewhere easy to find.¡±

    ¡°Brayden only found it shortly before Barb showed up, and I suspect he didn¡¯t do it entirely as legally as he made it sound. It sounds like Arbitage went through a lot of steps to try and make sure it was forgotten,¡± Noah theorized.

    Moxie was nodding before he finished speaking. ¡°I was thinking about that, actually. The more I started digging around, the more scrubbed out information I found. Arbitage has a lot of artifacts. The weird thing was I think they¡¯re all from different families, and so many are missing from records that it¡¯s impossible to know the extent of their collection.¡±

    ¡°What kind of other stuff do they have?¡±

    ¡°The answer is too broad,¡± Moxie said. ¡°But the key is useful. A lot of the other stuff I read about was either useless, censored, or too dangerous.¡±

    Noah wet his lips. ¡°Not that I¡¯m saying that was the best way to store something that powerful, but it gives me a slightly different thought. Maybe we¡¯re thinking about things the wrong way. What if it isn¡¯t that Arbitage is keeping its best artifacts just sitting around relatively undefended, but¡­¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t their best artifact at all,¡± Moxie agreed. She ran a hand through her hair and blew a puff of air out from her lips. ¡°Not even close.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing that comes to mind. The censored stuff¡­ Maybe things that were made before the ¨C what was the event where the super strong Great Monsters showed up and caused the Bastions to be made?¡±

    ¡°The Long Night.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. What if they¡¯ve got a bunch of stuff from before the Long Night stored away in Arbitage?¡±

    ¡°It could be a form of treaty,¡± Moxie said, her eyes widening slightly with the thought. ¡°It used to be said all the noble families had powerful weapons that were used during the Long Night, but I can¡¯t imagine any of them giving them up for no reason. I didn¡¯t see anything like that in the records of course, but with the number of censored things¡­ it¡¯s possible.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then Arbitage wasn¡¯t originally a school at all. It¡¯s a bloody armory. The kids just got tacked on at some point for some reason. Maybe as a way to keep normal people from realizing what Arbirage is? I mean, it wasn¡¯t that hard for you to do it. Relatively speaking, of course.¡±

    Moxie shook her head and her cheeks reddened. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy. I went through a lot of books, and some of them were in areas I wasn¡¯t supposed to be in.¡±

    ¡°You broke into the library?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t break in anywhere. I just¡­ asked Lee to slide in behind a librarian and grab a few things in sections where people aren¡¯t allowed to go.¡±

    Noah let out a burst of laughter. ¡°Okay. That explains a lot. I think the part I¡¯m still stuck on is why there are students here at all. Was a school really the best way to cover up a horde of artifacts?¡±

    It was several seconds before Moxie answered.

    ¡°Having noble families send their students here would be a good way to make sure none of them tried to make a move on everything,¡± Moxie mused, her face losing a shade of color. ¡°The kids aren¡¯t here for training. They¡¯re collateral.¡±

    And just like that, something clicked. The overall incompetence of both the average students and their instructors. Arbitage lack of interest in students and how even the nobles that were here didn¡¯t seem that competent. There was no way a family stayed in power if their members were all complete idiots.

    They send the people they don¡¯t care about here.

    ¡°How is it that I dislike this place more the more I learn about it?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure that we read it right,¡± Moxie said, starting to pace around the room. ¡°We could just be making things up. We¡¯re drawing quite a bit from just a single piece of information.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think hunting around to find more would be very wise. It seems like a good way to get on Arbitage¡¯s shit list.¡±

    ¡°Wizen would probably know. If he found out about the key, then I bet he¡¯d know if there was more.¡±

    Noah shot Moxie a sharp look. ¡°You¡¯re spending too much time with me if you¡¯re starting to think we should approach him and ask for advice.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking that. But when we inevitably do run into him again while trying to take the key back, it can¡¯t hurt to ask. Wasn¡¯t he pretty talkative in the fight against Silvertide?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Noah allowed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. ¡°Yeah, he was. And speaking of which, Silvertide might know something as well. He strikes me as someone who has a good grasp of things behind the scenes.¡±

    ¡°You can ask him before the meeting with the enforcers, maybe?¡±

    ¡°It got pushed off until day after tomorrow, but yeah ¨C I¡¯ll ask him then.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s pacing finally came to a stop beside her bed. She picked up the book she¡¯d tossed onto it and moved it back to her desk.

    ¡°That works. Honestly I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯d do with the information if we had it. I¡¯ve just been starting to wonder what Arbitage actually offers. I¡¯m hoping the advanced track will start providing more value than trying to attack us randomly.¡±

    ¡°I reckon we¡¯ll find out tomorrow night with the next meeting, but I¡¯m in agreement. It feels like the only thing Arbitage has provided is housing and exams that we could do ourselves. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re even giving us resources ¨C though the advanced track has mentioned that¡¯s on the table. We should focus on making sure everyone is ready to handle that first exam coming up so they perform well against the other advanced track students.¡±

    A grin passed over Moxie¡¯s face and she held back a laugh. ¡°Can you imagine the looks on their faces if our students completely walk all over the kids that have been in the advanced track for a while longer?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d much prefer to see it in person than imagine,¡± Noah replied. ¡°We¡¯ll have to scope out what we¡¯re up against tomorrow night ¨C but that¡¯s a problem for tomorrow night.¡±

    ¡°Which implies there¡¯s something more important that we have to deal with first?¡± Moxie tilted her head to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t really need any more groundbreaking revelations today, but now you¡¯ve got my curiosity. What is it?¡±

    ¡°We have a date tomorrow, and I haven¡¯t figured out where you wanted to eat.¡±

 Chapter 406: Chairs

    As it turned out, Moxie hadn¡¯t really considered where they were going to eat either. The pair of them spent about twenty minutes trying to figure out somewhere to go get food before they both promptly gave up and decided it could be handled the following day.

    There would be class tomorrow, so the most important thing to handle for the time was letting all the students know that it would be slightly delayed. There was a brief instant where Noah wondered if he was meant to feel marginally guilty for delaying class purely so he could go on a date with his girlfriend.

    He dismissed that notion. There was no point to have power if you didn¡¯t abuse it. That was where all the fun came in. And it wasn¡¯t like the students would be alone. Lee was going to be bored while he and Moxie were out, which meant there were likely some stretching sessions with the students¡¯ names written in blood on them.

    Noah and Moxie didn¡¯t have any trouble letting everyone know about the delay. They didn¡¯t mention the reason, but chances were that the kids had figured it out considering that both of their teachers were both suddenly planning a delay at the exact same time.

    After their brief stint around campus, they returned to their room. It was still relatively early in the evening. There were several hours left before night fell, which left them with two options. Either they could sit around and try to brainstorm where they were going to get food tomorrow, or they could do quite literally anything else.

    ¡°If we¡¯ve got a few hours with nothing happening, it feels like now might be a pretty good time for me to try and get some help with my pattern,¡± Moxie said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard to encapsulate it with just motions. Do you think we¡¯d be able to use a Mind Meld potion so I can show you what I¡¯m doing in an area where I can¡¯t accidentally risk blowing anything up?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Noah said. He reached into his bag and frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve only got one left right now, though. Do you¨C¡±

    Moxie pulled a blue vial out of her own bag. ¡°Have one.¡±

    ¡°Nice. Good thinking.¡±

    He set his bag down and sat down on her bed, moving over to the back to make room for Moxie. She followed suit, but followed after him and wasted all the space he¡¯d left. Moxie scooted up until her back was pressed to his chest and her hair was tickling his nose.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Moxie asked, popping the seal off the potion.

    Noah¡¯s reply was lost in a cough as her hair got into his mouth. She snickered and drank her half of the potion before handing it over her shoulder to him. He craned his neck back to free himself from the prison of red hair for just long enough to remove the second seal and pour the potion down his throat.

    He set the vial down and wrapped his arms around Moxie, holding her as a familiar buzzing enveloped his mind. A blanket of darkness rushed up and swallowed him whole, and then he was flying.

    A few moments later, Noah found himself standing in the forest of Moxie¡¯s soul. He shook off the last effects of the potion as the vines beneath him twisted up into a chair and pushed themselves into his legs, forcing him to sit.

    Moxie stepped out from behind him, a twisting knot of vines in her hands. She held it up, then paused as a thought struck her.

    ¡°Wait. We can shape our souls pretty much how we want to as long as we don¡¯t go against anything core to us, but there¡¯s no way the pattern could somehow damage me from within, is there?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so,¡± Noah said slowly. He wasn¡¯t quite so certain that he¡¯d bet on it. Magic had some odd effects, but he couldn¡¯t recall ever getting soul damage from anything other than death or splitting runes. ¡°You should be fine. If worse comes to worst, I¡¯ll just use the Fragment of Renewal to patch you up. Realistically, any soul damage you take is actually safer than normal damage. I can only heal the former.¡±

    ¡°Good point. In that case, I¡¯m going to start. My pattern is growth, right?¡±

    ¡°Are you asking me or telling me?¡± Noah asked, trying to keep the teacher from entering his voice and failing miserably. Moxie¡¯s eyes narrowed and a vine coiled at Noah¡¯s elbow, poking at his side threateningly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me waste the potion tickling you. Vines are really good at it,¡± Moxie warned. ¡°And I have enough money to blow on another potion.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°Go on, then. Show me.¡±

    Moxie held the ball of twisting plant matter in her palms up. He wasn¡¯t actually sure if the ball was something she could form in the normal world ¨C it was just spinning above her palm like a little planet.

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    ¡°This is basically what I want to do,¡± Moxie said, answering Noah¡¯s question before he could even ask it.

    She held the ball up and vines erupted from it. They rushed out like a wave, falling over each other in their haste to erupt into the sky and blanket out the sun. Midway through the explosion, they froze.

    Noah squinted up at the vines. It only took him a few moments to see what Moxie was trying to do. There were patterns in the literal growth. Every vine in the deluge had its own purpose and was acting like a line within a rune.

    It was¡­ painfully complex. When it was still, there was no problem. The issue was that Moxie¡¯s vines were all moving at once. If she wanted to completely bring this pattern under her control, she¡¯d need to be able to control every single one of them at once.

    ¡°This is¡­ a lot,¡± Noah said slowly.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Moxie said. ¡°You see my problem?¡±

    ¡°I see why you aren¡¯t trying this in the real world,¡± Noah said with a nod. He chewed his lower lip. ¡°What have you been doing to practice the pattern without magic?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve mostly been doing this,¡± Moxie admitted. ¡°The problem is that growth in the real world is ridiculously slow. I spent some time accelerating the growth of random plants to see how they grew, but the problem is that I don¡¯t just want growth. I want to make the growth into a Formation itself.¡±

    Noah walked in a circle around the frozen canopy of vines. Moxie was clearly serious about this. Even if it was just in her head, he wasn¡¯t finding any issue in the actual shapes and lines that she¡¯d formed with the vines.

    There was definitely a pattern in them. There was no denying that. Noah was somewhat sure that even if Moxie brought this out and tried to do something similar, as long as she did it like this, it would work.

    He just didn¡¯t know what would happen if she put magic into it. There was a subtle but significant difference between what she was aiming for and what the others were doing. They were putting magic into a nonmagical pattern.

    She was using magic to make the pattern and would then be putting magic into it again. It was functionally skipping an entire step. Noah would have preferred to tell Moxie that she needed to find an intermediatory, but the issue arose in choosing what that would be.

    She¡¯s right. Growth is really slow. She can accelerate it with her magic, but everything about her plants is inherently magical. It¡¯s not like Moxie can just carry around a flower on her shoulder and ask her opponent to wait a month for it to bloom when she¡¯s fighting.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t made this easy on yourself,¡± Noah observed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been one for easy things, but I¡¯d rather not waste time if you think it¡¯s completely impossible.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible,¡± Noah said. ¡°Just difficult. I suppose I should start by asking where exactly it is you are in terms of the pattern and what you¡¯re most worried about. Then I can give my thoughts after that.¡±

    Moxie waved her hand and the vines vanished. The ground beneath her feet rose up into a chair and she sat down. Noah headed over to his own chair, then changed course and headed over to Moxie to pull her to her feet. She sent him a confused look for a second as he took her spot.

    ¡°What are you¨C¡±

    Noah pulled her back down to sit in his lap. ¡°Okay. Now you can talk.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so cheesy,¡± Moxie said as she leaned back into him. She made absolutely no moves to get up. ¡°There are a few problems. The first is that I don¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen if I try to make a pattern with magic plants. Will it have a chance to blow up?¡±

    ¡°It should actually be pretty safe,¡± Noah said. ¡°Your runes can only do a single thing at once, and you can only use one rune at a time. For once, that¡¯s actually useful. If you¡¯re using your magic to make plants, the pattern will literally only be a pattern.¡±

    ¡°Well, shit.¡± Moxie said with an embarrassed laugh. ¡°I¡¯m an idiot. I didn¡¯t think about that. Maybe I¡¯m spending too much time around you.¡±

    ¡°If that was true, you would have tried it and ended up blowing yourself up somehow anyway.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. That probably would have been more likely. So I can try to make a pattern with the plants and it should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You might want to be careful with your Master Rune, though. If you end up letting magic slip out of that and into the pattern ¨C you¡¯ve got the same issue. Granted, you don¡¯t have it Imbued into your soul so I don¡¯t think that should be possible, but be aware of it.¡±

    ¡°Okay. That leads me to the second question. Let¡¯s say I manage to get the pattern out of the plants ¨C growth logically means I have to keep getting bigger. Does that mean I¡¯d have to keep an enormous number of vines all in the exact same shape and continue to constantly add more of them if I want to keep the pattern going?¡±

    ¡°Depends on your view of growth, probably,¡± Noah said after a few seconds of thought. ¡°But that seems possible. Maybe you could try to add a second half to the pattern?¡±

    ¡°A second half?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Something to temper the growth, like a cycle. Cycles are patterns. A while ago you told me that you like flowers. Could you try to go for the whole life cycle of the flower as your pattern rather than just the part where it gets bigger?¡±

    ¡°Like from where it sprouts as a seed to where it dies?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. I don¡¯t really know if that fits what you were thinking, but it¡¯s got growth in it. It would let you have a pattern that has some elements of what you wanted without having to worry about it getting out of hand.¡±

    ¡°You think that would work? Just a flower?¡±

    ¡°I mean, simple isn¡¯t bad. Flowers are nice ¨C and I can already think of some pretty nasty combinations you could do with a full life cycle if you can really find a way to boil that down into a pattern and eventually a Formation.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Moxie said. Her voice drifted away as she lost herself in her thoughts for a second. She twisted so that she was sitting sideways in Noah¡¯s lap. ¡°Well, damn it. I¡¯m going to need to completely change the way I think about this. I think it¡¯ll go a lot faster this time around though.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got like¡­ twenty-five minutes left in the potion.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ve got other plans for those now. You should have stayed in your chair.¡± Moxie flashed Noah a grin.

    It didn¡¯t take him long to decide that he most certainly did not regret stealing her chair.

 Chapter 407: Specific type of charm

    The effects of the Mind Meld potion soon wore off, returning Noah and Moxie to their room. They were still alone, which was something of a surprise. Lee must have been out doing something ¨C most likely running pest control on the entirety of Arbitage¡¯s ecosystem.

    That was something of a disappointment. Noah had hoped to talk to Lee about the key, but he suspected they¡¯d see her before the next class. Nothing was going to happen with Wizen in the next day or two, so he decided to let it lie.

    It was late enough in the day that it was justifiable to avoid trying to do anything else so long as nobody thought about it too hard, so he and Moxie remained in bed to wait out the night. They also ¨C very pointedly ¨C did not attempt to figure out what they would be doing tomorrow morning.

    That seemed like all too much effort, and it could be handled by their future selves.

    The night passed and the sun rose once more. Rays of light crawled through their window and warmed the plant bed, pulling both of them out of their sleep like a nagging mother. Noah¡¯s nose scrunched and he blinked as he slipped back into the land of the living.

    Moxie laid on top of him, her face against his chest. She sent a glare up at the sun. ¡°It¡¯s morning.¡±

    ¡°We could pretend it isn¡¯t,¡± Noah offered, but they were both already sitting up.

    They both took a short while to prepare for the day. It was a little too early to say much else. Reconvening in the center of the room, Noah and Moxie both turned to look out the window again.

    ¡°You know, we probably should have figured out where we were going to get food yesterday,¡± Moxie said.

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    ¡°You might be rubbing off on me.¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    They looked at each other again.

    ¡°Want to just get some meat pies?¡± Noah offered.

    Moxie grinned. ¡°Sounds better than sitting around in a restaurant this early in the morning. We¡¯d get so many looks.¡±

    ¡°You know, I always tend to get a lot of looks.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because everyone still thinks you¡¯re a pervert. It¡¯s going to take a while for that reputation to fall away,¡± Moxie said, laughing at the peeved expression on Noah¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The people that matter know. Who cares about the rest?¡±

    ¡°Good point,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some pies.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Admit it. That was cute,¡± Renewal said.

    Decras eyed the bowl of chocolate on the table between them. His hand snaked out, but Renewal grabbed the bowl and lifted it before he could reach in. His eyes narrowed in annoyance.

    ¡°Stop being a brat. Let me at the food.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mine. Admit it was cute and you can have some.¡±

    Decras rolled his eyes. ¡°I will admit that it was cute in the same way that watching two small furry animals can be amusing. Satisfied?¡±

    Renewal smirked and lowered the bowl and let Decras take a piece of chocolate from it. Her expression flickered a second later as she properly registered the words that her fellow god had said.

    ¡°Hold on. You think small animals are cute?¡±

    ¡°I am not completely inhumane, Renewal.¡±

    ¡°By definition, you quite literally are.¡±

    ¡°Look at you. A loving goddess of reincarnation, judging by outward appearance.¡± Decras kicked his feet back on a black stool that formed before him and he rocked back in his chair, arching an eyebrow at Renewal. ¡°You should be ashamed of yourself.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no outward appearance being taken into account here.¡± Renewal crossed her arms. ¡°Your body was literally reforged ¨C inside and out ¨C by your Divine Rune. There isn¡¯t a single mortal or humane part of you left. I¡¯m not even so sure you started off as a human in the first place.¡±

    ¡°And you may never find out,¡± Decras said. He waved a hand at the screen. ¡°They¡¯re just eating now. I don¡¯t find that nearly amusing enough to watch, but they¡¯ve already got themselves into quite the situation. Pull someone else up.¡±

    ¡°What am I, a glorified playwright?¡± Renewal asked, but she sent a command to the glowing image. It rippled. Noah and Moxie faded from it as the colors shifted to a forest. Ferdinand and Garina sat on a blanket in the forest, a wicker basket in front of them. Their shoulders were just barely close enough to touch as they ate and watched the scenery.

    ¡°When I said pull someone else up, I was hoping you¡¯d show me the little demon girl or someone who actually has their motivations in order,¡± Decras said wearily. He gestured vaguely at the screen. ¡°Is this the only thing you care about?¡±

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    ¡°Yes,¡± Renewal said. She paused for a moment, then amended her statement. ¡°Well, I also care about getting my hands on whatever it is Noah knows about my Rune that I don¡¯t ¨C but that can come when it comes. I¡¯ve got all the time in the world, and he¡¯ll keep improving upon it in the meantime.¡±

    ¡°You know what?¡± Decras asked rhetorically. ¡°I think you¡¯re a bit lazy.¡±

    ¡°And I think you¡¯re more than a bit rude.¡±

    ¡°I suspect we may both be correct.¡±

    Renewal let out a snort of laughter before she could stop herself. She clapped a hand over her mouth. Encouraging Decras to be an asshole was probably the absolute worst thing she could have done, but it was too late. He just arched an eyebrow in her direction.

    You win this round.

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me that you aren¡¯t at least a little bit jealous,¡± Renewal said with a nod to the screen.

    ¡°Of that? They can barely even look each other in the eye,¡± Decras said. ¡°Time may have become of marginal worth to me, but Garina is ancient by mortal standards, and your bald priest isn¡¯t all that much younger. How would I be jealous of that?¡±

    ¡°Okay, they might be a little bit stunted in a few social aspects,¡± Renewal admitted. She rose from her chair and let out a slow sigh. ¡°But that¡¯s not what I meant. They¡¯re doing what they want to. Ferdinand left the church, even if he hasn¡¯t done it officially yet. When they find out, they¡¯re going to try to kill him.¡±

    ¡°They are not strong enough to kill Garina,¡± Decras said flatly. ¡°Unless your avatar makes a move, he will live. She is fiercely possessive of her belongings.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a man, not an object,¡± Renewal said idly. She walked to the edge of the glistening pink platform they stood on and looked out on the endless void stretching in every direction around them.

    ¡°To Garina, there is no difference. She has gone through some surprising growth, but I know her,¡± Decras said. ¡°The things she cares about belong to her and she¡¯ll never give them up. Even if I showed up myself to demand Ferdinand¡¯s head, she¡¯d spit in my face.¡±

    ¡°That seems like a respectable feature to me.¡±

    ¡°I never said it wasn¡¯t. I liked her for a reason,¡± Decras said with a throaty laugh. He dismissed the stool and rose as well, walking to stand beside Renewal. ¡°But I assume you were referring to the fact that they are making a choice that they both know will put them at great risk.¡±

    Renewal nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the fun part about being mortal. Risk. Choice. All the things that I¡¯ve complained about not being able to do for the entire time you¡¯ve been here. I know you¡¯re going to say I can just do what you do ¨C but be honest with me for a moment. Do you really have that much more control? Or are you skirting the rules whilst still obeying their exact lettering?¡±

    Lips formed into a thin line, Decras shook his head. ¡°I think you know the answer to that. I am still walking around in this portion of the universe. That would not be possible if I was completely breaking the laws we have placed upon us. I am bold but not stupid. The safest way to achieve what you desire is to slowly gather power and then advance when the order allows it.¡±

    ¡°Right. Millenia upon millennia of nothing, only to inch our way up the grand scale and achieve¡­ what, exactly?¡±

    The lines of souls twinkled beneath them, and Renewal¡¯s eye traced their golden paths. A near infinite number of mortal souls, all on an endless journey. Most of them would return to the place beyond time over and over again, never to become anything more.

    She could see into their past lives ¨C and the ones that had come before that. They were laid bare before her, as clear as glass.

    A few would achieve minor success. They¡¯d lived hundreds or thousands of years ¨C only to arrive right back here.

    Some had been more. Upon occasion, Renewal¡¯s eye would fall upon someone where she could only see herself. A section of their memories was like a mirror, the power within them once lost but still enough to prevent her from peering deeper.

    Gods. Some stronger than her, some weaker. They too rejoined the line when their time came, though it was rare. Anything that could kill a God generally didn¡¯t leave enough of them behind to let them come back.

    That was the fate of those who went against the laws. A return to the beginning if one was lucky ¨C and infinite nothing if they weren¡¯t. Renewal¡¯s fists tightened at her sides. Between that and utter boredom, she couldn¡¯t tell which was worse.

    ¡°Are you genuinely considering taking the chance to rejoin that?¡± Decras asked, nodding to the line below them. ¡°Fights are one thing. I love them. It gives me something to do to pass the time. I¡¯d be more than happy to entertain in that regard.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see the value in fighting for no reason,¡± Renewal said, not pulling her gaze away from the line. ¡°I prefer it to have a purpose. To have a way to actually change something. If a fight ends and nothing is different, was there even a point?¡±

    Decras didn¡¯t respond to that. They both stood in silence. It was hard to tell for exactly how long they did that ¨C the passage of time was a shaky thing at best when it functionally didn¡¯t even exist in the void around them.

    Finally, Decras broke the stillness.

    ¡°I think you might want to change the image to something else. They¡¯re holding hands. I don¡¯t know why, but it makes me feel like I¡¯m seeing something I shouldn¡¯t.¡±

    Renewal let out a bark of laughter. She snapped her fingers and the image flickered, swapping over to Lee just as the tail of an unfortunate squirrel vanished between her lips. She slipped into the shadows at the base of the tree she stood in, reappearing down the road before zipping off in the direction of the transport cannon.

    ¡°Better?¡± Renewal asked with a wry smile.

    ¡°Somehow, yes,¡± Decras replied. He paused for a moment before letting out a low chuckle. ¡°Say that girl somehow had our power. What do you think she¡¯d do in this situation? Faced with nigh guaranteed death or boredom, which would she¨C¡±

    ¡°She¡¯d never have paused for long enough to even consider boredom, I think,¡± Renewal said.

    They both looked back to Lee. She¡¯d found the students waiting in the shadow of the transport cannon and was sneaking through the darkness toward them, a devious grin on her face.

    ¡°I suspect you might be correct,¡± Decras said. ¡°Maybe there is more to learn from mortals than I believed.¡±

    He turned and walked back to his chair, sitting down and crossing his legs. Renewal followed him back and looked up to the screen. Lee wasn¡¯t quite as fun to watch as Noah and Moxie were, but she certainly had her charm.

    Lee sprung from the shadows, drawing a round of surprised curses and yelps from the students.

    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± Lee proclaimed. ¡°And class today is stretches.¡±

    ¡°¡­that¡¯s it?¡± Todd asked weakly. ¡°No sparring, or¡­¡±

    ¡°Nope. All stretches. You can spar once you¡¯re flexible.¡±

    A shudder ran down Renewal¡¯s spine as she pulled an arm across her chest to check just how flexible her own body was ¨C something told her the results wouldn¡¯t have pleased Lee.

    A very specific type of charm.

 Chapter 408: Its Toddin time

    It took Noah and Moxie a little while to figure out where Lee had taken the students. After their date ¨C which consisted mostly of sitting and chatting on her bed while eating meat pies ¨C had ended, they¡¯d hurried off to the transport cannon.

    There was nobody there. It was odd to see the area completely empty. Ropes had been put up around the base of the cannon to keep anyone from trying to ascend it. The cannon was their normal meetup location, but it obviously wasn¡¯t much use if nobody could actually go anywhere with it.

    The two professors had directed their attention to the nearest restaurants, but to their surprise, none had seen Lee or their small class. That had been quite the problem. Arbitage was a huge area and there were countless different locations that everyone could have gone.

    Noah dug through his memories in search of where Lee might have taken the kids, stumbling into a thought nearly on accident. They changed courses and hurried over to the arena. It had been so long since Noah had been there that he¡¯d nearly forgotten about its existence.

    The last time he¡¯d come had been just shortly after he¡¯d first met Isabel and Todd and they were showing him their abilities. It wasn¡¯t really a private training area, but it seemed like it might have fit the bill.

    And, sure enough, as they stepped out onto the sand and scanned over the sparse groups scattered across it, Noah caught a flash of Emily¡¯s telltale silver hair. Their entire group had taken over a small portion at the far side of the arena and were flopped out in every direction like drying leather.

    ¡°I think Lee might have decided that today was a stretching session,¡± Noah said as they walked over to join the others.

    ¡°When does she not?¡± Moxie asked with a shudder.

    Todd pried his head up from the sand, relief shining in his eyes as he spotted Noah and Moxie approaching. He rolled over with a groan and pushed himself upright.

    ¡°We¡¯re free, guys.¡±

    ¡°Free from what?¡± Lee asked. ¡°Do you know how many muscles there are in the human body?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°Neither do I, but I¡¯ve been counting,¡± Lee said. ¡°And I¡¯m pretty sure you haven¡¯t stretched all of them yet. You don¡¯t want to be lopsided, do you?¡±

    ¡°Just a question. Do you think bones are muscles?¡± Isabel groaned from beside Todd. ¡°Because they aren¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Anything is a muscle if you try hard enough.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that¡¯s how it works,¡± Noah said, tussling Lee¡¯s hair. ¡°Thanks for covering for us, though.¡±

    ¡°No problem. I can finish class today. We just have a few more things to stretch.¡±

    The panic in everyone¡¯s eyes was so intense that Noah couldn¡¯t even bring himself to make a joke about it. ¡°That¡¯s kind of you to offer, but we¡¯ve got some other stuff we need to cover before tonight.¡±

    ¡°Tonight? What¡¯s tonight?¡± Alexandra asked.

    ¡°Another advanced track meeting,¡± Noah replied, sitting down in the sand and crossing his legs beneath him. ¡°A real one, this time around. I imagine we want to make a good impression.¡±

    He thought back to the first meeting. Lee had certainly made an impression with his body, all right. She¡¯d eaten just about everything on the table, silverware included. He repressed a sigh.

    ¡°As good of an impression as we can still salvage.¡±

    ¡°Does our reputation matter? All that matters is outperforming them so we can get the resources,¡± Alexandra said.

    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but this is an opportunity to do what we wanted to do the first time around,¡± Moxie said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ¡°And that is to check out what the students of the other professors are capable of. Take their measure.¡±

    ¡°Invisible dick measuring contest,¡± Todd concluded.

    Moxie rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it, sure. Whatever the reason. We want to see if these idiots are actually worth our time and what they¡¯re capable of. Don¡¯t forget we know very little about them. Just because the rest of Arbitage is a little bit pathetic on average doesn¡¯t mean they will be.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think they¡¯ve got anyone stronger than Alexandra?¡± James asked. ¡°I mean, she¡¯s a Rank 3. That¡¯s the same as a few professors.¡±

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    Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t Revin claim to be a Rank 3? Hm. You know what? I¡¯m not so sure I buy that. Now that I know more about Formations¡­ well, I haven¡¯t seen him since reaching Rank 4. I suppose I¡¯ll find out if we run into each other and I can tell he¡¯s got a domain.

    ¡°Don¡¯t overestimate me,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°I have Body Runes. Even if I win in certain circumstances, I¡¯m at a severe disadvantage against anyone that can keep me at a range. I don¡¯t have a way to attack anyone outside the reach of my sword.¡±

    ¡°You could throw it,¡± James offered.

    ¡°And then I would have no sword.¡±

    ¡°Tie a string to it?¡± Todd added in.

    Alexandra took a page out of Moxie¡¯s book and rolled her eyes. ¡°Thank you, guys. I¡¯ll strongly consider tying a string to the hilt of my sword so I can fling it at anyone who isn¡¯t kind enough to come into its range.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± James said without a hint of shame. He yawned, then pushed himself upright. ¡°So what are we doing in class today? More patterns?¡±

    Noah looked around the arena. It wasn¡¯t exactly a discreet area. There were other students, some alone and some in groups, milling about. Practicing patterns or Formations here was going to be a little too exposed. Even if nobody was too close to them right now, it could end up drawing more attention than he wanted to get.

    That was unless they changed what the others could see.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want people looking at us while we practice anything even slightly unique,¡± Noah said. ¡°Isabel, do you think you could¡­¡±

    She picked up on Noah¡¯s line of thinking before he finished the sentence and rolled to her feet. Isabel pressed her hands to the sand and a faint tremor ran beneath Noah¡¯s feet. An eight-foot-high wall of stone jutted up behind him, curving overhead. Several more walls rose up in succession, making a barrier that blocked out anyone¡¯s view of the section of the arena they were in.

    It was the exact same strategy they¡¯d used in the Windscorned Plateau to make sure they didn¡¯t accidentally draw the scorn of too many Fluffants at the same time. Noah gave her an approving nod.

    ¡°Perfect. Thank you, Isabel.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we do that before?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°Because nobody in their right mind is going to get near Lee when they see what she¡¯s doing to us,¡± Isabel replied. ¡°It was a more effective deterrent than anything I could ever do.¡±

    ¡°Another benefit of stretching,¡± Lee proclaimed proudly. ¡°It is a multifaceted activity with an ever-growing range of positive aspects.¡±

    Is she trying to pitch it to a company or something? Now that I think about it, Lee would make a great motivational speaker. One of those people that shows up to the schools and tells all the teachers that there¡¯s one quick trick they can do to improve their days. It¡¯s just that her trick is borderline shattering every bone in your body in a stretch that really shouldn¡¯t even be possible.

    Somehow I do always feel better after her stretching sessions, though. Just¡­ not better enough to voluntarily do one.

    ¡°Well then,¡± Noah said, coughing into a fist and shaking his head to draw himself back to the matter at hand. ¡°I should bring you all up to speed on some stuff that happened recently.¡±

    Todd¡¯s eyes flicked from Noah to Moxie. ¡°You mean why you and Moxie were late? We kind of figured that out.¡±

    ¡°No, not that,¡± Noah said hurriedly. ¡°Yesterday.¡±

    ¡°We really don¡¯t need to know what¨C¡± Isabel started, a small grin pulling across her lips.

    ¡°Arbitage was attacked,¡± Noah said before Isabel could finish. ¡°The transport cannon, specifically.¡±

    That got everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°What? I heard it just broke down,¡± Emily said. ¡°It was sabotage?¡±

    ¡°Not sabotage. It was housing an artifact. The person that was controlling all those plant puppets was behind it. For anyone not aware, his name is Wizen. He¡¯s probably a Rank 6 if not stronger, and it turns out that the thing he was after this whole time was the artifact powering the transport cannon.¡±

    ¡°This seems like major news. If it isn¡¯t out already, it¡¯s being suppressed,¡± Alexandra said with a frown. ¡°Are you sure you should be telling us?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Understanding what you¡¯re up against is very important. Wizen is powerful, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll have any more interest in us ¨C but that¡¯s not enough for me to make a bet on it. The item he took was a key to the Damned Plains.¡±

    ¡°A key? Why?¡± Isabel asked.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t figured that bit out yet,¡± Noah replied. ¡°But I want you to all be aware of it. Just make sure you¡¯re more aware of any demonic activity of the malicious kind.¡±

    He watched Lee¡¯s expression as he spoke, but she didn¡¯t seem any more interested or disinterested in the key than any of the others. She had a slight worried crease in her brow and nothing more.

    ¡°Any questions?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°What kind of questions are we even supposed to ask?¡± Emily replied. ¡°Can we do anything about it?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Noah said. ¡°Not other than working on getting stronger, that is. The Enforcers are already looking into Wizen and what happened. Your job is to just make sure you¡¯re as powerful as possible to make sure that you can protect yourself when the time comes. Oh ¨C and don¡¯t tell anyone else. I wasn¡¯t supposed to share this, but I¡¯ve never really cared much for rules.¡±

    Nobody looked even the slightest bit surprised at that.

    ¡°So the rest of today is more sparring, I take it?¡± Alexandra asked.

    ¡°I¡¯d say so, yes. Can¡¯t ever have too much of that and it¡¯ll also be good practice for the meeting with the advanced track tonight.¡±

    ¡°You think we¡¯ll be fighting?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Who knows, but I tend to find myself fighting more often than not when meeting new people.¡±

    ¡°I think that speaks more to your personality than anything else,¡± Emily informed him.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Noah said without missing a beat. ¡°Now, Todd, I believe I promised you we¡¯d have a match. Yesterday got a bit¡­ hectic, so why don¡¯t we start with you? I trust you¡¯ve got your newly imbued stuff on you to show off?¡±

    Todd grinned and held his hand up, letting the sleeve roll down to reveal a metal bracelet on his wrist. ¡°Always.¡±

    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got, then.¡±

 Chapter 409: Finding out [Audiobook out on Amazon tomorrow!]

    Noah tossed his bag and gourd to the side, then pulled the grimoire off his back and set it down beside them. He and Todd headed over to the center of the makeshift ring they¡¯d made inside the arena and stood several paces from each other.

    ¡°What are the rules?¡± Todd asked. ¡°Am I just going all out?¡±

    ¡°I would certainly assume so. Should I be worried about that?¡± Noah asked. Todd had positioned himself at the edges of his domain, likely determining its range by trying to call on his magic until he felt the suppression fade. ¡°If you are, please try to avoid catching anyone else in the crossfire.¡±

    ¡°Nah. I can control myself,¡± Todd said. He paused for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Yeah. I can.¡±

    ¡°That definitely wasn¡¯t convincing,¡± Noah said. ¡°What exactly are the imbuements that you¡¯ve got on there?¡±

    ¡°Nothing too crazy. I wanted to keep things pretty light considering I really haven¡¯t used them much yet. Don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll all go up in flames.¡± Todd thumbed a small red vial hanging from his belt. ¡°Got this just in case, though.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said this wasn¡¯t dangerous,¡± Isabel said from the sidelines with a frown. ¡°Are you sure everything is ready to test?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done extensive practice,¡± Todd said. ¡°Alexandra helped.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure help is the word I¡¯d use. All we did was talk,¡± Alexandra said, raising her hands before herself. ¡°And then we sparred a bit. He didn¡¯t use any of the new imbuements.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t start using them on other students. Even if you¡¯re a whole Rank up on me, Teacherman would have my head.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°See?¡± Todd shrugged, then turned back to Noah. ¡°I¡¯m more than capable of handling my own work at this stage. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°I trust you. Come at me when you¡¯re ready and let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve been working on. Just be ready to stop at the drop of a hat if something goes wrong.¡±

    Todd held his hands up. The metal bands on his wrist glistened as he struck them together and ribbons of orange light ignited within the metal, racing throughout it in a myriad of minuscule patterns.

    A dull hum rose up from the bands and Todd nodded to himself. He clicked his heels together and a grin flickered across Noah¡¯s face as a second set of hums filled the air.

    Far from home, Dorothy?

    Noah suspected that his brilliant joke would likely be lost on everyone around him. He opted to keep it to himself. In the time it had taken him to compliment his own brilliance, Todd had formed stone armor around his arms and legs.

    The rippling lines that had covered his bands expanded to trace over the stone. Molten lines glistened with power and he hopped from foot to foot before giving Noah a nod.

    ¡°Okay. That was the scary part. Everything is synchronized and running properly. You ready?¡±

    ¡°I generally am.¡±

    Todd didn¡¯t wait for a second confirmation. The stone armor at his feet exploded and he bounded forward. Flames rippled on the ground where he¡¯d been standing as he crossed the distance between himself and Noah in an instant.

    Noah twisted out of the side, narrowly avoiding a stone-clad fist as it whistled past his face. He dipped out of the way as Todd twisted into a spinning kick that passed narrowly over his head.

    Noah slammed his hand into the ground and drew on Natural Disaster, ripping a wall of stone up to cover himself an instant before the stone encasing Todd¡¯s leg exploded with a loud crack.

    He jumped back as Todd¡¯s other fist drove into his wall. Flames roared up as the stone crumbled from the force of his blow and he sprinted through them, stone already rushing to reform around his limbs. He stood at the outside of Noah¡¯s domain until they¡¯d gathered, then charged in again.

    Clever. The Imbuements are all running internally, so he can use them while in my domain. He has to form the armor outside my domain, though. But¡­ I could have sworn the actual explosions he generated required intentional activation. How is he using them inside my domain?

    Noah slipped out of the way of Todd¡¯s attacks as they ramped in speed. They weren¡¯t quite as fast as some of his other students, but he had a unique advantage in that he didn¡¯t actually need to hit anything. He just had to get close.

    Water swirled around him and formed into a shield, catching Todd¡¯s fist as it detonated. Fire and shrapnel bubbled through the water and it dissipated in a thick cloud of steam. Noah shifted to the side as Todd launched himself through the vapors.

    He¡¯s certainly got aggression. Let¡¯s see how he handles things when I start fighting back.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Noah drove his foot into the ground and abruptly stopped backpedaling. He sent a wave of energy out through Natural Disaster right as Todd¡¯s foot hit the ground before him. The tremor made the boy stumble and Noah lunged forward, driving his palm for Todd¡¯s chest.

    Todd clapped his hands together. A brilliant wall of fire erupted from his palms and blocked off any path of attack. Noah skipped back to avoid getting toasted, his eyebrows lifting as the flames curled away.

    He¡¯s got quite a bit of energy. I recall him having difficulty using this for too long. Doesn¡¯t it require like three or four different imbuements running at all times? Interesting.

    Noah called on Natural Disaster and ripped a wave of jutting stones up from the ground in Todd¡¯s direction. They ripped through the last of the flames to reveal that there was nothing behind them. Noah¡¯s eyes flicked up.

    Todd was in the air. He¡¯d used the fire as a curtain to launch himself upward. He held his hands out behind him and detonated explosions in both of his palms at the same time, launching himself toward Noah like a human missile.

    There was no point even trying to block an attack like that. Noah launched himself out of the way and hit the ground in a roll. Another small explosion rang out as the boy¡¯s feet slammed into the ground, sending up another curl of flame around him.

    Noah spun as he rose, extending his senses to the fire that Todd had just generated and ripping it from the air to send back at him. Todd had already used all four of his explosions and had yet to regenerate the armor for them yet. It was the younger man¡¯s turn to fling himself to the side to avoid the attack.

    His dive took him outside of the domain and stone formed back around his arms and legs. Noah could have pressed forward to stop it from happening, but he was still trying to figure out just what it was that Todd had modified about his imbuements.

    His fighting style was roughly the same. Sure, it was effective against a domain, but as far as he could tell, nothing Todd was doing was actually something that he couldn¡¯t have done before.

    Todd dashed at Noah again. Drawing more moisture from the air, Noah used a shield of water to catch the boy¡¯s next strike. They slipped into a dance of blows. Nothing Todd did could quite actually land on Noah beyond, but he¡¯d still yet to figure out exactly what it was that Todd had figured out in regard to his pattern.

    It¡¯s got to have something to do with how he¡¯s been fighting for this long. Did he find a way to optimize his imbuements? That would be powerful, but I don¡¯t feel like it would be that dangerous either.

    Todd was making it sound like he¡¯d figured out something really significant that could be a threat if it went wrong. Maybe it¡¯s just really difficult to optimize imbuements this well. He really is using a lot more magical energy than he used to be able to.

    Noah dodged another series of strikes and Todd disengaged to reform his armor once more. They¡¯d been fighting for a few minutes now. Even though Todd hadn¡¯t made any progress in getting closer to hitting Noah, there was a satisfied expression on his face. He was pleased with how the test was going.

    Which means I¡¯ve missed something entirely. He was never satisfied with mediocrity.

    ¡°Alright,¡± Noah said, lowering his hands with a shake of his head. ¡°That¡¯s enough of this for now. I could kick up the heat and start pressing you harder, but there¡¯s no point until I figure out what the hell it is that you¡¯re doing. Why are you so smug and how do you have so much more energy than you used to?¡±

    Todd let his own hands fall and grinned. ¡°You noticed?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard not to when you could only hold up a fight for a minute at most before. You don¡¯t even look winded or low on energy. Did you find a way to make the imbuements run a lot more efficiently?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Todd said. ¡°Actually, if anything, they¡¯re even less efficient than before.¡±

    Noah squinted at him. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then how were you fighting that long?¡±

    The stone sloughed off Todd¡¯s body and he clinked his bracelets together again. The glowing lines shut off with a dull hum and he repeated the same motion for the on his legs. ¡°Because I figured out something far more important than efficiency. Sustainability.¡±

    Everyone sent blank stares at him. Todd sighed.

    ¡°I found a way to renew energy in an imbuement, and not from killing things.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait. Like¡­ indefinitely? An infinite imbuement? Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°No, not indefinitely. And definitely not infinite,¡± Todd said with a laugh. He held a wrist up and jangled the bracelet on it. ¡°It¡¯s two things. The first works because of the kind of imbuement it is. Explosions generate a lot of energy, right? And most of that is wasted.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Noah said. ¡°So you basically put in a way to absorb some of the energy that gets wasted?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s one part of it. I can recycle a good portion of the wasted magic and that goes a pretty far way. That bit was easy, though. The hard one was finding a way to linking energy generation to nonmagical sources.¡±

    ¡°Todd, are you trying to say that you made an imbuement that generates power from something mundane?¡± Moxie asked slowly. ¡°Because that¡­¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t possible?¡± Todd arched an eyebrow and grinned. ¡°Well, it is. Energy is energy. That¡¯s what I realized. Different types of energy, sure. But there¡¯s a way to convert between. So I take all the energy that comes from my movements as well as the physical force of the explosion and channel a portion of that back into the imbuements on the bands and poof ¨C it renews itself. The conversion rate isn¡¯t perfect but I really can¡¯t complain. I think I can push it a bit farther with some time too.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Noah said, shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°That is impressive. Can it work for other applications?¡±

    ¡°Eventually, probably. It¡¯s really difficult,¡± Todd said, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°It took me all this time just to figure out how to convert the energy for this one specific application. It¡¯ll probably be faster for other stuff, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work for anyone other than me. Not yet, at least.¡±

    ¡°And you used patterns to do it?¡±

    ¡°Yep. I can explain later, but we probably shouldn¡¯t do it in any degree of a public setting. This isn¡¯t something I want getting out.¡± Todd¡¯s features darkened. ¡°I know what happens to people with powerful secrets if anyone finds out about them.¡±

    ¡°Nobody here will be saying anything,¡± Noah said, not even bothering to give the other student a sharp look ¨C he trusted all of them. Nobody here would be screwing each other over. ¡°I know I can¡¯t help you as much as I can the others, but great job. You¡¯ve pulled off some really impressive work.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Todd said with a grin. ¡°Think we¡¯ll hold up against the advanced track students tonight?¡±

    Noah grinned in response. ¡°I look forward to finding out.¡±

 Chapter 410: Noahmaxing Time

    Now that his promise to Todd had been handled for the day, Noah and Moxie broke the other students up into pairs to start sparing, rotating between each other once their matches were over.

    ¡°Remember not to use all your energy up,¡± Noah warned before they got started in true. ¡°We¡¯ve got a meeting with the advanced track later today and I want all of you to be able to absolutely crush anything that they throw at you, no matter what it takes.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be telling us to play above the board and that it¡¯s more important that we make friends with them¡­ or something like that?¡± Alexandra asked. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s what a teacher is meant to support.¡±

    Noah looked down the bridge of his nose at Alexandra. ¡°At what point have I ever said anything like that? Friends are great. You¡¯ve got some all around you. If you can make more, please do. But the advanced track isn¡¯t going to sit around and try to make friends. We pose a threat. Don¡¯t forget it¡¯s a competition.¡±

    ¡°Besides, from what I saw last time, they¡¯re pretty much all a bunch of nobles.¡± Todd rubbed the side of his neck. ¡°Present company excluded, I don¡¯t have interest with associating with them unless they¡¯re completely different from the rest of their ilk.¡±

    ¡°You never know,¡± Isabel said, but she didn¡¯t sound even slightly convinced of her own words. ¡°It¡¯s possible that they¡¯ll be better because they¡¯ve actually been the ones working for their power.¡±

    ¡°Probably won¡¯t do anything to lower their elitist attitude,¡± James said through a yawn. ¡°Trust me. Been there, done that.¡±

    ¡°You have?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°Revin¡¯s had me do a lot of stuff. Much to my displeasure.¡± James¡¯ nose scrunched in distaste and he sighed. ¡°Professor Vermil is right. If someone there wants to make friends with us, then we can deal with it when the time comes. But until then it¡¯s better to focus on preparing to completely crush anyone in our way. Come on. Let¡¯s get to this already. We¡¯re wasting time.¡±

    ¡°Whoa. You¡¯re suddenly motivated. Haven¡¯t seen that before,¡± Todd said. He squinted at James. ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°Do you realize what the advanced track resources are?¡± James asked. ¡°Runes and power. For free. All we have to do is beat up some other kids that don¡¯t have anywhere near the advantages we do.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re nobles. They¡¯ll have advantages,¡± Alexandra pointed out.

    James bit back a laugh. ¡°Sure. But we¡¯re us. We have all the advantages we need to handle them as long as we take things seriously. You¡¯re a Rank 3 with Body Runes that should put you at the peak of anyone in our age group. We¡¯ve all got patterns, even if we can¡¯t use them with magic during fights yet.¡±

    ¡°I agree, but is there a reason you¡¯re excited for resources all of a sudden?¡± Isabel asked.

    James made a noticeable effort to keep his eyes from moving, but Noah got the feeling that he¡¯d been just moments from glancing at Emily.

    ¡°Yeah. Three reasons. First, the faster I get work over with, the sooner I can go back to doing nothing. Second, power means I can be lazy later. If they¡¯re going to feed me runes and just about anything else, that saves a huge amount of time in the future. I¡¯ll do work now to be lazy in the future.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s two reasons,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°Is it?¡± James sent him a blank stare. ¡°I must have lost count.¡±

    Careful there, bud. I think your actual goals are starting to come out. Not that I can complain. It¡¯s going to be interesting to watch James actually trying at something for once. I get the feeling he¡¯s going to be looking to show off a bit for Emily with the advanced track tonight.

    I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m thinking this, but I really do hope there are at least a few pricks in there. If every advanced track student is suddenly super welcoming and polite and none try to pick a fight, this is going to be really awkward.

    ¡°Right then,¡± Noah said, clapping his hands together to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°We all know what we¡¯re working for. Just remember to keep enough energy to fully regenerate by tonight. Now, get to it.¡±

    Everyone nodded and turned back to their partners to begin preparing to spar. The stone arena that Isabel had made wasn¡¯t exactly huge, but it was enough for them to fight if nobody moved around all too much. It would be a good way to practice fighting in relatively enclosed quarters.

    Noah made his way over to Lee while the students got started. She¡¯d taken a seat at the edge of the wall, leaning her chin on her knees. He sat down beside her.

    ¡°All good? Are you worried about the key?¡±

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Not on a personal level,¡± Lee replied with a shake of her head. ¡°There have always been a lot of ways to get into and out of the Damned Plains. Not easy ones, though. Summoning is the most common, but there are pathways. Places where the energy separating the planes is thinner.¡±

    Noah nodded along. ¡°Right. But you¡¯re still concerned? Or are you just a bit worn out?¡±

    ¡°Maybe some of both,¡± Lee admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about my runes a lot.¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed, has it?¡± A flicker of worry passed through Noah and he sat straighter, but Lee quickly shook her head before he could say anything else.

    ¡°No. I¡¯m fine.¡± She gave him a wide smile and bumped her shoulder into his. ¡°Thank you. I feel like they¡¯re under control for the time being. I¡¯m just worried about what will happen if we get into a serious fight. The bindings might collapse if I start drawing on the runes a lot.¡±

    ¡°Just stay out of any major fights right now. We¡¯ve got a lot of firepower on our side between me, Brayden, and Moxie. Maybe even Jalen as well, depending on the day. You can be our secret weapon ¨C the one that we¡¯re not going to use until your runes are safe.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Lee didn¡¯t sound all that convinced, but it was clear she appreciated the effort. ¡°Really, I just don¡¯t understand why Wizen would want a key to the Damned Plains.¡±

    ¡°So you are worried.¡±

    Lee gave him a sheepish look. ¡°A little. Who would want to go there?¡±

    ¡°Someone trying to deal with a demon that¡¯s far too strong to safely summon, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Lee allowed. She¡¯d gone back to sounding completely unconvinced. ¡°But any archdemon that powerful is just going to crush you if you can¡¯t summon them. What¡¯s the point? Wizen is either strong enough to handle them or not. The key doesn¡¯t sound like it changes anything, so I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s just trying to summon something.¡±

    ¡°So you think he¡¯s trying to actually get something else from the Damned Plains?¡±

    Lee shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. I just don¡¯t like the thought of the place at all. I never want to think about it again. That probably isn¡¯t possible, but it would be nice. Even the idea of a passageway back to the Damned Plains stresses me out.¡±

    ¡°After Wizen is dealt with, you won¡¯t have to,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯re not going back there, Lee.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Lee¡¯s smile strengthened. ¡°By the way, you¡¯ve been missing a lot of stretching lessons. Are you keeping up on your own?¡±

    Alarm bells started going off in Noah¡¯s head and he glanced at Lee out of the corners of his eyes. ¡°Er¡­ enough.¡±

    ¡°How much is enough?¡±

    ¡°I am a very flexible man. Some would say I am the most flexible.¡±

    ¡°Show me,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°We should be watching the students right now,¡± Noah said quickly. ¡°The role of the teachers is to ensure they pass him, even when it means passing up on time for himself. I am willing to accept the sacrifice of falling behind if it means they advance.¡±

    ¡°You can stretch while they practice,¡± Lee said. She blurred, and then she was standing behind Noah. She poked at his back. ¡°Lean forward. Touch your toes.¡±

    Ah, fuck.

    ***

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure how class went after that. All he knew that was, after it finished, Lee had re-stretched all the parts of his body that he¡¯d been slacking off on. She¡¯d decided to catch up on everything he¡¯d missed at once rather than working him back up to it.

    He was pretty sure more than a few limbs would never work properly again, but he¡¯d also never felt more limber in his life. For not the first ¨C or the last ¨C time, he mused that her stretches were actually quite effective.

    Just¡­ not nearly effective enough to ever do voluntarily.

    He held up an arm. Even his bones felt like they¡¯d gotten a thorough stretching. He was pretty sure they weren¡¯t meant to feel droopy.

    ¡°Stop looking like that,¡± Lee said. ¡°Now you can touch your elbows to your toes.¡±

    ¡°I don''t think that''s natural,¡± Noah informed Lee. ¡°It does feel better, though.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Lee beamed at him, and Noah spotted Todd grinning from the corner of the class. The little brat wasn¡¯t even trying to hide his smug expression. It was probably pretty fun watching Lee stretch anyone other than yourself out like a wash rag.

    ¡°Hey, I think Todd is looking a little stiff,¡± Noah said idly.

    Todd¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go. I left the fire in our kitchen on. See you guys tonight for the advanced track.¡±

    He grabbed Isabel by the wrist and darted off, using his Stone Rune to push the wall surrounding them apart like putty. Noah bit back a laugh as the two of them beat a hasty retreat.

    ¡°Maybe we should all break so we can get some rest before the meeting,¡± Moxie said. Noah couldn¡¯t help but notice she was very pointedly avoiding eye contact with Lee. She hadn¡¯t been stretching any more than he had, but someone had needed to supervise the class while they sparred.

    ¡°I think that is a splendid idea,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°I believe I had dinner plans.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± James murmured, rubbing his eyes with the back of a hand and yawing. ¡°I¨C¡±

    ¡°As did we,¡± Emily said, tugging James to his feet before he could try to start sleeping on the ground. ¡°See you tonight!¡±

    She herded him out of the arena and Alexandra followed after them, leaving just Noah and Moxie with Lee.

    ¡°We can go make sure we¡¯re all stretched out for the meeting,¡± Lee offered.

    ¡°I think I¡¯d rather get food,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I¡¯ll pay.¡±

    ¡°Okay! That¡¯s a good idea too. You can¡¯t fight if you aren¡¯t on a full stomach.¡± Lee nodded happily. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Diversion strategy. Nice. I should keep that in mind for the future.

    Noah walked over to the walls that Isabel had erected, ignoring the twinges that ran through his legs with every movement, and pressed his palm against them. A brief thought sent a flicker of energy from Natural Disaster ripping through them and sending them crumbling back into the sand.

    ¡°Food sounds good, and it¡¯ll give us a chance to come up with a plan.¡±

    ¡°A plan?¡± Lee asked. ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°The kids aren¡¯t going to be the only ones being evaluated. Ulya mentioned a good portion of the professors in the advanced track think we don¡¯t belong there,¡± Noah said. He grinned. ¡°And I want to see just how much we can scam them for before they realize that we do.¡±

 Chapter 411: Infinite void

    Noah, Moxie, and Lee got a few looks as they walked out of the arena. The min stone training arena had definitely caught some people¡¯s attention, but nobody approached them on their way out and back toward the T building.

    There was still quite some time before the advanced track meeting was due to start. That suited Noah quite nicely, as he had more than enough to do in the meantime including continuing to see if he could get his hands on a Space Rune.

    The potential first step of that was walking alongside him, chewing on a strip of jerky she¡¯d slipped from Moxie¡¯s bag and eyeing up the local wildlife. Noah took a moment to make sure nobody was anywhere near them before he spoke.

    ¡°Lee, are all the runes you¡¯ve got equally as bonded to your body as the other?¡± He asked. ¡°Or do you have something similar to us with the extras after the first seven?¡±

    Lee waggled a hand back and forth. ¡°It depends on a few things, but that bit is similar for us and you. The runes we¡¯ve got in our soul bond more closely to our bodies the more we use them. And, by being in one of the seven active slots, we¡¯re basically permanently using them. Self-fulfilling prophecy.¡±

    ¡°So any spares¡­ are they also bonded?¡±

    ¡°Eh. They¡¯re in there more than a random one is for you, but I wouldn¡¯t say they¡¯re bonded. More like they¡¯re jabbed in there. We could take them out with a lot less effort than it would take a human. Why?¡±

    ¡°I was going to ask if you had a spare Space Rune still. I¡¯m thinking of getting into making a Rank 4 based off Space Runes, but they¡¯re painfully expensive and I don¡¯t want to keep taking things from Brayden.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure. I¡¯ve got some Rank 1 Space Runes sitting around waiting to give away.¡± Lee scrunched her nose and scratched the back of her neck. ¡°But there¡¯s a small problem. I don¡¯t have any spare Runes.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean? I thought you just said¨C¡±

    ¡°I formed a Rank 4 Rune,¡± Lee reminded Noah. ¡°All those extra Runes moved into my main slots. I¡¯m not using them, but they¡¯re a little bit stuck in there now. It might actually be a bit annoying when I get more runes. It¡¯s harder for us to swap things between slots. Possible, just a bit harder. I¡¯d need to have something to replace them if I wanted to shift anything out.¡±

    Noah nearly slapped himself in the forehead. He¡¯d somehow forgotten that the spare Runes Lee had wouldn¡¯t just be sitting around in the shadows forever. That said, if they weren¡¯t very bonded to Lee¡¯s soul, it wouldn¡¯t be that hard to pull them out with Sunder.

    ¡°You mind if I take one of them when we get back?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I can use the Fragment of Renewal if it ends up hurting more than we expect.¡±

    Lee shrugged in response. ¡°Sure. You can take another look at my Rune when you do and let me know if everything looks correct.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Noah said. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    They took a brief detour to the apothecary so Noah could buy several more Mind Meld potions ¨C it seemed like he was spending the majority of his money on those nowadays ¨C and then headed back to the T building.

    Once they got to Moxie¡¯s room, they wasted no time in downing one of the potions and sitting down against the bed. It wasn¡¯t long before Noah and Lee were standing within her mind.

    The first matter of business was checking Lee¡¯s Rank 4 Rune. Noah still had absolutely no idea what it was or what it did. The weird mixture of a Demon Rune and a Master Rune had made it something entirely new to him.

    Whatever Azel done to bind it still held. At least, it did for the time being. Noah spent nearly half their time double checking the restraints and studying the rune while Lee pointedly avoided looking at it.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s fine,¡± Noah confirmed as he walked over to rejoin Lee. ¡°No difference from last time. You¡¯re safe.¡±

    Lee breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Good. I was worried something shifted. The bindings are still holding?¡±

    He glanced over his shoulder. Even though he¡¯d just spent fifteen minutes studying the magic holding the rune down, he took another moment to squint at it before nodding. ¡°Yeah. Completely held down. Azel did a good job.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lee agreed, a pensive look on her features. She shook her head, then held a hand out. The shadows that made up the ground before her twisted as a small purple rune pushed up from beneath them, strands of black clinging onto it like stretching cheese. ¡°Here¡¯s one of the Space Runes.¡±

    ¡°Damn, I thought you said it wouldn¡¯t be too worked into you,¡± Noah said with a concerned frown. ¡°This looks pretty bound, Lee.¡±

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    ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as you¡¯d think. It¡¯s still weak,¡± Lee replied.

    ¡°Sure, but some of the runes I removed from you were just as connected as this one, and those were ones you were using,¡± Noah said. He waited to see if her soul would release the rune any further, but it kept a firm grip on it. ¡°This is just a spare rune that slid into a slot.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s because I¡¯m stronger now than I was then. My soul is more powerful, so its hold on anything in it is stronger as well. My main runes will probably get so worked into it at Rank 4 and 5 that I¡¯ll barely even be able to pull them up.¡±

    That was mildly concerning. It was easy to forget how different demons were from humans when Noah wasn¡¯t actively thinking about it. Something didn¡¯t quite sit right with him about it.

    Lee has been talking about how demons and humans are just different, but it really seems like she¡¯s getting some enormous drawbacks without benefits to make up for them. Demons bond to runes way harder than we do, making them part of their bodies. Sure, they get to be a lot physically stronger and faster because of it, but humans can do body imbuement to match a lot of that.

    Sure, demons also get to feed off emotions rather than food, but that doesn¡¯t seem like a huge boon either. Lee also can¡¯t project her abilities beyond her body very much, which is apparently a common issue through most demons since their magic is so tied to their body.

    They might be immensely powerful when they do get strong, but doesn¡¯t this mean that everything is harder for them overall? It almost feels unfair.

    There wasn¡¯t going to be an answer he could find here. Telling his concerns to Lee wasn¡¯t going to make her feel any better. And, in the end, all that mattered was the end result, not how hard it was to get there. Even if things were more difficult for Lee, he could just keep cutting apart her runes with Sunder and fixing her soul with the Fragment of Renewal.

    ¡°Right,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°Sorry about that. Got lost in thought. You ready to get this done? I¡¯m going to cut the rune out. I¡¯m definitely using the Fragment after this. I don¡¯t want to risk hurting you.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lee replied. ¡°I¡¯m ready. It won¡¯t be as bad as you¡¯re thinking. My soul might be holding on stronger, but it¡¯s also more powerful so the relative loss shouldn¡¯t be all that bad.¡±

    She didn¡¯t sound completely convinced of her own words. It wasn¡¯t like they had any way to find out the extent of the damage removing the rune would do beforehand. There was nothing to do now but act.

    Noah drew on Sunder and his veins blackened as power coursed through them. The familiar, icy river of power that was his Master Rune churned through his body and gathered in his fingertips.

    He extended his hand and brushed it across the strands holding the Rank 1 Space Rune down. The magic ripped free of his body and poured out through his palm. It sank into Lee¡¯s soul and a line of black carved through the air.

    The shadowy strands severed instantly and the rune peeled away from Lee¡¯s soul, fluttering in her soul space. Noah pressed his hand to it and closed his eyes, drawing its pattern within his own mind.

    It only took a second. The rune, Space or not, was just a Rank 1. Power poured back through his palm and into his body as he absorbed it. Lee had managed to fill the rune a fair amount just by holding onto it and it seemed like it was just a few decent fights away from being completely full.

    Noah didn¡¯t waste time investigating it any further. He spun to Lee, already calling on the Fragment of Renewal. Her face was distressed, lips pressed thin, shoulders hunched. Despite the obvious discomfort, she didn¡¯t look much worse for the wear.

    He didn¡¯t take any chances. Gentle pink smoke poured out of his hands and swirled around Lee. It sank into her soul and she blew out a breath, her shoulders relaxing as she gave him a nod.

    ¡°Thank you. That wasn¡¯t too bad. You didn¡¯t have to use the Fragment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not taking the risk, and you shouldn¡¯t have to suffer for me,¡± Noah replied without missing a beat. ¡°You were doing me a favor anyway. The only other thing I need the Fragment for right now is healing Tim, and he¡¯s got so much attention on him right now that I¡¯ll have to wait a day or two to do that anyway.¡±

    Lee nodded. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m not going to complain. The Fragment of Renewal feels warm and fuzzy. I like it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too used to it,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°Thanks for the rune, Lee. I appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°It was a gift to me, so I can¡¯t even take much credit for it.¡± Lee scratched the back of her head. ¡°But no problem. Do you know what kind of Rune you¡¯re going to try to make with it?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°I have some strong ideas, but I¡¯m going to really need to study just what a space rune is. I want to make something disaster related, but it can¡¯t be so specific that it won¡¯t¡¯ combine well with Natural Disaster.¡±

    Lee flopped down to the ground, crossing her legs beneath her and planting her chin in a palm. There were still a few minutes before the potion¡¯s effects wore off, so Noah sat beside her.

    ¡°What kind of disasters are space related?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°Probably something like black hole or some form of spatial rift?¡± Noah guessed. ¡°That¡¯s the hard part. Figuring those out enough to fully comprehend them won¡¯t be easy.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you just randomly combine things until you stumble into the right path?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t quite go as far as to say randomly combine, but I can definitely test a lot of different options until one works,¡± Noah said with a nod. He drummed his fingers on his knee, his brow furrowing. ¡°The thing is, that would be really expensive and time consuming. I want to keep growing. With the people we¡¯ll eventually be up against, I can¡¯t risk falling behind.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I get that,¡± Lee said. Her head twitched as she stopped herself from looking back at the Master-Demon Rune hybrid floating behind them. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll happily take any space-related runes you buy and don¡¯t need.¡±

    Noah let out a snort of laughter. ¡°How generous of you. I¡¯ll make sure to send them your way.¡±

    Lee gave him an unabashed grin. ¡°No problem. Now let¡¯s start brainstorming some space Runes you could make for Rank 2. What about devouring stomach?¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem quite up my alley.¡±

    ¡°No? Well, we¡¯ve got time until the potion ends. I¡¯m sure we can come up with one. How about infinite void?¡±

    ¡°That¡­ seems a bit excessive for a Rank 2.¡±

    ¡°Infinite void in the stomach?¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re just hungry.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lee agreed. ¡°I am.¡±

 Chapter 412: Surprise meeting

    The Mind Meld potion wore off right on time. Noah was pulled out of Lee¡¯s mind and back into Moxie¡¯s room where she sat in wait.

    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°Well,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Got the rune I needed and everything is fine with Lee¡¯s rune. Nothing to worry about right now. We can focus entirely on dealing with the advanced track meeting tonight.¡±

    And I can kill the time by trying to figure out what Rune I¡¯m going to make.

    ¡°You can do that,¡± Lee said as she stood up and stretched her arms over her head with a long yawn. ¡°I¡¯m going to get breakfast.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s midday,¡± Moxie said. ¡°This would be lunch.¡±

    ¡°Lunch makes it sound so close to dinner, and that¡¯s the end of the eating for the day,¡± Lee replied. She scratched at a cheek, then wiped her nose with the back of a hand. ¡°If this is breakfast, then I still have two more meals.¡±

    It was hard to argue with that impeccable logic. All Noah and Moxie could do was nod their understanding of Lee¡¯s sage words as she pulled the window open and slipped out, dropping to the ground and sinking into a shadow before zipping off in pursuit of what was likely her third breakfast of the day.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say her emotion was gluttony,¡± Moxie said with a shake of her head. ¡°You know, I still wonder what exactly it was that made Lee so different from the other demons.¡±

    ¡°My best thought is her lack of a proper Demon Rune for a long time ¨C or perhaps the lack of advancing it. We haven¡¯t really seen other demons at her Rank before. Maybe they¡¯re all¡­ kind of like that.¡±

    A shudder ran down Moxie¡¯s back at the thought. ¡°I love Lee, but I don¡¯t know if I can stand by the idea of entire cities of Lees walking around in the Damned Plains. Forget the big scary demons like Azel ¨C just one city of Lees with absolutely no malicious intent would be enough to completely destroy all four Bastions.¡±

    ¡°It would probably bring about the greatest famine the world has ever seen,¡± Noah agreed with a nod. He pushed himself upright and took a page out of Lee¡¯s book, stretching his arms out before leaning down and reaching for his toes to work a knot out of his back. ¡°On another topic, how are your runes doing?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Moxie replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing a good amount of hunting and meditation to push them to where they need to be. I¡¯ve filled out the rest of my roster as well.¡±

    ¡°You have? Unique runes?¡±

    ¡°No, duplicates. I¡¯m going for a Rank 4 Rune that focuses on blooming or flowering plants. I haven¡¯t figured out the exact final composition, but it¡¯ll need a lot of earth and plant related runes, both of which I have.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. I can¡¯t help much with the first part, but when it comes time to combine them, let me know if you have any trouble and need to Sunder it back apart.¡±

    ¡°I will. You can count on it. I don¡¯t plan on leaving myself with a sub-par Rank 4 Rune when I¡¯ve got access to one of the most unfair runes in existence,¡± Moxie said with a snicker. ¡°But what about you? Space Runes¡­ not exactly an easy medium to work with. I take it I¡¯d be reaching if I said you¡¯ve got a plan?¡±

    ¡°Reaching pretty far,¡± Noah agreed. He reached down and snagged his grimoire, lugging it onto Moxie¡¯s bed and flipping it open to leaf through the pages. ¡°I know the general direction I want to go. My first Rank 4 is Natural Disaster ¨C so I want the others to all be different kinds of disasters. Maybe I could do some duplicates, but I still need the initial one.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re going for Disaster as your Rank 5, I take it?¡±

    Noah nodded. ¡°It seems like it would fit the current path pretty well. I don¡¯t know how things will change between now and then, though. Who knows what it¡¯ll actually end up being. I can¡¯t plan for that ¨C but I can see that Space Runes are really powerful. I¡¯m also starting to get jealous of everyone teleporting around.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget they also consume a huge amount of energy as well,¡± Moxie reminded Noah. ¡°But yes, Space Runes are powerful for obvious reasons. Maybe ask Jalen about them? He¡¯s clearly got some, and they¡¯re probably fairly high rank.¡±

    Considering how often Jalen teleported around, he definitely was. Noah wasn¡¯t so sure he wanted to ask Jalen for help with regard to runes. Their relationship was built off the fact that Jalen found him entertaining.

    If he started asking the older mage for handouts or advice, there was a chance that he¡¯d get bored. Jalen had made it clear he had absolutely no plans of fighting any battles for Noah.

    I¡¯d probably have to find something to trade for the runes or information. Maybe I could make him give it up over a game of darts or something? That¡¯s honestly the most likely way I¡¯d get anything from him¡­ but then I¡¯d have to bet something myself, and probably been practicing darts since we last played.

    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°That Jalen has probably been practicing playing darts.¡±

    She blinked, confusion passing over her features. ¡°What? I thought we were talking about asking him for Space Runes.¡±

    ¡°We were.¡±

    Moxie squinted at Noah. She shook her head and shrugged. ¡°Right. Well, I¡¯m not going to poke into that rabbit hole. I can try to help you with the theory portion, but I don¡¯t know all that much about natural or unnatural disasters. They¡¯re both pretty broad concepts. What kind of disasters are there that involve space?¡±

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    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got two ideas right now. You know what a black hole is?¡±

    ¡°An area of collapsing space. I¡¯ve heard of Space Rune users working with them before, but there¡¯s a reason almost everyone that has said runes only uses them for transportation. They end up killing themselves with their magic more often than anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Brayden doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Brayden is special,¡± Moxie said. ¡°But he also seems to use his runes mostly for mobility and to create barriers of condensed space. Basically defensive and utility applications that he uses offensively. That¡¯s different from trying to literally collapse space.¡±

    Noah nodded. ¡°Right. But you have heard of them? That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking for one Rune. Black hole. It might be a bit too powerful for a Rank 4, though. I may have to find a weaker version of it. Either way, something to do with increasing the density of space in a small area until it collapses.¡±

    ¡°Remind me not to be anywhere near you when you start on that,¡± Moxie said dryly. ¡°Where are you even going to get the runes to do that, though? What do Space Runes combine with to create something that can collapse space?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured that bit out yet. Brayden might have some advice, and I think I could wheedle it out of Jalen if I approach things the right way. Then it¡¯ll just be a matter of getting my hands on the runes. Until then, I¡¯ll just split up the Space Rune I got from Lee and make enough copies to fuel the rest of my combinations.¡±

    ¡°Going to feed some to your book?¡±

    ¡°Probably. Why?¡±

    ¡°It looks hungry.¡±

    Noah glanced down at the grimoire. It had raised its own front cover, and the eye on its center was looking straight up at him. He let out a surprised curse and yanked his hand back. The grimoire fluttered, possibly either in amusement or annoyance, then closed itself and returned to plain leather.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Noah muttered as he shook his hand off. ¡°Why is everything and everyone I know perpetually hungry?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Moxie said defensively.

    Noah squinted at her, then turned to pick his grimore up. ¡°You never know. Maybe you¡¯ll start taking lessons from Lee. I don¡¯t know if I can trust anyone.¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes and poked him in the side of his stomach. He jumped, nearly dropping the grimore, and spun to glare at her. She gave him an innocent look.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You are a brat,¡± Noah said, slinging the grimoire over his back and picking up his travel bag. ¡°Want to go try to scope out the advanced track area before the other professors get there? There¡¯s someone I¡¯m keeping an eye out for.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Moxie asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Who? Godrick?¡±

    ¡°No. Well, maybe. I don¡¯t actually know the name of the person. I kind of need money, especially if I want to go around buying runes to combine with my Space Rune,¡± Noah said. He rifled through his bag and pulled out the badge that they¡¯d gotten in the auction some time ago. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to try to find the owner of this thing.¡±

    ¡°Ahh,¡± Moxie said, her eyes lighting with understanding. ¡°The one who had the Violet Transference Rune. You think they¡¯re in the advanced track?¡±

    Noah shrugged in response. ¡°Maybe? They¡¯re probably either there, an Enforcer, or someone else high up in Arbitage¡¯s ranks. They seemed to imply it wouldn¡¯t be hard for me to find them, but we haven¡¯t seen any traces of them yet.¡±

    ¡°Probably because they assumed we ran in the same circles they did,¡± Moxie said with a knowing nod. ¡°I bet you¡¯re right. I honestly have no clue what kind of rune Violet Transference would even be. Something with space, maybe?¡±

    ¡°Space magic is purple, and the name sounds pretty space-y. Could be that,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to keep an eye out. We¡¯ll get to know the advanced track professors better after today and the Enforcers tomorrow. With any luck, our rich friend will be in one of those two groups.¡±

    ¡°As good a guess as any. We¡¯ll go hunting for him if not. Just don¡¯t get too caught up looking and forget about the kids. We still have to pick them up from the transport cannon before the meeting actually starts.¡±

    ¡°I know. We¡¯ve still got a few hours before then, though. More than enough time to kill snooping around.¡± Noah turned his head to look back at Moxie as he stepped ahead of her to pull the door open.

    She¡¯d been midway through parting her lips to respond when she stopped, a furrow creasing her brow as she looked past Noah¡¯s shoulder. He followed her gaze across the hall. Ulya sat, her head leaned against the hooded figure of one of her puppets, and her eyes fluttering to fight off sleep.

    A start jolted Ulya awake and she jerked her gaze up. She scrambled to her feet, brushing her clothes off hurriedly as they watched on in bemusement.

    ¡°I just got here,¡± Ulya said lamely.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°No. Why would something be wrong?¡±

    ¡°Considering something has been or gone at least slightly wrong every other time we¡¯ve met, I¡¯d say it¡¯s a fair guess.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ okay, it is fair,¡± Ulya admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck. ¡°But no. Nothing is wrong. I just came to pick you both up for the advanced track meeting. Contessa said you¡¯d be in here. I was going to ask if you were busy, but she looked like she was in a big hurry so I didn¡¯t bother her long.

    ¡°So why were you just sitting outside? You could have knocked,¡± Moxie said.

    ¡°Well, you had a very soft white cat sitting outside the door. I¡­ got a little distracted petting it.¡±

    I think I found what Contessa was in a hurry about.

    ¡°How long were you petting it if you were falling asleep?¡± Moxie asked, squinting at Ulya.

    ¡°Not that long. A few minutes.¡± Ulya coughed into her fist. ¡°I just started to drift off because I was a little tired. I¡¯ve been working a lot.¡±

    The bags under her eyes told the same story. She looked better than she had when Wizen¡¯s clones had first become a problem, but not by much.

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said slowly. ¡°So¡­ you came to get us? This early?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. Right. I was going to bring you to a meeting,¡± Ulya said, a flash of panic running through her features. ¡°I forgot.¡±

    ¡°A meeting?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I thought the meeting was at night.¡±

    ¡°Not that one.¡± Ulya shook her head and winced. ¡°There¡¯s another professor in the program that wanted to talk with both of you. He¡¯s been waiting for a bit.¡±

    Noah and Moxie exchanged a glance.

    ¡°Might as well,¡± Noah said with a shrug. This was as good a spot as any to feel out how the advanced track felt about them and their standing. Meeting with someone one on one would be much more beneficial than trying to figure anything out in a group setting. ¡°I¡¯m sure he hasn¡¯t been waiting for all that long.¡±

    Judging by the look on Ulya¡¯s face, that probably wasn¡¯t true. That was hardly his fault. Noah didn¡¯t mind waiting as long as he wasn¡¯t the one doing it.

    ¡°Lead the way, then,¡± Noah said. ¡°And did you see where the cat went?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Ulya replied. ¡°I think I dozed off and it left.¡±

    Noah let out a thoughtful grunt as they started off down the hall. Mascot going missing was rarely a good sign, but he got the feeling the cat would turn up again sooner rather than later.

 Chapter 413: A stranger

    ¡°So, who is it that wanted to see us?¡± Noah asked as they headed down the stairwell that led into the advanced track meeting area. They¡¯d been walking for a few minutes in silence, the only noise out of place being the clicks coming from Ulya¡¯s puppet as it moved.

    ¡°Verrud,¡± Ulya replied. ¡°He¡¯s a water mage and solidly in the middle of the pack as far as the advanced track professors go. His students are as well.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Noah said. He took a moment to draw his domain in, trying to contain it as best as possible. He still wasn¡¯t great at controlling it perfectly, but he hoped it was enough to avoid being completely egregious. ¡°Was there a reason he wanted to talk to us? And why are you running his errands?¡±

    ¡°Because I just joined the track,¡± Ulya said, sending Noah a flat stare over her shoulder. ¡°Though I suppose you, Moxie, and Silvertide have taken that role from me.¡±

    Noah let out a snort of laughter. ¡°If you think I¡¯m going to run around delivering messages for the advanced track, you¡¯re sorely mistaken. They don¡¯t provide anything nearly important enough to get me to waste time doing that.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ulya said dryly. ¡°I appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Hey, someone has to do it. Your work is definitely useful. I just have no plans of doing it myself. Why don¡¯t you just have your puppets do it, though?¡±

    ¡°I used to,¡± Ulya said, coming to a stop at the doors at the bottom of the stairwell and pausing in a failed attempt to conceal her annoyance. ¡°A pair of certain someones broke them all.¡±

    Ah, right. I took out a few and then Silvertide used the rest as bait to take out Wizen¡¯s other puppets. That¡¯s rough.

    ¡°Right. Forgot about that bit,¡± Noah said with a sheepish grin. He rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you use the thing you¡¯ve got walking around with us now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d leave myself defenseless if I did that. All my Runes are specifically for puppets. I don¡¯t know how to fight in any other way. Not effectively, at least.¡±

    She pushed the doors open before Noah could respond. The banquet hall stretched out before them, considerably emptier than the last time they¡¯d been there. There was only one person in the room.

    Verrud sat at the far side of the table, a book in his hands. His dark hair draped around his face, obscuring it from sight, but the golden nametag on his uniform would have given his identity away even if Noah hadn¡¯t recognized him.

    He looked up as the three of them approached and closed the book in his hands with a snap. Noah hadn¡¯t gotten a great look at him during the previous meeting. The man¡¯s features were pinched and serious.

    He had thin eyes that seemed to be permanently locked in a half-asleep droop and lips that were borderline indistinguishable from the rest of his face. Verrud set the book to the side and interlaced his fingers, leaning forward and inclining his head in greeting.

    ¡°Professors. I¡¯m pleased you were able to make it.¡±

    ¡°I was unaware there was an option to refuse,¡± Noah said. ¡°Is there a reason you wanted to speak to us before the meeting? We would have been here in a few hours anyway.¡±

    ¡°Of course there was,¡± Verrud said. ¡°Do you think I ask Ulya to run around bringing people places for no reason whatsoever?¡±

    That remains to be seen.

    ¡°I¡¯d certainly hope not,¡± Noah said. He and Moxie walked over to sit down at the table across from Verrud. Ulya hung back, watching with undisguised interest from the corner of the room. Noah didn¡¯t blame her. He would have done the same thing.

    ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re about to enlighten us?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°It seems we¡¯re going to skip the niceties.¡± Verrud shrugged. ¡°That works for me. You joined the advanced track at an interesting time, both of you. Amid the debacle with several of our members dying out of the blue, we barely got time to get to know much about each other.¡±

    ¡°I get the feeling you¡¯ve already looked into us, though,¡± Noah observed.

    ¡°Of course I have. We don¡¯t allow just anyone into the advanced track. I¡¯d already done some research, but you two have a rather interesting background. A professor who was Rank 1 only a few months ago and the exiled aide of the Torrin family¡¯s head. Quite a ways you¡¯ve come, isn¡¯t it?¡±

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    ¡°Are you leading somewhere with this? I thought you said were doing away with the niceties,¡± Noah said, tilting his head to the side. He hadn¡¯t quite figured out what Verrud¡¯s angle was yet. The man obviously wanted something.

    Is it to do with our students, maybe? He could be scouting out the competition to see if his own are at risk from us. Either that or he¡¯s interested in me or Moxie specifically. Is he part of one of our families?

    ¡°I was just stating a few observations. Observations that I only grow more curious in. A number of professors in the track believe you have a powerful backer, especially after you showed up with two highly ranked mages at the last meeting. Is that true?¡±

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Noah countered. ¡°Even if we did have backing, the only thing that matters for the advanced track are our students and our own abilities.¡±

    ¡°Very true. I doubt you¡¯ll be willing to give me much more information with regard to yourselves, so I won¡¯t waste time asking. I suspect it will come out soon enough regardless. The reason I called you here today is to warn you.¡±

    ¡°Warn us?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°Not everyone in the program is pleased at your acceptance ¨C particularly you, Magus Moxie. Your student Emily is no longer in line for Torrin leadership, but she still poses a threat. There are those that want to be rid of her, and they have since even before Evergreen¡¯s demise.¡±

    Noah¡¯s brow furrowed. It seemed like Verrud was being honest¡­ but the information he was sharing also wasn¡¯t really all that much of a surprise. Emily had been in line to lead the Torrins after Evergreen died.

    It was only logical to assume that there were other Torrins that didn¡¯t like that, and they were a big enough family that it was quite likely that there were other Torrins from different branches that wouldn¡¯t think much of Moxie or Emily.

    None of that was a reason to call them over to the meeting room hours early, which meant one of two things. Either Verrud was trying to gauge how much the information would worry them, or this situation was considerably more than just someone that didn¡¯t like Emily.

    The way he¡¯s worded this sounds like Emily or Moxie are directly in danger ¨C probably Emily. Nobody would dislike Moxie enough to bother trying to do anything to her. She¡¯s not a political threat when she¡¯s exiled, but Emily is a different story. I suppose she could still try to claim the leadership position even if Evergreen is dead.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be willing to elaborate on that?¡± Noah asked casually.

    Verrud gave Noah a wry smile and shook his head.  ¡°You¡¯ll find that out soon enough. I¡¯m not sticking my neck out that far. It will be fairly obvious, I¡¯d say.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Noah allowed. ¡°When you say that Emily is at risk, how much are we talking here? Are there going to be threats on her life?¡±

    If there are, I¡¯ll be responding in kind.

    ¡°Directly? Most certainly not. What kind of place do you take Arbitage for?¡± Verrud exclaimed, staring at Noah in disbelief. It took everything Noah had not to laugh in the other professor¡¯s face.

    It looked like he¡¯d never had the misfortune of finding out that Arbitage¡¯s neutral zone was really more of a neutral suggestion. That actually spoke rather well of the man ¨C unless, of course, he was lying.

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said. ¡°So what are we expecting, then?¡±

    ¡°If I knew, I¡¯d tell you. I¡¯m not the one interested in Emily failing out of Arbitage. I value the advanced track for what it is. A way for students to push themselves and grow stronger together with their professors. I have no interest in the politics. Not everyone sees things the same way.¡±

    He said he wouldn¡¯t tell me and then proceeded to do just that. Whoever this is will be trying to make it hard for Emily to graduate, then? Sounds like they¡¯ll be interfering with tests or otherwise trying to make her look incompetent.

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed as a thought struck him. Some time ago, at the survival exam, someone had been interfering with his students. The amount of monsters attacking them was abnormal and none of them had possessed the tokens that they were supposed to collect.

    He¡¯d never completely confirmed the reason as to why that had happened. There had been bigger problems to worry about at the time, and it had seemed possible that Evergreen herself had caused the trouble to try and hinder Emily so she¡¯d lose her bet.

    Is it possible that was something more that Evergreen just took advantage of ¨C or didn¡¯t plan entirely? If that¡¯s the case, we can expect someone to be messing with just about every exam from here on out. But¡­ why would Verrud come out and tell us this? I don¡¯t see what he gets out of it.

    ¡°A proper fight,¡± Verrud said.

    Noah blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You were probably wondering why I bothered telling you any of this and didn¡¯t just wait to see how everything played out during the next exam,¡± Verrud said. ¡°It¡¯s because I want a proper fight. My students and I joined this program to push ourselves. The resources are convenient, but we have enough power from our own noble families. We don¡¯t truly need them. What we need are competent opponents.¡±

    ¡°And you think that we can be that?¡± Moxie asked, her words failing to reveal any emotion. "Are you sure? You did point out yourself that our position is pretty tenuous. Vermil was a Rank 1 just a short while ago. Most of our students aren¡¯t nobles.¡±

    ¡°Even if it weren¡¯t for the two mages accompanying you last time, it is clear that you have something interesting about you,¡± Verrud replied. He pushed back from his chair and rose to his feet. ¡°And your students have come a far way. Far enough for me to suspect it to not be a fluke. I look forward to seeing what you and your groups are capable of later tonight during the meeting.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°You only called us here for that?¡±

    ¡°I have gotten everything I wanted,¡± Verrud replied with a thin smile. He stepped past them, heading down the hall and up the stairs until the echo of his footsteps faded into the distance.

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ surprisingly decent,¡± Moxie observed in a hushed tone. ¡°I wonder what noble family he¡¯s from.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said thoughtfully, looking out in the direction that Verrud had left. ¡°As do I.¡±

 Chapter 414: Change the game

    ¡°So, how much of that do you think was Verrud trying to play us against someone else?¡± Moxie asked once several seconds had passed after the other professor¡¯s departure.

    Noah rubbed his chin. Ulya was still standing in the corner, but he was pretty sure she was at least temporarily on their side. She didn¡¯t have any puppets beyond the one beside her and probably didn¡¯t think too much of the other professors if they kept using her as an errand girl.

    Probably relatively safe to speak honestly as long as I avoid giving anything too important away.

    ¡°He definitely wants something from us that he hasn¡¯t said. That guy was trying way too hard to come off as magnanimous and considerate. I mean, it¡¯s great that he¡¯s told us that someone¡¯s gunning for Emily, but I figure we would have figured that out soon. Really soon.¡±

    ¡°During the meeting tonight, probably,¡± Moxie said with a nod. ¡°The Torrins aren¡¯t discreet about their opinions. If someone¡¯s looking to make a fool out of Emily, they¡¯re going to try to act hard and fast. There¡¯s no way they¡¯ll wait all the way until the first exam.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m of the same mind,¡± Noah said. ¡°Which means this guy probably called the meeting now just to make sure his kind advice actually felt useful when it¡¯s actually completely worthless. Ulya, how do you feel about picking sides?¡±

    ¡°Are there sides to pick?¡± Ulya replied with a weary laugh. ¡°It¡¯s the advanced track. Everyone is on their own side. Verrud was right about one thing. We¡¯re in this because we want to push ourselves to be better ¨C and that generally comes at the cost of taking out the ones in our way.¡±

    Noah pushed his chair back and rose from the table. ¡°Right. I get that, but I¡¯ve always been pretty bad at following instructions. Moxie and I are just two people, and we don¡¯t know anything about the advanced track. You do.¡±

    Ulya tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms. She leaned against the back wall, watching Noah through half-lidded eyes. ¡°Where are you going with this? You want me to throw my lot in with you? Have you forgotten that you¡¯ve destroyed a solid half of my puppets?¡±

    ¡°At least one of those was your fault,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Blame the people that sent you to me, not me.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fair enough,¡± Ulya admitted. She stepped out of the shadows and into the light cast by candles on the table, meeting Noah¡¯s gaze with steely eyes. ¡°So what do you want, then? And why should I help you?¡±

    ¡°First, you owe me a favor.¡± Noah held a hand up and ticked off one of his fingers. ¡°You came to me for help when Wizen showed up, and I helped. Second, I can help you rebuild your missing puppets. The only thing you need is Runes, right?¡±

    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s easy to get Runes,¡± Ulya said with a short laugh. ¡°Catchpaper is expensive and hunting is dangerous, especially for monsters that are strong enough to give worthwhile Runes ¨C unless you plan to spend months getting Rank 1 Runes?¡±

    ¡°Forget how difficult it is for a moment. I didn¡¯t ask you if it was hard to get Runes or not,¡± Noah said. ¡°I said I needed someone in the advanced track on our side, and I¡¯m partial to you because you aren¡¯t a raging scumbag. That doesn¡¯t mean I need you.¡±

    Ulya¡¯s brow furrowed as she studied Noah for a few seconds. He could see the thoughts churning in her head, likely recalling his so-called ¡®teacher¡¯ and Jalen¡¯s presence at the last advanced track meeting.

    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re telling the truth?¡± Ulya asked. ¡°You could just be trying to use me for information and then leave.¡±

    Noah stared at Ulya. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying about not needing you, Ulya. We¡¯ve already worked together and you seem like an intelligent woman. That doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t find someone else to work with. Someone in the advanced track will take me up on my offer. Do you really think I climbed from Rank 1 to where I am now so quickly without any ability? Verrud clearly disagrees.¡±

    Neither of them spoke for several seconds. Then Ulya¡¯s lips pressed thin and she gave him a sharp nod.

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll play, at least for now. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Verrud. Who¡¯s he in with?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a Herron.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed as old memories churned. The Herrons were the 2<sup>nd</sup> strongest family in the kingdom, just behind the King family. And, more importantly, he knew the Herron name. It had been a while since he¡¯d heard it, but he hadn¡¯t forgotten that Silvertide had told him that he suspected a Mind Mage from the Herrons called Calo had been involved with the manipulation of the survival exam a short while ago.

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    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that interesting,¡± Noah said. ¡°The Herrons were the ones that screwed with the exam.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. Why would he warn you of the Torrins planning to mess with Emily if he¡¯s working with them?¡± Ulya asked. ¡°Are you sure the Herrons have something against Emily?¡±

    It¡¯s not Emily they were after. It¡¯s Isabel¡¯s Master Rune ¨C but I don¡¯t trust Ulya nearly enough to tell her that.

    Noah didn¡¯t respond for a few seconds. He sifted through the information he had, lining up the puzzle pieces. A grin crossed his lips and he let out a bark of laughter before speaking again. He made sure to keep his voice low enough that, just in case someone was listening from the stairs or anywhere else nearby, they wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up on it.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure. Silvertide was the one that got me that information ¨C but Verrod doesn¡¯t know that. We never publicly made any moves. He has no reason to suspect we know the Herrons want us to fail.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re partnered with the Torrin family, then. Moxie¡¯s eyes lit up with understanding. ¡°That¡¯s what this meeting was for. He was trying to get into our good graces so they¡¯d have someone on the inside and focus our attention on the Torrins.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of work just to humiliate one disgraced heir,¡± Ulya said. She flicked her hand and her puppet clicked to life, striding across the room and heading up the stairs. Noah followed its path with a curious gaze, then raised his eyebrow in question.

    ¡°Making sure we aren¡¯t being listened in on,¡± Ulya said. ¡°If I¡¯m throwing my lot in with you, I¡¯m not getting screwed on the first move.¡±

    Noah grinned. ¡°Good. Now, who¡¯s the Torrin we need to be aware of?¡±

    ¡°The professor¡¯s name is Jakob. He¡¯s got two students ¨C Marley and Yulin. Marley is in Exal¡¯s family branch, and he¨C¡±

    ¡°Is the current head of the Torrins,¡± Moxie finished with a nod. She tapped a finger on her chin. ¡°So Marley is probably trying to make sure he secures his position by showing up Emily. What rank is he?¡±

    ¡°Two,¡± Ulya said.

    Noah and Moxie exchanged a glance. The Advanced Track students were definitely ahead of the normal curve ¨C but, at the same time, Noah was pretty confident Emily would be able to take out another Rank 2. Between her pattern and her flawless Runes, he was confident she¡¯d win.

    Winning wasn¡¯t enough. If the Herrons were trying to kill Isabel or steal her Master Rune from her, then there was only a single option that Noah could see before him.

    Completely and utterly crush them, just like the Torrins before them.

    ¡°Do you know if a mage called Calo is in the advanced track?¡± Noah asked.

    Ulya shook her head. ¡°No. The only members from the Herron family are Verrud and his students. I know of Calo ¨C there¡¯s no way a Rank 5 Mind Mage would be wasting time for something like this.¡±

    You might change your mind if you realized this was a game for an incredibly powerful Master Rune, not a pissing contest between two prospective family heirs.

    That said¡­ Rank 5?

    A grin stretched across Noah¡¯s lips. Wizen was one thing, but he could handle a Rank 5 if he approached the battle on his terms. He just had to make sure he didn¡¯t play his cards too early. From what he¡¯d learned, Mind Magic was for utility ¨C they couldn¡¯t control people unless their guard was completely down or they had a long time to work.

    Verrud¡¯s warning likely meant that Jakob and his students would be trying to make some form of move during the advanced track meeting. He¡¯d already expected there to be opposition from people that didn¡¯t think he and his group belonged, but this changed things.

    ¡°Right. We¡¯re playing good cop, bad cop,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°We¡¯re doing what now?¡± Ulya asked.

    He scrunched his nose. ¡°Verrud is pretending to be nice. Jakob and his group are going to be the assholes. They¡¯re going to pull out all the stops to crush Emily in the first round to prove that Verrud¡¯s warning was ¡®good¡¯ and then we¡¯ll trust him.¡±

    ¡°And when you trust him, they screw you over even harder later?¡± Ulya asked, catching on.

    ¡°Probably,¡± Noah said.

    Likely by picking a moment during an exam when Isabel is trusting them to watch her back. Her guard would be down and it would be easy to make her disappear and claim she just couldn¡¯t hold up in the advanced track.

    ¡°We should be careful,¡± Moxie said. ¡°The fact they¡¯re doing all this means they know we¡¯re not pushover opponents.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Noah said. ¡°They think we took the bait, and that means we¡¯ve got them exactly where we want them. Nothing suits our position better than pretending to be the mouse in the face of a cat.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a plan, then?¡± Ulya raised an eyebrow. ¡°The look on your face has me interested despite my better judgement. What is it?¡±

    ¡°We shift the game. This whole thing only works if they can make a joke out of Emily to prove we need Verrud¡¯s help. They¡¯ll keep trying to do that as long as they don¡¯t think their cover is blown.¡±

    ¡°Logically,¡± Ulya said. ¡°But how are you going to avoid it? If they¡¯ve gone to these lengths, then Marley is going to be strong. He¡¯s likely to win in the fight.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s certainly possible,¡± Noah agreed with a smile. ¡°But we won¡¯t be playing their game. We play things our way instead.¡±

    ¡°And what way is that?¡± Ulya asked doubtfully.

    The look in Moxie¡¯s eyes told Noah she knew what he was going to say a second before he said it, but that didn¡¯t reduce the relish in his voice by even an ounce.

    ¡°If they never even get a chance to properly challenge Emily today, then they won¡¯t be able to do shit.¡± Noah¡¯s grin grew even wider. ¡°We¡¯re going to be causing a little chaos. This meeting is going to be fun.¡±

 Chapter 415: We do a little planning

    There were still a few hours before the meeting. If they were going to cause chaos, Noah couldn¡¯t see that possibly happening without one particular person who seemed to be the literal embodiment of it.

    They needed Lee.

    It was tempting to ask Ulya to use her puppet to go get her, but the woman had been asked to be a messenger so many times that Noah actually felt a little bad about it. He needed Ulya to actually like working with them if he wanted her properly on their side.

    That¡¯s fine. She¡¯s not the only messenger I¡¯ve worked with.

    ¡°Mascot, you here?¡± Noah asked.

    Ulya sent him a strange look. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Noah said, holding a hand up to forestall any questions. He glanced around the relatively empty room. There wasn¡¯t any sign of white fur or red horns. Not yet. ¡°Come on, Mascot. I know you¡¯re somewhere around. You were lurking around this morning. You know something¡¯s up.¡±

    There was no response. Ulya looked at Moxie with a concerned expression. Noah ignored her. The cat was screwing with him. He rifled through his bag, but there wasn¡¯t any jerky left in it. Lee had picked him clean at some point.

    ¡°Hey, do you have any food?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Here,¡± Moxie said, pulling a strip of jerky out of her own bag. ¡°Is Mascot really going to go for a random piece of meat? He isn¡¯t Lee.¡±

    Noah shrugged in response, taking the jerky from her and waving it around in the air above his head like a flag. ¡°Only one way to find out. Come on, Mascot. I need you to help mess some shit up.¡±

    Ulya¡¯s eyes widened. A ripple of energy tickled Noah¡¯s domain and he glanced over his shoulder as a purple disk yawned open ¨C well within the reaches of his domain. Mascot popped out, bounding off his shoulder and snagging the jerky from his hand.

    The fluffy cat landed on the table across from him and turned in a circle to stare into his eyes, the strip of jerky slowly disappearing into his mouth.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains?¡± Ulya asked. ¡°That was the cat I was petting!¡±

    He went right through my domain. Point taken, you little bugger. You¡¯re still somehow stronger than I am. Where in the world did you come from? Are you really just a manifestation of the Fragment of Renewal?

    Mascot meowed and licked his paw. A flicker of annoyance passed through his red eyes and his tail thumped against the table impatiently.

    ¡°I think you should tell him what you want,¡± Moxie suggested. ¡°Preferably before he pisses over the tablecloth.¡±

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    ¡°I was hoping you could get Lee for me. The rest of the students as well, if possible,¡± Noah told Mascot. ¡°We¡¯re going to be causing some chaos in the meeting today. I figure you already knew that, though.¡±

    ¡°How would a cat know anything?¡± Ulya asked, squinting at Mascot. ¡°What kind of monster is that?¡±

    Mascot sank into a portal that formed in the table, vanishing without a trace. It was impossible to tell if he¡¯d decided to comply with Noah¡¯s request or not. Something told Noah that the cat would do as he asked ¨C there was nothing Mascot enjoyed more than chaos.

    ¡°An odd one,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Be grateful. Now you don¡¯t have to go run and find her yourself. I figured you were fed up running errands for other people.¡±

    ¡°You summoned a monster with Space Runes purely so I wouldn¡¯t have to run off and deliver the message myself?¡± A flicker of appreciation passed through Ulya¡¯s features. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re supremely lazy or just trying to make sure you stay on my good side.¡±

    Noah gave her an unabashed shrug. ¡°I treat the people on my side well. Can¡¯t say the same for everyone else. Now, we need to figure out our plan. First off ¨C Ulya, this part is easy. Pretend you don¡¯t give a shit about us.¡±

    ¡°That should be easy.¡±

    ¡°I figured,¡± Noah said with a wry grin. ¡°Moxie, I think your best role is the one you normally play.¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    ¡°Mediator. Between Lee and I, there will be enough of a shitshow to make everyone think we¡¯re all insane. We need something that keeps us grounded. That¡¯ll be you.¡±

    ¡°Oh. That is my normal role.¡±

    ¡°Which is what I said. In the meantime, Lee and I will keep literally everyone¡¯s attention so occupied that there won¡¯t even be a chance for Marley to try to challenge Emily properly.¡± Noah chewed his lower lip. There were a lot of ways he could cause chaos. He didn¡¯t want to go so far as to completely go overboard, though. ¡°Are there any things we should make sure not to do, Ulya?¡±

    ¡°That is a very broad and concerning question. What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine people are going to like us much after this, but I want to make sure we don¡¯t go so far that we get kicked out of the program,¡± Noah said. ¡°Are they going to lose their shit at the slightest indecency like most nobles?¡±

    Ulya thought for a second before shaking her head. ¡°No. Everyone in this program is a warrior. They¡¯ll be more hardened and difficult to throw off than average mages. As long as you don¡¯t kill anyone or make a complete mockery of yourselves, you¡¯ll be fine. They respect ability above all else.¡±

    ¡°Perfect.¡± Noah rubbed his hands together. ¡°Then all we have to do is wait for the others to arrive.¡±

    ¡°Assuming Mascot actually went to get them,¡± Moxie put in.

    ¡°Yeah. Assuming that.¡±

    ***

    Lee and the students showed up just about twenty minutes later. There was no sign of Mascot with them, but there was no doubt in Noah¡¯s mind that the cat was lurking nearby, waiting to throw his own wrench into the system.

    ¡°Mascot led us over here,¡± Lee said, glancing around the empty room. ¡°Is something going on? I didn¡¯t think the advanced track meeting started for a while.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said with a nod. He gestured for them to all gather closer, then filled them in on everything that had gone down since the meeting with Verrud. There was no need to hide information from any of them, and they all deserved to know what they were up against.

    Emily didn¡¯t look too surprised at their findings. Determination etched itself into her features and, once Noah had finished with his debrief, she gave him a nod.

    ¡°I won¡¯t lose to Marley. I can hold my own.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t just about that.¡± Noah¡¯s eyes drifted over to Isabel, who met them with a knowing look. She¡¯d known what was up the moment he¡¯d mentioned that the Herron family was involved. ¡°It¡¯s about all of us. And, fortunately, I have a plan. I¡¯ll just need everyone¡¯s help to pull it off.¡±

 Chapter 416: Getting started

    Noah and the others waited on the street outside the advanced track meeting point. The plan hadn¡¯t taken too long to discuss, and they didn¡¯t want to be caught sitting around in the room and start raising questions as to what they were doing.

    They¡¯d made a few changes to their appearance. Noah¡¯s uniform was now badly ruffled and his hair stuck out in every direction ¨C and there was no sign of his gourd, bag, or grimoire.

    Godrick was the first of the advanced track professors to show up, and his eyebrows arched as he spotted them.

    ¡°Ulya brought you two over early, I see.¡±

    ¡°Just a bit,¡± Noah replied with a shrug. ¡°What¡¯s on the docket for today¡¯s meeting? Anything interesting?¡±

    Godrick¡¯s brow furrowed and he lowered his voice to make sure that nobody could overhear them. ¡°If you¡¯re referring to what happened earlier ¨C no. That¡¯s already being handled. I¡¯ve already spent the better portion of the day working to make sure that everyone who was stranded by the cannon¡¯s¡­ failure was accounted for together with Tim. We don¡¯t need any more focus on that than there already is. The meeting today will be what the one last time should have been. A time to get to know each other. A little exchange of knowledge. Fun all around.¡±

    Godrick pulled back and gestured for them to follow him before starting down the stairs. Noah suppressed a grin as they all piled in behind him. As soon as they made it into the room below, Ulya broke away and headed over to the corner of the room to avoid being too strongly associated with them.

    Lee made a beeline for the table and pulled a chair out, sitting down and drumming her fingers impatiently on the white tablecloth. There wasn¡¯t any food laid out yet, but there would be soon enough.

    That¡¯s two of us in place.

    The students broke off, moving to stand a short distance from Lee while Noah and Moxie remained near the entrance of the room to keep line of sight on everyone. It didn¡¯t take long for the other advanced track professors to start piling in.

    Noah didn¡¯t recognize most of them or their students, and he didn¡¯t currently care to. There were quite a few members in the advanced track, and his brain didn¡¯t have enough room to store all of them until they did something of worth.

    With every new professor and group of students that entered the room, Noah glanced over at Ulya. She remained impassive in her corner, her features unreadable.

    He locked eyes with Verrud as the man entered the room alongside a young woman with pure white hair ¨C probably his student. She was a little taller than Emily and had the kind of smile on her face that was reserved for people who were firmly convinced they were doing a world a favor by gracing it with their presence.

    Verrud inclined his head in greeting and Noah returned the gesture, doing his best not to laugh.

    I can¡¯t say I¡¯m going to enjoy this too much, but I think the look on his face should make this worth it.

    Professors continued to enter over the course of the next few minutes. Noah was starting to wonder if Ulya had completely forgotten her job when she finally pushed away from the wall and headed over to the table, which was currently being set by several waiters.

    Noah¡¯s eyes locked onto the professor that had just entered the room. He was a younger man, probably only a year older than Noah. The man sported a well-kept goatee and combed back hair that looked like it had taken more time than he¡¯d care to admit.

    So you¡¯re Jakob.

    Walking at his side were two students, one male and one female. The boy ¨C Marley ¨Cclearly had a lot more confidence than the girl did. He walked with his shoulders thrown back and the corner of his mouth curled up in a faint smirk, one not all that dissimilar from the one that Verrud¡¯s student sported. His silver hair was tied back into a short ponytail and his hand rested on the hilt of a rapier at his side.

    The girl at Marley¡¯s side was a head shorter than him and had orangish-red hair similar to Moxie¡¯s. Her features were soft and her expression restrained, but she carried herself with the grace of someone who had seen more than their share of fights. The hilt of a sword hung at her side, but no blade emerged from it.

    So that¡¯s Yulin, then. She seems like she might be the better fighter ¨C or at the very least, she¡¯s more restrained with her emotions.

    Marley¡¯s eyes swept over the room until they locked onto Emily, who was currently studying the table with perhaps a little more interest than she should have been. He nudged Yulin with his elbow and she inclined her head slightly.

    The three of them walked past Noah and he let his domain brush over them. Faint resistance met him, and Jakob paused to glance over his shoulder at him. The professor was a Rank 4, but neither of his students reacted.

    Rank 3 at max. And lucky us. Both Yulin and Marley use swords. That¡¯ll make things easier for us.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Jakob asked, disdain tinging his words as his gaze bore into Noah¡¯s skull. ¡°Because your domain appears to be leaking, professor.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is it?¡± Noah matched Jakob¡¯s look with the most wretched grin he could manage. It looked like he¡¯d guessed at least some of the situation correctly. Jakob hadn¡¯t even bothered trying to hide his disgust.

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    In a way, he kind of reminds me of Moxie when we first met. Just way less hot.

    A shudder ran down Noah¡¯s spine at that thought, but he dismissed it. It was time to start the play. There had been a few different ways he¡¯d considered handling this. One option had just been setting Lee free and watching the chaos unfold, but that would have put too much focus on her.

    They needed to spread the other professors thin. And, more importantly, everything had to look natural. If it was completely obvious they were trying to mess up the meeting then there was no point to the plan.

    And, if there was one thing that Vermil was known for¡­

    ¡°I have to apologize,¡± Noah said, extending a hand. ¡°It¡¯s hard to keep everything under control when I¡¯m excited. This is the first time I get to properly introduce myself to everyone in the advanced track. I¡¯m Vermil.¡±

    As disgusted as Jakob was ¨C or was pretending to be ¨C he¡¯d been raised in a noble house. It didn¡¯t matter who offered you a handshake. You accepted. His hand reached out to take it, his lips curling down.

    Noah pulled his hand back.

    I¡¯m going to need a long shower after this.

    ¡°Whoops. Sorry. Didn¡¯t make myself clear enough,¡± Noah said. His eyes drifted over to Yulin. ¡°I wasn¡¯t speaking to you there, grandpa. I was talking to your student.¡±

    Looks of disgust passed over both Marley and Yulin¡¯s faces and they both turned to face him.

    ¡°You live up to your reputation, Professor Vermil,¡± Jakob said flatly, moving to stand between Noah and his students. He made a subtle gesture behind his back. It was impossible to tell what it had been, but it wasn¡¯t hard to guess.

    Oh, no. You aren¡¯t going anywhere.

    ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± Noah asked, stepping around Jakob to keep his gaze locked with Yulin¡¯s. ¡°I was a bit distracted. What family are you lot with again?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s beyond me how they let someone like you into the program,¡± Marley spat, bracing his hand against his sword. ¡°Did Father just pump you full of runes and buy your way in so you could sully this place with your vile presence?¡±

    ¡°Sully. That¡¯s an interesting word to use,¡± Noah said, tilting his head to the side. ¡°I did a fair bit of that when I was visiting the Torrin estate. You don¡¯t have a sister, do you?¡±

    A few of the groups around them had started to take notice of the confrontation and were watching with undisguised interest. Before anything could develop further, Verrud pushed through the sidelines and walked over to join them.

    Aha. The good cop arrives.

    ¡°Professors, please,¡± Verrud said, raising his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s leave family politics at the door. We¡¯re all in here for one reason alone, and that¡¯s to get stronger.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hardly true,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m also here because I want to learn about runes and new applications for them.¡±

    Verrud beamed and nodded. ¡°See? Vermil may be a little rough around the edges, but he¡¯s got the same goal as we do. Now, why don¡¯t we all go get some food and¨C¡±

    ¡°Oh, and watch the students fight. I was thinking we should introduce skimpier uniforms for them,¡± Noah said. ¡°Some of the teachers too, for that matter.¡±

    Verrud¡¯s eye twitched.

    Let¡¯s see you mediate that, buddy. Not that you will ¨C your goal is to break these idiots free of me.

    ¡°Have you possibly had a bit much to drink before this meeting?¡± Verrud asked Noah, his voice terse.

    ¡°I did have a few bottles,¡± Noah said with a sheepish grin. ¡°It¡¯s real nerve-wracking meeting all of you. Figured I¡¯d think better if I didn¡¯t have to think too much at all.¡±

    ¡°Pathetic,¡± Jakob said. He shook his head and turned, gesturing for his students to follow him toward the table ¨C and straight in the direction of where Emily and the others sat. ¡°Come on. We have better things to do than waste time with this Linwick buffoon.¡±

    ¡°Just like most Torrins I know,¡± Noah said. ¡°Running away. Not really a surprise. I heard that was what Evergreen did in her last moments. I reckon the new head isn¡¯t any different.¡±

    Jakob ignored him, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for Marley. The boy¡¯s lips pulled back in a snarl.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know when to shut your mouth, cockroach. My professor was trying to be as polite as one can be to someone as worthless as you, but it looks like getting your path paved for you into the program has given you delusions of grandeur. If one more vile word comes out of your mouth, I¡¯ll challenge you myself.¡±

    ¡°You?¡± Noah asked incredulously. ¡°I¡¯m a Rank 4. You¡¯re ¨C what, Rank 2?¡±

    ¡°Marley, come on,¡± Yulin said, pulling at his arm. ¡°This is pointless. Forget this¨C¡±

    ¡°There are more ways to fight than magic.¡± Marley drew his sword and pointed it at Noah, completely ignoring Yulin¡¯s words. ¡°And if you¡¯re serious about coming here to learn, then I¡¯ll be more than glad to teach you.¡±

    Should have listened to the girl, bud. Can¡¯t say I blame you, though. If I were in your shoes, I¡¯d want to run me through as well.

    Noah let out a burst of laughter. ¡°What, you want to spar me without magic? You won¡¯t leave so much as a cut on me.¡±

    ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± Marley asked.

    ¡°Marley,¡± Jakob barked. ¡°We are wasting time. Yulin is correct. Come.¡±

    ¡°This will only take a few seconds,¡± Marley replied. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let this Linwick disparage our name like this.¡±

    ¡°If you so much as touch me with that rapier of yours, then I¡¯ll get on my knees and formally apologise to your entire family,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ll give you all the time you need to try and land a blow, and we¡¯ll go until we both agree the fight is over or until you touch me. No magic usage allowed. Sound good?¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Yulin said, grabbing Marley by the shoulder. ¡°What about if you win?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not going to¨C¡± Marley started, but his fellow student cut him off with a glare before turning her gaze to Noah.

    She¡¯s sharp. Bummer.

    ¡°I¡¯d settle for you admitting that you¡¯re incompetent enough that you can¡¯t even so much as scratch a cockroach Linwick,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m not a bitter man. I recognize jealousy when I see it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to run you through,¡± Marley snapped, yanking his arm out of Yulin¡¯s grasp and raising his rapier. ¡°I agree to your terms. Are you prepared, Linwick?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see if I need to be.¡± Noah covered a yawn. ¡°Come on, then. You wouldn¡¯t be the first Torrin to ask to sword fight me, even if you¡¯re a little under-equipped for it. Couldn¡¯t you have gone with a weapon that people actually use for battle?¡±

    Marley lunged. Noah stepped to the side, letting the blade pass by him harmlessly, then let the grin on his features grow wider. ¡°I hope you can do better than that. If you can¡¯t, I¡¯m going to need some more alcohol to make this fight interesting.¡±

    The boy didn¡¯t bother with a response. He pressed the attack harder, but each cut passed harmlessly through the air without so much as grazing Noah¡¯s skin. Verrud watched from the sidelines, his lips pressed thin in annoyance.

    Let¡¯s see just how much time and energy I can make you waste here before you¡¯re forced to give up. And don¡¯t look so cross, Verrud. If you¡¯re already this annoyed, you¡¯re going to blow a gasket by the end of the night.

    We¡¯re only getting started.

 Chapter 417: Yulin

    Marley¡¯s rapier hissed as it flicked out and found nothing but air for what must have been the hundredth time. It wasn¡¯t that he was particularly bad with the weapon ¨C though Noah was confident that both Isabel and Alexandra were better ¨C it was just that he was nothing in comparison to the monsters he¡¯d been training against.

    The boy was fast, but he wasn¡¯t as fast as a rock thrown by a Chucker monkey. His sword might have been sharp, but Slashers had five of them on each hand. There was no kind way to put it. Marley just wasn¡¯t a worthy opponent.

    If Noah drew his flying sword and used it for, ironically, the one purpose he was pretty sure flying swords weren¡¯t meant to do, the fight would have been over. He made no such moves. His goal wasn¡¯t to beat Marley.

    It was to completely waste the boy¡¯s time. Their fight had already been going on for almost five minutes, and he could see the anger in Marley¡¯s eyes fading. That was the thing with anger ¨C it could only last so long.

    And, once it wore off, the only thing that remained were the consequences of one¡¯s actions. Noah grinned at Marley.

    ¡°You seem to be slowing down a little. You can¡¯t be giving up, can you?¡±

    Marley grit his teeth. He was starting to get winded and was smart enough not to waste words on Noah. Marley lunged once more, trying to catch Noah off-guard mid-sentence. The rapier passed by Noah¡¯s chest as he twisted, then smacked the blade away with a flick of a finger.

    ¡°You know, this would be a lot more effective if there was more than a single sharp bit on this thing,¡± Noah observed.

    Or if you actually knew how to use it. I reckon a rapier would be pretty dangerous in the hands of a master. But, even still, everything I know about rapiers imply they¡¯re dueling weapons, not killing weapons.

    ¡°Is this meant to be some kind of joke?¡± Marley demanded, drawing in a sharp breath before thrusting his blade again.

    Noah leaned back and let the rapier pass over his nose, then twisted his body and swept Marley¡¯s legs out from under him. They boy rolled as he hit the ground, coming up and driving the sword for Noah¡¯s chest.

    It certainly didn¡¯t seem like he was just going for grazing blows. If he stood still, Noah was pretty certain the rapier would have run him straight through the heart. He spun, letting the rapier pierce through his spinning jacket.

    Noah kicked Marley¡¯s hand, ripping the rapier from his grip and sending it spinning across the room. It clattered to the ground and skidded up to the foot of a professor and his students.

    ¡°You lost your sword,¡± Noah observed.

    ¡°Enough of this,¡± Jakob ordered. ¡°Do you feel no shame, Vermil? You are a professor.¡±

    ¡°And I am teaching,¡± Noah snapped back. ¡°Something which you seem to have failed to do.¡±

    ¡°You call this teaching?¡± Jakob sneered and held his hands out. ¡°You¡¯re a perverted man gloating over his victory over a child two ranks his lesser.¡±

    ¡°Am I?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°I haven¡¯t used my runes once, so our ranks hardly matter. My domain doesn¡¯t affect a sword. And more importantly, you seem to have failed to teach your student something vital, you bald, bumbling idiot.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t speak about my teacher like that!¡± Marley jumped at Noah with a snarl, his hand disappearing into his coat. A flash of silver caught the light as he drew a dagger ¨C and Noah¡¯s foot planted itself firmly in his chest. Marley let out a pained grunt as he tumbled back across the ground much like his rapier before him.

    ¡°Do you see?¡± Noah asked with a shake of his head. ¡°This is pathetic. Marley might know how to swing his sword, but he can¡¯t control his emotions in the slightest. You never taught him how to fight. All he can do is swing.¡±

    ¡°Shut your mouth,¡± Marley snapped. He scrambled over to his rapier and scooped it off the ground, pointing it at Noah and pressing his lips thin.

    ¡°You can¡¯t make me, can you?¡± Noah asked. ¡°And that makes you angry. It¡¯s frustrating to not be able to do anything. So what will you do? Are you going to keep trying the same thing over and over? Will anger rule your movements? Maybe you just aren¡¯t angry enough yet. If you got angrier, I¡¯m sure that would work.¡±

    Marley ground his teeth. A vein bulged in his neck ¨C and then his eyes sharpened. Noah glanced over his shoulder. Yulin was standing behind him, having just mouthed something.

    ¡°You¡¯re goading me on,¡± Marley accused.

    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°And it¡¯s been damn easy at that. Just a few crass words at Yulin and you were frothing at the mouth. I sincerely hope your runes are much better than your fighting instincts.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t seriously be claiming that you were only acting like a lecherous scumbag,¡± Marley said. He started toward Noah, keeping his rapier level and ready to thrust. ¡°Nobody is stupid enough to believe that.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°See, there¡¯s another problem,¡± Noah said. ¡°Jakob, why am I doing your job for you?¡±

    Marley lunged. Noah twisted. The blade passed by him and he brough this hand down on Marley¡¯s sword arm with a loud crack, sending the rapier clattering to the ground. Noah brought his knee up into the boy¡¯s stomach with just enough force to send him staggering backward with a pained wheeze.

    ¡°Again and again. The same mistake,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯re so concerned with what others think that you can¡¯t even focus on yourself. Your emotions are a mess. You¡¯re easily manipulated. I reckon I could literally make you pass out just by saying a few creepy things about Yulin¡¯s figure. She¡¯s of age, you know. I¡¯m not being that creepy, am I? Maybe she likes it.¡±

    Marley pushed himself to his feet, his hands clenched at his side. ¡°You son of a¨C¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s playing you,¡± Yulin said, stepping out from the crowd and walking past Noah. ¡°Stop, Marley. Vermil hasn¡¯t looked at a single part of me other than my eyes and my sword throughout this entire time. He assessed my ability and immediately dismissed me.¡±

    Oh, goddamn it. I knew she was observant.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t this count as help?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side.

    ¡°I¡¯m not physically interfering in the fight. I¡¯m just giving advice,¡± Yulin said. ¡°You didn¡¯t make any rules against that.¡±

    Eh. It still wastes time and draws attention. Good enough for me.

    ¡°Fair enough. Carry on.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he was making it up,¡± Marley growled. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let him talk¨C¡±

    ¡°By getting angry, you are letting him talk,¡± Yulin said. ¡°You can do better than this.¡±

    Marley forced his hands to unclench. He scooped his rapier off the ground and turned back to Noah, his eyes focused. Yulin had brought him back with just a few words.

    He certainly changes gears fast. I can respect that. These aren¡¯t just any random students. That said, I wasn¡¯t lying. Marley is a shit warrior. He might be good compared to other students, but it doesn¡¯t matter how serious he gets if this is all he can muster up.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of goading me on like this if it was all fake?¡± Marley demanded. ¡°What do you gain?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Noah asked. ¡°What could I possibly gain from figuring out just how competent my students¡¯ competitors are? I think I¡¯ve found my answer.¡±

    Marley¡¯s knuckles tightened around the hilt of his rapier for an instant, but the anger didn¡¯t reach his face. Yulin¡¯s words had definitely gotten through to him.

    ¡°I concede,¡± Marley said, lowering his rapier. His lips pressed thin for a second before he forced himself to continue speaking. ¡°You¡¯ve made your point rather clear, Vermil. I have a glaring flaw in my abilities and I cannot touch you no matter how badly I want to. I retract the insults I sent your way and apologize for my disrespect ¨C even if you deserved it.¡±

    Several of the watching professors nodded their approval, and Noah caught more than a few assuaging looks sent in his direction. Yulin had pretty effectively rescued his reputation with her revelation.

    He was grateful for it, but that hadn¡¯t exactly been part of his plan. If she hadn¡¯t interfered, Noah was pretty sure he would have been able to continue wasting Marley¡¯s time for at least another ten or fifteen minutes before the boy tried to concede.

    We¡¯d agreed to continue the fight until we both admitted it was over. I could technically force the fight to run permanently. But, if I do that now, I¡¯m going to lose all the goodwill that Yulin inadvertently bought me back. Right now, I¡¯d expect just about half the professors respect me and the other half still think I¡¯m a vile cretin. If I skew that too hard in any direction, I could be in trouble. Might be time to cut my losses and move to the next steps.

    ¡°I¡¯m pleased to hear that I¡¯ve helped.¡± Noah sent a pointed look in Jakob¡¯s direction before returning his attention to Marley. ¡°Your apology is accepted. Feel free to let me know if you¡¯re in need of a competent opponent.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d offer to train with a Torrin?¡± Yulin asked, the suspicion evident in her features. ¡°Why would you want to help us?¡±

    I¡¯ve done a whole lot more than just train with a Torrin.

    ¡°My reasons are my own,¡± Noah said with a dry laugh. ¡°Pleasure to meet both of you. Marley ¨C I¡¯d suggest training a little more before you try your hand sparring against any of my students. I¡¯m not exaggerating when I say I was going easy on you.¡±

    Marley¡¯s jaw clenched. He was backed into a corner. After admitting defeat just seconds ago, he had no way to say that Noah was lying without coming off like a spoiled brat. Noah repressed a grin. Marley evidently put a lot of weight on the Torrin name. He wouldn¡¯t be willing to shame his family that badly.

    ¡°I see. Thank you for your warning,¡± Marley said stiffly, turning on his heel and walking back over to Jakob. The professor¡¯s eyes did their best to burn holes into Noah¡¯s skull, but there was nothing he could say.

    Verrud stepped back into the crowd. If he was disappointed, he hid the emotion well.

    Jakob inclined his head. Not to Noah, but to Yulin, who stood behind him. She stepped into the crowd, heading toward Emily and the others. That wasn¡¯t much of a surprise. Jakob had two students, after all.

    Unfortunately, as far as Noah could tell, Yulin was the more dangerous of the two. She¡¯d read him pretty quickly and hadn¡¯t been involved in the fight. If Noah tried to stop her, then something would clearly be afoot.

    Fine with me. I¡¯m not the only line of defense we¡¯ve got set up.

    Alexandra rose to her feet, plucking a pear from the table and taking a bite from it as she moved to intercept Yulin before she could get close to the group.

    ¡°If you aren¡¯t headed somewhere in particular, might I have a moment of your time?¡± Alexandra asked, tapping a finger on the hilt of the sword at her side. ¡°You seem to handle yourself well, and I¡¯m always looking for someone to hone my skills against. I¡¯ve heard the Torrin family produces some competent swordsmen and women, but¡­¡±

    She trailed off and glanced in Marley¡¯s direction before returning her attention to Yulin. The other girl studied her for a second. Pushing past Alexandra and heading straight to Emily would have been a bit much.

    Just as Noah had to keep the exact extent of how much he knew hidden, Jakob¡¯s and his students couldn¡¯t just make it completely obvious they were after Emily. A grin flitted across Noah¡¯s face as Jakob¡¯s eye twitched.

    ¡°I suppose I could spare a few seconds,¡± Yulin said. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Alexandra.¡± She didn¡¯t offer any more information about herself. ¡°First blood, swords only?¡±

    ¡°That works for me,¡± Yulin said.

    ¡°I look forward to learning from you.¡± Alexandra drew her sword and held it out before her, and Noah once again fought to repress a laugh. Jakob¡¯s students weren¡¯t going to have a very good night.

    Good luck even leaving a scratch on Body Rune empowered skin, Yulin.

 Chapter 418: Body Runes

    ¡°Do you need a sword?¡± Alexandra asked as she and Yulin moved to stand several paces away from each other. ¡°Yours doesn¡¯t appear to have a blade.¡±

    ¡°It is still a sword,¡± Yulin replied, pulling the hilt of the weapon from her side and holding it out before her with both hands. A hum emitted from it as ribbons of golden energy swirled up. They solidified, forming into a humming golden saber.

    ¡°We said swords only,¡± Alexandra pointed out.

    ¡°Yes. I am not using my own magic. It is imbued, and it is a sword. It falls within the terms of our agreement.¡±

    That¡¯s my trick. You can¡¯t just steal my trick.

    Marley snickered from the sidelines. He didn¡¯t say anything, likely because there was only so much pride he could show when he¡¯d just been thoroughly trounced, but it grated on Noah¡¯s nerves all the same. Alexandra¡¯s expression didn¡¯t so much as flicker. She returned the sword she¡¯d been drawing to its sheath, pulling out the one below it.

    ¡°I see. Then I am prepared as well. First blood,¡± Alexandra said as she raised the new blade. ¡°You may make the first move.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll regret that,¡± Yulin said. She shifted her stance, then shot forward. Her sword blurred.

    Alexandra brought her blade to meet Yulin¡¯s, flames erupting along it with a crackle. The two swords struck each other with a clang, flames and golden energy intermixing in a swirl of light.

    Yulin arched her back, leaning out of the way as Alexandra shifted her weight and thrust her sword forward. It carved through the air above Yulin¡¯s nose, just narrowly missing. Yulin vaulted back, driving her foot into Alexandra¡¯s stomach to keep her from pressing the advantage.

    The force of the kick sent Yulin in a clean arc backward, and she landed on her feet several paces away. Her expression flickered when she realized that Alexandra hadn¡¯t so much as flinched from the blow.

    ¡°You are very agile,¡± Alexandra said. Her foot hit the ground and she blurred forward before the other girl could respond. The flames on her sword sputtered, unable to remain lit with the speed that she was moving at.

    They reignited as Alexandra slammed to a stop and brought her blade down for Yulin¡¯s arm. Yulin¡¯s eyes widened and she twisted. Her golden blade intercepted the strike, but it hit her with enough force to send her skidding back several feet.

    ¡°You¡¯re cheating,¡± Yulin accused, her eyes going narrow. ¡°Nobody is that strong without Runes.¡±

    ¡°I am not actively using my Runes.¡±

    ¡°A Rank 2¡¯s body imbuements can¡¯t be this powerful, even if your runes were a thousand times better than mine,¡± Yulin said flatly. ¡°At most, you¡¯d have a thirty to forty percent increase in power.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the compliment.¡± The fire running along Alexandra¡¯s blade flickered again as she blurred forward. Yulin was forced to play defense again. Strikes rained down on her, and each one sent her stumbling several feet back.

    There was no doubt in Noah¡¯s mind that Alexandra was holding back. If she¡¯d been using even a portion of the skill she¡¯d shown when they¡¯d sparred each other, Yulin would have already fallen.

    Good. She¡¯s wasting time. Does make me wonder what Yulin was planning, though. She seemed relatively clever. That sword of hers is clearly more than just a shiny stick. Yulin was planning on using it to do something, but Alexandra hasn¡¯t given her a chance to yet. Interesting dilemma. In a normal fight, I¡¯d be yelling for Alexandra to finish it already before Yulin gets a moment to do whatever it is she wants to. That isn¡¯t this fight. We¡¯re trying to waste time¡­ so taking the risk is the right move.

    Alexandra¡¯s assault abruptly slammed to a halt. Yulin¡¯s blade carved through the air where she¡¯d been standing and stopped an instant before it carved into the floor. Alexandra skipped another step back, looking down at her sword.

    It was split in half.

    The fire rising from the remains of its blade sputtered, then faded. She looked up to Yulin, her face as impassive as ever.

    ¡°You were limiting your sword that entire time?¡± Alexandra asked. ¡°How can you complain about my imbuements when you¡¯ve got a weapon that¡¯s clearly well above Rank 2?¡±

    Yulin¡¯s lips pressed thin. She adjusted her grip on her glowing sword and shifted her stance to a more loose, easygoing one. Coils of gold energy rose off the blade and licked the ground, scorching whatever it touched.

    ¡°You made no rules as to the weapons we were able to use. I was trying to cut the blade off your sword entirely, not split it in half. How did you realize what I was doing?¡±

    ¡°By being faster than you.¡±

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    Yulin¡¯s eyes drifted to the remains of the severed blade. ¡°Not nearly fast enough. You put up a good fight, but you should surrender. If you can¡¯t block my blade, you¡¯ll get seriously injured. You may need to buy a very expensive healing potion, and you aren¡¯t a noble. The cost will break you.¡±

    ¡°Professor, can I¡­¡±

    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Noah said with a grin. ¡°Keep it to the first thing we learned, though. No farther than that.¡±

    It¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s going to be able to tell what you¡¯re doing as long as there¡¯s no magic in it.

    ¡°First? Are you telling her to hold back?¡± Yulin asked in disbelief.

    ¡°It¡¯s not out of any disrespect to you,¡± Alexandra said, raising her broken blade. Her stance shifted and she swayed from foot to foot, sinking into her pattern. ¡°You just aren¡¯t strong enough to warrant more.¡±

    Yulin blurred forward. Her sword was a golden streak at her side, carving the air apart. Alexandra swayed to the side and the burning weapon passed by her with just inches to spare.

    Her own sword flicked out. The other girl brought the hilt of her own sword up, deflecting the broken blade with a clang. It barely even slowed Alexandra. Her sword flew back, biting at Yulin once more.

    Yulin managed to block that too, but Alexandra¡¯s attacks flitted out like a storm of butterflies. The expression on Yulin¡¯s face shifted from confidence to concentration as she was forced back. She was fast, but Alexandra was relentless.

    Her attacks came from every angle and it was everything that Yulin could do to keep up. If anything, Noah was impressed that the Torrin was able to hold up this well under Alexandra¡¯s assault. Yulin was a pretty good swordswoman.

    She just wasn¡¯t good enough. Broken sword or not, Alexandra continued to push Yulin back until the other girl¡¯s back was pressed to the wall. The majority of her attacks never even connected ¨C she pulled them back just moments before they impacted the glowing sword.

    Neither of them said a word. They were so focused on their fight that even a single word would have been enough distraction to spell the end. Everyone watching the fight had fallen silent as well, enraptured in the impressive display of swordsmanship.

    But, in the end, there was only so long that Alexandra could keep the fight stalled out. Yulin¡¯s sword sputtered out and she dropped her stance, throwing herself forward. The blade sparked back to life and she thrust it for the other girl¡¯s leg.

    Alexandra¡¯s hand whipped down and she struck Yulin on the knuckles with the hilt of her half-melted sword. There was a loud crack and the glowing blade flew from Yulin¡¯s hands, searing a line through the floor before it sputtered out.

    Yulin hit the ground in a roll and flew to her feet. A flash of pain crossed her features as she tried to flex her hand and she bit back a pained grunt. She lunged for her sword, scooping it off the ground with her uninjured hand and spinning back to face Alexandra, only to find that she hadn¡¯t moved from her spot.

    ¡°Blood,¡± Alexandra said simply.

    Yulin looked down at her hand. There was a smear of blood across her knuckles from a small cut that Alexandra had put there with the hilt of her pommel. Based on how limply her hand hung, Noah was pretty sure something in it was broken ¨C but it didn¡¯t even matter. The fight had been to first blood.

    Even if that had supposed to be a sword cut, blood was still blood. Yulin let her hand drop with a grimace.

    ¡°You were holding back the entire fight?¡±

    If you had any idea just how much Alexandra was holding back, you¡¯d be crying right now. She could have literally picked you up and thrown you through the wall if she¡¯d wanted to.

    ¡°It was a good fight,¡± Alexandra said. She studied the remains of her blade with a small frown, then slid it into its sheath. ¡°There was nothing wrong with your technique, though you over-relied on the abilities of your sword more than you should have. I would enjoy having further matches with you in the future. There is a lot we could learn from each other.¡±

    Yulin was silent for a few seconds. Her eyes traced over Alexandra, then down to the floor behind her. Noah followed her gaze. There were faint fractures in the ground where Alexandra had burst into motion. She¡¯d literally cracked a tiny portion of the floor. It was so small that it barely even looked out of place, but Yulin had picked up on it.

    She returned the hilt of her sword to its spot at her side, then pulled a potion off her belt and popped the seal off, downing it. Her hand rippled as the bones in it realigned and she let out a small sigh of relief. When she looked back to Alexandra, her expression had shifted. Instead of the flat, calculating look that had been present before, there was respect.

    ¡°I believe I would like that. Thank you for the session,¡± Yulin said. She hesitated for a moment, clearly wanting to pass by Alexandra, but it was impossible to do without being completely obvious as to what her intentions were.

    Alexandra had positioned herself directly in front of Emily and Isabel, making the path to them insurmountable. Yulin gave her a small nod and turned. She headed back over to Marley and Jakob, who were both standing with remarkably similar stiff jaws.

    I wonder if Jakob and Marley are closely related. They both look like they¡¯re going to pop the same vein.

    ¡°Quite the impressive show,¡± Godrick said as he walked out from the small crowd that had gathered. It struck Noah that people weren¡¯t nearly as caught up in the fights as he¡¯d expected they would be. There had been a small crowd, but it wasn¡¯t anywhere near all the professors.

    It only took him a moment to realize why. There were several other groups of students sparring throughout the room. They hadn¡¯t been the only ones to start trying to brutalize each other the moment meeting had started.

    ¡°My students have been working hard,¡± Noah said with a small nod. ¡°They¡¯ve been looking forward to this meeting a lot.¡±

    ¡°So I can tell,¡± Godrick said. ¡°And you¡¯ve certainly made a statement. I can¡¯t even tell myself who you are. Which version of you is real, Vermil?¡±

    ¡°Whichever one is more opportune at the time,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Why? Did you get attached to the idea of a skimpy uniform? I bet you could pull it off.¡±

    Godrick let out a snort of laughter and shook his head, turning to head back into the crowd to mingle with the other professors. ¡°Enjoy the meeting, Vermil. Try not to break anything too important.¡±

    Noah caught the molten glare that Jakob was sending in his direction and put up a valiant mental fight to avoid sticking his tongue out at the other professor. Something told him Jakob and Verrud were far from done with the meeting, but that was just fine with him.

    Let¡¯s see what else you¡¯ve got. The more cards I force you to play now, the less you¡¯ll be able to surprise us with later. I haven¡¯t even gotten halfway through my own hand yet.

 Chapter 419: Eat

    Even though Noah suspected Verrud and Jakob weren¡¯t done with his group yet, they¡¯d bought themselves at least a little time ¨C time which Noah took to take measure of the other fights that were playing out across the advanced track meeting room.

    It definitely wasn¡¯t out of the norm for students to spar. There were four other groups just beside him, and many of them were using even fewer restrictions than he and Alexandra had. The flash of magic striking Shields filled the air, joined in with muted conversation.

    He had to admit that it was a little odd to watch. A pair of students were positively wailing on each other, releasing blast after blast of magic and barely even trying to dodge. Their Shields were clearly of better make than their own abilities, because neither of them could so much as dent the other¡¯s defenses.

    They were surrounded by a small ring of professors and other students who were watching with apt interest. Midway through the fight, a professor stepped forward. Both students stopped and he told them something that Noah couldn¡¯t quite make out over the din.

    A moment later, the fight restarted. It looked more like they were testing out the limits of their abilities than actually trying to spar.

    As far as actual power goes¡­ from the pressure coming off their attacks, looks like most of the students here are somewhere around Rank 2. Not all that different from my own students, but I suppose that¡¯s a big reason they got the invite after it became clear that they were Rank 2s.

    Noah made his way over to the table. Isabel and Emily sat, surrounded by all the other students. Moxie stood behind them and Lee sat off to the side, visibly restraining herself from vacuuming up all the food on the table. Their formation made it functionally impossible to get anywhere near Isabel and Emily.

    ¡°Not bad so far, huh?¡± Noah asked as he slid up beside Moxie.

    ¡°Not at all. I can¡¯t say I loved the first strategy you used. Your reputation is already horrid enough, you know,¡± Moxie said with a shake of her head. A small grin flickered across her face before she banished it again. ¡°That said, at least it¡¯ll keep people away from you. I don¡¯t like sharing.¡±

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Noah said, raising his eyebrows. ¡°Never realized you were the jealous type. Noted.¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder into his. ¡°Whatever. It looks like your plan hasn¡¯t gone exactly as you wanted it to. Yulin kind of ratted you out.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said you weren¡¯t a fan of people thinking I was a creep. This might actually make some professors believe I can be trusted within five hundred feet of their students. Maybe we¡¯ll make some new friends.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t like the fact that you actually had to act like a creep,¡± Moxie admitted. ¡°I rather did like the part where other people stayed away because of the reputation. A little privacy is nice, especially after having Evergreen scrutinize everything I did. Sure, there were rumors, but basically nobody gave a shit about you because you were beneath their notice. When we started doing more together, I didn¡¯t mind hiding under that shield either.¡±

    ¡°I can always be creepier. All I¡¯d have to do is take a few of the papers Vermil had in his room and wave them around.¡±

    Moxie prodded Noah in the side and he let out a strangled yelp.

    ¡°That was only marginally called for.¡± He lowered his voice. It wasn¡¯t like it would be easy to overhear them in the loud room, but he didn¡¯t want to take any chances. ¡°And how are things looking? Anything we need to be aware of?¡±

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Moxie said, smiling as if Noah had told her a joke. ¡°Jakob and Verrud haven¡¯t really come close since the start of the meeting aside from passing each other when they were heading across the room. If they¡¯re planning something, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re communicating.¡±

    ¡°Which either means they don¡¯t have anything else for the meeting or they¡¯re taking extra care to make sure nobody notices they¡¯re working together,¡± Noah said. His lips pursed and he headed over to the table, sitting down a short distance from the students.

    ¡°There have definitely been a lot of people paying attention to us overall. I think a good portion of that is because we¡¯re new, but you and Alexandra put on quite the shows. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be able to avoid everyone for long.¡± Moxie sat down beside him, facing the other direction so she could look into the crowd. She leaned the backs of her elbows against the table and reached over her shoulder, snagging a chicken drumstick.

    Lee, who sat a short distance to Noah¡¯s other side, sent him a pleading look. ¡°Can I start eating now, please? I¡¯m starving.¡±

    ¡°You are always starving,¡± Noah said. ¡°But yes. Go ahead ¨C just take it slow, please. No more than one piece of food every minute. Also, eat normally. No inhaling food.¡±

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Lee did a remarkable recreation of Moxie¡¯s nose scrunch. She pointedly reached out and grabbed an entire roast chicken from a plate in the center of the table, plopping it down on her plate. She sent Noah a challenging stare, then ripped a piece of it off and pressed it into her mouth. ¡°One piece.¡±

    That¡¯s probably the absolute best I can possibly expect from her.

    ¡°Here we go,¡± Moxie muttered. ¡°Get ready.¡±

    Noah glanced over at Moxie just as something prickled and pushed against his domain. He¡¯d restrained it to the immediate area around him, but it still seeped out a bit more than he would have liked.

    More importantly, if his domain was facing obstruction, they were at least Rank 4 ¨C and were standing right behind him. He plucked a piece of chicken from Lee¡¯s plate before she could scarf it down, then turned to see whose attention he had drawn.

    A tall, well-built man stood behind them. As Noah had guessed, his uniform identified him as a Rank 4. He had fair features with light blonde hair and a large grimoire hung at his side. Noah was forced to crane his neck back to look at the man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Professor Vermil, was it?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°You never know,¡± Noah replied with a nod to Moxie. ¡°That could be her.¡±

    A patronizing smile passed over the man¡¯s features for a brief instant. ¡°Amusing. I saw your fight with the Torrin students. You have impressive body control.¡±

    There¡¯s a line to add to my list of things that are only acceptable to say in the bedroom and not in public.

    ¡°It¡¯s made easier when you¡¯re a professor going up against a student,¡± Noah said with a dismissive wave. ¡°And I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve got the advantage over me. I have no idea who you are.¡±

    ¡°Magus Anthony,¡± the man replied.

    ¡°Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Is there something you were hoping for?¡± Noah asked. He didn¡¯t miss the fact that Anthony hadn¡¯t mentioned his noble house. That wasn¡¯t exactly a warning sign, but it didn¡¯t make Noah any less wary of him.

    ¡°Yes. I would like to test my own hand against you. Your movements were interesting, and I believe my students would have much to learn from watching a match between us,¡± Antony said. ¡°You are more than welcome to choose the field and weapons. They will not change the outcome.¡±

    Ah. I knew I smelled cocky asshole somewhere. Some big noble family, then. He¡¯s got blonde hair, so he¡¯s not Torrin main or support branches. He could be with the Herrons, or an entirely different noble family throwing their hat into the ring.

    ¡°Any field, with any weapon?¡± Noah confirmed, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head to the side.

    ¡°So long as we don¡¯t have to leave this room,¡± Anthony amended. ¡°They are typical duel rules, Professor Vermil.¡±

    Noah caught the implication in his words.

    Typical duel rules that any proper noble would know, huh? I wonder if this guy is just a prick, or if he¡¯s working together with Verrud and Jakob. Considering he sought me out, I¡¯m getting the feeling it¡¯s the latter.

    ¡°And where are your students?¡± Noah asked.

    Anthony waved a hand dismissively. ¡°I don¡¯t keep permanent track of them. They¡¯re more than capable of handling themselves, so I imagine they¡¯re wandering around the room somewhere and mingling with the others. Interacting with the other students is one of the main benefits of the advanced track, Professor Vermil. Connections take you far in life.¡±

    Right. So your students are nowhere to be seen and totally aren¡¯t going to show up and try to bother anyone the moment I leave.

    Noah leaned over to Moxie to whisper into her ear. ¡°Do noble duels normally allow for a champion?¡±

    She blinked, then nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±

    He sat back and returned his attention to Anthony. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll accept under the normal rules.¡±

    ¡°Thrilling. The location and your choice of weapon, then? Runes? Swords?¡±

    ¡°Slow down a second. I¡¯m willing to go up against you, but not yet. You need to show me you¡¯re actually worth my time. I¡¯m going to have to ask you to face my ally. If you can beat her, then I¡¯ll be more than willing to take you on.¡±

    ¡°An underling?¡± Anthony didn¡¯t even try to hide his distaste as he looked to Moxie.

    Noah bit back a laugh. ¡°She¡¯d rip my head off if I called her an underling ¨C and no. Not an underling. An ally. No higher rank than me, I can assure you.¡±

    Anthony grunted and waved a hand. ¡°Come, then. I will handle her first. What is the field and weapon?¡±

    ¡°The field is right here,¡± Noah said. He put a hand on Lee¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The battle will be endurance, and you¡¯ll be going up against my good friend Lee.¡±

    ¡°You are putting me up against a girl half my size and a quarter my runic strength?¡± Anthony stared at Noah in disbelief. ¡°Is this a joke?¡±

    ¡°No runes,¡± Noah said. He gestured for Anthony to sit down. ¡°Endurance. Specifically, whoever can eat more. I have quite the appetite, you know.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I was aware of you in the previous meeting.¡± A flicker of unease passed over Antony¡¯s features, but when he looked at Lee, it was replaced by relief. Noah suppressed a laugh. The professor was probably recalling how much he¡¯d seen ¡°Vermil¡± eat and thanking the stars that he hadn¡¯t challenged him directly to an eating contest.

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll know I¡¯ve taught Lee a lot,¡± Noah said. ¡°She¡¯ll be my champion. Eat more than her, and I¡¯ll fight you.¡±

    ¡°In a real duel,¡± Anthony amended. ¡°With runes or weapons, not food.¡±

    ¡°Fine with me.¡± Noah shrugged. ¡°All you have to do is prove that you can eat a single more bite than she can. Whoever has the greatest endurance wins. No Runes or magic. Body imbuements are fine. That work for you?¡±

    Anthony looked down at Lee. He was quite literally more than twice her size. A confident smile passed over his lips and he sat down beside her. ¡°Very well. This is quite an odd duel, but I will oblige.¡±

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Noah said, and he genuinely meant it. ¡°Lee?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Lee peered at him from beside Anthony, excitement flashing in her eyes as her tongue ran along her lips.

    ¡°Now you can eat.¡±

 Chapter 420: New faces

    ¡°Are you going to eat that?¡± Lee asked, daintily dabbing at her mouth with a napkin.

    Anthony stared at the chicken drumstick in his hands like it was the vilest thing he¡¯d ever been forced to bear witness to. He¡¯d already opened his jacket and undone his belt to try and make space where there was none.  A thin sheen of sweat covered his face and his lips trembled as he brought his hand up, forcing his lips to part in an attempt to take another bite.

    He froze in place for several seconds. His knuckles turned white and his jaw clenched as the fierce mental battle he was locked within played out upon his face. Lee slowly reached out, pulling the drumstick from his hands and sliding the entire thing into her mouth.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Anthony swallowed. Noah was pretty sure the man would have gotten angry if he had quite literally any energy left that wasn¡¯t already devoted to trying to keep all the food he¡¯d stuffed down his gullet down.

    All things considered, he¡¯d done a pretty good job. He¡¯d managed to eat five plates piled high with food. Against anyone normal, that probably would have managed to net him a victory. Against Lee, it was like screaming into a hurricane.

    Anthony swallowed. He braced his hands against the table, his eyes shifting to the next plate ¨C and then his face went green. Lunging to his feet, he staggered away and did his best impression of a penguin with bowel irritation as he desperately waddled off into the crowd.

    ¡°Oh. He left,¡± Lee said, her face crumpling. She took a bite out of the napkin she¡¯d been wiping her face with. ¡°Damn. Does that mean it¡¯s over? Or are we going to start again when he comes back?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t eat the napkins, Lee.¡±

    ¡°It still had food on it. Wasting food is bad.¡±

    ¡°So is eating napkins.¡±

    Lee¡¯s eyes drifted over to her plate and she picked it up. Noah reached over and plucked it from her grip, setting it back down on the table and ruffling her hair. ¡°I think you¡¯ve had enough.¡±

    They¡¯d managed to gather the largest crowd of professors thus far. Nearly twenty people stood around them. They all stared at Lee with undisguised awe and admiration, and more than a few coins passed between hands.

    ¡°That might have been the best damn sparring match I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± a portly professor with a thick white moustache said with a chortle. He wore a professor¡¯s uniform, but it didn¡¯t have any gold bars to identify his rank ¨C nor did he have a nametag. ¡°And the lass is so hungry that she wanted to lick the plate clean as well.¡±

    Actually, she wanted to eat the plate.

    ¡°Is it a trick?¡± a short girl beside the mustached professor asked. ¡°Were you using space magic or something to send the food away after it entered your stomach?¡±

    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Lee asked with a befuddled frown. ¡°Then I wouldn¡¯t have gotten to eat it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a monster,¡± Moxie said, and Noah couldn¡¯t tell if she was talking to him or Lee. ¡°I don¡¯t think Anthony is going to be participating in the rest of the meeting.¡±

    ¡°He may have an extended meeting with the bathroom for the next few hours,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°Put up a decent fight, though.¡±

    ¡°What is it that lets you eat so much, if it wasn¡¯t a trick?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Professor Vermil ate a whole ton during the last meeting too. Do you both have some form of Rune that lets you significantly increase your metabolism?¡±

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Noah said with a nod as he prepared to tell one of the biggest lies that had ever dared to grace his lips. ¡°I can eat even more than Lee, so anyone that wants to challenge me has to go through her first.¡±

    ¡°Terrifying,¡± the mustached professor said with a wry grin. ¡°I value my life, so I think I¡¯ll pass on that particular proposition. Quite the display, though. You¡¯ve certainly made a statement in this meeting.¡±

    ¡°I like to be memorable.¡±

    ¡°So I can tell.¡± He extended his hand. ¡°I¡¯m George.¡±

    Noah took the man¡¯s hand. His domain shivered as he shook it, and the two of them exchanged a quick look. George was a Rank 4 ¨C if not more. His domain was stronger than Noah¡¯s.

    The elder man seemed kind enough, but that wasn¡¯t about to make him drop his guard. Honey drew flies better than shit, and a warm smile wasn¡¯t anywhere near enough to let him decide someone wasn¡¯t on Verrud¡¯s side. The only way to determine that was time.

    ¡°You can just call me Vermil. This is Moxie, and the hungry one is Lee.¡±

    ¡°A pleasure,¡± George said as they released the handshake. He put his hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is Fiona. She¡¯s been in the advanced track for a while now, so if any of your students need some advice, feel free to send them her way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a kind offer,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Thank you. How long have the two of you been in the track?¡±

    George tilted his head to the side and scratched at his chin. ¡°About two years now, I¡¯d say. It¡¯s always been an exciting time, so it¡¯s hard to remember.¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Three,¡± Fiona corrected. ¡°We joined the year I came to Arbitage, Professor.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Three,¡± George corrected. ¡°Quite some time. I¡¯d say it was more than worth it, though. We¡¯ve learned a lot here. Made some good connections as well. That might be the most important part.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°Personal power matters a lot less once you¡¯re out of school,¡± George replied with a small shrug. ¡°Almost nobody is truly strong enough to stand tall entirely on their own. Life has a lot of challenges in it, and having people you can truly rely on helps. That¡¯s my favorite part of the advanced track.¡±

    What, the part where the other people in the track gang up on you to try and humiliate one of your students while also gunning for the other one¡¯s Master Rune?

    A bark of laughter slipped out of George¡¯s lips, and Noah realized that he¡¯d let some of the doubt in his thoughts seep into his expression.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to say I¡¯m good friends with everyone in the track, Vermil,¡± George said. ¡°I simply meant that the friends we have made are true. If you want to make it long in the track, you¡¯ll have no choice but to learn to work with others.¡±

    ¡°And why is that?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°The mid-year exam, for one,¡± George said. ¡°Students from every professor are split up and matched with allies of their choice for a competition. The nature of the competition changes, but it forces everyone to work with people they¡¯re a little less familiar with.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°They get to choose who they group with?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re aware of the complications that come with politics,¡± George said. ¡°The kids select their teams. The only rule is that they can only be a single student per team per professor. It¡¯ll be quite some time before that rolls around, but I suggest looking into it.¡±

    ¡°And who do you generally team with?¡± Noah asked, looking to Fiona.

    ¡°They don¡¯t like to share their identities,¡± Fiona replied. ¡°I¡¯m the face of the team. You¡¯ll see us fight when the competition rolls around, though.¡±

    ¡°Everyone will,¡± George added, a confident smile passing over his rounded features as pride entered his voice. ¡°Fiona and her group have won for the past three years, after all.¡±

    He was bragging, but Noah was surprised to find he wasn¡¯t really put off by it. Something about George made Noah think of a smug grandfather more than a dangerous threat. That in itself probably should have been a concern. Anyone this friendly almost felt out of place in the advanced track.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll be off, then,¡± George said. ¡°Make sure to mingle some, Vermil. Students aren¡¯t the only ones that benefit from playing politics. Enjoy the rest of the meeting.¡±

    He and Fiona headed off into the crowd, leaving Noah watching their backs warily. As soon as George left, several other professors and their students came by to congratulate Lee on her win.

    ¡°They seemed nice enough,¡± Moxie said, speaking in a low tone. Nobody else was trying to get near Isabel or Emily, so they had a few moments to themselves.

    Noah nodded in agreement. ¡°Agreed. Doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s got any ulterior motives beyond showing off Fiona. I can respect that. My domain didn¡¯t pick anything on her up, so she¡¯s Rank 3 at the highest.¡±

    ¡°Lucky me. If there was a student higher ranked than me, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do,¡± Moxie grumbled. ¡°Luckily, it won¡¯t be long before I don¡¯t have to worry about that anymore. I¡¯m getting really close to Rank 4 now.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Noah raised an eyebrow. ¡°How close?¡±

    ¡°If I can go hunting one more time to fill my runes up, I should be ready for it,¡± Moxie replied. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing a lot of research on what my Rank 4 will be as well, so I¡¯m confident it¡¯ll go well.¡±

    ¡°We could always just buy you a Rune and break it down for energy.¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes. ¡°Look at you, thinking like a real noble. I¡¯m not in that much of a rush and there¡¯s no need to waste money on something like that. I¡¯ll go hunting tomorrow and then be done with it. Besides, you¡¯re going to need all the money you can get if you want to make that Space Rune.¡±

    That¡¯s a fair point. Say, I wonder if anyone here would be willing to sell me a good Rune. Isn¡¯t sharing resources and knowledge half the point of the advanced track?

    ¡°Hey, do you think you and Lee can keep an eye on everyone for a bit?¡± Noah asked, scanning the surroundings in search of someone he recognized that he could leech off for introductions. ¡°I want to see if anyone here might be in the business of selling Runes.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Moxie said with a nod. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone is going to try anything else today. That would take balls that I don¡¯t think Verrud or Jakob have ¨C but I¡¯ll keep an eye out and shout for you if something happens.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Noah said. He spotted Silvertide and Tyler, his student, standing off to the corner of the room and grinned. ¡°Found my targets. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    He set off, stepping through the milling crowd of professors until he arrived before Silvertide. The old soldier raised a bushy eyebrow and grabbed Tyler by the shoulder before the large boy could slip away.

    ¡°Vermil. You¡¯ve been having quite the eventful meeting.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been fun,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d be willing to help me out.¡±

    ¡°You? Asking for help?¡± Silvertide tilted his head to the side and released Tyler¡¯s shoulder. The boy sent one last look at Noah before darting off and vanishing into the crowd. Noah turned to watch him leave. Evidently, Tyler still hadn¡¯t gotten over getting attacked.

    I still kind of feel bad about that. I should probably apologize properly to him at some point. I prefer to only throttle the people I don¡¯t like.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said, looking back to Silvertide. ¡°I was wondering if you know anyone with a bunch of runes that might be willing to sell or trade them. Specifically, space-related ones.¡±

    ¡°Space?¡± Silvertide raised an eyebrow. ¡°That narrows things down a little, but if you¡¯re looking for a collector, one man does come to mind. He¡¯s painfully arrogant, though.¡±

    ¡°I can deal with that as long as he¡¯s willing to trade.¡±

    ¡°Then turn around,¡± Silvertide said, nodding over Noah¡¯s shoulder. ¡°See the tall, fancy man standing by the back wall over there?¡±

    Noah looked in the direction Silvertide had indicated. A man leaned against the wall, away from the thick of the gathering. He barely even looked like a professor. His clothes were trimmed with shimmering gold and each button on his beautiful clothes was a huge ruby.

    ¡°God, talk about gaudy,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°Who is he?¡±

    ¡°Otto, but he also goes by the Violet Void. Stupid name if you ask me ¨C but he earned it. He¡¯s a rune collector and trader, and he was a rather respectable soldier in his youth,¡± Silvertide, but Noah nearly missed the rest of his sentence.

    Violet Void? Violet? And a rune collector at that? You can¡¯t mean¡­

    ¡°Does he collect all forms of runes?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Or just space-related ones?¡±

    ¡°Just about anything unique. He¡¯s got the wealth to back it up. Probably the bit about him that annoys me the most.¡±

    Of course a powerful rune collector would be part of the advanced track. Half their thing is researching rare or new runes ¨C that¡¯s why Will was part of it, according to Ulya. Then this guy is almost certainly the one that bought Violet Transference¡­ and is my walking moneybag.

    ¡°Why¡¯s he so rich?¡± Noah asked absently.

    Silvertide let out an annoyed huff. ¡°Because he¡¯s one of the treasurers for the King House.¡±

 Chapter 421: Otto

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure if he was meant to be surprised or not. It was no news to him that the man that had spent a ridiculous amount of gold on a potentially useless rune was from a wealthy family. He¡¯d fully expected him to be from one of the top ones in the empire.

    That said, he wasn¡¯t so sure he¡¯d been expecting the man to be from the top family. There wasn¡¯t much he knew about the King family aside from their position, and even that had only been a mention in brief passing from Moxie.

    ¡°How much of a prick is he?¡± Noah asked, eying Otto from across the room. The glistening gemstones on his uniform weren¡¯t doing the man any favors. Nobody voluntarily walked around like a bedazzled grapefruit unless they had absolutely no taste or all too much money and no good way to spend it.

    ¡°He¡¯s ¡ª well, you¡¯ll see,¡± Silvertide said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve had some dealings with him. Otto isn¡¯t the worst I¡¯ve met, but that really isn¡¯t saying much. I¡¯ve met a lot of people. Most of the ones I¡¯ve really hated are dead.¡±

    If that was coming from anyone else, I¡¯d take it as a threat. From Silvertide, I think that¡¯s just a simple fact. I¡¯m still not sure how this guy is so powerful at Rank 5. Makes me wonder if he¡¯s pulling the wool over everyone¡¯s eyes and is a higher rank. There¡¯s also the possibility that he¡¯s managed to get really powerful Runes, but that might be even more insane.

    Everything Sunder has shown me would imply that someone getting flawless runes ¡ª or anything near them ¡ª should be nearly impossible in a vacuum. Oh well. I reckon I¡¯ll find out soon enough. I¡¯m not stupid enough to press too hard on Silvertide or he might do the same to me.

    ¡°Well, thanks for the help,¡± Noah said. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll go chat him up. I¡¯ve always wanted to pitch to investors.¡±

    ¡°Investors?¡± Silvertide¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow.¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Made up words,¡± Noah said, waving a hand. ¡°Have a good meeting. I¡¯m gonna go bother a rich dude.¡±

    ¡°Hardly something new for you, I¡¯d say,¡± Silvertide said dryly. ¡°Between Father and the entirety of the Torrin family, I¡¯d say you¡¯ve bothered enough rich folk to last a lifetime.¡±

    ¡°I notice you didn¡¯t include yourself in that list. I¡¯m taking that as a good thing.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave it as to be determined. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have more than enough opportunity to do that in the future. You¡¯re already doing it in the advanced track. Quite impressive, really. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d get to work this quickly.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t given much choice. It seems we¡¯ve got as many enemies here as we do everywhere else,¡± Noah said. He sent Silvertide a pointed look. ¡°Isabel in particular.¡±

    The soldier gave Noah a grim nod. ¡°I¡¯m more than aware. I can¡¯t look out for her too much. I¡¯ve got my own responsibilities to make sure Tyler doesn¡¯t fall behind ¡ª but I¡¯ll keep my eyes open.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. We appreciate it,¡± Noah said. He raised a hand, then turned and headed across the room to speak with Otto. The nobleman had a slightly sour expression on his lips and was sipping on a cocktail he¡¯d claimed from the table. His gaze was on a pair of students sparring in the corner of the room, but he didn¡¯t look all too invested.

    There are a few ways I can approach this. I don¡¯t know which one would be the best. I could wait until after the meeting and throw my mask on, then roll up as Vermil¡¯s teacher. That would be the safest. It would probably also be the most hassle, and I¡¯d have to make sure nobody followed me or saw my superman outfit change.

    Another option would be to come on behalf of my nonexistent teacher. That would put me at a position of lower power, though. I¡¯d basically have to suck up to the noble or do my best impression of a corrupt lawyer¡¯s son. That doesn¡¯t really appeal to me. I¡¯ve already been icky enough today.

    That leaves slapping my dick on the table and not even bothering hiding my identity. It¡¯s not like I can keep it secret forever. At some point, a teacher or some form of test in the advanced track will force me to use Formations or my violin. If I sow seeds with some people early, I can make it look like I¡¯ve got a lot more connections than I actually do.

    The King family was also unlikely to be involved with any plots regarding Emily. They were the strongest family in the kingdom, so there was no way they¡¯d give a shit about the Torrin¡¯s inner politics.

    Isabel was another story. Otto struck Noah as the exact type of person to desperately want to get his hands on a Master Rune. He¡¯d seemed fairly respectable during the auction, but there was no way to truly know for sure until push came to shove ¡ª and Noah had absolutely no plans of letting things ever even get to that point.

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    Either way, establishing contact now is the best move. I want him on my side, and getting him hooked on a supply of monster runes is the best way to do that.

    Noah decided to ignore the fact that he was starting to sound like a drug dealer. He strode up to Otto, coming to a stop several paces away and sticking his hand into a pocket to grab the leather badge that he¡¯d gotten from Otto the last time they¡¯d met.

    At least, I sure hope it was Otto. It would be really awkward if this ended up being someone else.

    Otto¡¯s gaze flicked to Noah, an expression of disinterest passing over his features. He didn¡¯t even bother trying to hide it. ¡°Can I help you?¡±

    ¡°Do the words Violet Transference mean anything to you?¡±

    ¡°I am not interested in selling the Rune or giving copies of it out,¡± Otto said promptly. ¡°Particularly not to a member of the advanced track that only just joined.¡±

    Yup. Here¡¯s the bloke. He sounds similar to the guy at the auction too¡­ but didn¡¯t he say that ¡®one of his family¡¯ would have the abilities of Violet Transference? I suppose he counts as a member of his family. I guess he was working to hide his identity a bit as well.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Noah said. ¡°You asked if you could help me.¡±

    ¡°I was being rhetorical,¡± Otto said without missing a beat. ¡°I have no plans of¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you can help me,¡± Noah interrupted Otto, pulling the patch out of his pocket and holding his hand out as if to shake Otto¡¯s, ¡°but I believe I can help you.¡±

    The noble¡¯s eyes flicked down to Noah¡¯s palm. He froze and his expression locked in place for half a second. A remarkable shift passed over his features and the annoyance evaporated like a faint puddle in the desert sun.

    ¡°This is a coincidence I was not expecting to find today,¡± Otto said, shaking Noah¡¯s hand with a smile. ¡°I was wondering if I¡¯d ever hear from you again. I must say, I wasn¡¯t expecting¡­¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Noah asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Few do. There are advantages to staying out of sight.¡±

    ¡°I quite agree, though it grows harder to hide with every passing day. I trust you have approached me for business purposes?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve got the time. There are a few things I¡¯m in the market for.¡±

    Otto raised a hand to stop Noah from continuing. ¡°We should continue this elsewhere. The advanced track is an interesting place, but it is not devoid of competitors. I would prefer to keep our discussions secret.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t completely abandon my students,¡± Noah warned. ¡°I have other duties.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t be going far,¡± Otto replied. He turned and pressed a hand to the wall behind him. A well concealed door swung open, leading into a small room with several plush chairs arranged around a small table. ¡°The advanced track is no stranger to the pedigree of those belonging to it. There are times when we must be able to speak in peace.¡±

    If I go in there, I won¡¯t be able to hear what¡¯s going on outside. Could be a bit risky¡­ but it should be okay for a few minutes. I think Moxie was right about Verrud and Jakob calling things off for the rest of the day. There¡¯s only so hard they can try before it becomes completely obvious as to what they¡¯re doing. They¡¯ll likely hold off for a few days and then try again at either the next meeting or the one after it ¡ª or possibly just somewhere on campus.

    ¡°Convenient,¡± Noah said, following Otto into the room. He closed the door behind them, and all sound from the meeting behind them vanished as if it had never been there. Otto caught the look on Noah¡¯s face.

    ¡°Sound Runes to block noise in and out,¡± Otto explained, taking a seat in one of the chairs and leaning back.

    Noah sat down across from him, and the two of them sat in silence for a brief instant.

    ¡°I have to say, you aren¡¯t who I was expecting,¡± Otto said. ¡°I had my guesses, mind you. A number of them. I can honestly say that you were not even a smudge on the list. Tell me ¡ª do you represent someone?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah replied. ¡°I work alone, aside from those in my group. There is nobody above me.¡±

    ¡°An odd answer, but one where the meaning cannot be missed.¡± Otto interlaced his fingers. ¡°You do not work for Father, then?¡±

    ¡°We have an impasse.¡±

    ¡°A Rank 6 has an impasse with a Rank 4. How curious. You were not lying about being apt at concealing yourself, Vermil. Is the rest of the company you keep as unique as you are?¡±

    Otto¡¯s words weren¡¯t a threat, but they were far from casual conversation. The noble was searching to find where his loyalties and weaknesses lay.

    ¡°Everyone who has tried to find out has had a less than stellar time of things,¡± Noah replied with a small shrug. ¡°They are all capable in their own right.¡±

    ¡°Capable indeed,¡± Otto said. ¡°I had heard that the woman you travel with was exiled from the Torrin house. Not a common occurrence. It¡¯s quite surprising to see her strolling around without any signs of soul damage to show.¡±

    ¡°I am not without resource.¡±

    ¡°So you have made abundantly clear.¡± Otto smiled and leaned forward. ¡°You have my attention, Magus Vermil. The Monster Rune you gave me was every bit as fascinating as I had hoped ¡ª albeit slightly useless. I¡¯m afraid it has been lost.¡±

    How the hell did you lose it?

    ¡°Lost?¡± Noah asked.

    Otto grimaced. ¡°A subordinate attempted to draw it into their soul. They absorbed it safely, but did not survive the attempt to utilize its power. The Rune was unrecoverable.¡±

    Ah. Can¡¯t draw Monster Runes back onto Catchpaper, even if they were in a human¡¯s soul. Not particularly useful knowledge for me considering I don¡¯t have that limitation, but good to know.

    ¡°That is unfortunate.¡±

    ¡°It is,¡± Otto agreed. ¡°But I suspect you have come to solve my issues. You have another Monster Rune?¡±

    ¡°I do.¡±

    A smile stretched across Otto¡¯s lips. ¡°Then let us talk business.¡±

 Chapter 422: Nothing short of incredible

    ¡°I want Space Runes, Matter Runes, and any other abstract concepts that could relate to them. I don¡¯t care about the quality of the rune,¡± Noah said, not wasting a second before cutting straight to the chase. ¡°I¡¯ll also accept locations of monsters that possess those runes.¡±

    ¡°Space and Matter?¡± Otto¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Not a simple path you head down. Do you already possess any?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Technically speaking, at least. I¡¯ve got a single Rank 1 Space Rune, but he didn¡¯t ask what Rank it was.

    ¡°Impressive. You grow odder the more I learn about you. A domain as strong as yours at Rank 4 using Space and Matter Runes.¡± Otto leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers. ¡°I would ask where such a talent emerged from, but I suspect you would not answer.¡±

    ¡°Most likely not,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°Can you get the runes I asked for?¡±

    ¡°Who do you take me for?¡± Otto let out a bark of laughter. ¡°There is very little in this kingdom that I could not get for the right price, Vermil. If you so wanted, I could get you entrance into the King family itself. Access to Monster Runes would more than pave the road before you in gold brick. I could arrange for Runes to take you all the way to early Rank 6 and a wife, should you wish it.¡±

    ¡°A kind offer, but I have no need for any of it. The only thing I desire are the runes I asked for,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°Noble families are of no use to me. I do not care for the Linwicks any more than I care for the Kings ¡ª and I certainly don¡¯t need a wife.¡±

    I don¡¯t think Moxie would approve much of me getting married.

    ¡°It was worth an attempt.¡± Otto gave Noah a wry smile. ¡°What rank runes were you hoping for?¡±

    ¡°Four or five would both be ideal, but any rank works. It depends how much you¡¯re looking to spend for the Monster Rune.¡±

    The noble thought for a few seconds. His fingers tapped on the wooden armrest and he looked up at the ceiling, studying the patterns within it, before returning his gaze to Noah. ¡°This is a very expensive ask. Hundreds of thousands of gold at the absolute minimum. The runes you seek are not cheap.¡±

    ¡°Nor are monster runes.¡±

    ¡°They are when they are nothing but a novelty,¡± Otto countered. ¡°A fascinating novelty with potential to be more, but still a novelty.¡±

    ¡°Innovation is never achieved for cheap. You have to be willing to take risk if you want to become powerful.¡±

    ¡°You are correct, but only a fool would spend a fortune on a whim. I am indeed willing to take risk, but all risk must be balanced. I could likely get you some of the runes you seek at a very low rank. 2, perhaps? A True Matter Rune and a True Space Rune in exchange for a new Monster Rune.¡±

    Noah¡¯s lips pressed together. He already had a Rank 1 Space Rune. Getting a Rank 2 on top of that definitely wouldn¡¯t hurt, but it wasn¡¯t the most useful. The Matter Rune was considerably more worthwhile, but it wasn¡¯t exactly groundbreaking.

    I could probably buy that at an auction¡­ but to be fair, it would cost a ridiculous amount of gold. I really don¡¯t want to have to auction a Monster Rune. It¡¯ll bring way too much attention.

    ¡°If it sweetens the deal, I¡¯ll add in a location where I believe you should be able to get the Runes you seek,¡± Otto offered. ¡°It will not be easy, but if you value the time less than the money, it will serve you well.¡±

    ¡°Is it nearby? The transport cannon is currently indisposed.¡±

    ¡°I will be able to arrange for transport there,¡± Otto replied. ¡°It will only be a single access. The location is controlled by the King family, so I can¡¯t have you constantly coming in and out unless you join us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass on the joining for the time being, but I¡¯m intrigued. What rank are the monsters in the area?¡±

    ¡°Three and above. They can put up quite the fight.¡±

    That sounds like exactly what I need. No matter how hard it is to get the Runes normally, if I just Sunder all the monsters, I¡¯ll be able to stock up on them no problem.

    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can tell me more than that?¡±

    Otto shook his head. ¡°I believe you have all the information you need. Two Rank 2 Runes and one ticket to and from a personal hunting ground. I believe that offer is more than fair.¡±

    I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d call it more than fair. Technically, I¡¯m offering up something a lot more valuable. But he¡¯s saving me the trouble of dealing with an auction house ¡ª and Monster Runes can¡¯t be duplicated by humans, so that definitely limits their value to a noble house.

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    ¡°Alright,¡± Noah said, holding a hand out. ¡°I think we have a deal. I¡¯ll have to retrieve the Monster Rune. I don¡¯t have it on my person right now.¡±

    Otto took it and they shook. ¡°That¡¯s quite fine with me. I¡¯ll have to retrieve what I owe you as well. I¡¯ll send my assistant to handle the transaction tomorrow. Is that acceptable?¡±

    ¡°More than. Pleasure doing business with you.¡±

    ¡°Likewise.¡±

    They both rose from their seats and headed back for the sealed door.

    ¡°Are your students as uniquely talented as you are?¡± Otto asked as he reached for the handle, pausing before he pulled it open.

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m determining if I should be making bets,¡± Otto said with a calculated smile. ¡°The odds aren¡¯t stacked well in your favor, Magus Vermil. You have everyone quite deluded, and if your students are the same¡­ well, I never pass up an opportunity to expand my wealth.¡±

    ¡°Is there a way for me to bet on them myself?¡±

    Otto let out a bark of laughter. ¡°No. It¡¯s against the rules. I suppose that¡¯s answer enough.¡±

    Damn. That would have been easy money. I imagine not betting for my own students also means I can¡¯t bet against the people they¡¯re going up against. Ah well.

    Chatter and the sounds of sparring washed into the small room as Otto pulled the door open. He gave Noah one last nod, then stepped out without another word.

    Noah could appreciate that. Otto didn¡¯t mince words, and it seemed like the man was amiable enough. Even though Otto had asked a few leading questions to try and prod at his personal life, he hadn¡¯t gone too far.

    He¡¯ll be a good ally to have, especially if I keep dangling Monster Runes in front of his nose. Money is a power all in itself. Having a rich bloke backing me will open up a lot of doors.

    He stepped back into the crowded room, shutting the door behind him. It didn¡¯t look like much had changed since they¡¯d entered. Moxie and all their students still sat or stood around the table, and nobody was bothering them.

    Good. Looks like we get the rest of the meeting off. Time to go stuff my face.

    ***

    Yulin sat beside Marley at the end of the table, pushing the potatoes around her plate with her knife. Jakob had stormed off to the other side of the room after both she and Marley had been utterly trounced, and she didn¡¯t blame him.

    She couldn¡¯t remember the last time she¡¯d lost so badly in a fight. If it hadn¡¯t been for years of training to control her emotions, her cheeks would been bright red with shame.

    Her thoughts drifted to Magus Vermil. The sleazy-looking professor had played both of them like a fiddle, and it was her fault.

    I should have recognized that he was goading Marley earlier. It was such an obvious strategy. He didn¡¯t even fully commit to it, but I was still thrown off enough that I didn¡¯t try to step in until it was too late.

    And then Vermil had gone and given them advice after it had become completely clear how badly he¡¯d outplayed Marley. Instead of gloating or pointing out his victory, he¡¯d rubbed it in even harder by trying to help them.

    It wasn¡¯t like I fared any better against his student. I¡¯ve been practicing swordcraft most of my life. How did she move like that without using runes? There¡¯s no way she cheated. Jakob would have called her out on it. Am I really that far behind her?

    Yulin¡¯s hands clenched at her sides. She¡¯d been in the advanced track for nearly half a year now together with Marley. They had every advantage. There was no way to justify her defeat.

    Marley was up against a professor. At least he¡¯s got an excuse.

    Yulin¡¯s hands clenched at her sides.

    ¡°You look like you ate a live crab,¡± Marley said, waving his fork in her direction and speaking through a full mouth.

    ¡°That would have been preferrable,¡± Yulin said tersely. ¡°How are you not more concerned with how poorly we performed?¡±

    ¡°Eh. Jakob will get over it,¡± Marley replied with a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°What¡¯s there to be that worried about? I mean, sure. Vermil tricked us, but he¡¯s a professor. There aren¡¯t any bragging rights for a professor beating a student. If anything, he should be ashamed of himself.¡±

    Yeah, but what about me? I¡¯m not main branch. Jakob might not take anything out on you, but I¡¯m a different story.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s fine.¡± Marley took another bite of the cake on his plate and wiped his mouth with a napkin. ¡°You got played this time around. Vermil tricked you and his student was better. It¡¯s fine. The Torrin family name isn¡¯t going to be affected. Nobody cares if a side-branch student loses a fight.¡±

    Yulin was grateful that her fists were already clenched. It saved her from having to hide her emotions.

    ¡°Besides,¡± Marley said, continuing on without so much as looking away from the food on his plate, ¡°We didn¡¯t have to pull anything off today. We¡¯ve got time. And to be honest, I¡¯m happy about it.¡±

    Yulin blinked in surprise. ¡°Happy? Why?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Emily since we were kids.¡± Marley looked across the long table to where the silver-haired girl sat with the rest of Vermil¡¯s group. A grin pulled at the corners of his lips. ¡°She¡¯s a lot more attractive than I remember.¡±

    ¡°She is your enemy. As long as she is viewed favorably by anyone in the Torrin family, your chances of becoming the next head are at risk.¡±

    ¡°Bah. I¡¯m allowed to observe facts,¡± Marley said. ¡°I mean, look at her. Are you telling me that you wouldn¡¯t at least give it a shot? Besides, she won¡¯t contest me for the position if she¡¯s mine.¡±

    You¡¯re worse than you thought Vermil was. Self-righteous prick.

    ¡°I have no desires but to serve the Torrin family,¡± Yulin said flatly. ¡°That includes viewing anyone in any level of interest beyond assessing them as a threat.¡±

    Marley snorted. ¡°Right. Forgot. Whatever. Could you just stop sulking already? You¡¯re ruining the mood.¡±

    Yulin forced her hands to unclench and she straightened her back, wiping her face clean of any feeling that might have seeped onto it. But, while her features displayed serene stillness, her mind had anything but.

    Alexandra¡¯s sword flashed through her mind over and over again. Her technique was unlike anything that Yulin had ever seen before. It was nothing short of incredible.

    I wonder if she was serious about that offer to spar again in the future.

 Chapter 423: Wise choices

    The rest of the advanced track meeting passed without incident. Noah and Moxie remained on guard throughout it, but it soon came to an end. They headed out and Noah branched off, heading down an alley and rifling through a pile of stones to pull out his grimoire and gourd. He hurried back to rejoin the others, where he and Moxie continued to keep a close eye on everything all the way up until they dropped the students off at their dormitories.

    ¡°Well then,¡± Noah said as he walked alongside Lee and Moxie on the way back to the T building, ¡°I¡¯d say that went pretty damn well.¡±

    ¡°How long were you waiting to say that?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°More time than I care to admit. I didn¡¯t want to say it too early and end up screwing something up by spitting in the eye of fate.¡±

    ¡°Fate isn¡¯t going to change itself because you got a bit overeager.¡±

    Noah looked down the bridge of his nose at Moxie. ¡°I have mistakenly pissed off a god. I¡¯m not taking any chances ¡ª and I still need to get a fruit basket or something for her. She hasn¡¯t come for my ass yet, but I feel like that¡¯s something you should have ready rather than scramble to put together.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t the fruits spoil if you wait around too long?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°The fruit bit was more figurative. I don¡¯t think a goddess is in any want of fruit.¡±

    ¡°Oh. What¡¯s she want, then?¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t have an answer for that. He wasn¡¯t so sure he actually had an answer. There couldn¡¯t have been many things that a mortal could offer a god that they couldn¡¯t get on their own.

    Maybe I¡¯ll give her a firm pat on the shoulder and a proud, fatherly nod. You can never go wrong with some good old fashioned external validation.

    ¡°You¡¯re thinking something stupid,¡± Moxie said. They headed through the entrance of the T building and started up to her room.

    ¡°It¡¯s not stupid. It¡¯s a great plan.¡±

    Moxie stopped at the top of the stairwell to glance over her shoulder at him and raise an eyebrow.

    ¡°Okay, it might have been a bit stupid,¡± Noah allowed. ¡°But stupid is only stupid if it doesn¡¯t work. How did you know?¡±

    ¡°It was a safe bet,¡± Moxie replied dryly.

    They reached her room and she unlocked the door. Lee bounded past both of them, launching herself into the bed. She snagged the vine blankets and rolled over, wrapping herself with them.

    ¡°Did you manage to tire yourself out from eating so much?¡± Noah asked. ¡°You definitely put a lot of work in today.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lee said drowsily. ¡°I¡¯m tired because there isn¡¯t any food left to eat. If any squirrels wanted to walk into my mouth on their own, I wouldn¡¯t complain.¡±

    ¡°Somehow, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to find any of those here,¡± Noah said. ¡°But maybe that¡¯s a good thing. I still have no idea where you put all the food you eat. I feel like you¡¯ve got to be breaking laws of physics at this point. You¡¯ve got less shapeshifting ability than you used to, no?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t hold forms as long as before,¡± Lee said with a satisfied yawn.

    ¡°So how are you shoving all that food into yourself? There literally shouldn¡¯t be enough space for it.¡±

    ¡°Things turn to energy as soon as I eat them. I use up a lot more energy than humans do because of how my body and my runes are connected. I have a higher upkeep and a much higher storage for energy than you do.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Huh. I guess that makes sense,¡± Noah said, sitting down in Moxie¡¯s chair and resting his arms on the desk behind him. ¡°Seems really inefficient.¡±

    ¡°It means I get to eat as much as I want to. It¡¯s perfect.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s got you there,¡± Moxie said. She sat down in his lap and leaned her head back to rest it against his shoulder. ¡°What are your plans for tomorrow morning?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m meeting with¡ª¡±

    ¡°I meant Lee.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re literally sitting on me,¡± Noah protested. ¡°How was I supposed to know that? Use your words. You¡¯re a big girl.¡±

    ¡°Too tired,¡± Moxie replied. ¡°Don¡¯t need lots of words when just a few do the trick.¡±

    ¡°You spent more words being lazy than you would have if you¡¯d just said Lee¡¯s name in the first place.¡±

    Moxie let out an undignified grumble and turned around, so her chest was pressed against Noah¡¯s. Then she prodded him in the side. He let out a surprised curse but couldn¡¯t jump up without throwing her to the ground. Moxie grinned at him.

    ¡°Sometimes, I can¡¯t tell which one of you is the demon,¡± Noah informed her.

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    ¡°The hungry one,¡± Lee said from the bed. ¡°And, speaking of food, I¡¯m hungry. Can someone feed me?¡±

    ¡°You literally just ate enough for ten men,¡± Noah protested. ¡°I understand having a bigger storage for energy and needing to use more of it, but this is ridiculous. Azel literally didn¡¯t even eat.¡±

    ¡°He had emotions to feed on. I haven¡¯t figured out what mine are yet, and I¡¯m still growing. I need lots of nutrition.¡±

    ¡°I should hope not,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°The last thing this world needs is a Lee with even slightly more room in her stomach. I¡¯m not sure anything organic would be left over after you finished eating.¡±

    ¡°Food. Please?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°Go to sleep. I literally cannot afford to feed you. We can get food tomorrow morning.¡±

    Lee let out a groan. She unrolled herself from the bed and hopped to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m going to go find something to eat then. I¡¯m not tired anymore.¡±

    She is genuinely going to consume the entirety of Arbitage¡¯s ecosystem.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Come back tomorrow morning. I wasn¡¯t joking when I asked what you were doing. I want to go hunting and get my runes filled up. We can check if they¡¯ve got the transport cannon up and running on temporary power.¡±

    ¡°Kay,¡± Lee said, pulling the window open and hopping out of it. She held onto the top of the window and pushed it shut as she dropped, leaving the two of them alone in the room. Moxie let out a slow sigh.

    ¡°That was so stressful.¡±

    ¡°Lee?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°What? No, doofus.¡± Moxie let out a small laugh. ¡°The meeting. We¡¯re playing with fire, but it¡¯s not like we have a choice. We can¡¯t let Verrud or Jakob get anywhere near the kids. I think the strategy worked. They shouldn¡¯t realize that we¡¯re onto them.¡±

    ¡°I agree. We¡¯ve bought ourselves some time at the bare minimum. We can try to find a better way to handle things in the future, but I¡¯m glad it all went well. Half of our cards didn¡¯t even get played.¡±

    ¡°I bet you¡¯re disappointed about that,¡± Moxie said with a snicker.

    ¡°Maybe a bit. It would have been badass.¡±

    ¡°Not worth it.¡± A stubborn frown crossed Moxie¡¯s features and she prodded him in the side again, but far gentler than her poke. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s better to save that for when we really need it. I¡¯m sure Verrud and Jakub didn¡¯t overplay their hands either. They definitely have more to throw at this than just a few students.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m more than aware. But we¡¯ll bullshit our way through that too.¡±

    They were silent for a few seconds. Then Moxie poked him again.

    ¡°I want to go to bed.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re on top of me. Nobody¡¯s stopping you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Who are you, Lee?¡± Noah asked with a laugh, leaning forward and scooping Moxie up in his arms. He carried her over to the bed and dropped her onto it. She grinned ¡ª but it only lasted for an instant before Noah flopped down on top of her.

    She pulled her way out from beneath him and let out a small laugh as she wrapped her arms around him. ¡°Okay. I deserved that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you did.¡±

    Noah slid to the side so that he wouldn¡¯t squish Moxie. He let his head rest on the pillow beside hers and pulled her closer to his chest. Something about having her pressed against him wiped the world¡¯s problems away and left only a warm, content buzz in his heart.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get how you do it,¡± Moxie murmured.

    ¡°Do what?¡±

    ¡°All this acting and trickery. It¡¯s exhausting. I did a bit of it back in the Torrin estate, but that was because I didn¡¯t have a choice. But you¡¯ve been doing it constantly. Ever since you got to Arbitage.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t have much of a choice. And to be honest, there really wasn¡¯t much else to do in line. All you can do is just stand around and think. And, I don¡¯t know about you, but every guy I¡¯ve ever known loves daydreaming about doing badass shit. I got a lot of time to do that. Lots of scenarios. Pretty much all of them, really.¡±

    ¡°All of them?¡± Moxie raised an eyebrow and touched a finger to his side threateningly.

    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t hold that against me,¡± Noah protested. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you at the time.¡±

    Moxie laughed and wrapped her arms around him again. ¡°It¡¯s more fun this way. Oh ¡ª I saw you speaking with the rich guy. Considering the smug look you had on your face when you came back, I take it you got what you needed?¡±

    ¡°Am I really that obvious?¡±

    ¡°To me? Yes.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. I found the guy we sold the Monster Rune to before. I suppose it makes sense that he was in the advanced track if that¡¯s where people go to trade and sell all their fancy shit. I fully thought he¡¯d be in the Enforcer meeting tomorrow, but it was a lucky surprise. Silvertide pointed him out to me.¡±

    ¡°Did you get a good deal?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. A Rank 2 Space and Matter Rune, as well as a one-time trip to a hunting ground where I can get more runes that fit the Rank 4 I¡¯m working on. I¡¯m meeting his assistant tomorrow to do the trade.¡±

    ¡°By the time you¡¯re back, I¡¯m going to try to Rank 4,¡± Moxie promised. ¡°And if you don¡¯t get that new Rank 4 made, I¡¯ll pass you soon as well.¡±

    ¡°Feeling fiery, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We need to get stronger,¡± Moxie said, her tone growing serious. ¡°I guess that¡¯s always true, but now more than ever. There¡¯s too much at stake and too many things that can go wrong for us to risk it. The faster we can advance, the better.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do my best to make sure I keep up with you. When you get back from hunting with Lee tomorrow, I¡¯ll be ready to help you modify your Rank 4 with Sunder if you need it.¡±

    ¡°If I need it? More like when. You¡¯ve got a lot of confidence in me if you think I¡¯m going to get it flawless on the first try.¡±

    ¡°Damn right I do.¡±

    Moxie laughed and gave him a squeeze. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m definitely still going to need it, but I¡¯ll do my best. I don¡¯t want to think about it any more until tomorrow. I¡¯ve already done all the preparation I can.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m exhausted,¡± Noah said with a yawn. ¡°I didn¡¯t like sleeping much when I first came back to life, but it¡¯s growing on me. It¡¯s a lot better than killing monsters to avoid having to rest, but only when you¡¯re around.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t lie, I¡¯ve always liked sleeping,¡± Moxie said. She grinned at the glare Noah sent her and amended her statement, ¡°but I like it better when I¡¯m next to you.¡±

    ¡°Acceptable,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°You said you thought of a lot of things when you were in the line, right?¡± Moxie asked abruptly.

    ¡°Huh? Yeah. Why?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t really talk much about it. Will you tell me one of them?¡±

    ¡°Which one?¡± Noah waggled an eyebrow.

    Moxie craned her neck back to make sure he could see her roll her eyes. ¡°You choose¡­ but choose wisely. You¡¯re in poking range and have no path of escape.¡±

    ¡°Look at that. A good one just came to mind,¡± Noah said.

    Moxie smiled and settled back in. Noah launched into a story, then followed it up with another one. It wasn¡¯t long before Moxie¡¯s breathing slowed and her eyes drifted shut as she drifted off to sleep. Noah wasn¡¯t long behind her.

 Chapter 424: Sold

    Moxie was already gone when Noah woke the following morning. He¡¯d somehow slept through her leaving, but he could still smell the scent of her hair on his skin. Noah nearly let himself vegetate in place so he could avoid the responsibilities of the morning, but sunlight rudely poked through the window and prodded him out of bed. It probably wouldn¡¯t be long before it was time to meet Otto¡¯s attendant. He set about getting ready for the day, then paused before he could head out the door.

    Hold on. How is she going to find me? I¡¯m in Moxie¡¯s room. Oh, crud.

    Noah hurriedly pulled the door open and stepped into the hall. He hurried over to his own room, but his fears were correct. It was too late. The door was cracked open, and he could hear voices coming from within.

    He strode over and pushed the door open. Contessa and Karina sat in bed, Mascot curled between them and monopolizing two different petting hands. A dark-haired woman stood across from them, doing her absolute best not to look completely befuddled.

    Goddamn it. I really need to let the school know I¡¯m not living there ¡ª though, if I do that, Contessa and Karina might get kicked out. For that matter, when the hell did Karina move in too? I swear it was supposed to just be Contessa.

    Contessa had small bags under her eyes, but at the same time, she looked more content than she¡¯d been in the past. The tension that had once held her shoulders taut had faded and she clearly hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to comb her hair since waking up.

    Karina was surprisingly similar. She also looked like she¡¯d only woken up a few minutes ago and was wearing a uniform that looked a little bit too large for her.

    ¡°Oh, there he is,¡± Contessa said. ¡°Vermil, someone came looking for you. I didn¡¯t know what to do so I just asked them to come in.¡±

    ¡°You could have sent her over to Moxie¡¯s room,¡± Noah said dryly. He extended a hand. ¡°Professor Vermil.¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes flicked over to them, then back to Noah as she mouthed, ¡®three?¡¯ to herself. Noah winced. He wasn¡¯t doing his reputation any favors.

    ¡°They¡¯re just living in my room,¡± Noah said, more than aware of how lame his excuse sounded. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ living elsewhere.¡±

    The woman coughed into her fist. ¡°It¡¯s none of my concern what you do in your spare time, Magus. Otto sent me to meet with you.¡±

    ¡°I gathered. You were the one with the bird mask, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    The woman tilted her head to the side. Her eyes widened slightly. ¡°You¡¯re the one I¡¯m meeting with?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you?¡±

    ¡°He just said to find you here. I thought you were going to lead me to him. Bastard was playing a joke on me,¡± Bird muttered. She adjusted her jacket and coughed into a fist. ¡°I ¡ª uh, should we go somewhere more private?¡±

    ¡°Sure. We can go back to the other room.¡± Noah glanced at Contessa. ¡°How are things going, by the way? I haven¡¯t had a chance to check in.¡±

    ¡°As well as they could be. I think Mascot is a sadist.¡±

    ¡°Drop the think. He definitely is. You¡¯re surviving?¡±

    ¡°He could wake me up by ramming his claws through my eyes every morning and it would be better than working for Evergreen,¡± Contessa said with a weary smile. ¡°I¡¯ve never slept so well in my life. I don¡¯t have to worry about politics or showing off or how I look in front of the other Torrins. It¡¯s nice. I just spend all day chasing after Mascot with Karina.¡±

    Noah opened his mouth to ask when exactly Karina had decided to move into his room, then caught himself. Contessa and Karina were both leaning back on the bed, supporting themselves with their free hands ¡ª hands that were overlaid on top of each other.

    Huh. Who would have thought. Bringing the Torrins and the Linwicks together, one step at a time.

    ¡°Well, let me know if anything changes. I¡¯ll do a more proper check-in later,¡± Noah said. He nodded to Bird. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    They headed back out into the hall and down over to Moxie¡¯s room. She hesitated for a second before stepping into the room, making Noah wince inwardly. That whole scene definitely hadn¡¯t done much to score him points in her eyes.

    Noah headed over to the bed and sat down on it, gesturing to the chair beside the desk. ¡°You can sit there. Are we doing any bargaining, or is this just a cut and dry swap?¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°I was under the impression the bargaining was done.¡±

    ¡°It is. Just making sure. Here¡¯s the Monster Rune.¡± Noah grabbed his grimoire from where it leaned against the bed and plopped the huge book down. He flipped it open. The pages were blank. His eyes narrowed and he cleared his throat loudly, flicking the book in the spine. ¡°Sorry. Something in my throat. As I was saying, here¡¯s the Monster Rune.¡±

    He turned the page over ¡ª and was greeted by an unfortunately detailed drawing of a woman who seemed to be in great want of clothing. Noah swore and slammed the book shut. He could feel Bird¡¯s stare boring into the back of his neck.

    ¡°You little shit,¡± Noah hissed. ¡°Give me the goddamn rune and stop throwing a fit. It hasn¡¯t been that long since I fed you, and if you don¡¯t give me the rune, the only thing you¡¯re eating for the next year is rocks.¡±

    The book flipped itself back open and he let out a relieved sigh. The Monster Rune sat in its pages, glittering with energy. It was the Thickened Fur Rune they¡¯d gotten a little while back while hunting ¡ª not a particularly useful rune by any means, but it was still a Monster Rune. His smile faded as he spotted a much smaller version of the inappropriate drawing on the bottom corner of the page.

    He cleared his throat and kept it covered as he tilted the book back so Bird could see the rune. ¡°Here it is.¡±

    There was so much derision on Bird¡¯s face that Noah had to look back at the book to see what was wrong. His eye twitched. The drawing had somehow traveled up the page so his hand was no longer covering it.

    Considering that Bird wasn¡¯t showing even the slightest signs of being impressed, the drawing had moved before he¡¯d finished raising the book so it looked like it had always been there.

    ¡°I ¡ª oh, forget it,¡± Noah said with a weary sigh. ¡°Do you have a piece of Catchpaper I can transfer the Rune onto?¡±

    Bird wordlessly pulled a strip of paper out of a coat pocket. She held it out to Noah with two fingers, as if touching him would infect her with something.

    At least Moxie doesn¡¯t have to worry about any competition. Not that anyone could give her competition if they wanted to.

    Noah plucked the paper from Bird¡¯s hands and absently set it in his grimoire, closing it and setting his hand on the top cover. A shimmer of energy swirled around the large book and, when he opened it again, it had transferred the Monster Rune onto the piece of paper.

    It had also transferred the drawing.

    The urge to hurl the book through the window gripped Noah, but he settled for a weary sigh. It wasn¡¯t like he could have thrown it even if he¡¯d wanted to. It was too damn big to fit through anything but the door.

    ¡°Here it is,¡± Noah said weakly.

    Bird stared at the page. He waggled it. The longer it was in his hands, the more chance someone else would somehow stumble in and see it.

    Once she¡¯s holding it, I¡¯m putting all blame on her without the slightest ounce of shame. It¡¯s not my fault she gave me Catchpaper that she doodled on first.

    Lips pursed, Bird plucked the paper from Noah¡¯s hands. She then pulled out two more pieces of Catchpaper and handed them to him. A Rank 2 Rune shimmered on each of them. And, even despite his grimoire troubles, a grin stretched across Noah¡¯s lips.

    Well, hello there.

    They were a little more complex than he¡¯d expected a Rank 2 Rune to be, but they were still nothing compared to Rank 4s. Noah drew both of them into his soul without so much as a second of hesitation.

    They took form beside his other Rank 1 Space Rune and Natural Disaster and he returned his attention to Bird before she decided to make a run for it while his eyes were closed.

    ¡°Alright. All done. Thank you,¡± Noah said. ¡°Now¡­ about that location I was promised?¡±

    ¡°I am to guide you to it,¡± Bird said. She adjusted her jacket, as if affronted by the debasing task of having to act as a babysitter. ¡°Is now a good time?¡±

    It should be a good bit before Moxie gets back. If Bird is offering to take me anywhere, I assume the transport cannon is functional again. I should stop by Tim on the way out and fix some more of his Runes ¡ª but I¡¯m getting ahead of myself. If the transport cannon is up and running, Moxie should probably be hunting until around midday or early evening. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be back before the meeting with the Enforcers.

    ¡°How long do I get?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°One hour. We can¡¯t justify letting you spend any longer in it.¡±

    ¡°One hour?¡± Noah demanded, his eyes going wide in disbelief. ¡°What the hell am I meant to do in one hour? Do you have any idea how long it takes to trap a rune on Catchpaper? Forget actually finding the monsters, I¡¯ll barely get one fight in before you pull me out.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, you won¡¯t have any trouble finding things to fight,¡± Bird said. ¡°And you won¡¯t survive longer than an hour. You¡¯re a Rank 4. Otto wants you coming out of this alive.¡±

    Technically, I barely need any time at all to get Runes aside from the time it takes me to actually kill the monster, but I¡¯m not letting her know that.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m getting scammed here.¡± Noah crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°I was promised a hunting ground I could use to get some Runes, not a peek at whatever fancy shit you lot have in attempt to get me to marry into your house.¡±

    Bird choked on her own saliva and doubled over coughing. She got a hold of herself and straightened back up, staring at him. ¡°Otto wants you to marry into the King family?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up,¡± Noah replied. ¡°And I¡¯m still not sold on only getting a bloody hour for this.¡±

    ¡°Otto said you might feel that way,¡± Bird said. She re-straightened her coat for what must have been the third time. ¡°He said that, as long as you were able to survive the experience, you would not be disappointed.¡±

    ¡°Not the most reassuring promise.¡±

    ¡°He also said to tell you that he wouldn¡¯t sacrifice his path to get more Monster Runes for something as worthless as this.¡±

    Okay, that¡¯s a pretty fair point. Otto doesn¡¯t strike me as the type of person who would pinch pennies that hard. I don¡¯t see why he¡¯d lie about this¡­ which means he genuinely believes an hour would be enough time for me to get whatever I need from this place. He¡¯s certainly got my interes;t. If a normal Rank 4 could get something worthwhile in an hour¡­ what would I be able to get?

    ¡°Alright,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m sold. Let¡¯s see this special hunting ground of yours.¡±

 Chapter 425: Offer

    Bird led Noah across campus. He fully expected her to bring him to some secret building or hidden alleyway in the shadows. Instead, he found himself standing before the Transport Cannon.

    ¡°I think you might have gotten lost,¡± Noah said.

    Bird looked at him out of the corners of her eyes. ¡°Did you really think there was a passage to find a bunch of monsters with Space and similarly rare runes just¡­ sitting around in Arbitage?¡±

    ¡°I can honestly say that I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised to find that in the slightest.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I can¡¯t fault you for that one,¡± Bird admitted. She tugged at her hair and shook her head. ¡°But no, it¡¯s not at Arbitage.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re aware that the transport cannon is having a little trouble right now, right?¡± Noah asked carefully. ¡°Because I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be able to use it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s of no concern.¡± Bird started up the stairs and Noah followed behind her.

    ¡°How so?¡± Noah asked as they walked onto the lift.

    ¡°They¡¯ve already got the cannon up and running partially. Volunteers with space magic have been powering it,¡± Bird explained. ¡°It¡¯s only for urgent usage, though. Lots of restrictions.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡±

    ¡°Restrictions that do not apply to our family.¡± Bird didn¡¯t even bother hiding the smug grin that pulled across her lips. She quickly remembered just who she was talking to and wiped it clean, replacing it with a poorly repressed grimace. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about trying to join to get them. Otto gets overeager about new things, but it won¡¯t last.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, I have absolutely no desire to join your family,¡± Noah said with a wave of his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve got my own plans and none of them involve you. I¡¯d much prefer to keep our relationship as business partners, Bird.¡±

    ¡°Bird?¡±

    ¡°Whoops. Sorry. That¡¯s you. You had the bird mask on when we first met, and it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve introduced yourself. Bird seems as good a name as any.¡±

    The lift rattled to a stop on the top floor of the transport cannon. Both of them stepped off and Bird shrugged.

    ¡°It works.¡±

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but notice that the transport cannon was completely empty. There was no sight of Tim ¡ª which was rather annoying, as he¡¯d been hoping to find the man so he could wrap up fixing his runes.

    Bird didn¡¯t seem anywhere near as bothered as he was. She headed over to the control panel and pressed a hand against it. Ripples of dull light washed over it, far dimmer than the energy that Tim had elicited.

    She pulled a small metal bar out from a pocket and slid it into a hole, twisting it in place before pressing it down. The bar slid seamlessly into the control panel and a dull hum emitted from the cannon tube behind Noah.

    ¡°There,¡± Bird said. ¡°It¡¯ll take a bit to gather all the energy we need.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve used this thing before?¡±

    ¡°Arbitage isn¡¯t the only location with a transport cannon, though it did have the most powerful one by a very, very wide margin. We have one on our estate,¡± Bird replied absently. She adjusted some of the controls on the panel and the humming grew louder. ¡°We can use this opportunity to go over the rules.¡±

    ¡°There are rules?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You have 1 hour before the cannon pulls you back,¡± Bird said. She reached into a pocket and pulled out a leaf of folded papers. ¡°You can take any Runes that you manage to get during that time.¡±

    She held the papers out to Noah and he took them. He leafed through the pack, but they were all blank. Something about them felt¡­ off. It took Noah a moment to figure out what it was. The paper was a fair bit thicker than it should have been.

    Fancy Catchpaper? I¡¯ve got a whole damn grimoire. Why would I need this?

    ¡°It¡¯s not just any Catchpaper,¡± Bird said, correctly reading the confusion on Noah¡¯s face and smirking. ¡°Otto is really pulling out the stops for you. That¡¯s some of the most sensitive Catchpaper we¡¯ve got. It¡¯s the best way to ensure you collect a Rune from something you kill. And, if you¡¯re as good as he seems to believe you are, then you¡¯ll be able to get at least one or two Runes. I gave you ten whole sheets of it, and you¡¯ll have an hour. Even an average Rank 4 should be able to take out five or six monsters in that time. I¡¯m sure at least one of those papers will grab a Rune.¡±

    Noah arched an eyebrow. Those numbers weren¡¯t bad ¡ª but they didn¡¯t exactly seem good either. It sounded like the Catchpaper was definitely more effective than normal with how confident she was, but walking out of this with just one Rune that he couldn¡¯t even pick would have been pretty disappointing.

    Would have been.

    He fought to keep a grin from his face as he inclined his head. ¡°I see. So that¡¯s why you were confident I¡¯d get what I wanted. Do I get to keep all the paper?¡±

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Bird snorted. ¡°Do you have any idea how much that stuff is worth? We aren¡¯t giving it to you for free. You¡¯ll have to pull the Runes off it and return the paper when you¡¯re done.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    The grimoire on Noah¡¯s back twitched. Bird¡¯s eyes flicked to it and her brow furrowed, likely trying to figure out if she¡¯d actually just seen it move or not. Noah cleared his throat to draw her attention back to him.

    ¡°Right then. And what kind of monsters can I expect to find?¡±

    ¡°No idea. Haven¡¯t been in here myself,¡± Bird replied. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid enough to try for Space Runes. There¡¯s a reason only madmen go after them.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t miss the implication in her voice, but he didn¡¯t particularly care. She had a pretty good reason not to like him. He didn¡¯t blame her for it in the slightest ¡ª his grimoire had had more than a bit of fun at his expense.

    And you not liking me is beneficial. I really don¡¯t want to get any more tied to the King family than I have to. I want help from them, not any form of attachment.

    ¡°Perfect. When can I go?¡±

    Bird gestured to the cannon tube. ¡°Get in. It should be ready soon enough. And one more thing.¡±

    Noah paused midway through walking over to the cannon and glanced back at her. ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to draw the monsters to you when you arrive. It¡¯s a large area, so they might not be sitting around in wait. It might be temping to go all out and try to draw the attention of the strongest monsters you can find. Resist that urge. You¡¯re nothing but a fortunate Rank 4 that has a connection. Don¡¯t be too overzealous if you want to survive.¡± Her tone made it pretty clear what she suspected Noah¡¯s skill would be.

    Noah inclined his head before squeezing himself into the cannon tube. He had to twist to the side and awkwardly bounce-slide himself in to make the grimoire fit, but he eventually managed to get himself situated. Craning his neck back, he squinted at Bird.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m in. What¡ª¡±

    A bright blue flash and a sharp pop swallowed the rest of his words. Noah vanished, streaking off through the air in a beam of light.

    ***

    It was the roughest trip via transport cannon that Noah had ever felt. It felt like he¡¯d been strapped to a tiny strip of wood and then tossed off a waterfall. His body bounced against invisible bubbles of energy. It stretched and shrunk as it passed through space before finally snapping back to normal as he hit ground with a thud.

    Noah groaned, rolling over and pushing himself upright. He rubbed his eyes, squinting as the remnants of the light faded from around him. Then he froze.

    He sat in a field of short purple grass specked with misshapen foliage that looked like it had been drawn by a toddler. Misshapen trees sprouted sporadically sporting ridiculously large fruits and bushes rose up into the sky like towers.

    The sky, for that matter, was wrong.

    There really wasn¡¯t another way to put it. Swirls of purple intermixed where there should have been clouds. They came in all shades and sizes, some swooping low enough to the land to brush across it. There was no sign of the sun. There wasn¡¯t a sign of where any light was coming from, for that matter.

    The oddities didn¡¯t end there. Large portions of the landscape seemed like they¡¯d been ripped straight out of the ground and turned on an angle before being shoved back in. Jagged chunks jutted out of the ground, the trees on them growing to the side rather than up and toward the light.

    Curls of faint purple smoke twisted up from the ground and brushed past Noah¡¯s skin like mist. He hadn¡¯t been entirely sure what sort of location would house a lot of monsters with Space Runes, but this one certainly seemed like it fit the bill. He pushed himself to his feet, turning in a circle.

    There were no signs of the strange, purple-hued landscape coming to an end. It stretched on as far as he could see. A chilly breeze curled across his back and, despite the warmth of Combustion within, he shivered.

    ¡°The hell am I?¡± Noah muttered to himself. ¡°And who stole the bloody sun?¡±

    His words faded into the haze around him. He glanced around, but it was hard to tell if there were any monsters in the area. There was just so¡­ much. Between all the jutting cliffs, the strange foliage, and the purple haze covering the ground, it was difficult to make out one shape from another.

    Noah called on the variety of Body Imbuements he had. He scanned the ground beneath him for vibration, then checked his surroundings. There was nothing nearby.

    Interesting. Bird was right about there not being monsters immediately in the area. She said to take it easy when trying to draw monster attention, but I¡¯m not just any old Rank 4.

    Noah pulled his gourd off his waist and set it down in the shade of a bush after double checking to make sure that absolutely nothing was nearby. He then headed back over to where he¡¯d arrived and pulled out the fancy Catchpaper that Bird had given him.

    His grimoire shuddered again. Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed and he pulled the large book off his back. He set it on the ground and crossed his arms as the eye formed on its face and looked up to meet his gaze.

    ¡°You think you¡¯re getting anything?¡± Noah asked, waving the Catchpaper. ¡°You little shit. You made me look like a pervert. Why shouldn¡¯t I just use¡ª¡±

    A strip of paper shot out from the grimoire, wrapping around the bunch in Noah¡¯s hand and yanking it free. It flew back into the large book as it snapped shut, then looked back at him innocently.

    ¡°Goddamn it,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯re giving those back before we head back, you hear me? And if you want to leave my room again, you better do some damn work. I can forgive jokes, but if you stand in my way, I¡¯m going to use you as toilet paper.¡±

    The grimoire¡¯s flapped open and it peeled back a flat page ¡ª one that looked considerably thicker than it should have been. Noah tilted his head to the side. It was the same size as the paper the book had just eaten.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking that as assent,¡± Noah said, grabbing the book and slinging it over his back. He didn¡¯t have time for more distractions. If he only had an hour, then the one thing he would not be doing was following Bird¡¯s advice.

    Let¡¯s see what this place has to offer. If the monsters are around Rank 3 to 4¡­ I can handle them no problem.

    A grin pulled at the corners of Noah¡¯s lips. He called on Sunder. Power flooded his veins and turned them black as energy gathered around him. The energy continued to flood from the Master Rune until Noah couldn¡¯t handle any more of it.

    Then he released it all into the ground at his feet.

    A blade of black energy carved through the purple-tinted dirt and vanished into the earth beneath him with barely a sound. A second passed. Then two.

    Noah¡¯s senses screamed a warning. He launched himself back with a burst of wind, spinning to stare at where he¡¯d been instants before. A purple spiral swirled out in the air as a long, clawed hand nearly as large as him swept down, carving deep furrows through the dirt.

    Rippling black scales covering the monster¡¯s arm shimmered as it pulled itself out from the rend in reality. It¡¯s torso and head vaguely resembled a huge lizard, but that was where the similarities ended. It had eight gangly limbs that bent at multiple different points like those of an insect. The monster had no eyes, but from the way its head snapped to trace Noah¡¯s position, he got the feeling it didn¡¯t need one. The creature¡¯s mouth parted to reveal three rows of hairlike fangs.

    Noah took a long look at the creature. It was so hideous that it that seemed to exist in spite of any justice in the universe ¡ª and it was currently about to do everything in its power to kill Noah. And so, in what might have been the last move that any sane man would have done in his position, he grinned.

    Let¡¯s see what this place has to offer.

 Chapter 426: Dirge

    The lizard monster¡¯s tail flicked. Strands of black shot out from it like streamers and hurtled for Noah, extending to wrap around him. He repositioned himself with a blast of wind and the black tendrils slammed into the ground with a series of thuds, punching deep into it. The monster ripped them free with a hiss, turning to follow his movements even without its eyes.

    Noah didn¡¯t wait for it to attack again. He drew deeply on Natural Disaster. Lightning crackled between his hands in thick arcs. The lizard charged toward him and he released the magic.

    A loud crack split the air as a yellow bolt flashed out from his palms. It slammed into the monster¡¯s forehead and knocked it forward. The creature tripped over its own feet and hit the ground in a tumble, rolling until it skidded to a stop several feet away from Noah with smoke rising up from its head.

    Huh. That was easy. Is it ¡ª

    A tendril lashed out for Noah. His eyes went wide and he threw himself to the side and narrowly missing the appendage as it howled overhead. He rolled to his feet and drew more power from Natural Disaster, unleashing another bolt of lightning into the lizard¡¯s face.

    It let out a pained scream and staggered to its feet. The scales on its head had absorbed the magic again, but he could tell that it was in pain. It lurched toward him again and tried to bite at his head.

    Noah released a blast of wind from his palms, hurling the large monster back before it could close the distance between them. More black streamers shot out of its tail and reached for him even as it fell. He drew more on Natural Disaster and sent a scythe of wind crashing down, severing them.

    The monster screamed in pain. Its claws dug into the ground and saliva flew from its mouth as it drew in ragged breaths. Noah¡¯s lips curled in disgust and he drew power from Natural Disaster once more.

    The monster tensed, bracing for a bolt of lightning ¡ª and was entirely unprepared for the spikes of rock that Noah called up from the ground. They drove into the creature¡¯s stomach with several sharp cracks that marked scales shattering.

    Noah¡¯s spikes lifted the monster off the ground. It screamed and hissed in surprise, then shimmered a dull purple. It vanished. The back of Noah¡¯s neck tingled as his senses screamed a warning.

    He hurled himself forward as a tendril snapped past his head. Noah spun, releasing another bolt of lightning even as the monster tried to dematerialize again. It caught the creature right in its open mouth.

    The air filled with the scent of burnt meat as the lizard staggered and lost its concentration, releasing the magic it had gathered. Noah followed up with another stone spike, this time driving it straight up into the lizard¡¯s chin and impaling its head.

    It let out one final hiss, then fell still. Noah took a moment to catch his breath, then let Natural Disaster fade so he could replace its power with Sunder. He approached the monster, waiting for the familiar tingle of its soul leaving its body.

    The instant the sensation prickled against Noah¡¯s mind, he swept his hand down. Sunder carved a black line through the air and the monster¡¯s soul shattered. Motes of light swirled forth above its body, forming into runes. Five of them were unreadable Monster Runes, but the others were within his abilities to comprehend.

    Shifting Warp ¨C Rank 2

    Shifting Warp ¨C Rank 2

    Noah pulled his grimoire off his back ¡ª and a tongue of paper flicked out, wrapping around the first of the two runes and drawing it within itself. The grimoire¡¯s binding rippled for a second, then a second tongue flicked out and claimed the second rune.

    ¡°You can just¡­ grab them straight from Sunder?¡± Noah asked, unsure if he was meant to be surprised or not. He¡¯d seen the grimoire grab runes from paper before, but those had already been imbued.

    I suppose you¡¯d have to re-imbue things anyway if the original paper is destroyed, so it really shouldn¡¯t be that much of a shock. It¡¯s just a bit odd. Then again, what about this book isn¡¯t?

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Noah said. ¡°And don¡¯t even think about eating those. They¡¯re mine.¡±

    The grimoire rippled again. He waited for the grimoire to take another rune, but it made no moves to. Noah decided to take that as a sign of agreement and slung it over his back once more. His gaze lifted to the fading Monster Runes above the lizard. The grimoire¡¯s paper tongue snaked out and snagged one of them as they faded, but Noah had no need for it himself. Right now, his main use for Monster Runes was to sell them to Otto.

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    He¡¯d definitely want these ¡ª but if I come back with them, he might be able to figure out that I got them here. And, if he figures that out, then he knows the trick to getting Monster Runes is either me or something I have. I won¡¯t have plausible deniability to claim that it was some other method.

    For that matter, I don¡¯t know if they can track the runes I get here. The paper they gave me might do more than just contain runes. Granted, it¡¯s gotten eaten, but I imagine the grimoire should be able to give it back.

    We¡¯ll deal with that when the time comes. The grimoire can just eat that Monster Rune. For the time being, I think I should avoid monster runes unless they¡¯re really worth the risk ¡ª and these ones aren¡¯t. This lizard thing couldn¡¯t have been more than a Rank 3 if the only non-Monster Runes it had were Rank 2s. It certainly didn¡¯t feel like it had anything strong enough to pull it to Rank 4.

    Noah¡¯s senses tingled. He let the remaining runes fade away and extended his hands. His violin materialized within them. He had considerably more important things to concern himself with than a few Monster Runes.

    The lizard had been the first one to meet his call, but it was far from the last. He hadn¡¯t been trying to conceal his presence in the slightest. Two ripples of energy shimmered through the air nearby as a pair of lizard monsters materialized before Noah.

    They didn¡¯t attack immediately but instead hesitated for a second, likely taking in the situation and trying to determine if he had killed the previous monster. Noah smiled and lifted his bow to the strings of his violin.

    He only had an hour to work with ¡ª less than that, now. There was no way he was going to sit around and waste time while the monsters assessed things. All he saw was walking bags of runes waiting to be claimed.

    The first note sang out from his violin. Both monsters flinched, then let out simultaneous hisses. Their tails whipped up and black strands shot for Noah, but he was already moving. A song began to build with his steps as he dodged past the attacks and magic started to gather around him.

    Two circles on the violin lit as Noah slid his runes into them. Power intensified even further, and then his music started in true. A bolt of lightning ripped from the violin, joined by a blast of wind that he set off beneath his feet. Black streamers hurtled past him and Noah arced into the air, entirely focused on his song even as the world spun beneath him.

    Simulcasting used a lot of energy, but its results were incredibly useful, especially against multiple opponents. Two bolts of lighting ripped free of the violin and slammed into each of the monsters, forcing them to stagger and regain their balance.

    Noah didn¡¯t wait around for them to recover. He landed on the ground, using the violin to summon more wind to cushion his fall while sending out another blast of lightning at the same time.

    One of the lizards screamed in pain and the other vanished in a flicker of purple. Noah leaned back, dodging out of the way as several streamers shot past his head, and continued to play. Two bolts of lightning ripped from the violin in rapid succession, slamming into the monster that had just reformed behind him.

    It stumbled and hissed, smoke rising up from its head. It tried to shake itself off and draw on its magic, but Noah sent another two bolts of lighting ripping free. The lizard stumbled and collapsed, limbs twitching with remnants of life.

    Noah¡¯s senses tingled once more and he released two blades of wind behind himself, spinning just in time to see them carve through several of the tail-streamers and slam into the lizard behind them.

    The monsters scales cracked and its pained cry was cut short by two thick bolts of lightning that drove into its head. Noah played the final notes to his song, then released the magic and let it fade from the violin.

    He then drew on Natural Disaster once more and inserted it into the violin. He played two sharp, final notes, driving a spike through both of the monster¡¯s heads at the exact same time. Energy gathered around both of them as their souls peeled away from their bodies.

    Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s a Great Monster controlling these things. They fight in similar ways, but I¡¯m not picking up on a specific pattern. Probably for the best. Otto would probably be fucking pissed if he had a Great Monster in his special hunting ground and I chomped the thing.

    Noah Sundered the closest one and turned to the other ¡ª but before he could call on his Master Rune again, his Body Imbuements screamed a warning as they picked up vibrations in the air beside him.

    An arc of purple light materialized from nothing and shot out toward Noah. He dove forward and the air behind him thrummed as the energy passed by him. It drove into the ground and carved into it without a sound.

    Noah rolled to his feet, spinning toward the source of the magic. Lines of purple rippled and bulged outward as the head of a turtle pushed into reality. Its body followed after it, emerging out onto the purple grass with one lumbering step at a time. It was nearly as large as the lizards ¡ª which meant it was huge in comparison to Noah.

    Spines covered the monsters grey skin and ran up along its shell, glistening in the dull light. Its mouth worked as beady black eyes bored into Noah¡¯s head. Motes of purple energy gathered around the spines covering it.

    A tongue of paper flicked out from behind Noah¡¯s shoulder, arcing over to the dead lizard he¡¯d sundered and plucking a rune from the air. He didn¡¯t have time to see which one it was, and he had bigger things to worry about at the moment.

    Noah launched himself into the air with a blast of wind just an instant before several beams of purple energy streaked out beneath him and carved furrows through the ground. He landed back on the ground just in time to see two more ripples pass through the air. A second turtle and a lizard materialized.

    ¡°Three at once, huh?¡± Noah asked as he landed, placing his bow against the strings of his violin once more and letting a smile crawl across his face. ¡°That just means three times the runes. Come on, then.¡±

    They obliged him, and Noah¡¯s song rang through the strange plains once more, a funeral dirge for all who heard it.

 Chapter 427: Yoink

    The smell of blood hung thick in the air. Noah braced his hands against his knees, breathing heavily. He¡¯d lost count of how many monsters he¡¯d fought. The more he killed, the more had come.

    At least, that was how it had been. Nothing else had arrived after he¡¯d dispatched the last group had come, and he was grateful for it. Even though his Runes had been getting replenished from all the monsters he¡¯d killed, he was still spending more energy than he was getting back.

    Natural Disaster had grown significantly. Even though he¡¯d been focused on getting Runes from the monsters he killed, there were so many of them that he¡¯d only been able to Sunder a small portion of them.

    If it hadn¡¯t been for his greedy grimoire grabbing all the runes in sight, he was pretty sure he barely would have gotten a fraction of the number that he had ¡ª though he still wasn¡¯t sure as to exactly what that number was.

    Noah drew in a deep breath and let it out in a huff, pushing his hands off his knees and shaking his head. Mounds of corpses stretched out around him. They were burnt, cut, and ripped to pieces, the macabre canvas of a crazed artist.

    Bird was right about not drawing too much attention. I think I might have gone a little overboard here, but they only gave me an hour. I had to optimize my time.

    He adjusted his coat. His finger caught on a small tear in it. Most of the monsters hadn¡¯t managed to get close to him, but it had been impossible to avoid everything. It wasn¡¯t a big deal. None of his wounds were significant enough to be concerned about.

    Where¡¯d all the damn monsters go, though? I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve got a bit of time left. I can wring a few more runes out of this place.

    Noah extended his senses, searching to see if he could pick up on where the monsters had run to. They hadn¡¯t struck him as very intelligent. It seemed unlikely that they¡¯d call off the attack just because of how many of them he¡¯d killed.

    And there¡¯s no way I actually killed all of them. Maybe I just cleared out the monsters in this particular area and I need to go looking to find some more?

    He wasn¡¯t so sure he had time for that. It just felt like a shame to stop when he still had energy and more time to claim some runes.

    Then again, I suppose I shouldn¡¯t go too far away from my gourd. It¡¯s probably better not to push my luck. I¡¯ve already gotten a really good harvest. At least, I think I have. I really need to sit down with my grimoire when I get out of here.

    Noah stepped past the piles of dead monsters and headed over to the area he¡¯d arrived in. His gourd still rested where he¡¯d left it. He¡¯d been keeping an eye on it through the fight, but it was still nice to confirm.

    ¡°I wonder if I should try to do something about all these bodies,¡± Noah mused to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know how often they use this place, and it¡¯s going to look really suspicious if there¡¯s just a giant mountain of corpses lying here.¡±

    He drummed his fingers against his leg as he thought, then knelt and pressed his hand against the cold ground. Noah pulled energy from Natural Disaster, drinking as deeply as he could manage. Power pulsed through his veins and his other runes activated, pushing back against it.

    Once he could hold no more power, Noah unleashed it into the ground. A rumble shook the dirt as it split apart like the mouth of the earth yawning open. Bodies tumbled into the hole, vanishing into its depths.

    Noah used a few powerful gusts of wind to shove more corpses into the pit. Once he¡¯d gotten the majority of them handled, he drank from Natural Disaster once more and slammed the pit closed.

    A few corpses still sat scattered about on the ground, but far less than there had been before. He could still see traces of the line where he¡¯d pulled the ground apart. It wasn¡¯t a perfect job, but it would have to do.

    Noah nodded to himself and turned back to his gourd. There wasn¡¯t much time left before he was pulled back. Resting for a bit so he didn¡¯t show up panting for air probably couldn¡¯t hurt.

    He managed a grand total of one step before a trill raced down his spine and his senses picked up on a shift in vibrations behind him. A very, very large shift in vibrations.

    Noah spun, bringing his magic to bear, as a massive beast stepped out from a rippling pinkish-purple disk. It had a stout nose and stood around six times as high as he did. There may have been some vague resemblance to a bear in its form, but bears didn¡¯t have the antlers of a deer or molten red eyes. He stared up at the ridiculously massive creature, his mouth parting in disbelief.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Uh¡­ mind waiting around for a second?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to schedule our fight for about ten minutes from now.¡±

    The bear roared with such intensity that Noah staggered, ears ringing. The bear didn¡¯t wait around for him to recover. It swiped at him with a massive paw, casting a massive shadow over him.

    Noah launched himself into the air with a blast of wind, his mind racing as he summoned his violin and bow back to his hands.

    What the hell is this thing? It isn¡¯t a great monster. A variant monster, then? It¡¯s bloody enormous. I¡¯m not so sure my magic is going to do literally anything to it.

    As if to punctuate his words, the bolt of lightning and blade of wind that leapt from his violin struck the bear and did nothing more than singe its heavy gray fur. The monster was just too damn big.

    It roared ¡ª and then vanished.

    Noah¡¯s eyes went wide and he set off the most powerful blast of wind he could gather behind himself. He launched off like a rocket as the enormous bear reformed where he¡¯d been moments before, its paw swiping just past him.

    That is not fair. Nothing that big should be able to teleport like that. I thought Space Runes were really difficult to use and inefficient! There¡¯s no way something like that should be able to prance around in space so effortlessly.

    It seemed that nobody had told the massive bear that. It disappeared once more and Noah launched himself straight up. The bear snapped into being beneath him, its jaws slamming shut on a house-sized area and once again just missing him.

    I don¡¯t think I could gather enough smoke to stuff into this thing in ten minutes, much less the few I¡¯ve still got to fight. Do I just keep running until I get pulled back to the transport cannon? If I was somehow able to get inside that thing, I might be able to use Sunder. If I¡¯m close enough to its heart, that might be enough to kill it.

    That was far easier said than done. Even if he was able to get inside the bear ¡ª which wasn¡¯t exactly a thought he enjoyed having pass through his mind ¡ª it was so massive that he was pretty sure he¡¯d been absolutely nowhere near its heart.

    ¡°You are not a Rank 4,¡± Noah informed the massive beast. Its response was to roar and vanish once more. Noah launched himself straight down with a blast of wind, moving with such speed that his cheeks flapped in the wind.

    He caught himself with another powerful gust of wind, slowing his fall just enough to hit the ground in a roll. Noah scrambled to his feet and glanced over his shoulder just in time to see what may have been the most terrifying thing he¡¯d ever laid eyes on.

    The massive bear was plummeting down toward him. All ¡ª well, however many tons the enormous creature was ¡ª of muscle and claw were headed straight for Noah, casting a shadow and blocking out the entire sky.

    That was a bit of a problem. No matter how much wind magic Noah had, there was absolutely no way for him to move out of the way fast enough to avoid getting squished. He just wasn¡¯t fast enough and the bear was just too damn big.

    Even if he¡¯d brought his flying sword with him, he was pretty sure he didn¡¯t have time to get it out under him before the bear landed on top of him. There were only moments to act. Noah dismissed his violin and ripped the grimoire from his back.

    He ripped every ounce of power he could gather from Natural Disaster and hurled the book, pouring all the magic he could into a blast of wind to carry it toward where he¡¯d left his gourd.

    The book shot off like a bullet. Noah only had a brief instant to watch it fly off before the rushing wind of plummeting bear took his attention away. He directed his attention to the heavens, which were now nothing but bear.

    ¡°Goddamn it,¡± Noah said.

    The bear crashed down and the world went black.

    Noah¡¯s soul ripped itself free of his body. He flew through considerably more bear than he ever would have enjoyed moving through and emerged in the air above the massive beast, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

    The monster was rooting around his body, likely trying to find out why it hadn¡¯t gotten all the power it had sensed within him.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to come back for you,¡± Noah informed the enormous creature. ¡°And next time, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s getting squished.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t sure how he¡¯d follow up on that particular threat, but the good part of threatening things that couldn¡¯t hear you was that they had no idea what you were promising to do.

    A band of black tightened around Noah¡¯s throat and he welcomed the familiar sensation. It had been quite some time since he¡¯d last died ¡ª but not nearly long enough. His soul hurtled through the air and slammed into the body his gourd created for him.

    His eyes snapped open and he jerked upright with a pained hiss. Noah scrambled to his feet, squinting through the headache and scooping his gourd and travel bag off the ground. His eyes landed on his grimoire sticking out of the ground just a few dozen feet away and he let out a sigh of relief.

    At least my aim was good.

    He ran over to the grimoire and grabbed it. Then he reached into his bag, rooting around for a spare change of clothes. The bear still hadn¡¯t noticed him yet, and he wanted to ¡ª

    A familiar tingle ran across Noah¡¯s skin. His eyes went wide. He yanked the pants out of his bag and jammed one leg into them, moving as fast as he possibly could.

    It wasn¡¯t fast enough. The energy intensified and a blue glow enveloped him even as he stuffed his second leg into his pants and tried to tug them up. He vanished in a beam of light, his string of curses fading into the ether along with him.

 Chapter 428: Wealthy

    Noah¡¯s bare back hit the metal of the transport cannon and he furiously tugged his pants the rest of the way up, even as the light of his arrival faded. He managed to pull them up just in time to avoid traumatizing both himself and Bird. Unfortunately, by the look on her face, she definitely hadn¡¯t missed the motion even if she¡¯d been spared a look into the void.

    Noah sat up and cleared his throat. He pulled his spare jacket out from his bag and slung it over his shoulders while Bird stared on in silent, entirely unconcealed judgement.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you¡¯d be waiting here,¡± Noah said in what he desperately hoped was a casual tone.

    ¡°Were you naked when the transport cannon re-activated?¡± Bird asked, squinting at Noah.

    Seriously? This is the part where we¡¯re both meant to pretend nothing happened. You aren¡¯t supposed to start asking questions. What¡¯s wrong with you?

    ¡°More aerodynamic.¡±

    ¡°More ¡ª what?¡± Befuddlement washed over her expression and she shook her head in disbelief. ¡°Were you trying to¡­ do things to the monsters?¡±

    ¡°Are you insane?¡± Noah asked. He pumped his voice as full of false confidence as he could. His head pulsed with pain, but he ignored it. He¡¯d just blurted out the last line, but now he had to run with it. At least the bear hadn¡¯t eaten his corpse, so the damage to his soul wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been. ¡°Of course not. Less clothes means it¡¯s harder to get hit. Smaller surface area. It¡¯s only logical.¡±

    ¡°How heavy are your clothes?¡± Bird asked incredulously.

    ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with weight. Haven¡¯t you ever gotten a pocket stuck on a door when you were walking past it? Imagine that in a fight. Clothes only get in your way. Moving around without them gives my enemies less things to hit. It also brings me closer to nature.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Bird gave him a flat stare. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you managed to get your pants on before I saw anything. I¡¯d have killed you and then myself if I had. Possibly not in that order.¡±

    The headache wrapped around Noah¡¯s skull pulsed again and he grimaced, massaging his forehead. ¡°That¡¯s generally my solution to most problems as well.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Noah shook his head. ¡°Never mind. Thanks for the trip. I¡¯ll be off now.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Bird shifted to stand in front of the lift. ¡°You¡¯ve still got my Catchpaper. Take your runes off it and hand it back over. And¡­ don¡¯t touch me when you do. I don¡¯t want to think about where your hands have been.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. The Catchpaper.¡± Noah coughed into a fist, then nudged his grimoire. ¡°I¡¯ve got that. Right in here.¡± The book didn¡¯t budge. Bird arched an eyebrow and held a hand out expectantly. Noah nudged the grimoire again, then gave her a sheepish grin. ¡°Give me one moment.¡±

    He knelt beside the grimoire and pulled at it. They didn¡¯t budge. It was like the book had been welded shut. His eyes narrowed and he leaned in close to whisper into its leather covers.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t give me the damn Catchpaper, I¡¯m cutting you open like one of those lizards and taking every damn rune I gave you. Then I¡¯m going to put them in other grimoires while you watch. Do you hear me?¡±

    The grimoire bucked, shooting several sheets of thick Catchpaper out of it as if it were sneezing. Noah grabbed them and rose back to his feet, giving Bird a winning grin as he held them out.

    She took them with two fingers and stared at him with a mixture of abstract confusion and disgust. ¡°Did you just threaten your book?¡±

    ¡°What, have you never done that? You should give it a try sometimes. It¡¯s very cathartic.¡± Noah slung the grimoire over his shoulder and adjusted his jacket. ¡°I¡¯ll be off, then. Pleasure doing business with Otto. Let him know I¡¯m more than willing to work with him again in the future.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Bird drawled. She stepped to the side and Noah walked onto the lift. He did his absolute best to keep his expression straight until it rattled away, taking him out of her line of sight.

    The moment it did, Noah blew out an exhausted breath and buried his face in his hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m cursed,¡± Noah muttered to himself. ¡°I swear I¡¯m cursed.¡±

    ***

    Bird listened to the lift rattle away.

    Bird wasn¡¯t her real name, but she was surprised to find she rather liked it. She¡¯d gone through a number of names in her time. Most of them had been considerably less enjoyable. Her names didn¡¯t tend to last all that long, so there was no reason not to get enjoyment out of this one while she still could.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    She¡¯d worked with a lot of odd people in her service to Otto. Generally, the ones powerful enough to draw his attention were also rather¡­ enigmatic. Normal people didn¡¯t tend to last long enough or get lucky enough to deal with him. She was no stranger to odd clients.

    By all means, Vermil hadn¡¯t been the worst. That was a thought that would have made her younger self shudder, but she hadn¡¯t made it this far in life without seeing more than a few things she would have preferred to scrub from her mind.

    The rumors about him being a pervert were somehow both right and wrong. I was fully expecting to have to blast him into kingdom come when he tried to pull something, but I swear he couldn¡¯t have possibly been less interested in me.

    Why would he show me those drawings and then show up nearly naked for absolutely no reason? If I¡¯d closed my eyes when talking to him, he¡¯d have come off almost exactly like some of the King family¡¯s warriors.

    Bird shook her head and looked down at the Catchpaper clenched in her hand. She¡¯d been pushed so far off balance that she hadn¡¯t even remembered to count it to see if Vermil had given her everything back. She leafed through the papers. A frown crossed Bird¡¯s face. She turned them over, then blinked.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains?¡±

    They were unused. Every single paper was entirely untouched. Aside from the slight crinkles that had been put into them by her own hand, there wasn¡¯t a single sign of a rune ever having being present on them.

    Did he really just head over there to strip naked and do absolutely nothing? There¡¯s a chance he brought his own Catchpaper, but why would he choose to use it over mine? And, with how sensitive these are, the chances of him getting absolutely nothing on them is almost impossible unless he really didn¡¯t kill any monsters. I refuse to believe he was that incompetent. Any Rank 4 should have been able to take out at least one or two. There¡¯s no way he made such a large deal with Otto only to sacrifice all of it to¡­ what, to play a crass joke on me?

    Bird couldn¡¯t contain her curiosity. She slid the papers into her pouch and returned to the control panel of the transport cannon. Her hands played across the controls as she adjusted its direction once more.

    The cannon was low on energy, but she didn¡¯t need much. It would only take a few minutes to check the location out. Now that the transport cannon worked identical to the one in the possession of the King family, setting it to pull her back in a few minutes was no problem.

    She finished setting it up and a hum filled the building as it started to power. Bird headed over to the tube and lowered herself into it as the hum grew louder. Then the cannon activated with a loud thrum and she was off, hurtling through the ether.

    The travel was familiar to her at this point. She¡¯d used transport cannons so many times that she barely even flinched at the sensation of being pressed through space. By the time she registered the purple grass poking into her back and surrounding her, she¡¯d already started to sit up ¡ª but she didn¡¯t make it far.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Bird whispered.

    Corpses littered the ground, ripped to shreds and blackened. There must have been easily twenty or thirty of them, but the signs of battle on the grass spoke of a much larger fight. Massive portions of it were matted completely flat.

    What kind of massive monster could have done that? And did Vermil seriously kill all of these monsters and come out without a single scratch on him? If there were this many of them in the area, there must have been a near limitless army attacking him. He drew way too much attention¡­ but he barely even looked winded. It just looked like he had a slight headache or something.

    Bird swallowed. If the scene before her wasn¡¯t some form of misdirection, then Vermil had somehow not only killed all of these monsters, but he¡¯d managed to either kill or evade something far larger than the rest of them.

    And he did that while he was naked?

    Bird pulled at the lapel of her coat subconsciously.

    There¡¯s no way that strategy actually works, is there?

    The thought slipped into her mind before she could stop it. She shook her head furiously to throw it free before it could take root. Vermil was screwing with her. That much was evident. There was no way anybody intentionally fought naked. There couldn¡¯t be.

    ¡­I have gotten my shirt caught on the doors sometimes, though. Is it possible he was actually telling the truth? That wouldn¡¯t explain how a Rank 4 would be able to do something like this, but I don¡¯t know where else to start. Maybe this is some form of old fighting style that I¡¯m completely unaware of. I¡¯m going to have to look into this.

    ***

    Noah¡¯s embarrassment faded quickly as he hurried down the streets on his way back to the T building. Bird could think of him what she wanted. He had an indeterminate amount of powerful runes stored within his ornery grimoire, just waiting for him to play with.

    If I wanted to, I could probably just straight up make the Rank 4 Rune here and now by sacrificing all the energy stored up in them. That would probably be a waste, but there¡¯s no way I¡¯m not going to see what I¡¯ve got to work with and start figuring out exactly what kind of Rank 4 Rune I¡¯ll make them into.

    He made it back to Moxie¡¯s room and slipped inside. It was empty. A flicker of disappointment passed over him. Moxie wasn¡¯t there to see all the fruits of his labor. In a way, that was probably for the best. It would let him focus on actually figuring out what he¡¯d gotten.

    I¡¯ll just have to show her later. If the grimoire was grabbing runes the whole time I was fighting, I should have enough for everyone that wants one. Sunder is so unbelievably useful. It¡¯s got to be the best Master Rune in existence.

    Noah pulled the grimoire off his back and set it down on the bed. He brushed his hands off and took a step back, a grin pulling across his lips as he gestured impatiently to it.

    ¡°Come on, then. Let¡¯s see what you got. You can eat the stuff I decide we don¡¯t need.¡±

    That caught the grimoire¡¯s attention. It snapped open, pages fluttering, and runes blossomed across its surface. Noah¡¯s smile stretched wider still as he studied the book. There were dozens of new runes upon its pages. If Otto had known just how many of them he¡¯d gotten out of this, the mage probably would have pulled his ears straight off his head in disbelief.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s what I like to see,¡± Noah breathed. ¡°Let¡¯s get this a bit more organized, shall we? I think I¡¯ve just become a very wealthy man.¡±

 Chapter 429: The next rune

    In one hour, Noah had gotten twenty-six runes. At least, that was how many runes his grimoire was willing to show him. He had the sneaking suspicion it was storing more than a few of them for itself, but given the amount he had to work with, he wasn¡¯t going to complain.

    Of the runes, seven of them were Monster Runes. It seemed that the grimoire had focused the ¡®normal¡¯ ones. That worked out quite well for him, as the others weren¡¯t going to be useful to anyone other than Lee.

    And I¡¯m not letting Otto ever get any of these. They¡¯re either going to my grimoire or to Lee. After the story of what a Monster Rune does to you, I don¡¯t have any plans to take one into myself quite yet. But the other runes are a whole different story.

    He¡¯d gotten nine Rank 2s, seven Rank 3s, and 3 rank 4s. Every single one of them was based around space. The Rank 2s were all variations of plain Space Runes in a variety of different qualities ranging from True Space ¡ª which were much closer to perfect by nature, as they were composed entirely of Greater Rank 1 Runes of the exact same type ¡ª to borderline unusable trash that almost weren¡¯t worth the effort of reconstructing with Sunder.

    The Rank 3s weren¡¯t in too much of a different situation, but they were more clustered around the middle of the line rather than the extremes. Three of them were borderline worthless aside from being ripped apart for power. The remaining four were a Shifting Space, a Churning Warp, A Rippling Pulse, and a Thrumming Spatial Wave. All four were usable and, judging by the energy he could feel from the pages, were probably somewhere around 20 or 25% full when they¡¯d first been formed.

    As for the Rank 4 Runes ¡ª two of them were trash. They still had power and components that would be invaluable for when he got around to taking them apart and putting everything together into a new Rune, but there was no way he¡¯d ever consider using them himself.

    The final Rank 4 Rune was a little more interesting. It was called Warped Elastic Expanse and was, like the others, heavily leaning in the space direction from what Noah could tell. The rune seemed to be roughly around 35% full when it had been made.

    Several seconds passed as he studied all his earnings. There was a lot to take in. Even the poorly made runes were worth a fortune. But, even if he¡¯d wanted to sell them, it would have been slightly problematic.

    He¡¯d have to sell them under disguise, and selling a bunch of Space Runes so quickly after attending Otto¡¯s special space-dungeon felt like a great way to rat out just how many runes he¡¯d gotten from it.

    I suppose I could just sell one at a time at an auction or something. That¡¯s worth considering with the lower quality ones. For now, I¡¯m not going to worry about profit. I just want to make the absolute best Rank 4 Rune that I can.

    That was, of course, the crux of the matter. If he¡¯d wanted to, he could have ripped the runes apart then and there to form a Rank 4. It would have wasted a considerable amount of energy, but as long as Otto was going to buy Monster Runes from him, he wasn¡¯t in any shortage of that.

    Then again, he doesn¡¯t buy them that often. I don¡¯t want to overcommit and waste everything, only to find out he doesn¡¯t want another Monster Rune for a month. That¡¯s a lot of time given how fast things have been moving.

    Noah drummed his fingers against his thigh and dismissed the thoughts. Money trouble could come later. Right now, he had all the components he needed to build a new Space Rune. He just had to figure out which one he¡¯d make.

    ¡°Do I make a Rank 3 True Space Rune?¡± Noah mused, letting his hand drop and starting to pace around the room. The grimoire fluttered on his bed impatiently, but he ignored it. ¡°Then I¡¯d have to find other things to fit in for the other disasters, and I could make a Rank 4 Unnatural Disaster Rune.¡±

    That would fit in with his current path. There were a lot of disasters that could probably be considered unnatural, and he could set out to get more Matter based runes next. Alexandra had said Gero had one, so more of them couldn¡¯t have been completely impossible to acquire.

    Hm. But what other runes would go into Unnatural Disaster? That seems like a ridiculously broad concept. It¡¯s basically every single disaster other than Natural Disasters. Am I trying to match too closely to Natural Disaster?

    Noah came to a stop by Moxie¡¯s desk, the frown on his face growing deeper. Now that he actually had the runes he needed, the decision as to what to make somehow seemed even more difficult. He sat down and leaned back in the chair. Noah rocked back and forth, chewing his lower lip.

    ¡°The hell do I do? I suppose I could just throw something together and see how it works, but that would be a pretty big waste.¡±

    ¡°Do about what?¡± Moxie asked.

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    Noah nearly pitched out of his chair. A vine caught its back and righted him, and he turned as Moxie stepped into the room, a vine snaking back into her shirt sleeve and a wry smile on her face.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you get back,¡± Noah said. ¡°Thanks for the save. Where were you?¡±

    ¡°I technically caused the situation, but no problem. And I was out training and practicing patterns,¡± Moxie said as she shut the door behind her. There was a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. ¡°I take it things went well with Otto?¡±

    Noah grimaced. ¡°Er¡­ yeah. They went. And, most importantly, I got runes. A lot of them.¡±

    ¡°So why do you look like you ate a rotten fruit?¡± Moxie took the travel bag off her shoulder and set it down. She wiped her face with the back of a sleeve and headed over to her closet to pull out a change of clothes.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to figure out what Rank 4 Rune to make,¡± Noah said. ¡°It may be the dumbest problem in the world, but I have too many options. My concept is just so broad.¡±

    Moxie snorted and set the clothes on her bed before heading into the bathroom. A second later, her dirty clothes flew out the door. A vine crept out the bathroom a second later, wrapping around them and delivering them over to her closet before snaking back into the bathroom.

    ¡°Want to talk through it? Speaking out loud always seems to help me.¡±

    ¡°I certainly won¡¯t object,¡± Noah said. He did his best not to look at the open bathroom door as Moxie turned on the shower. He needed to remain focused on the task at hand. There were two entirely different parts of his brain trying to be active at the same time, and feeding the wrong one was a great way to ensure absolutely no more work got accomplished today. ¡°I¡¯m thinking on if I should make my next Rank 4 an Unnatural Disaster Rune. My first one is Natural Disaster, so it kind of fits.¡±

    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Moxie said from within the shower. ¡°What¡¯s the trouble, then?¡±

    ¡°Well, Natural Disaster is relatively controlled, even if it seems broad. It¡¯s a bunch of physical changes in nature,¡± Noah said. ¡°And I¡¯ve got a theme in it as well ¡ª vibration. So everything is actually tied together. Unnatural Disaster though¡­ that¡¯s just about every other disaster possible.¡±

    ¡°I think I see what you¡¯re getting at,¡± Moxie said after a moment of thought that was broken only by the sound of pattering water. ¡°You think Unnatural Disaster is too big of a concept to fit as a Rank 4?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And if I build with it in mind, I¡¯m going to waste a huge amount of energy and time.¡±

    ¡°Definitely good to handle it now before you get that far along. So what¡¯s the alternative?¡±

    ¡°One of them would just be making a Space Disaster Rune and filling in the others as I go. Make each Rank 4 a different kind of disaster, then combine everything into a Disaster Rune at Rank 5. I think the other concepts are large enough that they can basically match up with mundane disasters on their own.¡±

    Moxie finished up in the shower and the water shut off. She snagged a towel from the rack and pulled it behind the curtains. A second later, she stepped out bundled within it.

    ¡°Space does seem like a really broad concept. I think I¡¯m leaning more toward that myself,¡± Moxie said as she wrung her hair out. ¡°You¡¯re going to have some trouble finding the way to make a good Rank 4 Space Rune, but if anyone can do it, it¡¯s going to be you with Sunder.¡±

    Noah leaned back in the chair again. He returned to rocking back and forth ¡ª but only taking a look at the ceiling and the window to make sure that Lee wasn¡¯t waiting somewhere to scare the life out of him.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking as well. I admit that it¡¯s also tempting because it means I can do something now instead of sitting around until I can get my hands on the other Disaster based runes to make my Rank 4,¡± Noah said with a sheepish laugh. ¡°Also, the other issue would be what I¡¯d make my other Runes. Natural Disaster and Unnatural Disaster seem to cover everything.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m just impressed you haven¡¯t jumped to make the rune already. With how impatient you used to be, that¡¯s a huge improvement.¡± Moxie headed out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed beside her clean change of clothes. ¡°Splitting off the other disasters and making Rank 4s for each of them does seem like the right move. You can get quite a few really high-level disasters that aren¡¯t covered by Natural Disaster, and packing them all into one Rank 4 would probably fail.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Noah said. ¡°So a Space-disaster related Rank 4 is the move.¡±

    ¡°Seems like it to me.¡± Moxie shrugged, then grinned and stood up. ¡°Close your eyes unless you want to get sidetracked.¡±

    Noah shut his eyes an instant before she dropped her towel, calling on a supreme force of will that he hadn¡¯t even realized he¡¯d had ¡ª but that wasn¡¯t quite enough to stop the senses of his Body Imbuement. They didn¡¯t give any amount of detail beyond a general humanoid blob, which was a blessing. The absolute last thing he needed was to be walking around with a magical x-ray that was permanently active.

    Moxie stepped toward him. Noah¡¯s eyes opened to find her fully dressed once more.

    ¡°Hoping for a look? Or good timing?¡±

    ¡°Body Imbuements,¡± Noah replied with a chuckle. ¡°And, unfortunately for this specific scenario and fortunately for every single other one, they aren¡¯t good enough to give me any detail.¡±

    ¡°That is both simultaneously fortunate and unfortunate,¡± Moxie agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll show mercy and stop distracting you. Do you have an idea of what kind of Space Rune you¡¯re going to try to make?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. This helped line my thoughts up a lot,¡± Noah said as he rose from the chair. ¡°Thanks, Moxie.¡±

    ¡°Any time. Are you going to try to make it now?¡±

    ¡°I wish. I kind of got myself killed again. I¡¯m going to lie down for a bit. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll be until we¡¯re meant to go to that enforcer meeting, but I¡¯m hoping it¡¯ll be really late at night. If they show up earlier, let me know, would you?¡±

    ¡°You died?¡± Moxie exclaimed. She opened her mouth, then let it close again and shook her head with a sigh. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll let you know. Rest well.¡±

    Noah pushed his grimoire to the side and flopped onto Moxie¡¯s bed. His eyes drifted shut, but even as the headache pulsed in his mind, the only thought he had was determination. It was about time he got his next Rank 4 Rune.

 Chapter 430: Space

    Hours passed, and the day soon drifted by and slipped into the beginnings of night. Noah wasn¡¯t sure if the Enforcer meeting was delayed, forgotten, or just always started this late. He didn¡¯t particularly care.

    His headache faded and left behind only excitement. Noah slipped out of bed and sat down on the ground to lean against it. He set the grimoire in his lap, resting his hand on its surface so he could pull in any Runes he wanted to while he was in his mindspace.

    He then sank into himself. Darkness swirled up and consumed the world around him before blooming to reveal his Runes floating around him. The Space Rune he¡¯d taken from Lee sat across from Natural Disaster.

    Combustion''s power rippled beneath his feet, and his other two Master Runes bore down on him from overhead. Their pressure pressed against each other instead of just him, saving Noah from having to fight to avoid being crushed under their power.

    ¡°Right. Space related disasters,¡± Noah said to himself. He extended a hand, calling the Rune he¡¯d taken from Lee to himself. It was weak, but it was the first building block and the most important one to understand.

    Runes were already ambiguous enough on their own, and a Space Rune was a step above. It was a broad concept. A very broad concept. Space meant a great number of things. It was the area that an object took up, but it was also the distance between two objects ¡ª and, if he was really going by every definition of the word, it was also the universe outside of the planet.

    Each definition would probably work for making a Rank 2 Space Rune. After all, runes were heavily dependent on intent. The way someone looked at something could completely change the outcome.

    Lee included some of these in her Demon Rune, Smoldering Warp. A lot of people will probably use space to travel. That¡¯s the most logical use for the rune, after all. Teleportation is really powerful.

    It¡¯s also insanely complex. I can¡¯t even begin to understand how portals function. I suppose it¡¯s got something to do with establishing a connection between two different points in space, but as to how that would actually be done¡­ no idea.

    It was easy to see why so few people were able to progress far with Space Runes. It wasn¡¯t just their concept that was broad. It was the ways to use them. Noah studied the Rank 1 Space Rune, his lips pursed in thought.

    He drew a trickle of power from it, letting it run through his body and gather at his fingertips. Actually using the rune was another interesting matter. Water Runes needed water. Fire Runes needed flame, and Earth Runes needed earth.

    What does a Space Rune need when it¡¯s at Rank 1? There hasn¡¯t been any intent in it yet, so it shouldn¡¯t have a preset disposition to any form of space. But if I¡¯m picturing space as the universe beyond this world, how would I ever be able to use this Rune? I wouldn¡¯t have access to that, so it just wouldn¡¯t work.

    Would it just straight up not function unless I thought about a form of space that it could actually access?

    Noah extended a hand, picturing the air compressing above his palm. A shimmer of faint purple energy gathered, but that was the extent of the rune¡¯s effects. He opened his eyes in the real world to confirm the results were the same. They were, so he closed them again to return to his mindspace.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Noah mused to himself as he released the Rank 1 Rune. ¡°It could be that I¡¯m not thinking about this the right way or it could be that a Rank 1 Rune just isn¡¯t strong enough to do what I want.¡±

    Another thought struck him and he tilted his head to the side.

    Or it could be the intent in every Rank 1 Rune. They can be specific to one thing, even if I don¡¯t know what that one thing would be for Space. If I want to avoid that, I¡¯d need something that I understood entirely. When I made the Fragment of Renewal, I filled it with my own intent and functionally made my own Rune. Should I try to figure out what intent was behind the Rank 1 Space Rune?

    Noah pictured a portal forming before him, but nothing happened. That wasn¡¯t really much of a surprise. If a Rank 1 Rune allowed him to teleport at will, then Space Runes would have been absolutely ridiculous.

    He lowered his expectations to just a tiny pinprick of¡­ portal energy. Noah wasn¡¯t sure how else to imagine the churning purple power that Brayden had walked through so many times. Once again, nothing happened.

    Eyes narrowed, Noah allowed the Rank 1 Space Rune to float back into position in his soul. He let out a sigh and laid out on the flat expanse of black that was his soul, staring up at the Master Runes floating far above him.

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    This isn¡¯t the right way to go about this. I¡¯m approaching things as if I¡¯m just any other mage. I don¡¯t know all that much about teleportation and all that shit, but why would I waste my time with that in the first place?

    I¡¯ve seen the space between time. The Line. I saw that demon break through literal nothingness to invade. That¡¯s what I need to focus on. I¡¯ll leave normal space to everyone else. Brayden said everything well enough. It¡¯s incredibly difficult to understand and I don¡¯t have the experience with it.

    I don¡¯t have the time to truly figure out how it works either. It¡¯ll be one of my Rank 4 Runes, but I can have more than one space-related rune with how broad the subject is.

    Noah sat back up and pushed himself to his feet. He had a path before him. He¡¯d seen enough to give him an understanding of space that nobody else in this world could even begin to comprehend.

    For that matter, he wasn¡¯t so sure he comprehended it himself. Much of his memories had been repressed by his own mind in order to try and save his sanity. Azel had been steadily picking away at some of those memories to re-release them, but he¡¯d been focused on emotions rather than knowledge.

    ¡°What is space?¡± Noah mused to himself. ¡°Vast. That¡¯s the first word that comes to mind. But that isn¡¯t the only one. Space isn¡¯t entirely its own concept. It feels like it can¡¯t properly exist in a vacuum. There has to be the concept of time as well, even if that concept is the lack of time rather than its passing.¡±

    But even that didn¡¯t quite feel like it was enough. Space and time were intertwined, but words didn¡¯t feel like they could properly encapsulate the feeling that the Line had imposed onto Noah.

    Repressed memories stirred as he dug deeper into himself and sought to find knowledge that he¡¯d done his absolute best to completely forget. Ancient thoughts that didn¡¯t even feel like they were his brushed past Noah¡¯s mind, dragging their claws through his psyche.

    Boredom. Infinite, mind-hollowing boredom. Nothingness ¡ª and yet, everything at once. The infinite black that stretched out in every single direction without any sign of end and the glistening roads of gold that ran throughout it.

    Noah¡¯s stomach roiled at the thoughts and a grimace twisted across his lips. Even the memories were vile. He wanted to violently shake his head off and bury his head into a pillow and scream until the thoughts vanished, never to show their heads again.

    But he couldn¡¯t do that. He needed the memories. They were the leg up he had on everyone else who had tried to form a Space Rune. The knowledge that ¡ª quite literally ¡ª no other mortal had access to as far as he was aware. And so, he pushed deeper.

    There were so many memories of the exact same thing. The exact same step, taken infinite times over. The same wordless souls surrounding him, and the same golden path. They ground against Noah¡¯s mind like a millstone.

    He pressed on. For all the monotony, for all the agony that the Line had been, every memory held a tiny flicker of knowledge. It was so faint that it was almost nonexistent. A single one would have been worthless. Hundreds ¡ª even thousands of them would have been no different.

    But Noah had far more than that. He had more than he could count, and they were buried so deeply into his psyche that they were part of his soul itself. Those flickers of understanding, a look into a world beyond mortal comprehension, started to pull together.

    It wasn¡¯t in any way that Noah could phrase. He¡¯d been hoping to suddenly find that he understood the concept of space well enough to cut a wormhole straight through it, but that didn¡¯t happen.

    There was no revelation. There was no burst of understanding or miraculous realization to be found within all the time that Noah had spent waiting in line.

    He didn¡¯t know how space worked. He had no way to comprehend how time and space intertwined or to visualize the vast extent of the concept he was trying to decipher. And so he stopped trying.

    Noah gave up on trying to figure out how space worked and simply observed. He¡¯d been within that vast expanse of emptiness for so long that it had become part of him. Space wasn¡¯t just an area or the area between two locations. It was everything. Every single thing, living or not, past or present, was part of it.

    Noah had no way to fully come to grips with that, but he didn¡¯t need to. Instead of trying to approach it like a scientist prying free secrets, he greeted it like an old friend. Space wasn¡¯t something that a mortal could comprehend. Even with all the experience he had, he was no exception.

    But Noah didn¡¯t need to completely understand Space. Not yet. For the time being, that old friendship was enough. It was a connection. A pathway to greater understanding that could only come in time, and the steps he¡¯d already taken thousands upon thousands upon thousands of times over were enough to pave that pathway.

    Space is everything. And, by that measure, I am space. My soul has passed through space that everyone else has likely passed through before, but I remember it.

    The memories finally peeled back. Noah drew in a deep breath to steady himself and let it out through his nose. He looked down at the darkness of his soul beneath his feet, and he knew how he was going to make his Space Rune.

    He couldn¡¯t use the runes that anyone else had made. Not directly, at least. He needed their power, but all the intent within them was wrong. The best way he could possibly make a Space Rune wasn¡¯t by cobbling together runes with so many differing potentials that it would be impossible to comprehend all of them.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the power from the Space Runes and the depth of emotion and understanding from everything I¡¯ve seen,¡± Noah mused to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t understand life and death, but I know them. They¡¯re old friends, and this is no different.¡±

    The best way to make his Space Rune was to start from the beginning, where his own intent and experience would shape the energy from the other runes without allowing any of their influence in. Fortunately for Noah, that wasn¡¯t something entirely new to him. He¡¯d done it once before, with all the energy left over from his lives and deaths, when he¡¯d made the Fragment of Renewal.

    Determination etched itself into Noah¡¯s features. If he wanted the perfect Space Rune for himself, he was going to have to make another rune from scratch.

 Chapter 431: Whole

    Making a rune from nothing but intent and energy was easier said than done. And, in what may have been the most ludicrous thought that anyone within the kingdom had ever dared to allow grace their mind, it struck Noah that he¡¯d have to be careful to not accidentally make a Master Rune.

    I don¡¯t know exactly how it works or why something is a Master Rune rather than a normal one, but I don¡¯t need more Master Runes right now. I mean, they probably wouldn¡¯t hurt, but I¡¯m trying to push toward Rank 5. A Master Rune won¡¯t help me there.

    Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t like he could just flip a switch to determine what Rune he¡¯d end up with. He¡¯d only tried to form a rune once before. There wasn¡¯t anything he could have researched about it, even if he¡¯d wanted to.

    Making runes was supposed to be impossible. At least, that was what the common knowledge in the kingdom was. If someone else had figured it out, they definitely weren¡¯t going around telling people.

    The noble families were full of stingy bastards, so Noah wouldn¡¯t have been surprised in the slightest if they were just a step away from actually figuring something out but were unable to put things together because nobody would work together.

    Okay. Enough of that. I need to focus. Forget the noble families. Making a rune from scratch requires energy charged with power and borderline perfect intent. You need to be incredibly familiar with the focus of the rune you¡¯re trying to form or it¡¯ll shatter and fail to form.

    I knew life and death better than space, but I think I¡¯ve got enough of a grasp on this to form it correctly. I think I need to work in reverse. If I try to encapsulate the entirety of space into this rune, there are two options.

    First, I form a Master Rune and don¡¯t progress my actual goal in the slightest. Second, my rune is way too broad and it isn¡¯t anywhere near highly ranked enough to contain it. That lands me with a shitty rune that I need to reform.

    The concept of space was so incredibly grand that Noah was pretty sure it could have been a Rank 8 Rune ¡ª or higher. He didn¡¯t really have a frame of reference for what the most powerful runes were.

    In the end, it didn¡¯t matter. He needed to intentionally limit just how much scope the rune covered. That meant determining exactly what elements of space he wanted to try to bring in and which ones he wanted to leave for later when his Rank advanced to the point where he could handle more power.

    ¡°Brayden mentioned just how much energy long range teleportation cost,¡± Noah mused to himself, his words echoing through the darkness of his mindspace. ¡°If I assume that every rune has a set amount of potential it can handle per tier, long range teleportation would probably consume a ton of that potential ¡ª or more realistically, barely work at all. The Rune is still a Rank 4, and it seemed like Brayden was capped at midrange teleporting.¡±

    Everything he knew about teleportation implied it was immensely resource hungry. But, more importantly, there was a bigger problem with it that he¡¯d already briefly thought of. Noah didn¡¯t properly understand how teleportation worked.

    Sure, he¡¯d been through the transport cannon time and time again, but driving a car didn¡¯t mean someone actually knew how to build one. And, if he had even the slightest desire to make a flawless rune, he couldn¡¯t afford to be that clueless as to what was in it.

    There wasn¡¯t really any teleportation when I was standing around in the afterlife. I¡¯ve spent a lot of time with space, but not that kind of space.

    That meant teleportation wasn¡¯t on the plans. Not for this rune. But, when his thoughts drifted to the space that he was most familiar with, there was only one thing that came to mind. A dry laugh slipped out of Noah¡¯s mouth.

    It was possibly the oddest usage of space possible. He had absolutely no idea if it was possible to contain it within a Rank 4, but it felt more realistic than stuffing teleportation or any other aspects into his build.

    I think I¡¯m going to need more than one Space-based Rune for my Rank 5, but I¡¯ll deal with that later. This one is definitely going to take some work before I get it perfect, and some of that is only going to come with experience using it.

    He spent a few more moments thinking through his idea to see if he could find any flaws within it. None immediately arose. That was more than enough for him. He¡¯d been sitting around for enough time, and he was still far from the most patient man.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this started,¡± Noah said, extending his mind toward the grimoire in his lap. He¡¯d already memorized the appearance of the runes he needed. Noah got to work pulling them into his mindspace.

    Over the course of the next few minutes, he summoned two Rank 4 Runes and four Rank 3 Runes. Several of the Rank 3s darkened as the active slots in his soul filled and energy pulsed through Noah¡¯s body with all the new power flooding through him.

    He didn¡¯t let himself get used to it. His soul was already large enough that any growth he got from subpar runes such as the ones he¡¯d just drawn in was, while definitely present, not nearly worth the benefit of keeping them around.

    Noah raised a hand and called the runes forth. They gathered before him, the weak amounts of pressure washing off them nothing but a light breeze in the face of Sunder or the Fragment of Renewal. That wasn¡¯t to say they were weak. He¡¯d just gotten so used to the immense power of his other runes that these paled in comparison.

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    There are a lot of runes here¡­ but is this enough? I used up a lot of power making the Fragment of Renewal, and there¡¯s one more bit missing. I need an inciting incident.

    He almost laughed at his own thoughts, but he caught himself before he could. That would have been a whole new low. Inciting incident wasn¡¯t exactly the most impressive way to put it, but that didn¡¯t change anything.

    When he¡¯d made the Fragment of Renewal, he¡¯d had to kill himself to activate all the energy and let him work with it. That wasn¡¯t going to be any different with this rune.

    The problem is¡­ what do I do to activate space energy? I don¡¯t think just standing around in space is going to be enough.

    He crossed his legs and sat down in the center of his soul, drumming his fingers against his chin. His natural instinct was to try to kill himself again.

    It¡¯s not an addiction, Moxie. I swear. My gourd has to have some elements of space in it. Activating it could give me something to work with¡­ but I¡¯m not sure it would be enough. I need something more intensely related.

    Noah¡¯s eyes drifted across the darkness, landing on a thin white crack at the edge of his mind that had come from his latest death. It was small and hardly worth noticing. He wasn¡¯t even sure if it was worth wasting the energy from the Fragment of Renewal to fix ¡ª

    Wait.

    He rose to his feet and rose over to the damage to his soul, peering into it. Beyond was nothing but an endless pale void. It was impossible to tell how far it stretched. It was just¡­ nothing. An expanse of emptiness.

    Except there¡¯s no such thing as truly empty. Even if nothing is there, that¡¯s still space.

    Noah reached out and brushed a finger against the crack. Electric tingles raced up his arm and he yanked his hand back, shaking it off and shuddering. But, despite the discomfort, a smile pulled across his lips.

    This is it. This is what I need. I wouldn¡¯t even dare doing anything without the Fragment of Renewal. But I¡¯ve got the Fragment, which means I can be as stupid as I want to be as long as I don¡¯t completely destroy my soul.

    He called his space runes over to him again, then sat down beside the crack in his soul and got comfortable. There wasn¡¯t going to be enough energy to have multiple shots at this, so he had to get it right the first time around.

    Noah took another second to still his mind and focus. He pictured his goals, locking them at the forefront of his mind. Then he called on Sunder.

    Veins turned black as its chilling power flowed through him. The runes floating before Noah trembled, but he held them there. He¡¯d be on a timer the instant one of them broke. Every second would count, and he couldn¡¯t waste even a thought.

    It¡¯s time to make that Rank 4.

    Noah¡¯s hand carved horizontally through the air, brushing across each of the Space Runes. A black line streaked after it. For an instant, the seven runes hovered in place like a breath of air caught within lungs.

    Then, one after the other, they shattered in rapid succession. Power erupted from the Runes and flew out in a hazy purple wave, but Noah wasn¡¯t done. Sunder flashed again. And again. Every single time runes flew out from the wreckage of their former selves, Noah carved them apart again. He didn¡¯t have time to deal with it or inspect each rune, so every single one was split.

    He continued until they were nothing but Rank 1s, and then he split those as well. Within just moments, all that remained before him was a sea of concentrated energy ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t just space. It was riddled with power from other runes that didn¡¯t belong that had been part of the combinations.

    Noah didn¡¯t bother worrying about the excess energy. It wasn¡¯t going to be able to react with his inciting incident, so it would get separated out from the space energy soon enough. Anything that remained could be used to fill up his new rune. What was important now was the energy that did matter.

    Noah extended his senses to the purple haze and the vastness of space greeted him. It was only a dirty window into the true potential of Space Magic, but it was all Noah needed. He gathered it to him, letting its feeling flood into his stomach like thousands of butterflies.

    Gritting his teeth, Noah reached down to the crack in his soul. His fingers tingled violently as he worked them into it to find purchase. His hands tightened around its dark edges. Then he ripped the crack open.

    A violent tremor shot up his arms and into his body. Trails of white energy rose up from the self-inflicted soul wound and burned into his soul, trying to split him apart at the seams. Noah didn¡¯t have an instant to waste.

    As large as his soul was, it couldn¡¯t withstand this forever. He gathered all the space energy around him. He focused on the thrumming feeling racing through his limbs and into his chest. His thoughts sharpened and he brought his intent to the forefront of his mind.

    Noah drew all the energy into himself. It swirled within his body for a brief instant. Intent mixed with the white void, and both mixed with the space energy. It churned like a storm within him, trying to break free.

    He didn¡¯t let it. Noah¡¯s grip tightened on the power as he forced his intent to take the forefront once more. Bands of his will wrapped around the magic, impressing his desires upon it. Veins of white traveled up his arms and they started to turn translucent.

    Noah shot to his feet. White and purple power roiled around his hands and arced like a miniature bolts of lightning. He could hold it no longer. Noah released the power, driving his intent into it once more as it rocketed out of his body.

    A jagged white line carved through the air before him, flickers of purple smoke swirling within it. Then came another, and another. A rune started to form in the air before him. Noah gritted his teeth, pushing more energy into it.

    Cracks of white spread through his soul from the wound. He was drawing so deeply on it that the wound was expanding.

    Time ground by at an agonizingly slow pace. It felt like every line took an hour to carve, but Noah didn¡¯t relent. He drew on his memories of the Line and bound the rune with them, refusing to allow even the slightest deviation of his command.

    Pain pulsed through Noah. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes as his hands clenched at his sides. The rune faded in and out before his eyes as his head swam. With a cry, he shoved the last of the space energy he¡¯d gathered into it, leaving behind only the miscellaneous power from the other runes.

    Noah dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as iron bands tightened around his head and squeezed. He desperately drew on the Fragment of Renewal and shoved its power into his soul, halting the advance of the cracks before they could spread further.

    He dragged his gaze up from the floor.

    Floating before him was a glistening rune. Complex lines of white intertwined with each other in ways that the eye couldn¡¯t properly comprehend at first glance. Within them shimmered faint purple smoke.

    The rune was whole.

    ¡°I did it,¡± he breathed, extending a trembling hand toward the newly formed rune.

    Noah didn¡¯t have the energy to finish the motion. He pitched forward, falling to the ground of his mindspace as unconsciousness took him ¡ª but it couldn¡¯t take the weary grin that was plastered across his face.

 Chapter 432: Rank 4 Rune

    Noah woke up to a very strange feeling ¡ª one that he hadn¡¯t felt since he¡¯d been a child. He was being carried. Confusion slipped through his muddled mind. That didn¡¯t make any sense. As far as he could recall, he¡¯d been sitting against Moxie¡¯s bed.

    His eyes opened the rest of the way to find the ground bouncing below him. He was definitely getting carried.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Noah muttered, blinking the rest of his befuddlement away. The motion stopped and he felt himself getting lowered back to the ground.

    ¡°Gods, talk about timing,¡± Moxie said as she set him down and took a step back, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    The rest of Noah¡¯s awareness returned. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re stronger than I thought.¡±

    ¡°Answer the question,¡± Moxie said, prodding Noah in the stomach. Despite the stern expression on her face, there was a flicker of worry behind her eyes. ¡°Are you okay? You didn¡¯t do something stupid, did you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± Noah said, raising his hands. He shook his head, trying to get his bearings. They were standing on a path somewhere in Arbitage, which was most definitely not where he recalled getting to work. Moonlight shimmered above them. ¡°Is¡­ there a reason you carried me out of the room? And did I mention you were strong?¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes. ¡°Did you forget that we had a meeting with the Enforcers tonight? Silvertide showed up to pick us up and you were completely passed out. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt your work so I just picked you up and took you with me. I figured we didn¡¯t want to miss this.¡±

    ¡°Whoops,¡± Noah said. ¡°I may have taken a bit longer than I¡¯d planned.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You woke up before we made it. So, as usual, you somehow managed to have pretty decent timing.¡±

    Noah glanced over his shoulder. They were alone on the street. ¡°Where¡¯s Silvertide?¡±

    ¡°Just a bit ahead of us. The meeting building is right down the street. I¡¯ve just been waiting out here with you in hopes that you¡¯d wake up. It would have been really awkward if I had to show up lugging your unconscious body with me.¡±

    Noah rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. ¡°I appreciate the carry. Sorry about that. I got a bit caught up making a Rune.¡±

    ¡°Anytime.¡± Moxie started to nod, then froze. ¡°Wait. Making?¡±

    He flashed her a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll show you later. And when you say anytime, does that mean you¡¯ll carry me back too?¡±

    ¡°Who are you, Lee?¡± Moxie asked with an exasperated laugh. ¡°Get moving, dummy. We¡¯re already late.¡±

    ¡°I believe the word is fashionable,¡± Noah corrected. ¡°But I don¡¯t really know where to go. You¡¯re going to have to lead me.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Right.¡±

    She sent one last look at him before shaking her head and walking down the street. Noah fell in alongside her and the two of them walked over to a nearby building. The door had been left open a crack.

    They headed inside and down a short hallway that ended at another door. It was Noah¡¯s turn to push the door open. He fully expected to find some form of fancy tunnel system that led into a deep underground meeting hall.

    Instead, what he found was a small room full of soft couches and a table laden with pastries. Several people sat around it while sipping cups of tea. There were a number of people that he recognized within it.

    Brayden stood against one of the walls, his arms crossed and a weary expression on his face. He gave a slight nod of greeting that Noah returned. Slouched on a large chair beside him was Silvertide. Noah made eye contact with the old soldier, who looked from him to Moxie and waggled his eyebrows.

    I¡¯m not even embarrassed. Getting carried is great. I can see why Lee likes it so much.

    ¡°Ah. The wayward professor has deigned to join us,¡± Neir said. It had been some time since Noah had last spoken to the bald Enforcer, but his sharp expression had burned itself into his mind. He hadn¡¯t forgotten just how close he¡¯d come to getting discovered after killing the Hellreaver.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Noah said. ¡°I fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°Remind me why we¡¯ve decided to invite this one?¡± Neir asked.

    ¡°Because he was there for the fight,¡± Godrick said. He was on a couch facing away from Noah, so while he couldn¡¯t see the man, he recognized his voice ¡ª and his senses didn¡¯t miss his complete lack of a heartbeat.

    ¡°Sit, please,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for you and Moxie to show up. If I¡¯m honest, I wouldn¡¯t have minded you taking a bit longer. I was quite enjoying my dinner.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you got it for free, you stingy old bastard,¡± Godrick said with a bark of laughter.

    ¡°I¡¯m not stingy. I¡¯m efficient at distributing my money.¡± Silvertide took a long sip from his cup as if to prove his point.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Noah and Moxie worked their way around the room to an empty couch and lowered themselves into it in unison. There were a total of five people in the room other than them, and he knew all of them but a middle-aged woman with ruby red hair sitting beside Godrick.

    ¡°Is this everyone?¡± Noah asked.

    I could have sworn there were more people that showed up right after Brayden and I finished our fight against Barb.

    ¡°No. The other Enforcers are either doing their normal duties or following leads as to Wizen¡¯s location,¡± Neir said. ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, we can get started. Tell us everything you know about Wizen.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t difficult. Noah had no reason to hide any of the information he had on the man, and he really didn¡¯t know much in the first place. The only thing he had to keep secret was his detection method for Wizen¡¯s puppets, which really wasn¡¯t all that novel in the first place, and anything pertaining to his own abilities or his students¡¯ wellbeing.

    Noah went over everything he knew about Wizen, starting from when the man had taken over Evergreen¡¯s puppet during the exam. He considered leaving that particular bit out, but as far as he was aware, they hadn¡¯t actually done anything wrong considering Evergreen hadn¡¯t actually been in control of the puppet.

    Also, Evergreen is dead. Hard to be pissed when you¡¯re rotting six feet under.

    The story didn¡¯t take long. He did choose to skip over the fight with Will, as he didn¡¯t particularly want to go about explaining why he¡¯d attacked the man in the first place. Noah told the Enforcers the information Father had given him about Wizen and went back over the fights that Silvertide and Brayden had been present for.

    Everyone remained silent for a few seconds as they took in everything he¡¯d said.

    ¡°It all lines up with what we know. If only we¡¯d known sooner,¡± Neir said, irritation clear in his tone.

    ¡°Vermil would have been a complete idiot to tell us any of this earlier,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°We would have been suspicious of him. And, considering Vermil is not an Enforcer, his first duty is to his students, not us.¡±

    Neir pressed his lips thin but said nothing more.

    ¡°The more important matter is where we should take things from here. We still don¡¯t know where Wizen is or what his actual goals are,¡± Godrick said. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back, tapping a foot against the ground. ¡°This does confirm that Wizen was targeting the Torrins specifically for that artifact, though. He wasn¡¯t just going for a random powerful weapon.¡±

    ¡°A key to the Damned Plains isn¡¯t going to make it any easier to actually contract or bind a demon,¡± the red-haired Enforcer said. ¡°I don¡¯t see what benefit Wizen is going to get from it¡¯s normal purpose, which means he must be trying to make a weapon with it.¡±

    ¡°Seems like a lot of hassle,¡± Brayden said. ¡°Wizen is capable. We know this. Why would he need a weapon like that?¡±

    ¡°Not for any good reason, I¡¯d imagine,¡± Godrick said. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s so important we find him sooner rather than later. We already have people following the trails his magic left behind. He can¡¯t hide forever. Even if he¡¯s done with Arbitage, we can¡¯t afford to leave that artifact in his hands. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention how bad everything will look on Arbitage if people find out what happened,¡± Neir said through a weary sigh. He massaged the bridge of his nose between two fingers. ¡°Who amongst us is actually able to go hunting for him other than me?¡±

    The only person that raised their hand was the red-haired Enforcer. Neir didn¡¯t look very surprised at that.

    ¡°Most of us have duties at the school,¡± Godrick said. ¡°But this is far from the first time we¡¯ve dealt with a situation like this. We¡¯ll keep an eye out and help with research and preparation. You and Hayley can join the others in trying to track Wizen down, and we¡¯ll all back you up when you locate him.¡±

    ¡°If we locate him,¡± the red-haired Enforcer who Noah presumed to be Hayley said. ¡°We don¡¯t have much lead on his location. Vermil, you said you had a student that had been captured by Wizen at some point. Would she¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°She has no idea. I¡¯ll press again to find out, but if she knew, she wouldn¡¯t be keeping it to herself. She¡¯s got more reason to want him dead than anyone else here.¡±

    His eyes drifted to meet those of everyone in the room, practically daring someone to challenge him on that. Alexandra hadn¡¯t been in his class long, but she¡¯d more than earned her spot in it and he wasn¡¯t about to let the Enforcers start trying to interrogate her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll leave it to you to see if she knows anything,¡± Godrick said. ¡°We¡¯re not going to try to force answers from a student. Just keep an eye out. That goes for everyone, not just Vermil. Now, let¡¯s talk strategy.¡±

    ***

    The rest of the meeting was unbearably boring. Noah nearly fell asleep twice, but Moxie prodded him awake both times. He then had to return the favor, much to her chagrin. The Enforcers might have been powerful, but they liked the sound of their voices far too much.

    When the meeting finally ended, Noah could have wept tears of relief. Everyone headed out into the street and started to split off in their separate ways.

    They¡¯re going to have to pay me if they want me to suffer through another one of those wastes of time again.

    ¡°We should meet sometime tomorrow. Do you mind if I swing by your class?¡± Brayden asked, breaking Noah from his internal complaints.

    ¡°Huh? Yeah. Feel free. I can always use another instructor,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°And we haven¡¯t had a chance to catch up properly.¡±

    ¡°No. We haven¡¯t,¡± Brayden agreed. ¡°A lot has happened, but work comes first. Also, I¡¯m exhausted. Those meetings have a way of draining me like nothing else.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°Until tomorrow, then.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Brayden agreed. He raised a hand, then strode off in the opposite direction while Noah and Moxie set a course for the T building.

    As soon as they were out of sight and earshot of the others, Moxie grabbed Noah¡¯s shoulders and spun him toward her.

    ¡°Whoa. What is it?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°What is it? Are you kidding?¡± Moxie hissed, practically shaking him. ¡°I just wasted hours fidgeting in that boring ass meeting waiting to hear about that new damn rune of yours. Tell me already! What is it?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should get back first?¡± Noah asked, a grin playing across his lips. ¡°Patience is a vir¡ª¡±

    ¡°Noah, I just suffered for hours. I am out of patience. I don¡¯t need to see the damn thing yet, but if you don¡¯t tell me what you made, I am going to do unspeakable things to you,¡± Moxie hissed, leaning in close. ¡°And you are not going to enjoy most of them.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± He leaned in closer to whisper into her ear. ¡°I might be patting my own back a bit here, but I think it¡¯s a rather unique idea.¡±

    ¡°You are within poking distance, and I am in a poking mood. What is the damn thing?¡±

    Noah chuckled, but decided answering Moxie was probably the best move for the prolonged wellbeing of his sides.

    ¡°A Rank 4 called Crumbling Space.¡±

 Chapter 433: Ripped

    Noah and Moxie managed to hold off any further discussion on his new rune until they made it back to her room. But the second they shut the door behind them, Moxie stared Noah down.

    ¡°Details. Give them to me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not flawless,¡± Noah said. ¡°It¡¯s not even perfect, though I don¡¯t think it¡¯s far. It was just about 15% full when I made it, so I was just a tad off the mark. That said, considering how little I understand of space as a whole, I think it turned out really damn well. I did basically make it from scratch.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Moxie asked. She paced around the room, then stopped by the chair and grabbed onto it to keep herself from circling Noah like a hungry shark. ¡°The last time you made a rune, you said it needed three different components. Latent power in the area, intent, and something that could kick everything into motion.¡±

    ¡°Right. The power came from a bunch of Space Runes I took from an area that Otto¡¯s aid sent me to.¡± Noah set a hand on his grimoire. ¡°This thing really came in handy. I got a ton of runes with it, and I¡¯ve still got some left over. It grabbed them while I was fighting.¡±

    ¡°How sapient is it?¡± Moxie squinted at the grimoire. ¡°I swear I¡¯ve seen it look at me before.¡±

    ¡°More than it should be. It¡¯s also taken a bit too much inspiration from Lee, if you ask me. Damn thing is permanently hungry. It¡¯s fine. I think we¡¯ve come to a pretty good deal. The book eats the Monster Runes I don¡¯t care about and, in exchange, it gathers up and holds the other stuff for me without consuming it. It also doesn¡¯t show pornographic drawings to random people I don¡¯t know.¡± Noah¡¯s hand tightened on the cover of the book with the last sentence and it creaked, fluttering its pages in protest.

    ¡°What¡¯s that last bit about?¡±

    ¡°Stupid thing was playing a joke on me when Bird came by to take me over to the transport cannon. I think it was probably pissed I hadn¡¯t fed it much recently, so it got back at me by popping out some drawings of a lady in dire need of clothing when I asked it for the Monster Rune.¡± Noah said. Moxie snorted and he threw his hands up. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh at it! Why are you encouraging it?¡±

    ¡°I was just thinking the universe seems determined to make sure nobody you don¡¯t know will ever like you,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Honestly, that¡¯s probably good. Given the way we played things at the advanced track meeting, keeping people from figuring out everything you did was just a ploy is going to help us. It¡¯s better to be judged than for everyone to know you¡¯re a schemer and look deeper into your actions.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably a fair point,¡± Noah admitted with a huff. ¡°But I think I¡¯d like to control just how bad people¡¯s view of me gets. I can do enough damage to my name without help.¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Moxie agreed. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°But we¡¯ve gotten off track. You never answered my question. How¡¯d you form the rune? This is groundbreaking research, Noah. If the noble families have it, they¡¯ve kept it incredibly secret. Did you make more progress in finding a way to trigger the rune to form?¡±

    ¡°Nothing like that, unfortunately. It wasn¡¯t actually all that different from the last time I did this back when I made the Fragment of Renewal.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You killed yourself? Seriously?¡±

    ¡°No! Not this time,¡± Noah said quickly. He decided not to mention that he¡¯d strongly considered the aforementioned strategy. ¡°Killing myself wouldn¡¯t have had enough to do with space magic. I actually used one of my soul wounds instead. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°How bad is it?¡±

    ¡°Not too bad. I got squished, but I didn¡¯t get eaten,¡± Noah said. He coughed into his fist, then matched Moxie¡¯s gaze. ¡°Now who¡¯s stopping me from answering your question?¡±

    ¡°I just get worried,¡± Moxie said with a sigh as she let her hands uncross and fall back to her sides. ¡°And that isn¡¯t going to work, because I care more about you than I do about the runes.¡±

    That was a hard line to follow up on. Noah didn¡¯t have any words that would come anywhere close to doing it justice. He stepped closer to Moxie and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest.

    ¡°I know. But I¡¯m not going anywhere, Moxie.¡±

    ¡°I know that. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ever going to be able to fully be comfortable with you dying and coming back. What if you just¡­ stay dead one of these times?¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Noah promised. ¡°Even if Sunder wasn¡¯t connected to the gourd, I¡¯d come back. I¡¯m too damn stubborn to stay dead. Anyone would be after what I¡¯ve seen. There¡¯s a reason we get our memories wiped at the end of the line. There is no force in this universe, no matter how powerful it is, that could keep me from you.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any idea how cheesy that sounds?¡± Moxie let out a muffled laugh against his chest. Her hands dug into his clothes as she pulled him closer to herself. ¡°But, for some reason, I believe you anyway.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I am a very trustworthy man.¡±

    ¡°More like too damn stubborn to stay dead,¡± Moxie said as they released each other. ¡°I won¡¯t interrupt this time. Finish telling me what the hell you did.¡±

    ¡°Well, I used the soul wound to ¡ª wait. You just said hell. There¡¯s no hell in this world, is there? I¡¯ve never heard anybody else say it.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°You¡¯ve said it so many times that I might have picked up on the habit. Could you just get on with it already, please?¡±

    ¡°Right, sorry. I used the soul wound that I already had and split it open even wider, then plunged my arms into it so I could use the collapsing mindspace as a catalyst to get the rune made.¡±

    Moxie stared at Noah. Then she threw her hands up in exasperation. ¡°Why do I even try? You seem determined to kill yourself. You literally ripped your own soul wound open and then stuck your consciousness into it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It worked! I wouldn¡¯t have done it if I didn¡¯ t have the Fragment of Renewal to heal myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Moxie said. ¡°But gods, Noah. There has to be a way to do this that doesn¡¯t involve nearly killing yourself every single time you do anything new. Screwing with soul damage is really dangerous, even for you. If the Fragment of Renewal didn¡¯t heal you in time, you could just be¡­ poof. Gone. It doesn¡¯t matter if your body can come back if your soul can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°The thought did strike me,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°But I was pretty sure the Fragment would be able to heal me in time. And it was, mind you.¡±

    ¡°Evidently. You wouldn¡¯t be alive if it wasn¡¯t. I won¡¯t harp on you about it any more. As stressful as it is, you know what you¡¯re doing. Just¡­ be careful.¡±

    ¡°I will be. As much as is possible, that is,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to get you to promise any more than that, so I¡¯ll settle for it. This means you formed a Rank 4 Rune without using any constituent parts though, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Well, technically the parts came from the space magic I gathered up to form it,¡± Noah said. ¡°But yes. I¡¯m thinking the same thing you are. What happens when I Sunder it?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t tried?¡±

    ¡°I did kind of pass out, and I¡¯m also a little worried that Sundering the rune will just shatter it on the spot and leave nothing but energy.¡± Noah drummed his fingers against his thigh. ¡°I think trying it now wouldn¡¯t solve anything. I need to understand it better. The best way to do that would be using the rune as it is for a while, then breaking it apart and trying to reform it later.¡±

    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Crumbling Space definitely sounds pretty intense. I can see why it might be a bit difficult to fully understand. Even the name isn¡¯t really all that explanatory. I mean, I logically understand the words, but¡­ what does the rune actually do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea, but I haven¡¯t figured out exactly how it will end up playing out yet,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°I was going to test that out now. I¡¯ll head out and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you even think about it.¡± Moxie moved to stand in front of the door. ¡°I want to see.¡±

    ¡°What if I destroy your room on accident?¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t point it at me. It¡¯s a newly made Rank 4 Rune, so it¡¯s not going to be able to do that much damage as long as you aren¡¯t using all the power you¡¯ve got in it. A little damage isn¡¯t anything I can¡¯t repair with some vines.¡±

    Noah shrugged. It would save time and make it easier to test things without someone spotting him out if he didn¡¯t have to go somewhere else. He wasn¡¯t going to damage her room of his own volition, but if she was asking him to stay, then he certainly wouldn¡¯t object.

    ¡°In that case, stay back,¡± Noah said. He moved to the far side of the room and drew on his newly made Rank 4 Rune. Tingling energy ran through his body and down his arms. He shuddered at the sensation. It was far from pleasant.

    He limited the amount of power he was drawing to make sure he didn¡¯t accidentally damage anything too badly, then focused his thoughts and let a small amount of the magic slip free from his palm.

    Nothing happened. Noah¡¯s brow furrowed. He¡¯d definitely used up energy, but it just hadn¡¯t accomplished anything. It almost seemed as if something was impeding the power from taking root in the real world, which meant there hadn¡¯t been enough energy present to actually cause the space around him to shift.

    Brayden did say that using space magic was really difficult because of how much power it needed to work. I guess that¡¯s what I¡¯m seeing here. I wonder why that is, though. The rune is just a rune. Is there some form of natural force that resists space magic?

    Noah drew on Crumbling Space again, this time drawing nearly double the amount of energy. The tingles racing down his arm grew even stronger as he held his hand up, focusing the power into his palm, and released it.

    Thin white cracks arced out in an area no larger than a dinner plate. They stretched out, just barely brushing across the wall beside him. The air around them shimmered and bent, and a faint sucking force pulled on Noah¡¯s hand. He yanked it back an instant before the air soundlessly seemed to fold in on itself.

    Both he and Moxie stared at the wall ¡ª or more accurately, the tiny chunk of it that was completely missing. The rune had just ripped it out, leaving no trace of it behind. It was as if it had never been there.

 Chapter 434: Metal in the night

    ¡°Shit,¡± Moxie breathed, her eyes going wide. ¡°That¡¯s nothing like any Space Rune I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said. He stared at his hand, then swallowed. ¡°It used up a shit ton of energy just to do that tiny move, but it was damn effective.¡±

    ¡°How much energy?¡±

    Noah peered into his soul to check on the rune and almost choked in surprise. The rune was completely empty and had only just barely started to gather power once more. He¡¯d drained it entirely. He grimaced and returned his attention to Moxie. ¡°Damn thing is completely out of power. It¡¯s starting to regenerate, but it¡¯s slow.¡±

    ¡°You completely drained a Rank 4 just to do that?¡± Moxie¡¯s eyebrows rose up her forehead.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not perfect, much less flawless,¡± Noah pointed out. ¡°But yes. I thought I¡¯d just used a bit of it if I¡¯m being honest. It¡¯s actually kind of weird. Using space magic feels different from other magic.¡±

    ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe. Less efficient, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you aren¡¯t actually using something physically around you?¡± Moxie guessed. ¡°With an Earth Rune you¡¯d have the ground to work with. I¡¯m not sure what the space you¡¯re working with actually is. It¡¯s kind of hard to conceptualize.¡±

    ¡°That could be it,¡± Noah agreed, but he wasn¡¯t so convinced. It felt like there was more to it than just not being able to see what he was working with. Even if the space was more of a concept than anything else, it was still there.

    He fell silent for several seconds as he dug through his thoughts for an answer, but nothing arose. That was fine. He had time to get used to the rune and test it out more, so there was no pressure to rush to figure anything out now.

    Something told him he wasn¡¯t going to brute force this. It would just take more understanding of space. If Brayden still found his Rank 4 Runes inefficient after working with them his entire life, then he wasn¡¯t going to find a simple solution.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a bit before my rune recovers, and I probably need to get some energy into it before I can do any real testing,¡± Noah said through a yawn. ¡°I think I¡¯ll work on that tomorrow, sometime around or after class. We can test it out more then.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan. Speaking of class, are we just going to go back to the arena? I don¡¯t think the transport cannon is operational for random usage yet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the arena is probably our best bet,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°It¡¯s getting close to that first exam. We should probably decide who the final winner of the competition is pretty soon. You¡­ have been keeping track, right?¡±

    ¡°Have you not?¡±

    Noah coughed into a fist. ¡°I was, yes. But a reminder wouldn¡¯t hurt. I kind of assumed you were doing it.¡±

    ¡°I know you did,¡± Moxie said with a laugh. ¡°Isabel and Alexandra are both really close, but Alexandra is two points up. Todd is a bit behind them, followed by Emily and then James. Their scores are honestly all pretty close to each other.¡±

    ¡°The rune would be useful on all three of the top lot. Neither James nor Emily actually want it, so that works for me. It honestly probably doesn¡¯t matter who wins. I might be overestimating them a bit, but I¡¯m pretty sure the kids would give the rune to whoever actually needed it the most regardless of who won.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± Moxie agreed. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out. It still seems a bit insane to just give away a Master Rune.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it would be all that useful on either of us. I mean, it would be useful, but not nearly as much as on one of them. Besides, can you imagine the look on some noble prick¡¯s face when one of them whips it out and slaps it on the table?¡±

    Moxie snorted and raised her hands in surrender. ¡°I¡¯m not arguing with you. And yes, I can imagine it¡­but I think I¡¯d rather see it with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll get a chance to do that soon enough. That, however, is a thought to deal with tomorrow. My brain is a little bit cooked right now. It¡¯s been a long day.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you kill yourself,¡± Moxie admonished. ¡°Go take a shower. Then we can sleep.¡±

    ¡°I literally have a fresh body! It¡¯s perfectly clean. Like a baby. Literally.¡±

    ¡°On a list of thoughts I want to have, that is absolutely not one of them. Shower.¡± Moxie sat down on her bed and started pulling her shirt off. She paused when she saw Noah still standing there and narrowed her eyes. ¡°Get a move on. You are not getting anywhere near me until you¡¯ve washed up.¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Noah chuckled and headed into the bathroom. The day had indeed been long, but he had high hopes that the night would be longer. It never felt like he got enough time alone with Moxie. But, even if he spent all the time he¡¯d spent waiting in the Line with her, it probably still wouldn¡¯t have been enough.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ***

    Alexandra¡¯s hands tightened around the hilt of her sword until the metal beneath the leather wrappings bit into her skin. Her breath came out in short huffs that turned into white vapor in the air before her and sweat streaked down her skin as she slipped from one pattern into the next.

    She¡¯d been making progress. There was no question of that. It was tempting to seek Vermil out and ask him to follow through on his promise to monitor her while she used magic in her formation. It was even more tempting to just use it on her own.

    Alexandra pushed down both options. Vermil had put trust in her. The professor knew what he was doing, particularly with patterns and formations. He hadn¡¯t judged her ready to push farther yet, and there was no point permanently crippling her only remaining path forward in life.

    Her hands tightened around the sword even tighter. Patterns were the only route left open before her. Body Runes had destroyed her potential. The process to remove them would probably leave her completely crippled from soul damage ¡ª unless she had enough money to buy a potion that could handle it.

    And the only way I get that much money is if I can get strong enough to do missions and earn thousands upon thousands of gold. I might need multiple treatments. That could be twenty or thirty thousand gold if not more. I can¡¯t let myself take a risk and cut that path off. Patterns and Formations are the key.

    Alexandra let out a slow breath, then raised her blade once more. She couldn¡¯t approach Vermil for more tutelage before she had mastered the pattern perfectly. There were still flaws. Her concentration could still be better, and her movements could still be smoother.

    She threw herself into the Pattern. Her blade shimmered through the air like a silver butterfly as she danced alone in the night, slipping from one motion to the next in a seamless flow.

    Nothing mattered other than her moves. The world was her body and her sword and nothing more. All was silent aside from the song of her blade. Alexandra pressed herself harder, jumping abruptly to the side as if someone had thrust an invisible spear at her side.

    She leaned back, still locked within her pattern, shifting to fend off a horde of attacking enemies located entirely within the theatre of her mind. Scenarios passed by and she adapted to each one.

    A pebble shifted beneath her foot. Alexandra stumbled, managing to keep the pattern in tact with her sword, but the rest of her body had fallen just enough out of sync that she¡¯d opened up an opening. Her movements slowed and she lowered her weapon.

    If that was a real fight against someone stronger than me, I¡¯d be dead. I need to get better at keeping myself completely immersed in my pattern no matter what happens. Dropping it because I trip is going to be a serious issue. Maybe I need some more moves that allow me to fall and keep using them?

    Several came to mind almost instantly. Alexandra went to raise her sword, then paused. The hair at the back of her neck was standing on end. She hadn¡¯t lived in a den of assassins, involuntarily or not, without picking up more than a little awareness of danger. Someone was watching her.

    Alexandra didn¡¯t let her realization show in her posture or features. The last thing she wanted to do was give away that she knew someone was there. Instead, she launched back into a set of sword strikes that she used to move in a slow circle around the dirt training area and scan her surroundings.

    It didn¡¯t take her long to find her target. A small form stood at in the shadow of a nearby fence. Alexandra wasn¡¯t even sure if they were trying to hide. The light of the moon was shimmering off their eyes, making spotting them laughably easy.

    Alexandra dropped out of her form and raised her sword to point right at the person watching her. There was no point pretending she didn¡¯t see them when she was looking right in their direction. They¡¯d probably have already realized she spotted them the moment she stopped moving.

    The figure stiffened in surprise. They hesitated for a second, then stepped out of the shadows. Alexandra blinked in surprise. It was Yulin. The girl made her way over to Alexandra, stopping at the edge of the dirt arena. A plain metal sword rested at her side.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you saw me,¡± Yulin said. ¡°How long did you know?¡±

    ¡°That depends on how long you were standing there, but you aren¡¯t as good as hiding as you seem to think. Do you want something?¡±

    Yulin hesitated for a second before replying. ¡°Were you serious about what you said when we were in the advanced track meeting?¡±

    ¡°I rarely say things I don¡¯t mean, but I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re referring to.¡±

    ¡°You said you¡¯d be willing to spar me again in the future.¡± Yulin shifted from foot to foot and rubbed one of her forarms.

    Alexandra blinked. She had said that, but she hadn¡¯t actually expected Yulin to take her up on it. She scanned her surroundings again to make sure that there wasn¡¯t someone else hiding in wait to ambush her.

    She seemed a bit too arrogant to accept, and I can¡¯t imagine there¡¯s any way her professor would be okay with this.

    Yulin glanced over her shoulder nervously, and realization struck Alexandra. Unless Yulin was a very good liar, everything about her body language said that she felt like she was somewhere she wasn¡¯t meant to be.

    She snuck out here to spar with me?

    ¡°You want to spar now?¡± Alexandra asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ busy during the day,¡± Yulin said. The excuse was so lame that Alexandra didn¡¯t even bother trying to pretend like she believed it.

    What would Vermil say I should do? This is a risk. Even if I haven¡¯t spotted them, there could be someone waiting in the shadows. Yulin had a pretty bad loss against me. It¡¯s possible Jakob would want me out of the way so it would be easier to get at Emily¡­ but Yulin seems genuine.

    When I was stuck under Gentil¡¯s control, I really would have loved if someone had done literally anything with me. If they¡¯d even acknowledged me as anything other than a tool. It was agony. But I¡¯m not there anymore. Can I afford the risk?

    ¡°Enough talking,¡± Alexandra said. A flicker of disappointment passed through Yulin¡¯s face. It vanished as quickly as it had arrived ¡ª she was good at controlling her emotions. She made to turn away and Alexandra let out a huff. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    Yulin sent her a baffled look. ¡°I thought you said¡ª¡±

    Alexandra gestured at the blade at Yulin¡¯s side with the tip of her sword. ¡°Speak with your sword.¡±

    A small smile passed over the Torrin girl¡¯s lips. She drew her sword and inclined her head, taking a step toward Alexandra and entering the arena. They circled each other for a second, then both darted toward each other. The ring of metal on metal filled the silent night, but the two of them were the only ones around to hear it.

 Chapter 435: Master Rune

    When the following morning came, Lee was waiting for Noah and Moxie on top of their bed. She¡¯d somehow managed to sneak in without waking any of them up. The sun was already well on its daily journey through the sky, so they quickly headed out to meet their students at the base of the transport cannon for class. Even though they weren¡¯t going to be using it to head anywhere, it had been their gathering point for long enough that it felt odd to go elsewhere.

    That may have been a rather odd sentiment since both Noah and Moxie both had literal classrooms they could use, but those weren¡¯t all that useful for practicing fighting.

    Once everyone had gathered at the transport cannon, the group set off to the arena. They soon found an unused area and set about raising stone walls to obscure a small location off for themselves.

    ¡°How¡¯s everyone feeling today?¡± Noah asked once the walls had been erected and they had their relative privacy. Lee sat on top of one of the walls, looking out to make sure nobody grew too close to them.

    ¡°About the same as I do most days,¡± Todd said. His eyes narrowed and he studied Noah. ¡°Why do you ask? That¡¯s a suspicious question.¡±

    ¡°How is it suspicious? It¡¯s just polite.¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re not doing something special today?¡±

    Noah coughed into a fist. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that either. You¡¯ve all been putting a lot of work in these last few days. I know it hasn¡¯t been easy. Everything from classes to meetings with the advanced track¡­ that¡¯s a lot to handle. Moxie and I have decided it¡¯s about time to get one thing off your plates.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to decide who gets the master rune?¡± Isabel asked, catching on immediately.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah corrected. ¡°You are.¡±

    ¡°Like Isabel is? Or all of us?¡± Todd asked, not even bothering to hide his grin.

    ¡°You are ruining my dramatic reveal,¡± Noah said. ¡°All of you. It would kind of defeat the purpose if Isabel was just deciding who got the damn thing on her own. The scores are so close that today will basically decide everything. We¡¯ll be going by the same rules as always. Sparring sessions, and I want to see who¡¯s managed to improve the most. It¡¯s not just about winning. It¡¯s about control and progress. And, needless to say, no using magic in your patterns. Not against each other.¡±

    The students all nodded.

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Noah said. ¡°Let¡¯s get to it, then. Isabel, Alexandra, how would you two like to start? Everyone will get a chance against everyone, so it doesn¡¯t really matter who opens things.¡±

    The girls exchanged a nod, then drew their weapons in unison. Neither of them bothered exchanging words. At this point, they knew each other well enough that words weren¡¯t going to change anything. All the talking they needed to do would be handled with their swords.

    They¡¯d, as usual, both managed to improve since the last time that Noah had seen them fighting. Alexandra and her sword almost felt like a single entity. She¡¯d completely wrapped herself in her pattern and flowed from one move to the next without so much as a flicker of hesitation.

    Isabel matched her well. Even though Alexandra was better with the sword than she was, Isabel limited her disadvantage by using her ramping strikes to force the other girl to play on the defensive. She also had her stone armor that absorbed a large amount of Alexandra¡¯s attacks, letting Isabel buy her pattern time to ramp up.

    Even though Alexandra¡¯s pattern was considerably faster, Isabel¡¯s pattern hit a lot harder once it got moving. Isabel could afford to ignore many of the small strikes, allowing them to connect with her armor.

    Alexandra was likely to win a war of attrition, but if Isabel managed to land one of the strikes at the end of her pattern on the other girl, then she shifted the theoretical tides in her favor. Of course, in a real fight, Alexandra would just automatically win. Noah was pretty sure that Isabel¡¯s sword wouldn¡¯t even be able to cut her skin ¡ª but this was a training exercise about skill, not just victory.

    Lee hopped down from the stones and landed beside him. ¡°Noah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Noah asked, still watching the fight. It didn¡¯t look like there would be any need for him to interfere. Both Alexandra and Isabel hadn¡¯t so much as drawn a flicker of magic into their patterns.

    ¡°Brayden is here. I think he¡¯s looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Oh, shoot. I forgot he was dropping by class today,¡± Noah said. ¡°Can you and Moxie keep an eye on things?¡±

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    Lee nodded. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll have to do much, though. I think everyone¡¯s gotten a pretty good grasp of their patterns.¡±

    ¡°Does that include you?¡± Noah asked, calling on Natural Disaster to jump up with a blast of wind but pausing before he did. ¡°I haven¡¯t followed up on your pattern recently.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Lee said noncommittally. ¡°I¡¯ve been a little distracted, but I¡¯m making progress. I think I need to figure a little more out on my own and then I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯ve got. I¡¯ve been doing a whole lot of practice, though.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t your pattern hunger?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°So when you say practice¡­ you¡¯re just eating.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Lee flashed him a toothy grin. ¡°Brayden is waiting.¡±

    Noah shook his head with a laugh. He released the blast of wind and launched into the air, flying up above the stone walls they¡¯d made and scanning the area for Brayden. The large man stood in the arena just a few feet away, looking up at Noah with a bemused expression.

    ¡°Did you build a castle in the middle of the arena?¡± Brayden asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just a privacy screen. We¡¯d normally head somewhere off campus to practice, but with the transport cannon being in the state that it is, that isn¡¯t really an option right now. So¡­ care to come into our castle?¡± Noah landed on the top of the stone walls and pinwheeled his arms for a second to keep his balance.

    Brayden snorted. A shimmer of purple passed over him and he stepped into a thin portal, reforming beside Noah. He looked down at Isabel and Alexandra, who were still locked in their fight, then let out an impressed grunt.

    ¡°They¡¯re good. That your fault?¡±

    ¡°Nah. They did all the work. I just gave them a few pointers,¡± Noah said with a small shrug. ¡°They are good, though.¡±

    ¡°That seems like it may be false humility,¡± Brayden observed. He studied the fight for several seconds, then shook his head. ¡°People don¡¯t learn to fight like that on their own. Why do their movements feel so much like¡­ gah. I don¡¯t know how to describe it. A dance?¡±

    ¡°A pattern,¡± Noah corrected. He sat down on the top of the wall and Brayden did the same.

    ¡°Curious,¡± Brayden said. He shook his head to gather his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since we¡¯ve sat down like this, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°A lot has changed,¡± Brayden said. He let out a slow sigh. ¡°Father is really worried about Wizen. He hasn¡¯t given me any orders other than doing everything I can to get in his way. Even if he doesn¡¯t attack Arbitage, he¡¯s going to be a threat.¡±

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not going to try to recruit me to go hunt for the bugger. I don¡¯t like him any more than you do, but I¡¯ve got a duty.¡± Noah nodded down to Isabel and Alexandra, who were still somehow locked in the same fight. Both of them were pushing their abilities to the absolute limits, and neither was willing to give in until they¡¯d drawn every last scrap of skill they had. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know. I wouldn¡¯t ask you to. But, when Wizen does get found ¡ª and he will ¡ª I want to know if I can count on you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a Rank 4, you know.¡±

    Brayden pierced Noah with a flat stare. ¡°I think we both know that there is nothing ¡®just¡¯ about you. I know it seems like the Enforcers should have this covered, but I can¡¯t shake the feeling that we¡¯re up against more than what we think. Father wouldn¡¯t be reacting like this to a minor threat.¡±

    Isabel and Alexandra¡¯s fight finally ended. Neither of them had actually managed to overwhelm the other. They¡¯d both just stopped fighting at the exact same time. The girls exchanged a grin, then walked over to sit down while Todd hopped to his feet and dragged Emily up along with him to start the next round of sparring.

    ¡°I know,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯ll back you up. Not because I particularly care about the Enforcers, but because I don¡¯t want Wizen getting strong enough to do whatever it is he¡¯s aiming for. I won¡¯t waste a ton of time helping you find him, but once you figure out where he is, I¡¯ll help take him out. As much as I can, that is.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    They fell silent for a few seconds, doing nothing but watch Todd and Emily spar. Brayden then cleared his throat.

    ¡°Did you have any luck with your Space Rune endeavors?¡±

    ¡°A fair bit of it, actually,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯ve got¡­ something. But when you said that Space Runes were power hungry, you weren¡¯t kidding. I used up nearly the entire thing just activating it. Is that normal?¡±

    Brayden nodded sagely. ¡°Early stage Space Runes are almost useless. I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s so hard to use them, but that ridiculous power draw is normal. It¡¯s like that, even for me. I just deal with it by having quite a number of them and trying to make them the highest quality I can manage.¡±

    Damn. I was really hoping he¡¯d have some kind of trick or pointer that would let me optimize Crumbling Space, but I guess that¡¯s asking too much. The rune is more than powerful enough to justify its ridiculous power draw.

    ¡°So, is there a reason your students are pushing themselves so hard right now? They can¡¯t treat every lesson like this, can they?¡± Brayden asked.

    Noah looked back down just in time to catch Todd and Emily walking back to take their seats on the sand while Alexandra and James stood for the next match. It looked like Moxie was keeping tabs on everything and leaving things open for him to speak with Brayden.

    ¡°I¡¯d say they do. They¡¯re all very motivated,¡± Noah said. ¡°Both for this particular lesson and in general.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s special about this lesson?¡±

    ¡°Whoever demonstrates the most improvement from when we started a training exercise a few classes ago is given a rune,¡± Noah said.

    Brayden nodded his understanding. ¡°Ah. A reward. That¡¯s clever. Good way to get them to push, and it¡¯s good timing. That first exam is coming up on us pretty soon. There will be a lot of eyes on their performance.¡±

    ¡°What do you think of their chances of winning the whole thing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. This is an impressive performance, but there are a lot of very talented students in the Advanced Track,¡± Brayden said slowly. ¡°I¡¯m very curious to see how it plays out. By the way, how did you motivate all of them with a single Rune? Do they all have one in common?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. The reward is just a Master Rune.¡±

    Brayden nearly fell off the wall as he spun to Noah surprise. ¡°It¡¯s a what?¡±

 Chapter 436: Celebratory Stretching

    ¡°Don¡¯t get so worried,¡± Noah said, raising his hands defensively and laughing. ¡°It¡¯s not a great Master Rune. Well, it¡¯s pretty good, but it really doesn¡¯t fit the direction I¡¯m trying to progress in. If I wanted an Earth-based Master Rune, I¡¯d look for a different one. Moxie didn¡¯t want it either, so there was no reason for us to keep it.¡±

    ¡°There go my chances of hoping I¡¯d misheard you,¡± Brayden said, rubbing the bridge of his nose and letting out a slow sigh. He looked down on the students, then back to Noah. ¡°For a moment, I thought you were giving away the Combustion Rune you spent so much effort stealing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯ve still got that one. Haven¡¯t had a chance to use it much recently, but I¡¯ve got it. This is a new one.¡±

    ¡°When did you get a new Master Rune?¡±

    ¡°Moxie and I just grabbed it while we were out screwing around near Dawnforge,¡± Noah replied with a shrug.

    ¡°And you¡¯re just¡­ giving it away?¡± Brayden asked, disbelief etched into his features. ¡°Did you charge your students a ludicrous amount to learn from you?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not. It¡¯s the reward for their training.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re giving away hundreds of thousands of gold in exchange as a reward?¡± Brayden grabbed Noah by the shoulders and squinted into his eyes. ¡°You weren¡¯t dropped on your head, were you?¡±

    ¡°I can just get another one if I need to. Rune prices are inflated,¡± Noah waved Brayden¡¯s hands away. ¡°Let¡¯s be real, Brayden. They¡¯re not actually that difficult to get. Sure, the monsters are strong, but everything in regard to rune prices is fake. The nobles pumped the price up. Those kids don¡¯t have a way to get the really strong runes, but nobles do. How is me giving them a Master Rune any different than some spoiled brat¡¯s dad buying him all his runes?¡±

    Brayden let out a sigh and scooted back. He turned his gaze back to the students and was silent for several seconds. Then a sad smile pulled across his face and he shook his head. ¡°The way you put that makes it seem so logical. You aren¡¯t wrong¡­ but that changes nothing. You¡¯re giving away a ridiculous amount of power and gold for no reason. I¡¯m jealous.¡±

    ¡°What, of the kids? You could totally kill a Great Monster and get yourself a Master Rune if you wanted to.¡±

    ¡°Not of the kids,¡± Brayden said. ¡°Of you.¡±

    It was Noah¡¯s turn to blink in surprise. ¡°Me? Why?¡±

    ¡°You view things in such sharp shades of black and white. Either you want to do it or you don¡¯t, and you don¡¯t care in the slightest about anything else. I suppose some could frame that as sheer dumb stupidity.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Noah said dryly. ¡°Better be careful. I¡¯ve been told my brand of stupid is contagious.¡±

    ¡°That said,¡± Brayden continued, ¡°It feels like you live the way you want to. No fear. No overthinking about if your choices are the right ones. You just do them. Even if rune prices are inflated, what idiot would throw away hundreds of thousands of gold? Your logic is sound, but it requires literally not giving a shit about anything other than what you want.¡±

    Noah shrugged. ¡°That really isn¡¯t all that hard to do.¡±

    A few thousand years waiting around in the afterlife will do wonders in reworking your views of what¡¯s important. Money is just a way to get runes. If they need the rune and I don¡¯t need anything at the moment, I don¡¯t see why I wouldn¡¯t just give it to them. If there was ever a rune I really needed to buy, I¡¯d just go try to get funding from Otto. No point sitting on a crapton of money ¡ª or a useless rune ¡ª  and letting it rot.

    ¡°Harder for some than you might think,¡± Brayden said. He chuckled and pushed himself up to his feet to stand at the top of the wall. ¡°It¡¯s rather funny. If I hadn¡¯t known that you¡¯d killed Vermil and taken his body, this conversation would have revealed it.¡±

    ¡°He could have just become very altruistic.¡± Noah craned his neck back to look up at Brayden. ¡°Taking on students has a way of teaching the teacher.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, but no self-respecting Linwick would ever be caught dead with that view. Our family came to power by clawing for strength with every scrap we had to give. Giving so much ¡­ nobody who grew up in our family would be so foolish.¡±

    ¡°Bah. You¡¯re a good man. You¡¯d have done something similar if people were relying on you.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Brayden said softly. His eyes drifted up to the sky, lost in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think I would have.¡±

    ¡°I notice you using past tense there,¡± Noah pointed out. ¡°That means you¡¯re thinking about it. Just you watch. In a short while, you¡¯ll be just as much of an idiot as I am. Maybe you need to take on some students.¡±

    Brayden let out a bark of laugher. ¡°Perhaps. It was nice speaking with you again. I¡¯d stay longer, but I have work to handle. Just one more thing ¡ª this wasn¡¯t just a social visit.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Well, it mostly was,¡± Brayden admitted. ¡°But I did also promise to deliver a message. Jalen says that Tim has been sitting around in his house, bored out of his mind. Apparently you¡¯re somehow able to help with that?¡±

    I do need to find Tim and finish what I started with his ¡ª

    ¡°Wait,¡± Noah said, speaking before his thoughts could even finish forming. ¡°Jalen? What the hell does he have to do with Tim?¡±

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    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me,¡± Brayden replied with a shrug. ¡°Jalen just showed up out of nowhere and told me to get you. I don¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t do it himself. Probably because he was lazy. Crazy old bloke. Crazy, but terrifyingly powerful.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said, shaking his head to clear away the confusion. Tim and Jalen were both old, but that was like comparing an ant to a dragon. Jalen¡¯s version of old was ancient, while Tim couldn¡¯t have been all that old due to his limited runes. ¡°Well, where¡¯s Tim¡¯s house? I¡¯ll find him.¡±

    Brayden wordleslly handed Noah a slip of paper. It was strikingly familiar to the one that Father had given him some time ago to get his attention, but it only took one look to tell that it was different.

    The scrap of power Imbued into the paper was considerably more powerful than Father¡¯s. It was definitely a Space Rune, but Noah couldn¡¯t even begin to figure out what it actually represented.

    ¡°This is Jalen¡¯s,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Very astute.¡± Brayden chuckled. ¡°Use that and Jalen will come knocking. He said to use it soon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s impatient.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell him that to his face. Jalen is a madman. I¡¯m not sure how you got wrapped up with him but be careful. I nearly choked on my own heart when he showed up at my door. The rumors surrounding him can¡¯t all be wrong, and none of them are good. He¡¯s a monster, through and through.¡±

    We play darts on the weekends.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the warning,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯re headed off, then?¡±

    Brayden nodded. ¡°Too much to deal with and too little time. Give Moxie my best wishes. I¡¯ll be around, so if anything progresses, come find me. And let me know if you need help with those Space Runes of yours.¡±

    ¡°I will. I need to fill it up a bit, but after that, I¡¯ll definitely seek you out,¡± Noah said with a smile. He rose to his feet and held a hand out. Brayden took it and they shook. A ripple of purple passed over the larger man¡¯s body and he vanished on the spot, sending a small wave of faint, tingling energy over Noah¡¯s hand.

    Okay, that¡¯s a pretty sick way to leave. I¡¯m stealing that.

    Noah glanced down from the wall. Brayden had reformed just a short distance from the base of the wall and was heading out of the arena, keeping to the shadows. Noah held back a laugh.

    Right. Long range teleports are hugely draining. That was entirely just to look cool. I respect it.

    He turned back and hopped down to the inside of their mini-arena, using a small gust of wind to slow his fall before he landed. Every single one of the students looked completely winded. They all sprawled across the ground at Moxie and Lee¡¯s feet, battling desperately for breath.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve all been busy. I couldn¡¯t have been up talking for that long,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°You made me work,¡± James said through a groan, pushing himself up just enough to look at Noah. ¡°I hate working.¡±

    ¡°Nobody¡¯s making you do anything,¡± Emily said between breaths. ¡°You could just give up.¡±

    Noah smiled and leaned in to whisper into Moxie¡¯s ear. ¡°So who¡¯s winning? Any changes?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that understands patterns the most. In terms of actual effort, every single one of them has been putting in everything they have. Alexandra is still the strongest, but that makes sense.¡±

    Noah nodded. That matched up to what he¡¯d seen from up on the wall beside Brayden. This was exactly what he¡¯d hoped for when they¡¯d decided to give the Master Rune away. Everyone was throwing themselves completely into their training. The rune was just a bonus. It wasn¡¯t even the real reward. Noah almost laughed at that thought.

    If Brayden heard that the Master Rune wasn¡¯t actually the important bit of this whole thing, his ears would probably start bleeding.

    ¡°I¡¯m proud of every single one of you,¡± Noah said. ¡°We¡¯re all well on our way to using patterns to their fullest extent, and Formations aren¡¯t long beyond that. I think it¡¯s just about time to decide who gets the Master Rune.¡±

    That ripped everyone out of their stupor. The students all shot upright, though none of them actually stood up.

    ¡°There¡¯s just one thing,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°There was never a Master Rune, and this was all just a clever ploy to get us to work?¡± Todd guessed.

    ¡°No, there¡¯s a Master Rune. I¡¯m not that much of an asshole,¡± Noah said. ¡°But I¡ª¡±

    James raised a hand. Noah paused, then nodded to him.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to withdraw from the running. I don¡¯t think I won, but just in case, please don¡¯t consider me,¡± James said. ¡°I have no use for an earth-based Master Rune.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Emily twisted to look at James. ¡°Why in the Damned Plains were you trying so hard if you didn¡¯t want it? We spent so much time training!¡±

    ¡°I was trying because you were.¡±

    Emily¡¯s cheeks went bright red and her mouth snapped shut. A second passed. Then she gave Noah a sheepish smile. ¡°Please remove me too. I need to be mobile when I fight, so the Master Rune would be wasted on me if I got it.¡±

    Noah smiled. ¡°I can do that. Turning down something that you don¡¯t need but could still use is very respectable.¡±

    And not bad, James. Much better than pretending to be incompetent.

    That only left 3 students. Neither Isabel nor Todd were going to give up ¡ª they¡¯d already promised each other that they¡¯d go all out to win. Alexandra was unlikely to step down as well, as she was desperate to grow stronger due to her body runes.

    Between the three¡­ I think Isabel has probably advanced the most from where we started. It¡¯s a bit hard to judge exactly how much Todd has improved with patterns, but he developed what may be the most powerful ability in the long run. And Alexandra has probably taken to patterns the best out of everyone, which means she¡¯s probably the one that spent the most time practicing. Bah. There¡¯s a really good argument for each of them winning.

    Noah turned to Moxie to ask where the points sat. But, before he could say anything, Todd and Isabel both raised their hands in unison.

    ¡°We¡¯re out,¡± Todd said with a grin.

    Noah was taken aback. He hadn¡¯t been expecting that. And, judging by the shocked expression on Alexandra¡¯s face, she hadn¡¯t been either.

    ¡°Both of you?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Isabel said. ¡°I think it would have been pretty useful on us¡­ but Alexandra was practicing every single day, with basically every moment of free time she had. On some days I heard her coming back when I woke up.¡±

    Alexandra¡¯s mouth worked, trying and failing to find words as Todd nodded in agreement.

    ¡°I trained with her a good bit, and it was clear she¡¯s really been throwing everything she¡¯s got into this. She was going to win this regardless of if we withdrew or not, but Isabel and I decided that we¡¯ve already gotten everything we wanted. We¡¯ll get our own Master Runes later.¡±

    ¡°Cocky, much?¡± Isabel asked, bumping her shoulder into Todd¡¯s with a smirk. ¡°But he¡¯s right. You earned this, Alexandra.¡±

    Alexandra swallowed. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Won,¡± Noah finished Alexandra¡¯s sentence for her. This was the best-case scenario, and it meant nobody had hard feelings over losing. It couldn¡¯t have gone better. ¡°Did I say how proud of all of you I am?¡±

    ¡°As am I,¡± Moxie said. ¡°And I think this calls for something.¡±

    They all looked to her.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lee asked. ¡°Celebratory stretching?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Moxie said with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s time for a pizza party.¡±

 Chapter 437: Party time

    There was just one thing left to do before anyone could head out to a pizza party. Moxie had a Master Rune with Alexandra¡¯s name on it. Lee hopped up onto the top of the walls to make sure they weren¡¯t getting any undue attention while Noah took the huge grimoire off his back and set it down on the sand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about eating this one,¡± Noah informed the grimoire as he flipped it open to a blank page. ¡°It¡¯s not ours.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not eating anything,¡± Lee said from the top of the wall. ¡°Why would I eat a rune?¡±

    ¡°I was talking to my book. Don¡¯t worry, Lee. I know you wouldn¡¯t try to eat a rune,¡± Noah replied absently, making a mental note to ensure that his grimoire and Lee never got an extended period of time alone together. They¡¯d be a terrible influence on each other.

    Everyone gathered around the grimoire and waited expectantly. Moxie set her hand against its pages, then glanced to Noah.

    ¡°Ready?¡±

    ¡°Yep. Go ahead,¡± Noah said.

    Moxie nodded and closed her eyes. Her face creased with concentration for an instant and a ripple passed over the page. Lines traced themselves into the paper as the Earthen Muster Master Rune appeared upon it.

    It took Moxie a little under a minute to imbue the Master Rune. The paper around it crackled with energy as the grimoire locked its power up within its Catchpaper. The students watched with bated breath as the lines finally came to a stop and Moxie lifted her hand from the paper with a nod.

    ¡°It¡¯s ready, Alexandra. Take it.¡±

    ¡°Is there something special I have to do?¡± Alexandra asked breathlessly, staring down at the rune with wide eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a Master Rune with my own eyes.¡±

    ¡°Just put your hand on it and draw it into your soul like any other rune,¡± Moxie said.

    Alexandra nodded. She steadied her emotions and followed Moxie¡¯s suggestion. They all waited silently as she closed her eyes and her brow furrowed in concentration. Seconds passed by.

    The paper crackled. Then, with a pop, the Master Rune vanished. It was nearly a minute before Alexandra opened her eyes again.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± James asked.

    ¡°Where do you think the rune went?¡± Isabel asked with a snort. ¡°It¡¯s not like it vanished into thin air. Congratulations, Alexandra.¡±

    Everyone else chorused their agreement.

    Alexandra smiled, her cheeks flushing at all the attention being directed her way. ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡±

    ¡°Can you test it out for us?¡± Todd asked. ¡°I want to see how it works.¡±

    ¡°Maybe later?¡± Alexandra offered. ¡°As tempted as I am to try to learn how this works right now, I think it can wait a little bit. I think there was something else we were going to be doing next. I don¡¯t want to hold that up.¡±

    ¡°Pizza parties are a sacred practice. That is very wise of you,¡± Noah said with a sage nod. ¡°Being late to them is a grave sin. There will be time for more work soon enough. For the next hour or so, put that out of your mind. Let¡¯s go get some pizza.¡±

    ***

    A little bit under half an hour later, after taking down the walls they¡¯d erected in the arena, everyone gathered in Noah¡¯s classroom. Noah and Moxie had split off shortly after Alexandra had claimed her Master Rune to get the pizza and bring it back. They¡¯d also wisely left Lee along with the others to make sure the pizzas actually survived the trip back to the scene of the party.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Room G100 hadn¡¯t seen use in quite some time and had started to pick up a layer of dust, but nobody was particularly bothered about that when they had pizza to eat. Noah handed Lee a stack of personal pizzas and then distributed the rest of the food amongst everyone else.

    A smile pulled across his lips as he watched the students move the tables into a small ring and sit down as a group. Excitement and motivation were so thick in the air that he could practically taste it ¡ª though that might have just been the pizza.

    Lee deposited her stack of pizzas by the kids and hopped up to the supporting beams on the ceiling and hung from them like a bat.

    ¡°Throw me something!¡± she called down. ¡°I want to see if I can eat upside down.¡±

    James obliged, grabbing a pizza and flinging it up at her like a frisbee. His aim was surprisingly good and it sailed out on a direct collision course with her gullet. Lee caught the flying disk of dough with her mouth and quickly stuffed it in, but not without losing a pepperoni in the process.

    It plummeted back to the earth, abandoned by its comrades as they set out on their final pilgrimage into Lee¡¯s stomach, and landed right on James¡¯ right cheek. The students all burst into laughter and Emily took the slice of meat off his face, wiping it clean with a thumb.

    ¡°It¡¯s funny to think about what this room was like just a short while ago, isn¡¯t it?¡± Moxie asked as she took a seat beside Noah. ¡°I never would have thought I¡¯d be seeing something like this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s incredible,¡± Noah agreed with a smile. He took a bite of a pizza that he¡¯d saved for himself. ¡°I can¡¯t really take credit for any of their personalities, but turning down a Master Rune is a huge sacrifice for people who don¡¯t have any backing from a noble family. We¡¯ve got some damn good students.¡±

    ¡°I think you¡¯re missing something. They don¡¯t have the backing of a noble family, but they do have you. Part of the reason they¡¯re so comfortable passing up on power is because they know you¡¯re there for them,¡± Moxie said, leaning against Noah. ¡°You¡¯re reliable, even if you¡¯re batshit insane. Better than any noble family anyone could ever ask for.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just me they have. They¡¯ve also got you and Lee. I couldn¡¯t do any of this on my own. Hell, they did the majority of it themselves. All I did was show them a few things I figured out while killing myself. I can¡¯t wait to see what they¡¯re doing in the future. They¡¯ve all got so much potential.¡±

    ¡°And I can¡¯t wait to see it with you. Teaching is so much more enjoyable when I¡¯m actually doing it of my own volition,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I was really worried about how things would go after I got out from Evergreen¡¯s thumb, but I¡¯ve found myself liking it more and more with every day. You¡¯re a big part of the reason for that. I haven¡¯t ever met someone that cared as much about their students as you do.¡±

    ¡°The biggest lesson I learned from my last life is that the only mark you truly leave on the world is what you give to others,¡± Noah said, moving his hand to cover Moxie¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on ever dying for good again, but that statement still holds true.¡±

    She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then settled in against his side. Even though the room had six other people in it, everyone else was caught in energetic conversation and, for at least that brief moment in time, none of them were paying attention to Noah and Moxie.

    ¡°I love you, Noah,¡± Moxie whispered into his ear.

    ¡°I love you too,¡± Noah said, his hand tightening around hers.

    For that instant in time, the rest of the world didn¡¯t quite matter. They sat there in silence, and nothing possibly could have made the moment better.

    Then a pepperoni landed on Noah¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Lee called down from the ceiling. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°Are you going to eat that?¡±

    Noah burst into laughter. He picked the pepperoni off his face and popped it into his mouth. ¡°I am now.¡±

    ¡°Shall we go join the others?¡± Moxie asked with a snicker. She wiped the tomato sauce off Noah¡¯s face with her thumb and licked it clean. ¡°I think Lee might have thrown that pepperoni intentionally.¡±

    ¡°I would never do something like that,¡± Lee said, closing one eye and squinting at Moxie as she reared back, another pepperoni pinched between two fingers. ¡°But, for unrelated reasons, please don¡¯t move.¡±

    Everyone started to laugh again. Lee seemed to remember that throwing the pepperoni would mean she wouldn¡¯t be able to eat it and opted to throw it into her mouth instead of sacrificing it.

    Noah and Moxie walked over to join the circle of students in their celebrations and Lee dropped down beside them. Room G100 soon descended into energetic conversation once more. For as long as the party lasted, any challenges the future held couldn¡¯t have been farther from their minds.

    For just a short while, all their worries could wait. When the time came, they would handle them. Noah had been in a number of pizza parties in his life. But, as far as they went, this was definitely the best one he¡¯d ever had.

 BOOK 2 ANNOUNCEMENT

    Book 2 of Runebound is out on amazon! I mentioned this at the start of the previous chapter but I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to really help boost awareness of it. If you''ve been enjoying the novel, please consider dropping a rating/review on Amazon -- you don''t even actually need to buy the book to do so. Every single bit helps and the better Runebound does, the longer I can keep writing it. Every download moves the rank up by like... several hundred spots, especially early on, so it means a ton.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Thanks so much to everyone who''s read and supported the book thus far. I love writing and Runebound has been a passion project for some time now. I''m really happy to keep at it and I hope you continue to enjoy! I''m quite excited for the upcoming arc, which my patrons have told me is one of the best arcs in the entire series so far.

    Anyway, it''s 1 AM for me so I''m going to go sleep and see how things are doing in the morning.

    YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT HERE!</a>

 Chapter 438: Tea with Jalen

    The pizza party eventually came to an end. No matter how much fun they were all having, there was still work and preparation that had to be done ¡ª and Alexandra would probably spontaneously combust if she didn¡¯t get her daily practice time in.

    With full bellies and satisfied smiles, everyone bid each other farewell. The students headed back to their dorms in a group. Noah and Moxie remained in the room beside Lee, who had draped herself over Noah¡¯s right shoulder like a sack of potatoes and was fast asleep.

    ¡°That was a nice break,¡± Noah said. ¡°Pizza parties really are magic. It¡¯s good to take a moment to sit back and celebrate when we achieve something. Motivation is a powerful thing.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, I¡¯m more than sold on their effectiveness,¡± Moxie said. ¡°We should invite some more people next time. Brayden, if he¡¯s got time. Tim too. Maybe Ulya or Jalen depending on how things go.¡±

    ¡°Jalen?¡± Noah¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Something tells me he¡¯s the kind of guy to show up to a party with a keg of alcohol or ten.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a fun party,¡± Moxie said with a wry grin. ¡°And if he¡¯s going to hang around us like a vulture, we might as well get to know him better. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I don¡¯ t like him. But, if he¡¯s going to be a constant presence in the near future, then I¡¯d rather know him better.¡±

    There was no arguing with that. It was a good point. Noah inclined his head in agreement, then slipped his hand into a pocket and pulled out the slip of paper that Brayden had given him. ¡°I¡¯ll let him know he¡¯s invited to the next one. I¡¯ve got a pretty good opportunity to do that now.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s around?¡±

    ¡°With Tim, apparently,¡± Noah said. He caught the baffled look on Moxie¡¯s face and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Tim never told me he knew Jalen or vice versa, but all I can do is head over to find out. Using this will get Jalen to come grab me.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯d you get that? Brayden?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose I can¡¯t complain too much. At least Jalen gave you a way to contact him instead of showing up and kidnapping you.¡± Moxie¡¯s tone sharpened and her eyes narrowed. It didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d completely forgiven Jalen for how their first meeting had gone, and Noah didn¡¯t blame her.

    ¡°I suppose even withered dogs can learn new tricks,¡± Noah said. He put the paper back into a pocket and shifted his shoulder, carefully sliding Lee off and holding her up before him like an elongated cat. She let out a murmur and her fingers twitched, but her eyes didn¡¯t open. ¡°Could you take Lee? If I call Jalen, I get the feeling he¡¯s just going to yank me and drop Lee on the floor.¡±

    ¡°Is she really still asleep?¡± Moxie asked, but she took Lee from Noah¡¯s arms and draped her over her own shoulder.

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Noah replied. He poked Lee in the side and she squirmed, letting out a muted snicker before following it up with an exaggerated snore. The corner of his mouth quirked up. ¡°But good luck convincing her of that.¡±

    Lee let out another snore.

    ¡°You don¡¯t snore when you sleep, you know,¡± Moxie pointed out with a defeated yet amused sigh. ¡°You just kind of lie there.¡±

    Lee abruptly stopped snoring. Moxie rolled her eyes and both she and Noah held back a laugh. Noah scooped the paper back out of his pocket and took a quick look around the room to make sure he wasn¡¯t about to leave anything behind.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to be back by tonight. I don¡¯t think this is going to take long,¡± Noah said. ¡°Er¡­ actually, is now a good time for me to go find them? This is important, but if there¡¯s something else going on, I can delay.¡±

    Moxie smiled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. ¡°Your thought is appreciated, but now works. I can¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t like it if you were able to get back before I went to bed, so I¡¯ll stay up as long as I can, but don¡¯t worry if you can¡¯t. I¡¯m more than aware of how Jalen is. Just let him know that I won¡¯t be pleased if he holds you for too long.¡±

    A Rank 3 threatening a Rank 6 should have been ludicrous. There really wasn¡¯t anything that Moxie could have done to give Jalen any pause. But, for some reason, Noah felt like the old man would take her words seriously.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass that along. Thanks, Moxie. I¡¯ll see you soon,¡± Noah said. He pulled the paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, letting a finger brush across the space rune imbued into it. He sent a shimmer of energy across the paper.

    Tingles raced up his hand as the rune activated. Purple light ignited within the rune like a flashlight, with such intensity that Noah was forced to blink furiously and turn away from the paper. There was a loud crackle and a surge of power.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Noah caught a glimpse of an annoyed, slightly concerned expression on Moxie¡¯s face an instant before he felt a hand wrap around his arm. Then it gave him a sharp yank and he flew through the portal, leaving the classroom behind him.

    Noah¡¯s foot landed on wooden floor. He stumbled and caught himself, turning just in time to see the portal snap shut behind him.

    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Jalen said irritably. He stood across from Noah, his arms crossed. It wasn¡¯t hard to tell who had pulled him through the portal. They were both in a small, quaint room.

    There was a wooden table right behind Jalen with three chairs set up around it. A bookshelf sat in the corner of the room covered with a thin layer of dust and a door at the end of the room led into what looked to be a small kitchen.

    ¡°Oi,¡± Jalen said, stepping in front of Noah. ¡°Are you ignoring me? That¡¯s a bit cold. I just teleported you for free. That normally costs a lot of money.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I was having a very good time before I used that paper,¡± Noah said, matching Jalen¡¯s tone and meeting his eyes. ¡°We¡¯d just had a big party to celebrate how far my students had come, and I was spending some quality time with Moxie. This better be important.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Now I see. The only thing that can capture a man¡¯s heart more than the plea of his brother.¡± Jalen let out a snort. ¡°A pretty woman.¡±

    ¡°If you consider handing me a slip of paper through my literal brother and then telling me to come pay you a house visit at another one of my friends¡¯ houses, I am not going to assume that is a plea. A plea means you¡¯re in danger ¡ª and let¡¯s be real. There isn¡¯t anything in Arbitage that could ever put you in real danger.¡±

    A smirk played across Jalen¡¯s lips and he clapped Noah on the shoulder before guiding him over to one of the chairs. ¡°Snarky little shit. I suppose I can¡¯t complain too much. You aren¡¯t wrong.¡±

    Noah sat down and Jalen took the chair across from him. The head of the Linwick family then yawned and picked up an empty teacup, examining it with a critical eye. Noah waited for a second, then glanced around expectantly.

    ¡°So¡­ is there a reason you called me here? And where¡¯s Tim? He¡¯s not in trouble, is he?¡±

    ¡°Tim? Oh, no. He¡¯s fine,¡± Jalen said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He leaned back to peer into the kitchen, then nodded to it. ¡°Ah. There he comes now.¡±

    Tim stepped out from the kitchen bearing a plate with three cups and a teapot on it. He walked over to the table and set it down, giving Noah a smile as he took a chair for himself and set about pouring cups of tea for all of them.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, Vermil,¡± Tim said. He slid a cup over to Noah and then handed Jalen another one.

    ¡°Much appreciated, Tim,¡± Jalen said as he took the cup and sipped from it, letting out a satisfied sigh. ¡°That hits the spot. You¡¯ve always been damn good at this.¡±

    Noah stared at them in disbelief. He tried to muster words but found that none were immediately coming to mind. Tim and Jalen definitely knew each other, and it seemed like they¡¯d known each other for some time.

    Tim took his own cup and tasted it, then nodded to himself. ¡°The brew went well today. Good leaves. Thank you for delivering them.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t too hard. I just nicked ¡®em from a tea shop when they weren¡¯t looking,¡± Jalen said with a dismissive wave.

    Noah opened his mouth, then glanced down at the tea. He raised the cup to his lips and took a sip. A familiar pleasant sensation greeted his tongue and he almost burst into laughter. There was no doubt about it. This was the tea from the store that Silvertide had been at.

    ¡°So,¡± Noah said as he lowered his cup and set it on the table. ¡°Does someone care to inform me what in the world is going on? You two know each other?¡±

    ¡°For around forty years now, I¡¯d say,¡± Tim said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Jalen came by to use the Transport Cannon some time ago and we got into an interesting conversation.¡±

    ¡°Interesting conversation, he says.¡± Jalen let out a snort and shook his head. ¡°I tried to fiddle around with the cannon and figure out if I could take it apart and he got mad at me. I¡¯ve never been yelled at by an old man with the power of an ant before.¡±

    Do you literally make all your friends by getting people pissed at you and seeing how they react? Bold. Maybe bordering on a fetish, but I won¡¯t judge. It¡¯s hard to imagine Tim getting pissed about anything, but if he was going to get mad, the transport cannon definitely would have been the reason why.

    ¡°Yelled is a strong word. I just gave you a small scolding. The cannon is very fragile. The magic is not to be tampered with.¡± Tim took a sip of his tea, then let out a sigh and shook his head. ¡°Or at least, it shouldn¡¯t have been. It¡¯s back up and running, but only because people are manually running it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll get the key back soon enough,¡± Noah promised. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll get the transport cannon to its former state as soon as we can.¡±

    Tim smiled and took another drink of his tea, then gestured for Noah to do the same. He did. It was good tea, after all. There was no reason to waste it.

    ¡°I suppose we should cut to the chase,¡± Jalen said. His voice was more serious than normal. ¡°As amusing as you are, I didn¡¯t call you here for no reason, Vermil.¡±

    Noah set his cup back down on the table. ¡°I figured as much. What is it, then? Something tells me it isn¡¯t for a game of darts.¡±

    ¡°Maybe after,¡± Jalen said, a flicker of amusement passing through his eyes before his features grew focused again. He nodded to Tim. ¡°As I said, I¡¯ve known Tim for some time. I won¡¯t lie and claim to be the greatest ally one can have. I¡¯m a rather distracted man. Things don¡¯t tend to keep my attention for long, but when they do, I pay close attention to them.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    Jalen leaned forward and braced his arms against the table. ¡°Tim hasn¡¯t gotten stronger in years, Vermil. He¡¯s been stuck in place, unable to advance since the day I knew him. And yet, when I found that he was caught up in a fight with Wizen and came to check on him, do you know what I found? Strength, Vermil. Not much, mind you. Tim¡¯s strength has always been his mind, not his runes, but the pressure coming from him increased by a very, very slight margin. For a man that hasn¡¯t changed in all the years I knew him, that¡¯s quite the change indeed ¡ª and I think you¡¯re responsible for it.¡±

 Chapter 439: Figured it out

    Noah didn¡¯t let any shock show on his features. He raised the cup of tea to his lips, blocking out as much of his face as possible as his mind raced. He¡¯d only repaired one of Tim¡¯s runes. The change shouldn¡¯t have been significant enough for anyone to notice.

    He hadn¡¯t even thought Tim knew anyone all that powerful, much less Jalen. The Linwick family head was the last person Noah would have expected to give a shit about Tim.

    How goddamn sensitive is he if he could tell the difference between a Rank 1 and a Rank 2 Rune for someone he barely spends any time with?

    Noah had the cup of tea to his lips for so long that he ended up completely draining it. He kept his face straight as he lowered the cup back down to the table. Half of his attention was directed to keeping every part of his posture and body perfectly calm. If his heart so much as started racing, Jalen would probably be able to notice.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t like the Rank 6 mage. While Noah wouldn¡¯t have exactly called Jalen trustworthy, he was very straightforward. That did not mean he was willing to share the secrets of how Sunder worked with him.

    What the hell do I tell him? I don¡¯t think Tim would have spilled the beans. Maybe I can claim I got some form of really powerful soul healing potion? How would I excuse wasting something like that on anyone other than myself or Moxie?

    ¡°Your silence is telling,¡± Jalen said with a chuckle. He took another sip from his tea and leaned forward, eyes boring into Noah¡¯s head. ¡°No need to look like a deer in the torchlight, Vermil. You really shouldn¡¯t be shocked. After all, you literally showed me how it was done.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I follow.¡±

    I most certainly did not.

    ¡°Come on now, Vermil.¡± Jalen shook his head and tapped a finger on the table. A smug smile stretched across his lips as his tone grew increasingly confident. ¡°During that class I observed. You were literally teaching your students steps to learning Formations, and that makes you a Formation Master. You¡¯ve found the intricacies of how Runes work and discovered a way to work them out of the soul without shattering it.¡±

    Noah stared at Jalen. He sounded quite satisfied at his discovery of Noah¡¯s secret, even though he was completely wrong about it. There was no need to point that out, though. Noah¡¯s attention went from trying to keep the stress from showing on his features to trying to hold back relief.

    He¡¯s really damn perceptive, but nobody would ever be able to so much as take a guess at the existence of Sunder. I was hoping to keep the extent I get Formations under wraps, but it looks like that was too much to ask for when he literally swung by a class. It looks like Tim also kept his mouth shut. Good man. He didn¡¯t say anything, even though he¡¯s friends with Jalen.

    I can work with this.

    Noah held his hands up and let out a defeated sigh. ¡°Okay. You got me. I was really hoping it wasn¡¯t that obvious.¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be to most. You¡¯ve done a very good job of appearing to be completely incompetent,¡± Jalen said with a smirk. ¡°My kind of man. Managed to hide yourself from the family for all these years¡­ though I don¡¯t blame you. They¡¯ve turned into a hive of villains and scum.¡±

    Isn¡¯t it literally your job to keep that from happening?

    Jalen caught the look on Noah¡¯s face. His smile slipped away and he let out a huff. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, Vermil. But let me ask you something. Let¡¯s say you stumbled into the responsibility of taking care of a group of rats. All of the rats hate you, and they do their best to fling themselves into every pot of boiling water they find. When you try to stop them, they bite your fingers. What do you do?¡±

    ¡°Build a cage?¡± Noah guessed, pretty sure he was missing the point but more than happy to let the conversation steer away from his abilities for as long as possible. It would certainly wrap back to them soon enough, but the more time he had to try and figure out some answers, the better.

    ¡°If only I could, but no. The rats don¡¯t like being caged and find ways out.¡± Jalen shook his head, then sent a pointed glance at the empty cup before him. Tim picked up the tea kettle and filled it once more. Jalen nodded in appreciation and took a sip of scalding tea before continuing. ¡°You have to choose between trying to herd them or let them do what they want.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d probably do my best to herd them if I was responsible for their wellbeing, I guess.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s what I did. For years, I tried to keep them on track. Actually did for a few periods of time as well, but in the end, it¡¯s impossible. Not without ruling over them like a lord. So I stepped back. Did less. Cared less. It made things easier, Vermil. There just wasn¡¯t anything to keep my attention on anymore.¡± Jalen finished his tea in one swig, then waved the cup like a wand. His eyes locked with Noah¡¯s and the corner of his lip quirked up. ¡°Until you. I¡¯ve had a few blips that caught my eye, but nothing in the way of true strength. No insult meant, Tim. You aren¡¯t strong.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°None taken,¡± Tim said with an easygoing smile. He took another sip of tea. Between the three of them, he seemed to be the least concerned. Noah supposed that made sense, as he was the one that knew them both the best.

    ¡°I¡¯m honored,¡± Noah said. ¡°I do my best.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say you do a whole lot more than your best. You¡¯ve accomplished something that every single noble family in the entire kingdom is doing their best to figure out.¡± Jalen let out a bark of laughter. He rose to his feet and crossed his hands behind his back, starting to pace around the room. ¡°How is it that a Rank 4 managed to work out what our combined forces couldn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Technically not combined,¡± Noah pointed out. ¡°Nobody works together.¡±

    ¡°Fair point,¡± Jalen admitted. He came to a stop beside Noah and shook his head. ¡°But the question remains. You¡¯ve unearthed some degree of understanding with regard to runes. I want to hear you admit it with your own words.¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Noah said after a second of hesitation. If Jalen pushed any deeper, he wasn¡¯t quite sure how he¡¯d expand the lie. He had figured out a lot about how runes worked, but that wouldn¡¯t do anything to help remove them from anyone¡¯s soul without Sunder. Not yet, at least. Before he could open his mouth to say anything else, Jalen snapped his fingers.

    ¡°No!¡± Jalen barked. ¡°Not another word.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª wait, what?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear how you did it,¡± Jalen said. His eyes gleamed with excitement and he let out a delighted cackle. ¡°That would spoil the fun completely. I just want to know it¡¯s possible. There¡¯s something about runes we don¡¯t know, and it¡¯s simple enough that a Rank 4 can discover it. This is hilarious. If you say a single blasted word about how this is done to anyone other than your students, I¡¯m ripping your head off. That includes me.¡±

    Noah stared at Jalen as he practically pranced around the room, muttering to himself with a massive grin plastered across his face. He looked like a spring deer that had been just set loose into a field of the freshest grass. Noah couldn¡¯t help himself. He started to laugh.

    I should have known Jalen would be like this. He doesn¡¯t give a shit about getting stronger for the reasons that the rest of us do. He¡¯s already powerful. All he wants now is to find something interesting to do, and I¡¯ve confirmed that there¡¯s more to discover that he doesn¡¯t know. That bit isn¡¯t even really a lie. There¡¯s a lot to runes that people don¡¯t seem to understand.

    Tim wordlessly poured Noah another cup of tea, then refilled Jalen¡¯s cup as well. Jalen paused his prancing for just long enough to grab his cup and drain it.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Noah said as he took a drink of his own tea. ¡°While Jalen is distracted, how have you been?¡±

    ¡°Well enough, I¡¯d say. I feel better than ever,¡± Tim said. ¡°I¡¯m a little disappointed about the transport cannon, but I¡¯ll be back to running it today. It¡¯ll just be much more restricted than it used to be due to the limits it¡¯ll now have.¡±

    ¡°How much more?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I was hoping to use it to send me out to fight some monsters.¡±

    ¡°For you? I¡¯ll make an exception as long as you aren¡¯t trying to go too far. Are you hunting for runes?¡±

    ¡°No. Energy, mostly.¡±

    ¡°Ah. There¡¯s an area with some Rank 3s in it if that would work? I could send you there for a few hours after our meeting with Jalen is over.¡±

    ¡°That would be perfect,¡± Noah said with a grin. ¡°Thanks, Tim.¡±

    And I can fix up more of your runes before I head out. I just can¡¯t do that while Jalen is here. It would be asking for a bit too much trouble, even if everything was done inside your soul with a Mind Meld potion.

    Jalen finally came to a stop at his chair again. He slapped his palms down on the table and leaned over it. ¡°Why are you not excited, Vermil? This is groundbreaking.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m the one that discovered it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Jalen pursed his lips. ¡°So you did. I forgot.¡±

    He sat back in his chair and pressed the tips of his fingers against each other. Then Jalen pursed his lips and fell silent. Several seconds passed as Noah and Tim watched him.

    ¡°So¡ª¡± Noah started.

    ¡°Okay, you win,¡± Jalen said irritably. ¡°Give me a little hint.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I want a hint. Where do I start?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ I suppose¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait! I changed my mind!¡± Jalen held his hands up and jumped back to his feet, muttering under his breath. ¡°That¡¯ll run the fun. No, Jalen. No trading something interesting for a blip of momentary satisfaction. That was how you lost your first wife.¡±

    You know, sometimes it¡¯s easy to forget Jalen is batshit insane. Thank god this guy is kind of on my side.

    Jalen ground to a halt and turned back to Noah. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ve figured it out.¡±

    ¡°You have?¡±

    And what exactly is it you¡¯ve figured out? There¡¯s no way he actually worked out how runes work just by striding around the room for a few seconds.

    ¡°Yes. I have discovered that I have absolutely no idea as to how you¡¯ve figured this out. Could you at least tell me if it¡¯s something that can be discovered on its own, or did someone tell you how it worked?¡±

    ¡°It was me,¡± Noah said, holding back a laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t have a teacher.¡±

    ¡°I see. Very good. Very good.¡± Jalen nodded slowly. ¡°Then it is possible. I have much to consider. I know I called you here, but with my suspicions confirmed, I can hold myself back no longer. There is too much to do.¡±

    With that, Jalen vanished. Noah and Tim stared at where he¡¯d been standing. Tim opened his mouth ¡ª and Jalen popped back into existence.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a few days for our darts match,¡± Jalen said, thrusting a finger in Noah¡¯s direction. ¡°Prepare yourself to lose.¡±

    Then he vanished once more. Noah waited for a second to see if he¡¯d return, but it looked like the enigmatic man had left for good this time. There wasn¡¯t a single thing he could think of saying with regard to what had just happened, so he took the next best option and decided to ignore it entirely. He slowly turned to Tim, then cleared his throat.

    ¡°Care for a trip to the transport cannon?¡±

 Chapter 440: Karma

    Noah and Tim arrived at the transport cannon just a short while later. It was, predictably, empty. Tim went right over to the controls and his hands played across them like he was a musician plucking the strings of a harp.

    Energy hummed within the control panel and light flickered to life along it as the transport cannon turned on. Tim continued to adjust the levers, his brow furrowed in concentration. ¡°It¡¯s a bit harder to control everything now that the cannon isn¡¯t what it used to be anymore.¡±

    ¡°How much harder?¡± Noah asked, a flicker of worry passing through him. He wasn¡¯t keen on getting ripped to shreds by the cannon midway through his trip to wherever it was that Tim was going to send him.

    ¡°Don¡¯ t worry,¡± Tim said with a laugh. He pressed his palm into the control panel and it emitted a loud hum. ¡°Go head over to the entrance and lay down. I¡¯m more than capable of controlling the cannon, even in this state. Just be aware you won¡¯t be out for as long as usual due to the restrictions.¡±

    ¡°Do you know exactly how long it¡¯ll be?¡±

    ¡°Three hours at most. We¡¯ve got to ration the energy since it¡¯s being filled by hand.¡±

    Noah sat down on the metal of the cannon as the humming in the tower grew louder. Tim adjusted a few more settings and Noah grimaced as the sound reached an uncomfortable level.

    ¡°Will you be here when I get back?¡± Noah called over noise.

    ¡°I can be,¡± Tim called back. ¡°But why? I¡¯m not needed to pull you back. The cannon will do that on its own. I¡¯m setting everything up to make sure you return before it runs out of power. If its reserves get low enough to risk a failed recall for any reason, it¡¯ll just immediately summon you back and use the rest of its power. There¡¯s no risk of you being left behind.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that. I trust you to use the cannon,¡± Noah replied and held his travel bag up, shaking it to draw Tim¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡¯ve got a potion in here for you. After I get back.¡±

    Tim¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Why not? I like to finish what I start and it¡¯s been far too long.¡±

    Tim gave him a sheepish smile. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going to insist, then I certainly won¡¯t object. I¡¯ll be here when you get pulled back. Now, get yourself ready. I¡¯m sending you to a location called the Bleached River. It should be a safe area to land in, but it¡¯s got stronger monsters than a lot of the other areas the transport cannon has sent you to before, so make sure you¡¯ve got your wits about you.¡±

    Noah nodded his understanding and lowered the bag, holding it to his chest and laying back in the cannon¡¯s tube. It was a bit of a challenge to get himself to fit with the grimoire on his back, but he managed it anyway. The buzzing reached a crescendo. Power crackled all around Noah and flashed before his eyes in arcs of blue light.

    ¡°Good luck!¡± Tim called.

    A burst of energy swallowed Noah¡¯s response and body alike. The world dematerialized and he shot off, a streak of blue energy carving across the sky and leaving Arbitage in its wake.

    ***

    The world slammed back to normal abruptly. Noah landed on his backside and skidded across white sand for a foot before coming to a stop. He muttered a slew of curses and shook his head off, pushing himself upright and shaking the sand out of his pant legs.

    He hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to ask Tim why the location he was being sent to was called the Bleached River, but that question looked to have been answered. He stood on the bed of an enormous, rushing riverbank. Water crashed up against the jagged rocks lining it and splashed over to land on top of the pure white sand that stretched as far as he could see.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve actually got bleach in this world, so I guess that¡¯s the best translation that Vermil¡¯s knowledge of language could give me. Definitely lives up to the name, though.

    Noah turned in a circle. There was nothing immediately visible on the horizon and the sky was completely empty aside from a few clouds and the harsh sun bearing down on his back from above.

    It had only been a few seconds since he¡¯d arrived, but it was already heating the shoulders of his jacket to a decidedly displeasing temperature. He got the feeling it wouldn¡¯t be long before he was soaked through with sweat.

    Good thing there¡¯s a convenient river right over here to cool off in. I¡¯m sure it totally won¡¯t be full of ugly monsters.

    He extended his senses into the ground to check for vibrations. The sand around him and the rushing water just a short distance away didn¡¯t make that easy, but as far as he could tell, there wasn¡¯t much around him ¡ª or at least, if there was, it wasn¡¯t within the sand.

    His powers were completely useless with regard to the river. The whole thing was moving, so it was basically one giant wall of information that provided absolutely nothing. It was also the most likely location to house monsters given the location¡¯s name.

    That¡¯s fine with me. I don¡¯t need to go around killing anything yet. If I¡¯ve got three hours before I get pulled back, I¡¯ve got enough time to test out Crumbling Space. I¡¯m not going to be relying on it in a fight yet and the opportunity to see what I can do with it is too useful to pass up.

    Noah extended his hand and focused his thoughts before reaching out to the new Rank 4 Rune. He drew power from it, letting the energy course through his arm and into his palm. Tingles broke out along his skin and pressed against his fingernails like a nest of ants trying to break free of his veins.

    Can¡¯t say I love the feeling of this rune. Sunder is much smoother. Even the Fragment of Renewal is a lot nicer to use. I wonder if that¡¯s due to Space Magic I¡¯ve got in this or if it¡¯s because I made a Rank 4 Rune rather than a Master Rune.

    Noah shrugged to himself. For the time being, it didn¡¯t matter. What did matter was just how far he could push the rune. He drew out every last scrap of power the rune had to offer. It wouldn¡¯t work with less. There was no reason to hold himself back. His eyes narrowed and he pointed his hand at the air before him, picturing the white cracks shooting out in a straight line rather than in the spiderweb pattern that they¡¯d taken the first time he¡¯d tested Crumbling Space.

    The power ripped out from his hand. Cracks of white nothingness ripped out through the air before him, but instead of following his desires, they just shot off in every direction, making the rough shape of a sphere.

    Every direction unfortunately included his own.

    Noah hurled himself out of the way as the air collapsed in on itself. He hit the ground with a grunt and rolled over to watch the energy fade from the air. There wasn¡¯t anything there to break, so the magic faded without a single sound.

    He stared at the air for a few seconds. Then he muttered a curse and pushed himself upright, brushing the sand off himself. His brow furrowed as he played the attempt back in his mind.

    That¡¯s rather odd. It straight up just ignored what I wanted. I¡¯ve never had a Rune completely disobey me before. I didn¡¯t get any feeling of Crumbling Space actually not wanting to obey my commands. I don¡¯t think Runes have that much autonomy¡­ so did I just imagine things wrong?

    That hardly seemed likely. He¡¯d been pretty straightforward about his desires. If that was the case, it meant he¡¯d literally just asked the rune to do something it couldn¡¯t manage, either due to its normal limitations or due to a lack of energy.

    That orb did seem like a default expenditure of power, just releasing it all in one point. Only way to find out why that happened would be to go find some monsters and fill this thing up so I can test it some more.

    Noah let out a huff and glanced around. His eyes landed on the river once more. He wasn¡¯t too keen on striding over to it as he was. It wasn¡¯t that he cared all that much about dying. Dying was fine ¡ª but if he died with all his stuff on him and something dragged him into the river, then he wasn¡¯t getting it back.

    He used Natural Disaster to raise a platform from the sand, then stacked his grimoire, travel bag, and gourd on top of it. Noah turned toward the river.

    Wait. Did I ever get a second set of clothes after I got killed in Bird¡¯s Space Monster Wonderland?

    Noah spun and pulled his bag open. He let out a groan. It didn¡¯t have a change of clothes in it.

    That left him with two options. The first was to hope he didn¡¯t get killed and head out as he was. If things went poorly, that meant he¡¯d be showing back up to meet Tim as naked as the day he was born.

    The alternative¡­

    Goddamn it. You have to be kidding me. This is karma for what I told Bird. I shouldn¡¯t have tempted fate.

    Noah took his clothes off.

 Chapter 441: Patched up

    The next two hours were ones that Noah did not care to remember. His prediction that the river would be the source of the monsters had been correct. And, out of everything that he could have been up against, of course the one that had been most populous had been giant, ridged octopi the size of small houses.

    There were a number of outfits that Noah was willing to fight monsters with tentacles in. The ideal one probably would have been a tank, but he¡¯d have settled for full suit of airtight armor. Anything that gave him any protection from the squirming monsters would have been much appreciated.

    Fighting them naked, however, was at the absolute bottom of his bucket list. Nobody in their right mind was going to get anywhere near anything with tentacles when they didn¡¯t have clothes on. There was only one way something like that could go and Noah had absolutely no desire to tempt fate.

    As far as he could tell, there was only a single way to handle the situation given the cards he¡¯d been dealt. He had to make sure there was absolutely no potential way that the octopi ever got so much as near him.

    Thus, two hours later, Noah stood on the scorched remains of what had once been a pristine riverbank. Scores of lightning had turned the sand around the river to glass and huge gouges had been ripped out of the earth, leaving behind jagged holes.

    Smoke twisted up from burnt pockmarks covering bodies riddled with enormous, seeping wounds. Piles of monsters had built up in the river, forming a makeshift dam that the raging water was still doing its best to break apart.

    Noah¡¯s breath came out in short puffs as his head swiveled back and forth to scan the river, his hands curled and raised before him. He¡¯d had a few chances to test out Crumbling Space throughout the fight as it had refilled from all the monsters he killed, but every usage of the Rune had gone nearly exactly the same.

    Whenever he tried to make it stretch anywhere farther than the immediate area around him, it went rogue and collapsed in on itself. The rune just stubbornly refused to function at a range. But, even when he restrained its usage, it could only stretch about a foot in every direction.

    Noah took note of every test, but his active mind was far more focused on making sure absolutely nothing wriggly got anywhere near him.

    No more monsters showed their faces. He¡¯d already mowed through enough of them to leave quite the message and earn himself a considerable amount of energy. That didn¡¯t mean the monsters would give up after all the power he¡¯d been putting out, though.

    Noah kept his guard up and continued to use his senses to trawl through the area around him. Fortunately, the time he had left in the Bleached River was coming to an end. He made a beeline back to his clothes and belongings.

    The only thing that would have been worse than getting himself caught by a massive octopus whilst naked would be popping back up in the transport cannon to greet Tim buck naked and without all his belongings.

    Granted, the solution to that would have been killing himself, which tended to be the fastest track to most of his problems, but that was a state of mind he was actively doing his best to pull himself out of.

    Noah tugged his clothes on and nodded to himself.

    Moxie would be so proud of me.

    Once he was fully clothed and protected from the elements and errant tentacles once more, Noah took a moment to actually process his findings. Something was keeping Crumbling Space from extending any considerable distance.

    There was a pretty good chance a part of it was because the rune wasn¡¯t perfect, much less Flawless. It had a good way to go before it was at a point where he¡¯d be completely satisfied with it.

    That said, the restrictions on the rune seemed a bit much, even for its quality. It drew so much power and was so limited in range that it felt more like a limitation of the Rune itself rather than his combination of it.

    It¡¯s that Space Magic issue again. There¡¯s something holding it back. Maybe it¡¯s just because controlling space just needs so much energy, or maybe it¡¯s something else. I don¡¯t know what it is, but I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t figure it out.

    At first, he¡¯d been slightly worried that it might have been the same issue that he¡¯d had when he¡¯d made Natural Disaster at Rank 3, where the rune just wasn¡¯t strong enough to contain its concept.

    But, fortunately or not, his testing had revealed that it didn¡¯t seem to be the same issue. The Rank 3 Natural Disaster had lacked fine control and efficiency, but it had been able to generally do what he wanted. Crumbling Space didn¡¯t exactly feel inefficient, and it did exactly what he wanted when he operated in its constraints. It just seemed like it drew so much power that he didn¡¯t have the energy reserves to make it do more than its base use case.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Noah slung his grimoire over his back and picked his gourd up, waiting for the transport cannon to reactivate. Even if he hadn¡¯t managed to get Crumbling Space to extend its range, his goal in coming here had been accomplished.

    He¡¯d gathered a considerable amount of energy. Natural disaster had gone up by a fair amount and was now getting quite close to being completely full. Crumbling Space had also seen some solid rewards and was up to roughly twenty percent full. It had moved up more than Natural Disaster had, but that was only logical considering it was a considerably worse rune in its current state.

    The only way to test that further would be to break the rune apart and reform it, but he wanted to get a little more testing in before he did that. Now that Crumbling Space had some more power filling it, he could get around two casts off with every recharge.

    Noah didn¡¯t get time to contemplate for much longer. A familiar buzzing sensation raced across his skin and prickled at the back of his neck. He blew out a breath and relaxed his body as blue light enveloped him.

    Then he was gone, a streak of light hurtling through the sky back toward Arbitage.

    ***

    Noah landed in the tube of the transport cannon with a thud and a pained grunt. Tim waved to him from across the room.

    ¡°Welcome back, Vermil. Sorry about the landing. Running on a skeleton of the power we should have had isn¡¯t doing favors for comfort. I hope your trip went well.¡±

    Noah grimaced and rose to his feet, brushing his backside off and straightening his grimoire. It had absorbed a fair bit of the landing impact. He doubted it was too pleased with that, but it would get over it.

    ¡°It certainly went. Have you ever felt like a slab of meat in front of a starving dog? I have decided that I hate octopi and anything tentacle related.¡±

    Tim let out a small laugh. Noah was pretty sure his words had gone right over the man¡¯s head, but that was fine. Nobody was going to understand what he was talking about without any context.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve felt like that recently, but there was a time or two in my younger days,¡± Tim replied. ¡°You made it back untouched, so I should hope that it didn¡¯t go too poorly.¡±

    ¡°I killed the monsters I needed to. Is the Bleached River a common place people visit?¡±

    ¡°Not particularly,¡± Tim replied. ¡°And now? Even less so. Why?¡±

    Good. That means nobody is going to stumble across the pile of corpses I left in the river.

    ¡°Just making sure,¡± Noah said with a shrug.

    ¡°Just in case, I¡¯ve already gone and scrambled the location I sent you to. I did it the moment you were gone,¡± Tim said, rubbing the back of his neck with a shameful expression on his face. ¡°Twice people managed to follow you through the cannon because I never changed its direction. That isn¡¯t happening again.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s definitely a smart move,¡± Noah said with a nod of approval. He reached into his bag and pulled out the Mind Meld potion he¡¯d been carrying around. ¡°So, shall we get to using this? No need to lose time.¡±

    Tim¡¯s eyes sparkled with delight and he nodded. He hooked a foot into the trapdoor and pulled it open, then gestured to Noah. ¡°After you. We shouldn¡¯t be interrupted down here for the time being. Nobody will enter an active investigation area.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it being an active investigation area mean people will enter it?¡±

    ¡°Nope. They call it active, but there¡¯s no new information the Enforcers can get here.¡± Tim shrugged. ¡°What could they do? See a missing artifact? All that remains is a normal energy storage, and the only people that visit are Space Mages that come by to fill it up every morning and night.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Noah said with a grin. ¡°In that case, lead the way.¡±

    Tim clambered down the ladder and Noah followed after him, pulling the trapdoor shut behind him as they went. A few minutes later, they made it all the way down into the core of the cannon.

    The metal was still scorched from where Barb had blasted everything, but most of the damage had been repaired. Tim sat down in the center of the room and Noah handed him the Mind Meld potion before taking a seat across from him.

    ¡°Thanks again for this,¡± Tim said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to properly repay you.¡±

    ¡°Not every gift needs to be repaid. That¡¯s why it¡¯s a gift.¡±

    Tim smiled and raised the potion in a salute before breaking one of the seals and pouring half of it into his mouth. He handed the vial back to Noah, who broke the second seal and drained the rest of it. They both laid down as the potion¡¯s effects took them into its arms and ripped both from the real world and into Tim¡¯s mind.

    Just moments later, Noah found himself standing in Tim¡¯s welcoming soul. Seven runes floated around them ¡ª but only one of them was worth anything. Aside from the Rank 2 True Earth Rune, the rest of Tim¡¯s soul was full of rubbish. Even so, things had come a long way from the last time Noah had visited. Many of the cracks had healed. Tim¡¯s soul was far from strong, but it had recovered by leaps and bounds.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get right to it,¡± Noah said, rubbing his palms together. ¡°What Rune are you thinking of next? And have you thought of what you want to go for with your Rank 3 Rune?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps another True Earth?¡± Tim said after a second of contemplation. ¡°And I¡¯ve been doing a lot of thinking about the future. Perhaps I¡¯m overly optimistic, but I¡¯d like to combine the earth and wind somehow. I¡¯m not sure how I¡¯ll do it yet, but that¡¯s what I¡¯d like.¡±

    ¡°I can tell you from personal experience that you don¡¯t want to combine two different elements too early,¡± Noah said, rubbing his chin. ¡°Maybe wait until you hit Rank 3 to start combining any wind related Runes, but I¡¯ll get one into your soul now so you can use it when the time comes. It¡¯ll also help keep you from unbalancing your soul too much with a ton of Earth Runes.¡±

    ¡°I suspect you know more than I, so I¡¯ll go with your suggestion.¡±

    Noah nodded. ¡°Sounds good. In that case, I¡¯ll start with a Rank 2 True Wind Rune. Your soul looks a lot better than it did before, so we might be able to get several runes replaced today. Just keep an eye on things and let me know how you feel. We don¡¯t want to push too hard and break something.¡±

    Tim matched Noah¡¯s nod. He held a hand out and called one of his poorly made Runes to himself, then turned away from Noah. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m ready.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Noah said, baring his teeth in a grin and calling on Sunder until his veins turned black and power pumped through his veins like adrenaline. ¡°Then let¡¯s get you patched up.¡±

 Chapter 442: Pave the way

    The air on the far side of the transport cannon, opposite to the tube, rippled. Bird¡¯s form materialized from the anomaly and she blew out the breath she¡¯d been holding in her chest. A trickle of sweat rolled down the side of her temple and she wiped it away.

    Her eyes remained locked on the trapdoor that Vermil and Tim had just headed down, but her mind was far more focused on their conversation. Tim had clearly missed the meaning of Noah¡¯s words, but she hadn¡¯t.

    Slab of meat in front of a dog? Talking about tentacles, and he went to the Bleached River?

    A shiver ran down Bird¡¯s spine. She hadn¡¯t exactly been planning on trying to spy on Vermil. She¡¯d just happened to be in the transport cannon when she¡¯d heard the lift activating and rattling up, bearing Vermil¡¯s voice with it.

    She¡¯d cloaked herself and hid in the corner just moments before he and Tim had arrived. It wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d been doing anything out of place. It was just that something about Vermil set her on edge. Up until a few short moments ago, she¡¯d have been relatively willing to bet that he¡¯d just been messing with her.

    But why else would he talk like that if he hadn¡¯t been using his¡­ special fighting style? The monsters he¡¯s talking about are Ridgerils. They¡¯re big and have a lot of tentacles with sharp spines within their suckers, but Rank 3s shouldn¡¯t be that much of a threat to a Rank 4. Especially not one as strong as him.

    The only reason he¡¯d be worried about them is if he was naked. I know I sure as the Damned Plains would have been. I wouldn¡¯t want a tentacle within a hundred feet of myself if I were.

    That can¡¯t be right, though. I refuse to believe that such a stupid strategy actually makes enough of a difference that he¡¯d push himself to such a degree.

    There was only one way to find out. Tim may have scrambled the directions on the cannon, but Bird was no stranger to operating one. She crept over to the panel and her hands played across it, her heart thumping and her fingers stiff.

    If Vermil caught her, it would be difficult to explain what she¡¯d been doing. The King family name would get her out of nearly every single situation, but the strange man didn¡¯t seem to give a shit about propriety in the slightest. It was impossible to predict what he¡¯d do.

    Fortunately, they were deep within the transport cannon and it wasn¡¯t like Tim was the only person allowed to use it. The cannon shuddered as it rotated, redirecting itself, and she locked in place. Her breath caught in her throat as she peeled her ears for several seconds to listen for anyone coming up from below.

    Nobody did. Bird didn¡¯t give herself any longer to celebrate. She pressed her hand into the console and a wave of energy rippled across it. A buzzing hum started to pick up in the room and she stepped around the counter, hurrying over to the tube and laying down in it.

    The cannon would call her back in exactly an hour. Even if there was anyone in the cannon when she returned, she¡¯d be able to claim she was just using it for normal purposes. She¡¯d just have to hope that nobody checked the direction of where it was pointed.

    Any further thoughts were lost as the humming reached a crescendo and a wave of blue light enveloped Bird, yanking her away and sending her body hurtling through the sky.

    Just a short while later, her feet slammed down into sand and she took a stumbling step forward, blinking away the last remnants of confusion from the trip and quickly calling on her runes in case anything was still in the area.

    There was nothing but sand a flowing river. Bird blew out a breath and lowered her hands. The area around her was completely devoid of any threat for the time being. It was pristine and untouched, as if nobody had been here in quite some time.

    Bird¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t right,¡± she muttered under her breath, turning in a circle to make sure she hadn¡¯t missed something. ¡°This is the standard location to visit the Bleached River at, but there¡¯s no way Vermil was here. The sand is untouched and there isn¡¯t even a single dead monster.¡±

    There¡¯s no way I misheard them or they were speaking in code, were they?

    Bird shook her head. That was impossible. Everything made far too much sense for that to be the case. This is where Vermil had gone. And that could mean only one thing. A prickle bit at the back of Bird¡¯s spine.

    Tim must have changed the preset location to send Vermil somewhere else in the Bleached River. But¡­ the understanding that would require of the transport cannon is ridiculous.

    Every single regulation says not to modify the coordinates that were preset for every location, especially on the fly. There are so many changing variables and possible ways things could go wrong that you¡¯d need to literally be a genius in order to target it properly and avoid embedding your target in the middle of the ground instead of above it.

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    Bird swallowed. Her disbelief was irrelevant. Vermil had been in this area, but he definitely hadn¡¯t been here. She only had an hour to figure out where he had been, but she was Otto¡¯s right hand for a reason. Wherever Vermil had been, she¡¯d sniff him out.

    ***

    And, just about ten minutes before her time in the Bleached River ran out, Bird found what she was looking for. Her senses had picked up on fading remains of magical energy just at the edges of her awareness and she¡¯d sprinted the entire way over.

    Bird¡¯s face went pale when the scene came into view. It was carnage. Warped planes of glass covered the sand where it had been melted together. Bloody streaks covered the edges of the scarred riverbank along with chunks of blackened flesh.

    She approached the river, her senses peeled to the max, and prepared to leap back. Ridgerils were ambush predators. They always made their first move whenever anybody grew close to their hiding spots within the riverbank, just beneath the water.

    Nothing struck. Bird¡¯s frown deepened. She edged closer to the rushing river and peered into it. Within its churning depths, she could just barely see a Ridgeril¡¯s body impaled on a jutting stone.

    Bird spun and strode down the bank with the flow of water, running for nearly five minutes. Whenever she glanced into the water, she found another corpse that the river had yet to wash away. Her face grew paler with every step she took.

    Nothing had attacked her. Ridrerils weren¡¯t clever. If they¡¯d been there, one of them would have struck. And that could only mean one thing. Vermil had cleared every single monster in the immediate area out.

    Even if the river had washed most of their bodies away, there was no way to deny it. Bird tugged on her hair and chewed her lower lip as she tried to figure out what her next step would be.

    Even if she wanted to show anyone, the Ridgeril population would likely recover by the time she got them over. She¡¯d only managed to notice anything because she¡¯d arrived so quickly after Vermil had left.

    The other monsters in the river should move down when they realize that there¡¯s open space that they don¡¯t have to fight to keep. I¡¯m the only one who¡¯ll know about this. But¡­ what would telling anyone do?

    Otto wouldn¡¯t care. He doesn¡¯t want power. Just interesting runes and money ¡ª which are admittedly the same thing. I don¡¯t have a reason to report to anyone other than Otto. The only person this can benefit is me.

    Benefit felt like a strong word, but the results were staring her in the face. Vermil had wiped out a ridiculous number of monsters. Even if they were just Rank 3s, he¡¯d made it very clear exactly how he¡¯d done it when he was speaking with Tim. Bird was certain that he hadn¡¯t been using any sort of code now.

    But, beyond that, the style of fighting he used was secret. Vermil hadn¡¯t revealed exactly how he¡¯d fought the octopi to Tim. He¡¯d just hinted at it.

    Did he intentionally gift this to me to test me? Is Vermil a genius, a pervert, or a moron? I can¡¯t tell.

    Bird bit down on her lower lip and clenched her fists. All the thinking in the world wouldn¡¯t change the information she had. Her duty, both as a mage and as a retainer to Otto of the King family, was to seek out power and information.

    It didn¡¯t matter what her target was. All that mattered was results ¡ª and results were abundant. Bird suppressed a groan. A rather large part of her wished that she¡¯d never activated the transport cannon today. Better yet, she wished she¡¯d just stayed at home.

    But there wasn¡¯t any way around it now. The lure of knowledge was planted in her mind, and she wouldn¡¯t rest until she knew if it was true or not. Power was far too rare to come by for her to just pass it up due to stupid sensibilities. Bird set her jaw.

    I¡¯m going to actually have to test this fighting style out ¡ª just somewhere where absolutely nobody has even the slightest chance of ever seeing me. If they do, I think I might actually die of embarrassment on the spot.

    ***

    Four runes and an application of the Fragment of Renewal later, the Mind Meld potion wore off. Noah and Tim both sat up in the core of the Transport Cannon. They rose to their feet and shook off the potion¡¯s last effects.

    Tim¡¯s grinned at Noah. The childlike delight on the man¡¯s face was contagious. ¡°Quite a successful session this time around, Vermil. You must have improved since the last time.¡±

    ¡°Me? Forget me. I barely did anything. You were incredible!¡± Noah exclaimed, giving Tim a light punch in the shoulder. ¡°Your soul is improving by leaps and bounds, Tim. We¡¯ll only need one more shot at this before you¡¯re completely ready.¡±

    ¡°I can hardly take any credit for anything,¡± Tim said, holding his hands up. ¡°But I won¡¯t press the matter any further for the sake of our agreement to keep things to the sanctuary of our minds.¡±

    ¡°Probably a good idea,¡± Noah said. ¡°Tomorrow. Meet me here again, same time. We¡¯re finishing this. No more delays.¡±

    Tim swallowed, then nodded. ¡°I will. Thank you, Vermil. I know I¡¯ve said it before, but thank you.¡±

    ¡°Think nothing of it,¡± Noah said. ¡°Remember. Tomorrow. Same time. Until then, I¡¯ve got some more work to handle. There¡¯s an advanced track meeting coming up tomorrow, and the exam isn¡¯t too far away either. I don¡¯t suppose you know anything about it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Tim said with a chuckle. ¡°Do you really think your students would need the help?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah replied. ¡°I was just curious. I¡¯ve got complete faith in them. I¡¯m quite looking forward to the exam. It¡¯ll be a chance for them to show how far they¡¯ve come ¡ª not just to everyone else, but also to themselves.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t even slightly concerned about the enemies you¡¯ve drummed up?¡± Tim asked with a nervous frown. ¡°I¡¯ve got faith in your students as well, but they don¡¯t have an easy road ahead of them. Jalen was telling me about the situation, and it sounds like some people might try to interfere with them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know.¡± A grin pulled across Noah¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯m counting on it. You can¡¯t carve a path to the top of the mountain without stepping stones to pave the way.¡±

 Chapter 443: Flowering

    Moxie sat in the thick forest of her mindspace and looked out over her Runes, a contemplative frown on her lips. All seven of them were full. She¡¯d gotten back to where she¡¯d been before her runes had been shattered at the Torrin estate.

    Seven flawless runes, when she hadn¡¯t even known that there had been a stage beyond perfect just a short while ago. And yet, before all the insanity with flawless runes and everything she¡¯d learned in the last few months, she¡¯d known the direction her Rank 4 rune would go.

    Now she wasn¡¯t so sure.

    Moxie rolled a vine between her fingers and drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It was tempting to just sit there and think. Thinking was easy. It didn¡¯t require action. If one wasn¡¯t careful, it would just keep pushing the subject at hand back until it was too late to deal with.

    That wasn¡¯t to say there wasn¡¯t a time and place for thinking. She¡¯d just gotten to the point where, perhaps, a different strategy was in order. One more inspired by Noah.

    When thinking doesn¡¯t get me anywhere, then it¡¯s probably time to just do some stupid shit and see what happens. It¡¯s a damn good thing we¡¯ve got Sunder. If we didn¡¯t, even so much as thinking about throwing something together without extensive planning would be a stupid move.

    Moxie uncrossed her legs and rose to her feet. The plants around her feet rose up, lifting her into the air above the forest so she could look down on all of her runes at once. They crackled and hummed with pressure. It was as if waiting for her to make a decision.

    But, even if she was going to brute forcing things, she wasn¡¯t about to just throw everything together into a random Rank 4. It needed a goal. The goal couldn¡¯t be too broad, nor could it be too narrow. She and Noah had learned that for sure, so any rune she made had to fall in line if she didn¡¯t want it to be a guaranteed waste of time and energy.

    She still knew the general path that the Torrin retainers were meant to take. It was quite simple. Just keep stacking on thorny vines and sharp trees. Avoid just about everything else. It was a straightforward path. As long as one used Torrin runes the whole way up, it would take them right up to Rank 5.

    Moxie¡¯s lips curled in distaste. She held a hand out and vines twisted up from the pillar supporting her, traveling up her arm and gathering in her palm. A small red bud sprouted from one of them, peeling open to reveal a four-petaled flower.

    Evergreen wouldn¡¯t have approved of this at all. She¡¯d judge it as a completely worthless Rune. Adding Sprouting Plant into my mix doesn¡¯t give me any direct offensive capabilities and strays from my purposes as a retainer.

    That¡¯s probably what she would have said.

    Moxie let out a small laugh. More buds bloomed along the vine, dotting its entirety with flowers. Evergreen wasn¡¯t around to tell her what she could and couldn¡¯t do anymore. And, even if the flowers were a complete waste and ruined her progression completely, Noah could just sever the Rank 4 Rune she made and there would be another chance to do things differently.

    Her chest tightened at the thought, and it struck her with startling clarity that she didn¡¯t want to do things differently. A blush reddened her cheeks.

    ¡°How childish am I?¡± Moxie muttered to herself, running a hand along the petals of a flower. ¡°Wanting to have flowers in my combination so badly that I¡¯m getting worked up over the idea of it not working out. I haven¡¯t even tried doing it yet.¡±

    There was no answer. She was alone in her mind. But, even so, she could almost hear what Noah¡¯s answer would have been had he been there.

    Who gives a shit? Just do what you want and make a rune that fits you.

    Moxie set her jaw. It wasn¡¯t like her desires were completely unfounded. The vines holding her up in the air retracted until they brought her back down to the ground, then withered away.

    From the dry pile sprouted flowers, larger than the ones before them. Moxie watched silently as they grew, then withered and died away as well. It was a process she¡¯d been spending quite a bit of time studying as of late.

    Noah¡¯s suggestion to make her pattern the entire life cycle of a plant had been quite effective. Plants were surprisingly complex. There was so much that went on within them that it was borderline impossible to understand completely at her current stage.

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    But, by taking just a single step back and looking at them as a whole rather than their individual parts, Moxie entered a realm in which she was far more familiar. Life and death were no strange concepts to her and plants were the perfect actors in the play.

    Add magic and they grew. Take it from them and the life left with it, causing them to wither away. Flowers sprouted around her feet as she drew breath in and died as she exhaled, their power taken to fuel the next generation.

    It was meditative, in a strange way. Life and death were just two sides of the same spinning coin. That was a powerful concept. Of that, Moxie was certain. She just wasn¡¯t sure how it would play into her current rune.

    Neither life nor death was a concept that a Rank 4 Rune was ever going to be able to fully encapsulate. And yet, runes were patterns. Noah had stressed that over and over again ¡ª and the more Moxie studied her own pattern, the more she came to see what he was talking about.

    Even if the exact concepts within her pattern were too high-level to actually grasp with a Rank 4, that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t draw from them. Moxie let the pattern fade away and stepped over the pile of dead foliage, bringing her hands together.

    The runes floating around her soul shifted. They rose and floated over to gather before her, looking down on her like seven churning eyes.

    Sprouting Plant

    Sprouting Plant

    Sprouting Plant

    Bloodletting Plant

    Bloodletting Plant

    Sowed Earth

    Sowed Earth

    ¡°I definitely have a preference, don¡¯t I?¡± Moxie asked rhetorically with a wry smile. ¡°Noah¡¯s right. I¡¯m not going to try to avoid it. There¡¯s no reason. We¡¯re just going to do this his way. I know what I want, and I¡¯m going to get it.¡±

    Her hands tightened. The runes shuddered and grew nearer. Energy crackled as their edges touched and started to overlap. Moxie focused her intent. She¡¯d come to learn quite a bit about the earth and plants in her time alive. Every single bit of information and knowledge she had would be vital.

    I might be greedy, but I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m tired of standing aside and setting my own desires out of the way to do the thing that¡¯s been requested of me. It might be wrong of me to admit this, but I rather liked the Torrins, even if I hated Evergreen.

    I like teaching Emily. When I was forced to be her guardian, I didn¡¯t truly hate it. Not at the time. I was okay with living as I was told and just existing according to Evergreen¡¯s will. That hasn¡¯t been the case for a long time.

    My runes are the last holdout. They¡¯re the only things I haven¡¯t taken back for myself. That changes now. My next Rank 4 is mine. Nobody else¡¯s. It¡¯s going to be exactly what I want I to be, and I want some damn flowers.

    Moxie pulled her hands apart. Then she clapped them together, shoving the runes together with a burst of will. A brilliant crack rang out through her soul as the runes merged. A wave of power blew her hair back and she gritted her teeth, focusing every scrap of her will.

    Energy churned like a furious storm trapped within the confines of her soul. Moxie wrapped bands of will around the glowing mass of runic energy as it fought against her, trying to break free.

    She gave it no quarter. Her intent was unflinching. She didn¡¯t care if it was the right intent or if it was optimized to be the perfect warrior. She didn¡¯t care what the most powerful or efficient runes had been researched to be.

    The only thing she cared about was the rune she wanted. And, in that, she was unshakable. She knew what she wanted, and the rune would become the manifestation of her desire. There would be no room for argument. No open spots for her intent to falter or leave a command unsaid.

    A brilliant flash of light lit her mindspace up. It was followed by a powerful wave of pressure that slammed into Moxie¡¯s chest like a six-foot wave. She staggered back and held her hands up, blinking furiously through the blobs of white that swam through her vision.

    She¡¯d made a Rank 4 Rune. Excitement bubbled in her stomach but she forced it down. Reaching Rank 4 was admirable, yes, but there would be no celebration until she saw if she¡¯d been successful.

    Moxie lowered her hands and squinted in the direction of the rune ¡ª and there she saw it.

    Flowering Genesis

    The rune was ten percent full. A laugh slipped out of Moxie¡¯s mouth and she finally let her hands drop. A tear ran down the side of her face, but she barely even noticed it. She¡¯d formed a Rank 4 Rune ¡ª not the one she¡¯d been told to make, but one she¡¯d decided on entirely of her own volition.

    Moxie drew power from the rune and tested the pressure that came off it. Power pressed into Moxie¡¯s face like a strong wind, but it didn¡¯t change or falter. She could barely believe it, but it was impossible to deny. As she tested out different parts of the rune, pulling the power into her body and letting it dissipate, there was no denying what she saw.

    The rune wasn¡¯t just perfect. It was flawless.

    I guess I might not need Sunder this time around, Noah. I managed this one all on my own.

    She knew that wasn¡¯t entirely true, and it only made her smile stretch wider still. Even if Noah hadn¡¯t been physically beside her, he¡¯d still somehow been there in word and spirit. The rune was hers through and through, but it wouldn¡¯t have ever so much as taken shape without him.

    Moxie let her eyes drift open in the real world, leaving her mindspace behind and returning to her room. The world around her felt sharper ¡ª clearer, as if she could see in every direction rather than just through her eyes. In a way, she could.

    Her domain had revealed itself.

    Moxie had reached Rank 4.

 Chapter 444: Rank 4

    Now that Tim¡¯s Runes were just about completely repaired, Noah headed back to the T building. It had been a little bit since he¡¯d last had a chance to sit down and practice with his violin.

    Between teaching the kids, the shitshow that Wizen had caused, and all the other responsibilities he¡¯d landed himself with, there wasn¡¯t as much time for freedom as there had been before.

    He drew up to the door and went to push it open. Noah froze. His domain prickled. There was another mage with a domain on the other side of the door. His eyes narrowed and he drew on his Runes.

    They knew a number of people that had domains, so there was no need to go in swinging, but precaution never hurt anybody. Noah pushed and the door swung open. He strode inside, Natural Disaster primed and at the ready, only to find that Moxie and Lee were the only ones inside.

    Lee had perched herself on top of the desk and was chewing a strip of jerky while Moxie had a small flower growing from a seed cupped within her hands. They both looked over to him as he entered.

    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re back,¡± Moxie said casually. ¡°How¡¯d it go with Tim?¡±

    Noah stared at her. It took him a second longer to register that the domain didn¡¯t belong to another mage. It was coming from Moxie.

    ¡°You are not going to play this cool,¡± Noah said, striding over to her. Moxie burst into laughter and the flower in her palms withered away as he lifted her off the bed and spun her around. ¡°Did you seriously wait until I left to advance? How¡¯d it go? Does your Rune need any reworking? I¡¯ve already used the Fragment, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Noah,¡± Moxie said, putting a hand on his chest. ¡°And it went really well. I didn¡¯t exactly wait for you to leave, but the thought did strike me that it would be pretty funny if I ended up reaching Rank 4 before you got back.¡±

    ¡°Moxie was bouncing around waiting for you to return,¡± Lee put in as she stuffed the rest of the jerky into her mouth. ¡°She only sat back down when I smelled you coming.¡±

    ¡°We agreed you were not going to mention that!¡± Moxie exclaimed. ¡°I bribed you!¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Lee looked down at her now-empty hands. ¡°I forgot once I ran out of food.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a horrible excuse, and it doesn¡¯t even work when you started ratting me out before you even finished eating.¡±

    ¡°I have a very advanced mind,¡± Lee said. She swallowed, then flashed them a toothy grin. ¡°I think several steps ahead. Unfortunately for you, several steps ahead meant I¡¯ve already finished your food in my mind by the time I spoke.¡±

    Moxie blew out an exasperated breath and thunked her head against Noah¡¯s chest. ¡°Well, I got to feel cool for a moment.¡±

    Noah pulled her into a hug and ruffled her hair. ¡°You¡¯re always cool. You didn¡¯t say if the Rune needs to be modified, though. I still can¡¯t really tell power from domains yet, so I can¡¯t tell if yours is strong or not.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I do, actually,¡± Moxie said. She moved to step back and Noah released her. Her brow furrowed in concentration for a moment and she shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve drawn on its power several times, trying to use different components of it. The pressure doesn¡¯t change.¡±

    ¡°Well damn,¡± Noah said, his grin growing even wider. ¡°You managed a Flawless Rune on your literal first attempt? What¡¯s the name of the rune you made?¡±

    ¡°Flowering Genesis,¡± Moxie replied, a touch of color entering her cheeks. ¡°The name is a bit pretentious; I know.¡±

    ¡°It sounds cool,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°I¡¯m with her,¡± Noah said, nodding to Lee. ¡°What does it actually do? It¡¯s a little abstract. Did you test to make sure the magic isn¡¯t too high level for a Rank 4?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing. Well, kind of. I¡¯ve been a tad distracted bouncing around, as Lee put it,¡± Moxie said with an exasperated huff. She reached into a pocket in her jacket and pulled out another seed.

    Pinching the seed between two fingers, Moxie pursed her lips. Energy prickled against Noah¡¯s domain. His domain and Moxie¡¯s seemed roughly matched, so her magic functioned without impedance.

    The seed cracked apart and a green sprig curled out from within it, quickly blooming into a flower. Noah watched it expectantly, but nothing else happened. He looked back to Moxie, who had a smug expression on her face.

    ¡°I think I might be missing something,¡± Noah said. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty flower, but I don¡¯t see what you did with the Rank 4 that you wouldn¡¯t have been able to do with a Rank 3.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hint,¡± Moxie said.

    The flower withered away. Noah¡¯s brow creased, digging through his thoughts as he attempted to find what he was missing.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any death related runes in there, do you?¡± Noah asked.

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    Moxie¡¯s grin expanded as she shook her head. ¡°None. I did take your advice in the life and death cycle of plants, but I have no idea where I¡¯d even get a Death Rune ¡ª much less how one of those would be made. I don¡¯t think it would be pleasant, and it certainly wouldn¡¯t be easy to find.¡±

    ¡°Then the plant is dying because you¡¯re cutting off power to it?¡± Noah guessed.

    She gave him an encouraging nod, then gestured for him to keep going. Moxie was definitely enjoying this.

    Why would a plant die after she stopped giving it power? All the other plants she¡¯s worked with stay around afterward. I¡¯ve assumed they just eat the magic she gives them and remain in their new state or something like that.

    Her bed is proof of that. There¡¯s no way Moxie is constantly wasting magical energy to keep it alive. Those plants are just¡­ there. So why are these flowers just randomly dying the moment the magic fades?

    ¡°These new flowers are closer to a bolt of lightning than an actual flower, aren¡¯t they?¡± Noah mused. ¡°They¡¯re so heavily reliant on magic that they can¡¯t sustain themselves normally like a regular plant can ¡ª or maybe they aren¡¯t a regular plant at all and are literally just pure magic?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re getting closer,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Do you give up?¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Noah said, holding a hand up. His nose scrunched and he chewed his lower lip. The answer wasn¡¯t coming to him. The plants were clearly different than her normal ones, but he just had no way to tell how. ¡°Okay, okay. You win. What¡¯s different about them?¡±

    ¡°These seeds are dead,¡± Moxie said. ¡°And I don¡¯t even need them. Take a look at this.¡±

    She pressed her hand to the desk. A green sprout pushed out of the wood and bloomed into a red-petaled flower beside her hand in moments. Noah blinked, his confusion only growing.

    ¡°Okay. You¡¯ve lost me. How are you making flowers without seeds? The first rule of magic at our rank is that we need something to start with. I¡¯m far from a tree expert, but I don¡¯t think flowers can sprout from wood.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because Flowering Genesis isn¡¯t trying to make plants sprout,¡± Moxie said. ¡°It makes flowers from organic matter. Anything that has the potential to live or used to live ¡ª I can use it. I can control the kind of flower as well.¡±

    ¡°Wait. Anything?¡± Noah asked, his eyes widening. ¡°Does that include currently living things?¡±

    ¡°As long as they don¡¯t have a domain stronger than mine, yes. Lee brought in a squirrel and I may have done a quick test before she put it out of its misery. I don¡¯t think it would work against someone with a domain that repressed my magic, but if I was stronger¡­¡± She trailed off and shrugged.

    Noah swallowed. That was a terrifying prospect. He still vaguely remembered a rumor that had gone around back when he¡¯d still been a child in school. Kids had said that eating a watermelon seed whole could cause it to sprout inside his stomach.

    That had been fake, of course, but it looked like Moxie had managed to make that particular nightmare a potential reality for her opponents.

    While he stared off into space and considered the ramifications of Moxie¡¯s new abilities, she picked a book up off her desk and flipped through it, the smug satisfaction on her face only growing with every passing second. ¡°And when I said I can control the flowers, I did mean it.¡±

    She turned the book around so Noah could look at its pages. It was a treatise on poisonous plants. He looked back over to her.

    ¡°Has anyone ever told you how terrifying you could be before this? You¡¯re going to end up in someone¡¯s nightmares.¡±

    ¡°She can also make tasty flowers,¡± Lee added, hopping down from the desk. ¡°We have an infinite food source.¡±

    Noah sent a querying look to Moxie who let out a sigh. ¡°Tasty is an exaggeration. I made a fluffy looking one and she ate it before I could stop her. I¡¯m still not actually sure what it was meant to be. It definitely wasn¡¯t edible. I¡¯m still nowhere near actually making proper poison yet. The idea honestly just hit me right after I formed my Rank 4 Rune and I ran over to the library to grab this. I¡¯m hoping I¡¯ll figure it out soon.¡±

    ¡°Everything is edible. Your stomach is just cowardly,¡± Lee said. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned, and a flicker of sadness passed over her features. ¡°But we¡¯re all Rank 4 now, even if my rune sucks.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t suck,¡± Noah said. Lee glanced away from him and he put his hands on her shoulders, gently pulling her face back to look at him. ¡°Hey. Lee, look at me. The problem isn¡¯t that your rune isn¡¯t strong. The problem is that it¡¯s too strong. You¡¯re actively holding yourself back to avoid losing who you are. If you wanted to, you could become incredibly strong. That kind of sacrifice requires a lot more than just magical strength.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Lee muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fall behind, but I still want to be me. Why is being a demon so unfair?¡±

    ¡°Because you can¡¯t get power without giving something up,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Demons are far stronger than humans of an equivalent rank, but no amount of power is worth becoming a monster. I¡¯d take you over Azel any day.¡±

    Lee gave them a small smile. ¡°Thanks. I didn¡¯t mean to take away from your achievement, Moxie. I¡¯m really happy you reached Rank 4.¡±

    Moxie scooped both Lee and Noah into a hug and squeezed them tightly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with having feelings, Lee. You can be happy about something and sad about something else at the same time. I¡¯m never going to get mad at you for having emotions. I can¡¯t imagine how you feel so I won¡¯t pretend otherwise, but we¡¯re both here to support you with anything we can.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Lee said, her voice muffled from being squeezed against Noah and Moxie.

    ¡°And we¡¯ll find a way to make sure you can get your rune completely under control,¡± Noah promised. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t lose yourself and you won¡¯t fall behind.¡±

    Lee¡¯s arms tightened around both of them and she nodded mutely. A second passed. Then her stomach grumbled.

    They all burst into laughter and stepped back as Lee¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°My stomach heard what you said about having different emotions and decided it was hungry.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go get something to eat,¡± Noah said. He paused to swing by the closet and stuff several changes of clothes that he had hanging in it into his bag. ¡°Maybe we can grab the students as well. It¡¯ll be a good opportunity to sync up before the advanced track meeting tomorrow.¡±

    Lee wiped her face with the back of a sleeve and then looked up at him with a flicker of excitement. Noah wasn¡¯t sure how much of it was real and how much was her hiding her true feelings, but he didn¡¯t press the matter.

    ¡°Are we going to eat a bunch more food at the meeting?¡± Lee asked. ¡°That was fun.¡±

    ¡°We very well might.¡± Noah nodded. ¡°The best thing we can do is be prepared ¡ª but we can worry about that after eating.¡±

    ¡°Everything is better after eating,¡± Lee said with a sage nod, and they filed out of the room in search of their students and a meal.

    For better or for worse, the three of them were all finally Rank 4.

 Chapter 445: No more questions

    It took around an hour to herd up all the students from the various locations they were training in, but Noah managed to gather everyone. That came with the slight added problem of actually finding somewhere they could eat and talk without anyone overhearing what they were saying.

    The solution turned out to be sending a food cart vendor home early for the day after buying just about everything he had. They brought everything over to Moxie¡¯s classroom and laid it out on the tables while setting aside around half of it for Lee.

    Noah let everyone have a few minutes to eat before he got things started properly. The kids already knew a fair bit about the situation and there really wasn¡¯t anything that was much of a surprise.

    They already had a plan from the previous meeting that had worked quite well. Verrud and Jakob had broken off their attempts before they¡¯d used up every strategy they had, which was quite convenient. It meant they hardly even had to do any extra planning.

    The most important thing they could do was to keep anyone from getting close to Isabel and Emily. While Noah hadn¡¯t told anyone about Isabel¡¯s secret, it was pretty clear that she¡¯d mentioned something to the other students. Noah didn¡¯t press to find out.

    The kids trusted each other. That was all that mattered. He didn¡¯t need to know every detail of what they¡¯d spoken about when the results kept them safe.

    Moxie and Lee went back over some of the strategies that they¡¯d yet to employ throughout the rest of lunch. Chances were that nobody needed review, but being prepared never hurt.

    Eventually, the food and conversation ran out. There was only so much detail that they could go into preparations without knowing what Verrud and Jakob would actually try to do. All anybody could do was be prepared to adapt.

    With that, Noah gave everyone the next class off to prepare for the advanced track meeting the following night and dismissed them. The kids filed out of the room, thanking Noah and Moxie for the meal as they left.

    ¡°That was nice,¡± Noah said, sinking down in his chair with a sigh. He rocked it onto its back legs and patted his stomach. ¡°And I think I ate too much.¡±

    ¡°You need to train your stomach muscles better,¡± Lee advised. ¡°Every time you eat is like lifting a heavy weight. The more you use your stomach, the stronger it will become.¡±

    ¡°You know what? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works for humans,¡± Noah said with a laugh. Moxie walked up behind him and put her hands on the back of his chair, steadying it. Noah craned his neck back to look up at her from below and she leaned down to give him a kiss.

    ¡°You taste like meat pies,¡± Moxie informed him as she pulled back.

    ¡°What a coincidence. So do you.¡±

    Moxie laughed and pushed the chair forward so it was upright again. ¡°Don¡¯t go breaking the chairs in my classroom. They¡¯re meant for kids, not an adult.¡±

    ¡°Bah. You don¡¯t even use the thing anymore. My windy old crappy room is far more picturesque.¡±

    ¡°More spots to hide there too,¡± Lee added. ¡°I like the holes in the ceiling. It¡¯s easy to sit in them and watch what people are doing below you.¡±

    ¡°There are holes in the ceiling?¡± Noah asked, blinking. ¡°More than the one in the center of the room?¡±

    Lee grinned in response. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you where. They¡¯re mine.¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose it hardly matters. It¡¯s not like anyone else can use them and there¡¯s no way Arbitage is going to repair the old place. They¡¯d have done that already if they were planning to.¡± Noah waved a hand, then pushed himself to his feet with more than a little effort. He¡¯d definitely eaten a few too many meat pies. ¡°Is there anything we¡¯ve got to cover for the meeting tomorrow that we haven¡¯t already done?¡±

    Moxie shook her head. She started to gather the leftover paper from all the food. Noah and Lee joined her, though about a quarter of the papers Lee picked up vanished into her mouth when the others weren¡¯t looking.

    Once they¡¯d gotten everything that Lee hadn¡¯t eaten, Moxie took it and scrunched it into a ball. Her brow furrowed in concentration. A second later, the paper started to crackle. A stem rose up from it.

    It grew thicker and the amount of paper shrank, flowing into its stem. The flower grew to nearly two feet, forming a white bud the size of a head. It bloomed open as the last of the paper vanished into it, then withered away in Moxie¡¯s hands until it was nothing but a dried stem.

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    ¡°Convenient, huh?¡± Moxie asked, holding up the stem. She slipped it into one of her shirt sleeves. ¡°I¡¯ll study this more later. As for tomorrow¡¯s meeting, I think there¡¯s only so much prep anyone can actually do. Unless you¡¯ve got Mind Runes, we can¡¯t read Jakob or Verrud¡¯s minds.¡±

    Noah grimaced and went about returning the chairs in the room to their proper places. ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass on a Mind Rune. Just having one seems disgusting. I¡¯ve got no interest in that kind of power. You¡¯re probably right, though. If there¡¯s nothing else we can prepare, how about we head back to your room and practice? Your new Rune is, as you mentioned, really suited to your pattern ¡ª and I haven¡¯t had a chance to play my violin recently.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m never going to say no to you playing music for me, so I¡¯m sold,¡± Moxie said. ¡°You coming with us, Lee?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Lee said. ¡°Can I eat the flowers when you¡¯re done with them?¡±

    ¡°That may not be the best idea,¡± Moxie said with a small frown. ¡°They could be poisonous.¡±

    ¡°To you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, fair point,¡± Moxie admitted. ¡°Sure. I don¡¯t see why not. Just do it slowly. I don¡¯t want to find out that I¡¯ve accidentally created demon poison.¡±

    ¡°The day I find something I can¡¯t eat is the day.¡±

    Noah pulled the door open and paused, glancing back at Lee and waiting for her to finish the sentence. She didn¡¯t. She just stared at him.

    ¡°What?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°The day you find something you can¡¯t eat is the day what?¡± Noah asked. ¡°There¡¯s another bit to that phrase."

    "Oh. Yeah, I haven¡¯t figured it out yet,¡± Lee replied. She scratched at the side of her neck. ¡°I¡¯ll get it once I find something I can¡¯t eat. I haven¡¯t done that bit yet, though.¡±

    ¡°Huh. Fair enough,¡± Noah said. ¡°Shall we? There¡¯s a whole day ahead of us before we¡¯ve got to put up with the idiots again.¡±

    Lee bounced past him and Moxie followed after her, flashing Noah a grin as she passed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I deal with an idiot every day.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dating the idiot. What does that make you?¡±

    Moxie snorted and linked her arm through his. Lee fell in beside them and the three walked back to her room together.

    ***

    The next day flew by quickly. As Noah had suggested, he spent the entire time practicing his violin. Moxie alternated between listening and working on her own pattern, and Noah occasionally took a break from his music to give her pointers or take a look at her progress.

    The Flowering Genesis Rune definitely suited the pattern really well. The only issue was that it required magic to actually use the pattern. That wasn¡¯t the same as putting magic into the pattern, but it was adjacent.

    That wasn¡¯t as big of an issue as it might have been if Moxie were a student. She¡¯d been using magic for a lot longer than the others had and had more than enough control over her abilities to make sure she didn¡¯t mistakenly use power where she didn¡¯t mean to ¡ª especially while they were in a room without any real distractions other than the occasional munching that came from where Lee sat on the bed.

    But, as all things had to, it came to an end. They slept for a few hours, then resumed practice all the way up until there was only a little more than hour until the advanced track meeting was set to start.

    Part of Noah wished they could just skip the whole thing. He crushed the thought. The meeting was too important to ignore, no matter how much fun he was having. It wasn¡¯t just about the students either ¡ª Otto and several other important people would be present. Skipping out was just lost potential.

    So, with just a little annoyance at having to put up with more bullshit from the idiots after his students, he set out together with Lee and Moxie to their meeting point at the transport cannon.

    The kids were all already present and waiting in a small circle. Nobody else was in the area ¡ª there really wasn¡¯t much reason for others to hang around transport cannon when its usage was restricted.

    I wonder what Tim¡¯s been up to since he can¡¯t run the cannon as much as before. I hope he¡¯s just messing around with his new Runes and finding other things to occupy himself, but I know how much he loved the cannon. If for that reason alone, I need to get that damn key back from Wizen.

    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Moxie asked, holding a hand up to block the setting sun from getting into her eyes. ¡°Any questions or observations before we head out and get things started?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got one,¡± Lee said, raising her hand.

    ¡°I do not have any jerky in my bag.¡±

    ¡°You are lying. Front pocket. Left corner.¡±

    Moxie reached into her bag in the location that Lee had indicated, then blinked. She pulled a strip of meat out with a baffled expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t put this here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I know. I did,¡± Lee said, taking it from Moxie¡¯s hands and chowing down. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to carry it around. I no longer have a question.¡±

    Moxie let out a sigh. ¡°Thank you, Lee. Does anyone else have a question? Preferably about the advanced track meeting and not other topics? I¡¯m always open to help with other matters when we¡¯re a little bit less occupied.¡±

    ¡°What other matters?¡± Alexandra asked.

    Noah bit back a laugh at the exasperation on Moxie¡¯s face.

    ¡°Whichever ones you want,¡± Moxie said, rubbing her nose between the bridge of her fingers.

    Lee slipped Alexandra a strip of jerky. Moxie caught the motion and narrowed her eyes, but Alexandra just gave her a small shrug and took a bite out of her ill-begotten gains.

    Did Lee pay Alexandra off to ask that? She¡¯s turning into quite the little prankster.

    ¡°At least nobody is worried,¡± Moxie said with a defeated laugh. ¡°Come on, then. Let¡¯s head over to the meeting and see how many people we can make cry before we¡¯re done for the night.¡±

 Chapter 446: A request

    A number of other professors had already arrived by the time that they got to the advanced track meeting. Several students were sparring or eating and the hall was filled with conversation.

    Noah¡¯s group made their way over to the table, led by Lee. She plopped herself down right beside Gero and waved to him. He didn¡¯t even mutter a word of greeting. He just took a large chicken drumstick off his plate and handed it to her.

    It looks like Gero might understand Lee more than any of the other people in the advanced track. That¡¯s interesting. He¡¯s not at all talkative and I¡¯m not all that inclined to like him after he went after Alexandra, but he¡¯s clearly quite observant.

    Then again, it¡¯s not all that hard to tell that Lee likes food. It wasn¡¯t that crazy of a guess.

    Noah¡¯s students all sat down on the table a short distance from Lee, pinning Emily and Isabel in the center of the group to stop anyone from sitting beside them. Moxie walked over to stand behind them, a vine extending from the sleeve of her shirt to pluck a bread roll from the table and bring it back over to herself. She ripped it in half and handed one of the chunks over to Noah.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said as he took a bite out of it and scanned the room. Jakob and his students had arrived before them but had set up in the corner of the room and were in avid conversation with another professor that Noah didn¡¯t recognize. There was no sign of Verrud yet.

    I wonder if we overplayed our hand a bit too much last time. Did Verrud figure out I was onto him? Eh. I guess we¡¯ll see soon enough.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Ulya heading over from the right side of the room. She raised the glass of wine in her hand slightly in greeting.

    ¡°I thought we were pretending not to know each other too well,¡± Noah said as he gave her a nod. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing all that odd about coming to say hi to someone that just walked in. I was just coming to remind you of the other half of our deal,¡± Ulya said. ¡°I want runes. If we¡¯re working together, I¡¯d like if you could invest a bit more in me now. I¡¯m rebuilding my puppets, and if you¡¯ve got something that can help me, I want it sooner rather than later.¡±

    Fair enough.

    ¡°There¡¯s a secret room in the side of the advanced track area. Go to it in about twenty minutes. I¡¯ll spare you five minutes,¡± Noah said.

    Ulya blinked, then inclined her head. ¡°If you¡¯re sure, then fine. I¡¯ll be there. Thank you.¡±

    You¡¯re the one that asked me. Why are you asking if I¡¯m sure?

    Ulya headed off before Noah could ask her what she was on about. He didn¡¯t want to draw any attention to their conversation, so he let her leave without saying anything else. Having someone in the advanced track that could feed him information when people didn¡¯t know they were working together was too useful of a tool to waste.

    ¡°You heard that, right?¡± Noah asked Moxie.

    She nodded. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll keep an eye out on the kids when you¡¯re messing with her. Lee and I have it covered. It really isn¡¯t that much of a deviation from what we were already planning.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Noah allowed, letting his eyes drift over the room. More professors had arrived in the short time since he¡¯d last checked, and he spotted Silvertide and Tyler speaking with the kind, portly professor from the previous meeting and his student.

    If Noah recalled correctly, the man¡¯s name was George and the girl was Fiona. She was strikingly unmemorable, but he didn¡¯t think that as an insult. Fiona was of average height and had straight brown hair that went down to just above her shoulders.

    Her clothes and features alike were plain and she carried no weapons. Noah would have looked right past her in a crowd if it hadn¡¯t been for her eyes. They were sharp, like two diamonds glistening in milky seas.

    Even from where he stood, he could see her gaze boring into Silvertide and absorbing every single word he said.

    I wonder what her powers are. She¡¯s supposedly the strongest student in the advanced track, but she¡¯s high Rank 3 at most. Alexandra has Body Runes, which should put her toward the peak of Rank 3. I wonder which of them would win in an actual fight.

    It wouldn¡¯t be too long before he¡¯d get a chance to find out.

    Silvertide caught Noah looking in their direction and raised a hand in greeting. Noah¡¯s cheeks reddened but he returned the gesture. George followed Silvertide¡¯s eyes and smiled.

    What are they, both part of the cool old dudes club? Not that I¡¯m complaining. They should extend honorary membership to Tim. Arbitage could use more cool old dudes moving in conjunction.

    Noah continued to scan for Verrud, but the thin man was nowhere to be found. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was something to complain about or not. On one hand, it really did look like Jakob was keeping his distance.

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    On the other, it was vastly preferrable to see both of his enemies and actually know what they were trying to do. It was a lot more nerve-wracking to try and figure out what their plans were than it was to actually deal with them.

    There was only so long he could sit around with Moxie looming over his students. They were finishing their meals and it wouldn¡¯t be long before it would be appropriate for other students to start approaching to spar with them.

    Lee, of course, was still mowing through food alongside Gero. The two were currently matched plate for plate. It was hard to tell if they were trying to have some sort of eating contest or if they were both just all-consuming voids.

    A small frown passed over Noah¡¯s features as he watched Lee. Her Rune was a serious problem. All his words of support would mean nothing if they couldn¡¯t find some way to actually repair it.

    There was the option of having her balance it out with other, normal, Rank 4 Runes, but that didn¡¯t quite seem to align with what Azel had said. He¡¯d implied that Lee was holding herself back by not using Demon Runes.

    I¡¯m not so sure he¡¯s an entirely reliable source, but with how closely runes are tied to Demons, it feels likely that Lee may actually need each of her runes to have some form of demonic connection.

    The runes are literally her body. And, like it or not, she¡¯s a demon. If she starts getting really high-level non-Demon Runes, they could actually start hurting her. In the end, it sounds like Azel actually cared about Lee. Considering he¡¯s the only other demon we know, I think his advice may be the only thing we¡¯ve got to go on.

    Noah let his eyes drift over the room as he thought. It wasn¡¯t like he could just find Demon Runes lying around for Lee to use. Right now, the most important thing they could do would be finding a way to control her existing Rank 4 and stop it from trying to overpower her personality.

    That was easier said than done. He just didn¡¯t have the understanding of demons or how their runes worked that would let him make an intelligent decision ¡ª but that didn¡¯t mean he was out of options.

    There were two people that had a chance of knowing something. The first was Father. He had a good chance of knowing something, but the idea of having to bargain with him filled Noah with distaste.

    The second was Otto. Noah doubted he knew even the slightest bit about Demon Runes if Monster Runes as a concept were new to him, but Otto had been researching the runes that Noah had sold him.

    If he¡¯s figured anything out, then I might be able to use that as a springboard to try and fix Lee¡¯s rune.

    Unfortunately, when Noah glanced over to the spot that Otto had been standing in the previous meeting to see if he was there, there was no sign of the man. He did, however, lock eyes with Bird.

    Bird spotted him looking at her with startling speed and immediately started to head in his direction. Noah suppressed a groan.

    Oh, goddamn it. The absolute last thing I need right now is to speak with her and have someone overhear our conversation. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had a single interaction with Bird in recent times that hasn¡¯t somehow gone wrong.

    Then again, I do have a reputation to upkeep.

    Bird came to a stop before Noah. She cleared her throat, then fiddled with the lapel of her jacket. Noah stared at her, waiting for the woman to say something, but she seemed to be at a loss for words.

    You approached me! You can¡¯t just walk up and say nothing!

    ¡°Is Otto here?¡± Noah asked awkwardly.

    ¡°Otto? No. He can¡¯t make every meeting,¡± Bird said with a shake of her head. She looked over her shoulder before lowering her voice. ¡°I came to speak with you.¡±

    Damn it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to look like you¡¯re dealing drugs while you¡¯re at it,¡± Noah grumbled. ¡°What is it? Does Otto want another rune?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not to do with that. It¡¯s about your¡­ fighting style.¡±

    An image of dozens of squirming octopi flashed through Noah¡¯s mind and it took a supreme force of will to keep from slapping a palm into his forehead.

    ¡°Ah. Yes,¡± Noah forced out. ¡°My fighting style. What about it?¡±

    ¡°Do you use a Shield?¡±

    Noah hid a relieved sigh and his shoulders slumped.

    Oooh. Bird isn¡¯t talking about the stupid naked bullshit I made up. She overheard that I don¡¯t use a Shield and encourage my students to do the same when they¡¯re training. That makes more sense.

    ¡°No. I think they¡¯re crutches. The best way to train is by handling every fight completely naturally,¡± Noah said. ¡°If you¡¯re relying on something to protect you, then you¡¯ll never be able to truly fight on your own. It¡¯s better to toss the extra shit on after you¡¯ve already figured out what you¡¯re doing so it¡¯s an addition rather than an integral part of your identity.¡±

    Bird¡¯s brow furrowed and she nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I think I see what you¡¯re saying. How did you even figure that out?¡±

    ¡°I got to test it out very extensively with a bunch of monkeys in the Scorched Acres,¡± Noah replied with a grimace. ¡°It was not a pleasant experience, but I¡¯ve learned a lot since then. My students use the same techniques and barely even need Shields.¡±

    ¡°Your students too?¡± Bird asked, her eyes going wide.

    ¡°Oh, yeah. They¡¯ve gotten quite good at it. You¡¯ll probably see during one of the exams at some point.¡±

    Bird looked over her shoulder at the students, then back at Noah. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª never mind. Thanks for answering my questions,¡± Bird said. She massaged the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh. ¡°I spent some time studying this technique¡­ and I have to admit that it¡¯s freeing.¡±

    He gave her a knowing nod. ¡°Don¡¯t go spreading it around, please. Feel free to ask me if you¡¯ve got more questions, though. I don¡¯t mind helping out a friend of Otto¡¯s.¡±

    Bird coughed into a fist and looked away. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ uh, keep that in mind. Thank you for the tips.¡±

    She started to turn and Noah raised a hand. ¡°Oh, hold on. I¡¯ve got a request.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Bird winced but stopped to hear him out.

    ¡°Could you ask Otto if he¡¯d be willing to share what he found about the Rune I gave him?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I¡¯m interested in the results.¡±

    Bird¡¯s shoulders relaxed and she nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll pass it along.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    She nodded and headed off, slipping into the crowd. Noah watched her leave, his brow furrowed.

    I wonder what her deal was.

 Chapter 447: March

    It had been a few minutes since Ulya had headed over to the secret room and there really wasn¡¯t any reason that Noah could see to make her wait any longer. Nobody was paying him much attention at the moment, so he had a great opportunity to slip away.

    He stepped into the crowd and made his way over to the hidden room that Otto had brought him to the previous advanced track meeting. Noah slipped into it to find Ulya sitting in one of the chairs, waiting for him.

    He slung the grimoire off his shoulders and set it down beside a chair as he lowered himself into it. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s get this underway, shall we? I¡¯m a bit limited on time and I have no idea what Jakob and Verrud are planning today.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ how does it work?¡± Ulya asked. ¡°And if it helps, my puppet is in the other room keeping an eye on things. Verrud hasn¡¯t shown up to the meeting and Jakob isn¡¯t anywhere near your people. Neither are his students, though it looks like Yulin has been looking in their direction.¡±

    Yulin? She seemed relatively intelligent. Could she be waiting for some sort of signal?

    Noah shook his head. Sitting around in a secret room and wondering wasn¡¯t going to do anyone any good. The sooner he got back out to rejoin the others, the better. He tapped the top of his grimoire. ¡°It works by you telling me what runes you want and me seeing if I can get them to you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Ulya blinked. ¡°Nothing else?¡±

    ¡°I mean, if you ask for something I don¡¯ t have, I can¡¯t give it to you. I¡¯d recommend sticking mostly with Rank 2 Runes if you can. I¡¯ve got one or two higher rank ones floating around, but I¡¯d really rather not give those away.¡±

    Ulya squinted at Noah as if trying to find the trick in his words. His tapping grew faster as he waited for her to come to a decision.

    ¡°How many?¡± Ulya finally asked.

    ¡°They¡¯re Rank 2s. I don¡¯ t know. I¡¯m not trying to give away my whole collection.¡± The grimoire trembled in approval at that, but Noah ignored it. ¡°How many do you need?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more about the type than the number. Silvertide gave me enough to rebuild. I¡¯m trying to do more than just that now. I¡¯m trying to improve. Do you have anything earth, metal, or crystal related?¡± Ulya asked after a moment of thought. ¡°I could use all of those. The more, the better.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing with crystal. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got metal either, but I have a stupid amount of earth.¡± Noah pulled the grimoire forward to rest it against his knees and placed a hand on the cover to pull it open.

    Then he paused. His eyes narrowed and he leaned down to look at the grimore¡¯s cover. ¡°Runes, you hear me?¡±

    The grimoire remained still.

    ¡°If I see a pair of tits, I¡¯m ripping you in half,¡± Noah said. He leaned back, ignoring the baffled look on Ulya¡¯s face, and flipped the grimoire open. Its pages rustled and Noah was relieved to see that it landed on one covered with a variety of Earth Runes.

    He¡¯d gotten quite a few of them during his hunting session before returning to Arbitage, and Moxie hadn¡¯t ended up needing help making hers. Ulya had quite a selection to choose from. Her eyes widened as she read over the runes and she looked up to Noah.

    ¡°I can take any of these? Are you really just showing them to me?¡±

    ¡°I never fully got the thing where it¡¯s taboo to show people a rune,¡± Noah said through a sigh. ¡°I mean, if you¡¯re going to copy its shape with one of your own runes, you¡¯re going through a ton of work. You can have the damn thing if you want it that badly. They¡¯re only Rank 2s.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone in your family catch you saying that if you want to keep your blood where it is right now,¡± Ulya muttered. She leaned closer to the book and read over it for several seconds. ¡°How many of these can I have again?¡±

    ¡°Four?¡± Noah offered, testing the waters to see how Ulya reacted. He still wasn¡¯t fully sure where the value of runes actually landed when dealing with nobles. For people without an insider to speak to, runes were prohibitively expensive.

    Ulya was part of a noble family, though. At least, Noah was pretty sure she was. He didn¡¯t actually know. Now that he thought about it, there was a chance she wasn¡¯t. It was a bit late to worry about that.

    Her expression hadn¡¯t changed too much at the number he¡¯d offered, so he¡¯d probably landed his guess roughly in a ballpark where it was reasonable.

    ¡°Deal. I¡¯ll take these then,¡± Ulya said. She pointed to four of the Rank 2 Runes on the page. Noah couldn¡¯t help but notice she¡¯d chosen some of the ones that were the closest to perfect. He didn¡¯t blame her ¡ª he would have done the same. He had enough runes to not be particularly concerned about the loss.

    ¡°Feel free. Don¡¯t worry about damaging the grimoire. It can take it. Damn thing probably likes it.¡±

    Ulya didn¡¯t comment on that. She pressed her palm to the paper and closed her eyes in concentration. One after another, she drew the Earth Runes into her mindspace. One she finished, she looked back to Noah and rocked back.

    He closed the grimoire and moved it out of the way again. ¡°Good. Now that that¡¯s over, before I head back to the others, do you have anything interesting or important for me? If I¡¯m paying you, I expect results.¡±

    ¡°There really isn¡¯t much to report yet. I¡¯m keeping an ear to the walls,¡± Ulya said apologetically. ¡°From what I can tell, it really seems like Jakob isn¡¯t doing anything. He hasn¡¯t looked in Moxie¡¯s direction a single time. As I mentioned before, the only one paying any attention to anyone is Yulin.¡±

    ¡°Have you noticed her doing anything aggressive? Maybe looking to other people?¡±

    Uyla shook her head. ¡°No. It¡¯s curiosity more than anything else. She¡¯s started to stand and sat back down like four times this meal. Marley is beside her, but he¡¯s more focused on his meal than anything else. From what I¡¯ve heard of their conversation, the only thing they¡¯ve talked about is preparing for the exam coming up.¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°No mention of my students? And how damn perceptive is your puppet?¡±

    A grin flickered across her lips and she rose to her feet. ¡°Very. And no, nothing. It¡¯s as if they¡¯re completely ignoring you.¡±

    Noah rubbed his chin and stood as well. It was possible that Jakob and Verrud had backed off because of how badly things had gone during the previous meeting. It was the smart move to do. Throwing yourself over and over again into a fight you¡¯d lost multiple times generally wasn¡¯t a strategy that worked for anyone other than him.

    That¡¯s a bit concerning. It means they¡¯re a lot smarter than I was hoping. Even if Verrud hasn¡¯t realized I know what he¡¯s up to, if he¡¯s toning down how overt his attempts are, then it¡¯s a lot more likely he¡¯s going to try to really screw us during the actual exam. This could be just to lull us into a false sense of security.

    Noah pressed his lips together. It was so much easier to just cause chaos and distract people than it was to actually deal with scheming planners. Part of him was tempted to somehow pull Father into things, just to see the shitshow it would cause.

    That was a godawful idea, but it was an amusing one. A small grin pulled at the corners of Noah¡¯s lips and he shook his head before nodding toward the door. ¡°Stay here for another minute or so. I¡¯m heading back to the others. Pleasure doing business with you ¡ª and I hope you don¡¯t expect runes every meeting. I¡¯m not made of money.¡±

    Ulya coughed into her fist. ¡°I¡¯m not delusional. This is useful, even if I just end up using them for energy alone. Power is hard to come by. I¡¯ll hold my end of the deal up.¡±

    Noah inclined his head once more before stepping out of the room. The muted roar of the room hit him all at once as he closed the door behind him and worked his way through the crowd to rejoin Moxie and the others.

    Ulya¡¯s information looked to be correct. Nobody was really bothering his group. One student was off to the side, speaking with Todd at the edge of their little pack, but the conversation seemed to be polite at best and nobody else was close enough to make anything of it.

    ¡°Anything interesting happen?¡± Noah asked as he joined Moxie.

    She shook her head. ¡°Nothing. It¡¯s kind of boring if I¡¯m going to be honest. Not that I¡¯m complaining. I was just prepared to deal with a whole lot more bullshit. I highly doubt they just gave up, though.¡±

    ¡°Same,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°I¡¯m leaning toward them having decided that it wasn¡¯t worth trying at the advanced track meeting so soon after the last one. Unless they¡¯re doing something that we¡¯ve completely missed, I think they might be holding off until the next meeting or the exam itself.¡±

    ¡°The exam is the best time to try anything if that¡¯s their plan. We won¡¯t be there to interfere¡­ but Alexandra beat Yulin. Unless Marley is considerably more powerful than her, they shouldn¡¯t have a chance.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any way to know if they¡¯ve got more backup or not,¡± Noah said, his gaze scanning over the room. Aside from them, the majority of the other professors were moving around and mingling while their students sparred. ¡°And we really aren¡¯t getting that many of our own.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got Silvertide.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Noah said. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Tyler fight, but if he¡¯s Silvertide¡¯s student, I¡¯m sure he can hold his own. Wouldn¡¯t hurt to have a bit more backup on our field if we can get it, though.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s eyebrow arched. ¡°You want to start mingling with other professors? Look at you. You¡¯re actually starting to act like a noble.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t insult me.¡± Noah gagged and Moxie snickered.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t a bad idea. If we could get George and Fiona on our side, that wouldn¡¯t hurt. They¡¯ve got a lot of respect from the other students. Nobody has even tried to challenge Fiona.¡±

    ¡°Nobody is challenging our students either,¡± Noah pointed out.

    ¡°Do you really think anyone would so soon after the last meeting? If it had been anyone, it would have been someone with Jakob. It¡¯ll take other people a bit more time to feel things out and try to get a better understanding of everyone¡¯s strength before they try more. It¡¯s hard to do that when we¡¯re standing behind the kids like a brick wall.

    Moxie had a point. Noah scrunched his nose in annoyance. No matter how much he wanted to protect them, the kids needed to handle some things on their own. He couldn¡¯t get allies for them and if they were constantly floating around, no random students would approach. Especially not with Vermil¡¯s reputation.

    ¡°Maybe we should back up a bit,¡± Noah said. ¡°Give them room to breathe ¡ª but not too far.¡±

    Moxie nodded. ¡°I wanted to wait until you got back, but I¡¯m in agreement. Lee¡¯s still next to them, but she¡¯s a lot more approachable than we are as long as you don¡¯t plan to challenge her to an eat-off.¡±

    They both took a few steps away from the kids, letting their conversation fall off as they headed toward the crowd. Finding a tall table nearby, the two of them settled in to watch.

    A few minutes passed and the crowd started to tighten. Nobody had approached their students yet, but Noah didn¡¯t miss a few glances being thrown in their direction. He and Moxie had definitely been scaring the other kids off.

    Noah¡¯s vibration imbuements warned him of someone walking up behind them and he turned, tapping Moxie on the shoulder as he did. He was prepared to face off against Jakob or Antony ¡ª but it was Silvertide that stood before them.

    ¡°Vermil. Moxie.¡± Silvertide inclined his head in greeting. His face was deadly serious. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I come bearing news.¡±

    ¡°Just news?¡± Noah asked, pushing away from the table with a frown. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°The Enforcers that went out looking for Wizen have found him. He¡¯s figured out how to use the key and has been preparing a ritual to activate it.¡± Silvertide replied grimly. ¡°We will be leaving in thirty minutes, when the mass portal our Space Mages are making has breached his defenses.¡±

    Noah nearly choked on air. ¡°I ¡ª what? That fast?¡±

    ¡°They are Enforcers, Vermil,¡± Silvertide said dryly. ¡°Their title is not earned by chance. Enforcers are some of the most competent mages in Arbitage.¡±

    It was sudden, but he had known the Enforcers were searching for Wizen. He just didn¡¯t think they¡¯d find him this quickly. Noah shook the reeling surprise away. It wasn¡¯t going to help anyone. If anything, it was a good thing that Wizen had been located this early on.

    At least they caught him before he managed to pull off whatever he¡¯s trying to do with the key.

    ¡°Right. I know why you¡¯re here, then.¡± Noah did a quick check of his belongings, but he had everything he needed. ¡°I promised Brayden I¡¯d back him up.¡±

    ¡°Not just you,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡±

    ¡°As am I.¡±

    Noah¡¯s senses tingled at the same time as he heard Lee speak. They all turned as she emerged from a shadow at their side.

    ¡°How good is your hearing?¡± Moxie asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Really good,¡± Lee replied. She nodded over her shoulder to the kids.  ¡°I already let the others know something was going on. They¡¯re going to head back early. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Noah blew out a breath. There was no point arguing with Lee or Moxie. They were both Rank 4s and more than capable warriors ¡ª and neither of them were going to turn back when they set their mind to something.

    ¡°Just make sure to leave the really dangerous stuff to me, yeah?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not trying to get myself killed,¡± Moxie said with a snort. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the worst of the fighting to the people who are meant to do it. Extra backup isn¡¯t going to hurt, though.¡±

    ¡°It most certainly won¡¯t,¡± Silvertide agreed. ¡°I trust the three of you are coming, then?¡±

    Noah took one last look around the party, then blew out a breath and gave Silvertide a firm nod. ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re coming.¡±

    ¡°Then we march,¡± Silvertide said, spinning to stride out of the room. ¡°Wizen must be stopped.¡±

 Chapter 448: The hunt begins

    Silvertide led Noah, Lee, and Moxie out of the advanced track meeting at a brisk pace. He made a beeline for the transport cannon, moving surprisingly fast for a man that relied on a cane to walk.

    They reached it just minutes later and ascended to the top. The control room was more packed than Noah had ever seen it. Brayden and Neir stood by the control panel and Tim hovered behind the controls, his face creased in concentration as he adjusted them.

    Dozens of other Enforcers that Noah didn¡¯t recognize milled around the room, readying their gear and speaking in hushed, professional tones. Godrick was among them ¡ª Noah hadn¡¯t been looking for him during the meeting, but it looked like the large man would be joining the mission.

    ¡°There are a lot more people here than I thought there would be,¡± Moxie said as they cut over to join Brayden and Neir.

    ¡°Wizen is a major threat, but not everybody here will be attempting to breach his sanctum,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°We need to make sure he doesn¡¯t send people back into Arbitage while we¡¯re trying to attack him. About half of these Enforcers will be ensuring Wizen can¡¯t open our portal back up or counterattack.¡±

    ¡°Is it easier to open a portal when there¡¯s been space magic used in an area?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Brayden answered for Silvertide, turning to give them a nod of greeting. ¡°Considerably easier. Space Magic is its own greatest weakness. The more of it someone else uses in an area, the easier it is for other people to do the same.¡±

    Interesting. It¡¯s not like using Space Magic leaves behind more space to work with¡­ does it have something to do with how Space Runes are hard to use naturally? Maybe using them weakens whatever limit is restricting them normally.

    ¡°Are we expecting Wizen to try to counterattack?¡± Moxie asked with a concerned frown. ¡°Is he actually strong enough to divert his forces like that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Wizen is difficult to predict,¡± Neir said with a shake of his head. ¡°We can¡¯t say what he¡¯s going to do or how he¡¯ll react. It¡¯s best to take precautions regardless. What I want to know is why we¡¯re inviting Rank 3 ¡ª wait. Weren¡¯t you Rank 3?¡±

    Moxie shrugged in response. ¡°People don¡¯t stay at the same rank forever, Enforcer Neir. Circumstances changed.¡±

    Neir¡¯s eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Both of you reached Rank 4 within just weeks of each other. It can¡¯t be the Torrins¡­ do you have a noble family sponsoring you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s relevant to the task at hand,¡± Brayden said gruffly. ¡°They¡¯re both capable mages, and we need backup. Enforcers can¡¯t do everything on their own. Vermil has dealt with Father and Gentil, one of Wizen¡¯s men. He¡¯s more than capable of holding his own, as are the rest of his group.¡±

    ¡°True enough. At the bare minimum, more bodies wouldn¡¯t go awry.¡± Neir let out an explosive breath and shook his head. ¡°How long until the cannon is ready?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m expecting an hour at the minimum.¡± Godrick stepped through the crowd, squeezing his large body between the other mages with a grimace. He adjusted his coat and sent a look over to Tim. ¡°Wizen knows what he¡¯s doing. His spatial defenses are incredible from what I¡¯ve been told. I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m surprised it¡¯s moving this fast at all. That old man knows his way about a transport cannon better than anyone I¡¯ve ever met. If he wasn¡¯t navigating where we were going, I don¡¯t know if we¡¯d be able to get within a league of Wizen.¡±

    A flush of pride washed through Noah even though he had absolutely nothing to do with any of Tim¡¯s accomplishments. It was just nice to hear someone actually acknowledging Tim¡¯s talents.

    Almost as if Tim could tell that they were speaking about him, he straightened up and gave a nod to an Enforcer that Noah didn¡¯t recognize. They exchanged a few brief words before the Enforcer broke away.

    Tim spotted Noah in the crowd and he pushed away from the desk, hurrying to join them. Lines of worry creased his weathered face.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to be going after Wizen?¡± Tim asked, raising his voice to be heard over the dull roar of conversation filling the room.

    ¡°Yes. I promised Brayden I¡¯d back him up,¡± Noah said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can handle myself, Tim.¡±

    ¡°I have no doubt of that,¡± Tim said. ¡°And you¡¯re in good company. Just be careful. That woman that attacked the tower was powerful, and if she was just one of the people working for Wizen, I shudder to think what he¡¯s capable of.¡±

    If you knew half of it, you¡¯d do a whole lot more than just shudder.

    ¡°Are all the preparations for the cannon complete?¡± Godrick asked. A doubtful frown passed over his features. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need long,¡± Tim said. ¡°The space in the caverns is warped, but I was able to find a pathway through. The more I fiddle with it, the more Wizen will be able to locate that something is penetrating his defenses. Right now, unless he¡¯s just waiting for us to make a move, it doesn¡¯t seem like he knows. All that remains is for the Space Mages to gather enough energy to power the cannon enough to send everyone over at once.¡±

    ¡°How long will that be?¡± Brayden asked.

    ¡°About forty-five minutes from what I was just told. The cannon is already locked in position. There¡¯s nothing else I can do, even if I want to,¡± Tim said. ¡°Don¡¯t forget this is a one-way trip. I won¡¯t be able to pull you back.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Noah asked. ¡°That¡¯s news to me. Why not?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going outside of the Transport Cannon¡¯s effective range,¡± Neir answered for Tim. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have enough power to pull us back at that range. We¡¯re already supercharging for a one-way trip, and the cannon uses more energy summoning people back than it does sending them out.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Ah. Fair enough. How are we getting back, then? If it¡¯s this far, I really don¡¯t relish flying back on a sword.¡±

    ¡°Once we¡¯ve dealt with Wizen, the spatial distortion will fall and we should be able to use the same principle that is currently working against us to make the return easier,¡± Godrick said. ¡°The reduced space resistance around his area will allow us to gather at the top of his sanctum and Tim will re-activate the cannon once it gets enough power, pulling us back.¡±

    ¡°Assuming we win, that is,¡± Neir added with a grim laugh. ¡°Of the Enforcers that went to investigate Wizen, only a quarter of them were able to get us any word. The others have gone missing. He¡¯s either killed or captured multiple Rank 5 Mages.¡±

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been hit in a full-on attack yet,¡± Godrick said, crossing his arms. ¡°He is a Rank 6, but we have Rank 6s of our own. Don¡¯t start sowing doubt before we even arrive at the location.¡±

    Neir held his hands up to signal surrender. Noah glanced around the room. The tension was definitely high. The Enforcers were stressed. Whatever they¡¯d dug up about Wizen had given them a lot of pause, but leaving him with the artifact just didn¡¯t seem to be an option.

    Brayden moved closer to Noah, leaning down and lowering his voice so people couldn¡¯t overhear him. ¡°Sorry for dragging you into this, Vermil.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Noah replied with a shake of his head. ¡°Wizen and I weren¡¯t on good terms. As much as I¡¯d love to let you do all the work, I¡¯ve got some chickens in the coop as well. We can¡¯t leave him with that key.¡±

    Speaking of which, we need to get it back in the cannon ¡ª with better defenses this time around ¡ª so Tim can keep doing what he loves.

    And Tim¡­ I don¡¯t know how long this is going to take. God forbid something goes really wrong, I¡¯d feel like shit if I actually just left him with one un-repaired rune.

    ¡°Remind me how long we have before things get started?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°A bit more than half an hour,¡± Godrick said. ¡°Do you have something you need to collect? I would hurry up if you do.¡±

    Noah shook his head. He dug through his bag, then located his last Mind Meld potion. He pulled it out and nodded to Tim. ¡°Come on. That¡¯s enough time.¡±

    Tim¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Here?¡±

    Noah had already popped the cork off the potion. Godrick tilted his head to the side in confusion but said nothing.

    ¡°Nothing says I won¡¯t get myself killed doing this,¡± Noah said, thinking quickly. There were too many people around him to even bother hiding that he was taking the potion ¡ª but that didn¡¯t mean he had to give away what they¡¯d be doing with it. ¡°Now is the only time you¡¯re going to get. I need someone that knows what I do to handle my affairs if something goes wrong.¡±

    ¡°What kind of affairs would you even have?¡± Neir asked.

    Noah ignored him and held the potion out to Tim. The old man swallowed, then took the vial from his hands and downed half of it. He returned it and sat down as Noah did the same.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in half an hour. Drag my body through the portal if you need to,¡± Noah said, a familiar buzzing enveloping him.

    Then he was gone, sucked into Tim¡¯s soul.

    As soon as his body took form beside Tim, he shook off the fading potion¡¯s effects and gave the old man a sharp nod. ¡°Let¡¯s move quickly. Bring your last Rune over.¡±

    Plans rarely go exactly how you want them to. I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll get back to Arbitage, but I don¡¯t want to leave Tim without a way forward.

    Tim gave him a sharp nod. They both knew that now wasn¡¯t the time to hesitate. Every second was of the essence. He held his hand out and a broken Fire Rune floated over to him ¡ª the last of his old runes.

    They¡¯d already replaced and healed his Keystone Rune in one of the previous sessions, so Noah had high hopes that this one wouldn¡¯t go too poorly. Tim¡¯s soul looked far better than it ever had. The cracks had completely faded and it was spacious for a Rank 2 Mage, with more than enough room to hold a little extra if he needed it.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Noah asked. ¡°And what do you want for your last Rune?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And a Wind would go fantastic.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get to it.¡±

    Tim turned around, averting his gaze so he wouldn¡¯t see exactly what Noah did to break and repair his runes.

    Noah got to work.

    ***

    Half an hour later, Noah¡¯s eyes opened in the Transport Cannon once more. The conversation had grown considerably louder, but nobody had left yet. He sat up and Tim rose beside him.

    For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Noah rose to his feet and held his hand out, helping Tim up as well.

    ¡°You¡¯ll follow through if I don¡¯t come back, right?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Of course I will,¡± Tim said. He swallowed, then inclined his head slightly lower than he¡¯d needed to for a simple nod of understanding. ¡°You can count on it.¡±

    Noah pulled his grimoire around and whispered into it, then found an old piece of Catchpaper in his travel bag. He really didn¡¯t have much need for them anymore, but it would come in handy today.

    Energy crackled against his palm as the Grimoire provided him with the rune he¡¯d asked for and Noah quickly traced it into the paper, folding it over once he was done. None of the other mages in the room were paying him enough attention to care what it was.

    He handed the folded paper over to Tim.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Tim asked, blinking in surprise.

    ¡°Something that I think will go a long way with you,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Put it to good¡ª¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re connected!¡± A mage yelled. ¡°All Enforcers, prepare for the cannon to activate!¡±

    Tim stuffed the paper into his pocket. ¡°Thank you, Vermil. Stay safe.¡±

    ¡°You too,¡± Noah said.

    Tim hurried into the crowd. All around them, the Enforcers started gathering into ranks. Lee and Moxie moved to stand directly beside him, and Silvertide took up the position to Moxie¡¯s right.

    ¡°I have to say, your choice of pre-battle distraction is not what mine would be,¡± Silvertide said with a wry smile. ¡°You seem more relaxed than I¡¯d expect someone to be when they¡¯ve never entered a major battle before. Are you prepared? We¡¯ll be up against mages, not monsters.¡±

    ¡°They might be mind-controlled, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Silvertide said with a troubled frown. ¡°But we won¡¯t have room for mercy until Wizen falls. This is not a battle we can take lightly. If it makes you feel better, it is unlikely that Wizen has many people controlled actively. That would take an immense amount of magical power that I doubt even he has. I doubt he would waste so much when he has far better ways to fight us off.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be up against people that chose to stand in our way,¡± Noah said, setting his jaw. ¡°In which case, they die all the same as monsters do. All that matters is stopping Wizen and getting out alive.¡±

    ¡°Spoken like a true Soldier.¡±

    ¡°Prepare yourselves,¡± Godrick¡¯s voice echoed through the room. A loud hum filled the air as energy prickled against Noah¡¯s skin. ¡°The transport cannon is activating! We don¡¯t know what we¡¯re up against, but your goal is to stop Wizen at any costs. Destroy or remove the key from his possession. Collateral damage is irrelevant. Do not engage Wizen directly unless you have no choice.¡±

    Not exactly a rousing speech, but certainly to the point.

    The roar of the energy grew louder. Purple sparks flashed all around the group of Enforcers and, out of the corner of his eye, Noah spotted Tim on the lift as it rattled down, bringing him out of the range of the Transport Cannon¡¯s magic.

    Then there was a brilliant flash. The world disappeared in screaming purple light, and they were all gone.

 Chapter 449: Resolution

    It was the longest trip with a transport cannon that Noah had ever experienced. Purple stretched and swirled around him. Energy prickled furiously all along his skin and, somehow, inside of him as well. His stomach clenched and flopped back and forth ¡ª and still the sensation continued.

    He could have sworn that they spent nearly ten minutes hurtling through the ether before the ground finally and rudely made itself known once more. Noah hit it feet first with a grunt and stumbled, only getting lucky enough to catch himself on a wall. They¡¯d arrived somewhere pitch black.

    Other mages popped into existence all around him and a wave of disorientation passed its way through all of them. It was a few seconds before Noah could think properly again. The others came too around the same time, and someone sent an orb of light into the air to illuminate their surroundings. He quickly spotted Lee and Moxie beside him before letting his attention drift farther outward.

    They¡¯d arrived in a large cavern. Four large tunnels led out from it and stalactites hung from the ceiling. Heavy notes of mildew and moss hung in the air around them and he could just barely make out the distant vibrations of dripping water somewhere below them.

    Nobody made a noise. The Enforcers quietly gathered themselves into ranks and stood still as Godrick made his way to the front. Several mages closed their eyes, likely scanning the surroundings to see if anyone had noticed their arrival.

    Noah did the same. He focused on his body imbuements and dialed up their sensitivity, searching for vibrations in the stone that would indicate the presence of one of Wizen¡¯s men. Aside from the dripping water beneath them, he found nothing.

    That said, that didn¡¯t mean nobody was there. The information he could pick up on was hindered by the presence of everyone in the room around him and the natural vibrations of the earth itself. Someone could have easily been near the edges of where he could sense. Noah waited to see if anyone else would detect something, but it seemed that nobody did.

    ¡°Right,¡± Godrick said, his gruff voice muted as it broke the silence. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like any of Wizen¡¯s men are in this area. That probably means we¡¯ve made it in undetected, but we have no way to know for sure.¡±

    ¡°Where exactly are we,¡± an Enforcer beside Noah asked. ¡°How far is Wizen from us?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re quite close. We should be below his sanctum,¡± Julius said, emerging from the crowd to stand beside Godrick. He leaned against his staff, the six bands on his jacket glistening in the light of the orb above him. ¡°We can¡¯t dismiss the possibility that Wizen knew we would arrive here, but the lack of a trap in the area makes it likely that he either doesn¡¯t know we¡¯re present or doesn¡¯t care.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not stupid enough to ignore an entire group of Rank 5 and 6 mages,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°Wizen is arrogant, but he didn¡¯t come off as an idiot when I spoke with him. If he didn¡¯t have something here, it¡¯s likely we actually managed to get in undetected.¡±

    ¡°The plan is the same either way,¡± Godrick said. He nodded to the pathways behind him. ¡°We have to get the key ¡ª but to do that, we need to take fights on our terms. My team will actively seek out Wizen and bide our time for as long as possible while doing our best to avoid being spotted. Everyone else ¡ª kill as many of his men as you can on the way up. If he gets enough reinforcements, we could get overwhelmed. Our numbers are an advantage we can¡¯t afford to lose. If Wizen starts using the key, my team will delay until everyone can make it.¡±

    Everyone nodded. There wasn¡¯t much more to say, and Godrick¡¯s plan sounded solid in theory. If they picked Wizen¡¯s people off on the way up, they¡¯d have the advantage of surprise and would hopefully be able to swarm him when the time for the final fight came.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to be fast,¡± Julius warned. ¡°Surprise is on our side, but I doubt Wizen will be caught off guard for long. Move quickly and do not linger. Remain in groups whenever possible but remember that our ultimate goal is getting or destroying the key no matter the cost. Now break off!¡±

    The Enforcers burst into hushed motion. They split into teams of four and disappeared down the tunnels. Silvertide stayed behind as the other thinned. Soon, he, Brayden, and Noah¡¯s group were the only ones left in the cave.

    ¡°I¡¯ll follow you all at a delay,¡± Brayden said. ¡°I fight best on my own. My magic doesn¡¯t take well to other people being too close, so it¡¯ll be best if I can protect our flank until we run into something where I¡¯m needed to back you up.¡±

    ¡°A sound plan. Shall we?¡± Silvertide asked, nodding to the leftmost tunnel. ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll be finding anyone particularly interesting early on. Wizen is going to have his strongest members closer to the core of his sanctum."

    ¡°That makes it sound like you¡¯re actively seeking out the strong ones,¡± Noah said as they all set off into the tunnel. Silvertide ran his hand along a thin bracelet that had been hidden by his jacket sleeve. It lit with light, illuminating the tunnel around them.

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    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°There aren¡¯t all that many things I get to do in my old age. A good fight is one of them ¡ª especially against someone that deserves a whooping. I didn¡¯t become a soldier for no reason, Vermil.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Noah said. He glanced around the cave. It really didn¡¯t look like anything special. It was just a cave. That was probably the point. There was no reason to have a secret base if it had a glowing neon sign that gave it away. ¡°Be careful, Brayden.¡±

    ¡°You too.¡± Brayden nodded to them as they headed out.

    They walked at a brisk pace for several minutes, continuing down the tunnel as it sloped upward.

    ¡°Smell anything interesting, Lee?¡± Noah whispered as they walked. If anyone had senses they could rely on down here, it was her.

    ¡°Lots of stuff,¡± Lee replied, a pensive look on her face. ¡°It¡¯s weird. I can¡¯t place any of the smells. There¡¯s something masking them. I can tell they¡¯re there, but¡­¡±

    She trailed off and shook her head, unable to find words to properly describe her thoughts. Silvertide tilted his head slightly to the side but mentioned nothing else. They continued on, their steps marked by the faint tap of his cane on the stone.

    Several more minutes passed. The tunnel stretched on and they came to a branch. Silvertide set off along the leftmost path without hesitation and they followed after him. Noah didn¡¯t know if the old soldier actually had a plan or if he was just confident about everything he did.

    Noah couldn¡¯t think of a better strategy, so he followed along and kept his runes at the ready. The tunnel branched out several more times before it ended its upward slope and flattened out, continuing straight for another minute. Lee stiffened and put a hand to Noah¡¯s arm, looking ahead. Silvertide seemed to notice something at roughly the same time.

    They all slowed, focusing on silencing their steps even further. Silvertide suddenly seemed to stop needing his staff to walk and he held it at his side as they approached whatever he and Lee had picked up. Noah¡¯s vibration sense caught movement just a short while later in a small chamber a short distance ahead of them.

    Silvertide snuffed the light from his bracelet as they drew up to torchlight flickering from around a bend before them. They turned the bend and found themselves standing at the end of a much nicer hallway.

    Tiles lined the ground and there were several openings along the walls that led into what Noah presumed to be other rooms. His tremorsense told him that there was a single person in the room just in front of them and to their right. The person was hunched over something and didn¡¯t appear to be aware of their presence.

    Silvertide didn¡¯t even break his stride. He walked straight up to the room, forcing the others to hurry to keep up with him. Noah stepped into the doorway just moments after Silvertide had, readying Natural Disaster.

    A dark-robed man was already midway through turning toward him when Silvertide ran a finger along the edge of his staff. Noah caught a glimpse of pale lips parting beneath the man¡¯s hood in surprise an instant before a thin ribbon of blood bloomed at his neck.

    The man¡¯s body pitched forward and his head rolled back. Silvertide stuck his staff out, catching the body and grabbing the man¡¯s head by the hair before it could hit the ground. The scraps of his hood fluttered down and landed silently on the floor as blood started to pour from the corpse.

    Holy shit. What the hell is Silvertide? I didn¡¯t even see him move or notice him casting any magic.

    Silvertide lowered the body to the ground and jerked his chin back toward the hall. ¡°Come. We can¡¯t be wasting our time. It seems none of the others happened to go in this direction.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re terrifying?¡± Noah muttered as they stepped back into the hall. ¡°You didn¡¯t even stop to check who you killed.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone ever told you that you are quite the conundrum, Vermil?¡±

    Noah tilted his head to the side. ¡°How so?¡±

    ¡°You carry yourself like a soldier. Your attitude and fighting style reflect that to the point where I sometimes start to think that you¡¯ve walked the line between life and death more than I have. Then you go and say something like that.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°Being concerned about the enemy,¡± Silvertide replied. ¡°We are at war, Vermil. The individual life does not matter. Wizen is not just a single mage. You¡¯ve seen what he¡¯s capable of at a massive range when he isn¡¯t even interested in fighting. He¡¯s now got a deadly artifact and is in the seat of his power. We can¡¯t afford to think about who we¡¯re killing. You have an odd mixture of willingness to kill and do whatever you need to in order to accomplish your goals as well as a reluctance to actually put those ideals to the test.¡±

    Noah¡¯s brow furrowed as he thought over Silvertide¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m reluctant to kill. I just don¡¯t want to kill anyone innocent.¡±

    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°If someone lays their weapons down the instant we arrive, then perhaps they can be spared. But we cannot take risks. We only live a single time, and a blade to the back will kill me as surely as anyone else. You are going to have to choose which of your ideals you will stick to if you want to avoid losing either your life or those of your allies. You cannot have both, and you¡¯ll learn that the easy way or the hard way.¡±

    With that, Silvertide fell silent and they continued down the hall once more. His words echoed through Noah¡¯s mind as they headed deeper into Wizen¡¯s sanctum. By the time they¡¯d reached the end of the next bend, Noah¡¯s jaw had set.

    Silvertide had probably meant for his words to be pondered over, but he¡¯d been right about one thing in particular. Noah was a whole lot older than he was ¡ª and he knew himself more than well enough to know which sins he could bear.

    Losing Lee or Moxie wasn¡¯t an option. If that landed innocent blood on his hands, then so be it. There was no room for mercy or caution when the danger was this high. Any threats would either be killed or get him first ¡ª and then he¡¯d come back and kill them anyway.

 Chapter 450: Wizen

    With Silvertide at the lead, they continued deeper into the heart of Wizen¡¯s sanctum. There were surprisingly few people in it, and the caves were¡­ well, just caves. Noah wasn¡¯t fully sure what he¡¯d been expecting.

    The tiled path led them past several rooms, but almost all of them were empty. The ones that did have anything in them only possessed furniture that Noah would have expected to find in a normal house.

    Something about it almost felt wrong, but it was hard to place what. With everything Noah knew about Wizen, he¡¯d fully expected to find something that would have fit into a supervillain¡¯s lair. Some dungeons. Chains, screaming prisoners. Anything.

    Instead, it just felt like he was invading someone¡¯s underground house. That wasn¡¯t to say that Noah felt bad about it, but it struck him that he would probably find half of the things he was expecting to find under Father¡¯s house rather than here.

    They ran into another one of Wizen¡¯s men on their path deeper into the lair, but he met the exact same end as the first under Silvertide¡¯s impossibly fast magic. The man didn¡¯t even get a chance to notice that they were there.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with this place?¡± Moxie muttered as stepped over the dead man and continued down the hall. ¡°There¡¯s no way nobody has noticed we¡¯re attacking yet.¡±

    ¡°It is a bit odd,¡± Silvertide allowed. They turned down a sloping corner and stepped into a slightly wider hall. It was equally as deserted as the ones before it, but several branching paths stretched off from a dozen doors on each side of it. Silvertide let out a grunt. ¡°That is a lot of paths.¡±

    ¡°This feels more like a maze than someone¡¯s hideout,¡± Noah said. ¡°And what¡¯s the point of having so much space if you don¡¯t use the majority of it? Every room just has random furniture in it but he doesn¡¯t seem to have anywhere near enough people to fill the rooms.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps its purpose is to confuse,¡± Silvertide said. His features darkened. ¡°Or perhaps Wizen has far more men than we were led to believe. I did not think he had an entire army down here.¡±

    ¡°Nobody we¡¯ve run into so far has been all that strong,¡± Moxie said. ¡°If it¡¯s an army, it isn¡¯t a powerful one. And an army doesn¡¯t do you any good if you¡¯re not actually using them when you¡¯re under attack.¡±

    Silvertide pursed his lips, then shook his head. ¡°There is nothing to be gained from speculation. Do any of you have an inclination toward any of the rooms before us? They are all the same to me.¡±

    ¡°I thought you knew where we were going,¡± Noah said. ¡°You chose all the other paths so confidently before.¡±

    ¡°That would be because I was searching for people. There isn¡¯t anyone left alive anywhere near us.¡±

    Seriously? How does Wizen have so few people? Silvertide¡¯s senses are nearly as long ranged as Lee¡¯s are, and she can pick people out from so far. Is this place really that big?

    ¡°Lee, any thoughts?¡± Noah asked. ¡°You¡¯re the one with the best senses here.¡±

    It was a few moments before Lee replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Silvertide is right. I can¡¯t really smell anyone close by. It¡¯s weird, though. There definitely were people here. A lot of them. But everyone is gone.¡±

    ¡°They left the sanctum entirely?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°Or are they just not here?¡±

    Lee shook her head. ¡°The sanctum is big enough that I can¡¯t tell without sniffing around more. But¡­¡±

    She trailed off and they all looked to her expectantly.

    ¡°All information is important right now,¡± Silvertide said gently, putting a hand on Lee¡¯s shoulder with the patience of a man that had dealt with a lot more than most ever had the misfortune to see in life. ¡°Even if you think it isn¡¯t or don¡¯t want to bother us with idle thoughts. You¡¯d be surprised what the subconscious mind can pick up on.¡±

    ¡°I think I know where Wizen is,¡± Lee said. ¡°He¡¯s probably with the key, right?¡±

    ¡°Almost certainly,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°You located the key? How?¡±

    ¡°I smell it,¡± Lee replied. She hesitated for a second longer, and a flicker of fear passed through her eyes before she quashed it. ¡°And it¡¯s getting stronger. I think Wizen is using it.¡±

    ¡°Where is he?¡± Silvertide asked. ¡°We cannot allow that artifact to be used. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s for the portal to the Damned Plains or another purpose. It¡¯s too dangerous in his hands.¡±

    Lee pointed down one of the corridors to their right. They all exchanged a look, then set off down the corridor at a brisk pace that quickly went from a fast walk to a jog. Noah occasionally heard footsteps behind them that marked Brayden¡¯s presence, but the large mage continued to keep his distance and hold up their flank.

    The hall wound deeper into Wizen¡¯s sanctum, but it was just as empty as the rest of the ground they¡¯d covered.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the other team meant to find Wizen first?¡± Moxie asked as they accelerated into a run. ¡°Can we really handle him on our own?¡±

    ¡°We will analyze the situation once we are in position to act. If the other Enforcers have met equally low levels of resistance, then there will be others that locate him soon enough. Many of them have very apt sensing capabilities,¡± Silvertide replied. They skidded down a corridor and came up to a branching path. Lee thrust her finger down the right path and they shot away again.

    The slap of their shoes against the ground was the only sound in the caves as they raced through the empty stone halls. Noah scanned the surroundings with his tremorsense, but there really was nothing. It was like the entirety of the caves were just abandoned.

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    Minutes passed. There was one thing that was for certain. Wizen¡¯s sanctum was enormous. He practically had an entire underground village, and given how little they¡¯d seen of it, it was probably more of a city.

    Lee led them through the twisting tunnels, pausing occasionally to sniff at the air before taking back off. She was doing a good job of hiding it, but Noah didn¡¯t miss the growing concern on her face.

    They were heading right toward the thing in life that she probably feared the most. After everything she¡¯d done to escape the Damned Plains and how desperately she wanted to avoid returning, Noah couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how little she actually wanted to be here.

    Lee¡¯s hand shot up and Noah nearly tripped over her at the abrupt halt. They stood before a normal seeming tunnel, but her expression was deadly serious as she raised a finger to her mouth and nodded down it.

    ¡°He¡¯s really close,¡± Lee whispered. ¡°And so is the key. I think they¡¯re both just down this hall.¡±

    Silvertide concentrated for a few moments. His brow furrowed and he tightened his grip on the walking cane that he held at his side, unused. ¡°I cannot sense anything. He must have a way to cloak himself very effectively.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s there,¡± Lee said firmly.

    ¡°We believe you,¡± Noah said.

    Brayden drew up in the tunnel behind them, picking up on their abrupt silence and muting his steps as he walked to join their group. He sent a look into the hall, then tilted his head to the side.

    ¡°Wizen?¡± Brayden asked in a low tone. ¡°Or a group of enemies?¡±

    ¡°Wizen, probably,¡± Noah replied before looking to the old soldier. ¡°What¡¯s the plan, Silvertide? I¡¯m not keen on trying to fight Wizen on our own. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to go down very easily. Not to a group of Rank 4s and a Rank 5.¡±

    ¡°He may already be fighting,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°If his cloaking is this good, it could include physical sound. We press onward to determine the situation and then make a decision once we have more information.¡±

    It was hard to argue with that. Nobody said anything else and they fell silent, creeping into the corridor. A faint pressure built in Noah¡¯s ears as they headed in. He swallowed to clear it ¡ª and a faint pop echoed through his mind.

    The corridor changed. Firelight washed over what had been a dark path and he found himself beside the others standing at the edge of an entrance to a large cavern. Braziers ringed its edge. A brilliant crack of magic caused Noah to flinch, instinctively pushing the others back ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t directed at him.

    There was a thud as an Enforcer fell to the ground on the far side of the room, his body ripped apart by hissing gray energy. A cloaked man lowered his hands, the gray energy fading from his hands as he looked off to his left, toward something Noah couldn¡¯t make out.

    The man stood on a dais covered with blood and bodies. There must have been dozens of them. Wizen¡¯s men and Enforcers alike were intertwined in the embrace of death. It looked like Wizen had lost a whole lot more than the Enforcers had, but Noah recognized at least four Enforcers that had been in the transport cannon with him, though he didn¡¯t know their names.

    Magic still smoldered from huge scorch marks along the walls. Massive cracks split the ground and the temperature in the room was just a step below scorching. There was no sign of the key anywhere, but the look on Lee¡¯s face told Noah that it was definitely close.

    ¡°Wizen.¡± Neir stepped out into the room, his face cold.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t bring enough men,¡± the cloaked man said, and Noah recognized his voice instantly. It was Wizen. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed you thought so little of me.¡±

    Neir didn¡¯t respond. He made to lunge forward, but a hand shot from behind him and slammed down on his shoulder, halting the Enforcer before he could move. Godrick stepped out, blood trickling from a wound on the side of his head. His shirt was ripped apart and he sported several nasty cuts.

    ¡°Godrick!¡± Neir exclaimed. ¡°I thought¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wizen didn¡¯t send enough men,¡± Godrick said, the corner of his lip curling into a grim smile.

    ¡°Can you really be so bold when the majority of the ones you brought with you already lie dead?¡± Wizen asked. ¡°One survivor is nothing to be proud of.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been spending magical energy this whole time at an enormous rate,¡± Godrick said, ignoring Wizen. ¡°There¡¯s only so much power any one man can have, and no Enforcer went down without a fight. You¡¯re on your last legs.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to ask me to surrender? To give the key over?¡± Wizen asked, tilting his concealed head to the side. ¡°Are you that certain that I cannot handle two more rats?¡±

    He doesn¡¯t notice us yet. This is a really good opportunity for a sneak attack, then. If we time it together with Godrick and Neir¡­

    Noah glanced to the others behind him. Silvertide inclined his head slightly. They¡¯d both come to the same idea. Amongst all of them, Silvertide was the fastest. He had to be the one to move first if they wanted the highest chance of landing anything. The old soldier gestured for Noah and Moxie to stand back, then readied his walking stick.

    Godrick nodded to Neir, and the other Enforcer moved to the side, starting to flank Wizen. ¡°Throw me the key. You can¡¯t win this.¡±

    Wizen arched an eyebrow in response. ¡°What makes you so sure?¡±

    ¡°This is a path to mutual destruction. The key isn¡¯t worth all this. You¡¯re a powerful mage, Wizen. You could progress without standing in the path of the entire kingdom. This isn¡¯t the right path. Even if you somehow manage to defeat us, the reward isn¡¯t worth the cost.¡±

    Wizen reached into his robes and pulled free a large dagger. Noah caught a glimpse of a key embedded into the blade¡¯s handle as Wizen turned it over in his hands. ¡°You cannot believe that I would go through all this trouble simply to hand the key back over, do you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that or death,¡± Godrick said grimly. ¡°I¡¯m not dumb enough to think that we can take you out without taking even more damage, but we¡¯ve got more Enforcers on the way and you¡¯re one bad move away from death. Using that key is impossible ¡ª it requires too much power. You are doing all this work for nothing. Is it really worth it?¡±

    A quiet laugh echoed from Wizen¡¯s lips. ¡°Yes, noble dog. It is. Heel.¡±

    And that was it for their discussions.

    Neir and Godrick shot forward as one. Silvertide¡¯s magic flared and he sent a blurred line of gray metal hurtling through the air toward Wizen with such speed that Noah could barely even track it.

    A wall of flame roared up from the ground in front of Godrick, forcing him to fling himself out of the way to avoid getting melted on the spot. Wizen twisted, somehow managing to spot Silvertide¡¯s magic coming. He carved down with the dagger in his left hand and a red disk split the air, swallowing the attack before it could touch him.

    At the same time, Wizen thrust his other hand toward Neir. A wave of gray magic leapt from it and slammed into the Enforcer with blinding speed. The magic picked him up and slammed him into the wall with such force that he was embedded straight into the stone. Dark energy hissed and popped around his body and his head slumped forward.

    Lee drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes were locked on the burning red portal that floated beside Wizen.

    ¡°Neir!¡± Godrick yelled.

    ¡°You were incorrect on every count. I still have more than enough energy left to fight. There is nothing that any of you could offer me that would give me even a second of pause.¡± Wizen¡¯s eyes burned like two icy flames in the sea of darkness beneath his hood as he turned to look straight at Noah¡¯s group. ¡°And the key¡¯s powers are already within my grasp.¡±

 Chapter 451: The Weave

    Thin strands of metal hissed like a furious snake, shimmering around Silvertide as he leapt into the room and darted for Wizen. A pillar of fire materialized above the old soldier and crashed down toward him.

    Threads of metal crossed over each other in a split second, forming into a shield above Silvertide¡¯s head and blocking the blast of flame. It roared past him harmlessly, licking across the floor, scorching tile black.

    A thick beam of silver blurred toward Wizen. The cloaked mage raised a hand and a wave of earth rolled up from the ground and the metal drove into it, grinding to a halt before it could pass through. It flicked back to Silvertide, who was forced to dodge to the side as a ball of fire materialized where he¡¯d been standing.

    Godrick slammed his hands together, pulling them apart to reveal two long blades that hummed with dull white energy, and burst into motion to join Silvertide¡¯s fight. Brayden flickered and vanished from view, reforming in the room with his huge sword in his hands.

    Noah¡¯s violin materialized in his hands as the three mages bore down at Wizen from all sides. Lee took a step forward but Moxie grabbed her, pulling the demon back.

    ¡°We fight from the back,¡± Moxie said, vines crawling out from her robes and working their way into the ground. ¡°Wizen isn¡¯t someone we can risk getting close to. Look at him.¡±

    She was right. Noah¡¯s attention was focused on pouring power into his song as he prepared a Formation, but it was abundantly clear that Wizen was nowhere near outmatched. Even with three powerful mages attacking him, he was holding his own.

    Swirling red energy danced around the man¡¯s body, absorbing Silvertide¡¯s blows before they could reach him, and every part of the room seemed to have come alive in Wizen¡¯s defense. Great swathes of stone ripped themselves free of the ground and formed into spikes and blades that jabbed at the Enforcers, forcing them to keep their distance.

    Fire materialized in the air and lit the room with loud roars, and blades of wind whistled around Wizen with such intensity that their screaming nearly made Noah¡¯s ears bleed. Fortunately for him, they also meant that he could play his violin without having to worry about volume.

    Even though the violin was capable of repressing its song, being able to hear what he was actually playing as it was meant to be heard made things a lot easier. The bow flitted across the strings of the violin and Noah¡¯s fingers blurred as he poured magical power into the instrument.

    The fight in the room below had grown more intense. What had once been a few individual strands of silver was now a veritable sea. Silvertide had filled nearly a quarter of the room with his rippling magical thread and it swirled around his body like a cloak, blocking Wizen¡¯s strikes before they could land.

    Godrick¡¯s swords seemed to sing a song as they danced through the air. He carved through fire, wind, and stone alike as he pushed to grow closer to Wizen, but the nearer he got, the more powerful the cloaked man¡¯s magic seemed to grow.

    Brayden vanished in a shimmer of purple ¡ª only to reform in the exact same spot as Wizen thrust a hand in his direction, his own fingers crackling with the exact same purple energy.

    ¡°Damned Plains,¡± Moxie breathed. ¡°How is he doing that? He¡¯s casting four or five completely different kinds of magic at the exact same time. That shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±

    Wizen didn¡¯t seem concerned with what was or wasn¡¯t possible. His robes flapped furiously around his body like he was caught in the center of a violent storm. For an instant, his hood pulled back far enough for Noah to catch a glimpse of his lips, curled down in displeasure. ¡°Is this all Enforcers have to offer? I suppose I should have known.¡±

    Godrick pressed his swords together. A deep thump ripped through the room and white mist curled up around his body. A second thump followed after it and another came after ¡ª heartbeats, magnified like Noah was hearing them through a stethoscope.

    The mist curled around his body and formed into ghastly armor. Tendrils of it reached out and gathered at Godrick¡¯s feet ¡ª and he blurred, vanishing.

    He reformed directly in front of Wizen. The strands of white mist shot out like sword strikes, driving for every part of the cloaked man. Wizen clapped his hands together and the spines pierced straight through his body. Godrick¡¯s sword followed after the spikes an instant later.

    They carved a huge X straight through Wizen¡¯s body, passing clean through him and coming out on the other side wreathed in white mist.

    Wizen didn¡¯t so much as flinch. Shimmering particles curled away from the path that the swords had followed as his body pulled itself back together like fog parted by the hand of a curious child.

    A bolt of purple energy leapt from Wizen¡¯s hand and struck Godrick¡¯s armor, but it disintegrated as it touched him. Silvertide leapt at his back, sending a wave of metal crashing down toward him.

    Wizen vanished, reforming behind Brayden. Brayden¡¯s huge sword crashed down for his head and he lifted one hand, stopping the blade in its path with his palm. He thrust the other into Brayden¡¯s chest and grey magic crackled around it ¡ª only to dissipate as Godrick appeared right beside Wizen, his white misty tentacles swirling around him.

    ¡°Better,¡± Wizen said as Godrick¡¯s blades passed through his body once again. ¡°I was wondering why you were holding off on using your domain. Not the most impressive I¡¯ve ever seen, though. Rather small, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    The tendrils of white magic around Godrick screamed forth, driving into Wizen¡¯s body from every direction. They pierced through him, sending foggy particles up into the air. The mage¡¯s body transformed into a stream of black that flowed past Silvertide¡¯s rippling ocean of metal and away from Godrick, reforming back into his normal body in the middle of the room.

    Noah¡¯s violin continued to sing as he pushed to finish the Formation. Wizen hadn¡¯t paid him any attention yet. The man was either too caught up with the other mages or hadn¡¯t heard the music because of the loud humming of Silvertide¡¯s metal ocean.

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    I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up with Wizen¡¯s magic or what he¡¯s capable of, but if I can hit him with Sunder, it¡¯ll probably cut through whatever protection he¡¯s got that stops them from hitting him with magic.

    Moxie hadn¡¯t tried attacking with her vines yet, but that was probably for the best. It didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d be able to do much to him, so biding their time to wait for the right moment was the best chance they had at helping the others.

    ¡°What about you?¡± Wizen asked, looking to Silvertide. ¡°No Domain? I was hoping to see more of your famed abilities.¡±

    Silvertide didn¡¯t respond. He brought his cane down and the waves of glistening metal leapt out in dozens of different streams. Wizen carved his dagger horizontally before him, ripping open a long red portal.

    He grabbed the edge of the portal with his other hand and pulled it over himself like a blanket. Silvertide yanked his hand back and the silver averted its path, parting and into the floor before it could touch the portal.

    It slithered back to Silvertide as Wizen released the portal and let out a low chuckle. ¡°Is that really it? One mage with a below-average domain and the other none at all? The Rank 4 doesn¡¯t count ¡ª he¡¯s barely even a mage.¡±

    Notes swirled around Noah, laden with thick magic. He¡¯d already poured out over half of all the energy Natural Disaster had to offer, layering it so he could use the full might of Sunder. There would be no second chances with the Formation. He had to put every ounce of power he had in if he wanted to be able to hurt a Rank 6 as powerful as Wizen.

    He was nothing like Evergreen ¡ª and he hadn¡¯t even drawn his own domain yet, as far as Noah could tell. Wizen wasn¡¯t taking the fight seriously at all. It almost seemed like he was just wasting time with them.

    The three Enforcers bore down on Wizen, hurling magic and metal alike at him as they fought to find an opening in his defenses. Nothing worked. They were pressed back again and again, their magic failing to do anything more than pass through him.

    It should have been impossible. Wizen had used enough magical power to wring three or four mages over dry, and yet he was still fighting at full force.

    Maybe Wizen is conserving energy by avoiding using his domain? That could be it, but even so, how is he still going? He¡¯s used so much power, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a Rank 7 or this fight would have been over before it started ¡ª even if he was just screwing around.

    Noah didn¡¯t let his mind wander too far. His Formation was nearly complete. Power gathered around him, swirling to life as he reached the final notes of the song. His bow danced over the strings and his lips pulled back in a snarl. He poured power from Sunder into the Formation in the closing notes, interweaving it with the structure he¡¯d built.

    Wizen glanced up, then let out a sigh. ¡°Ah. Finally.¡±

    He thrust his hands out. A wave of purple energy ripped out of his body and slammed into everyone in the room, hurling them back like children. They struck the walls with three loud bangs.

    Moxie¡¯s vines erupted from the ground, forming into a thick barrier at the entrance of their hall. Purple light ripped through them. Moxie raised another wave of vines even as the first ones fell, only managing to just barely stop the energy before it could reach them ¡ª saving Noah¡¯s formation in the process.

    Shreds of them rained down all around Noah. His concentration didn¡¯t falter. The song was nearly complete, and getting distracted now would only waste all the power he¡¯d poured into the shimmering notes of the Formation that had taken form around him. He just had to trust that the others would keep Wizen off him for a few more seconds.

    Things didn¡¯t look good. Brayden¡¯s arms trembled as he tried to push himself up and Silvertide tried to reach the staff that had fallen at his side. Godrick had jabbed his swords into the ground at his sides and was up to one knee, but none of them could stand.

    Noah muted his music, pressing to play the last few notes in silence to avoid drawing Wizen¡¯s attention until the last possible second.

    Barb dropped down from a passageway far above them, landing beside Wizen with a grunt. The hand that she¡¯d lost back in Arbitage was still missing, but she cradled a bundle under her arm.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Barb said with an apologetic smile. ¡°I lost some of my equipment and had to go looking for it. You know how it is.¡±

    ¡°Why do I tolerate you?¡± Wizen nodded to the fallen mages. ¡°Finish these ones off. I¡¯ve gathered enough¡ª¡±

    His head snapped around, his pale blue eyes locking with Noah¡¯s just before he could play the final note.

    Wizen blurred, appearing directly before him, and reached for Noah¡¯s neck with blinding speed. Lee slammed into him, driving her palm into his arm and bringing her knee up into his elbow in an attempt to break it.

    Her strikes bounced off his body, but they managed to redirect Wizen¡¯s hand just enough to stop it from reaching Noah as he played the last note of the formation.

    The air trembled. A black spear materialized, carved down, and slammed into the cloaked man¡¯s shoulder with the weight of a falling mountain. Wizen snarled in pain and twisted. A sickeningly familiar energy swirled around his hand and gathered at his fingertips as he slammed them into the spear.

    For an instant, the two locked in place. Energy screamed around Wizen¡¯s body, sending arcs of electric black power scorching into the ground around him and turning it to glass. He let out a roar of defiance. His hand squeezed shut. The spear shattered. Wizen stumbled, blood trickling down from his shoulder as he spun toward Noah.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Wizen breathed. ¡°You have Weave?¡±

    He snapped his fingers and the gravity seemed to multiply by a thousandfold. Sheer runic force slammed Noah to his knees. Moxie and Lee crashed down beside him, unable to even muster the force to fill their lungs with air to speak.

    Wizen reached down and grabbed Noah by the collar, lifting him into the air. With his other hand, he dug the dagger into the air behind him and carved open a rippling red portal.

    ¡°I did not think anyone else possessed Weave,¡± Wizen said. His breath, only inches from Noah¡¯s face, smelled like rotting carrion. ¡°But you have found something that I have not, haven¡¯t you? That was a different way of using the Rune¡­ or perhaps a different Rune altogether? It will be mine. Come, Barb.¡±

    Barb nodded and stepped through the portal and disappeared. Noah tried to draw on his magic, but it was like breathing underwater. He couldn¡¯t even muster the energy to blow himself up. Wizen had completely suppressed him, body and runes alike.

    Wizen took a step toward the portal to follow after Barb ¡ª and a cry split the silence. Lee burst into motion and launched up from where she¡¯d fallen, driving her shoulder into Wizen¡¯s chest. A single red horn curled from her right temple, the left one broken off at the root.

    A flicker of surprise passed over Wizen¡¯s face and he lost his footing for a brief instant. Lee¡¯s fingers, sharpened into long claws, dug into the skin of his wrist as she hurled her full weight into the mage.

    Wizen¡¯s fingers loosened. Noah crumpled to the ground, still completely unable to move, as Lee threw both herself and Wizen into the portal to the Damned Plains.

    The world seemed to drag to a crawl as Wizen¡¯s body pitched into the red light. The instant he disappeared, Noah¡¯s body fell back under the control of his own mind.

    ¡°No!¡± Noah screamed, lunging for Lee as she fell into the portal. His hand managed to catch her by the ankle ¡ª but the pull of the magic was immense and far greater than anything he could hope to resist.

    There was nothing he could do to stop her from falling in. He didn¡¯t even have time to think about his options. There was only a flicker of an instant to make a choice, and but he didn¡¯t even need that long.

    His grip tightened. The portal yanked Noah off the ground and into its churning depths alongside Lee. He felt something wrap around his own legs, but he didn¡¯t get a chance to see what it was.

    The roaring crimson light of the infernal passage swallowed the world, and the Damned Plains waited beyond it.

 Chapter 452: The Damned Plains

    All the air was knocked from Noah¡¯s lungs as something punched into his stomach. The red energy of the portal vanished with a sizzle as he doubled over, coughing, and slammed into the ground. Rough dirt pressed against his cheek and a dry, acrid stench worked its way into his nose, something between sulfur and burnt bread.

    It felt like his body had been stuffed through a sausage grinder. Every single one of his muscles ached and a furious headache pounded in a temple. Even though his eyes were still squeezed shut, the world shuddered, spun, twirled like he was on a carnival ride.

    One of his hands was still wrapped around something. It took his reeling mind a moment to remember what it was. He forced his eyes open and shoved himself up with his free hand, ignoring the sharp earth as it pushed into his palm.

    Lee laid before him, her form back to normal. Her claws and horn had receded. He still had a vice grip on her ankle. Red dirt stretched out all around them, a ruddy color that would have looked right at home on the surface of Mars. Noah coughed some dust out of his lungs.

    Something shifted behind him and he jerked his head around, only to find Moxie pushing herself up. Her hair was covered with a fine layer of dust and her clothes were streaked with reddish-brown streaks from the ground.

    A vague memory of something snagging onto his leg before he¡¯d entered the portal passed through his mind. She¡¯d done the exact same move to him that he had to Lee.

    Noah tried to speak but ended up coughing up more bitter dust instead. He doubled over, heaving and coughing in an attempt to empty his lungs. Moxie joined him in his coughing fit. By the time the two of them had managed to gather themselves again, Lee had started to stir.

    She sat up and looked down at the ground, rubbed it between two fingers, then let her hand drop once more. Lee blinked heavily several times to get the dust out of her eyes, then wiped her face with the back of her arm.

    ¡°Noah? Moxie? Why are you here?¡± Lee asked. She blinked again, then rubbed at her eyes once more. ¡°Are you here?¡±

    ¡°As far as I know, yes,¡± Noah replied. His throat was dry and scratchy, but at least he could breathe properly again. He ran his tongue along his lips and grimaced in distaste. The bitter taste of the ground had still yet to leave his mouth. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alive, and it looks like the two of you are as well.¡± Moxie pushed her hair away from her face. ¡°I think that¡¯s the best we could have possibly hoped after that shitshow.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why are you here?¡± Lee asked, a note of panic entering her voice. ¡°Why did you follow me? Don¡¯t you realize what happened? We¡¯re in¡ª¡±

    ¡°The Damned Plains,¡± Noah finished. He directed his gaze upward. A vast expanse of black stretched above him, entirely devoid of clouds or stars. Swirls of red energy slithered through the sky like serpents, passing over an enormous, light blue moon. ¡°I know, Lee. Wizen got the key working.¡±

    ¡°If you knew, why did you follow me in?¡± Lee demanded, then doubled over coughing as she accidentally inhaled some of the dust floating around them. She wiped her mouth off with the back of a sleeve. ¡°I pushed you out of the way so you wouldn¡¯t fall in!¡±

    ¡°Which I deeply appreciate,¡± Noah said, casting his gaze around them. There was nothing but rolling red hills. Of Wizen, there was no sign. ¡°You saved me from getting dragged along by Wizen. He wasn¡¯t holding onto us when we fell into the portal, so it looks like we got sent somewhere else.¡±

    ¡°Maybe some god felt pity for all the stupid shit we¡¯ve been through,¡± Moxie muttered. She started trying to comb the dust out of her hair, and Noah caught a faint tremble in her fingers.

    He could feel the same shaking in his own hands, a mixture of fading adrenaline and worry swirling its way through his bloodstream and winding around his chest. They were in the Damned Plains.

    ¡°If you knew, why did you do it?¡± Lee¡¯s gaze bored into his head and her hands tightened in the red dirt.

    ¡°Because there was no damn way I was going to let you get sucked back here alone. When I realized that pulling you back out wasn¡¯t an option, there really wasn¡¯t any path left but forward.¡±

    ¡°Fortunately, I was close enough to do the same,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to think about the shitshow that would have happened if I left you two idiots alone in the Damned Plains. The whole place would probably be burned to the ground in a month.¡±

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    Lee let out a choking mixture between a laugh and a sob. ¡°You¡¯re both so stupid.¡±

    Noah braced his hands against his knees and rose with a grunt. He pulled Lee to her feet and pulled her to his chest with one arm, ruffling her hair with the other. ¡°Stupid enough to get it patented. It¡¯s not fair to expect someone to change who they are, you know.¡±

    It was a few seconds before Lee gathered herself enough to respond. ¡°Thanks. You¡¯re still stupid. You should help Moxie up before she gets jealous.¡±

    Noah let out a bark of laughter and turned to Moxie, who was watching them from the ground with a small smile that did little to hide the creases of concern in her brow. He held his hand out.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think I can get up on my own? I was giving you a moment while I pondered our situation in hopes of finding a way out of it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m confident a woman of your caliber is more than capable of standing on her own, but I suspect you appreciate the offer anyway ¡ª especially when it came at recommendation of Lee. And I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve managed to figure out a solution to that problem?¡±

    Moxie snorted and took his hand, letting him pull her up.

    ¡°Did we happen to steal the dagger off Wizen while we fell through the portal?¡±

    Lee shook her head and pulled away from Noah. She wiped her nose with the back of a sleeve ¡ª a sleeve that had already seen a fair bit of wiping that day and was starting to get rather stained. ¡°No. I wasn¡¯t trying to hold onto him. We lost contact halfway through the portal.¡±

    Moxie nodded sagely. ¡°That¡¯s honestly probably for the best. As for my solution ¡ª well, I think that¡¯s pretty simple. All we have to do is track Wizen down and steal the dagger back from him.¡±

    ¡°You make that sound easy,¡± Lee said with a small laugh. She kicked the dirt at her feet and paused to watch the resulting cloud roll across the ground. ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like here.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Moxie agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve got no damn clue. And if I¡¯m honest with you, I¡¯m fucking terrified.¡±

    ¡°Then¡ª¡±

    ¡°But I¡¯d be terrified a hundred times over before I let either of you try to deal with this on your own,¡± Moxie said. Her gaze sharpened and she gave Lee a flick in the forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t even try to suggest that we should have left you behind again.¡±

    Lee swallowed and nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Noah said, turning in a circle to see if there was literally anything around them. The only thing he found was swathes of sandy red dirt. ¡°I suppose we¡¯re your guests now. Is all of the Damned Plains like this? A crash course could be useful.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty varied. Not as much as the human world but varied. It¡¯s just that every part of it is awful,¡± Lee said. She sniffed at the air and grimaced, rubbing at her nose. ¡°A lot of it is like this. They¡¯re called Wastes. This is where many of the lowest level demons and bottom feeders hide. I spent a lot of time in places like this.¡±

    ¡°They hide?¡± Noah looked around the sand, then drew on his imbuements to see if there was anything nearby. There didn¡¯t seem to be any movement around them that was out of the ordinary. ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°Not usually in the ground,¡± Lee answered. ¡°There are other places. Caves. Cliffsides. All over. This area is just even more barren than most.¡±

    ¡°Any plants?¡± Moxie asked hopefully.

    ¡°Not really. Not here, at least.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I brought my own.¡±

    ¡°What else should we know off the bat?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I vaguely recall you mentioning the existence of roaming demon cities. Can we¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± Lee shook her head firmly. ¡°I know the mortal realm was different, but the limit here isn¡¯t Rank 6. There are Rank 7 demons in many of the cities. They don¡¯t just let you in. You need to prove your worth to them.¡±

    ¡°And how do we do that?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°Kill a bunch of people?¡±

    ¡°Not too far from the truth,¡± Lee admitted. ¡°You need to be of high enough rank or have someone vouch for you, and then you need to bring a suitable sacrifice to the ruler of the city you¡¯re trying to enter. That¡¯s usually some part of another demon you ran into. The stronger, the better.¡±

    ¡°So we just need to find a demon that acts like an asshole and we can head over to one of the cities?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Because that seems like it would be the most logical first step. I¡¯m sure the demons have some sort of information exchange, so we could try to learn about Wizen and what he¡¯s up to.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting something,¡± Lee said. She poked Noah in the chest. ¡°You and Moxie are human. There isn¡¯t much more valuable to demons than that. You¡¯re a walking source of food. Humans don¡¯t just walk around in the Damned Plains.¡±

    Noah winced. That was a pretty good point. ¡°Never? Is it really that obvious? I never thought that much about it, but if you just feast on emotion¡­ can you really tell who¡¯s a demon and who isn¡¯t? You didn¡¯t even have horns until recently.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ your emotions taste better. You can¡¯t really tell immediately, but demons and humans have differences. You know that. You¡¯ve seen me and Azel. We don¡¯t have domains and stuff. We also act really differently. A human would get spotted really fast.¡±

    Noah tilted his head to the side. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, that¡¯s it? That¡¯s a lot.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely a problem, but if I¡¯m understanding this correctly, you¡¯ve just told me that as long as we act like demons and don¡¯t reveal our domains, the other demons won¡¯t have any way to know that we aren¡¯t demons. Am I right?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ yeah. I guess,¡± Lee said with a small frown. ¡°I haven¡¯t put that much thought into it, but powerful demons can take on human forms.¡±

    ¡°Then I think we should go find that sacrifice and the nearest city,¡± Noah said, a determined smile pulling across his lips. ¡°Because if there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m really damn good at, it¡¯s bullshitting.¡±

 Chapter 453: The first battle

    It turned out that the Wastes were a fair bit larger than Noah had initially thought. Traveling through the ruddy orange-red desert wasn¡¯t exactly the most comfortable experience. He was fortunate enough to have brought his flying sword along with him, but since Lee no longer had her ability to transform, they all had to squeeze on and cling to each other for dear life.

    After a few near-crashes, they eventually found a setup that worked well enough to let them stay in the air. Moxie stood at the front of the sword and Noah held her to his chest while Lee clung to his back like a mixture between a monkey and a backpack.

    They flew relatively low to the ground, not wanting to get too high and risk a crash being fatal.

    Lee had been right about the desert being more than just dirt and sand. After just a few hours, they started to pass large protrusions of hole-filled rocks that rose up from the ground, some as large as three or four story buildings.

    The holes were large enough for a person to squeeze into if they were so inclined, and according to Lee, many of them stretched far underground. Noah had no desire to investigate. From what she had said, the only thing that lived in the area were weak demons.

    Several times, he could have sworn that he caught a glimpse of eyes peering at them from within the holes or from the edges of the stone structures as they passed. They were always gone by the time he checked again and they were moving too fast and were still too far for his Body Imbuements to be of much use.

    Hours flew by ¡ª literally ¡ª as they zipped across the Damned Plains. Lee occasionally yelled for him to change directions, but the Wastes seemed to stretch on and on without any end. The only way to track the time was by watching the enormous moon overhead. Something told Noah its cycle wasn¡¯t the same as the ones he was used to.

    Even though he could have sworn it had been nearly a full day of flying by how hungry he¡¯d started to get, the moon had only crawled a short way through the sky. That meant he was delusional or the day-night cycles here were considerably longer than they were on the mortal realm.

    Lee smacked her forehead into Noah¡¯s shoulder twice, which was their established signal for ¡®land the sword¡¯. He adjusted his course, leaning forward and bringing it down toward a dune near a tall outcropping of black rock.

    They all hopped off the sword as it slid to a stop.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Noah asked, glancing around the desert. It looked just about the same as every other part that they¡¯d passed through to his eyes. ¡°Do you need to relieve yourself?¡±

    ¡°No. We need a sacrifice if we want to enter the city,¡± Lee said. ¡°And if you¡¯re planning to pretend to be powerful, then we¡¯ll probably need one for each of us.¡±

    Noah tilted his head to the side. ¡°Powerful means giving up more? From what I know of demons, I would have thought that showing up with almost nothing would have been a way to act superior.¡±

    ¡°No. Giving up more shows you¡¯re so strong or rich that giving it away doesn¡¯t even affect you,¡± Lee explained.

    ¡°Okay, I can see that,¡± Noah allowed. He glanced around again. ¡°So¡­ why did we stop here?¡±

    ¡°To get our first sacrifice. There should be something pretty strong in this area.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Moxie asked, looking equally as befuddled as Noah felt. ¡°I thought you said these areas were mostly devoid of strong monsters.¡±

    ¡°That was back in the main part of the Wastes,¡± Lee said. She stared at them like they were spouting nonsense. ¡°Look around. This part looks really different.¡±

    ¡°It really doesn¡¯t,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°What about it is different?¡±

    ¡°The moisture in the ground is way higher, and the rocks over there are more porous. They smell a bit sweet too. That¡¯s because there¡¯s some mushroom growth somewhere in them. Anyone could tell that.¡±

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    Noah raised an eyebrow and tapped his nose. ¡°Anyone?¡±

    ¡°Any demon,¡± Lee corrected. ¡°You should work on that if you¡¯re going to pretend to be one.¡±

    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t think every single demon has the incredible sense of smell that you do,¡± Noah pointed out. ¡°You might be unique. Azel certainly didn¡¯t seem to.¡±

    Lee tilted her head to the side, thinking for a moment. Then she frowned. ¡°Huh. Maybe. Either way, this place is super different. There¡¯s definitely something a bit stronger that would have moved into this location.¡±

    Noah used his tremorsense to scan through the red dirt at their feet. There was nothing in the immediate area around them. He exchanged a look with Moxie, but she shook her head.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing unless I want to use my plants, and I think I should save that for a more opportune time,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I haven¡¯t practiced making them out of any organic matter in the Damned Plains, so I don¡¯t know how easy it will be. Better to keep the fast plants for fights. Can you smell anything else, Lee?¡±

    The small demon tilted her head back and sniffed at the air. Her nose scrunched and she waggled a hand back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard to pick up really detailed smells in the Damned Plains. There¡¯s probably something in the area, but the whole place smells and covers up a lot of the demon.¡±

    Well, that¡¯s a good thing. Even if other demons have Lee¡¯s sense of smell, if it¡¯s difficult to tell what people smell like, then I¡¯ll have even more cover for myself.

    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll do it the old-fashioned way then,¡± Noah said, stretching his arms over his head. He was a bit stiff from the long flight. His mouth was parched and he was hungry, so a decent fight would have been a blessing. Killing something would get them some energy to sustain off.

    ¡°Can you hold onto this?¡± Noah asked Moxie, holding up his gourd. ¡°Just in case.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Moxie took it from him and hung it from her belt as Noah took the lead in heading toward the rock outcropping. She and Lee trailed along a few steps behind him, leaving enough space to make sure they didn¡¯t get caught up in any sort of surprise attack.

    Energy swirled within Noah, held at the ready and prepared to burst forth the moment anything startled him. Just because he had a life to spare didn¡¯t mean he wanted to have to lose a pair of clothes. He only had a few pairs in his bag.

    ¡°What kind of demon could we be up against?¡± Noah asked as he stepped onto the stone and approached one of the large, spongelike holes that led into it.

    ¡°There are a lot of different kinds,¡± Lee replied. Her brow furrowed in thought. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say exactly which one would be here. The smell of mushrooms is actually pretty strong, so it might be something that really likes them. An Ettercap, maybe?¡±

    ¡°What Rank are they on average?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember,¡± Lee said sheepishly. ¡°But I remember they were pretty strong. Every time one approached my hiding place I ran. They¡¯re not monsters I would take too lightly. They really like ambushing you, so watch out for¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s senses flared a warning as something shifted in the shadows. A flash of wrinkly beige flesh caught Noah¡¯s eyes and he spun toward it, thrusting his hands forward and releasing the energy from Natural Disaster that he¡¯d been holding at the ready.

    A brilliant flash of yellow light lit the cave, revealing a big, lumpy mushroom nearly half Noah¡¯s height. It had a bright red cap covered with white spots and, for a flicker of an instant, a shocked expression crossed the beady features on the mushroom¡¯s stalk.

    Then it exploded with a loud pop, splattering mushroom matter all over the ground as it pitched back, dead before it could even make a move. The three of them stared at the corpse as energy rose from it and entered Noah, who was too stunned at the pathetic attempt at putting up a fight to even try Sundering it.

    ¡°Er¡­ was that a baby?¡± Moxie asked.

    Lee poked at the dead monster with a toe. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s about as big as I remember them being.¡±

    ¡°Lee, one quick question,¡± Noah said. ¡°When you said that the monsters in this area were powerful, was that in reference to how strong you used to be? Or how strong you are now?¡±

    After a second of hesitation, Lee scratched the back of her neck and gave Noah a sheepish smile. ¡°I think it might be a little bit of the first one.¡±

    I can¡¯t really blame her. After all the time she spent stuck here wanting to escape, it¡¯s only natural for her to have the memories of how dangerous the monsters that were once a threat to her locked in her mind, even if they don¡¯t stand a chance against us anymore.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Noah said. He looked down at the pulped mushroom. ¡°Would this really be enough to be as sacrifice?¡±

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t actually know what the sacrifices usually were if you were strong,¡± Lee admitted. ¡°I almost never went to the cities. They aren¡¯t kind to really weak demons. But if the Ettercap is actually this much worse than I remember¡­¡±

    She trailed off and they all exchanged a look, coming to the same conclusion at the same time. If the goal was to come off as powerful as possible, they couldn¡¯t roll up to the demon city with just a squished mushroom.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to find some stronger demons,¡± Moxie said.

 Chapter 454: Class meeting

    Brayden wasn¡¯t any stranger to delivering bad news, but he was used to the news being the edge of his blade. This time it was words. As he looked out at Vermil¡¯s students, his stomach clenched, heart heavy and neck cold, he found that he vastly preferred the former option.

    There was no other option. This was his duty, no matter how distasteful it was ¡ª no. Especially because of that. He gathered his breath and blew it out, words escaping his mind¡¯s search no matter how hard he tried to find them.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Vermil?¡± Alexandra asked, suspicion clear in her voice. ¡°Why did you call us here?¡±

    ¡°Vermil is¡­ gone,¡± Brayden forced out, his hands tightening around the base of the chair before him until the wood started to creak and groan. This definitely wasn¡¯t the proper way to deliver the news. He didn¡¯t know what the proper way was. All he could offer was the truth. ¡°He was pulled into a portal to the Damned Plains, along with Lee and Moxie.¡±

    There were several moments of silence as everyone just stared at him, processing his words. That only made it worse. The chair cracked and splinters crumpled under Brayden¡¯s fingers, not strong enough to pierce through his skin. He wished they were. Pain would have given him something to distract himself from the stares boring into him.

    It¡¯s my fault. I wanted backup on this and I knew Vermil was strong. I was right. If he hadn¡¯t been there, I¡¯d be dead. Silvertide and Godrick too, likely. And because of that¡­ he¡¯s gone.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± Alexandra asked, her face going white. ¡°How? What? He couldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not dead,¡± Todd said. He locked eyes with Brayden. ¡°Right? You said he fell into the portal. All of him? With everything he had?¡±

    ¡°Everything,¡± Brayden said. ¡°He was alive when he fell in, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Todd¡¯s right,¡± Isabel said. She swallowed, doing a good job of hiding the distress in her face, but her shoulders tightened and her hands were stiff at her sides. ¡°He didn¡¯t want to go in, did he? He got pulled in?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Brayden said. When he¡¯d been young, there had been times where he¡¯d wished that he could sink through the floor and disappear. And now that he actually could ¡ª he couldn¡¯t. It was ironic. ¡°He was trying to pull Lee out of the portal.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do something about it?¡± James asked in a sharp, biting tone. Brayden recalled the boy having lazy, half-lidded eyes, but there was no trace of them today. James¡¯ gaze was as sharp as a dagger. ¡°Why didn¡¯t Silvertide?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Brayden said, well aware the words were nowhere near enough. ¡°I wish I could have. Wizen was far stronger than we expected. We were ready to face a Rank 6 mage, but he was greater than that. Not Rank 7, but¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯re just excuses. The fact of the matter is that I was incapable of helping and the others were the same. Vermil saved our lives.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really give a shit about your lives,¡± Emily spat. ¡°Why Moxie too? What happened to her?¡±

    ¡°She jumped in after Vermil,¡± Isabel said before Brayden could respond. He blinked in surprise, then nodded.

    ¡°Isabel is correct. She grabbed his legs and jumped into the portal.¡±

    The students all exchanged a look. Of them, Brayden was surprised to find that Alexandra looked the most worried. She wasn¡¯t speaking much, but he recognized the panic swirling in her eyes.

    ¡°Do you know if they¡¯re stuck with Wizen?¡± Isabel asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Lee was touching him at the last moment, but she wasn¡¯t holding onto him. It¡¯s likely they were separated. If she held onto Vermil and Moxie, the three of them probably landed elsewhere in the Damned Plains.¡±

    Isabel blew out a relieved breath. ¡°Okay. He¡¯ll make it out, then. Thanks for letting us know. Is there anything else?¡±

    Brayden blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Vermil isn¡¯t dead,¡± Todd said with a resolute nod to Isabel. ¡°And he doesn¡¯t lose. If he made it down there with all his stuff as well as Moxie and Lee, then they¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t a speck of doubt in his voice. Todd spoke with something a step less than zealous fanaticism, but the complete and utter confidence in his voice was so firm that Brayden almost found himself believing it.

    Do they know something about Vermil¡¯s powers that I don¡¯t? He never did tell me exactly how his body comes back to life¡­ is it actually possible that he¡¯d be able to get out of the Damned Plains? I know Vermil isn¡¯t actually my brother anymore, but he¡¯s just a Rank 4 like no matter who he is. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d be able to get out of the Damned Plains on my own.

    ¡°You mean he¡¯s got a way out?¡± Alexandra spun toward Todd, hope flashing over her expression.

    ¡°No idea,¡± Todd said with a shrug. ¡°But Isabel and I have been around him for a pretty long time now. There¡¯s no way he¡¯d get stuck down there forever, and he definitely won¡¯t die.¡±

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    ¡°How do you know?¡± Alexandra asked. ¡°He¡¯s in¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, Todd is right,¡± Isabel said. ¡°Vermil won¡¯t die, and there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll let anything happen to Moxie or Lee. All three of them are more than able to handle themselves. Damned Plains or not, they¡¯ll find a way out.¡±

    Emily swallowed and gathered herself, nodding in agreement with the others. ¡°Yeah. It might be a while, but they¡¯ll all get out of there. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll be, and Moxie is probably going to be pissed, but they¡¯ll get out.¡±

    Alexandra and James¡¯ worry was nothing in comparison to the other students¡¯ growing confidence. Isabel and Todd both seemed completely and utterly convinced that there was no way Vermil, Moxie, and Lee would get stuck in the Damned Plains. Emily seemed more hopeful, but the amount of confidence they had seemed impossible.

    Perhaps it was just desperation, but a small root of it took hold in Brayden as well. The kids knew something he didn¡¯t. There was a chance that Vermil could actually get out of the Damned Plains, even if he couldn¡¯t comprehend what it was.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Alexandra,¡± Isabel said. ¡°Vermil hasn¡¯t shown us everything he¡¯s able to do, and we know more than you, largely on accident. Moxie and Lee aren¡¯t just any mages either. Just trust them.¡±

    ¡°What, don¡¯t I get reassurance as¡ª¡± James started, but Emily prodded him in the side and he doubled over with a wheeze.

    I¡¯ve definitely seen Moxie do that to Vermil before. They¡¯re actually quite similar.

    Brayden shoved the worry clouding his thoughts down. It was shameful. Vermil¡¯s students were taking the news better than he had. It was his responsibility to be the support, not theirs.

    I¡¯ve dealt with loss before. Even if Vermil manages to come back, the time he, Moxie, and Lee miss on training their students is my fault. I didn¡¯t just come here to apologize.

    ¡°If there¡¯s anyone that could make it back out of the Damned Plains, it¡¯s probably Vermil,¡± Brayden said. He forced his hands to release the chair and crossed them behind his back so nobody could see him wringing them together. ¡°However, there¡¯s another topic at hand.¡±

    ¡°Is someone else dead?¡± Emily asked wearily.

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s Tim, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d really care,¡± Todd said, scratching at the side of his neck. He paused, a flash of fear passing over his features. ¡°You did say Silvertide survived, right?¡±

    ¡°Nobody else you know is dead. A high number of Enforcers were killed, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine.¡± Todd blew out a relieved breath. ¡°Good to know.¡±

    Good to know?

    ¡°What he means,¡± Isabel said, elbowing Todd, ¡°is that we¡¯re glad that we haven¡¯t lost anyone else important.¡±

    Why does it feel like these students are closer to Soldiers than they are to normal young adults?

    Brayden shook his head. It didn¡¯t matter. They really didn¡¯t have much reason to care about the Enforcers or Wizen. They had a slew of their own issues to deal with. Issues that Vermil and Moxie had been handling.

    ¡°Given the circumstances, your class no longer has a teacher,¡± Brayden said. ¡°Arbitage requires all students within it to have a mentor if they wish to remain. No matter how sure we are that everyone is going to come back, Arbitage believes them to be dead.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Isabel¡¯s eyes narrowed and she rose from her chair. ¡°Are they going to try to kick us out?¡±

    ¡°No. This isn¡¯t the first time a professor has gone missing or died while they have students under them. They¡¯re going to assign you to a new professor.¡±

    ¡°Hell no,¡± Todd said. ¡°Arbitage can find an anthill and sit on it. We don¡¯t need them anymore. If they think we¡¯re going to let some asshole noble boss us around, we¡¯re out of here.¡±

    Isabel looked to Todd, then back to Brayden and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m with Todd on that. Vermil and Moxie are the only professors I¡¯m willing to accept. I¡¯ve seen the other ones that Arbitage has to offer. I would be fine with Silvertide, but there¡¯s no way he¡¯s going to be able to take us all on. I¡¯ll just wait until Vermil comes back.¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be possible,¡± Brayden said regretfully. ¡°If you leave Arbitage, you¡¯d have to re-apply to get back in. And at least for you and Todd, I think you know the chances of that given how you entered the first time.¡±

    Their expressions darkened and the other students sent curious looks their way. Evidently, the full extent of their history wasn¡¯t common knowledge. Brayden winced. He hadn¡¯t even gotten started and he was already making mistakes.

    ¡°Revin might be able to help,¡± James said, sounding like every word physically hurt him to speak.

    Revin? I don¡¯t recall anyone with that name.

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Brayden raised a hand into the air. ¡°If you¡¯ll all allow me to, I will take over your professors¡¯ duties until the time that they return. I promise I won¡¯t do anything that you don¡¯t me to. I¡¯ll just be a sparring partner and a way to keep Arbitage off your backs until Vermil, Moxie, and Lee can take back over.¡±

    The worry and stress in the kids¡¯ faces receded.

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Emily asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you work for the Linwick family doing other stuff?¡±

    ¡°Let me handle the consequences. They aren¡¯t your concern,¡± Brayden said. ¡°I owe this much. I won¡¯t force it on you, but I think it¡¯s the best option. Feel free to discuss it among yourselves. I¡¯ll step out and wait¡ª¡±

    ¡°No need,¡± Isabel said. The kids all exchanged a look and nodded to each other before she spoke again. ¡°Vermil trusted you, and if you taking over will let us wait until things are back to normal, that¡¯s enough for us.¡±

    Brayden blew out a breath he didn¡¯t even realize that he¡¯d been holding. Part of him had been worried that the kids would have hated him. They probably should have. He didn¡¯t know the slightest thing about being a teacher, but if he could repay Vermil even slightly, he¡¯d figure it out.

    ¡°Then that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do,¡± Brayden said.

    ¡°Not alone, I hope.¡±

    Brayden spun as a new voice rang out. His sword flew to his hands, but a wave of runic pressure slammed into him before he could move. The air rippled and a hooded man appeared standing just several feet away from him.

    The reached up and pulled his hood back. Brayden¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°I¡¯m quite peeved about this,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Vermil and I had a game of darts scheduled.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the guy that came with us to the advanced track meeting.¡± Emily squinted at Jalen. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°Because Vermil was turning you all into quite the little monsters. In his absence, I felt it would only be right if I were to aid in furthering your education.¡± A calculated smile pulled across Jalen¡¯s lips. He flicked his fingers. The room rippled and several more hooded people appeared behind him. ¡°I¡¯ve brought a few people that owe Vermil a favor along to help. I hope you don¡¯t mind¡­ but I don¡¯t care if you do. I have high hopes for you all. If you¡¯re even half as entertaining as Vermil, then this is going to be fun.¡±

 Chapter 455: Sniffing cities

    The six-foot tall demon, red skin covered in rippling muscles, with long, black-clawed fingers and two huge horns as long as Noah¡¯s arms sprouting from its skull, died when a rock fell on its head.

    To be fair to the demon, it was a big rock.

    Noah released his grip on Natural Disaster as Lee and Moxie stepped out from the bend of the tunnel to join him. They¡¯d been hunting demons for the better part of three days now, and he had to say that they were getting pretty good at it.

    ¡°Nice,¡± Lee said with an approving grin as she knelt beside the dead demon¡¯s body. ¡°You do a really good lost, terrified idiot impression. Do you have a lot of practice?¡±

    ¡°On some parts of it,¡± Noah replied, feeling the familiar tingle of energy rising up from the demon. He flicked his hand, severing the monster¡¯s soul with Sunder. Runes swirled up from it and his grimoire wasted absolutely no time in snatching them up.

    It managed to get six of the runes down before the final one faded away into the ether. It seemed that absorbing Demon Runes took the grimoire a bit longer than normal ones.

    Lee lifted the beachball sized stone he¡¯d yanked out of the ceiling and tossed it out of the way like it was a child¡¯s toy. She sniffed at the body and nodded up to Noah. ¡°This one was Rank 3. Pretty good. Could be a pretty good sacrifice, and you didn¡¯t even completely ruin the body this time.¡±

    ¡°Look, that wasn¡¯t my fault. I wanted to test out Crumbling Space,¡± Noah said crossly. ¡°Don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but why does every single demon we¡¯ve run across seem so¡­ stupid? You¡¯re so much smarter than they are.¡±

    Lee beamed at him. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not that high of a bar,¡± Moxie said, laughing as she put a hand on Lee¡¯s head and gave it a small shake. ¡°This thing couldn¡¯t even string two words together. I was under the impression that demons were more intelligent on average.¡±

    ¡°The strong ones are,¡± Lee said with a nod. ¡°But there are a ton like this. Brutes at Rank 3 and below that are really strong when you can¡¯t fight back, but they can¡¯t do much against someone smart. You¡¯ve also got a big advantage over them. The majority of them can¡¯t project their magic outside of their body, and if they can, it¡¯s really limited at this Rank.¡±

    That¡¯s right. It¡¯s easy to forget that Demons can¡¯t actually use magic in the same way humans can. Under Rank 4, they¡¯ll basically just be physically strong for the most part. It¡¯s kind of funny. Everyone in the mortal world is terrified of demons, but it looks like the majority of them would actually lose to the average mage.

    It¡¯s the ones at the peak we have to be worried about. That said, Lee was nowhere near this weak when we first met. What¡¯s up with that massive discrepancy?

    ¡°But you¡¯re ridiculously fast,¡± Noah said. ¡°Why aren¡¯t these ones that fast too?¡±

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s because this one is stupid,¡± Lee replied. She stood back up and looked back over to Noah,. ¡°His runes probably overwhelmed his mind, so he was just a brainless monster. Really dangerous if you¡¯re weak, but to us now¡­ not nearly as bad. The competent Rank 3 demons are different. They could be pretty fast.¡±

    Noah nodded thoughtfully. That could pose a problem. Lee had gotten faster in the time he¡¯d known her, so it was a little difficult to remember exactly how fast she¡¯d been before. He was fairly sure he was fast enough now to put up a fight with the former version of Lee, but his body was still just a squishy human¡¯s.

    I need a way to deal with something if it rushes at me. Something like a Shield¡­ but not a Shield since those are only as fast as your reaction speed when blocking a physical attack. I¡¯ll have to think about it. Even though I have to repress my domain, maybe I can find a way to use it more defensively in the worst-case scenario.

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    ¡°Do you think this is going to be enough of a sacrifice at this point?¡± Moxie asked. She extended her hand toward the dead demon and vines twisted out of her sleeve, running to wrap around the monster¡¯s legs.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve got four demons. Two of them are in decent shape, and two are a little bit squished. That¡¯s more than I¡¯ve ever brought before, especially since they¡¯re all Rank 3,¡± Lee mused. She scratched the side of her nose, then shrugged. ¡°I think that should be enough. It seems like a lot. It¡¯ll definitely get us into the city. Rank 3s aren¡¯t that common.¡±

    ¡°Great,¡± Noah said. ¡°And quick question. Do cities have actual food in them? I know demons consume emotion or whatever, but killing things to get sustenance is nowhere near as enjoyable as eating.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Lee admitted. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the resources to trade for anything on the very, very rare occasion that I entered a city. They really weren¡¯t safe to wander around in. Don¡¯t think of them the same way as Arbitage.¡±

    ¡°More lawless?¡± Moxie guessed.

    ¡°They¡¯ve got law. It¡¯s just very different. Nobody wants the cities to be complete chaos, so the general rule of thumb is to not bite off more than you can chew and avoid causing too much trouble in a short period of time. If you don¡¯t, you die.¡±

    ¡°So if I¡¯m confident I can kill one bloke, I could?¡± Noah asked.

    Lee nodded. ¡°Yeah. If you¡¯re strong enough. But a lot of demons band together for that reason. It¡¯s easy to take one out, but if they¡¯ve got a group of ten with ties to more, then it gets a bit harder.¡±

    ¡°So how does anyone even fight without bringing the entire city into a huge war?¡± Moxie asked as they started back out of the tunnel and toward the red desert outside.

    ¡°Depends. If there¡¯s a good reason for the fight, then the other demons won¡¯t interfere. So if you go around attacking people randomly, you¡¯re not gonna get backup,¡± Lee explained. ¡°Also, you can challenge people. If they accept, then it¡¯s just the two of you against each other. There are definitely ways around it. We get bored too easily for any city to stay calm.¡±

    That sounded about right from what he knew of Azel and Lee. They continued out of the cave and emerged into the glowing moonlight of the Damned Plains. Even though they¡¯d been flying around for quite some time, the huge moon had still yet to complete its trek through the sky.

    It was only just starting to dip below the horizon. Noah didn¡¯t know what the sun would bring, but he was hopeful that they¡¯d be in an actual city with some lodgings by the time it rose. He really needed to get a bath if he didn¡¯t want to pass off as a stink demon.

    Moxie brought their newly claimed demon corpse over to a small pile they had at the entrance. Her vines extended to wrap around all of them, tying the bodies together like the world¡¯s most gruesome bouquet of flowers.

    ¡°Okay. We¡¯re ready to go to the city, then?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Yeah. I think so,¡± Lee replied after a second of hesitation. ¡°I think we¡¯ve got everything we need.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t sound too confident.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while and the memories I¡¯ve got of it aren¡¯t the best,¡± Lee said. ¡°And they¡¯re kinda blurry too. I don¡¯t remember all that much. We should have what we need.¡±

    ¡°Eh. Good enough for me. Can you sniff out the nearest city? Probably not, since we¡¯re still¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s over there right now.¡± Lee pointed to Noah¡¯s right and he followed her finger to stare into the desert. It looked completely barren.

    That¡¯s right. I forgot she mentioned that the cities moved around in the Damned Plains. Guess they¡¯re more like tribes than actual cities. But how does she know where it is at this range?

    ¡°How in the world can you tell anything is over there? Your nose can¡¯t possibly be that good. You¡¯d be constantly getting overwhelmed just by existing.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t actually smell it this time. You can just tell. There are a bunch of demon runes in that direction. A lot of them.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°You can¡­ detect demon runes?¡±

    ¡°Not individual ones. But when there are that many? Yeah. It¡¯s just kind of this feeling. It¡¯s way stronger in the Damned Plains for some reason. I don¡¯t know why, but there¡¯s definitely a city over there right now. We should be able to make it in a few hours of travel.¡± Lee hesitated for a second and looked down at all the corpses they had tied up. The flying sword definitely wasn¡¯t meant to lug that many people around. ¡°Maybe a bit more than a few. But soon.¡±

    Interesting. Demon Runes are really different from mortal ones. I wonder if normal monster runes are equally as varied, or if it¡¯s just demons?

    ¡°If it¡¯s just a few hours, I suppose we might as well get on our way. I¡¯m curious to see these cities of yours,¡± Moxie said.

    They all got back onto the flying sword and Noah activated it. It lifted into the air, wavering slightly under all the weight it was under, but he pumped it full of wind magic from Natural Disaster until it was able to lift them and their sacrifices off the ground.

    Then they were off, heading in the direction that Lee had indicated, to get their first look at one of the Damned Plain¡¯s walking cities.

 Chapter 456: Sacrifice

    Several hours of flight later, Noah finally got his first look at a demon city ¡ª and it became quite clear that something had gotten lost in translation. He¡¯d been picturing a group of nomadic demons carrying their belongings around on their backs and packing up tents whenever they moved around.

    That couldn¡¯t have been farther from the truth. The city wasn¡¯t made from tarps and poles.

    It was a monster.

    A turtle, so large that it took Noah several seconds to even realize what he was looking at, loomed before them. The monster had a black-scaled shell, weathered from years upon years of travel through the Damned Plains.

    Huge structures rose up from the turtle¡¯s back, made from grey and black stone. They stabbed into the sky and cut through the swirling energy in the air far above. The demons had built an entire city upon its back, and it was easily several times larger than Arbitage.

    Lifts and rigging hung off the side of the turtle¡¯s shell, running all the way down to the ground and swaying dangerously. A massive yellow eye on the turtle¡¯s wrinkled face stared off into the distance.

    One of the turtle¡¯s feet was several hundred spans off the ground, seemingly in the process of taking a step. Based on the speed it was moving, it would be quite some time before the foot landed.

    Noah nearly lost his concentration and crashed the flying sword, but he managed to keep them off the ground. They weren¡¯t too far from the turtle now, though it¡¯s ridiculous size definitely made it seem closer than it actually was.

    ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Noah screamed over the howl of the wind.

    ¡°I told you,¡± Lee called back. ¡°It¡¯s a moving city!¡±

    ¡°When you said moving, that was not what I was picturing!¡±

    ¡°How else would it move?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like this is normal!¡±

    ¡°It is, though.¡±

    Okay, fair point.

    ¡°Where exactly are we supposed to land?¡± Moxie yelled, twisting her neck to look over her shoulder and back at them. ¡°Do we just fly up onto the turtle¡¯s back?¡±

    ¡°No. We need to give the sacrifice. Go to the lifts hanging from it and we can get into one of the lines. But¡­ once we¡¯re there, if something goes wrong, it might be really hard to get away. Are we sure this is the right move?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have many other options. We can¡¯t just hide in the Wastes forever. There¡¯s only so much we can accomplish there. The only path forward is through a city.¡±

    Noah directed the sword toward the lifts at the bottom of the turtle and started mentally preparing himself. It had been a bit since he¡¯d had to put on a front like this one, but he did have some practice pretending to be a demon from back during his first visit to the Linwick Estate.

    It¡¯ll probably be a bit harder to convince demons than humans, but I had Azel knocking around in my head for long enough to get a good feel for how they act.

    ¡°Any last-minute warnings before we land?¡± Noah called as they grew closer to the milling crowd around the base of the turtle. ¡°And get your game faces on. From here on out, we¡¯re all demons.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Don¡¯t let them know you¡¯re human,¡± Lee said. ¡°And if you start a fight, finish it. Mercy isn¡¯t something that people respect here. Only strength.¡±

    Silvertide¡¯s words passed from back in Wizen¡¯s sanctum passed through Noah¡¯s mind and his jaw set. ¡°Yeah. I know.¡±

    He landed the sword on the ground before they got too close to anyone. Flying in might not have been the most inconspicuous way to make an arrival. They all stepped off and Noah scooped it up, sliding it back into its place at his side. Moxie¡¯s vines lifted the bodies they¡¯d been dragging along into the air behind her, and Noah took the lead as they headed over to join the people waiting beside one of the lifts.

    After about thirty minutes of walking, they drew near enough that Noah could make out the individual forms in the crowd. A slight twinge of apprehension ran through him. At first glance, every single one of them were clearly demons.

    Almost none of them looked identical. Some had horns and claws, while others were covered with matted fur. There were a number of them with tails or jutting spikes protruding from their backs.

    While not all of them were completely humanoid, most were. There were, however, almost none that looked completely human. A number of them probably could have passed as a normal person if they¡¯d covered up scales or other anomalies, but it didn¡¯t seem like they had any desire to do so.

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    ¡°I thought a lot of demons just looked human,¡± Noah said under his breath.

    ¡°Most strong demons aren¡¯t going to come in like this,¡± Lee replied. ¡°They¡¯ve got connections. We don¡¯t.¡±

    Now that they were a bit closer, Noah couldn¡¯t help but wonder how stable the lifts actually were. They were made of dull red metal and connected with ropey sinew and black chains. The platforms were flat pieces of stone covered with runic inscriptions that looked like they¡¯d been made hundreds of years ago.

    Each platform was large enough to hold somewhere between fifty and one hundred people, depending on how close they were willing to get with each other. And, fortunately, it didn¡¯t look like there were nearly that many demons gathered around the lift that they¡¯d arrived by.

    It was roughly half full, and another group climbed a chain ladder hanging from the platform as they watched. A seven-foot-tall demon with gray skin clad in heavy red metal armor stood at the base of the platform, a huge halberd in his hands. He was joined by a second demon, this one female, clad in the same armor. She had the same skin tone, but two massive wings jutting from her back. Even folded up, they took up a considerable amount of space.

    Guards? The guy could have passed for human if it wasn¡¯t for the skin color. It¡¯s kind of hard to tell how strong demons actually are if there aren¡¯t any domains. That¡¯s slightly annoying.

    He beckoned the next group ¡ª a pair of male demons with long horns and barbed tails ¡ª forward. They dumped a pile of dead Ettercaps on the ground before the guard. The demon stared at them, disdain evident in his yellowed eyes.

    ¡°This is it?¡± the guard asked as Noah¡¯s group quietly joined the short line leading up to him. ¡°You come to Treadon and offer Lord Belkus nothing but this?¡±

    ¡°Treadon is the name of the turtle,¡± Lee whispered into Noah¡¯s ear. ¡°We name our cities after the turtles. Belkus is the Rank 7 that controls the city. I haven¡¯t been to this one before, but I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±

    ¡°This is three times more than we brought last time,¡± the demon that had dropped the Ettercaps said. He squared his shoulders, but Noah picked up on the tremor that wreathed his words.

    ¡°And it is twice less than what you should have brought. We don¡¯t need scum in the city,¡± the guard spat. He nudged the Ettercaps with a foot, then shook his head. ¡°One Ettercap isn¡¯t enough.¡±

    ¡°One?¡± the second demon took a step forward. ¡°What do you mean, one? We brought three.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m quite certain I only count one,¡± the guard said. His lips pulled apart in a cold smile. ¡°I can hold onto these for you while you get the rest.¡±

    The pair of demons exchanged a glance. For a moment, Noah thought they would jump at the guard. Instead, they spun and strode away from the line to head back into the Wastes. The second guard watched them leave, her face impassive.

    Well, if they were struggling with the Ettercaps, they couldn¡¯t have been all that strong. Looks like the guards like extorting the people trying to go through the chump entrance.

    The next group approached the front of the line. They¡¯d brought an entire sled piled high with hoglike monsters along with them. There must have been ten or fifteen of them. The demons pushed it over to guard¡¯s feet. He examined it for a moment, then took a step back and nodded to the platform.

    ¡°Accepted. On you go.¡±

    I don¡¯t recognize the hog thing, but they definitely had quite a few of them. Guess they brought enough for the guard to take a cut without complaining.

    The next groups approached the guard and passed on without any trouble, and then it was Noah¡¯s turn. He stepped up to the demon and Moxie¡¯s vines dropped the corpses on the ground between them.

    A slight crease ran through the guard¡¯s brow as he studied their distinct lack of any demonic features. Noah held his gaze, but he didn¡¯t miss the female demon shifting her stance to ready her weapon.

    The hell? I haven¡¯t even done anything yet.

    ¡°Sufficient, I trust?¡± Noah asked, jerking his chin toward the bodies. ¡°I don¡¯t have all day.¡±

    ¡°You trying to hide something? Drop the human forms,¡± the demon said. ¡°If you¡¯re banned from the city, changing your appearance won¡¯t make a difference.¡±

    ¡°Ah. No, I won¡¯t be doing that.¡± Noah scratched the side of his neck. ¡°You can take my word for it. I¡¯m not banned.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s not happening,¡± the demon said. He tapped his staff on the ground. ¡°You best have a whole lot more than this if you¡¯re trying to slide in unannounced.¡±

    Aha. So you can bribe your way in even if you do get kicked out. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m just going to turn around and go get more shit, though. We¡¯ve already wasted enough time screwing around in the deserts. Besides, I¡¯m pretty sure that leaving now would be a pretty big sign of weakness.

    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s more than enough as long as you don¡¯t take half of it,¡± Noah said dryly. ¡°Those demons had more energy in them than the majority of the other ones you¡¯ve got in that pile behind you.¡±

    ¡°Except those were from people that weren¡¯t trying to hide their identity,¡± the guard said. He pointed the halberd at Noah. ¡°And if you¡¯re too scared to show your true face, then I think you¡¯d be best off turning right around and not showing your sorry hide here until you¡¯ve got enough to pay the toll.¡±

    I suppose it wouldn¡¯t really make sense for a powerful demon to stroll up here in a disguise, so assuming that I¡¯m just some random little shit that got kicked out of the city is a pretty safe bet.

    ¡°You want me to bring a better bribe?¡± Noah asked innocently. ¡°That one took me so long to get, though. I don¡¯t want to go back into the Wastes.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about what you want.¡± The guard let out a snort of laughter and pressed the tip of his spear into Noah¡¯s chest. ¡°If you want to save time, I¡¯d suggest leaving quickly. I don¡¯t see any other sacrifices lying around here.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side as energy raced down into his palm. He put a finger against the tip of the halberd. ¡°That¡¯s odd. Maybe you should look again.¡±

    He released Crumbling Space. Tiny white cracks raced out, barely even visible as they collapsed in on themselves. The head of the halberd screeched and warped, folding in on itself and shattering in a rain of metal that fell to the ground at their feet, leaving the guard with nothing more than a stick.

    Noah clapped the guard on the shoulder while the man was staring at his weapon in disbelief. It had been some time since he¡¯d called on all the vibration elements he¡¯d imbued Natural Disaster with, but they came easily to him as he sent energy pouring into the demon¡¯s body. A violent tremor ripped through the guard with enough force to make his teeth crack against each other. Noah slammed him down to his knees, then leaned down so their gazes met once more.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you,¡± Noah whispered. ¡°But I see one more sacrifice kneeling right in front of me.¡±

 Chapter 457: Aladdin

    The female guard took a step toward Noah, her eyes cautious as she readied her halberd. But, before she could move, Moxie moved between them. The vines twisting from her robes rose up around her like the heads of a hydra.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you,¡± Moxie said softly. ¡°We still need someone alive to operate the lift.¡±

    The guard at Noah¡¯s feet stared up at him, jaw clenched and fury burning in his eyes. ¡°Killing me would be stealing from Lord Belkus. You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±

    Noah tilted his head to the side. Ironically, his guidelines as to what a demon would do were pretty much asking himself what Father would do in his situation. Straight up killing a random guard probably wouldn¡¯t be earning him many points in his favor, but Father wasn¡¯t the type to back down without an ulterior motive.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Noah asked. ¡°You aren¡¯t important. I¡¯d imagine one more sacrifice would more than cover the cost of removing an insect from the heel of my shoe. The only thing keeping you alive right now is that I¡¯m too lazy to go back into the Wastes right now.¡±

    ¡°Who are you?¡± the female guard asked. She¡¯d stopped before Moxie, her wings slightly parted in preparation to either fight or flee. Judging by the way she was carrying herself, it looked like she was at least a little bit more competent than the male demon. ¡°I don¡¯t know of any demons with your abilities. Was your arrival announced? If it was, reveal your identities and we can put a stop this.¡±

    The male demon lurched, trying to sweep Noah¡¯s legs out from him. Instead of trying to dodge, Noah let the demon¡¯s blow connect. As soon as it did, he sent a wave of vibration from Natural Disaster into the demon¡¯s body, canceling out the momentum and causing the guard to convulse.

    Noah drew on Natural Disaster once more, causing a powerful gust of wind to gather directly beneath the guard as he reached down. His dusty uniform fluttered around him as his hand wrapped around the demon¡¯s neck and he lifted him into the air with the aid of the wind centered around them.

    As far as anybody else could likely tell, there was just a breeze rushing by and Noah was just lifting the demon under his own strength.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have to announce when I arrive,¡± Noah said. ¡°My presence is warning enough. I do not have to inconvenience myself for the likes of you.¡±

    He threw the guard to the ground at his feet, releasing Natural Disaster so he didn¡¯t have to keep drawing energy from it and risk somebody noticing that he wasn¡¯t tossing people around under his own strength.

    The demon scrambled to his feet and backed up until he stood beside his fellow guard. His hands twitched at his sides and his gaze flicked to the shattered weapon lying beside Noah.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting impatient,¡± Noah said quietly. He tapped his foot on the ground. ¡°Make a decision. Minor inconvenience or not, it¡¯ll be the same to me in the end ¡ª and that¡¯s assuming your Lord even notices when you go missing.¡±

    A second of terse silence passed. The guard¡¯s jaw set. An instant before he could speak, any words he¡¯d had planned were silenced as the winged demon held her hand up in front of him.

    ¡°Your sacrifice is sufficient,¡± she said, inclining her head just enough to acknowledge him but without getting too respectful. Her wings folded back in and she moved to the side, nodding up to the platform.

    Noah bared his teeth in a flat smile. ¡°Very clever. It was a pleasure meeting you both.¡±

    Lee scooped the haft of the guard¡¯s weapon off the ground and examined it with a critical eye.

    ¡°I left my axe behind. Can I take this?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°Feel free,¡± the female guard said, cutting the other one off before he could respond. ¡°We have no need of a broken halberd.¡±

    They stood to the side as Noah¡¯s group walked past them and up to the platform. Instead of using the ropes, Noah wrapped his arms around Lee and Moxie and used a blast of wind magic to simulate a leap.

    The magic launched them up onto the platform and they landed with a synchronized thud. All the demons that had already gathered on it either averted their gaze or stared at them with terror in their eyes.

    ¡°When does this start moving?¡± Noah asked. ¡°You¡¯ve all been standing around for a while now, haven¡¯t we?¡±

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°I ¡ª it needs to be filled before the lift is operated, Sir,¡± a short furry demon said, hiding behind a larger one that Noah presumed to be its father. Judging from their ratty leather clothing, he suspected neither of them were particularly wealthy.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Noah glanced back down at the guards. They noticed him looking and both winced. After exchanging a glance, the winged one strode over to a large metal box hanging from a thick chain at the turtle¡¯s side and started fiddling with it.

    A few moments later, the lift shuddered. Chains clattered and rang as they started to hoist the platform into the air.

    ¡°Ah. Lucky us,¡± Noah said. He turned away from the edge of the lift and let the corner of his lips pull up in a smile. ¡°It seems we got to leave early.¡±

    None of the demons responded. A few of them gave him shaky nods, but the rest just focused their gazes anywhere but him. He took the brief silence to stare up the turtle¡¯s side as the lift clunked away toward the city at its top.

    It was so high up that the only things Noah could make out were black scales. He knew the city was there, but it wasn¡¯t anywhere near visible yet. The lift started to accelerate and wind howled by as the air pressed down on Noah¡¯s back, trying to squish him into the metal.

    Minutes crawled by as the platform rumbled higher and higher. Nobody said a word. The peaks of the towering stone and metal city buildings soon came into view. Noah couldn¡¯t even see some of their peaks through the swirling energy far above.

    They were made of a fascinating mixture of metal supports and stone walls. Many of the buildings seemed to have gone for height over width and almost resembled spikes jutting out of the back of the turtle¡¯s shell.

    Sparks rang off a huge pulley system at the edge of the city and the platform slowed, releasing the pressure that had been bearing down on everyone. It rattled to a halt, sliding into place in a much larger stone platform.

    Several demons released tense breaths as two guards unhooked thick chains ringing off the platform, allowing them access to the city proper. Everyone on the platform promptly vacated it as quickly as possible, vanishing into the large crowd that milled about the lifts. Many of them stood in lines leading up to other lift platforms in a row off to both sides.

    Noah¡¯s group followed after the others. Fortunately, no guards gave them any bother this time around and they were able to enter the city without any hassle. As tempting as it was to crane his neck back and look like a lost tourist, Noah kept his eyes straight ahead as they pushed through the crowd.

    They stepped beneath a large archway and onto the main road, continuing along it until they drew up to a small nook between two towering buildings. Noah headed into it, Lee and Moxie following after him.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Noah said as they came to a stop. He¡¯d fully expected it to be freezing up on the turtle¡¯s back, even with Combustion, but he was surprised to find that it was actually rather warm, albeit breezy. ¡°I¡¯d say that went pretty well.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a very convincing¡­ well, you,¡± Moxie said. ¡°And we¡¯ve definitely had some exposure therapy.¡±

    Lee chewed on the end of the stick that she¡¯d taken from the guard. ¡°I love this stuff.¡±

    ¡°Wood?¡± Noah asked. ¡°You¡¯re getting worse. At least you were mostly eating edible things before.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s dry sinew,¡± Lee said, still gnawing at the spear haft. ¡°Wood is hard to get in the Damned Plains. It¡¯s basically really stiff beef jerky. Want to try some?¡±

    Noah sent it a suspicious look. ¡°No. I think I¡¯ll be fine. We just killed a bunch of stuff so I¡¯m not going to starve to death anytime soon.¡±

    He paused, then a grimace passed over his lips. ¡°Shit. We just left all our money with the guards, didn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Gold still works,¡± Lee said. ¡°It¡¯s just a little less common. A lot of demons bring it back after they leave the Mortal Plane, but not normal ones. It¡¯s pretty much exclusive to the stronger classes.¡±

    ¡°Well, I suppose that works out, doesn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t have that much on me anyway. Moxie?¡±

    ¡°Around one hundred,¡± Moxie said after digging through her bag for a moment. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind finding a proper meal¡­ but we really need to figure out what our actual plan is from here on out. We can¡¯t just wander around the city getting into shit until we stumble into someone that can find Wizen.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. There¡¯s no point finding Wizen until we have a way to actually fight him,¡± Noah said. ¡°Which means we need either allies or power, and ideally both.¡±

    ¡°Allies?¡± Lee¡¯s nose scrunched and she pulled the chewed-up polearm shaft out of her mouth. ¡°Here?¡±

    ¡°You turned out pretty well.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m unique.¡±

    ¡°That you are,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°But I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to find some demons that we can convince to fight for us one way or another ¡ª and that leads to the next thing. We aren¡¯t getting anywhere as ourselves. I can bluff my way past some guards, but if we want to get stronger, we need Runes. Especially you. If there¡¯s anywhere we can find a way to fix your Rank 4, it¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± A flicker of worry and reluctance passed over Lee¡¯s face, but she nodded. ¡°And sooner would be better. Do you mean we¡¯re going to pretend to be some strong demon?¡±

    Noah scratched the back of his neck. ¡°That could work, but I don¡¯t know anywhere near enough about anyone in particular to emulate them. I think we need to leave things a little more open ended. Do you know if the entirety of the Damned Plains has been explored?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it has. Most of it is completely uninhabitable, and it¡¯s huge. I¡¯ve heard its way bigger than the mortal world, but I don¡¯t know enough to say for sure,¡± Lee said with a shake of her head. ¡°We¡¯d have to find someone that knows more about it for good answers.¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ve got a start. I think I¡¯ve got a plan that should fit our plans perfectly if we pull it off correctly.¡±

    ¡°Care to share?¡± Moxie asked, arching an eyebrow.

    ¡°Back where I¡¯m from, there¡¯s a pretty famous story about a beggar that pretends to be a prince.¡± A grin split Noah¡¯s face. ¡°He went by the name Aladdin, and I think he had the right idea.¡±

 Chapter 458: A Start

    ¡°Let me get this straight,¡± Moxie said, squinting at Noah once he¡¯d gotten through his slightly scuffed retelling of Aladdin. ¡°You want to¡­ start a marching band?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it. We need to convince everyone that I ¡ª as well as you and Lee ¡ª aren¡¯t just random demons. Demons place a lot of importance on actual power, and we aren¡¯t going to be able to hold our own publicly if a Rank 5 or 6 comes after us. We need invisible power.¡±

    ¡°Invisible power?¡± Lee tilted her head to the side. ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°Basically a threat that keeps most people from trying to fight us in the first place,¡± Noah explained. ¡°Let¡¯s say a Rank 6 demon thinks we¡¯re alone and don¡¯t have any powerful backing. Even if we tell them we¡¯re powerful, the demon might be tempted to check. They might try to attack us or orchestrate something to test our abilities. But if we convince them that we¡¯re actually backed by an enormous city of demons or some great power, they¡¯d be a lot more apprehensive about trying to challenge us. They might even fall in line ¡ª and that means our own power goes up even higher.¡±

    Lee¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°It¡¯s like pretending to be a waiter so a restaurant lets you eat all the food in their store rooms because you work there.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª no, not really, but I figure you¡¯ve got it close enough,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°Do you know if music is as dangerous in the Damned Plains as it is in the mortal realm?¡±

    Lee thought for a moment, then gave him a small shrug. ¡°Not sure. Never really had the time to think about it. If it was, you¡¯d probably just get killed before we managed to get a following.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s assuming we actually get caught,¡± Noah said. Pieces of a plan were knitting themselves together in his mind faster than he could pull them apart. The plan was a bit hairbrained, but he was pretty sure it had potential. ¡°If we just burst out into the middle of the city and start doing things in the open, we¡¯ll never get a chance to start. We need to be covert. Build up momentum slowly. A movement isn¡¯t born in a day.¡±

    ¡°A movement makes it sound like we¡¯re radicalizing the demons,¡± Moxie said. Her brow furrowed in thought. ¡°That does seem like it has potential, but what are we even promoting? Playing music is going to catch their attention, but we need something to keep it if we want them to believe and follow us.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find something that the demons in the city want that we can back up. It¡¯s basically running for office, but with much less lying than normal.¡±

    Moxie snorted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Let¡¯s say we do. Wouldn¡¯t the city know that we were playing inside its walls? We can¡¯t pass those demons off as an honor guard.¡±

    ¡°Not most of them,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°But no city knows every single person within it. We don¡¯t pretend like everyone was with us from the start. If we can get some people on our side, we can get a few of them to pretend to be honor guard or something like that. As for the rest¡­ we just have to go around and build up momentum, then do what we did in the first advanced track meeting. We can then claim that we¡¯ve got a mixture of our own supporters in with the new ones and it¡¯ll be impossible to verify as long as we don¡¯t get pinned down. The more mysterious we can get, the more people will speculate. They¡¯ll do all the heavy lifting for us as long as we can lay the pieces for them to put together.¡±

    Moxie and Lee exchanged a glance, but he could see that his words were getting to them. They both started to nod.

    ¡°Okay. Assume we somehow manage to pull that off,¡± Moxie said slowly. ¡°What then? Bring a horde to try and find Wizen and take him down?¡±

    ¡°I doubt he¡¯ll be strolling around in the open. We need the power to figure out what the hell he¡¯s up to,¡± Noah said, chewing his lower lip. ¡°If we could convince the city to lend us some aid, we could use their connections to put out feelers about Wizen or a way back to Arbitage. The Damned Plains are so huge that I can¡¯t see any other timely way we can get information.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s fingers drummed against her thigh. She pushed away from the wall of the alley and started pacing back and forth. ¡°Just how big are the Damned Plains, Lee? Before we throw caution and logic to the wind, is there any way we¡¯d be able to get what we need from some sort of information broker or a library?¡±

    Lee chewed on the end of her thumb. Then she shook her head. ¡°Maybe? But we¡¯d need to prove we were strong enough to get the information from them. We could just get attacked when we ask for something like that. Ways to the surface are the most valuable information in the entirety of the Damned Plains. We won¡¯t be able to get it as we are.¡±

    ¡°Libraries?¡± Moxie tried.

    ¡°Also incredibly restricted. We could try breaking in¡­ but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re faster than Rank 6 demons.¡±

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    Moxie thought for a few more seconds, then shrugged. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m out of alternative ideas. I think operation bullshit is the way to go. But¡­ how do we even start something like that? We skipped over it before, but it¡¯s the most important part of the whole thing. If we can¡¯t get people to gather around whatever our cause is, then it¡¯s dead in the water.¡±

    That was definitely the question of the hour. And, unfortunately, Noah didn¡¯t have an answer to that quite yet. It didn¡¯t look like Lee or Moxie did either, so they all fell silent for a minute as they thought.

    ¡°Food is always good,¡± Lee said.

    That¡¯s a Lee suggestion if I¡¯ve ever heard one.

    He started to smile, but then his mind actually finished processing what Lee had said. ¡°Food is a scarce resource in the Damned Plains?¡±

    ¡°You have to hunt or trade for it. It¡¯s not easy to get if you aren¡¯t strong.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not trying to recruit weak demons,¡± Moxie pointed out. ¡°If our platform is just feeding the masses, we¡¯re not going to get any momentum with the strong demons that we actually need on our side.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a start, though.¡± Noah nodded to himself. A flicker of excitement started to build in his chest. ¡°We could begin with the demons that don¡¯t have anywhere to turn. There have to be some that are hiding in the city, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lee said. ¡°If you stay out of the way, the city can be good shelter. It¡¯s not safe, though. The weakest demons will be in the Wastes. Anyone in the city would be strong enough to provide a Sacrifice to get themselves in.¡±

    ¡°But there would be demons that just scraped their way in and are using the city to hide, eating scraps to survive?¡± Noah confirmed.

    ¡°Definitely.¡±

    ¡°Then we have a plan. All we need is something to cover our faces and some food. .Then we put on a show.¡±

    ¡°I know where we can get all of that,¡± Lee said. ¡°I smell the markets.¡±

    A smile crossed Moxie¡¯s face, unbidden. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t hurt to try. I have to say I¡¯m at least a little bit curious to see how this will go. It¡¯s worth a shot at the very least. Lead the way, Lee.¡±

    ***

    Aylin had long since learned to recognize the sounds of Treadon. The clatter-thud of a guard¡¯s footsteps. The jingle-rustle of wealth hidden within the flowing robes of a demon waiting to part with its wealth. The sandsong of the wind before a storm.

    There wasn¡¯t a single sound he didn¡¯t know like the back of his scarred hand. The whisper of the streets was often the only warning one got. Being able to speak its language was the pathway to survival when the entire city waited to take their lives.

    Fortunately, the streets rarely changed. The sounds were always the same. The guards always arrived in the same manner, the merchants always tossed their scraps to the same spots. It was a necessary sacrifice, but it was easier than having to fight to protect their goods every day. Scraps of food were still food, and scraps kept the weak from becoming desperate.

    There were just never quite enough. Aylin had gone hungry today. The sounds had warned him of guards. For what reason they arrived, Aylin didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t care. He had listened. Others had not.

    He had lived. Others had not.

    The reward of life did nothing to satisfy the burning knot in his stomach that threatened to rise and swallow his mind. It was a reminder of life, but not one he cared to have.

    Aylin kept to the darkened corners of the alleys as he made his way, empty-handed, back to shelter. Sleep would be long in the making, but it would delay the hunger¡¯s gnaw until the next day. He wasn¡¯t desperate enough to return to the markets.

    Not yet.

    And then something reached his ears. A sound ¡ª and not one that belonged. A river of bumps raced down Aylin¡¯s red skin and prickled at the base of his neck. It was a beautiful sound, like the song of a siren whispering down the streets of Treadon, just barely loud enough to pick up.

    Curiosity was rarely a wise trait, but his head was light from lack of sustenance and his feet were moving before his mind had caught up to them.

    Aylin crept down the streets, approaching the strange sound. He grew more enraptured with every step, his pace starting to accelerate. He kept what little of his wits remained about him and ensured he moved as silently as he did fast.

    Such a sound could not be a bearer of good news, but it was news nonetheless. If something had changed in the streets, he had to find out. He had to warn the others. That was why he investigated. Not mere curiosity, but duty.

    At least, that was what he told himself.

    Aylin turned a corner ¡ª and froze.

    A man sat in the center of a large alleyway, a strange object braced against his body and a stick in the other, his face wrapped in a scarf used to protect from the storms. The beautiful noise filling the alleys floated from him, curling into Aylin¡¯s ears like a worm.

    And, scattered across the ground before him like so much trash, were several pieces of meat and bread. A trap. There was no doubt about it. As to what purpose, Aylin didn¡¯t know, but it had to be a trap.

    The gnawing pain in his stomach grew stronger.

    Desperation.

    Aylin¡¯s hands clenched. He took a step forward. Fresh food. Not old, dry scraps. He took another step, keeping to the darkness of the alley in hopes that ¡ª

    The man¡¯s gaze turned to him, and still the tantalizing song played. In a smooth motion, the man flicked his stick, striking a loaf of bread and sending it sailing through the air without missing a single note.

    Aylin lunged to catch the loaf. His fingers wrapped around his prize and he hit the ground in a roll before diving for the alley behind him. Only once he¡¯d gotten back to his feet did he realize that the strange sound¡¯s fading notes had vanished from his ears.

    He glanced over his shoulder.

    The man was gone, but the food remained. The back of Aylin¡¯s neck prickled violently. Not a word had been spoken, but the message had been passed on all the same.

    The covered man was far faster than Aylin. He had acknowledged Aylin¡¯s presence ¡ª and done nothing. A trap it may have been, but Aylin could resist the urge no longer.

    He took a greedy bite of the bread, barely even stopping to swallow as he scurried back over to the other food and stuffed it into his shirt. It was a gift, but there was no doubt in his mind that it came with strings.

    Aylin took another huge bite out of the bread. Then, glancing around the street one last time, he took off running back to his shelter. The others needed to eat ¡ª and be warned. A shiver of dread traveled down his spine. Nothing came for free in the Damned Plains. The only question was what price he had paid.

 Chapter 459: The Price

    ¡°It¡¯s safe,¡± Aylin insisted, holding a half-eaten loaf of bread out. ¡°I already ate some and I¡¯m still alive.¡±

    The group of demons crouched in the room stared at him with a mixture of disbelief, hope, and suspicion. Their stomachs were flat and clothes ragged. The room smelled musty and damp, but the scent did nothing to mute the cries of their stomachs. Dim red light filtered through the cracks in the low ceiling above them, washing over Aylin and his pile of food in rippling waves.

    ¡°I know you think that,¡± Violet said. She scratched at the horn protruding from the center of her forehead and worked her jaw. ¡°But the Damned Plains don¡¯t work like that. Nobody gives free food.¡±

    ¡°Any price is mine alone,¡± Aylin insisted. He took another bite out of the bread and the other children flinched back. They stared as he chewed and swallowed, opening his mouth to show there was nothing left. ¡°See? I¡¯m alive.¡±

    ¡°What if eating the food enslaves you?¡± Torick asked. The boy was so thin that he might as well have been a dust-colored stick. All of them were, to some degree or another. Aylin and Violet were the ones that had gathered the most supplies in recent times, but they¡¯d been spread too thin for too long.

    There just wasn¡¯t enough to go around, and they weren¡¯t strong enough to wrest nearly enough from the others that lived in the streets. Aylin¡¯s hands clenched as bitter anger swirled through his stomach. Unlike the food, it did nothing to fill him.

    He couldn¡¯t even hold anything against the other gangs. Not everyone could live. If they were stronger, they wouldn¡¯t be sharing either. Sharing was mercy, mercy was for the strong, and they¡¯d already taken out loans on that they couldn¡¯t afford to repay.

    ¡°Does it matter what it does?¡± Aylin demanded. He thrust a finger into Torick¡¯s bony chest. ¡°You¡¯re a breath from dead. How are we supposed to get strong if we can¡¯t even get out of bed?¡±

    ¡°You can. Violet can,¡± Torick insisted.

    ¡°Look at yourself!¡± Aylin said. He clenched his jaw and shook his head. ¡°Forget that. Look at me. Look at Violet. She¡¯s seventeen, but she looks five years younger than that. I¡¯m no better. Do you really think any of us are getting out of here if we don¡¯t take what opportunities we can?¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t an opportunity,¡± Violet snapped, but Aylin caught her glancing down at herself before she spoke. ¡°It¡¯s a death trap. You¡¯re desperate and starved. If you want to die, do it. Don¡¯t bring us into it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we could trade the food to other gangs?¡± Torick asked hesitantly.

    ¡°No,¡± Aylin and Violet said at the same time, causing the boy to flinch back.

    ¡°If we show others, they¡¯ll just take it from us,¡± Aylin said. He took another bite of the bread. At this point, he was beyond the point of caring. Any damage it would do was already done. ¡°We aren¡¯t kids anymore, Violet.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me to give up? Is that it?¡± Violet stepped forward and pressed her forehead to Aylin¡¯s, her lips pulling back in a snarl. Her horn forced Aylin to take a step back to avoid getting stabbed. ¡°Coward.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being a coward,¡± Aylin hissed. ¡°You are. You¡¯re too scared to do what we have to. I¡¯m not a wizard. Miracles don¡¯t materialize. We can¡¯t do anything when we¡¯re starved. I¡¯m trying to help us.¡± He grabbed Violet¡¯s shoulders and shoved her back. She stumbled, nearly tripping over her own feet. Aylin stepped after her. ¡°You were stronger than me a month ago. The energy the food gives us is what we need to make something of ourselves. This isn¡¯t just a meal. It''s an opportunity.¡±

    ¡°An opportunity to lose who we are. There¡¯s no way that food is safe,¡± Violet said with a firm shake of her head. ¡°You¡¯re just going to¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±

    They both spun. Edda, the youngest of their group gnawed on a piece of bread and looked up at them with large, watery eyes. She held the loaf out. ¡°Sorry. I got hungry.¡±

    ¡°Shit,¡± Violet groaned, throwing her hands up into the air and slumping down to wrap her arms around her knees. ¡°Damn it. Aylin, you idiot. You¡¯ve taken her with you. I thought you were smarter than this. You¡¯ve doomed us.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± Aylin snapped. ¡°And nobody is doing anything if they starve to death. We used to have more than four of us. Bravery didn¡¯t make any of us less hungry. It didn¡¯t keep anyone alive. Do you think Cole¡ª¡±

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    A loud bang on the stone door behind them echoed out. Aylin and Violet both spun as it flew open. A square-faced demon ducked into the room, two black horns curling out from just above his ears. His body rippled with muscles and he had to scrunch down to fit into the small room. It did nothing to make him any less intimidating. Aylin¡¯s heart dropped into his stomach. He¡¯d been so focused on their argument that he hadn¡¯t listened to the sounds of the street until it was too late.

    Yog. He¡¯s in Golon¡¯s gang.

    ¡°One of my boys mentioned you¡¯d had a good haul,¡± the demon said, his lips pulling apart in a cold smile. ¡°I hope you weren¡¯t planning on keeping that all to yourselves. You know the rule on food you bring in when you¡¯re staying in Golon¡¯s territory.¡±

    Violet sent a flat, furious glare at Aylin¡¯s back and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to wither under her gaze.

    ¡°You can have it,¡± Violet said. ¡°Just take all of it.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Aylin said. He set his jaw and stared up at Yog. ¡°We¡¯re not under Golon¡¯s protection and I didn¡¯t pass through his streets. We don¡¯t owe anything.¡±

    ¡°Aylin,¡± Violet hissed. ¡°Just give him the damn food! Are you that determined to send us to an early grave?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving shit,¡± Aylin said. He flexed his hands and swallowed. ¡°This is ours. We aren¡¯t sharing it. Golon hasn¡¯t given us anything.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s given you your lives,¡± Yog said. ¡°And he lets you stay in this house ¡ª but I don¡¯t mind just taking what you owe. It¡¯s more fun than the alternative. Are all of you little ditzes going to try this, or is it just the single idiot?¡±

    Torick tensed. He looked from Violet to Aylin, trying to figure out who to side with. Then his hands clenched and he took a step closer to Aylin. Violet let out a curse and moved to stand with them.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to beat the shit out of you after Yog is done with us,¡± Violet muttered under her breath as she lowered into a fighting stance.

    Yog started toward them ¡ª but he only made it a step. A sound split the air, one foreign to everyone other than Aylin. Yog was larger and stronger, but he still lived on the streets. The demon stiffened and froze as a haunting tune echoed down the alleys.

    ¡°What in the Plains is that?¡± Violet asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s him,¡± Aylin muttered, the blood running out of his face.

    ¡°Who?¡± Torick asked. His eyes flicked from Aylin to Yog.

    ¡°The demon that gave me the food. He followed me back.¡±

    ¡°I fucking told you,¡± Violet snarled. ¡°We need to get out of here. Yog, get out of our way. You can have the damn food if you want it.¡±

    Aylin hesitated. He¡¯d paid the price. He wasn¡¯t giving up the prize. If the demon had shown up to collect on its debts, then it would be collecting them after they¡¯d eaten. He took another bite out of his loaf.

    Then the song stopped.

    Yog glanced over his shoulder. Then he chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Good acting, but that¡¯s not going to work. I don¡¯t know what that was, but it wasn¡¯t near us. If you lot just joined up, you could make something of yourselves. Just remember that this is your choice.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s interesting that you bring up choice,¡± a voice said from behind Yog. The large demon spun, nearly knocking his head against the ceiling in his haste.

    ¡°Is our house a watering hole or something?¡± Violet muttered, anxiety twisting her features as she shifted from foot to foot. ¡°Why is everyone showing up out of nowhere?¡±

    ¡°Show yourself,¡± Yog growled.

    Aylin knew who it was before he stepped through the doorway. It was the demon from before, his face still covered in storm wrappings. He didn¡¯t have the strange object that had made the hauntingly beautiful noise anymore.

    ¡°There wouldn¡¯t be much speaking if I didn¡¯t plan to show up, would there?¡± the demon asked.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Yog demanded. He flexed his fingers and the dark claws at their tips lengthened an inch. ¡°This is Golon¡¯s territory.¡±

    ¡°Colon?¡± the demon tilted his head to the side. He made no move to answer Yog¡¯s question. ¡°Unfortunate name. No matter. I assume he controls this area? That works. Take me to him. I need to borrow his people.¡±

    Borrow his people? What does that mean?

    ¡°You can request an audience with him. I¡¯ll escort you back,¡± Yog said, his lips pulling back to bare his pointed teeth. ¡°Right after I finish here.¡±

    That meeting definitely isn¡¯t going to go well for him. Golon will kill anyone that starts getting strong enough to pose him a threat.

    ¡°No need for that,¡± the demon said. ¡°I don¡¯t like to be kept waiting. I¡¯m rather impatient.¡±

    Yog¡¯s back tensed. Anger rippled through his muscles. Then his neck ground down in a nod. His right hand twitched. ¡°Ah. Of course. I¡¯ll follow you right out, then. I¡¯d hate to keep someone like you waiting.¡±

    ¡°Splendid. Thank you.¡±

    The demon turned and Aylin¡¯s eyes went wide. That had been the most obvious bait that he¡¯d ever heard. Turning your back on a prepared enemy was literally asking to get ripped open.

    His mouth opened to call out a warning, but Yog was faster. The demon blurred forward, lunging for the back of the stranger¡¯s neck. A brilliant crack split the air, followed by a sudden flash of light.

    Aylin squeezed his eyes shut and let out a surprised cry. His vision returned an instant later. Yog¡¯s pitched back, a weeping hole where his head and shoulders had been. Arcs of energy danced across the dead demon, his body scorched and burnt black all the way down to his legs.

    The breath in Aylin¡¯s chest felt like it had frozen solid.

    Semi-external magic. Aylin hadn¡¯t seen it, but the stranger must have punched Yog and released a burst of power through their brief contact. That meant he was a Rank 3 at the minimum ¡ª he could have been higher, but there was no way a Rank 4 demon ever would have bothered showing themselves in the slums of Treadon. Goosebumps wrapped down his spine, and he took an involuntary step back as the demon¡¯s gaze moved from Yog¡¯s corpse to him.

    ¡°Do you know who Golon is?¡± the stranger asked.

    ¡°I ¡ª yes,¡± Aylin stammered, convinced that if his answer had been anything but affirmative, he would have joined Yog in the afterlife. ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Good. Finish your meal,¡± the stranger said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. ¡°Then take me to him.¡±

    Oh.

    I¡¯m going to die.

 Chapter 460: Move and Die

    Aylin¡¯s eyes flicked from the stranger to the pile of food on the ground. His stomach twisted and clenched like it was being sewn into knots. Yog hadn¡¯t even lasted half a second against the demon. The idea of trying to run was so laughable that it wasn¡¯t even worth considering.

    ¡°I ¡ª can the others eat? Without incurring debt of their own? I will take you to Golon.¡±

    Violet was right. I¡¯m already fucked, but if they can get something out of this, then maybe it¡¯ll give us enough energy to do¡­ something. I don¡¯t know what, but something.

    ¡°Huh? Go ahead,¡± the stranger said with a dismissive wave. ¡°There¡¯s too much for one person anyway.¡±

    Too much? I could eat everything here and a thousand times more if I had the opportunity. Was something done to this food? Shit. I really should have listened to Violet. But now if they don¡¯t eat, won¡¯t we offend him?

    Aylin hesitated for a second, then clenched his jaw. He was already dead. There wasn¡¯t any point being cautious about it. One death was no different from another. ¡°Is it safe? I want them to live.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s food,¡± the stranger said. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t choke on it, I can¡¯t imagine it¡¯ll be very dangerous. Just get eating already. I wasn¡¯t lying about being impatient.¡±

    Violet exchanged a look with Aylin. She carefully picked up a strip of dried meat and lifted it, hesitating for a second before biting down. With her unspoken assent, Edda and Torick both dug into the food as well.

    Aylin finished the piece of bread he¡¯d already started, but he didn¡¯t bother taking any more food despite how badly he wanted to. There was no point wasting it if he wasn¡¯t going to live through the day.

    Even if I somehow managed to escape, the stranger will just come back and take one of the others. I¡¯ve got to play along.

    Aylin¡¯s remaining time depleted together with the food. They soon finished every last scrap, polishing the floor clean. Their efficiency was a mixture of hunger and fear, both of which made deeply effective motivators.

    As soon as they were done, the stranger looked to him and nudged Yog¡¯s body out of the way with the tip of his shoe. ¡°Come on, then.¡±

    Jaw clenched, Aylin nodded. He started toward the end of the room ¡ª and Violet followed after him. He paused and sent her a baffled look, waving her away.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡±

    ¡°What? No!¡± Aylin¡¯s voice raised and he flinched, glancing back at the stranger before returning his gaze to Violet. ¡°You said it yourself. This is my fault. Just take the energy from the food and do something with it. I fucked up.¡±

    ¡°Sure did,¡± Violet agreed with a nod. ¡°But I¡¯m not letting you out there alone. You¡¯ll just get yourself killed.¡±

    ¡°Do you not realize I¡¯m already dead?¡± Aylin hissed under his breath. ¡°I died the moment the stranger showed back up. The others need you.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t say he was going to kill you. That means you need someone to watch your ass so you don¡¯t do something stupid again,¡± Violet said. She glared at Aylin, daring him to challenge her words. ¡°They¡¯ll stay here until we come back.¡±

    ¡°Are you an idiot? What are you talking¡ª¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s welcome to tag along. It won¡¯t change anything. Actually, it might make things easier,¡± the stranger said, his words driving the final nail into the coffin forming around Aylin. He nearly ripped the hair out of his own head as a wave of dread washed over him.

    Damn it. Not like this.

    Violet gave Aylin a small shove. ¡°Come on. There¡¯s no point making him wait. Price for everything, remember? We¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    She sounded a lot more confident than she looked. It didn¡¯t matter. There was absolutely nothing that Aylin could do but give Violet a stiff nod. He looked over her shoulder to the others and sent them a sharp look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare move an inch from this house. We¡¯ll be back soon. I promise.¡±

    Liar.

    Torick and Edda both nodded. He saw the doubt in Torick¡¯s eyes, but Edda was too young to even question him. Aylin still hadn¡¯t actually figured out how she¡¯d managed to get into Treadon in the first place. She¡¯d never told them, and now he probably wouldn¡¯t get a chance to find out.

    He turned back to the stranger, who waited at the exit of the house. Then, together with Violet, he headed outside. The red light of the Damned Plains sky bore down on them as they all emerged onto the streets.

    ¡°Tell me about Golon,¡± the stranger said as they started walking. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ what? The boss of this area? What Rank is he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s the streetlord, but we don¡¯t live in his territory,¡± Violet said, her lips twisting in derision. ¡°He just pretends that we do.¡±

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    ¡°You don¡¯t care for him.¡± The stranger¡¯s words weren¡¯t a question.

    ¡°He just steals from everyone weaker than him,¡± Aylin said, surprised to find that the words flowed easily to his lips. There was something oddly liberating about knowing what he said didn¡¯t matter. If the stranger planned to kill him either way, he could speak without worrying about pissing the demon off ¡ª at least until they reached Golon¡¯s territory, that was. ¡°He¡¯s a Wastelicker, but he¡¯s Rank 3. There¡¯s nothing we can do.¡±

    ¡°Wastelicker?¡± A note of amusement tinged the stranger¡¯s words. That was probably a good sign. Violet sent Aylin a sidelong look and he coughed into a fist.

    ¡°Uh¡­ someone who licks the salt crystals that form in the caves beneath the Wastes because they¡¯re not strong or competent enough to get food for themselves. I know. Ironic. Violet says I should use it less,¡± Aylin said, then cut himself off as he realized that he¡¯d started to ramble nervously. He hadn¡¯t expected to have to explain childish insults to someone that had just turned Yog into a burnt steak without so much as a thought.

    The stranger chuckled. ¡°I see. And that¡¯s interesting. You have a name? What is it?¡±

    A flicker of hope wound in Aylin¡¯s chest before he could crush it down.

    Why would he be surprised that I have a name? But the only reason to ask the name of someone you plan to kill is if they¡¯re worth remembering. I¡¯m not anywhere near strong enough for that. Is there a chance he plans to let us live?

    ¡°I¡¯m Violet. He¡¯s Aylin,¡± Violet said, answering to fill the momentary silent void as Aylin got lost in his own thoughts. He sent her an appreciative look and she just shook her head.

    ¡°Both of you. Hm. Interesting,¡± the stranger mused.

    They turned down an alleyway. There was a distant scuff. Aylin¡¯s ears twitched and he glanced up. A flicker of movement on a rooftop above them marked one of Golon¡¯s spotters. Aylin hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to figure out who it was, but they¡¯d doubtlessly be sprinting back to warn the streetlord of their approach.

    ¡°They know we¡¯re coming,¡± Aylin said nervously.

    ¡°Oh, great. That makes things a lot easier,¡± the stranger said. ¡°Are they coming to escort us?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re arriving unannounced and with someone Golon doesn¡¯t know. They¡¯ll be coming to take us into captivity so we can speak with him. If he doesn¡¯t like what you¡¯ve got to say, we¡¯re all dead,¡± Violet said.

    ¡°Hm.¡± The stranger shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t much like the sound of that. I get you aren¡¯t a large fan of Golon, but what about the rest of his people?¡±

    Aylin shrugged one shoulder. He didn¡¯t see why it mattered. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ demons, I guess. They do what they have to in order to survive, even if it¡¯s stealing from everyone. I can¡¯t say I like them, but I understand them.¡±

    ¡°I hope they rot,¡± Violet said.

    ¡°I see. And how many people does Golon have working for him?¡±

    ¡°Maybe twenty or thirty?¡± Aylin guessed. ¡°More than enough to make him completely unstoppable. He treats his own men well. They like him.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you join up?¡±

    ¡°Because we don¡¯t want to be Wastelickers. I¡¯ll starve before I work for that ass,¡± Violet said. ¡°At least I know that I¡¯m not living by standing on the backs of the starving. Also, he¡¯s vile. His top people like him, but the rest let him do what he wants to them so they can survive. I¡¯m not that desperate.¡±

    Aylin was pretty sure that just about everyone that had joined Golon had probably said something along the same lines in private at some point. The difference between Voilet¡¯s words and theirs was that she hadn¡¯t gotten to the point where she¡¯d tagged on the not yet, at least to the end of the sentence.

    Everyone seemed to, eventually.

    They slowed as they drew to the end of the street and approached a large, open square. At one point, it had been a marketplace. Now, it was Golon¡¯s ruling grounds. Dozens of leather tents were strewn about surrounding a large, circular one at the back of the square.

    A line of demons stood at the front of the tents, and Aylin¡¯s ears picked up on twice as many of them standing on the rooftops all around them. They were completely surrounded. His throat clenched.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± A large demon asked, stepping out from the tents and pushing past the line of demons. Aylin¡¯s stomach clenched even tighter. It was Robon, Golon¡¯s second in command.

    Robon stood nearly five heads taller than the stranger and held a huge axe in his hands like it was a dagger. There were a lot of stories about Robon, and none of them were good. The demon was Golon¡¯s personal executioner and had more kills under his belt than anyone in the camp other than Golon himself.

    ¡°You can call me Spider,¡± the stranger replied. ¡°Would you happen to be Golon?¡±

    ¡°Me? No. I am Robon.¡± Robon snorted in laughter and nodded to another demon, who stepped out with a large pile of heavy chain links in his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t move. If you do, you¡¯ll die. Once you¡¯re bound and restrained, you can speak with Golon.¡±

    ¡°Oh. No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll work,¡± Spider said. ¡°Just go get Golon and send him out here, would you?¡±

    The demons around them burst into uproarious laughter. Spider watched silently until they all gathered themselves.

    ¡°There¡¯s a serious misunderstanding here,¡± Robon said. ¡°A random demon doesn¡¯t just come in here and start making demands of a streetlord. You¡¯re on our territory. You play by our rules if you want to live.¡±

    ¡°You know, given what I know of this place, I really should have guessed you¡¯d say that,¡± Spider said. ¡°But you don¡¯t have the power here. I do.¡±

    What is Spider doing? There are like thirty demons here! Is he trying to kill all of us? It doesn¡¯t matter if he can kill one demon if he pisses off Golon¡¯s entire group.

    The gathered demons all stared at Spider in a mixture of derision and disbelief.

    ¡°He¡¯s just asking to get killed,¡± one muttered, his voice reaching Aylin¡¯s sensitive ears from a rooftop to their side.

    ¡°Just give him what he wants,¡± another said back.

    ¡°You?¡± Robon asked. ¡°And tell me, how is that true? Have you not looked around? The only reason you still live is because we haven¡¯t killed you and the scrawny rats that led you here.¡±

    Spider glanced back at Aylin and Violet and lowered his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t move an inch. Stay exactly where you are.¡±

    Aylin gave him a stiff nod, completely lost as to what the demon¡¯s goals were. Once Violet did the same, Spider turned to Robon.

    ¡°That works.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Robon¡¯s brow furrowed.

    ¡°You¡¯re so powerless you don¡¯t even realize how weak you are,¡± Spider said with a chuckle. ¡°Allow me to expand your horizons. Every single one of you that dares ¡ª come try your luck. Come try to kill me or the weak children behind me. You won¡¯t even step within five feet of them.¡±

    And, just like that, all the hope that had been building up in Aylin¡¯s chest vanished like a snuffed candle. He exchanged a terrified look with Violet, but they were trapped. If they stayed after a challenge like that, Golon¡¯s men would kill them. But, if they tried to run, Spider would assuredly kill them instead.

    A murmur of anger passed through the demons. Robon smirked and hoisted his weapon. ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do. Golon doesn¡¯t need to waste his time on someone like this. Kill them.¡±

    The decision was simple in the end. Spider was closer to them than Golon¡¯s people were, and so Aylin and Violet remained frozen in place as thirty odd demons charged toward them, death in their eyes.

 Chapter 461: Orders

    Demons bore down on Aylin from every direction. He didn¡¯t even dare to flinch. It was impossible to tell just how literal Spider had meant his command of not moving. Every single breath he took felt like it was drawn on borrowed time.

    Aylin¡¯s heart leapt into his throat as he heard a rooftop behind him crack. A demon sailed through the air above them, aiming to land directly on top of their heads. Despite his best efforts, his eyes flicked up.

    He couldn¡¯t bring himself to stare straight ahead as he died. At the very least, he¡¯d see his killer and bring the knowledge of their face with him into the afterlife. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the terrified adrenaline pumping through his veins or if it was just someone he hadn¡¯t run into before, but Aylin didn¡¯t recognize the large, gray demon hurtling down toward them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Aylin whispered, hoping Violet could hear him over the cacophony.

    Then the demon vanished. An instant later, there was a loud crash. Aylin¡¯s eyes flicked to the far side of the square, where the gray demon¡¯s body slammed into the ground with enough force to crack the ground beneath him.

    Spider lifted a hand toward the demons running toward them and then clenched his fist. For an instant, nothing happened. Then, almost in unison, the demons¡¯ eyes widened. Their runs faltered as their hands shot up to their throats, eyes bulging, hands clawing at nothing.

    The demons behind Aylin didn¡¯t know what he did. They couldn¡¯t hear the muted, choked wheezing. They couldn¡¯t see the bulging eyes full of horror and disbelief.

    ¡°Cowards,¡± Robon snarled, spinning the axe at his side and striding toward Spider. ¡°I told you to kill them!¡±

    He lunged, and the demons that could still move all attacked. Aylin¡¯s skull pounded and his ears throbbed. For the second time, the streets spoke in sounds he didn¡¯t recognize. He had heard the sigh of death before. He had seen the crunch of bone and the scuffle of a brawl.

    But nothing like this. More than twenty demons bore down on them from every direction. Bows twanged from afar. Arrows whistled and feet pounded against stone. Every instinct in his body screamed for him to run.

    He didn¡¯t. Even if he¡¯d wanted to, there was nowhere to run. The street whispered death, but death did not come.

    For the first time, the street lied to Aylin. The arrows dropped from the air of their own volition and tumbled to the ground harmlessly. Demons were ripped from the sky and slammed to the ground as a blur danced from one to the other, and Aylin realized he must have been going insane.

    Nothing else would have explained the muted giggles that danced in back of his head. Nothing else would have made the form that slipped from the shadows, tripping demons and yanking weapons from their hands, make sense.

    More of Golon¡¯s men pressed forward. They never made it. The square itself seemed to have come alive at Spider¡¯s behest.

    Aylin watched in growing disbelief as he watched grown demons ¡ª some of whom had terrorized him for years ¡ª start to fear. The confidence in their eyes faded as the crack of their limbs rang into the air, their weapons shattered, and the howling gales pummeled them.

    Some still pressed onward. Robon bared his teeth as he pressed through the sudden howling wind, raising his weapon to bring it down on Spider. He trudged forward until the two were face to face.

    They stared at each other for a brief instant. With a roar, Robon brought the axe down. Spider still didn¡¯t move. Robon¡¯s hand vanished.

    His axe rang as it bounced off the ground beside Spider. Robon¡¯s hand splattered down beside it with a wet thunk. Spider tilted his head to the side, then curled his fingers inward. Robon¡¯s eyes bulged.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Violet whispered.

    Every single one of Golon¡¯s demons laid on the ground around them. Not one had managed to step within ten feet of them, much less five. Not so much as a single droplet of blood had made it onto the stone at their feet.

    Demons clawed at their throats and scrambled back from Spider as if he were the manifestation of death itself. They all remained on the ground, not so much as daring to rise to their feet.

    Aylin¡¯s ears twitched. His eyes went wide as his skin chilled. The sounds of the street hadn¡¯t dimmed. More than thirty demons had begun the fight, and more than thirty demons still remained.

    Spider released his hands. A dozen demons drew in desperate breaths and stared up at Spider with wide, terrified eyes.

    Not a single one of them had died. Spider had broken them utterly and thoroughly, but even the demon that had been pelted into the ground had somehow survived the blow.

    Aylin nearly took a step back before he managed to catch himself. Spider hadn¡¯t said he could move yet.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Robon demanded through gritted teeth as he clutched the stump of his missing arm. ¡°What are you?¡±

    ¡°I am Spider.¡± The stranger raised his voice as he continued, ¡°Where is your leader? He should be out here with his soldiers, not cowering while you bleed for him. I see no streetlord here. Only a Wastelicker.¡±

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    The word sounded so odd coming from Spider¡¯s mouth that a terrified laugh nearly slipped past Aylin¡¯s shock. Almost.

    A murmur of discontent passed through the demons that were still in enough shape to actually speak. Just because Spider hadn¡¯t killed anyone didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d left them all in good shape. More than a few were definitely unconscious.

    The entry flap of the large tent at the back of the square moved. Even despite Spider¡¯s evident strength, Aylin¡¯s heart skipped a beat as a towering demon stepped out from within it. Golon rose up, standing over twice Spider¡¯s height even in the distance.

    Four, muscled arms emerged from his red-skinned chest and horns jutted out of his head every few inches, curling up like a crown. Each hand carried a jagged, deadly blade nearly as tall as Aylin.

    The Rank 3 Demon¡¯s body was positively rippling with danger. Every single ounce of him was a weapon. A killing machine that had brought this area of the streets under his control. Aylin had never seen the monster in action, but he knew beyond a doubt that Golon had earned his title of streetlord through blood.

    Golon¡¯s angular jaw flexed as he took in the state of his men. His pitch black eyes settled on Spider and he strode across the square in his direction. ¡°Trampling over Rank 2s is no feat to be proud of, wretch. Only a fool glories over his power when compared to the weak.¡±

    Aylin almost released a snort of laughter. Even though the words were completely true, they couldn¡¯t have possibly been more hypocritical.

    ¡°I take it you would be Golon?¡± Spider asked, not bothering to address anything the other demon had just said.

    ¡°You remember my name, then.¡± Golon¡¯s lips curled back into a sneer. ¡°Then you will remember the name of your killer as you pass on into the next life. It is unfortunate. Everyone here will have already forgotten¡ª¡±

    A loud crack split the air.

    Golon swayed in place, his mouth still halfway open as his eyes drifted down to where an enormous bolt of lightning had just slammed into his chest with enough force to crush both muscle and bone. Arcs of electricity raced across his blackened skin and into the ground, joined by a river of blood trickling across his charred body.

    The demon¡¯s lips trembled. He took a step, pitched forward, and crashed to the ground with a wet splatter. His swords clattered from his hands and laid at his sides as blood pooled around him.

    Aylin¡¯s ears rang, and it wasn¡¯t from the loud noise.

    It should have been impossible.

    It was impossible ¡ª and yet, his ears and eyes did not lie to him. Yog¡¯s ruined corpse. The wind. Demons collapsing without so much as a chance to fight back, the forms in the shadows. And now Golon, dead in the same way as Yog.

    Not to semi-external magic, but to true magic.

    Spider walked up to Golon and squatted at the dead streetlord¡¯s side. ¡°I came to ask if you minded if I took over your operation. You don¡¯t, do you?¡±

    To absolutely nobody¡¯s surprise, Golon didn¡¯t respond. Spider nodded and rose back to his feet. He adjusted the lapel of his jacket and turned to the dozens of demons still sprawled across the ground.

    ¡°If your legs aren¡¯t broken, get up.¡±

    A little over three quarters of them scrambled to their feet with such speed that it would have made a member of the guard proud.

    Violet and Aylin exchanged a look. Aylin wasn¡¯t even sure what the look was meant to be, other than to make sure someone else was actually present to confirm his eyes and ears weren¡¯t lying to him.

    ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong,¡± Spider said, his gaze sweeping across the gathered crowd. ¡°But I believe this would make me the streetlord, yes?¡±

    Nobody said a word.

    ¡°That was not a rhetorical question.¡±

    ¡°It does, sir,¡± Aylin stammered.

    The wrapping covering Spider¡¯s face shifted, giving Aylin the sense that he was smiling.

    ¡°In that case, if you¡¯ve got issues with my election, I¡¯d like to welcome any challenges right now. All at once would be preferrable. My patience is thin.¡±

    Silence wrapped the square as the demons froze, not even daring to draw in a breath and potentially garner any further interest from Spider. The obscured demon waited for a few seconds before nodding.

    ¡°It sounds like nobody has any issues,¡± Spider said. ¡°I believe that means you obey my orders now, correct?¡±

    ¡°We will do as you order,¡± Robon ground out, his voice shrouded in fear. The blood flowing from his arm had stemmed, but the pain in his posture was still evident.

    Aylin doubted the demon was put out about Golon¡¯s death as much as he feared for his own future. A streetlord¡¯s second had to be a warrior capable of fending off pointless challenges. There wasn¡¯t much use for a crippled second.

    ¡°Then I look forward to working together. As I suspect you are all intelligent enough to surmise, I am a busy man. I don¡¯t have time to waste with petty squabbles or fools. Are you all certain you don¡¯t want to challenge me?¡±

    The only person here that would even dare breath in your direction is already a burnt splatter at your feet.

    Spider nodded to himself when it became abundantly clear that absolutely nobody was stupid enough to speak up. ¡°Good, good. A few things to get you all started. First, I want everyone here to find every single person living in the area that I control ¡ª how far is that, by the way?¡±

    When nobody answered him, Spider¡¯s eyes flicked to Aylin.

    ¡°Up from the alleys behind us until Snakemouth tavern,¡± Aylin stammered. ¡°After that is the area under streetlord Rocci¡¯s control.¡±

    ¡°Everyone in my area, then,¡± Spider said. ¡°I want you to gather them and bring them here. Distribute food to all of them in exchange for information.¡±

    ¡°Information about what, streetlord Spider?¡± Robon asked, finally finding his words again.

    ¡°Everything relating to the other streetlords in the city, especially the ones near us ¡ª but I¡¯ll take anything that seems valuable as well. I want knowledge, not goods. Stop taking food from them as well. It¡¯s worthless to me. We¡¯ll have enough.¡±

    If anyone else had given that order, they probably would have been challenged on the spot. Giving away food was the same thing as giving away life.

    But it hadn¡¯t been someone else. It had been Spider and, with Golon¡¯s body still at his feet, everyone dared to do nothing but nod.

    ¡°We will do as you command. Not a word will pass from this square of your powers,¡± Robon promised.

    He was clearly doing his best to keep his spot as second in command. Aylin had no idea if the demon¡¯s efforts would last long, but nobody in their right mind would speak up while Spider was still present.

    ¡°On the contrary. Let everyone know,¡± Spider said. ¡°I want every single streetlord in the city to know.¡±

    A nervous air built in the square.

    ¡°Know what, streetlord Spider?¡± Robon asked hesitantly, as if scared to hear the answer.

    ¡°To know I¡¯m coming for them, of course. Let them know that they can either bend the knee or I¡¯ll kill them and their entire guild.¡±

    Plains. He¡¯s going to try to bring every single streetlord together? Why?

    Spider¡¯s eyes traced through the air and landed on Aylin. He stiffened at the sudden attention as every single demon turned to look in his direction. His stomach sank.

    ¡°One more thing,¡± Spider said. ¡°I¡¯ve got too much work to stand around here constantly wasting time. So, while I¡¯m gone¡­¡±

    Please, no.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be taking orders from Aylin over here.¡±

 Chapter 462: Blur

    The next few minutes were a blur. Aylin¡¯s blood pounded in his ears so hard that he could barely even hear himself think. He vaguely remembered Spider leading him and Violet past the other demons and into Golon¡¯s tent.

    He was pretty sure he passed out at some point, because when his brain finally started working properly, he found himself seated beside Violet in a throne so massive that it had room enough for both of them. The tent around them was completely empty.

    Granted, calling a large stone chair with bones littered across the ground at its feet a throne was a bit of stretch, but a throne was made by the one sitting upon it, not its material. This had been the spot where Golon had ruled. Where he had made Aylin¡¯s life agony for years, for absolutely no reason beyond that he could.

    And now Golon was dead. Aylin sat on his throne, and he would have traded almost anything he had to be literally anywhere else. Violet¡¯s hand found his on the cold stone and she clasped it, her face several shades paler than normal and her eyes locked straight ahead. Her shoulders were stiff and jaw set.

    Aylin couldn¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯d seen Violet this scared. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had been this scared. Golon¡¯s death had somehow made things even worse for them.

    Despite everything, an amused thought flickered through his mind and his lips moved before he could stop them.

    ¡°I bet you wish you stayed back now, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Violet snorted. ¡°And miss this? No way. I¡¯m having the time of my life.¡±

    The intensity that their hands clenched each other told Aylin that Violet most certainly was not having the time of her life. But, even though Violet was just as powerless as he was, her presence somehow made the terror a flicker more bearable.

    Maybe it was just comfort he wasn¡¯t going to die alone.

    Both of them flinched as the tent flap opened. Spider stepped inside, followed by another demon. Her face was wrapped in the same way his was and she carried a huge leather box on her back.

    As the tent flap fluttered closed behind them, the ground at their feet twisted. Shadows warped and a third demon rose up from within them. She couldn¡¯t have been much taller than Aylin. One of her two red horns was broken off at the base and there was a mischievous grin on her face.

    There are three of them. Are they all that strong? I don¡¯t know if there are any gods listening, but if there are, please save me.

    ¡°You¡¯ve scared them half to death,¡± the taller female demon said, a note of irritation in her voice. ¡°Are you trying to give the poor children a heart attack?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll be dealing with a lot scarier things than me pretty soon,¡± Spider replied. ¡°And they¡¯re doing great. Just look at them.¡±

    The tiniest corner of Aylin¡¯s mouth quirked up as he attempted to give them a nervous smile. Spider had assigned him to be the streetlord. If he couldn¡¯t look the part, it wouldn¡¯t just look bad on him.

    It would reflect on Spider ¡ª and demons as powerful as he were not well known to be the forgiving or understanding types.

    ¡°See?¡± Spider asked. ¡°He¡¯s thrilled.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just hungry,¡± the short demon said. She reached into spider¡¯s bag and pulled out two strips of jerky. She eyed them, then fell through the floor. Aylin nearly leapt into the air and screamed as she shot up from the ground directly before the throne. The demon thrust the jerky toward him and Violet. ¡°Here! Eat up!¡±

    Semi-external magic, but on the border of actual external magic. She¡¯s probably as strong as Spider.

    Aylin didn¡¯t dare refuse. He and Violet both followed her orders, and he had to admit that the food was welcome. It probably would have tasted less like ash if he wasn¡¯t so focused on survival.

    ¡°Better?¡± the demon asked.

    Aylin and Violet give her a stiff nod.

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    ¡°See?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re both idiots,¡± the female demon said. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I like you.¡±

    The short demon vanished back into the shadows and reappeared beside Spider as he and the female demon drew up to stand a few paces away from the throne. Spider raised a hand and Aylin stiffened. If it wasn¡¯t for Violet¡¯s hand wrapped around his, he suspected he might have dove for cover.

    ¡°Relax,¡± Spider said. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring you all the way here just to kill you. That would be kind of pointless, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Aylin and Violet just stared at him. Spider blew out a sigh and tapped his foot on the ground.

    ¡°I command you to speak with complete honesty, and I swear that I will not get mad at you for anything you say. Frankly, do you really think you¡¯d be able to offend me? Why would I care about your opinion or get offended by you making a mistake?¡±

    That¡­ was a good point. Spider was so much more powerful than Golon that he couldn¡¯t even comprehend it. To Spider, he and Violet were probably little more than bugs. To Aylin¡¯s surprise, that actually did help.

    A god didn¡¯t care what a bug thought of it. There was absolutely nothing he held the power to do that could ever threaten Spider. As long as they didn¡¯t fail to obey his orders, Spider would be expending more effort killing them than not.

    ¡°I ¡ª I understand,¡± Aylin said, forcing his numb lips to move. ¡°But we¡¯re going to die anyway.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t strong enough to be streetlords,¡± Violet said as she found her own voice. ¡°The moment you leave, we¡¯ll both be killed. Even if the terror you instilled into the demons here is enough to hold Golon¡¯s men back, it won¡¯t hold back others. They haven¡¯t seen what we have.¡±

    ¡°The other streetlords aren¡¯t that much stronger than Golon, are they?¡± Spider asked, tilting his head to the side.

    ¡°They¡¯re mostly around the same strength, I¡¯d think. If they were stronger, they¡¯d have taken his territory,¡± Aylin said. ¡°But we aren¡¯t like Golon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good thing, because I¡¯d have killed you already if you were,¡± Spider said. ¡°Oh, by the way, I had some demons go retrieve your two friends. They¡¯ll be safe. I just didn¡¯t want to leave them alone. That¡¯s how some idiot finds them and kills them, starting a whole problem I really don¡¯t want to deal with right now.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t going to kill them?¡± Aylin asked hesitantly, not entirely sure what Spider was talking about.

    ¡°Why would I kill children?¡± Spider asked. ¡°No. They¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m more concerned with the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Even if you somehow killed every single streetlord, someone would eventually show up to challenge Aylin when you left,¡± Violet said. ¡°Being streetlord without power is just a death sentence.¡±

    ¡°Well, logically. I¡¯m well aware of that.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ you do plan to kill us?¡± Aylin asked. He was somewhat surprised to find that he actually had the boldness to speak the words, but it was too late to take them back.

    ¡°No. I already said that would be a waste. After all the effort I went through to get you two here, why would I do that?¡± Spider held a hand out and the female demon took the huge block of leather off her back.

    Aylin¡¯s eyes widened as Spider split the block open, and they widened even further as he saw what was inside of it.

    Paper.

    It had to be. He¡¯d never seen paper, but it looked exactly like what he¡¯d heard. Crinkly and thin, far lighter than vellum. And it just wasn¡¯t just a single sheet. The box was no box. It was a book, and the book was completely stuffed full.

    He couldn¡¯t even begin to comprehend how expensive it was. Enough to feed everyone on the streets for years and then some, most likely. Violet¡¯s hand gripped his own even tighter as she came to the same realization.

    Spider wasn¡¯t just a random powerful demon. There was only one explanation as to how he¡¯d just be strolling the Damned Plains with a literal treasure horde. Spider was from the upper echelons.

    Does he work for an Archdemon? Is he an Archdemon himself? Why would someone like that ever care about us?

    ¡°You know, I just realized I really don¡¯t know anything about how this works,¡± Spider said, his face wrappings creasing as he straightened back up and looked away from the enormous book. ¡°What kind of demons are you lot? Not hunger, I hope.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ kind?¡± Aylin asked, blinking. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand your question. Do you mean what our Demon Rune is?¡±

    Spider nodded. ¡°Yes, that ¡ª and also what emotion do you consume.¡±

    Aylin almost laughed, but it didn¡¯t sound like Spider was joking. ¡°I¡¯m not strong enough to consume emotion yet. Neither is Violet. We wouldn¡¯t be on the streets if we could. Right now, we can only process pure energy from eating food. I¡¯ve got one Demon Rune. So does Violet.¡±

    ¡°Just a single Demon Rune? Nothing else? No name?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re only Rank 1,¡± Violet said, shifting uncomfortably. ¡°That¡¯s why we stand no chance as streetlords. They¡¯re just Demon Runes. Plain ones. We can¡¯t reach Rank 2 unless we get stronger or richer, and we can¡¯t do that because we don¡¯t have anything to build off.¡±

    ¡°Nasty cycle,¡± Spider said with a small nod. ¡°Well, that¡¯s simple enough. At least you don¡¯t have bad runes.¡±

    ¡°Simple?¡± Violet asked, a flicker of irritation entering her words. Even in their situation, Aylin couldn¡¯t help but feel the same.

    They¡¯d both fought tooth and nail to rip every dreg of life they could from the Damned Plains, and it hadn¡¯t netted them so much as a single rune. Getting stronger wasn¡¯t a luxury they could afford when even making it through the next day came at a steep cost.

    ¡°Quite,¡± Spider said. He ruffled through his bag, then blew out a breath. ¡°Only have one of these left. I really should have bought more. I hope there are some apothecaries in the area.¡±

    Before Violet or Aylin could ask what the demon was talking about, he reached into his bag and pulled out a vial full of glistening blue liquid. His eyes crinkled in a smile as he popped a wax seal off its top and held it out to Aylin.

    ¡°Drink.¡±

 Chapter 463 & ANNOUNCEMENT

    One drink and exactly thirty minutes later, Aylin died.

    At least, a portion of him did. A demon was their soul, and their runes were them. It was difficult to state exactly where the mind started and the soul ended, but it was a common belief that every step toward the peak of power brought one farther away from their former self.

    He¡¯d just taken over a dozen.

    Spider had stuffed him like a pig on the table of some Archdemon, ripe to be eaten. He had been polite but relentless, summoning rune after rune in the air before Aylin and waiting until he absorbed it before moving on to the next. Spider seemed to have a limitless supply.

    It had taken Aylin minutes to draw every single one, and he feared to think what would have happened if he¡¯d taken to it faster. He¡¯d had thought it would end when Spider produced the sixth rune in a row, but the moment Aylin had absorbed it, Spider had given him strict instructions on how to combine it and what to focus on.

    And, by some miracle, it had worked ¡ª but Spider wasn¡¯t done. Even as Aylin had stared at his newly forged Rank 2 Rune, Spider did nothing but summon yet another rune to Aylin¡¯s soul. Then he¡¯d shattered it, commanding Aylin to draw the power into his newly made rune.

    Spider repeated that until the rune was full ¡ª and yet, somehow, they still weren¡¯t done.  When Aylin finally managed to fill his rune, Spider did nothing but summon yet another rune and stare at him expectantly.

    Then they¡¯d repeated the cycle.

    It wasn¡¯t a miracle anymore. The shock and disbelief had turned into awe. Spider was no mere demon. He couldn¡¯t have been an Archdemon either ¡ª no self-respecting Archdemon would ever have been caught dead passing away so much power to a streetlord, much less a starving child.

    There was no doubt that the runes came with so many strings that Aylin may as well have been woven into a tapestry, but there was no refusing Spider. Even if he¡¯d wanted to, he wasn¡¯t so sure he¡¯d have had the willpower to.

    And so the old Aylin died at the lip of the glass vial with nothing but a single ratty Demon Rune to his name. In his place woke a newly forged Rank 3 demon. The energy pumping through his soul wound into his body and made every single muscle burn like it was on fire.

    ¡°Aylin?¡± Violet¡¯s concerned voice broke through the ringing in his ears and the blood pounding in his skull. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    He wasn¡¯t so sure he knew the answer to that question. Everything felt so hot. So¡­ different. It was his body, but it wasn¡¯t. Runic energy worked its way through him and reforged the flesh in its wake.

    His stomach filled out and the little muscle he had hardened and thickened with power. His dirty fingernails darkened to an ashy gray and he felt his teeth sharpening. His ears lengthened and narrowed at their tops. The burning heat started to abate, replaced by a comforting warmth deep within him.

    A flicker of fear that he might turn into a lumbering hulk like Golon passed through him, but no such thing happened. His tongue ran along his lip.

    He could taste the world, and its flavor was vibrant. So full of energy and potential ¡ª but that wasn¡¯t all. Aylin¡¯s ears twitched. Everyone was so¡­ present. The panicked thump of Violet¡¯s heartbeat beside him mixed with the flavor of her fear and concern.

    He could taste her emotion. Even without looking in her direction, he knew exactly where she was. Her thoughts were so loud and flavorful that he could tell exactly what she was thinking.

    So this is what power is? I feel like I know everything. Like I¡¯m in control for the first time in my life. It¡¯s incredible. I ¡ª

    Aylin¡¯s thoughts ground to a halt. It wasn¡¯t just Violet he could detect.

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    All the newfound power flowing through him seemed to freeze to a halt as his senses passed over the others in the room.

    The short demon, her youthful features seeming to place her as not much older than he, tasted like an ocean of blood. Aylin reflexively flinched back as his instincts took over. Looking at her felt like gazing down into the open maw of an enormous, crazed beast a thousand times his size.

    The taller female demon wasn¡¯t much better. Instead of blood, she just tasted¡­ wrong. Aylin couldn¡¯t place the flavors enveloping her properly. It was a strange mixture of what he could only describe as sweet and earthy that might have been pleasant if it hadn¡¯t been for the lingering aftertaste of rot.

    And then there was Spider.

    Aylin¡¯s senses had always been sharp. He hadn¡¯t been the strongest. He hadn¡¯t been the smartest, nor had he been the fastest. The only reason he¡¯d survived as long as he had was the whisper of the streets. The warnings that he could find where no other could.

    And, for the first time in his life, Aylin wished his senses hadn¡¯t been quite so good. Bands of terror constricted around his chest and started to squeeze.

    Spider was ancient death. The inevitable end that came for all. He tasted like rubble and crumbling civilization. The demon was so old that the city itself felt like Treadon was a child in comparison. A creature that lived as long as he had could barely even still be called a demon.

    He¡¯d never met an Archdemon before, nor did he have the slightest desire to, but if Spider had claimed to be one, Aylin would have believed him without a flicker of hesitation. His soul was so ancient, so immense, that he couldn¡¯t even begin to pick up on what else had gone into it.

    ¡°Aylin!¡± Violet said again, more urgently this time. She grabbed him by the shoulder and he drew in a sharp breath, blinking furiously. The overwhelming flavor assaulting him finally relented as his attention diverted.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Aylin rasped, his eyes flicking back to Spider despite his best efforts.

    The ancient demon took a step back, scooping his huge book off the ground handing it back to the taller female demon.

    ¡°You did well,¡± Spider said. ¡°I¡¯d say that should be sufficient to get you started. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have too much trouble early on, so it¡¯ll give you time to get used to things.¡±

    Aylin couldn¡¯t muster words to respond. He wasn¡¯t sure what he possibly could have said, even if he could. He¡¯d dreamed of getting just a single extra rune, moving just a step up the ladder so he might have a better chance at survival, nearly every single night of his life.

    And, in a flicker of an instant, Spider had dragged him up to the level of a streetlord without so much as a second thought. Like it was nothing. It almost felt unfair ¡ª but little about life was, and Aylin was all too aware that the gift hadn¡¯t come for free.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do everything in my power to live up to your expectations. I don¡¯t know much about being a streetlord, but any command you give me will be done.¡±

    ¡°Just try not to be too much of a prick,¡± Spider said with a dry laugh. ¡°Focus on getting stronger. I can only take you so far, and there are others I have to work on as well. All you¡¯ll have to do is be my face.¡±

    ¡°If any of the other streetlords try to challenge me, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to do anything. They have much more experience than I do.¡±

    ¡°Leave the other streetlords and their gangs to me,¡± Spider said with a shake of his head. ¡°Your only job is to keep this one under control. Trust me. They¡¯ll fall in line easily enough. My power will be enough to hold any fools off for the next few days, and by that point, you¡¯ll have come into your own well enough to hold your own.¡±

    Violet glanced from Aylin to Spider in confusion. She¡¯d clearly picked up on the shift in how they spoke. She knew there should have been no way for Aylin to ever be able to hold his own against anyone in the gang, much less even consider fighting a streetlord.

    She wisely chose to avoid voicing her confusion. No matter how openly Spider beckoned them to speak, the taste of the man¡¯s soul still made Aylin¡¯s tongue feel like it was coated in a layer of ash.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remain in this area for a short amount of time. If someone does end up causing trouble that you can¡¯t handle, then call me. I will deal with them. But, if you¡¯re capable of it, I¡¯d suggest trying to deal with it yourself. It¡¯ll be better for the long run.¡±

    Aylin nodded his understanding. ¡°What should I have the gang do? You said to spread word about your presence, but how? If they go to other streetlords and threaten them, they¡¯ll just be killed. A challenge like that isn¡¯t something a streetlord can ignore if they want to keep their power.¡±

    ¡°Wait a day ¡ª ah, a short while,¡± Spider advised after a second of thought. ¡°Don¡¯t send anyone out yet. Just focus on getting used to your changed self and preparing for the future. I will lay the framework for messengers. I¡¯m pleased that you¡¯re already thinking like a leader. Well done.¡±

    I¡¯m more just trying to keep us from all getting slaughtered. Would Spider even notice if that happened? I¡¯m not sure I want to know the answer.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do as you ask,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be taking the tent beside yours. If you need me, come to it. Just make sure you actually need me.¡±

    With that, Spider swept out of the room. The other two demons followed after him, leaving Aylin and Violet in silence.

    ¡°Aylin?¡± Violet whispered. ¡°What just happened?¡±

    It was several seconds before Aylin responded.

    ¡°I think I just became a streetlord.¡±

 Chapter 464: Mussenger

    Noah left Aylin and Violet in their new tent as he led Moxie and Lee over to their temporary new lodgings. The tents really weren¡¯t much, but they were better than ducking into an alleyway to speak.

    ¡°You make a really good demon,¡± Lee said in a low tone once they were inside the tent.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to avoid taking that as an insult,¡± Noah said. They all sat down, taking advantage of the momentary respite to relax as much as they could. ¡°Aside from you, I haven¡¯t really been a fan of any demons I¡¯ve met.¡±

    ¡°Aylin and Violet seem nice,¡± Moxie said. ¡°When you aren¡¯t traumatizing them, that is.¡±

    Noah winced. ¡°I¡¯d love to be nicer with them. I really would ¡ª but I¡¯m pretty sure that would be even worse, wouldn¡¯t it? Like this, they can assume I¡¯m just some powerful asshole with an agenda that they fit into. If I was acting nice, they¡¯d be terrified. They¡¯d spend all their time trying to figure out my motives.¡±

    Moxie paused, then blinked. ¡°You know, that¡¯s surprisingly perceptive of you.¡±

    ¡°I am a perceptive man.¡±

    ¡°So you are. I just need reminders sometimes,¡± Moxie said, leaning her head against his shoulder. ¡°I can¡¯t say I love the strategy, but you¡¯re probably right that it¡¯s the best option. What about you, Lee? Any thoughts?¡±

    Lee shrugged. ¡°They¡¯re alive. If they¡¯d made it this far in a city, then they¡¯re desperate to make it farther. Terrifying or not, Noah is probably their best chance. Aylin and Violet were both starving to death when we first met them. They¡¯d probably have both been dead in a few weeks. A month or two at most.¡±

    ¡°And now one of them is Rank 3,¡± Noah mused. He glanced at his grimoire, which was now apparently more than pleased to let Moxie carry it around.

    They¡¯d both been taken slightly by surprise when Noah had been first dressing himself up as Spider and, while Moxie was helping him look as mysterious as possible, she¡¯d absentmindedly lifted it straight off his back.

    The book was definitely far more intelligent than it had been when he¡¯d first gotten it. It wasn¡¯t just taking power from the runes he gave it. It was growing. Noah wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about that, but the book had been playing along as of late, so he had no complaints.

    ¡°How many runes did it take to brute force that?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine it was a low cost.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°I sacrificed two existing Rank 3s just to break apart for energy. Aylin wasn¡¯t very experienced so he lost a ton of power, but considering he¡¯d literally never made a rune before, I don¡¯t hold it against him. He seemed pretty intelligent.¡±

    ¡°What Rank 3 does he have now?¡±

    Noah looked at her out of the corners of his eyes. ¡°No idea, Lee. I can¡¯t read demon runes. I gave him a bunch of Fire and Earth runes and guided him on combining six Rank 2s, but the seventh one had his Demon Rune as part of the combination so he had to do that one on his own. When they all combined, the Demon Rune swallowed everything and now the whole thing is unreadable. The final result felt pretty solid, though.¡±

    ¡°I can ask him at some point,¡± Lee said. A small frown passed over her features before she crushed it. ¡°You were smart to stop before he hit Rank 4.¡±

    Noah¡¯s lips pressed thin. ¡°Yeah. I remember Azel¡¯s warning ¡ª and I haven¡¯t forgotten your situation. We¡¯ll find a way to make a Rank 4 without changing who you are, Lee. This is the absolute best place to do that. We have a lot of test subjects.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re people too,¡± Lee said. ¡°They aren¡¯t just subjects.¡±

    He paused. They were people. He knew that. It was apparent enough that Aylin and Violet were really no different than Isabel, Todd, and all the others back in Arbitage. Now that he¡¯d spent a little time with Aylin, he had to admit he didn¡¯t want to see the young demon die.

    But the other demons in the Damned Plains¡­ they might have been people as well, but when he weighed their lives against Moxie or Lee¡¯s ¡ª Silvertide¡¯s words rang through his head once more.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten that,¡± Noah said softly. ¡°But you and Moxie are infinitely more important to me than any of them are. I¡¯m not going to try to go around killing demons, but I think we¡¯ll be running into more than enough of them that stand in our way for me to do a little experimenting. I can¡¯t afford mercy to our enemies when so much is on the line.¡±

    They all fell silent for a few moments.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Lee said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make it sound like I don¡¯t appreciate what you¡¯re doing. I was just thinking back to my time here. Before I met you and Moxie and everyone else. There are so many other demons that never got to escape. Demons that just had to adapt or die.¡±

    ¡°Anyone that we can help, we will. But not at the cost of your life. Not at Moxie¡¯s either,¡± Noah said. His eyes drifted to the gourd at Moxie¡¯s side and his lip curled up in a small smile. ¡°Mine¡­ well, mine is a bit cheaper. I might be willing to sell a few of those.¡±

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    Lee snickered and Moxie rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t sell them for too cheap,¡± Moxie said. ¡°You¡¯re like an addict. Don¡¯t forget that killing yourself is not the best solution to every single problem.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ve been good about it recently.¡±

    ¡°Which is why it¡¯s even more important to stop you from relapsing.¡±

    They all fell silent as a demon passed by the tent outside, but they continued on without stopping. It seemed that the camp was too scared to try and challenge anything thus far. That was good.

    Granted, the first step of the plan was probably the absolute easiest. It almost made Noah feel a bit scummy. Rolling up to a group of Demons far weaker than he was and just blasting them to kingdom come made him feel like a bully.

    Fortunately, they¡¯d been assholes first. That made things much easier. If he¡¯d managed to take over this gang without killing the former leader, it would have been harder to solidify power later.

    If the only thing that demons respected was power, peaceful takeovers probably weren¡¯t going to be too convincing. They¡¯d learn in time. Even if one of the streetlords was strong enough to fight against him or if they banded together¡­ the end would be the same.

    ¡°Do you really think Aylin is going to be able to keep control of the demons here?¡± Moxie asked with a note of concern in her voice. ¡°He¡¯s got the power now, but he¡¯s still a kid.¡±

    ¡°I think necessity drives people to do great things, even when they aren¡¯t ready to do them yet,¡± Noah replied. ¡°And he¡¯s got some time to get used to his new strength. If he¡¯s smart, he won¡¯t waste it.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll help him, right?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°Of course,¡± Noah said. ¡°It would be a complete waste of his life, not to mention all our efforts, if he just got killed the moment we stopped paying attention. We¡¯ll help him. He just can¡¯t know how much we¡¯re helping him or he¡¯ll start to rely on us. For this to work, he needs to be strong on his own. If he isn¡¯t, he¡¯s dead the moment we leave.¡±

    Moxie and Lee nodded.

    ¡°So¡­ what next, then?¡± Lee asked. ¡°I doubt anyone is going to do much here, but it won¡¯t be long before word spreads ¡ª especially since you didn¡¯t try to restrict people from talking. The nearest streetlord probably already knows that Golon is dead.¡±

    Noah smiled. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m counting on it. We¡¯ve just been killing a little time to make sure the message has time to spread. I suppose it¡¯s been long enough now.¡±

    ¡°So¡­¡± Lee trailed off, sending him an expectant look.

    ¡°Oh, go ahead.¡± Noah rolled his eyes and shook his head. ¡°Just be careful and make sure not to get too carried away.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lee said with a cheerful smile. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you back something to eat!¡±

    ¡°Please¡ª¡±

    Lee vanished into a shadow.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Noah finished, wincing. ¡°Damn it. She¡¯s totally going to bring back a corpse.¡±

    ***

    Vrith was having a good day for one reason alone ¡ª Vroth was not.

    Ever since they¡¯d been born, her brother had always seemed to have the upper hand. Vroth stumbled into the best runes. He¡¯d gotten the most training. When they¡¯d taken over a gang together, Vroth had become the streetlord.

    Vrith didn¡¯t mind taking the backseat. She didn¡¯t mind working from the shadows ¡ª but she did mind getting absolutely no recognition for anything she did. It wasn¡¯t easy corralling a small horde of demons and making sure they obeyed Vroth¡¯s commands. It wasn¡¯t easy training the youths they brought in, nor was it easy watching Vroth take credit for every damned thing she did.

    Unfortunately, while Vroth was lazy, he was also powerful. Powerful enough to protect their gang, and powerful enough to keep Vrith from doing anything other than following his orders.

    It was rare that Vroth had a bad day, but today was one such day.

    ¡°Who does this Spider think he is?¡± Vroth snarled, his furred fist clenching in fury at his sides. His lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing a row of pointed teeth. ¡°What a ridiculous demand. Killing one streetlord and he goes around acting as if he¡¯s the new lord of the city.¡±

    For all the bluster, Vrith knew Vroth more than well enough to recognize when he was scared. Golon wasn¡¯t the strongest streetlord, but he¡¯d been a respectable opponent. If he hadn¡¯t been, they¡¯d have taken the territory from him long ago.

    There was no doubt in Vrith¡¯s mind that Spider hadn¡¯t killed him nearly as easily as the panicked rumors claimed. Rumors were just that. Rumors. They always exaggerated. They always changed reality to twist it into something more interesting ¡ª but there was truth at their base. Spider was a formidable opponent, and he was likely coming for them.

    ¡°I want him dead,¡± Vroth snarled. ¡°Before he even has a chance to show his face here.¡±

    As if anyone¡¯s going to do that. If he¡¯s strong enough to handle a streetlord, then he¡¯s strong enough to deal with any of our subordinates, especially when it¡¯s his own camp.

    ¡°Vrith, handle it.¡±

    And just like that, Vrith was no longer having a good day.

    ¡°I ¡ª what? I can¡¯t beat him. He killed Golon!¡±

    ¡°Golon was strong, but he was an idiot. It¡¯s been a long time since you tried your hand against another Rank 3,¡± Vroth said, a hand clenching around the armrest of his seat. ¡°You should be able to kill him before he even realizes you¡¯re there. You¡¯ve done it before.¡±

    ¡°Not against someone like this!¡± Vrith exclaimed. ¡°Rumors are rumors, but we can¡¯t just completely ignore¡ª¡±

    ¡°I am the streetlord,¡± Vroth snarled, cutting her off midsentence. ¡°Are you refusing a direct order?¡±

    Damn it. He¡¯s terrified. Idiot is putting more stock in those rumors than he should.

    ¡°Vroth, sending me is a waste. Don¡¯t buy into the rumors so badly,¡± Vrith said. ¡°Spider doesn¡¯t know what we¡¯re capable of. Our best chance of killing him is together, not by going in alone.¡±

    Vroth hesitated. His hand unclenched and he leaned back, blowing out a slow breath and shaking his head. ¡°You may be correct. I am being hasty. Yes. It would be impossible for someone that powerful to truly be here. A wise call, Vrith. It is a good thing I have kept you as my advisor.¡±

    A relieved sigh silently slipped from Vrith¡¯s lips. Her brother was rash, but he wasn¡¯t an idiot. Now, all they had to do was ¡ª

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    They both spun. A short female demon stood at the entrance of their throne room, chewing on a large chunk of roast meat. Vrith¡¯s blood ran cold. She hadn¡¯t noticed anyone entering, and the door was still closed.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Vroth demanded, rising to his feet. ¡°How did you get in here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a muss¡­ mess¡­ uh, something,¡± the demon said, trailing off as she chewed thoughtfully on the meat. ¡°I forgot. Anyway, I¡¯m here to bring a message.¡±

    ¡°What message?¡± Vrith asked, flexing her fingers. Claws pushed out of the beds of her fingertips.

    ¡°Spider sent me to get your answer on if you¡¯d decided to surrender yet.¡± The intruder held a hand up. She stuffed the rest of the food into her gullet and swallowed it in one bite. ¡°I can wait if you need to think about it, but if you don¡¯t have one soon, I¡¯m going to have to kill you.¡±

 Chapter 465: Mistake

    Vrith¡¯s eyes darted around the room in search for any sign of the demon¡¯s arrival, but there were none. The door was closed and locked. There were no large cracks in the walls or holes in the ceiling.

    There was no way that anyone should have been able to enter without, at the very least, making their presence known. The back of her scalp prickled.

    ¡°If Spider wants to challenge me, then he should have come himself,¡± Vroth snarled, pushing out of his chair. Claws sprouted from his fingers soundlessly and he bared his teeth. ¡°He dares send a messenger to infiltrate my court?¡±

    Court is a bit much, Vroth.

    ¡°You never said how you got in here,¡± Vrith said. ¡°If you wish to bargain with us, then you should at least approach the proper way.¡±

    ¡°She is correct,¡± Vroth growled. His fingers flexed and he took a step toward the intruder. ¡°This Spider lacks understanding of how business is done. He has no respect. You have not even introduced yourself, yet you dare make demands and break into our sanctum?¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry. I forgot about that bit. I¡¯m Lee,¡± the demon said, completely unperturbed. ¡°And I think you missed something.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Vroth¡¯s voice was like a deadly sharp razor as it ground out from between his clenched teeth. ¡°And what would that be?¡±

    ¡°We aren¡¯t bargaining.¡± Lee stretched her arms over her head and yawned. ¡°And you aren¡¯t worthy of respect. Can you just let me know what your decision is? Spider is going to be pissed at me if I start doing stuff without an answer, but I¡¯m hungry and you¡¯re making me waste time.¡±

    A deep sense of unease built in Vrith¡¯s gut. Lee was entirely too unconcerned with everything. This went too far for it to just be a bluff, and they still had no explanation as to how she¡¯d managed to break into their room completely unannounced.

    ¡°She¡¯s got to have some form of artifact,¡± Vrith muttered. ¡°Something that lets her conceal herself. That¡¯s why she¡¯s so bold.¡±

    Vroth glanced to Vrith, then his lips pulled back in a smirk. ¡°Is that so? Evading my awareness before I know of your presence is one thing, but don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to leave without my permission.¡±

    Lee just stared at them. ¡°That¡¯s not an answer. I can¡¯t leave until you give me one anyway, so could you just get on with it?¡±

    ¡°My answer to Spider will be your head delivered on a plate.¡± Vroth spat on the ground. ¡°Try to run, messenger. See how far it gets you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a no, then?¡± Lee asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Wait. Is that a no from you, or a no from your whole gang? Do you mind if I come back in a second? I need to ask Spider something. I can¡¯t remember if I¡¯m supposed to just kill you or if it¡¯s meant to be everyone here.¡±

    Vroth blurred, the only sound of his motion a single thud as he launched himself toward the arrogant demon. His claws flashed through the air like streaks of silver light, moving so quickly that Vrith could barely even follow him.

    Despite her position, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a flicker of admiration. This was the reason that Vroth was the streetlord. Vrith didn¡¯t think of herself as a particularly slow demon, but Vroth was easily twice as fast as she was.

    Fighting him was impossible. Every single match they¡¯d had always ended in the exact same way. The same way it had already inevitably gone for Spider¡¯s messenger. Complete and utter defeat.

    There was a faint snik of claw carving through flesh. Vrith started to blow out a relieved breath, already trying to determine what their next step would be in dealing with Spider. Then she spotted Lee standing ¡ª not before Vroth, but beside him.

    Blood dripped from her fingers, which had more than doubled in length and turned to razor-sharp claws. Vrith¡¯s lips parted in disbelief as Vroth peeled apart like a rotted fruit behind Lee, split into six strips.

    The remains of his body collapsed to the floor in a pool of bloody noodles that once been her brother. Lee shook her hand off as the fingers returned to normal. Her eyes flicked to Vrith. A very un-demonlike whimper escaped Vrith¡¯s lips and she took a step back.

    Vroth ¡ª how? I ¡ª no. This isn¡¯t possible!

    Vroth couldn¡¯t lose. Not like that. He was the strongest demon she¡¯d met, and this wasn¡¯t even Spider. It was just his messenger. Vrith¡¯s back hit the stone wall with a thud and she realized that she¡¯d been backing up. Blood pounded in her ears and her palms prickled with sweat.

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    Lee hadn¡¯t budged from her spot. Involuntary shivers gripped Vrith¡¯s body. The small demon was so fast that Vrith couldn¡¯t so much as see her move. Vroth hadn¡¯t even stood a chance against Lee. Vrith¡¯s survival instincts took over as she analyzed the situation, searching for a way out, and it took a remarkably short time for her to find it.

    The only way out was death.

    I¡¯m going to die here? Like this?

    ¡°Oh, crud,¡± Lee said, grabbing the back of her head and letting out a groan. ¡°Oh, I screwed up.¡±

    Vrith stared at her, not even daring to say a word. Perhaps the demon was just completely insane. If Lee didn¡¯t pay her any attention and she crept around the side of the room, there was a chance she could slip ¡ª

    ¡°You,¡± Lee said, thrusting a finger in Vrith¡¯s direction and killing any hopes the demon had left.

    ¡°Y-yes?¡± Vrith asked weakly.

    Lee grabbed a handful of the bloody strips that had once been Vrith¡¯s brother and held them up with a distraught look. ¡°Can you find where his head is?¡±

    Vrith swallowed. Lee wasn¡¯t just the fastest demon she¡¯d ever seen. The short demon was a damned sadist. Even if Vrith hadn¡¯t loved Vroth, he¡¯d still been family in the loosest sense of the word.

    ¡°It¡¯s shredded,¡± Vrith forced out. ¡°And soaked in blood. There isn¡¯t much of it left.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Lee tugged at her hair. ¡°How am I supposed to mount his head on anything? Do you know how to stick it back together?¡±

    What kind of twisted creature do you think I am?

    ¡°No,¡± Vrith managed, mustering what little self-respect she still had left. If she was going to die, then she wasn¡¯t going to do it scrounging around for a way to paste her dead brother¡¯s head back together so someone could mount it from their wall. A proper demon would have charged Lee to die a proper death, but the only other thing Vrith could muster was a weak, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in so much trouble,¡± Lee muttered, chewing on the ends of her fingers. ¡°Spider said I had to mount the streetlord¡¯s head from a stick if he refused the offer to surrender, then kill the whole camp. But how am I supposed to do that if he¡¯s shredded?¡±

    She can¡¯t be serious. Is she genuinely asking for advice after shredding my streetlord in front of me?

    ¡°I ¡ª how would I know?¡± Vrith stammered. ¡°And you¡¯re the one that did it! How am I in trouble? You¡¯re just going to kill me anyway!¡±

    ¡°You saw it,¡± Lee said. ¡°You should have told me that I had to leave his head intact, so it¡¯s partially your fault.¡±

    ¡°How does that make any sense?¡± Vrith demanded, incredulity somehow managing to overwhelm her mounting terror. ¡°You¡¯re the one that killed him! I didn¡¯t know you were going to do that!¡±

    ¡°Yes you did. I told you I would if you didn¡¯t surrender.¡±

    ¡°Who would actually believe that?¡± Vrith asked. ¡°Everyone threatens to kill people all the time! Nobody actually manages to do it that quickly!¡±

    ¡°Your fault,¡± Lee insisted. She chewed her lower lip, then cursed. ¡°Spider is going to be so pissed. I screwed up.¡±

    Vrith¡¯s fear continued to mount. If a monster like this was so terrified of Spider, then the demon had to be leagues even more powerful than she was. That was a scale that Vrith couldn¡¯t begin to even comprehend.

    ¡°He might not let me eat jerky for a week if he finds out about this,¡± Lee muttered, but the blood pounding in Vrith¡¯s ears was so loud that she completely missed it.

    ¡°I ¡ª if you let me live, I won¡¯t tell him?¡± Vrith offered, more than aware of how pathetic her request was. There was no reason to leave someone alive with a secret when killing them would be far more effective.

    Lee¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s it!¡±

    Vrith blinked. ¡°It is?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ve got it!¡± Lee exclaimed. Before Vrith could ask what she meant, Lee scooped up the remains of her brother and started shoveling them into her mouth. The words froze in Vrith¡¯s mouth and she watched with horror as every last scrap of Vroth vanished into Lee¡¯s gullet in the span of seconds.

    What the fuck?

    ¡°Okay,¡± Lee said, wiping the blood from her mouth once she¡¯d finished. She glanced around. ¡°You don¡¯t see any left, do you?¡±

    Vrith nearly threw up on the spot. ¡°I ¡ª no. I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Nobody else is here either,¡± Lee said. ¡°Good. This is perfect.¡±

    ¡°It is?¡± Vrith asked weakly.

    ¡°Yeah. Here¡¯s what happened. You killed Vroth.¡±

    A spike of panic shot through Vrith. Lee was planning to pin the entire thing on her. Living a bit longer wasn¡¯t worth it if it meant being punished by someone so awful that the cannibalistic monster before her was terrified of them.

    ¡°What? No! I¡¯m not just going to take the fall for you! Just kill me already¡±

    ¡°No! Then he¡¯ll know something went wrong and I won¡¯t be able to stick anyone¡¯s head up on a post. I already ate the other guy, so he¡¯s gone. We¡¯ve got to do it the other way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let Spider torture me!¡±

    ¡°Torture?¡± Lee gave Vrith a baffled look. ¡°Why would he do that? All we have to do is say that you killed Vroth before he got to answer my question! That would make you streetlord, right?¡±

    Vrith opened her mouth, then paused. She blinked. ¡°I¡­ suppose? But how would that help? Are you going to kill me and stick my head on a spike?¡±

    ¡°So you agree that you killed Vroth?¡± There was a dangerous glint in Lee¡¯s eyes. ¡°Which would make you streetlord?¡±

    Something told Vrith that Lee wasn¡¯t going to accept any answer other than yes. At the very least, it looked like Vroth hadn¡¯t suffered long. She squeezed her eyes together and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Great! So do you surrender to Spider?¡±

    Vrith cracked an eye open. The same question Lee had asked Vroth. Lee watched her expectantly. The other eye cracked open.

    A tiny flicker of hope caught in her chest as she realized the game Lee was playing at. If Vroth was dead before he answered Lee¡¯s question, then Lee could re-direct the question to the new streetlord.

    If she said no, she¡¯d end up just like Vroth, but with a head left intact to mount on a spike. But if she threw her pride as a demon to the side¡­ there was a chance.

    Vrith dropped to the ground and prostrated herself before Lee. ¡°We surrender. Please don¡¯t stick my head on a spike.¡±

 Chapter 466: Streetlord

    Liquid magma pumped through Aylin¡¯s veins. His entire body felt like it had grown ten degrees hotter. He could feel every single one of his nerves ¡ª and not in a good way.

    ¡°So?¡± Violet asked, eagerness and trepidation mixing in her voice. ¡°Do you feel different?¡±

    Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, a constant rhythm that cut his words off every time he tried to form them. Aylin¡¯s brow furrowed in concentration as he blocked it out.

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s¡­ strange. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to describe it.¡± Aylin rubbed his fingers together. The beds of his fingers warmed and a crackle of energy ran between them. He flinched, freezing in place. ¡°I¡¯m so much more aware. It¡¯s like I was walking around with my ears sewn shut before. Now there¡¯s so much information that I can barely handle it.¡± He caught the concern in Violet¡¯s expression and quickly amended, ¡°but I can tell that I¡¯ll adapt to it. My body is just different. Not worse.¡±

    Violet glanced over her shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s not here, is he?¡±

    Aylin hesitated for a second before shaking his head. He was pretty sure nobody was in the tent other than them right now, but after what he¡¯d seen Spider and his companions do, he had absolutely no plans of betting against any of them. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, but I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he just¡­ made you a Rank 3,¡± Violet said. She stared down at her hands. ¡°Just like that.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t for free,¡± Aylin muttered. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be a streetlord. How am I meant to do that when the only people here only know me as the rat that lived in the gutters at the edge of their territory?¡±

    ¡°Most of them probably won¡¯t recognize you at all,¡± Violet pointed out. ¡°And nobody is going to challenge Spider.¡±

    ¡°Not Spider. Not anytime soon, at least,¡± Aylin agreed with a small nod. ¡°But me? I¡¯m a different story. The moment he isn¡¯t paying attention, someone will try their hand. Why wouldn¡¯t they? One subordinate is just as good as another. If someone can take me out quickly, nobody would assume Spider gives a shit.¡±

    Violet gritted her teeth. She knew he was right, but they really didn¡¯t have much option. Fleeing was impossible. Any chance of escaping Spider¡¯s clutches had evaporated the instant he¡¯d taken food from the demon ¡ª and taking runes from him had only solidified Aylin¡¯s position even further.

    ¡°Maybe he won¡¯t be so bad,¡± Violet said. ¡°He ordered the gang to bring Torick and Edda here. Maybe we¡¯re just useful to him as we are right now.¡±

    ¡°More likely he¡¯s bringing them here to remind me what he¡¯s doing for us,¡± Aylin said with a shake of his head. ¡°But you¡¯re right. For a demon as powerful as Spider is, he¡¯s treating us way better than I would have expected. Tools or not, I¡¯m strong enough to actually get food now. We can eat.¡±

    A small laugh slipped from Violet¡¯s lips. ¡°I guess that means taking the food from him was actually the right call. Your instincts aren¡¯t completely broken after all.¡±

    ¡°More like I got lucky. Everything you said back in the hideout was right.¡± Aylin¡¯s breath felt hot as he let out a sigh. His entire body brimmed with energy that he¡¯d never felt before, to the point where he held Violet¡¯s hand as limply as he could just to make sure he didn¡¯t actually break anything.

    She¡¯d always been stronger than him ¡ª not by all that much, since they both had only had a single Demon Rune, but hers had been better. But now¡­ Aylin had seen what a Rank 3 could do. Even sneezing while touching Violet could hurt her.

    I wonder if Spider would be willing to make Violet and the others Rank 3s as well ¡ª no. I can¡¯t go down that line of thought. If I start relying on him for everything, then we¡¯ll all become so indebted to Spider that we completely lose ourselves. I owe him too much, but the others don¡¯t. Not yet.

    Aylin¡¯s ears twitched as conversation from outside the tent reached them. He still wasn¡¯t used to their new sensitivity and the new flavors flooding the air like invisible broth, but he picked up something familiar.

    Torick and Edda were nearby ¡ª and they weren¡¯t alone. Aylin¡¯s eyes narrowed and he released Violet¡¯s hand, sliding down from the throne and dropping to his feet. Rank 3 or not, his body hadn¡¯t grown very much in size, so Golon¡¯s chair was far too large for him.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Violet asked.

    ¡°Torick and Edda are here, but something¡¯s holding them up,¡± Aylin said. He paused for a moment, his ears twitching. ¡°I think. I can¡¯t really tell.¡±

    Spider might have put him under protection, but that didn¡¯t necessarily extend to Violet and the others. Aylin¡¯s eyes narrowed and he strode toward the exit. Violet hopped down from the chair and hurried after Aylin as he stepped out of the tent. Spider hadn¡¯t told them to stay put, after all.

    A small group of demons had gathered near the edge of the old market square, and Aylin recognized Robon near their center. Aylin and Violet pushed through the demons, weaving through the crowd until they broke through it.

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    ¡°Violet! Aylin!¡± Torick exclaimed, spotting them almost instantly. He was doing a good job of hiding the terror in his expression, but his scrunched shoulders and the darting path of his gaze told Aylin that Torick was just as scared as he had been a few hours ago.

    Actually, I¡¯m still terrified. Just of Spider instead of the rest of these demons.

    ¡°Come on,¡± Aylin said, all too aware of the gazes boring into his and Violets¡¯ backs. The sooner they got out of the public, the better. They didn¡¯t need attention. Especially not when Spider wasn¡¯t immediately around. ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the tent.¡±

    ¡°Throwing commands around already?¡± a demon that Aylin didn¡¯t recognize asked with a cold laugh. ¡°Didn¡¯t take you long to get used to leeching off Spider¡¯s power, did it?¡±

    Aylin didn¡¯t respond. The rules to survival were staying out of sight and attention. Every instinct he had screamed at him to hide, but he couldn¡¯t. Spider had made that impossible.

    Torick and Edda both stepped away from Robon, who did nothing but watch as they hurried over to join him and Violet. But, before they could reunite, the demon that had spoken stepped into their path.

    Aylin¡¯s stomach clenched.

    ¡°You know, Spider didn¡¯t say anything about what we had to do after they got to camp. He doesn¡¯t care about the other runts,¡± the demon said. ¡°Who¡¯s to say what happens to them after they get here?¡±

    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± Robon asked before Aylin could even get a chance to open his mouth. ¡°Why would Spider call them here if he didn¡¯t care? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Or did you want him to kill all of us?¡±

    ¡°He wants us for a reason,¡± the other demon countered. ¡°He isn¡¯t going to kill everyone. He¡¯s just someone making a power move. As long as we follow his orders, he won¡¯t care what we do between ourselves.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to get all of us killed with your arrogance,¡± Robon growled. ¡°We both saw what he was capable of. What makes you think we¡¯re worth an insect¡¯s fart in his eyes? We¡¯re just convenient. He made that clear when he chose a worthless street rat to be our leader. What kind of message do you think he was trying to pound into your thick skull?¡±

    ¡°You know what? I think you¡¯re scared,¡± the other demon said, his pale gray lips pulling back in a cold smile. ¡°You¡¯re down a hand, Robon. I haven¡¯t seen the new streetlord select a second yet. Maybe you¡¯re worried about what happens when you get replaced.¡±

    The tension in the crowd started to rise as murmurs rolled through it. Aylin sent a panicked look back at Spider¡¯s tent, but the impossibly powerful demon was nowhere to be seen. Either he didn¡¯t know about what was happening or, more likely, he just didn¡¯t care.

    Spider wasn¡¯t going to step into every single minor conflict the gang had. And, worse, Aylin got the feeling that the antagonizing demon was right. Robon was scared. Not so long ago, Robon had been an indomitable existence that Aylin couldn¡¯t even dream of so much as even speaking beside.

    But now, compared to the other demons in the camp, he wasn¡¯t nearly as powerful as he once had been ¡ª and Spider hadn¡¯t said a single thing about leaving the second in command alone.

    The crowd pressed tighter, sensing blood. Robon¡¯s jaw clenched and he bared his teeth. ¡°You want to try me? I could kill you with no hands. One is more than enough, Dreek.¡±

    Aylin¡¯s ears prickled as he picked up on a faint movement and a taste brushed across his tongue. His gaze flicked back to Spider¡¯s tent. The masked demon stood before it, watching them silently.

    Shit. I have to do something. Spider made it pretty clear that he can turn anyone into a Rank 3 just at a whim. If I can¡¯t prove my worth as a streetlord, then he¡¯ll just replace me.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Aylin said, his voice coming out more as a squeak than a command. It was, unfortunately, just loud enough for everyone in the crowd to turn toward him. Hundreds of eyes bore into Aylin¡¯s skull like sharp nails.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Dreek asked, his lips pulling back in a smirk. ¡°Does the new streetlord wish something of me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Aylin said. He forced the words out from his mouth before he could falter. ¡°Go do whatever it is you normally do.¡±

    Anger twisted Dreek¡¯s features. ¡°Spider only said you were the streetlord, not that we had to treat you any differently than a normal streetlord. Do you really think he¡¯d have that much problem with a more capable person in your position? You¡¯d best start watching your step more carefully.¡±

    Dreek moved in Torick¡¯s direction. Aylin had absolutely no idea if the demon was planning to try anything. He didn¡¯t get a chance to find out. His body shifted faster than he¡¯d thought it capable of.

    He was still halfway through barking out, ¡°Stop!¡± When he realized that his hand was lodged in Dreek¡¯s back. A shocked silence gripped the crowd of demons like a constricting noose.

    Aylin staggered back, ripping his hand free in a spray of viscera. He stared at his bloodied fingers, at the hole in Dreek¡¯s chest just beyond them. Dreek let out a gasping wheeze. His hands clutched at the huge wound and blood bubbled from his lips, muting any final words as the demon collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.

    ¡°Rank 3,¡± Robon whispered. ¡°I know that strength. Impossible. How are you Rank 3?¡±

    Words refused to form at Aylin¡¯s tongue. A rush of violent freezing energy slammed into him, swirling through his soul like the caress of a freezing river.

    ¡°Spider willed it,¡± Violet said, striding forward and throwing her arms around Torick and Edda. ¡°Aylin is the streetlord. There¡¯s a reason for that. Does anyone else want to try him?¡±

    Violet¡¯s demands carved through the crowd like a blade. The demons backed away. Aylin¡¯s ears twitched as he heard Spider step back into his tent, satisfied. Even though the demons¡¯ awed gazes were on Aylin rather than the masked demon, a chill ran down his back.

    Was he planning on this when he ordered for Torick and Edda to be brought here?

    Aylin didn¡¯t get a chance to think his fears through for long. Aylin¡¯s ears twitched and he turned as a female demon leapt from one of the rooftops, landing on the ground beside him with wide, panicked eyes. The demon tasted like fear.

    ¡°Streetlord, we¡¯ve got a problem,¡± she said nervously. ¡°Vroth¡¯s executioner is heading right for our camp.¡±

    Executioner? I don¡¯t like the sound of that.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Robon spat. ¡°He must think we¡¯re weak because Golon died. But Vrith isn¡¯t stupid. We haven¡¯t seen her in a while. Is it possible she¡¯s grown stronger? She was already a powerful Rank 3.¡±

    Every single eye in the crowd turned back to Aylin. His heart sank.

    Oh, damn it all.

    ¡°Do you desire a weapon, streetlord?¡± Robon asked, his eyes flicking to Aylin¡¯s bloodied hand. ¡°It seems Vrith has come to challenge you.¡±

 Chapter 467: Vrith

    It took every scrap of self-control that Aylin had to keep his eye from twitching. Today was just one thing going wrong after the other without so much as a breather in between them.

    Is Spider the Archdemon of Bad Luck or something? How can so many problems even exist? The most important thing I¡¯ve ever had to deal with was getting enough food.

    It wasn¡¯t like he could run, though. Retreating from a challenge was the same as admitting he had been defeated ¡ª and that would mean he was no longer the streetlord. There was no way Spider would let him or any of the others live if they didn¡¯t have any worth.

    Streetlords could always have their second fight in their place if a fight wasn¡¯t worth their effort, but the closest thing he had to a second right now was Robon. At Rank 2 and down a hand, Aylin was pretty sure the large demon somehow had even less of a chance against Vrith than he did.

    ¡°Did you want a weapon?¡± Robon repeated, the stress in his voice evident. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time before Vrith arrives.¡±

    I don¡¯t know how to use a damn weapon. What good would one do me?

    ¡°No need,¡± Aylin forced out with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine as is.¡±

    Robon inclined his head. The crowd around them murmured.

    ¡°He thinks he can beat Vrith without a weapon? How strong did Spider make him?¡± one demon muttered.

    ¡°The boy is a street rat,¡± another demon said. ¡°He just has no idea what he¡¯s up against. Vrith is just going to take care of this for us and Spider will put someone more competent in charge.¡±

    Aylin tuned them out. Nothing they had to say would be of any use. Violet leaned close and lowered her voice to whisper into his ear.

    ¡°Can you fight someone like that?¡±

    No. Spider didn¡¯t make me that strong. And even if he did, I¡¯m not immortal. I¡¯ve barely ever been in a proper fight. Experience is going to count for more than anything else.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Aylin muttered back. His mind raced and blood thumped in the back of his head, threatening to drown out the whisper of the streets. He could do nothing but shake his head.

    Spider definitely wasn¡¯t going to interfere. Really, he couldn¡¯t. If Spider wanted Aylin to have any semblance of proper respect as a streetlord, he couldn¡¯t step in to kill every single threat that cropped up.

    Aylin swallowed. Then he set his jaw. At the very least, he didn¡¯t want to fight Vrith here. Not where Torick and Edda could see. There was the very small chance that he could come out on top if he managed to catch Vrith off guard.

    He had no choice but to try and take it.

    ¡°Take Torick and Edda back to the tent,¡± Aylin said to Violet, speaking with as much confidence as he could muster. ¡°I¡¯m going to go deal with Vrith. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    It would be really embarrassing if I get killed after saying something like that, but it¡¯s not like I can be embarrassed after I¡¯m dead.

    Violet¡¯s lips pressed thin. She definitely didn¡¯t want to agree to his request, but one look at the crowd and the panic on the other two demons¡¯ faces was enough to force a nod from her.

    ¡°Be careful,¡± Violet said.

    Aylin just nodded. The crowd parted before him and he set off in the direction that Vrith was coming from, his back as stiff as a rod. He was pretty sure that his performance wasn¡¯t fooling anyone. It didn¡¯t matter.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    If he fought Vrith away from the others, there was always the miniscule chance that Spider would pull one more string to protect his investment. Aylin was pretty sure that was the only actual chance he had to win the fight against another Rank 3, even with the element of surprise on his side.

    He strode away from the square and soon broke line of sight with the market square. A part of him was almost thankful for it. At least he wouldn¡¯t have a huge audience. There would doubtlessly still be spotters watching the fight, but there was nothing he could do about that.

    I need to find a way to survive this. I don¡¯t want to leave Violet and Torick and Edda behind. They¡¯re counting on me. If Vrith kills me, then who knows what Spider or the other demons will do to them.

    But what can I do?

    Aylin nearly missed a step as he heard footsteps coming toward him. He drew to a stop as he spotted a woman approaching from the far end of the street. She wore black leathers plated with metal around her vitals and bore two wicked looking short swords at her sides.

    He wet his lips, picking up on her taste. It was difficult to read the demon. There was bitterness and strength, mixed with iron determination and¡­ fear? Aylin¡¯s brow furrowed. That couldn¡¯t have been right. He didn¡¯t have time to wonder further.

    That¡¯s definitely Vrith.

    Aylin remained locked in place as she approached. Despite his desperation to succeed, his legs wouldn¡¯t let him walk any farther toward her. The Rank 3 demon moved with the deadly grace of a sandsnake slithering across the Wastes. Vrith was beautiful in the manner which only a predator could be ¡ª the last thing that countless demons had likely seen before they¡¯d been sent into the great beyond. Aylin¡¯s heart sank even further.

    A large part of him had expected her to be a hulking beast like Golon. He¡¯d been hoping to rely on being faster than Vrith. Even if she¡¯d been strong, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if she couldn¡¯t hit him. That didn¡¯t look like it would be the case. Vrith¡¯s figure was lean and her movements were practiced. She was probably faster than him.

    Should I try to attack before she¡¯s ready? Can I even catch someone like that off guard?

    Before Aylin knew it, Vrith stood across from him. His ears twitched as he picked up on movement on the rooftops above them. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t there to help. They were spotters. Maybe from his own gang, maybe from another one coming to see what was going on.

    ¡°You are from Spider¡¯s gang,¡± Vrith said, the words dripping venom as they rolled from her lips. She wasn¡¯t asking a question. ¡°Take me to your streetlord.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª¡± Aylin¡¯s voice broke and he coughed. It was a small mercy that Violet wasn¡¯t there. She never would have let him live that down, even as she accompanied him straight into the afterlife when Vrith killed them both. ¡°I am the streetlord.¡±

    Vrith stared down at Aylin. He¡¯d grown slightly since reaching Rank 3, but she was still a full head taller than him. Her dark eyes sparkled with incredulity. ¡°You?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Aylin said, setting his jaw. This was it. At the very least, he refused to die like a sniveling cub. He shifted his stance and drew on his Rune, letting the heat pumping through his body intensify.

    The temptation to strike before Vrith could built, but he crushed it. That was the move of a weakling. A vision of Spider killing Golon flashed through Aylin¡¯s mind.

    If I manage to live long enough, that¡¯s what I want to be like. And if I don¡¯t¡­ then the only thing I can do is choose to die like that. Not a coward, but a real Rank 3 demon. I won¡¯t die while failing to get a cheap shot off.

    ¡°I¡¯m the streetlord. Spider selected me to lead Golon¡¯s gang.¡± Aylin locked eyes with Vrith and crushed the fear swirling in his chest with even more power. He drank from his rune and prepared to burst into motion.

    His ears twitched as a footstep caught his attention in an alley beside them. He didn¡¯t dare take his eyes from Vrith, but he tasted the sea of blood that was Lee as she emerged from the darkness.

    ¡°That¡¯s him,¡± Lee said cheerfully. ¡°You found him even faster than I did! That may have been because I stopped for a snack break, though. Whoops. Sorry, Aylin.¡±

    The apology makes it pretty clear that she and Spider aren¡¯t about to help me out. I¡¯m on my own.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Aylin said through gritted teeth. The longer this dragged on, the more the anticipation ate away at his stomach. ¡°If you¡¯re here to challenge me, then I¡¯m prepared to take your challenge.¡±

    Will Vrith even give me the respect of a proper challenge? How is she going to attack? Her swords are sheathed. A kick? Her claws?

    Vrith shifted. Aylin flinched, raising his hands ¡ª only to find that Vrith hadn¡¯t drawn her weapons or gone to strike him. She¡¯d dropped to her knees before him. As Aylin watched in abject disbelief, the terrifying demoness pressed her forehead to the ground.

    ¡°My deepest apologies. My name is Vrith. Vroth, the former streetlord of the Ravager gang, is dead at my hand. I have taken his place.¡± Vrith lifted her gaze to meet Aylin¡¯s once more. ¡°And I have come to pledge fealty to you, as per Spider¡¯s command.¡±

 Chapter 468: Surrender

    Aylin couldn¡¯t help it. His eye twitched. The emotion gripping his chest had been twisted and warped so many times that he couldn¡¯t tell what it was anymore. There wasn¡¯t even any relief. There was just a heavy weariness that should have come with hundreds of years of age ¡ª a weariness he¡¯d managed to completely develop in the span of a day.

    Kneeling at his feet was someone who should have been one of the strongest demons he ever met in his life. Just a few short hours ago, he would have sprinted in the opposite direction as hard as his legs could have carried him if he¡¯d gotten wind that someone like this was so much as looking in his direction.

    Now, he just wanted to ask Lee if she¡¯d saved any extra food for him. His emotions were numb and completely shot through. He just didn¡¯t have anything left to give.

    ¡°I politely request that you respond,¡± Vrith said, still prostrated before him. There was a line of taut anger in her voice that spurred him back into motion.

    ¡°I ¡ª uh, sure,¡± Aylin said in what was likely the lamest possible way to accept a surrender in the history of the Damned Plains. ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t really do this much. Am I supposed to say something else?¡±

    Vrith ground her teeth in frustration. She definitely hadn¡¯t meant for him to hear that, but Aylin didn¡¯t blame her. He couldn¡¯t even imagine how it had to feel to be in her situation. Judging by Lee¡¯s presence beside them, he got the feeling that her surrender hadn¡¯t been entirely voluntary.

    ¡°It is typically customary to offer terms of surrender.¡± Vrith chose each word carefully, speaking with humility so false that he could quite literally taste it. ¡°The alternative would imply that you mean to take my entire gang as servants rather than members. I do not believe they will take kindly to it.¡±

    Does that imply she would? What did Lee do to the Ravager gang? Spider¡¯s entire group is just something else. I¡¯m just glad they aren¡¯t pissed at me, but I¡¯m going to have to make sure it stays that way.

    ¡°Right,¡± Aylin said hurriedly. ¡°Maybe we should do that somewhere more private, rather than in the middle of the street?¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a splendid idea.¡± Vrith¡¯s words were still clipped, telling Aylin he¡¯d evidently missed something.

    ¡°Oh. Uh¡­ you can stand now,¡± Aylin said through a wince. He probably should have started with that.

    Vrith rose to her feet in a fluid motion. She brushed her knees off and sent him a pointed look. ¡°Thank you, streetlord. Please feel free to lead the way to where we will continue our conversation. I will follow.¡±

    ¡°Uh, just Aylin is fine. You¡¯re a streetlord too, aren¡¯t you? It seems weird to keep using titles.¡±

    Vrith arched an eyebrow but inclined her head. ¡°Very well. Aylin, then.¡±

    Lee gave him a thumbs up. Aylin turned stiffly and started back toward the market square. Leaving his back open to Vrith made every single one of his senses scream at him in warning, but Lee was right beside them. She probably wouldn¡¯t let Vrith just kill him for no reason.

    Also, no self-respecting demon would prostrate themselves all for the sake of a sneak attack on someone that should be way weaker than them. Especially not a streetlord.

    His ears twitched as the spotters on the roofs shot off, doubtlessly running to report the news of what had happened to the camp ¡ª or other camps. It wouldn¡¯t surprise him in the slightest if some of the other gangs had sent spotters to figure out what was going on in Golon¡¯s territory.

    That was a problem to deal with later. He was a bit too concerned with the one walking behind him at the moment.

    They soon made it back to the market square. Almost every demon that had been milling about had vanished, but Aylin tasted them behind the cover of their tents and heard them shifting nervously as they watched him and Vrith walk through the camp.

    After all that talk, nobody was bold enough to stick around and see what would happen when Vrith actually shows up. Just how scary is she? I don¡¯t know anything about her or Vroth¡¯s gang other than the fact that she¡¯s a Rank 3. I should really try to learn more if I don¡¯t want to get blindsided every single time Spider tosses me into something.

    Aylin automatically made a path back to Golon¡¯s tent before he properly thought about who would be waiting inside it. He pushed the flap open and held it for Vrith. She sent him a slightly surprised look as she stepped inside, but her gaze quickly flicked over his shoulder.

    ¡°We are not alone,¡± Vrith observed. ¡°There are others in your throne. Should I be rid of them?¡±

    Oh, shit. I sent Violet back here with Torick and Edda.

    The three of them were huddled on the throne, staring at Vrith with wide eyes. Violet managed to plaster a confident expression over her face, and a flicker of relief mixed with the fear in her expression when it became clear that Aylin hadn¡¯t managed to get himself killed yet.

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    ¡°No!¡± Aylin barked, terrified that Vrith would move before he could stop her. ¡°They¡¯re allowed to be here. These are my siblings.¡±

    ¡°Your¡­ siblings?¡± Vrith asked, her brow furrowing as she looked from him over to the others. The confusion was evident in her tone. As to what she was confused about, Aylin was uncertain. ¡°I see. Will they remain for the discussion of the terms of surrender?¡±

    ¡°You surrendered?¡± Violet exclaimed.

    ¡°No,¡± Aylin said. ¡°She did.¡±

    Vrith¡¯s eye twitched. She clearly didn¡¯t love being reminded of that, especially in the presence of a bunch of Rank 1 demons. Somehow, Aylin found himself sympathizing with her.

    ¡°Whoa. You beat her up?¡± Edda asked. ¡°That¡¯s so co¡ª¡±

    Torick clapped a hand over Edda¡¯s mouth, silencing the rest of her sentence before it could escape. Judging by the look on Vrith¡¯s face, that was probably the right move. Aylin swallowed.

    ¡°Violet, could you take Torick and Edda to another tent? If anyone bothers you, tell them that I¡¯ll¡­ uh, rip their heart out and feed it to them, I guess.¡±

    The threat sounded lame as soon as it left his mouth. Vrith lifted a hand and coughed into her fist, but not nearly fast enough to hide the corner of her mouth twitching upward. She thought he was an idiot.

    Great. Well, I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter what she thinks of me so long as she remains terrified of Lee.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Violet asked as she sent a look at Vrith.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Violet nodded and hopped down from the throne, bringing Torick and Edda with her. ¡°We¡¯ll be close. If you need anything, just call. I¡¯ll bring Spider.¡±

    She herded the two younger demons out of the room, sending one last glance over her shoulder at him before letting the tent flap fall shut, leaving Aylin and Vrith alone in the room.

    ¡°Do they hide their power?¡± Vrith asked as she lowered her hand.

    ¡°No,¡± Aylin said. His chest clenched and his eyes narrowed. ¡°Please don¡¯t pay them any attention. Any insult they may have given definitely wasn¡¯t intended. If you do anything to them, I¡¯m taking it as a declaration of war.¡±

    Vrith tilted her head to the side, studying his features intensely. ¡°You actually care about them? Not siblings, then. No matter. What are the terms¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Aylin said. ¡°What do you mean, not siblings?¡±

    ¡°You care,¡± Vrith said flatly. ¡°You will need a more convincing lie as to their identity if you wish to protect them. Siblings are a threat. A tool to be leveraged, but not something to be cared for. Calling them family will not stop them from being leveraged against you.¡±

    ¡°They are my siblings,¡± Aylin insisted. He wasn¡¯t sure what gave him the sudden burst of confidence, but Vrith¡¯s insinuation that he shouldn¡¯t be allowed to care for the only family he had ground on him in the wrong way. ¡°We don¡¯t have the same parents, but they¡¯re my brother and sisters.¡±

    Vrith¡¯s expression was unreadable for a second before she responded.

    ¡°You show more steel now than you did when you came to meet me on the street.¡± A flicker of amusement, so restricted that it may as well have not even been there, flashed across her lips. Her expression then grew weary. ¡°The terms of surrender, then.¡±

    What do I even ask for? I don¡¯t know the faintest bit about how this is supposed to go. How much am I meant to get? Am I supposed to offer something back in exchange for avoiding a fight?

    ¡°Right. The terms of surrender.¡± Aylin cleared his throat and nodded. ¡°Er¡­ no attacking my gang, I guess?¡±

    ¡°That would generally be the definition of surrender.¡± Vrith squinted at Aylin. ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡±

    ¡°What? No,¡± Aylin said hurriedly as he tried to think of what else terms of surrender would involve. ¡°How big is your camp? Do we need to consolidate our groups?¡±

    ¡°It is large, but perhaps we could handle logistics after we determine the actual terms,¡± Vrith ground out. She was definitely stressed, there was no doubt about it. Something told Aylin he was completely missing something. Unfortunately, had no idea what it was.

    ¡°Just follow any orders Spider gives you, I guess. Keep running your gang normally aside from that. He hasn¡¯t really given me any orders beyond that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Vrith asked, blinking.

    Did I miss something?

    ¡°I think so? I¡¯ll be honest, I¡¯m more lost than you are. Just do what Spider says to if you want to live. That¡¯s it. As long as you don¡¯t cause trouble or anything like that it should be fine.¡±

    ¡°Those are the terms?¡± Vrith¡¯s eyes narrowed, poring over Aylin¡¯s features with such intensity that he nearly flinched back.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Aylin said. ¡°Just don¡¯t try to find some weird loophole to hurt us and we¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Vrith extended her hand, still watching him with suspicion. Aylin lifted his own. She clasped the top of his arm and he did the same to hers.

    ¡°I agree to your terms,¡± Vrith said. She released his hand, then shook her head. ¡°Now that I have agreed ¡ª tell me. What is Spider going to do? Why would you offer such a deal?¡±

    ¡°I have no damned idea.¡± Aylin threw his hands up. ¡°Spider does whatever he wants to, but I haven¡¯t seen him hurt anyone that did what he told them to do. What is it that I missed in the terms? You¡¯re acting like I completely passed over something really important.¡±

    ¡°I watched Vroth accept several surrenders during his time as streetlord. The defeated streetlords that got away in the best shape had Vroth¡¯s symbol branded across his face and chest. The others were lucky to leave with both of their arms.¡±

    Aylin¡¯s face twisted in distaste. ¡°That¡¯s vile. You thought I¡¯d require something like that?¡±

    ¡°I will not seek to change your mind now. The terms have already been agreed upon,¡± Vrith said quickly.

    ¡°I have no plans of trying to do that to anyone.¡± Aylin shook his head, somehow feeling even more tired than he had before.

    Vrith¡¯s features twitched for a second as she fought an internal battle. He wasn¡¯t sure if she won or lost, but she eventually managed to force a pair of words from her mouth.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Aylin muttered. He massaged his forehead.

    Can I please just sleep? I¡¯m so tired. I can¡¯t deal with anything else today. There shouldn¡¯t be ¡ª

    ¡°We should discuss logistics now,¡± Vrith said. ¡°The new chain of command and my place in your gang must be determined.¡±

    Gods save me.

 Chapter 469: Pact

    It didn¡¯t take Aylin long to reveal just how little he knew about logistics ¡ª or anything streetlord related. Vrith¡¯s stare bored into him, making it quite clear how evident his lack of understanding was.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know the ranks and roles of your own people?¡±

    ¡°Forget ranks,¡± Aylin said, throwing his hands up. ¡°I don¡¯t even know their names.¡±

    That only made her confusion grow even stronger. ¡°Why would you need to know their names?¡±

    ¡°¡­so I know who I¡¯m talking to?¡±

    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t matter. As long as you know what purpose they serve, a name is irrelevant. Names get you attached.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re part of my gang. Aren¡¯t I supposed to care about them or something like that?¡±

    Vrith squinted at him. ¡°Why are you asking me? You¡¯re the streetlord.¡±

    ¡°So are you,¡± Aylin pointed out.

    ¡°A streetlord that surrendered. You just didn¡¯t take my title from me for some reason.¡± Vrith shook her head. ¡°Worst streetlord I¡¯ve ever met.¡±

    Aylin couldn¡¯t keep an exasperated sigh from escaping his mouth. He was beyond the point of worrying about pissing Vrith off. She was just as screwed as he was and he just didn¡¯t have the energy to walk on eggshells anymore.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to come clean with you. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

    ¡°Coming clean should imply that you¡¯ve got something to reveal. You¡¯re as transparent as a pane of glass,¡± Vrith said through a laugh, but Aylin didn¡¯t miss the unease that settled around Vrith¡¯s shoulders and bore down on her neck. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting way to break me. I didn¡¯t see it coming. Where¡¯s the real streetlord, then?¡±

    ¡°Still me,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°What?¡± Vrith blinked and frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not following where this is going anymore. Are you the streetlord or not?¡±

    ¡°I just said. I am. I just have no idea what I¡¯m doing. Golon is dead, but I didn¡¯t kill him. Spider did. He just put me in charge.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d gathered that much. The part I don¡¯t get is why you know nothing. Your reaction speed should put you somewhere around low Rank 3. I¡¯ve seen how fast you¡¯ve moved when you get startled. You can¡¯t get to that rank and be as clueless as you¡¯re acting, so what gives?¡±

    Aylin let out a short burst of laughter. It hardly mattered if he revealed how he¡¯d become a Rank 3 to Vrith now. She¡¯d find out at some point soon enough anyway. Spider had only told him not to share specifics, after all.

    ¡°I was Rank 1 about a day ago. Spider made me a Rank 3.¡±

    ¡°He made you a Rank 3?¡±

    ¡°Just like that.¡± Aylin nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t ask for more. I won¡¯t say. But I was starving together with my siblings before he showed up. He killed Golon, took over the gang, then brought me to Rank 3 and said I was in charge so he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck? How powerful is Spider? What kind of demon can just¡­ make a Rank 3 at will?¡± Vrith muttered. She swallowed heavily and realization set in on her features. ¡°That¡¯s why you were close to a bunch of weak demons. You were the same as them just a short while ago.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And now I¡¯m this.¡± Aylin gestured vaguely around himself. ¡°So you¡¯ll have to forgive me if I have no damned idea what I¡¯m doing. Until recently, the only thing I knew about streetlords is that they were terrifying and to be avoided at all costs.¡±

    Vrith tilted her head to the side and studied Aylin¡¯s features for a few seconds. ¡°And you haven¡¯t passed out from terror yet?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Aylin replied dryly. ¡°Give me a little while for everything to catch up with me and I probably will. It¡¯s not like passing out will help anything.¡±

    ¡°I knelt at the feet of a street rat. How far I have fallen,¡± Vrith grumbled. Then she hesitated, an inscrutable expression replacing the annoyance. ¡°Wait. You came prepared to fight me? Did you truly believe that you had the slightest chance to defeat a trained warrior if you¡¯ve never been in a proper fight in your life?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been in a proper fight! But no, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d win. I was hoping you¡¯d be a big hulking demon that I had a chance of outrunning, not¡­ well, you.¡±

    Very eloquent, Aylin. Well done.

    ¡°You knew you were likely to die and you came anyway? You could have sent a second ¡ª or did you not know?¡±

    ¡°I knew, but I heard enough of your reputation to know that you¡¯d just kill my second and kill me next. There was no reason to just waste someone like that, and I didn¡¯t want to force my siblings to watch me get killed. Besides, I always could have gotten lucky. You never know.¡±

    The corner of Vrith¡¯s lip curled up. ¡°Yes, I do. You would have died had we fought. You knew it too. I saw it in your eyes the moment we drew close. And yet you remained. Brave, for a street rat.¡±

    ¡°A streetlord,¡± Aylin corrected, a flicker of heat coursing through his chest as he held Vrith¡¯s gaze. ¡°I¡¯m a street rat no more. I may not have deserved the gift, but I got it nonetheless.¡±

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    To his surprise, Vrith inclined her head in acknowledgement. ¡°A street lord indeed. Well spoken. How old are you? You seem more¡­ apt than I would have expected.¡±

    ¡°Nineteen. Violet and I used to be in a caravan and we¡¯d read everything we could find. It helped. We had hopes of becoming merchants.¡±

    ¡°Merchants? Quite the change of path.¡± Vrith¡¯s expression flickered. ¡°You do not look nineteen.¡±

    ¡°The caravan got destroyed. We¡¯ve been living on scraps for years, even before we got to Treadon. It¡¯s not really that much of a surprise that I¡¯m small when I haven¡¯t been able to get any energy. And you aren¡¯t that much taller than me.¡±

    Vrith arched an eyebrow and took a step forward so they were chest-to-chest. She looked down at him, standing literally a full head taller. ¡°Reality begs to disagree.¡±

    She had a point. Aylin cleared his throat and stepped back, catching a smirk as it flickered across Vrith¡¯s features.

    ¡°You¡¯re like ten years older than me. I¡¯ll catch up.¡±

    ¡°Ten? I¡¯m twenty-one. I¡¯ve worked quite hard to reach Rank 3 by this age, not to mention my position as Second of the Ravager gang, so I¡¯ll thank you not to¡ª¡± Vrith caught herself as she caught a small grin cross Aylin¡¯s lips. She blinked and her eyes narrowed. ¡°It seems your fear of me has evaporated.¡±

    ¡°You weren¡¯t as scary as I thought you were. Don¡¯t get me wrong, you¡¯re still terrifying¡­ but Spider and his group are scarier.¡± He paused for a moment as the rest of Vrith¡¯s sentence processed and he tilted his head to the side. ¡°Wait. Second? You said you were streetlord.¡±

    Vrith froze for an instant, but she recovered quickly. ¡°I took over shortly before Lee¡¯s arrival.¡±

    Alin tasted falsehood in the air. It was so faint that he barely even picked up on it. He took a step closer to Vrith and sampled the air again. There was no doubt about it. Vrith was lying.

    ¡°That¡­ isn¡¯t true,¡± Aylin said slowly.

    ¡°Yes it is. I am the streetlord of the Ravager gang.¡±

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± The taste was stronger now. ¡°You still think of yourself as the Second, don¡¯t you? Why? If you¡¯d actually killed Vroth, you¡¯d definitely imagine yourself to be the streetlord. Does that mean someone else¡ª¡±

    Aylin didn¡¯t even see Vrith move. One moment, she was in front of him. The next, her hand was pressed against his mouth and her side pressed to his back.

    ¡°Not another word,¡± Vrith hissed ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t a threat. It was a plea. ¡°Please. You can¡¯t. I don¡¯t know how you know, but you can¡¯t say anything. Lee will kill both of us if you do.¡±

    She pulled her hand away from his mouth and Aylin twisted to keep eye contact with her. Pushing farther probably wasn¡¯t the wisest move, but something tugged at his chest. A desire ¡ª a hunger ¡ª he couldn¡¯t quite place, but it was insatiable.

    ¡°Tell me. I won¡¯t tell anyone else,¡± Aylin promised. ¡°You have to follow my orders, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Vrith¡¯s jaw clenched. She glanced around the room.

    ¡°Nobody is here. I¡¯d taste them. Or hear them. One of the two. We¡¯re alone.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Vrith said, speaking in little more than a nervous whisper. ¡°You¡¯re right. Vroth challenged Lee when she showed up. Lee killed him. She was meant to kill the whole camp because he refused Spider¡¯s offer, then put his head up on a stake to show what happens to those that disobey Spider.¡±

    ¡°Gods,¡± Aylin said. His stomach twisted with something new. He couldn¡¯t tell what it was, but it almost felt good. Satisfied. ¡°What happened? How did you survive? A deal?¡±

    ¡°Because Lee made a mistake. She accidentally shredded Vroth¡¯s head, so she couldn¡¯t stake it anymore.¡± Vrith glanced around the room once more, then managed to lower her voice even further. ¡°We agreed to pretend that I¡¯d killed him instead of her. I then obviously accepted the offer. It was that or death. But if Spider finds out¡­¡±

    The knotting sensation in Aylin¡¯s stomach released, replaced by satisfaction. It almost felt like he¡¯d just had a full meal. Vrith¡¯s features twisted and she sent him a shocked look, taking a step back.

    ¡°Did you just steal my energy?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what? No. I was just curious. I didn¡¯t steal anything.¡±

    ¡°Yes you did.¡± Vrith stared at Aylin, looking simultaneously offended and impressed as she let out a whistle. ¡°Shit. You¡¯re a knowledge demon.¡±

    That feeling was me consuming Vrith¡¯s energy?

    Spider¡¯s forced advancement must have caused his Rune to advance to the point where he could start consuming energy naturally. He¡¯d always been inquisitive, but he hadn¡¯t imagined that he¡¯d actually be able to consume knowledge.

    I¡¯m also pretty sure it¡¯s a huge taboo to steal energy unless you¡¯re strong enough to justify it.

    Aylin¡¯s cheeks heated in embarrassment, but the more he thought about it, the more Vrith¡¯s words made sense ¡ª and the more he wanted to consume more. He swallowed the feeling down and shook his head. ¡°Uh¡­ sorry. You might be right. It was my first time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m delighted to hear I was your first,¡± Vrith said dryly. She blew out a breath and shrugged. ¡°Well, given the circumstances, I suppose losing a little power isn¡¯t too much to complain about. You really do need to work out how you¡¯re going to put on a better front with any other Streetlords. I doubt Spider is going to have all of them on as many strings as I am. They¡¯re going to figure you out in seconds. I¡¯ll go back to my camp and handle all the shit that you should¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Aylin said. Two simultaneous thoughts struck him. The first was annoyance that he wouldn¡¯t learn whatever it was that Vrith was going to be doing. The second was an idea. ¡°I¡¯ve got a better way to do this.¡±

    Vrith tilted her head to the side. ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°Stay here. We¡¯re in the same boat. We can help each other. Become my second.¡±

    ¡°You mean you want to snack on my knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Streetlords get to choose how resources get distributed, don¡¯t they?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°I could make up for that.¡±

    Vrith held his gaze for a second. Then she crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯ve been a second for all my life. Who would choose to be a second over a streetlord? Even if it¡¯s under you, I¡¯d still have an entire gang.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s better? Being one streetlord out of dozens, or being the second of the demon in charge of all of them?¡±

    She let out a burst of laughter. ¡°You think Spider¡¯s going to put you in charge of every single gang? What happened to all that fear?¡±

    ¡°This is the fear talking,¡± Aylin said. ¡°Do you think I want this? I don¡¯t ¡ª but look at the facts. Lee sent you to me. Not to Spider. What does that mean for the other streetlords? They definitely had spotters watching us.¡±

    Vrith hesitated for a second. Then she paled. ¡°Oh, shit. You might actually be right. But why would Spider put someone like you in charge of so much?¡±

    Because it¡¯s so far beneath him I literally don¡¯t think he cares. We¡¯re just one moving piece in whatever plan he¡¯s got going.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Aylin said, and a hunger gnawed at his stomach. ¡°And, as much as I¡¯d love to find out, it changes nothing. Do you accept my offer or not?¡±

    Vrith¡¯s lips curled up and extended her hand. ¡°You make a very convincing offer, streetlord. One I find myself unable to refuse. I just hope you¡¯re better than my late brother.¡±

    Brother? Vroth was her brother? How is she even holding it together right now? I¡¯d be breaking down if Violet or one of the others had gotten murdered in front of me. Although it doesn¡¯t sound like she was very close with him.

    Now I want to know why¡­ but this isn¡¯t the time.

    ¡°My name is still Aylin, not streetlord. I don¡¯t need an overinflated sense of ego,¡± Aylin said as he clasped Vrith¡¯s arm. ¡°And I can¡¯t make any promises, but I look forward to learning from you.¡±

 Chapter 470: Deals

    Noah was glad he¡¯d kept his face wrappings on. He¡¯d been sitting around and fiddling with energy from Crumbling Space when the flap to his tent had flipped open. He and Moxie both looked up to find Violet standing on the other side, her face pale. Two smaller demons huddled behind her, one male and one female.

    Violet¡¯s eyes widened and she froze in place like a deer in the headlights. ¡°I ¡ª sorry! I didn¡¯t realize this was your tent.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Moxie said. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ve got it marked. Do you need something?¡±

    The demon shook her head hurriedly. ¡°No! No, I¡¯m fine. Aylin just told me to take Edda and Torick to another tent so he could speak privately with Vrith. We¡¯re completely fine. He has things handled.¡±

    She didn¡¯t sound completely convinced. The way she was rambling made it clear how worried she was for Aylin, but the news she brought made Noah tilt his head to the side.

    He sent them off to deal with her alone? He¡¯s starting to get bold. I hope the runes aren¡¯t changing him too much. I didn¡¯t really give him much more in the way of Demon Runes, most of them were normal. I¡¯ll have to keep an eye on the kid. As badly as I need to research how Demon Runes actually work, I don¡¯t fancy making him my test subject.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve found a tent.¡± Noah nodded to the ground across from him. ¡°Come in. It¡¯s safe here, and I haven¡¯t had much chance to speak with you properly.¡±

    Moxie sent him a warning look and she nudged him with her foot. He would have been mildly offended if he hadn¡¯t already established a bit of a poor track record. That was just the way things had to be done in the Damned Plains, though.

    Giving the kids something specific to fear was a great way to make sure they didn¡¯t fear literally everything else. Until he knew them better, there wasn¡¯t much else he could offer without piquing their suspicion.

    Violet hesitated for a second. Her eyes flicked from Noah to Moxie, then to the smaller demons behind her. She brought her expression under control and stepped into the tent, holding the flap open for the others.

    Noah didn¡¯t bother hiding his curiosity as the demons sat down across from him and Moxie. He really didn¡¯t have much frame of reference for how demons aged beyond Lee. Aylin¡¯s group were all clearly young, but he and Violet were the closest to normal humans amongst them.

    Torick was a little less than a head shorter than Violet and had interlocking plates running just beneath his flesh. They didn¡¯t look anywhere near strong enough to block much damage, but Noah suspected they¡¯d grow as he grew more powerful.

    He was pretty sure Edda was the youngest of the group, both by her appearance and by the fact that she was the least scared of the lot. Her gaze swept over the room in search of something that Noah and Moxie didn¡¯t seem to qualify for.

    If anything, she reminded him of Lee. Her horns were too large for her head ¡ª as were her eyes, which burned like two little embers.

    Which is an interesting thought. I swear Lee told me that her parents produced asexually and she was just a blob before she took on a human form relatively recently. I suppose that was her talking about Skinwalkers and not Demons ¡ª that or Azel was into some really weird shit.

    ¡°Is there something we can do for you?¡± Violet asked as she shifted, trying to make herself comfortable.

    Moxie lifted a hand and vines curled out of the ground, twisting beneath the demons to form into seats. The casual display of external magic caused their eyes to widen in shock. Noah arched an eyebrow in Moxie¡¯s direction.

    It doesn¡¯t matter how soft the plants are when the only thing they¡¯re going to be thinking about is if they¡¯re going to be fertilizer. Actually, do they know what fertilizer is? I haven¡¯t seen any farms in the Damned Plains.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°But we aren¡¯t going to hurt any of you. I already had this discussion with Aylin, but it genuinely just isn¡¯t worth the energy. Moxie ¡ª that¡¯s my companion, by the way ¡ª and I just have a set of standards. There are proper ways to treat people that we abide by whenever possible, and that includes making visitors comfortable.¡±

    Violet nodded stiffly. Torick opened his mouth and she shot him a sharp look. His mouth snapped back shut. Edda remained silent as well. It wasn¡¯t hard to tell who spoke for their group.

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    ¡°You can speak freely. I really don¡¯t have any need for terrified subordinates,¡± Noah said. He braced his chin against a palm and studied the demons as they tried to figure out what they could say without offending him. The longer the silence dragged, the more uncomfortable they became.

    ¡°Why did you choose Aylin for all of this?¡± Violet finally asked out of desperation to break the oppressive quiet. ¡°Is it really just because he was there?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. ¡°Though he took to it well. A lot of demons wouldn¡¯t have been able to do what I needed. A stronger one might have been too immalleable. He had a mixture of strong will and weak runes that suited my purposes.¡±

    ¡°Did you really just make him a Rank 3?¡± Torick asked. Violet winced, but Noah just nodded.

    ¡°I did. It was simple enough. I needed someone loyal to me and strong enough to protect my investment.¡±

    ¡°Could you do it again?¡± Edda asked. ¡°I wanna be strong too.¡±

    Violet clapped a hand down on Edda¡¯s shoulder and sent the demon a sharp look. ¡°I think it¡¯s quite fine, Edda. We don¡¯t need to trouble Spider any further than we already have, and you don¡¯t have any way to repay that kind of gift.¡±

    It would be a good idea to get all of these kids relatively powerful to protect them¡­ but I¡¯m already experimenting on Aylin. I can frame it however I want, but the truth of the matter is that I¡¯m giving a demon more runes and rapidly accelerating their growth. That can do a lot of damage. Until I actually understand how much damage that can do, I can¡¯t afford to just go around handing them out to random children.

    Aylin will just have to be supervised closely to make sure he doesn¡¯t change too much, too fast. He won¡¯t be hitting Rank 4 anytime too soon anyway. It should be fine.

    ¡°How old are you?¡± Noah asked, cutting Violet off before she could scold the others any longer.

    ¡°Me?¡± Edda asked. She blinked at him with her wide eyes. ¡°Fourteen.¡±

    I would have guessed around ten. That must be because of how little food they¡¯ve managed to until recently.

    ¡°You¡¯re a bit too small to handle more runes right now. You need more meat on your bones,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°Having power also means needing the power to control it. You aren¡¯t there yet.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you would give it to us?¡± Torick asked hesitantly. ¡°If we got stronger, would you help us too?¡±

    ¡°If you wanted me to. You¡¯re all close to Aylin. That makes you targets for the other gangs.¡± Noah didn¡¯t bother mincing his words. These kids had grown up in the Damned Plains. They were no strangers to the way life worked. ¡°The stronger you are, the more  help you can be to both me and Aylin. I just have no need to rush anything.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± Violet asked, finally giving up on her own reluctance. ¡°I¡¯m no weaker than Aylin was when you changed him.¡±

    ¡°I could do some for you. I don¡¯t have the potion I¡¯d like to use to do more,¡± Noah said slowly. ¡°But before I did something like that ¡ª why do you want me to help? You were reluctant to accept anything before.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m worried about Aylin. He¡¯s my brother,¡± Violet said. She swallowed but held Noah¡¯s gaze. ¡°And I can¡¯t do anything for him the way I am now. When word spreads to the other gangs that Vrith joined us, they¡¯re going to start testing us in true. There are going to be fights. People will try to assassinate him. The really dumb ones might go for you. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine ¡ª but he might not be. He needs help.¡±

    The more she spoke, the more determined Violet¡¯s words grew. Her worry and concern for Aylin were stronger than her fear of Noah.

    I can¡¯t tell if I should be impressed at the level of passion someone this young can have to protect their friend or be depressed that they¡¯ve gone through so much shit that they feel the presence of death lurking so intently.

    She kind of reminds me of Isabel and Todd. Just¡­ more intense.

    Noah rose to his feet and Moxie sent him a surprised look. She knew just as well as he did the drawbacks of a demon advancing through the ranks.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to do it?¡±

    ¡°Something tells me she¡¯ll get herself hurt trying something else if I don¡¯t,¡± Noah said dryly before looking back to Violet. ¡°I take it you know the city to some degree?¡±

    ¡°Some of it,¡± Violet said hesitantly, some of her confidence evaporating when she realized Spider might be about to grant her request. Asking for power was one thing, but actually getting it was a bit more real.

    ¡°Your guess was absolutely right about other gangs coming for Aylin. I imagine it won¡¯t be long at all. A few hours. Maybe days for the more patient ones. He could have one extra card in his back pocket ¡ª especially if he doesn¡¯t even know he has it. I can make you into that card, Violet. I¡¯m not promising it¡¯ll be safe, but I can do it.¡±

    Violet hesitated for a second. Then she swallowed. ¡°Nothing in the Damned Plains is safe. I¡¯ll do it. What do I have to do in return?¡±

    ¡°Not much at all,¡± Noah replied with a smile that she couldn¡¯t make out behind his face wrappings. Violet would do absolutely everything he needed her to do entirely out of her own volition. She wanted the same thing he did, after all ¡ª she¡¯d just never believe him if he told her that. ¡°All you¡¯ll have to do is show me to an apothecary.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ll make me a Rank 3 in return?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Violet¡¯s jaw set. ¡°I don¡¯t think I ¡ª or anyone else ¡ª could ever refuse one of your deals, Spider. That scares me. A lot. Needless to say, I accept.¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯d best start marching,¡± Noah said, nodding to the exit of the tent. ¡°Moxie will watch over your siblings. We have an apothecary to find.¡±

 Chapter 471: An Old Man

    While Noah traipsed through the Damned Plains, Todd was doing his absolute best to kill an old man.

    His foot slammed into the ground and he twisted his body, detonating the air behind his right heel and sending it hurtling in a spinning kick toward Jalen¡¯s head. The old mage cackled as he leaned back and brought his own leg up into Todd¡¯s chest.

    Stone armor cracked and Todd stumbled back. He thrust a hand behind himself and stone cracked, flame curling free of his palm as he threw himself back into Jalen shoulder-first. The air around Jalen rippled and he vanished, reforming five feet to his side.

    As soon as he reformed, a loud crack split the air. A streak of ice carved across the sky in a flash. Jalen¡¯s hand shot up to grab a transparent blue arrow an inch away from his face. His lips parted in a grin as he spun, gathering momentum before hurtling the arrow back in the direction it had come.

    A flash of panic shot through Todd and he spun to watch the arrow. He needn¡¯t have worried. Alexandra was already in front of Emily, her sword whistling as she cut the magic from the air before it could reach its target.

    A hand fell on Todd¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted, kid. You¡¯re¡ª¡±

    The ground beneath them cracked as Isabel erupted from beneath it, driving a glowing blue spear straight for Jalen¡¯s chest. He flickered and vanished an instant before the blow could connect.

    Jalen reformed behind them, purple energy gathering around his hands. He reached for their backs ¡ª and another icy arrow screamed through the air, this time from the exact opposite direction.

    His eyes widened slightly in surprise and he spun, grabbing the arrow. At the same time, Isabel rose fully from the dirt and it swirled up to form heavy armor around her. She and Todd both lunged for Jalen¡¯s back.

    A wave of purple magic swirled out from his palms. Todd¡¯s stomach clenched and the world lurched abruptly around him. His foot hit the ground a dozen feet away from where it should have and he stumbled as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

    Isabel thumped down beside him. Jalen turned to look at them, Emily¡¯s second arrow held aloft. He let his hand fall and the icy magic dissipated.

    ¡°Damn it,¡± Todd said with a groan. ¡°I could have sworn we had you. Teleporting us away is a cheap trick.¡±

    Emily let her weapon lower and Alexandra sheathed her sword. The two of them headed across the grass to join the others.

    ¡°There is no such thing as a cheap trick in a battle,¡± Jalen said once they¡¯d all regrouped. ¡°And besides, cheating makes things more fun.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wouldn¡¯t the second thing negate the first one?¡± Isabel asked with a frown.

    ¡°Of course not.¡± Jalen shook his head in disappointment. ¡°Cheap tricks sound so debasing. Like I need to rely on some form of crutch to handle a battle. Cheating is far different. It¡¯s a battle of wits. A truly interesting battle is one where everyone cheats.¡±

    Todd rubbed at the side of his neck. It was a habit he hadn¡¯t quite managed to shrug off yet. He was tempted to ask Jalen what the point of even adding rules to a fight was if they were just going to cheat, but he¡¯d gotten to know the odd Rank 6 well enough to realize that the question would be completely pointless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel a bit bad about having to cheat against Rank 2s?¡± Alexandra asked.

    ¡°There is no ¡®have to¡¯ about it,¡± Jalen said with a snort. ¡°I cheat because it amuses me. You should try it more often. Maybe you¡¯d win more if you did ¡ª though I see my lessons haven¡¯t been completely wasted on you. Do you plan on remaining invisible forever, James?¡±

    The air to Todd¡¯s right shimmered and James appeared mid-yawn. Emily faded away, and another version of her appeared near the edge of the group. Her lips pursed in annoyance and she jogged over to join them.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t even manage to hit you,¡± Emily muttered. ¡°It was such a good idea.¡±

    ¡°It was,¡± Jalen said with an approving nod. ¡°Having the light mage form a fake version of you beside Alexandra while you ran to position¡­ very clever. It actually caught me off guard. You also said that James wouldn¡¯t be participating in this fight. That counts as cheating. I¡¯m proud of you.¡±

    ¡°Technically, we just said the only people fighting you would be the ones here,¡± Todd corrected, a small grin tugging at his lips. ¡°James just happened to be invisible at the time. Invisible and at the top of the hill. My definition of here was a bit stretched.¡±

    Jalen cackled in approval. ¡°Very good. You kept him out of the range of my domain to make sure I didn¡¯t pick up on his presence by accident. But James¡­ how is it that you managed to have your magic running in two entirely different locations at once? You aren¡¯t nearly strong enough to pull something like that off. The range alone should be impossible for a Rank 3, much less a Rank 2.¡±

    Emily worked a thin metal bracelet off her wrist. Twisting black lines ran across it, rippling with faint energy. ¡°Todd imbued this with James¡¯ light magic. It drains a lot of his power, but it let me use him like a battery to temporarily turn invisible.¡±

    Todd took the bracelet from her, a frown pulling across his lips as he studied the imbuements. They were badly strained. Maintaining a connection between the original owner of the runes and the bracelet¡¯s wielder had proven to be too optimistic for such a rudimentary item.

    It did let me get much more power out of it than if I¡¯d closed the circuit and separated it from James. Definitely has potential to continue working on. This bracelet is fried, though.

    ¡°I love being a battery,¡± James said without a single trace of sarcasm. ¡°It lets me feel like I¡¯m being useful because I¡¯m completely out of energy at the end of the fight and I¡¯ve barely even had to do anything.¡±

    That¡¯s hardly true. The bracelet relied heavily on James actually funneling it power. Emily just activated it. That was the only way I could get it to do the complexity of proper invisibility. James should have been under really significant mental strain.

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    Todd jumped as he felt someone poke him in the side. He glanced over at Isabel and blinked. ¡°Sorry, did you say something? I was zoned out.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Isabel rolled her eyes and snaked her arm through his. ¡°You had the look on your face. Stop working on imbuements for long enough to get the rest of the feedback, would you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that was it,¡± Jalen said with a wave of his hand. ¡°What do you think I am? A teacher? I¡¯m just bored. Figure the other problems out yourselves. You clearly aren¡¯t doing something right because you didn¡¯t manage to beat me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We aren¡¯t cheating enough,¡± James grumbled.

    ¡°Very good. You should cheat more next time.¡± Jalen nodded sagely. ¡°Until then, I don¡¯t suppose any of you want to play darts? I¡¯m still trying to track down the rest of the sorry bastards I¡¯m going to put to work. I reckon I¡¯ll have them by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve managed to avoid you?¡± Todd blinked in surprise. That was odd, to say the least. Jalen didn¡¯t seem to be the type of person that anyone could hid from. Not for long. What kind of people was he ¡ª

    ¡°Actually, I just haven¡¯t had the motivation to find them yet. It sounded really boring so I just haven¡¯t gone looking.¡±

    Ah. Of course.

    ¡°Vermil and Moxie would have found them already,¡± Emily muttered.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even know who I¡¯m getting or why I need them,¡± Jalen protested. ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to them. The only thing Vermil was good at was darts, and that¡¯s because he cheated.¡±

    ¡°How do you cheat at darts?¡± Isabel asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯ll figure out how he did it at some point when we play again.¡±

    Todd tilted his head slightly to the side. Jalen had outwardly said he thought Vermil would be able to escape the Damned Plains, but there was a difference between what people said and what they meant.

    Jalen has complete confidence that Vermil will get out. I mean, I do too¡­ but how much does he know?

    ¡°If class is done for today, I¡¯m going to go sleep,¡± James said. ¡°There¡¯s an advanced track meeting tonight that I want to get ready for.¡±

    ¡°I should prepare as well. The imbuements on Emily¡¯s bracelet are all screwed now, but I should be able to get them patched up before tonight,¡± Todd said. ¡°Thanks for the training, Jalen.¡±

    ¡°I was just killing some time,¡± Jalen said with a shrug. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll all endeavor to make tomorrow more interesting. It¡¯s not a real fight unless I¡¯ve lost a few limbs.¡±

    I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be in a position where we¡¯re cutting off a Rank 6 mage¡¯s limbs anytime soon.

    ¡°I will strive to meet your expectations,¡± Alexandra said without a hint of sarcasm. She drummed her fingers on the hilt of her sword, and a flicker of embarrassment passed through Todd.

    She¡¯d asked him to imbue a new weapon for her after Yulin had cut through her old blade. He hadn¡¯t quite managed to get everything right on it yet, but he was close. There were just so many different things competing for his attention.

    I¡¯ll get the sword before the meeting tonight. It¡¯s probably a bit more important than fixing the bracelet.

    ¡°Good. I hate being disappointed,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Good luck with your meeting tonight. I might show up, but only if it looks like I can break something.¡±

    With that, he snapped his fingers and vanished, leaving the students to their planning for that night.

    ***

    Jalen reformed in a room that didn¡¯t belong to him. There were rudimentary imbuements on it to prevent anyone with space magic from entering ¡ª imbuements that he ground out with a flicker of thought, not even bothering to try to slip by gracefully.

    He blinked in surprise.

    The room was covered with paper. It had been tacked to the walls and strewn about the floor, covered with beautiful, flowing script that would have been far more in place if it wasn¡¯t clearly the ravings of the mad.

    Theories and drawings covered the papers, each one trying to break down a movement or different type of strike. He went to peer closer at the papers, his interest piqued.

    ¡°What in the Damend Plains?¡± a woman standing in the center of the room demanded, her voice coming out as a terrified squeak. ¡°How did you get in here?¡±

    Ah, yes. I forgot there was a person here.

    Jalen tore his gaze away from the papers. ¡°I teleported. Nobody told me you were insane.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what? It¡¯s impossible to teleport into this room. It¡¯s warded,¡± the woman said, her eyes narrowing as she dropped into a fighting stance. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Do you really not know?¡± Jalen tilted his head to the side. ¡°You should control the insanity. It¡¯s only useful when properly applied. I am not to be forgotten.¡±

    The woman paused. Then she took a step back. ¡°That arrogance. Magus Jalen of the Linwicks? What the fuck are you doing in my room? And why is your hood up? It¡¯s hard to figure out who you are when I can¡¯t see your face.¡±

    ¡°You had some dealings with Vermil, yes?¡±

    The woman stared at him. Then, slowly, she nodded. ¡°I did. What does¡ª¡±

    ¡°His students need your help because he¡¯s currently off killing some demons,¡± Jalen said through a yawn. ¡°They are progressing, but I want them to progress faster. I imagine you should be able to help me with that.¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I owe Vermil nothing. We had a business relationship and nothing more.¡±

    Jalen tilted his head to the side. Then he waved his hand around. ¡°Does Otto know about what you¡¯re doing here? All this research? Something tells me he doesn¡¯t, or you wouldn¡¯t have those rudimentary Imbuements on your room. They¡¯re too shit to be his, meaning you¡¯re doing this on your own. Otto isn¡¯t a fan of missing information.¡±

    The woman hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything from him. I am simply verifying it.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Jalen drawled. ¡°What is it that you go by nowadays? You change your name too often for me to bother remembering it ¡ª not that I¡¯d have remembered it if you kept one.¡±

    ¡°Bird.¡±

    ¡°Well then, Bird, either you come help Vermil¡¯s students or I will shamelessly blackmail you with Otto¡¯s annoying ass. Good luck researching shit with him pestering you.¡±

    Bird¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t figured that bit out yet,¡± Jalen admitted. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve got something you can offer them, though. Some Runes, perhaps? The treasurer of the King family has access to quite a bit of power.¡±

    ¡°You want me to steal from Otto?¡± Bird demanded, taking a step back. ¡°I won¡¯t. That oversteps both of our boundaries. You¡¯re the head of the Linwick family. Why don¡¯t you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel like it, and I don¡¯t know them well enough to give good runes. I¡¯m not saying to steal from Otto ¡ª his nose is too sharp for that,¡± Jalen said with a shake of his head. He blurred forward, prodding Bird in the forehead. ¡°I¡¯m saying to use your own privileges and access to get them something. I¡¯m more than aware you¡¯re capable of it. You¡¯re young, but Otto hasn¡¯t been shy bragging about your abilities and role in the family. Granted, I did burn the majority of the letters he sent, but I¡¯ve glanced at a few.¡±

    Bird¡¯s lips pressed thin. Then she sighed. ¡°Fine, but only if you promise to keep this secret. I will not be blackmailed by the same thing twice. I need to fully research this style before I tell Otto about it.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you want,¡± Jalen said with a wave of his hand. ¡°I really don¡¯t care as long as I get what I want.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± Bird said wearily. ¡°Can you get out of my room now? You¡¯re ruining my practice.¡±

    I rather like this helper of Otto¡¯s. Too bad she¡¯s so loyal to him. She¡¯s got balls, even if a big part of them is knowing I can¡¯t mess with the Kings too much.

    ¡°Just one more thing,¡± Jalen said.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Put some damn clothes on before you find the students. Vermil is going to be pissed if he finds out I sent a nudist after them.¡±

    Bird glanced down at herself and her cheeks went bright red as she spun in search for clothes. ¡°Shit! I forgot I was practicing. Why in the Damned Plains didn¡¯t you say anything earlier?¡±

    There was no response. By the time she found them and looked back, Jalen was gone. Bird pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers and let out a defeated sigh.

 Chapter 472: Violet

    Noah and Violet came to a stop before a red brick building right at the edges of the slums. It wasn¡¯t quite all the way into the nicer parts of Treadon ¡ª if such places even properly existed ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t completely overrun by streetlords and starving demons either.

    The building stood two stories tall, nestled in the shadow of a rickety tower. All but one of its windows were boarded over with large pieces of what looked to be hard leather tacked in place with metal spikes.

    There was no sign to mark its purpose and the door was crafted from a single piece of roughly carved stone. It looked like it should have been far too heavy to remain in place with just a few hinges and, judging by how it had broken off at the top hinge and was leaning against the ground instead of properly suspended, it was.

    ¡°This is an apothecary,¡± Violet said. She cleared her throat. ¡°I think. I¡¯ve never gone here. Edda got really sick once when she ate something she shouldn¡¯t have, but they wouldn¡¯t let us in. I¡¯ve seen people coming out of here with vials before.¡±

    Right. So this is either a potion shop or a drug dealer. Actually, I suppose those are basically the same thing. If you can mix some fancy demon meth, I¡¯m sure you can find a way to make me a mind meld potion.

    Noah put a hand on the door. It was about as mobile as it looked to be, which was to say it was a giant slab of stone that had absolutely no place anywhere near a doorway. That was mildly problematic.

    He was nowhere near as physically strong as a demon even half his rank. There was no way for Noah to move huge things around without just straight up destroying them, and blowing up the door of a merchant didn¡¯t really seem like a great way to make a good first impression.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Violet asked, chewing on her inner cheek. She glanced up at the door. ¡°I swear an apothecary was in here. I haven¡¯t been in the area a while but it looks exactly the same as it did when I last came by.¡±

    Noah let his tremorsense sweep across the ground. It instantly picked up on a form standing just a few feet to the side of the door. They weren¡¯t moving beyond their breaths, but that was enough to outline a blobby shape about a foot taller than Noah.

    His eyes narrowed. The figure was in a position where Noah wouldn¡¯t have seen them until he stepped inside, which was generally not the location a shopkeeper stood if he wanted to meet a potential client.

    That¡¯s more like somebody preparing to ambush me. Tremorsense doesn¡¯t give me enough detail as to specific shapes and forms when they aren¡¯t moving more.

    Noah activated his domain.  There wasn¡¯t going to be anyone able to feel it out in the boonies of Treadon anyway. His magical senses passed through the large openings at the bottom and side of the stone door, brushing through the front portion of the store.

    It only took him an instant to get a considerably better feel of the demon on the other side of the door. They were holding a rough blade at their side. Even though Noah couldn¡¯t see their face or make out any detail about their expression, he could practically feel the tension rolling off them.

    Scared? Angry? Something in between? I don¡¯t think anyone here should have any reason to be pissed at me yet unless we got unlucky enough to find the one apothecary that happened to be related to someone I¡¯ve blown up.

    I can¡¯t just stand around here forever, though. Violet is going to get confused. I don¡¯t know if I want to buy potions from someone trying to kill me either though. Leaving could work¡­ but leaving without finding out more just feels lame.

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head as he came to a conclusion. He nodded to the door and raised his voice slightly. ¡°I¡¯m just waiting for the good apothecary to open the door for us.¡±

    Violet blinked. Then her cheeks colored. ¡°Uh¡­ Spider, sir, they don¡¯t open the doors for you here. You have to do that yourself.¡±

    ¡°You might have before,¡± Noah said, tapping a foot on the ground impatiently. ¡°But the kind apothecary lying in wait with a little toothpick in their hand is going to open this door for us so I don¡¯t destroy it and his building along with it. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    The demon on the other side of the door froze. His head tilted down slightly as he looked at the weapon in his hand. It looked like he needed a little bit of extra motivation to get moving.

    Noah sent a tiny ripple of energy from Natural Disaster out through his feet, making the ground beneath them shudder slightly. The demon hurriedly set the blade down and grabbed the door. Noah let his domain fade away as the door ground open to reveal a male, purple-skinned demon with mushroom-like growths running along his back.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    The demon stared at Noah with wide, white eyes completely devoid of an iris. His dark tongue slipped out to wet his lips as he took a step back, holding his hands above his head to show he was unarmed.

    ¡°I ¡ª I didn¡¯t know who it was,¡± the demon stammered. ¡°I meant no offense.¡±

    ¡°He knows you?¡± Violet asked in shock.

    ¡°Not personally. I wouldn¡¯t dare to claim such a thing. But I¡¯ve heard the runners going around today. It would be hard not to hear about what¡¯s going on. There isn¡¯t anyone connected to a streetlord on this half of the city that doesn¡¯t know yet.¡± The apothecary¡¯s eyes lowered to meet Noah¡¯s. ¡°You¡¯re Spider.¡±

    ¡°Very good,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°And I have it on good word that you may be able to help me. You are an apothecary?¡±

    ¡°I have been called such,¡± the demon said, swallowing and stumbling over his words in his haste to force them out. ¡°I thought you were from the ¡ª uh, from another gang. I did not realize Spider himself would come to my door. If there¡¯s anything I can do for you, consider it done. Free of charge, of course. A gift.¡±

    Noah glanced over the apothecary¡¯s shoulder at rows of shelves behind him stuffed chock full of ingredients. There weren¡¯t any glass vials sitting around in plain sight, but it definitely looked like the type of store he was looking for.

    ¡°Have you heard of a Mind Meld potion?¡± Noah asked.

    The apothecary blinked. His eyes flicked to Violet before returning to Noah. ¡°Of course. Is that what you seek?¡±

    ¡°It is. How many do you have?¡±

    Coughing into a fist and pointedly averting his gaze, the demon backed a step into his shop. ¡°Five, I believe. Would that be sufficient? I have not known any who can manage to use more than three in a row. Not to doubt your prowess, Master Spider. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ give me the potions,¡± Noah said.

    What is this guy on about?

    The apothecary gave him a series of short bows as he continued backing up. He bumped into a counter at the back of the store and hurried around it, digging through his stores before locating a bone crate. He set it down on the counter with a grunt and pulled the top off to reveal five glass potions.

    Each one was full of a sparkly pink liquid. Flowing swirls ran across the surface of the glass in an oddly artistic manner for what should have been a pretty mundane potion and the caps of the potion were some form of bright pink gemstone.

    That is not a Mind Meld potion.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°I asked for Mind Meld potions.¡±

    The apothecary paled. ¡°I ¡ª I apologize. These are what you request. Their quality may not be to the standard that you are used to, but I assure you that they work perfectly. All sensations and effects are the absolute best that you¡¯ll get in this area of Treadon.¡±

    Sensations? What the hell do the demons use Mind Meld potions for? Actually, I think I¡¯ve got an idea ¡ª but come on, guys. These things have so much potential. Is that really the best you can do with them?

    Noah grunted. There was no way to verify the apothecary¡¯s words here, but he could ask some of the demons back in the camp. He flicked a gold coin onto the table and took the vials from the demon, piling them into his bag.

    ¡°Is there anything else¡ª¡± the apothecary started, but Noah was already walking out of the store. Violet hurried after him.

    They strode down the street in silence for a minute. Noah caught Violet sending glances at his bag and suppressed a sigh.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what they¡¯re for.¡±

    Violet¡¯s face paled. ¡°Can you read¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. Your face was just really obvious. Just because everyone here is a degenerate doesn¡¯t mean I am too. You¡¯d do well to keep in mind that nothing is limited to a single purpose. Especially magic.¡±

    Violet nodded hurriedly. She¡¯d reacted too quickly to have actually considered his words, but with any luck, she¡¯d think over them when she was a little less terrified.

    Noah¡¯s tremorsense prickled and he looked up, making eye contact with a demon crouched at the top of a low roof near them. The demon froze in place as Noah made sure they knew he¡¯d seen them, then slunk back and out of sight.

    Definitely not the only one watching. We¡¯ve got a fair amount of attention now. Probably shouldn¡¯t talk about anything too important until we¡¯re back at camp.

    ¡°How¡¯d you get your name?¡± Noah asked to break the silence. ¡°Not that it¡¯s a poor one, but it¡¯s a bit¡­ different. Aylin, Edda, Torick. They¡¯ve got a¡­ style, I guess.¡±

    A small smile pulled across Violet¡¯s face as her mind drifted off in thought. ¡°That¡¯s because I gave them their names. Aylin gave me mine. It¡¯s because my eyes turn violet when I¡¯m really concentrated on something. It took him nearly a week to decide on it. I swear he watched me like a Sand Wyrg for an entire week. I was expecting some really in-depth and fancy name. He decided on Violet.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡±

    ¡°No, I love it. Our names were the only things we¡¯ve had for a long time,¡± Violet said absently. She spoke casually, seeming to have lost some of her fear of Noah ¡ª or perhaps her fear receptors had just burned out. ¡°It was just funny. After all that research, he chose what I would have chosen after about ten seconds looking in a mirror.¡±

    ¡°If you ask me, ending with a simple answer after doing a lot of research shows understanding, not lack of effort,¡± Noah observed. ¡°That speaks well for it. Violet is an excellent name.¡±

    And that¡¯s quite interesting. When I was in Aylin¡¯s mind, he wanted to know about how a lot of things work. I wonder if he¡¯s figured out what he feeds on yet. I should ask when we get back to camp.

    Noah glanced down at Violet, whose smile had grown slightly at his words. There was an undeniable comradery between her and the other young demons. It was mildly surprising. He hadn¡¯t expected to find anyone that cared so deeply for each other in the Damned Plains, but that went to show just how little everyone truly understood about demons.

    I can¡¯t shake the feeling that the key to figuring out Lee¡¯s Runes is determining how to help these kids as well. That¡¯ll rely on making sure they grow strong and get the confidence and power to defend themselves.

    Speaking of which¡­ I wonder how Aylin is doing with Vrith. I hope she isn¡¯t making things too difficult for him.

 Chapter 473: Trade offer

    ¡°So fear is the best way to stop a fight before it starts?¡± Aylin asked, his eyes fixed intently on Vrith. ¡°That makes a lot of sense. It¡¯s why you focus on attacking quickly and utilizing shadow-related runes. If your targets couldn¡¯t see what was attacking them, they¡¯d make things up and be more scared than they would be if they knew who they were up against ¡ª ah! That¡¯s the feeling you eat, isn¡¯t it? Fear?¡±

    Vrith groaned from where she sat slumped against the throne beside him, her head cradled in her hands. ¡°Please stop. You are literally sucking me dry. How is your damn mental force so powerful? Didn¡¯t Spider literally just make you a Rank 3? You shouldn¡¯t be able to take energy from me like this!¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Aylin said with a wince. He¡¯d asked his last question about thirty-five seconds ago, but this one had just slipped out before he¡¯d managed to stop it. The more he spoke to Vrith, the more he wanted to know.

    He wanted to know how she worked. How she fought ¡ª how she thought. And not just about her. He wanted to know everything. Every scrap of information just felt like it added to the growing avalanche of desire.

    The world had been so small before. So constrained. But in just a few minutes, Vrith had taken those boundaries and ripped them free to show the horizon beyond. Unfortunately for her, Aylin had taken more than a few mistaken nibbles out of her soul in the process.

    In his defense, he hadn¡¯t meant to. It just happened. Not every question drew energy, but the more exited and invested he got, the harder it was to avoid draining Vrith even further.

    ¡°Do you want something to eat?¡± Aylin offered meekly. He didn¡¯t need someone to tell him that constantly snacking on someone else¡¯s energy was not considered polite by any stretch of the imagination.

    She was a lot more patient than he¡¯d expected, though the threat of Spider hanging over both of their heads had definitely helped stay her hand.

    Vrith let out a garbled groan. ¡°Please. I¡¯m too tired to stand at this point. Someone needs to teach you how to speak to others without sucking down all their energy by peppering them with stupid questions.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you could¡ª¡±

    ¡°If you ask me one more thing, I might keel over and die,¡± Vrith said. ¡°That was not an exaggeration. Please. I am quite literally begging you. Don¡¯t ask me anything. Just get food. I can¡¯t consume energy from you, so we have to do this the old fashioned way.¡±

    Aylin sheepishly hopped off the chair and hurried out of the tent. His new gang ¡ª they didn¡¯t have a name yet, but he¡¯d get to that soon enough if Spider hadn¡¯t chosen one already ¡ª had already distributed a fair amount of it.

    Fortunately, they¡¯d kept more than enough for everyone here, pushing it all into a few different storage tents. Aylin approached the closest one, exchanging a nod with the demon on guard before stepping inside.

    It was a strange feeling to walk into a tent and find it completely stuffed to the brim with meats and cheeses and breads. There was enough to feed him, Violet, Torick, and Edda for months. Maybe more, if they ate carefully.

    Aylin shook his head. He scooped up a large loaf of bread and a palm-sized wheel of cheese. That already felt like too much. But, after a second of hesitation, he grabbed a long strip of jerky as well before striding back out and to the leader¡¯s tent.

    ¡°I got some food,¡± Aylin said once he¡¯d returned to Vrith¡¯s side. He crouched beside her. Vrith opened her mouth.

    She actually wants me to feed her? A bit weird, but sure. I suppose it¡¯s kind of my fault she¡¯s this exhausted.

    ¡°Wh¡ª¡± Vrith started, only to get a loaf of bread stuffed into her mouth. She let out a muffled grunt of surprise, but no demon¡¯s instincts would ever let them waste energy, especially when they were as worn out as Vrith was. She bit down, chewing wearily before swallowing.

    A tiny amount of energy visibly returned to her body as her posture straightened slightly and her lips parted once more, only for Aylin to stick the bread straight back in. They stared at each other for a second.

    Then Vrith¡¯s shoulders slumped.

    That¡¯s odd. She should be getting more energy from eating, but she somehow looks even more tired. That doesn¡¯t make sense.

    Aylin nearly asked her what was going on before he caught himself. That would be asking another question. He wasn¡¯t very confident he¡¯d be able to avoid accidentally stealing more energy from her in the process.

    Thus, the only option left to him was to continue feeding Vrith. Her eyes bored into his, but she let him feed her the rest of the bread without saying anything. Aylin broke a piece of cheese off as soon as the bread was finished.

    Vrith¡¯s eyes flicked to it as she finished chewing the bread. One of them twitched. Then she let out a sigh and opened her mouth, letting Aylin put the piece in. They made it all the way through the rest of the cheese and half the jerky before the tent flaps parted behind them.

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    The streets whispered to Aylin¡¯s ears.

    He glanced over his shoulder, his hand halfway to Vrith¡¯s mouth with a piece of jerky between his fingers, as Robon stepped into the tent. The large demon froze in place. Vrith muttered a curse under her breath as her cheeks brightened, only to get another piece of jerky stuffed between her lips while she wasn¡¯t watching.

    Robon nearly choked on his own saliva. He coughed into his remaining fist and quickly averted his gaze. ¡°Forgive me, streetlord. I didn¡¯t realize you were busy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Aylin said. ¡°Vrith just asked me to feed her because I ripped a bit too much energy out of her on accident.¡±

    The back of Vrith¡¯s head made an audible thunk as she smacked it against the side of the chair. Aylin fed her another piece of jerky. She hadn¡¯t spoken yet, so she clearly still needed to recover more energy.

    ¡°I¡­ see,¡± Robon said, sounding like he didn¡¯t see at all. A small tremor of fear ran through his voice. That was response the action that any rational demon would have had at seeing the former urchin turned streetlord stuffing food into the mouth of one of the most dangerous demons in the area without so much as a flicker of worry. ¡°I have reports with regard to Spider¡¯s orders. Is now a good time?¡±

    ¡°For anything to do with Spider? It always is,¡± Aylin said. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Three gangs have responded so far. One has completely surrendered and will be reporting to our camp tomorrow. The second said that they want to see Spider themselves before they give in, and the third wanted to speak with you directly. They¡¯re sending a representative.¡±

    ¡°Who? How strong?¡± Aylin asked.

    ¡°Rekeba, the second of the Silent Silvertooth,¡± Robon said through a grimace. ¡°She¡¯s a Rank 3, and there are rumors their streetlord is actually halfway through Rank 3. They¡¯re a powerful gang. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s lucky or not that they¡¯ve responded to Spider¡¯s threat so quickly.¡±

    ¡°Is she coming alone?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely. Representatives usually come with protection if they aren¡¯t coming to issue a direct challenge. I¡¯d expect three or four others with her.¡±

    The back of Aylin¡¯s neck prickled and his arms tensed.

    I have to deal with another one so quickly after Vrith? I don¡¯t suppose I¡¯ve gotten lucky enough for Lee to handle everything for me this time. Although¡­ this isn¡¯t the same. I¡¯ve got Vrith on my side now. I can ¡ª I have to ¡ª handle this.

    ¡°Thank you for letting me know. How long until they arrive?¡±

    ¡°An hour, I suspect.¡±

    Aylin nodded and rose to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll get ready. Make sure the camp is prepared to greet them. Politely, that is.¡±

    Robon inclined his head and hurriedly left the tent. Aylin glanced down at Vrith. She still hadn¡¯t said anything. That was worrying.

    How much energy do Rank 3 Demons need if all that food didn¡¯t fix her? And more importantly, how much energy did I take?

    ¡°Can I open my mouth now?¡± Vrith asked warily. ¡°Or are you going to stick more food into it?¡±

    Aylin blinked. ¡°What? You asked me to feed you.¡±

    ¡°I told you to bring me food,¡± Vrith said, running a hand along the back of her scalp and letting out a long-suffering sigh. Then she paused for a second. ¡°Though I can¡¯t deny it was nice getting fed. Vroth had a servant feed him once or twice. I never had the chance. It makes you feel¡­ important.¡±

    ¡°How long have you had enough energy to do things normally?¡± Aylin asked, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Were you just letting me feed you that whole time?¡±

    ¡°In my defense, you didn¡¯t give me much choice.¡± Vrith snickered at the expression on his face.

    Aylin paused as a thought struck him. ¡°Does that mean I can keep asking you a bunch of questions if I get you more food?¡±

    ¡°Are you checking if you can bribe me into getting drained repeatedly in exchange for getting fed?¡± Vrith¡¯s smirk fell away.

    ¡°Yes, I think that would be accurate.¡±

    ¡°I could just have a different subordinate do it,¡± Vrith pointed out. ¡°I refuse to believe that Spider¡¯s plans for bringing my gang under you included turning me into a magical battery.¡±

    ¡°You probably could, but I¡¯m pretty sure you got embarrassed when Robon saw us,¡± Aylin pointed out. ¡°And I¡¯m the one that controls the food supplies.¡±

    Vrith stared at him. ¡°You¡¯re threatening to limit my food?¡±

    ¡°No, that would be awful. I¡¯m offering more of it,¡± Aylin corrected. ¡°We definitely have enough. Golon was hoarding it. I don¡¯t need nearly as much as he did, so it¡¯s my prerogative as to how it¡¯s used as long as everyone in the gang gets some. I can choose to give you extra.¡±

    That made her hesitate. Vrith lifted a finger, then let it lower as she chewed her lower lip. ¡°I cannot believe I am considering this. If Vroth was alive, he¡¯d strangle me on the spot for being so stupid.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t sound like a very good brother from what little you¡¯ve told me of him,¡± Aylin said, scratching the back of his neck. ¡°It didn¡¯t seem like he ever considered what you wanted. You were just his servant, not his equal.¡±

    ¡°You have a vested interest in getting me to say yes.¡± Vrith paused for a moment and glanced at the entrance of the tent, looking over Aylin¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel embarrassment at all? You¡¯re a streetlord. Feeding someone is beneath you.¡±

    ¡°Why? I fed my siblings all the time, and they did the same for me. It¡¯s just a way to show you care,¡± Aylin said with a frown. ¡°We didn¡¯t constantly do it, but it¡¯s not like we had all that much food in the first place.¡±

    They fell silent for a few seconds. Then Vrith¡¯s cheeks colored. ¡°Fine. Deal ¡ª but within reason. I¡¯m not giving you literally all of my energy. You need to learn how to ask questions you¡¯re interested in without draining people of every scrap of energy they¡¯ve got.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll keep teaching me?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Vrith said through a sigh.

    ¡°Great.¡± Aylin grinned. ¡°In that case, we should start with anything you know about Rekeba and the Silent Silvertooth. I think I¡¯ve got an idea as to how to deal with them, but I need to know a lot more before it has a chance of working.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Vrith tilted her head to the side. ¡°An idea? Already?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s based on what I¡¯ve seen Spider and his group do. I¡¯m not nearly as strong as they are, but with your help¡­ it could work.¡± Aylin threw a glance over his shoulder, but his ears and tongue already told him everything he needed to know. The tent was empty and nobody was there to overhear them. His eyes narrowed and his features darkened.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to break her, but I¡¯ll need your help to do it.¡±

 Chapter 474: Everything

    Aylin sat alone on the ground in the center of the market square, Golon¡¯s chair empty behind him. He¡¯d moved it from the large tent and set it up in wait for Rekeba. Vrith was nowhere to be seen, but he could vaguely taste the remnants of her passing in the air. She was hidden in the shadows near a tent somewhere near him.

    He braced his hands against his knees and focused on keeping his expression as neutral as possible. All the demons in the camp had already been instructed to remain in their tents unless something changed ¡ª that obviously didn¡¯t go for Spider, but Spider did what he wanted.

    The masked demon had doubtlessly either overheard or figured out his plan already. He hadn¡¯t made any moves to stop Aylin, so that was probably a good sign. It meant Spider supported it.

    That, or he just didn¡¯t care.

    As Aylin waited, he went back over the last few things he¡¯d discussed with Vrith. She¡¯d known a lot about Rekeba and her gang, the Silent Silvertooth. Too much to pass along in just a few minutes.

    They¡¯d had to focus on the core elements. Rekeba was apparently something of a unique demon. Vrith had reluctantly admitted that she was beyond beautiful and equal parts strong, fast, and arrogant. She¡¯d earned the right to look down on others through more feats than Vrith had cared to list, but it boiled down to her being a proud demon with little inclination to surrender.

    According to Vrith, confrontations between streetlords had a few hard rules that had to be observed if he was to avoid pissing off every single streetlord in the city.

    <ol>

    <li> There are two stages to a meeting like this. Because she announced her arrival and I haven¡¯t made it clear she isn¡¯t welcome, we¡¯re locked into a talking stage first where neither of us can attack without cause before our conversation is complete or an hour passes. Rekeba is a second, which gives her the same negotiating rights as a streetlord, so I¡¯ve got to play by the rules. </li>

    <li> Any promises I make during the meeting stage are binding. If I say something and can¡¯t follow up on it, she is within her rights to attack me.</li>

    <li> Threats are all on the table. So are bluffs. Anything works until it gets called out. So even though random fights aren¡¯t allowed during the meeting, I can follow through on a threat. The second stage of this meeting is just an all-out fight at the end of the hour if we can¡¯t come to an agreement ¡ª I don¡¯t want to let it come to that. </li>

    <li> Every streetlord is going to be watching this to see how I perform. On one hand, I¡¯m a new streetlord without any reputation or feats. Nobody expects much from me. On the other, I¡¯m representing Spider, so showing any weakness is an insult to him. </li>

    </ol>

    If he could have just had Vrith kill Rekeba, it would have made things a whole lot easier for him ¡ª and in the process, it would have shown he was too weak to stand on his own. The other streetlords would keep sending people to bother him for the rest of his life. He¡¯d never get a chance to breathe.

    There was no doubt that the meeting was stacked against him. Rekeba was an experienced second and her gang wasn¡¯t powerful for no reason. Even if she wasn¡¯t the streetlord, she had more than enough practice dealing with people a lot more talented than him.

    Rekeba was likely counting on him being uncertain and unsteady in his position to keep him off balance through the whole meeting.

    Vrith was pretty certain she¡¯d do her best to humiliate me and crush my resolve through the whole meeting. I got the feeling she and Rekeba have some sort of history. That doesn¡¯t change anything.

    Rekeba¡¯s experience does mean I definitely can¡¯t play safe, but that works with my plan. I just wish she¡¯d show up faster. There are so many other things I want to do. I just hope ¡ª

    Aylin¡¯s ears twitched. Rekeba was coming. It was so silent that he could easily hear four sets of footsteps approaching the market square even at a distance. He settled his nerves and plastered an uninterested look over his features as he waited for them to approach.

    Just a few seconds later, four demons stepped out from the main street. Three of them strongly resembled Golon. They had red skin, huge, bulky muscles, and scrunched up faces that made it look like they¡¯d been dropped on their heads a few dozen times as children.

    The demon at their front was, without a doubt, Rekeba. Even though Vrith had given Aylin a description of her appearance during their quick conversation, he still hadn¡¯t been properly prepared.

    Aylin had seen beautiful before. Edda¡¯s content face when she fell asleep with a full belly was beautiful. Violet¡¯s smug grin when she¡¯d returned home with a few extra scraps of food was beautiful. Vrith was beautiful ¡ª but Rekeba was otherworldly.

    Her hair shimmered like a river of gold, framing faint pink skin. She had wide, inquisitive eyes and perfect lips curled up in the faintest hint of a smirk. Rekeba¡¯s form seemed to have been sculpted specifically to draw the eye to all the places it wasn¡¯t meant to look ¡ª and every strutting step she took made it absolutely clear she knew it.

    Aylin hated her on the spot. No matter how much he wanted to pull his eyes away, he couldn¡¯t. It was like a compulsion. The demon had an aura around her that made him want to leap to his feet and do whatever she ordered him to. His skin prickled. The more he thought about her, the more he felt his energy pulled away from him.

    He clenched his fists, digging a small claw into the bed of his palm. Blood pumped in his body as his chest heated. He focused his thoughts on anything else ¡ª Violet, Vrith, Torick tripping over himself, Edda choking on a mouthful fruit. His eyes narrowed and he forced the unnatural influence from his mind, locking eyes with Rekeba as she approached and making absolutely no move to rise.

    She and her three guards stopped several feet away from him.

    For a second, there was only silence.

    ¡°Rekeba,¡± Aylin said in a flat tone.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your streetlord, boy?¡± Rebeka asked, her words dripping with a honied tone.

    You know damn well that I¡¯m the streetlord.

    ¡°Right in front of you,¡± Aylin replied. ¡°Sit down.¡±

    Rekeba arched an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side as her lips curled up in amusement. ¡°You seem to have forgotten my chair behind you¡ª unless you were planning to offer your back?¡±

    Aylin ignored her taunt and gestured to the floor before him. ¡°That chair is for Spider, should he choose to take it. Nobody else is worthy to sit in his presence ¡ª thus, the ground will suffice. Sit.¡±

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    He tasted a flicker of irritation in the air and fought to repress a smile. Rekeba wasn¡¯t pleased with his response. She¡¯d definitely been expecting more of a reaction. Given what most streetlords were like, she was probably used to it.

    ¡°And if I refuse? I could just stand right here,¡± Rekeba drawled. ¡°Above you, as is my proper place.¡±

    ¡°If your group stands, I will shorten you ¡ª starting with one of your guards.¡±

    Rekeba lifted a hand to cover her mouth as a burst of laughter slipped from her lips. ¡°Threats? Already? I already know how strong you are, boy. You were trembling in your scrappy sandals when you met that mangy cat. I¡¯m stronger than she is, and unlike her, I didn¡¯t come to beg at your feet.¡±

    Aylin didn¡¯t respond. He just waited. Vrith knew the timing on these things a whole lot better than he did, and he wasn¡¯t sure exactly how long they had to hold back before ¡ª

    His ears twitched. There was a crunch, followed by a flicker of motion and a splash of darkness near the shadows at the edge of the square. Aylin tasted blood in the air. The large demon to Rekeba¡¯s right let out a scream of pain and fell to the ground, blood pouring down the back of his legs. His hamstrings had both been severed.

    Aylin didn¡¯t have to turn to hear Vrith come to a stop behind him. The taste of blood grew stronger. He kept his eyes locked with Rekeba¡¯s, not letting so much as a flicker of emotion pass over his features.

    ¡°Bitch,¡± Rekeba snarled. Anger and surprise mixed in her taste. She was genuinely surprised. ¡°Found a new master so quickly? Surrendering is one thing, but throwing your lot in with him? Pathetic.¡±

    Vrith didn¡¯t respond. Rekeba¡¯s jaw clenched and she dropped down, sitting cross-legged across from Aylin. The remaining guards did the same, while the injured one squeezed his mouth shut and muffled his groans of pain.

    That¡¯s one point to us.

    ¡°You can only get so far using someone else¡¯s power ¡ª though I wouldn¡¯t expect a puppet streetlord to know that,¡± Rekeba said. She didn¡¯t even look in the direction of her injured guard.

    Aylin almost winced. She had a point.

    And one point to her, then.

    ¡°Spider¡¯s decisions are his own. If you value your life, I suggest against questioning them. You¡¯re here to figure out the legitimacy of his claims as well as my own ability, correct?¡±

    Rekeba¡¯s lips curled up. She was back in her territory. ¡°Yes, precisely. Not exactly the most difficult conclusion to come to, boy.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t have the most difficult of motives to discern. If you want to test me, then I propose a game.¡±

    ¡°Not the first time a demon has asked that, but I¡¯m a good sport.¡± Rekeba leaned forward and pulled her lips back in a sultry smile. ¡°What game, boy? What do you think you want to challenge me in?¡±

    ¡°Questions,¡± Aylin replied promptly. ¡°You may ask me anything you wish about this camp. I have ten seconds to answer with complete honesty. I will then do the same to you, but only with relation to yourself and the demons present here rather than your entire camp. If either of us refuse to answer a question or lie, they admit the other is their better. The same rules also go for asking questions so neither of us can stall the meeting out until the hour ends.¡±

    Rekeba hesitated for a second as she thought over his offer. She might have been strong, but she wasn¡¯t stupid. This clearly wasn¡¯t a game of power. ¡°You¡¯ve stacked things against yourself. Hoping to bait me in?¡±

    Aylin shrugged. ¡°I felt you needed the handicap, and I don¡¯t truly care about you or your camp. Some random demon and their gang are irrelevant in the grand terms of Spider¡¯s plans.¡±

    Rekeba¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Is ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ a valid answer?¡±

    Nice catch.

    ¡°So long as it¡¯s true. Lying is against the rules of the game.¡±

    ¡°And how would you know? You have no way to validate my claims.¡±

    Aylin smiled and shrugged. ¡°I suppose we will have to go by the honor system. As agreed, lying would be admitting that I am your better. I will not lie. I swear my life on it. If I speak a single lie, I¡¯ll become your servant and do whatever you want me to for the rest of my life. So, unless you¡¯re so pathetic that you fear speaking honestly to a mere boy simply asking questions about you, I expect you to do the same.¡±

    ¡°I trust you don¡¯t expect me to agree to the same terms.¡±

    ¡°Those are mine alone. Just the first ones.¡±

    ¡°You could make things easier for yourself by lying off the start. I won¡¯t hurt you too much that way ¡ª though too much may be relative.¡± She let out a ringing laugh, then bared her teeth again. It was all a show. She was just buying time to think, but Aylin was all too aware of how tempting the bait he¡¯d set was. Any chance to get information on the elusive Spider ¡ª especially when the odds were leaned so heavily in her favor ¡ª was too difficult to pass up. Sure enough, Rekeba came to her decision just a few moments later. ¡°Very well. I accept your terms.¡±

    Aylin smiled. ¡°You can start.¡±

    ¡°Who is Spider?¡± Rekeba asked without an instant of hesitation.

    ¡°The strongest demon I¡¯ve ever met. I don¡¯t know his identity because he keeps his face covered, but I suspect he could kill either of us with little more than a thought,¡± Aylin said.

    Rekeba pursed her lips in displeasure. She¡¯d probably heard much of the same from her scouts. He¡¯d still technically answered the question, though.

    ¡°Fine. Your turn.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about what you consume to grow stronger.¡±

    A flicker of confusion passed over Rekeba¡¯s features before she snickered. ¡°You¡¯re not the smartest, are you? It¡¯s lust. I drink in all the energy idiots waste staring and drooling in my direction.¡±

    Aylin drank from the truth in her words. As obvious as it may have been, there was importance to the revelation. Revealing the concept a demon fed on was the same as baring a demon¡¯s core personality ¡ª and there was power in such truth.

    There wasn¡¯t much for a relatively small revelation, but she was still a Rank 3 demon. A flicker of unease passed over Rekeba¡¯s features but she shook her head. She kept her mask of emotions raised and looked over Aylin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°How about Vrith? Did you make her scrape at your boots? Beg for her life? Tell me everything you did to her.¡±

    Hoping to humiliate Vrith instead of me? They definitely do have some history.

    ¡°After we left the street, we went back to Golon¡¯s tent and talked for a while. Then I fed her some food. That was about it,¡± Aylin said.

    Rekeba¡¯s cocky expression twitched. ¡°What? That¡¯s it? You¡¯re lying.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s two questions, but I¡¯ll give you an answer anyway. I am not lying. Vrith is blushing. That should be proof enough.¡±

    Rekeba glanced back to Vrith, then snorted. ¡°Prude. Of course you ended up giving into the biggest pansy of a streetlord in history. Ask your question, boy.¡±

    ¡°What do you desire most in this world?¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to court me or something?¡± Rekeba asked with a tittering laugh. ¡°There¡¯s no gift you could give that I truly desire. I want power. The adoring gazes of everyone in the Damned Plains ¡ª no, more. Everyone in every plane. I want them all focused on me and me alone. I want to drink all of that delicious energy for as long as I live. I¡ª¡±

    Rekeba faltered as Aylin drank energy from her words. She was actually easier to drink from than Vrith, though that might have been because of how honest and upfront she was being. Everyone loved talking about their passions, after all. Rekeba hesitated for a second, then opened her mouth once more. Then she narrowed her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s all. I don¡¯t have anything else to add. Is your question done? I want to ask my next one.¡±

    ¡°Go for it.¡±

    ¡°What do you consume?¡± Rekeba asked immediately.

    ¡°Ah. You should have asked that earlier. Knowledge.¡±

    Rekeba¡¯s face paled and she shot to her feet. ¡°You cheater! I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sit down. Unless you¡¯ve surrendered and admit my superiority, the game is still going,¡± Aylin snapped. Rekeba froze. Her jaw ground and, after a second, she forced herself to sit back down. They locked eyes with each other. Aylin smiled. ¡°I believe it¡¯s my turn to ask a question. I¡¯m glad we¡¯ve got an hour to keep playing, Rekeba. I want to know everything about you. Every. Last. Thing.¡±

 Chapter 475: Rekeba

    An hour wasn¡¯t a long time in the grand scheme of things. It was just a little longer than the time it took to stretch a meal and make it feel like there was more food than there actually was. It was how long it took to fall asleep on the days where a few too many things had happened. It was a blip in a day, which was nothing more than a blink in a lifetime.

    To everyone else in the city of Treadon, most of a mere hour passed by like any other. But time was funny like that.

    To Aylin, it was a feast.

    To Rekeba, it was agony.

    It hadn¡¯t taken her long to realize that the game was rigged. She¡¯d known it from the start. Nobody offered a game with immense odds against themselves unless they had a card hidden up their sleeves.

    That card should have been Vrith. All Rekeba¡¯s information had told her that the annoying woman had literally fallen at the puppet streetlord¡¯s feet to beg for her life. Any idiot would have used the coward as a way to try and sway the scales in their favor.

    When Rekeba had arrived at the camp, it had been painfully obvious. Lust and hatred weren¡¯t all that different of emotions, and she¡¯d felt the disgust pouring off Vrith in the shadows as she approached Aylin.

    Rekeba had been so confident. She¡¯d been so certain that Vrith was his card, and the game was already over. The original plan had been to toy with the idiot streetlord for a while before grinding him under her heel until the point where no self-respecting demon would ever follow him again.

    That had been the plan ¡ª but the offer had been too sweet. The boy didn¡¯t matter, but Spider did. He had yet to show himself to her scouts. Any information she could glean about his powers would be invaluable. The opportunity to ask anything she wanted about him and his abilities had sunk its claws into her and held tight.

    But now, as Rekeba laid flat on the ground, arms trembling desperately to push herself back upright, breath coming in ragged gasps and her body wrung dry of energy like nothing more than a piece of laundry, it was painfully apparent that she¡¯d misread the card entirely.

    The grin on the boy¡¯s face before her wasn¡¯t that of an innocent, besotted child. It was the rictus smile of a streetlord. His lips were parted, but not in happiness. It was in hunger. He wasn¡¯t looking at her like an opponent.

    I¡¯m just a piece of meat to him.

    Rekeba¡¯s heart slammed in her ears. She¡¯d long since given up the idea of trying to win the fight. As soon as she¡¯d realized she was up against a knowledge demon, it had become apparent just how badly she¡¯d misplayed.

    Entering a contract to exchange questions with one of his kind was akin to slathering her entire body with honey before dancing naked into the den of a Dire Bear, slapping it on the rear to wake it from its slumber, and shoving herself down its throat.

    No, Rekeba had absolutely no delusions of winning any longer. Her only goal was survival.

    ¡°Is something wrong, Rekeba?¡± Vrith¡¯s voice was so smug that it made Rekeba¡¯s stomach twist in fury. ¡°It kind of looks like you¡¯ve prostrated yourself to me ¡ª but not even I got off my knees and laid completely on the ground.¡±

    Rekeba¡¯s teeth ground. She¡¯d just asked a question, but she couldn¡¯t remember what it was. Aylin answered it. She didn¡¯t bother listening. Every scrap of her attention was on clinging onto the last power she still had.

    Something about Aylin was deeply, deeply wrong. He ripped power from her with ease that should have been impossible for him. It was as if she was up against someone an entire rank above her.

    ¡°I like that question. Would you like to surrender completely to me and Spider?¡± Aylin asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°That is the surrender position, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rekeba ground out. Her voice was raspy and weak. It sounded bitter and pathetic to her ears.

    I don¡¯t know.

    Those three words should have been her way out of the game. She¡¯d been confident that they were the loophole that Aylin had planted for himself so he could avoid giving away information that was too important.

    She couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. As it turned out, not knowing something was still part of the feeling that knowledge demons could feast on. None of the actual words she said mattered.

    Aylin wasn¡¯t eating the words. He was eating the understanding. Rekeba had tried lying. She¡¯d tried speaking in half-truths and in mysticisms. Nothing worked. Everything new that he learned made him stronger.

    Rekeba¡¯s fingers dug into the ground as her arms trembled in a mixture of humiliation and fury. The only winning move against a knowledge demon was not to speak. They weren¡¯t demons meant for combat. Not in their younger years, at least.

    But Aylin had accounted for that. If she failed to answer within ten seconds, it was the end for her. If she answered, it was the end. If she fled the scene, it was the end. Every single one spelled defeat.

    Rekeba refused to accept it. She was his better in every single way. There was no possible way for her to have lost this badly. Returning to Rakkor with her tail between her legs and head bowed in defeat was an inconceivable notion.

    For years, she had been envied. She had been loved. She had been feared. She had clawed her way through the ranks of the Silent Silvertooth just so she could get to this point. So close to her true goals. So close to what had been promised to her.

    It can¡¯t end here. I refuse to let a child defeat me in a trap. I have crushed men ten times greater than him beneath my heel and had them come back begging for me to do it again. I am Rekeba of the Silent Silvertooth.

    I deserve victory. I am owed it!

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    Rekeba¡¯s hands trembled. She desperately pulled on her power and tried to gather anything she had left. Her guards stood around her, exchanging glances. None of them spoke. They didn¡¯t need to.

    She could tell what they were thinking. The doubt was clear in their eyes. More than doubt. There was derision. They watched her humiliation and found it amusing. Fury bit into Rekeba¡¯s chest.

    There were rules against attacking Aylin. She couldn¡¯t make a move against him ¡ª not yet. Not without admitting defeat. Vrith, unfortunately, was the same. The vile woman was safe from her.

    But my own men¡­

    Rekeba¡¯s lips pulled back in a cruel smirk. The way free of this had shown itself to her.

    If they want to laugh, then they can join me on the ground.

    She drew on her Runes, ripping what little energy still remained within them, and unleashed it. Her eyes erupted with energy as power poured through her body and snagged onto the buried thoughts of the men around her.

    She latched onto the lust that drifted through their minds when they looked at her and drank from it greedily. The demons stiffened in surprise and pain, but they couldn¡¯t let out cries of either pain or pleasure.

    They¡¯d been around her for years. Days on weeks on months of carnal desire had built within them. It had formed an ironclad connection to her. None of them had ever even considered quelling their vile thoughts. Perhaps they had thought they were safe.

    Perhaps they¡¯d thought they had a chance.

    A laugh slipped from Rekeba¡¯s lips. Her men collapsed by her side, gasping weakly for air and energy, but they weren¡¯t strong enough to resist. Rekeba drank everything they had. Their skin dried and their gasps silenced as she pushed herself upright.

    Power coursed through her body like a raging ocean. It filled her chest and raced through her limbs. She ran her tongue across her lips and let out a shuddering breath. The entire process had only taken seconds. There was still time for her question.

    She rose to her feet, giving up on sitting, and her eyes lifted to meet Aylin¡¯s once more ¡ª but what she found gave her pause. His expression was unchanged. Interest, mixed with flat confidence. There wasn¡¯t a flicker of fear or concern.

    There wasn¡¯t a scrap of feeling she could feast on.

    Impossible. I just released my full strength. It wasn¡¯t directed at him, but he doesn¡¯t think anything lustful of me at all. How?

    There was no time to consider it. She had to ask her question before the time ran out, or everything would be for naught. Her jaw tightened in irritation. She didn¡¯t care to admit how infuriating it was to see that expression on the face of someone her inferior. It was one meant for an interesting insect under a rock, not the most beautiful woman Aylin ever should have seen.

    I refuse to let myself get put off guard by this brat. I need to take the offense.

    ¡°Where is Spider?¡± Rekeba asked. Spider was the only demon that mattered, and it was clear Aylin idolized him. That was a weakness she could exploit. ¡°I would love to get intimately acquaintanced with him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think someone like you would bear even the slightest amount of interest to Spider,¡± Aylin said dispassionately. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. ¡°But the last time I saw him, he was in that tent over there.¡±

    What? He¡¯s here? Just¡­ sitting around? Watching? Is this all a joke to him?

    Rekeba felt her confidence giving. She clenched her fists and squared herself, trying to draw Aylin¡¯s attention to anything other than her face. It failed. His eyes were like twin pools of ice, boring into the back of her skull incessantly.

    ¡°My turn,¡± Aylin said softly. ¡°Are you scared?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what?¡± Rekeba asked, caught off guard once again. Her fingers twitched. ¡°No. Of you? How could I possibly be scared of you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not an answer,¡± Aylin said in the same, quiet tone. Rekeba braced herself, preparing to resist him as he stole her power, but nothing happened. Aylin just sat there. ¡°But at the same time, it is. Your turn.¡±

    The proper move was to ask about Spider. To seek a weakness ¡ª but she¡¯d already asked Aylin about that, and his answer had been that he¡¯d never seen anything that could so much as hurt Spider, much less kill him.

    She didn¡¯t believe that for a second. Nobody was immortal. The problem was Aylin had played her yet again. The stupid boy barely knew anything about Spider. Half of his own answers about Spider had been admitting he didn¡¯t know. There was nothing she could learn about him, so the only thing that left her was finding a weakness in the streetlord before her.

    ¡°You asked if I was scared,¡± Rekeba said, stepping closer to Aylin and leaning down so they were face-to-face and only a few inches apart. ¡°But you didn¡¯t say how you feel. What do you feel when you look upon me?¡±

    By his own rules, he can¡¯t lie. He¡¯ll have to choose between dropping the barrier and admitting the truth or breaking his own rules.

    ¡°At first, I was awestruck,¡± Aylin admitted. Rekeba smiled, but he wasn¡¯t done. Aylin braced his hands against his knees and shook his head, blowing out a breath. ¡°I can honestly say you were the most attractive demon I¡¯ve ever seen. I didn¡¯t think it was possible that anyone could look like that.¡±

    Rekeba¡¯s smile faltered. Something was wrong. Despite Aylin¡¯s words, she felt nothing from him. There was no lust. No hunger in his eyes.

    ¡°But then I learned,¡± Aylin continued. He pushed himself upright and brushed his knees off, rising to stand before Rekeba. ¡°You see, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything left about you to learn. You¡¯ve already revealed everything¡­ and nothing kept my attention. You don¡¯t interest me anymore.¡±

    Ice prickled at the back of Rekeba¡¯s neck and twisted down her arms to grip at her chest. He was telling the truth. Aylin was no saint. There was lust in him ¡ª she could tell it was present ¡ª but not a single scrap of it was directed toward her.

    Rekeba couldn¡¯t help herself. She took a step back. Her eyes darted around the market square. The only other demon there was Vrith.

    Her guards all laid dead at her feet, completely drained of life and energy alike. There was nobody to help.

    ¡°We can stop playing the game now,¡± Aylin said quietly. ¡°Feel free to ask me another question if you want.¡±

    Vrith smiled beside him. She flexed her fingers and claws pressed out of their tips, glistening in the setting light.

    Rekeba¡¯s words couldn¡¯t make their way out of her throat. They lodged there like a rock, barely even letting her breathe. She took another step back. Aylin¡¯s gaze followed her. Watching. Waiting.

    I was set up. I can¡¯t win this after losing so much energy. Aylin was supposed to be some trembling child, not a competent Rank 3. A couple Rank 2 demons isn¡¯t nearly enough to let me fight him and Vrith at the same time.

    Justifications flew through her head, but they weren¡¯t enough to cloak the truth that she was all too aware of. For a second longer, she stood frozen in place.

    ¡°The hour¡¯s just about up, I think,¡± Aylin said.

    If she stayed a second longer, there was no doubt about it. She would die.

    The options were death or humiliation. Only one of those had potential for a future.

    Rekeba broke.

    She spun, sprinting for the street as fast as her feet could take her. Her blood pounded in her ears as she ran. Vrith was easily as fast as her. The demon could have been in any of the shadows ¡ª but she wasn¡¯t.

    Nothing accompanied her retreat. Rekeba glanced over her shoulder to see Vrith and Aylin standing side by side, watching her retreat impassively. They didn¡¯t even view her as a threat worth chasing.

    Rekeba¡¯s chest clenched. Most demons would have sworn revenge on the spot. They would have shouted their fury to all that could hear, swearing that they would return to tear down their foes once they grew stronger.

    She found herself unable to utter any such promises. Words like that required a spark of anger or a shred of resolve. Rekeba had none left. When she looked back at Aylin, the only demon she¡¯d ever met devoid of even the slightest hint of attraction to her, the only thing she felt was fear.

 Chapter 476: Nightfall

    Aylin waited until the sound of Rekeba¡¯s panicked footsteps faded down the street before turning and walking back to his tent. Vrith followed at his side. Neither of them said anything. There were scouts from other gangs watching from the rooftops, and any conversation would have done nothing but give away information.

    Shoe scuffed on stone as they departed as quietly as they could ¡ª but not nearly quietly enough to escape Aylin¡¯s ears. They all had to hurry back to their gangs and report on what had happened.

    Something told Aylin he probably wasn¡¯t going to get challenged again. Not in the same way, at least. He highly doubted the other streetlords would be willing to let a single victory give him and Spider rule over them. That would be a problem for later. For today, his work was done.

    He woodenly pushed the tent flap out of the way and held it open for Vrith. Once she¡¯d entered, he trudged over to the center of the empty tent. It struck him that they¡¯d forgotten the chair outside, but he couldn¡¯t be bothered to get it.

    Aylin flopped down onto his back and stared up at the ceiling of the tent. Vrith squatted beside him. ¡°Ready?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Vrith placed her hands on the sides of his neck, just above his collarbone. A tremor ran down his body as Vrith released him from the connection they¡¯d formed just before heading out to meet Rekeba. The breath caught in Aylin¡¯s chest and his heart bucked in his chest.

    He ground his teeth as fear slammed into him in a wave. Aylin jerked upright, nearly slamming his forehead into Vrith¡¯s nose, but she yanked back just in time. A chill raced down his back and the beds of his fingers prickled as his heart thumped furiously.

    Aylin inhaled deeply through his nose, pressing his palms to his lap as blood coursed through his ears. The sensation was sudden and violent, but it passed in just seconds. He blew his caught breath out with his mouth and shook his head.

    ¡°That was more intense than I was expecting.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any idea how difficult it is to consume the emotions of another demon, much less one of your own rank?¡± Vrith asked irritably. ¡°I ate all the fear I could from you. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to take much more than the dregs if we hadn¡¯t had such a strong connection. If I could have eaten more, I would.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not complaining,¡± Aylin said, raising his hands with a small laugh. ¡°It worked. It¡¯s a bit odd not knowing how scared I was when I was facing her, though. Was there a lot of fear?¡±

    Vrith shook her head. ¡°Surprisingly, no. I was expecting you to wet your pants, but the amount of fear was barely enough to give me a good meal ¡ª especially as time went on. The only reason it hit you so hard at the end was because a connection like that leaves some pent-up emotion rolling around when it snaps. You basically got a few minutes of concentrated fear in a second or two.¡±

    ¡°Weird,¡± Aylin said with a grimace. ¡°And you like that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like being scared. I like when people are scared of me. You have to know what I¡¯m talking about. The only emotion of yours I was eating was fear. Didn¡¯t you feel a thrill when Rekeba looked at you in the end?¡± Vrith shuddered and a grin snaked crossed her lips. ¡°Gods, what I would have done to have that directed at me instead. I hate her. Her fear would be the most delicious thing I¡¯ve ever tasted, I just know it.¡±

    She¡¯s really into this. In a way, it¡¯s a little endearing, but I can¡¯t help but feel a splash creeped out. I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t get her emotion. Still, if we¡¯re going to be working together a lot in the future, it¡¯s good to know more about Vrith.

    His mind subconsciously brushed across hers at the new understanding. Energy trickled into Aylin. Vrith flinched. She glared at him and his cheeks heated. ¡°Sorry. You got so into it that I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±

    ¡°Stop taking bites out of me, you little shit,¡± Vrith said. She crossed her arms. ¡°And especially by accident. I could almost tolerate it if you were just flaunting your power, but do you have any idea how embarrassing it is when someone accidentally steals your hard-earned power? It¡¯s like you¡¯re cheating.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to stop,¡± Aylin promised. He hesitated for a second before giving her a sheepish grin. ¡°But I like learning about you.¡±

    ¡°Egh. Look at you. Just one meeting with Rekeba and you¡¯ve turned into a flirt. I¡¯d probably take that as more of a compliment if learning about me didn¡¯t involve sucking down my hard-earned energy. Keep your grubby mitts off unless you¡¯ve got a whole lot of extra food to pay me off with.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ I do. I probably shouldn¡¯t, though. I don¡¯t want to get too greedy. A lot of people need that food to survive. I can¡¯t just use all of it for myself.¡±

    Vrith squinted at him. ¡°You realize it isn¡¯t your responsibility to distribute all that food, right? As long as there¡¯s enough for the people in your gang, your job is done. All the other gangs we¡¯re bringing in will have enough food of their own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but what about the people living on the streets near us that aren¡¯t part of the gang?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°There are a lot of them and even a single small meal is enough to make a huge difference.¡±

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    ¡°You are an awful streetlord. Your job is to amass power, not give it away.¡±

    Aylin¡¯s thoughts drifted to Spider. The powerful demon hadn¡¯t even so much as blinked at the thought of giving food away. Spider hadn¡¯t bothered hoarding anything. It was beneath him. Real power wasn¡¯t found in hoarding supplies.

    ¡°I think that¡¯s the wrong kind of power,¡± Aylin said. ¡°And I don¡¯t think Spider wants me to be just some normal streetlord. We¡¯re bringing a lot of attention to ourselves. I don¡¯t know if anyone has tried to bring together all the streetlords before, but it won¡¯t be long before stronger demons start to take notice. We can¡¯t be content with the power of a normal streetlord when that happens. It won¡¯t be enough. We need more, and that means changing how things work.¡±

    Vrith sent him a surprised look but didn¡¯t speak immediately as she mulled over his words. Then, slowly, she nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a take I didn¡¯t expect to hear from someone that only became a streetlord a day ago.¡±

    ¡°Different perspectives,¡± Aylin said with a chagrined grin and a shrug. ¡°And it helps that doing things differently means there¡¯s so much more to learn. I don¡¯t want to get stuck as what I am now forever.¡±

    ¡°Unsatisifed already?¡± Vrith arched an eyebrow. ¡°Do you even realize how many demons would give up everything they had and then more just to get a fraction of what you¡¯ve been gifted?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem,¡± Aylin said. ¡°I¡¯m thankful to Spider for everything he¡¯s done¡­ but he¡¯s given me more than just power. He gave me potential. I can be so much more than I am now. There¡¯s so much in this world to learn about. I refuse to just sit around and be content with what I have when I could become more. Anything other than my full efforts at improving would just be a waste of the gift I got.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that. You¡¯ve got the mindset of a powerful demon. I see why Spider chose you¡­ but it¡¯s odd,¡± Vrith said with a small frown. ¡°I expected to taste a lot more fear from you when you speak of him than I actually can. You were more scared of Rekeba than Spider. Why?¡±

    ¡°Spider is so powerful that being scared of him is almost pointless.¡± Aylin shrugged. ¡°He does what he wants and he¡¯s made it clear that he¡¯s fair. Spider hasn¡¯t treated me wrong a single time. He¡¯s only given to me. There might be a day when all that gets cashed in and I die, but I can¡¯t do anything about it. All I can do is focus on what I can control. I¡¯ll learn everything I can and make the best life possible for myself and my siblings.¡±

    ¡°Blegh. You¡¯re so¡­ sappy.¡± Vrith scrunched her nose in distaste. ¡°It makes me feel a little sick.¡±

    ¡°Too sick to eat? I did just take more of your energy, so I think I owe you something, but I could always hold off. I guess you did just eat some energy from my fear, so maybe you don¡¯t need anything else right now.¡±

    Vrith sucked on her lower lip, then cleared her throat. ¡°No, no. It was a passing spell. I don¡¯t feel sick anymore. I¡¯m not wasting any energy you promised me. Hand it over.¡±

    ***

    Taleel stood in a sea of shadows. Shapes twisted at the edge of his vision, begging for his attention, but he didn¡¯t dare let his gaze stray. He¡¯d seen what had happened to the demons that had let their concentration falter, how their eyes had turned a dull blue, how they¡¯d never been quite the same afterward.

    The shadows held death, but the solitary beam of moonlight in the center of the room didn¡¯t promise much better. A lone demon sat in the light with his knees pulled up to her chest. She barely sat taller than Taleel¡¯s waist and had flowing, silver hair that pooled beneath her like a glistening lake.

    While she was no taller than a child, there was no mistaking the demon for one. Her features were hauntingly striking in the way of a corpse prepared for a funeral. A cold air sat about her with such intensity that Taleel struggled to properly draw breath.

    He kept his eyes firmly fixed on the demon''s forehead. It was the closest he could get to respectfully meeting her gaze without letting himself peer directly into her flat, empty eyes. She chewed on the end of a thumb and watched Taleel approach without a word.

    ¡°Mistress Yoku,¡± Taleel said. ¡°Do I have permission to speak?¡±

    Her head inclined so slightly that he nearly missed it. Taleel swallowed, then continued.

    ¡°The rumors of a demon attempting to wrest control of all the streetlords in the city are correct. I haven¡¯t verified the information personally, but there are too many accounts of it to ignore any longer. The streets are more alive than they have been in years. There is a growing belief that he may succeed. A belief that I can assure you is false. No such thing will¡ª¡±

    ¡°Spider,¡± Yoku said, the words slipping from her lips like a single drop of summer rain. ¡°The Silent Silvertooth will fall to him. Many other gangs will follow should nothing be done.¡±

    Taleel stiffened. ¡°Then, should you will it, I will act. Simply give me the command and I will deal with Spider myself.¡±

    ¡°The balance of power in Treadon is already unstable,¡± Yoku murmured. ¡°Such a shift will destabilize it even further.¡±

    ¡°Forgive my impudence, but how could Spider succeed?¡± Taleel asked, choosing his words carefully. ¡°Taking over a few gangs is possible, but all of them? Belkus would not allow such a thing to happen. As unimportant as they are, he has measures in place to make sure he maintains control of every part of the city.¡±

    ¡°Which is why losing the underground will smart. The lowest creatures in Treadon remain part of its populace despite their weakness,¡± Yoku said. She took her thumb out of her mouth and tilted her head to the side. A flicker of darkness passed behind her monochrome eyes. ¡°If Belkus loses the underground, he will be weakened.¡±

    ¡°What of his enforcers watching the situation? They will doubtlessly act when they realize that Spider is succeeding in his goals. He will die before he gets a chance to do anything, and he may destabilize our own plans in the process.¡±

    ¡°Nothing is set in stone.¡±

    ¡°Then what are your orders, Mistress? What should I do?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Belkus¡¯ time sets like the sun below the horizon. His end is inevitable, but he will not go gently. I will watch, as I have always have. And he will kill, just as he always has. Let Spider do as he wills. We will witness his true measure soon enough. You will be my firsthand witness.¡±

    Taleel swallowed. ¡°Belkus will act, then?¡±

    ¡°It is a matter of time. He will send enforcers, but I do not believe they will be enough. The future is mutable, but after Belkus suffers his first defeat, he will find that everywhere he turns only holds more. It does not matter how he suffers it. Be it Spider¡¯s hand or mine, the day is starting to dim.¡± Yoku lifted her gaze to the light bearing down upon her and raised a hand toward the ceiling. Streamers of pale energy twisted around her fingers like coiling snakes. ¡°The moon rises over Treadon, and it cannot coexist with the sun. Nightfall is near.¡±

 Chapter 477: Choice

    Violet¡¯s eyes fluttered open. The world buzzed and twisted around her, dancing to a tune that only it could hear. Her lips felt gummy and her head throbbed. Spider, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even seem slightly bothered.

    Violet swallowed. That was the only action she could manage to muster. Pain and new strength swirled into a churning mix in her soul. She¡¯d managed to keep her misgivings wrapped when Spider had bought the Mind Meld potion.

    If that had been the price for power, she¡¯d been more than willing to pay it ¡ª but it quickly became abundantly clear that Spider didn¡¯t have any plans of using the potion for its intended purpose.

    He¡¯d asked her a few dozen questions about her goals and what she wanted to accomplish. Violet could barely even remember what her answers had been. All she¡¯d wanted was to be strong. To be able to protect Aylin and Edda and Rorick. Nothing else mattered.

    Whatever Spider had wanted in return, she¡¯d been prepared to give it. The demon had handed her Rune after Rune, ordering her to draw them into her soul.

    Shame wrapped around Violet like a metal cloak at the memory. As it turned out, having absolutely no experience drawing in Runes had made her horrid at it. Even though the power had been right in front of her, it had taken minutes to draw in every single one.

    The impatience in Spider¡¯s posture made it apparent that Aylin had taken to drawing in the new runes considerably faster than she had. Everything Violet had wanted had been right in front of her, and she couldn¡¯t grasp it.

    By the end of the thirty-minute window Spider had warned her of, Violet managed to bring in Six new Runes and draw in energy from a rune the stronger demon shattered to fill her current Demon Rune.

    Then it had come time to combine them. Even now, Violet¡¯s stomach twisted. Spider had handed her everything ¡ª and she¡¯d failed.

    Even with Spider¡¯s instructions, the combination had been horrible. She¡¯d known it from first glance. The rune had been nearly sixty-five percent full. A complete failure. Then the potion¡¯s effects had ended and Violet found herself sitting back on the ground of the tent.

    It had been humiliating.

    But, as her stomach twisted itself into knots so tight that they could have cut through metal, her defeated gaze had been met only by Spider¡¯s hand holding a second potion.

    A second chance. One that put her so impossibly deep into debt that she couldn¡¯t even begin to comprehend the extent of it. Violet had taken it without hesitation. Shame did nothing. Even if she had a crippled rune, she couldn¡¯t afford to do anything but take every advantage that Spider was willing to offer her.

    She had no clue why he was willing to spend so much effort on a demon with no potential and no skill, but she didn¡¯t care. Anything Spider wanted from her would be his if he could let her keep up with Aylin.

    But when they had returned to her mind, Spider didn¡¯t procure new runes. Instead, he simply ordered her to close her eyes and brace herself. Violet almost let out a scornful laugh at the memory.

    She¡¯d been so confident she was prepared for anything Spider would demand.

    She¡¯d been wrong.

    Her memories of what happened next were a haze. There was a wall of pain, so immense that it threatened to swallow her completely. She¡¯d screamed until her throat went raw, but not once did she open her eyes.

    And then there was nothing. The pain had faded as if it had never been there. Spider gave her the order to open her eyes once more, and Violet had found herself in her soul, surrounded by the runes she¡¯d failed to combine.

    It was in that moment that Violet realized the difference between herself and Spider. He had undone her mistake as if it had never happened. She was a demon ¡ª but he was a god. That was the only explanation for it that her mind could manifest.

    Violet didn¡¯t mess up the second time around. She combined the runes into a Rank 2, and Spider¡¯s only response was to manifest a new Rank 2 in her soul. And thus, they had continued. She was still far from fast at her work, and it took the entire thirty minutes to gather the rest of the Rank 2 runes in her soul. This time it didn¡¯t faze her.

    Spider didn¡¯t care about how long it took her. Time was meaningless to a god. And, for some reason, that was a comfort. Violet focused, pushing away the fear and worry to completely train her mind on what mattered.

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    Success. She was aided by a god. Nothing else was possible.

    Her newfound confidence was proven right. When she combined her runes for the second time under Spider¡¯s guidance, she made no more mistakes. The potion had worn off just moments later.

    ¡°Well?¡± Spider asked, his words shattering Violet¡¯s thoughts like a fist through glass.

    She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers and swallowing heavily. Her body, similar to Aylin¡¯s, hadn¡¯t had any significant changes from the advancement to Rank 3.

    That wasn¡¯t to say she hadn¡¯t changed at all. Muscle had filled in her thin form and, as Violet ran a hand a long her face, she found that her features had sharpened. Her body felt steady. Firm. Like the earth itself had risen up to fill her from within.

    She felt unstoppable ¡ª and she knew that couldn¡¯t have been farther from the truth. Violet stared up into Spider¡¯s cloaked face.

    Why is someone like this here? A god made flesh¡­ just gifting power to street urchins? Is this just a game to him? Or is there something more that we don¡¯t understand?

    ¡°I ¡ª I¡¯m fine. I feel strong,¡± Violet said, not wanting to keep Spider waiting any longer.

    ¡°That would be all the Earth Runes,¡± Spider mused. ¡°What about range of mobility? Stiff? Are your thoughts sluggish?¡±

    Violet blinked. She lifted a hand and waved it around, then shook her head. ¡°No. I don¡¯t think so. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d say I feel any faster, but I don¡¯t feel dumber or slower.¡±

    ¡°I see. So the change is more related to your demon rune than the normal ones,¡± Spider mused under his breath. He looked to her again. ¡°And what of your emotion? Do you know what you feed on? It¡¯s fast, but¡ª¡±

    Violet knew. Before Spider had even finished, her heart had already set itself on the one thing in life that mattered to her. ¡°I want to protect my family.¡±

    That gave Spider pause. He tilted his head to the side in apparent curiosity. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting emotion for a demon. Kinder than I would have expected. It isn¡¯t really an emotion either. Explain.¡±

    What kind of question is that? Is he trying to see how much I understand of myself? Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter. Anything he wants from me is his if it lets me become strong.

    ¡°It¡¯s not just emotion. It¡¯s feeling. The feeling of protecting what belongs to me,¡± Violet replied. ¡°I¡¯m not strong or lucky enough to eat pure emotion. Most of us have something more specific. A feeling that¡¯s usually made up of a bunch of smaller emotions in combination.¡±

    ¡°But your feeling is protecting others. Do you consume your own energy?¡±

    I don¡¯t know if I can explain something that just feels completely instinctive¡­ that must be why he¡¯s asking. To make me look deeper.

    Violet¡¯s brow furrowed as she thought and searched for words. ¡°It¡¯s not the feeling I get. I want to feel their appreciation. Their understanding that I¡¯m protecting them,¡± Violet said. ¡°And it¡¯s not just others. It¡¯s my family. I want to protect the ones that belong to me.¡±

    Spider¡¯s head inclined. ¡°I see. A powerful desire. A dangerous one, if you let it get away from you. Does any living being truly belong to another?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know,¡± Violet admitted with a frown. Her emotion pressed against her logic as she struggled to find a way to balance them. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say it. I want them to be mine. My siblings. They don¡¯t belong to me, but they¡¯re mine.¡±

    ¡°Interesting. Not too dissimilar from Lee, but¡­ no. Never mind. I won¡¯t tell you how your emotions work, but I encourage seeing how far you can push them. How strong you can become, not just in the ways you know, but in the ones you don¡¯t,¡± Spider said. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching with interest. You have potential.¡±

    Me? I failed to combine my runes. How do I have any potential? Is Spider just trying to be nice? But¡­ why even bother? I don¡¯t understand him at all.

    They were silent for a few seconds. Then Spider blew out a small breath. He put a hand on Violet¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Keep that family of yours safe. I haven¡¯t given Aylin an easy task. He¡¯s got a lot on his shoulders. He needs all the help he can get ¡ª and remember that you¡¯re part of your family as well. I know the look in your eyes. You can only protect them as long as you protect yourself. I know you and Aylin are wondering why I¡¯d do something like this. You¡¯re probably trying to figure out what would cause me to choose you.¡±

    Violet nodded mutely.

    ¡°The answer is simple. You were there,¡± Spider said. ¡°Aylin had the curiosity and need to seek me out. I didn¡¯t come with ulterior motives beyond the ones you have already seen. I need someone to fill Golon¡¯s spot, and I need someone to control the gangs I bring in under my control. I will give you and Aylin everything I can to accomplish that. Your only job is to keep yourself and Aylin alive until then. And, when you do, you¡¯ll have a choice.¡±

    ¡°A choice?¡± Violet¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out when the time comes,¡± Spider replied with a chuckle. ¡°Until then, just focus on the present. You¡¯re stronger now, but we¡¯ll be up against more powerful enemies soon enough. These next few days are just training. Bring the gangs under Aylin¡¯s control. Learn how to use your abilities and protect him ¡ª and prepare for what comes next.¡±

    Violet¡¯s jaw set. Spider hadn¡¯t had to say anything. His orders were the exact ones she¡¯d already resolved herself to. It was strange. Despite the inconceivable gap between them, for some inexplicable reason, Violet felt safe with Spider.

    It almost felt like he cared.

    ¡°I will,¡± Violet promised.

    ¡°Good,¡± Spider said with a smile. He held out a hand and helped Violet to her feet. Then he nodded to the tent flap. ¡°Now, shall we go check on Aylin? I believe his fight is over, and I¡¯m not above looking forward to watching his reaction when he sees you.¡±

 Chapter 478: Hoarder

    ¡°Someone¡¯s heading in this direction, but we¡¯ve got a little before they arrive,¡± Aylin said, his ears twitching as he picked up on noise outside the tent. He licked his lips as he tried to place the taste, but there were just too many in the camp to make out any details now that everyone had come back out of their tents.

    He and Vrith rose from where they sat and Aylin brushed the dust off the backside of his pants. Looking like a bumpkin when some new arrogant demon showed up was not high on his list of things to accomplish.

    ¡°You still owe me more food. Don¡¯t think an interruption is going to get you out of the rest of it,¡± Vrith said. She paused for a second. ¡°Given in the way we agreed on, mind you.¡±

    Aylin suppressed a laugh. ¡°I know. You can have the rest of it once I make sure everyone that wants food can get it. I still need to give the other street kids time to hear the word. I doubt the demons I sent out to announce that people can have some food have gotten to everyone yet.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think they¡¯re all going to take you up on it?¡±

    ¡°No. Just the truly desperate ones. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not about if they take me up or not. It¡¯s about keeping my promise.¡±

    ¡°Some streetlord you are.¡±

    ¡°Are you really strong if you have to lie to protect what¡¯s yours?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°Act like what you want to be, not what you are. That¡¯s how you achieve your goals.¡±

    Vrith pursed her lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Don¡¯t start spouting off fancy quotes to me. I was around literally less than a day ago when you were shaking so much that you probably raised the temperature of the air around you by a bit.¡±

    ¡°It did sound kind of knowledgeable and wise though, didn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Anything sounds knowledgeable and wise if you¡¯re cryptic enough. The words you speak manifest the reality you experience. See? I can do it too.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good line, actually.¡± Aylin scratched his chin. ¡°I¡¯m taking it.¡±

    Vrith let out a long-suffering sigh. ¡°All yours, boss.¡±

    Aylin¡¯s ears twitched again. He nudged her shoulder and nodded to the entrance of the tent as his features turned serious. ¡°They¡¯re here.¡±

    Vrith adjusted her stance and stepped back to let the shadows at the corner of the tent wash over her. She didn¡¯t quite completely disappear, but even though Aylin knew where she was, he could barely see her.

    Aylin tasted the air again. There were two demons headed toward the tent. He recognized one of them instantly. Goosebumps raced across his skin as his chest tightened.

    Spider.

    The demon was likely coming to check on how his investment had gone. Aylin quickly ran through everything he¡¯d done. He was pretty sure he¡¯d handled things exactly how Spider would have wanted him to.

    That didn¡¯t stop the fear from setting in. There were some things in life that were wise to fear. Fear didn¡¯t exist for no reason. It was the most primal of warning systems. It kept people alive.

    But the fear Aylin felt was tinged with something else ¡ª curiosity, and not just toward Spider. The other demon with him felt strange. Familiar, but at the same time, different. It was a mixture of flavors that he didn¡¯t have nearly enough experience to place before the tent flap was pushed aside.

    Spider stepped inside and held the flap open for a female demon following after him. She was on the shorter side, with beautiful ivory horns that curled up around her head to end in razor-sharp points. Lean muscle covered her body and she seemed to walk in the same manner as a rock sliding down the side of a mountain.

    There was a moment of silence as the two groups stared at each other. Something tickled the back of Aylin¡¯s head. The taste of familiarity grew stronger. His eyes widened as he finally realized who the second demon was.

    ¡°Violet?¡± Aylin exclaimed in disbelief. If he¡¯d been sitting in a chair, he would have leapt straight out of it. His eyes shot over to Spider and he hurriedly gathered himself before he could cause any offense. Greeting her before the unbelievably powerful demon was definitely disrespectful. ¡°Forgive me. I was surprised. Master Spider. I hope you have approved of the work I¡¯ve done in your name.¡±

    Spider let out a laugh and waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve already mentioned I don¡¯t care about honorifics or any of that shit. As long as you listen to my orders, I don¡¯t care if you say my name first or second. And I¡¯m just a fly on the wall. Ignore me. You¡¯ve done a great job, but I¡¯m only here to escort Violet.¡±

    Aylin found it doubtful that Violet had done anything to earn an escort from Spider himself, but he wasn¡¯t about to question the other demon. He stared at Violet, taking in every detail as his mind fought to overlay her new form with the one in his mind.

    Her facial features were all similar. Her horns had definitely gotten nicer, but the more Aylin looked at her, the more he realized that Violet hadn¡¯t truly changed. She¡¯d just become the demon she was always meant to be.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°You look so¡­ well, you. It¡¯s like someone added you to yourself.¡±

    ¡°Eloquent,¡± Violet said with a huge grin. She strode up to stand before him and grabbed him by his sides. Aylin let out a yelp as Violet effortlessly lifted him into the air and spun him in a circle before setting him down again. ¡°And I¡¯ll give you three guesses as to what happened.¡±

    ¡°Spider?¡±

    ¡°Maybe I should have given you less guesses.¡±

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    ¡°It¡¯s kind of a freebie,¡± Aylin agreed. He glanced over to Spider before returning his gaze to Violet. A flicker of trepidation twisted through his stomach. ¡°What did you have to pay for this? You¡¯re okay, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Violet said, clasping Aylin¡¯s shoulders and giving him a reassuring smile. ¡°We¡¯re all wrapped up in this anyway. Spider just gave me the power to defend us. Your job is definitely a lot harder than mine.¡±

    ¡°If you think keeping this little crazed thing alive is easy, then you¡¯ve got another thing coming,¡± Vrith said, but the sarcasm in her voice was overshadowed by shock. ¡°Are you really the girl that was here earlier?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m her and more, courtesy of Spider,¡± Violet replied. Her eyes narrowed and she set her jaw. ¡°Why are you still hanging around? Don¡¯t you have a gang to be managing?¡±

    ¡°I do not. Aylin invited me to be his second and I accepted. A new second will have to be chosen for the Ravagers.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Violet exclaimed. She spun back to look at Aylin. ¡°You chose her? Why?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°She¡¯s been really helpful. If it wasn¡¯t for Vrith, Rekeba would have completely crushed me. Vrith isn¡¯t as intimidating as she looks. She¡¯s actually nice.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s an assassin,¡± Violet said, the suspicion in her tone evident. ¡°It¡¯s good that she helped, but I¡¯ve got your back now. You don¡¯t have to keep a monster like her lurking at our backs.¡±

    Vrith¡¯s eyes narrowed. She took a step forward, her lips pressing thin. ¡°Keep your words to¡ª¡±

    Aylin lifted a hand. Vrith¡¯s mouth snapped shut.

    Huh. I didn¡¯t think that would actually work.

    ¡°I love you Violet, but you don¡¯t know Vrith yet,¡± Aylin said, picking his words carefully. ¡°Jumping to conclusions like this isn¡¯t going to help anybody. Vrith and I have a pretty good deal going, and we need all the help we can get.¡±

    ¡°But can you actually trust her?¡± Violet asked, thrusting a finger in the furred demon¡¯s direction. ¡°A deal is only good as long as both parties get something out of it. How do you know she won¡¯t just turn and stab you in the back at the first opportunity?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not trying to get eviscerated by Spider,¡± Vrith said. She stepped out of the shadows and walked to stand directly before Violet.

    The two demons stared each other down. Aylin went to open his mouth but caught Spider¡¯s eye. The masked demon shook his head and, wisely, Aylin let his mouth close.

    ¡°So the only reason you¡¯re here is because you¡¯re scared,¡± Violet said. She crossed her arms and matched Vrith¡¯s stance. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was saying. You¡¯re obviously competent, but I don¡¯t see any reason to keep someone around that¡¯s only looking out for their own skin. You don¡¯t have anything in the game other than not wanting to die.¡±

    Vrith¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? What is it?¡± Violet pressed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying,¡± Vrith said flatly. ¡°It¡¯s none of your concern.¡±

    ¡°Then how do we know you¡¯re actually on our side?¡±

    ¡°Because I said I am. Aylin and I have a deal that I can¡¯t replace elsewhere. That¡¯s the only explanation you¡¯re getting.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to believe that any deal is irreplicable. That¡¯s not a convincing argument in the slightest,¡± Violet said. She looked at Aylin expectantly. ¡°You can¡¯t tell me I¡¯m wrong here, can you? I don¡¯t know what this deal is but making her your second is a huge commitment. You need to be able to trust your second more than anyone else. A bad second can completely destroy you and everything you¡¯ve built.¡±

    When did Violet learn so much about gangs and how they operate?

    Aylin fought to keep his powers repressed. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally take a bite out of Violet¡¯s energy.

    ¡°This deal is irreplicable,¡± Vrith said before Aylin could say anything. ¡°It¡¯s not something I can get anywhere else. I won¡¯t claim anything to the rest of the guild, but I have Aylin¡¯s back and he knows it.¡±

    Aylin was slightly surprised to taste the truth on Vrith¡¯s words. He¡¯d believed they had a working agreement, but her claim went beyond just that.

    ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth,¡± Aylin said.

    Violet blinked in surprise. ¡°How do you know?¡±

    ¡°I can taste the truth,¡± Aylin replied. ¡°I¡¯m a knowledge demon. There¡¯s a lot I haven¡¯t had a chance to completely catch you up on yet, Violet. We need to fix that as soon as we can, but you can trust me ¡ª and you can trust Vrith as well.¡±

    Spider¡¯s head tilted to the side at his words. Something had caught his attention, but he didn¡¯t say anything and Aylin didn¡¯t ask.

    Violet studied him and Vrith quietly for a few seconds. Then she uncrossed her hands and let them fall to her sides. ¡°Okay. If you trust her, then I¡¯ll trust your judgement. I can¡¯t say I like it. I¡¯m the one that¡¯s going to protect all of us.¡±

    There was more in her voice than just sisterly care. It was the drive that only a demon could understand. Aylin clamped down on his powers, but it was too late. His mind brushed across Violet¡¯s and her eyes widened.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Did you just take a bite out of her?¡± Vrith demanded.

    ¡°No,¡± Aylin said, letting out a relieved breath. ¡°But I may have subconsciously tried to. Sorry, Violet. I learned something big about you and almost stole energy on accident. I¡¯m still figuring out how to keep my strength under control.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s immune? You¡¯re kidding me,¡± Vrith muttered as she looked down at her hands. ¡°Does that mean her Runic energy is stronger than mine? Spider is unfair.¡±

    ¡°I think we should sit down and really discuss what we¡¯re capable of,¡± Violet said slowly.

    ¡°That might be a good idea,¡± Aylin said.

    Vrith glared at him. ¡°Of course you and your sister think it is. You aren¡¯t the ones that are going to get chunks bitten out of them from sharing. I¡¯ll pass.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Violet raised an eyebrow. ¡°So much for that loyalty. Spider ordered me to keep Aylin safe. That includes knowing the abilities of his subordinates.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you in private,¡± Vrith said. She shot a glance at Aylin. ¡°When he isn¡¯t there.¡±

    ¡°You could lie. Aylin is the one that can tell if you¡¯re speaking the truth or not,¡± Violet countered. She crossed her arms again. ¡°I believe Aylin, but I also won¡¯t let myself get blindsided because you decided to hide something from me. I¡¯m taking this seriously. Are you?¡±

    ¡°Violet, it¡¯s fine,¡± Aylin said. ¡°We don¡¯t have to¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Vrith said. She let out a weary sigh. ¡°Violet is right, and I¡¯ve seen demons like her before. She¡¯s a Hoarder.¡±

    ¡°A Hoarder?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°You mean her feeling? How do you know? And what does that have to do with our conversation?¡±

    ¡°Because Hoarders are some of the best damn guards there are. I¡¯ve done jobs on noble houses that use them, and they¡¯ve never gone well,¡± Vrith said as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. ¡°Hoarders are great at protecting things. They don¡¯t like giving their hoard away, after all. And given how Violet is speaking, I¡¯m pretty sure her hoard is us.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the people I care about,¡± Violet corrected. ¡°Don¡¯t include yourself in that.¡±

    Vrith opened her mouth to respond, then let out a pained hiss. She glared at Aylin and he winced.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Vrith just sighed. ¡°I figured it was going to happen. Either way, Violet was right. I haven¡¯t gone up against a Hoarder that gathers other demons, but I¡¯d imagine she¡¯ll be a damn effective guard if you let her do what she wants. If this is part of it, then I¡¯ll do it ¡ª but sitting down rather than standing. I get the feeling it isn¡¯t going to be very fun for me.¡±

    Violet gave Vrith an approving nod and sat down across from her. Aylin hesitated for a second before joining them on the ground.

    I might need to start allocating more food for Vrith. And time. I¡¯m going to have to feed her a while to make up for this.

 Chapter 479: Smiles & Letters

    Noah was pretty sure he¡¯d been forgotten. It wasn¡¯t that he particularly minded that ¡ª he had told Aylin and the others to pretend as if he wasn¡¯t there. He just hadn¡¯t actually expected them to do it.

    That said, he had never been happier to have been forgotten. He¡¯d learned so much about demons in the last few minutes that he was worried he might actually forget some of it. The corner of his mouth quirked up.

    Who would have thought. Demons that live in the Damned Plains actually know a little bit more about themselves than I do. What¡¯s interesting is that Lee knew so little. She understands the basics, but even Aylin knows more about being a demon than she does.

    Is that because she spent all her time alone in the Wastes instead of in a city? I get that the cities were dangerous, but Aylin is weaker than Lee. His whole group is. So how is it they were managing to survive even at Rank 1 when Lee was scared of the cities at Rank 3?

    Noah¡¯s brow furrowed as he thought. Azel had been Lee¡¯s father. He¡¯d known she¡¯d followed him into the mortal plane. Hell, he¡¯d encouraged it. There was no doubt he¡¯d been lurking around Lee for quite some time, probably since she¡¯d been born.

    Could he have intentionally kept Lee away from the other demons? He was a Rank 5. That¡¯s no joke. Azel knew a lot more than he let on. Damn it. I wish I could have been there when he died. Actually, and I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m thinking this, but I wish he hadn¡¯t died. If he could seal Lee and stop her from losing herself, then he knew a lot more than I do.

    But the past was the past. No matter what they knew now, there was no way to turn back time and ask Azel the questions that Noah needed answered. All he could do is move ahead with what he¡¯d learned ¡ª and that wasn¡¯t an insignificant amount.

    Lee and Violet have a lot of similarities. That¡¯s incredibly useful. If I can figure out how Violet¡¯s runes work, I can make progress toward Lee¡¯s as well. For that matter, Aylin also has some similarities with her with his ability to taste things that shouldn¡¯t be tangible like truth. Honestly, that¡¯s an incredible ability.

    That wasn¡¯t Aylin¡¯s only incredible ability. Noah wasn¡¯t sure if he should laugh or rub the bridge of his nose as he looked at the trio of demons sitting in the center of the room. Vrith was laid out flat on the ground, having gotten the energy drained out of her about a dozen times over the course of their conversation.

    Aylin had sent for someone to get food and was absently feeding her as they spoke. He¡¯d propped her head up against his crossed legs. Vrith had objected to it at first due to Violet¡¯s presence, but it had only taken about two more questions before she¡¯d changed her mind.

    I was a bit worried about Violet¡¯s change in personality at first. She was obviously a driven girl before, but the Rank 3 Rune really strengthened her resolve. For a moment it looked like she was going to turn into an obsessed guard that didn¡¯t let Aylin do anything on his own.

    Fortunately, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Violet¡¯s expression had been steadily softening throughout the conversation. The more Aylin and Vrith discussed their abilities and the clearer it became exactly what their deal was, the less Violet seemed to dislike her. Noah could almost pin the point where Violet¡¯s opinion of Vrith switched from distaste to curiosity and then to amusement.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t want anything from us other than to continue doing¡­ this?¡± Violet asked, waving vaguely in Aylin and Vrith¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Vrith said once she¡¯d finished chewing a large grape. ¡°Could you stop asking that? And feel free to ask Aylin to verify this, but I will kill you if you go around telling anyone about this.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s lying,¡± Aylin said.

    Violet snickered as Vrith¡¯s glare bored into Aylin¡¯s skull.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it to myself,¡± Violet promised as she placed a hand over her heart. ¡°But I¡¯m curious. Was the deal that someone has to feed you? Or does it have to be Aylin?¡±

    ¡°This has absolutely nothing to do with the original line of questioning. I will not be answering that.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s telling the truth.¡±

    Violet shrugged and stretched her arms over her head with a yawn. ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. I think I¡¯m satisfied. It doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re going to stab us in the back, so I really don¡¯t care what you think of Aylin.¡±

    ¡°That was a lie,¡± Aylin said automatically. He paused, but it was too late to take back his words. He cleared his throat. ¡°The latter half, that is.¡±

    It was Violet¡¯s turn to glare at Aylin. Vrith joined her, united against a common enemy. ¡°I no longer like this ability. Turn it off.¡±

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    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Aylin said sheepishly. ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m working on learning how to control it, but I¡¯m not very good at that yet.¡±

    ¡°Maybe focus on not ripping energy out of everybody you speak to first,¡± Vrith suggested with a sigh. Then she opened her mouth and gave him a pointed look.

    Aylin fed her another fruit. Noah was starting to get hungry watching them. He wasn¡¯t about to go ask Moxie to feed him, though. That felt like a bit much.

    At least they¡¯ve figured out something that works for all of them. It¡¯s interesting to see how effective the perfect runes are in comparison to the normal Rank 3s here. Vrith is getting snacked on constantly, but Aylin and Violet are equally matched so he can¡¯t accidentally eat her energy. I wonder if he could do it on purpose.

    Noah tapped a finger against his leg. This was good information, but he needed more to decode how to help Lee. There was always the option of testing different qualities and types of runes on a bunch of different demons. That thought made Noah¡¯s lips curl in distaste.

    He was entirely fine with killing anyone that posed a threat to his group or him. Using a ton of demons as nothing more than test subjects¡­ that felt a little far, especially given the things he needed to test.

    I¡¯m not a saint. Never claimed to be. I¡¯m not going to be a monster either. If I¡¯m going to test something, then it¡¯s going to be something that should help someone, not hurt them. There¡¯s no point randomly stuffing runes into demons unless I actually have a proper game plan.

    Therein lay the problem. It didn¡¯t make sense for Lee to try to progress with anything less than flawless runes.

    Azel definitely didn¡¯t have flawless runes, but his personality still got warped and controlled by the feeling he consumed. The worst part is it makes sense. Demons and their runes are strongly connected. You can¡¯t split them apart without killing them, so a hatred demon is going to become hateful.

    If I could find a way to somehow separate that or limit the effect of the rune without significantly weakening Lee, I could solve the first of her two problems.

    The other problem¡­ Noah wasn¡¯t even sure where he could start on that. He still had absolutely no idea how Lee had managed to mash a Master Rune into her combination. It should have been impossible according to everything he knew about runes.

    But, on the other hand, the more he learned about runes, the more he realized that people barely knew anything at all about them.

    Our soul may only be able to actively use seven runes at once¡­ but is that truly the limit as to what you can combine? Master Runes break other rules. Maybe there¡¯s a way to break the rule of seven as well.

    That was something he could test. He didn¡¯t want to waste any of his current Master Runes, though.

    Eh. I¡¯m sure the Damned Plains has Master Runes in it. I¡¯m going to need a whole lot more runes anyway at the rate I¡¯m going through them. I was able to bring Aylin and Violet up to Rank 3 without too much difficulty, but I can¡¯t keep at that forever.

    I¡¯ll be in position to do that pretty soon. Once Aylin collects a bunch of gangs under my banner, it won¡¯t be long before I draw the attention of someone a little more important. I should be able to bargain with them. I just need to get into their equivalent of an auction or learn where a good hunting ground is.

    And if they don¡¯t give me that information¡­ well, if they¡¯re stronger, then they¡¯ll have some decent Runes for me. I get what I want either way. I was kind of betting on taking a few runes from the other streetlords, but nobody else has shown up to challenge Aylin. He might be a bit too good at his job. Maybe I¡¯ll pay a visit to the ones that don¡¯t send word they¡¯ve surrendered by tomorrow.

    Noah shook his head. There were too many ¡®ifs¡¯ to consider that line of thought any further. For the time being, everything was going exactly how he wanted it to. It wouldn¡¯t be long before he had control of the local gangs and enough strength to push his way into a higher level of society, where he could continue gathering strength and runes.

    After I do that, I¡¯ll find a way to get some stronger demons in my favor and keep climbing my way up the ladder until I have a whole damn army ¡ª no pun intended. I¡¯ll upgrade my own runes in the process, fix Lee up, and then beat Wizen¡¯s ass and go back to the mortal plane. Preferably in that order.

    He was more than aware that his plan may have been just a slight tad optimistic, but nothing ever went like he wanted it to anyway. If shit was going to go south, it might as well go south while he was already aiming for more than he had any right to get.

    While he¡¯d been lost in thought, Aylin¡¯s group had wrapped up their conversation and were just sitting around on the ground awkwardly, likely waiting for him to give them an order. He¡¯d just been standing there and staring at them absentmindedly.

    Ah, damn it.

    Noah took a step forward ¡ª and tripped. Something soft and furry had lodged itself in front of his shin. He swore and stumbled, catching himself before he could fall and spinning.

    Then he froze in place. Peering up at him with disdain, nose scrunched in apparent annoyance and eyes twinkling with amusement, was a white-furred cat with glistening red horns. A heartbeat passed as Noah locked eyes with Mascot.

    ¡°You little shit,¡± Noah said, a disbelieving laugh slipping from his mouth as he picked Mascot up. The cat yowled in displeasure but did nothing as Noah scooped him into his arms. ¡°How did you get over here?¡±

    Mascot twisted his head to look up at Noah. The cat gave him a dry look, as if to ask if he was stupid.

    ¡°Can you make a portal back?¡± Noah asked, his chest tightening. ¡°You came here on your own, right?¡±

    Mascot squirmed out of Noah¡¯s grip and dropped to the ground. Then he started licking his nether regions clean. Noah¡¯s lips pressed thin and he blew out a huff. That was a ¡®no¡¯ if he¡¯d ever seen one.

    Wait. I don¡¯t need to go back. Not yet. Even if I could return home, there¡¯s stuff I have to accomplish here first. But Mascot can somehow fucking travel between dimensions. Does that mean¡­

    He crouched next to Mascot and the cat paused, tongue still sticking out of his mouth, to meet his gaze. They stared at each other for a second.

    ¡°A letter,¡± Noah said, his voice taut. ¡°Can you take a letter back to the others?¡±

    And, in response, he could have sworn Mascot smiled.

 Chapter 480: Failed experiments

    Renewal was gaining weight. She was certain of it. After all the food she¡¯d eaten sitting and watching Noah¡¯s group, it would have been hard not to. Not even gods were immune to the laws of nature. Not at her level, at least.

    ¡°I can honestly say that I¡¯m surprised,¡± Decras said from beside her. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have thought that Noah actually planned every single part of this. He¡¯s remarkably good at bullshit.¡±

    ¡°Makes me wonder if he stole a rune from another god,¡± Renewal agreed with a nod. She could barely bring herself to pull her eyes away from the screen. Her eye twitched slightly at the cat at Noah¡¯s side. ¡°He¡¯s certainly good at stealing things.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not so funny when you¡¯re the one getting robbed, is it?¡± Decras asked primly. ¡°I could have handled him if you hadn¡¯t gotten so twisted up about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting my payment back in entertainment. I don¡¯t need you interfering,¡± Renewal said with a glare. ¡°And, as I recall it, your attempt was foiled by yet another mortal that managed to steal from you.¡±

    ¡°Bah,¡± Decras said. He turned away and focused his attention fully on the screen. It was rather embarrassing. He¡¯d gotten robbed not twice, but three times. Three different mortals had each managed to steal power from him. One of them had even been his own man.

    That has to sting. Oh well. He¡¯ll get over it¡­ and maybe he¡¯ll learn to stop letting people take bites out of him. Seriously. There¡¯s a time and a place. Then again, I don¡¯t know how smug I can be. Noah managed to steal from me twice. At least Decras¡¯ little thieves only got the best of him a single time.

    Renewal puffed her cheeks out and blew out an annoyed breath. She distracted herself by studying the glowing screen before them. The small demon boy that Noah had recruited ¡ª Aylin ¡ª was staring at Noah with a mixture of abject awe, fear, and disbelief. Noah had somehow managed to forget his audience during the conversation with his stolen companion, and Renewal could practically hear Aylin¡¯s thoughts just from his expression.

    ¡°He¡¯s wondering just how strong the cat is if it can take Noah by surprise,¡± Decras said with a low chuckle. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ll start worshipping the cat as well.¡±

    Worshipping was the right word. The way Aylin and Violet looked at Noah wasn¡¯t the way soldiers treated a general. It was the way followers looked to a god. The back of Renewal¡¯s neck prickled.

    It wasn¡¯t completely uncommon for someone to manage to form a cult on a mortal plane. Mortals were motivated and stupid, a combination that worked incredibly well to generate energy. There was a reason Renewal and Decras even bothered with tending to their respective followings on the mortal realms.

    But Noah wasn¡¯t trying to become a god. At least, Renewal was fairly certain he wasn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t watch every second of his life ¡ª more like something around ninety percent of it.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think¡ª¡± Renewal started.

    ¡°Of course not,¡± Decras said with a shake of his head. ¡°He¡¯s barely even registered it, Renewal. He wants to try to fix the demon girl¡¯s runes and stop the other thief. That¡¯s it. He¡¯s not trying to harness divinity yet.¡±

    ¡°Yet?¡± Renewal arched an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯d say he¡¯s got quite a way before he can even consider trying to form a Divine Rune ¡ª and if he relies on the faith of others to form it, he won¡¯t get very far. I¡¯m not concerned about him reaching godhood anytime too soon. I¡¯m more wondering if he¡¯ll succeed with the demon runes.¡±

    Decras shook his head. ¡°They¡¯re failed experiments. No matter how hard he tries, that¡¯s what they are. There¡¯s no fixing them. Demons can never form a Divine Rune. They¡¯re little more than animals, controlled more and more by their desires the stronger they grow.¡±

    Renewal tossed a piece of chocolate at Decras¡¯ head. He caught it before it could land, only for a second piece to nail him between the eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re talking with a lot of confidence for someone who gave up on the experiment after playing with it for what amounts to a flicker of time. You barely even tried.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. They were useless to me. When it became clear they could not rule over their own powers, it became pointless to lend them further attention. They are a flawed species without potential to leave the mortal plane.¡± Decras hesitated for a moment longer than normal. Renewal pulled her gaze away from the screen to look at him and raised an eyebrow. The other god noticed her interest and pursed his lips. ¡°I must admit that Lee has caught my attention. She is¡­ interesting.¡±

    ¡°So you admit you were wrong?¡± Renewal prodded. ¡°The demons are more than a failed experiment if one of them has your attention. That also means there¡¯s a chance Lee¡¯s runes can be repaired.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to force a confession from me,¡± Decras said with an irritable frown. ¡°A single demon does not a species save. She is¡­ unique. Perhaps there is a way to repair her. Perhaps there is a way to repair the demons as a whole. I do not know. I do not care.¡±

    ¡°You say that, but you¡¯ve asked me to swap our view to Lee quite frequently. I think you¡¯re rather invested in her success.¡±

    Decras¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°Enough of this. I grow tired of your questioning ¡ª and I have seen enough of the demon children goggling in awe. It reminds me too much of my own idiot supporters. Let us see something else.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡± Renewal asked. ¡°I was rather enjoying it. Noah should be due to meet up with Moxie again quite soon. They haven¡¯t had any time together recently. I¡¯m looking forward to that.¡±

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    ¡°You are a pervert.¡±

    Renewal jerked upright in her chair and choked on her own saliva, coughing into a fist. Once she gathered herself, she glared at Decras. ¡°That was not what I was implying. I just enjoy watching mortals interact. They¡¯re so full of passion and ¡ª oh, nevermind.¡±

    Decras smirked at her. ¡°No, please. Continue. You enjoy watching passion? Do the other gods know of your side hobbies?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t act as if you even talk to any gods other than me,¡± Renewal muttered as she sank back into her chair. ¡°You¡¯ve alienated every single god and goddess in the area with your vile nature. Just tell me what you wanted to see.¡±

    ¡°The other thief,¡± Decras said. His brow tightened and his knuckles lightened as his hand gripped the armrest on his chair. ¡°He did not strike me as a fool, but he has plans in the Damned Plains. I want to know what he seeks¡­ and how likely it is that he succeeds.¡±

    ¡°Why do you care?¡± Renewal asked, tilting her head to the side.

    ¡°Because I want to know if he¡¯ll come into conflict with Noah again,¡± Decras said.

    ¡°Aha! Now you can¡¯t even deny that you care,¡± Renewal said triumphantly. To her surprise, Decras didn¡¯t deny the accusation. He just looked at her out of the corners of his eyes.

    ¡°I do. What do you think will happen if Noah gets his hand on the Master Rune the other thief has ¡ª or worse, if the opposite happens?¡±

    Renewal grimaced. She didn¡¯t say another word. She just turned to the screen and waved her hand. Noah and his growing group of followers vanished, replaced by a glistening wave of gold.

    ***

    Wizen leaned heavily against his staff and blew out a slow sigh. ¡°I suppose this will have to do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s certainly a fixer-upper,¡± Barb agreed from beside him. She checked the necklace around her neck with her good hand, then nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like any of the others had any difficulty.¡±

    ¡°I would hope they didn¡¯t,¡± Wizen said with a dry laugh. ¡°We haven¡¯t even started. If any of us were having problems after preparing for this long, I would be poorly prepared indeed. These first steps are just laying the ground. It will be some time before our influence extends to the City of Gold.¡±

    Barb nodded. The ground squelched beneath her feet and she grimaced. She wiped her hand off on her apron, leaving a streak of blood across its already-stained surface. ¡°Can we clean this place up a bit? If we¡¯re going to be living out of it for the next few months, I¡¯d prefer to make it a bit more homely. Maybe a nice little welcome mat at the door. A hand-carved sign.¡±

    ¡°Do what you want,¡± Wizen said with a wave. ¡°You have your toys. I have mine.¡±

    He turned. The blood splattered across the floor in the cave at their feet squelched again as he walked across the room, passing by the heaps of dead demons strewn across it. A single one remained alive.

    His once glistening silver armor was cracked and shattered. A large, weeping gash ran across the center of his chest and one of his eyes had been put out. The demon was at the cusp of death.

    Wizen¡¯s lips curled up. He¡¯d already forgotten the threats the demon had given him when he and Barb had walked into his ¡°throne¡± room. Having a throne in a mansion hardly felt like a throne. It was just a fancy chair.

    ¡°Are you prepared to answer my question now?¡± Wizen asked.

    ¡°Just kill me,¡± the demon wheezed. ¡°Skolas will kill you when you come for him.¡±

    ¡°Skolas. That¡¯s the king of this walking city?¡± Wizen asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°A Rank 6? 7?¡±

    ¡°Rank 7.¡± A flicker of smug anger, the final victory of a dying man knowing that his killer would not be long in following him, crossed the demon¡¯s broken features. ¡°You will die an agonizing death for attempting to usurp him.¡±

    A dry laugh slipped from Wizen¡¯s lips. He knelt down and pressed his hand to the demon¡¯s skull, digging his fingers into the top of his red-skinned head. ¡°A Rank 7 demon will not end me, wretch.¡±

    The demon groaned in pain as Wizen rose, lifting him into the air. His one eye met Wizen¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Your race is weak,¡± Wizen whispered, bringing their faces so close together that he could taste the fear on the dying man¡¯s breath. ¡°You believe you rule emotion. That you can grow stronger through them. You are wrong.¡±

    ¡°Stop rambling and kill me.¡±

    Wizen¡¯s lips pulled apart in a mixture of a snarl and a smile. ¡°You do not rule your emotions. Your emotions rule you. Demons are a race of slaves, shackled by their own minds. I can see that you do not believe me, but I am honest man. Allow me to prove it to you by taking those shackles from you.¡±

    The demon didn¡¯t get a chance to answer. Wizen unleashed his Mind Runes, sending their energy worming out from his fingers and into the demon¡¯s skull. The demon¡¯s back arched as he screamed in pain, his will desperately rising up to fight against the Mind Magic.

    Wizen blew his meager resistance to the side like a wildfire tearing through a dry field of wheat. Spikes of energy ripped into the demon¡¯s psyche. They dug into his mind and carved apart mental walls.

    Anger rose to meet the mental assault¡ª the last remnants of the demon¡¯s pride. It slammed into his magic. For an instant, their willpower locked each other in place. Both stood still, unable to move.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Wizen whispered. ¡°The extent of the anger you are so proud of? Are you not a demon of wrath? Of pride? And this is all you can muster?¡±

    For a moment, the fury intensified. The final push of a dying man. It pressed Wizen¡¯s magic back by the faintest amount. The demon¡¯s lips curled in smug amusement as Wizen gave way and his eye refocused to stare down the old man.

    The demon froze.

    Wizen met the demon¡¯s gaze and smiled.

    ¡°Forgive me. I was having a little fun at your expense,¡± Wizen said.

    Then he released the full strength of his runes. The demon¡¯s final defense evaporated in less than a flicker of an instant, buried completely under an immense wave of force. All the anger that he was so proud of disappeared in a flash, and all that remained in his mind was Wizen¡¯s immense presence.

    The demon screamed, thrashing in an attempt to free himself from the old mage¡¯s hand, but it was impossible. No matter how hard he struggled, Wizen¡¯s grasp didn¡¯t so much as budge.

    ¡°Do you see now?¡± Wizen asked. ¡°All those emotions you¡¯re so proud of are nothing in the face of absolute fear. You are nothing.¡±

    Wizen let go. The demon fell to the ground, landing on his knees and slumping back. The whites of his eyes were exposed as he looked up in abject terror. He no longer held his own chains. He couldn¡¯t so much as mutter a word without Wizen¡¯s permission.

    Demons. Bah. When you give yourself so utterly to one emotion, you expose yourself to all the others. So powerful ¡ª and yet, so weak. So easy to control.

    ¡°Answer my question,¡± Wizen said. ¡°Do you understand now?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the demon whispered.

    ¡°I am pleased to have been your teacher.¡± Wizen smiled and leaned closer, his eyes going dark. ¡°Now ¡ª tell me of Sievan. Tell me of the demon that is rumored to have passed through the afterlife and returned.¡±

 Chapter 481: Smile

    Noah shot out of the tent, Mascot clutched in his hands and held before him with locked arms like a petulant child. He didn¡¯t bother waiting around to see what the demons thought of the cat¡¯s arrival. It would take too long to explain everything, so it was easier to just let them come to their own conclusions.

    He pulled aside a random demon in the camp and ordered them to bring a writing tool and some paper. They hurried off and came back just a minute later holding what he needed, their face pale with fear. Noah took it from them, gave them a curt nod, and then strode off to find Moxie and Lee with the supplies stuffed into his travel bag.

    He arrived at his tent and poked his head inside. Fortunately, both women were already there, sitting in a pair of plant chairs that Moxie had formed to fill out the rather barren room.

    Lee had a bag of food tucked under an arm and was happily crunching away on it. Noah couldn¡¯t see what was in the bag but it smelled vaguely citrusy. The loud cracks coming from whatever she was grinding down between her jaws really didn¡¯t align with anything citrus-associated, but there were bigger problems at hand.

    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Moxie asked, turning to him and freezing as she spotted the cat in his hands. She leapt to her feet in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve got Mascot? How?¡±

    ¡°He somehow portaled into the Damned Plains,¡± Noah replied. Mascot sent him an irate look as he walked over to the chairs. The cat didn¡¯t seem too pleased with his method of transportation. Then again, he hadn¡¯t teleported away or attacked Noah yet, so he couldn¡¯t have been too annoyed.

    ¡°Can he¡ª¡±

    Noah shook his head. ¡°Unfotunately not. At least, I¡¯m pretty sure he can¡¯t. Maybe he just doesn¡¯t want to. Getting a way out of here was my first thought as well, but I think we¡¯ll need to look for a different angle for that.¡±

    Disappointment washed over Moxie¡¯s features. Lee took a handful of something from her bag and tossed it into her mouth, continuing to crunch away.

    ¡°Damn,¡± Moxie said, her shoulders slumping. She reached out and scratched the top of Mascot¡¯s head, just behind his horns. The cat purred. ¡°What¡¯s he doing over here? He didn¡¯t bring a bunch of monsters with him to mess with us, did he?¡±

    Noah hesitated. That was definitely a possibility. He hadn¡¯t seen anything, but Mascot did have a penchant for showing up with something big and ugly on his tail. The cat definitely liked watching them fight ¡ª or perhaps he just liked watching them kill things. Both were probably equally likely.

    ¡°That probably remains to be seen. I haven¡¯t noticed anything yet,¡± Noah said. He walked over to Moxie¡¯s chair and stole it, flopping down. The soft vines gave in more than he¡¯d expected and he sank into them as the chair molded to his back. ¡°Whoa. This is really comfortable.¡±

    Mascot yowled in warning and Noah glanced back just in time to see Moxie sitting down even in spite of his attempted theft. He held Mascot up as Moxie lowered herself into his lap and leaned back against his chest. She twisted her head to send him a smug look. ¡°Thanks. You¡¯re a bit less comfortable, but I suppose I¡¯ll have to settle.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were trying to conserve your seeds,¡± Noah said as he shifted Mascot over Moxie¡¯s head and dropped him onto her lap. The cat padded in a small circle before curling up and lowering his head with a contented purr.

    ¡°I was.¡± Moxie wiggled around to get more comfortable and got her hair caught in Noah¡¯s mouth in the process. ¡°These aren¡¯t made from my normal seeds. I was testing my rune on a slab of meat. A bit of a waste, but it worked.¡±

    Noah craned his neck back and tried to get the hair out of his mouth. The attempt failed and, after a few seconds, he gave up and accepted his fate. ¡°There¡¯s something a little weird about sitting on plants made out of meat.¡±

    ¡°They aren¡¯t made out of meat. They¡¯re just using the energy from it,¡± Moxie corrected. ¡°Normal plants aren¡¯t made out of dirt and sunlight, you know. Also, why are you eating my hair? Don¡¯t give Lee any ideas, please.¡±

    Noah glared at Moxie and she smirked in response. Letting out a huff, Noah decided the only winning move was to not even respond.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t eat any part of you,¡± Lee said defensively. She paused for a second, watching them with more than just a little curiosity in her eyes. ¡°But¡­ just for the sake of expanding my knowledge, does Moxie¡¯s hair taste good?¡±

    Noah stared at Lee. That wasn¡¯t a question someone who wasn¡¯t planning on eating someone asked. Of course, Lee would never try to actually eat Moxie, but he didn¡¯t put it past her to not take a nibble of some hair to test it out.

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    Moxie arched an eyebrow and gave him a playful grin. ¡°Does my hair not taste good? Now I¡¯m offended.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to get chomped?¡± He untangled a hand from Moxie and reached into his travel bag, pulling out the writing supplies he¡¯d just gotten. Moxie stiffened, the smile vanishing from her face as she realized what he was holding.

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Moxie breathed. ¡°We can write a letter back!¡±

    ¡°There we go.¡± It was Noah¡¯s turn to look smug, though the effect was somewhat lost because Moxie¡¯s hair was still covering half of his face. ¡°Mascot can¡¯t or won¡¯t bring us back, but he can definitely take a letter back. At the very least we can let everyone know that we¡¯re okay.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure Mascot will do it?¡± Lee asked. ¡°That seems like a lot of work.¡±

    Noah reached around Moxie¡¯s waist to scratch the cat¡¯s back. ¡°Sure he will. I don¡¯t know where Jalen is, but after Mascot delivers the letter, he can go get any form of payment he wants from him.¡±

    ¡°Do you have a deal with Jalen about that or something?¡±

    ¡°Nah, but he¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯s rich ¡ª and he isn¡¯t here to say no, is he?¡±

    ¡°No, I guess he isn¡¯t.¡± Moxie burst into laughter, but it quickly petered off. She leaned her head back against Noah¡¯s shoulder and a small frown crossed her features. ¡°What can we even say, though? I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be lucky enough to even have a conversation with the others until we got out of here. I¡¯ve been thinking over what I wish I told Emily before we left¡­ but now I don¡¯t even know what to say.¡±

    ¡°I think saying we¡¯re alive and planning to return once all this shit is dealt with is probably the most important thing we can do. If possible, hopefully Mascot can also bring us back a letter from them. I want to make sure they¡¯re keeping up with their studies and practice.¡±

    ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s what you¡¯re concerned about?¡±

    ¡°They need to be stretching as well. And eating,¡± Lee advised. ¡°Both are important for growing bodies.¡±

    ¡°So they are,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°And training doesn¡¯t stop just because we¡¯re gone. I don¡¯t know what Arbitage has done or plans to do with them since we aren¡¯t there anymore. I¡¯d like an update, even if it¡¯s a boring one.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s back stiffened against him. ¡°Shit. You¡¯re right. Emily should be fine due to her heritage, but nothing has stopped Jakob or Verrud from keeping up with their bullshit. I hope they¡¯re all safe.¡±

    ¡°They are,¡± Noah said. He rustled the paper in his hand. ¡°The kids are resourceful, and they¡¯ve got enough connections to pull now. Let¡¯s just figure out what to say to them and get it sent out before some more shit happens here. I don¡¯t think the demons are going to be silent for much longer.¡±

    Moxie nodded and Lee leaned forward in her chair as the three of them started to draft out their letter.

    ***

    ¡°What do you think of The Web?¡± Aylin asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little plain,¡± Torrick said hesitantly, watching Vrith with wary eyes as he spoke. Even though Aylin had introduced everyone to her again properly, he didn¡¯t blame the boy for being intimidated. Vrith was not a very kind looking demon.

    ¡°Plain can be good,¡± Vrith said. ¡°It¡¯s also bold. The more generic your name is, the more chance it ends up treading on the territory of another gang and angering some hot-headed fool.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be wise to keep our name something a little more inconspicuous? People would be less likely to attack us if we sounded boring,¡± Violet said.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s far too late for inconspicuous,¡± Aylin said with a shake of his head. ¡°And we¡¯ve got me, you, and Vrith. That isn¡¯t even counting Spider and his companions. I¡¯d say we¡¯re strong enough to start taking some liberties. That¡¯ll also show the other gangs that we aren¡¯t afraid to throw our weight around, right?¡±

    Vrith nodded. ¡°You¡¯re learning quickly. I guess that¡¯s to be expected. I think the name fits, especially given that Spider is the one at the top. I think it works, and we need a name sooner rather than later. If we¡¯re bringing the other gangs under us, we can¡¯t let them keep their names.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Edda asked. She¡¯d found something to chew on, but Aylin wasn¡¯t sure what it was. He decided not to ask. She¡¯d never gotten sick from eating anything, so she¡¯d probably be okay.

    ¡°It lets them keep too much of their former identities,¡± Vrith said, sending a glance at Aylin to make sure the new information hadn¡¯t accidentally triggered his abilities. ¡°They need to view it as joining a new gang, and they need to recognize Aylin as their streetlord. Even if we keep their organization just to avoid a huge mess, the chain of command needs to be evident.¡±

    ¡°I agree. I guess we¡¯ll go with The Web, then,¡± Violet said. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. Aylin was tempted to do the same. It had been a very, very long day. He wasn¡¯t quite ready to kill for some sleep, but he wasn¡¯t far from it.

    ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll be before the Silent Silverfang responds to what happened?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°And what about the other gangs, for that matter?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Vrith said confidently. Her features darkened. ¡°Word has spread by now. Anyone planning to make a move is going to be smart enough not to try it on their own. We should be prepared for a difficult day.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I kind of figured.¡± Aylin sighed. He drew in a deep breath and let it out as he shook his head. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go back over the plan one last time before we get some sleep. We need to be ready for everything that¡¯s coming our way, even if we don¡¯t know all of what it¡¯ll be yet.¡±

    ¡°How do you prepare for something that you don¡¯t know?¡± Torick asked.

    ¡°By having lots of plans ¡ª and by filling in Spider, Moxie, and Lee on them.¡±

    Torrick swallowed. ¡°How¡­ how many plans, exactly? There are a lot of things that can go wrong.¡±

    Aylin¡¯s response was a smile that sent shivers down the spines of every single demon sitting in the room.

 Chapter 482: Get

    A gentle breeze curled through the dark streets of Treadon. Night wrapped the city in its heavy cloak, broken only by the motes of dim lanternlight scattered throughout the streets. The distant murmur of conversation and the echo of footsteps through the streets brushed across Gex¡¯s ears as he crept toward the market square, a poisoned dagger held in a loose grip at his side.

    The scent of dust and rusted metal clung to him as he advanced. It stung his nose and made his eyes water slightly, but it obscured his scent with that of the streets. He was a ghost passing through the night. And, when his work was over and he returned home, there would be another ghost to take his place in the shadows.

    Gex was a professional. At least, he¡¯d swear up and down that he was. He¡¯d been doing this for longer than most demons that lived in the streets had been alive. The names of all the people he¡¯d sent on into the next life evaded him, but as did the number. Neither mattered any more.

    All that mattered was accomplishing the job. A Rank 3 demon was a little stronger than his usual prey. It wasn¡¯t a task he normally would have accepted, but it had only taken a single look at the pay he¡¯d been offered to accept without a second of hesitation.

    He¡¯d never gotten a look at his employer. That was how things were. A masked meeting in a dark room, the passing of coin from one hand to the other, and the promise of a life ended. It was not his role to wonder why the job had been placed or who had ordered it.

    But this job was different. Mask or not, the demon who had placed the order had stood over twice Gex¡¯s height. Even a cloak and mask, his imposing figure was impossible to conceal, as was the gravelly tone he spoke in. It had sounded like the demon had subsisted on a diet of sand and rock for the past fifty years. But, despite the voice, he had spoken like a noble.

    It wasn¡¯t just that. The huge demon had moved with the confidence of a warrior. There was no fear or jitter in his motions, an oddity for Gex¡¯s normal clientele. That wasn¡¯t a problem.

    He¡¯d worked with demons far greater than himself before. Some kills were just beneath them. What Gex did take issue with, however, was twofold. To be more specific, it was two demons.

    Taking on risky jobs was no problem ¡ª but Gex worked alone. He¡¯d always had, and up until he¡¯d seen the pay offered for handling this job, he¡¯d always planned to. Adding others into the mix just complicated things.

    It meant less money for the kill. More chances for something to go wrong. More ways to be betrayed. But, when he¡¯d seen the huge bag of coin, all those misgivings had gone out the door. There were some things worth the extra risk.

    At least, that¡¯s what he¡¯d thought. He wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. Something deep within Gex¡¯s stomach twisted and churned. The night was still and empty. There was no reason to be concerned. He hadn¡¯t seen hide nor hair of the two other assassins creeping through the dark, but he knew they were there.

    All of them sought the same target. They¡¯d all been paid, so there was no reason for them to come into conflict with each other. All that mattered was the target¡¯s death. It should have been one of the most straightforward tasks that Gex had ever taken ¡ª but his gut screamed otherwise.

    For that reason, Gex hesitated. He hadn¡¯t lived this long by ignoring his instincts. He extended every sense in search of what was unnerving him. The camp wasn¡¯t anything special. If anything, it was pathetic.

    They had no security perimeter. No proper guard. Not even proper lighting to prevent someone like him from striding past the tents and heading for the large one at the back of the square without so much as a suspicious glance.

    And yet, sweat rolled down the back of Gex¡¯s neck like a thin river. His pallid skin felt clammy and cold and his knuckles were white around the hilt of his dagger. No matter how hard he searched, nothing seemed off.

    Nothing was out of place.

    So what is this feeling? I¡¯m already behind schedule. I should have been in and out already, the task complete. One of the other assassins has probably already handled it. All of us are Rank 3. We¡¯ve handled streetlords that got too big for their station before.

    No amount of thought helped. Gex¡¯s mind found absolutely nothing amiss, but the rest of his body disagreed.

    It makes no sense. If something had gone wrong, I would have already heard something. I¡¯ve been so delayed that at least one of the other assassins should have run into any defenses this Aylin has.

    The back of Gex¡¯s neck prickled and he hesitated. They couldn¡¯t run into anything if they weren¡¯t actually there. He adjusted his grip on the dagger to make sure the cold sweat building on his palms didn¡¯t let the weapon grow slippery.

    Is it possible they didn¡¯t come? Am I the only one here?

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    He quashed the thoughts. This was the exact reason he worked alone. Adding others into the mix just complicated things. Whether the other demons were there or not, it didn¡¯t matter. He had a task to complete and no reason to delay further.

    Gex crept toward the large tent. He stayed low to the ground and partially blended with the long night shadows, making sure no errant eye would spot him. The unease in his stomach was just nerves. The night was odd, but there was nothing to be¡ª

    A band slammed into Gex¡¯s mouth, wrapping around it with an iron grip and muffling the surprised gasp before it could escape his mouth. Bands enveloped his body in an instant, slamming his arms to his side and sending his dagger clattering to the ground as they crushed his limbs against his torso.

    Gex struggled furiously ¡ª and fruitlessly ¡ª as he felt his body lifted into the air. He could just barely see small flowers sprouting along the edges of the vines he¡¯d been bound with, bearing with them a faint, sweet scent.

    A tent flap parted beneath Gex and a woman stepped out, her red hair falling around her shoulders like a cloak of burning grass. The vines holding him ran out from one of her shirt sleeves.

    ¡°Damned Plains,¡± the woman muttered. ¡°Another one? This is getting ridiculous.¡±

    Gex¡¯s blood ran cold. If his mouth hadn¡¯t been completely plugged by a vine, he would have let loose with every curse known to demonkind. This was the exact reason he worked alone. At least one of the other idiots had gotten caught.

    The vines tightened around Gex. Every scrap of power in his body amounted to absolutely nothing. He struggled with all the strength his runes gave him, but the thick vines were more like metal than organic matter. The only thing he was capable of was wiggling his fingers and toes.

    Fear arced through him like lightning. External magic. A Rank 4 demon at the minimum. That hadn¡¯t been in the job description.

    He fought to keep his nerves under control. He¡¯d been in some poor situations before. None quite so bad as this, but he¡¯d talked his way out of more than one trap in his lifetime. Nobody cared about hired assassins. They cared about the person that hired them.

    There¡¯s no way both of the others have been caught. One should still be out there. If they notice what¡¯s going on, they can kill this woman while I keep her distracted questioning me. It¡¯ll make all of our jobs easier if there aren¡¯t any witnesses. All I have to do is buy time while she¡¯s questioning me.

    But, to Gex¡¯s confusion, the woman didn¡¯t release his mouth. She didn¡¯t even call for help. She just studied him, annoyance and contemplation intermixing in her features. Gex¡¯s limbs started to go numb at the force he was getting crushed.

    ¡°You interrupted me,¡± the woman said, her voice taut with anger. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have tried to do something during the day? Why now? I was comfortable.¡±

    Gex would have been thrilled to answer and direct her attention in any direction he possibly could have, but she still hadn¡¯t made any move to actually allow him to speak. Thin points of pain pressed into his chest and arms. The vines were growing thorns. His eyes widened and he tried to struggle even harder, but it did nothing. The woman didn¡¯t even seem to notice.

    The flaps to the large tent parted. Gex didn¡¯t let his eyes betray anything, but hope shot through his body like adrenaline. Their job was done. Rank 4 or not, a dagger to the back of the neck was more than enough to¡ª

    ¡°I¡¯m done, Moxie.¡±

    The first woman glanced over her shoulder. Gex followed her gaze, and his heart dropped into his stomach. The young demon that had emerged from the tent hadn¡¯t been an assassin. She was another one of the demons from the camp.

    Why won¡¯t they let me speak? Do they plan to take me prisoner? For what purpose? What are they playing at?

    ¡°And?¡± Moxie asked, tilting her head to the side and ignoring Gex completely. ¡°Did you get anything useful?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. There were just three of them, and they got hired by some big demon with a scratchy voice.¡±

    Gex¡¯s stomach couldn¡¯t drop any farther, but he was pretty sure it had died and its ghost was in freefall toward the center of the world.

    Fuck me. One of the other assholes already sold the rest of us out before I could. This is exactly why I work alone. Why in the Damned Plains did I take this blasted job? My only hope is that the last assassin hasn¡¯t been caught yet. Two demons are a lot. I don¡¯t know why there¡¯s a Rank 4 in a streetlord¡¯s camp, but there¡¯s no way there¡¯s more than one. As long as she goes down first¡ª

    ¡°Did you remember to leave the second one intact?¡± Moxie asked.

    The younger demon cleared her throat. ¡°I¡­ may have gotten hungry. It¡¯s hard to fight quietly. You said to make sure No ¡ª uh, Spider didn¡¯t wake up. That costs extra. Snack tax. Maybe eating more will help me fix my Rank 4 Rune.¡±

    No. It can¡¯t be possible. A second Rank 4? Is she lying? No. There¡¯s no reason for her to lie. This was a setup. It has to be. A foreign invasion force, starting with the underground of the city and moving up to swallow it whole.

    ¡°Snack ¡ª oh, whatever,¡± Moxie said wearily. ¡°I just wanted a little time to spend with Spider. Is that really too much to ask? It¡¯s colder out here than I expected, and I was so comfortable in bed. Combustion makes him so warm. Like a portable heater.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. He¡¯s still asleep. I can smell it.¡±

    What kind of conversation is this? They¡¯re acting as if I¡¯m not even here! Damn it all. There has to be a way out. Let me speak, you bitches! How do you know I don¡¯t know something the others didn¡¯t?

    ¡°You know what? You¡¯re right,¡± Moxie said. The vines constricting around Gex¡¯s body tightened. He would have abandoned what little pride he had and screamed for help, but even that was denied to him. ¡°If this one¡¯s number three, then as long as I get rid of him, we can pretend as if our night didn¡¯t get interrupted at all. Good thinking, Lee. I just have to make sure this is quiet so Spider doesn¡¯t wake up.¡±

    Her gaze finally lifted to meet Gex¡¯s. There wasn¡¯t a single scrap of interest in Moxie¡¯s eyes. There was only annoyance ¡ª and impatience. She lifted her hand toward Gex. Her fist clenched.

    The vines constricted in a flicker of an instant, and darkness enveloped Gex¡¯s vision. His scream, along with the crunching of his bones, were both swallowed by the thick vines. He only had time for one final thought before the pain cut out and his consciousness vanished from the Damned Plains.

    I hope I get to watch from the afterlife when they find the noble Wastelicker that fucked me over.

 Chapter 483: Rune plans

    The night was far too long to fully sleep through. By Noah¡¯s estimate, the day-night cycle was something around two and a half times longer than the one back in the mortal plane. He woke nestled in a bed of soft vines with Moxie laying on top of him.

    Her hair somehow still smelled like strawberries, which was a mystery. It wasn¡¯t like they had any fancy soaps in the Damned Plains, nor had they had a chance to take a proper bath yet ¡ª an issue he was going to need to rectify soon.

    Does she normally just smell like this? Or does she have some secret?

    Lee murmured from a bed beside them. Noah glanced over, the dim light from the moon filtering in through the crack in the tent flap just enough to see by. Lee gnawed on the side of a thick vine in her sleep and judging by the large bites taken out of the bed all around her, it wasn¡¯t the first one to fall victim.

    It was an odd feeling to wake up in the middle of the night feeling completely rested. Noah¡¯s body told him that it was time to go back to bed, but his head told him that he¡¯d gotten all the sleep he needed and there was too much to do to sit around for much longer.

    Moxie stirred. Her hands dug into his jacket and she yawned, her eyes fluttering open. She peered up at him and scrunched her nose.

    ¡°What time is it?¡±

    ¡°Night,¡± Noah replied, somewhat unhelpfully. ¡°I think it¡¯s been about six or seven hours, but I can¡¯t be certain.¡±

    Moxie pushed herself up, pushing Noah back into the bed in the process. She brushed the hair out of her face and grinned down at him before shifting to the side so he could sit as well. The smile faded and she blew out an annoyed breath.

    ¡°We had some visitors last night.¡±

    ¡°We did? What happened? Nobody woke me up.¡±

    ¡°I had ulterior motives. They¡¯re dead now,¡± Moxie said with a shrug. ¡°Just a few Rank 3 Demon assassins with pretty bad Runes. Lee and I handled everything before they got anywhere near Aylin.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± The last vestiges of weariness slipped away and Noah blinked fully awake. ¡°Did you get any information from them?¡±

    ¡°They were assassins for hire, but not very good ones. Just random hitmen. Some giant demon contracted them and paid a ridiculous amount of money for them to kill Aylin. Sounds like we got the attention of someone with a bit of influence.¡±

    ¡°Perfect. Things are falling into place, then. They¡¯re aware of my presence. While Aylin continues bringing the streetlords together, I can start moving to enter whatever their higher society is here. I¡¯ve still got my eyes set on an auction. It¡¯ll be a bit before we get the attention of anyone really strong, but we need to get stronger before we start rubbing elbows with any of them.¡±

    ¡°We may get more attention than we want if we keep expanding at this rate. Might be better to move faster than slower,¡± Moxie suggested. She swung her legs out of bed and rose to her feet. She yawned and stretched her arms over her head before shaking her head and combing her hair back with her fingers. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing a lot of work practicing my pattern inside my mind. I think it¡¯s getting closer to the point where I can use it in a fight. I want to get a good hold of it before I start really figuring out what other runes I invest in.¡±

    ¡°Probably a good idea,¡± Noah said with a nod. There was more than a little risk involved in imbuing a pattern with magic ¡ª but Moxie wasn¡¯t one of his students. She had far more experience and training than they did, and she knew her limits. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a chance to test Crumbling Space as much as I¡¯d like to, but I¡¯ve been learning. I¡¯m going to try to make some more Rank 4 Runes while I continue perfecting it, then rework everything at the end.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably the best way to do it as long as the rune is actually functional and close enough to your final goal,¡± Moxie agreed. She lowered her voice and squinted at Noah. ¡°But only you could say you¡¯re going to make Runes in that tone and actually mean make them from scratch instead of combining them normally. Do you already know what you¡¯re making next?¡±

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    ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea, and I¡¯ve got a lot of the runes I¡¯ll need as well,¡± Noah said. He got out of bed and stood up beside Moxie. They both paused as Lee muttered something under her breath through a mouthful of foliage.

    She was still somehow asleep but that hadn¡¯t stopped her from eating over half of her bed. Her head and shoulders hung over its side as she chewed on a stray vine. She was a small nudge away from falling on her head.

    Noah scooped her out of her bed and carried her over to Moxie¡¯s, gently setting her down in its middle. Lee let out a satisfied murmur and rolled over, clutching Moxie¡¯s pillow to her chest and immediately starting to nibble on it.

    ¡°Menace,¡± Moxie muttered, unable to suppress a small laugh. She shook her head and looked back to Noah. ¡°What¡¯s your next Rune? Another space one?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I think I¡¯m going to take a page out of Brayden¡¯s book. Crumbling Space is powerful, but more mobility would be really useful. I want something that lets me teleport.¡±

    ¡°Not a simple rune.¡±

    ¡°When you¡¯re making them yourself, are any?¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes and raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Point to you. What kind of disaster lets you teleport, though?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got the beginnings of an idea, but nothing too solid yet,¡± Noah admitted. He rubbed the back of his neck and chewed the insides of his cheeks. ¡°I don¡¯t want to jinx anything yet. You¡¯ll just have to wait and see.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just cold. Not even a hint?¡± Moxie peered at him with wide, innocent eyes that couldn¡¯t have possibly been faker. Noah¡¯s defenses crumbled instantly.

    ¡°I was thinking Spatial Storm or the like,¡± Noah said. ¡°That scope might be a bit too wide, though. It sounds more like a Rank 5 Rune, so probably something like a controlled Spatial Storm. I haven¡¯t figured out the wording yet.¡±

    A smug smile crossed Moxie¡¯s lips. Something told Noah she was more interested in just getting him to share his plans than she was in what they actually were.

    ¡°What new runes do you need for that? I thought you got a lot of space related runes already.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. The storm part needs some different runes,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t figured that part out yet. I was going to kind of play it by ear while I gathered some more runes. Once I weasel my way into an auction I¡¯ll be able to see what kind of stuff is up for sale down here. Until then, I¡¯ll just get all the runes I can ¡ª and not just for myself. I¡¯ve been using my reserves up at a pretty alarming rate.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going hunting for runes, then?¡±

    Noah nodded. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Lee already showed us what to do. You want to come?¡±

    Moxie glanced over to Lee. She hesitated for a second. ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to, I really shouldn¡¯t. We¡¯ve got too much attention on the camp right now. We don¡¯t know if someone will try something while you¡¯re gone.¡±

    ¡°Egh. You¡¯re probably right. I¡¯ll try not to take too long, then. As long as I use my flying sword this shouldn¡¯t take more than a few hours. I¡¯m just going to grab a bunch of runes and then come back. Do you think you could try to figure out who hired the assassins while I¡¯m gone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, but no promises. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve got much of an information pipeline with the gang as it is right now,¡± Moxie said, not sounding particularly confident. She gave him a half-shouldered shrug. ¡°Just don¡¯t be gone too long. You¡¯ve got a lot of dominos set up to fall.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯ll be three hours or so.¡± Noah grabbed his grimoire and slung it over his shoulder before holding out his gourd. ¡°Can you hold onto this for me?¡±

    She took it carefully, her features growing serious. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll keep it safe. Try not to need it, though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Noah promised. He scooped up his flying sword and took a step toward the exit of the tent, but Moxie caught his arm. Glancing back at her, Noah blinked. ¡°What is it?¡±

    Moxie stared at him primly. She gently set the gourd on the remains of Lee¡¯s bed before crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow. Noah stared at her for a second before he realized what she was waiting for.

    He leaned in and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing his lips to hers.

    ¡°No,¡± Lee murmured in her sleep, turning over. ¡°Don¡¯t eat Moxie yet, Noah. I ¡ª I want to taste her hair first.¡±

    It took everything Noah had to avoid bursting into laughter. He and Moxie pulled apart. The bright red tinging Moxie¡¯s cheeks told him she was having a similar issue.

    ¡°Good luck with that. It¡¯s entirely your fault, by the way,¡± Noah said with a snicker.

    Moxie flicked him in the chest. ¡°Get out of here, idiot. I¡¯ll see you soon.¡±

    Noah nodded. He wrapped his face with the desert scarf before turning and striding out of the tent. He tossed his flying sword to the ground and stepped onto it. Flying into Treadon might have been ill advised, but he had a persona to keep now ¡ª and guards weren¡¯t going to be bothered about someone leaving the city.

    The sword hummed to life and Noah shot off, lifting into the sky and zipping away from the massive walking city. He craned his neck back to watch the huge turtle as he flew away from it. The enormous monster had still yet to take a single step since they¡¯d arrived, but it looked closer to touching the ground than it had been when they¡¯d arrived.

    Noah turned away from the city and looked to the Wastes. He had some runes to speed through harvesting ¡ª and then the real fun would begin.

 Chapter 484: Introduction

    True to his word, Noah only hunted for a few hours. He used his flying sword to locate one of the populated cave systems and waded through it, tearing through everything in his path with Natural Disaster and Crumbling Space before Sundering their souls.

    His grimoire ate well. It snagged runes from the air with streamers of paper, devouring them as quickly as Noah could kill their former owners. It was so easy that it almost scared Noah. The monsters in this area of the Wastes weren¡¯t particularly powerful.

    The strongest ones were only Rank 3, and just barely at that. He ripped through their defenses before they even had a chance to realize what was happening and the runes were plucked from the air with terrifying speed.

    If anyone had lived to tell the tale, the other demons probably wouldn¡¯t have believed them. Noah would have felt a little bad about it if any of the demons he¡¯d been fighting were fully intelligent, but the only ones rushing him like mindless savages were ¡ª well, exactly that. They¡¯d fallen completely into their runes and had no proper semblance of intelligence left.

    Once his hours were just about up and Noah was satisfied, he turned and headed out of the cave. He¡¯d gotten somewhere around a hundred runes for his troubles, and that wasn¡¯t counting all the ones that had dissipated because they hadn¡¯t had a chance to grab them. The runes were a mixture of Rank 2 and 3s, with a smattering of Rank 1s.

    Most of them were Demon Runes, but there were more than a few sand, stone, and other desert-themed ones in the mix. None would be immediately useful to Noah. He didn¡¯t have any plans to make another stone-related rune, but every single rune had multiple purposes. He could always break them for energy if he really needed it, and the more runes he had, the more demons he could yank up to Rank 3.

    There was always the chance he could sell them as well, but nothing he¡¯d just gotten felt like it would be interesting enough to sell. Not on its own, at least. A small smile crossed Noah¡¯s face as he stood at the edge of the caves and looked into the night blanketing the Damned Plains.

    He put his hand on the top of his grimoire, and he could have sworn it cooed in response. A shudder of approval ran down the spine of the book and into his hand.

    That¡¯s not creepy¡­ but the grimoire is so much more than just a rune storage. I¡¯m willing to put up with a little weirdness as long as it doesn¡¯t keep showing random people pornography.

    ¡°You liked that, didn¡¯t you?¡± Noah asked in a voice akin to one he¡¯d use if he were talking to a small dog. ¡°Want more?¡±

    The grimoire shuddered again. It was definitely starting to get more expressive. A lot more expressive, given the interaction it had with Bird.

    Is it getting smarter from eating all the runes? Or did it just lack energy before since nobody had fed it in a long time? I really hope this thing wasn¡¯t locked in the Linwick Estate¡¯s catacombs for some reason other than its need to eat runes.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you help me out a bit?¡± Noah asked, pushing his concerns to the side. He wasn¡¯t about to stop using the grimoire. It was too useful. He swung the huge book off his back and thunked it down on the orange sand before him. ¡°Redistribute some energy for me into the seven best-made Sand Runes. Rank 2 ones, please. Then prepare them for me, along with a badly made Rank 3. Try to make the Rank 3 another sand-based rune so the energy conversion isn¡¯t too bad.¡±

    A few seconds ticked by. Noah had just started to wonder if the grimoire had completely ignored his request when it swung itself open.

    Seven Rank 2 Sand runes of various names hummed on its page, all full. They were joined by an eighth Rank 3 Cracked Sandy Gust Rune.  None of them were fantastic, but the grimoire had followed his request perfectly.

    Noah smiled. ¡°Thank you. Hold on for a moment. This won¡¯t take long.¡±

    He put his hand on the page and closed his eyes. He drew every single one of the runes into his soul in a flash, barely even taking more than a few seconds to draw each of them. He¡¯d done this step so many times now that it was practically second nature.

    In rapid succession, he shattered each of the Rank 2 runes. He filtered out the badly made Rank 1s, breaking the Rank 3 apart to use for energy and components, and rebuilt each and every one of them.

    He used the Rank 2 Gust Runes that had already been in Sandy Gust ¡ª which were decent, but not perfect ¡ª and recombined all the components. And, as Noah looked upon the new rune floating before him, he started to chuckle.

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    Sandy Gale ¡ª Rank 3

    He¡¯d made a near-perfect rune in less than a minute. It could have been perfect if he¡¯d wanted it to be, but that would have been a bit too much for his current goals. Something like this would already be incredibly valuable to the average demon. Going farther had a risk of overplaying his hand.

    And I¡¯ve got no need to do that when a Rank 3 like this should be the strongest rune most demons have ever seen. This is a good way to show off without tipping anyone off to my true strength, and I can always make a stronger one if nobody is impressed.

    Noah took the newly made Rune from his mind and imbued it right back into his grimoire. He had no need for anything less than a flawless rune floating around in his soul, much less one that wasn¡¯t even perfect.

    The grimoire shuddered again. Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed and he prodded it in the cover. ¡°Don¡¯t eat that. Don¡¯t eat any runes I don¡¯t have duplicates of either. I¡¯m trying to build a collection here. Feel free to snack on the extras as long as you leave me with the majority of them. If you do, we can keep getting you fed. Sound good?¡±

    Paper twitched in response and the grimoire closed itself. That was probably as close to an agreement as he was going to get, so Noah slung the book back over his shoulder and stepped onto his flying sword. He grabbed two Ettercaps he¡¯d managed to avoid completely brutalizing and tucked one under each arm.

    Night still ruled over the Damned Plains as he took to the skies and shot back in the direction of Treadon. He could still see the massive walking city in the distance. The turtle hadn¡¯t quite managed to finish taking the step it had started the previous day.

    As tempting as it was to just fly right into the city and skip over the entry line, Noah wasn¡¯t really trying to draw the attention of whatever fighting force protected the city. Not yet, at least.

    He landed behind a dune and sheathed the flying sword, striding up to the city by foot. Noah chose a different entrance than the one he¡¯d taken the previous time and strode up to the guards, dumping the pair of demons at their feet.

    ¡°This all?¡± one asked.

    Before Noah could even say anything, the other guard tapped the first one on the shin with the butt of his halberd.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± the second guard muttered. ¡°Human figure. No horns and wearing storm wrappings when it¡¯s clear out.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± the first guard asked, a confused furrow creasing his gray-skinned face as he glanced back at his compatriot. ¡°How does that matter? Two weak demons is barely enough¡ª¡±

    ¡°He meets the descriptions of Spider.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    The second guard muttered a curse under his breath. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later. Just get out of the way. This one isn¡¯t someone we want to bother.¡±

    After a second of hesitation, the first demon shrugged and took a confused step back, gesturing for Noah to continue onto the lift. Noah was grateful he didn¡¯t even have to bother concealing his smile as he passed them. His face wrappings already did that for him.

    It looks like word is spreading pretty fast. Perfect.

    The other demons already waiting on the platform watched Noah uneasily, making space for him and looking anywhere but in his direction. He didn¡¯t know if they were scared of him or if they¡¯d just overheard the guards. It was all the same in the end. The more people knew about Spider, the more likely the next part of his plan would work.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the platform shuddered. The huge chains holding it up rattled away as it lifted into the air and toward the city far above. When it arrived, Noah joined the crowd of demons in dispersing into the city.

    They all quickly broke away from him, and he slipped into the alleyways to avoid parading straight through the center of Treadon. He was pretty sure he was stronger than the majority of the demons in the city ¡ª he highly doubted Rank 5 and 6 Demons were just strolling around everywhere ¡ª but there was no need to draw attention right now.

    He made his way through the city and back over to the gang¡¯s market square where Moxie and Lee were. Even though it was the middle of the night, Treadon was as awake as if it were day.

    Demons walked through the streets and ducked past alleyways. The majority of them seemed to have no trouble navigating in the dark, but a number of demons carried around lanterns to light their way.

    I suppose there¡¯s going to be a lot more diversity in ability with demons given how much runes change their physical bodies. Interesting. Never really thought about that.

    Noah made it to the square a short while later. It wasn¡¯t on fire or otherwise destroyed, which was good news. It seemed that Moxie and Lee had better luck with not blowing things up than he did.

    He slipped into his tent and was pleased to find that Moxie was still there, sitting on a chair of vines and drumming her fingers on her knees. She glanced at Noah as he came back and blinked in surprise.

    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°I did say it would just be a few hours.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but I fully expected something to go wrong or you to kill yourself,¡± Moxie admitted. She rose from her chair. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡±

    ¡°Perfectly. Got a bunch of runes and fed the book. What about you? Manage to get in contact with the guy we¡¯re looking for?¡±

    ¡°Not me, and not the demon that sent his assassins here,¡± Moxie said with a shake of her head. ¡°But we got a lead. Vrith was scanning the camp on Aylin¡¯s orders, and she found someone that looked suspicious. Lee smelled the same thing ¡ª not sure how she did that, but I¡¯ve learned not to ask questions. We did a little questioning and it turns out he¡¯s a scout for a Rank 5 Demon. One with a little bit of political influence.¡±

    ¡°It was only a matter of time before people started snooping.¡± A smile pulled across Noah¡¯s lips. ¡°Bring me to him? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be thrilled to give me an introduction to his boss.¡±

 Chapter 485: Crumbling Space

    Moxie led Noah over to Lee, who was keeping watch over the demon that they¡¯d captured. The demon in question was only a little taller than Aylin. He had three nubby horns sticking out of the top of his forehead amidst a bed of wispy black hair that really should have been shaved off.

    A set of large spectacles rested on his nose, which was far too small to keep them properly held up, causing them to slide down his face until they only covered the lower half of his eyes.

    It also seemed that Moxie and Lee had forgone even bothering to trying to bind the small demon. He sat in the corner of the room across from Lee, nervously fiddling with a ratty tweed suit.

    Did they catch him or just put him in time out? He looks like a guilty schoolkid more than a demon.

    ¡°You smell like death,¡± Lee said, pointing a stick of jerky in her hand at Noah  as he let the tent flap flop shut behind him and Moxie. He nearly went to sniff his armpits before he realized she wasn¡¯t being figurative.

    ¡°Ah. I was just doing some killing. Needed some more runes and there were a few dozen demons in the way,¡± Noah said with a wave of his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Nothing to be concerned with.¡±

    The demon in the corner tried to shrink in on himself. His glasses slipped down his pale face and he shoved them back into place with a finger. Normally, a demon¡¯s claws probably would have scratched a pair of glasses, but his were so short that they were barely anything more than fingernails.

    Noah let his domain brush across the demon. He certainly didn¡¯t feel very strong. There wasn¡¯t much runic pressure coming off him and he had no domain of his own ¡ª not that he¡¯d expected him to.

    Definitely not even a Rank 3. I wonder what kind of feeling a demon like this would feed on. The mild annoyance of having to crunch a bunch of numbers in excel?

    ¡°Are you going to introduce me?¡± Noah asked Lee.

    ¡°Oh, sure. I didn¡¯t give him a name yet.¡± Lee looked down at the strip of meat in her hand with a thoughtful expression. ¡°I think this is Joe. That feels like a good name. I like it.¡±

    The demon in the corner glanced at Lee. It almost looked like he was about to say something for a moment before his mouth snapped shut and he thought better of it. He swallowed heavily and pushed his glasses back up his face.

    ¡°Am I remiss in assuming you¡¯ve just named the jerky you¡¯re eating rather than the demon I was actually referring to?¡± Noah asked, resisting the urge to rub the bridge of his nose through the storm wrappings on his face.

    Lee studied the jerky. A small frown crossed her face. ¡°I kind of regret naming him now. Now this just kind of feels weird.¡±

    ¡°The demon, Lee,¡± Noah said through a sigh. ¡°Tell me the demon¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Joe.¡± Lee ate the jerky in one bite. ¡°And I haven¡¯t figured the other one¡¯s name out. I was busy.¡±

    I¡¯m glad we¡¯re giving this little demon the impression that we¡¯ve got a very organized and well put together structure of command. I¡¯m sure I look very competent right about now. Oh, whatever.

    Noah knelt in front of the demon, who had scooted back until his back pressed against the tarp of the tent.

    ¡°My friend is a little preoccupied. Perhaps you¡¯ll be so kind as to tell me who I¡¯m talking to?¡±

    ¡°Joe,¡± the demon said weakly. His voice was somehow even more nasally than Noah had expected it to be. It was reminiscent to a stream of air escaping a deflating balloon.

    Noah stared at him. ¡°Are you trying to make a joke?¡±

    ¡°No, sir,¡± Joe said with a firm shake of his head that threatened to send it flying straight off. ¡°That ¡ª that¡¯s my name. Your friend, ah, stole it.¡±

    A demon called Joe? Seriously?

    ¡°Lee?¡±

    ¡°I may have heard it elsewhere before,¡± Lee admitted. ¡°I thought it tasted pretty good. It did, in case you were interested.¡±

    Joe¡¯s skin paled another shade. He nervously adjusted the front of his jacket. His eyes darted around the room in search of an escape that wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just cut to the chase, Joe,¡± Noah said, trying not to sound like too much of an idiot as he spoke. It was difficult to seem intimidating when saying Joe, but the best solution was just to barrel through it as quickly as possible. ¡°You were snooping around my camp. I¡¯m not a huge fan of spies. I also happen to want to meet with your boss. I think I can see a way we¡¯re both happy when the night is done.¡±

    Joe¡¯s glasses slipped off his face. He snagged them before they could hit the ground in a practiced motion that showed this was far from the first time it had happened. He slipped them back over his nose and cleared his throat.

    ¡°I can take you to him, Spider, sir. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. He sent me.¡±

    ¡°He sent you to spy on me.¡±

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    ¡°No, sir. He sent me to get you.¡± Joe adjusted his glasses even though they hadn¡¯t even started to slip off yet. ¡°He wants to talk. A normal talk. Not an official one.¡±

    Huh. That makes things surprisingly simple if it¡¯s true. I¡¯m not so sure I believe this guy only wanted to talk to me, though. Why send someone to snoop around instead of just a normal messenger?

    ¡°Well then. It looks like we can help each other,¡± Noah said. ¡°Lead the way then, Joe.¡±

    The demon cleared his throat. ¡°I ¡ª I¡¯m only supposed to bring you, sir. Nobody else. It¡¯s a meeting between you and Pirren.¡±

    Noah tilted his head to the side. He hadn¡¯t really been planning to bring Moxie and Lee along in case things went south and he had to kill himself, but it was a little odd for Joe to be making any sort of demands in his current situation.

    He¡¯s nervous, but not as nervous as I would have expected. Does he think he¡¯s safe, or is he more scared of this Pirren than he is of me? Both are probably equally possible. I suppose there¡¯s no reason to waste time thinking when I can find out for myself.

    ¡°That suits me just fine. I prefer working without witnesses,¡± Noah said with a one-shouldered shrug. He took the sword off his waist and handed it to Lee. Moxie still had his gourd, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about anything other than his grimoire if he got killed. Considering it could make itself as heavy as it wanted, Noah was fairly confident he¡¯d be able to get it back if things somehow went poorly. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it, then. I don¡¯t have all night.¡±

    Joe nodded hurriedly and scrambled to his feet. He brushed the dirt off the back of his aged pants and stood with his hands crossed behind his back. ¡°I¡¯m prepared to lead whenever you¡¯re ready to leave.¡±

    Noah and Moxie exchanged a glance. It was definitely a bit odd, but it wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t seen stranger things. She gave him a small nod and Noah walked over to the entrance of the tent, holding the flap open. ¡°After you, Joe.¡±

    ***

    ¡°This, uh, this is it,¡± Joe stammered, craning his neck back to look up at the teetering mansion before them.

    After they¡¯d left the market square, Noah had followed the demon for about forty-five minutes until they¡¯d arrived before the mansion.

    It was mostly made of a pale, bone-colored stone that yellowed and cracked with age. It vaguely reminded Noah of a pile of stained teeth. The mansion was three stories tall and, for some reason, was wider at the top than it was at the bottom. It was vaguely egg shaped and tapered to a point at its peak.

    Metal supports had been erected all around the building to keep it balanced. The mansion had probably once been quite intimidating in its prime.

    That wasn¡¯t to say it wasn¡¯t intimidating now. The type of intimidation had just shifted. Before, Noah suspected it had been scary. Now, he was scared the building would fall down on top of him.

    A cobbled path broke away from the main street and ran up to a stone door in the mansion¡¯s front. It was already open, revealing a hallway floored with a dull red rug beyond it. The rug led up to a stairwell that ascended up toward the bulbous top of the mansion. Noah squinted at the building¡¯s bulbous top.

    This is a butt plug. Someone modeled their house after a butt plug. Why would you do that?

    Joe scurried into the house without giving Noah any more time to stare. Resisting the urge to shake his head, Noah followed after him. The two ascended the stairs of the mansion, following the spiraling stairwell past several doors until it came to a stop somewhere around where Noah estimated the middle of the building to be.

    A pair of double doors stood open in wait. Beyond them stretched a meeting room. Old, unused chairs made from the same material as the house itself made a large ring around a huge throne in the very center of the room.

    Sitting in the throne was an eight-foot-tall demon. His fingers were interlaced on his lap and his face was covered with a pitch-black mask. If it weren¡¯t for his size and skin color, he could have easily passed for a human. He had no horns or other bodily modifications.

    Joe didn¡¯t make any move to enter the room. He didn¡¯t leave, either. He just stood there. Noah glanced down at him. Then, with a shrug, he entered the room. They were clearly trying to put on a bit of theatre for him and he had no issue playing along.

    ¡°Spider,¡± the blue demon said, his voice like a grindstone. ¡°We finally meet.¡±

    Finally is a bit of a stretch, mate. I literally wasn¡¯t even on the Damned Plains a day ago.

    ¡°I take it that you¡¯re Pirren, then. It seems we want to speak with each other,¡± Noah said evenly. He extended his senses, letting his domain pass over the room as he approached the huge throne. Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed as his domain brushed across the demon. Pirren wasn¡¯t a Rank 4, much less a Rank 5.

    Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s another guy lying their way through everything. I thought I had that move patented, but this is either that or a test to see what I¡¯m capable of. I¡¯ll have to see how this guy handles things. I can respect a fellow bullshitter, but I won¡¯t let myself be made a fool when I¡¯m trying to keep the Spider persona¡¯s reputation up.

    ¡°Feel free to go first. I¡¯d love to hear what it is that you want from me.¡±

    Pirren¡¯s laughter echoed from behind his mask. ¡°Do not presume to speak to me as if we are equals. Kneel at my feet.¡±

    Noah tilted his head to the side. ¡°No. Tell me what you want. One chance. Do anything else and I¡¯m going to get annoyed.¡±

    Pirren pressed a hand to his mask. A dull hum buzzed through the room as a crackling blue Shield spun to life around him. Noah almost blinked in surprise. It had been some time since he¡¯d seen a proper mage shield ¡ª and longer still since he¡¯d seen one that was just permanently active.

    Like the shields that Arbitage has in the training arena. Good defense¡­ but they need a lot of energy. Interesting. I wonder if the demons made it or if they took it from someone in the mortal plane.

    ¡°Kneel,¡± Pirren thundered as he stepped forward to loom over Noah like a wall of blue flesh. ¡°Then we will¡ª¡±

    Noah lifted a hand. Spider wasn¡¯t going to keep his reputation if he let someone talk to him like this.

    I¡¯ll just destroy the Shield to show him I mean business, then figure out if this is actually the real Pirren or if some idiot is testing me.

    Perhaps Pirren was too confident in his shield. Perhaps he simply didn¡¯t have time to react. Whatever the reason, he didn¡¯t so much as move as Crumbling Space¡¯s power arced free of Noah¡¯s palm. Cracks of white light webbed out and passed straight through his shield and into his chest.

    There was an instant of silence. Then the magic detonated with an earsplitting crunch. Pirren¡¯s chest caved in on itself. Blood spurted from his body together with bone and viscera as he let out a choked wheeze, clasping at the massive crater where his heart had been.

    The Shield didn¡¯t so much as flicker. Pirren pitched back, crashing to the ground and cracking his head against the front of the throne and lying still. Noah stared at his corpse in disbelief. If the demon hadn¡¯t been dead before, he definitely was now.

    Noah barely even cared. He was far more concerned with what he¡¯d just done. Just when he¡¯d started to think he¡¯d figured out how his new Rank 4 Rune worked, he¡¯d been proven very, very wrong.

    What the fuck? Crumbling Space can pass through other magic?

 Chapter 486: Pirren

    Noah recovered his composure quickly. Energy trickled into his soul from the dead demon. It was a decent amount of power, but nowhere near what a Rank 5 demon would have given him. That only proved his theory even further ¡ª but now wasn¡¯t the time to stand around like an idiot.

    He couldn¡¯t afford to look like he¡¯d been just as surprised by his attack as Pirren had been. That would just make him look completely incompetent.

    Then again, Pirren didn¡¯t actually look too surprised. He kind of just looked dead. Bummer.

    Noah looked down at the corpse, blood pooling around it at the base of the throne. The Shield had flickered out and the plain black mask rested quietly. It didn¡¯t even take him a second of consideration before he scooped the mask straight off the dead demon¡¯s face.

    Spoils of war ¡ª or as the kids in playgrounds would say, no takesies backsies. Thanks for the gift, meathead.

    Noah tucked the mask into his bag and turned to Joe. The thin-haired demon stood at the doorway of the room, his mouth askew in either terror or disbelief ¡ª or possibly both at the same time.

    Joe¡¯s glasses slid down off his nose and he shoved them back into his face. Something about his expression didn¡¯t quite seem right with Noah. It was convincing, but it was almost too¡­ flat. It was such a perfect image of stunned surprise that it felt out of place.

    And I know people revert to their habits when they¡¯re scared, but Joe is frozen in terror, not just scared. Who adjusts their glasses while they just saw what should have been one of the most powerful demons they know get obliterated in half a second?

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed. The room had been silent for just a few seconds too long. The more time passed, the more his gut picked up on the abnormalities. A Rank 5 demon would have people working for them.

    At the very least, they¡¯d have guards to keep random idiots from constantly challenging them. This complete lack of response from everyone other than Joe, who was doing nothing but stand there and catch flies with his mouth, wasn¡¯t just a coincidence.

    Ah. It turns out I was right after all. Pirren is a bullshiter. Just not the kind of bullshitter I thought they were.

    ¡°Does Pirren plan to actually speak to me anytime soon?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Or is he going to give me another idiot to kill? If we¡¯re going with the latter, I¡¯d be more than happy to accelerate the process and bring this entire building down on top of our heads.¡±

    ¡°Spider, sir, no, please,¡± Joe stammered, taking a step back and clutching the collar of his suit in a tight grip. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Jophelus,¡± a sly female voice said from behind them, the words spoken like the hiss of a snake.

    The fear on Joe¡¯s face vanished in an instant as his features went flat. A woman stepped out from the stairwell that he and Noah had just come through a minute before. She wore hardened leather armor and carried two white daggers at her waist. Her entire body was covered with small, overlaid green scales and the black talons on her bare feet clicked against the stone with every step she took.

    While her face was humanoid, two thin fangs jutted out the front of her mouth. The demon¡¯s eyes were pitch black with thin slivers of molten red for irises, and she didn¡¯t have a single speck of hair on her entire body. In its place, she wore a bronze crown with long, ropey strands that reached to her waist.

    ¡°You killed my subordinate,¡± the woman said, a pointed tongue flicking out of her mouth as her features tightened in displeasure.

    Noah didn¡¯t respond immediately. He extended his domain, letting it brush across the new demon. A river of tingles raced down his arms as he made contact. She was strong. Stronger than the idiot on the throne ¡ª but not stronger than him.

    She¡¯s got bad runes. Really bad ones. A Rank 5 on the lower end of the spectrum, then. I¡¯m pretty sure some mages in Arbitage could have handled her with the quality of stuff she¡¯s working with. Still, I can¡¯t underestimate her. I¡¯m confident I can take her in a normal fight, but she¡¯s probably faster than me.

    ¡°One of them,¡± Noah said softly. ¡°Have you come to thank me for not killing both, Pirren? I do not take kindly to being made a fool of.¡±

    He gathered power from Natural Disaster. As alien as Pirren looked, something about the way she carried herself felt more than familiar. He couldn¡¯t place what it was¡­ but he got the feeling he knew what was coming.

    Almost as if on cue, Pirren blurred forward. Noah sent a wave of energy into the floor. Pirren was fast, but Noah wasn¡¯t trying to outrun her. The ground at his feet erupted, pillars of stone shooting out in every direction.

    The snakelike demon drove into one of them stomach-first and let out a pained wheeze as she folded over it like a piece of laundry in the wind. Noah¡¯s hand shot out and he grabbed her by the neck, even as she recovered and lifted the clawed fingers of her own hand toward his.

    ¡°Try it,¡± Pirren said, her thin lips pulling back in a confident smile ¡ª but there was something off with it. Her eyes didn¡¯t quite match her grin. While her features implied she was in control, there was fear in her eyes. ¡°See which of us is faster. See which of us is willing to risk more.¡±

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    And just like that, Noah realized exactly what it was that felt familiar about Pirren. He couldn¡¯t help himself. He burst into laughter and released her neck. Pirren¡¯s expression faltered as confusion passed over it.

    ¡°What?¡± she demanded. ¡°What are you laughing at, Spider?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re full of shit,¡± Noah said through his laughter, waving his hand dismissively. It wasn¡¯t Pirren¡¯s actual face that he recognized. It was her expressions. They were the same ones he himself had made countless times.

    ¡°You dare insult me?¡± Pirren snarled. ¡°You come into my domain and¡ª¡±

    Noah drew on Natural Disaster. Power gathered in his palm and a thick bolt of lightning erupted from it. It screamed across the room toward Joe and slammed into the stone just above his head, shattering and blackening it with an earsplitting roar.

    ¡°No!¡± Pirren screamed, spinning toward the short demon ¡ª only to find that the spell hadn¡¯t even touched him. There was more than a foot between the crumbling wall and the top of Joe¡¯s head.

    ¡°You need to work on your bluffing skills,¡± Noah said through a chuckle. ¡°I see right through you.¡±

    The snake demon turned back to Noah, a flicker of fear passing through her expression as she took a step back. Noah could practically see the thoughts blurring through her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not bluffing anything. If you try anything, I¡¯ll rip your heart out through your ass and feed it back to you. If you want a fight, you¡¯ll get it,¡± Pirren hissed. Her lips pulled back to bare her fangs even further, but it wasn¡¯t any more intimidating to Noah than a puppy¡¯s growl.

    Noah tilted his head to the side. He lifted his hand, but not toward Pirren. He pointed at Joe. ¡°Drop the act or I won¡¯t miss the second time around. Choose wisely. Unlike you, I follow up on my threats.¡±

    A second passed. Pirren¡¯s jaw clenched. Noah let a crackle of electricity arc between his fingers. Fear flashed in the other demon¡¯s face once more and she shifted, putting herself between Noah and Joe.

    A bit odd, actually. A Rank 5 demon that cares about a low ranked subordinate this much? I wasn¡¯t expecting that at all.

    ¡°Jophelus, leave the room,¡± Pirren said. Her voice was as taut as a bowstring.

    ¡°But, Mistress¡ª¡±

    ¡°Now, Jophelus!¡±

    Joe¡¯s hands clenched at his side. He took one last look at Noah, the malice in his features so sharp that it could have cut through steel, before bowing his head. He stepped back and slammed the double doors shut behind him.

    Noah and Pirren stood silently as his footsteps echoed away down the stairwell. Finally, Pirren looked back to Noah.

    ¡°You¡¯re a Rank 5,¡± Pirren said. She sounded resigned now, like a prisoner with their throat in the noose looking upon the executioner holding the lever. It was a statement, not a question. ¡°I made a mistake.¡±

    Now I really want to know what she embodies. What kind of demon admits they screwed up? Maybe my perception of what demons do is just really skewed.

    ¡°You did,¡± Noah agreed, sending a look to the corpse at their feet. ¡°You¡¯ve dropped the act, then?¡±

    ¡°Not like you gave me much of a choice. You weren¡¯t meant to be a Rank 5,¡± Pirren said. Her hands clenched at her sides. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be a low-energy Rank 4.¡±

    ¡°And what gave you that idea?¡± Noah tilted his head to the side. He wasn¡¯t about to correct her false assumption about his rank. ¡°Supposed is a strong word. Did someone tell you I was weak?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what you want to know if you agree to leave without touching any of my demons,¡± Pirren said.

    Her people? She doesn¡¯t seem very similar to Violet, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a Hoarder demon. She would have been way more pissed off about the dead guy behind me.

    Noah studied her eyes. The fear that had been in them before was gone. She was still scared, but all that remained was determination to survive.

    ¡°The way you worded that makes it sound like I haven¡¯t touched any of them yet.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t. The brute behind you wasn¡¯t part of my family. He was hired help.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re aware that your phrasing only protects your people, not yourself?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the leverage to get that much. Just leave my people alone,¡± Pirren said. She flexed her claws. ¡°I can deal with my own actions myself, but they were following orders.¡±

    I¡¯ll be damned. A respectable demon. Another one, actually. Aylin and his group were quite the lot as well. Now that I think about it, Pirren kind of feels a bit similar to them. What kind of emotion is so focused on protecting ¡ª

    Noah blinked, then bit back a laugh. The stupid looking house wasn¡¯t a butt plug. It was an egg.

    Her feeling is being motherly, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s why she was so worried about Joe.

    ¡°Relax,¡± Noah said. He extended a hand back toward the dead demon and drew on Natural Disaster. The stone beneath the corpse split open, swallowing it up before slamming back shut. Then Noah nodded to the throne. ¡°Go on. Take your throne.¡±

    Pirren swallowed. She looked from Noah to the chair, then slowly walked over to it and sat down.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything to you or your subordinates,¡± Noah said. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to kill you.¡±

    A tiny flicker of hope lit in Pirren¡¯s eyes. She hid it well, but it didn¡¯t make it past Noah. ¡°Do you swear?¡±

    Noah snorted. ¡°No. You waived the right to any promises when you tried to play a game with me. Don¡¯t get me wrong ¡ª I respect it. You just weren¡¯t good enough. You¡¯ll just have to trust my normal word. So long as you or your people don¡¯t try anything else, I won¡¯t touch a hair on their heads.¡±

    ¡°Very well. I understand,¡± Pirren said. She hesitated for a second. ¡°How¡­ did you know?¡±

    ¡°Know what?¡±

    ¡°Everything. How did you know I was bluffing? My hands were at your throat. If you tried to kill me, I could have killed you as well. How¡¯d you know I couldn¡¯t afford to trade my life like that? It¡¯s worked on every other demon I¡¯ve ever met. Do you just not care if you live or die?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t care. You just aren¡¯t capable of killing me, and your eyes gave your fear away,¡± Noah replied with a shrug. He didn¡¯t see the harm in answering Pirren¡¯s questions. ¡°You aren¡¯t bad at what you do, but you don¡¯t have nearly enough experience to do it on me.¡±

    The implication of that was enough to make Pirren¡¯s scaled skin pale a shade. The older a demon was, the stronger they were likely to be. That was just logic. Noah¡¯s face wrappings crinkled slightly as he smiled.

    ¡°You could read so much from just my eyes?¡±

    ¡°More than you could ever imagine, but I didn¡¯t come all the way here just to point out your flaws,¡± Noah said. ¡°Just as I suspect you wanted something from me ¡ª I want something from you.¡±

    Pirren swallowed, but the determination didn¡¯t leave her posture. ¡°In exchange for your promise not to hurt my people?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m open to discussing the terms of your surrender,¡± Noah said in an amiable tone. He crossed his arms behind his back and leaned forward slightly. ¡°And, in return, you¡¯re going to get me into an auction.¡±

 Chapter 487: The Prison

    ¡°An auction?¡± Pirren¡¯s confusion was evident in her tone.

    For a moment, Noah was forced to wonder if demons actually had auctions. It would have been strange if they didn¡¯t. While their culture was far more primally driven than the one back in the mortal realm, when all the niceties and lies were stripped away, demons didn¡¯t structure themselves all that differently than the noble families did.

    ¡°I trust you know what an auction is,¡± Noah said, gauging Pirren¡¯s expression to try and figure out if she was trying to pull something over his eyes.

    ¡°I ¡ª yes. I do,¡± Pirren said. She hesitated, clearly not wanting to say more, but Noah remained silent. She was forced to continue speaking or risk drawing his ire. ¡°I was just caught off guard. I can get you into an auction, but I¡¯m not sure if it would hold your attention. I¡¯m¡­ not the strongest of the Rank 5s. I generally try to avoid the others.¡±

    That¡¯s probably a smart move from her perspective. If you bluff someone strong enough to easily call your bluff, it¡¯s not going to go well. Better to stick to easier targets if you want to avoid getting caught.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t your concern if it holds my attention or not,¡± Noah said with a small chuckle. ¡°All you have to do is get me in under your banner ¡ª and stay throughout it, I should add. I don¡¯t know the inner working of the politics in this city.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an outsider?¡± Pirren¡¯s voice held more than a tinge of interest. ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t one of Belkus¡¯ enforcers?¡±

    Belkus¡­ that was the guy that controlled Treadon, wasn¡¯t it?

    ¡°I serve no man.¡±

    ¡°A Rank 5 that doesn¡¯t serve Belkus?¡± Pirren muttered. Her eyes widened and her back stiffened as her tongue flicked out to taste the air. The tone of her scaled face lightened in fear as understanding washed over her features. ¡°You serve no man. Yoku.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Noah¡¯s confusion was hidden by the wrappings covering his face.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Pirren said hurriedly, drawing the middle of the word out as she struggled to form the proper sounds through the fangs jutting out of her mouth. ¡°I will do ask you ask. I will warn you that the other demons may not take too kindly to my presence. I have¡­ abstained from previous auctions for this reason.¡±

    ¡°Are they going to stop us from getting in?¡±

    ¡°Nothing so overt, but they may attempt to put pressure on me. You might find it easier to access the auction through someone else ¡ª or just under your own banner. Someone like you would have no trouble entering.¡±

    Not a bad strategy if I didn¡¯t want to keep people confused as to who I¡¯ve got on my side. Going in alone focuses everything on me. If I show up with another demon, even if they¡¯re just a Rank 5, a few well-placed words should get them wondering who else I¡¯ve got on my side and what my goals are.

    Also, weak demons are probably more likely to work together. I don¡¯t want anyone assuming I¡¯m too powerful, so might as well fit into their expectations until it¡¯s time to break them.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to concern yourself with why I wish to enter the auction under your banner,¡± Noah said. ¡°You will just arrange it, and as quickly as possible. I am not a particularly patient individual. When is the next auction?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to check.¡± Pirren¡¯s tongue flicked out nervously. ¡°I haven¡¯t kept up with them, but I think there was usually one every two days.¡±

    That sounded like a lot until Noah reminded himself that given how long the day-night cycles were in the Damned Plains, two days here was the equivalent of something around eight days back home.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Noah said with a nod. He hadn¡¯t even needed to take out his specially made Rune to sway her over to his side. Ironically enough, she¡¯d saved him some effort by trying to threaten him. Now he could save the rune for the auction. ¡°I trust you know where to find me?¡±

    ¡°The Web¡¯s camp?¡± Pirren guessed.

    Is that the name they decided on? Damn. Really all in on the Spider bit. Can¡¯t say I don¡¯t like it, though. Cool, in a slightly cheesy way.

    ¡°Yes. Just come normally next time, would you?¡± Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed and he held her gaze. ¡°We don¡¯t take kindly to spies, even when they claim to just be messengers.¡±

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    Pirren swallowed and gave him a sharp nod. ¡°I understand. I will come myself once I have news.¡±

    ¡°Then I will look forward to it,¡± Noah said, turning to the closed doors before looking over his shoulder at the snake demon slouched in her chair. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it then. Do try to make sure you show up sooner rather than later. I don¡¯t want to have to come find you a second time.¡±

    This works out pretty well for me. It would have been nice if there was somehow an auction happening right this moment, but I should really probably stick around camp to make sure nothing goes too poorly at the start. Even though I told Aylin he¡¯s responsible for everything, having a trump card is definitely a good move.

    I¡¯m definitely not just going back because I don¡¯t want someone killing the kid or any of the others. I am not letting myself get attached to even more demons. Lee is more than enough to handle. There are too many things that need to be done for me to get any more caught up with them than I already am.

    Noah¡¯s words sounded hollow in his head as he shoved the doors open and strode down the stairs of Pirren¡¯s egg-shaped mansion. He wasn¡¯t going to convince anyone if he couldn¡¯t even convince himself ¡ª but that was the purpose of strength.

    There was no point in being powerful if he couldn¡¯t be a little bit selfish.

    ***

    Father¡¯s goblet was empty. He set it down on his table with a gentle clink. The bottle beside him had been emptied as well. It was the last one he¡¯d had in his office, and it would have been a shame to waste it.

    Janice stood before him, her arms crossed behind her back and features as flat as a sheet of paper. He¡¯d taught her well. Her emotions were perfectly concealed. Not even he could tell what she was thinking.

    ¡°You¡¯re quite certain of this, Janice?¡± Father asked. It was a question more for show than any other purpose. Janice wouldn¡¯t have told him if she wasn¡¯t certain, and he wouldn¡¯t already prepared everything for her arrival if he hadn¡¯t already known she was coming.

    Father didn¡¯t engage in pointless frivolities often. They were a waste of time and energy when not put toward a purpose. But, just this once, he savored the moment. A moment he¡¯d been waiting to experience for years ¡ª for longer than most people could even begin to comprehend.

    ¡°I¡¯m certain.¡± Janice¡¯s words were measured. ¡°I verified the information myself. After our branch was inducted into the main branch of the Linwick Family, I¡¯ve been digging for every scrap of information I could gather. It wasn¡¯t easy. Magus Jalen is so disorganized that our records are borderline nonexistent from more than a few hundred years ago.¡±

    Disorganized to the point where I suspect it may not be purely coincidental. Jalen is a madman, but he is no fool.

    ¡°And?¡± Father asked. ¡°You told me you found it.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Janice said with a nod. ¡°Or rather, I¡¯ve found a complete lack of information where information should be. Over the course of the past weeks I have been going through every record our people could gather and rebuilding the history of the Linwick family.¡±

    Father¡¯s fingers pressed into the flat of his desk as he leaned forward. He would have loved more than anything to have done exactly what Janice had done himself. To have discovered the information with his own hands.

    He couldn¡¯t. The risk was too great. Not to himself, but to his cover. To the delicate structure he¡¯d spent so many years erecting upon his back. The perfect defense. The perfect disguise ¡ª and at the cost of a perfect victory.

    But a victory was still a victory, even if he had to puppet the hands of others to achieve it. And now, after all these years, it was only a few moves away.

    ¡°What section was missing?¡± Father asked.

    ¡°A patch of three years that came shortly after the Long Night,¡± Janice said. ¡°There are relatively detailed reports from both before and after it, but for those three years, there is absolutely no information. Every thread that led back to those years has been burned.¡±

    ¡°Purged,¡± Father said, a smile pulling across his features even though the skin around his eyes didn¡¯t so much as crinkle. ¡°Very good, Janice. What more did you discover?¡±

    ¡°The Linwick Family guarded the one we seek. There are mentions of a crypt that slipped through the purge in the records. Not the crypt that the family established around a hundred years later and used as a decoy, but the original one. There is no record of its creation, which I believe happened in the patch of lost history. I believe your target still resides there.¡±

    ¡°And the location?¡±

    ¡°Almost confirmed. There was little information left to work with, so I have been investigating the potential locations one by one. There are not many left. I will locate it by the end of the month.¡±

    Father rose from his desk and drew in a deep breath. The air was stale. Not noticeably, of course. The room was covered with so many imbuements that almost nobody would have even realized. But, after he¡¯d spent so many years within its confines, the air¡¯s quality was so apparent to him that it was impossible to ignore.

    ¡°Do not enter it once it has been located,¡± Father said, his words razor sharp. ¡°I do not wish to lose my only competent assistant this early on. As soon as you discover a location that you believe may be the one I seek, find me immediately ¡ª even if you aren¡¯t certain.¡±

    Janice¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Are you certain, Father? There are several likely places. Revealing yourself too early¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your purpose is not to show concern. It is to follow my orders. Do not waste your energy on showing fear. Especially not for me.¡±

    Janice swallowed. Then she nodded her understanding. The door ground open for just long enough to let her leave before grinding shut once more. After so many years, the search was finally almost over.

    In the solitude of his room, a smile crossed Father¡¯s face. His eyes crinkled in the first signs of excitement that he¡¯d properly felt in centuries.

    Soon, his time in this prison would finally come to an end.

 Chapter 488: Hello

    Jalen stood upon the top of a grassy hill and looked down on Vermil¡¯s students as they sat in a circle and practiced Formations like it was the most natural thing in the world. Even though they were only in the earliest stages of a proper Formation, it was nearly enough to make him burst into hysterical laughter.

    Not a single one of them understood the extent of the power Vermil had handed to them. Formations were difficult enough to learn the normal way. The most common way mages learned them was by reviewing other Formations and practicing for years upon years until they¡¯d ingrained everything to memory.

    Only once that had been done did a normal practitioner even consider trying to make a proper Formation of their own, and even that Formation was little more than an inspired tweak from an existing one.

    The more talented mages could muster the skill to make a Formation unique to their current runes after dedicating their life to the craft. That usually happened when a mage recognized they¡¯d reached or were about to reach the peak of their power and their runes would be unlikely to allow for further combinations.

    It only made sense. Why spend years learning a Formation when the runes that went into it would change in just a short while? It was far easier to focus on normal Runic advancement and then top everything off with Formations at the end.

    Vermil took all that logic, crumpled it up into a little ball, and ate the damn thing while flipping me off. Smug little shit. Not only does he skip out on our agreed-upon game. Not only does he guilt me into taking care of his little snotlings. Not only do I have to do that together with the big oaf who¡¯s still so torn up about Vermil going missing that he¡¯s barely registered the magnitude of what these little goblinoids are doing, but I¡¯ve got to do all of it without ripping the secret out of their heads.

    If Vermil had just taught the kids Formations normally, Jalen wouldn¡¯t have been quite so irate. That alone would have been an impressive and respectable feat. But this ¡ª Jalen wasn¡¯t even certain this was a proper way to cast Formations.

    Not a single one of the brats sitting on the grass even knew how to form a proper Formation. They hadn¡¯t studied years of research or practiced steadying their hand for years on end.

    From what Jalen had gathered ¡ª as all of them were remarkably wary about revealing even the slightest bits of what their actual process was ¡ª they were literally just free-handing it. The thought alone made Jalen¡¯s eye twitch.

    Vermil had been preparing them to cast Formations on the fly. A skill reserved for the absolute peak of even the most talented Formation Masters, and it was what he got them started on.

    There was only a single logical solution to how that was possible, and it gnawed at the back of Jalen¡¯s mind like a beaver.

    All the research was wrong. The path every single Formation Master was taking to learn their craft wasn¡¯t just flawed. It was complete and utter shit.

    ¡°That nifty little shit,¡± Jalen said. He kicked a rock on the ground, sending a pulse of space energy into it, and watched the stone rocket into the air in a gray blur. It let out a shrill whistle and struck a particularly unfortunate bird the size of his head.

    The bird exploded in a puff of white feathers and plummeted to the ground, splattering at the top of a hill across from him.

    Brayden, who he had half-forgotten stood on the hill overlooking the students beside him, sent Jalen a glance.

    ¡°That was a spy,¡± Jalen informed Brayden. ¡°It was planning to commit subterfuge.¡±

    ¡°Understood, Magus Jalen.¡±

    Jalen glared up at the large Space Mage. Brayden was the absolute epitome of boring. Worse, he couldn¡¯t even hold it against the big man. The flat tone and expressionless features weren¡¯t there by chance.

    They were a survival mechanism.

    Brayden might have been boring, but he was no coward. He¡¯d stood his ground against Jalen when it had mattered, and that was more than most did. To Jalen¡¯s displeasure, Brayden had also refused his suggestion to toss the kids off a cliff to simulate some real-danger settings.

    All the assurances that he probably would have caught them before they hit the ground fell on deaf ears.

    Stiff necked giant. Completely spoiling my fun. Fortunately, some more of that should be coming soon. Otto¡¯s little informant is going to be coming to a class soon. I¡¯ve given her enough time to get those runes. The King family aren¡¯t at the peak for no reason, so she¡¯ll be able to give the brats something new to work on as well. Maybe a fun new technique. She probably won¡¯t want to give anything up, but I¡¯m sure she can be convinced.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Brayden asked. ¡°You look a little¡­ ah, constipated.¡±

    ¡°I am plotting,¡± Jalen said primly. ¡°Something that you should consider taking up if any proper thoughts could manifest themselves in your brick of a head.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be overseeing?¡± Brayden countered. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be helping me watch over the kids, not blasting birds. They specifically said they needed to avoid being disturbed while they practiced.¡±

    Talking like that to me as a Rank 4 from my own family? Perhaps I judged this walking rectangle too hastily. I admire the balls.

    Jalen didn¡¯t get a chance to respond to Brayden¡¯s challenge. He went to shift his footing and his foot caught on something that definitely hadn¡¯t been there a few seconds ago. He ¡ª Jalen, Family Head of the Linwicks, Rank 6 at the peak of his power ¡ª tripped and fell flat on his face.

    Of course, an instant before he smacked into the grass, his body rippled and vanished, teleporting to reform a foot to the side of where he¡¯d been standing a second ago with a hiss and a pop. Tripping didn¡¯t mean one had to hit the ground. That still didn¡¯t change the fact that he¡¯d tripped.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains is stupid enough too¡­¡± Jalen¡¯s words trailed off as he locked eyes with a white-furred cat holding a roll of paper in its mouth. Glowing horns jutted from its skull and there was a smug twinkle in the red motes nestled within the sea of its pitch-black eyes.

    ¡°Is that Vermil¡¯s cat?¡± Brayden asked in surprise. He spun, grabbing a polished new sword from his back and holding it before him. ¡°Do you see any giant monsters heading in our direction? I don¡¯t sense anything.¡±

    ¡°I see something far worse,¡± Jalen said, his jaw clenched as he locked eyes with the cat. ¡°A scraggly little creature with a penchant for hairballs and being an annoying shit.¡±

    The cat tilted its head at Jalen. There was intelligence in its smug little eyes. Far more intelligence than anything that resembled a rug in any way, shape, or form should have had. Jalen lunged at the cat.

    It vanished, and his domain prickled as he felt it reform above him. Jalen teleported as well, appearing midair above the cat before he could hit the ground. The cat vanished once more, this time reappearing on Brayden¡¯s head.

    I didn¡¯t feel it arrive the first time. The little shitter has magic strong enough to slip beneath my senses ¡ª which means it¡¯s intentionally letting me notice it teleport. It¡¯s playing with me.

    ¡°You want to play?¡± Jalen asked, teleporting back to the ground and baring his teeth. Energy buzzed around his body as he drank from his Runes. ¡°I¡¯m not above it, you overgrown rat.¡±

    ¡°Could you possibly wait to do that until the cat is no longer on my head?¡± Brayden asked tersely. He reached up and tugged on the white-furred monstrosity, but it clung to his head like a hat with attachment issues.

    ¡°Just hold still,¡± Jalen replied, lifting a hand toward Brayden. ¡°If you don¡¯t budge, you might only lose a little hair.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any damn hair to lose!¡± Brayden yelled, jumping back. ¡°Don¡¯t blast me!¡±

    ¡°Stop jumping around!¡± Jalen snapped. ¡°I don¡¯t usually miss, and you aren¡¯t making things easier for me.¡±

    Brayden didn¡¯t seem to be in a cooperative mood. He continued trying to pry the cat off his head to absolutely no avail. That made it rather impossible for Jalen to perform any proper attacks unless he wanted to take Brayden¡¯s hands off along with the cat ¡ª and the stupid cat would almost certainly dodge the attacks anyway.

    Jalen¡¯s attention focused on the scrap of paper in the cat¡¯s mouth. It still hadn¡¯t dropped it. If he couldn¡¯t deal with the little furball, he refused to believe that he couldn¡¯t confiscate its toy.

    He teleported forward, his hand darting out. The cat vanished as soon as he reformed, appearing about twenty feet in the air above them. Out of the corner of his eye, Jalen spotted several of Vermil¡¯s students watching him and laughing.

    Funny, am I? I¡¯ll show you funny.

    Jalen clapped his hands together. Brayden¡¯s eyes shot open in horror and he flung himself to the ground. Energy screamed out of Jalen¡¯s body to the sound of the crashing roar of an enormous waterfall as he released his domain.

    The air between Jalen and the cat warped. He extended his hand. Space compressed and crumpled around his fingers. Even though he was dozens of feet away from his target, his fingers snagged the piece of paper as if it were right beside him.

    Jalen yanked his domain back. The cat fell to the ground, its payload confiscated.

    ¡°That¡¯ll show you to screw with me,¡± Jalen informed the cat. ¡°Smug little shit. Thinking you can flaunt space magic like that in my presence. If you weren¡¯t Vermil¡¯s, I¡¯d figure out just what made you tick.¡±

    The cat teleported back to Brayden as the large man stood back up, his face still slightly pallid. The students headed up the hill to join them, looking from the cat to Jalen with undisguised curiosity.

    ¡°Did you just unleash your domain?¡± Brayden demanded. ¡°On a cat?¡±

    ¡°Who won?¡± Jalen countered, unrolling the paper. ¡°I did. That¡¯s who. Cat: 0. Jalen: 1. Who¡¯s the victor? That¡¯s right. It¡¯s ¡ª oh.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Todd asked. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why¡¯s Mascot here?¡±

    Jalen stared at the words scrawled across the paper. Then he lowered it and looked back over to the cat. It was, without a doubt, even more smug than it had been before.

    ¡°You wanted me to take the paper?¡± Jalen asked, his eye twitching. It wasn¡¯t just that. This was no mere cat. It had done something that even he couldn¡¯t, and that irked him to such an end that he would never admit it.

    ¡°Of course he did,¡± Brayden snapped. ¡°Why would Mascot show up with a piece of paper if he wasn¡¯t delivering it?¡±

    ¡°I thought it was a cat toy! I don¡¯t know what cats do!¡±

    ¡°What does the blasted paper say?¡± Isabel demanded. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Jalen said. He looked back to the paper, then let out a short burst of laughter as he turned it around so the students could read it. ¡°Looks like you little brats were right on the money. Vermil says hello from the Damned Plains.¡±

 Chapter 489: Intact

    As far as Aylin was concerned, the night was going great. They¡¯d only had to kill one demon so far. That one death had been enough to keep the rest of the streetlords that had shown up in line.

    There was a slight chance that one death was only so effective because of the enormous flower that Moxie had grown from the streetlord¡¯s corpse. It swayed beside Aylin, more than a foot taller than him, with bright yellow petals as wide as his head.

    It smelled incredible. Rich, sweet, vibrant ¡ª and deeply unsettling. There was something wrong about such a tantalizing aroma rising from a flower that had been a demon just a short time ago.

    No matter how unsettling the flower was, there was no denying that it had done its job. The streetlord in question had attempted to cut Aylin¡¯s throat mid conversation. Violet and Vrith had killed him before Aylin even had a chance to do anything.

    That was enough to give all the other streetlords at least a few seconds of pause. But when Moxie had stepped out from her tent, wordlessly transformed the man into a giant piece of flora, and then headed off without another word, she¡¯d taken that moment of fear and dragged it out indefinitely.

    Aylin himself couldn¡¯t keep from throwing glances in the flower¡¯s direction. There was no more sign of the body that it had been made from, but splatters of blood still painted the ground around its base.

    But even the threat of the flower couldn¡¯t completely repress the streetlords forever. They¡¯d survived this long on the streets, and they wouldn¡¯t be cowed easily. After all, Spider wanted to control the gangs. Nobody could control something that was destroyed.

    Violet still stood by his side, keeping anyone from getting too ambitious, but Vrith had receded to the shadows. That was where Aylin needed her, but he still missed her presence.

    ¡°What benefit do we get to falling under your banner?¡± Ovellum, a Rank 3 streetlord that led a gang called the Lichen, demanded. ¡°Why does Spider even desire this? We have lived this long as we are. Keeping the sections of our territory separate has let us avoid serious conflict with each other. This threatens to ruin all of that.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s hardly true,¡± Aylin drawled. ¡°Gangs fight all the time. The streets are paved with the corpses of demons that have died for worthless battles. This solves all of that. Anyone that obeys Spider lives. Anyone who disobeys him dies. The survival rate of anyone with half a brain will grow significantly. You, on the other hand, may face some difficulties.¡±

    A few demons chuckled. There were few things demons appreciated more than a good fight, be it verbal or physical. Ovellum¡¯s light-pink features tightened in displeasure, but he didn¡¯t let his anger get the best of him.

    ¡°And what stops this Spider from sending us all to our deaths? If I wanted to enter the upper echelons of the city, I would have joined with one of the Houses that rule it. Why would I swear fealty to some uppity noble?¡± Ovellum crossed his two sets of arms in front of his chest and arched a bushy eyebrow. ¡°He needs us, not other way around. Nobody would go through all this effort if we didn¡¯t have something he wants. You can¡¯t cow us into submitting when we¡¯re the ones with the bargaining power.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sorely mistaken if you think Spider will give you anything but your life,¡± Aylin said. ¡°The only reason you still live and haven¡¯t joined our late friend as a part of the landscape is because you aren¡¯t worth Spider¡¯s time yet. The Ravagers have already fallen under his banner. Rekeba tried her hand and was left shattered at my feet. What makes you think that you would be any different?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just me.¡± Ovellum jerked a thumb toward all the other streetlords gathered in the market square. Ten different streetlords had all arrived to discover just how powerful Aylin was and see if they could get a glimpse of the infamous Spider. Nine remained, though Aylin strongly suspected he¡¯d be down to eight by the time he convinced the others to bend knee.

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Aylin said dryly. ¡°I¡¯m certain that the demons you were doing your best to kill a few days ago will be thrilled to lay down their lives so you can feel like a big strong demon for an extra few minutes before Spider rips your head off and feeds it to your second.¡±

    The streetlords exchanged glances and the tension in the air rose. Violet took a step forward, her eyes welcoming anyone to try their hand challenging her. None of them knew the full extent of her strength yet, but after what had happened to the last streetlord, nobody was about to accept her challenge yet. They were all waiting for someone else to do it first.

    Aylin¡¯s claim hadn¡¯t been wrong. Not a single one of the demons before him actually liked each other. They¡¯d have been thrilled to rip each other¡¯s throats out if the opportunity had presented itself.

    Today, that wasn¡¯t possible. Their conjoined front was the only thing that gave them any bargaining power and no streetlord was going to just surrender without a fight. Not to him, at least ¡ª but they weren¡¯t stupid enough to completely ignore Spider after recent events.

    They¡¯d come to see just how far they could push. To see if Spider was as powerful as he claimed. It didn¡¯t matter if they¡¯d been enemies just hours ago. When it came to losing their power, all the streetlords were more than willing to put their differences aside.

    Nothing so far has surprised me other than Moxie. It¡¯s a good thing she¡¯s also immune to my powers or I think I might have stolen some of her energy on accident. I don¡¯t think Spider would have been happy with me if that had happened.

    I¡¯ve done a pretty good job of keeping myself from accidentally revealing my abilities during this meeting. So far, I¡¯m still just the arrogant urchin that Spider turned into a streetlord. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve all gotten rumors and updates from their scouts as to what happened to Rekeba, but demons are shit at believing anything they don¡¯t see with their own eyes.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    That¡¯s what happens when everyone around you only works out of fear and is always looking for a way to take your strength. You can¡¯t trust your own subordinates.

    That was the biggest difference between Aylin and every other streetlord around him. He didn¡¯t have a sliver of doubt about Violet and Vrith¡¯s allegiances. He had absolutely no desire to ever try his hand fighting Spider. He was content ¡ª and that meant he didn¡¯t have to worry about clawing more strength from people or keeping a subordinate from sliding a claw through his back.

    That obviously doesn¡¯t stretch beyond my closest circle. Golon¡¯s people would be thrilled to be rid of me, but they won¡¯t matter once we finish up tonight. I¡¯m just a small push away from bringing the rest of these idiots under Spider¡¯s banner.

    It won¡¯t be long before they try something else. They won¡¯t give in this easily. Given how much they¡¯ve been standing around and wasting time talking, I imagine their next move should be to try and go after one of my perceived weaknesses.

    A pit formed in Aylin¡¯s stomach. Even though he was putting his full focus on remaining logical, he didn¡¯t have Vrith around to consume his fear right now. He couldn¡¯t keep the worry chewing at him completely repressed.

    Almost as if on cue, a loud scream from the tent behind Aylin split the camp. It cut short abruptly. It took all of Aylin¡¯s practice not to let the relief show in his posture. He kept his features impassive as he met the stares of the streetlords.

    That was too deep to be Torick or Edda. They¡¯re fine. I knew they¡¯d try this.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand yet,¡± Aylin said with a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. It¡¯s in your nature. It¡¯s in my nature. Seeking understanding is only natural. It¡¯s the greatest purpose of life.¡±

    ¡°What are you on about?¡± Ovellum asked. ¡°Blathering isn¡¯t going to change our minds. I think it¡¯s time to stop playing with you, boy. Bring Spider out. If he wants to rule over us, then he needs to¡ª¡±

    Aylin lifted a hand. Ovellum¡¯s mouth snapped shut. Aylin smiled, and fury washed over the other demon¡¯s face when he realized what he¡¯d just done. His self-preservation had instinctively cut him off.

    He nodded to the shadows over his shoulder. Vrith stepped out from within them. She held the head of a gray-haired demon clutched in one of her hands, their eyes wide open in horror. She tossed it to the ground and it rolled to a stop by Aylin¡¯s feet.

    ¡°What are¡ª¡± one of the other streetlords started.

    ¡°Be quiet,¡± Aylin said softly. ¡°I¡¯m speaking.¡±

    The demon¡¯s mouth snapped shut. Ovellum stared at the head, veins in his neck bulging as his jaw clenched. He recognized the demon. That certainly made things easier.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Ovellum demanded, spittle flying from his lips as he took a step forward. ¡°You dare¡ª¡±

    ¡°You sent someone to kill members of my gang,¡± Aylin said, anger entering his tone. ¡°I allowed you free entry into my territory. I extracted no punishment for when one of your number attempted to slit my throat. And this is how you thank me? I should kill all of you on the spot.¡±

    Violet tensed and lowered her stance, prepared to spring into motion the instant someone made an aggressive movement.

    ¡°Even if you were capable of that, you can¡¯t hold us responsible for the members of other streetlords,¡± another demon protested. ¡°That isn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°Are you not an alliance? Is that not what you came here claiming to be? I suggest you make up your mind.¡± Aylin rose to his feet and crossed his arms behind his back as he blew out a tired sigh. ¡°You should thank me. I will help your decision.¡±

    ¡°This is rich,¡± Ovellum said through a bark of fury-infused laughter. He flexed the fingers on his many hands and cracked his neck. ¡°Come on then, child. Tell us why we should scrape at your feet. Will Spider come save you?¡±

    Idiotic demonic pride.

    ¡°You will thank me,¡± Aylin said, keeping his voice measured, ¡°because I have chosen not to treat you as an alliance. I have chosen to treat you like deluded fools you are, but you will be blind no longer. I will forcibly show you the truth.¡±

    ¡°What are you on about?¡± Ovellum asked. ¡°And best choose your next words carefully. We know what you are, urchin. Spider made you powerful, but not experienced. There are far more of us than you, and Spider clearly doesn¡¯t care about any of this.¡±

    ¡°Lee,¡± Aylin asked, raising his voice slightly. ¡°Are you back yet?¡±

    The ground beside Aylin rippled and the short demon rose from a shadow to stand beside him, chewing on a long strip of jerky. She held a clenched fist out to him. ¡°Yup! Here you go!¡±

    Aylin extended his hand and Lee dropped a strip of patterned cloth into his hand. It was stained brown with blood, but the decoration on it was still just barely visible. Aylin turned back to the group of streetlords watching them and held the scrap up. Ovellum¡¯s eyes focused on it, then widened slightly.

    ¡°For those of you unaware, this is a strip from Ovellum¡¯s bedsheets,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°What, you broke into my house?¡± Ovellum asked, but the confidence in his voice had faltered. He let out a derisive snort. ¡°Why is that supposed to scare me? I wasn¡¯t there.¡±

    ¡°Of course you weren¡¯t. You¡¯re here.¡± Aylin nodded along in agreement. ¡°And now, the rest of your gang isn¡¯t there either.¡±

    Ovellum blinked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all dead, Ovellum.¡± Aylin¡¯s quiet words cut through the market air like a knife. ¡°Spider made it clear what would happen to those who opposed him. Every single member of the Lichen is dead.¡±

    ¡°Liar,¡± Ovellum roared. He lurched into motion. Violet stepped to meet him ¡ª and Lee blurred.

    One instant she stood beside Aylin, and the next her hand was buried in Ovellum¡¯s chest. She ripped it free, sending blood splattering across the ground as the demon¡¯s wide eyes stared at her in shock.

    The four-armed demon grasped at the hole in his chest. Then he fell to the ground with a splatter.

    ¡°You were correct. I was lying, and I find that slightly distasteful,¡± Aylin informed the corpse. ¡°Now every member of the Lichen is dead. Thank you for the help, Lee.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Lee said. ¡°I left the head intact, by the way. In case you want to stick it on a spike.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate it.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡± Lee raised a bloody hand in farewell and ambled away.

    Aylin joined the other streetlords in watching her leave, then turned back to catch their eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you all again,¡± Aylin said. ¡°Are you an alliance that will die together with Ovellum? Or are you individuals capable of making their own decisions? Do not make the mistake of believing Spider needs you. Spider extends his hand to any wise enough to take it, and his blade to those fool enough to reject it.¡±

    There was a second of silence. Then a thud split the air as a streetlord dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

    ¡°I separate myself from the others and request to join the Web,¡± the streetlord said. ¡°Thank you for your warning.¡±

    Seven more demons kneeled in rapid succession, mirroring his words. Not a single one of them remained standing.

    Aylin smiled.

 Chapter 490: Rising Moon & ANNOUNCEMENT!

    Pirren felt naked. She pulled the old cloak tighter around her shoulders and lower over her features as she strode down the moonlit streets. The chilly wind curling through the alleys around her did nothing to her scales, but she couldn¡¯t shake the uneasy feeling that hung around her neck like a millstone.

    It had been so long since she¡¯d left the safety of her nest. The outside world was dangerous. Uncontrolled. Her children were back in the nest, unprotected. That was where she should have been. Without her to watch over them, they could get into trouble.

    A dull spike drove into Pirren¡¯s mind at that thought. She winced and pulled her hood lower over her face. They should have been safe with her watching over them.

    Instead, she¡¯d nearly gotten Jophelus killed. Spider was absolutely nothing like what he should have been. The demon set every single one of her senses on end. Pirren had always considered herself fairly good at reading people.

    She¡¯d never had trouble tricking demons stronger than her. There had always been a way to manipulate the situation. Most lower-ranked demons didn¡¯t realize that there was more than one way to fight, and they were utterly unarmed when it came to any form of combat other than the physical one.

    But Spider¡­ he hadn¡¯t just been able to read her. It felt like his cold eyes had pierced right through her skin to dig through every single thought held within her head. An involuntary shiver ran down Pirren¡¯s spine and she shuddered.

    It almost felt violating. Her strategies had never failed her before, but the look in Spider¡¯s eyes had made it evident that he saw her like a child playing with toys beyond her comprehension. She hadn¡¯t even been a threat to him. He¡¯d just taken what he wanted and left.

    A portion of her longed to wrap her claws around Spider¡¯s throat and rip it open for how casually he¡¯d dismissed her strength. For how he¡¯d slaughtered one of her guards without so much as a blink.

    The rational portion of her mind crushed that desire without mercy. Pirren hadn¡¯t gotten to Rank 5 by being an idiot. There were some fights that could be taken. Some that could be trained for. There were enemies that could be tricked or brought down through collaboration.

    Spider was none of those. He hadn¡¯t shown a single weakness. A single point of care toward anything other than his goals. The only reason he¡¯d left her alive is because he¡¯d needed something from her. He was an enemy beyond reach.

    And, when there was an enemy that could not be defeated, the best path forward was for them to no longer be an enemy. That was her only winning move. Spider didn¡¯t care about Pirren. He¡¯d made that clear.

    If he didn¡¯t care about her, then they had no reason to be enemies. All she had to do was what he wanted and ¡ª with some luck ¡ª there was a possibility that he would begin paying her for her efforts with more than just her life.

    Pirren repressed a sigh and turned down another alleyway. She couldn¡¯t completely recall the last time she¡¯d gone to an auction in Treadon, but she remembered enough for the experience to sting like a Wastewasp bite.

    Her fists clenched. She hadn¡¯t forgotten the humiliation when she¡¯d arrived at the auction and announced herself, only to discover that all of her efforts to advance hadn¡¯t even put her on the lowest echelons of upper society in Treadon.

    Her runes were poorly made, cobbled together from the scraps she¡¯d fought tooth and claw for. She had no support or alliances with other demons. No power with which to bargain.

    Her cheeks burned with shame when she remembered the bag of gold she¡¯d so proudly brought at her side, the entirety of her savings she¡¯d worked to build over her life. The laughter of the other demons still echoed in her ears in the deepest parts of the night, when her thoughts were too loud to ignore.

    The idea of returning filled her with dread. She¡¯d built more wealth since that day, but nowhere near enough to afford what she needed. Nowhere near enough to face the other demons again. Even she could only bluff so hard.

    Perhaps one of them will anger Spider. If I could watch him flay one of them from head to toe, then this will have been worth it.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    There was just one problem. She didn¡¯t know when the next auction was, and no demon could just show up to it without any warning. They had to be announced. It was equal parts a way to ensure that only worthwhile demons were allowed in and so the demons auctioning runes could determine what quality offerings they wanted to put up that auction.

    Even if Spider gave her nothing else, sending the monstrous demon in the direction of the others could cause enough damage to give her an opportunity to pick up the pieces. Pirren¡¯s thoughts twisted in her mind as she slipped through Treadon¡¯s streets. They were only thoughts, and no thought had ever stopped her before.

    She was so lost in her thoughts that she nearly didn¡¯t notice that someone was trailing her. Nearly.

    Pirren ground to a halt as a form moved in the shadows at the corner of her vision. Her tongue flicked out and she narrowed her eyes, squinting into the darkness. Attempting to flee or taking other evasive maneuvers would only make her look weak.

    Appearances were everything. The demon that claimed to be the strongest often controlled the narrative unless the others knew them to be weak. And, in this part of the city, there shouldn¡¯t have been anyone strong enough to dare trying Pirren.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re there,¡± Pirren hissed. ¡°I am busy tonight, so I will be merciful. Leave, or you will find yourself speaking with death.¡±

    A demon stepped out of the shadows. His skin nearly blended in with it, only made distinct by thin silver veins that ran beneath it. Instead of pointing up to the sky, his horns curled around the sides of the face, their tips facing the ground. They, and his hair, were both pitch black. The demon looked like a living shadow.

    ¡°It is unwise to raise threats before you know to whom you speak,¡± the demon said, unbothered by Pirren¡¯s threat.

    Pirren pulled her hood back to reveal her features and flexed her claws, her tongue flicking out to taste the air again. ¡°Sound advice. You should take it yourself. I don¡¯t know you, but I don¡¯t bother learning the names of most of the demons I kill. Tonight is not the night to try my patience.¡±

    ¡°She did say you would be defensive,¡± the demon said, his head tilting to the side. ¡°As usual, she was right.¡±

    She?

    ¡°One chance,¡± Pirren said. ¡°Leave. This is not your part of the city. These streets are under the control of¡ª¡±

    ¡°The Mother Serpent,¡± the demon said, his lips parting to reveal a row of pointed white teeth. ¡°Or do you prefer the Fangless Coward? I have heard you go by both names.¡±

    Anger burned in Pirren¡¯s stomach, but she held her hand. There wasn¡¯t any fear in the demon¡¯s posture or words. It could have been a bluff, but she¡¯d already had one surprise for the day. She didn¡¯t need another.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Pirren demanded.

    ¡°I am Taleel, but that name will mean nothing to you.¡±

    He was right. Pirren had never heard of a demon named Taleel, but that meant little. Treadon was enormous. There were always new demons passing through it. Always new demons dying in it. Keeping track of everyone would have been impossible.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Pirren asked. If anything, keeping him distracted and speaking would give her an opportunity to rip his throat out. Pure strength was not the only element that dictated the victor of a fight.

    ¡°To find you,¡± Taleel replied. ¡°You seek entrance to tomorrow¡¯s auction.¡±

    Pirren hesitated. Nobody should have known what she was seeking other than her own people, and they wouldn¡¯t have let rumors spread. There was a chance Spider had asked other demons or revealed his plans elsewhere, but somehow, she doubted it.

    ¡°What makes you think I have any plans of doing something like that?¡±

    ¡°My mistress sees all that bask under her light,¡± Taleel replied, a tremor of zealotry running through his words. ¡°And she commands you to meet with her.¡±

    ¡°Who is she to command me?¡± Pirren asked warily. She glanced around the alley, but she couldn¡¯t detect the presence of any other demons. They seemed to be alone.

    ¡°It is not my place to answer questions about my mistress. Her knowledge is hers alone to share. You will not gain access to the auction without her aid. If you leave, you will fail in your task.¡±

    Task¡­ the phrasing implies he knows I¡¯m not trying to enter the auction for myself. How do they know? My mansion is well guarded. There are no windows to my inner room. It should have been impossible for anyone to listen in to my conversation with Spider ¡ª and I feel like he would have noticed if someone had been present. How could Taleel know this?

    ¡°And what if I refuse?¡± Pirren queried, tilting her head to the side and letting her tongue flick out. ¡°Will you try to stop me?¡±

    ¡°I will do nothing, because you will have already failed,¡± Taleel replied simply. ¡°The only path to success is through my mistress. We will have to do nothing. Your own inability will end you.¡±

    He knows about Spider.

    Pirren¡¯s jaw clenched. She regretted sending Jophelus to investigate Spider more and more with every minute that passed. He was involved in something far larger than she had any desire to be. The last thing she wanted to do was get pulled even deeper, but refusal would have been weakness. Years of training permitted her only one response.

    ¡°You have piqued my curiosity,¡± Pirren said with disinterest. ¡°I hope you will make this worth my time. Take me to this Mistress of yours, then. I will listen to what she has to say. One way into the auction is as good as any other.¡±

    ¡°She said you would think as much.¡± Taleel smiled again, then turned and beckoned for Pirren to follow him. ¡°Come, then. I will take you to speak with the Rising Moon.¡±

 Chapter 491: Of use

    The moment the words ¡®Rising Moon¡¯ slipped from Taleel¡¯s mouth, Pirren realized just how badly she¡¯d gotten herself caught in politics that she had absolutely no right being in. There were a lot of demons in Treadon, and only a few of them had a name known to every single demon within the city.

    Yoku the Rising Moon was one of them. Her name was just about the only thing that anyone could agree on about her. There were more rumors about Yoku than there were failed demons lurking in the Wastes.

    Some said she was a towering beast devoid of reason and driven entirely by instinct trapped somewhere deep within the city. Other rumors said that she had strings running to nearly every single high-ranking demon in Treadon and had been controlling them for hundreds of years.

    Pirren had heard talk of Yoku being Lord Belkus¡¯ greatest foe and ally alike, and her age ranged from somewhere between a few hundred years old to being twice as ancient as Treadon itself.

    None of it mattered. Pirren didn¡¯t care if Yoku was a force of nature or just a clever demon taking advantage of rumors to further her strength. The only thing she cared about was that she was being forced to meet her.

    No matter what the truth about Yoku was, there was no doubt that she was powerful. A Rank 6 at the absolute minimum, and possibly even a Rank 7. There had been a few rumors claiming that Yoku was actually a Rank 8, but Pirren didn¡¯t believe those in the slightest. A Rank 8 wouldn¡¯t have had to lurk in the night and rely on mystery to manipulate people. They would have just taken what they wanted to by force.

    But, as far as Pirren was concerned, a Rank 6 and a Rank 8 were just about the same thing. Both of them could kill her with little more than a thought. Spider be damned ¡ª if Pirren could have turned and run for her life, she would have.

    Taleel didn¡¯t give her the opportunity. Even though the shadowy demon wasn¡¯t looking at her, she could feel his attention prickling against her skin. Even if she could have slipped him now, he knew where she lived.

    He knew where her children were. No matter how fast Pirren was, she wasn¡¯t faster than Yoku was powerful. It didn¡¯t matter if she could escape if it cost her the lives of her children in the process. And so, Pirren did the only thing she could. She followed behind Taleel and let him take her to meet his mistress.

    The exact duration of the trip slipped Pirren¡¯s mind. She and Taleel wound through the shadowed streets as her panicked thoughts bounced through her mind ¡ª and then they had arrived.

    Taleel pulled open a plain doorway in the side of a nondescript alleyway that looked identical to every other one in the city. Pale white light rolled out from within it and lit the city as if the moon itself had been trapped behind the door.

    He looked back at Pirren. Not a word had to leave his mouth. The intention was clear. Pirren swallowed, her back as stiff as a steel rod, and stepped into the glow. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright light.

    A passageway stretched out before her, sloping down toward the center of the city. Taleel stepped inside behind Pirren and closed the door behind him with a soft click. She glanced back at him and he nodded, gesturing for her to continue forward.

    Neither of them spoke for the next few minutes. Her fear and anticipation heightened with every step. Every rumor she¡¯d ever heard of the Rising Moon lengthened in her mind like shadows in the setting sun. The pathway stretched on and on, making Pirren wonder if there was even an end or if this was just meant to be some form of torture.

    But, finally, they arrived. As with her arrival at the door in the alleyway, she barely even realized when it happened. Pirren had been so focused on her own thoughts and the drumming echo of their footsteps in the pathway that she didn¡¯t register a stone door before her until she was directly upon it. A crescent moon had been engraved into its front, but there was nothing else extraordinary about it.

    ¡°Do not look into her eyes. Do not look into the shadows. If you do, the one that leaves this room will not be you,¡± Taleel warned, his voice soft in reverence.

    He didn¡¯t give Pirren the chance to ask what he meant. He reached over her shoulder and pressed his hand to the door. It swung open soundlessly. An icy chill wrapped Pirren¡¯s body and prickled against her scales.

    A sea of pitch black stretched out before her. Its form twisted and churned like oil in water. Something lurked within it, and its presence squeezed Pirren¡¯s heart like a ripe tomato. She jerked her eyes toward the center of the room.

    The dark was broken by a gentle beam of silver light cascading down from somewhere far above. A young girl sat in the center of the room, long hair running from her head and covering the ground around her. She had two pale blue eyes, as flat as the surface of the sea on a windless day. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, hugging her knees to her chest. No horns graced the top of her head. If it weren¡¯t for her eyes and hair, the girl would have looked to be completely human.

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    This is Yoku? She doesn¡¯t look anything like literally any of the rumors said she would. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a good thing or not.

    Pirren stood at the edge of the darkness, her entire body frozen in terror. Taleel gave Pirren a firm push in the back, sending her stumbling into the shadows. His words echoed in her mind and Pirren focused her attention the girl¡¯s hands, unwilling to let her gaze stray.

    ¡°I brought the one you requested, mistress,¡± Taleel said as he shut the door gently behind them.

    ¡°Thank you, Taleel,¡± Yoku said. Her voice was so soft that it should have been impossible to make out, but it rang as clear as a death knell in Pirren¡¯s ears. ¡°Come forward.¡±

    Pirren would have preferred to do literally anything else, but her body had long since stopped listening to her mind¡¯s desires. Following any of them would only get herself and her children killed.

    She advanced through the darkness, doing her best to avoid looking at the murky waves roiling through the sea of black around her. Yoku said nothing until Pirren and Taleel stood just a few feet away from her.

    ¡°That is sufficient,¡± Yoku said. ¡°Did you face difficulties, Taleel?¡±

    ¡°I did not. It was as you said.¡±

    Yoku¡¯s head inclined in the slightest of nods. She lifted a thumb to her mouth and chewed on its tip as her pale eyes scored over Pirren¡¯s body like dull knives. It was another several seconds before Yoku spoke.

    ¡°You are a coward.¡±

    The words weren¡¯t spoken in the way of an insult. They were nothing more than a mere observation from an impartial observer.

    ¡°I survive,¡± Pirren said. The faintest flicker of anger fizzled in her stomach. Every powerful demon was the same. They all looked down at her, even though she¡¯d had nothing but scraps to work with. She¡¯d dragged herself here, a path of her own blood in her wake, while half of them had just stumbled into or been gifted their power.

    ¡°You do,¡± Yoku murmured. ¡°And you wonder why I have sought you out.¡±

    ¡°What purpose could you possibly have for me? I am beneath the notice of someone like you.¡±

    ¡°I wished to see if you would be useful to me,¡± Yoku replied. Her head tilted slightly to the side. ¡°No demon is useless. All may serve a purpose so long as they have sufficient motivation.¡±

    The icy hand around Pirren¡¯s heart started to clench even tighter. It didn¡¯t sound like one, but that had been a threat. She was certain of it. Motivation never meant anything else in the Damned Plains.

    ¡°This is about Spider, isn¡¯t it?¡± Pirren asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about him. I can¡¯t hurt him. He just told me to get him access to the auction. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Yoku fell silent for several more seconds. Then she removed her thumb from her mouth and let out a dainty sigh. ¡°How disappointing. You are not what I need. Remove her, Taleel.¡±

    What? She dragged me all the way here just to say she doesn¡¯t need me? What was the point of any of that?

    ¡°As you wish, mistress.¡± Taleel asked. The back of Pirren¡¯s neck prickled as her instincts screamed out a warning.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Yoku ordered, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. Her voice had only risen by the faintest pitch, but both Taleel and Pirren fell to their knees as if a thousand pounds of force had slammed down on their backs.

    The breath froze in Pirren¡¯s chest and a wave of dizziness threatened to swallow her consciousness entirely. An instant later the sensation vanished, but the breath had been completely driven from her lungs. She dragged in a ragged breath, her heart hammering like a runaway horse.

    ¡°Mistress?¡± Taleel wheezed, confusion evident in his voice.

    ¡°Unexpected,¡± Yoku said, her voice back to its gentle tone. Her head tilted to the side as she observed Pirren. ¡°Forgive me, Taleel. I did not mean to hurt you.¡±

    ¡°I am fine, mistress,¡± Taleel said, sounding decidedly not fine. ¡°You wish me to stay my hand?¡±

    ¡°Her weight shifted,¡± the childlike demon murmured. ¡°She was worthless, but the instant you moved to kill her, her weight magnified ¡ª and yours vanished.¡±

    Weight? What is she talking about?

    ¡°Should you order it, I shall still act, mistress.¡± Taleel¡¯s tone had shifted once more. Fear and resignation had replaced the confusion, as if he was signing away his own life with his words.

    ¡°You are too valuable for that,¡± Yoku replied. Her eyes lowered to Pirren, who hurriedly focused her attention back on the other demon¡¯s knees to avoid holding her gaze. ¡°Pirren. I desire an explanation.¡±

    ¡°An explanation?¡± Pirren asked weakly. ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°If Taleel had killed you just now, he would have joined you in death.¡± Yoku¡¯s voice was as cold as her icy eyes. ¡°Tell me why. Who protects you?¡±

    What? Nobody. I have nobody but my children, and none of them are anywhere near strong enough to so much as scratch Taleel, much less kill him. There¡¯s nobody ¡ª

    A thought prickled at the back of Pirren¡¯s mind. And, despite the situation she found herself in, she nearly burst into hysterical laughter.

    ¡°Answer the mistress, demonling,¡± Taleel ordered.

    ¡°Spider protects me,¡± Pirren said as a lifeline finally manifested itself before her. It was thin, but it was the faintest chance to survive the night. As she always had, she clung to life like a shipwrecked man to a plank of wood.

    ¡°Spider? What care does he have for you?¡± Taleel asked. ¡°You are not one of his men.¡±

    Pirren had no clue what had happened or why Yoku believed she was protected. It didn¡¯t matter. If Yoku didn¡¯t know, then Pirren could do what she did best.

    Lie.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t care for me,¡± Pirren agreed, a small smile pulling across her lips as the false confidence she¡¯d called upon thousands of times before finally manifested itself once again. ¡°But he would be quite displeased at the delay if I failed to carry out my task.¡±

    ¡°Spider would kill one of my men?¡± Yoku asked. ¡°Purely because I inconvenienced him?¡±

    ¡°So it would seem.¡±

    To Pirren¡¯s surprise, a faint smile slipped across Yoku¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Then perhaps you may be of use to me after all.¡±

 Chapter 492: Shudder

    Aylin dismissed the group of streetlords before Spider returned. It would take some time for them to bring their gangs in line, and he had no desire to go around to every single camp and browbeat everyone into submission.

    He also wasn¡¯t certain that the streetlords wouldn¡¯t get themselves killed by saying something stupid the moment they met Spider. The masked demon seemed to be forgiving enough, but Aylin wasn¡¯t about to bet on it.

    There was no realistic way for him to directly control every single gang himself, so he still needed the streetlords. After the display he, Vrith, and Violet had put on together with Lee, Aylin was pretty sure they¡¯d make sure the rest of their gangs didn¡¯t step out of line as well.

    He still felt a little sick about the orders he¡¯d given Lee. Dozens of demons were dead because of his order. Lee may have been the one to kill them, but she¡¯d done it at his request. She¡¯d been a sword that he had swung to make things easier on himself.

    And worse, it had been easy.

    I don¡¯t regret it. These old bastards never would have bowed head to me if I didn¡¯t do something drastic. By killing an entire gang, I¡¯ll have saved all the demons that would have tried to push our boundaries later. This was the path that resulted in the least destruction.

    It wouldn¡¯t come without cost. He was more than aware of that. The demons he¡¯d had killed were nameless and faceless to him, but everyone had connections. Some would have survived. He¡¯d made enemies today.

    Aylin didn¡¯t know if it would be today or some time far in the future, but some of those enemies would come to try and take revenge. There was nothing he could do about that. All he could focus on was growing stronger and making sure he was capable of dealing with that when the time came.

    Until then he had to make sure that their efforts thus far didn¡¯t go to waste. He sat in the center of the market square with Vrith and Violet, watching the other demons in the Web resume their normal operations.

    They were still there when Spider returned. The crowd parted as he strode through them and into the square, then quickly started to disperse out of self-preservation. Aylin and the others hurried to rise to their feet.

    ¡°Relax,¡± Spider said, a note of amusement in his voice. ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with the Rank 5. It went well. We¡¯ll have no problems from her. I hope everything at camp was similarly successful.¡±

    ¡°More than,¡± Aylin confirmed with something between a bow and a nod. ¡°Ten gangs have fallen to us. There aren¡¯t many more, and any remaining holdouts will probably surrender or be destroyed by tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°That is good news,¡± Spider said with a nod. ¡°Well done, all of you. No significant issues, I hope?¡±

    ¡°Nothing beyond expectations,¡± Aylin said. A droplet of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. He wished that either Violet or Vrith would say literally anything so Spider¡¯s full attention wouldn¡¯t be laid solely on his shoulders, but they had unified in being more than content to let him speak. Aylin tugged at the hems of his shirt to occupy his hands. ¡°We may have some issues in the future, though.¡±

    ¡°Issues? Of what sort?¡±

    ¡°Bringing this many demons under one banner is going to draw a lot of attention,¡± Aylin said. ¡°And they¡¯re going to be expecting something. They won¡¯t be able to fight with each other anymore. None of them will be happy giving up their resources for equality when the stronger ones used to be able to take from the weaker. If they don¡¯t have something to focus on and grow stronger with, they¡¯ll turn on us.¡±

    Being this upfront with Spider is more than a little dangerous, but I don¡¯t think dancing around the topic is a good idea either. I¡¯d rather him get annoyed now than him rip my head off when the gang collapses from under us.

    ¡°Logically. You can¡¯t take a predator¡¯s food source away and expect them to be content with it,¡± Spider said with a knowing laugh. ¡°I appreciate the foresight. They¡¯ll have more than enough to deal with in the coming days. We¡ª¡±

    Spider cut himself off mid-sentence. His hand shot up to point at one of the rooftops and whisps of white wind howled to life around his fingers, forming into a churning sphere in a split instant.

    Violet lunged at Aylin, tackling him to the ground and knocking the air from his lungs. He managed to keep his view of Spider as a gray blur flew through the air. It collided with the swirling sphere of wind, which detonated with a howl.

    It sent the streak tumbling back, its momentum stolen. A metallic clatter rang out across the ground as a dagger bounced across the stone and scraped to a stop against the base of a tent. Aylin¡¯s eyes flicked to the rooftop from where the dagger had come.

    A black-clothed demon leapt to their feet and spun to flee. They weren¡¯t nearly fast enough. Yellow light flashed and a brilliant crack split the air. A bolt of lightning ripped through the market square and slammed into the demon¡¯s shoulder.

    Bone crunched and flesh sizzled. The force of the magic spun the demon and threw them to the rooftop. Vrith blurred across the ground and vaulted up to the demon on the top of the roof.

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    ¡°Don¡¯t kill them,¡± Spider ordered, his voice cold as he let his hand lower.

    Aylin couldn¡¯t see if Vrith responded to that. Violet rolled off him and pulled him back to his feet.

    ¡°You okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Thanks,¡± Aylin said as he brushed himself off. ¡°I prefer caution to getting impaled. I didn¡¯t think anyone would send assassins this quickly.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first.¡± Spider¡¯s eyes were locked on the rooftop as Vrith dragged the would-be assassin over to the edge of the roof and dropped down together with them, landing on the ground with a thud.

    The demon groaned in pain. One of their arms was completely destroyed. If the magic had hit them in the chest, they¡¯d have died instantly. Vrith held their other in a vice grip behind their back, not giving them any way to fight back as she brought her prisoner over to Spider.

    ¡°Fuck you,¡± the demon hissed. ¡°You¡¯re all dead.¡±

    ¡°Should I know you?¡± Spider tilted his head to the side.

    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you shit,¡± the demon snarled. ¡°I¡¯m not scared.¡±

    Aylin sucked on his teeth. That was a lie. He could taste it, as vibrant as the rising sun. The demon was terrified.

    ¡°He¡¯s not telling the truth,¡± Aylin said.

    Spider gave him a small nod, but the masked demon didn¡¯t even seem to care all that much.  He reached into his bag and pulled out a featureless, pitch-black mask.

    ¡°You¡¯re the fourth one, you know that?¡± Spider asked, tossing the mask at the other demon¡¯s feet. ¡°Do you know what happened to the previous three? Or did your employer not tell you? And a dagger? Seriously? I¡¯m honestly offended you thought that would kill me.¡±

    The demon stared down at the mask. He looked back up to Spider, and Aylin could feel his confusion even through the mask covering his features.

    ¡°A Shield? You want me to deliver this to my employer?¡± A bark of laughter slipped from the demon¡¯s mouth.  ¡°You really think you can buy him off? Or is this meant to be a bribe? It won¡¯t work. I¡¯ll die before I give anything away.¡±

    ¡°Buy him off? No. Why would I need to do something like that? And I don¡¯t need to bribe someone like you. There¡¯s no information you could give me that¡¯s worth the hassle. Let me guess. Your employer is a giant bloke that wears a mask and speaks with a rough yet noble voice. Sound accurate?¡±

    The assassin hesitated for a flicker of an instant. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Lie,¡± Aylin said.

    Spider laughed. ¡°Thank you, Aylin. Put on the mask, demon.¡±

    ¡°Nothing you can do is worse than what will happen to me if I turn against a contractor,¡± the demon snarled. He tried to twist out of Vrith¡¯s grip, but she dug her free hand into his wounded shoulder and he screamed in pain.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Vrith snarled.

    ¡°He believes that,¡± Aylin put in.

    Spider nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I see. Now put the mask on, demon. It¡¯s just a shield. You stand no chance against me as you are. You aren¡¯t even worth my time.¡±

    ¡°Arrogant bastard,¡± the assassin snarled.

    ¡°Arrogance is thinking you can kill me with a dagger,¡± Spider drawled. ¡°There¡¯s only one thing I want from you, and it isn¡¯t information. Let him go, Vrith. If he tries to run, I¡¯ll destroy his other arm and put the mask on his face myself.¡±

    Vrith released the assassin¡¯s arm and shoved him forward. The demon stumbled toward the mask ¡ª then lurched into motion, yanking a black dagger from his side and lunging at Spider¡¯s neck with a burst of surprising speed.

    A loud crack split the night. The assassin stumbled back, the dagger spinning from his fingertips, as Spider drove his knee up into his nose. He fell to his back, coughing and choking on blood.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t expect that, but you really need to avoid telegraphing your movements so much,¡± Spider said dryly. He put a foot on the mask and pushed it over to the fallen assassin. ¡°Put. It. On.¡±

    For a second, the only sound in the square were the assassin¡¯s ragged breaths. Then, slowly, he reached out and grabbed the mask, sliding it onto his face. A dull hum filled the air as a crackling blue shield ignited and swirled to life around the assassin.

    Aylin¡¯s Runes reached out, brushing harmlessly across Spider but digging into the assassin and siphoning energy from him. The demon barely even seemed to notice. He scooped his dagger off the ground and Vrith moved forward, but Spider raised a hand to stop her.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. Let him try.¡± Spider raised his voice for a moment. ¡°Lee? Are you here?¡±

    Lee¡¯s head popped out of her tent. ¡°Yup!¡±

    ¡°Make sure we don¡¯t have any more unwelcome guests, would you?¡±

    ¡°Kay,¡± Lee said with a nod. She sank into a shadow and vanished.

    Spider turned back to the assassin and beckoned him onward. ¡°Come on, then. Get back to it. I believe you had a job to be doing. Maybe you¡¯ll be a bit better at it this time around.¡±

    Aylin swallowed. Spider had given a powerful weapon to an assassin purely because the demon wasn¡¯t even worth his time without it.

    The assassin lowered his stance. Blood dripped from his crippled arm. Aylin could smell it on the wind, mixed with the scent of fear. A droplet rolled off a finger and dripped to the ground. With a scream of defiance, the assassin blurred forward.

    Spider lifted a hand. The air before him crumpled, streaks of white energy swirling out like a spiderweb to meet the demon¡¯s charge.

    A loud, squelching crunch echoed through the market square. Aylin joined the demon in staring at his chest, which had collapsed as if torn apart from within. The shield still hummed between him and Spider¡¯s palm, completely undamaged. Metal clattered to the ground once more as the assassin¡¯s dagger clattered from his stiff fingers.

    Then the assassin pitched back, the shield fading before crashed to the ground and laid still. The skin on the back of Aylin¡¯s neck prickled and his hair stood on end.

    Spider knelt, removing the mask from the assassin¡¯s face and sliding it back into his bag. He glanced at Aylin. ¡°Get rid of this body somehow, would you? Check it to see if there¡¯s anything useful, but I doubt there will be.¡±

    Aylin swallowed again before giving Spider a sharp nod. ¡°I will do as you ask.¡±

    ¡°Much appreciated,¡± Spider said. ¡°And after that, try to brush up a little bit. We¡¯ll be going to an auction soon. We¡¯re going to make it a memorable one.¡±

    Aylin repressed a shudder.

    Somewhere across the city, back in an egg-shaped mansion and hunched over in a throne with her head in her hands and unaware as to why, Pirren did the same.

 Chapter 493: The Greatest Fighting Style

    Grass rustled at Jalen¡¯s feet. The breeze curling past his hair and caressing the back of his neck carried the faint scent of sweet nectar on it. His nose scrunched slightly in annoyance.

    ¡°Well then,¡± Jalen said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and tilting his head to the side. ¡°I think it¡¯s starting to get a little crowded.¡±

    As was becoming habit, he and Vermil¡¯s students had gathered for class once more. They¡¯d absconded from Arbitage¡¯s typical training areas and headed out to the Windscorned Plateau with a little help from Tim.

    Jalen just hadn¡¯t realized quite how many people Vermil had actually known. Their group of temporary teachers, which had initially just been him and Brayden, had now expanded to include Bird and ¡ª for some reason ¡ª Silvertide.

    That was rather odd, as Jalen couldn¡¯t quite remember inviting Silvertide, but the old man had a good relationship with the kids. And, despite being a Rank 5, he was an incredibly capable mage.

    There were at least four different conversations going at once. Isabel and Todd were speaking about their runes, Silvertide was showing Alexandra some sword techniques, and James and Emily were flirting with about as much aptitude as a pair of toddlers.

    At least Bird was silent. She just clutched a grimoire to her chest and glanced around the grassy plains, evidently wishing she was literally anywhere else. Brayden wasn¡¯t doing much better. He just stood at the edge of the group, watching over everyone with eagle eyes as if a monster was going to materialize behind someone and try to rip their head off.

    Damned Plains. I¡¯m bored. I wonder if Silvertide plays darts. Maybe I should ¡ª

    No. I have a duty. I don¡¯t like those, but I¡¯ve got proof that Vermil isn¡¯t dead. He¡¯d probably be pissed at me if I failed his little brats, so I¡¯ve got to make sure they actually perform well on this exam. I want to play darts again. He won¡¯t be able to play if he¡¯s too busy with remedial training.

    Jalen aggressively cleared his throat. Not a single person looked in his direction. He was pretty sure nobody had heard him. His eyes narrowed in annoyance. The one thing he was not used to was being ignored.

    Power swirled within his chest and burst out from him, ripping across the grassy plains as his domain washed out over everyone. He repressed it enough to avoid doing any damage, but the sheer pressure from his runes was still enough to make everyone stagger. The only one that wasn¡¯t forced to take a step back was Silvertide.

    Jalen coughed into his fist.

    ¡°What?¡± Brayden asked, his hand shooting to the hilt of his sword. ¡°Is something happening? Are we about to be under attack?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Jalen dragged the word out, then cleared his throat. ¡°The situation is far more dire. I am bored.¡±

    ¡°Did you happen to train Vermil?¡± Silvertide asked, tilting his head to the side.

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen replied. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because you have striking similarities. You¡¯re like a more irritable version of him,¡± the old soldier replied, his lip curling up in amusement. ¡°But perhaps we should actually get started. Time is too valuable of a resource to waste much of it. I trust you called us here for a reason?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t call you here at all,¡± Jalen corrected. ¡°You are correct, though. We¡¯ve had enough fraternizing. The exam is¡­ soon.¡±

    Everyone stared at him.

    ¡°How soon?¡± Brayden asked.

    Jalen cleared his throat again. This wasn¡¯t going the way he¡¯d wanted it to go. ¡°Soon.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t actually know what day the exam is, do you?¡± Isabel asked.

    ¡°That is hardly relevant.¡± Jalen glared at her.

    ¡°He was probably too busy kicking rocks and muttering about darts,¡± Todd said with a snicker.

    Jalen¡¯s eyes narrowed. Vermil¡¯s students acted all too familiar with him. He was the head of the Linwick House. A Rank 6 older than the majority of their family tree. Those who knew him quaked in fear at his name, much less his presence.

    The head of a house shouldn¡¯t permit this abject lack of respect ¡ª but I¡¯ll be damned if these brats aren¡¯t interesting. I can¡¯t bring myself to actually complain about them being mouthy. It¡¯s so much more interesting than all the idiots that scrape the floor with their teeth when I walk into the room.

    ¡°I was busy gathering teachers for you, as I can¡¯t be bothered to do everything myself,¡± Jalen corrected. ¡°Perhaps we should take advantage of my hard work. I spent a great amount of effort on this, you know. You could at least be appreciative.¡±

    ¡°On bringing Silvertide?¡± Todd asked, glancing at the elderly soldier. ¡°That couldn¡¯t have taken much effort. He invited himself.¡±

    Jalen sighed. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Was the no to inviting Silvertide? Or was it to the not taking much effort part?¡± Todd kept a straight face, but Jalen could see he was desperately trying to avoid laughing.

    ¡°Both,¡± Jalen admitted with a smirk. ¡°There aren¡¯t many things in this world that I¡¯m truly motivated to do. But Silvertide was not the instructor I kindly invited to assist you. That would be the woman trying to hide behind Brayden. She has kindly volunteered to assist all of you.¡±

    ¡°I am not trying to hide,¡± Bird said as everyone turned to look at her. ¡°And I did not volunteer to do anything.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°I blackmailed her,¡± Jalen said jovially. ¡°Any further questions?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Isable said. ¡°What did you¡ª¡±

    ¡°That was a rhetorical question,¡± Jalen said, cutting Isabel off mid-sentence. ¡°No more questions. I don¡¯t care. Now, shall we get on with this? I¡¯ll be so kind as to introduce you all. Everyone, this is Bird. Stupid name if you ask me. You can¡¯t just choose a random noun to be your name. And Bird, this is everyone else.¡±

    ¡°That may be the worst introduction to someone I¡¯ve ever gotten, and I¡¯ve been through a lot of introductions,¡± Silvertide said dryly.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jalen replied without an ounce of sarcasm. ¡°I take pride in my abilities ¡ª and Bird takes pride in her Runes. She¡¯s a member of the King family that has very kindly volunteered to supply all of the little brats from her own supply. Isn¡¯t that sweet?¡±

    Four pairs of eyes snapped over to Bird. That had gotten their attention. Her face paled and she clutched the book tighter to her chest.

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    ¡°You never mentioned Vermil had this many students.¡±

    Jalen couldn¡¯t help but notice that Alexandra didn¡¯t look nearly as excited about the Runes as any of the others. His head tilted to the side. She was a Rank 3, but that was no reason to give up on getting new runes.

    ¡°There are just five of them. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± Jalen asked.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take any new runes right now,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°So there are only four of us.¡±

    Does she have all seven of her runes filled in? Hm. I can¡¯t remember if Vermil mentioned anything about her abilities or not. I wasn¡¯t really paying all that much to anything his students did other than their formations. Maybe I should have listened closer. Oh well.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jalen said. He flickered, teleporting behind and clapping a hand down on her shoulder. She winced in surprise and he grinned.  ¡°Take some anyway. The King family is very generous.¡±

    ¡°These aren¡¯t even the King family¡¯s runes,¡± Bird said, glaring at Jalen. ¡°They¡¯re mine!¡±

    ¡°Even more reason to be generous. No punishment for taking too much.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give them some yourself?¡± Bird demanded. ¡°You¡¯re the head of the Linwicks!¡±

    ¡°Because that¡¯s a whole lot less amusing than making you do it. Now get on with it, unless you were planning to show them that fighting style of yours that you were practicing.¡±

    Bird choked on her own saliva and doubled over, coughing.

    ¡°What kind of fighting style?¡± Alexandra asked, her interest suddenly piqued.

    ¡°Nothing that concerns you,¡± Bird replied, managing to get her fit under control. She clutched her grimoire to her chest like a sailor clinging to a plank of wood after a shipwreck. ¡°It is of no matter.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say it was rather interesting, actually.¡± Jalen scratched his chin. ¡°Something you derived from Vermil¡¯s fighting style, if those scribbles on your wall were anything to go by.¡±

    ¡°Vermil¡¯s fighting style?¡± Silvertide¡¯s bushy eyebrows lifted and he leaned on his staff. A flicker of regret passed through his features. ¡°What style are you referring to? Vermil was a uniquely capable individual. Any instruction that could be passed on from him would be a fantastic resource. I didn¡¯t realize Bird knew him that well.¡±

    ¡°He is a capable individual,¡± Isabel corrected. ¡°He¡¯s still alive.¡±

    ¡°I am not going to continue this conversation,¡± Bird said. She slapped a palm against the leather bindings of her grimoire. ¡°I¡¯ve been forced to bring you all some Runes, and that¡¯s what I¡¯ve done. You may each choose one.¡±

    ¡°Two,¡± Jalen said.

    ¡°Why?¡± Bird demanded.

    ¡°Three.¡±

    ¡°Oh gods ¡ª fine. Two,¡± Bird snapped. ¡°Happy?¡±

    ¡°Two and you teach them the fighting style.¡± Jalen could barely hold his laughter back at the incredulous expression on Bird¡¯s face. He flashed her a toothy grin. ¡°Go on. Bargain more. We¡¯ll see how many runes you¡¯ve got in your grimoire after I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just blackmail me into giving all my runes away,¡± Bird ground out. She clenched her jaw and turned her head to meet Jalen¡¯s gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like one of your subordinates, Jalen. I agreed to give some runes, but not all of them. You can¡¯t push me into doing whatever you want.¡±

    I can respect that. At least, I could on most days. Unfortunately, this isn¡¯t just about me. As much fun as I¡¯m having with this, there¡¯s a greater purpose to it.

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong,¡± Jalen said. His smile slipped away and his hand tightened on Bird¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I am very used to getting what I want, Bird. I asked you to collect Runes because there are too many eyes on me, and pulling from the Linwick reserves would have set off the spies that I haven¡¯t bothered rooting out of my house. These kids don¡¯t need that attention. They can¡¯t afford it. I don¡¯t have any Runes they can use myself ¡ª thus, you. So either you give the kids what I am more than aware you can afford given your salary from Otto, or the Linwick family ceases all trade with him.¡±

    Bird¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t. That would do significant damage to both of our families. Otto would be¡ª¡±

    ¡°Furious,¡± Jalen finished. ¡°Look me in the eyes, Bird. Tell me if you think I give the slightest shit about the Linwick family. It is a house of wretched cowards. The Kings are no better. I¡¯d watch them both burn if I thought it would be amusing enough. Don¡¯t tell me you giving away ten runes would break you. It¡¯s a month of work at best.¡±

    Bird clenched her jaw. Then she blew out a short, angry breath. ¡°Fine. Two runes.¡±

    ¡°And the fighting style,¡± Isabel added. ¡°If there¡¯s something that Professor Vermil did that you learned, I want to know how to do it too.¡±

    ¡°You heard the kid,¡± Jalen said with an unabashed grin. ¡°And the fighting style.¡±

    ¡°I am not fighting naked in front of an audience,¡± Bird snapped. She caught herself an instant later and cringed, but it was too late. She¡¯d already spoken. It took every ounce of self-control that Jalen had to keep from howling with laughter.

    ¡°Ohhhh,¡± Todd said, his eyes lighting up in recognition. ¡°That¡¯s the fighting style you¡¯re talking about? I guess we should have guessed.¡±

    It seemed as if Bird had only heard half the words that had just come out of Todd¡¯s mouth. Her eye twitched. ¡°What? He showed you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Todd said with a nod. ¡°All the time, especially in the Scorched Acres. fighting naked is a pretty good way to put it. It really did feel like that. The style was really useful. Great at making me get over my fears and trust myself more. I did almost get ripped open a few times, though.¡±

    ¡°He did it with you?¡± Bird exclaimed, pulling at her hair in distress.

    It was Isabel¡¯s turn to nod. ¡°We all did it together. He helped at the start, but after a while he just watched.¡±

    ¡°Is this the technique you used back in the first exam that you told me about?¡± Emily asked eagerly. ¡°I want to learn how to do that! I don¡¯t plan to stop using a shield, but being able to fight naked would definitely help me save energy. Can you show us?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something seriously wrong with all of you,¡± Bird said with a groan. ¡°Is Vermil a plague? A curse that infects everyone he gets close to?¡±

    ¡°Oh, most certainly,¡± Jalen said through a cackle.

    ¡°Does that mean the two of you¡­ figured out exactly how the style works?¡± Bird asked, a flicker of hesitation passing through her as she pointed to Isabel and Todd in turn.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ve mastered it, but I think we got a decent understanding,¡± Todd said as he scratched his neck. ¡°Nobody did it as good as Vermil.¡±

    Bird swallowed. A second passed before she let out a defeated groan. ¡°I can¡¯t pass up the opportunity to learn more. I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯ve learned if you do the same.¡±

    Todd and Isabel shrugged as one.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Isabel said. ¡°If Vermil showed you something, then I want to learn it.¡±

    Bird scratched the side of her neck. She glanced to Jalen. Then she sighed. ¡°If a word of this ever leaves this field, I will make every single one of you regret it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not spreading Vermil¡¯s teaching anywhere he doesn¡¯t want me to,¡± Alexandra said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

    ¡°Same,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t share without his or Moxie¡¯s permission, and James is too lazy to do anything,¡± Emily added. James nodded sleepily in agreement.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Bird said. She grabbed the hem of her shirt, her face screwed up in a grimace. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! What are you doing?¡± Todd asked as Isabel lifted a hand to cover his eyes.

    Bird paused with the shirt up to her midriff. ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re going to make me explain this?¡±

    ¡°Maybe her shield is beneath her shirt,¡± Emily offered, but she didn¡¯t sound particularly confident in her own words.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not wearing a shield. I was getting naked,¡± Bird said through a sigh. ¡°You are making this a lot harder than it has to be.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit, you were being literal?¡± Todd asked. ¡°Vermil didn¡¯t actually get naked to fight. He just doesn¡¯t use a shield.¡±

    Bird stared at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°He still wore his clothes when he trained with us,¡± Isabel said. ¡°And thank any god that was listening for that. He never would have beaten the allegations against him if he didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying Vermil fought naked in front of you?¡± Emily asked, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Does Moxie know?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ no, I never actually saw him fighting. I made some educated guesses to fill some things in,¡± Bird stammered. Her eyes darted around the clearing, then abruptly lit with understanding. ¡°So that¡¯s what he did.¡±

    Ah, damn. I suppose the fun is over. I¡¯m not sure how Vermil managed to trick her this badly, but Bird was always better at researching than thinking from what I recall Otto telling me. I suppose it¡¯s about time to get class started properly anyway. No more jokes.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Todd asked, Isabel¡¯s hand still over his eyes.

    ¡°He only showed you the first part of the technique,¡± Bird said without so much as a flicker of hesitation. ¡°My research has deduced the next stage, but perhaps you all aren¡¯t ready for it yet.¡±

    Jalen was unable to hold back any longer. He doubled over and howled with laughter. Despite a bit of naivety, Bird had some pretty good observations written on her walls. Jalen was pretty certain her tutelage would actually be quite useful for the students so long as she didn¡¯t lose her clothes in the process. That would just have to wait until he could breathe properly again.

 Chapter 494: Meet the guide

    Noah was doing a remarkable job of repressing his laughter as he looked at Aylin. The demon stood awkwardly before him, clad in one of Noah¡¯s professor uniforms. Black sleeves hanging past Aylin¡¯s arms and his pants were scrunched up around his knees to avoid getting stepped on.

    ¡°You might need to grow into it,¡± Noah said, scratching at the back of his neck.

    ¡°You could fit him and Violet alike into those and still have some room to spare,¡± Moxie said dryly from behind Noah.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s just cruel. You could not,¡± Noah said. He glanced back at Aylin, who pulled his collar nearly half a foot away from his neck and peered down at his chest.

    Okay. Maybe you could.

    ¡°Is¡­ it imperative I go like this?¡± Aylin asked hesitantly.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said with a sigh. ¡°Never mind. Just change back into your normal clothes. We¡¯ll just have to get you something better before we go doing anything like this again. Better to look a little ratty than to look like you¡¯ve raided your father¡¯s wardrobe.¡±

    Aylin nodded. Noah and Moxie stepped back out of the tent to give him some privacy. The thick shadow of the night had finally started to relent as dull orange sunlight poked out at the end of the horizon and spilled through the cracks in the alleys to illuminate the market square.

    As long as Pirren hadn¡¯t taken him for a fool, Noah was optimistic that she¡¯d show up pretty soon. He¡¯d have to go find her himself if she didn¡¯t. That would have been rather bothersome.

    ¡°Do we have enough gold to buy anything at this auction?¡± Moxie asked, lowering her voice so nobody could overhear them. ¡°If it¡¯s for higher ranked demons, I¡¯d imagine things aren¡¯t going to be going for too cheap.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a fancy little rune to sell as well,¡± Noah replied. ¡°And I can always toss together another one or sell an existing one if I need to. I think we should have more than enough between that. How much gold do you actually have on you?¡±

    ¡°Around five hundred.¡±

    That wouldn¡¯t have gone far at all in the mortal plane, but the Damned Plains didn¡¯t have naturally occurring gold from what Noah had seen. That meant it went far farther here than it did back home.

    Between that and the nearly perfect rune he¡¯d made in case he¡¯d needed to show off to Pirren, Noah was pretty confident he¡¯d be able to get his hands on at least one powerful Matter or some more Space Runes.

    Even though he already had both, he needed something a little more powerful if he wanted to save himself from wasting hours hunting. Of course, that was only one of the components he needed.

    Noah had the exact same problem with regard to matter that he¡¯d had with space. He just didn¡¯t understand it extensively enough to be able to combine a rune effectively. Fortunately, he had a way around that.

    Space wasn¡¯t the only thing that he¡¯d gotten intimately acquainted with in the Line. Matter ¡ª or rather, the striking lack thereof ¡ª had been among the anomalies. Matter was an object that took up physical space.

    As far as he knew, everything was made out of matter. That included the invisible and borderline intangible things like air.

    If that¡¯s true, then what is the soul? Is it tangible? If it is, then it has to be matter of some sort. If it isn¡¯t, then what is it? Pure energy? I haven¡¯t tried actually influencing the world while I was a soul. It¡¯s my best lead, so I¡¯ll have to see if I can leverage it. If not, I¡¯ll find a different way to work matter into my powers.

    Whatever the reason, I need those Runes¡­ among other things. This auction is important. Fortunately, there¡¯s more than one way to make an impression on people.

    Aylin stepped out of the tent, wearing his normal clothes once more. His emergence broke Noah from his thoughts. Moxie arched an eyebrow at him and he coughed into his fist.

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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t fit. I ¡ª uh, left the clothes behind in your tent,¡± Aylin said, fidgeting under their gaze. ¡°Is there anything else you require of me?¡±

    ¡°Just wait,¡± Noah replied. ¡°It¡¯ll be the three of us and a guide going to the auction. Lee will stay behind to make sure no idiots try anything with the camp. Do you remember what I did when we first got to this camp?¡±

    Aylin¡¯s face paled a shade and he swallowed before giving him a stiff nod. ¡°Yes. You told everyone present to attempt to kill us.¡±

    ¡°Fun, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Noah asked with a grin. ¡°Just do what you did then.¡±

    ¡°Are¡ª are you going to do that again?¡± Aylin asked nervously. ¡°To the whole auction?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. Nothing like that. I just meant the stay calm and don¡¯t panic part. Pretend like you¡¯re in control,¡± Noah said with a laugh.

    Challenging the entire auction was too stupid, even for him. It was going to be completely stuffed full of Rank 5 and 6 demons, and he wasn¡¯t equipped to take every single one of them on. He was pretty sure his limit would be a demon at the upper reaches of Rank 5 or possibly one with awful runes at Rank 6. Taking on the entire upper class of the city was still too much.

    And besides, I need them. This is about more than just getting some more Runes made. Wizen has the way back to the mortal plane. He¡¯s got a way to make an army, so I¡¯m going to need the same.

    As to exactly how he¡¯d get an entire army behind him, Noah hadn¡¯t quite figured that bit out yet. Rallying all the streetlords was one thing. None of them were all that powerful. They gave him a degree of legitimacy, but he¡¯d need more than that to sway Rank 6 demons.

    I¡¯ll figure that out when I get there. As long as I can keep amassing power and growing, an opportunity will eventually present itself. And if it doesn¡¯t, I¡¯ll make one.

    Noah¡¯s train of thought derailed when he realized that Moxie and Aylin were both staring at him. He cleared his throat.

    ¡°Sorry. Got distracted. Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°He asked when we¡¯re going,¡± Moxie said, shaking her head and sighing. ¡°You need to stop doing that when we¡¯re talking to people. It¡¯s creepy to watch your eyes glaze over like you¡¯re looking at someone that isn¡¯t there.¡±

    ¡°¡­is he?¡± Aylin asked quietly.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said, but he was pretty sure it was a bit too late to stop that particular rumor from taking root. He repressed a grimace. ¡°And we shouldn¡¯t have to wait much longer. Our guide should be arriving sometime soon. I was told that the auctions take place every two days or so. One day has already passed if we count the night, so unless we got really unlucky and it took place last night, we¡¯ll be hearing from her soon enough.¡±

    Aylin nodded his understanding. ¡°I will await your call, then. I think Vrith should be able to make sure everything continues without me as long as this auction ends quickly. The other streetlords may suspect cowardice if I¡¯m gone for too long.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t keep you forever. It¡¯s just for appearances,¡± Noah said with a wave of his hand. ¡°Bringing you along proves that I¡¯m confident enough in my strength to expose a weak link. It¡¯ll make the other demons at the auction more hesitant to try anything with me. Besides, your ability to tell if people are being truthful or not is incredibly useful. I can¡¯t not use that when we¡¯re at an auction.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Aylin said. He didn¡¯t seem even slightly offended or annoyed to be used as leverage. Noah wasn¡¯t sure if that was because he was just a good liar or if he was just resigned to his current position.

    Before he could ask, his tremorsense picked up on movement in the shadows. A few moments later, his domain brushed against Vrith as she emerged from the darkness, her head lowered in respect.

    ¡°There¡¯s a demon approaching our camp. The scouts spotted her,¡± Vrith said, a flicker of unease in her voice. ¡°She¡¯s strong. Far stronger than any of the streetlords.¡±

    ¡°Looks like a snake with ropes for hair?¡± Noah guessed.

    Vrith blinked in surprise. ¡°I ¡ª yes, actually. I did not realize you were already aware of her presence. Should we prepare to fight?¡±

    ¡°Fight? No need for that. She¡¯s with us for the time being,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°That would be Pirren. She¡¯s a Rank 5. Try to be nice to her. She¡¯s agreed to take us to the auction.¡±

    Vrith and Aylin stared at Noah.

    ¡°You have a Rank 5 working for you?¡± Aylin asked, his voice weak.

    ¡°Just a business deal.¡± Noah shook his head. Fixing Pirren¡¯s runes would have been too much of a hassle. She was just too deep along her path for him to repair, especially when she wasn¡¯t even part of his gang. ¡°I just promised not to kill her and her people in exchange.¡±

    Vrith swallowed nervously. ¡°Ah. I am familiar with the offer. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I will go hide in ¡ª ah, work in ¡ª the tent to make sure the matters with the other streetlords remain handled during your absence.¡±

    ¡°Feel free. Come on, Aylin. And remember what I said. No fear. No hesitation. Don¡¯t give the other demons any openings.¡±

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    Noah smiled and exchanged a nod with Moxie. This wasn¡¯t their first run at an auction. They might not have been the strongest demons going into it ¡ª but they hadn¡¯t been the strongest in the last auction they¡¯d attended either.

    Demons were used to dealing with other demons, but they¡¯d never dealt with him. For their sake, he hoped they had better bullshitters than Pirren. Because, if she was the best they had to offer, Noah was going to fleece them for everything they had.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go meet our guide and check that auction out, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 495: Heavier

    Noah, Moxie, and Aylin met Pirren at the edge of the market square. The Rank 5 snake demon stood in the shadow of an old, cobbled building, her hood pulled low over her face and the thick ropey strands from her crown just barely visible in the darkness within it.

    Her back pressed to the wall and her shoulders hunched forward slightly, the unease clear in her posture as she shifted from foot to foot. Even though Noah couldn¡¯t see her face, her back stiffened when she caught sight of them.

    ¡°It would be wise to keep our power concealed from here on out,¡± Moxie said under her breath, just barely loud enough for Noah to pick up. ¡°We might be running into demons strong enough to actually detect it.¡±

    Noah nodded in agreement. He¡¯d already been keeping his domain largely repressed, but he pulled the last of it into himself. Demons didn¡¯t have domains, but given how varied they were, he wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if one of them had a way to detect it. Blowing their cover and revealing they weren¡¯t actually demons was just about the dumbest thing they could do right now.

    ¡°I hope you come bearing good news,¡± Noah said as they came to a stop before Pirren.

    ¡°There¡¯s an auction,¡± Pirren said. She let her head incline slightly. ¡°It¡¯s soon. I¡­ wasn¡¯t able to get in on my own. My standing wasn¡¯t high enough to get a spot at such a short notice.¡±

    Aylin¡¯s head tilted to the side and his brow creased slightly, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Noah didn¡¯t miss the motion. He was pretty sure the boy would have said if Pirren had lied, but something about her words seemed like it may not have sat right.

    ¡°That¡¯s disappointing. I really didn¡¯t want to wait much longer,¡± Noah said as he blew a breath out. ¡°When¡¯s the next one we can get into? Or am I going to have to take more drastic measures?¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s in a few hours. I couldn¡¯t get in on my own, but I was able to get someone else to pull a string for me. We¡¯ve got access to the upcoming auction.¡±

    Well that¡¯s certainly convenient. Not sure if it¡¯s too convenient.

    Noah¡¯s hand brushed across his waist and along the top of his travel bag. It was strangely light. He¡¯d left his gourd with Lee for the trip, and the missing weight felt odder than he would have expected. It was like he¡¯d handed someone else his still-beating heart.

    Now I know how Davy Jones felt. Poor dude. I think I¡¯d take Lee over a jar of dirt, but only as long as she doesn¡¯t get too hungry.

    After waiting for a second to see if Aylin would say anything, Noah nodded. ¡°Today would be great. Well done. You worked just as fast as I had hoped. Lead on, then. I¡¯m looking forward to this.¡±

    Pirren gave him a terse nod and turned, setting off down the street. Moxie and Noah exchanged a glance as they all fell in behind the demon. He could read the question on her lips as if she¡¯d said it out loud.

    She was asking, does she always act this suspicious?

    Noah gave her a slight shrug in response. Pirren hadn¡¯t been the most confident demon he¡¯d ever met after he¡¯d brushed her mask away to reveal the truth. He¡¯d definitely put on a pretty good show during their meeting, so it was possible she was just scared of him.

    Aylin¡¯s reaction to her words made him suspect that it was possible there was more than that going on. Pirren was a demon, after all. She had to be looking for an angle that would help her salvage the situation. It would have been odd if she didn¡¯t.

    Pressing her for information here won¡¯t do anything other than cause a scene. Pirren definitely doesn¡¯t have any major allies, so she doesn¡¯t pose a threat to us on her own. Whoever helped her out probably didn¡¯t do it because of their friendship or kind-heartedness. It¡¯s possible they found out I¡¯m working through her and are trying to get closer to me, either to get rid of me or to get on my good side. Only one way to find out. We¡¯ll just go with things as they are for now and then see where they lead. I¡¯m confident we can bail out all the way up until we¡¯re in the auction itself.

    They walked through the streets of Treadon for quite some time, none of them saying a word. Gentle orange light turned ruddy and the temperature in the street steadily rose as the day finally started to fully dawn.

    Streamers of red and purple smoke danced in the air far above them. Their colors reflected down on the streets like the seabed of an ocean beneath the sunrise, almost seeming to make the cobblestones shimmer and ripple.

    It was surprisingly beautiful, and not something that Noah had expected to find in the Damned Plains ¡ª and certainly not in the slums of a city within the Damned Plains. Neither Pirren nor Aylin seemed particularly impressed with it. They¡¯d probably seen it so many times that it had just become commonplace.

    The walk finally came to an end before a ramshackle building after over half an hour of increasingly awkward silence. It was a single story, with a broken roof and crumbling walls. It didn¡¯t look like anyone had lived in it in quite some time.

    ¡°This is the auction?¡± Noah asked doubtfully. ¡°It looks more like somebody¡¯s going to be waiting to sell me drugs.¡±

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    Wasn¡¯t everything about appearances here? I was expecting some grand entrance for all the demons going into the auction to show off before they walked in, like a red-carpet type of thing. Stop for a moment, do a little flexing on the poors, the whole shebang. The only people to flex on here are rats.

    ¡°Drugs?¡± Pirren¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is. This isn¡¯t the auction, though. It¡¯s just a shortcut. The actual auction is closer to the center of Treadon.¡±

    ¡°A shortcut in the opposite direction of the actual auction?¡± Moxie tilted her head to the side.

    Pirren cleared her throat and pulled her hood back, revealing her features as she scratched at the side of her neck beneath her chin. ¡°I¡­ would prefer not to be seen entering the auction. It would not go well for me, and it would probably negatively impact you as well. It would be much better to enter discreetly.¡±

    Aylin inclined his head just enough for Noah to catch the motion. She was telling the truth.

    ¡°Lead on, then,¡± Noah said. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care how we get to the auction as long as we get there. I have no need to announce my presence. People will find out who we are soon enough.¡±

    They followed Pirren into the building, where she heaved a large dust-covered stone off the top of an old metal trapdoor. She yanked it open, gently setting it back against the stone she¡¯d just moved, then dropped down into an old passage beneath.

    It stretched on as far as Noah could see. Open passageways stretched off from it. It wasn¡¯t just a shortcut. It was an underground labyrinth. The air was stale and dry, but it seemed clean enough. Pirren set off at a brisk pace.

    She moved a lot faster down here than she had in the city above. It was pretty easy to tell that this wasn¡¯t the first time that Pirren had used this particular path.

    Another hour passed. At least, Noah was fairly certain it was something around an hour. It was difficult to count time when he was beneath the ground. Eventually, Pirren turned down one of the side passages and they came to a stop at a circular stairwell that wound up toward the city above.

    The dust around it was scuffed. Either Pirren had come through this way many times before, or she wasn¡¯t the only one that knew about these passageways. Given how big they were, Noah got the feeling it was the latter.

    Above them, he could just barely make out the sound of yelling and loud, energetic conversation. It could have been either a brawl or a party ¡ª or both. Noah wasn¡¯t sure the Damned Plains knew the difference between the two.

    ¡°The way in is just up through here,¡± Pirren said as she started up the stairs and threw a look back at them over her shoulder. ¡°The auction house is above us.¡±

    ¡°So what stops people from just coming in through here unannounced?¡± Moxie asked after a few minutes of climbing. The sound had gotten loud enough that she had to raise her voice slightly just to make sure they could hear her.

    This is a far cry from that fancy auction we went to back in Arbitage. Feels more like a poorly contained riot.

    Pirren came to a stop before a stone door and rapped on it. ¡°This.¡±

    A second passed, and Noah was just about to start wondering if nobody had heard Pirren over the cacophony when the grumble of stone-on-stone ground out and the door swung open to reveal a short demon with pointed yellow horns and thin lips. He wore a black, one-piece suit that made him look remarkably like a bowling ball.

    Does every single culture just end up somehow developing suits? Or are they copying humans? I wonder if anyone¡¯s ever studied suitology.

    ¡°Name?¡± the demon asked.

    ¡°Pirren.¡± Pirren¡¯s voice was taut with displeasure.

    The demon¡¯s eyes glazed over for a second. Then his lip curled upward in a smirk and he stepped to the side. ¡°Ah, yes. Of course. Wise choice of entrance. Who are the others?¡±

    ¡°Members of my party.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± the demon asked, his lip curling even higher. ¡°They were not announced. Nobody can enter the auction without being announced or without paying a concealment fee.¡±

    Pirren¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°A fee? That¡¯s not part the rules. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Who are you to decide what the rules are? Lord Belkus does, and this is his building. I speak for him as one of his doormen. Identify yourselves or pay the entry fee. Your choice.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± Aylin whispered.

    Noah hadn¡¯t needed Aylin to tell him that, but he appreciated it, nonetheless. He took a step forward and prepared to put on his best Spider act. But, before Noah could say a word, the demon¡¯s eyes widened.

    He took a hurried step back and flicked his hand. ¡°You may enter. You¡¯re in booth 14.¡±

    Noah blinked.

    I didn¡¯t even do anything yet.

    He wasn¡¯t about to question his fortune. Noah sent a glance back at Pirren and gave her a slight shrug. She swallowed before stepping past him and leading them up the stairs, leaving the demon at their backs.

    Noah watched him as they left to make sure he didn¡¯t try anything, but the demon¡¯s attention was suddenly completely fixed on one of the walls. They soon left him behind and emerged into a long hallway riddled with doors numbered by metal carvings embossed into their stone surfaces above brass handles at their centers.

    The group arrived before door 14 after just a short walk. Pirren swallowed as she put her hand on the door. She looked even more scared than Noah had expected her to.

    Just how bad did that last auction she went to go?

    Pirren¡¯s features tightened. She let out a short breath and grit her teeth. Then she twisted the handle, pushing it open and revealing a small balcony overlooking a stage far below. Dozens of other balconies ringed the circular arena before them. Many had already been filled by other demons who did absolutely nothing to attempt to conceal their identities as they stood proudly, yelling a mixture of greetings, insults, and curses at each other.

    Noah¡¯s eyes were drawn to their balcony. It had a long table with six hefty metal chairs set up along it. And, sitting upon a soft blue cushion that had been placed upon one of the chairs with her knees drawn up to her chest, was a girl with long, silver hair. Her face was covered by a white mask with a single stylized eye painted with blue across its surface. There were no holes for her mouth or actual eyes. A line ran down the center of the mask from the eye and stopped at her chin.

    She looked up as they entered and her head tilted to the side.

    ¡°Hello, Spider.¡± The girl¡¯s words were spoken in the tone of a shy child, but each one seemed to hold the weight of a mountain. Even though she couldn¡¯t have seen anything through her mask, she turned to look straight in Noah¡¯s direction. ¡°You¡¯re much heavier than I expected.¡±

 Chapter 496: Inevitable

    ¡°And who would you be?¡± Noah asked. He decided not to address the fact that he¡¯d just been called fat. His eyes flicked to Pirren and Moxie discreetly put her hand on her waist, likely getting in contact with a seed stored somewhere within her clothes in case the situation soured. ¡°I don¡¯t recall you mentioning that we had even more company.¡±

    Pirren cringed back, but Noah couldn¡¯t tell if she was looking in his or the girl¡¯s direction. She nearly went to wring her hands together before she caught herself and forced them down to her sides.

    ¡°It was how I got you into the auction. I ¡ª I couldn¡¯t get in any other way. Why does it matter? You didn¡¯t say you had to be alone. This was the best way to do it.¡±

    Aylin inclined his head, indicating that Pirren was telling the truth. Then again, the ¡®best way¡¯ didn¡¯t necessarily mean the best way for all of them. It could have just as easily meant the best way for her. Noah studied the girl silently for several seconds.

    Without releasing his domain, it was hard to tell much about her. She didn¡¯t have any runic pressure rolling off her. She had no massive muscles or obvious magical weapons. She just looked like a girl with a mask and silver hair.

    That didn¡¯t make Noah¡¯s guard drop in the slightest. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess that the girl was the demon that had gotten Pirren access to the auction. Either that or she worked for whoever had done it, but Noah was leaning toward the former given Pirren¡¯s unease.

    Well, no point throwing a fit. Might as well just keep on with it. Having someone else in the seat really doesn¡¯t make much of a difference when pretty much everybody here is announcing their presence anyway.

    The roar of the crowd building all around them was remarkably effective at preventing an awkward silence. One couldn¡¯t have an awkward silence without the latter half, but there was only so long he could avoid saying anything.

    ¡°You seem to have me at a disadvantage,¡± Noah said to the girl. ¡°You know my name, but I don¡¯t know yours.¡±

    Pirren shifted, probably preparing to introduce them. The girl¡¯s head tilted ever so slightly and the snake demon¡¯s mouth snapped shut without so much as uttering a word.

    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± the girl agreed. She made no move to elaborate.

    ¡°Are you going to tell me? Or am I going to have to come up with a name for you?¡± Noah asked, repressing a sigh. It was one thing to have another demon sitting around next to him. He didn¡¯t mind that too much ¡ª but if they were going to be a bother, that made everything just a little more distasteful.

    Either she gives me a name or I give her a dumb one. I wonder what ¡ª

    ¡°You may call me Yoru.¡±

    Noah blinked in surprise. That had been fast. He¡¯d fully expected to have to come up with something. He glanced at Aylin out of the corner of his eye, then realized it was pointless. The girl hadn¡¯t said that Yoru was her name. She¡¯d said that he could call her Yoru. That was just an instruction and couldn¡¯t have been a lie even if Yoru wasn¡¯t her name.

    Sure enough, Aylin didn¡¯t do anything. Noah looked back to Yoru and shrugged. Her real name didn¡¯t matter. It was kind of useless at the moment. He had no idea who any of the demons in the city were, so a name wouldn¡¯t have changed anything.

    ¡°Yoru, then,¡± Noah said. ¡°And why is it that you were so kind as to invite us along to your spot in the auction?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Yoru replied. ¡°This is Pirren¡¯s spot. It is under her name. I have not announced myself.¡±

    I thought everyone had to announce themselves? Aylin indicated the demon was lying about the whole entry fee thing. I was under the impression he was just going for a bribe. Can you actually do that?

    ¡°I was under the impression everyone had to announce themselves,¡± Moxie said, saving Noah from having to ask himself. ¡°Or did you actually have to pay someone off to conceal yourself?¡±

    ¡°A simple retainer to a lowly Rank 5 has no need to announce themselves. They are beneath notice.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed. Another unverifiable statement. Yoru obviously wasn¡¯t wrong. Nobody would care if Pirren brought one or two random demons along with her. They were beneath notice ¡ª but even an idiot could have seen that Yoru wasn¡¯t Pirren¡¯s retainer. The snake demon was practically trembling in her boots.

    Unfortunately, Yoru hadn¡¯t claimed to be a retainer. Noah¡¯s brow furrowed slightly as he studied the girl. It was like trying to analyze a brick wall. There wasn¡¯t a shred of body language to reveal her true thoughts. The mask on her face certainly didn¡¯t help.

    Is she deliberately avoiding telling the truth to skirt Aylin¡¯s powers? It¡¯s definitely been long enough for rumors about him to get out. Other demons should have heard of what happened to Rekeba by now, so Yoru might know he¡¯s a Knowledge Demon.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Noah pulled a chair at the far side of the table out for Moxie, then sat down in the chair beside it. Debating over Yoru¡¯s goals was pointless until he had more information. He wasn¡¯t going to let himself get sidetracked.

    Moxie sat down beside him with a small nod of appreciation. Pirren glanced around nervously before taking a chair in the very center of the table, as far away from both Noah and Yoru as she could possibly get. Aylin took the chair to Moxie¡¯s right at the table head, positioning himself so that Noah could see him without turning.

    Nice, Aylin. Good positioning.

    ¡°How am I meant to sell a Rune here?¡± Noah asked Pirren, tapping a finger on the table.

    Pirren started, nearly jumping out of her chair. She jerked her head to look at him. ¡°What? It got really loud and I was distracted. Sorry.¡±

    I don¡¯t think it was the crowd that had you distracted.

    ¡°A rune,¡± Noah repeated. ¡°How do I put it up for auction?¡±

    ¡°Oh. We just have to call an attendant. There should be a way to do that somewhere.¡± Her eyes darted around. Yoru turned to look over her shoulder and Pirren followed her gaze to a rope at the edge of the balcony. ¡°Ah. Found it.¡±

    Pirren rose from her chair and gave the rope a tug. It slid down and a dull kachunk rose up from a mechanism above. Pirren stood there for a second, then released the rope. It slid back into place. She cleared her throat and walked back over to her chair.

    ¡°That should call someone. I think.¡±

    Maybe having the demon that basically got kicked out of auctions be my guide for one wasn¡¯t the best idea.

    ***

    Yoku watched on as an attendant entered the room and started speaking with Spider, discussing the terms of the auction and the fees the auction house planned to take. The mask on her face did absolutely nothing to obstruct her view, but she didn¡¯t pay any attention to their discussion. It was irrelevant. She was far more concerned with Spider himself.

    How odd. He¡¯s barely shown any reaction to me. He had some weight to him when he first saw me, but almost nothing afterward. What sort of demon sees an unannounced intruder on their plans and just shrugs and ignores them?

    I don¡¯t understand how this demon have put Taleel in such danger. He¡¯s not taking me seriously, and it¡¯s stopping me from reading him.

    A finger of irritation traced down Yoku¡¯s spine. It had been so long since she¡¯d left her sanctum that she couldn¡¯t remember the last time someone had dismissed her like this. She had seen cities rise and fall. She¡¯d watched demons claw their way to the peak of their power and given them a brief instant to revel in their victory before ripping them down and tearing their soul to shreds.

    I will not be dismissed by a mere child.

    Yoku constrained her annoyance. She hadn¡¯t lived this long to be driven to actual anger by nothing more than a cog in her plans. Someone as insignificant as Spider had no influence over her.

    And someone as insignificant as Spider will not be allowed to escape my light. I will know him, and I will use him.

    Yoku pulled a large vial from her pocket that she¡¯d prepared for this exact reason. A shimmering blue liquid glistened within it, as bright as moon shining through a still lake. She couldn¡¯t quite remember how much the batch it came from had cost, but it was something in the realm of one hundred thousand gold.

    Starshimmer. It was pure, distilled power. Enough magical energy to fill a full set of Rank 5 runes twice over. Most demons would have slaughtered their entire families for just a single drop.

    Yoku had destroyed the entire bottle with Mindkiller ¡ª a vile poison that ripped a demon¡¯s mind to shreds and left them a mindless puppet, forcing them to obey every command they heard for an hour before their body shriveled away and died.

    But, for the briefest of instants after a demon ingested it, they would have a second of clarity where they could understand just what happened to them. The poison carried with it a cruel, humiliating fate worse than mere death.

    There was only a single part of it that Yoku needed. The flicker of clarity before the end came. The one moment where the one who drank the potion knew who had betrayed them, and their full attention and hatred was focused entirely on her. The moment where she could truly take their measure, even if it never came to pass.

    Spider made his way back to the table and sat down, having imbued his rune onto a piece of treated Wastebeast leather and given it to the attendant for the auction. He glanced over to Yoku and a flicker of interest passed through his eyes at the vial.

    ¡°Would you care to share a drink?¡± Yoku asked, putting a finger on the top of the vial. ¡°A gesture of will for those who sit at my table.¡±

    Then she unleashed the full power of her runes. The world erupted in energy visible only to her. Moonlight poured down from the air and illuminated the balcony, drawing it under her influence. Wisps of black smoke trickled from every single one of the demons around her as she weighed the probabilities in the future she had created.

    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± Spider asked, reaching for the vial. ¡°Why does it feel like you¡¯ve got a rune trapped in this?¡±

    Yoku smiled. As the last words slipped from Spider¡¯s mouth, she focused her power and peered into the probabilities of the future. A future where the probability of Spider drinking from the vial was absolute. One where the probability of his death was set in stone. A future where she witnessed the full potential of the influence he possessed and weighted it against herself.

    And, in that moment, the sky went black.

    Yoku¡¯s blood turned to ice. A sea of black smoke exploded from Spider like the roar of a furious god. It poured past her and covered the ground, climbed up the walls, rose up toward the moonlight shining down on them.

    Its immense, oppressive aura drove into Yoku¡¯s chest like a thick iron spike. Freezing claws wrapped around her chest and squeezed as her sightless eyes widened and the breath locked in her throat.

    The most likely results of the future she had crafted unfurled before Yoku¡¯s eyes. Spider would take the Mindkiller. He would drink a poison that would do immense damage even to her ¡ª and he would survive.

    All the years of her existence, the enormous power of the rising moon, bore down on Spider. She weighed everything that she was against everything that Spider had been ¡ª and her moonlight vanished under a vast sea of all-consuming black nothingness.

    If Spider drank from the vial, there was only one probability that was completely and utterly absolute. It would not be today. It might not even be within a hundred years, but the probabilities would never allow themselves to realign.

    Yoku would die.

 Chapter 497: Do not the cat

    Yoku was far too experienced to let the disbelief show in her features, even if a mask was covering them. She¡¯d lived too many years to give information away through a slip up as obvious as body language ¡ª but she¡¯d never come closer to it than this.

    There had only been a single other time when she¡¯d seen a future as absolute as this, and that had been when she¡¯d tested her chances of winning a direct fight against Belkus many years ago when she¡¯d still been a Rank 6.

    Yoku pulled her hand back, keeping the potion out of Spider¡¯s grasp. Under no circumstances could she allow him to drink the potion or discover the poison within it.

    The probabilities of the future she had crafted changed as Spider failed to pick up the vial. Black smoke receded and moonlight broke through the clouds, pouring down on Yoku¡¯s back and easing the invisible tension in her shoulders.

    She allowed herself to relax internally. The futures she crafted were mere probability, and they had not come to pass. The change had shifted the weights, and a path once again illuminated the dark.

    ¡°Oh, were we supposed to share?¡± Spider asked as he let his hand drop and cleared his throat in embarrassment. ¡°Sorry. I got excited.¡±

    And just like that, the weights of the future changed once more. New probabilities unfurled like blooming black flowers of smoke. A future where the young demon beside Spider drank from the bottle first arose.

    A distant rumble echoed through Yoku¡¯s mind. The brief flicker of moonlight she had earned by averting the disastrous mistake vanished under a crashing tsunami of shadow. Smoke roared past her face flooded through the balcony.

    The mental force slammed against her with enough intensity that it almost carried over into the real world and made her topple over. Icy bands wrapped around Yoku¡¯s neck and constricted her chest once more, and even tighter than they had before.

    The smoke was so thick that it threatened to pour down her throat and suffocate her. A bead of sweat formed between the mask and Yoku¡¯s face. Another fixed, unchanging probability. This one was even worse than the first. The exact timing of her death was impossible to read, but it came sooner than when Spider himself ingested the poison.

    How is this possible? The boy has no weight of his own. Nothing to the level. It all comes from Spider, but he would get no chance to use the strength of the poison if someone else were to drink the potion.

    Who is Spider? Is his strength somehow concealed? Or does he have connections to a demon so powerful the probability of my survival in the future drops to zero if I make them an enemy?

    It was impossible to tell ¡ª but Yoku¡¯s fear was only matched by her curiosity. The futures she crafted were nothing but possibilities. The most likely outcomes of a certain situation. Nothing was real. Not yet.

    She needed more information. The current scenario just wasn¡¯t enough. Absolute death was a useful warning but worthless in gaining any leverage. There had to be some scenario that could be turned to her advantage.

    For an instant, Yoku¡¯s attention flicked to the woman beside Spider. The plants hidden within her clothes and hair were a subtle display of wealth and power. Spider seemed closer to her than the others did.

    She let the future shift once more as she considered extending the poisoned vial to the woman to gauge her weight.

    Twisting whorls of black smoke exploded like a supernova.

    They crashed down upon her. A complete and utter pitch black painted across the sky. Not a single scrap of light remained in the world. All sound vanished, snuffed out like a candle.

    Every single one of Yoku¡¯s senses faltered in the face of the nothingness. The smoke became absolute. It was impossible to tell the smoke from a solid, unbroken blanket. A starless night, devoid of the moon.

    Yoku¡¯s heart thumped in her chest. Despite all her training, her lips parted slightly. There had never been a future so completely and utterly bleak.

    A future in which the moon had been ripped from the sky.

    The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as a deep sense of unease twisted in Yoku¡¯s stomach. Her heart thumped once more. Fingers of ice caressed her throat and ran down her back, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    A dull purple line appeared in the sky far above her. The prickling covering her body grew stronger. This was her domain. A world that had not yet taken shape. A mere possibility of a future that, no matter how dire, was nothing but a possibility under her control.

    The purple line intensified, spreading to split the sky and growing brighter by the second. Her pale, empty eyes dilated. The energy did not belong to her. Something had infiltrated the sanctum of her own mind, carving straight down toward her like the blade of an executioner¡¯s axe.

    She ripped herself from the future she had crafted, yanking the potion back before anyone could so much as brush a finger across it. Her heart bucked, twisted, as if attempting to escape its mortal cage.

    Yoku slammed the mental doors shut on her runes and ripped the power from them. The endless night sky disappeared as if it had never been. She had absolutely no idea what would have happened if she¡¯d allowed that future to play out.

    Perhaps the line had been a warning. A manifestation of her powers that she had simply never seen before. A way to show how truly dire the future that laid before her would be if she allowed the probabilities she had set up to play out.

    She did not care to find out. That was a future that she refused to ever allow play out again. It would never come to be. Never had she witnessed a future that she could not measure, and she had absolutely no plans of witnessing it again.

    Not a single demon at this table could be allowed to drink the potion.

    She drove the vial back into her bag. The others sent confused looks in her direction.

    ¡°Did we do something wrong?¡± the boy asked.

    ¡°It is uncustomary to drink before a victory,¡± Yoku replied, her perfectly measured voice doing nothing to betray her racing heart. The boy was a Knowledge Demon. She was more than capable of concealing herself from his powers, but he would know that she was stopping him from reading her. It was far easier to just speak carefully chosen truths. ¡°It struck me that it would be unfortunate if we drank before the auction. I misstepped.¡±

    I would sooner dash this potion against the rocks than allow anyone at this table to drink it. My first vision now makes far more sense. I had thought my victory over Belkus leveraged the scales Spider tipped when he took the gangs out from under his control.

    I was wrong. It is not the gangs that matter, but Spider himself. There exists a future in which his power and mine align. No matter what the cost, that will be the future I ensure. I must have him as an ally.

    The boy nodded slightly to Spider, indicating that Yoku hadn¡¯t lied.

    ¡°Ah. Good catch, then,¡± Spider said cheerfully. ¡°We still need to have a successful run at the auction. We can just drink after. Don¡¯t want to eat my chickens before they hatch, after all.¡±

    ¡°Eat?¡± the woman asked. ¡°I think you¡¯ve been spending too much time with Lee.¡±

    ¡°Whoops,¡± Spider said. He rubbed the back of his neck, then shrugged. ¡°Eh. What else were we going to do with them?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps we can return to my dwellings and have a more proper celebration there,¡± Yoku suggested, drawing on a fragment of power to weigh the futures once more. Trepidation brushed across her as she checked for the purple line, but it was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°We¡¯re a bit busy for that,¡± Spider said with a small shake of his head. ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing it here.¡±

    Absolutely not. I already know the outcome of that. I need to learn more about Spider, but I cannot offer him anything here. I have already witnessed that future.

    What does he desire from this auction? The light of the rising moon will reveal it to me.

    Questions flitted through Yoku¡¯s mind. Smoke swirled around her, probabilities ebbing and flowing like the tide with every attempt.

    Spider was attending an auction, but to her disbelief, it was not power that he sought. His reactions were more suspicious than interested in the futures where she offered him runes or magic.

    Promised favors and riches were met with similar failure. Yoku twisted probabilities and threw them to the side with practiced efficiency. Spider was a deeply suspicious demon, but everyone had something they desired ¡ª and she always found out what it was.

    And, after nearly a hundred different attempts and several long seconds, the moonlight revealed to her the answer¡­ and it made absolutely no sense.

    Yoku had never doubted her powers before, but today seemed to be a day for first times.

    ¡°I did not come here without purpose, as I am certain you are aware. Perhaps this will change your mind,¡± Yoku said, not entirely sure this was the path she sought, but unwilling to allow the opportunity to slip between her fingers. She hesitated for a second longer before continuing. ¡°I would like to pet your cat.¡±

    That caught Spider¡¯s attention. His gaze sharpened on her. ¡°You know Mascot?¡±

    She was spared from having to search through the futures that would give her a satisfactory answer to that question. The roar of the crowd all around them finally sputtered out as a demon on the stage below cleared his throat, his voice rolling through the entire building effortlessly.

    "I hope everyone is prepared,¡± the demon called, two black wings jutting from his back stretching out to cast an imposing shadow before him. ¡°The auction will be starting. If you plan to kill anyone from here on out, ensure you do it outside, lest you incur cleaning fees. Am I understood?¡±

    The crowd roared in response. Spider looked from Yoku down to the stage, then back ot her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll talk,¡± Spider said.

    Yoku inclined her head. ¡°I look forward to it.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s get this auction started!¡± the demon roared, clapping his hands together. ¡°Bring on the offers!¡±

 Chapter 498: Slaughter

    Noah watched with rapt attention as the first rune came up for auction. It was a Rank 2 Demon Rune that had barely been filled to fifty percent at formation, but it wasn¡¯t the rune he was interested in. It was the reaction of the crowd. The majority of the yells had trailed off the moment the announcer started speaking, but a few rowdy demons had continued on with their conversations.

    ¡°20 gold,¡± a demon from a balcony below them called.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do 30,¡± another countered from across the arena.

    Several more bids rose into the air in succession, quickly reaching 45 gold before grinding to a halt and being sold to a gold-skinned demon with a row of spikes running along the back of his spine and up his bald head.

    While the Rank 2 Rune hadn¡¯t stunned anyone, it had definitely caught a fair amount of attention from the demons in the crowd. That was good news. It meant the Rank 3 Sandy Gale Rune he¡¯d put up for auction would probably hit pretty hard.

    He couldn¡¯t help but notice that, aside from the fact that everyone could see each others¡¯ faces, there hadn¡¯t been any major differences in this auction and the one he¡¯d attended in Arbitage.

    I was fully expecting the demons to start flinging threats around or something. Maybe they save that for the higher ranked runes?

    Another rune went up as soon as the first one was sold ¡ª a second Rank 2 Demon Rune of similar strength.

    ¡°Not as impressive as I was hoping,¡± Moxie said in a low tone. ¡°We could have gotten runes of this quality just hunting outside the city. Cheap, though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You could make a fortune bringing a ton of these back home,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°Not worth buying, though. I assume they¡¯re going through the trash before getting to the more interesting things. The only runes I¡¯m interested in are ones Lee might be able to use or ones that I can make my next rune with.¡±

    ¡°Your assumption is correct,¡± Yoru said from where she sat at the end of the table, her knees hugged to her chest. ¡°The runes of worth will arrive in due time.¡±

    God, it¡¯s so weird listening to her talk. Actually, she¡¯s just weird in general. Who offers people a drink and then changes their mind a few seconds later? And how does she know about Mascot? Did the damn cat do something to her? Is it the reason she¡¯s here in the first place?

    He wasn¡¯t about to ask. Not here. Asking would only give information away. Yoru was a problem that he could handle after the auction was done. After all the effort he¡¯d put into getting here ¡ª which admittedly wasn¡¯t all that much ¡ª he didn¡¯t plan to let the auction go to waste because he was distracted.

    The second and third runes that went up both sold without a hitch. Noah was just starting to get a little bored when the announce raised his hands to draw the crowd to silence for a few brief moments.

    ¡°That¡¯s it for our Rank 2 Runes today,¡± the announcer called. He¡¯d still yet to actually introduce himself, so Noah had no idea what to think of the winged demon as.

    ¡°Bring out something worth our time!¡± A massive, potbellied demon called as he raised a chicken leg the size of an entire sheep into the air like a club. He sat in the platform across and slightly above from theirs, taking up nearly its entire space with his bulk. The demon ripped a bite out of his meal, crunching through bone and flesh as one, and chewed with his mouth open as more jeers came from the rest of the crowd.

    There¡¯s a Gluttony demon if I ever saw one.

    ¡°Someone tell Fibog to stop talking as if he can afford anything more than the trash that already sold,¡± a caped demon said from another balcony, his words sharp and snide. ¡°I¡¯d do it myself, but I suspect his ears are stuffed full of mutton and I have no desire to get close enough to smell him.¡±

    A few demons cackled and Fibog bared his teeth up at the demon above him. ¡°We¡¯ll see if you put your money where your mouth is, Matis. I don¡¯t recall the last auction going all that well for you.¡±

    ¡°Times change. I think you¡¯ll find that I have always been just as equipped with coin as you are with wasted flesh,¡± Matis countered. ¡°I ¡ª unlike you ¡ª simply know the value of biding my time for something truly desirable.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know the meaning of the word desirable if it slapped you in the face,¡± Fibog said with a rumbling laugh.

    The announcer made no move to silence either of the demons. He stood patiently on the stage, his face a perfect mask of false positivity that only an overworked customer service representative could have ever had the misfortune to learn. The demons¡¯ argument intensified and Noah tuned them out.

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    ¡°Who are they?¡± Noah asked, nodding to the demons. ¡°Big shots?¡±

    ¡°Rank 5s,¡± Pirren replied. She¡¯d slumped so far back in her chair that her face was about to dip below the table. ¡°Fibog is powerful. He¡¯s a Gluttony demon, if you haven¡¯t figured that part out yet. His ego is just as big as his ass.¡±

    ¡°I take it you aren¡¯t friends ¡ª unless that was a compliment?¡±

    ¡°It was not.¡±

    ¡°Not friends, then,¡± Noah said with a knowing nod. ¡°And Matis?¡±

    ¡°A Slaughter demon,¡± Pirren said.

    Noah tilted his head to the side. That was certainly quite the feeling to consume. It sounded a fair bit more intimidating than gluttony.

    ¡°A middling creature,¡± Yoru said, the derision so evident in her voice that Noah could nearly taste it. She spoke as if she were looking at a smear of shit on the bottom of her shoe. ¡°Hardly worth attention. They are nothing but aggressive insects, a poor reflection of true death.¡±

    It didn¡¯t look like she was the only one that felt that way. A demon with skin as white as glossy ceramic watched the Rank 5s argue with her brilliant red lips pursed in a mixture of displeasure and disgust. A single, jagged wing extended from one of her shoulders, the other looking to have been ripped off at some point and leaving only a single sticklike appendage behind.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the one glaring at them?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Sinclaire. She¡¯s a Rank 5 as well.¡± Pirren sunk even lower in her chair and her jaw clenched. There was more than just a little recognition in her eyes. She¡¯d dealt with Sinclaire before ¡ª Noah would have bet on it.

    ¡°Is she strong?¡± Noah asked.

    Pirren¡¯s eyes flicked to the side. It was a second before she spoke, and even then, her voice was curt and taut with anger. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Maybe better not to press too hard on that right now. I don¡¯t think Pirren is going to have great relations with any of the stronger demons given how the previous auctions went for her¡­ but that only makes me want to know how the hell she knows Yoru even more.

    The argument between the two demons finally started to peter out. There was a second of silence and the announcer capitalized upon it to take control of the floor back before too many people lost their interest.

    ¡°The first of the next round is a Rank 3 by the name of Bleeding Blades. It is also our first standard rune, so it¡¯s perfect for any combinations you may be looking to finish up,¡± the announcer called, his wings snapping out behind him with a crack that split the air like a gunshot to draw everyone¡¯s attention back. ¡°A rather exciting find, if I say so myself. The rune was 25 percent full upon formation. It¡¯ll be starting at a minimum price of 100 gold.¡±

    ¡°125,¡± Matis said instantly, barely waiting until the announcer had even finished talking. ¡°This is mine.¡±

    ¡°150.¡± Fibog¡¯s wide features split into a shit-eating grin. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve got the coin, Matis.¡±

    ¡°175,¡± the thin demon countered. He leaned over the edge of the ledge, and long, pale claws glistened in the light. Each one was nearly as long as Noah¡¯s forearm. It was like a whole drawer of kitchen knives were taped to his fingers. That thought completely broke any of the fear that Matis¡¯ claws could have struck into him and he repressed a snicker. The Slaughter demon snarled down at Fibog. ¡°Don¡¯t challenge me. All that fat won¡¯t keep me from ripping you into pieces.¡±

    ¡°Try it,¡± Fibog said. He took another huge bite from his drumstick and pointed its remains at Matis. ¡°You¡¯re barely worth using as a toothpick, but I¡¯ll make an exception. 200 gold.¡±

    Noah almost found himself looking forward to see how the other demon would respond. This was definitely a very different approach than a bunch of people hiding behind masks and trying to tiptoe around each other to figure out which of their goals were.

    These are the antics I was expecting. How fun. So do I just have to call people a bunch of creative insults and ¡ª

    Matis leapt from his balcony in a blur. Noah¡¯s eyes widened as the Rank 5 flashed through the air toward the Gluttony demon. Fibog shot to his feet with a roar and swung his drumstick like a club.

    A crunch rang out and Matis rocketed away, hurtling down toward the stage. The announcer stepped to the side and the thin demon slammed into the ground with a crunch loud enough to make Noah wince.

    Matis rolled back to his feet, one of his arms hanging limp at his side. Fibog looked down at him from his balcony, but the massive grin on the huge demon¡¯s face had vanished. His drumstick ¡ª along with a good portion of his arm ¡ª had been shredded to ribbons. Blood poured down his side, but he barely even seemed to notice.

    ¡°210 gold,¡± Matis snarled, spitting on the ground. ¡°Raise the price again. See what happens. I think we both know who comes out on top.¡±

    Fibog clenched his jaw. For a second, Noah thought he¡¯d go through with it. Then the Gluttony demon shook his head and sat back in his chair with a derisive snort.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t worth the effort, pond scum. You¡¯ve already wasted more than enough money on this trash. I don¡¯t need it.¡±

    Matis leapt into the air, landing back on the edge of his balcony and sitting down in his chair before kicking his feet up on the railing. The attendant waited patiently for several more seconds, but no other demons put up a bid. Matis had made his threat more than clear enough.

    ¡°Sold,¡± the announcer proclaimed. ¡°But don¡¯t let your excitement dwindle yet. We¡¯ve got a Rank 3 Demon Rune next. Falling Shadow was formed at an impressive twenty percent. Bids will start at 120 gold.¡±

    Lee could use that. I need runes to rip apart when we¡¯re remaking her Rank 4.

    ¡°120,¡± Noah called.

    And, at the same time, Matis spoke once more. ¡°120.¡±

    The Slaughter demon¡¯s eyes snapped over to them. Warning flashed within them, but Noah didn¡¯t so much as hesitate.

    ¡°150,¡± Noah said, a smile crossing his lips beneath his face coverings. Moxie rolled a seed between her fingers and he locked eyes with Matis, meeting the challenge within them.

    Looks like I get to partake in the fun even earlier than I expected.

 Chapter 499: Scared

    Dozens of gazes all turned in Noah¡¯s direction as one, joining Matis in staring at their balcony. Pirren tried to sink even lower in her chair to avoid being noticed. It was far too late, and there wasn¡¯t anywhere to properly hide on the balcony anyway.

    ¡°Pirren. There¡¯s a face I haven¡¯t seen in a while,¡± Matis said with a sneer. ¡°We didn¡¯t miss you, coward. I¡¯m surprised you had the gall to show yourself again. It¡¯s no surprise that you keep the company of those too scared to show their own face.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an odd way to concede the bid,¡± Noah said, entirely unperturbed by the taunt. ¡°Stop wasting my time. Either raise your bid or shut your mouth. You and Fibog already spent more than enough time yammering for everyone here to get bored of you.¡±

    A few chuckles rose up from the other demons. Lines of fury etched themselves into Matis¡¯ expression and he bared his teeth in a snarl.

    ¡°Do not presume to speak to me as an equal, coward. I respect Fibog¡¯s blubbery ass more than you. At least he¡¯s bold enough to arrive in the auction under his own power, but that balcony belongs to Pirren, doesn¡¯t it? How pathetic can you be, entering the auction under her banner? I raise the bid to 160. Don¡¯t speak again if you value your¡ª¡±

    ¡°180,¡± Noah said, stretching his arms over his head and cracking his neck. ¡°You call Pirren a coward, but her runes are worse than yours. Being weak isn¡¯t cowardice. Preying on those who can¡¯t fight back is. You were correct about one thing, Matis. We aren¡¯t equals. You are below me.¡±

    The Slaughter Demon stepped forward, his massive claws flaring as they caught the light. Noah was pretty certain that the only reason he hadn¡¯t tried to do anything yet was that he hadn¡¯t fully recovered from the damage Fibog had done to him.

    Even though Noah was standing in Pirren¡¯s balcony, Matis didn¡¯t know how strong he was. The demon might have been an arrogant asshole, but he wasn¡¯t a complete idiot. Charging into a fight blind was rarely a good idea ¡ª but Noah got the feeling that would only go so far. Arrogance tended to be blinding after a certain point, and demons were far from avatars of self-control.

    The other conversations in the auction house started to peter out as more and more attention turned toward Noah and Matis. Nearly everyone was watching them now that it was becoming clear that a fight was inevitable.

    ¡°Have nothing to say for yourself, Pirren? What, did you scrounge all the trash you had together to hire some demons from another city to fight your battles for you?¡± Matis snarled. ¡°You¡¯re even more pathetic than the last time you came. Do I see two children in your party? What are they here for? Could you not afford adult mercenaries? I raise to 190. Stay in the mud where you belong, snake.¡±

    Sinclaire¡¯s brilliant red lips twisted in a smirk at that, and more than a few demons chuckled. Pirren definitely didn¡¯t have much support from the crowd, and the way she was acting wasn¡¯t helping.

    All the confidence she¡¯d had back in her mansion had shattered. She was completely out of her element. The auction house was clearly bringing back so many bad memories that she just couldn¡¯t maintain her fa?ade.

    Her failure to respond was only making things worse in the other demons¡¯ eyes. Matis basically had a free punching bag that wouldn¡¯t strike back. It made them look weak ¡ª which was exactly what Noah needed. Weak targets were easy prey, and easy prey made for complacent predators.

    ¡°200,¡± Noah said flatly. ¡°You seem scared, Matis. Perhaps you¡¯re worried that the children here are stronger than you are? Have you ever tried fighting someone that could hit back? Or do you exclusively pick fights with demons more concerned with their next meal than who you are?¡±

    Firbog¡¯s eyes narrowed at the stray insult, but the other demons around him all snickered. Noah was starting to get a pretty good grasp of how these auctions worked. They were more than just demons bidding over runes.

    The whole thing was a live show. Nobody actually cared who was fighting. They just wanted to see a fight. It didn¡¯t matter who won. It didn¡¯t matter who was the target. As long as there was blood, everyone else had fun.

    ¡°220,¡± Matis said as he bared his teeth. ¡°You¡¯re out of warnings, mercenary. I have no interest in killing someone as unimportant as a hired blade that would debase themselves to fighting alongside the pathetic company you keep, but if you say one more word, I¡¯ll rip your throat out and bleed you over the audience. You¡¯re nothing but a bug, but if you keep buzzing around my head, I¡¯ll end you.¡±

    ¡°Do it!¡± a demon yelled.

    ¡°My money¡¯s on the mercenary,¡± another said from a balcony nearby. ¡°He¡¯s baiting Matis. 50 gold on him.¡±

    ¡°Done deal,¡± the demon on the balcony below said, leaning over to look up at the one that had just spoken. ¡°The mercenary is bluffing. He¡¯s got fucking children in his party. Pirren probably had to lick their shoes to get them to come. Look at her. She¡¯s about to start shedding.¡±

    Yoru tapped Pirren on the shoulder. The snake demon flinched as if she¡¯d been stabbed, then jerked her head over to the smaller demon.

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    ¡°Get up,¡± Yoru said, pointing at the ground in front of her chair. ¡°And stand over here.¡±

    Pirren jerked upright, moving to follow Yoru¡¯s command without an instant of hesitation. She moved like an iron rod had been planted in her back. Noah ignored them. He had his own problems to deal with.

    ¡°I have a question. When I kill you, does the price go back down to the original one?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side.

    Matis broke. Evidently, he kept his promises. He leapt from his balcony in a blur of motion and launched for Noah, claws carving through the air with a shrill shriek. Despite all Noah¡¯s insults, Matis was no pathetic opponent.

    The demon was incredibly fast. He moved faster than Noah¡¯s eyes could have ever tracked ¡ª but Noah didn¡¯t need to move as fast as Matis. He already knew where the demon was going.

    He flicked his hand forward, almost lazily, as he summoned the bow of his violin and pointed it before him. At the same time, vines erupted behind him. They raced past his sides and rose up around him, flowers sprouting all along their surface.

    A powerful force slammed into Noah¡¯s arm. Matis slid to a stop, his arms pinned back by the vines and the bow of the violin impaling his chest. The demon¡¯s eyes were wide with fury and disbelief.

    Noah ripped the bow free and tilted his head to the side. ¡°Now that was painfully obvious, wasn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t say I expected any more from a demon that fed on something as worthless as slaughter.¡±

    ¡°Coward,¡± Matis snarled, jerking in attempt to rip himself free of the vines, but they held him as tight as stone. It didn¡¯t matter how sharp his claws were when he couldn¡¯t actually reach anything with them. He may have been a Rank 5, but Moxie¡¯s Rank 4 Rune was flawless ¡ª and it was quite clear that his form focused on speed, not power. ¡°Fight me!¡±

    You know, Moxie¡¯s plants are strong, but they aren¡¯t that strong. This guy was shitting all over Pirren, but he¡¯s hardly any stronger than she is. Arrogant prick.

    ¡°Fight?¡± Noah let out a burst of laugther. ¡°Why would I fight you? I already told you, Matis. You¡¯re beneath me. There is no fight. There¡¯s nothing you can do to hurt me. Aylin, would you come over here?¡±

    The boy rose from his seat and walked over to stand beside Noah.

    ¡°You want me to fight the child?¡± Matis asked, his lips curling in derision. ¡°Or are you just so scared to fight me alone that you have women and children do your combat for you?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find out. Tell the truth, Aylin. Am I scared of the coward before me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°And what about the coward? Is he scared of death?¡±

    ¡°I fear nothing,¡± Matis snarled. ¡°I am death!¡±

    ¡°Lie,¡± Aylin said, and Matis drew in a small breath of surprise as pain flickered across his features. Noah¡¯s lips pulled back in a smile. Matis¡¯ runes were weak enough that Aylin was able to eat from him.

    Isn¡¯t that ironic? A Flawless Rank 3 can hurt even a shit Rank 5. I wonder if willpower has a measure of play in this. Matis is just a prick that preys on the weak. That doesn¡¯t make for a very strong mind. I¡¯ll have to test Aylin out on some other Rank 5s to see what his limits are.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Matis demanded. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°Death? You?¡± Noah asked, ignoring Matis entirely. ¡°I didn¡¯t even need Aylin to know that¡¯s a lie. But you¡¯re scared of more than just death, Matis. You¡¯re scared of me.¡±

    ¡°I do not fear a mercenary that cowers behind¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lie,¡± Aylin said, and Matis dragged in another pained breath.

    ¡°I suggest against that. It¡¯s easier for him to eat you when you lie,¡± Noah said with a smile. He tilted his head to the side as if in contemplation. ¡°Though truth does seem to work just as well. It¡¯s just less fun. But I digress ¡ª we¡¯re having too much fun to get caught in semantics. Next question. Are you scared of the mere child standing before you?¡±

    Mantis lurched forward, but all he did was jerk helplessly against Moxie¡¯s vines. He was stuck fast.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll kill every single one of you,¡± Matis spat, spittle flying from his lips.

    ¡°Lie,¡± Aylin said.

    Noah was pretty sure a threat didn¡¯t count as a lie, and he caught a small grin on the boy¡¯s face. Aylin was playing it up for the crowd. Noah almost burst into laughter on the spot, but he managed to keep his composure.

    ¡°No you won¡¯t,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m losing my patience with you, Matis. Don¡¯t you do anything other than threaten to kill me? Can¡¯t you be a little more creative? There has to be more in your repertoire.¡±

    The demon¡¯s muscles trembled in fury, but there was nothing he could do but sit there. Murmurs passed through the auction house as the other demons realized that Matis wasn¡¯t just playing along and was legitimately stuck in place.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± a scaled demon from the balcony beside them said, rising from his seat and thrusting a finger in their direction. ¡°A Knowledge Demon brat and a demon that wears storm wrappings for no reason. That¡¯s Spider.¡±

    A flicker of recognition passed through Matis¡¯ eyes. Noah¡¯s eyes crinkled as his smile grew behind his face wrappings.

    ¡°Have you heard of me, Matis?¡±

    ¡°As if I¡¯d have heard of a coward like you,¡± Matis spat. He barely managed to force the sentence out before he let out another pained groan. Evidently, he wasn¡¯t smart enough to figure out that speaking in front of a Knowledge Demon that could eat from him was a poor idea.

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said, with a disappointed shake of his head. ¡°Well, I think we¡¯re done here. You full, Aylin?¡±

    ¡°I am sated,¡± Aylin said with a nod. ¡°Thank you, Spider.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± Noah replied. He nodded to Aylin¡¯s chair and the boy headed back over to it, sitting down without another word.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡± Matis screamed, jerking his arm against Moxie¡¯s vines. ¡°Let me¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s violin bow flashed. It carved straight through Matis¡¯ neck, severing his head from his body in a single motion. Energy poured into Noah in a river, flooding into his runes. Blood splattered across the ground and over Pirren, who stood between Yoru and the splash zone.

    Whoops. Sorry, Pirren.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve all had enough of his yammering,¡± Noah said. He flicked the blood from the bow and let it fade away. Moxie¡¯s vines released Matis¡¯ body, dropping it over the edge of the balcony where it plummeted to land on the ground with a splattering crunch. For an instant, the auction house was silent. Noah picked the dead demon¡¯s head up by the hair and tossed it over the balcony to land beside the rest of the demon¡¯s body, then wiped his hands off on his jacket. Then he cleared his throat. ¡°So, did anyone else want to bid on my Rune?¡±

 Chapter 500: Sinclaire

    It would have been a lie to say that the crowd had been cowed. Demons looked at Noah and the balcony around him with undisguised interest. Several of them sported excited grins and others exchanged money. Noah half wished he could have bet on himself, but that might have been a bit much.

    Not many demons actually looked all that put out about Matis¡¯ death aside from the ones on the balcony below them, who had gotten even more blood on them than Pirren had. They threw a few insults up at him, but he ignored them.

    While most of the crowd didn¡¯t seem to care about Matis, there were definitely some that had taken more displeasure in the demon¡¯s death than others. Sinclaire¡¯s porcelain features were tight in displeasure and her lips were pressed into a thin line. Several demons scattered throughout the auction house had similar looks, likely having been allies of Matis. Something told Noah that nobody missed him because of his stellar personality.

    Despite the looks they earned, not a single demon in the crowd said a word. That wasn¡¯t much of a surprise. The Rune really wasn¡¯t that powerful. Any demons that would have been powerful enough to risk wanting to fight him now probably wouldn¡¯t be interested in something like Falling Shadow in the first place.

    ¡°If we¡¯re going back to bidding, does the price reset to the original amount? It¡¯s not like the other party was around to bid on it any longer,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. The price remains at 220, if anyone would like to make a bid.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunate. 220, then,¡± Noah said. He put a foot on the railing and pushed himself up, using a burst of wind to launch himself up and into the air. He landed on the railing of Matis¡¯ balcony and hopped down, scanning the relatively barren area and spotting a leather bag on the table. He snagged it, almost blinking in surprise at its weight. It was heavy.

    Noah slung the bag over his shoulder before turning back to his own balcony and jumping, letting his magic carry him back over to Moxie and the others. He dumped the bag on the table.

    ¡°If there are no more bids, then Falling Shadow is sold for 220 gold,¡± the announcer proclaimed, clearing his throat loudly. He sent a pointed look up at Noah. ¡°And you will be liable for the cleaning fee.¡±

    ¡°How much is that again? It seems to have slipped my mind.¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°One hundred gold.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Noah pulled Matis¡¯ bag open and glanced through it. It was completely stuffed full of gold, but there were six glistening white crystals amongst the sea of yellow. They were perfectly round, nearly coin-shaped, and light danced as it passed through their clear depths.

    He was surprised to feel a trickle of runic energy residing within them. It wasn¡¯t much, but it was enough to send a faint tingle down his fingers when he brushed them across the gems¡¯ surfaces. Noah pulled one of them free to get a better look. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess they were some form of currency if Matis had brought them here.

    ¡°Crystals,¡± Aylin breathed, his eyes fixing on the gemstone.

    ¡°You know what this is?¡± Noah asked.

    Aylin gave him a sharp nod. ¡°Yes. Rune Crystals. I¡¯ve never seen one this close before. They¡¯re really expensive.¡±

    ¡°Not this one,¡± Yoru said. ¡°That barely has any magic. It¡¯s worth 100 gold. The dim light shows how weak it is. If it were more brightly lit from within, it could be of far greater value.¡±

    ¡°100 gold is a lot of gold,¡± Aylin muttered.

    Yoru didn¡¯t respond to that. She just lifted her gaze to Pirren, who still stood before her. ¡°You may sit now.¡±

    The blood-splattered demon looked down at herself. Then she mutely walked back over to her chair and lowered herself into it, not even bothering to try and wipe herself off. Her eyes stared off like she was trapped somewhere between a dream and a nightmare and hadn¡¯t quite managed to work out which one it was yet.

    Noah quickly counted through the money in Matis¡¯ bag. If each of the Crystals was worth 100 gold, there was a total of 800 gold in it. The demon had actually been pretty wealthy by the standards of the Damned Plains. He grinned.

    You know, killing a bunch of demons here would actually be a pretty good investment. Pay 100 gold, take their bag and all the goodies in it in turn. I¡¯m up a net 700 right now. I should goad some more idiots into trying something.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of gold,¡± Moxie said as she looked over his shoulder. ¡°Do we still have to pay for the other rune Matis bought?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yoru said. ¡°But you will get it in his place. The contract was already struck with the auction house, so attempting to free Matis¡¯ coin from it will go poorly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°We¡¯re down a total of 310 gold of his 800, so there¡¯s still 490 extra to play around with. For the amount of effort we had to put in to get this, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to complain. Pirren, do you need a towel or something?¡±

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    Pirren wiped some of the blood from her cheek. She looked down at her hand, then back up to Noah. ¡°No. I am fine.¡±

    Definitely doesn¡¯t sound fine. I wonder what¡¯s got her so bothered. Matis was a right prick. She and him definitely weren¡¯t friends. Eh. Not the time to go digging. I¡¯ll figure it out later.

    The announcer continued the auction and put the next rune up, but it didn¡¯t catch Noah¡¯s attention. He spent his time observing the other demons instead. It was hard to tell how many of them had come here to actually participate and how many had come just to watch the others beat the life out of each other.

    There was also a third group of demons ¡ª those that looked bored with the fights and runes alike. They were few in number, just five or six that he could spot, Sinclaire among them. Noah was willing to bet a body that they were here for more powerful runes, and the games of the weaker demons just held no interest to them.

    Their presence was actually quite beneficial. It told Noah that the auction was still far from being in full swing, and the best runes had yet to be revealed. There was just one small potential problem. He had a decent amount of money between what they¡¯d brought and Matis¡¯ thoughtful donation. The price of the Rank 3 runes was steadily rising as the announcer sold one after the other. It had already reached the low 300s and went up every time one sold. They were going in order of worst to best ¡ª which meant his own Rank 3 would probably sell for a pretty good price.

    He just wasn¡¯t sure if it would be enough. Matter and Space Runes were disproportionately expensive in the Mortal Plane. Noah doubted it would be that different here. If he wanted to get a powerful Rune, it could end up running at a cost higher than what he had.

    I was half joking about finding some more demons to kill during the auction, but I may need to do just that. Then again, I might not even have to do anything. The moment I bid on something nice, some macho prick will probably try their hand against me. I just hope they¡¯re rich.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to bring all of your attention to the final rune in our Rank 3s for today,¡± the announcer called, flapping his wings to emphasize his words. ¡°This may be one of the most unique runes I¡¯ve had the pleasure of selling. Though it is a Rank 3, its quality is sublime. This is a standard rune called Sandy Gale, that was formed at an unbelievable 11 percent full. Bids will start at 250 gold!¡±

    Noah leaned forward in his chair, an excited smile crossing his face beneath his storm wrappings as dozens of gazes all snapped down to stare at the announcer. He¡¯d been waiting for this, and the winged demon had done a great job of hyping the rune up.

    Now I just need a few people to start a bidding war over it and I¡¯ll make off like a king for just about zero work.

    ¡°250,¡± a brown-scaled demon with craggy spines running along his back and shoulders called, slamming his palm into the table on his balcony. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for something like this for months. If you bid against me, be prepared to fight for it.¡±

    ¡°280,¡± a stout demon from the balcony to his side said, crossing her arms and letting her steely gaze bore into the other demon. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one that can use that, Ramon. You want it? Fight for it.¡±

    ¡°290,¡± Ramon growled. The spikes covering his spine rippled. ¡°One warning. Don¡¯t try again.¡±

    ¡°Your threats aren¡¯t going to stop me. Put your fists where your mouth¡ª¡±

    The rest of the stout demon¡¯s words were lost as a sharp, crisp voice split through the air like a spring wind.

    ¡°300,¡± Sinclaire said, crossing one of her legs over the other as her lips pulled up in a faint smile.

    The stout demon¡¯s mouth snapped shut. Ramon exchanged a glance with her, then clenched his fists and lowered himself back into his chair as well. The auction house was silent. For some reason, the single bid from Sinclaire had completely stilled the competition.

    Noah¡¯s eye twitched. Ramon and the other demon definitely would have pushed the price far higher than 300 gold. He didn¡¯t know why nobody was willing to bid against Sinclaire, and he couldn¡¯t have given a shit less.

    Nobody scams me. I¡¯m the scammer here.

    Even the announcer looked slightly pained at the price abruptly jerking to a halt. He glanced around the room, clearly hoping someone else would speak. Nobody did. His wings drooped slightly as he drew in a breath.

    ¡°310,¡± Noah called out.

    Sinclaire¡¯s eyes snapped up to meet his, burning with such malice that Noah could almost see flames flickering within them. A flicker of recognition passed through him. He recognized those eyes. They were incredibly similar to Azel¡¯s. She was an Anger demon.

    ¡°You do not want to start this,¡± Sinclaire said. ¡°I am not at the same level of the pest you just quashed, Spider. 350.¡±

    ¡°To a giant, ant and man and mountain are alike,¡± Noah replied. He held Sinclaire¡¯s gaze without flinching. He didn¡¯t know what an anger demon needed a rune like this for, but she clearly wanted it. And if she wanted it, he could push the price a whole lot higher. ¡°400.¡±

    The muscles in Sinclaire¡¯s jaw clenched. Cold fury washed over her features and her eye twitched as her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides.

    ¡°Pirren?¡± Yoru said.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Yoru mutely pointed to the ground in front of her. Pirren looked to her bloodied hands. Then she stood up and moved to stand where the smaller demon had indicated.

    ¡°Here?¡± Pirren asked wearily.

    ¡°Yes. Very good.¡± Yoru nodded. ¡°And, Pirren?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Yoru raised her hands to cover masked face. Pirren gave her a confused look for a moment, then mirrored the motion.

    ¡°450,¡± Sinclaire ground out. ¡°Do not open your wretched mouth, Spider. Do not confuse this for a mere warning. I am no whelp to be toyed with. Be thankful I give you this opportunity to evade your death. The cost for eliminating your entire balcony is still greater than the annoyance you have caused me, but it will not be for much longer.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to evade what I already am,¡± Noah called back. For a brief second, the two of them were silent. Noah could see the promise in her posture. Sinclaire was at her limit. If he spoke again, she would attack. That was just fine with him. If she refused to buy his rune at the price it deserved, he¡¯d just beat the life out of her until she came to a more reasonable decision. ¡°500 gold.¡±

    Sinclaire rose to her feet. Her loose robes fluttered around her as she mutely took a step toward the railing. Her fingers flexed, revealing long, black claws at the tips of her alabaster white skin.

    Noah called on his Runes, letting power flow through his body as Sinclaire¡¯s entire body trembled with poorly restrained fury. He winked at her. That proved to be the final straw.

    Sinclaire launched herself into the air in a blur. She shot across the auction house with her claws primed to rip his throat out, and Noah stood in wait for her.

    I did always wonder how I¡¯d square up against Azel once I was closer in rank to him. I guess this is about as close as I¡¯ll ever get to finding out.

 Chapter 501: Disappointing

    Sinclaire slammed into the top of Noah¡¯s table with enough force to shatter the wood. It crunched beneath her feet, large fragments spinning out in every direction. Noah released a powerful burst of wind from his palms, keeping any of the fragments from reaching him or Moxie.

    Pirren was a little less fortunate. She was peppered with a dozen pieces of wood, and a particularly large one smacked against her raised arms with a loud crack. If they hadn¡¯t been there, the wood likely would have put out one of her eyes.

    ¡°Open your mouth again,¡± Sinclaire hissed, the muscles in her arms taut as her clawed hands flexed. ¡°See what¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s knee drove up into her stomach. Sinclaire moved to block the strike in a blur. She was faster than he was ¡ª but she wasn¡¯t the fastest demon that Noah had ever met, and he was cheating. Before his knee could even reach her deadly hands, he jerked to a halt and released a wave of magic through his other foot and into the balcony beneath them.

    A violet tremor gripped the ground beneath Sinclaire. Her eyes widened as she lost her balance for a brief instant, but Noah was already moving. His elbow slammed into the side of her head with a loud crack. A normal strike from Noah would have had no chance of actually hurting a Rank 5 demon, so he put a little extra juice into it.

    He drew on all the vibration magic he¡¯d infused Natural Disaster with and stretched the Rune to its limits, sending the power racing out from his body and into Sinclaire. Her teeth cracked together as a tremor raced through her body, sending her staggering.

    Noah didn¡¯t give Sinclaire a chance to gather herself. Demons were so used to showing off for each other and drumming up whatever emotion they were trying to feed on that they were ill prepared for a rapid assault. Noah, however, had absolutely no plans of feeding anyone.

    He slammed his foot into the demon¡¯s face and released another burst of vibration through his heel. Her head snapped back and she staggered into the railing at the edge of the balcony.

    Noah spun, driving all the force he could muster into a spinning kick that he unleashed into her stomach. He unleashed a huge burst of magical energy from Natural Disaster through the kick, detonating all the wind he could muster in a violent roar as his strike connected.

    The railing shattered. Sinclaire flew off the edge of the balcony amidst a rain of wooden fragments. Yoru reached up to Pirren and gave the back of her shirt a tug.

    ¡°Pirren?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± Pirren asked weakly, lowering her hands and turning to look back at the smaller demon.

    ¡°You should consider eating less. Your bulk is interfering with my view. Kneel.¡±

    Pirren didn¡¯t say so much as a word of protest. She dropped to her knees in front of Yoru ¡ª and a furious scream split the air of the auction house. Demons roared in approval as a white blur slammed into the edge of the balcony and Sinclaire vaulted over the remains of the railing.

    Her right arm had split along the seams, ripping apart to reveal a bouquet of jagged bone blades. They carved through the air, whistling past where Pirren¡¯s head had been just seconds before, and hurtled toward Noah¡¯s side with the intent of carving him into ribbons with just a single blow.

    Yoru drew in a small breath of surprise, but Noah had other things to pay attention to. He released Crumbling Space, sending tiny white cracks splintering through the air in Sinclaire¡¯s path.

    Nobody else in the audience had any chance of even seeing the magic at its small scale and with Sinclaire blocking the way. Even Sinclaire herself didn¡¯t react to the tiny flicker in the air.

    The magic collapsed on itself right as Sinclaire¡¯s arm entered its field. Several loud cracks split the air and Noah moved a step back. Fragments of bone and droplets of blood pattered against his side as the Anger Demon¡¯s arm transformed into pulp in a split instant.

    It took Sinclaire an instant to realize what had happened. She stared at her destroyed arm as blood drippled from its crushed form in disbelief, her lips working as she tried to form words.

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    Noah grabbed her arm. Physical contact with a Rank 5 demon was generally a pretty piss-poor idea, but Noah was pretty sure she wasn¡¯t going to be using that arm again anytime soon. Sinclaire screamed in pain as Noah released another wave of vibration into her arm, causing the sharp, shattered bones to dig into her flesh as his grip tightened.

    Noah glanced at Moxie, then tapped his throat. Her eyes widened in recognition and she hurriedly whispered into Aylin¡¯s ear before drawing in a deep breath. Noah¡¯s grip on Sinclaire¡¯s arm tightened as she went to free herself, ripping a snarl of pain from her lips.

    ¡°There is an offending scent present,¡± Yoru proclaimed to Pirren, as if Sinclaire wasn¡¯t even present. ¡°Pirren. Locate it.¡±

    Either the fight had long since left Pirren or she¡¯d just learned to do everything Yoru said, because she drew in a deep breath.

    ¡°I have to say, the last Anger Demon I met was a lot more competent than you were,¡± Noah snarled, taking a deep breath himself before activating Combustion. The air on the balcony froze. Sinclaire¡¯s eyes widened as she tried to draw in a breath and found that nothing entered her lungs.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    She slashed at Noah with her free hand, shards of bone splitting through her flesh and forming into jagged blades. Noah didn¡¯t release his grip on her arm ¡ª he doubted she¡¯d let him get his hands on her again if he did.

    Instead, he released a powerful wall of wind in her path. Her arm slammed into it and was thrown back, unable to penetrate the power of a flawless Rank 4 Rune. Noah yanked Sinclaire to the side by her injured arm. She tried to draw in a pained gasp, but no oxygen would flow.

    Sinclaire tried to drive her claws into Noah¡¯s stomach, but he had too much leverage and she¡¯d already been weakened. He slammed his foot into her shoulder and sent another wave of tremors through her body with the blow. The disorientation it caused was enough for him to slam her into the ground at his feet and knock what little breath she still had from her lungs.

    Her eyes bulged and her uninjured hand clawed at her throat. Sinclaire¡¯s lips worked to form words, but she had nothing left to make them with. Not a scrap of air remained. Her desperate gaze locked with Noah¡¯s and the bone growths yanked back into her arms in a clear attempt to surrender.

    Noah just stared down at her. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry. Unlike Sinclaire, he had a whole lot more air left to work with. The demon desperately tried to fling herself free, but Noah sent another wave of powerful vibrations slamming into her body through his foot, not giving her the chance to throw him off. She squirmed on the balcony like a beached fish.

    ¡°Did anyone else want to bid?¡± Noah called, his gaze lifting to the crowd. ¡°I¡¯d hate for someone to miss out on a rune they wanted because of this vermin.¡±

    Silence ruled. A demon coughed, then hurriedly ducked beneath their railing when everyone glanced in their direction. Noah looked back down to Sinclaire, trying not to let his eyes twitch.

    Goddamn it. Now I¡¯ve scared them too much and they think I want the stupid rune myself. Stupid anger demons. I hate these bastards.

    Noah released Combustion. Sinclaire drew in a ragged gasp, choked on her own saliva, and broke into a hacking cough.

    ¡°Please,¡± Sinclaire wheezed between coughs as she battled to catch her breath, clutching her injured arm to her chest.

    Noah watched her with disgust. She and Azel were nothing alike. He couldn¡¯t believe he was complementing the bastard, but Azel had been on an entirely different level. Nothing ever would have reduced him to a mess like this ¡ª and he never would have begged for his life.

    Despite what Pirren had said, even this Rank 5 was nothing more than an arrogant idiot with slightly better runes than the Rank 5s at the bottom of the barrel. She¡¯d had no proper fighting techniques beyond swinging at him like a madwoman.

    Disappointing. I need more than this if I want to fight Wizen. Unfortunately, I overdid things. Now I need this idiot alive.

    ¡°How much was the bid?¡± Noah whispered, reaching down and grabbing Sinclaire by her blood-splattered collar.

    ¡°You can have it,¡± Sinclaire said, the corners of her eyes watering. ¡°I concede. I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°I asked you how much the bid was,¡± Noah snapped. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to concede.¡±

    ¡°500 gold! It was 500 gold!¡±

    Noah back at Pirren, though he kept his magical energy at the ready. He wouldn¡¯t put it past Sinclaire to try and attack him while his back was turned ¡ª but he could pump her full of Natural Disaster¡¯s power far faster than she could attack him.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that seem a bit low?¡± Noah asked the snake demon.

    Pirren glanced back at Yoru, her breath still caught in her lungs.

    ¡°You are released from your task,¡± the small demon said. ¡°I located the foul smell without your aid. It was the rancid demonling that intruded on our balcony. Answer Spider¡¯s question.¡±

    Pirren¡¯s gaze drifted down to Sinclaire. Emotions churned in her eyes. Humiliation. Fear. Anger. Her jaw tightened and her hands clenched at her sides as her thin lips pulled back in a mixture of a snarl and a smile.

    ¡°500 does seem a bit low.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you should raise your bid,¡± Noah suggested.

    Sinclaire swallowed. Her eyes flicked from Noah to Pirren. ¡°550 gold.¡±

    ¡°Is that all?¡± Noah asked, blinking in mock surprise. ¡°Pirren, is that enough?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± the other demon replied, her cold smile stretching wider as some of the confidence that she¡¯d displayed back in her mansion started to push its way free. Noah wasn¡¯t certain this was the best kind of therapy, but nobody had ever regretted watching someone that had beaten the shit out of them get the same treatment. ¡°I think 2000 would be more appropriate for a rune of this quality.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Sinclaire exclaimed. ¡°This is a Rank 3! I don¡¯t even have that much money! Why would¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s grip on her arm tightened and she hissed in pain. ¡°How much do you have?¡±

    ¡°1550,¡± Sinclaire blurted through a pained gasp.

    ¡°Then I think 1500 sounds good,¡± Noah said with a smile. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±

    The Anger Demon stared up at him. At Pirren, whose smug face floated over Noah¡¯s shoulder and joined the rest of the auction house in watching Sinclaire¡¯s complete and utter defeat.

    ¡°1500 gold,¡± Sinclair said, squeezing her eyes shut and letting her head flop back to the ground.

    Noah lifted his foot off her shoulder and peered over the edge of the broken railing at the announcer on the stage below.

    ¡°You got that, yeah?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª ah, yes. Yes, I did,¡± the winged demon said. He hesitated for a moment as if to see if anyone else was willing to bid. Nobody did. The announcer cleared his throat into a fist. ¡°Sandy Gale has been sold to the¡­ ah, fortunate Sinclaire.¡±

    ¡°Congratulations on your win,¡± Noah said with a polite smile that did absolutely nothing, as nobody could see his face. He grabbed Sinclaire by her collar and pulled the demon to her feet. ¡°Enjoy your new rune. Now screw off. You aren¡¯t worth the cleaning fee, and maybe you¡¯ll enjoy a taste of what you like doing to others. Show your face in this auction again while I¡¯m here and I¡¯ll kill you and use your Runes as wall d¨¦cor.¡±

    He shoved her off the balcony.

    Sinclaire righted herself as she fell, catching onto the balcony below before launching herself through the air back to her belongings. She didn¡¯t even stop moving as she grabbed her bag and vanished through the door, the laughter and jeers of the other demons in the auction house following after her.

    I almost feel bad about that, but after what she obviously did to Pirren, I reckon she got off easy. At least she¡¯s alive.

    Pirren caught Noah¡¯s eye as he turned to sit back down beside Moxie.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Pirren whispered, so speaking so low that Noah could barely even pick up on her words.

    He just inclined his head slightly in response. It wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d only done it to help Pirren take a little revenge. With all the money that he¡¯d just conned Sinclaire into spending on his rune combined with what he¡¯d taken from Matis, he was fairly certain that he and Moxie were now some of the richest demons in the auction.

    Now all that was left to do was to cash in his reward.

    We should be at the Rank 4 Runes now. Let¡¯s see what goodies I can pick up for myself.

 Chapter 502: Mine

    For all the attention that Noah¡¯s antics had just drawn their balcony, the attention span of the demons in the auction house was far from long. As soon as the winged announcer started listing off the next runes for auction, the number of eyes remaining on them rapidly dropped.

    A few of Sinclaire and Matis¡¯ allies occasionally sent glares in Noah¡¯s direction. Not a single one of them were brave enough to actually act on them. His primary goal had been accomplished. After trouncing two different demons, Spider¡¯s reputation was even greater than it had been before.

    Nobody knew exactly what rank he was, and nobody had given him so much as a challenge yet. That would go a very long way in making sure his consolidation of power in the city continued smoothly.

    Noah rolled a glimmering crystal between his fingers as the auction continued on. Pirren sat to his side, her face and clothes still splattered with blood and a slightly shell-shocked expression on her face. She couldn¡¯t seem to decide whether she wanted to watch Noah or Yoru. Her eyes flicked between them like pinballs stuck between two bouncers.

    Yoru herself seemed completely bored. She¡¯d wrapped her arms around her legs, which were still drawn up to her chest, and her chin rested on her knees. Noah tried not to stare too overtly, but it didn¡¯t take a genius to realize that she was more than she wanted him to believe.

    She¡¯d used Pirren as a living shield multiple times, then had her take a deep breath in right before he¡¯d activated Combustion. It almost seemed like she knew what he was going to do before he did it.

    Having Pirren stand in front of her to block stuff might just be a good guess, but the instructions for how to avoid the magic¡­ that shouldn¡¯t be possible. Even if she¡¯s realized that I¡¯m using external magic, nobody in the Damned Plains would know I¡¯ve got Combustion. Is it possible there¡¯s some way to detect the magic someone is using before it leaves their body?

    Noah tilted his head to the side in thought. That was an interesting idea. Magical energy was hardly all identical. He could feel the difference between Natural Disaster and Crumbling Space when he used them.

    It wasn¡¯t an impossible task to presume it was possible to do that to someone else¡¯s body. After all, runes were just patterns. If Yoru could understand those patterns without actually seeing them, then she¡¯d basically be able to predict the type of magic someone else was using.

    A spark of interest lit in Noah¡¯s chest. He had no idea how a demon would go about doing that, as they had no Domain, but the idea took root in his head like one of Moxie¡¯s plants. He did have a Domain. Even if that wasn¡¯t the technique that Yoru was doing, there was too much potential in the possibility to dismiss it.

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Moxie whispered, nudging him in the side of his leg with her knee. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Burning Brilliance Rune is what¡¯s got your attention.¡±

    Noah blinked, then shook his head. ¡°Burning Brilliance?¡±

    ¡°I suppose that answers my question,¡± Moxie said dryly. ¡°The rune up for auction right now.¡±

    Noah glanced down at the announcer. Several demons around them were locked in a bidding war, and the price had reached the low 500s already. It came at no surprise to him that Rank 4 runes were considerably more expensive than their lower strength counterparts.

    Well, most of their lower strength counterparts. For some reason, Sandy Gale is just a rune to die for. I sure hope that doesn¡¯t mess with anyone when they¡¯re trying to run some numbers on what Rank 3 runes sell for on average.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± Noah agreed. He didn¡¯t want to get into what his thoughts were while Yoru was right next to them, especially since he was basically planning to try and copy as many of her abilities as he could. ¡°I¡¯m only half listening right now. Just thinking. Nothing all that interesting has come up yet. Did you see something you wanted?¡±

    ¡°Not particularly.¡± Moxie shook her head. ¡°I still need to figure out where I¡¯m going to take things for the next rank, and I¡¯m getting used to my current rune before I make any steps to get more of them. It¡¯s still got a lot of energy to fill anyway.¡±

    ¡°Something tells me that won¡¯t be too hard here,¡± Noah said, looking back to the other demons around them. Even if the ones in the auction had figured out trying him was generally a poor idea for their continued health, there were always more idiots. That was a universal truth back in Arbitage, and it was even more true in the Damned Plains.

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    ¡°Probably not,¡± Moxie agreed. ¡°I think we should be getting to the more interesting stuff soon, though. Good thing we got all that extra gold.¡±

    Noah nodded. He stopped fiddling with the Crystal and tossed it back into the bag. He didn¡¯t want to somehow manage to break it and waste 100 gold.

    The Burning Brilliance Rune eventually sold for 540 gold while they were distracted with their conversation. Even though it was a Rank 4 Rune, it was so poorly made that interest for it ended up drying up rather quickly. Another uninteresting Rank 4 Rune went up for sale, this one only at sixty percent full upon creation.

    ¡°What about you, Aylin? See anything you want?¡± Noah asked, looking to the boy. He normally wasn¡¯t a fan of just handing dozens of runes to his students, but Aylin was in a very different position than the others back in Arbitage. For them, rapid advancement was a hinderance and something they¡¯d have to hide. It would also keep them from focusing on their patterns. But Aylin ¡ª Aylin was a demonstration of Spider¡¯s power. There was a target on his back, Noah was less concerned with his long term growth than he was with making sure the kid didn¡¯t get killed in his sleep.

    Aylin nearly choked. ¡°What? Me? I couldn¡¯t possibly take anything. You¡¯ve done so much already, and I¡¯m still learning how to use my Rank 3 Rune. I¡¯m a little worried about what would happen if I reached Rank 4 without getting a grasp over my¡­ uh, other abilities.¡±

    ¡°A very wise fear,¡± Noah said, his expression tightening at the reminder. He still hadn¡¯t made progress in figuring out what changed demons so extensively at Rank 4. Both Pirren and Yoru had passed that point, and even though Noah had no clue what Yoru¡¯s runes were, it was pretty clear they¡¯d both been heavily influenced by them.

    Maybe I can get some information out of Yoru when we meet after the auction.

    ¡°Up next is yet another unique rune that I¡¯m delighted to share with you all,¡± the announcer called, punctuating his words with a practiced snap of his wings that ripped through the air like a gunshot. He rubbed his hands together, a greedy smile crossing over his lips. ¡°Our first of two Runes from the Black Reaches, this Rank 4 Rune is called Unstable Corrupted Mass. It may have been 70 percent full at conception, but the strength of this rune should be enough to more than make up for that. It will be starting at 400 gold.¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem like the rest of the room agreed. The murmurs that had broken out at the mention of the Black Reaches instantly fell away the moment the announcer revealed just how poor quality the rune actually was.

    ¡°Where are the Black Reaches?¡± Noah asked. The announcer had put too much focus on the location for it to just be a random part of the Damned Plains.

    ¡°They¡¯re toward the City of Gold,¡± Pirren said. ¡°An area of the Damned Plains that got destroyed in a fight between two Rank 8s a long time ago. It¡¯s very dangerous to enter. I¡¯ve heard rumors that the barrier between planes is weaker there than anywhere else.¡±

    ¡°The rumors are correct,¡± Yoru said. ¡°That is why Sievan resides within the City of Gold. It is steeped within death energy. No other Archdemon can challenge him there. Are you not aware of him?¡±

    What, is his feeling Death or something? That does not sound like someone I want to get to know. Given how much runes change demons, someone that represents death itself is probably going to be batshit insane and comically evil. I¡¯ll pass.

    ¡°Just, uh, slipped my mind,¡± Noah said, clearing his throat. Though many demons were talking around them, only one other demon had bid on the Unstable Corrupted Mass Rune, and its price was at a mere 400 gold. It sounded like there was a good chance it would have some degree of Matter or Space in it given where it had come from, so Noah shrugged and raised his voice. ¡°410 gold.¡±

    The demon that had bid on the rune glanced over to Noah. He had skin like a craggy cliffside and a dour expression on his face, but the moment he realized who had spoken, the demon hurriedly sat back down and averted his gaze, not saying another word. Nobody else said anything. The poor quality rune just wasn¡¯t worth the hassle.

    ¡°Sold,¡± the announcer proclaimed, not even bothering to hide his disappointment. He¡¯d definitely been hoping for a higher price. The auction house ¡ª and he ¡ª obviously got a cut of sales. It didn¡¯t take him long to get over it, though. No sooner than he had spoken did the announcer¡¯s eyes flash with excitement. ¡°Coming from the same demon is a second rune from the Black Reaches. This one is a Rank 4 Unstable Mass Rune, and at a very respectable 50% full upon creation. Bids will start at 500 gold.¡±

    So a better version of the rune that just sold. More certainly couldn¡¯t hurt.

    ¡°500,¡± a demon called without a second of hesitation.

    ¡°550,¡± another added, speaking before the first had even had a chance to close their mouth.

    Several more demons added their own voices into the mix. It wasn¡¯t long before the price quickly shot up to 650 gold, and it didn¡¯t look like it showed any signs of slowing.

    I need to cut this off at the head before I end up having to waste too much money.

    ¡°1000 gold,¡± Noah called. His voice projected through the auction house like a wave of rolling thunder, cutting through the other demons¡¯ clamoring cries. A second of silence ticked by. Several demons considered him, clearly trying to figure out if it was worth trying to fight him on the rune.

    He didn¡¯t know if it was the reputation he¡¯d built up or the huge price jump he¡¯d made, but the silence dragged on. The announcer couldn¡¯t even be annoyed. 1000 gold for a Rank 4 that had only been 50 percent full upon creation was a good price in the Damned Plains.

    Noah had just started to let a smug grin form beneath the wrappings on his face when a new voice rose up into the air ¡ª not from another balcony, but from right beside him.

    ¡°1100 gold,¡± Yoru said, her quiet words cutting through the silence. ¡°This rune is mine.¡±

 Chapter 503: Arrogant Fool

    Of everyone in the auction house that could have placed a counterbid, Noah hadn¡¯t expected the person to do it to be in his own balcony. He stared at Yoru, his face wrappings doing nothing to conceal the surprise in his eyes.

    It had been obvious that Yoru had an agenda she was aiming to accomplish. Noah hadn¡¯t expected it to include trying to take a relatively unimpressive Rank 4 Rune from him. His eyes narrowed as he studied her, trying to figure out what the demon¡¯s motive was.

    Is she trying to test my reaction? But what would the point of that even be? Annoying me isn¡¯t going to accomplish anything meaningful. Maybe she¡¯s trying to see if I¡¯ll back down when a higher ranked demon tries to screw with me?

    That didn¡¯t feel like it made sense either. Noah had no idea what rank Yoru actually was. She was a high Rank 5 at the bare minimum, but there was a good chance she was even stronger than that given how Pirren treated her.

    There wasn¡¯t much time to make a decision. He hadn¡¯t answered in several seconds and no other demons had tried placing a bid. It wasn¡¯t like Noah didn¡¯t have the funds to spare. With all the money he¡¯d just taken from the other demons in addition to what he and Moxie had, he had something around 2000 gold.

    But raising my bid any higher basically guarantees that I can¡¯t get any more runes in this auction. Everything from here on out is definitely going to be near 1000 gold. I¡¯d like to get at least one Rank 5 Rune if I can¡­ damn it. A Rank 5 rune is more important than this one. There¡¯s just no point getting into a bidding war here.

    Noah remained silent. Entering a bidding war here would only waste his time and money ¡ª and more importantly, he had no idea what Yoru was aiming for. Everyone at the auction was playing their own game. The only way he could come out on top was when the only game he let himself make moves in was his own.

    ¡°The Unstable Mass Rune is sold,¡± the announcer proclaimed. A few disappointed murmurs ran through the demons in the crowd when they realized that Noah wasn¡¯t about to give them even more free entertainment, but it didn¡¯t take long before the winged demon got started introducing the next rune and everything else was forgotten.

    Yoru¡¯s masked face turned toward Noah as he watched her out of the corners of his eyes. She tilted her head to the side.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an odd question to ask,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Why¡¯d you bid on that Rune? Do you really need it?¡±

    Perfect. Thanks, Moxie. I need to keep putting on my Spider shtick, but you can say everything I actually want to. I¡¯ve already looked lost enough by not knowing where or what the Black Reaches were.

    ¡°Me? No.¡± Yoru¡¯s head righted and tilted in the other direction. ¡°Why would I need a Rank 4 Rune?¡±

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t need it, why¡¯d you bid on it?¡± Moxie asked with a confused frown. ¡°That seems like a waste of money.¡±

    ¡°Money is of little concern to me. There are precious few things that I need that gold could purchase.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m following your thought process here. You bought the rune because¡­ what, you wanted to waste money?¡± Moxie¡¯s brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of Yoru¡¯s actions.

    ¡°No. I do not waste. Even the most unimportant resources have value. Discarding resources is the act of an arrogant fool.¡±

    ¡°Now I¡¯m equally confused,¡± Noah said, giving up on any plans to remain separated from the situation and tossing his own hat into the ring. ¡°So you bought a rune you don¡¯t need with money that you don¡¯t care about ¡ª but don¡¯t want to waste ¡ª for¡­ what reason, exactly?¡±

    ¡°You wanted it,¡± Yoru said, as if that explained everything. ¡°And it was 1000 gold.¡±

    Right. Well, that explains absolutely nothing. Is she saying she bought it to keep me from getting it? I don¡¯t see how the price matters here either.

    ¡°If Spider wanted it, why did you buy it?¡± Moxie asked, not even bothering to mince her words. She¡¯d never been one for trying to take the subtle path. Pirren shrunk into her seat, her eyes flicking between Yoru and Moxie as she tensed in preparation for a looming fight.

    There was a second of silence before Yoru responded.

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    ¡°To¡­ give it to him.¡± A note of confusion entered the small demon¡¯s tone. It almost seemed like she¡¯d surprised herself with her own words. ¡°It is a gift?¡±

    She couldn¡¯t have sounded less certain about it if she¡¯d tried. Noah and Moxie exchanged a quick glance.

    ¡°Er¡­ thank you?¡± Noah said hesitantly. Somehow, getting an answer to his question had only managed to make him even more confused. He couldn¡¯t think of a single reason why Yoru would want to give him a gift, but he certainly wasn¡¯t going to say no to anything that saved him a thousand gold.

    Maybe it¡¯s just some aspect of demon culture I just don¡¯t understand yet? Maybe giving a gift is a way to assert dominance or something. Like a display of wealth or power. Hey, I¡¯m not going to complain. Free shit is free shit.

    Yoru didn¡¯t say anything more. Noah shrugged to himself and turned his attention back to the auctioneer. The auction was still going strong, and he now had a whole lot more gold left over to play with.

    ***

    A droplet of sweat rolled down Yoku¡¯s face behind her mask. She was confused. More confused than she¡¯d been in hundreds of years. There was something seriously wrong with her Runes. That was the only possible answer. The probable futures she weighed were making absolutely no sense. Something about Spider was breaking everything.

    Actions that should have been mundane resulted in bleak nothingness. Trapped deals that she¡¯d relied upon dozens of times before to best demons far smarter than she resulted in the same.

    Her powers had always been heavily limited the more complicated and the farther away the futures she weighed were, but probabilities were probabilities. Even when the future grew less set in stone, she could still view its potential.

    At least, she normally could. When it came to Spider, Yoku felt truly blind for the first time since she¡¯d lost her eyes. Every other step she took sent her plummeting into a black abyss with no escape. There was no rhyme or reason to his actions.

    Yoku could deal with a more powerful foe. She could deal with an enemy who was smarter or faster than her. Everything could be dealt with when she knew what her opponents were doing before they themselves had decided on it.

    Even Belkus was a manageable threat. He was the strongest demon that Yoku had ever set herself against, but so long as the future played out in the manner that she¡¯d weighed it, victory was inevitable.

    But Spider¡­ he didn¡¯t act like a demon. He didn¡¯t react like a demon. He didn¡¯t even think like a demon, and that terrified Yoku. There was only one lifeline in the sea of tumultuous black smoke. A single pathway that she could find that didn¡¯t end up setting him against her.

    It was so shrouded in darkness that Yoku could only take a single tiny step at a time. The endlessly branching possibilities of the future had been so clouded that even she wasn¡¯t entirely sure what she was doing.

    Yoku hadn¡¯t had any idea why buying a rune that Spider wanted was going to get him on her good side. If anything, it should have annoyed him. She hadn¡¯t even considered she was buying the rune for him.

    The mere idea of that was enough to make her sightless eyes twitch. Rivers of blood made a pathway up the mountain of corpses she¡¯d left in her wake to reach the power she now commanded.

    Dozens of Rank 6 demons would have prostrated themselves at her feet with nothing more than a single word from her lips. They would have given her the clothes from their back and made themselves into stepping stones for her to cross a shallow creek if she requested it.

    Yoku did not give gifts. They were the tools of the weak who sought to appease the strong. She had no need of such crutches. And yet, for some reason, that was the only path that accomplished all of her goals.

    Spider had accepted the gift with the grace of a demon who had received many such offers before. She wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about that, but the probabilities had changed once more.

    And, as Yoku peered through the twisting smoke and weighed the probabilities to determine what exactly it was that she had just accomplished, moonlight illuminated the next step on the pathway to the future she desired.

    How will I take control of his power? How can I turn him against Belkus? Something about Spider, be it him or something he is connected to that I am unable to witness, is too powerful to let slip through my fingers.

    I will do anything I must in order to ¡ª

    Yoku¡¯s sightless eyes blinked. Then they blinked again. Her ears picked up on the auctioneer¡¯s chatter as if it came from a thousand miles away, but none of it actually processed. She stared at the probable future that laid before her in abject disbelief.

    That can¡¯t be right.

    Never before had she doubted her powers to this degree. Yoku drew on more magic and poured it forth, weighing the probabilities once more. They remained unchanged. Every single pathway she took but this one ended in the pitch black sea.

    There was only a single way to fully get Spider on her side. She couldn¡¯t see what would happen after, or how it would even affect the other plans she had set in motion. All she knew was the next step along the path that she had to take ¡ª and it was one that made even less sense than every other impossible oddity that had happened today.

    ¡°Is something on my face?¡± Spider asked, his voice cutting through her futures like a blade.

    ¡°Yes. Storm wrappings.¡± Yoku¡¯s words were flat, but her heart pounded in her chest. The uncertainty was awful. It had been so long since she hadn¡¯t known something that the mere sensation made her want to retch like a battle-eager child witnessing death for the first time.

    Spider let out a snort and turned back to the auction, but Moxie¡¯s gaze remained on her. Yoku didn¡¯t even consider trying to weigh the futures with her again. She already had the pathway before her, and the next step would be after the auction.

    Yoku just wasn¡¯t sure if she had the strength to take it.

 Chapter 504: House Party

    Thanks to all the demons that had kindly donated their savings and Yoru¡¯s interference on the Rank 4 Unstable Mass Rune, Noah waited patiently for something worth buying as the auction pressed on.

    Rank 4 Runes turned to Rank 5s and the prices everything sold for steadily rose and grew closer to the upper limits of what he could afford to compete with. There were a few runes that Noah briefly considered bidding for, but none were quite interesting enough for him to put too much effort in.

    The demons competing in the auction now were stronger than the ones that had partook in the earlier parts. He wasn¡¯t confident he could kill anyone without having to rely on the Fragment of Renewal, Sunder, or possibly even getting himself killed in the process.

    Noah had no plans of playing any of his trump cards just for an auction. Surprises were only good if nobody else knew you had them, and none of the Rank 5 runes thus far had truly been worth the effort.

    Minutes ticked by. Several more demons fought each other, much to the delight of the crowd, though nobody else died. They almost felt more like posturing than proper fights, where a demon was forced to fight to protect their image or honor but had no desire to actually get killed in the process of it.

    I suppose that makes sense. Aside from a few kinds of feelings, I don¡¯t imagine the majority of demons are going to be any keener on fighting to the death than anybody else. Their society is seventy percent posturing and threats and thirty percent actually carrying through on them. Definitely makes for more of a spectacle than a bunch of nobles sneering at each other, though.

    Eventually, the bids started to slow. The quality of the runes dropped as they grew higher in rank even as their cost grew. Fewer demons were willing to bid on something that just wasn¡¯t useful.

    Noah was just starting to think that the auction was wrapping up when the announcer¡¯s wings snapped out in his signature move, cracking like a whip breaking the sound barrier.

    ¡°My good demons, we¡¯ll be entering the final part of today¡¯s auction,¡± the auctioneer called. ¡°We¡¯re all out of runes that fit within our more standard categories, so next up is the lightning round where we toss up everything that didn¡¯t quite fit. Remember ¡ª ten seconds per item and bids start at 1000 gold for everything. Whatever the latest highest offer is at the end of ten seconds wins the item, no questions. Nothing is in order of rarity or strength in this round, so bid on what you want and spend all that money! We¡¯ll be opening with the jaw of a Rank 5 Bone demon that was recovered from the Wastes! It¡¯s estimated to be about four hundred years old, so it¡¯s still got a good bit of efficacy left in it!¡±

    Bids flowed from the masses like a river. Noah blinked in surprise as the price rapidly shot up all the way to 1600 gold before slowing down over the next few seconds. Even though most demons were only raising the price by 20 or 30 gold with each increment, there were so many of them competing that the price skyrocketed.

    That ten second time limit is smart. It forces people to just fling money out and not give them much time to think on if the item is actually worth increasing their bid or not.

    The next two items flashed by, but both were other demon parts and didn¡¯t interest Noah much. He¡¯d never really taken to the whole ¡®bathing in monster parts¡¯ strategy for strengthening his runes. It was much easier to just kill them.

    Using alternative methods to gather magical energy was useful for noble families trying to get their members stronger without actually putting them through fights. There was no point going through the hassle when he could just kill a few dozen monsters instead. Sure, there was a chance he¡¯d get killed in the process, but that was just a minor inconvenience.

    ¡°Up next is another Rune for the bold and inquisitive among you,¡± the auctioneer called, but something in his voice was different. Noah couldn¡¯t quite place the emotion, but it almost sounded like unease. ¡°This is a rare offering, but I can assure we have permission to sell it. A Broken Master Rune, Deathly Night!¡±

    Yoru stiffened, but Noah barely even noticed as her posture shifted and she moved to speak.

    Another Broken Master Rune? That¡¯s perfect. It could be invaluable to figure out what happened to Lee¡¯s Runes.

    ¡°1500 gold,¡± Noah yelled without a second of hesitation, then drew in a breath in preparation to jack the price up even higher the moment someone else placed a bid.

    But, to his confusion, the auction house was dead silent. Not a single demon spoke a word. Noah blinked.

    Huh. I guess I really put on quite a show. Nobody wants to bid against me¡­ or is this like those damn eBay auctions I always used to lose because some assholes would wait until the last second to place a bid?

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed and he prepared to yell out again if someone attempted to steal the Broken Master Rune from him in the last second. Seconds ticked by. Silence reigned ¡ª and then the time was up.

    ¡°Sold,¡± the auctioneer said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a Unisteel horn up next! Go!¡±

    Bids filled the air once more as if nothing had happened. Yoru¡¯s posture returned to normal and she slipped back into her chair, her head tilted slightly to the side.

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    ¡°Well,¡± Noah said slowly, sitting down in his chair as his brow furrowed. ¡°That was¡­ odd. I didn¡¯t think my reputation was that impressive yet. Lucky me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not you,¡± Pirren said, fidgeting nervously in her seat. ¡°You just bought a Death Rune.¡±

    ¡°Right. That was in the name. They sold it. I bought it. That¡¯s how auctions work,¡± Noah said with a frown. ¡°What else are you meant to do?¡±

    ¡°Sievan has purchased almost every single Death Rune above Rank 4 that¡¯s ever been found in the Damned Plains,¡± Yoru said, tapping her fingers on her knees in thought. ¡°A Broken Master Rune is still a Master Rune.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s my problem. You can¡¯t tell me he¡¯s going to throw a tantrum because I bought a rune that he wasn¡¯t even here to bid on,¡± Noah said. ¡°Isn¡¯t he a Demon Lord or something? That feels a bit petty.¡±

    ¡°He will not be angry, but he may attempt to reach out, and few are eager to meet with anyone from Sievan¡¯s entourage,¡± Yoru mused. ¡°Someone choosing to sell the rune here rather than in the City of Gold means they are at odds with Sievan. They most certainly would have gotten a better price from him than they did here.¡±

    ¡°Eh. Sounds like something I¡¯ll deal with when it comes. I need the rune,¡± Noah said with a half-shrug. He only wanted the Broken Master Rune for research at the moment. If Sievan wanted to try to buy it off him, they were more than welcome to.

    Though there¡¯s a chance Moxie might be able to use something like this. I feel like Death kind of fits in her whole cycle of life pattern that she¡¯s got going. We¡¯ll see. I can¡¯t really be bothered worrying about some Demon Lord in a city across the Damned Plains. He¡¯s not going to make the trip all the way out here to get a middling rune that was only worth a few thousand gold at best. And if he sends his people¡­ well, then we¡¯ll talk.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t concerned about Sievan?¡± Pirren asked, swallowing her surprise and straightening in her chair as she squinted at Noah. He could almost see the gears turning in her head as she tried to figure out what Rank he truly was. Then she gave up. Pirren blew out a sigh, sinking lower into her chair.

    ¡°I want a nap,¡± she muttered.

    ***

    The auction ended a short while later. Attendants headed over to their balcony, handing him the winnings from his entirely above-the-table sale of his rune shortly before collecting the 1910 he owed for the things he¡¯d purchased.

    They gave him two sheets of tanned leather with Runes embossed upon them crackling faintly with energy, then handed another one to Yoru. It seemed the short demon had some form of pay system already set up with the auction house, because they didn¡¯t bother trying to get any gold from her.

    By the time the attendants left, Yoru had already hopped down from her chair and strode over to the door. Noah supposed he had agreed to meet her after the auction ended. Judging by how she was clutching the leather bearing the rune she¡¯d yoinked from him, he got the feeling she didn¡¯t plan to hand it over until they¡¯d made it to her place.

    Yoru led them all outside and back into the streets of Treadon. Pirren went to slip away, but Yoru grabbed the snake demon by the arm before she could even take a step in any other direction. Shoulders hunched in defeat like a weary mom being led to the toy section of a store by her toddler, Pirren let Yoru drag her along.

    I wonder if Yoru is actually just the kid of some powerful demon. She does come off as just a bit spoiled. Definitely doesn¡¯t know the value of money. She talks a bit odd, but that could be because she¡¯s trying to mirror her mom or dad.

    Noah squinted at the back of Yoru¡¯s head as they followed her down winding roads. She had to hold her hair with one hand to keep it from dragging along the ground and getting dirty. He nodded to himself.

    Yeah. She even wanted to pet Mascot. Still don¡¯t know how she found out about him, but Yoru acts like a little kid. Could be a strong little kid. The Noble families could manufacture some really strong mages back in the mortal world, so the same could easily go here. Being young doesn¡¯t mean weak.

    Maybe she¡¯s a prodigy of some sort since she was somehow predicting the magic I was going to use. I¡¯ll have to make sure to be nice to her. It¡¯s important to be a good role model for the easily impressionable.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Noah whispered, leaning over to Moxie as they entered a doorway and headed down a stairwell leading deeper into the city. ¡°I think Yoru is a kid.¡±

    ¡°You just came to that conclusion?¡± Moxie asked in the same tone. ¡°She¡¯s half our height.¡±

    ¡°Short people exist, you know.¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, sure. But she sounds like a kid. That doesn¡¯t mean we can let our guard down. A kid like this¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Young doesn¡¯t mean weak. She almost certainly has a really strong rune or a lot of talent. To be honest, I¡¯m mostly just curious to see what she wants and how she knows Pirren.¡±

    Moxie nodded in mute agreement. They didn¡¯t get any more time to speak as Yoru pushed open a plain stone door, revealing a wide hall beyond it. Gentle blue light illuminated it from far above, and a tall wooden table rested in its center, long enough to easily seat twenty people. Plain but well-carved chairs lined the table¡¯s sides in wait of someone to use them.

    The air was still like a bated breath, and the smell of fresh dew washed away the musty stench of the tunnel behind them.

    ¡°Whoa,¡± Noah said. ¡°Nice place, Yoru. Is this where you live?¡±

    ¡°No. This is a greeting room,¡± Yoru replied. She made her way over to the chair at the head of the table and hoisted herself into a raised chair at the table¡¯s end. Noah had to bite back a laugh. She looked like a kid playing princess.

    Well, I suppose it can¡¯t hurt to play along. She did spend over 1000 gold on me.

    ¡°So, what is it that you wanted?¡± Noah asked. ¡°And I have to know, how did you find out about our cat? Did someone tell you?¡±

    ¡°The cat can wait,¡± Yoru said. She pointed at the chair to her side. ¡°Sit.¡±

    Noah shrugged and did as she requested. Moxie took the chair beside him and Aylin took the one beside her while Pirren edged toward the one at the farthest spot on the table. Yoru¡¯s masked face lifted to stare in the snake demon¡¯s direction.

    She didn¡¯t even have to say a word. Pirren¡¯s shoulders slumped and she walked back over to join them, sitting down beside Moxie.

    ¡°If not the cat, then what is it?¡± Noah tilted his head to the side. His senses scanned over the room to see if this was some sort of trap, but he didn¡¯t feel anyone else in the area.

    ¡°I want you to do something for me, Spider,¡± Yoru said in her typical icy, soft whisper. ¡°Would you be so kind as to grant my request?¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Noah tilted his head to the side. ¡°What is it?¡±

    Yoru lifted her hands to her mask.

    ¡°I want you to look into my eyes.¡±

 Chapter 505: The Future

    Yoku¡¯s hand tightened around her mask and Spider watched her, mild curiosity in his expression. He seemed to have absolutely no idea that the thin piece of ceramic wasn¡¯t there to conceal her identity. It was there to make sure no demon mistakenly looked into her eyes.

    Any demon that knew who she was ¡ª even Belkus himself ¡ª would have averted their gaze instantly. Spider didn¡¯t so much as flinch. Either he had absolutely no idea who she was, or he simply didn¡¯t care. Yoku was willing to bet it was the former, and she¡¯d only lost a single bet throughout the entirety of her very, very long life.

    She lifted the mask away from her face.

    Before she could lower it and meet Spider¡¯s gaze unhindered, she paused.

    And, for a brief instant, the demon that peered endlessly into the future was plagued by memories of the past.

    Old faces flickered in her sightless eyes. Some of them had started to fade with age, but even the relentless millstone of time hadn¡¯t managed to completely wipe them from her memory. They would haunt her for as long as she lived.

    There had been a time, so long ago that nearly everyone that still recalled it had long since passed, where Yoku had not possessed the Moonlight Prophecy Master Rune. A time when she had lived with her parents and brother in a small cave in the Wastes.

    Yoku only possessed a single clear memory from that time.

    The very last one.

    She could remember the pain. The burning agony searing through her body as the Master Rune had changed her. As it granted her the gift to witness the potential probabilities of everything before her. As it gave her a looking glass into the future. As it took her eyes in turn.

    It had been a cruel joke. A Master Rune that granted vision of the future had an inverse that took her sight of the present. Moonlit Prophecy had burned away her irises and left behind empty portals to the immense might stored within her soul.

    If that had been the extent of the rune¡¯s damage, then perhaps she never would have seen it as a curse ¡ª but Moonlit Prophecy was far too great a Master Rune to be satisfied with that. The immense weight of every single probable future stored within her hung like the sky itself had been propped up upon rickety stilts.

    But Moonlit Prophecy¡¯s passive had taken her sight. It prevented her from looking into the incomprehensible, shifting paths of the future with her own eyes, kept her from being forced to witness the entirety of an ever-growing universe of potential within a split second.

    Moonlit Prophecy had taken her eyes to protect her, but it didn¡¯t protect anyone else.

    She still remembered the look on her father¡¯s face as his mind had melted. His eyes had gone glassy and flat, shattered windows to an abandoned soul.

    She remembered her mother¡¯s scream.

    She remembered the panic. The confusion. The terror.

    Yoku hadn¡¯t understood what has happening when her father died. She hadn¡¯t known what she had done ¡ª but she¡¯d learned. She¡¯d learned when she spun to her mother and brother, only to watch the screams die on their lips as every aspect of them that made them who they were was swept away.

    She couldn¡¯t wipe the faces of her family from her mind if she¡¯d tried. She hadn¡¯t even been able to squeeze her eyes shut and shut the world out in darkness. Moonlit Prophecy had taken her vision, but it had cursed her with eternal sight.

    No future could ever escape her sight again.

    That included the one that she¡¯d made for herself.

    In all the years that had passed since that day, the pain had lessened. She had grown stronger. She witnessed the rise and fall of countless demons. She saw the mistakes they made ¡ª both in the present and in the future ¡ª and learned to avoid them.

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    While others rushed, Yoku advanced. One foot ahead of the other, she ground toward the inevitable future in which she was the victor. Fewer and fewer demons existed that had survived to her age. Her eyes became a tool. One that occasionally snuffed out a flickering candle that was a life, so insignificant that she barely even noticed.

    But today, for the first time in centuries, Yoku hesitated to bare her eyes to the world. She had seen the most probable future that resulted from lowering the mask. It was the only one in which Spider allied with her¡­ and it made absolutely no sense.

    Ever since the Master Rune had permanently bonded with her body, not a single demon had met her gaze and survived with their mind intact. At best they were reduced to mindless drones, unable to do anything but obey any commands they heard.

    It had been so long since Yoku had a true ally that she could barely remember the meaning of the word. No demon in their right mind was stupid enough to dare let their guard down around her when a few moments of direct eye contact was enough to end them.

    Her eyes had been an absolute in a sea of twisting probabilities and futures. But, for the first time, she doubted not just her powers, but her eyes as well. She simply couldn¡¯t comprehend how the future in which Spider would do as she willed was the same as the one where he held her gaze.

    The moment they looked at each other, Spider¡¯s mind would collapse and nothing would remain but an empty void. An empty shell of what had once been a demon was in no way an ally. He would become a corpse that hadn¡¯t been told it was dead yet.

    Does that mean he survives? What happens when Spider meets my gaze? Does he have a way to truly look at me when nobody else has? Will he see my strength and bend knee? Or will my Rune have no effect on him at all?

    ¡°You okay?¡± Spider asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Did you get second thoughts about taking your mask off? It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t particularly mind, since I have absolutely no plans of removing my own.¡±

    I haven¡¯t come this far to back down now. I¡¯ve done too much to get here only to falter. This is the future I need. The only path forward where the moonlight still shines. I will advance, just as I always have.

    Yoku lowered the mask. Her flat eyes locked with Spider¡¯s, two souls completely bared to each other.

    For a silent instant, nothing changed.

    Then Yoku¡¯s soul shuddered.

    The immense power within Yoku connected her to Spider as every potential future unfurled itself like a garden of blooming flowers. The full weight of her Master Rune crashed down upon him, just as it had to everyone else that had ever held her gaze.

    Smokey black tendrils bubbled up from beneath the ground. They rose into the air, invisible to everyone but Yoku, and drove into Spider¡¯s eyes like the fangs of a great beast snapping closed.

    And then the incomprehensible weight of Moonlit Prophecy, the Master Rune that had ground the mind and soul every single demon that had ever gazed upon it into mindless mush, crumpled like a scrap of paper.

    For the first time in countless years, Yoku felt true terror.

    Visions crashed into her mind one after the other. A smiling man standing in a strange, well-lit room surrounded by children holding wooden objects that sang in harmony with strange, melodic voices.

    A white bed and white sheets, with arms of pale, pallid skin that matched. The shrill, infuriating beep and screech of odd, metal structures with glowing surfaces covered with strange, incomprehensible runes.

    An empty room ¡ª and then darkness. Darkness and what laid beyond it. Yoku¡¯s lips parted. Her heart skipped a beat as an icy hand closed around it and started to squeeze.

    Glowing bodies in an endless golden line leading through a vast expanse of nothingness. Complete and utter boredom, but more than that. There was nothing but steps.

    Footsteps.

    Footsteps.

    Footsteps.

    Footsteps.

    Over and over again. Endless boredom. Time stretched and dilated, losing its meaning. It could have been thousands or hundreds of thousands of years. It was impossible to tell.

    Incomprehensible pain pierced Yoku¡¯s mind. If she still possessed control of her body, she would have screamed. Instead, she could do nothing but watch the visions drive into her with increasing intensity. Years ¡ª decades ¡ª centuries ¡ª millennia ¡ª all passed in the briefest flicker of an instant. She saw nothing but mere flickers of it, but even those were enough.

    Moonlit Propehcy held every future that she could see within it, but when Yoku looked into Spider¡¯s eyes, what she found waiting there was eternity. An existence that reached so far back through the universe that even every sprawling future she could conceive was nothing more than a blip before everything that its soul had experienced. It was like weighing a marble against a planet.

    And, as blood dripped from Yoku¡¯s nose and trickled from her eyes, she finally understood the future that she had witnessed. She could only weigh futures against herself ¡ª and Spider was heavier than she was.

    Far, far heavier.

    Spider didn¡¯t bend knee to her. He didn¡¯t obey her desires or become a part of her plans. There was only a single future in which she got everything she desired, and that was the one where she became a part of his.

 Chapter 506:

    When Yoru started to bleed from her eyes and mouth after staring at him for no more than a second or two, the first thought that flashed through Noah¡¯s head was, oh, shit. She¡¯s sick.

    The second thought that followed it was, Damn. She¡¯s barely looks any older than a teenager.

    No older than many of his students had been back on Earth ¡ª or, at least, how old they¡¯d once been.

    At least, in appearance. That didn¡¯t mean much for demons.

    Yoru grabbed her mask from the table and practically slammed it back onto her face, not even pausing for long enough to wipe the blood away. Her hands gripped the armrests of her chair so tightly that her knuckles had turned bone white. She let out a ragged breath, slumping back and letting her head thunk against the chair¡¯s back.

    ¡°Whoa. Are you okay?¡± Noah asked, rising from his chair. ¡°Do you need something?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª just¡­ quiet,¡± Yoru rasped. She pressed her hand against the mask, her entire body as stiff as a board. Noah exchanged a baffled look with Moxie. He didn¡¯t miss the look of stark horror on Pirren¡¯s face, but he was pretty sure she¡¯d spent more time terrified in the last few hours than not. It was basically normal at this point.

    Noah obliged and stood in place, shifting uncomfortably. He¡¯d never been a fan of problems completely out of his control. It wasn¡¯t like he could hand her an Advil and send her home to her parents ¡ª both of which still seemed to be absent.

    Nobody spoke for several seconds. Yoru¡¯s grip on the armrests didn¡¯t lessen in the slightest and her breath showed no signs of coming under control. Blood welled along the edges of the mask and ran down its sides, dripping down to her clothes.

    Noah managed to avoid doing anything for about a minute. He was fairly proud of that. It was longer than he normally waited. He carefully reached out and put a hand on Yoru¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Noah said, keeping his voice gentle. He had no idea what had happened to her, but he wasn¡¯t going to get any answers until she was calm again. ¡°Yoru. It¡¯s okay. Take a deep breath in and let it out nice and slow. Everything is fine. Help me count how many people are in the room. Me, you, Moxie, Aylin, Pirren.¡±

    He moved his other hand as he spoke, pointing to each of them in turn. Noah didn¡¯t have to worry about if Yoru could see with her mask on. She¡¯d already made it quite clear that she could.

    The small demon made no move to acknowledge his words, but he saw her head move slightly with his hand. That was progress.

    ¡°Keep breathing. In and out. Deep,¡± Noah continued. ¡°What about touch? You¡¯re holding the chair pretty hard. What else can you touch? Can you touch four things?¡±

    He ignored the baffled looks Moxie and Pirren sent him as he watched Yoru closely. It was difficult to read the demon with her mask on, but her breathing had started to slow and her hands gradually unclenched from the chair.

    ¡°Are smells better?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Can you smell anything? You don¡¯t have to answer out loud. Just think. Think and breathe.¡±

    Yoru¡¯s hands fully unclenched from the chair. Her head tilted back slightly. ¡°Blood. I taste blood.¡±

    ¡°That would be because your mask is covered in it. Stay with me. Just keep breathing. Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª I ¡ª  yes. I am fine.¡± Some of the strength returned to Yoru¡¯s voice, but she still sounded badly shaken.

    ¡°Are you sick with something?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Where are your parents? Are they here?¡±

    ¡°Dead,¡± Yoru replied, her voice going distant.

    Fuck. Goddamn it. Of course they¡¯re dead. It¡¯s a random demon kid. Why wouldn¡¯t their parents be dead? Not a rich brat, then. A rich heiress. One of unknown actual age and power. I was not trained for this, but I¡¯m pretty sure bringing up a kid¡¯s dead parents isn¡¯t the best way to ground them.

    ¡°Deep breaths,¡± Noah repeated, somewhat ineffectively. He was surprised to find that it actually seemed to work. Yoru was coming to again.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sick,¡± Yoru said. She lifted a hand to her blooded mask, then let it drop before touching anything. ¡°I am fine.¡±

    You most certainly do not look fine. What do rich kids do when they throw up?

    ¡°Do you have a butler or something?¡± Noah asked hesitantly. ¡°Maybe you should get some moist towelettes.¡±

    ¡°Moist towelettes?¡± Moxie mouthed, squinting at him. Aylin looked equally baffled, and Pirren seemed to still have yet to remember she could change her expression at will.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I do not have a butler. I have an aide,¡± Yoru said. ¡°He is not present.¡±

    Kind of useless then, isn¡¯t he? If you¡¯re going to be rich, shouldn¡¯t you at least keep your staff around for when you randomly start bleeding out of your eyes and mouth? God, am I that ugly or something?

    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s fine,¡± Noah said, making sure to keep his calm tone. ¡°Do you need anything? Maybe you should clean your mask off¡ª¡±

    ¡°No. It is fine. I am fine,¡± Yoru said, but it sounded like she was trying to convince him as much as she was trying to convince herself.

    ¡°Okay. If you¡¯re sure, then I won¡¯t insist,¡± Noah said. He released Yoru¡¯s shoulder and lowered himself back into his chair to give her a little room. ¡°Take your time.¡±

    ¡°I do not need any more time,¡± Yoru said. ¡°This was sufficient. I saw what I needed to.¡±

    Okay. Now I¡¯m offended. She popped like a blood balloon because of me? That¡¯s just rude.

    Moxie and Aylin both sent Noah equally confused looks. Noah couldn¡¯t help but notice that it didn¡¯t look like Aylin had taken a single metaphorical bite out of Yoru despite everything that had just happened. It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t already known that to be true, but it was even more proof of Yoru¡¯s strength.

    If she¡¯d managed to keep enough composure to prevent Aylin¡¯s magic from touching her, she was either impressively strong or incredibly well trained. Noah was currently still leaning toward the former.

    ¡°Okay. That¡¯s fine. We¡¯re all just happy you aren¡¯t sick. Do you¡­ often burst into blood at the sight of people¡¯s faces? Or was that just a me thing?¡±

    ¡°That particular phenomena was reserved entirely for you.¡± A touch more of Yoru¡¯s normal tone returned to her voice as she steadily took control of herself once more. Whatever had happened, she was either recovering quickly or putting up a very good act of it.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve always loved being special,¡± Noah said. The longer they kept the topic on more mundane matters, the better. Yoru was a really small demon. She didn¡¯t have that much blood to waste. ¡°Maybe we should take a small break or something. No need to push yourself too hard.¡±

    ¡°There is no need.¡± Yoru¡¯s words were as firm as iron. She placed a hand on the piece of leather bearing the rune she¡¯d bought in the auction and pushed it across the table to Noah. ¡°Here.¡±

    He blinked. This really didn¡¯t seem like the time for it, but if Yoru didn¡¯t want to dwell on whatever the hell had just happened, it was probably best to let the topic change completely. Noah took the leather and nodded in appreciation.

    ¡°Thank you, Yoru. This is a really kind gift. Is¡­ there a reason you¡¯re giving it to me?¡±

    ¡°It is a gift.¡±

    Right. Gathered that bit. Agh. I really wanted to ask her how she knew about Mascot, but I refuse to be the reason a little kid has a heart attack and starts gushing blood from her face for the second time.

    ¡°Well, thank you. I don¡¯t have anything of any interest to properly repay it right now,¡± Noah scratched the back of his neck and sending a pleading glance in Moxie¡¯s direction. He didn¡¯t make it a habit of carrying around toys. He couldn¡¯t even know what kind of toys a fourteen year old would ¡ª

    Wait. She¡¯s a powerful demon, not just a child. I¡¯m not sure when I started thinking of her as just a kid but underestimating her would be a very poor idea. She¡¯s still almost certainly more powerful than I am.

    Noah looked back at Yoru. She¡¯d hugged her knees to her chest and sat in her chair at the head of the table quietly. A powerful demon she may have been, but power didn¡¯t negate every single problem.

    Having powerful runes doesn¡¯t magically make you not want to have things that everyone else does, and it certainly can¡¯t give you a family. A house is only a home when there¡¯s someone to go back to. This environment can¡¯t be good for her.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Noah said, his eyes lighting up as an idea finally struck him. ¡°I know. It¡¯s a little empty here, don¡¯t you think? Why don¡¯t we head back to Aylin¡¯s camp?¡±

    Pirren finally remembered that her body could move and mustered every last scrap of self-confidence in her body to send an aghast look in Noah¡¯s direction. ¡°There¡¯s no way she¡ª¡±

    Yoru turned to look at the Knowledge Demon. ¡°His camp? It is yours.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s his,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°He¡¯s doing all the work to take care of it. Besides, I really don¡¯t want the responsibility of managing that many demons. Aylin controls the camp. He just works for me.¡±

    ¡°I see. I am partial to this request.¡±

    Pirren started to nod sagely before realizing that Yoru had just agreed to the offer instead of saying no. The snake demon blinked, then seemed to realize that she had already spent every last drop of emotion that her body could muster.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Pirren said. ¡°Right. Of course. May I be excused to go back to my egg?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yoru said.

    ¡°Right,¡± Pirren said. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I didn¡¯t want to go back anyway.¡±

    ¡°Lie,¡± Aylin muttered under his breath, just barely loud enough for Noah to pick his words up.

    ¡°Good,¡± Yoru said. She rose from her chair and wiped at some of the blood running from her mask. It looked like the majority of the bleeding had stopped, but she still really hadn¡¯t had a chance to clean anything yet.

    ¡°Did you want to clean up first?¡± Noah asked. ¡°We can wait. It isn¡¯t a problem.¡±

    It was a second before Yoru spoke again. ¡°No. I will clean later. Blood is not a significant impediment. There is no reason to cause delay. My aide will gather everything I need and bring it to me. I will use a spare bed in one of the tents at your camp.¡±

    Noah shrugged. That was just fine with him. He had gotten what he wanted, after all. The sooner he could get back to the camp and make sure Lee was doing fine, the better. Then, a moment later, he actually processed what Yoru had just said.

    He¡¯d been offering to come back to his camp so they could speak further and he could figure out how she knew about Mascot, but it seemed that she¡¯d taken that as an invitation to move in.

    Noah couldn¡¯t bring himself to correct Yoru. Powerful demon or not, the room they were in was just depressing. It was so empty and devoid of everything that an actual home should have had. A kid deserved better. Granted, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure a camp full of murderous demons was any better, but it wasn¡¯t like any of them were going to pose a threat to Yoru.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fine with me,¡± Noah said, not entirely sure how things had ended up like this but left with no path but the one before him. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, then.¡±

    I think I might have just inadvertently adopted a demon.

 Chapter 507: Who are you?

    The trip back to the Web¡¯s camp was quiet and went without any incident or events of note. There were a few demons wandering around in the market square and standing watch from the rooftops around it. None of them did anything to draw Noah¡¯s attention, though that was probably more out of self-preservation than any other reason.

    ¡°Well, here we are,¡± Noah said as they came to a stop in front of the large command tent. ¡°I¡¯d imagine there should be an empty tent somewhere, so we can¡ª¡±

    ¡°That one,¡± Yoru said, pointing to a small tent to the right of the one that Noah, Moxie, and Lee had taken up residence in. ¡°It is newly vacant.¡±

    ¡°Is it?¡± Noah asked, arching an eyebrow. ¡°I was unaware. How did you know?¡±

    ¡°Because I will make it vacant.¡±

    Ah. I suppose I should have seen that coming. She¡¯s still a rich kid, after all. A rich kid in a demon society.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find a tent that isn¡¯t occupied,¡± Noah said. He couldn¡¯t hold Yoru¡¯s actions against her. She hadn¡¯t had any guidance ¡ª and if she had, it was probably from the wrong kind of people. But just because her past wasn¡¯t ideal didn¡¯t mean he was going to let her just keep acting that way if she was going to join his camp. ¡°There are a lot of tents. No point being an asshole to someone just because you can. Save it for a purpose, yeah?¡±

    Yoru tilted her head to the side. ¡°You imply that the demon inside that tent has a greater worth to you than I do?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not how things work, Yoru,¡± Moxie said gently. ¡°It¡¯s about giving people a place they can want to return to. A lot of demons are relying on Aylin right now and he¡¯s trying to prove that he¡¯s the best of all the streetlords. There would be no reason to follow him when Spider isn¡¯t around if that doesn¡¯t hold true. Nobody will want to be here if they¡¯re constantly worried another demon will just take what is theirs.¡±

    ¡°That does not make sense. Those without power cannot expect to possess anything. All you own is only yours so long as you can protect it. This is a fact that every demon knows well. It will not surprise them.¡±

    ¡°That may be true in the rest of the Damned Plains, but this is Aylin¡¯s camp ¡ª and through him, it is mine,¡± Noah said, putting a hand on Yoru¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And we have enough enemies outside our walls to avoid making new ones within them. You¡¯ll have a tent that suits your needs and doesn¡¯t require you to steal it from someone weaker. Besides, doesn¡¯t it feel a bit bad punching down?¡±

    ¡°No. Victory is victory, regardless of the opponent.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Noah said with a small sigh. ¡°We¡¯ll work on that. How about I introduce you and Pirren to the other important members of the camp?¡±

    ¡°You implied that everyone in your camp was important. Are we going to meet all of them?¡± There was a note of faint amusement buried deep within Yoru¡¯s tone.

    Great. Not just a kid, but a rebellious one.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the place to get into a philosophical debate over the worth of lives. I think we¡¯d be at it for a while. For now, suffice to say everyone in my camp has value, but some have more value than others. An ill kept sword will rust and shatter when brought to battle. I just like some swords more than others.¡±

    ¡°So they are all tools and you do not wish them damaged. I understand.¡±

    Noah sighed. Out of everything he¡¯d been trying to get across, that hadn¡¯t been the bit he¡¯d hoped she¡¯d fixate on. At least it meant she probably wouldn¡¯t go around attacking random members of his camp because she liked the way their shirts looked and wanted them for herself.

    Viewing everyone as a tool was still a pretty bad way to view life, but at least she saw them as useful tools that weren¡¯t to be damaged. She was still a demon after all. Small steps toward progress were key.

    ¡°Close enough,¡± Noah decided, guiding Yoru and the others toward the entrance of the large tent. ¡°There are a few people you should meet now, though. They¡¯re powerful demons that are instrumental to my plans.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    His tremorsense picked up on several demons within it. Two smaller forms sat near the middle of the tent, while a third paced back and forth in front of them. One was slumped in the chair in front of the seated demons, while the final stood near the entrance, as stiff as a rod.

    Noah pushed the tent flap open and headed inside with the rest of his group. The demon at the entrance was none other than Vrith, who peered right past Noah with a look of concern on her features. She spotted Aylin and some of the tension left her stiff shoulders before she hurriedly set about looking bored.

    Violet didn¡¯t even bother hiding anything. She¡¯d been pacing in front of Torick and Edda, but her eyes lit up when she saw them return and she ground to a halt.

    The demons sitting on the ground behind her ¡ª who Noah was unsurprised to find to be Torrick and Edda ¡ª both looked over, faces stuffed chock-full of food. Torick¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and he choked, grasping at his neck.

    Edda smacked him on the back with enough force to launch all the food from his mouth, which she wasted absolutely no time in stealing and shoving into her own.

    There was a small pile of dried meats and cheeses between them and the throne, in which Lee had draped herself. She looked like a discarded beach blanket and was currently in the process of stretching out one of her feet in attempt to snag something without having to actually stand up.

    Lee looked up as they all made their way inside. She raised a hand in greeting, accidentally losing her grip on the chair, and fell onto her backside with a grunt. That somehow didn¡¯t stop her from snagging the piece of cheese she¡¯d been reaching for.

    Noah repressed a sigh.

    Glad to know we¡¯ve still got first impressions under good wraps.

    ¡°Well, this is convenient. Everyone¡¯s in one spot,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯d like to properly introduce you all.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve already met,¡± Lee said.

    Noah blinked. ¡°You have?¡±

    ¡°Yes. This is Torrick, and this is Edda.¡± She pointed to the small demons in turn. ¡°The one pacing around and worrying about Aylin is Violet, and the one that was pacing around and worrying about Aylin before she went over to stand at the door and pretend like she was relaxed is Vrith.¡±

    Vrith¡¯s shoulders slumped as her cover was blown.

    ¡°I meant the new demons, Lee,¡± Noah said, but he was fairly certain that Lee should have already known that. She should have smelled them coming from a mile away ¡ª which meant she was either incredibly distracted or trying to act dumber than she was. Either way, it was proably best to just play along until he figured out what it was. ¡°Pirren visited briefly before, but this is Yoru. She¡¯s going to be staying in the camp with us for a little while.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah. I remember Pirren.¡± Lee squinted at them. Then her nose scrunched and her head tilted to the side. ¡°Yoru smells.¡±

    Noah tensed. He trusted Lee¡¯s nose a whole lot more than he did any of his own observations. If Yoru was manipulating them or was a threat, he refused to let himself be caught off guard.

    It really didn¡¯t seem like Yoru was planning to try and screw us over, but if Lee caught something that I missed¡­

    ¡°You should take a bath,¡± Lee continued. ¡°It¡¯s been too long since your last one.¡±

    It took every scrap of willpower Noah had to avoid letting out a surprised laugh. He hadn¡¯t expected Lee to be speaking about a literal smell. He hadn¡¯t really noticed anything off about Yoru, but it wasn¡¯t like he¡¯d been going around sniffing her either.

    The small demon looked down at her hands, then back up at Lee. ¡°I do?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°There are probably slightly more polite ways to say that, Lee,¡± Noah said gently. ¡°But we have all been walking around for a while. I¡¯m sure we could all use some tidying up but let me finish introductions first.¡±

    ¡°There is no need,¡± Yoru said. Her head tilted to the side and nearly five seconds of uncomfortable silence passed before she returned to her normal position. ¡°I have familiarized myself with everyone present.¡±

    ¡°It takes more than a brief introduction for that,¡± Noah said. ¡°I know you¡¯re used to living alone, but it¡¯s important to make friends.¡±

    ¡°I am already aware of their names and desires.¡± Yoru pointed at Vrith. ¡°This is Vrith. She is thinking about stabbing me. She is also thinking about Aylin.¡±

    Noah blinked.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure she isn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, I was,¡± Vrith said, staring at Yoru with wide eyes. ¡°It¡¯s important to find the fastest way to kill anyone when you first meet them in case they try to betray you¡­ but I most certainly was not thinking about Aylin.¡±

    Embarrassment tinged her cheeks with enough intensity to make it absolutely clear to Noah that Vrith was lying through her teeth. Yoru had read her perfectly.

    ¡°It was in your eyes,¡± Yoru replied. She turned to the rest of the room and pointed at one demon after the other. ¡°Torrick. He wants to hide. Edda. She is hungry. Lee. She wants to eat me. She also thinks I smell bad. Violet. She loves Aylin and is worried I pose him a threat.¡±

    Noah stared at Yoru in disbelief. This was more than just finding a way to detect the magic that someone else was using.

    That¡¯s not the first time Yoru has known more than she should. What the hell is up with her? Does she have a way to read people¡¯s minds or something? God, I really hope she¡¯s not a Mind Rune user. I hate Mind Runes.

    ¡°How did you know that?¡± Violet demanded, saving Noah from having to figure out a way to ask the very same thing. She took a step forward and her lips thinned as she watched the other demon warily. ¡°Who are you?¡±

 Chapter 508: Questions

    ¡°I am Yoru.¡±

    ¡°I think I was a little more interested in the second question,¡± Violet said. She shifted her stance and rolled her neck. ¡°A lot of demons would take someone knowing everything about them as a threat.¡±

    ¡°I do not know everything about you.¡±

    ¡°Then how did you know what we were thinking?¡± Vrith asked.

    ¡°Your eyes. I already informed you. If you are asking for the identity of my runes, then I will not be answering. That is my knowledge alone. I will not speak on any part of¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do you have Mind Runes?¡± Noah asked, making sure to keep his tone measured. There was no point getting testy before she could even answer him. It wasn¡¯t like Demons could do much about what runes they had, but he wasn¡¯t willing to leave the question unanswered.

    ¡°No,¡± Yoru said immediately. ¡°I have 5 Moonlight Runes and a Master Rune. None of them are related to Mind Runes.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say you weren¡¯t going to speak about your runes?¡± Aylin asked.

    ¡°That was before Spider asked.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the honesty,¡± Noah said. He wished Aylin could have read her, but Yoru seemed to be telling the truth anyway. Almost nobody would just share the exact details of their runes with other people. As long as Yoru wasn¡¯t doing anything out of line, he had no reason to hold her to a different standard. That all went a long way to reassure him. It didn¡¯t, however, do much to help her standing with the others in the tent. Noah blew out a sigh. ¡°But I have to say, you¡¯ve missed something, Yoru.¡±

    ¡°I did?¡± A trace of panic entered the small demon¡¯s voice. ¡°What is it? What did I miss?¡±

    ¡°Knowing someone¡¯s name and predicting what they¡¯re going to say doesn¡¯t mean you know them. That¡¯s not a relationship. If you¡¯re going to stay at my camp, you¡¯ll be seeing everyone here quite a bit. I expect everyone to get along. I do not tolerate in-fighting.¡±

    Everyone in the room stiffened as his voice grew taut.

    ¡°We won¡¯t cause problems,¡± Aylin promised.

    I think Yoru is more likely to cause issues than you are, buddy.

    ¡°How are we supposed to be friendly with someone that can read our minds?¡± Violet asked. ¡°But I will do everything I can to execute your orders, Spider.¡±

    ¡°I cannot read your mind. I can simply predict your thoughts to a very high degree of accuracy.¡± Yoru said. Her head tilted slightly. ¡°And no, I do not have the slightest degree of interest in Aylin. He is a child.¡±

    ¡°As are you,¡± Vrith said, sending Yoru a pointed look.

    ¡°I am not¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yoru, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being young,¡± Noah said with a chuckle.

    The masked demon turned to stare up at him for a second. Then she inclined her head. ¡°I lost my perspective. You are correct. I am a child.¡±

    So please speak like one, good god.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t trying to pick you apart here,¡± Noah said, crouching so he was at eye level with Yoru. ¡°I invited you here so you¡¯d be able to relax and spend time with others. Let your guard down a bit. Have fun. Okay?¡±

    ¡°I will attempt to do as you ask.¡±

    That was probably about as good of a promise as he was going to get for the time being.

    ¡°Great,¡± Noah said. He straightened back out and gave everyone a nod. ¡°Aylin, would you find Yoru an unoccupied tent to stay in?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into it immediately,¡± Aylin said. ¡°I¡¯m sure¡ª¡±

    ¡°She can stay in mine,¡± Violet said, her eyes locked onto Yoru¡¯s mask. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯d be thrilled to get to know each other better, just as Spider requested.¡±

    Noah gave Violet an approving nod. He was entirely aware she¡¯d only said it so she¡¯d have more time to interrogate Yoru, but he wanted those answers just as badly as everyone else in the room did.

    It¡¯s better for Violet to do it than me. Speaking to someone her age should help Yoru relax and realize we aren¡¯t out to get her. I¡¯d prefer that to having to interrogate the poor girl myself.

    ¡°That sounds like a brilliant idea,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m going to head back into my tent. I¡¯ve got some work to do with the runes I just bought. If anyone needs me, you know where to look. Just make sure it¡¯s important.¡±

    ¡°Very well,¡± Yoru said.

    Wary glances passed through the room, and almost all of them were directed in Yoru¡¯s direction. Noah held back a grimace. She certainly had her work cut out for her if she was going to get along with anyone.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    I¡¯m sure Yoru will be fine. She¡¯s just a bit¡­ posh. I¡¯m just going to go remove myself from this situation. That¡¯s the whole point of having subordinates, after all. Why deal with drama when they can handle it themselves?

    ¡°Great. Have fun, kids,¡± Noah said, spinning on his heel and striding out of the tent. He held the flap open for Moxie as she followed after him, then glanced over his shoulder. ¡°And don¡¯t kill each other.¡±

    ***

    Violet stood quietly as the tent shut fell shut behind Spider. There were so many different thoughts rushing through her head and vying for attention that it was difficult to isolate one at a time.

    Nobody else said a word. They just all stood silent. It was impossible to blame any of them. Violet couldn¡¯t claim that she was intimately familiar with Spider. She wasn¡¯t sure anyone was.

    But, in the short time she had known Spider, she¡¯d been subjected to a number of baffling events that she never could have guessed she¡¯d partake in. She¡¯d witnessed power beyond imagination. She¡¯d stared death in the eyes and it had given her runes. And, somehow, compared to Aylin, she¡¯d barely even experienced anything at all.

    Her world had been turned on its head multiple times but she still hadn¡¯t been prepared to see the most terrifying demon she¡¯d ever met act like¡­ well, that.

    She clearly wasn¡¯t the only one who had noticed it.

    ¡°Was that really Spider?¡± Vrith asked hesitantly, watching the still moving tarp entrance of the tent as if Spider was about to pop right back in.

    ¡°It was him. He just gets like that sometimes.¡± Lee said, stretching her arms over her head and yawning. She rose from where she sat on the ground and snagged a second piece of cheese before heading out of the tent.

    ¡°It¡¯s him,¡± Aylin confirmed. ¡°I was with him the whole time we were¡ª¡±

    Lee poked her head back through the tent flap, a piece of cheese stuffed into her mouth, and thrust a finger at Yoru. ¡°Don¡¯t forget Yoru bath.¡±

    Then she was gone again. Violet exchanged a look with Aylin. Then they all looked at Yoru.

    ¡°I am confused,¡± Violet said. ¡°Was that a pun?¡±

    Yoru sniffed at her arm. ¡°I do not stink.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯d scrub my skin so hard it came off if Lee told me to,¡± Vrith said with a shudder. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what she can do. Just do what she says. You might as well consider her orders as coming straight from Spider. A very hungry, slightly insane Spider.¡±

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Yoru said.

    Violet looked at the demon out of the corners of her eyes. Yoru was shorter than she was ¡ª shorter than she¡¯d been before Spider had gifted her runes that had filled her body out. The mask covered her features, but even her voice sounded young.

    Her words, however, did not. There was something deeply unsettling about Yoru. The demon carried herself with the presence of a king, not a child. She found it incredibly difficult to believe that Yoru was anywhere near their age.

    I need to find out more. I won¡¯t let someone put any of my people in danger. They¡¯re mine. She can¡¯t hurt them. If she¡¯s got any ill intentions, I¡¯ll find out ¡ª and then I¡¯ll tell Spider.

    ¡°Come on, Yoru,¡± Violet said, fighting to keep her words as friendly as possible and not doing a particularly good job of it. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look at my tent and get to know each other a little better.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    I¡¯m glad you sound so thrilled about it. Trust me, I¡¯m just as annoyed.

    ¡°Keep an eye on them for me, would you?¡± Violet asked, sending a look at Edda and Torrick.

    ¡°Sure,¡± Aylin replied. ¡°It looks like they¡¯ve got more than enough food to keep them occupied for the time being anyway. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have to do much.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you,¡± Violet said with a wry smile. ¡°I heard what Yoru said about what you were thinking, Vrith. Hands off.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what?¡± Vrith choked on her own saliva and doubled over, coughing into her fist.

    Edda gave a thumbs up. Aylin just sighed and Violet repressed a laugh as she stepped out of the tent, letting the flap fall shut behind her. Yoru stepped out a moment later.

    ¡°The tent is this¡­¡± Violet started, then trailed off as Yoru stepped past her and walked right over to her tent.

    ¡°Here,¡± Yoru finished, ducking into the tent.

    Violet¡¯s eye twitched. She followed after Yoru. The small tent she¡¯d taken over really wasn¡¯t big enough for two people. It only had enough room for a single bedroll, though they could probably stuff a second one into it if they really wanted to.

    There was a small desk that lacked a chair to the side of the tent ¡ª Violet hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to use it. She¡¯d spent most of her recent time in the command tent, but it was too difficult to interrogate Yoru with other people there. There were too many distractions. Too many risks if something went wrong.

    Now that they were alone, she could ¡ª

    ¡°You will find nothing that I do not give you,¡± Yoru said.

    Violet¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Stop doing that. How are you doing that? Did you lie about not having Mind Runes?¡±

    ¡°No. Lying to Spider is ill-advised.¡±

    ¡°Then how?¡± Violet demanded. ¡°You¡¯re reading my mind!¡±

    ¡°I am not. I am predicting your words. There is a difference.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just skip all of this, shall we?¡± Violet asked, her jaw tight as she took a step toward Yoru. ¡°I want to know what you¡¯re after. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re just a random kid. I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    ¡°I have little interest in you. So long as you do not oppose me, then we will have no reason to interact.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Violet said dryly. ¡°No reason aside from the part that we¡¯re going to be living in the same tent. That¡¯s not going to work on me. I recognize someone that has an agenda when I see them. Until you tell me what it is, I¡¯m going to be all the way up your ass.¡±

    ¡°Crass words will do nothing to intimidate me. You lack the power to influence my actions.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Violet allowed. ¡°But you can¡¯t do anything to me either. Because if you do¡ª¡±

    ¡°Spider would be incredibly displeased,¡± Yoru said, finishing Violet¡¯s sentence for her. ¡°Yes. I already considered that.¡±

    ¡°Of course you did. Go take your bath, then. Keep your goals to yourself. Spider will find them out eventually. Good luck making any¡ª¡±

    ¡°Friends,¡± Yoru muttered.

    Violet¡¯s eye twitched.

    ¡°Stop that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Yoru said.

    ¡°Understand what?¡± Violet asked. ¡°You¡¯re literally the one that just stole the words from my mouth. You said them yourself. What is there to not understand?¡±

    ¡°I know the words, but I don¡¯t understand them,¡± Yoru said. Violet was surprised to hear a note of distress entering the smaller demon¡¯s voice. Yoru¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°What is a friend?¡±

 Chapter 509: What is love?

    Violet squinted at Yoru in search of any derision or sarcasm. There was none. As far as she could tell, the masked demon was being completely honest with her ¡ª and if anything, that only made it odder.

    ¡°What do you mean, what is a friend?¡± Violet asked, baffled as she sat back against her desk, using it for the first time as she scooted back to get a better seat and stained the back of her pants with dust in the process.

    ¡°Exactly what I said.¡± Yoru went to sit down on the bedroll at her feet. Violet¡¯s eyes narrowed. They¡¯d just been walking around all day, and the demon was hardly clean. Even though her bedroll was far from a paramount of cleanliness, it was hers. Violet didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything. Even as her lips parted, Yoru paused.

    ¡°I am not dirty.¡±

    ¡°You did it again,¡± Violet snapped, her eyes going narrow. ¡°Stop reading my damn mind, you creep. No wonder you¡¯re asking what a friend is if this is how you act. Doesn¡¯t surprise me in the slightest.¡±

    Yoru¡¯s head tiled to the side, a movement that Violet was quickly starting to associate with when the masked demon was doing¡­ whatever it was that she did.

    ¡°You would have been displeased if I sat down.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯m even more displeased that you¡¯re digging through my damn head,¡± Violet snapped.

    ¡°Less displeased than if I sat down.¡±

    Violet considered that for a second and was annoyed to find that Yoru was right. If anything, that just annoyed her even more.

    ¡°Forget it,¡± Violet said with a sigh. ¡°Just stay away from Aylin. Torrick and Edda too. I don¡¯t want you anywhere near them.¡±

    ¡°I do not have any intention to harm any of them at the current point in time.¡± Yoru bundled her long, white hair up and lowered herself to the ground and crossing her legs beneath herself. She plopped the ball of hair down in her lap.

    That¡¯s an odd way to phrase it. Anyone else would say ¡®I¡¯m not any threat to them¡¯, not ¡®I don¡¯t plan on being a problem right now, but who knows about later. We¡¯ll see, teehee¡¯. What is wrong with this girl?

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    ¡°There is nothing wrong with me.¡±

    ¡°Gods damn it,¡± Violet snapped, thrusting a finger at Yoru. ¡°I told you to fucking stop. What is your problem? If you can predict the future, then why do you keep doing this?¡±

    ¡°Because it is the path in which you tell me what a friend is.¡±

    Violet¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Did you consider that I could just stand up here and now? I could walk out of this tent and tell Spider that you¡¯ve got something seriously wrong with your head. Why would I tell you anything, much less waste time on such a stupid question?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Yoru said. ¡°You are too interested in learning about my goals to pass up the chance. I will tell you what you wish to know if you answer my questions.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a right bitch, you know that?¡± Violet asked, jaw clenched in irritation. ¡°How do I know you¡¯re going to tell the truth? Nobody would just reveal the exact details of their plan if it was nefarious.¡±

    ¡°Because you will not ask any questions I need to avoid answering and the offer is too tempting for you to refuse.¡±

    It was a battle to keep Violet¡¯s true thoughts from showing on her face. A battle she won, but she was pretty sure it didn¡¯t even matter. Yoru probably knew what she was thinking anyway. A huge part of her just wanted to spin and leave the room just to spite the other demon, but Yoru was right.

    The chance to find out more about Yoru was just too important to pass up. Violet pushed away from her table and sat down across from Yoru, slapping her palms down on her knees.

    ¡°Fine,¡± Violet said. ¡°What¡¯s the point of this in the first place? Can¡¯t you just read the answer from my mind?¡±

    ¡°I know what your answer is, but the meaning of it evades me. I do not understand.¡±

    ¡°That makes absolutely no sense, but I¡¯ll humor you. A friend is someone you love.¡±

    ¡°I do not understand.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I figured that much. What part of that do you understand?¡±

    ¡°I understand that you do not understand me. I do not understand what a friend is. I do not understand what love is, either. Because I do not understand love, I do not understand what a friend is.¡±

    ¡°You could have just said you didn¡¯t get what love was, but I probably should have guessed,¡± Violet muttered. ¡°You¡ª¡±

    Yoru tilted her head to the side.

    ¡°I told you to stop,¡± Violet exclaimed, giving up on her previous sentence. ¡°I am answering your stupid questions. Why are you trying to read my mind?¡±

    ¡°It is not mind reading. I am predicting your answers.¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Why? I am answering them now. Literally right now. As we speak. What is the point of figuring out what I¡¯m going to say before I say it when I¡¯ve already agreed to say it?¡±

    ¡°To know what you are going to say. I am not going to do that.¡±

    ¡°Stop doing ¡ª wait.¡± Violet¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°Did you just answer my question before I asked it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Yoru¡¯s head tilted to the other side and her back stiffened. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You need to stop ¡ª oh, damn it all. I hate you. Seriously, stop answering my questions before I ask them. You need to stop reading my mind. If you want me to answer your questions, turn that shit off. Speak to me like a normal demon. In fact, I can promise you that you¡¯re never going to understand what friendship or love or any of that is if you don¡¯t stop all of this.¡±

    Nearly three seconds passed in silence. For a moment, Violet thought that Yoru was contemplating her words. Then she realized that the other demon¡¯s head was tilted to the side.

    Is she¡­

    ¡°You do not budge on this,¡± Yoru said, a note of surprise entering her voice. ¡°We argue for nearly an hour before you give up and leave if I do not do this.¡±

    ¡°You can see the future that far out?¡± Violet tried to keep the disbelief from her voice and failed completely. ¡°How? Although I will admit that¡¯s actually kind of useful. We¡¯re going to get nowhere if you don¡¯t meet me on even ground.¡±

    ¡°I am strong,¡± Yoru replied simply. Her head returned to a normal position and there was another pause. This time, Violet couldn¡¯t tell if Yoru was looking into the future or simply thinking. ¡°I am¡­ uneasy. I do not want to not know. It scares me.¡±

    Just how strong is Yoru? Definitely stronger than me if she¡¯s telling the truth about being able to see that far into the future. But for someone so strong, she¡¯s surprisingly open about her thoughts and feelings. What a strange demon.

    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Violet said, heaving out a sigh and shaking her head. ¡°Up to you, Yoru. But if you do that future crap one more time, we¡¯re done. I¡¯m leaving. Go ahead, use your future sight or whatever it is. You¡¯ll see I¡¯m dead serious.¡±

    ¡°If I use it, that would be one more time.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª oh, just do it.¡±

    ¡°I already did. You are telling the truth.¡±

    Violet couldn¡¯t quite tell if she was irritated or not. Speaking to Yoru kind of felt like sticking her head into a pot and banging it with a wooden spoon until her ears rung. She ran her hands through her hair and arched an eyebrow.

    ¡°So?¡±

    It was several more seconds before Yoru spoke again.

    ¡°I will not stop, but I will suspend my powers for the next few minutes. I am not comfortable doing it for longer.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s as good as we¡¯re going to get,¡± Violet said.

    You smell like day old meat. And cheese. Your hair is also stupid looking. You should cut it before you trip over it and fall on that dumb mask of yours.

    ¡°It is,¡± Yoru agreed. ¡°Now tell me about what a friend is.¡±

    Yoru didn¡¯t say anything about Violet¡¯s thoughts. Either she was lying or she¡¯d actually stopped looking into Violet¡¯s head. There was no way to know for sure.

    ¡°The answer didn¡¯t change just because you don¡¯t understand it,¡± Violet replied. ¡°It¡¯s someone you love, and someone that loves you. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to describe love.¡±

    ¡°Try.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think any number of words could ever truly describe love. It¡¯s something you have to experience, not hear about.¡±

    ¡°Try anyway.¡±

    Violet chewed the insides of her cheeks for a second. ¡°Love is giving someone your last piece of food when you¡¯re starving. It¡¯s putting your life in someone¡¯s hands and taking theirs in your own.¡±

    ¡°Being willing to die for someone? That does not sound like a beneficial thing. Why would I desire to risk myself for another? All that matters is my own survival.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t a hint of derision or, for that matter, emotion of any kind in Yoru¡¯s voice. It sounded like she was just stating a fact. The idea of caring for someone other than herself was completely foreign to her.

    ¡°That¡¯s the complete wrong way to look at it,¡± Violet said. ¡°Love isn¡¯t transactional. Friendship isn¡¯t about giving something and getting something. It¡¯s about being with people that make you happy.¡±

    Yoru was silent for a moment.

    ¡°What is happy?¡±

    ¡°Oh, fuck me,¡± Violet said, burying her face in her hands. ¡°Do you know the definition of a single word?¡±

    ¡°I know the definition. I do not understand the word.¡±

    ¡°I refuse to believe you do not understand the meaning of happiness.¡± Violet raised her head again. ¡°Maybe this isn¡¯t the best example, but haven¡¯t you ever gotten something you wanted?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°I get everything I want,¡± Yoru said. ¡°The future exists as I craft it. I have never failed to achieve my desires. There have been longer and shorter routes, but every single one leads to victory.¡±

    Of course.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you haven¡¯t failed? Not once?¡±

    ¡°In a complete plan? No. I have only received setbacks, but that is only because the probabilities of the future are ever-shifting. So long as I can view them, I am in control. I have felt fear. I have seen death, but a path remains in the dark.¡±

    Violet stared at Yoru. It was difficult to comprehend what she was saying. Everyone lost. Even the most powerful demons occasionally didn¡¯t win a fight, or they didn¡¯t have something go exactly as planned.

    It was incomprehensible to think someone could have literally just never been in a position where they¡¯d felt defeat.

    ¡°What about before you got your magic? You weren¡¯t born with that powerful rune, were you?¡± Violet pressed. ¡°There has to be a time that you didn¡¯t just¡­ win.¡±

    The other demon stiffened slightly. ¡°I do not have many memories of my time before I got my rune. The ones I have are not pleasant. I do not wish to relive them. But, even if I did, they are so muted that I can barely recall them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ really sad, actually,¡± Violet said, surprised to find that the predominant emotion she felt was pity.

    If Yoru was serious, then she¡¯d literally never had a chance to feel anything. There was no way to feel happy if you¡¯d never had loss to compare it to. If everything always went the exact way that Yoru wanted it to, then how could she ever celebrate a victory? Winning wasn¡¯t possible when losing wasn¡¯t either. It sounded so¡­ flat. Empty.

    If this is actually true¡­ Spider might actually be right. It doesn¡¯t matter how old Yoru is. She might as well be child if she¡¯s literally never had a chance to live.

    ¡°Why is it sad?¡± Yoru asked. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t understand,¡± Violet finished.

    Yoru¡¯s hands tightened around her hair and she gave it a small tug. ¡°I¡­ do not like that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well now you know how it feels.¡± Violet tried not to let herself sound too smug. ¡°But I¡¯ve got good news for you. If you¡¯re actually serious about wanting to know what friendship and all that other shit is, then I know how to do it.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Yoru asked. ¡°I want to know. I hate not knowing.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to hate this even more,¡± Violet muttered under her breath before returning to her normal volume. ¡°You need to stop using your powers.¡±

 Chapter 510: Running

    ¡°No,¡± Yoru said, her voice going as flat as a steel plate.

    Violet shrugged. It wasn¡¯t her problem in the end. She didn¡¯t care about Yoru ¡ª but she did care about any potential threat the demon posed. She leaned forward and braced her arms against her crossed legs. ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t care what you do, but I do care about what you plan. I already gave you your answer, so now you have to give me mine. What do you want with Aylin?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. He is of no interest to me beyond his connection to Spider. He is nothing but a drone in a hive.¡± Yoru reached up to her mask. Her fingers brushed across its ceramic surface. Then she let her hand drop again. ¡°I am not satisfied with the answer you have given me.¡±

    ¡°Too bad,¡± Violet said with a sharp laugh. ¡°That¡¯s how things work for everyone else. Not every answer is the one you want it to be, and we can¡¯t just force everything to work the way we want it to. If not Aylin, then is your goal the Web?¡±

    ¡°I do not care about Spider¡¯s organization. No member within it is any more than a drone. Their weights are insignificant.¡±

    ¡°Lee? Moxie?¡±

    Yoru hesitated for a moment before answering. Her hand found its way to the bedroll behind her and dug into the sheets, squeezing them in a tight grip as unease washed over Yoru¡¯s body. ¡°Not to be touched. I do not desire anything for them.¡±

    ¡°So everyone is nothing but a tool or a drone.¡± Violet crossed her arms in front of her chest and raised an eyebrow. She wished she had a chair to lean back in, but without one, this was the best she could manage. ¡°Right. So you don¡¯t need anyone. You don¡¯t care about anyone. You don¡¯t even have any goals beyond Spider. Why do you even care about learning of love and friendship? They seem pretty damn useless to you.¡±

    ¡°Because I do not understand them.¡± Yoru released the bag and rose to her feet, carrying her hair up with her before letting it spill down around her feet.

    ¡°You¡¯re scared,¡± Violet said, standing as well. She couldn¡¯t let Yoru get the height and position advantage on her if they started grappling. Whoever was on the ground first would have a disadvantage. That was the reason. It definitely wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t want to have to look up at the other demon. ¡°You fear what you can¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yoru said. There wasn¡¯t a hint of embarrassment about admitting to it. Yoru was simultaneously the easiest and hardest demon to read that Violet had ever met. She was completely honest about her thoughts, but her thoughts were so foreign that it almost didn¡¯t matter. ¡°I fear what I cannot control.¡±

    ¡°You realize that¡¯s just life, right?¡± Violet asked. ¡°Not a single other demon in the world can control literally everything. What happens when you run into something that you just can¡¯t beat?¡±

    ¡°Impossible. There is a path forward in every scenario. There is always a winning move.¡±

    Violet fought to keep her eye from twitching. Yoru was so damn stubborn that it was like speaking to a brick wall. ¡°Even with Spider? You¡¯re dead set on allying with him. Why? What happens if he turns against you?¡±

    ¡°I will not allow that to happen.¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ pretend it does,¡± Violet said through a sigh. It was difficult to speak in hypothetical scenarios with a demon that could ¡ª at least as far as Violet could tell ¡ª see the future.

    Yoru was silent for several long seconds. Her fingers twitched. Her head started to tilt and Violet clicked her tongue in warning, her eyes narrowing. Yoru¡¯s jaw worked behind her mask and she let herself return to her normal position.

    ¡°I do not like this. I do not know. No path in which I come to odds with Spider ends in a victory. I am in the dark.¡±

    ¡°Which is how everyone is. Always. Every minute of the day. Nobody knows what will happen. And that means we have to adapt. We need to rely on more than just ourselves,¡± Violet said. ¡°By relying so heavily on your power, I think you¡¯ve actually hurt yourself. You can¡¯t see without your magic.¡±

    ¡°I cannot see at all.¡±

    ¡°So you understand?¡±

    ¡°No. I am literally blind.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Violet said. She massaged her brow. ¡°Of course you are. That¡¯s ironic ¡ª or maybe it¡¯s just fitting. I don¡¯t know what to tell you beyond this, Yoru. Life is scary. Things go wrong ¡ª and friends pull you through it.¡±

    ¡°Friends¡­ are there to prevent you from falling to what you cannot predict? I can understand that.¡±

    ¡°No. Absolutely not.¡± Violet shook her head firmly. ¡°You¡¯ve missed it completely, blind girl. Friends aren¡¯t there to protect you. They¡¯re there because they love you. You protect each other, but not because you have to. Stop thinking of everyone as pawns or tools. Make a new category already. Friends are friends.¡±

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I still do not understand.¡± Yoru was definitely irritated now. Her soft voice had grown tense and her head twitched, clearly desperately wanting to use her magic but keeping herself from doing it.

    ¡°I know,¡± Violet said through a snort of laughter. ¡°And you never will, Yoru. Not unless you stop using this crutch. If you¡¯re fine with that, then fine. Stay blind ¡ª and stay away from Aylin and Torick and Edda. Vrith too. Just stay away from all of them.¡±

    ¡°Why? I do not¡ª¡±

    ¡°You see them as tools,¡± Violet said flatly, cutting Yoru off before the other demon could finish her sentence. ¡°They¡¯re disposable in your eyes. Nothing more than game pieces. For that reason alone, I don¡¯t want you near them.¡±

    ¡°What does it matter? Survival is survival. If I am aiding Spider and he desires to keep you alive, then our goals are alike and their lives are not at risk due to my presence.¡±

    ¡°Lives aren¡¯t things to fuck around with. We¡¯ve fought so damn hard to get here. By all means, we shouldn¡¯t be here at all. Spider gave us all another chance.¡± Violet stalked up to Yoru until she stood face to face with the other demon, her nose no more than an inch away from the mask. ¡°Maybe he wants to give you one too. It¡¯s up to you if you¡¯re actually going to take it. But if you¡¯re going to be like this, then do it away from me and the people I care about. Go ahead. Look into the future again. Figure out the optimal way to reach your next victory ¡ª and do it alone, just like you always will. The tent is yours. I¡¯ll find somewhere else to sleep.¡±

    Violet turned and stepped out of the tent. She¡¯d gotten the information she wanted. Unless Yoru was the best liar she¡¯d ever met, the demon was exactly as what she presented herself to be. She wasn¡¯t a direct threat to Aylin or the others¡­ but she was no ally.

    ***

    ¡°I have to say, this is quite freeing!¡± Silvertide cackled as the staff in Bird¡¯s hands whistled past his body, passing so close that the wind made the tight wrappings covering him rustle.

    Leaves crunched beneath his feet as he pirouetted, prancing back over the body of a lizard monster he¡¯d killed while they were preparing the forest clearing to train in.

    The elderly soldier was what some may have considered a disturbing sight. He was wrapped from the neck down in tight bandages that contoured to his body perfectly ¡ª far too perfectly.

    Bird¡¯s staff whipped up, but Silvertide spun out of the way, letting it slip just by his shoulder as he pranced right past her.

    ¡°He¡¯s kind of built, isn¡¯t he?¡± Todd muttered. ¡°It¡¯s scary. Someone that old shouldn¡¯t have more muscle definition than me.¡±

    Silvertide wasn¡¯t the only one clad in tight bandages. Every single person in the clearing wore the same. It had been Bird¡¯s idea. The closest they could get to actually being truly naked without¡­ well, being naked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest,¡± Isabel replied, picking at a bandage around her neck and grimacing. ¡°I¡¯m trying not to look too closely. I think I¡¯m starting to develop an entirely new fighting style from this.¡±

    ¡°You are?¡± Alexandra looked to Isabel with interest. Out of all of them, she¡¯d taken to the change in uniform well. A little too well. Isabel had been forced to have a small discussion with the other girl to keep her from wearing the bandages around Arbitrage and getting too many strange glances thrown in her direction. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Fighting blind,¡± Isabel muttered. Silvertide¡¯s cackle rang through the clearing as he vaulted backward and Bird¡¯s staff carved the air between his legs apart, just narrowly missing a very painful strike.

    ¡°I prefer fighting the blind, myself. Makes things a little easier on me when they can¡¯t see what I¡¯m doing,¡± James said from a short ways away. He sat against a tree together with Emily. Each of them had half of a sandwich in their hands. Isabel had no clue where James had gotten it from. She definitely hadn¡¯t seen it when they¡¯d been in the transport cannon. She wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to know.

    ¡°Fighting blind? How did you find insight for that?¡± Alexandra asked, her eyes going wide. A flicker of disappointment passed through them a moment later. ¡°I¡¯ve tried before, but it¡¯s impossible. For me, at least. When you reach Rank 4, you could use your domain to feel your opponents and your eyes would not be needed.¡±

    ¡°Insight came in the name of Jalen and Silvertide,¡± Isabel said, raising a hand to block out the fight unfolding before them. ¡°Perhaps the elderly should be instructed to wrap themselves less tightly.¡±

    ¡°Elderly?¡± Jalen exclaimed, stepping out from a ripple in space to their side ¡ª and, much to Isabel¡¯s immense distress ¡ª dressed the same as the rest of them. ¡°Who are you calling elderly? I am still in the spring of my youth.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re old enough to be my great grandpa, man,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t insult me,¡± Jalen said through a scoff. ¡°Do I look like a whelp to you? I¡¯m far older than that.¡±

    ¡°You just said¡ª¡± Alexandra started.

    ¡°Forget what I said. It¡¯s about what I do,¡± Jalen replied. He held up a hand, a dart with a rounded tip pinched within his fingers. ¡°And what I am doing is playing darts. Silvertide and Bird are having too much fun without us. I got bored.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the target?¡± Alexandra asked, glancing around the forest. They were surrounded by rough barked trees and towering canopies. There was nothing else.

    Jalen smiled and plucked at a bandage wrapped around his wrist, tightening it. ¡°I¡¯m looking at them, of course.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass on this one,¡± Todd said quickly.

    ¡°As will I. I¡¯ve suddenly decided that I love watching demonstrations,¡± James said. ¡°I think I¡¯d prefer to keep absorbing information from afar.¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Emily added. ¡°We can learn a lot from Silvertide.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Todd muttered. ¡°Like the importance of underwear when you¡¯re wrapped up like a glazed ham.¡±

    A bark of laughter slipped from Jalen¡¯s lips and he shook his head. ¡°Oh, kids. Have I ever told you how much I love them?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Isabel said.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t.¡± Jalen examined the dart in his hands. The smile on his features grew, but it was far from comforting. It was the look of a shark approaching a school of fish. ¡°But I do love darts ¡ª and playing wasn¡¯t an option.¡±

    James pushed himself to his feet and pulled Emily up alongside him. Isabel and Todd both lowered their stances and Alexandra put her hand on the hilt of her sword.

    ¡°Can we do a rain check on this?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Jalen said. He splayed his hand out, and four more darts materialized between his fingers. ¡°Let¡¯s practice, shall we? I suggest you start running.¡±

 Chapter 511: Old

    Noah stood on the roof of a building at the edge of camp, the purple and red light of the Damned Plains dancing across the rooftops around him like they were a bed of shimmering gravel in an aquarium.

    Yoru sat before him, her legs dangling over the edge of the roof as she looked down on the camp. If she noticed him ¡ª and he suspected that she did ¡ª she made no move to acknowledge his presence.

    Violet had given Noah a rundown of the conversation the two demons had. It wasn¡¯t what he¡¯d been hoping to hear, but expecting much different would have just been lying to himself. The two demons¡¯ personalities couldn¡¯t have possibly been more different.

    One was a demon that had grown up on the streets with nothing but her family, starving and clawing her way to survival. Victory was a foreign concept when the only thing they could afford to focus on was surviving to the next day.

    The other was someone who knew only victory, but possessed nothing beyond it.

    Future sight, huh? Or some variant of it. I find it difficult to believe something like that exists in this world. How can you see the future if it hasn¡¯t been made yet? The implications of that are kind of unsettling.

    But power does not a child unmake. You can be immensely strong and still be a child mentally. Understanding doesn¡¯t always come with strength, no matter how much people think it does. Dying to monsters in the Scorched Acres hundreds of times showed me how to fight. The only way to truly understand is to experience. I condensed years of experience into such a short period of time¡­ but I don¡¯t know if something like that is possible for emotion.

    Yoru is strong. Stronger than I am if you¡¯re only counting the raw strength of our runes ¡ª but she has no life experience. A demon who embodies controlling the future¡­ it seems like she¡¯s been controlled by her own Runes for so long that she hasn¡¯t ever gotten a chance to live. In a lot of ways, that still makes her a child.

    Noah blew out a small sigh. It was a strange concept to feel bad for Yoru. The demon was almost undoubtedly trying to manipulate him. That was the conclusion Violet had come to. She¡¯d only returned to the camp because she saw some sort of benefit from doing so.

    And yet, he still felt pity. Yoru was so completely inexperienced with living that she didn¡¯t even have the basis to feel uncomfortable admitting that she was scared of something.

    He shifted, preparing to hop down from his roof and join Yoru. Someone else moved before he could. A small hand reached over the edge of the roof and clasped the stone lip. Aylin pulled himself over with a grunt.

    ¡°Yoru,¡± Aylin said.

    ¡°Aylin. You will¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hold on. Turn it off, would you?¡± Aylin asked as he scooted back over to the edge of the building and swung his legs over it. He leaned back on his hands and turned to the other demon. ¡°Your future sight, that is.¡±

    ¡°It is off. I have not tilted my head.¡±

    A small smile tugged at Aylin¡¯s lips and he let out a chuckle. ¡°As if someone as strong as you would have such a damn obvious tell. You don¡¯t need to tilt your head to use your magic. Maybe you just like doing it, but you don¡¯t need to. But you knew I¡¯d say that, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°It was highly probable,¡± Yoru admitted.

    ¡°Well, turn it off.¡±

    ¡°What makes you believe I would ever turn it off? You spoke with Violet.¡± Yoru¡¯s words were a statement, not a question. ¡°Perhaps I simply lied to her as well.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you did.¡± Aylin gave her a half-shrug. ¡°Dunno. No way for me to know for sure, but I want you to do it anyway.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯s a better question. Why would you ask ¡®why¡¯ if you already know my answer?¡±

    ¡°Because I do not know your answer until I ask the question,¡± Yoru replied. ¡°And you have avoided answering it again. You guard this answer closely.¡±

    ¡°Just trying to learn how your power works,¡± Aylin said, his smile growing slightly. ¡°And I think that helps. I approached the conversation with a determination that I wouldn¡¯t tell you why I¡¯m here today. That means your magic has a limit ¡ª or you choose to give it a limit. I suppose it also means you can¡¯t actually read my mind or otherwise influence me. You just¡­ what, take really good guesses as to what people will do?¡±

    ¡°That is a rudimentary way to view it, but not entirely incorrect. You did not come here purely just to learn my powers.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right, though that was a bit of it. I like knowing things. But the reason I¡¯m here is to talk to you. So turn the magic off.¡±

    Yoru studied Aylin in silence for several seconds. Then she inclined her head slightly. ¡°It is off. I will not keep it this way for long. State the purpose for which you came quickly.¡±

    ¡°My sister¡¯s a bit of a handful, isn¡¯t she?¡± Aylin asked, looking out over the camp. ¡°She¡¯s always been overprotective. Reaching Rank 3 only made that even stronger. I hope you won¡¯t hold it against her. She¡¯s lost a lot, and she doesn¡¯t want to lose more.¡±

    ¡°I do not hold grudges. There is no purpose for them.¡±

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± Aylin said with a wry smile. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have a reason to, would you? You know what people are going to do before they do. It¡¯s hard for someone to wrong you when you know everything they¡¯re doing. It¡¯s just another step in your plans or something like that, right?¡±

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    Yoru nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then if you don¡¯t mind saying, what are your plans?¡±

    ¡°To become powerful.¡±

    ¡°Right. A power like yours¡­ I don¡¯t know what Rank you are, but something tells me you¡¯re far from weak.¡±

    ¡°There is always more power. There are always those stronger. Knowing the weights of the future does not mean controlling them.¡±

    ¡°Logically,¡± Aylin agreed. ¡°But¡­ what¡¯s your goal? Why do you want to get stronger?¡±

    ¡°Because there are others stronger than me.¡±

    ¡°You want to fight them?¡±

    ¡°No. I wish to be able to remove myself from any control they have over me.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Aylin leaned back a little farther and drummed his heels against the wall of the building beneath him. ¡°Kind of an empty goal. It¡¯s not even exciting. You don¡¯t want to rule the Damned Plains because you¡¯re a sadist or something. You just want to not get killed.¡±

    ¡°Survival is the most paramount of all aspects in existence. So long as you live, you may accomplish all else you desire.¡±

    ¡°Am I talking to you?¡± Aylin yanked a page from Yoru¡¯s book and let his head tilt to the side as he turned to face her. ¡°Or am I talking to your rune? Because, to me, it doesn¡¯t sound like you¡¯ve got any desires at all. You just want to exist.¡±

    ¡°I have desires. I will not reveal them to you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯ve got a girlfriend a few street blocks down,¡± Aylin said.

    Noah¡¯s tremorsense rippled as he felt a figure move at its edges. He glanced over to a building to his left, only to find Vrith crouched in a shadow, having just twitched in surprise and entered his range in the process.

    ¡°Why does that matter?¡± Yoru asked.

    Aylin let out a sigh. ¡°I was lying.¡±

    ¡°I could not tell. My rune is not active as per your request.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re actually helpless without your magic, aren¡¯t you?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°That was sarcasm. Really obvious sarcasm.¡±

    ¡°You are helpless to walk without your legs. Why can you not walk on your arms as well? It is because the legs serve the same purpose.¡±

    Aylin pushed back from the edge of the building and placed his hands onto the roof. He kicked his legs up into a wobbly handstand. He took a few wobbly hand-steps forward before falling over with a grunt.

    Yoru stared at him. Her expression was unreadable with the mask blocking it, but Noah wished it wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Actually, I can.¡± Aylin grinned up at her. ¡°Good to know you weren¡¯t lying about the whole not using your magic right now bit.¡±

    ¡°That is beside the point.¡±

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± the Knowledge Demon sat up and crossed his legs beneath him. He braced his palms against his knees. ¡°This is what I came here to talk to you about, Yoru. I want to understand you, because I want to understand everything. Violet wants to protect because she¡¯s never had anything but our family, and she¡¯s terrified of losing that. She¡¯s also just as terrified of gaining something new that she doesn¡¯t understand. It¡¯s easy to protect what you know. But something new? That¡¯s a different story. It¡¯s so much easier to just keep things as they are. So I understand Violet as well. But you ¡ª I don¡¯t understand you.¡±

    ¡°I survive. That is all there is to understand.¡±

    ¡°Then you have even less than I did before Spider found me,¡± Aylin said. ¡°Because Violet, Torrick, Edda, and I survived. That was all we did. It was all we could afford to do. But you¡¯ve got so much power. You can do anything you want, and yet you choose to have even less than we do. At least we have each other. What do you have?¡±

    ¡°Power.¡±

    ¡°Do you?¡± Aylin asked. ¡°Or does power have you? Power is only useful when it has a purpose.¡±

    Yoru didn¡¯t respond for several seconds. Then she turned to finally look at Aylin. ¡°Is there a purpose to this discussion?¡±

    ¡°For you? Maybe not. But it helps me understand you better.¡± Aylin gave her a small shrug. He rose to his feet and brushed himself off. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Violet to get off your back, but I¡¯m not giving her a different tent. You¡¯ll be a learning experience for her. She has to learn to adapt ¡ª and to keep her powers from controlling her.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t scared that I will bring her to harm?¡±

    ¡°Harm? No. Everything I¡¯ve learned about you shows that your only concern is staying on Spider¡¯s good side, and hurting Violet will ensure that doesn¡¯t happen. I understand you now.¡± He walked over to the edge of the building, then paused. ¡°But, if there¡¯s more to you than just your magic, I¡¯d be happy to talk again. I¡¯m always eager to learn more.¡±

    With that, Aylin dropped off the edge of the roof. He hit the ground below with a distant thud and strode off toward the center of camp. Vrith slipped into a shadow to follow after him, and Yoru remained exactly where she sat.

    Knowledge Demons are scary.

    Noah finally emerged from his hiding spot and dropped down to the roof behind Yoru. She spun toward him, leaping to her feet, then froze as she spotted who it was.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t have your magic active yet?¡± Noah asked, mildly surprised. ¡°I thought you¡¯d have turned it back on the moment he left.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking,¡± Yoru said, letting her hands lower.

    ¡°I usually leave that to the professionals,¡± Noah said. ¡°Tends to hurt my head when I do it too much.¡±

    ¡°It does hurt,¡± Yoru agreed without even a hint of sarcasm. ¡°I do not like it.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t do too much at once. Nobody changes in a blink of an eye. I do agree with Aylin that power has to come for a reason. There¡¯s no use to being the strongest being in existence if you don¡¯t have something to use all that might for.¡±

    Yoru¡¯s neck craned back as she looked up to his eyes. ¡°What do you use your power for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s changed. At first¡­ much like you, if I¡¯m being honest. I just wanted to survive,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°But now? I don¡¯t know if I can give you a singular answer. I use it for a lot of things. I¡¯m no philosopher. If you¡¯re asking to try and copy me, it won¡¯t work. You¡¯re going to have to figure out what you want yourself. Desires are personal.¡±

    ¡°How am I meant to do that?¡± A note of anger entered Yoru¡¯s voice. ¡°I can get anything I want with my powers, but this is not tangible. How do you know what you want?¡±

    ¡°By failing,¡± Noah replied. ¡°I¡¯ve learned a hell of a lot more from that than I have from anything else. I¡¯m not telling you to turn your powers off and sprint into certain death, but it never hurts to take a closer look at yourself.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you do?¡±

    ¡°Now? Oh hell no. I got more than enough time to think about myself,¡± Noah shuddered. ¡°I¡¯m going to go think about someone I like more. I promised Moxie I¡¯d be back soon. Find Aylin if you need advice ¡ª and be careful with that power of yours. It¡¯s definitely strong, but I know what it feels like to be trapped on a path.¡±

    ¡°I do not understand. Someone was able to trap you?¡±

    ¡°It was a long time ago,¡± Noah said with a wry smile. He headed over to the edge of the building and checked the ground below to make sure nobody was standing beneath them. ¡°But while I was trapped, you might be stuck even harder than I was. It¡¯s a lot easier to break out of a prison when the bars aren¡¯t of your own making.¡±

    Then he jumped, using a small burst of wind to catch himself before he hit the ground. Noah hadn¡¯t lied about Moxie waiting for him, and as much as he wanted to help Yoru adapt, he really didn¡¯t get enough time alone with her.

    And though he wouldn¡¯t admit it, he was also a real sucker for dramatic exits.

 Chapter 512: Old dog

    ¡°You¡¯re back sooner than I expected,¡± Moxie observed as Noah stepped back into their tent. Her hands were cupped around a blooming flower with a head the size of her palm. Every petal on it was its own color, vibrant and bright. A faint sweet scent rose from it and crossed the tent to greet Noah.

    ¡°I found Yoru pretty easily. Saved me a lot of work.¡±

    ¡°She adjusting well?¡± Moxie asked, not taking her eyes off the flower. The tip of her tongue protruded from the side of her mouth in concentration and a ripple passed through the flower¡¯s petals as they grew a few inches.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah replied. He walked over to stand beside Moxie and watched the flower curiously. It felt unerringly¡­ alive. That wasn¡¯t to say that he thought other plants weren¡¯t living organisms ¡ª it was just that the way this one was squirming made it feel like it belonged more in a cradle than in the dirt.

    ¡°Somehow I¡¯m not surprised.¡± Moxie pulled her gaze from the flower and it wilted instantly. The petals folded inward and its stem withered, bending under its own weight as it crumpled into a pile of greying sludge. She pulled her hands away and shook them off. ¡°How bad are we talking? You saw how Pirren was treating her. Yoru isn¡¯t just some random kid.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m more than aware. She¡¯s almost certainly a higher rank than we are.¡± Noah scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Rank 6, maybe. It¡¯s hard to tell. I never realized how useful Domains were for figuring out your opponent¡¯s strength until I couldn¡¯t do it anymore. Yoru could be a Rank 9 for all I know.¡±

    ¡°Somehow I doubt that,¡± Moxie said dryly. ¡°If there was a Rank 9 just sitting around in Treadon, much less in the Damned Plains, I doubt they¡¯d be in need of our help for just about anything. But Yoru is a good reminder. We can¡¯t sit still. Even with all the power we¡¯re building with the demon camps, we¡¯re going to need to be a whole lot stronger ourselves if we want a chance of fighting Wizen.¡±

    Noah rifled through his bag and pulled out the strips of leather bearing all the runes they¡¯d gotten at the auction. He splayed them out on the rough stone table beside Moxie. ¡°More than aware of that. I came back to try and figure out my next rune. I¡¯ve got enough components here to toss something together.¡±

    ¡°Unstable Mass, Unstable Corrupted Mass, both at Rank 4,¡± Moxie read off, moving some of the pieces to get a better look at the rest of them. ¡°Those two are obviously going to be useful. I¡¯m less certain on Bleeding Blades or whatever this last one is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Falling Shadow, if I remember correctly. It¡¯ll be for Lee,¡± Noah said with a half-shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t have any Shadow Runes.¡±

    ¡°What about the Broken Master Rune?¡± Moxie asked, plucking another leather strip from the pile and examining it with a critical eye. Her lips pursed and she returned it to its former place before pushing another Imbued Rune over it. ¡°We better make sure that one isn¡¯t just sitting around. We¡¯ve got enough enemies as it is. Antagonizing some annoying Death Demon is far from the top of my list of things to do.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve got one of those as well?¡± Noah¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I thought I was the only one.¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes. She swiped the pile of sludge that had been her flower off the table and onto the ground, where it landed with a wet splatter. They both looked down at it.

    ¡°Get that expression off your face. That¡¯s what happens when I make flowers from things that aren¡¯t seeds. Not a pretty sight,¡± Moxie grumbled as she rose from her chair. She hooked a foot around one of its legs and pulled it closer to Noah. ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t stall you out from getting that rune combination work in. Let me know if you figure out anything useful, yeah?¡±

    Noah sat down and Moxie wrapped her arms around him from behind, leaning down to give him a quick kiss on the forehead. Only when she pulled away did he realize that she¡¯d also wiped the remains of the plant¡¯s sludge off on his shirt sleeve.

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    ¡°Hey!¡± Noah exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s cheating!¡±

    ¡°No good things come without sacrifice.¡± Moxie snickered and hoisted herself up onto the table before crossing her legs beneath her and supporting her chin on a palm. ¡°Go on, then. I¡¯ll keep an eye out so nobody sticks something pointy between your ribs.¡±

    Noah blew out an exaggerated sigh and sent a squint in Moxie¡¯s direction before turning his attention to the runes laid out on the table before him. He studied them for several seconds to commit their shapes to memory, then gathered them before himself and slipped into the darkness of his mindspace.

    As soon as his runes took form in the pitch black, Noah raised a finger and started to draw. Both Unstable Mass and Unstable Corrupted Mass would be instrumental to making a Matter Rune. The other runes could wait until after he¡¯d had a chance to look at the first two.

    Unstable Mass came first. It took him just around 30 seconds to draw the Rank 4 Rune into his soul. Energy arced off his fingertip as he pulled it back, creating it on the first try. A purple-gray rune shimmered to life before him. It was made of what seemed to be a single line, all twisted and knotted like a bowl of shoestrings. Ripples ran through the line and warped portions of it, while others had patterns buried deep within the twisting designs. It let out a dull hum before drifting back to float across from Natural Disaster and Crumbling Space.

    Noah repressed a sigh. The Unstable Mass Rune wasn¡¯t even a bad rune. It was a Rank 4, more than what the majority of people ever got ¡ª and the magic it enveloped was far from simple. But what would have been the find of a lifetime for most people barely even registered for him. Unstable Mass was so weak in comparison to his flawless runes that he couldn¡¯t even feel his soul grow larger from drawing it in.

    He went about drawing Unstable Corrupted Mass. It bore strong resemblance to the other Mass Rune, but the warping effects were considerably worse on it than they were on the other rune.

    Noah took a few moments to sit and examine the new runes in his soul. He didn¡¯t want to start cutting anything up too early and just waste his energy. Now that he actually had the building blocks to work with, he needed to figure out exactly what it was he wanted to build.

    Matter. Sure. That¡¯s a pretty damn broad rune. Can¡¯t just make myself a Matter Rune if I want it to be even half decent. Not at this rank, at least. I need to focus in¡­ but not too much. I¡¯ll need an inciting energy as well. Something to get things started. But what would that be?

    He chewed his lower lip, letting his eyes drift over the new runes in his mindspace. Even the addition of the second one had done nothing to expand his soul. It was just too big. An imaginary Moxie flicked Noah in the head. Complaining about not getting to see himself get stronger when he absorbed some crappy runes was definitely a first world problem.

    No matter. I¡¯ll get to see all the soul expansion I want once I actually make a new flawless rune. I can¡¯t get ahead of myself. First things first, I need to figure out what the hell kind of rune I¡¯m trying to make with Matter.

    There wasn¡¯t exactly a lack of options. Just about everything in the universe was made up out of matter as far as Noah was aware, though he wasn¡¯t about to put any money on his incredibly rudimentary understanding of physics.

    Minutes ticked by as Noah thought. He had more ideas than he knew what to do with, but he carved away everything that he couldn¡¯t intimately relate to. The Line had given him a perspective and understanding of things that no other living mortal could ever claim to manifest until their time among the living came to an end and they found themselves where he had once been.

    Therein laid his advantage. He needed to find something Matter-based that related to the Line. It had been pretty easy with Crumbling Space. The Line. The Gods. Everything he¡¯d seen. Everything he¡¯d done and all the times he¡¯d died. There had to be something he could reference to¡ª

    Noah paused.

    A second ticked by.

    He swallowed. An idea lodged itself in his mind like a splinter and a flicker of fear passed through him ¡ª not toward what he was about to do, but because he was going to have to explain it to Moxie.

    Noah¡¯s eyes drifted back open to find Moxie watching him intently. She didn¡¯t even bother trying to pretend like she¡¯d been doing anything else. Moxie just arched an eyebrow.

    ¡°That was fast. Done already? I don¡¯t really feel a difference in you.¡±

    ¡°Not really. I only just started,¡± Noah hedged. ¡°I just had to prepare things out here first.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s eyes narrowed as she caught the look on his face, even through the wrappings. ¡°Prepare? For what?¡±

    ¡°I think I know what I have to do to make my next Rune.¡± Noah blew out a breath and gave Moxie a sheepish grin. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to kill myself.¡±

 Chapter 513: The Noah Special

    ¡°The first step to finding a solution is admitting that you have a problem,¡± Moxie said as she prodded Noah in the forehead. ¡°And you have a problem.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that only works if I¡¯m the one to admit that I¡¯ve got a problem.¡± Noah rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°And I¡¯m not just doing this for no reason, Mox. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the best way to form a Matter Rune.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you think ¡ª wait, Mox?¡±

    ¡°I thought it sounded cute. Like a short version of Moxie, you know? I¡¯ll scrap it and think of something better. It¡¯s not like I can call you Mo. That¡¯s like Moo, and I¡¯m not trying to imply¡ª¡±

    Moxie leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, stealing the rest of his sentence. She pulled back a few seconds later. ¡°I wanted to get that in before you turn into a corpse. And Mox is just fine. Sounds a bit dumb, but I don¡¯t think I could expect anything else from you. No need to dig yourself a hole trying to come up with something worse.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the save,¡± Noah said with a sheepish grin. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯ll kiss me every time I kill myself?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck,¡± Moxie said dryly. ¡°Just get it over with already. And be careful.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure this is something where being careful is possible, but I¡¯ll do my best to keep any blood from getting on the bed.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. The plants will just drink it,¡± Moxie said with a small wave.

    Noah started to nod. Then he paused. ¡°They¡¯ll do what now?¡±

    ¡°What did you think would happen? I¡¯m making them from all sorts of organic matter. Blood and meat¡­ it¡¯s all fuel in the end. Works just as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not terrifying at all,¡± Noah said. ¡°We¡¯ve been sleeping on a bed of blood-sucking plants?¡±

    ¡°The floor is nice and open if you want it. Nobody¡¯s forcing you.¡±

    Noah looked down at the hard ground, then back up to Moxie. He cleared his throat. ¡°On second thought, the man-eating bed is lovely. It¡¯s very well behaved. It would be rude of me to try and sleep elsewhere after the bond we¡¯ve formed.¡±

    Moxie rolled her eyes and turned away, but not before Noah caught a flicker of a grin pulling across her lips. She reached for the tent flaps and glanced over her shoulder at him. ¡°I¡¯ll go get Lee to clean up your mess. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be thrilled.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. Much appreciated.¡± Noah slipped out of his jacket and tossed it across the room before starting to pull his shirt off. He paused when he noticed that Moxie was still watching him and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did you decide to stick around?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d consider it if you weren¡¯t about to blow yourself up. Have fun, but not too much of it.¡± Moxie slipped out of the tent and the flap fell shut behind her.

    Noah stared at it for a second, then blew out a sigh. That was definitely the most convincing argument she¡¯d had against him killing himself. It was almost enough to actually make him look for a different solution.

    Almost, but not quite.

    Maybe I do have a problem.

    He pulled the rest of his clothes off, removing the face wrappings last. There wasn¡¯t even all that much need for them at this point ¡ª he¡¯d already established Spider as a fairly powerful demon, so having a completely normal looking human form probably wouldn¡¯t be able to draw that much more negative attention. Unfortunately, the wrappings were basically part of Spider¡¯s identity now. He couldn¡¯t just get rid of them on a whim.

    Noah tossed all his clothes to the side and grabbed his large grimoire, propping it open against the table before sitting down in front of it. He was going to need to move quickly once he got things started. The method wouldn¡¯t be too different from what he¡¯d done when he¡¯d made the Crumbling Space Rune. He¡¯d carve the runes up to their base components and split those apart as well, using nothing but the pure raw energy and his intent to form the rune he needed.

    It wasn¡¯t a technique he¡¯d be able to use for every combination. He needed to have a way to trigger the inciting energy and create a Rune. Fortunately, this time around, Noah had just the strategy to pull it off.

    ¡°You just sit here and wait,¡± Noah told the grimoire. ¡°I might need to dump a few runes in you after I¡¯m done working. No point wasting good magic. No eating them, you got me? I¡¯ll feed you more monster runes later.¡±

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    The pages fluttered. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was the equivalent of assent or a paper middle finger. Noah shrugged to himself. If the grimoire didn¡¯t do what he wanted, it wasn¡¯t going to get any more food. It knew how their deal worked ¡ª and he could always kill himself again if he needed to.

    Noah closed his eyes and placed a palm on the grimoire. Then he sank into the darkness of his mindspace. Runes bloomed from the black sea around him, their pressure bearing down on him.

    He wasted no time in pulling Crumbling Space toward himself. He was making a Matter Rune, but Matter and Space were so closely related that he couldn¡¯t imagine not trying to take advantage of that.

    Noah pressed his hand to the crackling surface of the rune and peeled power from within it, taking around 15 percent of the rune¡¯s total energy and gathering it inside himself. He traced faint purple lines through the air with his other hand, re-drawing a copy of Crumbling Space in his soul.

    The new rune thrummed to life and a ripple of power rolled out from it, prickling against Noah¡¯s skin as it passed him by. He now had two Crumbling Space Runes ¡ª one at 15 percent full, and the other at just around 30.

    It¡¯s a good thing that I got that extra energy from hunting in the Damned Plains, or breaking Crumbling Space up wouldn¡¯t have left me too much to work with. This makes everything so much easier.

    Noah let the copy with more energy drift back, keeping the weaker one at his side. He drew the two Matter Runes that he¡¯d just drawn into his soul closer to himself as well and gathered the three Rank 4s in the air before him. Noah then let out a slow breath and raised a hand.

    Immense weight bore down on him as Sunder responded to his call. The Master Rune lowered and brushed against Noah¡¯s fingertips. Energy screamed into his body and his veins turned jet black as it raced beneath his skin.

    I finally get the opportunity to see what happens if I Sunder a Rune that I made from scratch. This will be interesting.

    Noah touched the Unstable Mass Rune. Power raced down his fingertips and into the rune. It split apart with a loud crack as Sunder carved through it. Runes swirled out from within it, rising to swirl around Noah.

    He didn¡¯t give them the grace to finish forming. Sunder lashed out like a striking snake, shattering every single one of the Rank 3 Runes in rapid succession. More runes ballooned forth, and more were carved apart.

    In seconds, Noah took a Rank 4 Rune and reduced it to nothing but shimmering, raw power. It prickled against his skin and charged the very air he breathed ¡ª even though he was pretty sure he didn¡¯t actually need to breathe inside his own soul.

    Noah didn¡¯t waste even a second examining the results of his work. He summoned Unstable Corrupted Mass and repeated the process, splitting every single component of it down into nothing but pure magic.

    He drew the clouds of smokey, multicolored power around himself like streamers with a thought. They swirled and danced, tiny particles already drifting and fading away into the ether. No traces of panic entered his movements. Rushing would only result in greater chances for something to go wrong, and Noah only had one shot at this.

    There was only one rune left to split apart. He brought the copy of Crumbling Space closer to himself. Aches wracked his body from channeling so much of Sunder¡¯s power, but he couldn¡¯t stop yet.

    Noah gritted his teeth and called upon the Master Rune once more. His veins darkened and he clenched one fist as he raised the other toward Crumbling Space. His fingers trembled as they brushed across the surface of the rune.

    Time to see what happens when I split this thing apart.

    He released Sunder. A black line flashed down the center of the copied rune. Energy crackled along its path for a split instant. Then it shattered, releasing a wave of pure power with enough intensity to blow his hair back.

    No runes formed from the broken rune. It was like he¡¯d just split apart a Rank 1 Rune, even though it had been a Rank 4. Noah didn¡¯t have time to fully contemplate the meaning of that yet. He¡¯d get around to it when he wasn¡¯t so pressed for time. For now, he was just thankful that he wouldn¡¯t have to keep using Sunder.

    Noah released the Master Rune and it rose up into the air to return to its place in his soul. Energy filled all the free space around him, dancing and burning with an intensity that would only fade with every instant he let go to waste.

    There were only two steps left to do, and the first was the easiest. He had to kill himself. Noah had gotten pretty damn good at that, which probably wasn¡¯t something to be proud of, but he had a new idea to beat even his fastest previous record.

    Natural Disaster drifted to Noah¡¯s palm as he drew on a flicker of its energy and directed it inward, toward the top of his neck where it met his skull. He was pretty sure that ¡ª

    A sharp, buzzing zap filled Noah¡¯s ears. There was a flash of a burnt scent, followed by the walls of his Mindspace crumbling away to reveal the real world once more. Disorientation washed over Noah and he found himself raising into the air, looking down at his own body as it crumpled and pitched face-first onto the ground.

    Lee stood behind him, his gourd in her hand, watching him as her expression shifted between nervousness and eagerness. Even despite his need to work quickly, Noah blinked in surprise.

    Well, I¡¯ll be damned. That was a whole lot faster than I expected. Didn¡¯t hurt too much either. Good to know.

    A faint tug pulled at Noah¡¯s neck from the direction of the gourd. He welcomed it. After all, death wasn¡¯t what he needed to form his new rune. What he needed was what came after. The reformation of life, when the gourd gave him a new body.

    Noah didn¡¯t understand how the gourd worked. He didn¡¯t even completely get how Matter as a concept functioned. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to. He didn¡¯t need to make a flawless rune on the first time around. All he needed to do was take the first step. The rest would come in time as he grew to understand it.

    A grin split his lips as his soul was yanked back down into his gourd to the new body that was starting to form in the black smoke pouring from its lip. The inciting energy was there.

    He could feel his body forming around him, providing the inciting energy he¡¯d need. All the power from his Sundered Runes waited within his soul. He had everything he needed. It was time to form his next Rank 4 Rune.

 Chapter 514: Happy Little Accidents

    Power crashed around Noah like a roaring ocean. It flooded his lungs and pooled in his stomach, slamming into his mind like mighty waves. He grasped the reigns of consciousness and weathered the violent magic with every scrap of intent he could bring to bear.

    His will dug deep into the swirling magic and drew it together, forcing it to obey his mental command. The more his body formed, the harder the energy tried to escape. Noah didn¡¯t let it. His reformation ground to a halt as it slammed into a mental wall and he drew deeper on the latent magic that came in his reformation.

    The throbbing pulses of his headache grew stronger with every second as he resisted the pull of Sunder. His vision fluctuated between the darkness of his soul and the dim light within his tent in the Damned Plains. Flashes of runic pressure wove in and out together with his consciousness, but Noah¡¯s will had been forged by the very Line itself. He had millennia of impatience and determination to draw upon ¡ª but that wasn¡¯t all.  Noah had one flame of motivation that burned brighter than anything else ever possibly could have.

    Moxie would be fucking pissed if he had to kill himself a second time.

    That was more than enough to keep him on track. The waves of power slammed into him over and over, and Noah drank from them with every blow. He ripped the churning power out and pulled it into himself, forcing it into his soul and bending it to his intent.

    Crackles of grey and white energy flashed behind Noah¡¯s eyes and arced through his mindspace. They slammed home before his flickering hand, driving themselves like pieces of jagged porcelain into the beginnings of a rune forming before him.

    Every single angle of the rune seemed as sharp as a blade. It had no curves ¡ª only jagged lines and floating components connected to the others by nothing more than a thread. If someone had grabbed their favorite plate and dashed it across the ground with all their might, the instant after it shattered would have been a fair representation of the growing rune.

    Pain burned through Noah¡¯s soul as pieces of it started to fragment. Chips formed in the empty darkness, allowing brilliant white light to spill through. They lengthened into cracks that spiderwebbed through his soul like fingers of frost.

    Noah snarled, the noise lost to the recesses of his own mind. There was less power now, but the mounting pain and soul damage were starting to eat away at his concentration. He could feel himself faltering and the rune¡¯s formation slowing.

    He still hadn¡¯t managed to draw in all the latent magic flowing through his soul. There was more left. If he failed now, it would all be wasted. He¡¯d have to go back to the auction or find another way to get more runes.

    I won¡¯t let that happen. We don¡¯t have the time to waste. I will not fail now. I¡¯m so damn close.

    Noah snarled in defiance. He doubled down, thrusting every scrap of intent and power he had forward. Pressure bore down on him from Sunder as his will locked horns with its power. A tight band of force wrapped around his neck and started to constrict, trying to force him out of his soul and into his forming body.

    Some of the cracks carving through the dark widened. Agony gripped Noah¡¯s skull in a vice. His vision of his soul started to fade away. Tingles raced down his fingertips and toes. They reached down his limbs and raced toward his chest. He was getting pulled back into his body. If the rune wasn¡¯t formed by the time his eyes truly opened, then everything would be wasted.

    Noah desperately pushed back against the encroaching feeling, but it was fruitless. Sunder¡¯s pull was too strong. His soul faded away completely. He tasted blood in his mouth and his entire form tingled like every one of his limbs had fallen asleep. A thick fog started to form at the edges of his mind, taking with it his access to magic.

    He groaned, and the sound dimly reached his ears in the distance. He¡¯d nearly completely reformed. Desperation burned in his chest as he clutched onto the final strands of power he still had. Noah couldn¡¯t see the darkness anymore. His senses were fading, but he could still feel the energy at the back of his mind.

    With one final cry of defiance, Noah yanked on the remaining power. There was a sharp crack followed by a brilliant flash of light. A wave of force slammed into his head and fog rolled through his mind like a crashing tsunami, washing away every last scrap of connection to his soul that remained.

    Noah¡¯s eyes snapped open and he drew in a ragged gasp. Pain slammed in his skull like someone had been hammering away at it for the past hour. He could feel the blood pumping with such intensity that it made the veins on his forehead and the back of his neck bulge.

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    A hacking cough forced its way out of his chest, intensifying the pain with every sharp movement, and blood splattered from his lips onto the ground. Something grabbed his shoulder. Noah couldn¡¯t make out who it was. The world was a sea of hazy indecipherable colors and all-too bright lights that burned into his retinas like hot brands.

    He squeezed his eyes shut and grasped the sides of his head as if to dig the pain free with his own fingers. Something wet trickled down from his nose and across his lip. He barely even noticed. It wasn¡¯t just pain ¡ª the world felt disconnected. Distant.

    Voices brushed across his ears, but their meaning arrived at his mind garbled and destroyed beyond comprehension. Forming words was equally impossible. His tongue was thick and heavy in his mouth. Every thought that attempted to take root in his mind was washed away by the powerful ebb and flow of fog.

    There was no option remaining to him. The human body could only handle so much before shutting down. Noah¡¯s consciousness mercifully drifted away until only empty darkness remained.

    ***

    Thought returned slowly. The world was still dark, but the pain had abated. A throb was still present in the back of Noah¡¯s mind. Its savage claws dug deep into his soul. He definitely had a significant amount of soul damage.

    The rest of his senses started to trickle back. A faint sweet smell reminiscent of strawberries lingered in the air. Something warm and soft was pressed against his body and his face was nestled in a smooth, tickly bed.

    He groaned and squeezed his eyes even harder. Noah worked his lips and opened his mouth, only for something to work its way in. Hair. He let out a startled grunt. The movement sent spikes of pain jabbing into the back of his head and he jerked to a halt with a grimace. His grip subconsciously tightened around the soft bed he was laid out on.

    ¡°Noah?¡± Moxie¡¯s voice came from just behind his head. Her tone had been gentle, but the words resonated through his head like the echo of a massive drum. He grimaced and forced his eyes open, blinking furiously. Even the dim light felt like it were made of dozens of tiny needles trying to work their way into his skull.

    ¡°That¡­ didn¡¯t go how I planned it to,¡± Noah muttered. More of the world formed around him. He was laying on against Moxie on top of her bed of vines, his arms wrapped around her back in a stranglehold that probably would have been somewhat dangerous if he didn¡¯t feel so drained of energy.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Moxie asked, tone tinged with deep concern. Her voice didn¡¯t come out as loud this time around. It was almost manageable.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said. He reluctantly released his grip on Moxie, though he made no move to distance himself from her side as he drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°I¡¯m fine. That was rough, but the worst is gone. Just some nasty soul damage.¡±

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Moxie muttered into the top of his head, giving him a gentle squeeze. ¡°This is why dying shouldn¡¯t be your first solution to literally every single problem.¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s been a while since the last time,¡± Noah defended. The last dredges of disorientation finally sloughed away, though he could still feel traces of fog lingering in his mind. ¡°How long was I out?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard to tell hours down here, but I¡¯d say something close to half a day back in our world. Maybe a bit more,¡± Moxie replied.

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    And I still have a headache? Goddamn. What did I do to my soul?

    ¡°You¡¯ve been out for a while. Lee and I were worried,¡± Moxie said through a huff. ¡°I trust it was worth it?¡±

    ¡°I sure hope so,¡± Noah replied. He reluctantly pulled away from Moxie and pushed himself upright. A twinge of pain shot through his head again and he grimaced. Moxie sat up beside him and sent him a worried glance.

    ¡°Are you sure¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah admitted through a wince. ¡°But I¡¯ll find out. If it¡¯s been half a day, my magic should be back. I¡¯m going to go use the Fragment of Renewal and see if I managed to pull this shit off or not.¡±

    Moxie inclined her head and Noah let his eyes drift shut again. He drew in a slow breath and exhaled through his mouth, pushing past the headache to sink back into his soul.

    Darkness bloomed all around him, but it was far from absolute. Pale, glowing cracks covered the edges of his soul like the web of a massive spider, climbing all the way up to the Fragment of Renewal and Sunder.

    It wasn¡¯t the worst soul damage he¡¯d ever found himself with ¡ª and Noah could barely even bring himself to pay any attention to it. His eyes were fixated on something new. Something that hadn¡¯t been in his soul when he¡¯d last left it.

    A jagged gray rune floated across from him, equidistant from Crumbling Space and Natural Disaster. Ripples of pale energy pulsated within the sharp edges that made it up. It definitely didn¡¯t feel like a flawless rune, but it would have been a fantastic first attempt if it hadn¡¯t been for one small issue.

    Ribbons of thick inky darkness hung from the rune like someone had dumped a bucket of sludge over it. They wove through the holes in the rune and formed a shadowed mass behind the it, running down and merging into the floor of his soul. He couldn¡¯t read the rune at all.

    Noah swallowed. A headache still pulsed in the back of his head. A quick summon of the Fragment of Renewal would have purged it, but he couldn¡¯t pull his eyes from the rune before him.

    It wasn¡¯t possible. Every component that had gone into the rune had been a normal one. The runes he¡¯d broken to make it were readable, but there was no denying what his eyes told him. The rune floating before him looked eerily similar to the ones that he had seen lodged in Lee¡¯s soul.

    <em style="font-weight: 400">Did I just make a Demon Rune?

 Chapter 515: Oopsie

    Noah approached the new rune, not daring to attempt to call it closer to himself. He didn¡¯t want to accidentally snap the strands connecting it to the base of his soul and give himself even more soul damage.

    It had been months since he¡¯d gotten so much soul damage that the Hellreaver had been able to enter his mind, but he had no desires to ever let things get to that state again. He had more than enough stupid things to do without needing hallucinations to help him along.

    He had a Demon Rune. Noah wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. He definitely hadn¡¯t been trying to make one. There was a reason he¡¯d been avoiding drawing in any Monster Runes, but not once had he ever considered it would be possible to actually make a Demon Rune. Noah couldn¡¯t tell if he was excited, terrified, or just plain confused.

    This opens up so much. If I can form a Demon Rune, then could I use it to potentially help Lee? I could find a way to prevent demons from losing themselves when they hit Rank 4! I feel like I could study this thing for a hundred years and not figure out everything about it. Azel definitely felt controlled by his emotion, but Yoru feels surprisingly in control despite being considerably more powerful than him.

    Noah took the rune in for a few seconds. Then his brow furrowed slightly. Now that he took a closer look, there was something off about it, and it wasn¡¯t just the fact that he ¡ª a human ¡ª had formed a Demon Rune. Noah¡¯s brow creased and his eyebrows knit as he drew to a stop directly before the rune. And then he stared. A minute ticked by. Noah didn¡¯t move. He couldn¡¯t place what it was, but something was definitely wrong. It became more apparent the longer he stared.

    Even though he couldn¡¯t read the rune, the sharp, twisting forms that made it up almost felt¡­ familiar. Like they¡¯d been written in a language he could understand but made from random letters rather than proper words. The longer he stared, the more familiar it seemed to become. The shadowy strands blocked him from getting a full picture, but he knew what rune he¡¯d set out to make. He knew the energy in it. The answer was before him and all he had to do was dig until he found it. Of that, he was certain. Noah could practically taste the Rune¡¯s name on his tongue.

    He tried to form it, but his mind stubbornly refused. The finish line in sight was walled behind iron bars that refused to let him push the last few inches through. A twinge of anger broke through his concentration and Noah stepped away from the rune to walk in a circle around it and see if he could pick up on something that he¡¯d been missing.

    It was for naught. The back of the rune was even more covered with a shadowy mass than the front had been. He could barely even make the rune out from where he stood. It was just a few flickers of white-gray energy buried in a sea of twisting dark.

    Noah blew out a sigh and tapped a foot on the ground. His impatience was already starting to poke at the inside of his throat like he¡¯d swallowed a prickly seed. A distant headache made sure he couldn¡¯t throw off his irritation but he stubbornly refused to activate the Fragment of Renewal until he figured out what the hell he¡¯d just made.

    Eh, fuck it.

    He brushed a finger across the inky black strands. A faint shiver rolled down the back of his spine and he shivered, pulling his hand back. Noah paused for a second. Then he reached out and touched the strand again.

    A startled yelp escaped his lips as a sharp prod of chilly energy poked into his navel. It wasn¡¯t exactly painful, but it was extraordinarily uncomfortable. He yanked his hand away and took a step back from his rune.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a problem if this is going to be how things are,¡± Noah said, his eyes narrow. He considered prodding the rune again but decided against it and let his hand fall to his side. Muttering under his breath, Noah started to pace around the rune.

    Minutes ticked by like sand falling in an hourglass. Time slipped through Noah¡¯s fingers as he studied the rune, determined not to leave until he figured out exactly what it was niggling at the back of his mind. The unwanted splinter would be removed. There was too much riding on it.

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    Not only were the results of all his work locked up within the unreadable rune, but this was the best angle he¡¯d found that had a chance of being able to help Lee. Noah wasn¡¯t about to let that slip by or go unnoticed. If there was something to be learned from a rune he¡¯d accidentally formed, then he was determined to find it.

    ¡°How the hell did I form you in the first place?¡± Noah mused to himself, taking a step back and shaking his head to try and reset his thoughts and locate a new angle to approach the problem from. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any demonic energy in my combination. Didn¡¯t think I was imagining anything demon-like either. I suppose it¡¯s possible that the Damned Plains themselves could have affected the rune¡¯s formation¡­¡±

    He trailed off and pursed his lips, pacing around the rune another time. Part of him wanted to go bother Moxie and see if she had any thoughts as to what the rune may have been, but that could wait for later. They didn¡¯t have a Mind Meld Potion to spare so he could show it to her yet.

    I should definitely get a few of those. Hard to do much together when we¡¯re in the middle of a camp of nosy demons.

    Noah stopped his pacing and crossed his arms as he ran back through everything he knew about its formation. There were three components that went into the formation of a new rune. Intent, magical energy, and the inciting energy or action.

    The magical energy was the easiest to trace. It came from the runes he¡¯d just broken down. While two of them had been from the Damned Plains, Noah hadn¡¯t seen any Demon Runes within them while he¡¯d been breaking them down. That might not have been enough to completely cross magical energy off as the cause of his little problem, but it was a fair argument against it.

    I swear it couldn¡¯t have been my intent either. I don¡¯t even know what kind of intent you would need to form a Demon Rune, but I wasn¡¯t thinking about demons. I can¡¯t even read the damn rune. If I can make a rune in demonic, then I should be able to read the damn thing. That means it probably wasn¡¯t my intent. But¡­ that only leaves the inciting energy.

    Sunder. The reformation of his body. Noah¡¯s lips thinned. Sunder had come from the demon that had attacked the afterlife, but the rune itself was perfectly readable to him. It wasn¡¯t demonic as far as he could tell.

    ¡°Maybe Sunder uses energy from wherever I am to make my body?¡± Noah mused, tilting his head to the side. ¡°I am in the Damned Plains, after all. That could mean that my bodies here are formed with¡­ I don¡¯t know, latent demonic energy? But I don¡¯t feel any different. If I had a Demon Rune, shouldn¡¯t my emotions be somehow affected?¡±

    There was a chance he was resistant to the rune¡¯s affects because humans weren¡¯t as closely tied to their runes as demons were ¡ª but the black strands holding the rune to his soul spoke differently. It might not have been as intense as the bindings that Lee¡¯s runes were trapped in, but he should have still felt some difference.

    I¡¯ve never felt so close to being able to read a Demon Rune before. I¡¯m missing something. I have to be. Even Aylin and Violet¡¯s rank 1 Demon Runes were completely indecipherable to me, though they looked identical. This doesn¡¯t look like them. If the black sludge wasn¡¯t covering so much of it, I could probably tell what it was.

    Noah walked around to the back of the rune again, where his soul had risen up to connect to the back of the rune, and peered through a few of the cracks that showed the rune from the other side to see if he could make out anything that he¡¯d missed.

    He raised a hand and drew on Natural Disaster. A crackling ball of electricity arced between his fingertips with enough intensity to cast yellow light over the darkness to illuminate the back of the rune. He drew in a slow breath as goosebumps prickled along the tops of his arms.

    There was nothing. The few extra glimpses of the grayish-white light he could catch through the dark mass were just too difficult to make anything useful of. He walked back to the front and glared at the offending rune, then dismissed his ball of lightning.

    It vanished with a flash, briefly lighting up his mindspace. Something caught the corner of Noah¡¯s eye as the light went off and he froze. He summoned the ball of lightning a second time, lifting it into the air as he stared at the ground. The light flowing through the holes in the rune like a reversed shadow glowed faintly at the base of Noah¡¯s soul.

    His gaze snapped back to the rune in the air as he finally realized what had felt off about it. It wasn¡¯t in another language at all. It was inversed.

    The outline of a rune shone on the floor. He couldn¡¯t quite read it completely because of all the dark matter blocking it out, but therein laid the biggest source of his surprise. The strands of his soul connected to the rune weren¡¯t solid black.

    When the light illuminated them, faint lines projected themselves onto the ground overlaid upon the first rune. Not just lines. A pattern.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Noah breathed, his eyes going wide.

    He hadn¡¯t made just one rune.

    He¡¯d made two.

 Chapter 516: Fragments

    Noah stared at the ground in a stunned silence. He¡¯d somehow made an entire rune on accident.

    ¡°How can this even happen?¡± Noah muttered to himself. ¡°I could see my intent somehow getting messed with by the energy in the Damned Plains or some shit like that, but it can¡¯t make two completely different runes.¡±

    It didn¡¯t seem that anyone had told the runes that. They remained on the floor of his soul, illuminated by the crackling light of the ball of electric energy churning above his hand. The second rune didn¡¯t look like it was about to go anywhere anytime soon.

    As the shock wore off, Noah took a closer look at the dark lines on the ground. A flicker of annoyance welled up in his chest. Not only was the unexpected rune blocking out significant portions of the rune he¡¯d actually tried to make, but he couldn¡¯t read it either. There were just too many segments missing.

    This is exactly what happened with Lee¡¯s Rune, isn¡¯t it? She managed to squish all her runes together into Frankenstein¡¯s Rune. Now she can¡¯t read any of them. But I don¡¯t have a Master Rune, broken or not, in the mix here.

    Could this be the result of a failed combination?

    That was something he could test. Noah held a hand up to the amalgamation of runes before him and focused his attention on it, sending a faint tendril of desire toward them. A wall of pressure drove into him in response and the other runes in his soul shuddered as they pushed back against it.

    It wasn¡¯t enough to keep what felt like a strong wind from driving into Noah, blowing his hair back and nearly causing him to slide across the ground. He blocked his eyes with a hand and released the desire, letting the runes return to their normal state as a frown crossed his lips.

    ¡°Way more than the pressure from a newly made Rank 4,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°That¡¯s easily two of them. There¡¯s energy there that shouldn¡¯t be there. This isn¡¯t just some failed combination. Something got added into the mix that I didn¡¯t want.¡±

    The rune floated innocently before him, the thick strands of jet-black soul undulating gently in beat with the ripples of energy passing over its surface. Noah scrunched his nose. It felt a little odd to be irritated about getting an extra rune. That was a first world problem if he¡¯d ever heard of one, and that made him mildly annoyed that he couldn¡¯t be more annoyed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like you,¡± Noah informed his conjoined runes. ¡°But I would like you more if you split yourselves apart for me.¡±

    The runes did not respond. That was probably for the best. The day his runes started talking to him was the day Noah Sundered them out and served them on a plate to Lee. His brow furrowed at the thought of the demon. She needed him to find a way to deal with¡­ whatever this was.

    Even if it didn¡¯t hold the secret to her issues with Rank 4, the very least he could do was find a way to untangle the bungled mess of a Rune she currently had. Azel¡¯s bindings weren¡¯t going to hold forever and they only got weaker with every time Lee pushed her strength.

    That might have been fine back in Arbitage, but they were in the Damned Plains. He doubted they were going to get the liberty of being able to hold back for long. They¡¯d already taken control of the streetlords and made a scene at the auction. Stronger demons would be taking notice of them soon ¡ª if they hadn¡¯t already.

    Noah brushed his thoughts away and let out a sharp breath to refocus himself. He couldn¡¯t afford to start worrying about distractions right now. There was too much at stake.

    ¡°I wonder if I could just Sunder you?¡± Noah mused to himself, moving to see if he could find an obvious spot where the two runes had connected themselves. He made another circle around them, but it did little to help. There was no clear distinction in them. If it wasn¡¯t for the light illuminating the runes on the ground, it would have been impossible to tell that there even were two of them.

    He came to a stop back at the front of the rune and dismissed his glowing ball before crossing his legs and sitting down. He planted his chin in his palm and braced his elbow against a knee, fingers drumming against the side of his chin in contemplation.

    Sundering the runes had a chance of splitting them apart. It had an equal chance of just straight up destroying them. He¡¯d lost around 15% of the energy in Crumbling Space when he¡¯d Sundered it in order to make¡­ whatever abomination this thing was. If the same thing happened ¡ª well, the rune didn¡¯t have enough energy to lose. It would just shatter and all his efforts would be wasted.

    ¡°I wish I could just test on something,¡± Noah complained, his mood still worsened by the still-present headache from all the soul damage littering his soul. He cast his gaze around as if in hopes of finding a second copy of the odd rune amalgamation before him. It was fruitless. The only other option he had to test on was Lee¡¯s rune, and he vehemently refused to do that.

    If anyone¡¯s getting tested on, it¡¯ll be me. I don¡¯t want to risk hurting or killing Lee. But if I¡¯m going to fiddle around with myself ¡ªthat sounds wrong ¡ª I should save the Fragment of Renewal until I¡¯m done. The chances of me getting out of this without even more soul damage are negligible.

    Noah blew out a sharp breath and pushed himself to his feet. Then, for a flicker of a thought, he paused. If his soul already had extensive soul damage, the smart thing would probably be to use the Fragment of Renewal now and then wait until it came back before he started messing with the new runes.

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    If this is really a Demon Rune, I don¡¯t think I can afford to sit around and wait to see what it does. What if I start feasting on emotions all of a sudden? I don¡¯t know what emotion I¡¯d want, but I don¡¯t think it would be anything good. It would probably involve Mo ¡ª no. Not letting myself get distracted now. I really do need to get some more Mind Meld potions, though.

    Sundering the runes would be his last resort. Noah brushed his hands off on his pants. It wasn¡¯t like there was any sweat on them in his mindspace, but it was about the spirit of things. There was at least one thing he could try before fiddling around with any magic.

    He strode up to the rune and set his jaw, grabbing the rune with both hands. A river of tingling energy raced down his palms and through his arms into his chest. An involuntary shiver ran down Noah¡¯s spine, but he didn¡¯t let go. His grip tightened and he planted his feet in the ground.

    Then he pulled. The river transformed into an ocean. His fingers went numb and he could have sworn his bones started to vibrate. It felt like he was trying to yank out his own heart. Noah¡¯s teeth gritted and he pulled even harder.

    ¡°Come here, you little shit,¡± Noah snarled.

    Energy coursed throughout his veins and flooded every part of him. His tongue tingled and prickles poked at the back of his eyes. A colony of ants felt like it had taken up residence within him and were marching throughout his veins. It was the most incredibly uncomfortable thing that Noah had ever experienced, but it wasn¡¯t quite painful.

    One of the strands snapped, releasing the rune and whipping back into the base of his soul with a splatter. Noah¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and he nearly lost his grip. He hadn¡¯t expected tugging on the rune like a disgruntled ape to actually work.

    The sharp edges of the rune pulled back and Noah quickly adjusted his stiff fingers, just barely managing to keep his hold on it. He took a step back, stretching the dark strands farther. Gaps started to form within them as they lost the game of tug-of-war against him.

    ¡°Let go!¡± Noah roared, driving himself backward another step and thrusting every scrap of force he could muster into his feet. Several loud thwangs ripped through the air as ropey soul strings ripped and lost their hold on the rune.

    Noah slipped, his fingers losing their grip, and landed on his back with a pained grunt. The energy tearing through his body vanished and he groaned, staring up at Sunder and the Fragment of Renewal floating above him. It was several seconds before the awful tingling finally faded away and he managed to push himself into a sitting position.

    ¡°Oh, pound sand, would you?¡±

    The rune had gone right back to the position it had been in before. His soul had extended gloopy tendrils to wrap around it once again. All his work had been for ¡ª

    Wait.

    Noah rose to his feet and approached the rune. The strands had wrapped back around the rune in the exact same way as before. His head tilted to the side. If his soul was trying to hold onto the rune for some reason, then the way it connected should have been at least somewhat random. This wasn¡¯t. He¡¯d broken some of the strands, but they¡¯d come back exactly as they¡¯d been.

    It¡¯s almost as if there¡¯s a¡­

    ¡°¡­pattern,¡± Noah muttered, finishing his thoughts out loud as his eyes widened. He raised his hands and summoned a crackling ball of electricity with the help of Natural Disaster, illuminating the two runes and casting their inversed shadows onto the ground so he could examine them.

    Noah¡¯s eyes danced as he memorized the glowing lines that came from the black strands. He couldn¡¯t understand what the patterns meant, but he could still see a portion of them. Once he¡¯d memorized everything he could, he released Natural Disaster and hopped awkwardly on one foot, raising the other to stick it into the parts of his soul covering his rune.

    He gagged as tingles shot down his leg and up into his torso. The urge to pull back was strong, but he resisted it. Noah just tilted his head to the side and summoned his violin, bracing it against himself and resting the bow on the strings.

    I don¡¯t know any way better to manifest a pattern than through music. If this rune does anything, I¡¯ll find out when I convert its pattern to song while channeling its energy.

    Noah drew in a deep breath and pushed the distraction away, shoving the uncomfortable tingling sensation into the back of his mind.

    Then he began to play.

    He started slow, taking care not to draw too much power or let the pattern escape from him, but he was surprised to find the music didn¡¯t just come easily. It came naturally. His bow picked up speed and a strange song echoed through the reaches of his soul.

    It was more than natural. It was familiar.

    Power twisted within Noah. The uncomfortable prickling in the back of his mind receded. His posture relaxed and his song grew faster still as he felt himself synchronize with the rune. Noah¡¯s eyes drifted shut and he immersed himself within the song, letting the pattern form itself with his body as the outlet.

    And then it came to an end. His bow slowed and a deep sense of peace washed over his body like a comforting blanket. The discomfort had entirely vanished everywhere other than his eyes, which still felt like he¡¯d squinted into a bright light for a little too long.

    Well, at least it doesn¡¯t seem malicious. What kind of rune does this?

    Noah let his eyes open once again. His violin squeaked as his hand jerked in surprise, playing an unbidden note. Faint golden lines glimmered within the dark floor and walls of his soul. They danced and twisted in the most complex mosaic that he¡¯d ever seen like a field of glimmering vines, stretching so far out that he couldn¡¯t see where they ended. It was a pattern, but it was so much more. It was an entire world.

    Noah could do nothing but stare in disbelief. He turned, trying to take in the entirety of the pattern glowing within the darkness of his soul, but it was impossible. The pattern was just so immense that he couldn¡¯t even begin to make anything individual out. Swirling waves and starry skies mixed like the painting of a madman, vanishing the moment he thought he caught a glimpse of something tangible. It was alien and immense, beautiful in the way that Renewal had been.

    His gaze landed back on the strands holding onto his rune. Noah¡¯s fingers loosened and the violin vanished from his grasp. The darkness had been lit up by the very same lines running throughout the rest of his soul, but these ones didn¡¯t change.

    They remained locked in place, interweaving with each other in a way that wasn¡¯t just familiar to Noah. It was Noah.

    For the first time, Noah managed to read the name of the rune stored within the syrupy strands of his soul.

    Fragment of Self

 Chapter 517: Heart to heart

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± Noah said. ¡°Didn¡¯t see that one coming.¡±

    Noah then froze, as he hadn¡¯t actually said anything. That did nothing to change the fact that he¡¯d most certainly just heard himself speak.

    ¡°What the¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fuck?¡±

    Noah spun toward the source of his voice and found himself face to face with¡­ Noah. A complete and utter copy of him, down to a stray hair sticking out from the top of his head. They stared at each other for several seconds in stunned silence.

    ¡°Yeah, no,¡± Noah said. ¡°That¡¯s not happening. You did not just finish my sentence.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I did,¡± Noah replied, scratching his chin as his brow furrowed. ¡°Or did you finish mine?¡±

    ¡°You finished mine, and you did it wrong. I was going to say, ¡®what the hell¡¯. You got it wrong.¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t,¡± Noah admitted. He thrust a finger at the other Noah, who returned the gesture. Their eyes narrowed in unison and their hands lowered back to their sides.

    ¡°Are you copying me now?¡± Noah asked, upon which Noah¡¯s ¡ª the other one ¡ª fingers twitched.

    ¡°We are not getting into this. There isn¡¯t even anyone else here, so there¡¯s no point doing some weird shape-stealer bullshit,¡± Noah said, crossing his arms. ¡°Seriously. What the hell is going on? And who are you? You¡¯re not me. I¡¯m me. You¡¯re someone else.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m most definitely you.¡±

    They paused for a second.

    ¡°Okay, this is getting confusing.¡±

    ¡°Quite.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Noah-2. I¡¯m Noah-1.¡±

    ¡°Why do you get to be Noah-1?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re in my damn head. You ¡ª what, came from the Rune I just made? Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°No clue,¡± Noah-2 replied, scratching the back of his head and letting out a huff. ¡°And how could you have made the rune? I made it. Not you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even try that.¡± Noah glared at his double. ¡°I am not so easily gaslit.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I was fucking with you. You did make it,¡± Noah-2 said with a snicker. The smile fell away from his features a moment later. ¡°I really am Noah, though. At least, I¡¯m pretty sure I am. I know I¡¯m not you you, but I am you.¡±

    They were silent for another few moments.

    ¡°That was a bit confusing, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Noah-2 asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to bash you over the head with a rock.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d probably try that too if I were you. Which I am. Kind of. Unfortunately, no rocks here.¡± Noah-2 cast his gaze around the shadows of the mindspace around them. ¡°And even if there were, I¡¯m not so sure it would actually do anything. I don¡¯t get the feeling that I¡¯m alive.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± Noah asked suspiciously. ¡°Didn¡¯t you just claim to be me?¡±

    ¡°What would you have done if you just suddenly found yourself existing in another variation of yourself?¡±

    ¡°I would have tried to ¡ª wait. You tried to leave my mindspace?¡± Noah glared at the other Noah. ¡°To what, take over my body?¡±

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s what you would have done.¡±

    ¡°Fair point,¡± Noah admitted. It was a little difficult to get too mad when that was the exact step he would have taken if he¡¯d been in his clone¡¯s position. ¡°I take it that failed?¡±

    ¡°Completely. I don¡¯t exist outside of our mindspace,¡± Noah-2 said, tapping his foot on the ground and letting out a sigh. ¡°Which means you¡¯re probably actually Noah-1. So that leads me to my next question. What the hell am I?¡±

    They both looked over at the Fragment of Self.

    ¡°Not exactly a difficult guess,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t tell us much either,¡± Noah-2 said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what this is?¡±

    ¡°No more than you do. It¡¯s a rune. Obviously.¡±

    ¡°Obviously,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°But I can¡¯t imagine I¡¯ve just randomly made myself a Noahmancy rune.¡±

    ¡°That would be a little specific,¡± Noah-2 said. He held his hands out toward Noah, who mirrored the motion. They both squinted for a second. Then their hands dropped.

    ¡°Not a Noahmancy rune. I couldn¡¯t control you,¡± they said in unison.

    ¡°God, that¡¯s creepy,¡± they said, in unison once again.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me the Fragment of Self just makes a duplicate form of me,¡± Noah muttered, relieved to find that his clone didn¡¯t copy his words again.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s all it would do. I mean, look at it,¡± Noah-2 said, crossing his arms and staring down at the illuminated lines within their soul. ¡°This is literally me. Or you. Us, I guess. There¡¯s no way the absolute core of somebody¡¯s soul is just making another version of themselves.¡±

    They both studied the rune for several moments. It was a remarkably strange experience for Noah to stand across from a perfect copy of himself. He¡¯d seen his face in a mirror before, and he¡¯d left more than enough corpses behind to know what he looked like. Even Lee had taken on his appearance more than a few times.

    This was different. He couldn¡¯t quite place how he knew, but there was no doubt in his mind that Noah-2 really was him. Their mannerisms, the way they spoke, everything. It was identical.

    ¡°Maybe this is a side-effect of the Fragment of Self,¡± Noah mused. ¡°Not the purpose of the actual rune. It¡¯s still stuck merged with the Matter rune, so that could be messing with it somehow.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Could be,¡± Noah-2 said. ¡°I can¡¯t access the runes, by the way. It seems the only thing I can do is exist. Mildly annoying. I¡¯d like to try killing myself to see if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°That really is always our solution, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It works.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hold off on it until I learn more. What if you don¡¯t come back? Or if two of you come back?¡±

    They both shuddered. Two versions of himself was already too much. They didn¡¯t need to turn his mindspace into a party.

    ¡°If you can find a way to separate these runes, we might be able to learn more about what¡¯s going on,¡± Noah-2 said. ¡°You¡¯ve clearly got a way to access it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a little concerned about doing irreparable damage to myself at this point,¡± Noah muttered, looking down at the glowing lines tracing through the floor beneath his feet. They shifted in a gentle wave of motion, changing shapes before he could make out their pattern.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fiddle with the greater part of your soul. That¡¯s obviously a shit idea,¡± Noah-2 said. ¡°Just stick with the Fragment. We can already see it, and it¡¯s largely separated from the rest of your soul. Sunder it and reform it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t love the idea of Sundering ¡ª hold on. You just want to see what happens if I separate you from myself.¡±

    ¡°Guilty,¡± Noah-2 said. ¡°It was worth a shot.¡±

    ¡°It was,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°I¡¯m not doing it, though. Even if that worked, what would you do? You wouldn¡¯t have my body. You wouldn¡¯t have Sunder either.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I figured I¡¯d get there when the time came.¡±

    This feels like someone trying to force me to reflect. That¡¯s not going to work. I wonder what happens if I kill myself ¡ª ah, wait. That might leave Noah-2 in charge. It probably wouldn¡¯t, but I¡¯m not taking the risk.

    Noah¡¯s soul was quiet for a few moments as its inhabitant(s) pondered the Fragment of Self between them.

    ¡°You might have had a point about separating the rune,¡± Noah mused. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of Sundering it. We need to find a way to help Lee, and using Sunder on a Rank 4 with a Master Rune might end up killing her.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Noah-2 said, his features flattening. ¡°This is no Demon Rune, but it seems remarkably similar. This isn¡¯t just about me or you. I ¡ª we have the perfect opportunity to figure out how this works. Truce? Lee comes first.¡±

    ¡°Truce,¡± Noah agreed. He considered extending a hand to himself, but that just felt like a little too much. Instead, they both just looked back to the Fragment of Self. Noah had absolutely no idea where to start. The runes looked completely lodged together. Finding a way to separate them without Sunder felt like it would be nearly impossible¡­ but he had an advantage that no force in the universe had ever possessed before.

    There wasn¡¯t just one Noah working on this. There were two.

    ***

    Time slipped by. Noah had no idea how much. He and Noah-2 came at the Fragment of Self from every angle. They tried dragging it apart. They tried wiggling and pulling at pieces of his soul to unknot it and free the other rune.

    They tried wedging a third rune between the two and using it like a crowbar to pry them apart, and that was just the head of the iceberg. The pair of them went through every single trick and idea that came to their minds, working in conjunction and firing off thoughts in unison as they worked to find a way to separate the runes. They even tried re-creating the song Noah had done to first connect with the Fragment of Self.

    Nothing worked. Their efforts did nothing but drain the majority of the magical energy that Noah had left and send them both flopping to the ground on either side of the conglomerate rune, their brows creased in annoyance.

    ¡°This is goddamn annoying,¡± Noah-2 said. ¡°I don¡¯t like this rune, and it¡¯s the reason I exist in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re going about this the wrong way,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°If this was something that could be brute forced, I¡¯m sure Azel would have done it to Lee. Maybe we have to be subtle.¡±

    ¡°Subtle is not our specialty.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to adapt then. I¡¯m not going to give up and let Lee get stuck where she is forever ¡ª and that¡¯s assuming her rune doesn¡¯t destroy her ¡ª because subtle isn¡¯t my specialty.¡±

    The other Noah winced. ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re right. How can we be subtle, though? We tried connecting to the Rune. It didn¡¯t do anything. If we don¡¯t know how to use the rune, then we can¡¯t do anything with it.¡±

    It was several seconds before Noah responded. ¡°We might not know what it does, but maybe we¡¯re going about this the wrong way.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to separate it. That seems like the right way to me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and maybe that¡¯s the problem,¡± Noah mused, rising to his feet slowly.

    ¡°I thought we just agreed not to give up,¡± Noah-2 said.

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving up.¡± Noah approached the merged runes until he stood a foot away from them, their pressure winding around his chest like a constricting snake. ¡°What if that¡¯s our mistake? I mean, the Fragment of Self is literally a rune that¡¯s meant to represent me. A portion of me at the least. If I want to control that¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to try and pull it back into your soul instead of cut it out?¡± Noah-2 asked, his eyes lighting up. ¡°That¡¯s genius. We¡¯re so smart.¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°You¡­ well, stand there, I guess. It¡¯s not like you can do much.¡±

    ¡°Just pretend I¡¯m Moxie. I can be moral support.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass.¡± The corner of Noah¡¯s lip curled up and he let out a slow breath, letting his eyes close for a moment as he steadied himself. He¡¯d tried to grab the Fragment of Self so many times that he was already more than used to the uncomfortable prickling energy that attacked his insides when he touched it, but that didn¡¯t mean he liked it.

    Then his eyes opened again and he extended his hand. He rested it on the surface of the black strands of his soul. Energy poured into Noah, but instead of trying to find a way to wrest it away or control it, he pushed back.

    Noah drove his intent into the rune, shoving the energy aside as he turned all the runic pressure he had to bear into the Fragment of Self. His vision focused in until the only thing before his eyes were the two merged runes.

    His runes. Even if he didn¡¯t know what one of them was, the other was a part of his soul. He didn¡¯t need to understand what the Fragment of Self did or how it worked. It was a part of him. They were one and the same.

    A river of chills rolled down Noah¡¯s spine as a dull chime echoed through his soul.

    All the rushing energy ground to a halt. Distant echoes rung in his ears and an odd feeling washed over his body as the world swayed. He could hear his heart beating in his chest and the blood rushing in his ears. Then even that stopped.

    There was only silence. The rune did nothing, but not because it didn¡¯t work. It did nothing because it was already working. It always had been.

    Noah¡¯s hand dropped to his side.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Noah breathed, unable to keep a faint laugh from slipping free of his lips as he finally realized what the rune truly was. He turned to Noah-2, who watched him with an inscrutable expression. ¡°Seriously? The first guess I made was basically right.¡±

    ¡°Hardly. You used it the wrong way,¡± Noah-2 replied with a faint smile. ¡°Took you long enough.¡±

    The Fragment of Self was nothing like the other runes he possessed. It was him. Or at least, a portion of himself. It was the connection between his body and his soul. The rune was the passageway that let him access the rest of his runes, but it was more than that. It was everything he desired. Everything he was. It was literally him.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Did you know?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know anything more than you do.¡± Noah-2 shrugged. ¡°I figured it out when you did. I¡¯m just a fragment, Noah. You made me. Splintering a section of your soul off can hardly be healthy, but it¡¯s a damn good way to get a look at yourself. Did you like what you saw?¡±

    ¡°Not answering that one. I¡¯m more than aware we only get philosophical when we¡¯re bullshitting.¡±

    ¡°Got me there.¡± Noah-2¡¯s eyes changed. Something swirled deep within them. A vine bed. The outside world.

    Noah extended a hand ¡ª not to the rune, but to Noah-2. ¡°Until next time, Noah-2.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think there¡¯ll be a next time? I only came into being because your mind needed a way to represent everything¡­ well, you.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m remarkably good at screwing up, and you¡¯re me,¡± Noah replied. ¡°I reckon it won¡¯t be long.¡±

    Noah-2 laughed. He lifted his hand and clasped Noah¡¯s. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. Until then, Noah-1.¡±

    A ripple passed through Noah¡¯s soul and his clone vanished. He was alone once more, but things had changed. His soul felt different. More vibrant. It was as if all his senses had been dialed up.

    Noah looked back to the pair of conjoined runes floating before him. He¡¯d been trying to split the Fragment of Self off this whole time, when what he should have been doing was the exact opposite.

    He couldn¡¯t cut a piece of himself off. It would have been like removing a portion of his personality. Fortunately, Noah didn¡¯t have to. Fragment of Self didn¡¯t have to be removed. It had to be taken back.

 Chapter 518: I Wonder

    ¡°Rejoin me,¡± Noah commanded. He extended his mind to the rune, meeting the rush of freezing energy. Up until now, he¡¯d been treating the Fragment of Self like it was any other rune. He¡¯d thought the pressure was something that he had to push back against.

    That was impossible. It was the pressure of his own soul, after all. You couldn¡¯t push up against something with itself. Instead of pushing back or trying to wrest control of the power, he relaxed.

    The strands of black holding his Matter Rune shuddered. Then, without a sound, they released it and slithered into the floor of his mindspace as the Fragment of Self rejoined the rest of his soul.

    It embedded itself on the ground, a glistening pattern that stood as still as stone in a shifting sea. A chill crept up Noah¡¯s chest and set into his bones. It wasn¡¯t as uncomfortable as it was unnerving.

    He could almost hear the thoughts echoing in his mind, feel the blood running in his veins, taste the power he bore within his soul. Noah felt like a violin left to the side for years before finally getting its strings tuned.

    Extending his thoughts to the Fragment of Self sent a tremor running through his body. Energy pumped in him, but not in the way that ever had before. Noah¡¯s lips pulled apart of their own volition as he tried to make sense of the strange power. He stared at his hand. Everything felt so¡­ alive. Each single movement wasn¡¯t just a thought but a thousand different miniscule reactions within himself flashing through his nervous system to deliver the command his mind gave, and Noah could feel every single one of them. He could control every single one of them.

    His finger twitched by such a tiny amount that his eyes couldn¡¯t even properly make out the motion ¡ª but he could feel it. His body felt like it had truly become his for the first time in his life. A disbelieving laugh slipped from Noah¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°This is incredible,¡± he breathed, holding his hand up and staring through the cracks between his fingers at Sunder as it floated above him. For the first time in his life, his body actually felt like it belonged to him ¡ª and this technically wasn¡¯t even his body.

    Then again, Vermil died a long time ago. I¡¯ve gone through so many new bodies that I think this is definitely my body at this point. Vermil died back in the Scorched Acres. I¡¯ve just stolen his visage and cleaned it up a little.

    Noah let out a shaky breath. He let his hand lower, vividly aware of the space it took up by his side, and paused before his eyes lowered from the sky. Sunder wasn¡¯t the only Master Rune floating above him.

    The Fragment of Renewal joined it, the two immense runes bearing down on his entire soul and each other with immense pressure. A small frown creased Noah¡¯s lips. The Fragment of Renewal. The Fragment of Self.

    The same kind of rune? But that can¡¯t be right. My rune definitely isn¡¯t a Master Rune by any stretch of the imagination. It didn¡¯t have enough pressure. Wasn¡¯t big enough either. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d call it a normal rune, but there¡¯s no way it could be a Master Rune¡­ right?

    Noah looked back down to the Fragment of Self. It remained in the floor of his mindspace before his feet, the only patch of golden lines that wasn¡¯t flowing in the invisible current that wound its way through the rest of his soul.

    It didn¡¯t look like a Master Rune, and Noah had no idea what its inverse would have been if it was. He didn¡¯t understand the Fragment of Self nearly enough to try and figure that out. His frown deepened.

    The names are way too similar to be a coincidence, but there¡¯s at least one key difference aside from their power. The rune I took from the goddess is called the Fragment of Renewal, not the Fragment of Self. My rune isn¡¯t called the Fragment of Noah. They¡¯re reminiscent of each other in name, but they¡¯re not exactly the same.

    That unfortunately didn¡¯t answer much of his confusion. Even if the two runes weren¡¯t identical in make, the similarity between them was a little too much for him to overlook. He wasn¡¯t so sure he bought the idea that the goddess¡¯ rune was a Master Rune purely because she was more powerful.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Maybe there¡¯s a way to expand upon or improve the Fragment of Self and make a stronger rune that represents you?

    Noah just had no way to know. He couldn¡¯t exactly call the goddess up and ask her advice. He got the feeling she still wasn¡¯t too pleased about how he¡¯d yanked some of her power in the first place.

    I do still need to get her a fruit basket or something. She hasn¡¯t smited me yet, so maybe she¡¯s not too pissed. I wonder what kind of fruits gods like. Mangoes, perhaps?

    A small smile pulled at the corner of Noah¡¯s lips before it fell away and he shook his head. As much control as the Fragment of Self gave him over his body, it didn¡¯t seem to help keep him focused any better than normal.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand this,¡± Noah muttered to himself. ¡°The Fragment of Self resembles the rune of a goddess¡­ and it also resembles a Demon Rune. Two things that couldn¡¯t have possibly been more different.¡±

    Noah crossed his arms in front of his chest and tapped his foot on the ground as he dug through his mind, forcing himself to think harder. The similarities that his rune had to that of a Demon Rune had to be the key he was missing. There had to be something in them that would let him figure out how to help Lee.

    I thought mine was a Demon Rune until I connected to it and lit it up from inside, letting me read the pattern. Okay. So that¡¯s one step. Either I or Lee need to connect to her rune. That might let her pull it free of that mess that she combined¡­ but that doesn¡¯t fix the problem, does it? She¡¯d still have a Demon Rune in her soul messing up her desires.

    I suppose I¡¯d have to see another Rank 4 or higher demon to tell for sure. I¡¯m also not really following how Demon Runes change demons so badly to force them to basically become embodiments of their emotion.

    The Fragment of Self was definitely exhilarating. It made Noah feel alive¡­ but no matter how hard he concentrated, he couldn¡¯t feel like any part of himself was actually being influenced. He wasn¡¯t suddenly any more suicidal or impatient than he had been before ¡ª and those definitely would have been the desires that would have gotten amplified by a Demon Rune. He felt more like himself, not like a caricature.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the difference between me and a Demon?¡± Noah mused. His foot stopped tapping and he started to pace, his eyes tracing the flowing lines as they danced across the ground before him. ¡°I suppose there are really only two options. Either it¡¯s the owner of the rune or the rune itself. Demons are connected to their runes far more strongly than humans are. But that wouldn¡¯t explain why they hyper fixate on one emotion when a rune gets to Rank 4. Could it be a difference in the runes themselves, then?¡±

    Noah shook his head in response to his own thought. The rune he¡¯d made had resembled a Demon Rune so strongly, and the whole point of a demon rune seemed to be to amplify them. The same as the Fragment of Self.

    So why does my rune just make me more¡­ me, while theirs turns them into a slave to their desires? It doesn¡¯t make sense. There has to be an answer, but I might not be able to find it pacing around inside my soul. I¡¯ll have to find someone to test on. I have to really get a close look at a Rank 4 Demon Rune when it¡¯s inside a demon and figure out what it does to them.

    Back in the mortal realm, that would have been pretty difficult. It wasn¡¯t like there were Rank 4 Demons strolling around everywhere. But down in the Damned Plains, Noah wasn¡¯t even slightly worried. He¡¯d already kicked the hornet¡¯s nest enough to draw the attention of some enemies.

    There wasn¡¯t even a need for him to go looking for Rank 4 Demons. They¡¯d deliver themselves to him. His lips pulled up in a smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lee. I¡¯ll have this figured out soon enough,¡± Noah promised. ¡°I just might have to break a few demons to do it.¡±

    A faint pulse of pain probed at the back of his mind. The cracks in his soul still hadn¡¯t healed over, and he¡¯d been putting off using the Fragment of Renewal until his work was done. He¡¯d gotten so caught up with the new rune that he¡¯d nearly forgotten his own headache.

    Noah extended a hand toward the Fragment of Renewal, calling the pearlescent rune down toward him. He was mildly surprised to find that it responded. If he could access his magic again, then twelve hours must had have already passed. His hand pressed against the Master Rune¡¯s surface and a river of relief poured over his head like a refreshing shower. He exhaled as tension knitting his shoulders evaporated and the pain in his skull relented.

    The cracks strewn about his soul started to knit themselves back together. It would take them a bit to fully heal with how extensive the damage had been, but the Fragment of Renewal would deal with them soon enough.

    He turned ¡ª and froze. Somehow, in all of the excitement, Noah had briefly forgotten the fact that he hadn¡¯t just made a single rune.

    He¡¯d made two.

    The other half of his efforts floated in the air, spaced equal distances from the Crumbling Space and Natural Disaster, its name as naked as Noah had been the day he¡¯d first gotten himself killed in the Scorched Acres. A Rank 4 Rune, roughly at 25% full.

    Warped Matter

    ¡°Would you look at that,¡± Noah breathed, delight sparking in his eyes. ¡°I wonder what you do.¡±

 Chapter 519: Warped Matter

    Noah slipped from his mindspace and let his eyes drift open. He laid in Moxie¡¯s bed, one of his arms trapped beneath himself and buzzing like a furious insect. It felt like he¡¯d been lying there for quite some time.

    Grimacing, he untangled himself and sat upright. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and scrunched his nose in annoyance.

    ¡°How long was I out?¡± Noah muttered.

    ¡°Hours.¡±

    Noah glanced over in the direction of Moxie¡¯s voice. She sat at a plant desk, a half-dead flower cupped between her palms. Moxie set the plant down and arched her eyebrow in clear question.

    ¡°How many hours?¡± Noah asked. The last residuals of his headache still lingered on, but the Fragment of Renewal was making short work of it. He was pretty sure his head would be back to normal in another hour or so.

    ¡°Around thirteen,¡± Moxie said. She turned on her chair, the vines that made up its back coiling around her and repositioning themselves to shift the direction the chair faced without so much as raising a leg off the ground and held out a Mind Meld potion. ¡°I got my hands on some more of these while you were gone. Am I going to need it?¡±

    ¡°That would probably be a wise call, yes.¡±

    Moxie removed the stopper and poured half of the potion into her mouth before handing it to Noah. He finished the potion off, then let himself relax as he was yanked from the world and into Moxie¡¯s mindspace.

    ***

    Noah materialized across from Moxie inside her forest clearing. Two vine chairs had already formed and Moxie already sat in one of them. Noah lowered himself into the other.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯ve had more luck with your runes than I have,¡± Moxie said.

    ¡°I suppose it depends on what you mean by luck.¡± Noah tapped the side of his chin. ¡°If you were referring to somehow making two runes on accident instead of one, then yes. I got lucky.¡±

    Moxie let out a snort and shook her head. ¡°Right. Sure, smartass. So no luck, then. Are you going to have to kill yourself again?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°But I was serious.¡±

    Moxie paused. She squinted at him. For several seconds, neither of them said a word. Then her eye twitched. ¡°How does one accidentally make an extra rune? You can¡¯t even combine a rune without intent, much less make one.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working on figuring out exactly how it happened.¡±

    ¡°Only you could make two runes on accident,¡± Moxie muttered. ¡°And tossing a whole extra rune into the mix didn¡¯t somehow screw with the other rune and ruin it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why it took me so long. They kind of¡­ lodged together. It was a real pain in the ass to figure out how to separate them,¡± Noah said with a small huff of annoyance. ¡°But I managed it in the end.¡±

    ¡°Of course you did,¡± Moxie said with a short burst of laughter. ¡°Well? What kind of runes does one make on accident? Are you planning on telling me, or am I going to have to start taking guesses?¡±

    ¡°Depends. Where¡¯s Lee?¡±

    ¡°Keeping watch over the tent to make sure nobody gets too close or curious.¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Noah said. ¡°Then we can get right to the point. I don¡¯t know how, but I somehow made a rune of myself.¡±

    ¡°A Noah rune?¡± Moxie asked, squinting at him. ¡°Do you have an extra one?¡±

    ¡°A Fragment of Self. No name involved, but it was definitely a representation of me. I had a whole ass discussion with myself. It was¡­ interesting.¡± Noah looked down at his hand and flexed his fingers. The connection to his body here was just as strong as it had been in his mindspace.

    ¡°Fragment of Self?¡± Moxie¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°What in the world does that even do? Summon copies of yourself to fling at people? No, that can¡¯t be it. You can¡¯t form magic from scratch until Rank 5. It couldn¡¯t be actual clones. Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s some form of creepy corpse manipulation where you use your own bodies to fight.¡±

    ¡°Now there¡¯s an idea,¡± Noah mused. He caught the look in Moxie¡¯s eyes and let out a snort of laughter. ¡°But no, that isn¡¯t it. As far as I can tell, the rune is the connection between my body and my runes. It¡¯s heightened my internal awareness. It also seems to be permanently on as far as I can tell. It¡¯s not even drawing energy. It just¡­ is.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s weird. I¡¯ve never heard of a rune like that. It¡¯s basically a Body Imbuement, then?¡±

    ¡°Really similar to one,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s literally imbued into the center of my soul. Actually, for that matter, I think it is my soul. A piece of it, that is. But here¡¯s the really interesting bit. When I initially formed the rune, it looked almost exactly like a Demon Rune. The way it was all screwed up was identical to Lee¡¯s Rank 4 Rune. It was just at a smaller scale.¡±

    Moxie leaned forward, her eyes burning with interest. ¡°But it isn¡¯t a Demon Rune?¡±

    ¡°Not as far as I can tell. I can read it but I couldn¡¯t read Demon Runes. That was basically the only noticeable difference.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Are you feeling different?¡± Moxie asked with a flicker of concern. ¡°Any tendencies toward emotions or the like? You¡¯re not about to lose yourself, are you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing different in that department. I think it would have been pretty apparent right off the bat if there had been.¡± Noah shook his head. ¡°I was worried about the same thing, but it seems like I¡¯m the same as I was before.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s true, then this could be the key to figuring out how to solve Lee¡¯s issue!¡± Moxie exclaimed in an exited whisper. ¡°Maybe you were able to make a human version of a Demon Rune because of the latent energy in the Damned Plains.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re on the same page. As far as I can tell, the rune is literally just a representation of my soul and my desires. It doesn¡¯t feel dangerous and it definitely doesn¡¯t feel like it¡¯s going to make me hyperfocus on an emotion. I can¡¯t see that changing, even if I was as sensitive to my runes as a demon was.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s grin slipped as her brow creased in a small frown. ¡°Which means that either the issue lies elsewhere, or you managed to accidentally perfect a Demon Rune. As much as I believe in your abilities, I¡¯m not so sure you just stumbled into an issue that has been plaguing demons for¡­ gods know how long. A while.¡±

    ¡°That would be a bit of a stretch,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°I¡¯m going to be doing some testing as soon as I can. I don¡¯t want to mess with Lee or get her hopes up until I know more.¡±

    ¡°Smart. That¡¯s for the best.¡± Moxie gave him an approving nod, then followed it up with a pointed glance. ¡°So¡­ rune number 2. Is it equally as odd?¡±

    ¡°No clue. I haven¡¯t tried using it yet,¡± Noah replied. ¡°I was just about to get to that. I know what I was hoping it would do, but with all the bullshit that surrounded its creation, I¡¯ve got no idea if it¡¯ll function the way I want it to.¡±

    ¡°What are the chances of you blowing yourself up?¡±

    ¡°Blowing myself up? Probably pretty unlikely. Dying? Eh. I wouldn¡¯t bet against it.¡±

    ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t ask for more than that,¡± Moxie said with a small sigh. She gestured at the forest around them. ¡°You can¡¯t test it in here. We aren¡¯t in your soul and I¡¯d rather not break anything important in mine. Anything else vital that needs to be said?¡±

    ¡°Probably, but I don¡¯t remember what it is.¡±

    ¡°I see, I see.¡± Moxie nodded sagely. ¡°So I suppose that means we¡¯ve got some time to kill.

    Noah grinned. ¡°I suppose we do.¡±

    ***

    Thirty minutes later, the Mind Meld Potion ended. Noah and Moxie found themselves back in the real world. Lee had clearly been doing a good job of making sure nobody got too close, because their bodies were mercifully unstabbed.

    ¡°You know, Azel isn¡¯t in your soul anymore,¡± Moxie grumbled. ¡°Why does it only last thirty minutes?¡±

    ¡°My soul is probably still disproportionately large. I did kind of shred him up a bit, and I¡¯ve got a number of other things fiddling with it.¡±

    Moxie let out an exaggerated sigh. ¡°I guess so. Unfortunate, but that¡¯s how things are. Go on, then. I want to see what you made.¡±

    ¡°What happened to not wanting me to get killed?¡± Noah smiled wryly and pushed himself upright in bed.

    Moxie¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Sacrifices must be made in pursuit of the greater good, and right now, the greater good is me wanting to see what your new rune does. If you¡¯re going kill yourself, I¡¯d prefer you do it when I¡¯m somewhere nearby. At least that way I don¡¯t have to worry about someone else having to put on your clothes.¡±

    Noah paused and looked down at himself. He was indeed wearing clothes, and he definitely hadn¡¯t put them on himself considering the last thing he¡¯d done before sinking into his mindspace was kill himself.

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± he admitted. ¡°That somehow slipped my mind. I¡¯d have preferred to be present for that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you would have,¡± Moxie said dryly. A thoughtful expression passed over her features and her head tilted to the side. ¡°Hold on. When you said you had a discussion with yourself, were you being literal?¡±

    ¡°Fairly. There was a clone of me. Why?¡±

    ¡°Just asking for later reference,¡± Moxie replied, coughing into a fist. The bed bucked beneath Noah and she sent him a pointed look. ¡°Rune. Come on. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be the impatient one?¡±

    Noah laughed as he swung his legs out of bed and sent a tendril of mental energy into his soul to connect with the Warped Matter rune. Power slithered to meet his call and coiled down his arm. He felt it infuse his body and buzz beneath his skin.

    Moxie watched with rapt anticipation as absolutely nothing happened. A second ticked by. Then two. Her brow furrowed.

    ¡°Does it not work?¡±

    ¡°Give it a second,¡± Noah replied with a laugh. Moxie glared at him as he turned his hand over. The power had completely saturated his arm. It was a lot slower to activate than any of his other runes. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was because the Warped Matter rune just needed to use more energy, if it was struggling because it wasn¡¯t a flawless rune, or if that was just how it was.

    A shimmer of gray energy arced between his fingertips. Blocky fractals twisted out from his palm and into the bed at his side, expanding like fingers of frost as they tore through it. The vines crumpled in their path as blocks of gray matter practically exploded outward.

    Noah hissed in surprise as he felt every scrap of power in Warped Matter forcibly ripped out and consumed by the gray tendrils. The rune ground to a halt as it ran out of power to consume and the magic abruptly stopped, dissipating like mist on a sunny day to leave giant furrows running through the vine bed. Noah and Moxie stared at the ravaged plants in a stunned silence.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Moxie asked, swallowing. ¡°Did you just use my plants as fuel?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re matter. I¡­ warped them, I guess,¡± Noah replied, running a hand along the edges of the vines left by the wake of his spell. Easily half of the bed had been heavily damaged in a split second.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen magic punch through solid material before, but that was scarily fast,¡± Moxie said, shaking her head. ¡°Did you really have to destroy my bed to show that off, though?¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to do that much. I just wanted to test it on a single vine or something. The rune kind of activated itself,¡± Noah admitted.

    Moxie frowned and leaned closer to the bed as she studied it intently. ¡°You know, this pattern kind of looks like what would happen to some of our fields when a really nasty soil virus attacked them. We usually stopped it before it could get this bad, though. I think you¡¯ve created a matter-eating virus in the form of a rune.¡±

    ¡°That may be an apt way to describe it,¡± Noah allowed.

    ¡°That¡¯s terrifying. If it treats all matter the same, what do you think it¡¯ll do to a person? I¡¯d imagine their runes would interfere with it, but if you could combine it with Crumbling Space¡­¡±

    ¡°I could do some really serious damage,¡± Noah agreed, letting out a whistle and running a hand through his hair. ¡°Well, shit. I¡¯m really glad I decided to test this on something else before I used it on myself. I had the vague idea of trying to teleport with this.¡±

    Moxie extended her leg and nudged the bed with her foot. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be happening. Not if you want to arrive in one piece.¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Noah grumbled. The bed, devoid of its structural integrity, started to sink under his weight. He cleared his throat and sent Moxie a pleading look. ¡°Say, do you think you could fix this thing? I don¡¯t really want to get up yet.¡±

 Chapter 520: Zath

    Noah tested the Warped Matter Rune several more times over the course of the next two hours to the exact same results that he¡¯d gotten the first time. The attempts didn¡¯t reveal anything new, but they did help him start to understand the rune better.

    Warped Matter initially felt like it had similar destructive capabilities to Crumbling Space, but it quickly became apparent that it would be more apt to place them on opposite ends of the destructive scale.

    Crumbling Space could rip through everything in its path on the way to a nearby target. It was a focused attack with a short range. The Space Rune gave a great way to cut through everything in the path between him and whoever he was trying to deal with.

    Noah wouldn¡¯t have gone as far to call Crumbling Space a scalpel, but if he did, then Warped Matter was the equivalent of a sledgehammer. It spread at a rapid pace, consuming anything in its way without regard of actually making it to whatever he was aiming at.

    Its range felt like it was considerably less restrained, though a single cast drained the rune¡¯s reserves so quickly that he didn¡¯t manage to get its magic to go much farther than a few feet away from him.

    Noah crouched by one of the deep furrows the magic had dug through the ground in a previous test. A single thick tendril had ripped through the earth in a roughly straight line, and dozens of smaller tendrils had expanded off to branch out and continue their expansion. Those tendrils had grown tendrils of their own, though they were so small that they¡¯d only nicked the ground.

    If I hadn¡¯t run out of energy, I don¡¯t see any signs that this would have stopped. This is going to be a really powerful rune once I get it filled up a bit more and find out how to repair some of the quality issues keeping it from being Flawless. I¡¯ll just have to be really careful to make sure I don¡¯t accidentally use this too close to anyone. The expansion is so uncontrolled that it might end up hitting someone I care about instead of an enemy. Fortunately, my control should improve significantly when the rune is made better.

    ¡°Did you really have to destroy our floor while testing this?¡± Moxie asked, scrunching her nose as she walked to stand beside Noah to look at the ravaged ground. She¡¯d been observing his attempts over the last few hours while he worked, keeping well out of the way whenever he used the new rune.

    ¡°What, and let people watch?¡±

    ¡°Got me there. Any luck, then?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s strong. I¡¯m pretty damn happy with how it turned out. As for the other new one¡­¡± Noah couldn¡¯t keep himself from glancing at his hand again. Being able to control every single micro-movement his body made was exceedingly unerring. It hadn¡¯t shown any signs of letting up, which was starting to make him suspect its effects might have been permanent.

    I suppose it¡¯s basically a full on Body Imbuement right now¡­ but I didn¡¯t intentionally imbue it. The sooner I can find a demon to start testing on, the better.

    That thought gave Noah a moment of pause. He grimaced, mostly to himself, but Moxie caught it immediately. She raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°I was just wondering how things in my life got to the point where I would be sitting around, actively hoping that a Rank 4 demon would attack me.¡±

    ¡°You could always just go find one. I¡¯m sure they¡¯d be happy to oblige.¡±

    ¡°Probably could. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve got any shortage of enemies, though. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have to do much. If nobody tries something soon then I¡¯ll go looking for a target, but I¡¯d prefer to go after people that deserve it. There are at least a few semi-decent demons in the Damned Plains. I¡¯d hate if I went after someone that didn¡¯t completely deserve it.¡±

    Moxie nodded. Before she could say anything else, the tent flaps parted and Lee poked her head inside.

    ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Lee asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping watch for so long. I¡¯m bored.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re done,¡± Noah said, giving her a grin. ¡°I¡¯ve been working on a solution to your problem.¡±

    Lee¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You have?¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t solved anything yet,¡± Noah said hurriedly as he raised his hands to keep Lee¡¯s expectations from getting too high. ¡°But it¡¯s promising. I need to do some more testing. But, if things work out, I might have a way to start looking at Demon Runes and figuring out what the hell is wrong with them.¡±

    ¡°With mine?¡± Lee¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Or with all Demon Runes?¡±

    ¡°That remains to be seen. Don¡¯t worry. No matter what, we¡¯re going to find a way that you stay you,¡± Noah promised. ¡°How¡¯s Azel¡¯s seal holding? Do you feel like we¡¯re in a time crunch?¡±

    Lee thought for a moment. Then she shook her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve pushed it a few times since we¡¯ve gotten to the Damned Plains, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s about to collapse. There should be at least a month or two left in mortal realm time. That¡¯s at rate I¡¯ve been using my powers, though. It could be faster.¡±

    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Noah put a hand on Lee¡¯s head and ruffled her hair. ¡°That¡¯s more than enough time. If things start lagging, I¡¯ll just go piss off a few more people until I have everything I need to work with.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re good at that,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Noah said. ¡°Now, what did I miss while I was working? Any important changes or developments?¡±

    ¡°Some scuffles between the streetlords,¡± Moxie put in. ¡°Nothing major. Aylin and Vrith handled it before Lee or I ever had to act. Information is starting to come in as the line of power gets more solidified. Nothing useful yet, just general tabs on the city.¡±

    ¡°Aylin is also feeding Vrith a lot,¡± Lee supplied. ¡°I ate some of their food when they weren¡¯t watching.¡±

    ¡°Everyone¡¯s got to have a hobby,¡± Noah said idly as he scratched his chin. ¡°And stronger demons? Any moves?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve got attention,¡± Moxie said as she pulled a strip of jerky out of her pocket.

    Lee¡¯s eyes lit up.

    Vines sprouted from the jerky, running down into the ground and slithering to patch over the holes that Noah¡¯s magic had left behind. Lee¡¯s expression crumpled as she watched her food disintegrate before her eyes. Moxie glanced at her out of the corners of her eyes, then sighed and pulled out a second strip of jerky and held it out.

    Lee blurred in her haste to grab and stuff it into her mouth. Noah didn¡¯t even see her pause to chew. Lee grinned up at Moxie and batted her eyes.

    ¡°For me? Are you sure?¡±

    Moxie burst into laughter. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to ask that before you take something.¡±

    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Confusion passed over Lee¡¯s features. ¡°If I did, you might decide to take it back.¡±

    For a brief moment, it looked like Moxie was actually going to try to explain the idea of politely refusing something. Then she remembered who she was talking to and shook her head. She dug another strip of jerky out of her pocket and handed it to Lee, then ruffled the demon¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Thanks for keeping an eye out on us.¡±

    ¡°I like food,¡± Lee replied.

    ¡°Do you, now?¡± Noah asked, fighting to hold back his own laughter. ¡°I hadn¡¯t figured that bit out yet. One last question ¡ª how¡¯s Yoru doing? Is she up to anything?¡±

    ¡°She and Violet have been sitting in their tent. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re talking.¡±

    ¡°Eh. At least they aren¡¯t killing each other,¡± Noah said. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a small sigh. ¡°Thanks for the updates. I suppose it¡¯s about time to head out and see how things are going myself. After all, I can¡¯t get attacked if I don¡¯t give the demons a target.¡±

    ***

    In Treadon, Zath would have sat on a throne. He had drawn breath back before many of the Walking Cities had emerged from their shells. So many City Lords had fallen at his hand that even his blade had long since forgotten their names. Death followed in his wake and slept within his gaze. In nearly every cursed area beneath the ruddy skies of the Damned Plains, Zath could have been a king.

    But, within the City of Gold, Zath knelt.

    Cold obsidian pressed into his knees and distant wind howled far above him as it fled the enormous room that he had been summoned to. Flickering orange light rolled across the dark, glossy ground from bronze braziers that swayed in the wind. The delicate scent of a rose danced upon the wind, brushing past his nostrils and setting the hair on his back on end. He didn¡¯t dare raise his head. Zath¡¯s gaze remained focused entirely on his hands.

    The pointed claws that had once emerged from his fingertips had been filed smooth and callouses covered his gray skin, each one a mark of practice that had spanned hundreds of years. He had spent his entire life killing.

    But, in the face of Death itself, his achievements amounted to nothing.

    ¡°Zath,¡± a voice said in a tone so gentle that it seemed to envelop Zath in an embrace. ¡°You arrived faster than I anticipated.¡±

    ¡°I came as soon as I heard you had sent for me,¡± Zath said. A massive form shifted, reflected by the firelight in the obsidian before him.

    ¡°Life is so short. There is no reason to rush,¡± the voice said, a faint hint of amusement entering its words. ¡°But, since you have arrived, I will not waste your time. There is something I desire. A Rune. You will retrieve it for me.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I will retrieve it myself¡ª¡±

    ¡°There is no need for that. You will simply arrange for it. There are things in this life that demand your attention more than an insignificant rune. Just arrange for it. I would do it myself, but my weaker subordinates tend not to survive their encounters with me.¡± Disappointment entered the voice and a deep sigh echoed through the chamber.

    ¡°It will be as you command,¡± Zath said. ¡°I will send someone immediately. The rune will be yours before the skies brighten twice, Lord Sievan.¡±

 Chapter 521: Nothing at all

    Wizen was surprised to find that the City of Gold was actually made of gold. He¡¯d been to a number of different, extravagantly named locations in his many years of existence. Not a single one of them had ever actually lived up to their name. That only made sense. Anybody that actually possessed a great amount of riches generally wasn¡¯t keen on summoning the attention of everyone that wanted to take a piece for themselves.

    A wise man would not name a mountain full of gemstones Gemstone Mountain. He would call it Death Mountain and then do his damned best to ensure that it lived up to its name whenever fools came knocking in search of adventure.

    But all the doubt in the world did nothing to tone down the respect Wizen felt as he gazed upon the city. It had been built upon the back of an enormous demon turtle with a white, weather-bleached shell. Towering spires rose so far into the sky above that their peaks disappeared into the dancing swirls of purple and red light that ruled over the Damned Plains.

    Entrance to the city had been remarkably easy. He¡¯d arrived at a golden lift the size of a city block and had barely even spoken a word to the guards before they¡¯d taken what they deemed to be an appropriate amount from the sacrifice that he had prepared and ushered him in. They hadn¡¯t even taken a cut for themselves or otherwise attempted to extort him.

    Wizen highly doubted they had recognized his strength. His powers had been held close to chest, which meant the guards had been vetted and trained to the point where they didn¡¯t seek any excess. That would have been impressive enough in the mortal realm, much less the Damned Plains.

    His interest in the city only grew as he headed down its gold-paved streets. They wound through lines of massive trees of alabaster bark with leaves that sparkled like diamonds and sent swathes of light swirling across the ground in a rustling dance.

    Scores of street vendors lined the sides of the road and gathered beneath the trees, their wares laid out on tarps before them. Not a single one of them hawked or called to the crowds passing through the city. They just sat silently, conversing in a respectful tone with anyone whose eye their wares caught.

    The silence was not limited to the vendors. It seemed that the very city itself was equally as gentle. He could hear no sounds of argument or any clang of machinery. There was only the welcoming rustle of the trees and distant conversation, muted and respectful.

    Despite the silence, Wizen could feel no fear in the air. It was not a quiet borne of terror of some mighty dictator or the threat of an army. The city ¡ª one located in the depths of the Damned Plains, a stone¡¯s throw from the Black Reaches ¡ª seemed to be at peace. Even with the dust of the Wastes hanging in the air, the City of Gold felt clean.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite odd, isn¡¯t it?¡± Barb asked from beside Wizen, adjusting her one-handed grip on the large bag slung over her shoulder.

    The two of them came to a stop near an alleyway at the edge of a bustling market. A vendor selling demon body parts that had been brought in from the Wastes watched them from the small tent he¡¯d set up around himself but made no moves to approach them. Wizen examined the man¡¯s wares for a moment before turning his attention back to Barb.

    ¡°Odd? Yes, I would say so,¡± Wizen agreed in a tone barely any louder than the song of the trees around them. ¡°It is not what I expected.¡±

    ¡°What do you make of it? I didn¡¯t expect to find an oasis like this in the middle of this wretched place.¡±

    Wizen didn¡¯t respond immediately. His gaze traced over the crowds in the market. The conversation here was louder than it had been in the outer streets, but it was still controlled and polite. If he had closed his eyes, the only way he would have known that he stood in a market would have been through the smell of roasted meat that wafted through the air.

    His expression tightened imperceptibly. The City of Gold lived up to its name perfectly. As Barb had said, it held the allure of an oasis in a desert. Its streets were beautiful and well cared for. The demons that lived within it seemed to be content. No haphazard fights or battle cries echoed through the air. It was silent. It was beautiful.

    For a place like this to exist within the Damned Plains should have been impossible. It was too alluring. A ruler with the power to protect a city such as this would have stricken fear into those that lived within it. One that controlled through respect instead of fear would have been destroyed by those that sought to claim the beauty of the city. Wizen couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was missing something vital.

    ¡°I do not have an opinion yet. I suspect that will change in due time,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°Do not allow yourself to grow complacent. We have much to accomplish before we may breathe comfortably.¡±

    ¡°Hard to get complacent when you¡¯ve only got one hand,¡± Barb grumbled. ¡°Do you know how many times I¡¯ve tried to scratch something with something that doesn¡¯t exist?¡±

    ¡°We will find you a replacement in due time,¡± Wizen said. ¡°You must be patient. We have come too far to allow ourselves to deviate from our plans. All of my pieces have been moved into position. Have yours?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Barb said with a curt nod. ¡°They all made it into the city. Do we begin?¡±

    ¡°No. Not yet. Time is on our side and caution serves a far greater purpose than haste. I require more time to properly come to an understanding of what it is we face. The rumors and ancient texts that we have used to take us this far are reaching the end of their usefulness.¡±

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    ¡°Which is a way to say we can relax and take a gander around town to see what this fancy old place has to offer, right?¡± Barb glanced over at the market. ¡°Because I think I saw some real interesting ingredients back there. I¡¯d love to get my hands on a few of them. Who knows when I¡¯ll get another chance.¡±

    ¡°Feel free,¡± Wizen replied with an absent-minded shake of his head. He extended a tendril of intent down the many strands of magic running from his mind and throughout the city around them. Information flooded in like a rushing wave. Wizen was still for several seconds as he processed it, then inclined his head. ¡°You know how to take care of yourself ¡ª and how to find me. I will need more than the army we have gathered, and we lack information. I will rectify the problem.¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t get anyone too high profile too early,¡± Barb said, turning toward the market and hoisting the bag higher on her shoulder. ¡°Who knows what kind of protections the upper rankers have down here.¡±

    The merchant to their side glanced in their direction. He¡¯d probably picked up on a few scraps of their conversation. Wizen didn¡¯t mind. It wasn¡¯t going to matter.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t cause too much trouble,¡± Wizen said.

    Barb just laughed and strode off. Wizen didn¡¯t wait for her to leave before approaching the merchant, who watched him with wary eyes. The demon was a portly sort. His red skin bulged against his shirt, which had probably been a little too tight when he¡¯d bought it several years ago.

    The demon¡¯s gaze lifted to meet Wizen¡¯s. ¡°Can I get something for you, sir?¡±

    ¡°This,¡± Wizen replied, reaching out to touch a severed arm with muscles as thick as his torso. ¡°How much is it?¡±

    ¡°Ten gold,¡± the merchant replied.

    ¡°I will take it,¡± Wizen said.

    The merchant blinked, then nodded. He reached for the arm and Wizen lifted his own hand, sending his fingers brushing across those of the merchant in the process. A spike of mental energy drilled out from him. The demon¡¯s limbs locked up and he stiffened as his mind put up an instant of feeble resistance.

    Then Wizen¡¯s magic crushed the merchant¡¯s mental defenses like a grape. The merchant¡¯s hand dropped to his side and he stared ahead mutely. Wizen prepared to begin questioning the demon when a flutter of movement and hushed words from the alley caught his attention.

    Four demons had surrounded a short, hooded demon and trapped them against a wall. Wizen¡¯s hearing wasn¡¯t good enough to make out their exact words, but it wasn¡¯t hard to tell what was happening.

    Even a place as refined as the City of Gold will have its gutter scum. Thieves, perhaps? That could be useful.

    ¡°Tell me about the City of Gold,¡± Wizen told the merchant in a soft tone, still watching the urchins out of the corner of his eye. ¡°Do not spare any detail. Speak of everything you know. Every rumor, every shadow you have caught from the corner of your eyes. Everything.¡±

    The merchant launched into a speech, but only managed to get through a few words before a pained yelp echoed from the alley. One of the demons had struck the short one in the stomach.

    Another grabbed them by the hood and lifted them into the air. The demon clawed at their throat, trying to keep their own clothes from strangling them.

    ¡°Where is it?¡± one of the demons snarled, speaking loud enough for Wizen to make him out. Another hushed him, but nobody seemed to be paying too much attention to the alley. The demon drove his captive into the wall and pinned them there by the stomach with his free hand.

    As the small demon struggled to free themselves, their hood slipped down to reveal the face of a young, female demon with a head of long, black hair. A jagged scar ran from above her left eye to her right jawbone and her mouth was full of tiny, pointed fangs. She kicked furiously at the larger demon, but her struggles amounted to nothing.

    The demon holding her up said something that Wizen couldn¡¯t make out. His eyes twitched slightly. The demon couldn¡¯t have been older than fifteen, but she looked like¡ª

    One of the demons surrounding the small one pulled a dagger from their side and pointed it at her. The demon took a step closer to bring the knife into range. She bit down on his hand and yanked her head back, sending a spray of blood splattering across her face and the wall behind it.

    ¡°You little shit. I¡¯ve had it with you. If you won¡¯t tell us where it is, then I don¡¯t need you alive,¡± the demon snarled, driving the blade for her neck.

    Wizen¡¯s hand twitched.

    The dagger clattered across the ground. Four bodies followed it down, each carved to dozens of pieces. Curls of gray energy rose from their corpses and surrounded the demon girl, who dropped to the ground without the hand to keep her pinned.

    ¡°Silence,¡± Wizen said, silencing the merchant. ¡°Remain here.¡±

    The girl stared at the newly made corpses in awe. Her gaze flicked up to Wizen as he stepped into the alleyway, his staff marking every other step that he took. The girl scrambled to her feet, but he had already closed the distance between them by the time she had realized what happened. She scooped the dagger off the ground and held it before herself defensively.

    Wizen was silent for several seconds as he examined the girl. His lips pressed thin. The familiarity that he had seen in the girl¡¯s features evaporated like a summer breeze in the dead of winter.

    I was wrong. She doesn¡¯t look like her at all. This is just a demon child, no different than any other. I am becoming an addled fool.

    ¡°D-did you do that? Was that external magic?¡± the girl asked, swallowing heavily. Despite the tremor in her voice, her hands were steady. She¡¯d used a blade before. ¡°I ¡ª I swear. I don¡¯t know where it is.¡±

    Wizen extended a hand toward the bodies. They shuddered, the twirls of gray smoke rising off them thickening into streamers that swirled through the air and into his palm. The corpses disintegrated into smoke, pouring into his body and vanishing.

    The girl swallowed. ¡°I¡­ might know where it is. Don¡¯t turn me into smoke and eat me. I¡¯ll¡­ probably give you indigestion.¡±

    Wizen tilted his head to the side. His arm raised. He did not need witnesses. Especially not ones that reminded him of anything. The young demon stared at him, her back pressed to the wall and the dagger raised before her like a shield. Her gaze met his and read the thoughts in his eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut. Wizen¡¯s hand twitched.

    He turned on his heel and strode from the alley, leaving the girl behind him.

    ¡°Wizen!¡± Barb said from beside the glassy-eyed merchant as he re-emerged. She had a new bag clutched in her hands. ¡°I got some stuff. What were you up to?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°Come on. We have much to accomplish.¡±

    Barb blinked, then shrugged. Wizen snapped his fingers and the merchant stepped away from his wares, following after them as they headed deeper into the City of Gold.

 Chapter 522: Thoughts

    As Noah paced back and forth at the top of a roof overlooking the Web¡¯s camp, he felt pride. Aylin and the others had been doing a wonderful job of starting to bring the rest of Treadon¡¯s underground under their control. More and more demons flowed in and out of the Web¡¯s camp in the market square, delivering reports on the state of the city and what information they could gather.

    The majority of them ended up speaking to Violet, though the ones that she didn¡¯t like got sent directly to Aylin. As it turned out, delivering reports to a Knowledge Demon was generally a slightly less than ideal role to find oneself in. It certainly kept Aylin well fed and growing in strength at a steady rate.

    Time slipped by and hours turned to days. Noah continued to observe his growing ranks, remaining largely hands-off from the entire process. He didn¡¯t have anywhere near the understanding to actually manage running an entire camp of demons. Vrith and Yoru both came in incredible help there.

    Vrith seemed to know exactly what was needed for a gang to function, while Yoru just scared the living hell out of everyone that she looked at. Noah hadn¡¯t even seen her say a word. Even though she was a child, everyone could tell with a single glance that the demon was a monster hiding within a tiny body.

    He still wasn¡¯t sure if Yoru had started getting along better with Violet or not. Neither of them had voiced any more troubles with the other, and they were still sleeping in the same tent at night as far as he knew, so Noah was hopeful that they¡¯d grown to somewhat tolerate each other.

    Rumors of their motions had long since wound their way into Treadon. They didn¡¯t quite have an army, but it wasn¡¯t far from it either. There were a whole lot of demons that had been forgotten by the city and slipped through the cracks. If the average demon in the gangs had been even Rank 3, they would have been quite formidable.

    But that wasn¡¯t what the Web had. Their soldiers were a group of ragtag demons desperate to avoid starvation, with only a few that had managed to make it to Rank 3 ¡ª and of their lot, the majority of them had runes that were so poorly combined that they might as well still have been at Rank 2.

    I can¡¯t complain. They aren¡¯t even here to be cannon fodder. I need them for information. Knowledge about Wizen, the city, everything. My bullshit can only go so far if I don¡¯t have strings to pull to make it look like I¡¯m stronger than I actually am. The more I know about the underbelly of the city and the more blackmail I can get on some of the stronger demons, the better.

    Noah stopped his pacing and sat down at the edge of the roof, one knee pulled up against his chest and his chin rested in his palm. He definitely wasn¡¯t in any lack of information anymore.

    A shadow shifted behind him, but Noah¡¯s domain and tremorsense told him who it was before he even turned around.

    ¡°Spider,¡± Vrith said, her head inclined respectfully. ¡°I have compiled more information for you.¡±

    Noah nodded to the spot beside him. ¡°On with it, then. Anything useful?¡±

    ¡°I think so,¡± Vrith replied. She hesitated a second before making her way over to the edge of the roof and sitting down a few feet away from him. ¡°I believe we¡¯ve found the demon that has been sending assassins for you and Aylin. A giant demon with a gravelly voice isn¡¯t exactly the most unique creature to live in the Damned Plains. But when we only looked at demons more closely affiliated with Lord Belkus and in this general area of the city¡­ well, I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ve got him. It¡¯s a Wealth Demon by the name of Igris. He¡¯s Rank 5. Fairly accomplished, and renowned for his physical strength.¡±

    ¡°I think I can see why he¡¯s chosen to send people after us instead of doing it himself if he¡¯s a Wealth Demon,¡± Noah said with a dry laugh. ¡°Any idea why he started so early? Those first assassins came before we even started stirring too much shit.¡±

    Vrith nodded. ¡°Yeah. I think it¡¯s because of the original demon that ruled this camp ¡ª Golon. He was in pretty deep debt to Igris. We would have found that sooner, but he¡¯d kept it pretty well under wraps.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I see where this is going. Igris stopped getting payments or the like from Golon, so he got pissy and decided to set about getting me and Aylin out of the picture.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my thought process as well. He hasn¡¯t sent anything recently, but nothing we¡¯ve heard about him implies he¡¯s likely to give up easily,¡± Vrith warned. She drummed her fingers against her knees in thought. ¡°I suspect he¡¯s likely going up the ladder. Igris may have realized you¡¯re stronger than expected, especially after the auction.¡±

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    ¡°Are there any rumors of him planning to make a move himself?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but he tends to just have people do things for him. I don¡¯t have any good information about his personal capabilities,¡± Vrith said. ¡°If he actually gets Lord Belkus involved, we¡¯re all dead. Well ¡ª you might be fine. The rest of us won¡¯t stand a chance against a Rank 7.¡±

    Noah nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Which means it may be wise for me to have a chat with him myself before things can go much farther. What a disappointment. I was really hoping someone would come to me, not other way around.¡±

    On the bright side, it seems I¡¯ve found my Rank 5 target. I¡¯m going to have to bring a Mind Meld potion with me when I visit Igris.

    Vrith jerked her head around to look straight at him. ¡°You¡¯re going to take on Igris directly? If he dies, then Lord Belkus may get involved himself. Igris is well connected.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind, but we can¡¯t just sit around and wait for them to act forever. You say Igris is well connected ¡ª but does anybody actually care about him?¡±

    Vrith blinked. Her brow furrowed and her head tilted to the side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m not sure I understand your question.¡±

    ¡°A lot of people are well connected,¡± Noah replied. He leaned back on his hands and looked up at the twisting smoke swirling through the sky above them. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some demons in the Web talking about who you used to be. Vroth¡¯s Executioner. They would argue that you were well connected. They would argue that Vroth was too ¡ª but did anybody act when he died?¡±

    There was a long pause. Then, almost reluctantly, Vrith shook her head. ¡°No. None of his allies made any move to back him up, but that was because Lee was too powerful. Nobody is foolish enough to challenge her ¡ª or you.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Noah said. ¡°That¡¯s the difference. Some connections only work when you¡¯ve got the strength to enforce them. Fear doesn¡¯t do shit when they aren¡¯t scared of you anymore, and it¡¯s real hard to be scary when you¡¯re dead.¡±

    A thoughtful expression passed over Vrith¡¯s features. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be impudent¡­ but is there an alternative? Power always bears fear.¡±

    ¡°You fear me,¡± Noah said. It wasn¡¯t a question.

    ¡°Only a fool wouldn¡¯t. You could kill me with little more than a flick of your hand. And even that might be too much effort. My death could be a mere word from your lips to Lee or Moxie. I am aware of my power and the limits of my freedom.¡±

    ¡°And Aylin?¡± Noah asked. ¡°He has grown strong as well. All the knowledge he¡¯s consumed, in addition to my own meddling¡­ he is far more than a mere Rank 3. He could kill you as well.¡±

    Vrith started. Surprise flashed through her eyes. A small grin pulled across Noah¡¯s features, though Vrith couldn¡¯t see it because of his face wrappings.

    ¡°He most likely could,¡± Vrith admitted. Her brow furrowed and she leaned forward, bracing her elbows against her knees as she looked down at the camp below. ¡°I did not consider that properly. Perhaps my thoughts still recall him as the weak demon that I first met.¡±

    ¡°I highly doubt it.¡±

    Vrith glanced at Noah. ¡°Then you have lost me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not stupid. You know strength, and you¡¯re aware that Aylin is more than powerful enough to kill you if he wanted to ¡ª but he doesn¡¯t want to. He cares about you. Just like he cares about Violet and Edda and Torrick.¡±

    Well, perhaps not exactly like them.

    Vrith shifted position, the confusion in her features growing stronger. ¡°I¡­ forgive me. I still don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°Aylin trusts you,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°And you trust Aylin. You don¡¯t fear him because you know that he wouldn¡¯t hurt you and you have no desire to hurt him. There is no reason for fear to be present in a relationship like that. And, because of that, if Aylin were in a situation where he needed help, I suspect you would help him. Even if it were likely that he would fall and you would gain some modicum of power as a result of it. That is the difference between being cared for and being feared.¡±

    Vrith blinked, and Noah pushed himself to his feet and stretched his arms over his head before shaking them out. It looked like the time for waiting really was over. That was just fine ¡ª he¡¯d been starting to get a bit antsy.

    ¡°You mean to say that people will only care about Igris while he still lives, and if you provide sufficient compensation or an alternative path, Belkus will not care when you kill him?¡± Vrith asked, rising beside Noah.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Noah said with a nod. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll have to find out.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Vrith said softly. She examined the palms of her hands, then rubbed them off on her dark clothes. ¡°I¡­ it seems you know more of my thoughts than I do.¡±

    Something told Noah she wasn¡¯t thinking about Igris. His smile quirked slightly larger before he got a hold of his expression again.

    ¡°You start to figure things out when you get old enough. There¡¯s a lot of power to be found in others, but not always the kind that helps you fight.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to find that one out yourself,¡± Noah replied with a chuckle. ¡°Now, go let Aylin know that I¡¯m trusting him to keep the camp under control. I suspect the city might be getting a little more exciting quite soon.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Vrith said. ¡°When?¡±

    Noah smiled, and this time he made no move to keep the motion from showing even through the bandages covering his face. ¡°Immediately.¡±

 Chapter 523: Breaking In & Announcement

    Noah set out from camp together with Moxie, and the two of them proceeded to promptly get themselves lost.

    They really should have expected it. Neither of them had spent all that much time traveling around in Treadon on their own. Sure, Vrith had given Noah directions to Igris¡¯ mansion, but a guide probably would have been a considerably smarter choice.

    Noah and Moxie came to a stop at a large crossroads about an hour after setting out from camp. Despite the slightly unfortunate situation they found themselves in, Noah couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.

    He hadn¡¯t ever stopped to actually think about the fact that Treadon wasn¡¯t just a bunch of buildings on the back of a huge turtle. It was a city. Metal carts clanged against the cobbled road as they bounced down the streets, dragged by demons, monsters, and occasionally, both.

    Large piles of leather-wrapped goods swayed on the backs of demons as they strode across the street in large hordes, only stopping to avoid running straight into each other. The smells of a city ¡ª both the good and the bad ¡ª intermingled in a remarkably displeasing manner as they entered his nostrils. A mixture of sweat, metal, oil, and a smattering of foods that could be placed somewhere between oily and greasy.

    ¡°You know, I never actually thought they had cars down here,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Car?¡± Moxie repeated, her brow furrowing beneath the face wrappings she¡¯d donned for their impromptu mission. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Carts,¡± Noah corrected. ¡°Car is something else. Let some old vocabulary slip through. You know, it¡¯s kind of interesting. I never actually properly learned the language we¡¯re speaking. Well, that¡¯s not to say I don¡¯t know it. I know it ¡ª I just don¡¯t know how.¡±

    That gave him a moment of pause. He couldn¡¯t remember how he¡¯d learned English either. He just¡­ had. Noah¡¯s brow furrowed. That was a deeply confusing thought. He¡¯d obviously been taught it at some point, but was that really functionally any different from the way he¡¯d just stolen the knowledge of Vermil¡¯s language straight from his¡ª

    ¡°Noah?¡± Moxie¡¯s voice held just enough iron in it to catch his attention.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m as thrilled with hearing you think as I always am, but perhaps this isn¡¯t the time?¡± Moxie suggested gently. ¡°I think we may have been slightly waylaid. I¡¯m pretty sure our good friend was situated in an affluent noble area.¡±

    Noah glanced around the market square. Tall, two and three story buildings of rickety, reddish stone rose all around them. They were supported by thick beams of metal that ran through the sky overhead, connecting many of the buildings together, and jutted up from the ground at odd angles.

    Treadon definitely hadn¡¯t hired a particularly competent city-planner. It really looked like someone had let a kid loose in a playground full of wet sand armed with a giant box of metal skewers. The area they stood in was many things, but rich and affluent were definitely neither of them.

    ¡°There may be a slight chance I missed a turn or ten,¡± Noah allowed. He scratched the back of his neck and scanned over the surrounding buildings in search of anything that could situate them.

    Most of the buildings were nondescript. There were a few scattered locations that resembled restaurants ¡ª not that Noah had any plans of ever eating in a demon restaurant. He didn¡¯t trust the idea of that farther than he could throw it. They definitely didn¡¯t have food safety laws.

    Beyond those, he spotted a smattering of assorted stores that were devoid of any customers and, for some reason, a massage parlor at the far side of the street. Noah nearly headed straight into it purely out of curiosity as to what a demon massage parlor might hold before he stopped himself mid-step.

    Moxie followed his gaze and arched an eyebrow. ¡°Wow. You are really distracted today.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to know what goes on in there.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª okay, I totally do, but I think I can take an educated guess,¡± Moxie said dryly. ¡°And don¡¯t even think about going in there without me if you can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Well, you ask for directions, then. I admit it. I¡¯m bloody lost, and I don¡¯t think whipping out my flying sword here is a good way to avoid any excess attention.¡±

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    Moxie tilted her head to the side. Then she shrugged. ¡°Okay. Massage parlor it is.¡±

    ¡°You were totally judging me for planning on going in there before.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but this time it was my idea.¡± Moxie¡¯s eyes sparkled in amusement as she started across the street. ¡°It¡¯s all about perspective.¡±

    ***

    About forty minutes later, Noah and Moxie found themselves in an alley across from a marble-paved street. Tall mansions rose before them, their entrances barred by beautiful metal gates.  There was almost no foot traffic in the area, and Noah was stunned to spot several trees dotting the streets.

    Noah wordlessly flicked a gold coin over to a middle-aged demon woman sporting a bob haircut. She snagged it from the air and gave them an appreciative bow before scurrying into the alleyways.

    Noah rolled his shoulders and let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°That was great.¡±

    ¡°Who would have thought they know the city so well,¡± Moxie agreed, turning to watch their masseuse disappear back down the street before returning her attention to Noah. ¡°I¡¯m glad you tipped her. She deserved it. I¡¯ve never felt more limber in my life. Demons really know how to work the pain out of your muscles. And your ligaments. And your bones. Lee would have loved that place.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just glad you warned me about what might happen after,¡± Noah said with a shudder. ¡°I swear they were trying to beat the pain out of me. I may not have survived if I¡¯d accepted the extended massage offer.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we can bring Igris for a visit once we¡¯re all wrapped up with him.¡±

    Noah¡¯s smile darkened beneath his face wrappings. He craned his neck back to look up at the three-story mansion rising before them. It matched Vrith¡¯s description perfectly. ¡°Somehow, I suspect that he might not be in the mood for it.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunate,¡± Moxie said. She rolled her neck, then stretched her hands out before her. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with already. I was in the mood to break something before we set off, but now I¡¯m just kind of sleepy. Can we rest when we get back to the camp?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for something,¡± Noah promised. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get to the gritty bit. How exactly do we want to go about this? Normally, I¡¯d just bust in there and start killing things. I left my stuff with Lee, by the way, so don¡¯t worry if I get myself killed. Occupational hazard.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s save that option for last, shall we? The way you worded that sentence makes me think you have another idea.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. I was just kind of leaving it open ended in case you did and wanted to suggest something. If not, I¡¯m breaking in and wandering around until I find our big friend.¡±

    Moxie rubbed the bridge of her nose and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯d fault that if it wasn¡¯t so damn effective. You haven¡¯t forgotten how strong he is, have you? Things could go quite poorly if you underestimate his powers. This guy could be as strong as Azel.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m more than aware.¡± The jovial tone slipped away from Noah¡¯s words as he grew serious. ¡°But I¡¯m not as weak as I was back when Azel was lurking around us. A lot has changed. The biggest concern I have is that I need this guy alive and we¡¯re breaking into his house. I could get bothered by a bunch of idiots while I¡¯m trying to work.¡±

    Moxie nodded slowly. ¡°What do you think the chances are that there¡¯s anyone else in that building that¡¯s either a Rank 5 or innocent?¡±

    ¡°Rank 5, maybe. It would be dumb to assume there aren¡¯t other powerful opponents. That¡¯s just asking to get screwed over. But innocent? I suspect none. To be completely honest with you, unless I have a very explicit reason to believe someone is innocent or avoiding a fight, I won¡¯t be taking the risk. Not when your life is involved.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°Getting romantic before a mission is not helping me concentrate.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to be romantic.¡±

    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why it was.¡± Moxie shook her head and let out a huff of air before reaching into her clothes and pulling out a small seed. She rolled it between her fingers, then raised her eyes to the mansion. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the rest of the house. I¡¯ve been working on something. Just don¡¯t let your domain fall, or I might get you with it as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh? What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d tell you if I knew, but I haven¡¯t exactly figured out the extent of what it does yet,¡± Moxie said, coughing into her fist. ¡°It¡¯ll do something, though. At the very least it¡¯ll buy you some time. How long will you need to deal with Igris?¡±

    ¡°At least 30 minutes. Probably 40 if you can manage it? I¡¯ll have to find the prick and beat the life out of him before I can force him to drink a Mind Meld.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll buy you 40 minutes. I can do it from down here if everything goes to plan. And I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be hard for you to find Igris. This guy is linked to the ruler of Treadon, which means he¡¯s just another government Wastelicker. Just start from the top of the building and look for the fanciest room.¡±

    ¡°Picking up some new lingo, huh?¡±

    Moxie¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Get moving, Spider.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡± Noah chuckled, then sent her a serious look. ¡°But Moxie? If things go wrong ¡ª get out.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Moxie promised. ¡°Just make sure you let me know if they do.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I will,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°How?¡±

    His smile returned and he set his flying sword on the ground, stepping onto it. The weapon hummed to life and he lifted into the air.

    ¡°By breaking something really big.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes focused on a window at the top of the building. Noah had no doubt that the demon had some form of protection, but he strongly suspected that nobody had ever tried breaking in by flying straight through the uppermost window.

    I think it¡¯s about time we change that.

 Chapter 524: Drink this

    Noah gave Moxie a moment to prepare her mystery magic while he took a brief instant to scan the street from upon his flying sword. There weren¡¯t any guards or passersby on the road. A number of demons passed beyond the windows in some of the mansions, but nobody was paying the street any attention.

    It would only be a matter of time until they were. Noah had absolutely no delusions that he¡¯d ever be able to break into a mansion in the middle of a street full of other wealthy demons, break some shit, and get out without summoning some form of defensive force.

    The real question is going to be just how extensive that force is and how quickly they show up. Fights aren¡¯t forbidden in demon cities. It¡¯s just a matter of strength. If I¡¯m not bothering the other mansions, will they even try to send for help? There¡¯s a chance Igris has allies that will¡­ but something tells me any allies that Igris has aren¡¯t going to be the ones willing to risk their own necks if things are going poorly for him.

    Oh well. Moxie won¡¯t be in the house and I¡¯ll be making more than enough distraction for the both of us. Only way to find out what happens is to try.

    ¡°Just about ready?¡± Noah asked Moxie, who was hunched over the seed in her palms with a look of intense concentration knitting her features even behind the face wrappings.

    She glanced up at him and nodded. ¡°Yes. As soon as you do your thing, I¡¯m just going to leave this by the door and then manage things from the alley. I¡¯m getting out of here the moment any backup shows up.¡±

    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll see you back at the camp.¡±

    Noah leaned forward and sent a flicker of energy down through his feet. The flying sword jerked into motion and he zipped into the air, heading straight for the uppermost window of the house. It wasn¡¯t a long flight. As soon as he was nearing it, Noah pulled his power from the sword and drew on Crumbling Space.

    Chilly power raced through his arm and into his fingertips as he sailed through the air. He released the magic stored within his hand moments before he collided with the window. White cracks raced out and passed clean through the glass as if it wasn¡¯t even there.

    An instant later, it collapsed with a loud crack. Noah¡¯s fist struck the window as it shattered in a rain of shards. He tumbled through them and into the top room of the building.

    Small pieces of glass cut into his clothes and left thin lines along his skin as he hit the ground in a roll and launched to his feet, extending his domain and his tremorsenses instantly. The room he¡¯d arrived in looked to be a study, with a small desk and a plush red chair. A plate of fruit was set on the desk.

    The room was empty, but Noah could feel movement all throughout the house beneath him. He took a moment to process the information. There were around fifteen people in the mansion, which was less than he was expecting. Of those fifteen people, there was a single form in a room on the floor below that was nearly twice his height. None of the others compared.

    Even though Noah couldn¡¯t make out any details and his domain wasn¡¯t quite in range of them, it wasn¡¯t hard to determine who it was. A grin tugged at his lips. Noah grabbed a bulging purple fruit from the table and strode out of the door.

    An average-sized demon prickled against his senses as they raced around the corner of a long, carpeted hall in his direction. Noah lifted a hand, releasing a powerful blast of wind before the demon had even stepped into his line of sight.

    A middle-aged demon with a single large horn protruding straight from the top of his head like a flagpole emerged just in time to catch Noah¡¯s magic straight to his face. It lifted him off his feet and slammed the demon into the wall behind him.

    By the time he dropped back to his feet, Noah had already closed the distance between them. His palm crashed into the man¡¯s forehead and drove it back into the wall with far more strength than he¡¯d been planning on using.

    The demon crumpled, unconscious. Noah paused for a moment as he stared at the limp body before him. He was pretty sure the demon wasn¡¯t dead, but he¡¯d never hit anything that hard without empowering himself with magic.

    Is it the Fragment of Self empowering me? No time to worry about it now. Bigger shit to fight.

    Igris had definitely heard the noise. His form had started moving. It didn¡¯t seem that he was particularly concerned with anything yet, but it would only be a matter of time ¡ª and if he left his room, everything would get a fair bit harder. He needed to contain this as much as possible.

    Noah sprinted down the hall and into an empty room directly above his target. He took a moment to draw on his power. Demon mansions were sturdily built. He was going to need to break through a whole lot of solid material. Then, his large fruit still held in his free hand, he drove a foot into the ground and unleashed Warped Matter.

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    Magic carved through the floor like it was a juicy watermelon. Streaks of gray cubelike energy chewed through everything in their path, leaving a thick dent in their wake. His power only managed to spread a few feet before it ran out of energy, but that was more than enough. Noah drove his foot into the weakened stone.

    It shattered and he dropped, falling amidst a rain of dust and rubble to the floor far below. Noah crashed down directly on top of a desk, sending a glass of wine tumbling off. It crashed onto a ground covered with golden coins and shattered.

    Noah¡¯s eyes were already locked on exactly where he knew Igris to be. A large demon with four arms and bright blue skin stood at the far end of the room, his hand an inch from the door. He wore long, luxurious black robes trimmed with golden designs. Two massive daggers hung on each side of his belt. They were similarly designed, with black sheaths and golden designs along their surface.

    The demon was enormous. Even though the room was easily three times taller than an average one, Igris still took up a considerable amount of it. Noah had to crane his neck back just to look into his target¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Igris asked, hands flying to the blades and drawing them without a second of hesitation. Gold grated beneath his feet as he shifted his stance. Igris may have been surprised, but he wasn¡¯t caught off guard.

    Have to give it to demons. Being in a constant state of fighting definitely helps you look less stupid when you get ambushed.

    Noah tilted his head to the side. He lifted the fruit he¡¯d stolen to his mouth and pulled a cloth wrapping out of the way to take a bite out of it. His nose wrinkled in distaste. It was far too sweet and juicy, like someone had poured sugar water into a bag. He tossed the fruit over his shoulder and it splattered against an expensive-looking painting of a demon behind him, streaking down their face before squelching to the floor.

    ¡°I¡¯m offended,¡± Noah said, his voice as cold as ice. ¡°You spent so much effort trying to get my attention, but you don¡¯t even give me the good courtesy to recognize me when I show up to your summons?¡±

    The desk cracked. Noah twitched back so quickly that he barely even realized that he¡¯d moved until it was over. A golden spike erupted from the ground, carving through the bottom of the desk and up through the air where he¡¯d been standing.

    Noah twitched again, moving his head just far enough to the side to avoid being impaled by another spike of gold that shot up from the ground. It passed so close to his skin that it could have given him a tight shave, but still didn¡¯t manage to leave so much as a scratch.

    ¡°Spider,¡± Igris growled.

    ¡°You¡¯re normally supposed to say that before you try to kill me,¡± Noah said.

    Igris sneered at him. Gold exploded into the air around the huge demon as he leapt at Noah. He plunged all four of his daggers down in a different direction, each one aiming at its own target.

    Noah blurred. Every single portion of his body moved exactly to his desires, down to the faintest twitches. A blade sliced past the tip of his nose. Another one carved by his shoulder as he twisted, rotating to let a third brush along his back. The fourth bit nothing but air as it barely passed by where his neck had been.

    He slammed his palm into Igris¡¯ chest and he unleashed Natural Disaster, sending a bolt of lighting into his body at point blank. A loud crack ripped through the air and Igris tumbled back, sliding across the gold and slamming into a wall. Smoke curled from a charred spot on his chest. Igris clutched the wound, his lips pulled fully back to reveal two rows of golden fangs.

    ¡°Who sent you?¡± Igris demanded.

    ¡°Nobody sent me,¡± Noah replied. He flicked his hand forward and wind screamed past him, forming into a thick column of white blades. Igris dove to the side, avoiding the magic as it cut clean through the wall behind him and demolished a table in the room beyond. ¡°I am here because you dared to call me.¡±

    The huge demon rose back to his feet. Despite his size, he was fast. He could also use external magic. This was no weak opponent ¡ª but Noah had never felt better in his life. He was practically thrumming with energy.

    ¡°You dared to interfere in my business. The only thing you have come here to do is die,¡± Igris growled. Gold burst up around Noah, swirling like glistening water, and collapsed on him from all directions.

    Noah drew on Natural Disaster once more, forcing its power out in every direction. A howling gale enveloped his body and blew outward, throwing Igris¡¯ magic back and sending gold clattering against the walls. The large demon may have been a Rank 5, but his external magic wasn¡¯t all that impressive.

    Definitely weaker than Azel ¡ª or he¡¯s focused in a different area.

    ¡°Do you know how many times I¡¯ve heard some variation of that line?¡± Noah asked. Lightning crackled between his fingertips and he lifted his hand. ¡°And do you know how many of the people that have asked me that are still alive?¡±

    Igris flung one of his daggers at Noah. It streaked through the air in a black blur. There was no doubt in Noah¡¯s mind that it was moving far faster than any normal human ever could have hoped to avoid under their own powers.

    He stepped right past it. The blade slammed into the wall behind him and thrummed, vibrating to a standstill, buried in the stone.

    ¡°Was that wise?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Now you only have three.¡±

    Igris snarled at him. The huge demon took a step forward. Then a wave of gold erupted in front of him and he spun, sprinting for safety. He crossed the distance between himself and the exit in a flash, flinging the door open ¡ª

    A massive vine covered with beautiful white flowers filled the entire hallway. Thick thorns jutted off it, dripping with purple liquid. Igris skidded to a halt an instant before he impaled himself upon it the vine. He spun back to Noah, who did his best not to look equally as surprised.

    Goddamn, Moxie. When you said you could handle something, I did not quite realize the scale at which we were speaking.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Igris snarled. ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡±

    Noah reached up to the wrappings covering his face and pulled them down to reveal his smile. He dipped the fingers of his other hand into a pocket, pulling out a Mind Meld potion.

    ¡°You know who I am, Igris. We¡¯ve already covered this. You tried so hard to get my attention, and now you have it,¡± Noah said softly. He lifted the potion and the blood ran from Igris¡¯ face. Noah¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°And now, you¡¯re going to drink this for me.¡±

 Chapter 525: Who Sent You?

    Disgust twisted Igris¡¯ features into a rictus snarl and he pointed his three remaining daggers at Noah, looking down the bridge of his nose at him with complete and utter contempt.

    ¡°Vile, arrogant creature. You are even more disgusting than I thought. I am going to make you suffer,¡± the huge demon snarled. Muscle rippled along his body and dull yellow light lit behind his eyes. The daggers in his hands trembled, joined by a rattle as every coin in the room started to tremble. Golden rivers twisted up Igris¡¯ legs and rolled over his body like molten slag flowing in reverse. Coins bubbled like boiling water as beams of molten light broke out from beneath them, rays of sunlight breaking from behind the clouds before they vanished once again.

    ¡°That¡¯s cute,¡± Noah said, tilting his head to the side as a scythe of gold carved through the air where it had been, just barely missing its mark. ¡°But are you really sure that¡¯s wise?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to break you,¡± Igris promised. He thrust his hands forward and the gold before him erupted up in a pillar. The shape of a massive blade took form within it, thick and unwieldy, with large jutting pieces of gold sticking off it like haphazard icicles. Igris discarded his daggers and lifted the chunk of metal into the air with a roar.

    Noah drank power from Natural Disaster and watched the demon impassively. If it hadn¡¯t been apparent that Igris was no warrior before, it definitely was now. The display might have been impressive if it hadn¡¯t taken multiple seconds.

    In the time Igris had spent dragging all the gold over to himself and forming the shoddy, glowing armor, Noah could have closed the distance between them and killed the big demon with a single call of Sunder or the Fragment of Renewal¡¯s inverse. There was only one reason the fight hadn¡¯t already ended. Noah needed his opponent alive.

    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be edgy when I say you¡¯re wasting my time,¡± Noah said, scratching at the side of his neck. He continued to draw energy from Natural Disaster as he spoke, straining the rune to its absolute limits. Igris was still a Rank 5 demon. Underestimating him would be a poor idea.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one standing around doing nothing,¡± Igris replied from beneath the shifting layers of his armor. He took a step back and lifted his weapon, aiming it for Noah¡¯s neck. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy ripping you in half and selling your body to Lord Belkus. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be interested to hear more about the person that¡¯s been trying to steal the underground from him.¡±

    ¡°You really think that, don¡¯t you?¡± Noah asked, shaking his head and sliding the potion back into his pocket. He clasped his hands together. Power prickled against the inside of his skin and trembled in anticipation. ¡°Why do you think I just stood here and waited, Igris?¡±

    ¡°Because you are a coward who uses others to do your bidding! You thought I could be intimidated, but I am far greater than the scum that you pride yourself in lording over. Soon, you will envy them.¡± Igris replied with a cold laugh.

    He lurched forward, a massive gold-clad foot slamming into the ground and propelling him toward Noah. Igris let out a roar of fury as he reared back, bringing the huge chunk of metal that moonlighted as a sword in his hands down for Noah¡¯s neck.

    ¡°That¡¯s the wrong answer, Igris.¡± Noah stepped to the side, arcing his body to let the huge blade scream past him harmlessly. It struck the ground and gouged through the stone with an ear-rending screech. Fragments of gold skittered up and flashed past Noah. To his improved reaction speed, they almost seemed to move in slow motion. Not a single fragment struck him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a quick science lesson,¡± Noah said as he lifted his hands. Igrus ripped the sword free from the ground and swung it at his head, but he crouched under the swing. The wind in its wake made his face-wrappings whip, but the second strike came nowhere closer to striking him than the first did. ¡°Did you know one of the best properties of gold?¡±

    ¡°Enough of your yammering!¡± Igris screamed, whipping an elbow for Noah¡¯s forehead. He slipped past the strike. The heavy armor covering the demon had slowed him even further, and avoiding his strikes was a trivial matter. It only took the smallest twitch of his muscles to let it slip past his head harmlessly. Igris let out a frustrated roar as yet another attack just barely scraped past Noah. He hoisted the huge sword and grabbed its hilt with both hands heaving it straight down at Noah¡¯s head.

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    ¡°That¡¯s not an answer. You¡¯re going to fail my class at this rate, but I suppose some students need things spelled out for them.¡± Noah turned his body parallel to the blade, leaving just enough space for the spikes jutting from it to pass by him harmlessly. It slammed into the stone, burying itself several feet into it. Golden spikes snapped off and clattered across the floor amidst a shower of sparks.

    ¡°Be silent!¡± Igris roared. ¡°Stand and fight, you coward!¡±

    ¡°Question 1,¡± Noah replied, his tone completely flat. ¡°I asked why I would stand around and wait while you summoned your armor.¡±

    Igris abandoned his sword in the ground and swung a fist with a furious roar. He sidestepped the blow, then drove his palm up into the demon¡¯s elbow. A powerful wave of vibration raced out from him and into the golden armor.

    The power carried straight through the gold and into Igris. Several muted snaps echoed out from within the armor as Igris¡¯ arm shattered under the intensity of the magical attack. The Rank 5 Demon cried out in pain and stumbled, unable to stand under the fury of the tremors tearing through his body. He crashed down to one knee. Stone cracked beneath his knee and he reeled, nearly falling to his face before he caught himself.

    ¡°I waited because I needed to break you,¡± Noah whispered. ¡°And as for question 2¡ª do you know what makes gold special?¡±

    Igris lurched into motion, extending his arms in either direction. He lunged for Noah in an attempt to tackle him. Noah stepped forward and ducked to let the demon¡¯s arm sail overhead harmlessly. He drank from Natural Disaster and pressed his hands together. Energy raced down his arms and filled his body to the brim, gathering at his palms. Magic started to slip free of his body on its own volition. Arcs of electricity danced along his palms and filled the air with the song of buzzing bees. Noah rose behind Igris. The demon started to turn, but not nearly fast enough.

    ¡°Gold is a fantastic electrical conductor,¡± Noah said. He pressed his hands to the demon¡¯s back and unleashed the full might of Natural Disaster.

    An ocean of energy poured from him and into Igris in a deluge of power. Brilliant yellow light lit the room and the inside of his armor lit up like a Christmas tree. Something between a crackle and a roar shook the air, as Igris screamed in agony.

    Thick veins of arcing electricity crawled out of the demon¡¯s heavy armor and carved lines across the floor as they sought their freedom. Cracks split the thick gold and warped clumps of coins crumbled away amidst the storm of electricity as the fingers of lightning reached farther across the room.

    Noah didn¡¯t let up on his energy. He continued to draw from Natural Disaster and send every scrap of power it could manage into Igris. The Rank 5 Demon¡¯s screams were indecipherable over the roar of energy pouring out of his body. Burnt patches spread across the gold covering him like moss. The armor peeled away in large swathes, crashing to the ground. The pieces covering Igris¡¯ face split down the center and fell to either side of him. His eyes burned like twin suns behind them and lightning licked from within his mouth like the breath of a dragon. His mouth was locked open, fingers twitched desperately in seek of an escape that would not come. The sizzle of burning flesh filled the air and thick black smoke twisted around them.

    Noah finally released the magic and drove his foot into the lower part of Igris¡¯ chest. The huge demon pitched back, the light behind his eyes fluttering as the final sparks of electricity slipped free of his body, and he crashed to the ground with a resounding boom that echoed through the destroyed room around them. Noah stepped through the thick cloud of rancid smoke and onto Igris¡¯ chest.

    The huge demon wheezed in agony. He¡¯d taken the full brunt of the attack and still somehow managed to survive ¡ª but survival was a relative term. Enormous portions of his body had been charred pitch black and gold had melted into his flesh in forked patterns like a mad sculptor had used his body as a grotesque canvas.

    ¡°Who¡­ sent you?¡± Igris rasped, hacking up phlegm and blood.

    Noah reached into his pocket and pulled the Mind Meld potion free, popping off the top seal and lifting it over Igris¡¯ face. He sent another river of electricity coursing through his foot and into Igris¡¯ chest. The demon¡¯s scream turned to a sputtering cough as Noah poured the potion into his mouth.

    ¡°You did,¡± Noah replied. Noah popped the second half of the seal off and drained the rest of the potion himself. He looked down at the fallen demon and pulled the wrappings back over his face as a familiar dizziness washed over him. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you shortly, Igris.¡±

    Then the world went black.

 Chapter 526: The Truth

    Noah¡¯s eyes snapped open to find a sea of gold stretching beneath his feet. It was like a dragon¡¯s wet dream. Mountains of riches rolled on all around him. Ruby studded crowns and diamond encrusted goblets were strewn across the ground like trash. Warm golden light shone down on the sea of wealth, making it glisten like the ocean.

    Three large Demon Runes were nestled within the biggest piles. They were so heavily covered that Noah wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand what they said even if he understood how to read demonic. The pressure rolling from them was exactly what Noah had expected. They were all Rank 5 Runes, but they weren¡¯t well formed.

    These things are nowhere near perfect, much less flawless. I suppose that fits for some idiot that hires shitty assassins instead of trying to do the job himself. God, I¡¯m almost insulted by how incompetent they were.

    ¡°You were a fool to come here,¡± Igris said, his voice coming from behind Noah and laden with hatred. ¡°I¡¯m going to rip your loin out and shove it down your throat until the effects of this potion end.¡±

    He turned to find the demon towering over him. Igris stood at the top of a pile of gold, two enormous blades in each of his hands. There was no sneer on his face anymore. The demon was deadly serious.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side as he extended his senses into the demon¡¯s mind. ¡°And why do you have to make it weird? Couldn¡¯t you have chosen a different body part?¡±

    ¡°You may have won the fight in the outer world, but this is my mind, not yours,¡± Igris spat. The pile of wealth at his feet him trembled and rose into the air behind him, forming into an enormous tsunami cast in gold. ¡°I will crush you, wretch. Your arrogance has cost you the fight.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lecture me about arrogance when you decide to gloat instead of trying to take advantage of a surprise attack.,¡± Noah said with a snort. He waved at the runes buried behind him. ¡°Now tell me, which of these runes is your core rune?¡±

    Igis swept his swords down with a scream. The wave of gold roared forward and pressure bore down on Noah. The sky was swallowed by a shimmering tsunami. His head tilted to the side. A soul was pressure. There was nothing else within it. That was why people could practice magic-infused patterns safely within their mind. It was just testing pressure and functionally simulating the results. And, in a fight where runic pressure was the determining factor, Noah was rarely the one at a disadvantage. He looked up at the gold as it crashed down toward him.

    Then he released the full weight of his soul. A shockwave of pressure erupted from Noah like a bomb had gone off in the center of the golden sea.

    The wave shattered. Igris stumbled back as the swords in his hands evaporated. His head tilted back. His mouth dropped open. Horror played across his features and his eyes widened in disbelief. A black spear dropped from the heavens, carving through the light itself. It tore through the air before crashing down in the ground directly before Noah in a spray of coins. White cracks exploded out from where the spear had landed and Igris let out a wheeze of pain.

    ¡°How?¡± Igris said in a gasping cough. ¡°How is this possible? This is my soul. You cannot¡ª¡±

    ¡°You are weak,¡± Noah said. He reached out and grabbed the hilt of the spear. Power pulsed within it like a heartbeat. Noah had never tried manifesting Sunder¡¯s power like this before. He wasn¡¯t even sure if such a thing was possible in the real world ¡ª but they were in a mindspace. The rules here were different. Magic was just pressure. Everything else was just the way they viewed it.

    He ripped the spear free of the ground. Igris screamed again, dropping to his knees and sliding down the hill he stood on as the coins gave way. Noah strode over to the first of the first of the three Rank 5 Runes.

    It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t steal these, but I¡¯d be an idiot to take a Demon Rune into my soul right now. Not until I figure out how they work.

    Noah reared back and drove the spear into the rune. Igris¡¯ scream turned to a strangled gasp of pain. He clutched at his throat. White cracks split even more of his soul as Noah ripped the spear free and Rank 4 Runes spiraled out into the air amidst a burst of misty power. It buffeted his face as he turned and strode toward the second of Igris¡¯ runes.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Igris demanded desperately. He struggled to rise, but the strength had evaporated from his limbs. The demon¡¯s feet failed to find purchase in the sea of shifting gold. ¡°How¡ª¡±

    Noah drove the spear into the ground at his feet, sending a spiderweb of cracks racing across the demon¡¯s soul. Igris screamed again.

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    ¡°I only need one Rune to work with, but we can leave you with a spare in case I break something,¡± Noah said as he came to a stop before the rune.

    Igris managed to force himself to his feet. He drew in ragged, pained gasps as he took an unsteady step forward. His face was pale. His skin was pallid, his eyes sunken. His enormous form no longer held any of the might that it once had.

    Noah glanced in his direction. His eyes narrowed. ¡°Stay over there. I don¡¯t need to deal with you while I¡¯m working.¡±

    He focused the pressure from his soul, sending it driving down onto Igris without restraint. The demon let out a scream of defiance as he tried to resist, but it was fruitless. Noah¡¯s soul bore down on his and slammed the blue-skinned demon to all fours. For a moment, Igris managed to remain there. His arms trembled in fury. Golden coins rattled around him as he tried to muster the strength to push back.

    It wasn¡¯t enough. Igris crumpled, driven face-first into the ground of his soul. His limbs sprawled in every direction. He couldn¡¯t muster the strength to so much as move as single muscle. Igris¡¯s breath rattled as he fought to draw in a breath with his compressed lungs. The white cracks running throughout his soul started to spread. Noah turned his attention back to the rune.

    He¡¯ll live. You can¡¯t suffocate to death in your own soul. I¡¯m just grinding him to paste a bit with my soul. Soul damage isn¡¯t fatal. Not immediately, at least.

    ¡°Now then,¡± Noah breathed, extending a hand to the buried Demon Rune. ¡°Let¡¯s see what I can glean from you, shall we?¡±

    ***

    For the next twenty five or so minutes, Noah used Igris¡¯ soul as a sounding board for every single theory and idea he had with regard to Demon Runes. He committed every line of both remaining runes design to memory. Even though he didn¡¯t know exactly what they did in their current states, he knew that Igris feasted on greed ¡ª and in the end, he didn¡¯t really care what the runes could do. He only cared about what he could do to them. Noah sought to glean every single scrap of information that he could from the Demon Runes. The tests he put them through were numerous, and absolutely nothing he ever would have subjected Lee or any of the demons that he cared about to, but that courtesy was not extended to Igris.

    And, once Noah had finished testing every last scrap of information that he could, he carved both Runes apart piece by piece. He split the Rank 4s into Rank 3s. The Rank 3s into Rank 2s, and the Rank 2s into Rank 1. Every time, Noah studied the resultant runes, searching for a pattern. Searching for anything he could use to understand the runes just a little more.

    The culmination of his efforts was confusion.

    Noah was intricately familiar with the designs of the Demon Runes he¡¯d taken apart, even though he didn¡¯t know their names. He¡¯d figured out how they reacted to a variety of different scenarios. He knew their limits ¡ª but it was their origin that completely baffled him.

    Igris¡¯ runes had been largely composed of a mixture of demon and various metal and earth runes. All of their qualities had been quite poor. But, when he¡¯d ground everything down to their basest components, he was completely caught off guard to find the exact same Rank 1 Demon Runes that Aylin had. It wasn¡¯t just one of them, either. It was every single Demon Rune. Without fail, they were identical. And that made no sense.

    The Fragment of Self was a manifestation of me. I could feel how closely connected it is to every part of my body. It¡¯s not some generic thing, but it also definitely serves the same purpose. Given how the soul and body are connected so closely in a Demon, these Rank 1 Demon Runes are basically serving the exact same purpose as my rune. So why are they all the same?

    Igris¡¯s weak wheeze tickled the back of Noah¡¯s mind, but he ignored it. The demon¡¯s soul had almost completely collapsed. There were more white cracks than gold, and the cracks expanded with every passing second. Noah didn¡¯t have much time left until the damage spread everywhere. He had even less until the last Rank 1 Demon Rune ran out of energy and dissipated, but something pricked at the back of his mind.

    Aylin¡¯s Demon Rune hadn¡¯t been unique to him. There had been a chance he and Violet had shared their runes, but there was no way Igris also would have happened to have the exact same rune by coincidence. That meant the Rank 1 Demon Rune had nothing to do with the emotion they ate. A common denominator was something he could work with. It was the key to figuring out what he was missing. He just had to find out what door it went to.

    Noah studied the rune intently. The closer he looked, the more he felt as if there was something he was missing. Something obvious. Familiarity scratched at the back of his mind like a cat at the door.

    Gold coins tumbled through the growing cracks around Noah, falling into the growing void around him. Igris¡¯ pained breathing started to give way behind him. The demon wasn¡¯t long for this world, and neither was his soul. Noah¡¯s jaw clenched. His senses poured over the rune, feeling for more than just its appearance. He sent his intent deep into the rune itself, probing for anything he could find.

    What is it? What feels familiar? I¡ª

    And, just like that, he realized what the familiar sensation was. A chill raced down Noah¡¯s spine. The Demon Rune crumbled away into the ether, but it didn¡¯t matter. He didn¡¯t need it anymore.

    It made no sense, but there was absolutely no denying it. Something had clicked in his soul and shifted in his mind. Perhaps it was just an old memory knocked loose. Perhaps it was something else entirely. But, no matter what it was, he changed. For the first time in his life, Noah read a Demon Rune.

    Its base name was simply just Demon Rune. But that wasn¡¯t all. Demon Rune was a rough translation, its true meaning lost. The pattern within the rune held a different message ¡ª and it contained a presence that Noah would never forget in all his years.

    Miniscule Shard of Decras.

 Chapter 527: The Problem & ANNOUNCEMENT

    Noah didn¡¯t get long to think on what he¡¯d just discovered. A crash like a glacier splitting and dropping into the sea tore through the air and ripped his attention away from the Rank 1 Demon Rune. He spun, drawing on his runes, to face Igris, but it wasn¡¯t the demon that he found waiting for him.

    Brilliant white light poured from a gaping fissure running through the seas of gold. Coins spilled over its edge and plummeted into the pale void, vanishing without a sound. The spiderwebbing damage covering Igris expanded from the fissure and stretched all across his entire body. Hairline cracks covered the floor and ran beneath Noah¡¯s feet.

    Igris laid motionless on a pile of gold. His eyes were glassy and lifeless, all resistance having left him. He was dead.

    As to how long he¡¯d been dead, Noah was unsure. He¡¯d had the demon suppressed under Sunder¡¯s weight to the point where he hadn¡¯t even been able to speak. The soul damage had just gotten to a point where he couldn¡¯t hold out any longer.

    More cracks echoed out. Igris¡¯s soul spilled into the fissure. It expanded in jerky motions, zipping out across the ground and letting more white energy spilling in like opening a broken zipper on a tent caught in a snowstorm. A rumble shook the soul as the cracks traced up into the sky and connected above Noah.

    I think I may have started to overstay my welcome. What happens if you get caught in someone¡¯s soul when they die? I don¡¯t imagine I¡¯d die as well. The cracks aren¡¯t connected to me¡ª but I don¡¯t¡¯ really want to go around touching that white void any more than I have to. Why am I not getting pulled back into my body? I swear it¡¯s been ¡ª

    A wave of dizziness smacked into Noah¡¯s head. He staggered. Braced a hand against his knee. Coins poured at increasing speeds, a tide pushing against his feet and trying to pull him down along with them.

    Igris¡¯ body was caught in the roiling waves consuming what remained of his soul. Coins rolled over his corpse, swallowing the demon whole as they flowed toward the fissure. Noah caught one last glimpse of him as he plummeted over the edge, suspended in the air for a brief second amidst raining gold, and then he was gone.

    The buzz in Noah¡¯s head intensified. A thousand bees smacked against the insides of his skull and clamored for escape. His skull pulsed in disorientation and darkness danced at the edges of his vision. Gold coins pelted against his legs. What had once been a tide was now a vortex. The floor disappeared, replaced by a glistening ocean that refused to take no for an answer and stole his footing out from under him.

    Noah slipped and fell back into the rushing gold with a grunt. The instant he made contact, coins rolled over him and he was caught within the current. He couldn¡¯t even call on his runes. The buzzing was so loud, the disorientation so strong that his power slipped through his fingertips like falling sand.

    His stomach dropped out from under him. He shot down into the fissure, flushed from the soul together with what remained of Igris. Noah found himself launched free of the golden sea. For the briefest instant, he was suspended in an infinite expanse of white, surrounded by a rain of riches.

    Then there was a pop. The world shattered, and he was gone.

    ***

    Noah¡¯s eyes snapped open in Igris¡¯ room. The house was silent. He was alive, and nobody was in the process of trying to rectify that issue. That was a good thing. Moxie had been able to keep anyone from interfering.

    Thoughts clouded through Noah¡¯s head like muddy water. The magnitude of the discovery he¡¯d made and the ramifications of what it meant, not just for Lee, but for every single demon, swirled through his mind. He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d answered more questions than he¡¯d gotten, but this wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on it.

    Noah shoved himself upright. Igris¡¯ huge body laid by his side, lifeless. Blood trickled from the demon¡¯s nose and ears, pooling around his head. His mouth was open in agony and his eyes were bloodshot. The demon had been dead for quite some time.

    Wiping the sweat from his brow, Noah pushed himself up to his feet. Energy prickled at the back of his mind like a distant memory. His runes had drunk the power from the demon and grown considerably as a result. Killing Rank 5s was a pretty effective way of getting stronger, but he couldn¡¯t just stand around and waste time. Moxie couldn¡¯t keep buying him time forever. The sooner he got out of here, the sooner he could actually sit down and process what he¡¯d just learned.

    His gaze traveled over the formerly beautiful room, now heavily scarred from their fight. Golden slag littered the ground around Igris and the walls had been scorched black. Coins shifted beneath Noah¡¯s feet as he stepped around the dead demon¡¯s body and scooped one of the embossed golden daggers ¡ª nearly as large as a sword when held in his hands ¡ª off the ground.

    I can¡¯t exactly leave here with a sack bulging full of stolen shit, but who knows when I¡¯ll need proof of offing this idiot. Don¡¯t want someone else taking the credit for it when I can leverage Igris¡¯ death to my advantage. Intimidation factor is always useful.

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    Noah picked up his Flying Sword and glanced up at the hole in the ceiling. Moxie¡¯s vine was still blocking the exit of the room, and he didn¡¯t exactly want to just stroll out into the street. He pulled his face wrappings tighter before launching himself into the air with a burst of wind magic.

    He grabbed onto the edge of the hole in the ceiling and pulled himself up into the small room above. Noah rolled to his feet and strode out of the room at a brisk pace, soon arriving at the broken window that he¡¯d entered through.

    Peering out of it revealed an empty street. He could see a few demons mulling about through the windows of their mansions, but either nobody was coming to investigate what had happened or they simply just didn¡¯t care. Noah had mostly avoided too many loud noises, so there was even a small chance that he hadn¡¯t been noticed.

    Not yet, at least. It was only a matter of time.

    He tossed the Flying Sword down and jumped onto it, activating the artifact and zipping out of the house without any further ado. It brought him down to the alley that he and Moxie had come from in a split second.

    As soon as he landed, Noah jumped off the weapon and slid it back into his belt. He pulled his jacket off and wrapped Igris¡¯ sword with it before extending his senses around himself. No demons were in the area and Moxie was nowhere to be seen. There was only cold stone. No signs of a fight marred the alleyway. Noah didn¡¯t believe for a second that Moxie might have been taken by so much surprise that she would have gone down without a fight.

    She¡¯s already headed back to the camp, then. Good. I¡¯m glad she didn¡¯t stick around too long. I really need to ask her how the hell she did that huge vine thing. I had no idea she was capable of anything at that scale.

    Noah cast a glance over his shoulder and back at Igris¡¯ mansion. The front door hung slightly askew, a mass of greyish black matter just beyond it. Far above, the shards of glass jutted from the top window. Their operation was hardly discreet, but it hadn¡¯t been a complete shitshow either. That was all he could really ask for.

    Turning on his heel, Noah strode down the alley and back toward the camp.

    The trip back was considerably shorter than the one over. The cause for that was equal parts not getting lost and not getting waylaid by a massage. While the idea was somewhat tempting, Noah had slightly more important things on his mind.

    Nobody stopped him on his way back to the camp and he arrived at the market square a short walk later. At least, he was pretty sure it was a short walk. Telling the time was already a little difficult for him. The Damned Plains only made that worse because of how slowly the days and night passed.

    Noah headed straight over to the tent he and Moxie shared, barely noticing the demons he brushed past as they cowered out of his way. He threw the flap open, a flicker of concern passing through his chest a moment before his eyes landed on Moxie.

    She was mid-step through pacing back and forth in the tent, her hands clasped behind her back and brow furrowed like a stressed school teacher. Lee sat perched on the head of the bed behind her, his gourd cradled in her hands.

    Both of their heads jerked up as Noah entered. Moxie blinked in surprise and shifted back. Confusion shifted to suspicion and her eyes narrowed. ¡°Who¡¯s following you?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Noah glanced over his shoulder. ¡°Nobody. Why would somebody be following me?¡±

    ¡°You made it back alive.¡± Moxie strode over to him and grabbed him by the wrist, lifting one arm up into the air before pulling his shirt up and examining his stomach. ¡°Did you get stabbed somewhere serious? About to die from blood loss or poisoning?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Moxie,¡± Noah said, suppressing a laugh. ¡°All the wounds are superficial. I took more damage from diving through the window than I did from Igris. He¡¯s dead, by the way.¡±

    ¡°You killed a Rank 5?¡± Lee hopped to her feet and carefully set his gourd down on the bed before looking back to him. ¡°And you survived the fight?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to act so surprised. I don¡¯t always kill myself.¡±

    ¡°Hellreaver,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°Evergreen,¡± Moxie said.

    ¡°The Inquisitors,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°When you went to practice your patterns,¡± Moxie said.

    ¡°When you first met Father. Also, with Dayton. Multiple times.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I get it!¡± Noah exclaimed, letting out a defeated laugh. He carefully extracted his hand from Moxie¡¯s grip and unwrapped his jacket to reveal Igris¡¯ sword. ¡°I may have a problem. But this time around, I made it out alive. That¡¯s almost certainly thanks to that plant of yours, Moxie. What the hell was that? It was incredible! Did you fill the entire damn house with vines?¡±

    ¡°The culmination of a lot of pattern practice,¡± Moxie replied, her cheeks reddening at the praise. ¡°The vine itself is part of the pattern. It grows from organic bodies of matter. The more people it can draw energy from, the bigger it gets. Nobody in the house was all that strong, so they weren¡¯t able to do anything against it in time.¡±

    ¡°What exactly did you do to them?¡± Noah asked. He wasn¡¯t so sure he wanted to know the answer, but he couldn¡¯t keep his curiosity under wraps.

    ¡°The vine had poison in it. I¡¯m pretty sure it either put them to sleep, paralyzed them, or killed them.¡± Moxie hesitated for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. The poison was based off something I was reading back in Arbitage. I had no clue what it would do to demons, so I put a lot extra energy into the part of the vine that killed things by draining their energy. There¡¯s a chance the poison didn¡¯t do anything at all.¡±

    ¡°You killed everyone in the house?¡± Lee asked.

    Moxie¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Yes. The vine automatically looks for energy in the same way that flowers search for sunlight. I¡¯m not taking chances when it comes to your lives. I just hope all that death was worth it.¡±

    That snapped Noah¡¯s attention right back to the rune that had been occupying his mind. It had been momentarily pushed to the side when he¡¯d seen Moxie and Lee again, but there was nothing delaying his attention any longer.

    ¡°It was,¡± Noah said, keeping his words hushed. ¡°I think I found the problem with demons. I know what¡¯s wrong with Lee¡¯s runes.¡±

 Chapter 528: Has to be you

    ¡°You know what¡¯s wrong with Lee¡¯s runes?¡± Moxie exclaimed, her voice raising from her hushed whisper in surprise.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited yet.¡± Noah raised a hand to keep either Moxie or Lee from saying anything else. He¡¯d found a hint that could lead him toward fixing Lee, but he was still far from actually solving the issue ¡ª and the last thing they needed to do was broadcast any of what he¡¯d discovered.

    There was almost certainly a reason why it wasn¡¯t common knowledge in the Damned Plains yet. That may have been because nobody had ever met the terrifying demon who the basic Demon Rune had come from. It may have been because someone had figured it out and gone through great lengths to ensure nobody else would.

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure which ¡ª if either ¡ª of the reasons it was, but he wasn¡¯t about to take any chances. Not when he had perfectly good Mind Meld potions to work with.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the place to talk out loud,¡± Noah said. ¡°We don¡¯t need anyone overhearing us. Even accidentally. The rest of this conversation is going to have to be held in one of our minds.¡±

    ¡°Can three people even use a Mind Meld?¡± Lee asked with a frown. She shifted from foot to foot in anticipation. Even though she was doing a good job of keeping her emotions in check, Noah could see the desire in her eyes.

    He couldn¡¯t blame her. Lee had been living with a blade hanging so close to her that she¡¯d probably been able to feel its tip against her neck. Her Runes were a ticking time bomb. A bomb that promised an end resulting in becoming a monster or dying. Any path that let her free of those fates wasn¡¯t one she could afford to pass by.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°Not as far as I¡¯m aware, at least. I¡¯ve been avoiding anything to do with Mind Runes, but I¡¯m starting to think that getting one would be a clever investment. They¡¯re fucking disgusting, but if it¡¯s for the purposes of finding a way to just communicate telepathically, it would be worth it.¡±

    ¡°One problem at a time,¡± Moxie said. She reached into her bag and pulled out a Mind Meld potion, pressing it into Noah¡¯s palm. ¡°I¡¯ve got more of these. Maybe you should tell Lee first. I¡¯ll keep watch to make sure nobody bothers us.¡±

    Noah nodded. She¡¯d always been capable, but after what she¡¯d done in Igris¡¯ estate, he had absolutely no doubt that they¡¯d be safe until they woke back up. There weren¡¯t going to be many demons capable of dealing with her powers and it would take time for anyone to figure out exactly who had offed Igris. If anyone even truly cared about his death, they¡¯d probably do their legwork to figure out how a Rank 5 had fallen so easily before launching an assault of their own.

    ¡°Thanks, Moxie.¡± Noah pulled the top of the Mind Meld potion off and held the glistening pink liquid out to Lee. He still hadn¡¯t gotten used to the strange color of the potion in the Damned Plains, but it seemed to work all the same. ¡°Here. You first, Lee. My soul isn¡¯t particularly hospitable.¡±

    Lee took the potion from Noah. Her hand shook slightly with nervousness and excitement as she lifted it to her lips and tilted the potion back, draining half of it. She handed it back to him and sat down.

    He popped the second stopper off the potion and drained the rest of the shimmering liquid before sitting beside Lee. Moxie slipped a hand into a pocket and pulled out a small handful of seeds. She inclined her head to Noah.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got another one of those, by the way. I¡¯ll contain myself for now, but make sure you¡¯re ready to repeat your explanation. I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be long,¡± Noah promised. A familiar buzz rolled over his senses and a wave of darkness followed after it. He closed his eyes and let the sensation ferry his soul free of his body and into Lee¡¯s mind.

    ***

    Inky black pooled beneath Noah¡¯s feet. It had been some time since he¡¯d last been in Lee¡¯s soul, but her soul was exactly as he last remembered it ¡ª a stickier version of his own. Faint waves of pressure lapped against him from her odd conglomeration of runes. It was nothing in comparison to the energy that Sunder and the Fragment of Renewal put off, not to mention the rest of his runes.

    He squinted at the mass of incomprehensible patterns for a second. A small part of him had hoped that he¡¯d suddenly be able to decipher exactly what had happened now that he had the Fragment of Self, but there was no such luck.

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    Lee¡¯s runes were just as confusing now as they had been the last time he¡¯d seen them. He blew out a small breath and turned, ribbons of toffeelike darkness squelching as they clung to the bottoms of his feet.

    Lee stood with her back to him and her runes. She wrung her hands behind herself. It seemed she still couldn¡¯t look at her runes without risking their release. That didn¡¯t fit in with anything he¡¯d discovered yet, but it would come in due time. It had to.

    ¡°Lee?¡± Noah asked as he drew up beside her.

    ¡°It¡¯s not safe for me to turn around. If I look at my rune, I could¡ª¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Noah said. He stepped around so Lee could see him. ¡°We¡¯ve only got 30 minutes, so I don¡¯t want to waste any of it. To be blunt, I haven¡¯t solved your problem yet. I don¡¯t know exactly how to fix whatever the fuck is going on with your runes, but I know the first piece of the puzzle. You aren¡¯t unique in this problem. The issue isn¡¯t anything you did or anything you are. It¡¯s a flaw in every single demon.¡±

    Lee¡¯s features furrowed in confusion. ¡°A flaw? You mean the connection between our body and our soul?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not your flaw,¡± Noah said. He glanced around for a moment in search of something to sit on. A bubble of shadow roiled beneath him and a chair rose up from within it. He sat down with an appreciative nod, and Lee lowered herself into a chair of her own across from him. Noah braced his hands on his knees and leaned forward. ¡°The unification of body and soul is what makes you strong, Lee. But that¡¯s also magnifying your issue. Demons are affected really heavily by their runes. More than humans are.¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s the issue?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°Your actual runes,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Or, more specifically, your Demon Runes. The foundation of everything every single demon relies on is a complete lie. Your Rank 1 Demon Runes ¡ª they¡¯re not Demon Runes at all. They¡¯re poor imitations of someone else¡¯s rune.¡±

    Lee stared at Noah in complete befuddlement. ¡°What do you mean? A Demon Rune is a Demon Rune.¡±

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± Noah shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s what I found out when I was¡­ examining Igris. The basic Demon Rune, the building block for everything else, is something called a Minuscule Fragment of Decras.¡±

    ¡°You can read Demon Runes now?¡±

    ¡°Kind of.¡± Noah waggled a hand in the air. ¡°I can¡¯t actually read Demon Runes, but I was able to decipher the Rank 1 Demon Rune because of how close its energy matched someone else I know.¡±

    ¡°Decras,¡± Lee said. It was more of a statement than a question, but her head tilted to the side in confusion nonetheless. ¡°Who is that? And how is a Fragment of him in every demon? Isn¡¯t a Fragment the same thing as your Master Rune?¡±

    ¡°The one I stole from a goddess on accident,¡± Noah confirmed with a grim nod. ¡°And it¡¯s not exactly the same. You¡¯ve got something called a Miniscule Fragment of Decras, not a whole Fragment.¡±

    Lee¡¯s eyebrows knit. She pulled her legs up to her chest and drummed her fingers against her knees. ¡°Who is Decras?¡±

    ¡°A god,¡± Noah replied after a moment of hesitation. ¡°At least, I think he is. Maybe he¡¯s something worse. I only just learned his name, but Decras is the one who I got Sunder from. He attacked the afterlife. Technically, the only reason I was able to keep my memories and arrive in this world is because of him.¡±

    ¡°And he¡¯s got parts of himself in every demon?¡± Lee asked. She let her legs drop back to the ground and slid back in her chair, her features scrunching. ¡°Why? How?¡±

    Noah just shook his head. That was the very question he was stuck on. He didn¡¯t know just how far the powers of gods actually extended. They clearly weren¡¯t omniscient ¡ª if they were, Renewal probably would have blasted him with a bolt of lightning or the like by now.

    Could Decras have done something to every demon? Are they his descendants? Did he curse them, or is it something else entirely? Maybe someone stole magic from him and used it to poison the demon bloodline¡­ or something.

    There were too many options and too few avenues to find answers. If discovering the truth behind how demons had ended up with pieces of a ruthless god, then Noah suspected it would have been quite some time before he¡¯d be able to do much of anything.

    Fortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. He might not have known what put the runes in the demons in the first place ¡ª but the way they worked seemed quite straightforward. Noah didn¡¯t know how to diagnose the problem, but he did have an idea to circumvent it.

    ¡°I found more than just your connection to Decras,¡± Noah said. ¡°I think I have a way for you to make something that will replace the Demon Runes ¡ª at least, temporarily. It might not be a permanent solution. It might not even work, but¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Lee asked, leaping from her chair. Shadows rippled around her feet as they hit the ground and she grabbed Noah by the wrists. ¡°If you¡¯ve got anything that has a chance of working, I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°I figured as much,¡± Noah said. He rose from his chair and Lee released his arms.

    ¡°So what do I do?¡±

    ¡°When I was making my Warped Matter rune, I accidentally made an extra one. A Rune called the Fragment of Self. It¡¯s still in my soul, and it doesn¡¯t act the way any of my other runes does. I think it¡¯s a representation of my body and soul.¡±

    ¡°The same name as the Fragment of Decras,¡± Lee muttered. Realization washed through her features. ¡°You mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°You need to make a rune from scratch,¡± Noah replied with a nod. ¡°A replacement to the rune that you¡¯re currently using as a crutch. I¡¯d give you one of mine, but it wouldn¡¯t do you any better than what you¡¯ve got right now. I¡¯m certain of it. You can¡¯t build a foundation when everything relies on somebody else. This has to be you, Lee. You have to make your own Fragment of Self.¡±

 Chapter 529: Jalens Teachings

    ¡°A Fragment of Self.¡± Lee turned the word over in her mouth like it was a fine wine, then nodded slowly. ¡°So all I¡¯ve got to do is make one of those?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly. Making a Fragment of Self is the first step. I don¡¯ t know if that¡¯ll solve everything, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯ll be a move in the right direction. Right now, you¡¯ve got somebody else¡¯s intent mixed in with your own. I can¡¯t even begin to imagine how much that¡¯s screwing things up. There are so many potential problems it could cause.¡±

    ¡°That makes a lot of sense. The only way to find out what¡¯s wrong with me would be to have something we can compare it against.¡± Lee nodded sagely and crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°I¡¯ll make a Fragment of Self.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t think it should be too dangerous,¡± Noah said with what he hoped to be a comforting smile. ¡°It¡¯s just a representation of you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Lee was silent for a moment. Then she cleared her throat. ¡°Noah?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°How do I make a Fragment of Self?¡±

    Noah opened his mouth and raised a hand. Then he paused. His finger lowered. He¡¯d made his Fragment of Self by, well, killing himself. That was generally how he made most of his strongest runes.

    Lee ¡ª obviously ¡ª couldn¡¯t do that.

    ¡°That¡­ is a good question,¡± Noah said slowly. A frown crossed his lips and his brow furrowed in thought. He braced his elbows against his knees and interlaced his fingers, resting his chin upon them. ¡°My Fragment of Self formed when I drew on the energy that comes out of my gourd to create my new body. It got caught up in the Warped Matter Rune I was trying to make.¡±

    Lee looked down at herself. She pinched the skin on her arm and pulled at it slightly. ¡°Maybe I could cut it out of myself.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Noah exclaimed. ¡°God, Lee. That is fucking horrifying. You are not carving a rune out of flesh.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that basically what you did?¡±

    Noah paused for a second. If they were going to get really abstract, Lee wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. The smoke turned into his flesh. But it was energy, and that was the difference. He also wasn¡¯t about to let Lee start stabbing herself willy-nilly.

    ¡°Not really. I am going to very hesitantly agree that you¡¯ve got the right concept, but the execution is absolutely wrong,¡± Noah said. He uncrossed his hands and rose to his feet, shaking his head firmly. ¡°You¡¯re not cutting chunks of yourself out to do this. It wouldn¡¯t help. Making a Rune from scratch needs three elements. Intent, power, and an inciting energy.¡±

    ¡°Intent is easy if it¡¯s just a rune that represents me. It¡¯s the other two things that are the problem. What if I cut a piece of myself off and set it on fire? That would make energy.¡±

    ¡°You are not mutilating yourself!¡± Noah snapped. He was starting to get an idea of how Moxie felt when she saw him coming up with a plan, and he wasn¡¯t so sure he liked the forced self-reflection.

    ¡°I have to do something! You found a way for me to change my runes! I have to take it!¡± Lee protested, her hands clenching at her sides and shoulders stiffening.

    Noah stepped forward and set a hand on her head. Lee¡¯s gaze broke from his and dropped to the floor as her shoulders slumped.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lee,¡± Noah said. ¡°We¡¯re going to find a way to do this. Just because you can¡¯t do horrible things to yourself doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t a path forward.¡±

    Lee wiped at her nose with the back of a hand. ¡°What if it doesn¡¯t work?¡±

    ¡°Then we¡¯ll find some healing potions and you can give that idea of yours a try,¡± Noah said with a heavy sigh, swearing to himself that he would absolutely never let that opportunity come to pass.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    How did my life get to this point? Why are you excited to stab yourself?

    ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on the other options first, shall we?¡± Noah suggested, ruffling Lee¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Kay!¡± Lee said, looking up at him from beneath his hand and grinning. ¡°So what else can we try?¡±

    ¡°Well, you can get the energy you need from breaking a bunch of Runes,¡± Noah mused. ¡°That¡¯s not really a roadblock. It¡¯s easy enough to get those. We can just kill a bunch of demons in the Wastes or buy some trash off someone. The conversion rate might not be great, but it¡¯s fine.¡±

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    ¡°So the big problem is the inciting energy thing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Using the energy that came from my body re-forming worked really well for me, even though it was completely unintentional. If we could somehow harness something similar for you, maybe it would work.¡±

    ¡°Would that even work for me? It¡¯s your energy. If I was somehow able to use it to form a rune, wouldn¡¯t it just have the same issues that my runes currently do?¡±

    Noah pursed his lips. Lee had a point. His energy had come from the gourd reforming his body. It was too specific to him. There was a chance Lee could commandeer it, but it would probably end up just replacing Decras¡¯ rune with one of his own. Lee needed something that was completely beyond anyone¡¯s influence other than her own.

    ¡°Using my energy may not be the best solution,¡± Noah allowed. ¡°I think it¡¯s a possibility. Any improvement is better than what you¡¯ve got right now ¡ª but there¡¯s got to be something else that can replace it. Something more unique to a demon, or to you.¡±

    ¡°Eating?¡± Lee asked hopefully.

    ¡°I think you might need a bit more than that. It has to have energy you can draw from,¡± Noah said.

    Lee¡¯s face fell. ¡°Okay. Let me think.¡±

    ¡°Take all the time you need. We don¡¯t have to find a solution immediately. Just having a path forward means a lot. We can keep an eye out for¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m done thinking.¡±

    ¡°That fast?¡± Noah¡¯s eyes widened and he rose from his chair slightly. ¡°You figured something out?¡±

    ¡°No. I couldn¡¯t think of anything. Demons don¡¯t use external sources of energy. I don¡¯t know what to think about. We don¡¯t even really start using external magic until around Rank 5. What should I be looking for?¡±

    Noah let out a sigh and shook his head. He sank back into the chair. ¡°I don¡¯t know that part yet, Lee. The energy doesn¡¯t have to come from you. It just has to be something we can harness. Death was just the easiest way to access it for me. Is there some location in the Damned Plains that might somehow lend itself toward helping you¡­ get more you?¡±

    ¡°What does that even mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure,¡± Noah admitted sheepishly. ¡°Is there some demon of meditation or something like that? Someone who¡¯s really in touch with themselves.¡±

    ¡°You want to kill them and take their power?¡±

    ¡°I was more thinking to ask them for advice. Maybe there are some enlightened mountains full of peace energy that helps you connect with your deeper self somewhere down here.¡±

    ¡°Someone definitely would have attacked something like that if it existed. I doubt it would still be around. If it was, it would probably be incredibly difficult to find.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t have shit in the Damned Plains,¡± Noah muttered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. It¡¯s okay.¡± Lee gave Noah an optimistic smile. ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯ll find something. Maybe there¡¯s an artifact full of magic I can use. If not, I¡¯ll just fix everything up back in the mortal realm. There¡¯s definitely something up there that can help me. We can just keep an eye out.¡±

    Aren¡¯t I the one supposed to be reassuring her? Why is it other way around?

    ¡°Something seems like it got mixed up here,¡± Noah said, chuckling as he rose to his feet. ¡°But that¡¯s the attitude we need. We know so little about the world. About how everything works. That¡¯s not entirely bad. We might be in the dark, but that just means we have a lot to discover. We can find a way forward. It might be this. It might be something else. I don¡¯t know what it is, but we¡¯ll find it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Lee nodded. They were both silent for a few moments. Then Lee cleared her throat. ¡°Are you sure you can¡¯t give me a piece of your runes?¡±

    Noah chuckled. ¡°Even if I could, I don¡¯t think it would really help you. I don¡¯t want to replace Decras¡¯ influence with my own. Who knows what that could cause. You might start killing yourself. But there is one thing¡­¡±

    He lifted his hand and drew on his energy, tracing a glowing purple line through the air with a finger. Lee watched with rapt attention as Noah drew the shape of the Fragment of Self before her.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°My Rune,¡± Noah replied, taking a step back to let Lee take in the glimmering magic before it faded away. ¡°Can you read it?¡±

    ¡°Fragment of Noah Vines.¡±

    Noah grimaced. ¡°I thought as much. It reads differently to everyone who sees it. To me, this says Fragment of Self.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t use it, then.¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± Noah said. He waved a hand through the glowing lines and they curled around his fingertips, blowing away like smoke. ¡°But it¡¯s okay. It answers one more question. Decras¡¯ runes function the same way, and the Minuscule Fragment of Decras is just a really small Fragment of Self. It means you don¡¯t have to do anything different than I did to make my rune. I didn¡¯t stumble into it completely on accident. Once we find that inciting energy, you¡¯ll be able to make your rune. Until then, you¡¯ve got something else to prepare.¡±

    ¡°I do?¡±

    Noah nodded. ¡°You need to really look into yourself and figure out what makes you, you. The Fragment of Self is literally a representation of you as a pattern. No point finding inciting energy if you haven¡¯t determined who you really are. Not your emotions. Not your desires or what you like doing. You.¡±

    Lee looked down at herself, then scratched at her leg. ¡°I¡¯m going to need a mirror and some advanced stretching techniques.¡±

    Noah sighed. ¡°Not literally, Lee. Figuratively.¡±

    She grinned. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll think on it. Thanks, Noah. For doing all of this. You didn¡¯t have to.¡±

    ¡°I did. We¡¯re friends, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself if I didn¡¯t,¡± Noah said with a firm shake of his head. ¡°Thank me by finding a way to pull this off.¡±

    ¡°I will,¡± Lee promised.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± Noah returned Lee¡¯s smile. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I¡¯ll be able to help you figure yourself out, but if there¡¯s anything I can do¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s something I need to do myself. I¡¯ve already been thinking on it anyway. Now isn¡¯t the time.¡± Lee shook her head, then fanned her hands out. The air shimmered and a deck of cards took form in her grip. ¡°There¡¯s some time left in the potion.¡±

    ¡°You know how to play cards?¡± Noah asked, blinking in surprise.

    ¡°Jalen taught me.¡±

    ¡°When did ¡ª oh, never mind.¡± Noah laughed as a table took form between them and his chair pushed into the backs of his legs. He sat down across from Lee. She deserved a break. There were much worse things to spend the last few minutes of a Mind Meld potion doing than relaxing. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got.¡±

 Dragoncon Announcement!

    Howdy all!

    It''s that time of year again! I''m flying from Australia (Was here on a work vacation) to Georgia tonight for dragoncon! If you''re coming, swing by the Aethon booth so I can say hi!

    This will unfortunately mean that my writing schedule will be absolutely COOKED for the next week (between the 27th, as I''ve got a 24 hour long flight including layovers, up until the 2nd). I will do my absolute best to do at least 1 chapter of writing a day during this time as well as writing as many chapters as possible on the flight, but unless I transcend human limits I fear I will not be able to do my normally scheduled 2 chapters per day.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I will try to alternate Runebound/Living Forge chapters day by day and do my best to keep up with schedules.

    Sorry in advance for this delay. I would like to say I''d be able to do 4k words a day during dragoncon, but I''m working the booth and I suspect I will have basically zero free time from morning until night.

    Today''s chapter will be delayed -- I''m writing it on the plane, but I''m not going to have any wifi. The alternation starts after that. Apologies again for the delay all.

 Chapter 530: Vile

    Noah¡¯s eyes cracked open, his consciousness back inside his own body. Soft vines curled beneath him and pressed against his back. Moxie must have moved him into her bed while they¡¯d been using the Mind Meld potion.

    Pushing himself upright, Noah glanced over at Lee. She laid beside him, still midway through shaking off the last of the potion¡¯s effects. She yawned and stretched her arms out like a cat, discreetly craning her neck to the side and taking a bite out of the bed before quickly turning her head back to its resting position.

    His eyes narrowed slightly. Lee had won every single game they¡¯d played. It hadn¡¯t even been close. He¡¯d had to remind her the rules once or twice, but she seemed to miraculously keep pulling out the exact cards she needed.

    She¡¯d also somehow pulled the exact same winning card about eight times in a row. Given that said card should have still been in the discard pile after the first time, that was quite the accomplishment.

    Note to self. Don¡¯t play cards in Lee¡¯s mindspace. She cheats. I should definitely try to convince Jalen to bet something big and then take her on, though. Could be a great way to get some free stuff once we get back to the mortal plane.

    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Moxie asked from where she sat at her desk, her chair rocked back on two legs. ¡°Did you figure it out? Is it my turn?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re working on it.¡± Lee sat up and slipped out of bed. ¡°I¡¯m better at cards than Noah is.¡±

    Moxie looked from Lee to Noah with a confused frown. ¡°What? Cards?¡±

    ¡°Later,¡± Noah said. ¡°Let me fill you in. Another Mind Meld, please. The sooner we handle this, the better. I don¡¯t want to get caught with our pants down if some prick shows up looking for revenge. I think we should still be good on time, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to move quickly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep watch,¡± Lee volunteered. Her eyes drifted over to the bed and her tongue ran along her lips.

    ¡°Thanks, Lee. And if you eat the entire bed, I¡¯m going to be pissed. Control yourself.¡± Moxie procured a Mind Meld potion and downed half of it before tossing the rest to Noah and flopping down beside him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll only eat a little,¡± Lee promised. ¡°Your vines taste good.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Moxie said dryly.

    Noah downed the potion and laid back down, welcoming the darkness that swallowed him whole.

    ***

    The conversation in Moxie¡¯s Mind Space didn¡¯t take long. Noah went over everything that he¡¯d discovered from studying Igris¡¯ soul and the discussion he¡¯d had with Lee. Their attention then turned to exactly how Lee ¡ª or anyone other than Noah, for that matter ¡ª could actually go about creating a Fragment of Self.

    Forming a Rune was already difficult enough. As far as they knew, the knowledge didn¡¯t even exist in Arbitage. But now they needed to do more than just form a rune. They had to form one while finding an inciting energy that somehow represented the individual person working on it.

    There was a chance that some form of energy could always work as a universal catalyst for a Fragment of Self, but their discussion didn¡¯t yield any potential results for it. Noah¡¯s discoveries were a promising step, but they just didn¡¯t have the tools to use it quite yet.

    It soon became apparent that they weren¡¯t going to make much more progress purely through theorizing. Both Noah and Moxie were completely stumped as to potential forms of energy. The best bet they managed to come up with was making a ludicrous amount of copies of his Fragment of Self, then destroying all of them.

    There was a chance that would create enough energy to saturate an area with so much power that it could be used as the inciting energy, similar to how all of Noah¡¯s deaths had given him enough death and rebirth energy to create the Fragment of Renewal.

    That was, unfortunately, a stretch at best. So much power was lost through conversion between runes that he couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine how much power he¡¯d need to acquire and waste to get an area that saturated ¡ª and that wasn¡¯t even mentioning the effects on his own soul. There was no way smashing hundreds, if not thousands, of runes representing him wouldn¡¯t have some form of negative side effect. Noah didn¡¯t dismiss the possibility completely. There was a chance it could work, but it was far from their first plan.

    He and Moxie came to the same conclusion that he had with Lee. The best way forward was to keep their eyes out. They knew what they were looking for. It had to exist somewhere. Renewal had made a Fragment of Self as well, and Sunder had come from Decras. That meant there was another way to make a self-rune.

    Until they found it, all they could do was prepare. Lee still had some work to do determining who she really was. Until she did, even if they did find the inciting energy they needed, it wouldn¡¯t be of much use.

    The Damned Plains were a big place. Noah was hopeful that they¡¯d stumble into something ¡ª or someone ¡ª that they could use to form a Fragment of Self for Lee. If not, then there would be an answer somewhere else. None of them had any plans of taking defeat as an answer.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    When the discussion started to go in circles that were leading nowhere, Noah and Moxie found that they still had just over fifteen minutes left in the Mind Meld potion.

    They didn¡¯t use it to play cards.

    ***

    A demon clad in white crouched upon the roof and looked down at a mansion with a broken window. Gray skin, so light that it was almost alabaster, ran beneath robes far too wide for her body. Gnarled scars warped the entire left side of her face and a horn twisted out of the side of her head, a mixture of flesh and bone. A black, two-headed axe easily as tall as she was rested on her shoulder like it weighed nothing more than a feather.

    The demon had not moved once since they¡¯d arrived over four hours ago. She stood as still as a spire in the Black Reaches. She had been called on before, but never by Zath. Never by one who had actually spoken to Lord Sievan.

    Axil, Zath¡¯s messenger had said. Lord Sievan has requested your service. Seek the Master Rune bearing the name of death and return it to its owner.

    A shiver ran down her spine. Perhaps it hadn¡¯t been Zath himself that had spoken to her, but the words had come from his mouth. A direct order. An honor that her younger self never would have believed she would achieve.

    Failure was not an option. A command passed down by the Lord of Death himself was not a request. It was a mandate. No result other than success could be acceptable. Axil was resolved to this. She would do anything that was requested of her to honor the gifts that Lord Sievan had passed onto his subordinates.

    There was just one problem.

    The rune she sought had been sold at an auction house to a demon by the name of Spider. But tracking was not Axil¡¯s strong suit. She¡¯d been called on because fate had blessed her with a location close to what Lord Sievan required. Locating targets was not one of her skillsets, but she was not completely without a path forward. Belkus was on good terms with Lord Sievan.

    She would have preferred to approach the demon directly. The Rank 7 was more than capable of pointing her directly toward her target, but the politics would not allow for it. She was a Rank 5 and more than capable of handling any work herself. Furthermore, Lord Sievan¡¯s name was respected through all the Damned Plains. Seeking help from a City Lord in his service would bring shame upon him.

    Thus, she had been forced to speak with one of his subordinates. Her one lead had been a lumbering Wealth Demon in the service of Belkus by the name of Igris. An information broker that had claimed to know of Spider.

    Igris had clearly had a personal vendetta against the demon, but Axil was unconcerned with it. Everything had fallen into place as if the gods themselves were guiding her ¡ª right up until she¡¯d watched Spider crash through the window of Igris¡¯ house. Until she¡¯d heard Igris¡¯ soul scream and shatter, felt his presence pass from this realm to the next. Until she had sat in silence, and watched Spider slip free of the window.

    Another shiver ran down Axil¡¯s spine.

    Sievan¡¯s path granted those following it a certain degree of understanding of death. To their eyes alone, existence was a canvas. Those who took lives painted death upon its surface, only adding the final stroke with their own.

    And therein lay her problem.

    Spider had been beautiful. Death heralded his footsteps and passed behind him like an ocean current. His canvas was so immense that Axil couldn¡¯t so much as begin to comprehend where it began and ended.

    She had been completely unable to act in its presence. To make any moves to interfere with such a work of art was to spit upon her own face. She had to witness it firsthand. And so she had observed with rapt attention as Spider slaughtered Igris. Her gaze had followed Spider as he slipped out into the streets.

    The woman that he¡¯d come with had long since left after cleaning out the house. A woman whose canvas normally wouldn¡¯t have drawn Axil¡¯s attention. It was short and poignant, but nothing of true note ¡ª right up until they were together. Their designs fit together with such beautiful synchrony that she had not even noticed the droplet of saliva rolling down the side of her lips and along her face until it had reached her chin.

    Axil sat in silence. She could not bring herself to do more than watch and remember. Not yet. Such a sight had to be savored. The sooner she acted, the sooner it would be over. An internal war raged within Axil, but eventually, she rose.

    Shouts echoed through the air as demons finally realized that Igris had been slain. It seemed not many had mourned his loss, but Axil could not have cared less about him. This was about more than a rune.

    Butterflies danced in Axil¡¯s stomach and she wrapped her arms around herself as she let out a shuddering sigh, a tremor racing through her entire body as she rose to her feet.

    This was a test. It had to be.

    She had been ordered to retrieve the rune, but nobody had said how it had to be done. She could not help herself. She had to feel the glorious sensation that Igris had. To witness the beauty of such a canvas up¡ª

    A presence prickled at the back of Axil¡¯s mind. She turned. An armored demon stood behind her, two curved blades in his hands and a snarl on his lips. His canvas was plain. Worthless. Disgusting.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± the demon snarled. ¡°What are you doing here with that creepy expression on your face? Do you have something to do with Lord Igris¡¯ death?

    ¡°It was exhilarating to witness,¡± Axil breathed. ¡°A thousand times greater than any pleasure you could have ever experienced. He was turned into beautiful, beautiful brush strokes.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± the demon¡¯s weapons lifted. His chest filled with air as he prepared to call for help.

    Axil shifted. The space between her and the demon vanished. Her lips pressed against his. The demon¡¯s eyes shot wide open in surprise. He screamed, but it was too late.

    It was not a kiss.

    Her jaw unhinged. The demon tried to pull back. It did nothing. He was nowhere near strong or fast enough to escape. Axil¡¯s teeth clenched down, carving through flesh and crushing his skull with a muted, splintering crunch. His cry for help was lost as she inhaled, ripping the soul from his body and grinding it to pieces within her own. The taste of death swam across her tongue and poured down her throat, joined by chunks of flesh and bone.

    She released the demon, but nothing hit the ground. His body disintegrated, specks of black dust swirling through the air of the damned plains and joining the churning smoke far above.

    Axil¡¯s features screwed up in disgust.

    ¡°Vile,¡± she whispered, but her expression shifted as she looked in the direction that Spider and his companion had departed in. She had to determine what it was that Lord Sievan truly wished her to learn. To witness the beauty of their canvas again ¡ª and, if she was truly, truly blessed, to watch their beautiful, beautiful paintings complete as their life passed from this world and into the next.

 Chapter 531: Dance

    As it turned out, the amount of time it took Treadon to figure out who had assassinated a Rank 5 that worked for Lord Belkus was just around three hours. Noah had long since finished with his Mind Meld meetings and was eating lunch with Lee and Moxie in their tent when the flap flew open and Violet practically tripped over her own feet in her haste to run inside.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be attacked!¡± Violet exclaimed, her words coming out so quickly that they practically blended into each other.

    ¡°We¡¯re what now?¡± Noah paused with a strip of aged meat halfway to his mouth. ¡°A little slower, please.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be attacked,¡± Violet repeated in a voice taut with stress. ¡°Four Demons. I think they¡¯re Rank 5. They¡¯re flying in this direction.¡±

    ¡°Flying?¡± Moxie rose from her chair. ¡°On swords?¡±

    ¡°No. External magic,¡± Violet replied. She shifted from foot to foot and glanced over her shoulder at the air above them as if expecting a demon to drop down at any second. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long we have. Vrith saw them coming and ran back to report it. She¡¯s warning the rest of the camp.¡±

    Lee plucked the strip of jerky from Noah¡¯s hands and stuffed it into her mouth while he was distracted. Noah heaved a sigh and rose form his chair. He handed Lee his gourd and scooped his grimoire off the ground, slinging it over his back.

    ¡°You¡¯re sure they¡¯re coming for us?¡±

    ¡°Vrith was. They¡¯re headed right in this direction.¡±

    ¡°Took them longer than expected,¡± Noah said. He cracked his neck and Violet edged back as he stepped out of the tent and craned his neck back. ¡°Where are they coming from?¡±

    Violet pointed to the south and over the rooftops. Buildings blocked him from seeing too far away, but the air was still clear at the moment.

    Four Rank 5 demons was nothing to scoff at ¡ª especially if they were more competent than Igris had been. Noah wasn¡¯t so sure he could handle four Azel-level threats on his own. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t on his own. Moxie and Lee both emerged from the tent behind him and joined him in scanning the sky.

    Demons bustled all around them as they rushed to shelter. Noah made a note to thank Vrith for warning everyone immediately. It would have been a huge pain in the ass if all the demons in his camp got killed during the fight. That would have set his information network back by days ¡ª not to mention the damage it would have done to his reputation.

    A head of silver hair caught his attention. Noah glanced to the side as Yoru stepped out from Violet¡¯s tent. Her hair had been braided back into a long ponytail that just barely avoided sweeping across the ground.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to fight?¡± Noah asked. He hadn¡¯t expected Yoru to actually stand with them. He¡¯d just assumed that the powerful demon would¡ª

    ¡°No,¡± Yoru replied. She tilted her head to the side. ¡°Belkus would interfere if I acted, and I do not see a future in which I achieve the victory I desire if he acts here. I do not believe you will need my help.¡±

    Of course.

    ¡°Care to tell me what we¡¯re up against?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Anything I should know?¡±

    ¡°There is not a future in which I interfere in this fight. Thus, I do not understand the probabilities of its outcomes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a fancy way to say you don¡¯t know shit,¡± Moxie drawled.

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Noah couldn¡¯t keep himself from laughing. He just shook his head and nodded to Violet. ¡°Just keep her out of trouble, will you? I don¡¯t need Rank 3s that I¡¯ve spent effort on making getting squished.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to be watched over,¡± Violet said.

    Noah glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes. ¡°What, you think you can take care of yourself against a group of Rank 5 demons?¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m not stupid enough to interfere. I¡¯ll be hiding together with Aylin and everyone else that doesn¡¯t want to die.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Noah nodded sagely. ¡°Good. I was worried you were going to do something stupid for a moment. Glad to hear you¡¯ve got your head screwed on right. Get to it, then. And make sure everyone else is thinking the same way you are. I¡¯m going to be pissed if I waste any of the resources I¡¯ve been cultivating.¡±

    Violet gave him a sharp nod. She darted off toward the large tent that held Aylin. Yoru made no move to follow her. Noah arched an eyebrow. Yoru¡¯s head tilted to the other side.

    ¡°You are waiting for me to follow.¡±

    ¡°Very astute. Did you use your magic for that one?¡±

    ¡°No. I deduced it from the expression held in your eyes.¡± Yoru sounded somewhat proud of her words.

    ¡°You¡¯d be correct. What are you doing here?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t going to interfere. Just keep the others alive.¡±

    ¡°They will be fine,¡± Yoru said. ¡°I am watching.¡±

    Something told Noah that she wasn¡¯t watching the present. For a moment, his mind was tempted to wonder just how her power functioned. Being able to see probabilities of the future seemed like it would be a pretty effective way to drive himself insane. He shook the thoughts off. There would be time to worry about Yoru later. For the moment, he was much more concerned with where their supposed attackers were.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Is everyone Lord Belkus hires always late?¡± Noah asked. ¡°It took them forever to figure out we offed one of his men. This is honestly kind of sad. You¡¯d think a group of Rank 5s would be capable of more.¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten Dayton?¡± Lee asked with a snicker. ¡°There are a lot of idiots with high ranks. Doesn¡¯t make them very good at anything. It¡¯s just like a good cake pan. Having one doesn¡¯t make you a baker.¡±

    Noah turned to Lee. ¡°That¡¯s a good analogy. Did you ever decide to go through with learning cooking? I remember you were interested in it.¡±

    ¡°I kept getting distracted by the ingredients.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Right. Should have seen that one coming,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get there eventually.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will.¡±

    Noah¡¯s gaze was pulled upward as several forms appeared in the air above them, shooting over the city line. Four demons, each clad in red armor trimmed with gold, dropped from the sky and made a beeline toward the camp.

    They crashed down on the stone opposite to Noah¡¯s group, shattering the ground beneath their feet as they landed. Each of them bore a large, two-handed sword engraved with a line of demonic script that Noah couldn¡¯t read.

    Each of them stood almost two heads taller than Noah. Their red skin was covered with rippling muscle. Their horns jutted out from beneath beds of thick black hair, curling up from either side of their head like those of a goat.

    ¡°Spider,¡± the largest of the demons said. His voice sounded like brick grating on brick, and his features screwed up in disgust like he¡¯d just eaten a dozen lemons.

    ¡°The Billy Goats Gruff got an extra member. Who would have thought,¡± Noah said. ¡°Which one of you is adopted?¡±

    They all stared at him, black eyes narrowed in confusion and anger.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I got that one either,¡± Moxie whispered.

    Noah sighed. ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t think half the people from back where I came from would have understand that either. Now I feel old.¡±

    ¡°Your mockery means nothing. You killed Igris. A challenge to Lord Belkus¡¯ authority will not be tolerated. Challenges against his men must be properly announced.¡±

    ¡°What makes you think I killed Igris?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Did you see me do it?¡±

    ¡°The source of our information is irrelevant.¡±

    More like they knew he was coming after me and made an educated guess I was responsible. Did they leaf through his documents or something? Or was Igris¡¯ harassment of me due to more than just annoyance that I offed someone paying him money? Well, that or someone saw us. I wasn¡¯t exactly discreet.

    ¡°Right,¡± Noah said. He cracked his neck and drew on his runes. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get this on with then. I was hoping to get my hands on a few more runes anyway. You¡¯ll be useful, but I was in the middle of lunch, so I¡¯d really like to get this handled quickly. Were you planning to come at me one by one, or did you want to do this all at once?¡±

    A flicker of hesitation passed through the enforcers¡¯ eyes. They definitely hadn¡¯t been expecting him to meet their arrival with so much confidence ¡ª and they didn¡¯t know how strong Noah actually was.

    They knew he¡¯d managed to kill a Rank 5 demon and escaped without any significant injuries, so their guards were definitely going to be up. Noah repressed a grimace. Despite his words, this fight wasn¡¯t going to be easy.

    Even if the enforcers¡¯ runes weren¡¯t incredible, they were still a higher rank and outnumbered him, Lee, and Moxie. They weren¡¯t going to win this fight if he didn¡¯t go all out. Noah¡¯s fingers flexed and power coursed through his veins as he drew deeper on his magic.

    I¡¯ll Sunder the big guy before he knows what hit him. Maybe get another one with the inversed power of the Fragment of Renewal. As long as Lee and Moxie hold the other two off until then, we should be able to win. I might get killed in the process once the other two realize they can¡¯t let me get close, but that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s only one death.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t denying it, then,¡± the large enforcer said. His lips pulled back into a snarl. ¡°Then, on the authority of Lord Belkus, you are to be executed.¡±

    He lifted his sword toward Noah.

    A whump split the air. Stone shattered. The enforcer¡¯s lips parted in a split second of disbelief before his body peeled apart, blood pouring apart from two severed halves. His armor clanged as it crashed to the ground, revealing a huge black axe embedded in the stone behind him.

    A woman clad in white robes blurred overhead. One of the other enforcers swore as she slammed into him, sending them both tumbling to the ground. He thrust his sword for her chest, but the woman caught his wrist with a hand.

    She ripped his arm off with a sharp tug. Blood sprayed across the ground. The demon¡¯s scream was silenced as the woman¡¯s jaw cracked, unhinged, and crunched down on his face. The entire front half of his skull vanished down her gullet as she rose, gray lips carved apart by a crimson, ecstatic grin.

    One of the remaining two enforcers took a step back, horror washing across his features. ¡°What the fu¡ª¡±

    The woman¡¯s axe sailed through the air and slammed back into her hand. She spun, using the momentum from its arrival to whip it back out like a boomerang. The demon lifted his hands defensively before him. A disk of molten energy formed between him and the flying weapon ¡ª and shattered into raining fragments of glass as the axe carved straight through it.

    The weapon slammed straight into the enforcer¡¯s chest. Bone and metal crunched beneath it and the demon staggered back, eyes wide in disbelief. Before he could even try to respond, the woman lurched forward and drove her foot into his face, ripping the axe free from his chest and spinning, striking him a second time in the neck and sending his head flying free of his body.

    She grabbed the decapitated cranium from the sky and whipped her hand forward, sending it crashing into the final enforcer¡¯s face. He screamed in fear, disgust, or most likely, both.

    The enforcer leapt, wind launching him into the air as he fled for safety.

    He didn¡¯t make it far.

    The ground shattered beneath the white-robed woman. She launched into the sky like a missile and slammed into the fleeing demon, grabbing onto him and ripped into his neck with her teeth.

    He let out a gargling scream that ground to an abrupt halt as the woman swallowed his head whole. They both plummeted back to the ground. The woman used the demon like a landing pad, driving his corpse into the ground in the center of the square with a wet crunch.

    She stepped off the dead demon and grabbed the axe from where it still laid buried in another enforcer, ripping it free of its fleshy prison. Then she turned to Noah, giving him his first look at her face.

    One half of it was like gray porcelain, splattered by blood and completely without expression. Its features were glassy and flat. The other half was heavily warped, twisted like putty into a horn that rose up from the side of her skull beside her eyes. Her eyes ¡ª where all the emotion that her features lacked had been pooled and gathered in pools of manic delight.

    Noah stared at her, his mouth hanging slightly askew. The entire fight had only taken seconds at most. Four Rank 5 demons had been killed in mere moments.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry anymore,¡± Lee whispered.

    ¡°Spider. Your canvas is even more breathtaking up close,¡± the woman said, a faint tremble in her voice. Her tongue ran along glassy lips, cleaning the blood from them. She lifted the bloodied axe to point it at Noah. ¡°May we share a dance?¡±

 Chapter 532: Enjoyable

    ¡°You know, that¡¯s a real tempting offer, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to have to pass on it,¡± Noah said, watching the deadly demon warily. ¡°I¡¯m unfortunately otherwise engaged. No need for a rain check.¡±

    ¡°I insist,¡± the woman said. She ran a hand down the flat side of her axe, leaving a clean streak in the blood coating its surface. ¡°I will not accept your answer.¡±

    ¡°Ah. We can¡¯t be having that.¡± Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed. He extended his senses to brush across the demon, trying to get a feel for how far her strength truly went. ¡°When somebody says no, it means no. You might need some lessons in consent.¡±

    If the demon noticed his domain, she did nothing to address it. Cold, hungry energy emanated from her body like wisps of icy fog rolling across Noah¡¯s mind. She was strong. Much stronger than the four that she¡¯d cut down moments ago ¡ª though that really shouldn¡¯t have been much of a surprise.

    Rank 5. Maybe Rank 6? I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s by far the most powerful demon we¡¯ve met in the Damned Plains other than Yoru, though. I can¡¯t take any risks with her. She has to die.

    The demon spun her axe around and drove it into the ground with enough force to crack the stone at her feet. Her gaze flicked down. They locked on the corpses splattered across the ground. Her eyes widened and a hand shot to her mouth.

    ¡°Oh, no. Oh, no, no. I did it again.¡± The demon¡¯s voice raised in pitch and she took a step back, her gray features losing a shade of color.

    Noah and Moxie exchanged a glance. It didn¡¯t take a genius to tell that the woman¡¯s head might have had more marbles than brain matter.

    ¡°Yes, you did,¡± Noah said slowly, not entirely sure what it was that she¡¯d done. He didn¡¯t get the feeling her distress was because she¡¯d just slaughtered four demons in cold blood ¡ª not unless she had two entirely different personalities trapped in her head.

    ¡°I took your prey,¡± the woman said, pulling at her hair and letting out a groan. ¡°Oh, no. I got to excited. I interfered with the brush.¡±

    Yup. She¡¯s batshit insane. Of course she is.

    Moxie¡¯s fingers twitched at her sides. Noah could practically see the gears turning in her head. He was pretty sure she was a few seconds away from sending her plants out in hopes of getting a surprise attack on the madwoman. Noah caught her gaze and shook his head slightly.

    The demon might have been insane, but she was blindingly fast and powerful. He needed her attention focused entirely on him. If she went after Moxie, Noah wasn¡¯t confident he¡¯d be able to interfere in time to stop her.

    ¡°You also left a mess,¡± Lee said. ¡°Wasting food is bad.¡±

    The blood-splattered demon glanced back to the corpses. Her features screwed up and she started to pace back and forth, wringing her hands together. ¡°This vile filth isn¡¯t worth eating. I would not sully my lips with their flesh.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ already did,¡± Noah said.

    The woman ground to a halt. She let out another groan and pulled at her hair again. Then she grabbed her axe and ripped it from the ground, pointing it straight at Noah. He stepped to the side. The weapon followed him. He stepped back to where he¡¯d been standing again.

    ¡°Would you stop that?¡± the demon exclaimed, adjusting her aim once more.

    Maybe I can just¡­ out-crazy her.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said, stepping to the side again. He drank energy from his runes, gathering it into his palms. ¡°I¡¯ve got a whole lot more where this came from, too. If you know what¡¯s good for you, leave. I can side-step all day.¡±

    The demon ground her teeth and slammed her axe into the ground. Rocks shattered beneath its blade and peppered down all around her. ¡°Do not make a mockery of me!¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Noah said. He came to a stop and lifted his hands into the air, palms facing the demon. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    He released the magic. The air shattered as a thick bolt of lightning screamed through it, slamming straight into the demons¡¯ face with a deafening crack. It snapped her neck back and sent her tumbling across the ground. The axe flew from her grip and skidded across the stone beside her.

    They both came to a stop at the edge of the square. Thick black smoke rose up from the demon¡¯s face. Her body twitched as arcs of electricity danced out from her and sank into the ground.

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    Noah let his hands lower. Moxie stared at him. He shrugged.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That was cheap.¡±

    ¡°Really? You¡¯re on her side now? There were no rules.¡± Noah gathered magic again and sent a second blast of lightning into the demoness¡¯ body. He wasn¡¯t optimistic enough to believe that a single bolt would be enough to kill a Rank 5, and he had no plans of sitting around while the demon¡ª

    She sat up.

    ¡°Excruciating,¡± the demoness breathed, wiping soot from her face. Aside from a small scorch mark on her cheek, she was completely uninjured. She rose to her feet and rolled her neck. ¡°Do it again.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°If you stand right there, I¡¯d be more than willing to oblige you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer to make things more¡­ exciting. I am known as Axil. If you will not give me the honor of witnessing your canvas, then I will take the choice from you,¡± the demoness said. She lifted her hand. The axe leapt from its spot on the ground and slammed into her grip.

    Her eyes flicked to Moxie.

    And, in that moment, Noah¡¯s willingness to play games with the demon evaporated.

    He slammed power into the Rune of Self embedded in his soul. His foot slammed into the ground, cracking the stone beneath it as he blurred into motion. The distance between him and Axil evaporated.

    His fist slammed into her cheek with enough force to snap her head to the side. The demon spun with the blow. Her foot whipped up between his legs. Noah¡¯s free hand shot down, driving into her ankle. A shudder raced down his arm from the impact, but he stopped the strike.

    Axil¡¯s elbow streaked for his face in a blur. Noah leaned back, controlling every muscle in his back perfectly to let the strike slip just past his nose. He drove his knee up into Axil¡¯s stomach.

    She doubled over. Brilliant white power crackled between Noah¡¯s fingertips and he clapped his hands down on the demon¡¯s shoulders. She twisted from his grip, but not fast enough to avoid his magic.

    Noah unleashed Crumbling Space. White cracks bore into her skin like twisting worms and the air collapsed upon itself. Bone shattered and blood sprayed as both of the demon¡¯s arms crunched like pressurized soda cans.

    The axe slipped from her grip and Noah caught it with a hand, flinging it across the square. His knee shot up and drove into Axil¡¯s face. Her nose crunched beneath it and snapped back. She stumbled backward ¡ª and Noah froze. There was only one emotion on Axil¡¯s face.

    Ecstasy.

    ¡°More,¡± Axil rasped. Her bones popped and her warped arms twisted. They snapped back into place and she rolled her shoulders as a shudder ran down her back. Her nose unbroke itself and she wiped the blood from her features with the back of a hand, licking it clean.

    She extended a hand to the fallen axe and it leapt like a well-trained dog, flying back to her hands. Blood soaked into Axil¡¯s white robes. The wounds on her body hadn¡¯t sealed, but the majority of the damage had been undone.

    Noah obliged her. He didn¡¯t exactly like the idea of obliging the insane demoness, but when the alternative was putting Moxie or Lee in her sights, he wasn¡¯t about to let up.

    Bones crunched beneath his fists. Blood sprayed across the ground and Crumbling Space carved through Axil¡¯s flesh. The demoness took every single blow, stumbling back until Noah had her pinned against the wall with his flurry of attacks.

    No matter how hard Noah struck her, her body fixed itself just moments later. The delight in Axil¡¯s features started to fade. Her nose crunched again beneath his fists, and when he pulled back again, her expression was flat and cold.

    ¡°This is not¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s fist slammed into her mouth, crushing several teeth.

    ¡°What I¡ª¡±

    His elbow struck the side of Axil¡¯s temple and caved the bone in, snapping her head to the side.

    ¡°Witnessed.¡±

    Axil¡¯s head twisted back to look at Noah. Her skull fixed itself, her jaw clenched. They locked eyes.

    ¡°You are disappointing,¡± Axil said. She spat blood onto his face.

    The bow of Noah¡¯s violin materialized in his hands. He flicked it across Axil¡¯s throat. Its razor-sharp thread passed through her neck like there was nothing in its way. Axil¡¯s lips parted, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes.

    Then her head pitched forward, rolling from her shoulders and splattering to the ground at Noah¡¯s feet. He wiped her spit from his cheek and took a step back. His fists and chest were stained red, and his face-wrappings were soaked.

    Noah¡¯s chest rose and fell with heavy, ragged breaths. For several seconds he stood still and watched Axil¡¯s corpse.

    It didn¡¯t move.

    He pulled the ruined wrappings off his face and threw them to the ground where they landed with a wet, disgusting squelch. They looked like he¡¯d dipped them in a bucket of red paint. Noah shook his head.

    He turned back to Moxie and Lee.

    The axe on the ground rattled.

    It blurred toward him. Noah¡¯s eyes widened and he dismissed the violin bow. He slammed his hands together, stopping the weapon an inch before it could bury itself in his skull. His muscles burned as it fought against him.

    With a roar, Noah thrust the weapon to the side. It streaked through the air and slammed into a building at the side of the market, shattering the stone and disappearing within it. Noah spun back to Axil.

    Her headless corpse rose. She grabbed her head and set it back in place. Muscle rippled in her neck and blood trickled down the sides of the seam as it knit itself closed. Axil¡¯s eyes fluttered and she cracked her neck, letting out a shuddering breath.

    ¡°That,¡± Axil said, her tongue running along her lips. ¡°Was better. But it was not enough, Spider. You have still disappointed me. Is that all you have to offer? Have you deceived my sight?¡±

    ¡°You know what? Now I know why I pissed all those people off,¡± Noah said. ¡°Stay dead, you creepy fucker.¡±

    ¡°Your true canvas must be concealed. Hidden,¡± Axil mused, rolling the words in her mouth like she were tasting them. Her eyes narrowed, locking in on Noah like a homing missile. ¡°I will expose it. I am going to kill you now, Spider. Please endeavor to make your death enjoyable.¡±

 Chapter 533: Stop that!

    Noah spotted Lee tensing and Moxie preparing to take a step forward out of the corner of his eye. He threw his hand up behind himself.

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Noah snapped, his eyes not leaving Axil¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t let them get involved. Axil¡¯s attention had to remain on him. The moment she went after someone else, they all lost. ¡°Both of you, go back to the tent. I¡¯ll handle this.¡±

    ¡°There is no need for impatience.¡± Axil¡¯s head tilted to the side until her neck cracked. She repeated the motion in the other direction, then ran her hand across the seam where she¡¯d reattached her skull to the rest of her body. ¡°I will complete their canvases in due time.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you will,¡± Noah replied. He flexed his fingers. Warped Matter thrummed to life in his palm. Gray tendrils of magic coiled off his palm in their eagerness to escape the confines of his body.

    Moxie and Lee hesitated for a second, then slipped into the tent. Noah doubted they would actually stay there. Neither of them were one to sit around while someone else was fighting but getting them out of Axil¡¯s line of sight would go a long way in making sure she remained focused on him.

    A streak of black carved down toward Noah. His eyes widened and he jerked his body to the side, twisting as hard as he could. Axil¡¯s axe slammed down into the ground, sending stones pelting into his shins. It passed so close to his face that several strands of hair fluttered past his eyes.

    Axil had appeared before him so fast that he¡¯d barely even consciously registered his movement. The only thing that had kept him from getting cut in half was his instinctive reaction to the attack.

    The demoness pulled the axe free of the stone like it weighed no more than a feather. It swung up for Noah¡¯s stomach. He drove his palm down onto the flat of the blade and used it to vault into the air over Axil¡¯s head.

    He landed on the ground behind her, but the axe was already whistling for his head. Noah ducked down and drove his palms forward into her stomach. Worms of purple energy dug through her robes and into her skin. It darkened and rotted away as they carved through her body, but his magic only made it a few inches before its effects faded.

    Huh. Demons and humans have magic in them, so it¡¯ll be harder for Warped Matter to consume their bodies than a random inanimate object. I wonder if demons are more resistant to magic than humans are because of ¡ª

    Noah dove to the side. Axil¡¯s axe crunched into the ground behind him, just barely having missed once again. His Fragment of Self was more than pulling its weight in the fight, and he¡¯d still yet to leave an injury on the demoness that did more than marginally annoy her.

    ¡°I have never been more disappointed in my life,¡± Axil said. The porcelain portions of her face crumpled like she was a child who had just watched her birthday cake get pelted into the ground. Her grip on the axe tightened and the large weapon hummed in her grasp. ¡°I was so excited. But this ¡ª this is disappointing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d say you should see what I can do in bed, but I¡¯m happily taken.¡± Noah sent a wave of magic down through his feet and into the earth. The ground shuddered as he ripped a jagged spike of stone up from it with Natural Disaster.

    The spike drove straight into Axil¡¯s stomach and burst out of her back with a spray of blood. She didn¡¯t even seem to notice it. Axil took a step forward. The bones of her ribcage ground against the spike and her flesh squelched as it pierced deeper.

    Then she ripped herself straight in two.

    Axil stepped right past the spike, wet strands of blood and muscle reaching out to each other to re-connect her body once she¡¯d passed by the stone. For an instant, Noah could do nothing but stare in abject disbelief.

    ¡°I am uninterested in finding out,¡± Axil said.

    Then she swung her axe.

    It slammed into Noah¡¯s right shoulder. Carved through flesh and bone like butter. Bit into the stone below ¡ª and then, only then, did his body finish the movement that he had started. It took him a moment to realize that he¡¯d been cut.

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    Pain erupted at Noah¡¯s side. His arm dropped to the ground at his side, landing beside the Axe with a thud. He snarled in pain and slammed his left hand into the weeping wound, calling on Natural Disaster.

    Shit! How goddamn fast is she?

    Frost spread across the stump of his missing limb. A burning chill drove into his arm, briefly intensifying the pain before quickly going numb. Axil lifted the axe free from the stone and ran a finger along the blood staining its edge. She ran her tongue down her finger and tasted it, sucking on the insides of her cheeks like it was a fine wine.

    ¡°You taste wrong,¡± Axil said, the features on her face that could actually move contorting in confusion. ¡°Why do you¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s fist slammed into her face. He drove Axil down into the ground. Her skull crunched as it struck the market floor. Noah¡¯s fingers tightened around Axil¡¯s head and the temperature of the air around them dropped like a boulder from a cliffside. Gray turned to white as a slow moving storm of frost dug into her skin and worked its way through her features.

    Axil didn¡¯t even seem to notice. Her hands twitched and her axe blurred. Noah flung her to the side at the same time as he ducked into a roll. Pain carved into his missing limb and he skidded before managing to stagger back upright.

    The demoness rose as well. She reached up to her face and dug her fingers into the frostbitten skin, ripping it free. Axil discarded the ruined flesh at her side, even as new gray rippled across the exposed muscles of her face. In seconds, her body had reformed once again.

    ¡°Better¡­ but still wrong. You are wrong. Why are you wrong?¡± Axil¡¯s eyes were wild. She slammed the axe into the stone and stomped a foot against the ground like she was having a temper tantrum. Any semblance of sanity she may have had ¡ª no matter how little ¡ª was rapidly evaporating.

    Normal attacks aren¡¯t going to kill this crazy woman, but she doesn¡¯t know about the Fragment of Renewal or Sunder. I think I¡¯ve gotten her guard low enough by now. I don¡¯t have time to get a proper Formation done ¡ª not that I could do that anymore. I¡¯ve only got one damn hand left.

    ¡°Come and find out,¡± Noah replied. He raised his one remaining hand to Axil and beckoned her forward.

    Axil¡¯s eyes locked into his. The bottom of her jaw unhinged. Her mouth yawned open. And even though Noah was already planning to die, a shudder ran down his spine. He was not about to get his face eaten off by a crazed nutjob.

    He extended his senses into his soul, and power met them. The immense strength of Sunder slammed into his body like the weight of a mountain. He pulled his lips back in a snarl. Black carved across his body, consuming his veins.

    Axil blurred.

    Noah dropped at the last second, shifting his weight and driving his injured shoulder into Axil¡¯s stomach. Her momentum knocked the breath from her lungs in a pained wheeze. Bone crunched against Noah¡¯s shoulder but he was nearly slammed to the floor form the force of her arrival. He wasn¡¯t even sure whose bone it was that was breaking.

    He swept Axil¡¯s feet out from under her. She stumbled, managing to keep herself from falling, but in the brief instant where she was off balance, Noah struck. He struck her in the shoulder and spun the demoness around so her back was facing him. In the same motion, Noah wrapped his good arm around her neck and jerking it taut.

    A loud crack echoed through the air. Axil¡¯s head twisted a full one hundred and eighty degrees so she was nose-to-nose with Noah. He could smell the carrion and rot on her breath, the blood splattered across her lips.

    ¡°Fuck that,¡± Noah said, releasing her neck and striking Axil in the jaw as her mouth opened to bite down on his face. Her head spun the rest of the circle, turning back to face away from him.

    Axil turned her head back toward him.

    Noah hit her chin again and spun her back around.

    ¡°Stop that!¡± Axil hissed. She bucked against Noah¡¯s grip, but the Fragment of Self wasn¡¯t held back by the activation of a Master Rune. Axil was fast, but Noah was stronger than she was. He clung to her back, refusing to let the demoness free of his grip. ¡°Let me kill you!¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Noah yelled back.

    Sunder thundered inside Noah¡¯s body. Its power continued to pour through him, growing in intensity until it was a raging ocean. Noah¡¯s grip tightened even further on Axil. His lips pulled apart.

    Axil twisted turned to look at him once again. Her neck had definitely broken itself so many times at this point that her head was probably just spinning on a rotating point. A crack echoed, her jaw opened.

    Then she hesitated. For an instant, something gave her pause. Her head tilted to the side. Words formed on her lips, but they didn¡¯t get a chance to make it out.

    Noah released Sunder.

    Jet black power screamed out of him. His veins snapped back to normal as the magic poured into Axil¡¯s body. A black point shimmered in the sky just above them.

    ¡°Turn around,¡± Noah said, his lips pulling back in a grin. ¡°You¡¯re going to want to see this.¡±

    He drove his forehead into Axil¡¯s nose at an angle. Her head was forced back to its normal position just in time to see a glistening onyx black spear take form above them. Axil¡¯s body stiffened. She drew in a breath ¡ª whether it was disbelief, surprise, or awe, Noah never found out.

    The spear crashed down.

 Chapter 534: Rattle

    The black spear plummeted from the sky and slammed straight into Axil¡¯s heart. It ripped through her body like it were made of paper, and continued down into Noah, pinning the both of them to the ground.

    Axil wheezed. She grasped at the handle of the massive spear, her hands struggling to pull it free. A line traced down her skin, running from the top of her skull all the way down her body.

    Then she peeled apart like a ripe fruit, splattering to the ground on either side of Noah. Blood bubbled from the thick wound in his chest, rushing past the haft of the spear even as it evaporated, dumping him unceremoniously to the ground.

    Noah¡¯s consciousness fluttered. Pain punched into his chest and spread down his nerves, reaching for his throat and threatening to swallow him whole. He could feel his soul shuddering, trying to peel itself free of his body.

    He held on for an instant longer and forced his head to the side. Axil¡¯s body wasn¡¯t reforming anymore. Her corpse remained still. A tiny grin tugged at the corners of Noah¡¯s lips.

    Then he died.

    It had been a long time coming, all things considered. His death had been signed the instant Axil had cut off his arm. He wasn¡¯t about to go wandering around unable to play his violin. Death had been inevitable. It had just been a matter of when.

    His soul drifted up into the air above his body, a band of dark energy forming around his throat. It pulled at him, trying to drag him into the tent where Moxie and Lee had retreated. Noah resisted it for another few seconds to make sure Axil remained exactly where he¡¯d left her, then finally gave in.

    Sunder yanked on its leash and he blurred, hurtling to meet the new body forming for him.

    ***

    A ripple of energy passed through the Damned Plains. It was so faint that its signature was little more than a blip in the grand scheme of things, the mark of a soul passing from one life into the next.

    By no means was this soul a significant one. It held little strength, nor had it achieved any immense heights. It was simply the soul of a demon. An ordinary demon by most aspects. Most ¡ª but not all.

    This soul had a single abnormality. Nothing more than a delicate brush stroke across its delicate blue surface, the mark of something greater. The small mark was hardly anything that normally would have been worthy of notice.

    But, in a sea of blue souls, a tiny dot of black may as well have been a thundering roar in a silent valley. To anyone who may have been watching, such a difference was the difference between the sky and the earth.

    Someone was indeed watching.

    The darkness that was the cosmos shifted. A will pushed through it like a canoe through an ocean of black. Massive wispy fingers curled like clouds, passing through space and ether as one.

    They closed in around the soul streaking from the Damned Plains, halting its path before it could reach the line. The glowing blue light coming from the soul vanished. The hand curled around the soul, enveloping it entirely.

    Then, slowly, the fingers pulled open once more. Bands of black had wrapped the blue soul in its entirety like fishnet. Features bloomed across the soul. Arms followed after legs. A blurry face came in their wake, joined by the curling horn of a demon ¡ª and, finally, consciousness.

    The soul looked down at itself, at the bindings enveloping its form. Then it raised its face again, the features growing concrete and defined. Awe swirled across the soul as it stared up into the starry cosmos surrounding it. Then it dropped to its knees.

    ¡°Lord Sievan,¡± Axil breathed, prostrating herself on the ground. ¡°I am not worthy of your attention. I did not think I would ever be granted such grace to lay eyes upon your power while I lived.¡±

    ¡°You were not,¡± a voice as cold as a winter storm responded.

    Axil hesitated. ¡°I wasn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Raise your head, Axil.¡±

    He knows my name?

    She rose just enough to see the cloudy black surface before her. Wisps of darkness twisted up from the palm of the massive hand to take the form of a rather plain looking man. He wore a gray suit and was of pale complexion.

    The man¡¯s lips were thin and almost entirely devoid of color. If he was a demon, he sported no horns. There was only a mop of dusty brown hair at the top of his head. His eyes were the only thing that could have been considered odd about him.

    Where there should have been an iris, there was nothing but milky white. The man¡¯s eyes were nothing but two perfectly flat and white orbs. A gaze that should have been empty and blind ¡ª but, when Axil met it, was anything but.

    ¡°Lord Sievan?¡± Axil asked, confusion tightening its grip on her even further. Her memories were hazy. Twisted. The harder she thought, the more jumbled everything became. She¡¯d been called upon. There had been a fight.

    Excitement.

    Disappointment.

    And then¡­ nothing.

    It was like a chunk of her memories had been carved free and a weeping wound had been left in her mind where they had been.

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    Axil groaned as a piercing headache jabbed into her skull like an ice pick. She clutched her skull and ground her teeth, fighting to keep herself from showing too much emotion in the presence of Lord Sievan ¡ª if that was even who she stood before.

    No. It must be. This power is unmistakable. It does not matter what form he has taken to greet me. I recognize this magic.

    ¡°Confusion is natural. Do not resist it,¡± Sievan¡¯s voice fell around Axil like freezing spring rain.

    A hand appeared in Axil¡¯s view. Plain and well-cared for. Smaller than her own. She stared at it, uncomprehending. A second passed. Neither of them spoke. Axil swallowed. The pain was growing more intense with every passing second.

    She extended her own hand and slowly accepted the offer.

    A freezing river screamed through her head. It enveloped the pain and washed it away in an instant, leaving clarity in its wake. Axil¡¯s translucent eyes widened. She looked down at herself once more, then back up at the plain man standing above her.

    ¡°I died,¡± Axil realized.

    ¡°So you did,¡± Sievan said. He pulled Axil to her feet, and Axil realized that she was actually taller than he was.

    ¡°I¡­ died?¡± Axil repeated, the words sounding odd and hollow to her ears. She could not die. Death did not come for those who followed Lord Sievan. There was pain. Defeat. Disappointment. All other aspects of life remained ¡ª but not death.

    Sievan¡¯s followers could never do anything more than taste death. They could sample from its platter, feel its sensation as they danced from its grip, but never could they actually be caught in its grasp.

    At least, that was what she had believed.

    ¡°An anomaly,¡± Sievan agreed. ¡°You died. And I would like to know how. It has been so long since I felt any fragment of my power leave this plane that I had to investigate myself. I thought that perhaps¡­¡±

    His voice trailed off and he shook his head. ¡°Never mind. Answer the question, my disciple. How is it that your soul was severed from its body? Such a thing should have been impossible unless you decided that you no longer wished to serve me. Is that the case?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Axil shook her head firmly. ¡°I would never turn my back to you, Lord Sievan. Serving you has brought beauty into my life. I have borne witness to such great things. Such indescribable awe that¡ª¡±

    The words froze in Axil¡¯s chest. A vision flicked through her mind. The memory of a black spear ¡ª and the canvas that had trailed in its wake. A piece of artwork that could no longer be merely described as beautiful.

    It had swallowed the sky in its immensity. There were more strokes than her mind could comprehend, more designs than a mortal could ever study even if they had dedicated their entire life to it.

    Perfection.

    There was no other word to describe it. Perfected death, a completed painting that had been done by such a masterful hand that she would never have believed it existed had she not witnessed it herself ¡ª had she not joined the strokes of that canvas herself.

    Spider had been playing with her. He had pretended to be nothing more than a mere demon, but in the end, he had granted her wish. Every single stroke of perfection that had filled the sky was connected to him. They extended from his soul like the tendrils of a jellyfish trailing through the open sea behind it.

    A tear welled in Axil¡¯s eyes. She had joined the beauty of the universe, entering the greatest canvas it had ever witnessed. There could have been no greater honor than entering it under Sievan¡¯s own hand.

    ¡°It was incredible,¡± Axil breathed, barely even able to find her words once more. ¡°I bore witness to beauty, Lord Sievan. Did you gift this death to me? For my service?¡±

    ¡°Your passing was not at my hand,¡± Sievan replied, his voice unchanging. ¡°It was granted by another.¡±

    ¡°Incredible,¡± Axil repeated. Her mind couldn¡¯t manage to form any other words yet.

    ¡°Who did this immense beauty belong to?¡± Sievan asked. ¡°Who was able to kill you?¡±

    ¡°Spider.¡± Axil¡¯s voice drifted as memories prickled against her mind. ¡°The one who possesses the rune you seek. I am sorry. I could not acquire it for you, Lord Sievan. I grew too distracted. The beauty was too great.¡±

    ¡°Mistakes and life cannot exist independently of one another. It seems you were outmatched.¡± For the first time, Lord Sievan¡¯s voice changed. Something different entered his tone, but the emotion was foreign to Axil and she could not understand it. ¡°And now you are faced with a choice.¡±

    ¡°I am at your service, Lord Sievan.¡±

    A tired laugh echoed through the stars swirling around them. ¡°You are dead, Axil. You are at nobody¡¯s service. And thus is the choice you must make. Are you satisfied with your life and its conclusion? Prepared to move onto the great beyond?¡±

    ¡°My only regret is to not be permitted to witness such incredible beauty a second time.¡± A dreamy smile played across Axil¡¯s lips. Then it flickered. Her head tilted to the side. ¡°But¡­ what comes next? What awaits for me in the beyond?¡±

    A long, slow sigh escaped Sievan and the faintest smile pulled at the corners of his lips. ¡°The wait awaits. A new future, bought at the cost of the present. You will be¡­ different. Reborn.¡±

    ¡°Reborn?¡± A swirl of unease passed through Axil¡¯s stomach. ¡°My memories?¡±

    ¡°Gone, I fear. As all things that pass into the beyond inevitably are.¡±

    The unease turned to fear.

    ¡°I do not wish to forget what I saw,¡± Axil said. ¡°Is there another path? A way free of this? One in which I retain my knowledge?¡±

    ¡°Very rarely in life is there only a single path,¡± Sievan said. His smile grew wider, but it never reached his eyes. ¡°Death is not so different. Some things change, and some remain. But your death is not yet set in stone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever it takes,¡± Axil said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to forget what I saw. I want to see more of it. I never want to forget.¡±

    ¡°Not all will be as it was,¡± Sievan warned. ¡°You will not return to what you left. Death is not one to be cheated lightly. It comes at cost. A great cost.¡±

    ¡°To me?¡±

    Sievan nodded.

    ¡°I will do it,¡± Axil said. ¡°I will remain in your service for as long as you grace me with your aid.¡±

    ¡°Your service to me has already ended,¡± Sievan said with a gentle shake of his head. ¡°You are mine no longer. That which connected us is already wiped clean. But you will do me one last favor before your life truly becomes yours once more.¡±

    ¡°Anything you desire.¡±

    ¡°Get me that rune ¡ª and find out more about this Spider while you¡¯re at it,¡± Sievan said. ¡°And this time, I suggest trying a different angle. I will not notice your death should it happen again.¡±

    Axil swallowed. The admonishment in Lord Sievan¡¯s tone was evident. She gave him a sharp nod. The idea of no longer being in his service burned her heart like a molten iron, but she would not beg or argue with him. To do so would have been to disgrace to his name.

    ¡°I will do as you ask,¡± Axil swore. ¡°I will not fail you twice. I will beg for the rune, should that be what is called of me.¡±

    Sievan smiled.

    His body blew away into streams of black smoke.

    The cloudy hand closed around Axil. It collapsed in on itself, vanishing and leaving no trace of its passing. Axil¡¯s soul never made it to the Great Line. Its gentle glow disappeared with the passing of the massive hand, stolen like a kiss in the night.

    A great distance away, within the Damned Plains upon the streets of the walking city of Treadon, a black axe laying in a pool of blood on the cobbled street of a market started to rattle.

 Chapter 535: Half

    Noah jerked upright, a throbbing headache pounding in his skull. Cold ground pressed into his backside and his clothes had been draped over his naked body like a blanket. The walls of a tent rose around him and the edge of Moxie¡¯s bed floated just behind him. Two blurry forms on the other side of the room slowly shifted to take Moxie and Lee¡¯s forms.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± Noah asked through a groan as he pulled his clothes on. If Axil had somehow managed to survive Sunder, he had absolutely no desire to fight her naked. There were some rumors that he didn¡¯t need following him.

    A heavy fog hung around his head, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been. He¡¯d dealt the killing blow to both himself and Axil, so the soul damage he¡¯d taken was minimal. Noah was pretty sure he¡¯d actually grown stronger by absorbing her energy. He couldn¡¯t tell yet ¡ª that would have to wait until he could properly access his runes again.

    ¡°You cut her in half,¡± Moxie confirmed. ¡°I was watching, and I wasn¡¯t the only one. The camp is probably minutes from chaos. You need to make another appearance as soon as you can if we want to prevent the Streetlords from trying to pull some stupid shit.¡±

    ¡°Figured,¡± Noah said through a sigh.

    Lee, whose head was poked through the flap in the tent, pulled back to glance at Noah for a second before returning to her former position.

    Moxie held a hand out and Noah took it, pulling him to his feet. She grabbed the lapel of his jacket and adjusted it before brushing some dust off his shoulders. After giving him one more look over with a critical eye, Moxie stepped back and gave him a curt nod. ¡°At least you got her.¡±

    Lee cleared her throat. ¡°Uh¡­ about that.¡±

    They both looked over to her.

    ¡°What?¡± Noah asked, a sense of dread gripping his stomach like an iron fist.

    ¡°She¡¯s melting, but in reverse.¡±

    Noah pushed past Lee and stepped out of the tent. He ground to a halt. The two halves of Axil¡¯s body ¡ª along with his own ¡ª laid dead in the center of the market square. They should have been laying in rest like good corpses, but it seemed somebody had forgotten to tell Axil about that part.

    Rivers of blood and viscera crawled across the ground. They gathered beside a large, black axe and twisted together like taffy. Bubbles burst against the flowing corpse-fluids. A thick, teeming red mass formed, a shape starting to appear within it.

    Thick, gut-twisting squelching sounds violated the alley. Limbs pushed free of the visceral blob. The limbs formed hands and feet, formed a connecting torso and its head. Flashes of bone and organ bubbled up within the solidifying form like chunks of meat in a soup. In a vile way, that was exactly what they were.

    Noah¡¯s jaw clenched. His powers were still sealed, and it would be twelve hours before his magic functioned again. Thoughts flashed through his mind as he searched for a way to stop Axil from fully coming back.

    If she took form again, Moxie and Lee wouldn¡¯t be able to stop her. She was just too fast. And, even if they did, he wasn¡¯t so sure that it would matter. Axil just wouldn¡¯t stay dead no matter what they did. This was a level of immortality he¡¯d never seen before. Axil was actually unkillable.

    Chills gripped Noah¡¯s spine.

    Sunder still did more damage than anything else I¡¯ve tried. My best might be killing myself again. I can access Sunder while I¡¯m a soul. It¡¯ll fuck me up for quite some time, but the Fragment of Renewal should be able to handle patching me up once I break out of the coma.

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    ¡°Moxie, Lee, get ready to run,¡± Noah said softly.

    ¡°I could try to drink her before she finishes taking form,¡± Lee offered, her features twisting in disgust.

    It was one of the first times Noah had ever seen Lee unwilling to eat something. That didn¡¯t reassure him in the slightest. He shook his head firmly. The last thing he wanted was Lee somehow getting infected with whatever it was twisting Axil¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Just run,¡± Noah said. He took a step toward Axil, flexing his fingers. When she came back to life, she¡¯d kill him ¡ª and he¡¯d return the favor with Sunder once again. Given how much longer it had taken Axil to regenerate this last time, he was willing to take his chances. It was the only shot he could take. They¡¯d find out which one of their powers gave way first.

    Muscles took form in the bloody blob. They were followed by patches of gray skin that spread like wildfire, rapidly stretching to cover Axil¡¯s body. Several mercifully placed scraps of white cloth from what remained of her clothes spared them all from seeing anything too mentally scarring.

    A victorious cry split the air. Axil thrust her hands into the air, claws curling toward the heavens. The remnants of the viscous fluid exploded into the air in a spout. Bloody rain pattered down around Axil as her body took shape once more¡ª

    Noah blinked.

    Axil was about half his height.

    Her proportions and features hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest, but she now stood no more than three feet tall. The remains of the clothing that had covered her were now practically a wedding gown.

    The tiny Axil¡¯s victorious cry slowly petered out. Her hands lowered. She studied her palms, then slowly turned her gaze over to her axe. It was now considerably larger than she was. Wordlessly, Axil took the uncomfortably long trip over to the weapon and grabbed it.

    Her teeth ground as she heaved the weapon into the air with a pained grunt. It flew over her shoulder and slammed into the stone behind her. The weapon¡¯s haft acted as a lever and shot up, catapulting Axil into the air.

    White robes fluttered like a drowning ghost as Axil bounced across the ground. She scrambled to her feet and stormed back over to the axe. She hoisted it once more. The weapon swayed unsteadily in the air, but she managed to keep it from dropping a second time.

    Noah stared in mute ¡ª well, he wasn¡¯t actually certain what emotion it was that he was feeling. It was certainly something.

    At some point, Moxie and Lee had stepped out of the tent behind him. They both followed his gaze.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°If you Sunder her again, will she shrink a second time?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°I think I might still be dead,¡± Noah muttered, shaking his head furiously.

    Their words drew Axil¡¯s attention. The demon¡¯s gaze snapped to them ¡ª and her eyes went as wide as saucers. Her axe pitched from her grip and crashed to the stone once more. This time around, she was smart enough to release the handle and avoid a second trip into the air.

    ¡°You died,¡± Axil said, her lips parting in awe. Her voice, strangely enough, was exactly the same as it had been. ¡°You died. I felt it. I saw it. We joined the canvas together. How is it that you still stand here?¡±

    ¡°Did you really think that killing me would be enough to make me die?¡± Noah asked.

    Moxie and Lee both looked at him.

    ¡°Really?¡± Moxie mouthed. ¡°That was lame.¡±

    Lee nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a headache,¡± Noah hissed. ¡°Get off my case.¡±

    Axil swallowed heavily. She reached for her axe, but her hand never tightened around its shaft. Her eyes then flicked to the bodies on the ground beside her ¡ª or rather, what remained of them.

    Noah and Axil realized at the exact same time that the number of corpses remaining on the ground did not quite line up. But, for the first time, it wasn¡¯t Noah¡¯s corpse that was the source of his confusion.

    There were one and a half bodies. Not two. Not one. One and a half.

    Noah¡¯s body was just feet away from Axil, as was exactly half of her own body. The other half of her was gone. It struck Noah that, now that he thought about it, this did make a certain amount of sense.

    Axil was just about half as tall as she¡¯d been before. Somehow, she¡¯d left half of herself behind when she¡¯d come back to life.

    ¡°My body. My power. My runes. Lord Sievan would not have done this. He would not return me to this world unable to fulfill his task,¡± Axil muttered, her stunned words just loud enough to reach Noah¡¯s ears. Disbelief etched itself over her features. ¡°What did you do? How is this possible?¡±

    And, before Noah could answer that he had absolutely no idea, he realized that he did know. Even through the headache pounding against his skull, Noah¡¯s eyes widened in realization.

    He hadn¡¯t just killed Axil. He¡¯d Sundered her. Not just her body. He¡¯d Sundered her runes, and possibly her soul as well. He¡¯d cut everything that made up the being known as Axil straight in half.

 Chapter 536: Double Down

    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Axil demanded. She stared at the palms of her hands like they held the answer she sought and found nothing. The small demoness¡¯ gaze lifted to the half of her corpse that still laid on the ground, unmoving. ¡°You severed my connection to myself? You died¡­ but you lived? This is Lord Sievan¡¯s domain. It should not be possible for¡ª¡±

    Axil¡¯s words froze in her mouth like they¡¯d turned to ice. Her eyes snapped to Noah and bored into his skull with more intensity than his headache. Disbelief played across her features and her lips parted as she took a step back.

    For Noah¡¯s part, he had absolutely no idea what was going through her head. The level of threat that she posed had practically died along with her. Even though he wasn¡¯t about to completely dismiss her as an opponent, he was a little more concerned with what had just happened.

    Sunder had never managed anything like this before. He¡¯d cut through people, cut through runes ¡ª but this was something else entirely. Something about Axil as a whole had been cut through. It was either that or something with her revival had just gone really wrong, but given how exactly half of her body had been left behind when she¡¯d come back, it would be bit too much of a coincidence to pretend the Master Rune was unrelated.

    How much of Sunder am I yet to understand? I know I¡¯m still far from being able to fully control the complete strength of Sunder. I just thought it would cut things harder, not do¡­ whatever this is.

    Noah¡¯s fingers twitched at his side. If he still access to his magic, he would have been strongly tempted to try Sundering Axil a second time.

    I wonder if she¡¯d die for good or if she¡¯d come back at a quarter of her former size. Actually, that might be even worse. She¡¯s manageable right now, but I don¡¯t love the idea of a chihuahua sized Axil running around and trying to nip at our ankles.

    Noah broke from his thoughts as Axil grabbed at her axe again and heaved it into the air. She teetered back and forth but kept it aloft by bracing it against her shoulder. She thrust her free hand in Noah¡¯s direction and the axe pitched back. Axil hurriedly re-caught it and steadied herself before settling to levy a glare at Noah.

    ¡°Is this a test?¡± Axil asked, her voice measured and laden with suspicion. Her eyes darted around the square, flicking from Lee to Moxie. ¡°Am I not yet returned to life?¡±

    ¡°Stand still and we can find out,¡± Lee said, flexing her hand.

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Moxie said as she held an arm up to stop Lee. ¡°Be careful. We don¡¯t know what she¡¯s capable of. It could just be an act, and she could have abilities beyond pure strength. She can come back from death. That¡¯s not something you rush blindly into.¡±

    ¡°Death,¡± Axil repeated. Her brow creased. Then her skin paled. Surprise rippled across her features and slackened her grip, launching the axe from her grip. Its head crashed down to the stone and its tip caught her in the chin, knocking her head back.

    Axil stumbled and grabbed at the growing bruise with a curse. ¡°Damn this body. It¡¯s so weak. Clumsy. I hate it.¡±

    For a moment there, it almost looked as if she had something she was going to say. I¡¯m not sure I can blame her forgetting it after getting clocked like that. But what are we suppose do about this?

    Noah studied Axil with displeasure. The situation had not developed at all how he¡¯d wanted it to. Axil didn¡¯t seem like a threat anymore, but he wasn¡¯t about to risk Lee or Moxie by sending them to kill her and find out that she was hiding another trick. He couldn¡¯t do much of anything himself either ¡ª his body was still cut from his magic.

    Even his access to the Fragment of Self had been blocked. His reaction speed had returned to its normal, human limits. Noah was nothing more than a normal human without any powers until the fog in his mind lifted away.

    ¡°Maybe we can throw some rocks,¡± Lee offered in a low tone. ¡°Throw enough rocks and we¡¯ll eventually hit something.¡±

    ¡°Stoning a demon to death has a certain amount of irony in it, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s just going to sit around while we fling shit at her. I could always run at her and get her to kill me so I can briefly access Sunder again, but I¡¯m going to get landed in another coma.¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not. We can¡¯t have you pretending to be a corpse while we¡¯re in the middle of the Damned Plains,¡± Moxie hissed with a firm shake of her head.

    ¡°Aha!¡± Axil exclaimed. She thrust a finger in Noah¡¯s direction again, this time unburdened by the weight of her axe and able to pull off the motion without inflicting bodily injury upon herself. ¡°Give me your rune.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Noah stared at Axil. It took him a second to realize she wasn¡¯t trying to make some sort of joke. He squinted. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You have to. I need it.¡±

    ¡°Why the hell would I ever give you my rune? You weren¡¯t strong enough to take it from me when you were twice the woman you are now.¡±

    Axil looked down at herself, then back to Noah. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and pressed her lips thin. ¡°That was a low blow.¡±

    ¡°All blows against you are low,¡± Lee said. ¡°They have to be if we want to hit anything.¡±

    The tiny demoness went to reply but trailed off as her eyes focused on something in the air above Lee¡¯s head. Her lips worked and she was silent for several long seconds before she shook herself off like a wet dog.

    ¡°No,¡± Axil muttered to herself, shaking her head firmly. ¡°No looking. Their canvases are far too distracting, Axil. We cannot be distracted. Lord Sievan gave us a mission. It must be accomplished. I cannot fail. Not again.¡±

    Why is everyone so fucking batshit crazy? Would it be too much for us to run into a demon that¡¯s perfectly logical? One that gives us a firm handshake and fucks off when he realizes that he¡¯s outmatched? Why do I get landed with the one creepy shit that comes back to life as a tiny munchkin and starts talking to herself?

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving you any of my runes,¡± Noah said with a firm shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯ve cut you in half once, Axil. Next time, I¡¯ll do worse. This is your one warning. Don¡¯t test me.¡±

    ¡°But I need one of your runes,¡± Axil said, her face screwing up in annoyance. ¡°I can¡¯t leave until you give it to me. Those were Lord Sievan¡¯s instructions.¡±

    She spoke with such matter-of-fact confidence that it gave Noah a moment of pause. Axil didn¡¯t even seem like she was trying to threaten them. She was framing her words as if they had to give her what she wanted. Not because she would enforce it, but because Lord Sievan would.

    I swear I¡¯ve heard his name before, but my damn head is so foggy I can¡¯t quite remember where. Was he somehow allied to the Belkus guy?

    ¡°Remind me who Lord Sievan is?¡± Noah asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

    Axil¡¯s eyes twitched.

    ¡°You claim to be unaware of Lord Sievan? This is impossible. All who walk within the Damned Plains know of him. He is the Ruler of the Golden City. The watcher of the Black Reaches. The Master of Death. The Eternal End. The strongest living demon within this plane of existence.¡±

    Noah scratched at the side of his cheek. He was starting to grow some stubble. It would probably be time to find a way to shave relatively soon.

    I kind of remember something being mentioned about Sievan with regard to the Black Reaches. I think that¡¯s where a bunch of the runes I used to fuel my combinations came from. If he¡¯s the master of the place, then why did he let someone stroll into his land and steal from him?

    Also, nobody actually strong is going to stroll around touting stupid ass titles like that.

    ¡°If this bloke wants something from me, he¡¯s welcome to ask for it himself. I¡¯m not an unreasonable man. I¡¯m occasionally willing to bargain. I¡¯m not partial to dealing with anyone that tries to send an assassin after me before introducing themselves. Words exist for a reason, you know.¡±

    Axil tilted her head to the side. She scratched at the horn protruding from the side of her face in a remarkably similar motion to what Noah had just done.

    ¡°Your words do not make sense. You request for someone to bargain. And yet, when I come to bargain, you refuse me.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t bargain. You tried to murder us.¡±

    ¡°An instrumental part of the process.¡±

    ¡°It most certainly is not,¡± Noah snapped. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared down the bridge of his nose at Axil. ¡°Or did you realize you can¡¯t win and then decide to pretend you came to bargain from the start?¡±

    ¡°No. I always came to bargain. I told you as much,¡± Axil said.

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Moxie said. ¡°You said you wanted to dance with Spider. Then you tried to kill him ¡ª but he killed you first. Enough of the lies. I¡¯ve got half a mind to see how far a solid kick to the chest can make you fly.¡±

    ¡°No bargain is complete without blood. Anyone unworthy of my blade would not be worth exchanging further words with,¡± Axil insisted. Her eyes sparkled with zealotry and she stared up at Noah.  ¡°Lord Sievan himself returned me to this place. Your might was so immense that he has taken witness of it. I will fight you no more. To raise my blade against you would be to stand in Lord Sievan¡¯s path.¡±

    I¡¯m¡­ not so sure I like the sound of that.

    ¡°I can kick her for you, Moxie,¡± Lee offered. ¡°I bet I could get her over the top of the buildings.¡±

    ¡°Do you really expect me to believe any of this?¡±  Noah asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

    Axil blinked. Genuine confusion passed over her features and her head tilted to the other side. ¡°Why would you not? A demon of your immense strength has absolutely nothing to fear from me. I am nothing but a bug in your path. Further fighting would serve no purpose for either of us except for you to spit in Lord Sievan¡¯s face.¡±

    Around the square, a few heads started to poke out of buildings as demons realized the fighting had stopped. There was no doubt in Noah¡¯s mind that these weren¡¯t the only ones to witness the fight.

    There were definitely people that had seen what happened. Had seen Axil die and return ¡ª and seen him do the same. For several long seconds, Noah thought. Axil had a point if she was telling the truth.

    It wouldn¡¯t be long before news spread even further. Every action he did from here on out couldn¡¯t just be a move played by Noah. It had to be one by Spider. A small grin pulled at the corner of his lips as a new idea laid itself out before him.

    He¡¯d laid even more of his cards on the table. And, in situations like that, there was one strategy that he was better at than any other.

    Alright, Sievan. Let¡¯s play your game and see what it is you want from me.

    Axil had set everything up too perfectly for him to not take advantage of the situation.

    It was time to double down.

 Chapter 537: I am Spider

    ¡°You¡¯re right about one thing,¡± Noah said, blowing out an exaggerated breath and stretching his arms over his head with a yawn. There were a lot of Demons watching them ¡ª if he wanted to sell his strength properly, he had to completely commit to the bit. ¡°The only reason to kill you again would be to figure out if you get shorter the second time around ¡ª but I won¡¯t deny that it¡¯s a tempting experiment.¡±

    ¡°I will not return a second time,¡± Axil said. ¡°My canvas has been painted. Lord Sievan¡¯s brush has completed me, and I am nothing more than what I appear.¡±

    Thank you for making absolutely no sense. I love it. I really do. You know what? I¡¯ll retract my earlier complaint that everyone I run into is batshit insane. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re insane. But couldn¡¯t they at least be the kind of insane where they spill all their plans and reveal everything in a way where it actually makes fucking sense?

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Noah said, going for the age old strategy developed through hours upon hours of school admin meetings of pretending he understood what was going on when he was completely lost. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ve still got a problem.¡±

    Axil¡¯s porcelain features furrowed, the unnaturally smooth portions of her face crumpling in ways that a human¡¯s body was never meant to do. ¡°What problem could we have? I am no threat. Eliminating me would be the same as digging the dirt out from Lord Sievan¡¯s toenail.¡±

    I ¡ª what? Is she implying she¡¯s worth no more than dirt beneath a toenail? If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t I literally be doing this guy a favor? Or is having dirt beneath your toenail somehow supposed to be a good thing in the Damned Plains?

    ¡°You made me waste my time,¡± Noah said flatly. He looked down to his corpse, which laid on the ground behind Axil. ¡°That does not put me in a mood where I am particularly eager to bargain with you.¡±

    She turned to follow his gaze, then looked back to him.

    ¡°I saved you time by killing four Rank 5 demons,¡± Axil countered. ¡°That should set us even.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to kill those demons,¡± Noah snarled, striding up to Axil and looming over her. ¡°I was looking forward to playing with them. You saved me no time. All you did was steal my entertainment and force me to waste a scrap of my hair.¡±

    Axil turned to follow his gaze. Her eyes landed on the corpse lying on the ground. She turned back to look at Noah. For the first time, a flicker of unease passed over her features. Axil¡¯s hands twitched at her sides and her weight shifted to her back foot.

    Tension pulled the air taut.

    The moment might have lasted a little longer if Lee hadn¡¯t made her way over to the shadow of a building near Noah¡¯s corpse and slowly reached out, snagging it by the wrist and slowly pulling it out of the light.

    Noah and Axil both watched as Lee consumed the body whole, swallowing the entire thing without so much as taking a bite. She sank into the darkness and rose back up in Moxie¡¯s shadow, averting her gaze and studying the wall as if she¡¯d never moved.

    Axil blinked heavily. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. ¡°Did your ally just eat¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stylist,¡± Noah corrected. ¡°That is my stylist. I do not enjoy leaving strands of my hair scattered around the ground like some animal. She is very good at her job.¡±

    And Axil hardly has any room to talk. I saw her biting the faces off more than a few different people, and she did her best to do it to me. That automatically disqualifies her from being grossed out by Lee¡¯s eating habits.

    ¡°You keep a demon around just to eat the bodies you leave behind?¡± Axil asked, and Noah couldn¡¯t tell if there was awe, disbelief, or horror in her tone.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Do you have an issue with that?¡±

    ¡°Does she eat other bodies?¡±

    ¡°Not yours,¡± Lee said. ¡°You smell awful.¡±

    ¡°She keeps her diet refined,¡± Noah said, feeling like the conversation was starting to veer off the rails and head straight for a brick wall. ¡°Only the highest quality meat.¡±

    There¡¯s got to be a special place in hell for people that refer to their own bodies as high quality meat. Good thing they won¡¯t keep me around there for long.

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    ¡°Like squirrels,¡± Lee said.

    Axil sniffed at her arm. Then she looked over to Lee. ¡°What are¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough of this,¡± Noah snapped. The last thing he needed right now was for Lee and Axil to start getting into the specifics of Lee¡¯s diet or why Axil smelled bad. ¡°My patience is already thin. The only reason you aren¡¯t dead a second time is because I have a degree of respect for¡­¡±

    Shit. What was his name?

    ¡°Lord Seevan,¡± Lee provided.

    ¡°Right,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Sievan,¡± Axil corrected.

    ¡°That¡¯s what Lee meant. There was something stuck in her teeth,¡± Noah said.

    Lee nodded empathetically. She reached into her mouth and yanked out a small fang, holding it up so Axil could see. ¡°Yup. This.¡±

    ¡°That is a tooth,¡± Axil said. ¡°One of your own teeth. It belongs in your mouth.¡±

    ¡°Does it?¡± Lee asked. She squinted at the tooth, then ate it. ¡°I guess it does. Good point.¡±

    Axil blinked heavily. Nobody said anything for several long seconds. That was definitely an improvement from all the yammer the demoness had been spouting about canvases and brushes. Maybe her former brain damage had been cured by dying ¡ª or split in half by Sunder. It was either that or Lee had confused Axil so thoroughly that her mind had actually managed to wrap back around into being almost normal.

    ¡°Just tell me what it is Sievan wants,¡± Noah said, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°And then I will determine if I am willing to give it over ¡ª and what you will have to pay for it.¡±

    Axil paused. ¡°Pay?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± A slow smile spread across Noah¡¯s lips. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be giving it to him for free, did you?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s lord Sievan.¡± The tone of Axil¡¯s answer might as well have changed her words to, of course I did.

    ¡°And I,¡± Noah replied, his smile growing wider, ¡°am Spider.¡±

    ***

    ¡°The enforcers are dead, Lord Belkus.¡±

    Lord Belkus shifted in his throne. The cold bone that made it up pressed into his back and loomed overhead, casting a shadow through the torchlit room. He¡¯d had the throne built from the body of the last Lord of Treadon in a show of strength. The enormous chair was a display of power that cowed even the strongest demons that sought his audience ¡ª and there hadn¡¯t been a day that Belkus hadn¡¯t regretted making it. The damned thing was the most uncomfortable seat in the entirety of the Damned Plains.

    A messenger knelt on the blood red rug leading up to him. The Rank 4 demon was barely as tall as the City Lord¡¯s knee and he kept his head bowed low to avoid meeting Belkus¡¯ gaze.

    That was wise.

    Anger, even more than what he was used to, swirled in Belkus¡¯ chest. Old wounds throbbed all along his chest and back, reminders of battles long past that had never truly healed. They always hurt the worst when things weren¡¯t going to plan.

    As of late, that seemed to be more often than not.

    ¡°Why?¡± Belkus asked. His voice was flat and controlled, but his words echoed through the room like a thunderclap.

    The demon kneeling far below him winced.

    ¡°They were killed, Lord Belkus. By an operative of Lord Sievan.¡±

    A cold hand clenched around Belkus¡¯ anger and snuffed it out like a candle in a winter storm. His back stiffened and his hands tightened around the armrests of his throne until the bone dug into his palm.

    ¡°What is Lord Sievan¡¯s creature doing interfering with matters in my city? Has Sievan sided with the dissident that killed one that belonged to me?¡±

    ¡°I do not believe so, Lord Belkus.¡± The messenger shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Spider killed Lord Sievan¡¯s operative.¡±

    Belkus blinked.

    ¡°He¡­ killed them? Permanently?¡±

    ¡°They came back, but it seemed the fight was over. Sievan¡¯s operative lost,¡± the messenger said. ¡°The last I saw of them, they had gone into Spider¡¯s tent to discuss terms of her defeat.¡±

    The demon hesitated. There was something he wasn¡¯t saying. Belkus¡¯ eyes narrowed and he leaned forward in his throne.

    ¡°The rest of it. Tell me. Now.¡±

    ¡°Sievan¡¯s woman¡­ she was scared. I¡¯ve never seen one of Death¡¯s followers show fear,¡± Belkus¡¯ messenger said, his voice shaking slightly. ¡°She implied that Spider may be powerful enough to draw Sievan¡¯s attention.¡±

    Belkus stared in disbelief. A demon powerful enough to draw the eyes of the Eternal End was no mere thorn in his side. Igris had reported that he was cleansing the streets of some filth that was trying to steal the underground from him ¡ª not picking a fight with a roaming Demon Lord. Ice prickled against his back and curled down his arms.

    Someone of that strength in my city¡­ this is Yoku¡¯s doing. She seeks to use my men like pawns, to turn this Demon Lord¡¯s power against me and take the city for herself. I am not so easily tricked, wretched creature. I should have realized sooner.

    ¡°You will find Commander Zorin immediately,¡± Belkus ordered, his voice raising in volume and carving through the room like a blade. The situation had to be controlled before it grew any worse. Rumors spread like wildfire ¡ª and rumors drew those who sought power. They would make Yoku grow stronger still. He would not allow it. Belkus¡¯ hand tightened into a fist.  ¡°Igris was a traitor working against me. Spider did me a favor in his execution of the worthless swine. Inform him that his earlier orders are canceled. I have new commands for him.¡±

    ¡°It will be done as you say, Lord Belkus.¡± The messenger¡¯s body trembled and Belkus realized he was letting a minuscule amount of energy slip free of his body. He pulled his strength back and the messenger drew in a relieved breath. ¡°What are your orders for Commander Zorin?¡±

    ¡°He is to find this Spider,¡± Belkus said, his jaw clenched as tight as wound steel. ¡°And he is to invite him here. Zorin will inform Spider that he is called to an audience with me.¡±

 Chapter 538: Bargaining

    Noah was having a little difficulty taking Axil seriously.

    Even when she¡¯d been shrunk down to half her size, he¡¯d still seen her as a potential threat. That was considerably harder to do when she sat in what could only be described as a glorified high chair for babies.

    Moxie had formed the contraption from vines and used one of the aforementioned plants to hoist Axil into it before strapping her in like she was little more than an unruly child. Axil hadn¡¯t taken much notice of it, but it was wreaking untold amounts of havoc in Noah¡¯s mind.

    ¡°You have a Death Rune,¡± Axil said for what Noah suspected to be the third time. He¡¯d glossed over the first few while trying to keep a straight face. ¡°It belongs to Lord Sievan. Give it to me so I may deliver it to him.¡±

    Maybe I should give you a bottle of milk and a sucker instead.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but I do believe we just went over this,¡± Noah said. He leaned back in the chair that Moxie had made for him, thankfully one without a strap to keep him locked in place like a child, and crossed one leg over the other. ¡°I¡¯m not giving you ¡ª or Sievan ¡ª anything. Bargaining, Axil. Is the concept that foreign to you?¡±

    ¡°All which Lord Sievan desires is his. There is no being in this plane of existence who can deny him his wishes. You are powerful. Beautiful. Far more than I could ever dream to be. But even such power is nothing but a flit of wind in a hurricane when faced with Lord Sievan. You have drawn his interest. Not his respect.¡±

    Noah nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I see, I see. But you¡¯ve missed something, Axil. Sievan isn¡¯t here. If he truly wanted a rune I bought with my own money and spent my own effort getting, then he would have gotten it himself. I don¡¯t see Sievan. All I see is you.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ speak for Lord Sievan.¡± There was a second of hesitation in Axil¡¯s voice that Noah couldn¡¯t have missed even if he¡¯d wanted to. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and glanced over to her axe, which Lee had claimed and was eyeing curiously in the corner of the tent.

    ¡°You don¡¯t sound so confident,¡± Moixe observed, leaning against the back of Noah¡¯s chair and arching an eyebrow. ¡°We aren¡¯t unreasonable. But if Sievan is really this powerful, is he actually so pathetic as to be forced to beg for something that does not belong to him?¡±

    ¡°Death belongs to him,¡± Axil said. Reverence twisted through her words and her features sharpened.

    Noah blew out a sigh. They were getting nowhere. The brief flicker of respect that Axil had formed for him after he¡¯d come back to life had paled in face of her zealous love for Sievan. Whoever the demon was, he certainly commanded quite a presence.

    But I¡¯ll be damned if some asshole who can¡¯t even be bothered to show up himself browbeats us into giving up a damn Master Rune just because he thinks he gets the rights to everything with the word Death in the name.

    There was a fine line he had to walk. Going too far and straight up spitting in Sievan¡¯s face was obviously a poor idea. Anyone who was strong enough to literally rip somebody else free of death¡¯s grasp wasn¡¯t someone Noah was eager to make an enemy of ¡ª but nobody respected a pushover.

    And if this Sievan can actually control death¡­ does he have something similar to Sunder? Has he seen the afterlife? And how strong do you have to be to prevent someone else from dying? There¡¯s a power I¡¯d do a hell of a lot to get my hands on.

    It would have helped if Noah knew much of anything about Sievan. Unfortunately, he had nothing to go by other than a half-insane half-sized demoness and rumors. That was far from ideal. This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d been dealt a poor starting hand, though. There were ways around certain disadvantages. Not ways he was particularly eager to use, but ways nonetheless.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Moxie, do you have any more Mind Meld Potions?¡±

    In response, she wordlessly pulled a glimmering pink potion out from her bag and handed it to him. Axil¡¯s eyes followed the potion. Her head tilted to the side.

    ¡°That is what you want to bargain?¡±

    Noah practically choked on his own saliva. ¡°I¡¯d dive into speeding traffic first. I will not be having any more rumors spread about me. I¡¯ve already got more than enough of the damned things. I¡¯m just¡­ goddamn it. I was going to say I¡¯m demonstrating something, but you¡¯ve fucked it. Figuratively.¡±

    ¡°I can still try to kick her,¡± Lee offered.

    ¡°You can¡¯t just steal my offer,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Come up with your own.¡±

    ¡°My strategy is usually eating things.¡± Lee¡¯s nose scrunched in disgust and she shuddered. ¡°I¡¯m not eating her.¡±

    ¡°That is a wise choice. I am not edible,¡± Axil said.

    ¡°Everything is edible, once,¡± Lee said. ¡°Most things tend to remain that way. You just smell like someone took a dump and then rolled it down a hill of dead bodies. Not appetizing at all.¡±

    ¡°If this is an attempt to elicit anger, it will not function. Followers of Sievan are conditioned against such things. In the face of the immense beauty we are graced to witness, there is no insult that could ever take purchase in my mind.¡±

    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± Noah said, popping the top off the Mind Meld potion. He held tapped it with a finger. ¡°Drink this.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Axil replied. ¡°I will not allow you to enter my mind. Your power is beyond what I can manage to face, but it is nothing in comparison to Lord Sievan. I will not turn my back on him.¡±

    Noah forced himself to choke down the slew of disgusted insults that nearly spewed from his throat. They would not have been particularly conducive to his Spider persona. Granted, it was already starting to suffer from Lee-itis.

    At least the demons outside can¡¯t see this. I think I¡¯d be ruined if they did.

    If she wouldn¡¯t drink the potion, he wasn¡¯t about to force her to. That was just wrong in multiple ways. It certainly made things more annoying for him. He needed a way to impress upon Axil that they were not just walking money bags for Sievan to dip his hand into.

    It¡¯s not like I can call on Sunder¡¯s power yet. I was hoping I might be able to pull something off in her mind since it¡¯s all willpower and no real magic when you¡¯re playing around in someone else¡¯s head. If that didn¡¯t work, I figured I¡¯d just threaten her until something stuck. But if that won¡¯t work either¡­

    Damn it. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but I wish I had a Mind Rune. It¡¯s not even like I¡¯d be able to use it right now, but I would absolutely love to be able to poke my head into someone¡¯s mind and crush them with my runic pressure or something.

    ¡°I see. In that case, it seems we might be here a while. I am not a particularly patient man, but I ironically turn out to be quite practiced in the art of waiting,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°We can wait here as long as you¡¯d like, Axil. Let me know when you¡¯re willing to bargain.¡±

    ¡°Do you really think you can outwait someone who has witnessed the immensity of death?¡± Axil demanded. ¡°I have met with Lord Sievan personally. I cannot be blackmailed. If you wish to wait, I will wait. I will wait until my task is completed.¡±

    ¡°Sievan is not the only one who bears power over death. And you, Axil, are not Sievan,¡± Noah said, his voice going as silent as a snake¡¯s whisper. His eyes flicked over to Lee and his tone returned to normal. ¡°Do you know where my grimoire is?¡±

    Time to sit here like a fucking idiot and bore all of us out of our minds. I need something to read so I can think about what Rune I¡¯ll try to make next. Something with Mind for sure ¡ª but what kind of disaster has anything to do with the mind?

    ¡°I put it over here,¡± Lee said, ducking under Moxie¡¯s bed of vines to root around beneath it. She snagged his book and tugged it out. She walked backed over to Noah, barely able to hold the huge grimoire against her chest, and handed it to him.

    I am really glad this thing is smart enough to decide who it allows to hold it. It would be really damn frustrating if I was the only one that could pick it up. Would probably get lost somewhere when I died.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Noah said, thunking the book down before him. It looked like this was going to take quite a while, but at least he had some runes to study ¡ª

    A stifled gasp cut through the room. Noah¡¯s head jerked up to the source of the noise, rising halfway from his chair in preparation for yet another person trying to kill them, but there was no attack coming.

    Axil was staring straight at the grimoire, and her eyes were wide in abject horror.

    ¡°What,¡± Axil whispered, pulling back against her chair as if trying to slide through the vines and sink into the ground, ¡°is that?¡±

 Chapter 539: This isnt a beach, its a book!

    Noah followed Axil¡¯s horrified gaze down to the grimoire resting on the ground before him. For a terrible moment, he feared that the book had decided to start plastering pornography across its pages again ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t even open.

    The cover was dormant, the eye design that adorned it inanimate and fast asleep. There was absolutely nothing worth gaping over. Noah looked back over to Axil. She was still staring at the book like it had just killed her entire family and offered her a thirty-course meal made from their bodies.

    Did it draw something and then get rid of it before I could see it?

    ¡°What is that?¡± Axil repeated, straining back in the chair in an attempt to get herself as far away from the grimoire as possible. Her features twisted with disgust and unease and she pulled at the vines, unsuccessfully trying to free herself from them.

    ¡°This is a book,¡± Noah replied, failing to keep his confusion from entering his voice. ¡°A big one. You¡¯re not scared of reading, are you? Wait ¡ª do they teach reading in the Damned Plains? Do they even have schools here? Is that what¡¯s going on? Are you scared of education?¡±

    The small demon didn¡¯t respond. It barely even seemed like she¡¯d heard him speaking. Her gaze was firmly locked on the book, eyes unwilling to tear themselves free in spite of the horror in her features.

    Noah looked over to Moxie and Lee. ¡°Did the book do something naughty? It¡¯s still got some bad habits that I¡¯m trying to work out of it. We had an understanding that it wouldn¡¯t go around flashing people anymore, and I¡¯m going to have to go discipline it if it¡¯s ignoring me.¡±

    The book flapped in protest in Noah¡¯s hands, but he ignored it. He trusted the book just about as far as he could throw it ¡ª which, ironically enough, depended entirely on how light the book wanted to make itself at the moment.

    ¡°Your book is flashing people?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°Axil is a face-ripping demon,¡± Moxie said flatly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ¡°Do you really think seeing a pair of tits would be enough to do this to her?¡±

    Noah looked back over to the small demoness. She was still squirming in her chair. Moxie¡¯s vines kept her from running, but the mask of horror on her face hadn¡¯t so much as budged.

    ¡°Maybe they don¡¯t have a very good sex ed program in the Damned Plains,¡± Noah said. ¡°It could have been Axil¡¯s first time seeing them. Could certainly be quite the surprise. You never know.¡±

    ¡°Mirrors exist.¡±

    ¡°So do idiots. Maybe she¡¯s never seen one.¡±

    ¡°And she¡¯s never looked down either?¡±

    ¡°Okay, point taken,¡± Noah said, scratching at the back of his neck. ¡°And this is a bit much even if that was the case. They¡¯re not that scary.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it drew a dick,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°Why do you know what that is?¡± Noah asked. ¡°I don¡¯t really know why, but I feel like you shouldn¡¯t know what that is. Actually, don¡¯t answer that question. I don¡¯t think I want to know.¡±

    Noah turned the book around and flipped it open to an empty page. He arched an eyebrow and prodded it. ¡°What happened? What did you do?¡±

    Ink sketched across the book¡¯s pages, drawing out a rather confused-looking stick figure. Noah narrowed his eyes, but the book showed him nothing else. It seemed to be equally as confused as he was.

    Noah blew out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was a pain in the ass, but maybe there was a chance he could turn it to his advantage. He wasn¡¯t above using the grimoire as a threat if it got Axil to actually play ball.

    ¡°Wake up. I¡¯m still here,¡± Noah said, snapping his fingers in front of the small demon¡¯s face. She blinked, finally tearing her gaze away from the grimoire, and looked up to him. ¡°Are you ready to properly bargain yet?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s horrible,¡± Axil muttered.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no,¡± Noah said. He tapped the grimoire, drawing Axil¡¯s eyes back to its pages. ¡°New offer. You tell us just what Sievan is willing to give us for my rune, or I leave you locked in a room with this thing and let it draw whatever it wants.¡±

    The grimoire¡¯s pages flapped.

    Moxie hid a sigh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the book drew anything,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Can¡¯t rule it out,¡± Noah replied in the same whisper. ¡°You never know. It¡¯s a sly one.¡±

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    ¡°No!¡± Axil exclaimed, cringing back into the vines behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me with it!¡±

    The eye on the back cover of the book snapped open and lifted to meet Noah¡¯s gaze. It squinted, then rolled as if to ask, what¡¯s her problem?

    Noah almost felt bad for it. This was a bit of an overreaction ¡ª especially if it hadn¡¯t actually drawn anything. He still wasn¡¯t convinced that it was innocent, but the incident with Bird had hopefully been a one-time thing. Noah was pretty sure the book was too rune-hungry to risk its source of energy over some stupid pranks. Pretty sure, but not completely sure.

    ¡°Is it the book you¡¯re scared of?¡± Noah asked, watching Axil¡¯s expression carefully. ¡°Or is it the forbidden knowledge within?¡±

    ¡°Tits are not forbidden knowledge,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Especially not poorly drawn ones.¡±

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t think it drew anything. And how do you know they¡¯re poorly drawn? This thing is pretty talented.¡±

    The eye bobbed up and down in appreciation of the compliment. Noah glared at it, and it jerked to a halt. Its eye sank back into the leather, returning to a plain design.

    ¡°Don¡¯t encourage it,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Reinforcing negative behaviors is always a bad idea.¡±

    ¡°What is it, a child?¡±

    ¡°It is a wretched perversion of nature that should not exist,¡± Axil rasped, finally finding the words to muster up an answer. ¡°What kind of demon are you, to tolerate the presence of such a vile object?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it drew anything,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯re probably right. Not even a huge prude would have a reaction this bad to art in poor taste. Axil, what exactly is your problem with my grimoire?¡±

    ¡°You ask me?¡± Axil asked, incredulously. ¡°Do you seek to mock me? To unnerve me to the point where I fail Lord Sievan and offer you what you wish? It will not work. Not even something as wretched as¡ª¡±

    ¡°Tell me what or I¡¯m going to hit you with the book.¡±

    Axil stared at Noah. ¡°What?¡±

    Noah lifted the grimoire. Enormous it might have been, but in his hands, the huge book barely felt like it weighed more than a piece of cardboard. The biggest problem hitting anything with it would be the air resistance.

    ¡°You heard me.¡±

    ¡°You would not dare. Your handling of such a vile instrument is already enough to fill my throat with bile. Such an affront to one of Lord Sievan¡¯s followers would be like spitting on his face.¡±

    ¡°I am going to hit you with the book.¡±

    ¡°You will not¡ª¡±

    Noah hit her with the book.

    It wasn¡¯t a particularly hard strike. It was more of a light thonk to the top of her head, like he was rapping it with a rather oversized ruler. Noah couldn¡¯t deny that it felt incredibly satisfying, but he would vehemently refuse any insinuation that he¡¯d done it purely because he wanted to see what it would happen.

    Axil recoiled, letting out a catlike hiss. ¡°You wretched¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it again,¡± Noah warned, lifting the book over his head. ¡°I can do this all day. Literally. It¡¯s very light.¡±

    ¡°You attempt to blackmail one of Lord Sievan¡¯s own.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no attempt in the picture. I¡¯m quite literally doing it,¡± Noah said. He hoisted the book. ¡°I don¡¯t even feel bad about this, which really isn¡¯t saying much, but I figure I¡¯ll mention it anyway. Nobody has ever died from getting konked on the head a few times with a few pieces of paper.¡±

    ¡°No! Get that away from me!¡± Axil demanded. She writhed in the chair and the vines bound tighter around her, keeping the demon from escaping. ¡°Do not touch me with that corpse!¡±

    Noah paused. He looked from Axil to the book, then back to Axil. ¡°This is a book. I¡¯m pretty sure we covered this bit already. I didn¡¯t hit you that hard.¡±

    ¡°A book made of a corpse,¡± Axil snarled, her head pushing against the vines behind her so heavily that they were starting to smush. ¡°Don¡¯t play coy with me, Spider. You know what that is. Any demon would know what that is when their flesh came into contact with it.¡±

    The eye on the book snapped open and swiveled down to stare at Axil.

    ¡°Humor me,¡± Noah said.

    Lee¡¯s picked this thing up more than once. She¡¯s never mentioned a word about it.

    ¡°You play me for a fool,¡± Axil spat.

    Noah hoisted the book.

    Axil paled.

    ¡°The book you sully your hands with is bound with the still-living flesh of demon-kind,¡± the demoness spat. ¡°Its canvas is a broken, disgusting mess. It bears the souls of the demons that were withered, ripped apart, and forced together. Its leather is burnt demonflesh, the screams long since silenced. That is a vile abomination that lingers between life and death, any remaining desire that its constituents may have had withered and lost within its pages. It is an affront to both life and death, hovering between both but belonging to neither. It is the most hideous thing I have ever laid eyes upon. Remove it from my presence.¡±

    Noah paused. He looked up at the grimoire in his hands. Axil¡¯s claim didn¡¯t exactly answer any unasked questions, but it did feel like it could make sense. He had wondered exactly how the book could just store infinite runes. Nothing like that ever worked through sunshine and rainbows. Squishing a bunch of demons into a blender and making a book out of them was definitely pretty evil sounding. More than enough of a sacrifice to make a powerful evil magical item.

    ¡°Can this be undone?¡±

    ¡°No. Their souls are shredded, their forms combined. That vile book is now what they once were. A new creature, one that can only be purged,¡± Axil said. A smug note entered her voice. ¡°I do not know how you were blind, but your eyes have been opened. You wield the twisted bodies of your bretheren. Lord Sievan¡ª¡±

    Whelp. Can¡¯t do anything about it, then. Bummer. Sorry. I¡¯m keeping the book, though.

    ¡°Is not here,¡± Noah finished. ¡°Now start talking about what he¡¯s going to give me for my Rune, or I¡¯m going to smack you with the corpse-stick again.¡±

    I really do have to figure out what the fuck this thing is when I get a chance, but now is not that time. Can¡¯t lose the momentum I¡¯ve built up. One problem at a time, thank you very much.

    Axil gaped at Noah. ¡°You know what that vile object is, and yet you continue to use it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m about to set a record for the most times I¡¯ve smacked someone¡¯s head with a blended-up demon corpse in one minute.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    Noah did a remarkable rendition of Moxie and arched his eyebrow.

    Axil swallowed. ¡°Perhaps we can come to an agreement. Don¡¯t touch me with that disgusting¡­ thing. Please.¡±

    Noah smiled.

 Chapter 540: Keep Silent

    As it turned out, Axil wasn¡¯t actually qualified to promise much of anything that Sievan owned. Even with the threat of being forced to witness what was apparently the most hideous object in existence, she could do nothing but attempt to get him an audience. That was no surprise to Noah.

    There was no way a demon as powerful as Sievan would be sending someone actually powerful to retrieve a broken Master Rune. A soul only had so much room in it. Even with the growth that came through advancement, he really doubted that an immensely powerful demon would want to use anything less than the best Runes they could find.

    It was far more likely Sievan was just collecting the runes. His name and a threat were probably more than enough to retrieve everything he¡¯d ever previously needed. Axil had just been the closest to their area. The most convenient option for retrieval.

    Someone like that wouldn¡¯t have bargaining power. They couldn¡¯t promise anything ¡ª and Noah had almost been counting on it. While he¡¯d have been more than happy to agree to a trade for a more worthwhile rune for himself, Lee, or Moxie, he was equally pleased to get an introduction to someone else who could help them.

    And that was exactly what Axil offered, straining in her chair and desperately doing everything in her power to get away from Noah¡¯s book.

    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to Zath,¡± Axil swore, her eyes screwed so tightly shut that Noah feared her face was going to freeze that way. She jerked against the restraings holding her to no avail. ¡°He will be able to speak on behalf of Lord Sievan. You can come to an arrangement with him.¡±

    ¡°And what stops him from just deciding to try the same shit you did?¡± Moxie asked, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Are we going to have to fight every single person in your organization?¡±

    ¡°Lord Sievan told me to use any means necessary to acquire the rune he seeks. Zath will not interfere. Just let me go. I do not wish to be in the presence of that¡­ thing any longer.¡±

    This is a really strong reaction for what should amount to little more than a really ugly stitched-together corpse. I¡¯m definitely not complaining, but seriously? I¡¯d suspect Axil was faking this if it wasn¡¯t so disadvantageous for her to do so. If she just spoke to us normally and offered to play ball the first time around, it would have saved her a bunch of time and humiliation.

    From what I can tell, Sievan somehow gave her a way to see¡­ death. Or something like that. Maybe it¡¯s the equivalent of setting a stink bomb off next to a dog¡¯s sensitive nose. It¡¯s just fucking with her senses so badly that she¡¯s willing to do anyting to get away.

    Works for me. I¡¯d rather trade with Sievan¡¯s underlings than fight them. If it gets me some leverage, maybe I could use that to find out where Wizen is or to get some other advantage over him. We definitely can¡¯t take him out as we are now, and every step in the right direction is valuable.

    That was the whole point of this whole Spider shtick. This wasn¡¯t how I planned on taking it, but I¡¯ve always loved improv.

    ¡°Acceptable,¡± Noah said. He crossed his arms in front of his chest ¡°And where are we going to find Zath? I hope you don¡¯t expect us to just let you go free. I haven¡¯t earned a reputation as a particularly magnanimous man.¡±

    ¡°I will call to him. For something of this level of importance, he will arrive. Personally.¡±

    Eh. Can¡¯t ask for more than that. Perfect.

    ¡°Then I believe we have ourselves a deal,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°I want to keep the axe,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you already have an axe?¡± Noah frowned. For that matter, he hadn¡¯t seen Lee¡¯s axe in quite some time. ¡°What did you do with it?¡±

    She gave him a sheepish grin. ¡°I left it behind on accident.¡±

    Noah blew out a breath and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t lose your toys, Lee. Axil, we¡¯re keeping the axe. I trust you don¡¯t mind? It¡¯s a bit too big for you now anyway.¡±

    Axil cracked an eye open and stared despondently at the huge weapon. ¡°It was crafted from metal mined deep within the Black Reaches. It will not allow another to wield it. I bound it to my soul.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can wield it much yourself,¡± Noah pointed out.

    ¡°I will eventually consume enough energy to rebuild myself to my proper size,¡± Axil said. Her gaze caught on the book and she stiffened. Her features scrunched and she turned her head away. ¡°Is this truly relevant?¡±

    Lee hoisted the axe. She gave it a test swing, which was somewhat concerning given that they were all inside the tent with her, then tilted her head to the side. ¡°It seems to work pretty fine to me.¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Axil¡¯s gaze snapped to Lee. She stared at the other demon in befuddlement. ¡°You¡­ swung my axe?¡±

    Lee swung the axe again.

    ¡°Careful!¡± Moxie warned, stepping away from Lee. ¡°I am not trying to get chopped in half. Don¡¯t swing sharp things in the tent. You could¡ª¡±

    The momentum of Lee¡¯s swing carried the blade around into the tarp behind her, slicing clean through it. She skidded to a halt, then cleared her throat and moved to stand in front of the newly made flap.

    ¡°Oops.¡±

    ¡°How are you doing that?¡± Axil asked. She glanced back at the book and swallowed, then forced herself to look away from it. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be able to swing that. It¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean I can have it?¡±

    Axil¡¯s lips thinned. Her fingers flexed. The axe rattled in Lee¡¯s grip ¡ª but it didn¡¯t so much as budge. They both stood still for a moment. Axil¡¯s eye twitched.

    ¡°It betrayed me? You shouldn¡¯t be able to ¡ª oh, fine. Just take it. It will be so long before I can use it again that I might as well make a new one. Just¡­ let me out of here.¡±

    ¡°Pleasure doing business with you,¡± Noah said. ¡°Just go ahead and introduce us to Zath and you¡¯ll be welcome to go on your merry way.¡±

    Axil blew out a defeated breath, but one more glance in the direction of the book was all it took for her to nod her understanding. Moxie¡¯s vines slackened their grip on her, and she used the opportunity to squeeze into them even farther, as if trying to sink in and escape the presence of Noah¡¯s grimoire.

    Light filtered into the tent from the front flap. Noah looked over to it. Annoyance flickered over his features. It froze as he spotted Aylin standing on the other side, Vrith beside him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for interrupting, but this is urgent,¡± Aylin said, his face pale. ¡°We just picked up word from our network that Commander Zorin is on the move. He¡¯s not even trying to hide it. He¡¯s coming here, Spider.¡±

    The tone of Aylin¡¯s voice made it clear that this was probably a big deal. Unfortunately, Noah had no blasted idea who Zorin was ¡ª but that didn¡¯t make it hard to guess. If there was someone with the title of Commander living in Treadon, it was pretty easy to guess who they worked for.

    ¡°Belkus¡¯ man?¡±

    ¡°His strongest man,¡± Aylin said, swallowing.

    Shit. My magic is still gone. I can¡¯t take a fight right now.

    ¡°Well then, I suppose we¡¯ll have to see what he wants,¡± Noah said, not letting any of his panic show on his features. That would just make the situation even worse. Filling the camp with terrified demons was the last thing he wanted to do, and it would completely ruin his persona. His mind spun. He wasn¡¯t completely out of cards yet. People almost certainly would have spread word of his fight with Axil by now. That could be used to his advantage.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to fight him?¡± Aylin asked, his eyes widening.

    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll find out,¡± Noah said. ¡°Moxie, Lee, keep an eye on Axil, would you?¡±

    And get the hell out of here if things go wrong.

    Moxie¡¯s lips thinned. She knew what he was doing, and she wasn¡¯t pleased about it. But, with Noah¡¯s magic missing, it was the smartest move. They weren¡¯t going to be able to swing a fight against someone far more powerful than him. Getting as many people to safety was far more important.

    ¡°Let me out first,¡± Axil begged.

    ¡°No,¡± Moxie said. ¡°You¡¯ve still got to take us to Zath. We¡¯ll let you out once this has been dealt with.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Axil. It shouldn¡¯t take too long. Let¡¯s go,¡± Noah said to Aylin. ¡°It would be a shame to be caught off guard when our guest arrives. And Vrith, would you grab Yoru for me?¡±

    The two demons nodded. Vrith shot off while Aylin led Noah out of the tent.

    While I can¡¯t beat anybody in a magical fight right now, there¡¯s more than one way to win a battle ¡ª and magic kneels before the throne of pure, unadulterated bullshit.

    ***

    Axil¡¯s mouth was as dry as parchment. She watched Spider leave the tent out of the corner of her eye. The vines binding her infuriatingly weak body had relaxed, but they still held her fast.

    Her eyes darted from Moxie to Lee to the dirt. They danced in an attempt to escape, but it was futile. There was no escape from the warped, destroyed canvas that swam in the center of the room.

    There was no escape from the being that rose from it, its gaunt form composed of sickly, warped death energy, somewhere between rot and shadow. No escape from the ice-cold fingers that gripped her face. No escape from the sickness that dripped from its undulating flesh and rolled down her skin.

    Nobody else could see it. They couldn¡¯t see the slender form that was forced to bend in on itself and scrunch to avoid tearing through the top of the tent. They couldn¡¯t see the empty, sunken eye sockets. Couldn¡¯t see the mouth that floated in the darkness that was its visage, the crooked, too-wide teeth that twisted into a smile.

    ¡°Very good,¡± the Abomination whispered, its words squirming like worms burrowing into her ears. It turned her head to the side, then pulled its hand away, leaving a trail of slime on her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m glad we could come to an agreement, observant one. I would have been most displeased if you had said anything.¡±

    Axil swallowed. She said nothing.

    ¡°Keep silent, Servant of Death.¡± The Abomination¡¯s smile grew wider, splitting its face like a weeping scar. ¡°And remember. I can give you the true-death far faster than you can speak.¡±

    The vile creature sank back, slithering into the pages of the book and vanishing from sight, but not from mind. Axil could still feel its vile, paradoxical gaze burning into her skull. The warped hatred and power that twisted within the creature was so immense that it threatened to choke the breath from her lungs.

    Axil didn¡¯t know what could have created such a monstrosity. She didn¡¯t know what horrible monster could have trapped it within the book before her. In her years of life, she¡¯d never witnessed such a thing.

    She couldn¡¯t tell how powerful the monster truly was. In her current form, she had no way to fight it even if she¡¯d wanted to. There was absolutely nothing she could do but remain silent and pretend that it was the book alone that had ripped the visceral reaction from her. That it was the book which she feared, not the harbinger of sickly hell trapped within its pages.

    And that was exactly what she did.

 Chapter 541: An Audition

    Noah stood by Yoru and Aylin in the center of the market square as he waited for Commander Zorin to arrive. Vrith stood several paces behind them in the shadows, shifting from foot to foot nervously. She looked painfully uncomfortable. Noah didn¡¯t blame her.

    He wasn¡¯t all that keen about the whole waiting bit either. As a general rule, Noah didn¡¯t like waiting. He especially disliked waiting for anything that he didn¡¯t actually want.

    But in this particular scenario, waiting hypothetically worked to his advantage. The longer it took Zorin to arrive, the closer he got to getting his magic back and the more time he had to come up with bullshit.

    ¡°So,¡± Noah said, his eyes scanning the sky in search of a demon flying in their direction. ¡°Anybody know anything about what we¡¯re up against?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s strong,¡± Aylin provided, somewhat unhelpfully.

    ¡°Thank you, Aylin. I had guessed that part,¡± Noah said. He glanced over to Yoru. ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yoru said. ¡°I am aware of Zorin.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s something you¡¯d like to share with the class?¡±

    ¡°It is not.¡±

    ¡°And why would that be?¡± Noah asked as he rifled through his pockets and scanned their surroundings, having just remembered that his face wrappings had been somewhat ruined during his fight with Axil.

    It¡¯s not like having face wrappings actually matters when I¡¯m in the Damned Plains. Nobody knows who I am and I¡¯m well past the point where I need to pretend to be weak. I¡¯ve got a reputation, and having a fully human form can lend itself to that. But the wrappings are basically my calling card by now. It would feel disappointing if I show up without them. Like finding a certain magical mouse in a specific ¡°happy¡± place on earth without any large, circular ears.

    ¡°Because I have not examined the outcome of this interaction with regard to you,¡± Yoru said. ¡°I do not plan to interfere, so it is shrouded from me.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I should expand my question to ask why you are choosing to be useless,¡± Noah grumbled.

    ¡°I have been testing your suggestion and limiting the use of my abilities,¡± Yoru replied with a small shrug. ¡°Zorin does not pose me any threat. I have already seen the future in which our goals align, and we have taken steps on that path. No significant weights should have shifted, so my desired future remains in place. I do not need to check on it any further, so I can avoid looking at specifics while I follow your and Violet¡¯s advice with regard to my powers.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°I can¡¯t speak for Violet, but I was saying that you need to start thinking for yourself and stop letting your magic completely control you.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°But you already believe you know the future we¡¯re in right now,¡± Noah pointed out. ¡°Just because you haven¡¯t looked recently doesn¡¯t mean you didn¡¯t look. The whole point of that advice was to occasionally take life as it was. You¡¯re only technically not using your magic ¡ª and this feels like a scenario where your magic would actually be smart to use.¡±

    ¡°Technically correct is still correct. And I do not need to use my magic. I will survive.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that I won¡¯t just start blasting things the moment Zorin shows up? That could screw your plans up, and I¡¯ve just decided to do it at the last moment.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Yoru said with complete confidence.

    Noah wouldn¡¯t. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. ¡°Has anyone ever told you how annoying that magic is? It¡¯s just probabilities, right? Not guaranteed futures?¡±

    ¡°Statistics can be manipulated. My desired goal can always be achieved when approached with sufficient alternative angles. Are you requesting that I change my plans to ensure that I properly weigh the approaching future to ensure an ideal victory for you? That would involve using my magic and placing you in my debt ¡ª a deal I would be willing to accept.¡±

    Noah studied Yoru for a second. Her posture seemed less confident than normal. Despite her decision to only suspend her use of magic on a scenario she mostly had control over, there was still a ¡°technically¡± involved. She didn¡¯t actually perfectly know what would happen.

    Yoru was trying to get control of herself back from her magic. Small steps were a vast improvement over no steps at all ¡ª and while Noah suspected he could have made an argument that she owed him at least a little bit for housing and staying in his camp, he was more than aware that argument wasn¡¯t going to fly.

    I¡¯m not going to be the reason she falls off the veritable wagon. If it looks like Zorin is going to go around trying to murder everyone, I still have at least one usage of Sunder I can get off right when I die. It¡¯ll do some serious damage to my body, but I don¡¯t think Zorin is just going to come swinging.

    You don¡¯t send a Commander to execute a thorn in your side. He¡¯s probably coming here to bargain with or threaten me. I can handle both of those situations without Yoru pulling on everyone¡¯s strings like little puppets.

    ¡°You know what? I think I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Noah said. ¡°Thanks for the offer, though.¡±

    Yoru inclined her head. ¡°You are welcome. Aylin, stop trying to eat my energy. It tickles.¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Aylin said, his cheeks blushing a bright purple. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to. You¡¯re just really interesting. I also understand so little about how your magic works that everything you say triggers my Runes and I get hungry.¡±

    ¡°You will get hurt if you continue that path.¡±

    Aylin¡¯s features paled. ¡°Is that a future you saw?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yoru replied. ¡°It is because I will flick you very hard, and it will hurt. I do not need to weigh the futures to know that outcome.¡±

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    The threat sounded laughable until Noah remembered that Yoru was an incredibly highly ranked demon, and her flick was probably strong enough to kill the average demon on the spot. He doubted she would actually murder Aylin out of annoyance, but Yoru was still an immensely powerful demon. It wasn¡¯t a complete impossibility.

    ¡°There will be no flicking,¡± Noah said firmly. He glanced at Aylin out of the corners of his eyes. ¡°And you really should get that power under control.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Aylin said. He coughed into a fist. ¡°I wasn¡¯t done about Zorin, though. I know more. He¡¯s a Rank 6 demon, 104 years of age. He¡¯d done a good job of hiding his exact abilities, but he prefers to fight at range with a bone bow. It¡¯s been a while since he¡¯s had to use it. His reputation is usually enough to end most fights.¡±

    Noah blinked. That was a lot of information.

    ¡°When did you figure all of this out? Is it common knowledge?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Aylin replied with a shake of his head. ¡°Given you were going after someone who has some ties to Lord Belkus, I suspected it would be prudent to direct the information network that you had the Web set up in Belkus¡¯ direction. It wasn¡¯t hard. He likes flaunting his strength.¡±

    ¡°What else?¡± Noah asked. He and Aylin both paused as they spotted a black spot in the sky.

    ¡°I think¡ª¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not here yet,¡± Noah said promptly, eyeing the approaching demon. There was still some time before they would arrive. ¡°Come on. Most important stuff first, if there¡¯s anything left.¡±

    ¡°I have a lot of general information, but I don¡¯t know how much of it will be immediately relevant beyond his abilities,¡± Aylin said, almost falling over his own words in his haste to get them out. ¡°From the stories I gathered, I think Zorin is known to follow Belkus¡¯ orders very closely. You won¡¯t be able to bribe or distract him. He¡¯s reported to be incredibly single-minded. If you need to convince him of something, it can¡¯t go against what Belkus ordered. Anything else is likely to fail.¡±

    The approaching demon was close enough in the sky that Noah could make out alabaster white armor covering his red form. He didn¡¯t let his eyes leave the demon as he gave Aylin a curt nod. That was information he could work with. As it turned out, leaving a Knowledge Demon in charge of finding out information was pretty effective.

    If only I could take credit for being a genius instead of just getting lucky that I located the one demon that happened to feast on information.

    A frown flickered across Noah¡¯s face.

    Actually, now that I think about it, isn¡¯t that a bit too convenient? How did I land the one Knowledge Demon out of sheer, dumb luck?

    He didn¡¯t get a chance to consider it any further.

    Huge wings snapped out from the back of the demon ¡ª who Noah could only assume to be Zorin. Wind buffeted Noah¡¯s hair back as Zorin alighted on the stone before him. His wings folded in to hang around his shoulders like a cloak.

    The commander was not at all what Noah had been expecting. Despite Aylin¡¯s mention of using a bow, Zorin appeared to be unarmed. Aside from the heavy looking white armor covering his body, he was entirely without equipment. Zorin actually stood just slightly shorter than Noah, with the lean build of a runner. His features were flat, but not aggressive.

    He seemed more like a scholar in armor than ¡ª

    ¡°Spider,¡± Zorin said, staring straight at Aylin.

    Okay. Maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed.

    ¡°Wrong one,¡± Noah said.

    Zorin turned to him, entirely unperturbed. ¡°Spider.¡±

    Was he planning on doing that to everyone he saw until somebody said yes? I kind of want to know what would happen if I say I¡¯m not Spider either¡­ but it¡¯s probably not worth antagonizing Zorin when he hasn¡¯t done anything yet. Might as well hear out what he has to say.

    ¡°Pleasure,¡± Noah said. ¡°And you would be Zorin.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    ¡°Why have you come?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side. He meant the question ¡ª he¡¯d done enough to annoy Belkus by this point that he genuinely didn¡¯t know what the answer was.

    ¡°Belkus calls you to audition.¡±

    ¡°¡­for what?¡±

    What, is he trying to start a demon dance troupe?

    ¡°Not for. To speak. Lord Belkus demands your presence.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Noah¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°That kind of audition. Sounds interesting enough. He¡¯s welcome to swing by. I¡¯ll make time for him.¡±

    Commander Zorin stared at Noah, confusion playing across his face. ¡°You¡­ will make time for him?¡±

    ¡°I know, it¡¯s pretty gracious of me,¡± Noah said magnanimously. ¡°But I believe making his acquaintance would be a worthy expenditure of my time. I¡¯ll have a chair prepared for him. A soft one. We have some nice chairs.¡±

    ¡°You will go to him,¡± Zorin said, his eyes narrowing slightly. ¡°Lord Belkus is not at your beck and call.¡±

    Yeah, but I¡¯m really not keen on strolling into enemy territory. That¡¯ s a great way to get yourself executed, and I can¡¯t even blow myself up right now. I¡¯m not going on a playdate with Belkus until I can blow myself up. Being able to detonate your skull in case of emergencies should be the bare minimum standard for any date, really.

    ¡°Beck and call? He¡¯s the one that wants to see me,¡± Noah said with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t go around demanding people visit me just because I want to see them. It¡¯s rude. There are much better ways to get what you want.¡±

    Zorin¡¯s brow furrowed ¡ª and then he paused. For the first time, he spotted Yoru. The demon took a step back, his hand going to his side for a weapon that wasn¡¯t there. A flicker of fear passed through his eyes.

    ¡°Why is Yoku the Rising Moon in your camp, Spider?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Noah blinked in apparent confusion. ¡°That¡¯s Yoru.¡±

    Zorin hesitated. His head tilted to the side. ¡°¡­the Rising Moon?¡±

    ¡°No. Yoru. She¡¯s a stray child that I ended up picking up,¡± Noah said.

    The commander¡¯s eyes narrowed. He studied Yoku for several long seconds. Then he crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Are you Yoru?¡±

    ¡°I have been called that.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Zorin said. He scratched the back of his head. ¡°I see. That¡¯s no issue, then. Your allies may accompany you. Belkus will provide sufficient compensation for your time as well as diplomatic immunity for the duration of your stay.¡±

    Noah almost missed a beat. Out of everything he¡¯d been expecting, an entirely civil meeting offer had been at the bottom of the list. It almost felt wrong.

    ¡°What does diplomatic immunity cover?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Your life. Most of your limbs.¡±

    Eh. Fair enough. That¡¯s actually a decent offer. Might as well see what Belkus has to say. Maybe he¡¯s reasonable.

    Noah opened his mouth to answer ¡ª and a crackle of energy split the air. Everyone spun as a purple blade carved free of the air to Noah¡¯s side and sliced through it, peeling reality apart like it was a chunk of butter to form a wide portal. Purple smoke poured out from the churning hole, rolling across the ground.

    A black sabaton crashed down on the stone as a towering, gray-skinned demon emerged from within the portal. The demon stood easily two times as tall as Noah. He was clad from head to toe in spined black armor, an imposing helm of solid metal covering the entirety of his face. A thin gap full of glowing purple ran across its eyeline. On the demon¡¯s back hung a massive broadsword. It was chipped and cracked, but its material was the exact same one that had gone into Axil¡¯s axe.

    Pressure slammed into Noah like a punch to the gut. His stomach clenched and he staggered. Aylin and Vrith both slammed to the ground with such force that they cracked the cobblestone beneath them.

    Yoru¡¯s head tilted to the side.

    Zorin¡¯s muscles tensed.

    For an instant, there was silence. The intruder looked over them, face and expression concealed by his helm.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Zorin demanded.

    ¡°I am Zath. Harbinger of Sievan. The Cracked Blade, the Breathless End,¡± the demon intoned, drawing his sword and driving it into the ground before him with a single hand. The weapon sliced into the stone like nothing was there. With his other hand, Zath pointed at Noah. ¡°Spider. You killed my subordinate. We have business.¡±

 Chapter 542: A solution

    Noah and Zath stared at each other for a long second. The towering demon seemed to be waiting for Noah to say something or otherwise respond. Unfortunately for him, Noah was still trying to figure out how they¡¯d been found so quickly.

    Does Axil have some way to telepathically contact the other members of Sievan¡¯s group or something? If she does, why wouldn¡¯t she have tried doing that sooner? It really looked like this dude just showed up on a whim, so he could have popped out at any point while I was smacking her with the corpse-book.

    ¡°I think kidnapped would probably be more accurate,¡± Noah said, breaking the silence before it could grow too long. ¡°Your subordinate is still alive. I generally don¡¯t count something as killing unless your victim stays dead. At best, that¡¯s just attempted murder.¡±

    ¡°I think Spider is right,¡± Zorin said, scratching at his chin. ¡°You can¡¯t have killed someone if they aren¡¯t dead.¡±

    ¡°You most certainly can. Death is temporary,¡± Zath said with a firm shake of his head. ¡°And a great number of things don¡¯t know how to stay dead. I¡¯ve killed quite a number of my subordinates myself, and none of them are dead.¡±

    ¡°Then what¡¯s the issue?¡± Noah asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°And I should note that Axil attempted to kill me first.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t kill you?¡± Zath¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°She¡¯s normally quite good at that part, even for a Rank 5.¡±

    ¡°No, she killed me,¡± Noah said. ¡°I just didn¡¯t stay dead.¡±

    Zorin stared at Noah. He raised a finger into the air, as if to ask a question.

    Both Noah and Zath ignored him.

    ¡°You are making fun of me,¡± Zath said, his voice flat.

    ¡°A little,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t tend to appreciate it when any group tries to kill me, even when their efforts are largely ineffective.¡±

    ¡°She succeeded,¡± Zorin pointed out.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t stay dead,¡± Noah replied. ¡°I generally don¡¯t. The idea of it generally displeases me. Ideological differences with the whole concept of passing on and entering the afterlife. I just don¡¯t get on well with the idea of dying, so I don¡¯t. You know the deal.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Zorin said. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°This is understandable,¡± Zath said with a nod. ¡°You speak of a concept well known to me. A concept that should not be under your domain. The power to deny death is one that belongs to Lord Sievan alone. A blessing that he gives only to his greatest followers.¡±

    ¡°There are more ways to power than through Sievan alone,¡± Noah said with a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°But I am not interested in debating the source of my strength. I do not care when one of my bodies is cut down, but I don¡¯t enjoy it. Your subordinate wasted my time. I hope you haven¡¯t arrived to do the same.¡±

    ¡°I am here to retrieve the object that she was sent to seek. I have no desire to waste any more time here than you do,¡± Zath said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and tapping a foot against the ground. ¡°This was originally Axil¡¯s task, but Lord Sievan informed me that it was likely she has failed.¡±

    ¡°Actually, we¡¯d come to an agreement,¡± Noah said. ¡°An agreement that involved you. I was under the impression she¡¯d had some way to summon you here.¡±

    Zorin looked from Noah to Zath and then back again, trying and failing to follow the conversation as the confusion spread farther across his features and into his body language. This definitely was not how the Commander had envisioned the meeting going.

    There was more than a little trepidation in his eyes. Zorin evidently recognized Zath¡¯s name ¡ª and probably not because they were just similar enough to mildly annoy Noah. He had no idea how powerful Zath was, but if a Rank 6 was this wary around him, then something told Noah that the massive, black-armored demon was not to be trifled with.

    Peak of Rank 6? Or could he be even higher? A Rank 7? That doesn¡¯t exist in Arbitage, but the Damned Plains are not Arbitage. I was pretty sure the reason people got stuck at Rank 6 back there was because their runes are so poorly combined.

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    Maybe the demons have found a different way to advance past Rank 6. It could have something to do with their unique biology with regard to Runes, or perhaps there¡¯s something else entirely. If that¡¯s the case¡­ maybe he¡¯ll tell me how he reached Rank 7.

    Even if Zath isn¡¯t Rank 7, this Sievan character is definitely that strong ¡ª if not stronger. The amount of fear his name commands makes it impossible for him to be a mere Rank 6¡­ as ironic as saying ¡®mere¡¯ Rank 6 sounds when I¡¯m only a Rank 4.

    ¡°Axil cannot summon me,¡± Zath said through an amused snort, breaking Noah from his thoughts. ¡°She lacks the power. Her only duty was to retrieve a rune, but it seems the task was too great a challenge for her. That would be a mistake on my part. I was unaware of your presence. Had I originally known the one who owned the Rune was one such as yourself, I would have approached to handle the situation personally.¡±

    There was something in Zath¡¯s voice that almost bordered on respect. It was somewhere just between acknowledgement and interest, with just a little uncertainty mixed in. He didn¡¯t know what Noah was capable of.

    Noah also caught something else in the demon¡¯s words. A thread of dishonesty. It didn¡¯t seem like Zath was used to lying, because something told Noah that Axil would have been sent to bother him no matter what. Despite Zath¡¯s words, the towering demon wasn¡¯t intimidated in the slightest.

    He didn¡¯t see Noah as a threat. Noah just wasn¡¯t sure if that was because Zath was confident in his own abilities or Sievan¡¯s. If Sievan really could just bring people back to life on a whim from wherever in the world he was¡­

    A shiver ran down Noah¡¯s back.

    That was power beyond even what Sunder could offer. Far, far beyond it.

    ¡°No harm done,¡± Noah said with a small shrug. ¡°Well, not to me. Axil might be on discount for the foreseeable future.¡±

    ¡°Discount?¡± Zath and Zorin asked at the same time.

    ¡°Half off,¡± Noah replied, the corner of his lips quirking up. ¡°But we can get right to the point. I don¡¯t mind bargaining with you any more than I do with Axil ¡ª and we were planning on finding you in the first place. I¡¯m willing to sell the Rune you want.¡±

    ¡°Sell?¡± Zath¡¯s head tilted to the side.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m just going to give it to you, do you?¡±

    ¡°It is for Lord Sievan.¡±

    ¡°Who is more than capable of paying for it,¡± Noah said with a flat smile. ¡°Or is he so desperate for this rune that he has to resort to begging? Because that does not seem like the Lord Sievan whom I have heard of.¡±

    Noah and Zath watched each other for several long seconds. Then Zath inclined his head.

    ¡°Perhaps we can come to an agreement.¡±

    ¡°Hold on,¡± Zorin said, speaking up after his period of silence. The Commander¡¯s features were thin with displeasure. ¡°I will not interfere with Lord Sievan¡¯s business, but I am not here on a personal task. I was sent here by Lord Belkus.¡±

    Zath¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°I see. I apologize for the interruption. Finish your conversation. I will wait.¡±

    ¡°We cannot conclude it here,¡± Zorin said with a firm shake of his head. ¡°Lord Belkus has requested that I retrieve Spider for an audience. It must be done immediately. He awaits our return.¡±

    ¡°You wish to make Lord Sievan wait?¡± A dangerous note entered Zath¡¯s voice. ¡°You ask the Lord of the City of Gold to sit and bide his time for his lessers?¡±

    ¡°Our Lords have an accord,¡± Zorin said tersely. Tension gripped the demon¡¯s entire body, stiffening his back and tightening his fists.

    Noah didn¡¯t blame him. A fight against an unkillable Rank 6 or 7 demon was difficult enough already. A fight when Zorin hadn¡¯t even brought any weapons along with him and preferred to handle tasks at a range was suicide.

    A smarter demon probably would have pulled back on the spot.

    But Zorin was not a smarter demon. He was a single-minded demon. One who accomplished his task and let no distraction or deviation stand in his path.

    ¡°We will not take long,¡± Zath said.

    ¡°Lord Sievan¡¯s concept of time is renowned for being poor,¡± Zorin said. He shook his head. ¡°I will complete my task. This is Lord Belkus¡¯ city. The meeting must be held. Spider has already accepted.¡±

    Zath¡¯s helmeted head turned to Noah. ¡°You have?¡±

    ¡°My companions and I accepted the offer about a second before you popped up, actually. I feel like we¡¯ve spent more time debating who gets to talk first than it would have actually taken to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah. I see,¡± Zath said. He tapped his fingers on the hilt of his sword, then inclined his head. ¡°If you have already agreed, then it would go against Lord Sievan¡¯s commands for me to insist otherwise. Then it is decided.¡±

    Noah and Zorin looked at him.

    ¡°You will wait?¡± Zorin asked.

    ¡°Wait? No. I will not wait,¡± Zath replied. He grabbed the massive sword that he had planted in the ground and drew it free from the stone in a smooth motion. Noah tensed, but the huge demon just slung the blade over his back and clapped his hands together. ¡°His companions were invited to attend, yes?¡±

    Oh, no. Please don¡¯t. I do not need to get dragged into a geopolitical dick measuring contest between two Demon Lords. Just sit here and watch the smoke in the sky or something.

    Noah¡¯s telepathic thoughts never made it to Zath.

    ¡°Then this will be no issue. I can be counted among these companions,¡± Zath, the Harbinger of Sievan and uncomfortable meeting atmospheres, said. ¡°I will attend the audience.¡±

 Chapter 543: Dont even think about it

    Zath¡¯s offer worked.

    To say Noah was surprised would have been an understatement. For some reason, he¡¯d been convinced the demons would have jumped into some massive argument that eventually devolved into a city-wide brawl.

    Instead, Zorin just shrugged and nodded his assent.

    And that was how Noah, half wondering if he¡¯d somehow failed to wake up from a dream, found himself strolling through the streets of Treadon with Belkus¡¯ commander, the Harbinger of Sievan, a Rank 3 Knowledge Demon, and a masked future-seeing child that was most certainly not actually a child.

    Noah was still trying to figure out exactly how things had ended up going this way when the universe decided that they hadn¡¯t quite added enough oddities to the group. Something soft and as immovable as a boulder lodged itself in front of his foot.

    He tripped, stumbling and barely catching himself an instant before he fell flat on his face. Irritation played across Noah¡¯s face as he spun toward the source of his surprise attack, already more than aware of who the perpetrator was before he caught sight of them. There was only one being in the universe that consistently insisted on placing itself directly in front of his path when he wasn¡¯t looking.

    Mascot sat curled in the center of the street, grooming his rear. He glanced up at Noah, the reddish-purple spines running along his back humming with faint energy, and tilted his head to the side as if to ask why the clumsy human hadn¡¯t been watching their step.

    ¡°There is a creature,¡± Zorin observed.

    ¡°Unfortunately, this one is my creature,¡± Noah said, scooping Mascot up and holding the cat out before him like a toddler with a full diaper. The cat extended, somehow nearly doubling in length as he stretched toward the ground. Mascot glared at Noah. Claws pushed free of his feet.

    ¡°I do not believe the creature is pleased with you,¡± Zath said.

    ¡°The creature isn¡¯t pleased with anyone,¡± Noah said. He lifted Mascot up to his shoulders. The cat clawed onto him, sticking to his shoulder like a prickly burr. He turned back to Zorin and gestured impatiently. ¡°Don¡¯t mind the furball.¡±

    ¡°I have never seen a monster such as this one,¡± Zorin said, studying Mascot with undisguised curiosity. ¡°Is it dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Eh. He¡¯s done his best, but he hasn¡¯t managed to kill me yet. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Noah asked.

    Mascot¡¯s head slowly turned so he could look into Noah¡¯s eyes, moving so slowly that he could practically hear stone grinding against stone in his mind.

    ¡°I do not think it is done trying to kill you,¡± Zath said. ¡°Your creature bears death on its breath.¡±

    ¡°Eh. It hasn¡¯t killed anyone too important yet.¡± Noah paused for a moment. ¡°I think. I wouldn¡¯t make bets on it. He¡¯s a vindictive little shit. Isn¡¯t that right buddy? You¡¯re a vindictive little shit, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    He scratched at the side of Mascot¡¯s neck. The cat purred ¡ª and made absolutely no move to unlock its legs or remove its claws from his skin. Noah glanced back to the other demons and gestured impatiently.

    ¡°You are bleeding,¡± Zorin said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Noah said. ¡°I am aware. Can we get this on with? I¡¯m a busy person. I have a schedule to keep.¡±

    ¡°Lord Belkus may not allow the creature into his sanctum. He is a very neat demon,¡± Zorin warned. ¡°He despises mess of all sorts. If your creature does not behave itself, it may cause trouble.¡±

    Noah glanced at Mascot. ¡°He¡­ he¡¯s great at behaving himself. Very neat, too. Never once has he so much as made a single mes¡ª¡±

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    The cat¡¯s body contorted. Mascot let out a hack, then spit a hairball out onto the ground. The group of demons stared at it. Zorin¡¯s eyes lifted back to Noah.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t ask me to back you up on that,¡± Aylin whispered, keeping his voice low enough that only Noah could hear it. ¡°It¡¯s really difficult for me to lie.¡±

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to laugh or sigh. He just inclined his head slightly, then cleared his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Fact of the matter is, I don¡¯t think we could get rid of him if we wanted to. Mascot goes where he pleases.¡±

    Zorin lifted a hand toward the cat. Yoru¡¯ s head tilted to the side. She stiffened.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Yoru barked.

    Zorin froze. ¡°What? I was going to remove the creature.¡±

    ¡°If you touch the furball, you die,¡± Yoru said flatly. ¡°Hands off. Don¡¯t even look in that thing¡¯s direction. You can try touching it after we¡¯ve met Belkus.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Zath asked, curiosity tinging his voice.

    ¡°I can touch the creature safely after we make it to Belkus?¡± A confused frown creased Zorin¡¯s face. ¡°What changes? Why does it matter when I touch it?¡±

    ¡°I just don¡¯t care if you die after Spider has been introduced,¡± Yoru said in a matter-of-fact tone.

    Zorin¡¯s frown deepened. He studied Mascot for a moment, then pulled his hand back and shook his head. The demon started back down the street, and the rest of them followed after him.

    Blood trickled down Noah¡¯s arm and soaked into his sleeve as they continued. It wasn¡¯t even like the wounds Mascot made were that big. The cat just kept re-opening them. He was pretty sure the stupid thing had gotten fatter since they¡¯d last met.

    Probably eating something important.

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about Mascot rocking up to a meeting at this level of importance, but it wasn¡¯t like he could get rid of the cat even if he¡¯d wanted to. Time and time again had proved that the little monster generally had his best interests in mind, if only because it found them amusing. Trying to lose Mascot would probably just end up in the cat returning with a bigger and badder monster chasing after it.

    Fortunately, the rest of the roughly hour-long trip went smoothly. None of them spoke any more, though Zath¡¯s eyes lingered on Yoru more than once. The black-armored demon was definitely curious as to who she was ¡ª or perhaps Zath had the same ability that Axil did and Yoru¡¯s canvas was really interesting.

    Zorin came to a stop at a black gate before an enormous, six-story tall cross between a mansion and a palace. Spires rose up into the air from the huge building, bulbous tops thinning to points like the barbs of a scorpion¡¯s tail. It was made of black stone with twisting veins of wood running throughout it ¡ª an impressive display of wealth in the Damned Plains, where wood was hard to come by.

    A guard by the gate pulled it open, granting them entry to the obsidian path that led up to a pair of massive, beautifully carved double doors. They depicted a scene from a battle that Noah suspected he probably would have recognized had he known anything about the history of the Damned Plains.

    ¡°Come,¡± Zorin said as he led them down the path. The doors slid open silently, each one pulled by a butler, and they stepped into a long hallway floored with soft, red carpet. There was no decoration of any sort on the walls or ceiling, which felt rather odd given the grandiose nature of the mansion.

    What stood out the most to Noah as he and the others followed Zorin inside was just how clean everything was. There wasn¡¯t so much as a speck of dust on the walls or in the corners of the doorways.

    It was completely spotless.

    Noah sent a pointed glance at Mascot.

    Don¡¯t even think about it.

    The cat just stared at him. Noah repressed a sigh. There wasn¡¯t any bargaining with Mascot. He wasn¡¯t sure why Mascot had showed up in the first place, but the little monster only tended to appear when it got the feeling something amusing was about to happen.

    And, as Noah glanced around the group following Zorin down the halls, he got the feeling he knew exactly why Mascot had decided this might be an event worth witnessing.

    The hallway opened up into a massive amphitheater-sized room. At its far end was a pair of huge double doors, strikingly similar to the ones at the building¡¯s entrance. The massive room continued off to the side, its ceiling easily one hundred feet up in the air. It, like the rest of the mansion, was floored in red rug and had no further decoration aside from the carved doors. Even the walls and ceiling were plain.

    ¡°We have arrived,¡± Zorin said as he came to a stop before the doors and braced his hands against them. ¡°Lord Belkus awaits you beyond these doors.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes sharpened. No matter what company he¡¯d inadvertently dragged with him, he couldn¡¯t afford to let his guard down. Belkus was a powerful demon ¡ª and a potential tool to dealing with Wizen, if Noah played his cards right.

    Well, that or a powerful enemy. I did kind of steal the underground of his city from him and murder one of his subordinates. But that¡¯s basically the equivalent of a demon ¡®hello¡¯, isn¡¯t it?

    Suppose we¡¯re about to find out.

    ¡°Well then, we¡¯d best get on with it,¡± Noah said with a cold smile. ¡°I¡¯d hate to keep him waiting.¡±

 Chapter 544: The Creature

    Zorin pressed against the huge wooden doors and they swung open soundlessly, revealing a massive room beyond.

    Carpet stretched across the ground like a red sea. It was smooth and uniform, without any break or interruption from furniture or artwork. Torches flickered from their spots along the circular walls, casting the room in dancing shadows.

    The ceiling loomed even higher in the air here than it had been in the rest of the mansion. Noah wasn¡¯t even sure what the purpose of such a massive room was ¡ª there were no chandeliers or displays of wealth hanging above to fill the space. It was just dark. As a matter of fact, there was only a single obstruction to the uniformity of the room.

    At the very center of the room was a huge throne made of polished white bone. It was easily an entire story high, polished to the point where it shimmered in the firelight. Its back rose nearly two stores into the air, looming over even the enormous demon sitting upon it.

    The demon could have been none other than Lord Belkus. He sat at easily sixteen feet tall, clad in polished silver armor that caught the torchlight and sent it dancing in patterns across the carpet at his feet.

    Belkus¡¯ skin was a bleached bone white, one that nearly matched the throne in which he sat. His eyes stuck out in sharp contrast, two pools of brilliant blue ice in a sea of snow. A pair of huge, ribbed wings jutted from his back and hung over the edges of the throne like a cape. He watched the group enter his throne room, his chin supported on the palm of a hand, fingers drumming against his square jaw.

    Even from where Noah stood, he could feel the power from the demon. It pressed into his domain and threatened to drive him to his knees. The sheer runic pressure rolling off Belkus was almost as much as Noah had felt from Jalen.

    That wouldn¡¯t have been impressive if Belkus was a human.

    But Belkus was not a human.

    He was a demon ¡ª and demon magic was so tightly bound up within their physical forms that manifesting any external magic was magnitudes more difficult than it was for anyone else.

    There was no doubt in Noah¡¯s mind. A strength like this could only come at Rank 7. No Rank 6 demon would be able to come anywhere close to Jalen¡¯s power. For Belkus to have a presence of this intensity meant that he was almost certainly one of the strongest demons he¡¯d ever met.

    Aylin squirmed in place, his eyes darting around the room. He was doing a remarkable job of not looking completely terrified. A Rank 3 in the presence of a Rank 7 was like a fly in the face of a hurricane. The Knowledge Demon shifted to keep Noah between himself and Belkus.

    ¡°Lord,¡± Zorin said, taking a step further into the room and inclining his head. ¡°I have arrived for the audience that you requested.¡±

    There were several long seconds of silence. Belkus¡¯ gaze bored into Noah¡¯s head, and Noah returned the look. Neither of them budged an inch. Finally, Belkus raised the hand that wasn¡¯t occupied with his chin.

    ¡°That is apparent, Zorin,¡± Belkus said. His tone, as smooth and flat as ice, echoed through the room like a roll of thunder. Despite its intensity, it was impossible to tell exactly what the massive demon was thinking. His features were a carefully controlled mask that allowed no emotion to slip through. ¡°I am pleased that you were able to succeed. But I believe I told you to bring Spider.¡±

    ¡°I did,¡± Zorin said. He looked back to Noah. ¡°This is Spider.¡±

    Mascot meowed.

    ¡°It is not Spider that I question. It is the zoo that you brought along with him,¡± Belkus ground out, a flicker of irritation passing through his icy eyes. He leaned forward in his throne and his features tightened. Belkus¡¯ stare bore straight into Zath. ¡°Who are the others, Zorin? Look at them! Why have you invited these demons into my halls?¡±

    ¡°They are attendants, Lord Belkus,¡± Zorin provided after a second of hesitation. ¡°They are Spider¡¯s¡­¡±

    Zorin trailed off.

    ¡°Attendants?¡± Belkus asked, disbelief tinging his words. ¡°Attendants? Look at them, Zorin! Do you really think those are attendants? Use your head, Commander. Who are they?¡±

    Noah kept his face impassive. He was fairly confident that Belkus wouldn¡¯t go back on his word ¡ª that would have made him look incredibly weak to every other demon in the city, and there had been more than enough witnesses of his promise to make sure Belkus wouldn¡¯t take it back.

    That didn¡¯t mean he trusted the Demon Lord to behave rationally, and Noah had basically strolled into Belkus¡¯ house with the representative of a rival Lord. Belkus absolutely knew who Zath was. He¡¯d asked Zorin the most rhetorical question that had ever been uttered.

    ¡°What are you?¡± Zorin whispered, looking back at Mascot.

    Mascot stared at him. Then, in an impressive display of acrobatics, he curled in on himself, still holding onto Noah¡¯s sleeve with his claws, and started grooming his ass again.

    Zorin waited for a moment longer, as if expecting Mascot to actually answer him once he was finished. When it became apparent that Mascot had no plans of finishing nor answering, the captain looked at Aylin.

    ¡°What are you?¡±

    ¡°A demon?¡±

    ¡°To Spider,¡± Zorin said in a low hiss. ¡°I know you¡¯re a demon. What are you to Spider?¡±

    Aylin flinched. His eyes darted to Belkus, who watched over them with impassive silence. It was like trying to wring information from a brick wall.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Quickly now,¡± Zorin said. ¡°Lord Belkus does not like to be kept waiting. He wishes to know who you are to Spider.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª uh, we¡¯re not dating,¡± Aylin stammered, stumbling over his own words in stress. It didn¡¯t look like any actual thought had gone into them. His mouth was just moving, trying to get an answer out and pass the attention on to someone else. ¡°Miss Moxie is with him. I wouldn¡¯t try to get involved in that. It¡¯s way too dangerous, and he¡¯s also a lot older than me. Not that much older, but older. A bit. Well, maybe a lot, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Aylin,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Yes, Spider?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°Right. Sorry.¡± Aylin adjusted his collar and swallowed heavily. ¡°I¡¯ve never met a Demon Lord before.¡±

    ¡°You never answered the question. You just said what you aren¡¯t,¡± Zorin said. His voice rose slightly in annoyance. ¡°Someone answer lord Belkus¡¯ question! He has requested an introduction!¡±

    ¡°Zorin, as much as I value your loyalty, I fear your comprehensive skills have not progressed in the hundreds of years we have known each other.¡± One of his hands clenched into a fist. ¡°I am not a fool. Before us stands¡ª¡±

    ¡°I am Zath,¡± Zath proclaimed, his words tearing through the room like crashing thunder. ¡°Harbinger of Sievan. The Cracked Blade, the Breathless End.¡±

    There was a long pause.

    ¡°I know who you are,¡± Belkus ground out.

    ¡°Ah, I understand. You want to know my relation to Spider.¡± Zath said, tapping the side of his helm. ¡°I am also not dating him.¡±

    Belkus¡¯ composure broke.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re not dating Spider!¡± Belkus roared. ¡°Why is the Breathless End in my castle? Sievan did not announce your presence. This goes against our accord. Do you seek to challenge me?¡±

    Zath tilted his head to the side. ¡°No. I would not waste my energy on such trivial things. I am here because Spider and I have business. I am unwilling to stand around like a dog and wait for a meeting, so Zorin was kind enough to invite me.¡±

    ¡°You broke a treaty because you did not wish to wait?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Zath said.

    ¡°I can respect that,¡± Belkus said after a moment. His eyes narrowed. ¡°Or, I would be able to, had you not brought a snake to my doorstep.¡±

    Aylin glanced around the room. His lips twisted into a frown and he leaned in to whisper to Noah. ¡°We didn¡¯t invite Pirren, did we?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Noah replied.

    ¡°There is a snake?¡± Shock passed over Zorin¡¯s features and he spun toward Noah and the others. ¡°I will check them at once, Lord Belkus. Allowing a lowly monster to enter your sanctum is a failing on my part. I will take full responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Not a literal snake,¡± Belkus snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers and sinking back into his chair. The bones jutting from its back caught on his shirt, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice. He pointed at Yoru. ¡°The Rising Moon, Zorin. She is right there.¡±

    Zorin spun in the direction that Belkus had pointed, fury covering his features. He spotted Yoru and froze.

    Realization passed over his face.

    ¡°I see the issue, Lord Belkus,¡± Zorin said solemnly. ¡°I had similar difficulties. But this is Yoru. Not Yoku.¡±

    Belkus stared at them.

    ¡°You said the same name twice.¡±

    ¡°No. One of them is slightly different. Yoru has an ¡®r¡¯. Yoku has a ¡®k¡¯. Subtle, but different. An easy mistake to make, Lord Belkus, I can assure you. I made it myself.¡±

    ¡°That is the Rising Moon,¡± Belkus said flatly. ¡°She has changed her name by one letter, Zorin.¡±

    Zorin turned back to Yoku, betrayal crossing over his features. ¡°You lied to me?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yoru replied. ¡°I have been called Yoru.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Zorin returned his attention to Belkus. ¡°There you have it, Lord Belkus. She did not lie.¡±

    ¡°Damnable Loyalty Demons,¡± Belkus muttered, sinking even lower into his throne. ¡°Have I ever told you that I would have had you executed had you not been so dedicated, Zorin?¡±

    ¡°Three times this week, Lord Belkus.¡±

    ¡°Make it four.¡± Belkus leaned forward, then rose from his throne. A shadow stretched out over the ground and passed over Noah as the huge demon extended to his full height. The movement was joined by a slow, ripping tear as the throne clung to the back of the Demon Lord¡¯s shirt.

    Belkus was so strong that he didn¡¯t even seem to notice until he¡¯d completely risen, leaving the back half of his garb attached to the jutting pieces of the throne behind him. The front of his shirt fluttered down to land at his feet, leaving him completely bare chested.

    ¡°You lost your shirt, Lord Belkus.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Zorin,¡± Belkus said, glancing down at the scrap. ¡°I am aware. However, I find myself considerably more concerned with the Rank 7 Demon seeking my throne that you have led into my halls.¡±

    ¡°I have no interest in your throne,¡± Zath said.

    ¡°Not you,¡± Belkus said.

    Zorin and Zath both turned toward Noah at the exact same time.

    ¡°The creature?¡± Zorin asked.

    ¡°I suspected it to be strange,¡± Zath said. ¡°It bears no presence, yet its canvas is¡­ uniquely agonizing. I would avoid irritating it.¡±

    ¡°Not the gods-damned cat either,¡± Belkus said. ¡°Yoru. Yoku. Whatever she wishes to be named ¡ª she is still the Rising Moon. I am aware of her machinations. I have seen what she has accomplished, using misdirection to manipulate people into obeying her desires. She seeks control of Treadon.¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± Zorin asked Yoru.

    ¡°Why would you want to be a Lord?¡± Zath asked with a befuddled frown. ¡°It¡¯s a horrible bore.¡±

    ¡°I am traveling with Spider. He invited me,¡± Yoru said.

    Noah¡¯s eye twitched.

    Way to throw me under the bus, Yoru. I suppose my guess that you were physically older than you appeared was right, but what¡¯s this they¡¯re saying about ruling the city? Is that what your goal is?

    ¡°She has expressed no desire in ruling the city to me,¡± Noah said. ¡°I have no interest for ruling Treadon. I¡¯ve just liberated some of your resources. You weren¡¯t using them.¡±

    Belkus pressed his lips thin. ¡°I suspect you and I will be able to find common ground, Spider. But I called you here for one purpose ¡ª to ensure that you not fall into the grasp of the Rising Moon. She is a controller, one that will seek to set us against each other. She may not speak lies, but her truths are concealed in shadow. Do not trust her.¡±

    Noah studied Yoru. He didn¡¯t doubt a word of what Belkus said ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t about to give up his advantage. If Belkus was scared of Yoru, then this was actually a benefit. He could leverage that.

    ¡°I am here only because Spider invited me,¡± Yoru said. ¡°This was the path he desired. It may lead to another in the future, but I am not here to fight you today.¡±

    Belkus blinked. ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t? You bring an army of powerful warriors, then claim not to seek to fight me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then what is your greatest desire?¡± Belkus asked, watching Yoru warily. ¡°I know how you work, Rising Moon. Answer me plainly, or one of us will die today ¡ª and you are not powerful enough to fight me in direct combat.¡±

    ¡°My greatest desire is far too complex to answer plainly.¡±

    ¡°Your greatest desire that is possible to be accomplished during the duration of this meeting,¡± Belkus said. ¡°What is it that you would like to do most right now?¡±

    Yoru tilted her head to the side. For several long seconds, everyone waited on her answer. Then she turned toward Noah.

    ¡°I would like to pet the cat.¡±

 Chapter 545: The Rising Moon

    ¡°The cat,¡± Belkus repeated. His features were unreadable once more, blue eyes boring into Yoru like drills. ¡°The Rising Moon¡¯s greatest desire at this moment is to pet the cat?¡±

    ¡°Not a desire I would mirror, personally,¡± Zath observed. ¡°I¡¯d sooner slit my own throat.¡±

    ¡°Is this a cypher?¡± Belkus asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°A code to cover your true goals? I know of your distaste to outright lying, but I refuse to believe that the Rising Moon¡¯s greatest goal is to spend time with a mere monster.¡±

    ¡°It is not,¡± Yoru replied. ¡°I want to pet the cat.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Belkus asked.

    Noah wanted to know the same thing. He still didn¡¯t have the complete story, but Yoru ¡ª or Yoku ¡ª was clearly a powerful demon. A very powerful one. He¡¯d suspected that she¡¯d been strong, of course, but he hadn¡¯t quite realized the extent of it. If Yoru was really telling the truth, Noah had absolutely no idea why her current greatest desire was to pet Mascot.

    ¡°Because, when I weighed the probabilities of the potential futures, the one in which I win is the one in which I desired to pet the cat,¡± Yoru replied simply.

    ¡°You imply that petting this¡­ creature will somehow achieve the world you desire?¡± Zath asked incredulously. ¡°How would that possibly work?¡±

    Belkus looked a lot less doubtful than the other Rank 7 demon. He studied Mascot intensely for several long seconds without saying a word. Noah could practically see the thoughts going through his eyes.

    The Demon Lord respected Yoru¡¯s strength. They were enemies, and he was more than aware of what she could accomplish. But Yoru couldn¡¯t flat out control the future. She could only see the most probable paths and take actions to achieve a path that had the highest likelihood of being the one she wanted.

    That wasn¡¯t absolute strength, and Yoru hadn¡¯t refuted Belkus¡¯ words when he¡¯d insinuated that he was stronger than she was. There was probably a very good chance that Belkus would win in a direct fight. But at the same time, he had to realize that Yoru wouldn¡¯t have come here if she didn¡¯t think she had a way to win.

    Part of Noah wondered if the mind games that came from trying to fight a demon that could peer into potential futures were worse than actually fighting them. He¡¯d be second guessing every single action he made. Wondering if every single coincidence was actually intentional ¡ª and a lot of them probably were.

    ¡°It is the future that I witnessed,¡± Yoru replied with a shrug. Her hand drifted up to the mask covering her features. ¡°I will say no more. Do you plan on breaking your word, Belkus? Will you attack Spider¡¯s entourage?¡±

    Aylin stiffened at Noah¡¯s side. Zorin tensed and Zath watched on, expression still hidden behind his helm. Out of everyone in the room, he was the least invested in its outcome. He was just along for the ride.

    ¡°You wish to trap me into fighting against Spider,¡± Belkus said. ¡°To force my hand and destabilize Treadon even further. Your games will not work on me, Rising Moon.¡±

    Yoru¡¯s head tilted to the side ¡ª a particularly threatening gesture considering what it meant.

    ¡°Do you struggle against the setting sun, Lord Belkus? Do you attempt to hold it aloft in the sky to keep the night at bay?¡±

    ¡°Speaking in riddle will do nothing to alter my course,¡± Belkus said. He raised a hand. Points pressed up against the inside of his arm. Blood dripped down his hand as bone pressed up, slicing through his skin and winding out like bleached vines. The bone intertwined, tightening into a shaft, rising up and blooming like a bloody flower to form a huge hammer head. Spiked growths emerged from all over the weapon, largely concentrated at its striking surface.

    ¡°Do you know why I do not lie?¡± Yoru asked, not even slightly perturbed by the gruesome display before her. ¡°It is because I have no need to. I already know you will do exactly as I desire. The wielder of a pawn is not present on the board.¡±

    Belkus¡¯ grip tightened around the bone hammer in his hands. The skin on the back of Noah¡¯s back prickled. He wished he could reach for his runes. He wasn¡¯t sure what he could do directly against Belkus, but it would have been nice to at least be able to try.

    It was easy to forget just how powerful Yoru¡¯s magic was. If she¡¯d peered into the future and already weighed the possibilities, then it was very possible that attacking here was exactly what Yoru wanted Belkus to do.

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    Or perhaps this was what stopped Belkus from attacking. Then again, Yoru¡¯s words could have been meant to cause him to think that, which would therefore make him attack. Just the mere thought of it made Noah¡¯s skull pound and amplified his lingering headache.

    Cold prickled against Noah¡¯s skin. It rolled from Yoru¡¯s body in waves, bearing the weight of immense magic just barely allowed to slip through. Yoru may have been emotionally undeveloped, but her Runes were in control now.

    She was not just a child.

    She was not just a demon.

    She was a calculated future.

    One that had built itself. An uncomfortable thought passed through his mind. Yoru had said that the wielder of a pawn wasn¡¯t present on the board. She hadn¡¯t been lying ¡ª but Noah was pretty sure she hadn¡¯t actually been referring to herself as the wielder in her analogy.

    Yoru was speaking about her own Master Rune.

    ¡°Do it, then,¡± Belkus ground out. His hand snapped open and the bone growth emerging from his palm collapsed inward, slithering back into his body and flicking blood across the floor until it had completely retreated. His hand tightened into a fist. ¡°Take the cat, Yoru. Pet it. Elsewhere. You are not welcome in my palace.¡±

    I¡¯m not so sure Mascot is going to¡ª

    Claws dug into Noah¡¯s shoulder. Mascot leapt off his shoulder, dropping to the ground and padding over to Yoru. The small demon bent, scooping the cat up, and placed him on top of her head like a fluffy hat.

    ¡°I enjoyed our meeting, Lord Belkus,¡± Yoru said, turning on her heel and striding toward the huge double doors at the end of the room. ¡°Anticipate the next one. I will be there at the end.¡±

    She slipped out the doors and vanished from sight. The throne room was silent for several long seconds. Then Belkus lowered himself back into his throne, heaving a long sigh.

    ¡°Infuriating demon. I rue the day she entered Treadon. It has caused me nothing but trouble. We are all tools in her eyes. She has no respect for anything. No readable desires. The Rising Moon is a corruption that I cannot cut free without severing my own neck ¡ª and that is why I called you here, Spider.¡±

    ¡°Her goals and mine are not one,¡± Noah said, still surprised that Mascot had headed off with Yoru of his own volition. ¡°Though I will not take a stance against her. We are not enemies at this time.¡±

    ¡°I did not expect you to,¡± Belkus said with a bark of laughter. ¡°She does not have enemies. I have enemies. The Rising Moon has nothing but herself and those who lose their souls in her gaze. So, tell me, Spider. You are not a friend to the Rising Moon. You are certainly not a friend to me. Then who are you? Why are you in my city? At first, I thought you to be a minor demon seeking to slice power for themselves. That no longer seems likely. You keep strange company ¡ª and the rumors surrounding you are stranger still.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re looking for a simple answer to a very complicated question,¡± Noah said. ¡°I do not believe I can give it to you.¡±

    ¡°A demon who slips past even the reaches of death,¡± Belkus intoned, placing his arms on the rests of his throne and leaning forward. ¡°And he uses that immense power to cause discord in my city for no apparent reason. Yoru believes that you somehow aid her plan. Sievan sends his men to wait on you, one of which you kill. I trust one as unique as you will find a way to answer my question, Spider. If not, while you not be enemies with the Rising Moon, you will be enemies with me.¡±

    Noah met Belkus¡¯ gaze without flinching. It certainly helped that the demon didn¡¯t have a true domain. If he did, Noah doubted he would have been able to remain standing. Even the power rolling off the Demon all the way from his throne was enough to push Noah¡¯s resilience to his limits.

    ¡°A simple answer will answer nothing, but if that is what you seek ¡ª I am a teacher.¡±

    ¡°A teacher?¡± Belkus repeated, small frown playing across his lips. ¡°What is it that you teach? And what is it that leads a teacher to Treadon and causes them to attempt to interfere with its goings?¡±

    I was originally planning to try and build an army from the dregs of Belkus¡¯ society and then leverage that somewhere else to try and build a search party for Wizen¡­ but maybe there¡¯s a way around that. Could I get Belkus interested in Wizen somehow? I don¡¯t know if I want to reveal that Wizen has a key that allows for free passage into the mortal realm, but I need to get my hands on that damn artifact so I can get back to my students ¡ª and so Tim can get the transport cannon back up and running properly.

    ¡°I teach whatever needs to be taught,¡± Noah replied. ¡°And I come in pursuit of a man.¡±

    ¡°One in Treadon?¡± Belkus asked, amusement flickering across his features. ¡°That is why you uprooted my gangs? I had heard you formed them into an information network. Was that purely to locate a single demon? You are not one for half-measures.¡±

    ¡°To locate a single person,¡± Noah said, inclining his head. ¡°And, once I have found him, I will leave.¡±

    ¡°To go to such lengths¡­ he stole from you?¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡±

    ¡°How curious. You are an enigma, Spider,¡± Belkus said, drumming his fingers against the bones that made up his throne. ¡°I still find myself bereft of the true measure of your power. You carry yourself like an ancient demon but bear the power of a young one. The rumors would make you a new power rising up to challenge me for control of Treadon and yet you show no interest in the city. Every action you have taken thus far, the moves of an invading force, were nothing more than a gambit to find a single man. Something about you is deeply unsettling.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°It was not a compliment,¡± Belkus replied. ¡°Tell me the name of the one whom you seek. I am curious to know what kind of demon could be worth such effort that he could bring you from your hiding.¡±

    Hook set. Now I just have to figure out what the hell kind of bait a Demon like Belkus is going to bite.

    ¡°The one I seek is called Wizen.¡±

    And, for the briefest of seconds, something shifted in the Demon Lord¡¯s features.

    Recognition.

    Belkus knew who Wizen was.

 Chapter 546: The Hunter

    Wizen¡¯s staff rang against bloodstained golden brick, punctuating his steps as he stepped over the wrung corpses in his path.

    The smell of blood hung in the air like a vulture. Aside from the sound of his staff and the squelch of blood beneath his feet, the hall he strode through was silent. The demons who hadn¡¯t yet died had already realized that to make noise was to seek death.

    He moved past the body of a wiry demon, the blades that had once emerged from their body shattered and broken like fragments of glass. A flicker of power still burned within their chest, so little that it was barely worth noting. The demon held his breath, freezing in place in hope of being overlooked.

    Wizen did not overlook him ¡ª but he stepped past the demon nonetheless. He wasn¡¯t worth the energy that it would take to put down. There were more important tasks at hand, and he was already behind schedule.

    A part of him had once been convinced that finding the City of Gold would have been the most difficult step of his plan. Getting into the Damned Plains alone was an immensely difficult task that had taken years upon years of preparation and research. Now that he had made it, everything should have been simple.

    But, as it turned out, actually finding the one he sought was even harder still.

    The City of Gold wasn¡¯t just enormous. A single word couldn¡¯t do it proper justice, but momentous may have been more apt.

    Cities were large. Bastions, such as Arbitage, were huge. But the City of Gold ¡ª it couldn¡¯t even properly be considered a city. A world may have been more accurate. The huge, glistening city aboveground was deceptive. It burrowed deep into the incomprehensibly large turtle that it rested upon, each layer another city entirely on its own.

    Even with his information network stretched across the city, finding anything useful was like digging needles from hay. Barb and the others were scattered off in every and all directions, and all their combined efforts had barely gathered a few scraps of useful information.

    Wizen had descended through three layers of the city already. In each one, no demon had been able to give him a good idea of just how deep it went. Finding information here was like wringing water from a rock. Possible, but exceedingly annoying.

    His walk carried him up to a metal door embedded into the stone. There was no apparent way to open it beyond an embossed handprint in its center. Imbued runes covered the door¡¯s surface, running out from the indent and traveling throughout its surface. A thin spike emerged from the center of the indent.

    The corner of Wizen¡¯s lip curled down. Blood magic ¡ª one that was meant to keep anyone but the bloodline of the person who owned the door out of the room beyond. It only took him a moment to determine that the Imbuements continued off the edges of the door, vanishing where it touched the walls.

    The entire hall is Runed, and a second layer of stone was built over the first to block the runes from view. Likely trapped as well. It seems my target is quite paranoid.

    Good.

    Perhaps this one will be of use.

    Wizen lifted his hand and brought it up to the metal door, letting the pads of his fingers gently brush across its surface before they came to a rest.

    Metal screeched in what could have only been described as agony. A horrendous shriek filled the air as the door crumpled in on itself like a piece of scrap paper. Imbuements sputtered and flared, magic crackling and dancing through the air, but the metal had been destroyed so quickly that none of it had a chance to activate. The door folded itself into a crushed up ball, then clanged to the ground at Wizen¡¯s feet.

    Beyond it was a large meeting hall. A long table in the center of the room was lined with twelve seats on each side. It was covered with a tablecloth of extravagant white silk trimmed with gold. Plates of food and magical ingredients were strewn across its surface and spilled over the expensive cloth.

    Demons sat around the table in expensive wooden chairs, frozen mid-meal with stunned looks of disbelief on their faces. Not a single one could have cared less about all of their men that Wizen had just killed. They¡¯d been dining while he slaughtered their families.

    At the far end of the table knelt a ten-foot demon with brilliant blue skin and a ropey X shaped scar across the center of his face. Curled, blackened teeth protruded from between gray lips, so large that the demon¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t even close properly.

    His target.

    Mikthal, was it? I never do remember their names. There are so many, and they start to blend together after a while. What was the last one¡¯s name? Arthur? What an odd name for a demon.

    No matter.

    Wizen¡¯s domain swept the room in a split instant.

    In that split instant, he judged every single demon before him. A mixture of Rank 4 and 5 demons, with the strongest one in the room being the blue-skinned Terror Demon at Rank 7. This wasn¡¯t the first Rank 7 he¡¯d killed in the City of Gold, but a large portion of him hoped it would be his last. He didn¡¯t care much for wasting time.

    ¡°I seek Sievan,¡± Wizen said, before any of the demons could even fully finish processing his arrival. ¡°Tell me where he is.¡±

    ¡°How did you get in here?¡± a large demon demanded, rising from his chair and reaching for his sword. He had little magic and couldn¡¯t have been higher than Rank 4. ¡°How¡ª¡±

    Wizen¡¯s hand clawed into a fist.

    The demon¡¯s head collapsed in on itself. It popped like a cherry tomato. Blood splattered across his clothes and the table around him. Swaying, the body pitched back, catching on his chair, and both tumbled to the ground with a resounding crash.

    ¡°That,¡± Wizen said, ¡°Was not an answer. Tell me where Sievan is. This is not a request. It is an order.¡±

    He batted the crumpled ball of metal that had once been a door to the side with his staff, then stepped further into the room. The demons leapt from their chairs, stumbling to put distance between themselves and him.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t with Sievan,¡± another demon stammered. ¡°This is the Screaming Saber¡¯s tunnel system. We have nothing to do with Sievan.¡±

    ¡°You live in the City of Gold, and a merchant was kind enough to inform me that you have had dealings with Sievan before,¡± Wizen said dispassionately. ¡°I do not wish to waste time or energy. Give me the answers I seek and I will leave.¡±

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    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Mikthal asked, lounging back in his chair. ¡°And who are you to demand anything from us?¡±

    Unlike the rest of the demons, the Rank 7 didn¡¯t look concerned about Wizen¡¯s intrusion. He was a Rank 7 demon ¡ª not many of those tended to be particularly timid. The confidence was only partially earned.

    Mikthal¡¯s runic pressure put him at the lower ends of Rank 7. He wasn¡¯t strong enough to find a Walking City and become a proper Lord, but he still commanded enough power to justify leading some weaker demons. Living within the City of Gold was generally safe ¡ª so long as one didn¡¯t go against Sievan.

    ¡°I had a brief conversation with a merchant,¡± Wizen said. His quiet words echoed through the room. ¡°He was kind enough to point me in your direction ¡ª along with that of a few of your compatriots. None of them were useful. I have high hopes that things will be different here.¡±

    Mikthal¡¯s expression flickered for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s been attacking the other Dens?¡±

    ¡°Attacking is a strong word,¡± Wizen said. ¡°It almost carries the implication that there was a fight. There was no such thing.¡±

    A high-Rank 5 demon lurched into motion. The air around them popped and they blurred, streaks of wind peeling off their body as they shot toward Wizen, claws reaching to rip out his throat.

    Blood splattered across Wizen¡¯s face.

    It was the only thing that reached him.

    A corpse rolled to a stop at his feet. Its head was gone, turned into fine, bloody mist. Both of its arms had shared the same fate. Wizen reached into a pocket and procured a handkerchief, wiping the specs of blood from his features.

    ¡°What I am doing,¡± Wizen said, folding the cloth square back up and returning it to its former place, ¡°is hunting.¡±

    Mikthal rose to his feet, but there was more unease in the demon¡¯s posture than there had been a moment before. He couldn¡¯t see the invisible magic swirling in the air around Wizen. He couldn¡¯t feel the tendrils of Density magic that swirled around Wizen, waiting to grind anything that drew his attention into tiny particles.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never spoken to Sievan,¡± Mikthal said. ¡°Whoever told you that information is wrong. It might be a rival. Arthon, maybe? He and I are enemies. He¡¯d have sent you in my direction to¡ª¡±

    Wizen snapped his fingers. ¡°Arthon. Not Arthur. Yes, I remember now.¡±

    Mikthal stared at Wizen. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already killed him,¡± Wizen said. ¡°He put up a pathetic fight ¡ª but I really shouldn¡¯t have expected much more. The entirety of your kind disgust me. To be a slave to your own magic¡­ pathetic.¡±

    It took Mikthal an instant to process Wizen¡¯s words. The Terror Demon¡¯s eyes widened in realization ¡ª and Wizen gave him a tiny fragment of credit for that. He¡¯d figured things out faster than the past few annoyances had.

    ¡°You¡¯re a human,¡± Mikthal said.

    ¡°One whose patience has long since run thin. Where is Sievan?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Mikthal said, setting his jaw. ¡°Lord Sievan does not share his location with the likes of us. There are many Rank 7s that serve under him. But I know someone who could help you!¡±

    Wizen¡¯s head tilted to the side. He could always pick through Mikthal¡¯s skull with his Mind runes, but that would have been a bother. Using them on a Rank 7 would be exceedingly difficult and unlikely to yield fruitful results.

    ¡°Speak,¡± Wizen said.

    ¡°There¡¯s an information Broker. Tixen,¡± Mikthal said hurriedly. ¡°He¡¯s the leader of the Eyeless Den. They¡¯re not too far from here ¡ª I know he¡¯s met Sievan before. He would know where you can meet Lord Sievan.¡±

    The corner of Wizen¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Not a friend of yours, I presume?¡±

    ¡°We have our differences,¡± Mikthal said, words terse. The other demons in the room pressed back, trying to stay as far away from Wizen as possible. Mikthal¡¯s body language didn¡¯t seem nearly as reserved. He was good at controlling his fear ¡ª which, given the desire he feasted on ¡ª was not unsurprising. Mikthal swallowed. ¡°He is a wily one, but if you¡¯re powerful enough to break into my Den, you can find him easily.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Wizen said. ¡°And you believe his information to be true? To be worth your lives?¡±

    Mikthal swallowed again, then gave Wizen a sharp nod. ¡°Yes. It is what you seek, is it not? That seems like a fair trade to me. I can offer nothing more.¡±

    Wizen inclined his head. ¡°Should your information be true, it is. Where is¡ª¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s lying!¡± A young voice split through the air.

    Everyone, Wizen included, turned as one.

    Standing in the corpse-covered hall was a tiny demon girl, a dagger clutched in her hands. Tremors of fear gripped her entire body and her features were pale ¡ª but still she stood. Still, she spoke.

    It was the girl that he¡¯d spared after dealing with a few pests.

    What is she doing here? Her power is so weak my Domain barely even registered her. I thought she was one of the dying demons.

    Wizen¡¯s eyes snapped back to Mikthal. For the briefest of instants, there was a flash of recognition on the large demon¡¯s features. Then he flicked a hand in dismissal.

    ¡°A street rat somehow broke in. Someone kill the brat,¡± Mikthal said, an air of weary exasperation in his words that didn¡¯t match the instant of unease behind his eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m not lying!¡± The girl insisted, her eyes going wide as she took a step back. ¡°He¡¯s lying to you! Mikthal and Tixen are rival Dens. They¡¯ve both met Sievan before, and Mikthal knows who I am. I was part of his Den!¡±

    ¡°Shut up, street rat,¡± Mikthal said with a bark of laughter. ¡°I can assure you, I¡¯ve never seen this brat in my life. There¡¯s no reason to¡ª¡±

    The rest of Mikthal¡¯s words were replaced by a wet wheeze. The Terror Demon¡¯s eyes went wide and his head rolled forward, looking down at the foot-wide hole in the center of his chest where his heart had been.

    His gaze lifted up to Wizen, whose hand was extended toward him. In his other palm, a key rested, humming with dull red energy. Gray smoke swirled around Wizen¡¯s fingertips, pouring out from Mikthal and into his hand.

    Disbelief washed over the demon¡¯s face. His lips parted ¡ª and he pitched forward, crashing to the ground.

    Wizen flicked his hand. The gray smoke exploded through the room, tearing through the ranks of the demons within it like a plague. They barely even got a chance to scream. Within instants, every single one of them had died, the gray smoke having ripped the energy clean from their souls and ferried it back to Wizen.

    And only then did Wizen turn. He looked down at the small demon girl. She trembled, locked in place and not daring to so much as look away.

    ¡°You followed me,¡± Wizen said, his words flat. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Y¡ªyou killed Mikthal,¡± the girl stammered, her eyes going as wide as saucers. ¡°Just like that. You killed a Rank 7 demon with one attack.¡±

    ¡°He wasted my time,¡± Wizen said. ¡°And you seem to have saved it. That, I appreciate. I will not kill you for that reason. But why did you choose to follow me?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t want it.¡± The demoness swallowed heavily. ¡°And if you didn¡¯t want it, you didn¡¯t need to kill me. You were also killing everyone that did want it.¡±

    ¡°It?¡± Wizen¡¯s head tilted to the side. At this point, his curiosity was piqued. His domain washed over the girl as he scanned her. Buried deep within her chest, where her heart should have been, was a tiny core of magic. It was so small that it was almost not worth mentioning, but it was out of place enough to draw his attention when he searched. ¡°An artifact in your heart?¡±

    The girl¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You do know about it.¡±

    It seems I was spared a wasted trip back here to kill these fools for lying to me by a petty demon squabble over some useless tool. How amusing.

    ¡°I see,¡± Wizen said. ¡°You said that you knew of this Tixen, yes?¡±

    The girl gave him a jerky nod. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Take me to his Den.¡±

    Her eyes widened. ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°You are following me already,¡± Wizen said. ¡°If you use me for protection, then you will earn your keep by leading me to one who can take me to Sievan. I trust that is a fair trade?¡±

    The demon inclined her head hurriedly. ¡°Yes. Very fair.¡±

    Wizen¡¯s smile did not reach his eyes. He gestured to the girl, and she hurriedly turned to set off down the blood-splattered tunnel with Wizen following in her wake.

    He was so close to his goal that he could almost taste it. Years and years of planning, only a few fools and some meagre days away from fruition. All for one meeting. For one chance.

    He would not fail. He could not fail.

    I am coming, love. You will not have to wait much longer.

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    And I come with fantastic news. One of my other series, My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror now has a webtoon! An enormous amount of effort went into this project from a whole team of really talented & dedicated artists as well as myself. This will also give me a chance to try and improve on all the things that I wanted to fix in the novel. If you enjoyed the series, please consider checking it out now on WT!

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 Chapter 547: Cockroaches

    ¡°You know Wizen,¡± Noah said.

    It wasn¡¯t a question.

    The perfectly clean throne room was silent for a long second. Belkus sat in his towering throne made of bone, features unreadable once more, his massive form looming over them. He was a patch of white in a sea of red. Belkus looked down on the group of demons and Noah.

    ¡°I do not know him,¡± Belkus allowed. ¡°But I do know of him. What relation do you have to him?¡±

    ¡°I came here in pursuit of him,¡± Noah replied. It wasn¡¯t technically a complete lie. He had come in pursuit. He¡¯d followed Wizen into the Damned Plains. It just hadn¡¯t been entirely intentional. ¡°Once I have a way to deal with him, I have nothing more I seek from this area. You will not find me in Treadon again.¡±

    ¡°Your answers have done more to pique my curiosity than if you had said nothing.¡± Belkus leaned forward, his features tightening. ¡°What relation do you have with Wizen, Spider?¡±

    ¡°Enemies,¡± Noah replied without an instant of hesitation. ¡°I seek his life.¡±

    Belkus¡¯ posture relaxed. The massive demon let himself lean back in his chair, then grimaced as the sharp bone dug into his back and shifted his position once more. He interlaced his fingers together.

    ¡°Good. Then perhaps you are correct,¡± Belkus allowed. ¡°There may be something we can aid each other with. I want you gone from my city, Spider. I do not want you in a location in which you can aid the Rising Moon in her plots against me.¡±

    ¡°I think I would be amiable to that,¡± Noah said. He wasn¡¯t so sure that would actually do anything to Yoru¡¯s plans. After all, if she was actually using her powers, she¡¯d have already calculated that this was the most likely outcome of the meeting.

    She¡¯d chosen to leave, which meant that she didn¡¯t think that the results of what happened here would hurt her. Either that or she was actually holding off on using her magic. There was a small ¡ª a very small ¡ª chance that Yoru actually didn¡¯t know what Belkus was offering.

    Noah wasn¡¯t about to bet on it.

    If she¡¯s let things get to this point¡­ I get the feeling Belkus might not be fighting what he thinks. Her idea of victory and Belkus¡¯ might be completely different from each other. Either that or I just have absolutely no idea what she¡¯s gunning at. Maybe a mixture of the two.

    ¡°Then I will give you what you desire,¡± Belkus said. ¡°Wizen resides within the Golden City.¡±

    That name again. The place near the Black Reaches?

    ¡­the one with Sievan?

    ¡°He does?¡± Zath asked, his armored head tilting to the side in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s a surprise. I didn¡¯t expect him to be so direct. It looked like he was planning on taking a far more roundabout manner. He must be moving quickly.¡±

    Noah looked back at Zath. ¡°You¡¯re aware of him as well?¡±

    ¡°I am. Wizen sent a challenge to Lord Sievan some short time ago,¡± Zath replied with an offhand shrug. ¡°But Sievan does not accept duels. He has no reason to. There is no demon that resides within the Damned Plains that could ever hope to defeat him. Pointless challenges are nothing but a waste of time to him ¡ª but I must say, Wizen had a rather persuasive way of sending word.¡±

    ¡°And what way was that?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°He sent a Demon Lord,¡± Belkus said, a dangerous edge forming in his voice.

    ¡°Skolas,¡± Zath said with a nod. Some of the easygoing air that had enveloped the intimidating demon slipped away as a cold aura seeped out from him and prickled against Noah¡¯s skin. ¡°And Skolas delivered quite a message. I must say, Spider, I now find myself more interested in you. What history do you have with Wizen?¡±

    ¡°A lot,¡± Noah replied. He forced himself to avoid swallowing. Wizen had managed to use his Mind Runes on a Rank 7 Demon Lord. If he got to more of them¡­ the fight was just over. His whole plan had been to build an army that could match Wizen¡¯s. If Wizen had the Demon Lords from the Damned Plains under his thumb, the fight would be impossible. ¡°More than I care to go through now. Are you telling me that Wizen is controlling a Demon Lord?¡±

    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Zath replied. He studied Noah¡¯s expression for a moment. ¡°It would be easier to show you. Do I have your permission, Lord Belkus? I would not draw on my power in your castle without it.¡±

    ¡°I did not take you for a polite one,¡± Belkus said dryly.

    ¡°It is not politeness. I would inconvenience Lord Sievan if I were to kill you.¡±

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    Belkus let out a snort, but there was more than a little displeasure in it. He waved a hand irritably. ¡°Use your power. The sanctity of this meeting has already been violated enough. It may as well be put down like a sick animal.¡±

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± Zath said. He clapped his hands together, and an echo resounded through the room. Noah¡¯s ears pulsed. A low hum filled the air as the huge demon pulled his gauntleted hands apart.

    Strands of black lightning crackled between his palms. Smoke poured out from the churning energy and spilled across the floor in a wave. It rolled past Noah, chilling as it passed by his skin. The dark smoke climbed up the walls and rose over their heads, forming a rumbling storm above them.

    Shapes started to form in the smoke. Walls of twisting, misty black magic rose to stand in the center of the room. Figures took shape in the darkness, initially nothing more than faint blobs, but quickly gaining detail.

    Pressure roared around Noah ¡ª but it didn¡¯t crush him. It was if the power came from every direction, competing against itself and preventing it from becoming oppressive. That was no coincidence.

    The demon was holding his power back.

    Noah¡¯s hair stood on end. A demon powerful enough to use this much external magic at this level would have been powerful enough.

    The scene continued to paint itself. Detail appeared in the walls to the point where he could make out the minor imperfections of the pitch black wall across from him. It was like someone had taken a video in black and white, then tossed Noah right into its center.

    A shadow passed over his head.

    Noah turned, then stepped back.

    A fifteen-foot tall demon clad in destroyed armor loomed above him. He was made up of shadows and devoid of any color but black and gray, but the detail was so intricate that Noah could have plucked a hair from his chin had he been so inclined.

    The shadow passed right through Noah. His figure parted into trails of smoke as he passed through Noah, then reformed just beyond him.

    ¡°Sievan!¡± the figure roared, his words tearing through the room and making Noah flinch. He hadn¡¯t expected the shadow to actually speak.

    A demon peered over the top of the towering wall. His face was a flat pool of shadow, devoid of any defining features or shapes. He moved as if he were yelling something back, but no sound emerged from him.

    ¡°I was the Demon known as Skolas,¡± the massive Demon Lord continued, entirely unperturbed by whatever the guard had called down to him. His voice echoed through the room like roaring thunder. The demon pounded a fist against his destroyed armor. ¡°I bear a Challenge for you, Lord of Death, on behalf of Wizen the Lifeweaver. I seek your life. Meet me in battle, or I will rip your city apart brick by brick.¡±

    Skolas raised a hand, then plunged it straight into his chest with a crunch and a squelch. Shadows splattered out like blood as the Demon Lord ripped his own heart clean free of his ribcage.

    Rivers of darkness poured down his chest and arm. The Demon Lord lifted the heart into the air. He held it aloft like a torch, staring defiantly up at the city, and spoke no more.

    ¡°He died standing,¡± Zath provided. He flicked his hand and the shadows vanished, pouring back into his body. ¡°Wizen made quite a statement. This is far from the first time a Demon Lord has been killed. It¡¯s not even the most brutal way it¡¯s happened¡­ but I have to say, a death like that leaves quite an impression.¡±

    ¡°Is Sievan going to take him up on the challenge?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°No idea,¡± Zath replied with a shrug. ¡°Sievan does not keep me partial to all his goings. I doubt it. He rarely accepts challenges. Killing a single Rank 7 does not make you strong enough to draw his attention¡­ but if Wizen keeps at it, well, it¡¯s possible. I do believe he¡¯s currently attempting to draw Sievan¡¯s attention by making his way through the City of Gold and killing some of the Denlords that reside beneath it.¡±

    ¡°He is powerful,¡± Belkus said. ¡°And you possess a way to stop Wizen, Spider?¡±

    No.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    I figure killing him should do the trick. Pulling it off might be the hard part.

    Why is Wizen able to mow through demons like this? He was strong back in the mortal realm¡­ but not like this. Could it have something to do with Mind Runes and how demons have linked souls and bodies? Or is it something else entirely?

    ¡°Either way, sending him over to Sievan will get him out of your city,¡± Zath said cheerfully. ¡°Seems like a win to me.¡±

    ¡°You just want to end the audience so you can complete your task,¡± Belkus said, his eyes narrowing.

    ¡°Correct,¡± Zath said. ¡°This has been interesting, but my time is not infinite. I have things to do ¡ª and kill.¡±

    Hopefully he¡¯s not doing both to the same thing.

    ¡°It seems I have a solution worked out before me. One that has laid itself out quite well,¡± Belkus said, his eyes narrowing slightly. ¡°Perhaps too well. You will leave Treadon?¡±

    Noah almost nodded, but caught himself right before he could. A thought struck him and he had to fight a smile off before it could take form.

    Maybe I can get a bit more out of this.

    ¡°Eventually, yes. I can¡¯t defeat him as I am now. I need more power. Once I have amassed the strength I need, I will seek Wizen out. This meeting with Sievan is for unrelated reasons. He wants something I possess.¡±

    Belkus¡¯ lips thinned. ¡°And if I were to want you to leave immediately?¡±

    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to it,¡± Noah said slowly, as if he were turning the idea over in his mouth. ¡°I am not an unreasonable man. You want me gone. I want Wizen dead. Perhaps we could meet in the middle. I will not say why, but my method to defeating Wizen involves a large number of Runes. Specifically, Mind Runes. I had been planning to amass them over some time, but if you were willing to expedite the process¡­¡±

    ¡°You are attempting to blackmail me with the promise of your own departure,¡± Belkus said. He did not sound impressed.

    ¡°Correct,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Were you not with Yoru, I would have crushed you on the spot¡­ but I fear that may be exactly what she desires.¡±

    Noah shrugged. ¡°Maybe. Getting crushed would be mildly annoying, but death holds no grasp on me. I would be back, Belkus. I always come back.¡±

    ¡°Death demons,¡± Belkus growled, the words rumbling in his chest like a curse. He squinted at Noah. The corner of his lips curled up in something between a smile and a sneer.  ¡°Cockroaches, more like. Very well. Perhaps we can come to an agreement.¡±

 RUNEBOUND HAS A WEBCOMIC!

    Hey everyone!

    I am so excited to announce that Runebound has gotten a webcomic! I''ve put an enormous amount of effort into this comic along with the rest of the team, and I really hope you all enjoy. Please consider checking it out and leaving a rating if you''re enjoying!

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Here''s a link: https://www.webtoons.com/en/<wbr>fantasy/return-of-the-<wbr>runebound-professor/list?<wbr>title_no=6849</a>

    LETS GOOOOO

 Chapter 548: Vile creature

    Around an hour later, Noah walked out of Belkus¡¯ estate with a large scroll tucked under his arm and a smug grin plastered across his face. The rest of the group, aside from Zorin, who had remained in the throne room, walked at his sides.

    Yoru had rejoined them as they¡¯d left the palace. Mascot sat perched upon her head like a bird in a nest. He watched Noah with lazy eyes, idly kneading Yoru¡¯s hair as she ferried him. The small demon didn¡¯t seem to mind.

    ¡°What is it that you believe several Rank 5 Mind Runes are going to do for you?¡± Zath asked as they walked. The clank of his heavy sabatons punctuated his words as they headed down the streets of Treadon in the direction of the Web¡¯s camp.

    ¡°A lot of things,¡± Noah replied. ¡°I have a number of runes myself, and I prefer to create all the runes I use. It lets me minimize the number of mistakes present in them.¡±

    ¡°Meticulous,¡± Zath said with a small nod. ¡°Lord Sievan is of the same mind. It takes a great amount of time and wealth to progress in this way. Not something that most demons are capable of doing when the currency that buys life is power.¡±

    That was a thinly veiled question. Zath still wasn¡¯t sure just how strong Noah was. Even though he had no domain, Zath could probably tell that Noah wasn¡¯t a Rank 6 or 7 demon ¡ª but he also knew Noah had come back after dying and stood on near-equal footing with Belkus.

    When something looked like a duck and quacked like a duck¡­ it was probably a Demon Lord.

    ¡°Meticulous is the only way to go about rune advancement,¡± Noah said with a small shrug. ¡°Anything else will do nothing but hinder you. There is too much power at stake to go bumbling around.¡±

    ¡°Very true,¡± Zath said. He turned his head to glance back at Aylin and Yoru. ¡°Are all of your choices equally as intentional?¡±

    ¡°Some of them.¡±

    They passed by a group of demons chatting in the street. The demons¡¯ conversation ground to a halt as they spotted Zath¡¯s massive form lumbering through the street alongside Noah. Their mouths dropped open and they stared in stunned disbelief, not so much as moving a muscle until they¡¯d been left behind in the street.

    ¡°So,¡± Zath said. ¡°What exactly is your plan to deal with Wizen? Or was that just an excuse to fleece Belkus of a few unneeded runes?¡±

    ¡°Do you really think I need to wheedle my way into getting some Rank 5 Runes?¡± Noah asked, sending a flat look in Zath¡¯s direction. ¡°Is your opinion of me that low?¡±

    Zath let out a low chuckle. ¡°Fair enough. You do have a plan, then?¡±

    Oh, not in the slightest. I was totally fleecing him. I don¡¯t have the faintest goddamn idea of what I¡¯m going to do about Wizen. The Mind Runes are just to give me a way to make sure he can¡¯t somehow control me.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Noah arched an eyebrow.

    ¡°I would assume one who had been chasing Wizen for any amount of time would be aware of some weakness,¡± Zath allowed with a curt nod of his head. ¡°I will look forward to seeing just what it is, then. I suspect I shall enjoy watching the fight.¡±

    ¡°Watching?¡± Noah blinked. Wizen was actively attacking the City of Gold. Even if Lord Sievan wasn¡¯t planning to interfere directly, it felt like one of the Demon Lord¡¯s subordinates should have been more than willing to step in to stop the nuisance. ¡°You mean you aren¡¯t going to¡ª¡±

    ¡°Help?¡± Zath finished with a chuckle. ¡°No. Of course not. Unless Lord Sievan requests it, I will not. My powers are a little too destructive to be unleashed within Lord Sievan¡¯s city. Death is effective at great many things, but avoiding collateral damage is not one of them.¡±

    Noah glanced at Zath out of the corners of his eyes. ¡°You can¡¯t control it?¡±

    ¡°I see you have not come against Death Runes in a direct conflict,¡± Zath said. Some of the amusement left his tone. ¡°We wield Death, Spider. Not injury. Not pain. Death. Were I to unleash my Runes to fight someone that is powerful enough to take down other Rank 7 demons, then the damage to the city would be astronomical.¡±

    Noah nodded thoughtfully, but his mind was already shifting gears to a different thought.

    If his runes lack that much control¡­ it¡¯s not because they¡¯re so powerful that he can¡¯t even fart without killing everyone in a ten mile radius. It¡¯s because they¡¯re poorly made. His combinations are bad.

    I suppose it makes sense. Without Sunder, the chances of a Rune being bad increase exponentially with every rank. By the time you hit Rank 7, especially in the Damned Plains, if your runes aren¡¯t completely screwed up, it would have to be a miracle. It looks like even Lord Sievan has some limits to his power.

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said. ¡°Is the same true for Sievan? Is he unable to fight because the mere flick of his finger would mistakenly destroy the city?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Zath replied. A note of reverence entered his tone and he shook his head. ¡°Lord Sievan is different. His power is incomprehensible. He could do anything he wished, but he does not interfere in situations like this. He would only act if the city itself were at risk. As it is now, Wizen has done nothing but kill a few demons.¡±

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°I do suppose some deaths wouldn¡¯t mean much to the Lord of Death,¡± Noah drawled.

    ¡°No,¡± Zath agreed. ¡°They would not.¡±

    The rest of their trip back to the camp went largely in silence. Aylin was still far too stressed to say much of anything, while Yoru was occupied with the cat that was in the process of kneading her hair into a frazzled mess.

    Noah was relieved to find that the camp was the same as how he had left it when they got back. Even though there would have been no point, there had been a part of him that feared some idiot would have tried to attack while he was gone.

    They¡¯d certainly gathered no shortage of stares on their way back. Hushed murmurs had followed them like a wake. News of Zath¡¯s arrival and subsequent meeting with Spider and Belkus had definitely spread through Treadon, and the Web¡¯s camp wasn¡¯t exempt from that ¡ª especially with the information network that Aylin had set up.

    ¡°Look sharp,¡± Noah said in a hushed whisper to Aylin. ¡°You just had a meeting with a Demon Lord. Act like it.¡±

    ¡°I barely did anything other than mess up,¡± Aylin whispered back.

    ¡°They don¡¯t know that.¡±

    The Knowledge Demon glanced to the side. His lips pressed thin and his back straightened. He set his shoulders and plastered a flat expression over his face, as if he couldn¡¯t be bothered with all of the attention they were getting.

    Noah gave him a slight nod.

    The odd group came to a stop in the center of camp, across from Noah and Moxie¡¯s tent. Zath strode right up to the hole in the ground where he¡¯d planted his sword earlier that day, drew the huge weapon from his back, and slid it back into the ground like he was re-sheathing Excalibur.

    ¡°It is time for our business,¡± Zath said. ¡°Lord Sievan awaits. You will deliver the Rune he has requested.¡±

    ¡°We will trade for the Rune he has requested,¡± Noah corrected. He glanced down at the scroll under his arm, then back to Zath. ¡°I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind waiting an hour or two, right? I¡¯d like to get this handled.¡±

    Zath frowned. ¡°You would keep me waiting? You would keep Lord Sievan waiting?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah replied. ¡°I can ask Moxie to make you a nice chair. They¡¯re really comfortable. Very soft.¡±

    Zath stared at Noah.

    ¡°Perhaps you should catch up with your subordinate before you leave?¡± Aylin suggested from behind Noah, his voice wavering slightly. ¡°She¡¯s been waiting for you.¡±

    Zath tilted his head to the side. He was silent for a second, then blew out a short sigh. The demon reached up to the huge helm on his head and pulled it off in a smooth motion.

    To Noah¡¯s surprise, Zath looked absolutely nothing like what he had been expecting. For that matter, he wasn¡¯t completely sure what he¡¯d been expecting.

    The Rank 7 Demon¡¯s face was fairly handsome. He had high cheekbones and deep, green eyes. A long, black ponytail hung from the back of his head and disappeared into the back of his armor.

    ¡°Very well,¡± Zath said. ¡°I will wait.¡±

    Almost as if on cue, Moxie poked her head out of the tent. She¡¯d definitely been listening in and waiting for a moment to make her appearance. Relief played over her features as she spotted everyone and saw that they had returned safely.

    Her gaze caught on Mascot for a moment, but she didn¡¯t let it linger. She stepped fully out of the tent.

    ¡°The meeting went well, I trust?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°It was enlightening,¡± Noah said. He glanced at the scroll under his arm. ¡°And profitable.¡±

    ¡°Of course it was.¡± The corner of Moxie¡¯s mouth quirked upward. ¡°Zath said he needed a chair? It might take me a moment to get something big enough for him, and it¡¯s going to have to be outside. Is that fine?¡±

    ¡°It will be sufficient,¡± Zath said.

    ¡°Great,¡± Noah said, starting for the tent. ¡°I¡¯ll grab Axil for you so the two of you can properly catch up. Please make sure she doesn¡¯t go doing anything rude. It would be quite annoying to have to kill her again.¡±

    Zath inclined his head. And, as Moxie fished a large piece of meat from her bag to start forming a chair, Noah headed into the tent.

    Lee was perched on top of his grimoire, staring at Axil with uncomfortably wide eyes. It was like a cat observing a trapped bird.

    Axil, unfortunately for her, was still half-sized. The demoness¡¯ eyes were squeezed shut in an attempt to look anywhere other than either Lee or the grimoire. At this point, Noah wasn¡¯t sure which she was avoiding.

    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re back!¡± Lee exclaimed. Her eyes didn¡¯t so much as flick away from their target.

    ¡°I am,¡± Noah confirmed. ¡°It went well. Are you¡­ doing something?¡±

    ¡°I am watching Axil.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said. He drew up to Lee and gently pulled the grimoire out from under her. She shifted to the side, letting him reclaim the book and not letting her gaze budge. Noah tapped the grimoire with a finger. ¡°Keep these runes.¡±

    Noah held the scroll out. A tongue of paper shot out in a split second, grabbing the scroll and yanking it into the book¡¯s huge pages. There was a soft crunch. Then there was nothing.

    Axil let out a whimper.

    ¡°Good book,¡± Noah told the grimoire, slinging it over his shoulder by the strap and giving it a pat. ¡°I¡¯ll get you something to eat soon enough.¡±

    ¡°What about me?¡± Lee asked.

    ¡°You too,¡± Noah said, ruffling her hair. He walked over to Axil and lifted her by the back of her shirt like an unruly animal. ¡°Come on. Your boss is here to collect you.¡±

    Axil didn¡¯t even respond. She just hung limp in Noah¡¯s hands, swaying like a pinata.

    ¡°Lee, did something happen to Axil?¡± Noah asked, shaking the tiny demon slightly.

    ¡°No. I was watching her.¡±

    ¡°So you said,¡± Noah said. He shrugged. ¡°Oh well. Let¡¯s go. Thanks for keeping an eye on things.¡±

    ¡°Yup!¡± Lee fell in line behind Noah and the two of them headed back out of the tent and into the main square of the Web¡¯s camp.

    In the brief time that Noah had been inside the tent, Moxie had already formed Zath¡¯s chair. It was really more of a giant beanbag-shaped bush. Zath didn¡¯t seem to mind. He¡¯d lowered himself into it and was splayed out, a delighted grin on his face.

    ¡°Do you offer landscaping services?¡± Zath was asking Moxie. ¡°I have never sat upon such a soft plant.¡±

    ¡°Not at the moment, but I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to the idea,¡± Moxie replied thoughtfully. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was that impressive.¡±

    ¡°You downplay your abilities,¡± Zath said through a contented sigh. ¡°This is fantastic. You could make a killing. This is the most comfortable thing I have ever sat in.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡± Moxie scratched her chin. ¡°Interesting.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve returned with your subordinate,¡± Noah said when it became clear that their conversation had reached a lull. He held Axil up.

    ¡°I¡¯m otherwise occupied,¡± Zath said, glancing down at Noah with one eye ¡°Just toss her¡ª¡±

    His words ground to a halt. The huge demon¡¯s head snapped up. Disgust and horror playing across Zath¡¯s features as he stared down at Noah.

    ¡°What manner of vile creature is that?¡±

 Chapter 549: An Idea

    ¡°This would be your subordinate,¡± Noah replied, hoisting Axil slightly. ¡°She¡¯s a bit smaller than normal, but if you take a close look, you¡¯ll see who it is. Ah ¡ª we did confiscate her axe. Spoils of war.¡±

    ¡°Not her,¡± Zath snapped. ¡°That is obviously Axil. I am referring to¡­¡±

    The demon¡¯s words trailed off. His head tilted to the side. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Zath tapped a foot on the ground, nodding slightly as if agreeing with someone.

    Noah and Moxie exchanged a glance.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with him?¡± Moxie whispered.

    ¡°I was hoping you were going to have the answer to that,¡± Noah replied. He rotated Axil around so he could look at her face. The demoness¡¯ eyes were still screwed shut and her face was twisted into a grimace. Noah shook her slightly. ¡°Oi. Wake up.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Axil asked, making absolutely no move to open her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s your boss doing?¡± Noah asked, glancing over Axil¡¯s head at Zath. The demon now muttering something under his breath, staring at an empty patch of air in the middle of the Web¡¯s camp.

    Every single interaction he had with Sievan¡¯s men made Noah suspect that there was something seriously wrong with all of their heads. Then again, there had to be something wrong with anybody that voluntarily decided that they wanted to serve the literal embodiment of death.

    ¡°He¡¯s talking,¡± Axil said.

    Ah, yes. I couldn¡¯t tell that bit.

    ¡°You disgust me,¡± Zath informed the empty patch of air.

    Axil nodded in agreement, even though she¡¯d yet to open her eyes.

    ¡°To whom?¡± Noah asked in exasperation.

    Axil screwed her lips up. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and said nothing else. Noah blew out a sigh. He glanced over his shoulder at Lee, who gave him a small shrug. She didn¡¯t seem to have the slightest idea of what was going on either.

    ¡°I will not be doing that,¡± Zath informed the air.

    Noah coughed into a fist. Zath ignored him.

    ¡°That¡¯s hardly a good reason,¡± Zath said, now shaking his head. The disgust on his features had turned to mild curiosity, but there was still an edge in his posture that made it clear he was uncomfortable.

    If anything, that was what started to ring alarm bells in Noah¡¯s own head.

    A Rank 7 demon, one who served under Sievan, the literal Lord of Death in the Damned Plains, was uncomfortable.

    Zath had looked uncomfortable when he¡¯d seen Noah come back out of the tent with Axil, but he¡¯d made it clear that the source of his disgust wasn¡¯t the fact that Axil shrinkflation-ed herself.

    The only other change that had occurred in the span of Noah¡¯s departure and return from the tent¡­

    His eyes lifted to the book on his back. Axil had reacted horribly to it because of all the squished up demon corpses that made it up. But Zath was actively talking to something. Unless he¡¯d gone completely insane ¡ª

    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to eat me,¡± Zath said, his eyes sharpening in anger. ¡°I swear to Lord Sievan, if you bring those disgusting paws of yours anywhere near me, I am going to rip you into shreds and stuff you into the nearest outhouse.¡±

    Okay. Decent chance he¡¯s insane. Pretty sure he has been from the start. But this is a bit much. There has to be more to it than this. Is there really something so special about my grimoire that it¡¯s tripping up every single one of Sievan¡¯s group that sees it?

    ¡°Is it the book?¡± Noah asked Axil.

    Axil didn¡¯t respond. It looked like she¡¯d decided that her conversation was done for the day. Noah¡¯s lips pressed thin. Whatever the book was, she was more scared of it than she was of him. Maybe it was something about the actual corpses that made the book up.

    Do I have the equivalent of a bunch of religious figures stuffed in there? Maybe it¡¯s like I¡¯m accidentally defacing their culture. That would definitely be rude. Can¡¯t imagine it would cause someone to start speaking to the air, though.

    Does that mean there¡¯s actually something there? Something only Zath and Axil can see?

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Noah squinted in the direction that Zath was looking at. He extended his domain and drew on his tremorsenses, trying to see if there was anything there that was somehow evading his eyes.

    Nothing he tried found anything. As far as Noah could tell, Zath was just speaking to nothing. But that couldn¡¯t be the case. Zath wasn¡¯t insane in that way. There was something there, and he couldn¡¯t make it out.

    ¡°I will not,¡± Zath said. ¡°Find your own runes, leech.¡±

    Something that wants runes?

    Could be the book. Could also be literally any other living creature in the history of the Damned Plains. Every single sentient thing in existence wants more runes. Gods, this is annoying.

    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Noah asked. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten me already, have you?¡±

    ¡°Go do whatever it was you needed to do,¡± Zath said, not so much as glancing in his direction. ¡°You requested time to work with your new runes. I am giving it to you. Return once you have finished.¡±

    Then he went right back to speaking to the air.

    Noah would have been offended if he hadn¡¯t just gotten exactly what he¡¯d wanted. He hesitated for a second longer, held in place by curiosity and unease. He did not like the idea of the book being¡­ well, more than a book.

    This wasn¡¯t something he could just ignore ¡ª not in the long term, at least. For the time being, it was actually perfectly in his advantage to let whatever was going on play out. If it kept Zath distracted, it would buy him time to let the effects of his headache fade away while figuring out what kind of Mind Rune he¡¯d create. He had to take advantage of every second he had.

    ¡°Watch over me while I work?¡± Noah whispered to Moxie.

    She nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here and keep an eye on things outside,¡± Lee volunteered. She stared intently at the space where Zath¡¯s attention was focused. ¡°I¡¯m trying to see who he¡¯s talking to.¡±

    ¡°Let me know if you have any luck,¡± Noah said. He passed Axil off to Lee, who hoisted the other demon like she was a sack of potatoes. Axil didn¡¯t say a word. She didn¡¯t even seem to register that she¡¯d been moved.

    Noah and Moxie headed back into their tent. Half of Noah expected Zath to suddenly get mad that the book had vanished from his sight, but he didn¡¯t so much as address Noah¡¯s departure. He continued talking to the air as if nothing had changed.

    If anything, that just confused Noah even more.

    Is it even the book he¡¯s interested in?

    He shook his head and pulled the grimoire off his back as he made his way across the tent and over to Moxie¡¯s bed of vines. He sat down on it, flipping the huge book open in his lap.

    ¡°I hope Zath is very distracted, because it¡¯s going to be a few more hours before my magic comes back,¡± Noah said as Moxie took seat in the viney chair across from him.

    She rocked the chair onto its back legs and crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving him a slight nod.

    ¡°Sounds like a good opportunity to tell me what happened in Belkus¡¯ estate,¡± Moxie asked. ¡°I¡¯m thoroughly lost.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. That and plan for what Rune I¡¯m going to make. Just help me think of some excuses to stall Zath out if he decides he wants to leave soon. But, with regard to the estate¡­ let¡¯s see. It¡¯s kind of a long story, but I¡¯ll try to summarize it. Yoru is also Yoku. Our guess about her being older than we thought is right. She¡¯s a Rank 7 demon. One that¡¯s apparently in some huge conflict with Belkus. Also, Mascot showed up.¡±

    ¡°Gathered that bit,¡± Moxie said dryly. ¡°What did he break?¡±

    ¡°Thus far, nothing. Give him time. I figure he¡¯ll get around to it eventually. But¡­ more importantly, we¡¯ve found Wizen.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡°You have? Where?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s apparently trying to annoy Sievan into fighting him,¡± Noah replied with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve got no idea why ¡ª or how. He¡¯s somehow taking out Rank 7 demons. He even killed a Demon Lord. I think that key has to be helping him against demons somehow. Wizen was strong, but he¡¯s not defeating Rank 7 enemies strong.¡±

    ¡°The artifact should only form a connection between planes,¡± Moxie said, her forehead creasing in a frown. ¡°I read about it pretty thoroughly. I can¡¯t really see how it would be making Wizen stronger. I¡¯ll think over it and see if I can recall anything that he could be abusing.¡±

    ¡°It could also be his Mind Runes,¡± Noah said. ¡°With how connected Demons are to their runes¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Moxie¡¯s features were grim. ¡°That could be it. I take it that¡¯s why you were talking about Mind Runes when you got back?¡±

    ¡°Belkus gave ¡®em to me. He¡¯s surprisingly reasonable. The only thing he wanted in return is for us to get lost and not partner with Yoru against him.¡± Noah flipped through the pages of the grimoire. They were all blank, which was a surprise. The book was normally more responsive than this. He tapped its pages. ¡°Give me those Mind Runes, please. I need them.¡±

    A second passed. Then the pages abruptly flipped, as if the grimoire had just remembered what it was, and turned to a page covered with Rank 5 Mind Runes. Moxie arched an eyebrow in question; Noah shrugged in response.

    His book was weird enough normally. He was just happy it wasn¡¯t trying to draw anything inappropriate.

    Moxie looked down at the grimoire, examining the runes in its pages, then lifted her gaze back to Noah as she tilted her head to the side. She didn¡¯t quite look suspicious, but there was a note of discomfort in her expression.

    ¡°What are you going for with these? Mind Runes¡­ they¡¯re not really, well¡­¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Noah said. His features darkened. ¡°I have no plans of becoming Wizen. I¡¯m not using the vile shit he does, but I need a way to keep him from using those powers on me. I figure the best way to do that is with more Mind Runes.¡±

    Moxie nodded. Her expression softened slightly. There was no immense relief in her features, but only because it seemed she¡¯d never actually held enough doubt about his actions to feel relieved over avoiding them.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got a disaster in mind that somehow relates to the mind, then?¡±

    Noah¡¯s expression tightened. His thoughts drifted back. To the line ¡ª to the agony that had ground down on his mind like a mill, ripping away memories and past until only the monotony remained. The mental torture of being able to do nothing but take steps in an endless walk, future unknown and past slipping away.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah replied in a grim tone, placing his hand on the surface of the grimoire. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got an idea.¡±

 Chapter 550: An Average Day

    Todd twisted to the side mere instants before the tree beside him exploded with a brilliant crack. Fragments of wood exploded out. He struck his bracelets together, summoning a swirl of flame before his face that consumed the shards before they could reach his skin.

    He hit the ground in a roll and sprang to his feet, contorting his body as a blade whistled through the air where his stomach had been moments before. Leaves crunched beneath his feet as fire erupted from behind one of his stone-plated legs, accelerating his leg as he drove it up in a kick.

    Bird vaulted back. Todd¡¯s foot passed so close to her face that the wind knocked her hair back, but the blow didn¡¯t connect. She landed on one foot, balancing on a protruding root like it were flat ground. She blurred forward, her sword flitting out like a striking snake.

    Todd shifted his weight and pirouetted. Pain twinged in his neck, but the cool frost burning into it prevented it from hindering his motion. His palm, coated in a thin layer of stone, scraped along the length of the blade as he shoved it to the side.

    He drove his other hand toward Bird¡¯s stomach. She shifted her weight. His strike narrowly missed. If he¡¯d moved just slightly to the side, his hand would have driven straight into the bandages covering her body. They were covered with scrapes and thin cuts, but he hadn¡¯t managed to land a direct hit on her yet.

    Bird¡¯s knee whipped up between Todd¡¯s legs ¡ª wrapped with similar bandages to the ones she wore ¡ª  and a loud crunch rang out.

    They froze.

    Bird¡¯s eye twitched. Then she hopped back, clutching her knee and cursing under her breath.

    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with your¡ª¡±

    Todd pulled a bandage back, not even bothering to hide the smirk on his face. A thin layer of hardened stone covered his body beneath the wrappings coating him. ¡°Isabel already tried that one. I¡¯m a fast learner. That¡¯s what you get for going for a cheap shot.¡±

    ¡°There are no cheap shots,¡± Bird said through clenched teeth. She held a hand up, waving impatiently.

    The bushes around them rustled. A health potion sailed free from one of them. Bird snagged it, draining the entire vial in a single swig, and Jalen emerged from behind the trees with a huge grin on his face.

    He, like the rest of them, was covered in tight wrappings.

    Unlike the rest of them, Jalen hadn¡¯t stopped at his body. He¡¯d wrapped every single bit from his fingers up to his hair, leaving only his eyes and nose uncovered. The Rank 6 mage had even covered his own mouth. Jalen gave Todd a thumbs-up and said something that the wrappings covering him completely muffled.

    Todd stared at him.

    Jalen lifted a finger to his mouth and ripped through the wrappings.

    ¡°Good job,¡± Jalen said. ¡°That was amusing.¡±

    ¡°It was effective,¡± Alexandra said, stepping out from the bushes behind Jalen. She walked through a small patch of sunlight in the forest before coming to a stop in the shadows of the thick canopy above them. She rested her hand on the hilt of her sword and gave Todd a nod. ¡°That could have gone poorly if Bird was putting more force into that, though. Or if it had been me.¡±

    ¡°I would not let any squishy bits anywhere near you,¡± Todd informed Alexandra with a shudder. ¡°There¡¯s a difference between normal people and ones empowered by Body Runes like you. The moment I¡¯m in a close quarters fight with you, I¡¯ve already screwed up.¡±

    The trees rustled as the rest of the group emerged one by one. Emily and James stepped out together, followed by Isabel and Silvertide. They were wore the same wrappings, though Silvertide had gone and attached his cape as well as several pieces of intentionally-placed armor on top of his.

    ¡°You know, this training style is uncomfortably effective,¡± Emily said. ¡°But¡­ no offense, Bird. I¡¯m putting normal clothes on as soon as we get out of here.¡±

    ¡°Effectiveness is the only thing that matters,¡± Bird said.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m with the girl on this one,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°I¡¯m too old for this. Vermil is a man in his own league. I fear I¡¯m not quite deranged enough to voluntarily fight like this in any normal situation.¡±

    They all went silent for a moment. Todd¡¯s hands tightened at his sides. It had been more than a week since Vermil, Lee, and Moxie had fallen through a portal into the Damned Plains. Their next exam was quickly approaching.

    It¡¯s just not the same. Jalen, Brayden, Silvertide are doing a great job of keeping us busy, but I miss Vermil. A big part of that might just be because Jalen is batshit fucking insane. In comparison, Vermil almost seems normal.

    ¡°But can you imagine the looks on everyone¡¯s faces when you completely crush some King family brat dressed like a runaway mummy?¡± Jalen asked, rubbing his hands together with a delighted grin. ¡°Their eyes might pop out of their skull. The memory would sear itself into my mind for at least a few years.¡±

    ¡°Are you having us focus on this training so much specifically because you think it would be funny if we used it in public?¡± Alexandra asked, squinting at Jalen.

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    ¡°Of course not,¡± Jalen said in an affronted tone. He pressed a hand to his chest and shook his head in disappointment at Alexandra¡¯s accusatory words. ¡°My personal amusement is only around 80 percent of my motivation. The other 10 percent is desire to see you become capable, successful mages.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re missing 10 percent,¡± James said.

    Jalen¡¯s expression turned serious and his hand dropped back to his side. ¡°The final 10 percent of my motivation is the understanding that I cannot be Vermil. I do not understand Formations like he did. I cannot be a teacher like he was. Brayden can train you in magical combat. Bird can help progress your physical abilities and Silvertide can teach tactics and strategy ¡ª but I can teach you nothing that will aid you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the strongest one here, though,¡± Isabel said with a frown. ¡°You could easily teach us if you wanted to. You¡­ just like screwing around more.¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Jalen said. ¡°The latter half, that is. I value my enjoyment. I¡¯ve lived too long to ignore my desires. But if you think power begets a good teacher, then you would be incorrect. Do you know why?¡±

    ¡°If she knew why, I don¡¯t think she would have asked,¡± James said.

    ¡°It is because teaching requires understanding of your power,¡± Jalen said, ignoring James. ¡°And I am my power. I have possessed my Runes for such a long time that I cannot explain to you how they work. They simply do. It is instinctive. My body fights on its own. It does not need intentional thought. Simply put, the difference between your power and mine is so vast that I cannot properly comprehend what you would need to understand.¡±

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t speak for everyone, but even this has been really helpful. We wouldn¡¯t have gotten extra runes from Bird or half the training we¡¯ve gotten so far if it wasn¡¯t for you,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°And you have sparred with us,¡± Isabel pointed out. ¡°Multiple times.¡±

    ¡°I was playing darts. You were just in the way of my targets.¡± Jalen turned his nose up and crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t mistake my boredom for anything else. I am here purely because I have nothing better to do. Now, if we¡¯re done wasting time here, I do believe you all have some Formation practice to waste your efforts on. It would be embarrassing if you are ill-prepared for the exam tomorrow.¡±

    They all stared at Jalen.

    ¡°Er¡­ I don¡¯t think the exam is tomorrow,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not tomorrow,¡± Isabel said. ¡°It¡¯s next week.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± Jalen said with a wave of his hand. ¡°Next week. Tomorrow. Same thing, give or take a few hundred hours.¡±

    ¡°They really aren¡¯t,¡± James muttered under his breath. Emily elbowed him in the side.

    ¡°Does this mean I can leave now?¡± Bird asked. ¡°I have more theories to test. I need to locate more powerful monsters to practice against. This style must be pushed to its limits, and I have only started to integrate it into proper magical combat. The possibilities are endless.¡±

    ¡°Quell the impatience.¡± Jalen covered his mouth as he yawned.

    A rumbling crash shook the forest. Everyone other than Jalen spun in its direction, drawing on their runes.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Alexandra asked as she pulled her sword from its spot at her side and settled into a fighting stance. ¡°It sounded rather large.¡±

    ¡°That would be Brayden,¡± Jalen said. ¡°As Bird requested, some monsters to test. I sent him to gather them a short while ago. It seems he has finally located enough.¡±

    The rumbling grew louder. Todd and Isabel exchanged a glance before looking to the other students. They all moved closer to each other. Alexandra and Isabel took up spots closest to the oncoming threat while Todd and Emily set up behind them. A bow made of ice materialized in Emily¡¯s hands, while James faded entirely from view.

    ¡°I thought we were practicing Formations now,¡± Todd said, readying his bracelets as a roar split the air. The ground started to tremble beneath his feet as something ¡ª or a lot of somethings ¡ª grew closer.

    ¡°Oh, you are,¡± Jalen said. The wrappings on his face crinkled as he smiled. ¡°This will be real battle practice, not that boring meditation you¡¯ve all been repeating. Fear not. I will crush your magic with my domain should you make a mistake. I am far more sensitive than Vermil. I may not be able to instruct you, but adversity is an excellent teacher.¡±

    ¡°If you crush our magic, I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re going to get killed by whatever that huge thing is,¡± Emily said nervously. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we have tried this with something smaller?¡±

    ¡°What? Of course not.¡± Jalen stared at Emily in disbelief. ¡°Where would the fun in that be? Now get to preparing those little Formations of yours. You¡¯re going to need them.¡±

    Even as Todd reached for the magic within him and raised his bracelets in preparation for the upcoming fight, he couldn¡¯t stop a flicker of amusement from flitting through him. This wasn¡¯t all that different from how Vermil had trained them in the Scorched Acres.

    I think Jalen might be more like Vermil than he thinks.

    ¡°There is nothing to fear,¡± Bird proclaimed with an excited smile. ¡°I have been waiting for this. I will¡ª¡±

    Jalen blinked out of existence with a tiny pop of purple energy. He reformed behind Bird, his hand falling on her shoulder as a dangerous smile played across his lips. ¡°Be playing darts with me, I fear. No interference.¡±

    ¡°What? But¡ª¡±

    They both vanished.

    Emily swallowed. ¡°How is he going to do anything to stop our Formations if he isn¡¯t even here?¡±

    ¡°Stay focused,¡± Silvertide suggested. ¡°Jalen is insane.¡±

    They paused for a moment.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to follow that up with something like, ¡®but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be watching closely¡¯, or something like that?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°Oh, no. I was finished with my statement,¡± Silvertide said.

    Isabel let out a sigh. The ground before her rumbled as stone rolled up to cover her body and formed into a thick shield in one of her hands. Shimmering blue energy wormed through the cracks in the rock and hummed around her, forming into a spear in her other hand. ¡°Alexandra and I will keep the monster¡¯s attention while we figure out what we¡¯re up against. Todd, James, Emily, you all back us up.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Todd said. Stone rushed up from the ground to form casings around his hands and legs, readying his makeshift explosion magic. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Emily asked as she nocked an ice arrow pulled back on the string of her bow.

    ¡°No,¡± Todd replied with a grin. The rumbling grew louder until Todd¡¯s legs trembled from the force of the ground bucking beneath him. He raised his arms to keep his balance. ¡°But I¡¯ve gotten used to improvising.¡±

    Then the trees in front of them shattered, and an enormous lizard-like monster the size of several houses burst free from the forest, its wide eyes blood-red in fury and rows of jagged teeth jutting from its black-gummed lips.

    It spotted the group and advanced straight toward them, its tail annihilating several trees to its side with an idle flick as it charged into the clearing. Dirt and broken wood flew up all around it in a miniature storm and a hissing roar slipped free of its mouth.

    A grin tugged at the corners of Todd¡¯s lips as Isabel and Alexandra burst into motion, yelling to draw the monster¡¯s attention.

    It looked like today was going to be another fairly average day of training.

 Chapter 551: Familiar

    Noah pored over his grimoire. He had absolutely no idea how long Zath would be distracted outside, and he couldn¡¯t afford to waste a single second. Fog still clouded his mind from his death, but even if he couldn¡¯t actually make the Rank 4 Mind Rune yet, he could still figure out the exact strategy he could follow and then take care of the actual creation when he got access to his mind back.

    The entire idea of a Mind Rune was still repulsive to him. Everything about the way Wizen¡¯s magic worked made Noah wish the man had never existed. From what he¡¯d done to Alexandra to his involvement with the events that had brought Noah, Lee, and Moxie to the Damned Plains, it seemed that every single action that Wizen took was vile.

    But going up against a Mind Rune user without a way to deal with their runes was just too dangerous, especially after Noah had seen how strong Wizen was the last time they¡¯d met.

    It wasn¡¯t even just about protecting his mind from Wizen. From what he knew, Mind Runes generally couldn¡¯t just wrest control of someone¡¯s body instantly. Wizen had needed time to completely take control of Alexandra¡¯s body.

    In addition to a way to protect himself if Wizen did have a method to quickly take over his body, Noah also needed one to sever the man¡¯s connection to any of the people he¡¯d controlled ¡ª and the best way to do that was probably fighting with fire.

    Unfortunately, that left him with no choice. He needed a Mind Rune if he wanted to maximize his chances of coming out ahead against Wizen. And if he wanted it to fit into his other Runes and not be a wasted effort, it had to be related to a disaster.

    The mere idea for the concept was already frustrating. Disasters were mass-scale events, while almost everything he initially came up with relation to a rune was focused on a single person.

    That wasn¡¯t even to mention the fact that just about every concept that Noah could come up with for a Mind Rune made him want to throw up. The exact purpose of a rune had an immense effect on what its actual abilities would be ¡ª and he really didn¡¯t want to be running around with a Dementia Rune.

    He knew he was going to use something related to the line. It was the area that he had the most experience in ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t about to start destroying people¡¯s minds with thousands of years¡¯ worth of rot, if such a thing could even be manifested into a Rank 4 Rune.

    There had to be a way he could get what he needed as something disaster-adjacent without committing a slew of war crimes that hadn¡¯t been invented yet.

    Time slipped by as he thought. Zath¡¯s distraction, which Noah had expected to be measured minutes at the best, stretched into hours. That somehow managed to make things even more difficult. The longer that Zath remained outside speaking with an invisible, completely intangible entity, the more concerned with the situation Noah got.

    This wasn¡¯t just some incident of a powerful person being mildly off their rocker. Every single Rank 6 that Noah had met, much less Rank 7, had been borderline insane. In Jalen¡¯s case, he¡¯d just been straight up insane. But their insanity was a haze through which they saw the world. The damage of years on the psyche when it was forced to witness aspects of humanity¡¯s worst on repeat.

    It was the type of damage that made someone think that getting mouthed off to by someone they were about to kill was funny and entertaining. It was not the type of insanity that made someone sit and talk to something that did not exist for hours on end.

    And that could mean only one thing.

    The entity to which Zath was talking existed.

    Not only did it exist, but it was sapient. Something that Noah could not see, hear, touch, or otherwise make out, had been traveling with him and was somehow tied to the book that laid on the table before him.

    Calling the situation unnerving would have been an understatement. Part of Noah wanted to pelt the grimoire into a fire just to see what would happen, but he couldn¡¯t indulge his confusion or fears. He had too much at stake.

    Even if he¡¯d been traveling with the incarnation of evil itself, Noah needed the time. Every minute that passed was a minute that brought him closer to being able to use his magic and form a new Rank 4 Rune.

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    And so he did the favorite activity of every politician, king, and other official that had ever taken any form of power. He entirely ignored the problem to focus on his own gains and hoped that nothing would go drastically wrong as a result of it.

    First, Noah worked on expanding his idea of what possible disasters could actually be made with a Mind Rune. Hysteria came to mind. It would work ¡ª but it definitely felt like it was crossing the boundaries of what kind of magic he actually wanted to be casting. There was a difference between killing and ripping someone¡¯s mind from them.

    A more promising idea followed a few minutes later. Boundless Devotion ¡ª or something along those lines. Calling it a disaster was a bit of a stretch, but people could do some nasty things when they completely followed something without ever questioning it in the slightest. That was how charismatic school board leaders who cut funding from everything other than the sports teams got chosen as ¡ª

    Damn it. Getting off track, here.

    Boundless Devotion was still questionable in morality, but it felt a little bit less¡­ evil than sone of the alternatives. Drawing power from people¡¯s belief in him sounded promising. It wasn¡¯t completely evil, and it wouldn¡¯t involve forcing anyone to do anything.

    There were just two problems with the idea.

    The first was that Noah didn¡¯t actually have that many people that believed in his strength. Even if he counted everyone that had ever heard of and feared Spider, the rune probably wouldn¡¯t be able to gather any truly significant strength from a few hundred demons and a dozen or so humans.

    Perhaps that could have been something he could have worked around if it weren¡¯t for a slightly more significant issue.

    There was absolutely no way a Rank 4 rune would be strong enough to draw power from other people¡¯s devotion. Not only did it feel like far too powerful of a concept for a Rank 4, but it was also just completely impossible by the restrictions of Runes themselves.

    Rank 4 unlocked a magical domain ¡ª a zone that increased perception and allowed him to snuff out other, weaker magic.

    Rank 5 allowed him to manifest his magic within that domain from pure energy, rather than having to use something that already existed in world around him.

    Rank 6¡­ well, Noah wasn¡¯t entirely sure what Rank 6 actually did. He¡¯d never had a chance to really grill Jalen on it. When he made it out of the Damned Plains, it would go up in his priority list.

    Either way, it didn¡¯t matter. Drawing on devotion would only work if people were within the range of his rune, which definitely wouldn¡¯t be much farther than his domain. Maybe it would become possible at Rank 5 or 6, but it just wasn¡¯t realistic yet.

    And so his search continued.

    Ideas came and went. Noah came up with constituent Runes such as Mental Barrier for Rank 2 and Strong Will for Rank 3, but his real goal was a Rank 4 Rune that could actually work as a disaster.

    His frustration steadily built. Making any form of disaster based on Mind Runes was like trying to make a toy from pipe bombs. There was a chance it could look good from the outside, but it would probably blow up the moment someone touched it.

    Hours continued to slip by. The fog in his mind peeled back like the skin of an orange if it had been stuffed into the hands of an unruly child. Namely, it came away in uneven chunks and pieces.

    And as the fog went, Noah¡¯s thoughts grew sharper. His ideas became better ¡ª closer to what he needed. Closer to something that would let him go to sleep at night without feeling like he¡¯d become Wizen in the pursuit of defeating him.

    And then the fog was gone.

    Control of his mind returned to him in its entirety. Noah felt the moment as if a jolt of lightning had struck his chest. Rivers of electricity coursed out from his heart and ripped into his limbs in a split second. He leapt, tripping over his own legs, and fell out of the bed face-first.

    Noah¡¯s body sprung into motion. He caught himself, vaulting off his hands and landing easily on his feet. Moxie stared at him from where she sat on her chair, the formerly bored expression on her face evaporating in a mixture of amusement and concern.

    ¡°Getting some exercise in after sitting for too long?¡±

    ¡°My power is back,¡± Noah said, looking down at his hands. The Rune of Self had re-activated. He¡¯d almost forgotten just how intense the rune was. Every single part of his body was his once more.

    And every part included his mind. Moxie said something else, but Noah didn¡¯t hear it. The thoughts that had been floating around in his addled skull finally clicked. They snapped together and finished the puzzle that he¡¯d been unknowingly working on.

    He knew what kind of Rune he could make. One that would let him fight back against Wizen. One that would let him keep who he was.

    It was a concept that he was familiar with.

    Very familiar with.

    A smile pulled across Noah¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Sorry, Moxie,¡± he said. ¡°I zoned out for a moment.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯ve got a¡­ look on your face.¡±

    Noah wasn¡¯t surprised. He¡¯d finished the hard part. The rune may as well have already been there in his mind, waiting in anticipation of for its own creation.

    All he had to do was make it before Zath remembered the reason why he¡¯d sought Noah out in the first place.

 Chapter 552: Rank 4 Rune

    Noah returned to the vine bed and sat down upon it. He set the opened grimoire upon his lap and placed his hand upon its surface before plunging into his mindspace.

    The pitch black void of his soul rose up to swallow Noah¡¯s world. Runes blinked to life in the sea of darkness like stars orbiting around him, and pressure bore down onto his back. White light seeped into the darkness from small cracks ran throughout the corners of his soul.

    Noah was tempted to call on the Fragment of Renewal and heal them on the spot, but he didn¡¯t know how many attempts or modifications his new Rank 4 rune would take. Wasting the Fragment now could stick him with a bunch of damage he couldn¡¯t heal until the next day.

    He blew out a breath and steadied his thoughts. Even though Noah already knew what he wanted to make, there were still a lot of ways to go about it. Belkus had given him three Rank 5 Runes. Even if half of their components were completely useless and the energy conversion rate was less than ideal, he probably had enough to brute force an entirely new Rank 5 Rune.

    There were actually two ways he could hypothetically get a Rank 5 rune. He had a number of runes in his grimoire. Not enough to truly have a lot of variety, but he could cobble together several more Disaster Runes and top up the remaining pieces with Mind Runes.

    The resulting rune would be shoddy and poorly made, but it would still be a Rank 5. He could always rip it apart later and re-combine everything. Unfortunately, reaching Rank 5 meant absolutely nothing if his final rune was garbage.

    He¡¯d seen the difference between a powerful Rank 4 and a weak Rank 5. Destroying the potential of his runes, even temporarily, just for the boost at Rank 5, was not a trade he was willing to make. Crumbling Space and Warped Matter had significant use even without being Rank 5 runes ¡ª not to mention he still had Formations he could work his existing runes into.

    And then there was the other option. Making a Rank 5 entirely from the Mind Runes he¡¯d gotten from Belkus.  Noah just wasn¡¯t so sure that would be in his benefit. His keystone rune was still a component of Natural Disaster.

    There was a lot he still didn¡¯t know about how Runes worked. Keystone runes were definitely important. They were closely tied to the soul and imposed severe consequences when removed.

    He honestly didn¡¯t know what would happen if he left his keystone rune behind as a Rank 4 when his strongest rune became a Rank 5. Noah doubted that was a situation anyone had ever found themselves in before. It would probably destabilize his soul a little. Maybe enough to be manageable ¡ª but that wasn¡¯t really a good reason to ignore the possibility entirely.

    In the end, the thing that gave Noah pause was the potential of making a mistake. He didn¡¯t know Mind Runes well. Even though he had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to do, there was still a good chance it would need to be modified at least once or twice.

    The bigger and more closely tied to the soul a Rune was, the harder it was to remove. Ripping a Rank 5 free of himself had the potential to do some pretty serious soul damage. It was magnitudes larger than a Rank 4, and he¡¯d be doing it right after it expanded his soul.

    Noah had absolutely no idea what that would cause. The last time he¡¯d gotten an excessive amount of soul damage, he¡¯d fallen into a coma for a week. Perhaps the same would happen. Perhaps it would be nothing.

    He didn¡¯t know ¡ª but he couldn¡¯t risk it for a Rank 5 Rune that was the equivalent of a handgun in a toddler¡¯s hands. Wizen¡¯s magic would still be stronger than his. Wizen would still have more experience. Putting all his money on an entirely new form of magic to him when his opponent was a master of the field was a losing move.

    Having a little protection was important, but Noah wasn¡¯t going to beat Wizen at his own game. He had to come from a different angle. There was more than one way to gain power ¡ª though he wasn¡¯t about to pass it up either. Noah didn¡¯t love the idea of a mind rune, but he still needed more disasters. There was no guarantee Wizen was the only enemy with mind powers he¡¯d fight. Investing in a way to protect himself now would be useful in the long run¡­ assuming they could actually deal with Wizen.

    But first things first. I still need my Rank 4 rune to make sure I¡¯ve at least got some way to keep Wizen¡¯s grubby fingers out of my head.

    Noah raised a finger in the air before him and started to draw one of the Rank 5 Mind Runes. Dull pink energy followed in the wake of his finger as it traced magic into his soul. He moved quickly and with confidence.

    The Mind Runes Belkus had given him were ¡ª unfortunately ¡ª demon runes. Now that Noah knew a little more about how the runes worked, he wasn¡¯t as worried about forming one in his soul as long as he shattered it instantly. The only problem was that he couldn¡¯t use any of the components that had demon runes in them, which meant he¡¯d have to do a lot of re-combining.

    The only way to do that is to get started. No time to waste. I have to finish this before Zath decides he¡¯s done talking and comes for me.

    It took him about five minutes to draw the rune in its entirety. The Rank 5 was so much more complex than all his previously created normal runes that it drew practically every single scrap of attention Noah could muster.

    There was a sharp snap, followed by a burst of pressure and a pop in his ears. Wind blew his hair back as the Rank 5 took form in Noah¡¯s soul, surrounded in a halo of molten pink energy. Noah squeezed his eyes shut. His hand moved even as Sunder¡¯s power coursed through his veins in an icy river.

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    He struck the rune.

    And, even as the Rank 5¡¯s magic swelled in his soul and pressed against its boundaries, it shattered with a loud crash. Noah squeezed his eyes shut before the flash of brilliant white energy could blind him, only opening them in time to see the Rank 4 constituents of the rune come spilling out of the storming energy it left behind.

    Noah scanned over the new runes that formed before him. They bore lovely names like Mental Corruption and Psychic Rend among others, several of which were unreadable Demon Runes. All of them broken or improperly made and none had been less than 30% full on creation.

    It didn¡¯t look like Belkus had given Noah his best work. That was fine with him. He¡¯d hardly expected the Demon Lord to be rolling out the red carpet. This was more than enough for his purposes.

    Noah pushed six of the seven runes out of the way, grabbing one of the unreadable demon runes and pulling it into the cloudy pink energy left behind by what had once been a Rank 5.

    He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was going to be a lot of magical surgery involved in removing every single demon aspect and piecing the rune back together with the remaining energy. He definitely wouldn¡¯t have had enough energy to pull the process off if Belkus hadn¡¯t given him 3 Rank 5s to work with. There was so much power lost in the process of ripping the pieces apart and converting their energy that the mere thought of it would have made most mages cry.

    Most mages didn¡¯t have Sunder.

    One of these days, I¡¯ll give the god I took this rune from a proper thank you. Don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without it.

    Noah hummed a tune to himself as he carved a Rank 3 Demon Rune apart with Sunder, burning through more power than the majority of demons saw in their lives just to make a Rank 4 rune that wouldn¡¯t make him slightly uncomfortable to use.

    There was work to do.

    ***

    Noah lost track of time.

    That really wasn¡¯t an uncommon characteristic for him, but it really didn¡¯t lend itself well to when he was working against the clock.

    But, as he studied out at the results of his work on Belkus¡¯ runes, he couldn¡¯t help but feel like he¡¯d spent his time well.

    9 new runes floated in his soul, waiting to be used. Noah had condensed the excess components from the Rank 5 runes into other Rank 4s to avoid losing too much energy while he was working. He¡¯d also dragged in a few extra space runes, combining them with a few of the other mind runes, and used a painful amount of energy from the Rank 5 Mind Runes to fill them up.

    He scanned over the new runes floating around him, making a mental list of them in the process to make sure he hadn¡¯t missed anything.

    Rank 4 Unstable Mind Meld - 1

    Rank 4 Broken Mind - 1

    Rank 4 Broken Mind Castle - 1

    Rank 3 Mental Block - 1

    Rank 3 Mind Meld - 1

    Rank 3 Mental Prison - 2

    Rank 3 Psychic Force - 2

    Noah wasn¡¯t sure how many of each rune he would need quite yet, but he had more than enough to work with ¡ª and the quality of all the Rank 3 runes was flawless. He couldn¡¯t say the same for the Rank 4s, but considering they were only there to hold energy and save space, he didn¡¯t particularly care.

    There was just one thing that seemed a little off. Noah couldn¡¯t help but notice that 4 of the Mind Runes he¡¯d made were active.

    His brow creased in confusion. That was rather odd. He had four runes that should have already been active. Natural Disaster, Warped Matter, Crumbling Space, and the Rune of Self.

    Recounting everything did nothing to change the facts. He somehow had 8 active runes. That was, of course, impossible ¡ª which meant one of the Runes he thought was a normal rune was anything but.

    There was really only one option that fit that category. The Rune of Self. Noah frowned and scratched at his chin. That was significant. There was no doubt about it¡­ but he didn¡¯t have time to dig into why. Not yet.

    Noah focused his concentration on the Rank 4 Unstable Mind Meld Rune. It held the several flawless components he was going to need to pull this off. His soul was strained from the constant usage of Sunder, but he was too close to stop now.

    Gathering his power, Noah got back to work.

    ***

    Noah swam in a swirling mess of saturated pink hues and black veins. His bones throbbed and his eyes pulsed with the beginnings of a building headache as he brought his hand down, carving through his fifth attempt at combining a flawless Rank 4 Mind Rune.

    The rune shattered with a plink and power spilled out from it. Noah¡¯s mind groaned in protest as he pushed to grab all the magic before it could dissipate. He¡¯d already consumed the power in two of the Rank 4 runes he¡¯d had, grinding them to dust in his research.

    His teeth gritted as he pulled an extra Rank 3 Mind Meld Rune into the mixture, swapping it out for one of his Psychic Force runes. Focusing on the Line while trying to combine a rune felt like pulling his own teeth out.

    The experience was agonizing. As it turned out, the absolute last thing his mind wanted to do was focus on one of its least favorite multi-thousand year strings of memories.

    But Noah was determined now. He¡¯d put this much work into making the rune work, and he refused to accept anything other than success.

    His teeth gritted. He lifted a hand toward the seven Rank 3s floating before him. His lips pulled back in a snarl of defiance and he clenched his hand into a fist.

    The runes slammed together. Noah blinked to avoid the flash of light, focusing every scrap of his intent on the line ¡ª but not every part of the line.

    He¡¯d made that mistake on his last attempt. Channeling the entirety of the line into a Rank 4 rune was like stuffing an elephant into a hamster ball.

    What he needed was a very specific part of the line.

    He needed the feeling of stepping over and over and over, only to find that the world had not changed. The sensation of existence without purpose. The feeling of nothing.

    Nothing was a surprisingly difficult emotion to properly encapsulate.

    Fortunately for Noah, he had a lot of experience getting to know it.

    Power roared in his mind as the runes snapped together, bound by his intent. A brilliant flash tore through his soul and he squeezed his eyes shut, staggering back as a wave of force rolled out of a newly formed rune and drove into Noah¡¯s gut like a punch.

    He gritted his teeth and forced his eyes open, holding up a hand to block the remnants of the light. Noah blinked furiously in attempt to clear his vision. His arm lowered and his eyes widened, a wave of mild disbelief prickling against his skin as he looked upon the efforts of his labor.

    Finally, after 6 re-combinations, he had done it.

    Before him was a perfect Rank 4 Rune.

    Empty Proliferation

 Chapter 553: Ready

    Noah gathered the remnants of the runic energy floating around in his mind from all the combinations and modifications, pouring every scrap of it he could manage into Empty Proliferation.

    The conversion rate was far from ideal, but there was no shortage to work with. He managed to fill the rune all the way up to 25% before there was nothing left to pull from. Noah¡¯s hands fell to his sides and he took a step back, staring at his rune in a mixture of relief and delight.

    It was made from long, swooping lines that wove in and out of each other like the world¡¯s most complicated basket. Patterns pulsed and twisted as rivers of slow-moving energy ran throughout the rune. Pressure rolled off it and pressed against Noah and the other runes in his mind. The rune slowly floated to enter the ring of other Rank 4 runes floating around him, taking its spot and settling in like it had always been there.

    Noah wiped the sweat from his forehead and swallowed. It was still a little odd that he could sweat within the confines of his own mind. It wasn¡¯t like souls had water in them to sweat with, which meant he was subconsciously imagining it. His attention was a little too focused on the newly formed rune to let him consider the implications of that.

    The inky floor of Noah¡¯s soul was covered with hairline fractures pulsing with brilliant white light. All the combinations and extractions had done a number to him. Even though he didn¡¯t quite have a headache, his skull still throbbed with discomfort.

    Just a bit longer.

    Noah stepped past the cracks and made his way over to Empty Proliferation. He pressed a hand to the rune¡¯s surface and extended his mind, letting it brush over the newly formed rune. Power rolled forth, flooding into his mind as he opened the gates holding it back.

    He drew on Empty Proliferation, twisting and tugging on the energy as he observed the pressure coming from the rune¡¯s body. It remained perfectly uniform. No changes occurred to the power rolling off the rune.

    A grin pulled across Noah¡¯s lips and he released Empty Proliferation. A laugh forced its way from his chest. There was absolutely no issue within the rune. It was flawless.

    That brought his total number of flawless runes up to two ¡ª Natural Disaster and now Empty Proliferation. He¡¯d been getting a fair bit of use out of Warped Matter and Crumbling Space and was fairly confident he¡¯d be able to properly remake them fairly soon.

    Which means I¡¯m only going to need 3 more Disaster Runes before I can reach Rank 5. I haven¡¯t gotten a mobility related Space Rune yet, which is next on my list, so I¡¯m only short on 2 concepts before I make it. Not bad at all.

    Maybe I can wheedle Sievan out of a few runes when we meet. He does want a Master Rune from me¡­ I think a few Rank 5 Space Runes would be a fair offer in return. If Sieven is super rich, he won¡¯t even notice a few missing Rank 5 Runes. Maybe I could get some for Moxie and Lee as well. This could be really profitable.

    Then again, he could be a stingy evil bastard. I don¡¯t imagine he became the strongest Demon Lord in the Damned Plains by handing out flowers to little kids. Suppose there¡¯ll only be one way to find out. As long as I get something out of the deal and hopefully point him in Wizen¡¯s direction in the process of it, I don¡¯t think I can complain.

    He took a step back and let the Mind Rune float back to its proper location. There was no way to test the full range of its abilities yet ¡ª he needed someone else for that, and it would have to be someone that didn¡¯t particularly like him.

    Noah took one final look around his mindspace.

    I¡¯m ready. These are all the preparations I can do in here for now. Just need to clean up house.

    His senses lifted upward, extending toward the Fragment of Renewal floating far above him. The Master Rune lowered, pearlescent energy roaring to life as Noah drew on its strength. Refreshing rivers of magic caressed his body as his fingers contacted the enormous rune¡¯s surface.

    With a thought, Noah released it into his mind. Streams of cooling magic erupted from him and poured into his soul. Gentle energy glimmered in the darkness as it stitched the white cracks shut, slowly healing the extensive damage he¡¯d done to himself.

    A relieved breath slipped free of Noah¡¯s lips. Tension he hadn¡¯t even noticed slipped free from his shoulders and his posture relaxed. The dull throb in the back of his head relented and his muscles loosened like he¡¯d just had an incredible massage.

    Noah¡¯s gaze fell to the Fragment of Self as his soul pieced itself back together all around him. His head tilted to the side slightly, confusion working its way into his thoughts. He still hadn¡¯t forgotten how it hadn¡¯t counted as a proper Rune.

    Body Runes count against you. If they didn¡¯t, then Alexandra would have absolutely no trouble reaching the next rank. So why doesn¡¯t the Fragment of Self?

    This could have something to do with Lee¡¯s problem.

    But what?

    Noah¡¯s stare bored into the rune imbued into the floor of his soul, but no answers came forth. He had absolutely no idea why the Rune of Self wouldn¡¯t count as a rune.

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    There has to be an explanation, and I think demons have the answer somewhere. I need to test things on more demons. Coming up with theories isn¡¯t going to do me any good if there¡¯s no way to validate them.

    Noah shook his head and peeled his eyes away from the rune. His soul had almost completely healed from the damage riddling it.

    Something told him that, even if Zath could be distracted forever, it probably wasn¡¯t the best idea to keep Sievan waiting for too long.

    It was time to go back and face the real world.

    ***

    Wizen strode down a hallway made of solid gold brick. He¡¯d found himself doing a lot of that as of late, but this one was different.

    This was the last hallway he would ever have to walk down.

    A faint grin pulled at the corner of his lips. This hall had been quite a bother to find. It was ironic. After he¡¯d wasted so much time crushing worthless demons, the one that had finally given him what he needed had been the only one they¡¯d all seen as worthless.

    The demon in question trailed behind him, the artifact where her heart should have been humming with weak energy. Every click Wizen¡¯s staff made against the metal beneath their feet made her flinch, but she hadn¡¯t so much as emerged from his shadow once.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill Tixen,¡± the demon girl said, her voice echoing through the long hall. It was the first time she¡¯d spoken since they¡¯d entered the hall. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because he did not waste my time,¡± Wizen replied without missing a step. There were too many of those to take for him to delay his arrival by stopping. He was starting to grow irritated by just how long this hallway was. He and the demon had been walking through it for over an hour, and there was still no end in sight.

    Meaningless power games. Sievan must have the walls imbued to stretch space within this pathway. He should know I am coming by now. There would be no purpose to allow anyone a passage directly to him if he did not watch to see who used it. Sievan does not accept challengers because he does not view them as a worthy threat. This hallway is a challenge.

    ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t kill me?¡± the girl asked.

    No.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°Indiscriminate death is purposeless. It is a waste of my time and energy. All things must be done for a reason. A man who acts without intention is one who has already lost.¡±

    The demon fell silent, which Wizen quite preferred. It had been a very long time since he¡¯d enjoyed partaking in small talk.

    Silence was ideal for determining ¡ª

    ¡°Why are you looking for Lord Sievan?¡±

    ¡°The same reason that anyone ever seeks someone else out,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°I want something from him.¡±

    ¡°What is it? You¡¯re already so strong. You could get anything you wanted with power like that, but Sievan is going to kill you. Then you won¡¯t be able to get anything anymore.¡±

    ¡°It is none of your concern,¡± Wizen replied.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    The demon didn¡¯t say anything else.

    They walked in silence for several more minutes.

    Wizen¡¯s lip twitched slightly. His hand tightened around the head of his staff and he repressed an annoyed sigh.

    ¡°I cannot have what I desire.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    The clack of Wizen¡¯s cane against the ground came to a halt as he stopped walking. A moment later, the demon trailing behind him walked straight into his back. She let out a surprised yelp and hopped a foot back, but Wizen didn¡¯t so much as turn in her direction.

    ¡°You asked why I seek Sievan,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°The reason is that I cannot claim what I desire with what I have now. My power is not sufficient.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something that you can¡¯t do? You killed a Rank 7 Demon! You¡¯re like a god!¡±

    Wizen¡¯s lips curled upward. ¡°Godhood is a matter of perspective. There are no gods. There are only those who ascended to greater heights. Sievan is no more a god than I am. All those who attain true strength come to understand that it is relative.¡±

    ¡°Oh. I guess I won¡¯t understand it, then.¡±

    ¡°Demons are a flawed race, but it is not impossible for you to attain strength,¡± Wizen said, starting to walk once again. ¡°I hold nothing but disdain for your kind, but Sievan is far greater than I.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not a demon?¡±

    ¡°No. I am a human. Unbound by my runes and free to live as I desire. For the moment, we are alike. You have not reached Rank 4 yet. But, when you do, your free will shall be crushed by your own desires. You will become a slave within your own body.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± The demoness was silent for several more seconds. ¡°I won¡¯t have to worry about that. I¡¯m not going to make it to Rank 4.¡±

    Wizen looked back over his shoulder at the demon girl. She was walking with her arms crossed over her belly, as if she had a stomach ache. ¡°Power can be claimed by any who are determined enough to grasp it.¡±

    ¡°My soul is too small. It can¡¯t handle Runes correctly, and the runes I do have are destroying my body. I¡¯m going to die before I hit Rank 2,¡± the girl said in a matter of fact tone. She tapped her chest with a finger. ¡°I stole this from a shipment coming into the city. It¡¯s a Rune Crystal from the Black Reaches. I thought implanting it into my heart might fix me. It gave me a bit of energy, but that was it.¡±

    ¡°You stole from a shipment? You?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why my name is Sticky. It¡¯s easy to nab things when nobody thinks you¡¯re a threat.¡± A sheepish grin flitted across her lips and she uncrossed her arms, revealing a small pouch. She held it out to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t help myself. It just happens."

    Wizen¡¯s eyes widened and his hand shot to his side. His coin pouch was missing. Disbelief washed over his features.

    Her aura is so weak that my domain barely even picks her up. She actually managed to get the jump on me? A rank 1 demon?

    ¡°Keep it. I do not need coin,¡± Wizen said with a shake of his head.

    ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡±

    ¡°It is my own failiure that allowed you to steal from me. Growing irate over incompetence is the act of a fool. Maybe you can buy another Rune Crystal.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t. Stabbed the last one into my heart. No room for another.¡±

    What kind of fool drives a Rune Crystal into their own heart just in hopes that it¡¯ll absorb the energy?

    ¡°I see,¡± Wizen said.

    He turned back to the hall ¡ª and froze.

    The hallway was gone.

    All that stood before him was a plain stone door, devoid of any marking or identifying features. Cold determination set into Wizen¡¯s features. The time for conversation was over. Every single piece was in place.

    Years of planning had all led up to this moment.

    Sievan was ready for him.

 Chapter 554: Only one more

    Wizen pressed his palm to the door.

    It didn¡¯t so much as budge.

    He pushed harder, but to no avail. It was like trying to shove a solid wall open. His eyes narrowed. There was no handle to try and pull the door in the other direction. It was definitely meant to be pushed¡­ which meant Sievan was playing games with him.

    Wizen was tempted to reach for the key that hung at his side, but he dismissed the idea. He wasn¡¯t playing with weak demons anymore. No matter what he thought of the rest of the flawed race, Sievan was different. This was a foe he couldn¡¯t afford to face at anything less than full power. He also couldn¡¯t help but feel Sticky¡¯s gaze boring into his back as she waited for him to open the door.

    Why do I care what the child thinks? It¡¯s just a mildly useful stray that ended up taking shade from the sun in my shadow. She is irrelevant.

    Wizen studied the cracks in the door, in search for anything that would signal a weakness. He highly doubted that Sievan was playing with him for no reason. This was just another test. Another way to see what he was capable of. There would be a trick somewhere.

    His domain crawled through the hall. He probed every gap between the bricks and felt through the walls in search for the lead he needed to pull the puzzle apart without wasting so much as a drop of energy more than he had ¡ª

    A quiet crunch echoed through the hall.

    A trap?

    Wizen stiffened. His senses exploded in forth in search of what had happened, only for him to realize who the target of his attention actually was a moment later.

    Sticky swallowed, her cheeks reddening as Wizen turned toward her. She held a tiny dry biscuit in one hand and there were a few crumbs on her upper lip. Her tongue darted out and licked them clean.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Sticky said. ¡°It¡¯s a few weeks old. I was saving it for when I got really hungry. I didn¡¯t think it would be so loud. I can stop eating.¡±

    Telling her to stop now would just be petty. Not an ideal look when I am attempting to impress my importance upon Sievan. The success of my plan relies on the Lord of Death meeting with me. I cannot be delayed any longer, or the key may run out of power.

    Wizen just shook his head and turned his attention back to the door. ¡°Do what you will. I do not care. I am not so weak-minded as to be distracted by a little noise.¡±

    He sent his domain forth once more, scouring the walls. The world faded into the background as his focus sharpened. He had dealt with far greater opponents than a mere door. No mere child was going to be enough to ¡ª

    Crunch.

    Wizen¡¯s knuckles tightened slightly around his staff. His domain pressed against a tiny malformation in the rock, so small that it was entirely invisible to the naked eye. He pressed his power through it, scouring over what laid beyond.

    Disbelief lit behind Wizen¡¯s eyes. Minuscule imbuements lined the inside of the stone door. They were so small that they may as well have been nonexistent, but their power remained all the same. The amount of skill it would have taken to do something like this was astronomical.

    Even in spite of the situation, Wizen swallowed. He was frozen in sheer awe for nearly a second. Hidden within a mere door was possibly the most advanced imbuement that he¡¯d ever seen. Something like this was a work of art unfit for mortal eyes. It ¡ª

    Crunch.

    Wizen pressed his hand to the door, snapped from his thoughts. He sent his will inward, following the tiny lines of energy until his mind was so deep within the stone¡¯s depths that it was buried. The lines of the imbuements were so delicate that he had to move with immense caution. Even a tiny energy fluctuation had a chance of destroying something and ruining the puzzle.

    Seconds ticked by and turned to minutes. He was mercifully spared of any further crunching noises. Wizen presumed that Sticky had finished her food and had opted to remain silent, for which he was appreciative. This was not a simple task. He needed his entire attention undisturbed.

    Patterns complex enough to twist a younger mind into a knot unraveled before Wizen. He didn¡¯t fully understand the full meaning behind the imbuements. But, fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to.

    It was far easier to break something than it was to make it.

    He just had to make sure he broke it in the right ¡ª

    A wet splat ripped through his delicate concentration like wet tissue paper. Wizen¡¯s domain twitched. It was the faintest loss of control, so small that most mages wouldn¡¯t have even realized it had happened.

    The imbuement was crushed from existence with a tiny pop, disappearing as if it had never been there.

    No!

    Wizen spun toward Sticky in a blur, the fury welling in his chest not even having had a chance to make it to his features yet.

    The chewed-up top half of the biscuit she¡¯d been eating had broken off from the rest of its body and landed on the floor. It had somehow gotten completely soaked through ¡ª but before Wizen could so much as say or think anything, his eyes landed on the demon girl.

    She was frozen in place, terror and shame playing across her features. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! I was licking the biscuit so it wouldn¡¯t crunch so loud and distract you, but it jumped out of my hands! On its own! I don¡¯t know what happened!¡±

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    The anger tightening Wizen¡¯s jaw ground to a halt. It felt like the air had been knocked straight from his lungs. Sticky continued to stammer apologies but Wizen barely even heard them.

    She looks so similar to ¡ª

    No. This is just a demon. I cling to straws when the field of grass lies in wait. I cannot allow myself to be distracted.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Wizen said, raising a hand.

    Sticky¡¯s mouth snapped shut with a click and she stiffened. She stared at him with wide, worried eyes.

    Wizen¡¯s hand twitched. He reached into the pouch at his side and drew forth a strip of jerky, tossing it to the demon. She grabbed it, staring at the meat in disbelief. ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Something you can eat without announcing your presence to the entirety of the Damned Plains.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª I don¡¯t think I¡¯m hungry anymore. It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t eat,¡± Sticky stammered.

    ¡°Eat the damn food. I already gave it to you, and to waste resources is a great crime. It is to spit on everyone who has given their lives in search of what you have,¡± Wizen snapped, turning back to the door and examining its plain surface.

    Sievan¡¯s puzzles could be damned. This was taking too long. The closer he got to his goal, the more he could feel his control start to give. It was like his subconscious could sense the end was near and had started to release the reigns early. No matter how hard he tried to draw them back, it was impossible. What was done was done. He didn¡¯t have much time left.

    It seems I have no choice. I will have to burn some resources. It is less than ideal, but no plan can be flawless.

    ¡°Are you trying to open that door?¡± Sticky asked, her words so soft that Wizen could barely even hear them. It didn¡¯t help that she¡¯d listened to Wizen¡¯s command and was now speaking through a mouthful of food.

    ¡°It would appear that way,¡± Wizen replied, reaching for the key at his side.

    ¡°Are you sure you need to meet Sievan that bad?¡±

    Wizen glanced back at Sticky. ¡°Yes. I do.¡±

    ¡°Why? Can¡¯t you just get what you want by getting stronger? You don¡¯t need to use shortcuts if you¡¯re strong. You can do things the right way.¡±

    Feed a stray once and it suddenly thinks it can pry you with questions.

    ¡°This is the only way,¡± Wizen said, speaking before he¡¯d even realized that his mouth was moving. ¡°I have exhausted every other possibility. There is only one in recorded history who has demonstrated the power to break from this plane into the next.¡±

    ¡°The afterlife,¡± Sticky said, her eyes widening in realization. ¡°You¡¯re¡ª¡±

    ¡°Trying to bring someone back,¡± Wizen said. ¡°Yes. And I need Sievan¡¯s power to do it.¡±

    ¡°You think you can beat him and take his Master Rune? You¡¯re that powerful?¡±

    ¡°There is only one way to find out,¡± Wizen replied with a gruff laugh. His control over his body and emotions must have been slipping. He never would have been so open with an answer before today. ¡°I cannot fail.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Sticky asked. ¡°Nobody but Sievan can go to the afterlife and return.¡±

    ¡°I am aware of the rumors,¡± Wizen said. His hand returned to the key at his side and he pulled it free of his belt. An ocean of power dwelled within it, just waiting to be released. ¡°Perhaps you will come to understand this one day, when you fix your heart. There are some things that must be done.¡±

    Sticky blinked in surprise. ¡°When? You think I will be able to repair it?¡±

    ¡°For those who have sufficient determination, all things are possible.¡± Wizen lifted the key and sent power into it, connecting to the immense magic dwelling beyond. ¡°Today, I will demonstrate this to you. Giving in is impossible. Envision a future where you succeed and allow no other path to come into existence.¡±

    Sticky stared up at Wizen for several long seconds. Her eyes flicked to the key in his hands. Then she took a step forward, stepping into Wizen¡¯s path.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing it wrong.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The door. You¡¯re trying to open it the wrong way,¡± Sticky said. She walked over to the door and ran her tongue along her palm. She smacked it to the side of the door with a small splat and gave her arm a small tug.

    The door creaked open. Wizen stared at Sticky in disbelief, the key nearly falling from his fingers in surprise.

    What?

    Sticky braced her foot against the door and gave her hand a tug. Her hand squelched and she popped off the door, tripping over her own feet. Wizen¡¯s cane shot out and hooked behind her shoulders, catching the girl before she could fall. He pushed her back upright before he even realized that he¡¯d moved.

    ¡°How?¡± Wizen asked, aghast.

    ¡°It¡¯s spongestone!¡± Sticky replied with a proud grin. ¡°It¡¯s super porous. You just gotta get a little wet and it¡¯ll suck onto you really good. Haven¡¯t you ever seen it before? It¡¯s everywhere below the Wastes. A lot of demons set patches of it up near lakes and attack when you get stuck on it.¡±

    Wizen looked from the open door to Sticky. Her face had gone slightly pale and she pressed the hand that she¡¯d used to push the door open to her stomach. Sticky caught Wizen looking in her direction and sent him a sheepish grin.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little painful. It sucks on your hand really hard.¡±

    He slowly returned the key to his side, and the smallest of grins pulled at the corners of his lips. ¡°I see. How curious. I was unaware. There is no spongestone where I am from. That is twice you have done for me what a Rank 7 demon could not. I am confident of it, now. You will find a way to succeed. Do not accept defeat in your fight.¡±

    He stepped around Sticky and pulled the door open with the end of his staff.

    The breath caught in Wizen¡¯s chest.

    Beyond the door was a sea of nothingness.

    Sheer black emptiness stretched out as far as Wizen could see, no end in sight. A single river of obsidian stairs rose up through the room. It was trimmed on each side with plain golden caps and came to a stop far above at the edge of a large, circular platform.

    Wizen couldn¡¯t see the top of the platform from where he was, but there was only one thing this could have been.

    Sievan¡¯s throne room.

    His gaze peeled down to Sticky for a moment. She was already looking up at him with expectant eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to beat Sievan, right?¡± Sticky asked. ¡°You won¡¯t lose?¡±

    ¡°After getting this far? I will not allow for it. All that stands in my path will fall. Come.¡±

    Sticky pressed a hand to her chest and gave Wizen an excited nod. ¡°I want to see it. A fight between gods. Nobody else in the Damned Plains has ever witnessed something like that.¡±

    A smile tugged at Wizen¡¯s lips.

    I am certain of it now. My focus is unraveling faster than I thought it would for me to react like this. It should be fine. I am already at the final stretch.

    ¡°There are no gods, but you will bear witness nonetheless,¡± Wizen said. ¡°Perhaps when it is done, you can take the heart of the defeated and replace your own with it. Do not forget. There is always a way to victory.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Sticky promised. ¡°I figured out what you meant. You just have to pick the right battles, right?¡±

    ¡°Precisely,¡± Wizen said.

    His staff rang out as it struck the bottom step of the staircase and he started up toward the platform. Sticky hurried after him, and Wizen¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave the platform looming far above them as the two of them ascended the steps.

    I¡¯ve made it ¡ª and because of this tiny demon rather than my own strength. How amusing. My dear Bella will not be able to believe it. Wait just a few more moments, my love. I am coming for you. There is only one more that must die.

 Chapter 555: Another Guest

    Wizen ascended the obsidian staircase, his footsteps swallowed by the endless void surrounding it. Every tap of his cane against the polished stone rolled out into the silence as if to echo, only to fade into the darkness and never return.

    Sticky followed after Wizen, just a single step behind him, her shoulders hunched and gaze firmly locked on the pathway. A single missed step meant plummeting into the yawning shadows all around them.

    The only source of light in the room was the open door far behind and below them, at the base of the stairs. The golden brick making up the hall beyond it shimmered as if in welcome. Every step Wizen took up the stairwell took him farther away from the light and deeper into the black.

    Even though there should have been nothing with which to see by, the stairs and platform at their end were still somehow visible. The obsidian glistened as if it had been caught in the light of a distant moon and something like firelight seemed to dance in the stairs¡¯ gold trimmings.

    A faint scent lingered in the air. It held an elegant note of gentle sweetness wrapped in the embrace of despair, a fresh rosebud ripped from its plant ground underfoot. The aroma became harder to locate the more Wizen tried to place exactly what it was or where it came from.

    There was no noise beyond that of Wizen and Sticky¡¯s climb. It was so silent that Wizen could hear his own heartbeat. Despite everything he had seen over his many years of life, the hair on the back of Wizen¡¯s neck stood on end.

    Some emotions were beyond human control. They were so deeply ingrained in the psyche that they could never be removed. And now, it was one of those emotions that told Wizen he and Sticky were intruders.

    Intruders in a place where no living being should have set foot.

    For all of his planning and preparation, there was a grave difference between readying one¡¯s mind for something and witnessing it in true.

    He marched on.

    Step after step, Wizen ascended the stairwell toward his goal. Toward the only thing in life that he had lived for. Hundreds of years, all for this moment. The key at his side felt as heavy as an anchor.

    Every scrap of his being had gone into this. Thousands upon thousands of moments ¡ª of lives ¡ª just to ensure he would arrive here. To ensure he would set foot on this stairwell, set foot on the platform beyond it.

    There was no room for any mistakes. He could allow no weakness to show through. When dealing with someone as powerful as a Rank 8, Wizen had to be an impenetrable wall. Even with the advantages he possessed, having so much as a single opening could ¡ª

    Sticky slipped.

    The sleek obsidian gave her no purchase with which to recover. She lost her balance and fell, her head hitting the edge of the stairs with a loud thunk.

    Wizen spun back toward her just in time to see Sticky slide off the edge of the stairs. He lunged forward, but while his body was many things, fast was not one of them.

    His hand passed through the air moments after the small demon, and she plummeted into the void below.

    Darkness swallowed her in an instant. Something like a jagged blade of glass drove into Wizen¡¯s chest and his breath stiffened. He thrust his hand out before a thought even had a chance to cross through his mind.

    Gray threads burst from his fingertips and carved through the darkness. For several long moments, they unspooled through the shadows and vanished from view.

    They went taut. There was a sharp jerk and Wizen¡¯s arm almost yanked itself out of its socket. The force nearly pulled him right over the edge. If Sticky had been slightly heavier, he would have been.

    Gritting his teeth, Wizen yanked his hand back. The threads shot back up to him, ferrying the small demon back over the edge of the stairs. Wizen grabbed onto her, making sure she didn¡¯t slide off again. Blood slicked the side of her temple where it had hit the stairs.

    Wizen pushed her hair back with a hand. The wound looked bad, but head injuries always did.

    Ridiculous. Is this child actively trying to kill herself?

    Wizen grabbed a small vial from his hip. A faint red liquid shimmered within it and it was capped by a carved glass seal. Wizen snapped the seal off and it clinked across the stairs before rolling off and into the darkness.

    He pulled Sticky¡¯s mouth open with a hand and upended the small potion into it. As soon as he had, he closed her jaw and held her nose shut. A second ticked by. The wound on her head started to fade, though half her face was still soaked in blood.

    The demon¡¯s eyes fluttered.

    Wizen released her, his lips thin.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Sticky asked, blinking heavily. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Are you an imbecile?¡± Wizen demanded. ¡°How can you slip on stairs when climbing them is the only thing you are doing?¡±

    Sticky reached up to her head. Her fingers came away red as they wiped blood away from the wound. ¡°I got really dizzy. I don¡¯t think I like heights. I didn¡¯t mean to. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Wizen hesitated for a second, then blew out a sharp breath. He drove his staff into the stairs and rose to his feet. His hand tingled. He glanced down at it. Thin gray lines pulsed beneath his skin, glowing with dull energy as they fought to keep his body together.

    He grimaced.

    Shit.

    ¡°Just get up,¡± Wizen said. ¡°You can stand now, I trust? I don¡¯t have a second potion to waste.¡±

    Sticky carefully rose to her feet. She wiped her face with the back of a hand and swallowed before giving Wizen a shaky nod. ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not as bad anymore. I¡¯m less dizzy.¡±

    Wizen stared at her.

    She looked back at him.

    She¡¯s definitely going to fall off again. The girl is barely even able to stand.

    ¡°Why would you go up a flight of stairs like this if you¡¯re scared of heights?¡± Wizen asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not scared of heights,¡± Sticky defended weakly. ¡°I just got a little dizzy. I won¡¯t fall again. I promise.¡±

    Wizen¡¯s hand tightened around his staff. He¡¯d already brought the demon this far. He wasn¡¯t about to send her back down the stairs on her own. She¡¯d never make it back to the hall without falling again.

    He grabbed Sticky by the back of her neck like a kitten. She let out a yelp as he lifted her into the air and brought her over to his back. At this point, he couldn¡¯t allow her to die. Facing Sievan after that would be impossible.

    ¡°Hold,¡± Wizen ordered.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to get blood on you.¡±

    ¡°I have so much blood on me that I highly doubt a little more will make a difference,¡± Wizen said dryly. ¡°What will make a difference is another delay.¡±

    Sticky immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to his back. Wizen waited for a moment to make sure she wouldn¡¯t lose her grip, then started up the stairs once more.

    There was still a long way to go.

    Strangely enough, even though he could have sworn he¡¯d crossed the length of the stairwell many times over, he¡¯d only managed to get up around a quarter of it.

    Another trick. Sievan seemed to be fond of them. They would not stop Wizen. He couldn¡¯t risk wasting any more magic than he already had, so he walked on. The stairwell couldn¡¯t go on forever, and he was making progress, even if it was slow.

    Minutes ticked by and stretched into hours. Step after step, Wizen ascended toward the platform floating in the center of the void. He was getting closer ¡ª just at an abysmally slow rate.

    His domain brushed across the steps as he walked. Minute imbuements covered everything. The very air around him was completely saturated with runic energy. It was incredible. If Wizen had been here for any other reason, he would have sat on the steps and pondered the world around him for hours.

    But today was not one for wasted time. He had no time left to waste ¡ª and so he climbed.

    At some point, Sticky¡¯s breathing slowed. She¡¯d somehow managed to fall asleep. He had absolutely no idea how the tiny demon had managed to pull that off. They were in the presence of a natural wonder.

    A location of magic so rare and powerful that the number of people who had borne witness to it were doubtlessly few. It was like sleeping through the dawn of a new era.

    As the hours stretched by and Wizen¡¯s ascent brought him slowly, steadily, toward the top, he found the faintest of smiles drifting across his lips.

    Old memories tickled at the back of his mind. This wasn¡¯t the first time that he¡¯d carried someone on his back like this, but those memories that had been too painful to relive.

    He¡¯d kept them locked up in a box in the back of his mind for hundreds of years. They were a distraction. A solace that held him back from doing what had to be be done. But that would be over, soon. The box would not remain shut for much longer.

    Time passed.

    Wizen wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been. If he was honest with himself, the silence was welcome. It had been a very long time since he¡¯d had a moment of stillness like this. Sticky still clung to his back, and he walked at an angle to make sure she didn¡¯t slip off in her sleep.

    But, as all things always did, the stairs came to an end.

    Wizen¡¯s foot fell on the edge of the platform, and the sound echoed past his ears like the roar of a waterfall.

    An obsidian chair sat in the very center of the platform. It was plain and without any form of adornment, no larger than a chair that Wizen might have found in his own study.

    Sitting within the chair was a plain man in an equally plain gray suit. His hands rested in his lap, fingers interlaced. His features were so uninteresting that they may as well have been impossible to remember. A perfectly average nose, thin lips that weren¡¯t quite thin enough to be noticeable, pale skin, and dusty brown hair. He was neither tall nor short. He was not beautiful, nor was he ugly. He wasn¡¯t fat, and he wasn¡¯t thin.

    But that ended with his eyes.

    The man had no irises. Two milky orbs bore into Wizen as he stepped out onto the platform. They were empty and flat. No power or immense intelligence burned behind them. There was simply nothing.

    Wizen drew to a stop across the platform from the demon.

    ¡°Sievan.¡±

    Sticky¡¯s eyes fluttered open. Awe and fear mixed in her features. She slipped down from Wizen¡¯s back to stand at his side, not saying a word.

    ¡°And so the Woven Man arrives,¡± Sievan said, uncrossing his hands from his lap. His words were like a gentle wind coiling through the night, leaving no trace of their passing. ¡°It seems you have brought a passenger with you. Unexpected.¡±

    He knows that old name? I suppose I should not be surprised.

    ¡°She is a witness,¡± Wizen replied. He drew the key from his side. Power pulsed within the gateway, threatening to spill over. Wizen kept it locked away. He couldn¡¯t allow even the slightest amount of the energy to go to waste. ¡°You know why I am here.¡±

    ¡°An odd choice for a witness,¡± Sievan said. He uncrossed his hands and rose from his chair. ¡°You are slightly early. Our other guest has yet to arrive.¡±

    Another guest?

    Wizen didn¡¯t let the baited question draw his attention. There was only one thing he was here for.

    ¡°I did not come here to meet with anyone other than you,¡± Wizen said. He pressed the key between the palms of his hands. The gray lines running beneath the skin of his right hand pulsed. Deep within him, an ancient rune shuddered as he called upon its strength.

    Threads of dull energy unraveled from Wizen¡¯s body. They coiled through the air around him like seaweed in an ocean current. Power bubbled forth from his chest and ran to flood through his entire body.

    ¡°I know,¡± Sievan said softly. ¡°You will not win this, Woven Man. I am Death, and you cannot oppose me.¡±

    ¡°I am human. It is my nature to oppose what cannot be defeated. I will not leave until I have what I came here for.¡±

    ¡°Your desire is beyond your reach.¡±

    ¡°But not yours,¡± Wizen replied. He put a hand on Sticky¡¯s shoulder and pushed her a step back as the power gathering within him intensified.  ¡°Open the way to the afterlife, or I will wrest your power from you and do it myself. I have come to take back my daughter.¡±

 Chapter 556: Planned

    ¡°You do not know for what you ask,¡± Sievan said. Unlike every other sound, Sievan¡¯s words did not vanish into the endless void surrounding the obsidian platform they stood on. Every one of his words echoed through the air, commanding attention with the presence of a king. ¡°You seek to steal from those whose power eclipses yours like a mountain to a grain of sand.¡±

    Wizen¡¯s lips pulled back in a cold smile. Sticky, who stood several feet behind him, swallowed nervously as Wizen met Sievan¡¯s gaze without flinching.

    ¡°The more I am told that something is impossible to attain, the more convinced I become that it isn¡¯t. There is a manner in which a soul can be returned to life. I know it. I have seen records of it, spawned from the existence of your own followers.¡±

    ¡°There is a difference between preventing a soul from passing on and retrieving one from what waits beyond,¡± Sievan said, crossing his arms behind his back. ¡°They are not one and the same.¡±

    ¡°But it is possible. Not once have you said otherwise,¡± Wizen said. The key in his hand hummed with crimson energy and he pointed it at the Demon Lord. ¡°It would be a trivial matter for you to open the path. I would prefer it that way, but I have brought sufficient power to challenge even you.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Sievan said, his head tilting to the side in observation. ¡°I know of the artifact you bear. The power does not belong to you.¡±

    ¡°It does not,¡± Wizen agreed. ¡°But I wield it, nonetheless. It seems our paths were already set. If you will not do what I ask, then I will take the power to do it myself. Step back, girl.¡±

    Sticky glanced nervously from Wizen to Sievan. She swayed slightly in place, then pressed a hand to her chest and winced. She slunk back a step, moving closer to the edge of the platform and farther from the rising tension in the air, and sank down, hugging her knees to her chest.

    The air around Wizen¡¯s key thrummed. Runic pressure exploded around Wizen with such force that the obsidian beneath him shattered. Large fragments of it snapped up around him and were lifted into the air, taking flight as they were caught up in a building maelstrom of power surrounding the mage.

    Claws of crimson light cut through the air and crawled into Wizen¡¯s arm, biting deep into his flesh. His veins burned with energy and Wizen¡¯s teeth ground in pain.

    Sievan made no move to stop Wizen. The demon watched on in complete silence, his expression no different than it had been moments ago. It was impossible to tell if he was even watching Wizen.

    Wind howled through the void and Wizen lifted into the air. The inside of his body lit with brilliant flashes of red lightning that ripped out through his skin and filled the air with their buzzing energy.

    Pressure roiled off Wizen. Loud cracks rang out as more of the obsidian beneath him shattered, but the power was entirely contained within a ten-foot sphere around Wizen, not so much as getting close to touching Sticky or Sievan.

    Wizen lifted a hand. Molten red whips of energy lashed across the ground and twisted around him like the tendrils of a burning eldritch being.

    ¡°You do not fear my magic,¡± Wizen said. His words boomed through the void and bolts of red lightning slipped free from his tongue and curled up around the sides of his face like smoke as he talked.

    ¡°No,¡± Sievan replied. ¡°I do not fear you, Woven Man. There is only one thing in life that I fear, and it is not you.¡±

    ¡°Then you are a fool.¡±

    Wizen brought his hands down. Red tendrils shot forward.

    They seemed to carve through reality itself. Jagged cracks raced out around them, sending brilliant white light spilling in from a void beyond.

    Sievan lifted a hand.

    The energy vanished before it could reach him. Reality mended itself with a pop, returning to the same state it had been instants before.

    ¡°To you, I am Death,¡± Sievan said softly. ¡°Are you certain you wish to do this? Snuffing one lesser than me does not bring any satisfaction. It is a waste of what could be a worthy end.¡±

    ¡°There is no worthier end than this,¡± Wizen replied, his voice as cold as ice. ¡°And you have not witnessed the full extent of my strength.¡±

    ¡°Then show me, Woven Man. Meet your end.¡±

    Wizen¡¯s hand lifted to his neck. He pulled a small necklace free from within his shirt. It was studded with six emeralds. Inky energy twisted within four of them, but the final two were dull and lifeless.

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    The necklace shuddered in the storm of red lightning surrounding Wizen. His hand tightened around the gems that still glowed, and ironclad determination etched itself into his expression.

    ¡°Weave. Give me my power,¡± Wizen breathed. ¡°All of it. I release my bindings.¡±

    A deep thrum echoed out. Wizen lifted his left hand, and four taut gray strands pulsing with immense energy materialized around his fingers. They stretched off into the void and vanished out of sight.

    The air around Wizen shattered. White light spilled out from growing white cracks, illuminating him in its ghastly glow like an avenging angel descended from the heavens.

    Black fire ignited along Wizen¡¯s palm. It roared forth in a tsunami, swallowing half of the platform and crashing down over Sievan in a split instant. The fire twisted away and vanished, drawn into the Archdemon¡¯s palm, but Wizen was far from done.

    The air split as gray lightning screamed down and slammed onto Sievan¡¯s shoulders. Sievan staggered, a flicker of surprise passing over his features. Smoke curled from his suit, which had been slightly charred.

    Red whips of light shot out from Wizen¡¯s palms, leaving even more cracks in reality in their wake.

    More black fire erupted from Wizen and rose hundreds of feet into the air before him, completely blotting out the void and roaring toward Sievan.

    Sievan flicked his hand. A wave of nothingness passed out from his fingers, demolishing every strand of Wizen¡¯s power it touched, but Wizen didn¡¯t so much as flinch. Even more magic poured out from him.

    A sickly, pulsating beam of black light erupted from his palms and slammed into Sievan¡¯s chest, sending the demon sliding back across the platform. The Archdemon¡¯s expression tightened and his hands clenched down on the power, shattering it.

    Even as it vanished into motes of light fading into the air, more lightning crashed down on Sievan from above. He staggered and Wizen sent his tendrils shooting out for Sievan once more.

    Sievan snapped his fingers.

    A pulse ripped out from his body and washed over the entire platform. Wizen¡¯s magic vanished the instant his power touched it, but this time, not all of the white cracks in reality mended itself.

    ¡°You are a powerful mortal,¡± Sievan said. ¡°Stronger than any I have fought before. But you cannot defeat me. This does not have to end this way. Our other guests will arrive soon.¡±

    ¡°I am far greater than the sum of my parts,¡± Wizen replied. Blood trickled down from his nose and ran across his lips. ¡°And I am no longer a patient man.¡±

    His grip on the key tightened. Red light pulsed around him and poured out from his skin, lighting his body from within. The air around him shattered. Huge swathes of it evaporated, transformed to white portals that lead to nothing. Wizen clenched his free hand.

    A gray strand emerged from within the void. It wound around Wizen¡¯s wrist, digging into his skin. The world around Wizen thrummed.

    His head flew back as a roar of pain and defiance ripped from his lips. Cracks raced across his skin and peeled back like he was a broken clay pot. White energy pushed out from within the gaps and poured from his eyes and mouth.

    Sievan extended his hand toward Wizen.

    Black smoke poured forth from the sky and formed into a massive palm the size of a three-story building. It crashed down on Wizen, who thrust his own palm upward. White energy ignited at his palm.

    A brilliant crack split through the air as their magic connected. There was a brilliant flash ¡ª and Sievan¡¯s magic evaporated.

    Power roared all around Wizen and tore through the stage around him, but it continued to keep a wide berth from Sticky, who watched on in awe, eyes wide, lips parted in disbelief.

    A mortal was holding his own against the Lord of Death.

    ¡°You wield powers that are too great for you to control,¡± Sievan said. ¡°You grow closer to my domain, Woven Man. It is not too late for you to spend what you have left.¡±

    ¡°I have already spent it,¡± Wizen snarled. He brought his hands together with a loud clap. Jagged white lightning tore out through the air from between his palms, swirls of black flame and gray energy twisting within it.

    The strange magic slammed into Sievan and launched the Archdemon off his feet with an earthshaking explosion. There was only a brief instant for Sievan to look surprised before he vanished into the void.

    Sticky¡¯s mouth dropped fully open. ¡°You did it?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°Not yet. He still does not view me as an opponent.¡±

    ¡°Because you are not one.¡± Sievan¡¯s voice echoed through the darkness. Streamers of black smoke poured out from the darkness and onto the stage. The Demon Lord¡¯s body reformed. Smoke curled off his chest, and a tiny white crack glistened on his stomach where Wizen¡¯s magic had hit him. ¡°And you do not attempt to be one. You have only utilized a small portion of your strength, even as your body crumbles.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saving the rest for something more important,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°Fight me, Sievan. In true. Let me witness your true strength, Lord of Death. Mortal I may be, but you will not be able to defeat me with anything less.¡±

    Sievan didn¡¯t get a chance to answer.

    A thrum ran through the air.

    Bright purple magic shimmered, drawing a line in the air. It expanded outward to form a large, rectangular portal. A towering demon clad in black armor stepped through the portal, a massive, chipped sword slung over his shoulder.

    Wizen¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.

    Not at the demon, but at who came after him.

    A woman with bright red hair and green robes.

    A demon girl whose hands ended in slight claws ¡ª claws that Wizen had felt wrapped around his own wrist just a short time ago, back in the mortal realm.

    And, after them, a man with a huge grimoire slung over his shoulder.

    Wizen¡¯s skin prickled. It was the other wielder of Weave.

    Impossible. Sievan planned for this?

    ¡°Ah,¡± Sievan said with a satisfied smile. ¡°It seems the rest of our guests have arrived. Now we can get started.¡±

 Chapter 557: Spent

    Renewal interlaced her fingers and leaned forward. Sievan¡¯s domain stretched out before her and Decras, splayed across a shimmering screen of magical energy. She reached out blindly and felt around at her side for a few moments before her fingers found a bowl.

    The Goddess of Reincarnation dug a piece of chocolate out from within it, not letting her eyes so much as break from the screen for an instant. Decras¡¯ fingers brushed against hers as he claimed some food for himself. His own vision was similarly affixed to the scene playing out before them.

    Time had slowed to an absolute crawl around them. The figures within the Damned Plains moved so slowly that they might as well have been frozen in ice. It wasn¡¯t that time had stopped moving ¡ª Renewal and Decras were simply processing it at a speed so heightened that the flow had functionally crawled to a stop for them.

    ¡°What is Sievan doing?¡± Renewal asked through a mouthful of chocolate. ¡°Why did he gather them all in the same room? Is he trying to kill both Noah and Wizen?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s never had that much ambition before,¡± Decras said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised he¡¯s even bothered meeting with either of them. He could have kept Wizen wandering through those halls for a thousand years if he¡¯d wanted to. Those imbuements are quite old, and that little thief is nowhere near powerful enough to shatter them and have strength left to fight.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t underestimate Wizen.¡± Renewal¡¯s features tightened in displeasure. ¡°I don¡¯t like that mortal. He has harnessed things that humans should not harvest. Why am I unsurprised that it was with your rune that he pulled it off? Isn¡¯t any part of you redeemable?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hardly my fault. I can¡¯t be held responsible for what little rats do with the scraps of my passing. He dug a fragment of my rune from an altar the Apostles managed to contact me through. At least I didn¡¯t let a mortal take a bite directly out of my powers. Now that would be embarrassing.¡±

    Renewal would have glared at Decras if that didn¡¯t mean pulling her attention away from the slow-moving scene before her.

    ¡°And whose fault is it that a mortal was able to get magic like that in the first place? I¡¯ll give you a hint ¡ª he¡¯s leeching off my food.¡±

    ¡°Excuses,¡± Decras said through a snort. His tone grew more serious and he shook his head. ¡°But I do not understand what Sievan is aiming after.¡±

    ¡°Probably your runes.¡± Renewal huffed. ¡°They¡¯ve both got a piece. Sievan is probably going to try to take those pieces for himself. He already knew about Wizen, and I imagine he found out about Noah somehow. I¡¯m waiting for the reveal, myself. There¡¯s no way this is a coincidence.¡±

    ¡°Pieces of my runes?¡± Decras¡¯ forehead creased in distaste and he leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers behind his head and getting more comfortable. ¡°Doubtful. dabbles in a bit of dramaticism, but only upon occasion. As I said, he could have killed Wizen ten times over by now. The moment Wizen set foot in the hallway leading to that little pocket of dead space, he should have been dead. You saw it too. Wizen was caught in a Space Loop. Every step he took moved him an identical amount backward. It only stopped because Sievan released the binding on purpose.¡±

    ¡°He wants Noah and Wizen to meet, then. Perhaps he likes drama more than you would care to admit.¡±

    Decras¡¯s expression thinned. He studied the screen in silence for several long seconds before moving one of his shoulders in what might have been a shrug. ¡°Perhaps. But Noah will not be able to defeat Wizen. The gap in their strength is too great, even with the advancements he¡¯s made.¡±

    ¡°You say that as if he isn¡¯t the only mortal in the entirety of the toy kingdom to make a Rune from intent,¡± Renwal said crossly. ¡°He¡¯s a prodigy. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll die here.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a suicidal idiot that manages to stumble his way into success through sheer dumb perseverance and luck,¡± Decras grumbled. ¡°And he¡¯s a thief.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like someone¡¯s still bitter.¡± There was more than a little smugness in Renewal¡¯s tone. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re still stewing over getting robbed blind by multiple different mortals. If we¡¯re speaking about embarrassing, I think you might be penning the novel.¡±

    ¡°Am I the one that lost an entire avatar to a mortal who gave it ¡ª literally ¡ª nothing in return?¡±

    Renewal let out something between a cough and a groan. She hurriedly cleared her throat and glanced down at the black cat curled in her lap.

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    ¡°I suggest changing the conversation. I no longer enjoy this one.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Decras snorted. He grabbed another chocolate and popped it into his mouth. ¡°I¡¯m of half a mind to break the rules and put Wizen down like a dog when he arrives.¡±

    ¡°Arrives?¡± Renewal¡¯s head tilted to the side, but she was grateful for the redirect. It would be a few hundred years before she wouldn¡¯t want to bury her head in the ground every time she saw Mascot. ¡°You were right about Noah not being able to defeat Wizen ¡ª so you think Sievan will open the way here? Surely not.¡±

    ¡°He will.¡± There wasn¡¯t so much as an ounce of doubt in Decras¡¯ voice. He was completely convinced he spoke the truth.

    ¡°Why? He¡¯s powerful enough to defeat Noah and Wizen working together,¡± Renewal said. She turned fully away from the screen for a moment to focus on Decras. ¡°This entire thing makes little sense to me. How well versed are you on him?¡±

    ¡°Well versed?¡± Decras¡¯ lips pulled up in the faintest hint of a smile, but there was something else in his expression. It was so faint that it was almost impossible to make out, but a flicker of regret smoldered deep beneath the black pools that were Decras¡¯ eyes. ¡°I am more than well versed. I made Sievan with my own hands. It would not be inaccurate to call him my son.¡±

    Renewal blinked in surprise. ¡°He was the first demon?¡±

    ¡°The very first,¡± Decras confirmed. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. ¡°Sievan was the first ¡ª the most successful of the lot. The only one who held true potential. He flew through the ranks like he was born to do it. I watched him craft Flawless after Flawless Rune, all the way up until Rank 8. The only demon in history to succeed in such an endeavor.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you think he¡¯s going to Ascend?¡±

    Decras burst into laughter. ¡°No, Renewal. He will not. Sievan is a failure.¡±

    ¡°What? But you said¡ª¡±

    ¡°The most successful. And, unfortunately, still a failure,¡± Decras said. He shook his head in disappointment. ¡°I was crushed. Everything had looked so promising¡­ but Sievan is still a demon. I was younger when I made him. I cared more ¡ª cared too much. For hundreds of years, I tried to help him find a way to break into Rank 9, but it¡¯s impossible. It stumped me for far longer than I care to admit, and still my inability stings. It is my greatest regret.¡±

    ¡°But you found out why,¡± Renewal said. ¡°Don¡¯t make me beg for it when you¡¯re eating my food.¡±

    ¡°I was getting to it, you impatient woman. The answer is painfully simple. Sievan is nothing but a fragment of myself. He was handcrafted from a portion of my runes, and that is all that he will ever be. A rune cannot become more than itself. Sievan is nothing but a worthless shell. Every other demon is worse. I know the cause, but I cannot fix it. It is an impossibility in the very core of their creation. I have already said before. Demons are a flawed experiment. A race with no future. Any potential they may have is, and always will be, destroyed by what they are.¡±

    Renewal¡¯s eyes went wide in realization. ¡°That¡¯s why they get consumed by themselves. They¡¯re living runes.¡±

    ¡°Correct. It was not what I wanted for them, but it is what they are. Sievan went the farthest, but he is still nothing more than a rune. He cannot advance to godhood. No copy ever can.¡±

    ¡°Why did you let this ever come into being?¡± Renewal demanded, rising partially from her chair. ¡°This is more than cruelty¡ª¡±

    The words died in her throat. Decras wasn¡¯t holding her gaze. His hands had tightened around the armrests of his chair, knuckles whitening, and he¡¯d turned his head to the side. The god¡¯s jaw was as tight steel.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t bring yourself to kill them,¡± Renewal said, her voice softer. ¡°You actually do see them as your children, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± Decras snarled. He pounded a fist against an armrest. ¡°They are a failed race, one unworthy of the effort it would take me to purge them. And if you want proof of that, witness the latest mistake in their long line of failures.¡±

    He turned his gaze back to the screen. Renewal followed it. A frown crossed her features. Out of everybody in the room, Decras was staring at the tiny demon that had followed Wizen through the hallway.

    ¡°The little girl?¡±

    ¡°Hollow,¡± Decras said. ¡°Not an uncommon condition. Her soul is improperly formed and not well connected to her body. In theory, that should make her more prone to creating a rune of her own. That isn¡¯t what happened. Instead, she¡¯s incapable of properly connecting with even the flawed, so called, Demon Runes. The result is a shell of a being that can do nothing but wait to die no matter how desperately she struggles.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no way around it?¡± Renewal asked, but she already knew the answer to her own question. It only took one look at the girl to see how weak her lifeforce was.

    ¡°Ask Sievan,¡± Decras said through a snort, but there was no amusement in his tone. ¡°He attempts to fix what cannot be changed. Sticky is one of many, and far from his first attempt. Ironic. The so called Lord of Death, unable to keep a child alive because her body would crumble under the force of even his weakest rune fragment. Sievan attempted to delay her death by externally wrapping her in death energy ¡ª but that hasn¡¯t saved any of the other demons he¡¯s tried it on. All it has done is delay their end.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡± Renewal asked.

    ¡°If I possessed a way to cure my greatest mistake, do you not think I would use it?¡± Decras asked. ¡°I brought every scrap of power I have to bear. The demons are nothing but flawed runes, and that girl is one of the most useless of them all.¡±

    Renewal¡¯s eyes flicked back to the small demon girl sitting on the cracked obsidian floor. ¡°Then she¡ª¡±

    ¡°Spent the power Sievan put on her opening a door that should have been impossible to move,¡± Decras said with a shake of his head. ¡°Now there is nothing left to spend. She will be dead before the sun rises.¡±

 Chapter 558: The Plan

    Noah wasn¡¯t quite sure exactly what had happened during the last few minutes. When he¡¯d stepped out of his tent to find Zath and tell him that he was done with his preparation, Zath had already been ready for him.

    It seemed the huge demon had finished his conversation with¡­ whatever it was that he had been speaking to some time ago. The very instant Noah emerged from the tent, Zath had snapped his fingers and a portal had begun to trace itself into the air, sending sparks of purple light arcing off it.

    Zath had then herded them all straight into it with no room for argument. As much as Noah didn¡¯t want Moxie and Lee tagging along with him to meet the Archdemon, Zath refused to accept any counterarguments.

    Unfortunately, going directly against the Rank 7 was functionally impossible. All of Noah¡¯s strength depended on Zath actually playing along and wanting something from him. Straight up opposing him was still beyond what he was capable of doing if he wanted everyone else to leave the camp in one piece.

    Noah had no idea why Zath had suddenly decided that Lee and Moxie had to come along as well. The demon refused to explain. He¡¯d just pointed at the fully formed portal and waited, his armored foot clanking away as he tapped it on the ground.

    And that was how Noah, along with Lee and Moxie, found themselves stepping into Sievan¡¯s domain.

    A cool chill gripped Noah¡¯s shoulders as soon as he emerged from the portal ¡ª and he froze in place. An endless sea of darkness stretched out around him. A familiar, almost comforting, darkness. It was the very same as the shadow that made up his own soul.

    But this was not a soul.

    Beneath his feet was a cracked obsidian platform, its edges trimmed with plain gold. Noah¡¯s domain prickled as it brushed across what could only have been described as a sea of imbuements.

    Everything around him was positively awash with magic. It felt like trying to breath through a lungful of honey. A thick silence ruled over the air to such a degree that Noah could hear his own heartbeat. His footstep echoed through the room like a gunshot.

    Moxie and Lee had both entered before him. They stood locked in place, frozen in the same shock that Noah felt, but something was wrong.

    They were barely moving. It looked like someone had locked the two of them in time and slowed their speed down by a thousandfold.

    What the hell is this? What¡¯s going on?

    It was then that Noah realized they were far from alone in the room. The immensity of the silent darkness had drawn his attention away from the man floating in the air, wreathed in a crackling storm of red energy and obsidian shards.

    Wizen.

    His mouth was open in a cry of fury, hands thrust forward. Electrical power crawled from his fingertips, moving so slowly that it might as well have been frozen in place. A small demon girl sat on the ground behind him, her wide eyes half-lidded in exhaustion. She was similarly unmoving, locked in time and space.

    What the fuck? Wizen is here?

    Noah nearly leapt out of his own skin in surprise. He ripped power from his runes and prepared for a fight.

    ¡°Hello, Spider. I¡¯m glad to see you were able to make it. I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting you.¡± A gentle voice cut through the air.

    Noah spun toward its source.

    Standing before him was a plain man in a plain gray suit, a mop of brown hair on his head and hands crossed behind his back. And his eyes ¡ª his eyes were pure white, as flat and empty as the void.

    The breath caught in Noah¡¯s chest as he met the man¡¯s gaze.

    There was something there, lurking deep within it.

    Something he had never seen in anything other than a mirror.

    It was more than familiarity.

    It was understanding.

    ¡°Sievan,¡± Noah said, knowing without a doubt who stood before him. ¡°You¡¯ve been to the Line.¡±

    ¡°I would daresay that all of us have been to the line, Spider.¡± A smile crossed over Sievan¡¯s features. ¡°It¡¯s just that nobody else is unfortunate enough to recall the experience.¡±

    Noah swallowed. He tried to find words, but his thoughts failed him and nothing came forth. He could do nothing but stare. Before him was more than a Demon Lord. It was someone who actually knew what came beyond life.

    Someone who had remembered it.

    Just like he had.

    ¡°Why did you call me here?¡± Noah asked, finally finding his voice once again. ¡°This isn¡¯t about a Broken Master Rune.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Sievan agreed. ¡°It is not.¡±

    The Demon Lord lifted his hands. Smoke twisted up from the ground and formed into a pair of wispy chairs. A table formed between them, and all three pieces of furniture solidified into obsidian an instant later. Sievan stepped around a chair and lowered himself into it without a word.

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    Over his shoulder, Wizen¡¯s magic crawled through the air in a slow-moving march to nothing.

    Noah pulled his gaze away from Wizen and approached the table. He sat down across from Sievan, the cold obsidian biting uncomfortably into his back.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± Noah asked, his mind still spinning in disbelief.

    ¡°As like many things in life, equal parts coincidence and intention. The Woven man made little effort to hide his power when he arrived in my domain. A power whose source I am very familiar with,¡± Sievan replied, interlacing his hands on the table before him. ¡°That heightened my attention ¡ª and when you passed from this world but failed to enter the next, I felt the very same power in you as well ¡ª unless I am mistaken?¡±

    Noah¡¯s stomach tightened. Wizen had recognized Sunder back in the mortal realm, but this confirmed it. He wasn¡¯t the only one with a piece of Decras¡¯ power. Wizen had it as well ¡ª and if Sievan recognized that strength, then there was a possibility that Noah knew exactly where the Lord of Death¡¯s power came from.

    He glanced up at Wizen. If Sievan had the power to slow time like this¡­ the demon wasn¡¯t just powerful.

    For all intents and purposes, he was a god.

    Noah was surprised to find that information didn¡¯t scare him. It actually set him at ease. For one of the first times since arriving at Arbitage, he didn¡¯t have to hide who he was. He didn¡¯t have to hide his powers.

    There was simply no point.

    ¡°You are not,¡± Noah said. ¡°I wield Sunder.¡±

    Sievan¡¯s expression was unreadable. He drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly as he turned his gaze toward the darkness above them.

    ¡°And so Decras reminds me of my failure once more,¡± Sievan breathed, letting his gaze fall back to Noah. ¡°Will you tell me of how you came about taking Sunder into your possession? I will not force you if you do not wish to speak, but the story would mean a great deal to me.¡±

    There was desire in Sievan¡¯s empty eyes, but not desire for power. He didn¡¯t care about the rune. He cared about what it represented.

    Noah told him.

    The story was a long one.

    Frozen lightning coiled behind Sievan like a dragon crawling across the sky as Noah spoke. His words vanished into the silent maw of the darkness surrounding them as he told Sievan of the Line. He told the ancient demon about Renewal and Decras, and about his arrival in the mortal world. Noah told Sievan about Arbitage. About Moxie and Lee. He told him about the students still waiting for him, and about Wizen.

    Noah said almost everything ¡ª but not everything. He didn¡¯t share the details of his research on Runes or Formations. It wasn¡¯t pertinent to the story, and those were secrets that Noah felt no reason to give up.

    Sievan did not say a single word until Noah finished telling his story. The demon barely even so much as twitched from his spot in the chair. His features were an unreadable mask, his eyes as flat and empty as an icy ocean on a still night.

    ¡°I see,¡± Sievan said quietly. ¡°We are not as alike as I believed.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You walked the Line for eons. I have only witnessed it, and that alone was difficult to handle,¡± Sievan said. ¡°I cannot comprehend recalling every step upon that endless path. It would break me.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯ve been there,¡± Noah said. ¡°And the gods? They didn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°The gods are bound by rules. They cannot interfere so long as we do not,¡± Sievan said, his gaze drifting from Noah. ¡°And Decras would not interfere with me. Not again.¡±

    ¡°It sounds like you know him.¡±

    ¡°You could say that.¡± Sievan let out a small laugh. The smile slipped away from his features as he turned to look at the small demon girl sitting on the ground behind Wizen. ¡°Tell me, Noah. What do you see when you look at her?¡±

    Noah turned to follow Sievan¡¯s gaze. ¡°A girl, I suppose.¡±

    ¡°I see failure.¡±

    ¡°That seems a bit harsh. She¡¯s barely a kid. What did she do?¡±

    ¡°Not hers,¡± Sievan said. ¡°Our race¡¯s. Mine. Demons are a flawed, broken people. We are controlled by the runes within us. We are the runes within us. They are broken, and thus, we are too. The harder we reach for perfection, the more that we rip ourselves apart from within until nothing but the rune remains.¡±

    Noah¡¯s mouth nearly fell open. In a single line, Sievan had told him exactly what was wrong with Lee.

    Holy shit. That makes so much sense. That¡¯s why demons get consumed by the feeling their runes represent. Their body and soul are so closely linked that they literally are their own runes. The rune takes over the body, making it more like the rune, until they lose themselves.

    ¡°And the girl? Why is she a failure?¡± Noah asked, desperate for more information. If Sievan had more information, perhaps there was a way to save ¡ª

    ¡°She is broken,¡± Sievan said. ¡°A living example of what is broken in my race. She possesses no runes. A demon without runes is nothing. It grows harder to keep her alive with every passing day. Her body consumes the magic that comes into contact with it, but no rune can take purchase in her soul. She has tried to delay the end by injecting magical energy into her own heart, but that does nothing but lessen the stress on her body. Her soul still crumbles.¡±

    Noah looked back to the girl.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you in control of death? Just bring her back.¡±

    ¡°I have nothing to bind to her with. Runes are the tether between soul and body, and she does not have anything I can call upon.¡± Sievan shook his head. ¡°I did not mention her predicament to ask for advice, Noah. You told me your story. I tell you mine.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I follow.¡±

    ¡°My race is cursed. You search for a solution that cannot be found, because demons are broken. I, with all the powers of 7 perfected Rank 8 Runes, could not save a mere girl. And you believe you have a chance to save Lee?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Noah¡¯s eyes narrowed. Sievan wasn¡¯t giving him a solution. The demon was trying to make him give up ¡ª and that would never happen. ¡°I¡¯m not going to abandon my friend. Just because someone stronger than me couldn¡¯t pull something off doesn¡¯t mean you thought about every option.¡±

    ¡°Well said,¡± Sievan said. His smile returned to his face as he rose to his feet. The obsidian chair beneath him disintegrated into smoke. Noah hurried to stand before the table and his own chair followed suit. Sievan looked up to Wizen, then blew out a sigh. ¡°I cannot slow time for much longer. We will soon rejoin the others. I am pleased that you were more amiable than the Woven Man.¡±

    Noah glanced up at Wizen, who was still wreathed in a cloak of roaring magic. ¡°That really wasn¡¯t too difficult to pull off.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Sievan agreed with a small smile. ¡°It was not. I enjoyed our conversation, Noah. I am glad we got to have it before the end.¡±

    ¡°The end? I¡¯m not sure I like the sound of that.¡±

    ¡°Few do,¡± Sievan said. He turned back to Wizen. ¡°But I have come to realize that I cannot ascend as I am now. I, like every other demon, am flawed. I cannot reach the next rank, and even as powerful as I am, my life is not eternal. The dying girl on the ground is no different than I.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dying?¡± Noah asked, blinking in surprise. The Lord of Death dying almost felt ironic.

    ¡°I am falling apart at the seams. I fear I never truly lived,¡± Sievan replied with a smile. ¡°But it struck me that I have not tried everything. There is one last thing that I can do to attempt to gain true control over my runes and become more than my shackles.¡±

    ¡°And what is that?¡± Noah asked, but from the way that Sievan was looking at Wizen, he suspected he already knew the answer.

    ¡°I am going to die. I would appreciate your assistance in the matter.¡±

    Sievan swept his hands downward, and time snapped back into motion.

 Chapter 559: Death

    Red lightning screamed through the air and slammed into the cracked obsidian ground with an earsplitting crack. Fragments of black stone exploded upward and spun into the void, vanishing from view.

    Noah staggered, doubling over as a wave of nausea washed over him. He ground his teeth and forced himself upright, drawing on his Runes as the crackling roar of a storm filled the air. More and more magical power gathered around Wizen ¡ª far more than any single mage ever should have been able to wield.

    Fire, lightning, gray matter, and sickly red tendrils all mixed together with blades of obsidian and other swirling forms of energy. Noah¡¯s skin prickled in a mixture of awe and horror. What Wizen was doing should have been impossible.

    A mage could only cast a single spell at once unless they were using a Formation to draw from multiple runes. Noah had broken that ironclad rule with the Violin Moxie gave him, and even that only let him cast two spells at once. That alone was an enormous advantage.

    Realization snapped into existence within Noah¡¯s mind as he finally put the pieces of information he¡¯d been given together. Wizen had thought Sunder¡¯s name was Weave. Sievan had called him the Woven Man.

    Wizen doesn¡¯t have Sunder. His Rune is called Weave, and I¡¯ll bet that it¡¯s literally weaving people¡¯s runes together like some form of zombie, letting him control all of them at once. How many mages worth of power does Wizen have?

    A bolt of red lightning crashed down several feet away from Noah, ripping through his thoughts and snapping him back into the present.

    Thick storm clouds had gathered over Wizen. They stretched out through the void like greedy fingers, staining the sky a ruddy crimson.

    Noah had no doubt that Sievan could have killed Wizen by now if he¡¯d wanted to. But the Lord of Death had no plans of doing that. He wanted to die ¡ª but Noah couldn¡¯t let the demon bring the rest of them along with him into the afterlife.

    ¡°Zath!¡± Noah screamed, grabbing his gourd and flinging it to Moxie. ¡°Get them out of here!¡±

    The Rank 7 Demon didn¡¯t miss a beat. He spun, scooping Lee and Moxie off the ground like they were children. Neither of them said a single word of argument. There were times when staying to try and help fight was a good idea ¡ª but in a ring together with Sievan and Wizen, the only winning move was to leave.

    Zath tucked them both under one arm before springing toward the small demon on the ground and reaching out for her.

    ¡°No,¡± Sievan¡¯s voice was gentle, but Zath ground to a halt in an instant. He spun and dashed down the stairs, taking a dozen of them at a time as he made for a small pinprick of light far below them at the base of the stairs.

    Relief roiled up in Noah¡¯s chest, but he didn¡¯t let it distract him. He still didn¡¯t know what it was Sievan wanted. The Lord of Death said he¡¯d planned to die, but he somehow wanted Noah¡¯s help with it.

    Wizen seemed more than willing to take care of that on his own. There was something missing. Noah hadn¡¯t caught some piece of subtext that Sievan had dropped for him, and it didn¡¯t look like there was going to be much time to work it out.

    Energy roared around Wizen as he let out a roar of fury, not so much as looking in Noah¡¯s direction as he thrust his hands toward Sievan.

    A sea of power crashed down toward the Lord of Death from every direction. Lightning plummeted from the sky. Shards of obsidian shot for his body. Red and gray magic enveloped him in a swirling tornado with such intensity that the ground beneath him shattered, sending shrapnel flying in every direction.

    Noah darted forward, flinging himself between the demon girl and the explosion. He lifted his hands and summoned a wall of wind.

    It was pointless.

    Not a single fragment drew near to him or the girl.

    Roaring magic drowned out Noah¡¯s thoughts as Wizen rained down spell after spell upon Sievan, each one shaking the world with the ramping intensity of their might. It felt as if Wizen didn¡¯t have any limit to his power, and every passing minute only made him stronger.

    ¡°Is he winning?¡±

    Noah glance down. The demon girl squinted past him, her face pale and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. She looked like she had a violent fever. Her arms were trembling from the effort of keeping herself upright and her eyes fluttered with strain.

    ¡°Who?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Both of them,¡± the girl replied. A tiny smile pulled at the corner of her lips. ¡°Wizen wanted to kill Sievan. Sievan wants to die. He told me. I¡­ just wanted to help. Did I help?¡±

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    Noah looked back to the storming magic covering half of the platform. He could barely make out Wizen or Sievan¡¯s forms anymore. There was only an ocean of runic magic, so intense that he suspected he would have been vaporized the moment he tried to approach.

    ¡°I suppose you did,¡± Noah said, looking back to the girl.

    The back of his spine prickled and the breath caught in his throat as a realization struck him.

    Sievan had called her hollow. A demon without runes.

    A demon without a Minuscule Fragment of Decras. Holy shit. She¡¯s not broken. This girl is a pure demon. If she could make a Fragment of Self, I could learn how to help every single other demon do it. She¡¯s the key I need.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± the girl said. Her features relaxed and she sank back to the ground, staring up at the cloud-covered void above. ¡°Are you Sievan¡¯s friend?¡±

    A loud crack of thunder split the air as another bolt of lighting crashed down. The girl barely even reacted to it.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Noah said over the crash of magic behind him. ¡°Listen. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been told, but I think you could be very important. I¡¯ve been researching demons for some time now. I¡¯ve discovered the problem with your runes, and I think I can fix it. You might be the key to doing that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You found the wrong demon.¡± the girl¡¯s voice was weaker than before. ¡°I don¡¯t have any runes.¡±

    ¡°Exactly,¡± Noah said, taking her gently by the shoulders. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Sticky.¡± The demoness blinked, heavily, trying to muster the energy to look up at Noah. ¡°But I don¡¯t have any magic.¡±

    ¡°You can,¡± Noah said. He put a hand on the grimoire hanging from his back. ¡°I¡¯ll help you. I can come into your mind, and we can make you a rune. The others are wrong. You might be the most important demon in history. Just hold¡ª¡±

    A powerful blast of wind slammed into Noah¡¯s back. He staggered, nearly falling straight on top of Sticky. He yanked on Natural Disaster and blew himself back into position before he could crush her.

    Noah spun toward Wizen and Sievan and the blood froze in his veins.

    All the magic was gone. Wizen stood before Sievan, a sword made of woven red and gray energy clutched in both of his hands.

    Its blade was buried directly in the center of Sievan¡¯s chest. Blood bloomed like a flower around it and soaked into the demon¡¯s gray suit. For an instant, Noah locked eyes with the Lord of Death.

    A faint smile pulled across the demon¡¯s lips.

    Then Wizen¡¯s voice tore through the room like the blast of a cannon.

    ¡°Open the way,¡± Wizen commanded. Mind magic poured from his words and slammed into Noah¡¯s stomach like a physical blow. He drew on Empty Proliferation as he felt the words worm into his skull, but they passed by harmlessly before they could take root.

    The command hadn¡¯t been meant for Noah.

    Strands of gray magic wound out from Wizen¡¯s palm. They wound around Sievan and sank into his skin. The demon made no move to resist, even as Wizen ripped the sword free of his body.

    ¡°Very well.¡± The Lord of Death lifted his hands into the air. ¡°It has been a long time coming, hasn¡¯t it?¡±

    All the energy in the air vanished with a pop. Ice crawled across Noah¡¯s skin and wound into his chest. His heart missed a beat and the breath stilled in his lungs. An immense pressure rolled through the room.

    Black coiled through the air above them. It was sheer, unimaginable power. Horrifying and peaceful. Silent and omnipresent. The inevitable end for all mortals.

    It was Death.

    Sievan clapped his hands together, but the sound made no noise. The void was utterly still.

    A white rectangle split open between his palms as he pulled them apart. It expanded to float before him, twisting with whorls of smoke that faded away to reveal a distant, shimmering path of gold.

    Ice gripped Noah¡¯s throat.

    The Line.

    Wizen let out a shuddering breath. Portions of his skin peeled back and floated in the air as if he were made out of confetti, but the man didn¡¯t even seem to notice. His eyes were firmly fixed on the white portal before him. ¡°Finally. Await me, Bella. Your father comes for you.¡±

    He stepped into the void.

    ¡°Did he do it?¡± Sticky whispered, her weak voice just barely making it to Noah¡¯s ears. ¡°I can¡¯t see.¡±

    His eyes jerked back to the girl. Noah swallowed the fear twisting in his gut and carefully looped a hand around Sticky¡¯s head, lifting it so she could see the portal.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Noah¡¯s throat was tight. ¡°They did.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll be happy now,¡± Sticky said, relaxing into Noah¡¯s hand. ¡°I did something good, right?¡±

    ¡°You can do a whole lot more than that,¡± Noah said, grabbing for the Fragment of Renewal with his mind and sending the magic flooding into her body. Power tingled at his fingertips as the rune worked into her. ¡°Listen to me, Sticky. I can come into your soul and we can fix you up. You can save the entire demon¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your magic is nice. So¡­ warm.¡± Sticky¡¯s lips twitched in a small smile, but she didn¡¯t have the strength to keep it for more than a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wish I could have helped you too.¡±

    And there, lying in Noah¡¯s arms, Sticky died.

    The magic pouring from the Fragment of Renewal evaporated. It could do many things, but it could not bring back the dead.

    ¡°No!¡± Noah yelled, but death could not be reasoned with. It did not accept bargains.

    Noah¡¯s teeth clenched. He lowered Sticky to the ground, brushing his hands over her eyes to close them, and turned toward Sievan.

    The Lord of Death still stood where he had been run through, the white portal buzzing between his palms. A knowing smile was still present on his face.

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Noah snarled.

    Wizen had gotten through the portal and taken the key out of the Damned Plains with him. The best lead he¡¯d found to help Lee had died ¡ª and she¡¯d been a child. Noah had failed at every single thing he¡¯d come here to do.

    His hands tightened into fists at his sides.

    The portal still stood.

    ¡°Hold on a bit longer for me, would you?¡± Noah asked, striding up to stand before the Lord of Death.

    Sievan¡¯s smile twitched wider. Blood trickled down from his lips and dripped from his chin. ¡°Death waits for no man.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been a mere man for a very long time,¡± Noah replied.

    Then he dove into the void.

 Chapter 560: Infinity

    The world was cold and silent. An endless void ¡ª the true void, not the replica that had existed within Sievan¡¯s domain ¡ª stretched out around Noah like the maw of an ancient beast. Golden paths swirled through the emptiness like strands of hair as they converged in the far, far distance.

    Noah couldn¡¯t see where they were going, but he didn¡¯t need to. He knew what came at the end of eons of journey along the sprawling paths.

    Faint, translucent motes of blue shimmered upon the pathways. They moved one ponderous step at a time to the beat of an endless march. There were no words. No desires. No goals. Souls that walked upon its surface seemed to feel nothing but the millstone of time grinding away at them until they finally arrived at its head, where Renewal would be waiting for them.

    There was only the Line.

    This was the one location in all existence that he would have given almost anything to never return to ¡ª but he had no choice. Wizen had the Key. Noah and Moxie weren¡¯t demons. They couldn¡¯t be summoned, even if they wanted to be. Returning to the mortal plane was impossible without it.

    Cold space pressed in on Noah, and his domain churned as it fought to keep it back. There was no air in the afterlife. His lungs found nothing when he breathed in, and yet, his body sustained all the same.

    The void was pure, unfiltered magic. Power permeated everything within the darkness, omnipresent and uncaring. Even if Noah¡¯s entire body had shut down, he got the feeling that he would have continued to exist.

    This was a place in which the mortal concept of life did not exist. The beat of the heart, the breath of the lung, the pump of blood ¡ª none of it mattered. The afterlife was a misnomer. It was not a place of life or unlife. It was a place of existence.

    And, no matter how badly someone wanted to live or do the very opposite, there was only one option for them here. It was to exist.

    Mortals did not belong here. Noah did not belong here. It was a place reserved for those who walked the line and the gods that oversaw them.

    Knots twisted his stomach and a deep sense of terror and unease clawed at Noah¡¯s heart. It begged him to turn back toward the only point of color other than gold in the void ¡ª the stark white portal that burned in the air behind him, held open by Sievan.

    Noah crushed the desire. He couldn¡¯t leave. Not without the key. His eyes scanned the line in search of Wizen.

    Fortunately for him, mortals stuck out like a sore thumb in a land where the only residents were floating blue souls.

    He spotted Wizen after mere moments. The man floated above the line, churning red and gray magic enveloping him like the tendrils of an eldritch god. Pieces of Wizen¡¯s skin had peeled back. He was unraveling at the seams, but in his right hand was the key. The mage had bound it to himself with strands of gray magic.

    Noah¡¯s lips thinned and he willed himself forward. To his surprise, the thought sent him zipping through the empty void like a rocket. He moved so quickly that he nearly slammed straight into Wizen before jerking to a halt a dozen feet away from him.

    The Woven Man¡¯s head snapped up toward Noah. Surprise and anger carved across his features and he turned in his direction.

    ¡°You,¡± Wizen snarled. The void swallowed his words, barely letting them make it to Noah¡¯s ears. ¡°Leave. I have no more need for your power. We have no quarrel.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a load of shit and you know it,¡± Noah replied as he drew on his Runes. Power carved through his body and reared back, waiting for his command. ¡°You don¡¯t get to do heinous shit and then go around claiming we have no quarrel once you get what you want.¡±

    ¡°I have done bad, and I would do worse. You could not understand.¡± Wizen turned toward Noah and lifted his hand toward him, his fingers curling into the shape of a claw. ¡°I have no energy to waste on you. Leave. This is your final warning.¡±

    ¡°Give me the key, and I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Noah pulled his lips back in a snarl. ¡°What are you going to do? Mind control me?¡±

    Wizen mind controlled him.

    Or, more accurately, Wizen tried to mind control him.

    His magic slammed into Noah like a crashing river, driving into his mind in a spike and seeking to rip control of his body from him.

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    If they had been outside the afterlife or if Wizen hadn¡¯t been holding his power back for some purpose, perhaps it would have been more effective. But they were not. By the time Wizen¡¯s magic reached Noah, it had been severely weakened.

    And, when Noah felt the prickle of Wizen¡¯s mind pressing against his own, he smiled. Noah¡¯s mind grabbed onto the connection the other mage had established.

    Then he unleashed Empty Proliferation.

    His mind slammed against Wizen¡¯s, but Noah didn¡¯t try to overwhelm the other mage. That would have been impossible. Wizen¡¯s runes were far stronger than his. It was impossible to defeat him as they were now ¡ª which meant Noah had to change the fight.

    And if there was one place where things were even, it was when magic was a battle of will rather than pure runic force.

    Noah ripped open his Mindspace.

    The afterlife evaporated.

    ***

    Gentle gold light burned beneath Noah¡¯s feet. It was a translucent path that he knew well, but there were no translucent blue souls joining him upon it. It was the endless path that led to Renewal, but it was not the afterlife.

    A black space stretched out in all directions around him. It was the void, but it was not the afterlife.

    There was only one other being present upon the golden pathway that stretched out into oblivion. Wizen stood a dozen feet away from Noah, staring at him in stunned disbelief. They were on the Line, but it was not the afterlife.

    It was Noah¡¯s mind ¡ª but it was more than that. A foreign presence burned within it. This place was Wizen¡¯s just as much as it was his. Their minds had linked.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Wizen demanded. ¡°What have you done?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one that established the connection to my mind. But the thing is, those things go both ways,¡± Noah replied, cracking his neck. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s fair to even the playing field a bit?¡±

    ¡°You have Mind Runes? Since when¡­ no. No, it does not matter. You are in my way. What is one more death?¡± Wizen¡¯s jaw clenched and he thrust a hand toward Noah. A sea of lightning exploded from his hand.

    It ripped through the air ¡ª and folded in on itself. The magic barely made it a foot away from Wizen before it had shrunk to nothing more than the size of a worm. It vanished with a blip, disappearing well before it could reach Noah.

    ¡°Whoops,¡± Noah said. ¡°No tantrums, Wizen. Your magic isn¡¯t going to work here.¡±

    Wizen clapped his hands together. He ripped them apart, and gray threads burst from his palms. They extended like the tendrils of Cthulhu reaching for Noah, only to collapse and disappear within feet once more.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Wizen demanded, disbelief gripping his features. ¡°You are a Rank 4! How is this possible? I am not in your soul. I am a far greater Mind Mage than you. Neither of our mindspaces rule over this place. It is a common ground that you merely aided in shaping. You cannot control it.¡±

    Damn. Wizen really knows his Mind Magic shit. I¡¯m just glad this worked. I was a little worried Wizen would crush me with sheer strength.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m in more control than you think.¡±

    ¡°You are not,¡± Wizen said flatly. He thrust his hands forward again and unleashed a storm of black flames. Once more, the magic sputtered out well before it reached Noah. Wizen¡¯s hands tightened. ¡°This is impossible. I have fought other Mind Mages before. A mental connection like the one you formed is perfectly balanced. Our minds have equal control here ¡ª so how is it that you have snuffed my magic?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure your magic is fine, but it can¡¯t do anything when it can¡¯t get to me,¡± Noah said with a small smile.

    ¡°I cannot waste time with the likes of you!¡± Wizen snapped, a note of panic entering his voice. He snapped his fingers. A magical storm ripped out from him in every direction. It expanded through the darkness ¡ª and vanished.

    Not a single scrap of his magic drew close to Noah.

    ¡°It seems to me that you can,¡± Noah said, trying not to show just how fast his heart was beating. His magical energy was draining away at an alarming rate. Empty Proliferation wasn¡¯t a particularly large rune. He couldn¡¯t keep it going forever. ¡°My Mind Rune is the concept of emptiness, Wizen. The closer your power gets, the more space it has to cover to reach me.¡±

    Granted, this doesn¡¯t work anywhere outside of my own mind. But while we¡¯re here¡­ Empty Proliferation is built off the endless bullshit that is the Line¡¯s waiting time. Anything passing from Wizen¡¯s mind into mine is going to take a few thousand years.

    ¡°How can you possess a rune like this?¡± Wizen demanded. ¡°It¡¯s not possible. A concept like that isn¡¯t something that the human mind can comprehend.¡±

    ¡°See, there¡¯s the thing,¡± Noah said. ¡°The human mind is capable a lot of shit. Shit that it doesn¡¯t want to do ¡ª but it can still do. Our minds can experience a lot of things. They just might not make it out in one piece. I know that from experience.¡±

    Wizen¡¯s gaze bore into Noah. His eyes flicked down to the translucent gold path that shimmered beneath his feet, then out to the void surrounding them. When his attention returned to Noah, realization lurked within it.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been here,¡± Wizen said in awe. ¡°You¡¯ve been to the afterlife.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve all been to the afterlife. I just remember the experience. It did a lot of things to me, Wizen. I hate waiting ¡ª but I¡¯ve had no choice but to become very good at it.¡± Empty Proliferation had no more than a few minutes of power left within it ¡ª and that number was even less if Wizen started attacking him again. And, thus, Noah did what he did best. He lied through his teeth.

    ¡°How long can you afford to sit around, Wizen? Because I¡¯m not letting either of us leave here until you give me that key. I hope you decide quickly. I doubt the Goddess of Reincarnation is going to be pleased about intruders.¡±

    ¡°She would kill you just as surely as she would me,¡± Wizen said. ¡°You seek to kill us both. Mortals cannot¡ª¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the second time today that somebody associated me with the likes of you,¡± Noah said interrupting Wizen as his lips thinned. ¡°There is no more torture that can be done to my mind that has not already been done. I have been forced to bear witness to infinity. And if you don¡¯t give me that key, your fate will be the same.¡±

 Chapter 561: Wizen

    Noah fought to keep the strain from showing on his face. The golden light glistening at his feet reflected of his feet and faded into the infinite void that stretched out all around them. The world was silent and still.

    His energy was depleting, the power within Empty Proliferation rapidly approaching its limits. He couldn¡¯t keep himself and Wizen in the space between their minds for much longer. There were minutes at most left before he lost control and they returned to the afterlife. That couldn¡¯t happen. Not yet. The only way Noah could stand against Wizen was with Empty Proliferation keeping the other mage at bay.

    The disbelief that had warped Wizen¡¯s features slowly shifted to realization. His expression changed as he looked upon Noah in a new light, connections forming within his mind. More pieces of his body peeled away, revealing pulsating gray energy beneath his skin. Wizen barely even seemed to notice.

    ¡°You have walked the Line,¡± Wizen breathed. ¡°You survived the line. I knew it was possible. Who helped you?¡±

    ¡°Nobody,¡± Noah replied.

    Not intentionally, at least.

    ¡°Impossible. You are not powerful enough to¡ª¡± Wizen¡¯s words ground to a halt and his jaw clenched. He let out a hiss and his hands tightened at his sides. ¡°No matter. I do not care. Hear me now. I have absolutely no care for you or the mortal plane. I only have a single desire in this life, and I will stop at nothing to achieve it. I cannot spare the magic to fight you. Release this prison, and I will give you the key.¡±

    Noah opened his mouth to reply, but the words died at his lips.

    What?

    ¡°You¡­ will?¡±

    ¡°I will have no need for it after this,¡± Wizen replied. ¡°Quickly, now. Our time is thinner than hair. Once I have completed my task, the key will be yours. There will be sufficient strength left within it to open a path back to the Mortal Plane within it. I promise this.¡±

    ¡°¡­why?¡± Noah asked, so stunned that his mask fell for a moment. ¡°I really wasn¡¯t expecting you to actually say yes. You aren¡¯t actually planning to just waltz back to Arbitage and pretend you didn¡¯t do anything wrong, are you? You¡¯re a fucking monster. You mind-controlled people. You killed people.¡±

    ¡°I have done a great many things, and I would do a great many worse ones, all to arrive in this point in space. This point in time,¡± Wizen replied, grabbing the key attached to his palm by gray threads. He ripped it free. Magic crackled around him and Wizen staggered, letting out a snarl. ¡°My real body mirrors my actions here. I will not give you the Key until my work is done, but you will have it. But I will not allow a single spare second to slip by. Either we both get what we want, or the Goddess of Reincarnation ensures neither of us do.¡±

    Noah hesitated for a second longer, but Endless Proliferation was so low on energy that he really didn¡¯t have much choice. His actual plan ¡ª as barely formed as it was ¡ª had mostly been hoping that Renewal would show up and kill Wizen before she killed him, giving him a chance to grab the key and hopefully slip out while she was scolding his soul for being naughty ¡ª or doing whatever it was that a Goddess of Reincarnation did.

    This option seemed like it had a slightly higher chance to actually succeed. The idea of working with Wizen had never occurred to Noah, and he wasn¡¯t so sure he liked the sound of it, but if it landed him the key, he got what he needed. At the end of the day, if he could save Moxie and Lee, nothing else mattered. Nobody else mattered.

    It¡¯s the right move. But¡­

    Something in Noah¡¯s stomach twisted.

    Empty Proliferation gave out.

    His magic winked out. The melded Mindscape collapsed.

    With a roar, the true afterlife reformed all around Noah and Wizen. Twisting paths of gold carved through infinity on their path toward the Waters of Life. Countless souls populated their surface, locked in the endless trudge through the great beyond.

    Wizen spun toward the line below them.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Noah barked, his words carving through the void like a hot knife. He shot forward grabbed Wizen by the shoulder, spinning the mage around. ¡°I know the line better than you, Wizen. Better than anyone. Even Sievan. I can accomplish far more than you. If you want to succeed, you¡¯ll need my help. Why are you here?¡± Noah asked. ¡°The real reason, not some lie or whatever you might have told other people. Is it really¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have never lied about my purpose. There was no need to. My daughter is in that line,¡± Wizen said, his hands clenching at his sides. He batted Noah¡¯s hand off his shoulder. ¡°She was stolen from me. Stolen from life. There is nothing in this world that will keep me from righting that wrong. I will rip the world asunder a thousand times over to bring her back. Now step back. I will abide by our deal, and you will not interfere any longer. I have not the magic to waste on you.¡±

    Wizen lifted a hand into the air. Large chunks of his fingers had peeled back and holes grew across the surface his palm. He clenched his fingers and red energy peeled away from his body, crackling into a vibrating disk.

    The disk shifted. Its surface grew smooth and glossy like a still lake. It folded in on itself until it was the size of a marble, and a dim thread lit in the dark void. It stretched off through infinity, running parallel to the line.

    ¡°She waits,¡± Wizen breathed, his gaze lifting to follow the red line into the distance. ¡°Still, she walks the afterlife. I was certain of it. I am coming, Bella.¡±

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    Noah¡¯s stomach clenched again. Going along with Wizen was the easiest way to get away with this. Even if Renewal showed up, Wizen would draw her attention and he¡¯d have a chance to nab the Key and make a run for it.

    It should have been easy. All he had to do was stand to the side and let it happen. Wizen seemed like he had a plan. He clearly had a way to find his daughter. Noah just had to do nothing.

    His hands tightened at his sides.

    Fuck. I can¡¯t. Out of everything I could stand back and watch¡­ this might be the one thing I can¡¯t allow.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Idiot,¡± Wizen growled. His free hand turned toward Noah, but he hesitated. Wizen obviously needed every single scrap of power he had to pull this off. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste any, an advantage Noah fully planned to abuse. Wizen¡¯s teeth clenched. ¡°You still seek to stand in¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Noah said. ¡°Time is of the essence. You were right about that. Do you know what you seek?¡±

    ¡°The same thing I always have. The return of my daughter¡ª¡±

    ¡°The torture of your daughter. Do you know what the line did to me? Millenia upon millennia of agony seared into my brain. Thousands of years of hell. Everything since has been nothing but a blip in my mind. A flicker of existence in a sea of emptiness.¡±

    ¡°She has not been dead that long,¡± Wizen said, but there was an instant of hesitation before his response. ¡°Four hundred and seven years.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Noah spat. ¡°Four hundred and seven years. Even if time flows at the same rate here as it does in our world, I am certain that four hundred and seven years of desolation will leave her mind unscarred. She will thank you for forcing her to endure another life, her memories of what comes beyond haunting her every living moment.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª no. This cannot ¡ª she will recover. Humans are resilient,¡± Wizen said. Panic lit behind his eyes. ¡°She will be fine.¡±

    ¡°You take her chances of reincarnation and replace them with a wretched, warped existence,¡± Noah said. ¡°And what of Renewal? Do you think the Goddess of Reincarnation will look kindly upon what you do? Your desire to bring her back will do nothing but grant her a few short years of suffering before she returns to where she was, all too painfully aware of what she will have to endure again.¡±

    Wizen flinched back with every word. Power stormed around him and twisted into the empty void, seeking release. Noah¡¯s gaze was unflinching as it bored into Wizen¡¯s eyes.

    I can¡¯t let another person like me exist. I died hundreds of times before I reconnected with my mortality, and I was only able to because of my students. Because of Isabel. Because of Todd. Because of Moxie and Lee. They tied me back to this world, but still the Line lurks. I¡¯ll never be rid of it. Not as long as I live.

    I will not let that fate happen to someone else.

    ¡°Look down,¡± Noah said. ¡°Look at the line, Wizen. It is silent. There is nothing. Nobody. You can¡¯t speak to the other souls. It is utter loneliness in the crowd. All you can do is walk. It rips your being to pieces, so that when the time finally arrives for rebirth, you accept it with open arms. You would steal that from you daughter.¡±

    Wizen looked down, and Noah followed his gaze. He¡¯d been avoiding looking directly at the line for as long as possible, but the movement was almost instinctive.

    Both of them froze.

    Standing near the end of the line was a familiar soul. Though she was translucent and her form muted by the other souls surrounding her, there was no mistaking the small figure.

    It was Sticky.

    ¡°Why is she here?¡± Wizen whispered. He spun toward Noah, his voice turning to a roar that was swallowed by the void all the same. ¡°Why is she here?¡±

    ¡°She died,¡± Noah said. ¡°She wasted the power Sievan used to keep her alive so she could open that door to Sievan¡¯s room for you.¡±

    Wizen¡¯s arm trembled. His eyes flicked from the strand of red energy running from the marble in his hand down to Sticky.

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t meant to,¡± Wizen said. Pain knitted through his words and his jaw clenched. ¡°She was going to find a way.¡±

    ¡°We did.¡± Noah¡¯s fists tightened at his sides. ¡°I believe I have a way to fix the demons, but she didn¡¯t live long enough for me to use it.¡±

    A distant shimmer of pearlescent light grabbed Noah¡¯s attention. It was so far that he could barely make it out, but a pink glow was washing across the horizon.

    Wizen¡¯s head jerked up toward it.

    ¡°She comes,¡± Wizen said. ¡°The Goddess of Reincarnation has sensed our intrusion.¡±

    ¡°If anything, I¡¯m surprised it took this long,¡± Noah said. ¡°Give this up, Wizen. Don¡¯t do this to your daughter. Give me the key.¡±

    ¡°Tell me something,¡± Wizen said, his voice going distant. ¡°You processed the line? As you walk through it? You could not interact, but you knew what was present?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Every last second.¡±

    Wizen looked back down at the figures below them, locked in their endless march. Something in his expression shifted.

    The pink light in the distance grew brighter. Noah couldn¡¯t tell how fast it was approaching. It was impossible to gauge distance in the void. The light simply was.

    ¡°I see,¡± Wizen said simply. ¡°You will wait here.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°What? Do you not see the light? Our time is¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not yet up. You will wait. My task is not complete.¡±

    Wizen flung the Key toward Noah.

    Noah lunged, grabbing it from the air before it could sail past him and into the void. He spun back toward Wizen in shock, but the other mage wasn¡¯t watching him anymore.

    Wizen was looking down at the line. He extended both of his palms toward it, his fingers digging into the air like claws. Gray strands peeled away from his entire body and flooded the air around him like he were the herald of an eldritch god.

    Glistening blue energy burst free from within his body as it split apart. It burned like a flame in the night, growing so bright that Noah was forced to squint.

    ¡°This is my final binding.¡± Wizen¡¯s words were quiet, but the immense power they held threatened to shatter the darkness around him. He clapped his hands together, then ripped them apart.

    A sea of grey exploded outward, tearing free from his body and driving into the line. Wizen¡¯s own body unraveled in the process, pieces of him vanishing and transforming into the gray strands. His legs and torso crumbled away.

    ¡°I am coming, Bella. You will not be alone for much longer ¡ª but there is one more thing I must do first.¡± Wizen¡¯s lips pulled back in a smirk. He clapped his hands together one final time, and then they too vanished into the sea of gray. The energy crawled up his neck and cracks reached across his face. Wizen looked down onto the huge bridge that his magic had formed between himself and the line. For an instant, a faint smile crossed over his expression. ¡°Bear me witness. Twice now, your father steals from the gods.¡±

    The pink light on the horizon grew brighter still, casting the afterlife in a faint hue, but Wizen didn¡¯t so much as glance in its direction. He simply looked down at the line. Any expression his face might have retained was blocked from Noah¡¯s sight, visible to only the souls below him.

    ¡°Weave.¡±

 Chapter 562: Judgement

    The word slammed into Noah like a physical blow. He doubled over, the air driven from his lungs and the world spinning around him. Noah barely managed to gather his senses and will himself to a halt before he was sent hurtling through the darkness and into oblivion.

    And with that word, the final scraps of Wizen¡¯s body evaporated.

    All that remained of him was the glowing blue light that had been growing stronger with every passing second.

    His soul.

    There was a sound like a zipper ripping through the planes of reality. Every thread of grey magic tightened as if they had been pulled taut.

    Familiar power roiled in the air. Power that Noah had felt within Sunder ¡ª and yet, unique enough to make it completely apparent that this was not his Rune. They may have been cut from the same cloth, but they were different.

    A loud snap echoed through the void, and a soul was torn free from the line.

    The magic wrapped around the soul, pouring into it to create flesh. Gray thread wove into the form of a small demon, her new flesh the color of cobblestone. Power thrummed from her body in waves, and though her eyes were closed, her chest rose and fell in faint breaths.

    Sticky had a body once more. Coils of grey power slithered beneath her skin like a bed of snakes, slowly fading away as they found their places and settled in.

    Noah stared at her in disbelief. Sunder had rebuilt his body countless times when he¡¯d died back in the Mortal Plane, but Wizen had just ripped Sticky straight out of the Line itself. His final words had proven true.

    Wizen had stolen straight from the gods.

    I think I¡¯m going to need a little bit more than just a fruit basket.

    Noah willed himself toward Sticky, but Wizen was faster.

    His glowing blue hand pressed into the demon girl¡¯s back, sending her flying through the void toward Noah. She landed in Noah¡¯s arms limply. Sticky was wrapped in in a deep cloak of sleep. That was probably for the best. The less she remembered of the afterlife, the better it would be.

    Noah¡¯s gaze lifted. For a moment, he stared into Wizen¡¯s glowing blue eyes. The other man¡¯s lips worked as he tried to form a word. Noah had never had any difficulty speaking to himself as a soul after he¡¯d been reincarnated, but it seemed that boon did not extend its grace to the afterlife.

    Wizen¡¯s finger lifted in to the air and he traced it through the air. A faint trail of energy followed in the wake of his finger as he wrote a single word.

    Then he turned toward the red line that stretched out through the afterlife. A single strand of grey energy, the only remaining one, swirled up to wrap around Wizen¡¯s wrist. He grabbed onto the strand of red and shot off, a streak of light fading into eternity.

    Noah stared at the final word that Wizen had left behind. He was all too aware of the growing pink light in the distance, but the other man wouldn¡¯t have wasted time drawing a word for no reason.

    And that was a problem.

    The word made absolutely no sense.

    Orlen.

    There was no pattern to it. No sign that it might have been a hidden message or something else. It was simply a word.

    Noah couldn¡¯t risk sitting around and waiting any longer to find out what it meant. He spun, his gaze turning to the burning mote of white in the distance. The portal back to the Damned Plain was still open. Even now, Sievan held it for him.

    With Sticky under one arm and the key clutched in a hand, Noah flew toward the portal that would take him away from the Line.

    He flew toward life.

    ***

    A bowl of chocolate lay spilled across the ground at Renewal¡¯s feet. A dark screen floated before it, devoid of picture or life. The dark chair that had taken residence beside her own had vanished.

    Decras was gone.

    Renewal had forgotten how empty the world could feel. The infuriating god had been the first break in the monotony of her job in thousands of years. Even though he had only stuck around for a few brief instants in time, she had no choice but to admit to herself that those moments had been enjoyable ones.

    And now they were over.

    Like all things in existence, those moments had been forced to come to an end.

    It was her fault. She¡¯d been too lax in her duty. Renewal had been distracted. She¡¯d been having too much fun watching. Too much fun speaking with Decras. That had cost her a mere flicker of an instant. An amount of time that was so small that a mortal wouldn¡¯t have realized it was happening.

    She hadn¡¯t thought it would matter. Wizen¡¯s goal was impossible. He was too far from his daughter. By the time he grew closer, she would have had a chance to interfere, and so she had been content to watch.

    To let things play out.

    But that brief instant had been enough for Wizen to change his mind. Instead of spending years traversing the line to find his daughter, he had used his powers on the spot.

    He¡¯d ripped Sticky from the Line.

    He¡¯d shattered the natural order.

    It had been far from subtle. The void was sensitive. Magic ¡ª especially forbidden magic ¡ª passed through it like a current of electricity. It bore word of what had happened. Of Renewal¡¯s failure.

    And that word did not go unheard.

    Renewal did not blame Decras for running. It had been the smart move.

    The very instant the shockwave had torn through the void, Decras had flung himself into a dark portal and vanished, taking every trace of his passing with him.

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    He had left Renewal alone to face Judgement.

    He had left Renewal alone as the universe split apart.

    And from within that rend in the universe emerged a woman clad in a dress of stars. Galaxies coiled through her body and starlight shimmered in her wake. The woman¡¯s face was indescribable, even to Renewal. Features came and went, the ebb and flow of a universal ocean. The faces of a thousand overlaid over each other in one instant, only to become nothing but stars in the next.

    She was everything and nothing at once. Pressure pushed and pulled like the heartbeat of the universe itself. The immensity of her magic was such that a planet would have crumbled under her presence alone.

    She was Judgement.

    And, though Renewal could not speak to a single defining detail in Judgement¡¯s features, there was a single emotion present within that ever-changing face.

    Anger.

    ¡°Renewal.¡± The word was silent. Devoid of all the power and immensity that made up Judgement¡¯s being. ¡°You have failed in your duties. How could you have allowed this to happen?¡±

    ¡°I take full responsibility,¡± Renewal said, bowing her head. There was nothing more that could be done. No excuse or justification would have changed the outcome. Everything in life had a price. This was the cost of distraction. The cost of deviation from the path that the universe had set for her.

    ¡°Responsibility is not sufficient. You are stripped of your position.¡± Judgement extended her hand to the side, and the axe of an executioner shimmered to life within it. The weapon was plain, nothing but wood and metal, but a fist of ice clenched around Renewal¡¯s heart at the sight of it.

    It was a weapon that had tasted the blood of gods.

    Renewal¡¯s hands clenched at her sides.

    There was nothing she could do. Judgement was a Rank 11 God ¡ª a High God. And more than that. Judgement ruled this section of the universe. Her word was more than command. It was law.

    ¡°I understand,¡± Renewal said.

    ¡°But you do not regret,¡± Judgement said. ¡°I see it in your eyes, Renewal. You have been led astray. So much talent, squandered. We could have used your strength, but you have allowed yourself to fall. One of the Outer Gods, then? Tell me their name.¡±

    Renewal¡¯s jaw set. The universe did not permit for the lesser gods to rebel against it. Only those with true power ¡ª or a death wish ¡ª could oppose it.

    But her fate was already set in stone. Judgement would not have drawn her axe if she did not plan to use it.

    A tiny smile pulled at the corners of Renewal¡¯s lips. Judgement had been right. She didn¡¯t regret anything. The tiny flicker in time she had spent with Decras, watching the strange mortals desperately fight for power, had been some of the most enjoyable in her life.

    The only enjoyable moments since she had become a god. There had been a time where Renewal had justified her interest in Noah by convincing herself that she only watched to see how she could take the power that he had stolen.

    Now, she knew that to be a lie. The power was nice, but true power could not be stolen. To become a god was to become oneself. And now, at the end, there was no room for mistruth.

    Renewal had simply been having fun.

    ¡°Tell me their name,¡± Judgement repeated. ¡°I order you, Renewal. This is your final command.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Renewal replied, her faint grin forming into a full smile. ¡°I will not. Good riddance to you, Judgement.¡±

    ¡°You have truly fallen.¡± Disgust dripped from Judgement¡¯s words. ¡°You disgust me, Renewal. You had everything ¡ª but now, you will have nothing. I judge you unfit to continue existence. You are a stain upon the universe, a collaborator with Chaos.¡±

    Renewal said nothing.

    Judgement lifted her axe.

    Renewal didn¡¯t try to dodge or block. There was no point. Judgement¡¯s swing would follow her through universes. It would shatter anything in its path. A power like hers could not be rebelled against.

    Perhaps Decras had the right idea. Damn this order to the ends of the universe. There is no joy in complacency.

    ¡°Your sentence is death,¡± Judgement said.

    Renewal squeezed her eyes shut.

    There was a wet thud.

    ¡°I fear that I must object.¡±

    Renewal recognized that voice. Her eyes snapped open.

    Protruding from the center of Judgement¡¯s chest, sending rivers of golden blood pouring down her starry dress, was a black spear.

    Blood splattered across the ground as Decras stepped out from behind the High God, his weapon coated golden.

    ¡°You,¡± Judgement hissed, clutching a hand to her stomach. ¡°Impossible. You are not a High God. You cannot injure me.¡±

    Decras¡¯ laughter rang out through the void. He was still laughing when Judgement¡¯s axe split through the air like a plummeting comet.

    It carved clean through Decras, splitting him down the center.

    ¡°No!¡± Renewal yelled.

    ¡°Fool,¡± Judgement spat, the wound on her chest already sealing. ¡°This is the one that you cavorted with, Renewal? Your taste is truly so poor to choose the Desecrator as the reason you abandon the side of order?¡±

    Renewal¡¯s response was swallowed by a flash of black and a wet thud. Her lips split apart in disbelief.

    Decras¡¯s spear was lodged in Judgement¡¯s head, having been driven directly through one of her eyes. The Goddess¡¯ lips were parted in stunned disbelief, golden blood pouring down her face in thin rivers.

    He drove the spear straight through her eye. Judgement¡¯s body jerked as Decras ripped his weapon free, spraying more golden blood across the ground. The High God crumpled in a heap of growing gold.

    Strands of black reached out from Decras¡¯ halves, latching onto each other. With a squelch, his body reconnected itself and he turned, a smile on his face.

    Renewal gaped, taking a stunned step back.

    ¡°Was that a scream of horror I heard?¡± Decras asked. ¡°For me?¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª how?¡± Renewal stammered. ¡°You killed a High God?¡±

    ¡°Killed? No.¡± Decras looked down at Judgement. Then he stabbed her again. Her body jerked as he pulled the spear free. ¡°I would love to, but I can¡¯t kill this thing. She is arrogant, but that arrogance is earned. All I can do is incapacitate her.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Renewal asked, swallowing. ¡°And why are you here? I thought you ran!¡±

    ¡°I hid,¡± Decras corrected. He stabbed Judgement once more. ¡°Judgement was far too powerful for me to challenge properly. I had to cheat a little, but I¡¯ve had far too much fun to abandon you so easily. I do fear that your time as a Goddess of Reincarnation is over. There¡¯s no coming back from this.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Renewal said quietly, her gaze drifting back to Judgement. ¡°There isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Time for a choice,¡± Decras said, driving his spear into the back of Judgement¡¯s head as her body twitched. ¡°You could probably find a different corner of the universe to lie low in. Judgement¡¯s reach isn¡¯t that large, despite what you¡¯ve been led to believe. You can stay prim and proper, your hands unsullied by becoming one of the vile fallen. Or¡­¡±

    ¡°Give me that,¡± Renewal said, grabbing the spear from Decras¡¯ hands. She lifted it up, then drove it down into Judgement¡¯s heart with all the force she could muster. The High Goddess jerked, golden blood splattering everywhere as Renewal ripped the spear free. ¡°The order can rot. I¡¯ve hated this job for centuries. I quit.¡±

    Decras cackled. He took the spear back from Renewal, then swept it through the air. A black portal split open in its wake.

    ¡°Welcome to the ranks of the Fallen, Renewal.¡± Decras gestured to the portal. ¡°Freedom awaits. And if you ever decide you want out, a written notice will suffice.¡±

    Renewal hesitated for a moment. She glanced down at Judgement, then to the dark screen that had occupied so much of her time recently.

    ¡°What about¡ª¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. Judgement doesn¡¯t know who they are, and the trail is already gone. I¡¯ve dealt with that. Now stop wasting time and march. The more time you spend here, the less time we get to watch. I¡¯ve already got a spot waiting for us, and the food is getting cold.¡±

    A smile pulled across Renewal¡¯s features. ¡°I suppose you did leech off my hospitality for a while. It¡¯s about time you returned the favor.¡±

    She stepped through the portal and vanished.

    Judgement twitched. A furious hiss slipped from her blood-wetted lips. ¡°I will find you, Decras. You cannot escape Judgement.¡±

    ¡°Could you be more pretentious? I have no idea how Renewal put up with your shit this long. I would have done this long ago,¡± Decras said. ¡°You may be a High God, but while you have been stagnant, I have grown. The universe changes, Judgement ¡ª and you are too great of a coward to admit it. The time of your order draws to a close. And when it ends, I will be there to sever its head from its shoulders. But for now, I will settle for this.¡±

    Then he stabbed Judgement in the ass.

    The High God howled curses after him as Decras pulled the spear free and stepped into the twisting patch of shadows. It twisted shut in his wake, and Judgement was left with nothing but the darkness as company.

 Chapter 563: Quick Trip

    Pink light flooded through the void, and Noah didn¡¯t dare turn back to see what the source was. He accelerated toward the white gateway floating in wait before him, hurling himself through it.

    The world warped. White stretched to cover the skies and wrapped around Noah like an all-consuming blanket. He squeezed his eyes shut and twisted his body to protect Sticky. His stomach lurched, and then he shifted.

    Cold stone slammed into Noah¡¯s back and knocked the breath from his lungs.

    He drew in a sharp breath and his eyes snapped open. A void stretched out above him, black and devoid of stars. A replica of the afterlife ¡ª but not the afterlife. Exhaustion gripped at Noah¡¯s head as he turned it to the side, letting glistening obsidian press against his cheek.

    Golden lines trimmed the platform he laid on, and powerful imbuements covered every inch of the ground around him.

    He was back in Sievan¡¯s domain. Back in the Damned Plains.

    With a groan, Noah pushed himself upright. Sticky laid in his lap, her body frail but chest rising and falling with every breath.

    She was alive.

    Somehow, he and Wizen had literally stolen a life straight from the afterlife. Noah swallowed. There were different levels to slighting the gods, and he didn¡¯t know where this one landed.

    Maybe it¡¯s not too bad. They¡¯ve got a whole bunch of souls wandering around. Maybe they won¡¯t miss one.

    Nobody had shown up to smite him on the spot, after all. Perhaps Renewal had just been busy doing something else. Noah wasn¡¯t about to complain. He was, however, probably going to have to make his fruit basket a little bit bigger.

    Something about the size of a small continent should probably do the trick.

    Noah studied Sticky for a moment. He was far from a doctor, but she looked¡­ healthy. It didn¡¯t seem that she was about to die at any point soon. Thin grey veins still pulsed beneath her skin, but her body was settling down.

    Who would have thought that Wizen had a power like this. Not even Sunder or the Fragment of Renewal could have pulled another soul back from the dead.

    Noah was silent for several long moments. He wasn¡¯t actually sure how he was supposed to feel. Emotion and logic twisted and fought for supremacy, only to both realize they were equally as confused and give up the fight altogether.

    It¡¯s almost ironic. The ultimate sacrifice; the power to give one¡¯s life for someone else, in the hands of the most evil man I¡¯ve ever met. And he used it to save a child he barely knew. He didn¡¯t have to. He could have saved the strength and gone to walk with his daughter anyway.

    Why?

    There was no answer. Perhaps not every action could be described by logic. Perhaps not every man was completely good or evil. When Noah had been a teacher on Earth, he would have said that he¡¯d had a pretty good understanding of life. That some things were inherently good, and some were evil. That was that.

    But the more he witnessed, the harder it became to understand. Wizen had not been a good man. He had stolen people¡¯s minds with his runes. Only the gods knew how many people he had killed, and he had done irreparable damage to countless families, not to mention countless other crimes.

    And, in saving Sticky, Wizen might have saved more than just a child. He might have saved the demons as a race. Even if there were others that were like her, she was the one that Noah had to work with.

    How are good and bad weighed? Can you right past wrongs through good deeds? Is there some sort of cosmic scale for good and bad?

    A small smile pulled across Noah¡¯s lips.

    Eh. Fuck it. I don¡¯t know, and it¡¯s not my job to know. That¡¯s a problem for the gods to deal with. Maybe I¡¯ll find an answer one day, but right now, there¡¯s only one thing I care about. Keeping the people I care about safe.

    Noah pulled his jacket off and folded it into a makeshift pillow. He slipped it under Sticky¡¯s head and let her rest on the obsidian as he rose to his feet. She was asleep, so there was no point connecting to her mind yet ¡ª and Empty Proliferation needed some time to regenerate its power.

    Only once he had stood did Noah realize that the white light was gone. His eyes snapped over to Sievan. The Lord of Death stood exactly where he had been stabbed, arms crossed behind his back and eyes closed.

    In the center of his chest was a gaping hole.

    He held it until Sticky and I came back through.

    Noah swallowed. He approached the plain-looking demon, stopping several feet away from him. There was a faint, content smile on Sievan¡¯s face. He stood proud in death.

    For several long seconds, Noah stood in silence. Then he bowed his head in respect.

    What a demon. He wasn¡¯t at all what I was expecting, but after meeting him, I don¡¯t know if I can imagine anyone more fitting to wield the title Lord of Death. I would have liked to¡ª

    ¡°Are you done?¡±

    Noah froze. His eyes snapped up and he took a step back, his lips parting in shock.

    Sievan¡¯s eyes were open.

    ¡°I ¡ª what?¡± Noah stammered. ¡°You¡¯re alive?¡±

    Quiet laughter echoed through the void as Sievan¡¯s lips curled up in a faint smile. ¡°Can Death live? Perhaps nothing has changed.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ you said¡ª¡±

    ¡°I died,¡± Sievan said with a small shrug. ¡°A minor inconvenience. A fresh one. It was an interesting experience. Quite a beneficial one. There are some things that one cannot truly understand while they still live.¡±

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    That, at least, is true.

    ¡°Did you really have to wait to come back to life until after I had already started doing a mental eulogy for you?¡± Noah asked through a laugh and a shake of his head. ¡°You¡¯re a bastard.¡±

    ¡°So I have heard.¡±

    ¡°Did you at least manage to fix the problem you had? Can you¡­ ascend?¡±

    Sievan looked down at the hole in his chest, then let out a sigh. ¡°No. I discovered much, but the process was not sufficient. I am still bound at Rank 8 ¡ª and I suspect my soul damage will hinder me for quite some time. It seems that your own escapades were more fortunate.¡±

    ¡°Wizen is dead, and I¡¯ve got the key,¡± Noah confirmed. ¡°And Sticky as well. She lives.¡±

    Damn. I was hoping he might be able to give me some more insight into demons and how their runes work. The more I know, the less guesswork I¡¯ve got to make. It¡¯s too bad I can¡¯t fix his Runes, but I don¡¯t think Sunder could even touch a Rank 8 rune. Sievan is just too powerful, and ripping his runes apart down to Rank 1 would probably kill even him.

    A smile pulled across Sievan¡¯s lips. ¡°So she does. And the grip of death is lessened on her, though it hangs over her head all the same. Is it your power that binds her soul to this world?¡±

    ¡°No. It was Wizen,¡± Noah replied with a shake of his head. He looked from Sticky to Sievan, then tilted his head to the side. ¡°What exactly did you try to do when you went to fix your Runes?¡±

    ¡°I sought to change the manner in which I viewed Death,¡± Sievan replied. ¡°I had thought that, if I died, I could approach things in a new manner. Find an angle that I could not witness before then and attempt to wrest myself free from my maker¡¯s influence. It was impossible. The connection is ingrained. I cannot change the core of my being.¡±

    That is the issue, isn¡¯t it? Demons are drinking from a well of poisoned water. You can¡¯t fix the problem until you remove the poison ¡ª or get a whole new well. But there¡¯s one thing I still don¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Can you tell me something?¡± Noah asked. ¡°What controls the emotion that a demon feeds on? You feed on death. I¡¯ve met demons that feed on knowledge, slaughter, friendship, and everything ¡ª but why? Half the time, it¡¯s got nothing to do with the runes. So what determines that?¡±

    ¡°An interesting question,¡± Sievan said. He scratched at the hole in his chest. ¡°I did not determine what I fed on. My maker chose it for me.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember why?¡±

    Sievan frowned. His head tilted to the side and he was silent for several long seconds. ¡°I¡­ remember little. My creation was a long time ago. A very long time ago. I believe¡­ I believe my maker was deeply unhappy at the time he created me. He wanted someone who could give him a worthy fight. A legacy. One that could end him. But I failed in that. I could not become as powerful as him, and I do not believe his goals are the same as they once were.¡±

    Noah¡¯s brow furrowed. Sievan was the original demon. There had to be something in his creation that could explain how demons came to be.

    I need to figure out where the energy to make a Fragment of Self comes from. If I can get that, I can help Sticky make hers.

    But Sievan is a special case. He was made intentionally by Decras, while the other demons take form themselves. What¡¯s the missing piece?

    A mumble broke through Noah¡¯s thoughts. He and Sievan both glanced over as the small demon¡¯s eyes fluttered open. She sat up, wiping at her face.

    ¡°I ¡ª what happened?¡± Sticky asked. She looked around and confusion played across her features. ¡°I¡­ I was dead. In a line.¡±

    ¡°Wizen got what he wanted,¡± Noah replied softly. ¡°He found his daughter again, and he saved your life in the process.¡±

    Sticky blinked. She looked down at her body, then back up to Noah. Confusion still gripped her features as she struggled to piece memories back together. ¡°I helped?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said with a small smile. ¡°You did.¡±

    ¡°Is Wizen coming back?¡±

    ¡°Those who pass from this realm unto the next are not meant to return,¡± Sievan said. ¡°Wizen is, for better or for worse, at peace. He stole you from the gods themselves at the cost of his own life. A bold man.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Sticky asked, staring at them with wide, watery eyes. ¡°Why would he do that? I¡¯m just¡­ me. I can¡¯t do anything.  Why would he waste a gift like that on me?¡±

    ¡°A gift isn¡¯t something that has to be justified,¡± Noah said. ¡°What matters is that you¡¯re alive, and you¡¯re wrong about not being able to do something. Life has inherent value. And if that isn¡¯t enough ¡ª I need your help.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Sticky blinked.

    ¡°Yes. I think you¡¯ve got the key to save every single demon,¡± Noah replied. ¡°But I just have to figure something out first. I know you¡¯re probably confused right now. Coming back from the afterlife is¡­ difficult. I¡¯ve been there. Just relax for a little.¡±

    Sticky nodded slowly. She looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers as if suddenly recalling that she had them.

    Noah chewed his lower lip. ¡°I need to figure out what causes demons to determine what they consume. It can¡¯t just be random.¡±

    ¡°I have never considered this,¡± Sievan said. ¡°It is not something we can change, so it did not feel prudent.¡±

    ¡°There has to be a pattern that determines what demons eat,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°Aylin got Knowledge. Violet became a Hoarder. Maybe it¡¯s something that happens before you reach Rank 3? Demons could be initially partial to some emotion that then becomes what they consumes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not Rank 3 yet,¡± Sticky volunteered. ¡°But I don¡¯t really feel like there¡¯s anything I really lean toward. I¡¯m fine with how things are.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°Seriously? You wouldn¡¯t change anything? Not even¡ª¡±

    Sticky shook her head. ¡°No. That¡¯s just how life is. It¡¯s okay. And I got to meet some really incredible demons because of how I am. Sievan only found me because I was broken. I even got to help Wizen. I wish I could do more, but I¡¯m happy. I want to live, but I wouldn¡¯t change anything about myself.¡±

    I ¡ª

    Wait.

    Sievan¡¯s words echoed through Noah¡¯s head. Back when they had first spoken, while time had been frozen, the Lord of Death had said something that stuck in Noah¡¯s mind.

    Demons are the runes within them.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want anything,¡± Noah muttered. ¡°Holy shit. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°It is?¡± Sticky blinked. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Aylin wanted knowledge. Violet wanted to protect her family. Sievan was made of Decras¡¯ desire to die. The feeling or power a demon ends up feeding on is the one that they lack the most. The reason Sticky¡¯s soul doesn¡¯t work properly is because she¡¯s content. She doesn¡¯t long for anything.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Sticky asked.

    ¡°Demons and their runes are one and the same,¡± Noah said, starting to speak faster as excitement gripped him. ¡°But demons are broken. They¡¯re missing something. That¡¯s why they consume emotions. They want what they don¡¯t have. But you ¡ª you¡¯re not broken at all, Sticky. You¡¯re perfect. The perfect demon is literally right in front of us. You don¡¯t want for anything, and so your soul doesn¡¯t need to bring in a new emotion. I bet that¡¯s why Demons can¡¯t continuously advance either. Your souls are missing a core element. You can¡¯t fully comprehend your runes when your soul is focused on bringing in something that isn¡¯t you. I¡¯ve been looking for a way to make something that already exists. Sticky is her rune.¡±

    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Sievan asked. ¡°Sticky has no runes. That is her problem.¡±

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Noah said with a laugh. ¡°You told me this yourself, Sievan. How could a Demon possibly exist without a Rune? The power we need is within Sticky. It just needs to be freed.¡±

    Just like my Fragment of Self. I didn¡¯t truly create it. It was a part of my soul that I cut out and re-bound to myself. Decras¡¯ Fragments don¡¯t work because his desires have corrupted every single demon and forcibly changed them into something they don¡¯t truly want to be. But Sticky wants nothing. Her soul is pure ¡ª and that means the energy from her Runes is exactly what every demon would need to make their own Rune.

    ¡°Can such a thing even be done?¡± Sievan frowned. ¡°How would you harness such a power?¡±

    Noah smiled. ¡°Leave that to me. Sticky, I¡¯d like to take a quick trip into your soul.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. His smile grew wider. ¡°I can help you become what you were always meant to be.¡±

 Chapter 564: Fragments

    As soon as Sticky voiced her assent to his request, Noah called upon Empty Proliferation. The Mind rune might have been made to defend himself against Wizen and other mind mages, but it also served a very useful second purpose of letting him knock on the figurative door of someone else¡¯s mindspace.

    The Rune was nowhere near as effective as a Mind Meld Potion. The maximum amount of time Noah could keep it going was probably no more than ten minutes if his target wasn¡¯t actively trying to shunt him out of their mind, but it was free ¡ª and he didn¡¯t have to carry a bunch of vials around with him everywhere he went.

    His mind prickled as it brushed against Sticky¡¯s, but her soul was so weak that there was almost no delay before his consciousness entered the small demon¡¯s mind.

    Color bloomed all around him. Gentle blue-green water spilled across the ground and formed into a deep ocean, as smooth as a mirror and still as a painting. Ripples of energy rolled out as Noah¡¯s feet alighted upon its surface.

    Gentle light shone overhead, illuminating the cloudless sky. There didn¡¯t appear to be any source for it. The light was simply there. It warmed Noah¡¯s skin and wrapped around his body like a comforting blanket.

    In summary, it was the least demon-like soul that Noah had ever seen. Even his own soul felt like it fit the bill better than hers. Then again, given what Sticky was, perhaps this was the most demon-like soul that he¡¯d ever seen.

    Noah¡¯s neck craned back. There wasn¡¯t a single rune floating anywhere. Her soul was completely and utterly empty. He¡¯d known that to be the case, but it still felt odd. Incomplete.

    This is¡­ odd. Shouldn¡¯t Weave be here somewhere? Wizen definitely didn¡¯t keep it. I saw the rune in Sticky¡¯s eyes.

    Now isn¡¯t the time to worry about it. Perhaps it managed to hide itself somehow.

    His eyes lowered back to the surface of the sea.

    Sticky stood across from him, looking up with wide, nervous eyes. Her hands were tight at her sides. She wanted to hope, but she couldn¡¯t let herself do it. Not yet ¡ª but Noah would fix that.

    ¡°What do I have to do?¡± Sticky asked.

    ¡°For now? Just stand around while I have a look at you,¡± Noah replied. His senses crawled across the ocean and reached into the sky.

    There was a pattern hidden somewhere within this still world. It wasn¡¯t a question of if it existed. Even human souls were patterns. Noah had seen that in his own soul, even if it didn¡¯t fully qualify as a normal mortal one anymore.

    He hadn¡¯t even realized the pattern existed before he¡¯d managed to harness a tiny portion of that pattern to mistakenly make his Fragment of Self. But now he did ¡ª and in theory, this was even easier than a human soul.

    Demons were their runes. Sticky existed. And, thus, she had a rune that represented her. Noah just had to find it and carve a little chunk free with Sunder.

    And so he searched.

    Sticky watched on quietly.

    Noah¡¯s domain swept through Sticky¡¯s mind in pursuit of magic. Seconds ticked by and turned to a minute. His mind and his logic warred. To his magic, there was nothing. Sticky¡¯s soul appeared barren and empty.

    It seemed as if there was nothing there, but Noah didn¡¯t believe that for a second. There was a pattern. Everything had a pattern. Sticky was not so great an anomaly that she could somehow break every single law of magic that Noah had learned since he¡¯d arrived in Arbitage.

    I just need to figure out where it¡¯s hidden. It has to be here somewhere. Maybe buried deep within the ocean, or hidden somewhere within the sky? She¡¯s tricky. I¡¯ll give her that. But there¡¯s a rune here somewhere, and I¡¯m not leaving until¡ª

    And then he saw a flicker

    Noah¡¯s eyes widened. He blinked several times as his mind adjusted. Noah banished his domain, pulling the magic back and looking on with only his eyes. He¡¯d been looking at her soul the wrong way.

    A laugh nearly slipped from his lips.

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    The pattern was right in front of him, in plain view. It wasn¡¯t hidden somewhere. The pattern was the stillness of the ocean. It was the endless depths below and the warm sky above. Every single piece of the soul around him was the pattern that Noah sought.

    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Noah breathed. ¡°There it is.¡±

    ¡°What is?¡± Sticky asked. ¡°Did you find something? Where is it?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I found what I was looking for, and it¡¯s everywhere,¡± Noah replied, casting his hands out. ¡°All around us. Every single thing.¡±

    Sticky¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    ¡°You will.¡± Noah chuckled. He lifted a hand, veins of black carving beneath his skin as he drew on the faintest trickle of Sunder¡¯s power. He had no desire to accidentally split Sticky¡¯s soul straight down the middle and accidentally kill her.

    All he needed to do was to take a tiny sliver.

    ¡°Is this going to hurt?¡± Sticky asked nervously.

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Noah replied with a smile. ¡°This is nothing more than a little haircut.¡±

    He pressed his palm into the still ocean beneath his feet. The tiny amount of power he¡¯d gathered in Sunder, slipped out, guided by his intent as it pierced into Sticky¡¯s soul. His brow creased in concentration. Despite the amount of power he was using, this was far from a completely simple task.

    Sunder was a razor-sharp scalpel. It would cut through anything in its path if he let it, but he wasn¡¯t trying to carve Sticky¡¯s soul apart at the seams.

    It was actually harder to guide the tiny amount of power he used from the Rune than it would have been to flood it with energy and just demolish everything in his path ¡ª but Noah had been using Sunder for quite some time now.

    The Master Rune was no longer foreign to him. Even though he¡¯d yet to unlock the full extent of Sunder¡¯s strength, Noah could use every bit that he could access near perfectly. It was an extension of his will.

    A tiny black line sliced into the bottom of Sticky¡¯s soul, cutting into the still water and parting it like a block of Jell-O. Black threads stretched out between the two halves of the ground. Beneath them, a fragment of white void shimmered, marking a minor amount of soul damage.

    Noah smiled at the sight.

    There we go. I was starting to wonder if she was even a demon at all. Still the same race at the core, but their souls were never meant to be a goopy sea of corrupted emotion.

    Noah reached into the darkness and extended his will along with his hand. Tingles prickled against his palm as energy rose up from the cut. He gathered it into a tiny ball of shimmering white light, then turned to Sticky and extended his palm.

    ¡°This is your energy. It¡¯s already part of your soul. You just have to condense it down into a Rune.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Sticky asked, shifting from foot to foot nervously and swallowing. ¡°I¡¯ve never done something like that. I didn¡¯t know you could make runes.¡±

    Ah, shit. Forgot about that bit.

    ¡°You need three things to make a Rune,¡± Noah said. ¡°Energy, intent, and an inciting event ¡ª Something to kick the combination off. This is the energy. For the intent, just focus on yourself. Who you want to be.¡±

    ¡°What about the last thing?¡±

    Noah gestured around them. ¡°That¡¯s you, Sticky. Demons are a race of desire. Your souls and bodies are completely connected. You don¡¯t need an external event. That¡¯s the piece I was missing for so long. I was trying to figure out how a demon could make a Fragment of Self. But demons are desire. What moment could be more of an event for your kind than the deepest longing to become something?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to understand. I know you¡¯re content with how things are. But is this really all you want? There¡¯s nothing more in life you want than to die?¡±

    Sticky stared up at him. At the energy in Noah¡¯s outstretched palm. She swallowed.

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to die.¡±

    ¡°Then change your fate.¡±

    The demon¡¯s features set. She extended her hand toward Noah.

    Traces of light lit around Sticky¡¯s fingertips. The power intensified and buzzed around her palm like a hive of angry bees. Flickers of magic slipped away from the energy Noah had gathered from Sticky¡¯s soul and transformed into streamers of light that wove around her fingers like gray threads.

    Sticky¡¯s hands clenched into fists. The rest of the energy ripped away from Noah and gathered around her. A tiny prickle of pressure pushed into Noah. Two lines of gray light sliced into the air.

    The strokes of a rune. They burned in the air, buzzing with silent power. More strokes followed after, swirling out to begin taking the shape of a rune. Wind howled past Noah and gathered around the small demon in a vortex.

    Tremors shook Sticky¡¯s hands as she fought to control the power. It might have only been a Rank 1 Rune, but she¡¯d never had a rune to call upon before.

    She needs a push.

    ¡°Say it,¡± Noah yelled over the growing howl. ¡°What do you want? If you could have anything in this world, what would you choose?¡±

    Sticky¡¯s hands clenched.

    The wind stopped.

    ¡°I want to live.¡±

    The final stroke of the rune carved through the air.

    Yes!

    A brilliant flash of gray lit the small demon¡¯s mindspace.

    Noah staggered back, blinded, as a wave of crackling energy rolled past him. It buzzed against his skin and curled through his hair like an electric current. He raised a hand, blinking furiously and squinting through his fingers until his vision returned.

    And then he saw it.

    Noah¡¯s face split apart in a smile.

    Floating between him and the small demoness was a small gray Rune ¡ª and he could read it perfectly.

    Fragment of Sticky

 Chapter 565: Afterlife

    Gray light from the newly made Rune shimmered across Sticky¡¯s mindspace. It reflected off the water and faded into the warm sky, slowly fading away as the demon¡¯s soul calmed down. Strands of black reached up from within Sticky¡¯s mindspace, wrapping around the rune in attempt to pull it back into her greater soul, but it had been split apart until she re-imbued it.

    The air was silent for several long seconds. Neither Noah nor Sticky spoke. They both just stared at the small Rank 1 Rune that floated between them.

    ¡°A Rune,¡± Sticky breathed, staring at her creation with wide-eyed awe. She reached out toward it, then caught herself before her fingers could brush across its surface. ¡°I made this?¡±

    ¡°All you,¡± Noah confirmed. He could feel the power in Empty Proliferation starting to erode. He didn¡¯t have much time left, but there would be more than enough for the rest of what he needed to accomplish. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°¡­fine,¡± Sticky said after a moment of hesitation. She swallowed. ¡°Am I supposed to feel different? Did something go wrong?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°If anything, you might have felt a little worse because of the soul damage I gave you removing a chunk of energy to work with. I¡¯ll get that patched up soon enough. There¡¯s only one thing left that you¡¯ll have to do.¡±

    Sticky blinked. ¡°There¡¯s more? What is it?¡±

    ¡°You need to finish the bridge,¡± Noah replied. He nodded to the rune. ¡°That¡¯s a representation of yourself, but it belongs with the rest of the whole. Demons already have souls that are very connected to their bodies, but you still need to bridge that gap completely. Imbuing your own body with the Fragment of Self will solidify it within you and keep that slot open for other runes.¡±

    ¡°Demon Runes?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need those anymore. Demon Runes are all built off fragments of somebody called Decras. They¡¯re flawed, and they¡¯re part of the reason demons consume emotions.¡±

    ¡°So the Demon Runes cause everything? Demons are just¡­ humans without them?¡±

    ¡°Not at all. Demons are demons. You have an incredible connection between your soul and your body. That will never change.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still confused. I want to understand, but I don¡¯t.¡± Sticky¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°There¡¯s still a flaw in us, then?¡±

    ¡°No. The issue is gone now that you¡¯ve created that rune,¡± Noah said with a grin. ¡°Now, demons are just different. It took me a long time to really figure out what the original issue with demons was, but it boils down to two things. Your runes and your nature. They feed into each other in an endless cycle. That¡¯s what caused the problems.¡±

    ¡°Our nature?¡±

    ¡°The connection I just mentioned. Because of how closely tied your mind and body are, demons don¡¯t just use runes. You are your runes. And if your runes affect you, then it would only make sense that your desires affect your runes. The desires of a demon shape their runes just as much as their runes shape them.¡±

    ¡°And the Minuscule Fragment of Decras messed it up?¡±

    Noah nodded. ¡°Exactly. The first Rune that every single demon gets is a Minuscule Fragment of Decras ¡ª and that Rune is tainted. It¡¯s full of someone else¡¯s desires. And when a demon wants for something, that rune latches onto that desire and tries to fill it. But it can¡¯t. You can never truly feel satisfied when the satisfaction doesn¡¯t come from you. All you¡¯re doing is trying to fulfill someone else¡¯s vision of you. So the rune overcompensates. It hungers for more, and the pattern grows. As the demon gets stronger, so does their desire.¡±

    ¡°And it just keeps going,¡± Sticky said, her eyes going wide in realization. ¡°That¡¯s why strong demons are all so obsessed. They keep needing more and more of their emotion until they become it.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s not even their emotion. It¡¯s just the emotion they wanted most. Nobody is just a single emotion, but there¡¯s no room for anything else when your runes are warping your whole body to optimize for a single thing,¡± Noah said. He nodded to Sticky¡¯s Rune. ¡°That¡¯s why this is so important. You don¡¯t have a bias toward an emotion, and you¡¯re a true demon, one without any influence warping you.¡±

    ¡°But won¡¯t my rune just cause demons to become¡­ me?¡± Sticky asked worriedly. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem much better than how things already are.¡±

    ¡°If they tried to replace their current Demon Runes with yours, yes. But that¡¯s not what we¡¯re going to be doing. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible, but what I want is the energy from your Rune. Your rune is you, but the energy that went into it is pure. Any demon can use that energy to then form a Fragment of Self that represents who they are.¡±

    Sticky¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost certain of it,¡± Noah replied with an excited smile. It fell away, briefly replaced by a grimace. ¡°This does mean I¡¯m going to have to ask you for a favor. I need a copy of your rune. I¡¯ve tried to split a Fragment of Self from my own body before and it didn¡¯t work, but I¡¯m hoping it¡¯ll be different because of your unique physiology. The connection between your body and rune is stronger, but that goes in both ways. My runes can¡¯t exist without me, but I think yours can. No matter what, this won¡¯t be easy. It¡¯s definitely going to cause soul damage, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Sticky said.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even finish. I can deal with the soul damage,¡± Noah said. ¡°Don¡¯t agree to people asking to damage your soul before you hear them out completely.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Sticky repeated. ¡°It¡¯ll help Lord Sievan too, won¡¯t it?¡±

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Possibly. I¡¯d like it to.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do it. How do I imbue the Fragment?¡±

    She¡¯s almost too eager to mutilate herself. I feel like the universe keeps showing me how Moxie feels when I repeatedly off myself.

    ¡°First, you need to get another Fragment,¡± Noah said. ¡°Once you¡¯ve got two of them, you¡¯re going to imbue the first Fragment back into your soul. You do that by drawing it onto the surface and pushing power into it.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± Sticky said. ¡°Cut me again.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s phrase that differently, please. You¡¯re making me sound like a psychopath,¡± Noah said with a frown. He summoned a flicker of Sunder¡¯s power to his fingertips. ¡°This part should still be fairly easy. It¡¯s the imbuing that might suck.¡±

    The demoness gave him a firm nod. Noah reached down and pressed his palm to the still water beneath his feet, sending a blade of power cutting through it.

    Sticky burst into action. She was a fast learner. As soon as the power swirled forth from the new crack within her mindspace, she gathered it to her fists and narrowed her eyes in concentration.

    Just seconds later, a second Fragment of Sticky floated in the air before her.

    Good. It¡¯s better to just completely Imbue a second fragment than worrying about playing around with splitting the first. Keeps things a lot simpler, soul damage notwithstanding.

    ¡°What now?¡± Sticky asked.

    ¡°We go back to the Damned Plains,¡± Noah replied. ¡°And then we wait a bit before you try Imbuing anything. I need to rest so I can get my¡ª¡±

    He paused. A frown crossed over his lips. Noah had been about to say that he needed to get the energy from the Fragment of Renewal back. He¡¯d used it trying to save Sticky, which meant it should have been inactive until the next day ¡ª but for some reason, the power met his thoughts without reservation.

    Huh? Why has the Fragment of Renewal awakened already? There should have been hours left before it came back! Did returning to the afterlife somehow refill it?

    I¡¯ll have to worry about that later. We have an opportunity to end this problem for good.

    ¡°Scratch that,¡± Noah said, shaking his head. ¡°We can do this immediately. I¡¯m going to send us back. Are you ready?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± the small demon replied with a determined nod.

    He released Empty Proliferation.

    Sticky¡¯s mindspace crumbled as his soul flew back into his own body.

    Noah¡¯s eyes snapped open. The darkness shifted before his vision as an obsidian platform materialized beneath him. He sat up, pushing away from the cold stone and rising back to his feet.

    A small groan echoed out as Sticky awakened beside him. She rubbed at her eyes. ¡°My head hurts.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be done soon,¡± Noah replied, removing the grimoire from his back and flipping it open to a blank page. He sat it down on the ground before Sticky. ¡°Don¡¯t feel pressured, but whenever you¡¯re ready, do your best to imbue one of the Runes you just made here. It might take you a few tries, so you can relax¡ª¡±

    Sticky pressed her finger to the page. Her brow furrowed in concentration, and Noah¡¯s mouth snapped closed. Saying anything else would just distract her, and the little demon was far too determined to hesitate any longer than absolutely necessary.

    Minutes ticked by. Sticky didn¡¯t move as she stared at the page. Considering she¡¯d never had Runes of her own, she couldn¡¯t have had the opportunity to practice Imbuing.

    Will she be able to do it? Even I couldn¡¯t split apart a Fragment of Self. But as a demon, it just might be possible because of the very thing that makes demons what they are. That connection between their body and runes might be the legs her rune needs to exist without her. It¡¯s a long shot, but it¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve got right now.

    That didn¡¯t seem like it was going to stop her. After another minute, Sticky started to draw. Gray light shimmered at her fingertip. Her jaw clenched and a droplet of sweat rolled down the side of her face.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Sievan breathed, his words nothing more than a whisper. ¡°She has a Rune.¡±

    Discomfort turned to pain in Sticky¡¯s features as she worked, but she didn¡¯t let herself slow.

    Noah drew on the Fragment of Renewal. Cooling energy rolled through his veins and gathered at his hands as he prepared to release its power. He watched the demon like a hawk as her finger continued to move across the paper.

    Her discomfort grew. The muscles in her neck went taut and her finger trembled, but she didn¡¯t slow. Even a fool could have seen that it was taking every single scrap of self-control Sticky had to keep going.

    But keep going she did.

    The demoness drew the final lines of the rune with a pained wheeze.

    Energy solidified into solid lines with a snap. She¡¯d managed to successfully imbue a Fragment of herself.

    At the very instant she pulled her hand away from the page, Sticky swayed and her eyes threatened to roll back. Noah grabbed her by the shoulders and unleashed all the power he¡¯d gathered from the Fragment of Renewal. Soothing magic poured out from him and into her.

    The tension slipped away from Sticky¡¯s features. She relaxed, her eyelids fluttering as she pulled back into consciousness.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Noah asked, supporting Sticky to keep her from falling.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sticky murmured. Some of the strength seeped back into her voice and she looked down at the page. ¡°Did it work?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah replied. ¡°It did. You did everything you had to. Thank you. This is huge. You have no idea how much we¡¯re going to be able to do with this.¡±

    ¡°Can you help Lord Sievan next?¡±

    A quiet laugh echoed through the void as the Lord of Death shook his head. ¡°Did you truly find a way to solve our flaw, Spider? You did what I ¡ª what Decras himself ¡ª could not?¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re just setting me up to sound like a proud asshole,¡± Noah said. ¡°Really, Sticky did everything. I¡¯m just stealing some of her power. She¡¯s the building block we needed. I¡¯m going to have to make copies of this Rune. A lot of them. From there, demons can break the rune and use it to form a new Fragment of Self to bind their soul with. It won¡¯t be easy ¡ª you¡¯re probably going to have to rip out the bad runes you¡¯ve got. Not every single demon will be capable of that. But for the ones that can¡­ it should fix them.¡±

    Or for the ones I use the Fragment of Renewal on, but I¡¯m not going to sit around fixing every single demon in the Damned Plains. Even if they can¡¯t get rid of Decras¡¯ runes entirely, this should help them get some control of themselves back.

    ¡°I see,¡± Sievan said with a small smile. ¡°But it is not yet my time for this.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to let him help you?¡± Sticky asked, blinking in surprise.

    ¡°I am not so easily repaired. I must rebuild my soul. I have felt Spider¡¯s power, but the immensity of what must be fixed is beyond even your abilities. It will be years before I am ready for such a procedure. This is a procedure for the young and easily changed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure I could help the process along,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Sievan said. ¡°But there are some things that must be done on your own. When you reach my strength, you will come to understand this as well. And I suspect you have a slightly more pressing matter at hand.¡±

    ¡°I do?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Sievan replied. ¡°There are those that wait for you. It has been some time since you followed Wizen into the next realm.¡±

    Noah¡¯s eyes went wide.

    That¡¯s why the Fragment of Renewal had returned. Not because it had been refilled, but because it had been given enough time to regenerate.

    Oh, shit. How long was I stuck in the afterlife?

 Chapter 566: Favor

    ¡°How long have I been gone?¡± Noah asked, his chest tightening even as the words left his lips. Days were precious. Now, especially so. Had he missed another thousand years? What had happened to Moxie? To Lee? To his students, who still waited still back in the mortal plane.

    If he¡¯d missed all of that¡­

    Noah¡¯s throat clenched.

    ¡°The situation is not as bad as you fear,¡± Sievan said, lifting a hand and freezing the thoughts in Noah¡¯s head. ¡°You did not remain within the afterlife for long. The time that has been lost can be measured in days, not years.¡±

    Some of the tension slipped from between Noah¡¯s lips in a sigh, but his shoulders remained taut. Moxie and Lee would be fine. They weren¡¯t gone.

    He wasn¡¯t so sure if he could say the same for his students back in Arbitage. There was a big difference between a few days and a dozen days. That was especially true in the Damned Plains, where the days were far longer than back in the mortal realm.

    Every moment that went by in the Damned Plains mounted the risks they faced. They had too many enemies. He¡¯d honestly pushed it to the back of his mind; his focus completely on finding a way to defeat Wizen.

    But now that he had a way out and he hadn¡¯t lost as much time as he feared¡­ the idea of missing their exam was painful ¡ª and somewhere deep in his mind, Noah had never considered not being there for it.

    Perhaps he¡¯d been delusional. Nobody fell into the Damned Plains on the back of an artifact controlled by a mage far more powerful than them and then decided they¡¯d make it out before a few weeks had passed.

    But it was his duty as a teacher to be there for all of them. To make sure they could take the honest test that they should have been promised, and to ensure that nobody tried to interfere with things.

    Isabel and Todd were still in danger, and not from the chance of failing the exam. People wanted Isabel¡¯s Master Rune. Verrud, the professor from the Herron family that had tried to trick him and Moxie into thinking he was on their side so he could get closer to Isabel. Jakob, the Torrin professor working with Verrud, and his two brats, Marley and Yulin ¡ª and who knew who else.

    If I¡¯ve been gone for too long, what happened to them? Verrud and Jakob are nothing to me now. But what does that matter if they¡¯ve already struck? Am I already too late?

    ¡°How many days?¡± Noah asked stiffly. ¡°And where is Moxie? Where is Lee?¡±

    ¡°Just about three or four on the mortal realm,¡± Sievan said, predicting Noah¡¯s next question with a quiet smile. ¡°I have spoken to your friends. I know where your concern lies. They are safe, and it is not too late. Your friends in Arbitage still reside there, though your time runs thin.¡±

    Thank God. Okay. We can still pull this off. I¡¯ve got the Key. We can make it back in time for the exam, then. It just seems like we¡¯ll have to move quickly.

    ¡°Where exactly is safe? Are Moxie and Lee here?¡± Noah asked, glancing around the platform. Aside from Sticky and Sievan, it was completely empty.

    Sievan nodded over Noah¡¯s shoulder.

    Noah turned to find a silent portal of purplish black energy blooming in the air behind him. Gentle waves of energy rolled out from it and prickled against his skin. He took a step back as its surface rippled and bulged.

    Zath¡¯s huge form stepped out from within the portal, ducking to fit through it properly. He unfurled to his full height, bowing his head in respect to Sievan, and stepped to the side as Moxie and Lee followed him out of it.

    ¡°Noah!¡± Lee exclaimed launching herself in his direction the moment she spotted him.

    Noah caught her with a laugh. Lee wrapped herself around his upper body like a koala and Moxie strode over, joining the group and throwing her arms around both of them. Noah was pretty sure he felt several bones in his spine pop as he got squeezed.

    ¡°Moxie. Lee,¡± Noah wheezed. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Wizen?¡± Lee asked. ¡°Is he¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gone,¡± Noah replied. ¡°He¡¯s in the Line. I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ll be seeing him again¡­ and I got what we came for.¡±

    Moxie released him and Lee dropped down to the ground, freeing Noah¡¯s arm so he could lift the Key up and let them all see it. Moxie and Lee¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°That¡¯s the thing Wizen stole from Tim, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lee muttered. ¡°Does that mean we can go back home?¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡± Moxie asked.

    Noah winced. The Key had the power to somehow cut through planes and allow passage between them¡­ but he had absolutely no idea how it had worked. Wizen hadn¡¯t exactly given him a tutorial. He¡¯d left Noah with a single word of information to work with.

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°But I¡¯m sure we can figure it out. We have to. I don¡¯t suppose the word Orlen means anything to either of you?¡±

    Both Moxie and Lee shook their heads.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard it before. Why?¡± Moxie said. ¡°Should it?¡±

    ¡°It was the last thing Wizen told me before he gave me the Key.¡±

    ¡°Wait. He gave you the Key?¡± Moxie blinked in surprise. ¡°Why would he give it to you? Weren¡¯t you fighting?¡±

    ¡°Wizen¡¯s entire purpose in the Afterlife was finding his daughter, but he had no idea as to the extent of the damage that the afterlife does to a mind. We had a little chat before things really started to go south, and I was able to convince him that bringing her back would be the worst thing he could possibly do.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ what, he just gave up?¡± Lee frowned. ¡°He didn¡¯t seem like the type to give up.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t give up,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. He looked down to Sticky, who sat in silence on the ground, knees pulled up against her chest. ¡°He changed his plan and decided to do his best to save two people instead of one. Sticky died during the fight. Wizen brought her back.¡±

    ¡°From the dead?¡± Moxie¡¯s eyes went wide in awe. ¡°He actually had a way to bring someone back?¡±

    ¡°Once,¡± Sticky said softly.

    This might be a bit too much of a sore wound for Sticky to keep talking about it here.

    Noah shook the key slightly. ¡°We need to figure out how to get this working as soon as possible. Sievan told me that I missed a few days of time. That means we¡¯re really going to be cutting this close. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d even be able to get back in time, but if the possibility is there, we have to take it. The students¡¯ exam might have already started. We have to get back as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re so motivated to return for?¡± Sievan asked, a chuckle slipping from his lips. ¡°An exam? You, who walked the Line and returned, are worried about missing a test?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a test,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m a teacher, and my students are in danger. There are kids up on the mortal plane who are being hunted for their runes. I¡¯ve got allies there, but I don¡¯t know how desperate our enemies are. If I have the chance to protect them, I have to take it.¡±

    A flicker of hesitation wrapped around Noah¡¯s chest. Most of his students were back in the mortal plane, but not all of them were. His travels through the Damned Plains hadn¡¯t exactly been solitary.

    What happens to Aylin and Violet when we leave? They¡¯re both much stronger than they were when I met them. Strong enough to defend themselves and what I basically had them build for me¡­ but there¡¯s more to life than just being strong.

    Yoru is proof of that. She¡¯s one of the strongest demons in the Damned Plains, but she¡¯s been alone for centuries. Is it really right to just up and vanish without speaking to a single one of them?

    Noah¡¯s jaw clenched. He was being pulled in two different directions. His duty was to his students ¡ª but even though he hadn¡¯t planned on it, he¡¯d picked up a few more in this world. He couldn¡¯t just abandon them.

    He looked down at the key. His senses brushed across the artifact. There was power stored within it ¡ª there was no doubt about that. An ocean of roiling energy waited within the Key¡­ and Noah had absolutely no idea how to access it.

    No matter how hard he tried, his mind couldn¡¯t find common ground with the key. There was no way to access the energy within it. It was immensely powerful, and about as useful as a chunk of lead in his hands.

    Shit. Even if I get this working¡­ I still haven¡¯t answered the other question. What do I do?

    Sievan¡¯s domain was quiet for several seconds until Moxie broke the silence.

    ¡°We need to go back ¡ª but we can¡¯t leave the kids here. They don¡¯t deserve that.¡±

    Noah chewed on the insides of his cheeks. He wanted to do everything. To protect his students, both here and in the damned plains. His fingers tapped an incessant beat against his legs as he dug for an answer.

    ¡°If you need to leave now, maybe you could come back after?¡± Sticky asked hesitantly. ¡°So you can help the other demons?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I have no plans of abandoning everyone. I just didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have an opportunity to get back to the others in time,¡± Noah said. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was workable. Right now, the most important thing he could do was make sure he made it back to the mortal plane in time. He¡¯d have preferred to return the key to Tim the moment he could, but waiting a bit longer wouldn¡¯t kill anyone. He looked down at the key in his hand. ¡°I just have to figure out how to use this.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ think I might be able to do it,¡± Sticky said, her gaze locked on the key and expression twisting in concentration. ¡°There are memories in my head. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re mine, but I remember how to use the key.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°You do? Then Orlen¡ª¡±

    Sticky shook her head. ¡°Not like that. No words. More like I¡¯ve done something enough times that I remember how to do it.¡±

    ¡°If you can, then we would be in your debt,¡± Noah said, holding the key out to Sticky. It must have had something to do with how Wizen had completely rebuilt her body with Weave. He would have loved to know more, but there were many things that he wanted to do and not nearly enough time to do them all.

    He just wished ¡ª

    Wait.

    Noah paused.

    ¡°Should I stop?¡± Sticky asked.

    ¡°No, you¡¯re fine. Please figure out how to work the key,¡± Noah said. He looked to Sievan. ¡°But, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like a little help. I believe there¡¯s a rune you were looking to buy.¡±

    The skin around Sievan¡¯s eyes crinkled in amusement. ¡°What price are you thinking?¡±

    ¡°Oh, not too much,¡± Noah replied. There was a way he could get almost everything he wanted. It wasn¡¯t something that he had any chance of pulling off on his own ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t exactly on his own. ¡°Just a small favor and a bit of Zath¡¯s time.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Sievan asked with a quiet laugh. ¡°I know what you seek, and it can be arranged. This is going to be fun.¡±

 Chapter 567: Fire

    The mushrooms were on fire, and it was only partially Todd¡¯s fault.

    ¡°Duck!¡± Emily yelled, her voice just barely carrying through the crackling roar of the flames around him.

    Todd threw himself to the marshy ground. Moss squelched beneath him as he rolled, and he ripped more dirt up from beneath the layer of foliage to reinforce his damaged armor.

    Something screamed through the air above him. Ice prickled against Todd¡¯s neck in passing. A loud crash echoed through the forest a moment later, followed by a warbling scream of pain.

    Todd rose back to his feet, yanking the fire from the burning mushrooms around him and forming it into a ball between his palms. Before him, amidst dozens of fallen and crushed fungi the size of buildings, stood a huge froglike monster.

    The monster was easily three times taller than he was. A huge grey tongue lolled from its mouth, covered in jagged barbs. Its yellow skin was covered with a slimy ooze that had proven to be an infuriatingly effective flame retardant. Todd¡¯s explosions had managed to scorch it in a few small spots, but his magic had proven to be largely useless against the monster.

    It wasn¡¯t quite so lucky against Emily.

    A huge arrow made out of ice protruded from one of the frog¡¯s feet, pinning it into the ground. The frog croaked and thrashed in attempt to free itself, but it was futile. Frost crept up its limb, biting deep into the monster¡¯s flesh and freezing the ooze on it solid.

    ¡°Nice!¡± Todd cheered, a grin splitting his features. ¡°Good shit, Emily.¡±

    There was a loud creak from behind him. Todd stepped to the side.

    A burning mushroom crashed down behind him. Its head exploded with a splattering crash, sending burning goo flying everywhere. One chunk slapped into the stem of another mushroom. It went up in flames with a roar like a bundle of dry wood.

    Todd winced.

    ¡°Dude, have you ever heard the word restraint?¡± Emily asked from several paces behind Todd, drawing her bow back and forming another arrow in it. The frog screamed and thrashed, but it was stuck fast.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Todd said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize the mushrooms exploded when they caught fire. Really couldn¡¯t have seen that one coming. Why the hell would anyone choose such a weird place for an exam?¡±

    Emily loosed the arrow from her bow. It flashed through the air and slammed into the frog¡¯s eye, burying deep into its brain. The monster jerked, then went limp and collapsed to the ground, struggles ended forever.

    No energy entered Todd¡¯s body, but that was to be expected. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sheaf of Catchpapers that he¡¯d folded up inside it. A grin split his features and he held one up.

    ¡°Rank 2 Dripping Ooze,¡± Todd said. ¡°I got a rune.¡±

    ¡°Finally. Good news,¡± Emily said. She walked out from the treeline to join Todd, and he handed the paper to her. She gave him a blank one in return.

    Another burning mushroom crashed down. They both winced as its head exploded, but fortunately, every other mushroom in the area had already been burnt to a crisp and the muck that filled the fungus¡¯ heads just splattered harmlessly across the wet, mossy ground.

    ¡°I still think they just should have had the exam in the Scorched Acres. For old time¡¯s sake,¡± Todd said, stuffing the new Catchpaper into a back pocket. He paused, squinting at the air behind Emily.

    There was nothing visible, but to his heat-vision, there was a patch of heat that marked a person. Todd crossed his arms in front of his chest.

    ¡°James. Are you going to just stand there sniffing her hair, or are you actually going to be useful?¡±

    ¡°I was not sniffing her hair,¡± James said, the air rippling as he let his magic fall and emerged in plain view. ¡°I was assessing the situation.¡±

    Emily didn¡¯t so much as flinch at his arrival. Either she¡¯d gotten used to James popping up out of nowhere, or she¡¯d already known he was there.

    ¡°What, the situation regarding the scent of soap she uses?¡± Todd snickered as he scanned the area around them for any more signs of newcomers. The fire made it a little difficult for his heat vision to pick up on humans or monsters around it, but most of the flame was already dying away.

    ¡°Mango,¡± James said.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Emily exclaimed. Her eyes went narrow and she prodded James in the stomach in a manner remarkably similar to what Todd had seen Moxie do to Noah countless times. ¡°You don¡¯t need to go sharing that. That¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± James asked. ¡°I got it for you.¡±

    Another heat signature caught Todd¡¯s eyes, but he¡¯d been expecting this one.

    Isabel stepped around the trunk of an unburned mushroom and emerged into the burnt clearing that Todd had mistakenly created.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to know we¡¯ve managed to keep focused during the exam,¡± Isabel said with a dry smile. ¡°Todd, why are you trying to bring the Mushroom Forest down on top of you?¡±

    ¡°The mushrooms explode when you burn them,¡± Todd said. ¡°I was unaware. Where¡¯s Alexandra?¡±

    ¡°She went off on her own. She felt like the exam would be too easy if she worked together with us, and she wanted to make sure she learned from it. I think we might have let her spend too much time with Jalen,¡± Isabel said, pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°But she¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a single student that can really pose her a threat. Even that Rank 3 girl, Fiona¡­ she hasn¡¯t seen a real fight like Alexandra has.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s badass,¡± Emily said with a nod.

    Todd thrust a finger in her direction. ¡°Hah! You said badass! I told you it was a cool word!¡±

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    ¡°Fuck,¡± Emily said, burying her head in her hands. ¡°He¡¯s ruining my vocabulary. Do you know what Moxie is going to do to me if she figures out I can¡¯t speak like a proper noble anymore?¡±

    ¡°Compliment you for removing the stick from your ass?¡±

    James coughed into a fist to hide a laugh. Emily narrowed her eyes, then prodded him again.

    ¡°Hey! That wasn¡¯t my fault. Why aren¡¯t you attacking Todd?¡± James protested.

    ¡°He¡¯s Isabel¡¯s problem,¡± Emily replied.

    ¡°Ah.¡± James nodded sagely, then did a double take and nearly tripped over himself as he spun toward Emily. ¡°Wait. They¡¯re dating. If he¡¯s Isabel¡¯s problem, does that mean I¡¯m¡ª¡±

    A flicker of heat caught Todd¡¯s attention from the sky ¡ª a location that he had most certainly not set on fire.

    ¡°Above us!¡± Todd yelled.

    All of them snapped into motion instantly. Isabel pushed Emily behind her and heavy plates of armor rushed up from the ground to slam down around her. James vanished from view and Todd pumped energy into his own stone armor, readying the explosive attacks in his arms and feet.

    An attractive woman dropped from the sky above them, landing in the center of the burnt clearing with a flourish. Her bright blonde hair fluttered through the air behind her like a streamer, and even though they were in the middle of an exam, the only thing she wore was a flowing white dress.

    She arched her arms over her back, almost as if she was trying to strike a pose, and Todd realized that she hadn¡¯t actually touched the ground. The girl floated about an inch away from it.

    Todd¡¯s brow furrowed. He recognized the girl, but only vaguely.

    She¡¯s from the Advanced Track. I can¡¯t remember her name, though. And what is she doing? Is she choking on something?

    For a long second, nobody did anything. They just all stared at each other. Then the newcomer¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°What? No reaction?¡±

    ¡°Should I shoot her?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°Why bother?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°I doubt she¡¯s managed to collect any Runes. It¡¯s not worth the energy.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± The girl¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°I¡¯m in the Advanced Track too, you know!¡±

    ¡°Do you have runes?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°I ¡ª that¡¯s none of your concern.¡± the girl said, charging straight past Todd¡¯s question. That was as good as a confirmation that she had not, in fact, collected any runes. She thrust a finger at Todd. ¡°You¡¯re going to give me the ones that you¡¯ve collected.¡±

    ¡°This is the weirdest robbery I¡¯ve ever been part of,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to shoot her,¡± Emily said, raising her bow.

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± the girl smirked. A white shield hummed to life around her and the forest rustled. Five other students emerged from the far end of the clearing, each covered with a shield of their own. They made their way over to stand by her side. ¡°Have you forgotten who I am?¡±

    Todd was fairly sure they were all in the Advanced Track, but he couldn¡¯t remember for certain. He hadn¡¯t noticed their approach, but they¡¯d come from the direction of the fire.

    It had been a bit since Todd or any of the others had gone to one of the meetings with the rest of the Advanced Track. Jakob and Verrud had been getting bolder in their attempts to get near Isabel recently. Marley, Jakob¡¯s student, had given it a few shots as well.

    There were just too many enemies. It was difficult to keep track of them, so the group had just opted to avoid the issue entirely. Training with other Advanced Track students was great ¡ª but training with Jalen, Bird, Brayden, and the others was far more effective.

    It was also considerably safer.

    Jalen was only kind of trying to kill them.

    ¡°Why is nobody answering me?¡± the girl demanded. ¡°If you¡¯re scared, we can just skip to the part where you give me your¡ª¡±

    ¡°I forgot your question. Sorry,¡± Todd said with a sheepish grin. He drew on more power but kept his tone perfectly casual. There were a number of enemies. They couldn¡¯t afford to take this lightly. ¡°What was it again?¡±

    ¡°I asked if you knew who I was!¡± the girl snapped. ¡°It was rhetorical. Of course you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sorry. Forgot your name too.¡±

    The girl¡¯s eye twitched.

    ¡°Me as well,¡± Isabel admitted. ¡°My bad. Alexandra was kind of the one remembering the random names. She¡¯s really polite, but she¡¯s busy right now. Do you remember, Emily?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ was it Casie?¡± Emily hedged. Even though her words sounded uncertain, more energy was gathering at the tip of her arrow. She was preparing to fight.

    ¡°No! Bethany! My name is Bethany! How did you forget? We¡¯ve sparred before!¡±

    ¡°We have?¡± Isabel asked.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Did I win?¡±

    Bethany¡¯s mouth snapped shut. Her eyes narrowed even further. ¡°Yes. But this time will be¡ª¡±

    ¡°Ah. Then that¡¯s why I don¡¯t remember your name,¡± Isabel said, speaking right over Bethany. She shook her head. ¡°This isn¡¯t worth the time. She clearly hasn¡¯t gotten any runes yet.¡±

    Wind howled around Bethany and gathered in her hands, forming into two balls of twisting white magic. ¡°You¡¯re good with a sword, but we¡¯ve got you outnumbered, and this isn¡¯t a sparring ring. This is the real world. Give me what you¡¯ve got and we won¡¯t crush you out of this exam here and now.¡±

    ¡°Wow. Good line. Did you practice that one in front of the mirror this morning?¡± Todd asked.

    Bethany¡¯s cheeks went bright red. ¡°How did ¡ª No! Of course not!¡±

    ¡°This is just sad,¡± Emily said. ¡°I¡¯m shooting her now.¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Todd said.

    Bethany thrust her hands forward. The balls of wind exploded, transforming into a howling gale of white blades that carved out toward Emily.

    Emily released the string of her bow.

    An ice arrow screamed through the air in a blur. It struck the rolling front of wind and sliced through it in a split instant. Bethany¡¯s eyes went wide.

    One of the boys beside Bethany lunged before her, a brown shield burning with energy as he summoned stone up from the ground and formed it into a wall between them.

    The arrow carved straight through the stone. It continued on into the boy, shattering his Shield like sugar glass and driving straight into his chest. His eyes went wide in disbelief. A necklace on his neck flashed a brilliant white and he vanished, yanked out of the exam to get medical attention.

    Every single one of them wore a similar necklace. It wouldn¡¯t do anything if they took an instant killing blow, but those were supposedly against the rules. Todd wasn¡¯t about to count on Verrud and Jakob¡¯s students remembering that.

    ¡°How?¡± Bethany staggered back, her mouth hanging askew in disbelief as she stared at the spot where one of her allies had been a moment before.

    Todd shook himself off. He was getting distracted.

    I should probably focus, even if these people are jokes. Their Runes are nothing compared to ours thanks to Teacherman showing us how to make flawless combinations.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be happy to pretend to answer your questions once the exam is over,¡± Isabel said. Bethany thrust her hands forward and sent blades of wind carving toward her. Isabel just raised a shield of stone from the ground, blocking the magic effortlessly. Bethany¡¯s face went pale. She took a step back, then launched herself into the air.

    ¡°You¡¯re cheating! I¡¯ll be ba¡ª¡±

    A glowing blue spear sailed through the air. It sliced straight through Bethany¡¯s shield, shattering it, and drove into her back. The girl stiffened, then vanished in a flash. Several empty pieces of Catchpaper fluttered down from where she¡¯d been.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let any of them leave with their Catchpaper,¡± Isabel said, her spear reforming in her hand as she turned to the remaining students.

    The remaining students went pale. Two of their members had gone down in two attacks. Their shields hadn¡¯t been strong enough to tank a single hit. They turned and ran, sprinting for cover.

    Todd grinned.

    I wish the Professor was here to see us now. Nobles, running from us.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got this,¡± Todd said.

    The ground beneath him exploded. Fire curled out from his feet as he burst into motion, crossing the distance between himself and the running nobles in moments.

    His laughter was the last thing any of them heard before their shields shattered and their amulets went off, dragging them out of the exam and to safety.

 Chapter 568: Avalanche

    The exam had been meant to last a full day. It took time to hunt monsters, and even more time to hunt enough of them to get a Rune to manifest on Catchpaper. An average mage could take hours just to get something worthwhile, and that wasn¡¯t even accounting for the quality of the rune.

    Todd and the rest of Noah¡¯s students had every rune they needed in less than four hours ¡ª though that wasn¡¯t an entirely accurate statement. They each needed to secure themselves a Rune in order to pass the exam, which meant the group needed a total of 5 Runes ¡ª though Alexandra had gone off on her own and lowered the group¡¯s requirement down to 4.

    They currently had 20.

    Only about 4 of those had come from actually hunting the monsters. The rest had come from students kindly donating their belongings to the group by trying to attack them.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m starting to feel like this exam is more about fighting other mages than it is about hunting monsters,¡± Todd said as he watched Isabel leaf through the runes they¡¯d earned. ¡°Maybe everyone else got the wrong memo and thought this was an exam to hunt other students.¡±

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a little more targeted than that,¡± Isabel said. She gathered the runes back into a pile and handed half of it to Emily, who slipped the papers into a pouch on her waist. Isabel glanced around the small clearing they¡¯d taken a break in, then stretched her arms over her head and shook herself off. ¡°The amount of people we¡¯ve had come after us is way higher than it should have been.¡±

    ¡°Verrud and Jakob are pulling strings,¡± Emily said. ¡°It has to be.¡±

    ¡°What, with the entire Advanced Track?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°To be fair, less than half the people that we¡¯ve run into have been from the Advanced Track. I think the majority of those guys are just focused on winning. We pass the exam if we can get a rune each, but we¡¯ve got to get the most runes to win the Advanced Track competition.¡± Isabel scratched the side of her neck. ¡°Though, at this rate, we won¡¯t even have to fight any more monsters. We can just keep taking out all the students that attack us.¡±

    ¡°I wonder how he paid them off.¡± The air beside Emily rippled as James took form at her side.

    ¡°James!¡± Todd exclaimed. ¡°Where have you been, man? You went to scout thirty minutes ago!¡±

    ¡°Sorry. I fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°While scouting?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was very boring.¡±

    ¡°I think we need a new scout,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°Quite possibly, yes,¡± Isabel agreed with a sidelong glance in James¡¯ direction. James didn¡¯t even have the good grace to look chagrined. He just shrugged and wiped at his nose.

    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Emily asked.

    ¡°More students. There are a lot of them in the area around us,¡± James said. He craned his neck back to look at a mushroom looming above him. ¡°We should probably be ready for more people to show up. It feels like everyone just decided that this area of the Mushroom Forest is the best one to be in.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he really did pay people off,¡± Emily said with a frown. ¡°That feels like it would be painfully blatant, though. There¡¯s no way you can do that without at least somebody going ¡®huh, that¡¯s weird¡¯. The Advanced Track is also full of nobles. It¡¯s not easy to buy nobles off. Verrud and Jakob aren¡¯t that rich.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s more than one way to get people to turn against someone or hunt them,¡± Isabel said. ¡°All he had to do was tell the truth. He¡¯s probably mentioned that we have a bunch of runes, and defeating us is an instant pass for the whole exam.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Todd said. ¡°In the end, they¡¯ve managed to make this easier for us. We can¡¯t be far from winning the Advanced Track competition. Maybe we should just start hunting the people hunting us instead. It¡¯ll make things faster.¡±

    ¡°Now there¡¯s an idea.¡± A familiar, smarmy voice echoed through the clearing.

    All of them turned as one, annoyance rather than surprise crossing their features, as Marley emerged from the treeline. It was hard to miss him ¡ª the noble was practically jingling as he walked.

    He was covered from head to toe in bracelets, rings, bracers, and just about every other piece of Imbued equipment that someone could fit onto themselves. Marley even wore light armor reminiscent of that of a Soldier.

    Todd blinked at the vast amount of wealth Marley had on him. There was a difference between the funds of a noble and using¡­ whatever this was. The sheer number of Imbuements he was carrying around were terrifying.

    Holy shit. Somebody spent a ridiculous amount of money outfitting him¡­ but that has to be at least partially for show. That many Imbuements running together will interfere with each other. Simple is king. This idiot just cleaned out daddy¡¯s closet.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Marley asked, two shimmering swords made of swirling blue energy buzzing to life in his palms. ¡°Too scared to speak?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s helping the moron?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°I doubt he could have found the broad side of the barn in a field if he didn¡¯t have help.¡±

    Anger flashed across Marley¡¯s face. He pointed his swords at Isabel. ¡°Keep talking smart, bitch. We¡¯ll see what happens when¡ª¡±

    An ice arrow screamed through the air and slammed into Marley¡¯s chest. A shield erupted around him with an earsplitting screech. His eyes only had a moment to go wide before the force of the magic launched him off his feet and sent him hurtling through the stem of a mushroom and into the forest beyond.

    ¡°That¡¯s a strong shield,¡± Emily said, lowering her bow with a frown.

    ¡°It¡¯s Soldier equipment,¡± Todd said, his lips going thin. ¡°Someone is powering him. He¡¯s an idiot, but don¡¯t take him lightly while he¡¯s still got power. Those Imbuements will do all the fighting for him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Marley said, chuckling as he stepped back out of the forest, completely unscathed. He hesitated for a moment. ¡°Wait. No, it¡¯s not. I¡¯m fighting you! Not my equipment! This is just something to even the scales. You have a whole group.¡±

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    Todd was barely paying attention to him. His eyes scanned their surroundings as he searched for any signs of heat.

    He found them.

    Three other people were moving around the clearing, trying to get into position. Todd lifted a hand toward one and released a concentrated stream of fire in a thin beam. The magic cut through the air and melted straight through the trunk of a mushroom. There was a thud and a curse as someone threw themselves out of the way of the magic.

    ¡°So do you,¡± Todd said. ¡°Two behind us. One in the direction I just toasted.¡±

    ¡°Cheater,¡± Marley spat.

    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Emily asked. ¡°How dense are you?¡±

    Marley thrust a sword into the air. The mushrooms around him shuddered, then cracked as they split apart at the stems. Oozing growths rose up from within them like tendrils, extending into the air until they¡¯d grown to the size of trees and towered at his back.

    ¡°No more talking,¡± Marley growled. He swept his swords down. ¡°Kill them!¡±

    The mushroom tendrils exploded forward. All three of the mages in the forest burst into motion.

    Isabel slammed her foot into the ground. A wall of stone exploded up from it and rolled out around them like a huge ripple in a pond. It rose up the group for long enough to buy them a few seconds.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Marley,¡± Isabel said. ¡°Todd, back me up. James, Emily, deal with the others.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Emily said.

    James nodded, then faded from view. ¡°I¡¯ve got your back.¡±

    The stone wall exploded. Marley burst through it, riding on a wave of rolling mushroom flesh. His eyes were locked directly on Isabel. He definitely had an agenda, but that was nothing new.

    ¡°Get yourself ready. I¡¯ll keep him distracted,¡± Todd said with a grin. The ground at his feet exploded as he launched himself forward, streaking toward Marley like a human missile. Power burned against his knuckles as he pushed it into the explosion chamber in his gauntlets.

    Let¡¯s see just how strong his defenses are. He might not be ready for a max strength attack right at the start of the fight.

    The noble¡¯s eyes widened at Todd¡¯s approach. He crossed his arms before him. One of his bracelets shimmered and magic spilled out from within it. A gray shield formed over one of his arms and Marley braced himself against it.

    Todd twisted midair, bringing a fist crashing into the shield with all the force he could muster. It connected with a massive explosion. A wave of pressure sent Todd skidding back as fire bloomed from the spot he¡¯d struck and fragments of rock scarred across the ground and flew through the air around him.

    Marley staggered a step back, his shield warped and bent. He stared at it in disbelief. ¡°How can you do so much damage with one punch?¡±

    Todd righted himself, drawing energy back into himself from the explosion and repressing a grimace.

    That¡¯s all the damage I did? This isn¡¯t good. That was the strongest attack I can manage right now. How much power does he have people donating to him? This is more than just someone trying to edge out a win in a competition. The amount of money it would take to get him this strong¡­ someone is angling for more than a win.

    ¡°You¡¯re just weak,¡± Todd said, not letting any of his thoughts show through in his features.

    Marley¡¯s features twisted in anger and he swiped his sword through the air.

    The ground beneath Todd roiled. He threw himself to the side a moment before white roots exploded up from beneath where he¡¯d been standing. They thrashed around in the air like squirming snakes, each of them as thick as a tree trunk. The ground rumbled from the force of the magic within them.

    What the hell? This is something that Moxie could do, not Marley. There¡¯s no way he should be this strong. The only thing in our favor is he fucking sucks at using his magic.

    Todd set off an explosion at his feet, throwing himself to the side before the roots could slam into him. He rolled across the ground and shot upright, summoning stone up from the ground to rebuild his armor from his own explosions.

    ¡°That¡¯s not Rank 2 magic,¡± Todd said, his eyes narrowed. ¡°Who¡¯s helping you cheat?¡±

    ¡°Using items you own isn¡¯t cheating,¡± Marley replied, thrusting his hand forward and sending more roots racing after Todd.

    ¡°Bullshit. You aren¡¯t controlling that yourself. Someone¡¯s feeding you magic,¡± Todd said as he flung himself to safety once more.

    Roots slammed into the ground one after the other in Todd¡¯s wake. Each one shook the earth with the force of their impact. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a root hurtling straight for his head.

    It didn¡¯t look like Marley was trying to leave enough of anyone alive to get pulled out of the exam.

    Todd gritted his teeth and set off an explosion from his palms. It hurled him to the side and he hit the ground in a grunt, rolling to safety and staggering back to his feet.

    Marley turned toward him ¡ª but he didn¡¯t get a chance to attack. Isabel exploded forward, clad entirely in her heavy armor. She held a huge tower shield in one hand and a glowing blue greatsword in one of her hands.

    Roots crashed down toward her, but the ground exploded up around Isabel in a sea of spikes. They drove into the roots, slowing them and buying her precious seconds to arrive before Marley.

    She slammed her shield down on his head. His shields flared, burning with power as they resisted her strike. Isabel¡¯s sword flashed and Marley brought his own up. The weapons slammed together with a loud crackle.

    Isabel slammed her foot into Marley¡¯s chest and he staggered back, his shields repelling her once more. He went to stab at her but was forced to dodge back as Todd sent a streak of concentrated flame screeching past his face, just narrowly missing.

    Loud crashes and the roar of magic filled the clearing all around them from Emily and James¡¯ fight against Marley¡¯s backup. A quick glance told Todd why the fight was still going. They were all outfitted in Imbued equipment as well. It didn¡¯t look like the quality was as high as Marley¡¯s, but there were three of them.

    Isabel and Marley crossed blades again. Their weapons crackled ¡ª and Isabel dismissed her weapon, reforming it an instant later once it had passed by Marley¡¯s guard.

    The sword would have gone straight into his shoulder if it didn¡¯t connect with his shield first. Magic screamed.

    Isabel was thrown back several feet as a huge wave of pressure rolled out from Marley, ripping up the dirt around him.

    A pillar of dirt shot up behind her and connected with her back to stop her from falling. If she lost her balance in the immensely heavy armor she wore, it was the same as a death sentence.

    Marley crossed his swords and power arced down their blades, rippling across his body. Someone was pumping him full of even more magic. Curls of magic rose up from him and he bared his teeth in something between a snarl and a grin. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look as confident as you did before.¡±

    This might be bad.

    ¡°Isabel?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°Yeah?¡± Her voice was terse.

    ¡°I think we¡¯re going to have to use some of the things you¡¯ve been practicing.¡±

    ¡°On this idiot?¡± Isabel asked, aghast. ¡°Seriously?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just him. It¡¯s him and however many people are powering him.¡±

    ¡°You really think you can do anything against me?¡± Marley asked through a burst of snorting laughter. The amusement left his face in an instant, replaced by cold cruelty as he shifted his stance. ¡°You¡¯re delusional.¡±

    ¡°Right. Sorry, Professor,¡± Isabel said. She tossed her shield to the side and grabbed her sword with both hands. She drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

    A root crashed down toward her.

    Isabel¡¯s sword snapped out, catching it on the flat of the blade and deflecting it down into the ground with a loud crash.

    There was something different in her motions as she moved toward Marley once again. Magic burned in her every step, each one slightly faster than the last, every movement like a pebble rolling down the side of a mountainside.

    Roots shot toward Isabel. Her sword flashed up and down and up again, the repeated crash of its blade striking the roots filling the air.

    The first was knocked to her left.

    The second was deflected to her right.

    The third was split in half. Every blow Isabel made came slightly faster and stronger than the previous as she continued her advance. The magic imbuing her movements and blade intensified by the second.

    Her body ¡ª her blade ¡ª was becoming an avalanche manifest.

    For the first time since they¡¯d started training, Isabel was unleashing her Pattern against a real opponent.

 Chapter 569: Vocabulary

    Thunder cracked as lightning split the air and hurtled for Emily¡¯s head, only to slam into a shimmering square of translucent light just inches away from her. Crackles of electricity arced into the air and buzzed against her skin.

    ¡°Thanks, James,¡± Emily said, throwing herself into a roll as acid scorched across the ground where she¡¯d been standing and burnt a thick streak into it. She shot to her feet and took aim, drawing her focus into the arrow forming in her bow.

    A bolt of lightning made itself known right beside her head, deflected by James¡¯ magic once more. Emily gritted her teeth and released the arrow in the direction of one of the mages.

    The spell scraped across his shoulder as he twisted, scoring along the armor he wore and failing to do any significant damage. It knocked him off balance for a moment, giving her an opportunity, to follow up and actually land a real blow, but Emily didn¡¯t have a chance to follow up on the opening.

    She was forced to dodge back as vines raced across the ground and reached out toward her, attempting to intertwine her legs and keep her from dodging.

    Another bolt of lightning slammed into the air, stopping against a disk of light just inches away from Emily. The light wavered as power crackled off it. For a moment, it seemed as if it would break, but the magic held strong. James was keeping the attacks from hitting her and buying her time to attack, but it wasn¡¯t enough.

    There were three enemies and James was forced to play defensive so Emily could even try to fight back. If she could actually injure any of them, perhaps she would have had a chance. But with the armor they wore¡­ she needed more than a glancing blow.

    Emily resisted the urge to curse as she dodged out of the way of more magic. Readying her attacks took time and attention ¡ª two things she didn¡¯t have when three mages were raining down attacks on her from different directions.

    ¡°We can¡¯t keep this up forever.¡± James¡¯ voice was low enough to only be heard by Emily¡¯s ears. ¡°Can you survive for long enough if I go after one of them?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡± Emily wasn¡¯t so certain. The students attacking them had a ridiculous amount of energy. They¡¯d been raining down attacks for nearly two uninterrupted minutes and showed no signs of slowing.

    That would have been impressive if she didn¡¯t suspect basically all of their power was coming from someone transferring it to them through their Soldier armor. Unfortunately, the source from where they pulled their magic changed nothing.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very confident,¡± James said.

    Emily dodged back as forked tongues of lighting screamed down toward her, blackening the dirt where she¡¯d been standing with a brilliant explosion. She spun toward the mage that had called them down, but before she could take a moment to take aim, acid spikes were hurtling for her head.

    She dropped to the ground. Vines reached for her and she gathered moisture from the air, flicking a blade of ice from her fingers and slicing the vines apart as she rolled back to her feet.

    We can¡¯t keep going like this.

    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± James said. ¡°I think Isabel is using her¡­ you know.¡±

    Emily blinked in surprise. The hesitation nearly got her impaled by a sharpened root, but she twisted out of the way at the last moment and cut the root apart with another blade of ice.

    ¡°Seriously?¡±

    Lighting slammed down toward them and a dome of light bloomed overhead, absorbing the hit before shattering apart into sparkling motes of light.

    ¡°You should be paying attention to us, not your friends,¡± the lightning mage said in a sneering tone. They sounded female, but the helm on their face muffled their words and made it a little difficult to tell.

    Emily really didn¡¯t care one way or another.

    ¡°You¡¯re all pretty pathetic. Having to rely this heavily on equipment in a Year 2 exam,¡± Emily said, sending an arrow of ice streaking through the sky toward the other woman.

    Without time to properly take aim, the attack only managed to slam into her shoulder and shatter against her armor. One of the other mages laughed as they flung acid blades toward Emily once more.

    James summoned more shields of light from the air, blocking the magic and letting out an exasperated sigh. ¡°This is such a hassle. Can¡¯t you just deal with them already?¡±

    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m trying to do?¡± Emily hissed. ¡°I told you, I¡¯ll be fine! You can go attack¡ª¡±

    A vine shot up from the burnt ground, reaching for Emily¡¯s leg faster than she could react. Light flashed and several chunks of plant matter splattered against Emily, severed in a dozen different places.

    ¡°You¡¯re not doing the most you can,¡± James said. ¡°You could do more. I¡¯ve seen it. Isabel certainly is. Why are you holding back? You¡¯re welcome, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Isabel is better at it than I am,¡± Emily hissed. ¡°I¡¯ve never tried using that ability during a real fight. Just training. Have you forgotten how bad I was at it when we started?¡±

    Acid arrows rained down toward Emily and a shield of light formed in the air above them, absorbing the attack once more. The acid mage snickered. ¡°Talking to yourself isn¡¯t a good sign. You might want to get that checked out.¡±

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    ¡°Where did you go to learn your shit-talk? Your teacher fucking sucks,¡± Emily said, diving out of the way as lightning streaked toward where she¡¯d been standing. A hand snagged the back of her shirt and yanked her up to her feet before the vines crawling across the ground could reach her, and she froze them in place with a blast of ice.

    ¡°That¡¯s a sharp mouth for a noble. Maybe you¡¯ve been hanging around scum for too long,¡± the lightning mage said. ¡°You¡¯re not half bad. Swapping between two different forms of magic so quickly is really impressive. It¡¯s too bad that¡¯s all completely wasted.¡±

    Gods, they¡¯re stupid. I¡¯ve got my ice magic active at the same time as James¡¯ light abilities. Anyone with half a brain would realize that I have an invisible Light Mage on my side, but I suppose these idiots threw their lot in with Marley. That doesn¡¯t say much for their intelligence.

    ¡°Who cares how bad you were at the start?¡± James hissed back to Emily, prodding her in the lower back. ¡°I¡¯ve seen what you can do. You¡¯re holding yourself back. I know you can do this.¡±

    Light flashed as lightning slammed down on them again. Emily gritted her teeth. James poked her again.

    ¡°It takes me too long,¡± Emily snapped. ¡°I can¡¯t pull it off fast enough to¡ª¡±

    ¡°You can. I¡¯ve seen you do it before. Stop doubting yourself so damn much. You aren¡¯t alone. I¡¯ve got your back, but I can¡¯t keep blocking magic forever. Are you really going to let Isabel show you up this hard? You¡¯re just as good as she is.¡±

    Emily¡¯s hands tightened around her bow. Her heart thumped in her chest ¡ª once, twice, and then her features set in stone. ¡°Fine. Cover me.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± James replied, and she could hear the grin in his voice even as the air rippled beside her and he let his invisibility fall away.

    The plant mage let out a curse. ¡°Where¡¯d he come from?¡±

    Idiot.

    Emily dragged her thoughts away from the fight and turned them inward. She stilled her breathing and gathered her concentration. She had time. James had promised to cover her. He wouldn¡¯t let an attack get through ¡ª but she had to hold up her end of the deal.

    Magic crashed and crackled all around her. James and the other mages exchanged taunts that slipped past her ears like a rushing stream.

    She barely noticed any of it.

    Frost prickled against her skin. Freezing mist coiled up from her body and spilled all around her in a white fog that was only a step away from condensing into thick snow. It rolled out in every direction, creeping across the ground and filling the clearing around her.

    Her senses traveled through the icy mist ¡ª through the patterns of frost racing through every single minuscule crystal that made it up. Every noise in the world stilled. Even the thump of her heartbeat and the throb of her head faded into the background.

    Emily closed her eyes.

    She moved a hand through the air. Felt the patterns in the ice shift as her hand passed through them. The mist coiled in her arm¡¯s wake. Every single movement within it changed the pattern.

    And that was exactly how it was meant to be.

    Ice was a single element of water, and more than any other element, water was ever-changing. Todd had spent hours with her going over the properties it could achieve in imbuements, and Emily had studied every single one of them as best she could.

    Hers was not a pattern that remained exactly the same. It was not a pattern that could be approached in a rigid manner. The change itself was part of the pattern.

    Emily let her bow vanish from her hands, letting herself completely immerse herself within the mist. She felt where it was ¡ª and where it wasn¡¯t.

    And in that mist, Emily felt the three mages.

    Her eyes snapped open.

    James laid on the ground before her, his arms crossed behind his head. A bolt of lightning streaked toward him, but a disk of light flashed up and blocked it, fading away the very instant the lightning had been stopped.

    Another shield flicked up to block a bolt of acid, and a third one manifested itself to cut through several vines. All of them vanished the very instant their task had been accomplished.

    Power thrummed in Emily¡¯s body, and the mist thrummed in response. They were synchronized.

    ¡°How are you doing that?¡± The female student demanded.

    ¡°Optimizing,¡± James replied through a yawn. ¡°I¡¯m lazy. No point using more energy than I need to, and now I don¡¯t need to use any at all.¡±

    The acid mage let out a snort. He stepped through the mist and gathered magic above his palms, forming it into a large spike of sickly green energy. ¡°And why¡¯s that? You surrendering?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± James replied, letting his eyes drift shut. ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±

    The air around the mage crackled. He only had an instant for his eyes to widen in surprise before a hundred white streaks flashed through the air. His shield flickered to life around him, but it shattered under the flurry of magic.

    He staggered back with a scream. Thin needles of ice emerged from every single piece of unarmored skin in his body. There wasn¡¯t a single part of his face or upper neck that hadn¡¯t been run through.

    The attack wasn¡¯t enough to kill him, but a brilliant flash of light lit up the forest as his pendant activated and yanked him to safety.

    ¡°You¡¯re so cheesy,¡± Emily murmured, her eyes drifting over to the other two mages.

    Both of the other mages reacted instantly, grabbing for their magic and darting in opposite directions to split Emily¡¯s attention. They slammed down every bit of armor they had and activated their Shields.

    It changed nothing. She didn¡¯t have to see them. She could feel them. Everything within the fog was visible to her. Needles flashed within the rolling fog, scraping against the shields and wearing their power away with every strike.

    Lightning screamed toward her, but another disk of light blocked it. Emily didn¡¯t so much as glance in its direction. Her attention was fully within her pattern. There was no room for any distraction ¡ª and she had no need for it.

    James was protecting her. She didn¡¯t have to think about anything other than her magic as long as he had her back.

    Shields were excellent for blocking attacks, but as it turned out, they had a minimum amount of power they called on every time they activated. Nobody tried tickling a Shield to death, after all. Controlling hundreds of tiny attacks was too difficult for most mages to bother with ¡ª but this wasn¡¯t hundreds of tiny attacks.

    The needles were all one. They were part of the fog. Part of the pattern ¡ª and part of Emily.

    The plant mage¡¯s Shield shattered. He let out a scream as needles found every inch of exposed skin, no matter how small. They flitted through gaps in the armor and flooded into his mouth.

    His pendant flashed.

    ¡°How is this possible? What kind of¡ª¡± The lightning mage¡¯s shield shattered before she could finish her desperate protest.

    ¡°Eat shit,¡± James said.

    Her pendant flashed.

    Emily slowly let her hands lower, her heart pounding in her chest. She¡¯d actually done it. She¡¯d activated her pattern in the middle of a fight.

    Yeah, that¡¯s right. Eat shi¡ª

    Wait.

    ¡°You know what?¡± Emily asked as a small laugh slipped from between her lips. ¡°They were right. You¡¯re ruining my vocabulary.¡±

 Chapter 570: Yulin

    Across the forest, while Isabel and Emily¡¯s groups were fighting against Marley¡¯s group, Alexandra was caught up in a fight of her own.

    The mushrooms in a wide area around her had been carved to ribbons. Splinters of woody fungi littered the scarred earth at her feet; patches of the ground had been blackened and scorched by magic. She stood in the center of it all, a plain sword held before her in both hands.

    There was the faintest scent of what was almost reminiscent of a burnt omelette in the air ¡ª likely due to all the scorched mushrooms around her.

    Four students stood around her in a square formation. Magic burned between their palms, each of them holding a spell at the ready. Not one of them was willing to let their magic slip free before any of the others.

    Alexandra¡¯s lips quirked up in amusement for a split second before her expression flattened once more as concentration returned to reign supreme. ¡°Is something wrong? You were all eager to catch me out. Now you have.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Ollie?¡± one of her pursuers asked. He was a boy from the advanced track, but she¡¯d forgotten both his name and the family that he¡¯d come from. Neither had been important. He¡¯d never been a capable sparring partner.

    ¡°Who?¡± Alexandra tilted her head to the side. ¡°I haven¡¯t kept track of every single person I¡¯ve fought, you know. Especially not the idiots that spend time yelling their names out as if they matter. The only time it¡¯s worth introducing yourself in a fight is when you¡¯re up against someone worthwhile. I haven¡¯t seen anyone worthy of that during this exam.¡±

    Angry mutters rose up from the students. They shifted, posturing for each other, but not a single one of them attacked. A flicker of annoyance built in Alexandra¡¯s chest. This was a waste of time. There were enough opponents to actually pose her a challenge. Every one of the students around her was in the advanced track. They had relatively powerful magic ¡ª enough to give even her resilient body pause if they worked together ¡ª but they were all cowards.

    All of them knew that they weren¡¯t fast enough to take her out with a single round of spells. At least one of them would have to be willing to bear the brunt of her attention if the others wanted to have a chance to land their attacks, but not a single one of them was willing to make that sacrifice.

    ¡°You¡¯re wasting my time,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°Either attack or don¡¯t. I came here looking to train and to find a challenge that could really push me to improve. Something tells me none of you are going to be the person I¡¯m looking for.¡±

    ¡°Ollie¡¯s pendant didn¡¯t go off, but he¡¯s missing,¡± one of the other students snarled. ¡°Tell us where he is, or we¡¯re all going to forget this is an exam and the gloves are coming off.¡±

    Alexandra blew out a small sigh, then nodded up to the mushrooms at the edge of the clearing. ¡°If Ollie is the previous one that came after me, he¡¯ s up there. I threw him.¡±

    One of the students turned to look in the direction Alexandra had indicated. A pair of legs extended from the top of a tall mushroom. The rest of him had been buried solidly within its head. Despite the intensity at which the legs were thrashing, it seemed they were having absolutely no luck in freeing their owner from his fungal prison.

    Incredulity crossed the lead student¡¯s face. He took a disbelieving step back and started to turn back toward Alexandra. ¡°You threw¡ª¡±

    She blurred. Wind whipped past her face as she closed the distance between herself and the boy in less than the time it took to draw a breath of air. He activated his shield, panic flashing across his features as he desperately tried to defend himself.

    A glowing silver dome enveloped him for a split second. Then Alexandra¡¯s fist smashed straight through the shield. The magic wasn¡¯t anywhere near strong enough to withstand a Rank 3 Mage who had put every scrap of their available power into the Body Runes powering her every move.

    Alexandra¡¯s fist continued on to connect with the boy¡¯s nose with a loud crunch. Bone crumpled and his head snapped back, sending blood flying through the air in a spray of droplets.  The magic at his fingertips evaporated with a hiss, and Alexandra brought the hilt of her sword down on the top of his head.

    A flash of light lit the clearing as his pendant activated. A slip of paper fluttered through the air and alighted on the ground, now devoid of an owner.

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    All three of the other mages let out panicked curses and released their spells¡ª but it was too late.

    When there had been four of them surrounding her, they might have had a chance to land a good blow on her. But there weren¡¯t four of them anymore.

    Alexandra¡¯s breathing stilled. Her body flowed like a butterfly flitting through a windy day, her features as peaceful as a lake in a still summer day. She stepped to the side as a coil of fire rolled past her face, then passed between blades of silver wind that sliced through the air and ripped through the mushrooms behind her. Shadows rose from the ground and sharpened into blades. They cut at Alexandra, but she slipped past each one of them like there was nothing in her path.

    Her sword flashed. A Shield shattered, and a flash of light filled the air as a pendant activated before the energy from the Shield could even finish crumbling away. Alexandra moved from one student to the next in a single fluid motion. She swung her weapon twice more, and two more students vanished in bright flashes.

    When she came to a stop, the clearing was empty once more. Several more pieces of Catchpaper fluttered to rest on the ground around her feet.

    Alexandra let her sword lower. Her lips thinned and she repressed the urge to shake her head in disappointment. That was just rude. There was no need to be rude ¡ª but she¡¯d been hoping for so much more than this.

    Despite her best efforts, she hadn¡¯t found the real talents from the Advanced track. There were only two groups that she actually wanted to challenge. The first was Fiona ¡ª the agreed upon strongest member of the Advanced Track. She¡¯d never taken part in a sparring match during training, but Alexandra was almost confident the girl was a Rank 3 at the minimum. The rest of her group was likely quite competent as well.

    They would have been a worthy opponent, but Alexandra would have been equally satisfied finding Marley or Yulin, though for entirely different reasons. If Alexandra found Marley ¡ª she had no plans of letting him continue the exam.

    She didn¡¯t have particularly strong opinions of many people in the advanced track, but he was the only one that Alexandra felt absolutely no respect for. At least all the other students had taken steps to hide how scummy they might have been. Marley wore it like a badge of honor on his chest.

    As for Yulin¡­ she and Alexandra had spent quite a few nights practicing swordcraft. Yulin didn¡¯t have much free time to herself. But every second she did have was dedicated to training. She was no match for Alexandra in a real fight, especially if Alexandra utilized her pattern, but in pure swordcraft, Yulin could more than hold her own.

    Fighting her would have been a good use of time. It had been a while since they¡¯d both pushed the limits of what they could do against each other.

    But, for some reason, it almost seemed as if everyone worthwhile was avoiding her. Alexandra¡¯s brow furrowed as she walked around the clearing, gathering the pieces of fallen Catchpaper.

    Several of them already had runes upon their surfaces. That made her ears heat slightly. The point of the exam had been to hunt monsters and capture a Rune from them, but she¡¯d yet to fight a single monster during the exam.

    But, despite that, she had already gathered six Runes from defeating the students she¡¯d come across.

    I suppose they never said where I have to get the runes, just that I have to get them. It¡¯s not my fault people keep donating them to me.

    A dry piece of mushroom crunched and broke through her thoughts. Alexandra turned toward its source, and a flicker of excitement passed through her as she recognized the person approaching her.

    ¡°Alexandra,¡± Yulin exclaimed, sliding to a stop as she skidded into the clearing.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°I¡¯ve been making so much noise that it¡¯s a miracle you didn¡¯t find me earlier. Why are you coming out without your sword drawn, though? That¡¯s practically asking to lose before the fight starts.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not here to fight you,¡± Yulin replied sharply. ¡°You need to come with me. Now.¡±

    Her tone was deadly serious. She wasn¡¯t joking around. Alexandra blinked in surprise. For a moment, she wondered if this was meant to be some sort of trap. It was always possible. She rather liked Yulin, but she hadn¡¯t forgotten whose student the girl was.

    She only hesitated for an instant. Perhaps she was just sentimental, but Alexandra would have liked to say she¡¯d gotten to know the other girl fairly well after the amount of time they¡¯d spent crossing blades. It wasn¡¯t like Yulin to try to lie like this.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Alexandra lowered her sword and strode toward Yulin, who turned and started into the mushroom forest without wasting a moment.

    ¡°Your friends are in danger,¡± Yulin said. ¡°This exam isn¡¯t proctored because the pendants are supposed to ensure people¡¯s safety ¡ª but Isabel¡¯s is sabotaged. Jakob tampered with it before the exam. It¡¯s not going to work.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that all? Isabel will be fine. There isn¡¯t any student that can take out the rest of our group. But I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be willing to tell Arbitage what you just told me?¡± Alexandra asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not suicidal, Alexandra.¡± Yulin sent a flat glare over her shoulder at Alexandra. ¡°Isabel might be talented, but can she fight a professor?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Alexandra asked. ¡°No, of course not.¡±

    ¡°Then we better move faster.¡± Yulin accelerated, forcing Alexandra into a run to keep up. ¡°Professor Jakob is here ¡ª and he¡¯s going to kill Isabel if you don¡¯t get there in time to stop him.¡±

 Chapter 571: Run

    Noah¡¯s eyes bore into the image rippling in between Sievan¡¯s hands. A forest of mushrooms stretched out around Isabel as she, Todd, Emily, and James fought against Marley¡¯s group.

    Beside them, in a smaller image, Alexandra and Yulin raced in search of the others¡­ but they weren¡¯t there, and Noah didn¡¯t know if they¡¯d make it on time. And even if they did, he didn¡¯t know if it would be enough.

    Isabel and the others had no idea about the conversation that had gone down between the other group. They didn¡¯t know they were being hunted.

    Fear pounded in Noah¡¯s heart. Everything had been working out. He¡¯d stopped Wizen and had a way back to the mortal Plane. Sticky had the key back to the Mortal Plane and a way to use it.

    He couldn¡¯t accept that he¡¯d gotten this far just to watch Jakob cut his students down while he did nothing but helplessly stand and watch.

    ¡°Is there any way you can open the portal faster?¡± Noah asked, his hands flexing at his sides.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying,¡± Sticky replied tersely from the platform beside him. Her teeth were gritted in concentration and she clutched the Key with both hands. Red energy twisted around her palms and coursed down the length of the artifact, but it was still dull. ¡°There¡¯s just not much energy left. It¡¯s really hard to establish the connection between the planes. Wizen¡¯s memories are helping¡­ but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be enough. I¡¯m opening the portal as fast as I can.¡±

    ¡°Her speed may not matter,¡± Sievan said. ¡°Time is compressed when you take a portal between the planes. It is only a matter of hours, but it seems that hours will be too long.¡±

    Noah¡¯s throat clenched. He couldn¡¯t take it out on Sticky. She was doing her best ¡ª but Sievan was right. He couldn¡¯t afford to wait hours.

    ¡°Just keep trying your best,¡± Noah said, his fists clenching at his sides. ¡°We¡¯ll figure something out, or they¡¯ll hold out until we can make it. I know they will.¡±

    Moxie put a hand on his shoulder. Her jaw was clenched tight in stress, but she said nothing. They were thinking the same thing. Getting this far just for their students to die while they could do nothing but stand around¡­

    It couldn¡¯t happen. It would be too cruel.

    ¡°Did you not say your students were Rank 2?¡± Sievan asked. ¡°You believe they will be able to fight back against a Rank 4 mage with reinforcements for hours?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not just any Rank 2s. They¡¯re my students.¡±

    Noah¡¯s reply did nothing to stop the thoughts from spinning in his head. He had faith in everyone, but the odds were immensely stacked against them. If Jakob was making his move, then he refused to believe that Verrud would be somewhere on the sidelines. There was more than just one Rank 4 they had to fight.

    He couldn¡¯t leave the students alone against a threat like that.

    He would not fail them.

    But what can I do when I¡¯m stuck all the way in the Damned Plains waiting for a portal that¡¯s going to get us there just a few mere hours too late?

    ***

    Isabel¡¯s sword slammed down into Marley¡¯s shoulder, ringing off the armor with a resounding clang. The ground around them had been ripped to shreds. Fragments of ripped mushrooms and pieces of torn-up roots covered the earth.

    Marley staggered a step back, crossing his swords before him as Isabel swung her glowing blade down once more. Brilliant blue energy crackled as their weapons collided and coils of energy arced off into the air around them.

    With a roar, Marley shoved Isabel¡¯s sword to the side. His Imbued armor flared with power, sending rivers of light rippling down the lines buried within the metal greaves covering his legs.

    He drove a foot into Isabel¡¯s chest. There was a loud thud. The blow didn¡¯t even make her flinch. Marley was forced to jump back as her sword carved through the air where he¡¯d been standing and she continued her advance.

    Roots shot out for Isabel, rising from behind Marley and burst from beneath the ground to reach for her legs. Concentrated bolts of fire tore through several of them as Todd provided backup from the sideline, but the rest were ripped to shreds as Isabel¡¯s sword continued to accelerate.

    Each attack she made cut through multiple different segments of Marley¡¯s magic at once, sending huge root chunks thudding to the ground all around her as she continued her advance toward Marley.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Marley demanded, slashing his blades at Isabel as he backpedaled. She caught the blow on the upswing of her sword, then drove it down for his shoulder in a blur. Despite her glowing blue weapons¡¯ size, it barely seemed to have any weight to it.

    The magical sword slammed into Marley¡¯s shoulder in the same spot that Isabel had hit it previously. But, while Marley had shrugged the previous attack off, this one sent him staggering. His armor dented under her blow and one of his legs trembled.

    Surprise flashed behind his eyes.

    He dropped both of his swords and clapped his hands together. Roots exploded up from the ground all around Isabel and slammed into her stone armor, wrapping around her in a cocoon in an instant. A smug grin crossed Marley¡¯s lips and he took a step back, trying to conceal how hard he was breathing.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Marley said. He clenched his hands, and the bundle of roots tightened against each other as they started to squeeze shut. His eyes drifted toward Todd, his smile turning into a sneer. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you¡ª¡±

    The tip of a burning blue sword carved out of the knot of roots. It carved down and a stone-covered hand reached out from within the nest of woody growth. There were several scratches along the armor¡¯s surface, but it was functionally undamaged.

    Roots crunched and bulged before ripping at the edges, parting to reveal Isabel as she stepped out of the trap. She strode toward Marley at the same speed that she had been moving at before, barely even bothered by his attack.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains?¡± Marley took a step back, his smile evaporating. ¡°What kind of magic are you using? You¡¯re a Rank 2! You shouldn¡¯t be able to¡ª¡±

    A bolt of concentrated fire caught in the side of his head. Marley¡¯s green shield flashed to life, protecting him from the bolt, but it still rippled from the force of the magic. His eyes shot to Todd.

    Todd sent him a rude gesture.

    Before Marley could respond, Isabel¡¯s sword was carving toward him once again. Marley cursed and lunged back ¡ª but not nearly fast enough. The tip of her sword screeched across the front of his armor.

    It ripped deep into the metal, sending coils of magic crackling into the air as it damaged imbuements. Marley stumbled in surprise and tripped over his own feet. He hit the ground with a grunt and a slew of even more curses.

    He scrambled back to his feet, grabbing his swords from where he¡¯d dropped them on the way up. They lit with blue energy and he crossed them before himself an instant before Isabel¡¯s glowing blade hurtled toward him again.

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    A loud clang rang out. The swords were ripped from Marley¡¯s hands and her sword continued down, driving into the damaged armor on his shoulder. It bit deep into the metal and drove Marley down onto one knee.

    ¡°How?¡± Marley demanded through gritted teeth. Magic sputtered from his armor as the Imbuements tried and failed to activate.

    Isabel dismissed the sword as she lifted her hands. She didn¡¯t even bother to answer his question. It barely even looked like she¡¯d heard his words. Her sword reformed in her hands and she brought it back down. Like every blow before it, this one was stronger than the last.

    Marley¡¯s eyes went wide and he hurled himself out of the way ¡ª but he wasn¡¯t nearly fast enough to avoid the attack. The glowing blue sword plummeted straight for his exposed back with enough power to cut through his armor and him alike.

    A clang echoed through the clearing.

    Isabel¡¯s sword had stopped just above her target, caught by a thin grey blade.

    A man with a well-kept goatee and sleek, combed black hair with a faint glossy sheen stood above Marley. His features were sharp and thinned with displeasure.

    Isabel¡¯s pattern broke, her advance halted. She took a step back in surprise. The hair on her neck stood on end.

    What in the Damned Plains? Why is Jakob here? This is a survival exam. There aren¡¯t supposed to be professors present.

    ¡°Why is a professor interfering in the middle of an exam?¡± Todd demanded, walking up to join Isabel as she took several steps back to meet him.

    ¡°Get up, Marley,¡± Jakob¡¯s voice ground out. There was a cold, deadly edge to his tone.

    Marley, who had curled himself into a ball to protect his head, lowered his hands and glanced up. He spotted Jakob and scrambled to his feet. Dirt clung to his armor and magic still sputtered along the huge gouges that Isabel had left in it. A small river of blood ran down from the wound on his shoulder.

    ¡°Professor,¡± Marley stammered. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Enough,¡± Jakob said. ¡°You¡¯ve done your part. I do not know how you¡¯ve managed to fail so badly, but it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I will deal with this myself.¡±

    Marley¡¯s mouth snapped shut.

    ¡°You realize he could have just broken the pendant, right?¡± Emily¡¯s voice rang out as she approached them, her ice bow still in hand. She stopped a fair distance away from them and made no moves to dismiss her weapon.

    Isabel was pretty certain this had absolutely nothing to do with the exam anymore. Jakob¡¯s gaze hadn¡¯t left her once.

    Shit. He¡¯s here for my Master Rune. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s so shameless that he¡¯d just attack midway through the exam. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m giving it to him. I¡¯ll break my pendant on purpose before I hand it over. Why would he choose now? It doesn¡¯t make sense.

    Jakob¡¯s sword flicked. A root exploded up from the ground before Isabel, moving at a dozen times the speed of Marley¡¯s magic. She twisted out of the way, but she wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop it from slamming into her shoulder. It pierced clean through her stone armor and drove through her shoulder. Pain ripped into Isabel and she cried out.

    An explosion ripped through the clearing. Todd blurred through the air, flame curling up from his feet as his fist slammed into Jakob¡¯s face, but a glistening shield burst into being and absorbed the blow.

    A second root shot up from behind Jakob and slammed into Todd¡¯s chest, shattering his armor and pelting him into the ground like a ball.

    Emily¡¯s hands shot up and she fired an ice arrow. It shattered against Jakob¡¯s shield harmlessly.

    ¡°Help!¡± Emily yelled, drawing another arrow. ¡°A professor went rogue! He¡¯s trying to kill us!¡±

    ¡°Oh, be silent. A former Torrin heir should have more respect for themselves,¡± Jakob spat. ¡°Nobody is coming. Do you really think I would be stupid enough to make a move when there were others present?¡±

    Todd fired a blast of fire at Jakob, then drove his fist into the vine pinning Isabel. An explosion ripped the growth to shreds and he pushed Isabel behind himself, his armor reforming around his legs.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Isabel said, gritting her teeth. The wound in her shoulder was bad. She couldn¡¯t risk ripping the vine out and causing herself to bleed out. ¡°We need to get out of here. We can¡¯t fight a professor.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jakob agreed. ¡°You can¡¯t. This farce is over. The other families were so convinced that you were incompetent that you managed to hide the Soul Master Rune for years, but that ends now. I¡¯ll be taking it back.¡±

    Ice gripped Isabel¡¯s heart, but it was fought back by a burning fury that built in her chest. Anger that had been suppressed for years because of her own weakness, ripped to the surface by the sneering professor before her. ¡°Take it back? You tried to steal it in the first place!¡±

    ¡°It belongs in the hands of someone that can use it,¡± Jakob said. ¡°You and your worthless family have no claim to such a powerful weapon. Far too many problems were created by the foolish mercy of leaving you alive. That will not happen again.¡±

    He flicked his hand.

    The ground behind him exploded. A thigh-sized root covered with jagged thorn growths burst free from the ground and blurred into motion as it headed straight for Isabel.

    Her heartbeat thumped in her ears.

    Emily released her ice arrow. Todd leapt forward to knock the Vine off its path, the ends of his gauntlets starting to shatter as an explosion built within them. Neither of them would be enough.

    The world slowed. Her Master Rune hummed in her ears as its power activated and accelerated her mind. She¡¯d refrained from using any more than a trickle of its power for years, but it didn¡¯t matter anymore.

    Isabel had absolutely no idea what Soul was truly capable of. It could manifest her soul as a weapon and let her imbue her will into her armor ¡ª and herself. It had given her a few extra moments to think mid-fight as it infused her mind, accelerating her thoughts, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop Jakob.

    What do I do?

    Panic built in Isabel like a rising tide. They¡¯d made it too far to fail like this. They¡¯d finally started to get strong enough to get a chance to fight back. She couldn¡¯t die here. Todd couldn¡¯t die here.

    Isabel drank from the Master Rune, desperately pulling on its strength as she activated her final trump card.

    Her only normal rune shuddered as it resisted Soul¡¯s mounting pressure. The world slowed even further.

    Even 7 Flawless Rank 2s would have been unable to pull this off ¡ª but a single Rank 3 could.

    The Flawless Rank 3 that she¡¯d formed just before the Exam had started, Flowing Stone.

    It would have been enough to crush any of the other students. But against Jakob¡­ there was only one way to find out.

    Isabel exploded into motion. Streaks of blue light curled off her skin as she drove a hand into Todd¡¯s side, shoving him out of the way and twisting in the same motion.

    Jakob¡¯s vine ripped through the air, the thorns covering it slicing along her skin as it passed her by. Isabel didn¡¯t relent. She blurred forward, a spear forming in her hand as she drove it directly for the Professor¡¯s chest.

    His shield shimmered to life.

    Isabel¡¯s spear passed straight through it, passing through his magic as if nothing was there. The shield didn¡¯t even ripple in the weapons¡¯ passing as it drove forward and slammed into Jakob¡¯s chest.

    The world snapped back into motion.

    Jakob¡¯s foot blurred out and slammed into Isabel¡¯s chest. The air exploded from her lungs and she tumbled back, sliding across the ground as pain burned in the wound in her shoulder and a furious headache pounded in her skull, gripping it like the claws of a demon.

    Isabel¡¯s attack shattered against Jakob¡¯s shield. The green energy rippled, but it didn¡¯t break. He reached up to the wound on his chest, blinking in surprise. Hunger burned in his eyes as he looked to her.

    Shit. It wasn¡¯t enough. He must have body imbuements reinforcing himself.

    ¡°Gah! You little shit. The Soul Master Rune is this powerful, even in your hands?¡± Jakob asked, his voice warped with pain. Isabel¡¯s attack had done a lot of damage, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop him. ¡°Incredible. Imagine what it will do in the hands of a true mage.¡±

    He lifted his hands into the air, his jaw tight. The ground around him shuddered. Isabel tried to call on Soul again, but her power was spent. It had taken every scrap of energy in Flowing Stone to let her access the immense strength of Soul, and now she was drained dry.

    ¡°Run!¡± Isabel yelled. She grabbed her pendant and snapped it.

    Nothing happened.

    What?

    Jakob chuckled, anger and pain twisting his features. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±

    Three roots exploded from the ground. The air beside Isabel shimmered, and an invisible hand fell on her shoulder.

    James was beside her ¡ª but it wasn¡¯t going to be enough. He couldn¡¯t stop Jakob¡¯s magic.

    The roots flashed for Isabel, splitting the air at an incredible speed.

    ¡°Isabel!¡± Todd threw himself forward, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough to block the attack.

    Shimmering disks of light appeared before Isabel as the roots advanced. They shattered like glass, falling apart beneath the power of Jakob¡¯s spell. Then the roots were upon her. She crossed her arms before herself in an attempt to protect her vitals.

    Something blurred past Isabel. The loud snick of severing plant matter filled the air and chunks of root pelted the ground around her. Isabel¡¯s eyes widened.

    Alexandra had arrived before Isabel ¡ª but she wasn¡¯t alone.

    Yulin stood beside her.

 Chapter 572: Fill in

    Isabel was baffled, but she didn¡¯t have time to wonder why Yulin, one of Jakob¡¯s own students, had shown up to stop his attack together with Alexandra. She gritted her teeth as she tried to draw more power from her drained Rune. There was practically nothing left to take after her Master Rune had ground her energy down, but she managed a flicker of power.

    Fortunately for her, Jakob seemed to be just as confused as she was. The roots rising up from the ground around him twitched as he stared at the newcomers. Anger creased his features and his jaw clenched.

    ¡°Yulin. What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Jakob ground out. More roots pushed free of the ground and rose around him like a swaying sea of grass in the wind.

    ¡°You¡¯re on the wrong side, idiot,¡± Marley said. ¡°Did you forget that you were supposed to deal with Alexandra, not bring her here?¡±

    ¡°Have I ever forgotten anything?¡± Yulin asked quietly, raising her sword before her and shifting her stance.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been a decent aid, Yulin,¡± Jakob said, his tone dripping with anger. ¡°But I believe you may have gotten misguided. Perhaps I wasn¡¯t clear enough with my instructions. Deal with the students behind you.¡±

    Yulin¡¯s hands clenched. She didn¡¯t move.

    Isabel would have burst into laughter if she wasn¡¯t so stressed. It looked like Alexandra had somehow gotten Yulin to swap teams. She didn¡¯ t know how, but she wasn¡¯t about to complain. They needed all the help they could get, and Marley was such a raging asshole that it really wasn¡¯t all that big of a surprise that someone that had to deal with him on a daily basis would turn against him. Her only regret was that Yulin didn¡¯t have the same armor that Marley did.

    ¡°Stupid woman,¡± Jakob growled, shaking his head. ¡°What a waste of Torrin resources. You serve us. That is your duty. That is your purpose. You are dead, Yulin. You realize this, yes? You are choosing to betray the Torrin family. There are no more warnings after this. I will kill you along with the thief. We do not harbor traitors.¡±

    Anger pulsed in Isabel¡¯s heart and pushed back the numbing pain in her arm. The absolute gall of Jakob to call her a thief when he was trying to steal her rune. When the noble families had conspired to kill her father and had taken everything from her and Todd. Her stomach twisted in fury and her hands clenched at her sides.

    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Todd¡¯s face creased with concentration. He was trying to do something during the momentary distraction that Alexandra and Yulin had bought them, but she couldn¡¯t tell what.

    ¡°I am not a traitor,¡± Yulin said.

    ¡°Get over here,¡± Marley growled. ¡°Now, Yulin. This is an order. Professor Jakob isn¡¯t playing around. This isn¡¯t the time to decide to be annoying.¡±

    Yulin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t so much as twitch. ¡°Your order is invalid. I obey the Torrin family ¡ª but you and Jakob are unworthy of our name. I have chosen to support a different branch of the family.¡±

    ¡°Oh, ouch,¡± Emily said, drawing an ice arrow back and taking aim at him. ¡°I¡¯m practically homeless, and I¡¯m still a preferrable choice to you, Marley. I think I¡¯d be finding something pretty strong to drink after this. Maybe you can ask Jakob to drink with you, since I doubt anybody else can stomach your presence.¡±

    Marley¡¯s mouth dropped open as his eyes shot to Emily. ¡°Are you kidding me? Her? What claim does she have to the throne? Evergreen is dead! Exal commands the Torrins now. Turning against him is like signing your own death warrant. Even if we don¡¯t kill you here, there won¡¯t be any future left for you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re talking very bold for someone who hasn¡¯t managed to win a single match against me,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°And we outnumber you.¡±

    ¡°Numbers mean nothing in the face of strength,¡± Jakob replied. ¡°I am at the peak of Rank 4. What do you think a few middling children are capable of against me? I have wasted enough time here. Marley, enough playing around. Deal with the worthless ones while I get the Master Rune.¡±

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Marley brought his palms together. Power flared up from his damaged armor as Imbuements hummed to life along it. Magic leaked off the metal and rose into the air in a thick gray haze.

    He lifted his swords and they both ignited with a loud hum, burning with even more energy than they had before. Whoever was supporting Jakob was pumping magic into Marley¡¯s armor and practically throwing huge swathes of it away.

    The amount of power Marley was leaking was painful. He was basically burning magic just to keep his equipment active ¡ª but it didn¡¯t seem like either he or Jakob were particularly concerned with that.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with Yulin, Professor,¡± Marley said with a sneer, stepping forward. ¡°I beat her in matches all the time. You can get the others.¡±

    ¡°I find your presence distasteful, but I do not want to kill you,¡± Yulin said. ¡°Stand down. I have never lost to you when I did not allow myself to.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Marley¡¯s expression darkened in fury. ¡°Then let¡¯s find out which of us is actually stronger.¡±

    That¡¯s hardly a fair challenge. Marley is completely kitted out in fully imbued armor, and Yulin has absolutely nothing but her sword.

    Isabel¡¯s muscles tensed as the roots around Jakob rose up to tower over him, casting a shadow over the entire clearing. The taste of blood stung against Isabel¡¯s tongue and her arm throbbed in pain. She barely had anything to work with, but she clung to the one scrap of magic that she¡¯d gathered in wait for an opportunity. Isabel refused to go down without a fight.

    ¡°You know what?¡± Todd asked, his voice cutting through the clearing. ¡°I¡¯m so fucking fed up with this. You all piss me off.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jakob asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t have to complain much longer. You¡¯re just one more loose end that should have been tied off.¡±

    ¡°And there you go again, spouting off bullshit,¡± Todd said. He cracked his neck, then rubbed at it with one hand, but his eyes never left Jakob. ¡°I used to think every noble was like you and Marley, you know. A bunch of arrogant, self-entitled pricks with massive egos that think the world belongs to them.¡±

    ¡°You are scum,¡± Jakob ground out. ¡°Every single one of you are scum, and you will die like scum. I can¡¯t be bothered to deal with this one. Marley, handle him first. I will discipline Yulin myself.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, Professor,¡± Marley said with a grin. He strode toward Todd, smokey magic curling off his body and into the air like a pyre. ¡°I¡¯ll dig his grave for you.¡±

    ¡°Dig an extra one,¡± Todd said, lifting his hand toward Marley. Stone raced up his body and encased his arm in an extra layer of protection. It jutted out of the back of his shoulder and dull lines of orange energy lit it from within. ¡°Because I¡¯m done fucking around.¡±

    Several loud explosions went off in rapid succession within Todd¡¯s arm. A deafening crack split the air. Steam exploded out the back of his arm and fire rolled out around his fingers in a roar.

    Spurts of fire pushed through cracks in his arm, ripping it apart. He staggered to the side, nearly tripping over his own feet as he fought to keep his balance. The fire only made it about a foot away from him before dissipating into the air.

    Jakob let out a snort of amusement. ¡°You are pathetic. Put the yammering fool down already, Marley. What are you waiting on?¡±

    Marley stood stock still, a sneer frozen on his face as if cast in ice. A trickle of blood rolled down his face and dripped from his nose.

    At the very center of his forehead was a small hole. A stone was lodged deep within his brain, still smoking from the explosion that had launched it free from Todd¡¯s palm.

    The magic pouring from Marley¡¯s armor sputtered and went out. The metal turned dull. Marley pitched back and crashed to the ground like a limp doll with a heavy thud. And there he remained, unmoving.

    ¡°You vile scum!¡± Jakob screamed, thrusting his hands forward. ¡°What have you done?¡±

    Vines exploded forward toward Todd. Alexandra blurred, her figure dancing through the air like the wind itself. She ripped through nearly every vine before it could find its mark, but one slipped past her.

    Yulin dove forward. She grabbed Todd and tackled him to the side, bringing him out of the path of the deadly magic. The Torrin girl rolled to the side and back to her feet. For a moment, she stared at the spot where Marley had fallen. Then she lifted her sword again and returned her attention to Jakob.

    Todd staggered up beside her, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

    ¡°On second thought, you might need to dig the extra grave yourself. I don¡¯t think Marley¡¯s going to be doing much of anything,¡± Todd said. ¡°This one¡¯s on you, dumbass. You turned his pendant off too so he wouldn¡¯t get pulled out of a fight by a small injury since he¡¯s got that bullshit armor to keep him alive. Why should I fight fair when all you ever do is cheat?¡±

    ¡°I am going to kill you. All of you,¡± Jakob said, flexing his fingers like claws as veins bulged in his neck. Roots burst up from the ground around him to replace the ones that Alexandra had destroyed. ¡°Painfully.¡±

    ¡°That hasn¡¯t been the first time someone¡¯s said that to me,¡± Alexandra said, pointing her blade at Jakob. ¡°And it isn¡¯t going to be the last. Professor Vermil isn¡¯t here right now, so I¡¯ll have to fill in for him and remove your head.¡±

 Chapter 573: Help

    The Mushroom Forest rumbled as Jakob ripped roots up from the ground in swathes. Fury burned in his eyes as the worked ground bubbled and churned beneath his feet. Then he thrust his hands forward with a wordless cry of fury and anger.

    Roots exploded forward in a wave.

    ¡°Run!¡± Alexandra yelled, launching herself toward the roiling roots hurtling toward them. Her motions were fluid as her sword danced through the air, slicing through everything in its path.

    Yulin fought at her side. The Torrin¡¯s blade was more akin to a whip of metal than a solid weapon. It seemed to flow and ripple like liquid, growing and shrinking in length as she spun it around her.

    There was no time to appreciate either of their fighting styles. Despite their best efforts, Jakob was pushing them back. For every root they cut down, two more took its place. Thorns burst free from the white foliage, as long and sharp as swords.

    They lost ground with every passing second. Alexandra and Yulin couldn¡¯t hold Jakob off on their own. Despite their skill, Yulin was still a Rank 2 and Alexandra was only Rank 3. The fact that they were holding off Jakob for this long was already impressive ¡ª but they couldn¡¯t just hold him off.

    Isabel grit her teeth as she dug through her mind in search of a solution. They needed backup, but backup wasn¡¯t coming. And despite Alexandra¡¯s order to run, that wasn¡¯t going to do anything either.

    Jakob had control of plants. Right now, they were in a clearing. Running into a forest would just make it even easier for him to attack them. The only advantage they had was numbers, but that wasn¡¯t going to last for long when Jakob started to pick them off.

    How can we beat him? There has to be a way we can pull this off. What would Professor Vermil do if he were here right now?

    ¡°Todd, can you do that thing you just did again?¡± Isabel asked as she fought to catch her breath. Muscles in her neck throbbed in tension as a wave of pain and weakness rolled through her from the wound in her shoulder, but she pushed it down.

    ¡°No,¡± Todd replied grimly. ¡°I drained every scrap of energy I had to use that attack, and that includes the power I recycled to get the explosion that concentrated. There are too many flaws in it still.¡±

    Great. So both of us are functionally out of energy. That only leaves Emily and James.

    The ground before Isabel twisted. Her eyes widened and she leaned back. The reaction wasn¡¯t nearly fast enough. A thin root burst up from the dirt, its tip sharpened to a point, and drove straight for her throat.

    A glimmer of light swirled in the air and a shield formed before Isabel. The vine struck it and the magic shattered, but it bought her the extra half-second she needed to throw herself out of the way.

    ¡°You are wasting all of our time,¡± Jakob snarled, taking a step forward. The intensity of the roots bearing down on Alexandra and Yulin intensified, forcing both of them back.

    One of them scraped along Alexandra¡¯s arm, ripping her shirt but failing to penetrate her skin. Another one shot for Yulin ¡ª but James intervened with a disk of light, blocking the attack and giving the girl a moment to reposition.

    An arrow of ice streaked through the air in a blur. It shot past the roots and slammed into Jakob, only to be blocked by his shield flickering to life. He barely even reacted. The professor just took another step toward Alexandra and Yulin, intensifying the strength of his assault further.

    ¡°You¡¯re trying really hard just to kill a few students. That¡¯s not a good look, man,¡± Todd taunted, stepping away from Isabel and raising his voice loud enough to make sure that Jakob could hear him.

    ¡°Wait your turn,¡± Jakob growled. He swept a hand through the air and a root blurred up from the ground behind Alexandra, striking her square in the back.

    The force of the attack launched her into the air, and another vine whipped out and batted her out of the sky like an insect. She slammed into the ground with a loud crunch.

    Isabel¡¯s heart flew up into her throat, but Alexandra rolled to the side as another root crashed down on the spot where she¡¯d landed. She shot back to her feet, clothing damaged but only bleeding from a few small cuts rather than a severe laceration. Her Body Runes were protecting her against the brunt of Jakob¡¯s magic.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°We need something more,¡± Emily hissed as she sprinted over to stand by Isabel. ¡°I can¡¯t break his shield, and I can¡¯t get close enough to use my pattern without him attacking me. Alexandra and Yulin have his attention, but that won¡¯t last forever. James is trying to back them up, but he¡¯s also low on magic.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Isabel said, her fists clenching at her sides. Frustration crashed against her insides like a raging ocean. All the years of having to hide from the noble families. All the years of knowing what had been done to her and Todd, the years of waiting for revenge ¡ª and all she¡¯d managed to do was stab one of the bastards that had destroyed their families.

    Things can¡¯t end like this, but right now, the only thing we can do is lighten the load on Alexandra and Yulin while we look for an opening.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Todd asked.

    ¡°Take attention away from the others,¡± Isabel said, flexing her fingers and setting her jaw. ¡°Jakob might be able to control a lot of roots, but there¡¯s no way he can split his attention in every single direction. We need to get Emily close enough to use her Formation. She¡¯s the one that has the best chance of breaking Jakob¡¯s shield.¡±

    Todd gave her a sharp nod, and the three of them burst into motion.

    ***

    Noah stared at the fight unfolding before him, invisible hands clenched around his throat. His students were fighting for their lives, and they were putting up a damn good showing ¡ª but it was apparent that they were not going to win.

    Sticky crouched nearby, the portal still gathering before her. Her body trembled with exertion and her face was creased in concentration. She was throwing every single scrap of power and ability she had into controlling the artifact, but it wasn¡¯t going to be enough.

    They didn¡¯t have time.

    Jakob had far more magical energy than the students. Even though his runes weren¡¯t perfect, they were far from trash. He could keep fighting for a lot longer than Isabel and the others could. Time was running thin. It would only be minutes before the students just didn¡¯t have any magic left to work with.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way you can help?¡± Noah asked Sievan, pacing back and forth as desperation and fury swirled within him. All the power he¡¯d gathered meant nothing if he couldn¡¯t be there when it mattered.

    ¡°I cannot,¡± Sievan said. ¡°Even the greatest of demons cannot form a connection between the mortal realm and the Damned Plains on their own. We must be summoned or go through an existing pathway. The Key in Sticky¡¯s hands is one of the only ways to do that, and no others are near us.¡±

    This can¡¯t be happening.

    ¡°Can we help Sticky?¡± Lee asked. Her eyes were locked on the vision of the students and her skin was pallid and sickly. The small demon¡¯s hands clenched at her sides, her claws digging into her palms and drawing blood. ¡°There has to be something we can do!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost there,¡± Sticky said through clenched teeth. The Key trembled in her hands. ¡°I¡¯m going to make the portal. I¡¯m going to be helpful. I promise.¡±

    ¡°Do what you can, Sticky,¡± Moxie said through clenched teeth. ¡°Just get that portal opened. You aren¡¯t at fault for this, but we¡¯re going to fucking kill the people that are.¡±

    Only if we can actually get there. I can¡¯t wait for this portal. I need another way onto the mortal plane. One that doesn¡¯t take me a bunch of time when I cross between the planes. There has to be a way. There¡¯s always ¡ª

    Noah froze.

    That¡¯s it.

    ¡°Mascot,¡± Noah said, his voice as sharp as a blade. ¡°I need you.¡±

    And then Mascot was there, crouched upon his shoulder. For once in the cat¡¯s life, there was no smug amusement or playfulness in the cat¡¯s eyes. The little monster was dead serious.

    ¡°What in the planes is that?¡± Sievan asked, his eyes going as wide as saucers.

    Noah ignored him. Sievan couldn¡¯t help, but Mascot could. A flicker of hope built in his chest.

    ¡°Can you get me there?¡± Noah asked, pointing to the scene playing out before them.

    The cat stared at Noah. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t tell if his request had been misunderstood. He¡¯d always been fairly confident that Mascot could understand what he was saying, but the cat had never actually directly acknowledged any of his requests.

    Mascot shook his head.

    Noah¡¯s stomach fell. The cat had been his only idea, but Mascot couldn¡¯t bring people along with him when he teleported. There wasn¡¯t even time to write a letter to send to Jalen. By the time Mascot found him and Jalen read the letter, he¡¯d still have to find where the students were in the exam. It wasn¡¯t proctored. Nobody was watching. Even if it only took him a minute, it would be too late.

    Mascot was the only one that could slip through planes like it was nothing. If he couldn¡¯t get Noah there, then it was over. There was absolutely nothing he could ¡ª

    No. Fuck that. I¡¯m not accepting this. There has to be another way.

    He was dimly aware of his students surrounding Jakob in the vision. They had split apart to stretch his attention, but the professor had clearly seen combat before. He¡¯d built a ring of spiked vines around himself to keep them from getting close while he bore down on Alexandra and Yulin.

    James was doing what he could to protect the girls, but they were all running out of magic. Blows were connecting more often, and Yulin was already limping badly. There were only minutes left in the fight at best.

    There¡¯s a way to make it out of this. I refuse to accept any alternative.

    The grimoire on Noah¡¯s back shuddered. It somehow slipped itself off his arm and fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

    There was a jerk on Noah¡¯s back. It ripped itself open to a blank page, and worlds scrawled across its surface in black ink.

    I can help.

 Chapter 574: Promise

    Noah stared at the grimoire, trying to make sense of the words upon its page. The book had never spoken to him before. He¡¯d known it was sentient, but this was a step beyond showing Bird inappropriate drawings purely to get him in trouble.

    There was something going on that he didn¡¯t understand. The grimoire was more than he had thought it was. But, no matter how badly he wanted to figure out what the hell was up with it and why Sievan¡¯s men had been so unsettled by the book, there was no time right now.

    The only thing that mattered was his students. He couldn¡¯t waste precious seconds trying to determine what the book was or what it wanted. Noah didn¡¯t care. If it could help him, then everything else could wait.

    More ink bloomed within the grimoire¡¯s page, but this time, it didn¡¯t take the form of words. It made a pattern from runes ¡ª but they weren¡¯t just any runes. Noah recognized these runes.

    They were his own.

    Noah¡¯s eyes went wide. It wasn¡¯t just the runes he recognized. It was the pattern as well. A circle. A circle he¡¯d seen many months before, though it now seemed like it had been years ago.

    The runes within the circle were different than the last time he¡¯d seen it. That did absolutely nothing to change its purpose. Noah knew exactly what the purpose of this pattern was, and he realized what the book was suggesting.

    It was an idea so ridiculous that it would have been laughable in any other situation.

    But this wasn¡¯t any other situation. His students were putting up an incredible fight, but their time was running out, slipping like grains of sand past Noah¡¯s fingertips as he did nothing but watch.

    This situation called for something ridiculous.

    Ink twisted beneath the rune circle to form into more words upon the grimoire¡¯s pages.

    I will require payment.

    ¡°Done,¡± Noah barked. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you need. All I care about is saving my students. If you can let me do that, then anything you want is yours. You¡¯ve seen how I work. You know I hold true to my promises as long as you aren¡¯t asking for something that I¡¯m not willing to offer.¡±

    Accepted.

    Noah slammed the grimoire closed. There was nothing more to be said. He and the book were on the exact same page ¡ª figuratively and literally.

    Mascot hopped down from his shoulder and landed on top of the book. For a moment, he met the cat¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°The book,¡± Noah said, his voice as taut as a tightrope. ¡°Take it to Isabel.¡±

    There was a flicker of acknowledgement in Mascot¡¯s eyes. A ripple of reddish-purple energy washed over the cat and the grimoire beneath it.

    Then they were gone.

    ***

    Isabel dove to the ground. Pain flared through her shoulder as she hit it in a roll, and a loud crash behind her marked a root demolishing the dirt where she¡¯d been moment before. Her breath came out in ragged gasps as she scrambled back to her feet, exhaustion gripping her heart and piercing into her side like a blade.

    She had no time to give in to it. Isabel dove out of the way once more as another root whipped through the air with a whistling howl.

    Dust and wispy white mist swirled through the air around her. It stung her wounds and coated her tongue with the cold flavor of iron and earth.

    Another root was already moving for her face by the time she started to rise. Her muscles screamed in protest as she prepared to dodge, but before she could, Alexandra slipped past her in a blur of motion, her blade carving Jakob¡¯s magic to shreds as she tried to find an opening in his defenses.

    Isabel spat gritty blood onto the ground as she fought to catch her breath with the brief moment that the other girl had bought her.

    Their fight wasn¡¯t going well. Jakob was wearing them down. It was pathetic that the professor hadn¡¯t actually managed to defeat them yet, and it was pretty clear he knew that. The scumbag traitor¡¯s features were twisted in fury and embarrassment as he simply used his superior magical reserves to grind away at what power they had left.

    He knew that there should have been no contest in the fight. Numbers meant nothing in the face of overwhelming strength. He¡¯d said that himself, and yet he hadn¡¯t managed to beat them.

    That would be little solace when they all ran out of magic and died.

    Isabel¡¯s jaw clenched. They only had one chance. Emily¡¯s pattern was practically optimized for destroying shields. She¡¯d been steadily making her way closer to Jakob over the fight, but it was hard to tell if she¡¯d make it in time. Emily was almost certainly close enough to attempt her attack now ¡ª Jakob didn¡¯t know the full range of the mist she could summon ¡ª but the moment she started doing anything, the professor would turn his full strength against her.

    And if she does break Jakob¡¯s shield¡­ I don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll be able to do after that. Can we really kill him, even without a shield?

    Damn it. One step at a time. Emily needs an opportunity.

    I can give that to her.

    ¡°Hey,¡± Isabel screamed over the rushing crash of the vines all around her. She drew on a tiny amount of the magic she still had remaining to summon a flicker of blue energy to her palm. ¡°Torrin scum! Did you get so caught up trying to beat children that you forgot about why you threw your honor away?¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Jakob¡¯s eyes snapped over to her. The vines surrounding him writhed like a dying snake.

    ¡°You have a good point,¡± Jakob hissed. ¡°Perhaps I should just deal with you first.¡±

    Oops. More effective than I was hoping for.

    Todd tackled Isabel out of the way as a dozen massive vines exploded into motion and reached for her as one. They hit the ground in a tumble and he was back to his feet in an instant, yanking Isabel up along with him.

    Isabel¡¯s heart slammed in her chest as she put every scrap of energy she had left into running. She couldn¡¯t risk throwing a glance back at Emily to see how things were going. She heard Alexandra and Yulin fighting behind her, trying to keep the vines from growing close, but they were losing the fight.

    Todd slammed his shoulder into Isabel¡¯s side out of the blue. She lost her footing and hit the ground in a tumble. There was a loud crunch from above her. Todd snarled in pain, and panic ripped through Isabel¡¯s chest like a blade.

    A root had wrapped around Todd¡¯s arm. His bones cracked as it clenched down like a snake and he let out a cry of pain.

    ¡°Todd!¡± Isabel yelled.

    Another root rose up above Isabel as she tried to rise to her feet.

    Then it crashed down.

    Alexandra blurred. She slammed her shoulder into the root, knocking it out of the way. The thorns covering it scraped along her arms and sides as it smashed into the ground directly beside Isabel with enough force to shake the dirt.

    The swordswoman fought to catch her breath. Her clothes were ripped apart and her magic was clearly nearing its limits. There was only so long she could keep her pattern active.

    A root snapped up from the ground and snapped around Isabel¡¯s legs, binding them together and yanking her into the air so fast that a flash of pain shot through her neck.

    ¡°No more running,¡± Jakob snarled. ¡°I¡¯ve had it to my neck with you slippery little rats. I don¡¯t understand how a group of Rank 2 and 3s could be so blasted infuriating.¡±

    He was so focused on her that he didn¡¯t seem to notice the white mist that coiled across the ground at his feet.

    ¡°Go back to licking the Torrin¡¯s feet, you worthless shitstain,¡± Isabel rasped. ¡°My father accomplished more when he took a shit in the morning than you will throughout your entire life.¡±

    The root binding Isabel¡¯s legs tightened. She cried out in pain as the bladed growths covering it dug into her flesh and ground against her bones.

    ¡°I don¡¯t typically enjoy killing, but I¡¯ll make an exception for you,¡± Jakob growled. He extended his hand toward her ¡ª

    A hundred shrill shrieks, overlaid over each other and in rapid succession, carved through the air. Minuscule needles flashed within the mist and Jakob¡¯s shield flashed to life. Ripples exploded across its surface at the violent assault.

    His eyes went wide.

    His shield shattered in an instant, and razor thin cuts bloomed across the professor¡¯s body. Jakob spun, bringing his hand down with a roar. A root exploded from the ground beneath Emily, heading straight for her heart.

    The air before her shimmered as James appeared directly before her, crossing his arms before himself. Several disks of yellow light took form between himself and the white growth. Jakob¡¯s attack smashed through every one of them.

    It continued on into James, slamming his hands into his stomach and driving him into Emily. Both of them were launched off their feet and slammed into the ground with a resounding crash. When it rose, neither of them moved.

    Agony tore through Isabel¡¯s body as she twisted in a desperate atttempt to free herself.

    No!

    A tiny flicker of reddish-purple caught Isabel¡¯s eye as she swayed from the root suspending her in the air.

    Her eyes went wide. Mascot sat before her, perched upon a massive grimoire. The cat pawed at its closed cover.

    It couldn¡¯t be, but there it was.

    Noah¡¯s grimoire.

    Did he send this to me?

    The mist around Jakob evaporated. He turned back toward Isabel.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn,¡± Jakob growled.

    Isabel ripped from her minuscule reserves, spurred by the flicker of hope blooming in her chest. A tiny blue blade formed in her hands and she heaved herself up, driving it into the root and giving it a sharp jerk.

    The plant split apart and she dropped unceremoniously to the ground with a pained thud. Isabel dragged herself toward the grimoire with her hands, her legs worthless.

    The shadow of a root rose up over Isabel.

    She grabbed onto the sides of the grimoire.

    ¡°I could use a little help, professor,¡± Isabel whispered through ragged gasps. ¡°We need you.¡±

    ¡°What would your father say if he saw you crawling away from a battle?¡± Jakob asked, his cold laughter ringing through the clearing. ¡°Pathetic until the end.¡±

    The root crashed down.

    The grimoire in Isabel¡¯s hands ripped itself open, and inky shadow arose from within it with a howl like a soul escaping the depths of the afterlife.

    A clawed hand made of darkest night formed from the books pages and moved in a split instant, grabbing the root an inch before it could come into contact with Isabel¡¯s back.

    There was a loud crunch.

    Plant matter splattered across Isabel¡¯s back as the hand closed down, crushing the root into pulp.

    The dark arm rippled, and a second one emerged from the book. It crashed into the dirt with enough force to send tremors ripping through the earth beneath Isabel, and an abomination rose free from within its pages.

    Twisting strands of sinewy flesh as black as night had been crudely sewn together to make up its figure. It undulated and pulsated like a warped parody of a beating organ. The monstrosity had a slender, sickly form that bent like it had been broken over and over, and it would have been easily twenty feet tall if it hadn¡¯t been so hunched over.

    Long arms as thin as bones jutted at its sides and dug into the ground, slender fingers digging through the dirt like there was nothing there. Its eye sockets were empty and sunken, a crooked mouth of all-too-wide teeth twisted into a horrifying smile as the creature drew in a deep, wheezing breath.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains is that?¡± Jakob asked, his voice raising in pitch and disgust. He flicked his hands forward and every root around him exploded forward, crashing down toward Isabel and the monster like an avalanche.

    The horrifying creature lifted its warped finger into the air and touched the nearest root as it approached. There was a loud, wet squelch.

    Every single root in the clearing shriveled in on themselves like they had been flash dried. They collapsed to the ground, brittle and worthless.

    Jakob¡¯s disgust turned to horror. He took a step backward, his lips parting. Then his hand shot up to his neck, pulling free a pendant and preparing to rip it off his neck.

    That fucking coward. He brought one of the escape pendants meant for students?

    The monstrosity beside Isabel drove one of its arms into the ground in a blur. Black flesh exploded up from the dirt before Jakob and a spindly hand clamped down around his arm.

    There was a crunch followed by a wet, splattering rip. Jakob¡¯s arm flew free of his body, torn clean off at the shoulder. He let out a scream of agony.

    ¡°Don¡¯t leave so quickly, Professor,¡± the abomination said, its voice a hissing whisper. Massive teeth ground against each other as its grin stretched to cover its entire face. ¡°I have been promised your runes. I will ensure you live long enough for me to properly enjoy this.¡±

 Chapter 575: The Book

    ¡°How long are you just going to make us sit around doing nothing?¡± Silvertide demanded, his normally calm eyes burning with poorly restrained fury. The elderly soldier drove his staff into the dirt at his feet to punctuate his words. ¡°Are you going to wait until the children are dead, Jalen?¡±

    The tension within the small clearing in the mushroom forest was high. A number of teachers that most certainly should not have been present at the exam stood in a group, staring at a small, three-dimensional recreation of a section of the forest made from stands of twisting purple magic that floated above Jalen¡¯s hand.

    Even without detail, it was easy to make out the forms of the students squaring up against Jakob.

    ¡°Silvertide is right,¡± Brayden said. His knuckles were white around the hilt of the huge sword at his back and he shifted from foot to foot. If it had been anyone but Jalen standing in his path, he would have already acted ¡ª and he was starting to consider disobeying even the head of his own family. ¡°Your games are going to get them killed. I promised Vermil that I¡¯d protect his students.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t promise him shit. He fucked off to the Damned Plains before you could,¡± Jalen replied, examining his nails. He blew out a short breath and shook his head. ¡°Nobody is moving anywhere. We will not be budging from this location.¡±

    ¡°Jalen, I think you might be taking things too far,¡± Bird said as she took a step toward the Linwick Family¡¯s head. ¡°I don¡¯t have the tie any of you do to those kids, but Jakob is cheating. We should be notifying the proctor and stopping the exam. They can¡¯t beat Jakob ¡ª and he¡¯s clearly using artifacts to strengthen himself. This isn¡¯t a fair fight in any stretch of the imagination.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not taking advice from someone that starts stripping at the first sign of trouble,¡± Jalen said, placing a finger on Bird¡¯s forehead and pushing her back the step she¡¯d just taken. ¡°But look at you, actually growing a backbone. Cute. Maybe we¡¯ll keep you around.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what?¡±

    ¡°Ignore him,¡± Silvertide growled. ¡°Jalen, I¡¯m not playing around any longer. I spent far too many years standing to the side and ignorant of those kids¡¯ plight. That will not happen again. I will not stand around while they are cut down.¡±

    ¡°Nor will I,¡± Brayden said. He glanced at Bird out of the corners of his eyes. She blew out a heavy sigh.

    ¡°Or I,¡± Bird said.

    ¡°Damned Plains, you¡¯re all so cute,¡± Jalen said through a bark of laughter. He reached into his pocket. ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m offended that you think so poorly of me. Do you really think that I¡¯d be doing absolutely nothing purely because I thought it would be entertaining?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± every single other person in the clearing said.

    Jalen winced. ¡°Perhaps I deserved that. But I can assure you ¡ª this is not without reason. I would have stepped in long ago myself if not for this.¡±

    He pulled a folded piece of paper free from his pocket and flipped it open with a finger. A single sentence had been cut into the paper with the tip of what seemed to have been a small claw.

    Do not interfere.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Brayden asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. ¡°A threat? From Jakob or Verrud?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen replied, his voice going grim. ¡°From the fucking cat.¡±

    And that was when Jakob¡¯s arm, seemingly of its own volition, flew off his body.

    ***

    Jakob staggered backward, his face as pale as a sheet. Blood coursed from the stump of his shoulder and soaked into his clothes as it poured down the side of his body.

    ¡°What are you? A demon?¡± Jakob demanded, flicking his other hand. A root burst free from the ground and shot for the abomination¡¯s throat.

    The warped monster twitched. It carved through the professor¡¯s magic without so much as glancing in its direction. A raspy laugh ground out from its mangled throat.

    ¡°A demon?¡± The abomination lurched forward, dragging itself forward at a terrifying speed with its gangly hands before slamming a palm into Jakob¡¯s chest.

    Jakob¡¯s legs buckled beneath the strength of the blow. It slammed him into the ground with a loud crunch, and several of his bones cracked under the monstrosity¡¯s palm as it pressed down on him, claws tightening around the professor¡¯s body.

    ¡°No, professor,¡± the abomination said, its words scraping against the air like nails on a chalkboard. The ghastly, wide-toothed grin on its face stretched even wider. ¡°I am so much more than that. More than you could ever comprehend.¡±

    It lifted Jakob into the air. The man writhed in the monster¡¯s grip. He flexed his remaining hand like he was trying to call on his runes, but nothing happened. The professor wheezed, even more of the blood draining from his face as his legs kicked helplessly.

    ¡°What is this?¡± he wheezed. ¡°What are you doing to my magic?¡±

    ¡°Taking it,¡± the abomination replied, shifting its voice to match Jakob¡¯s wheezing tone. ¡°You lack flavor, professor. You are hardly worth the effort my master spent sending me here. I no longer feast on fear, but I suspect that I would make an exception for you.¡±

    ¡°You are a demon,¡± Jakob forced out. ¡°You¡¯ll never make it out of this forest. You and your master¡ª¡±

    A laugh ripped through the clearing, and the rest of Jakob¡¯s sentence vanished in a pained cry as the abomination¡¯s hand tightened around his body, cracking his bones and ripping deep into his flesh.

    ¡°You don¡¯t even realize your situation,¡± the vile monstrosity said. ¡°Are you so scared that you speak to yourself, Jakob? Who will save you from the empty air?¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Its grip loosened and Jakob dropped to the ground in a crumple. He groaned in pain and forced himself upward ¡ª only to find nearly every one of the students staring at him in confusion.

    Jakob and Isabel realized what the abomination meant at the exact same time. Nobody else could see the monster. It was invisible to all but Jakob and Isabel¡¯s eyes ¡ª and it didn¡¯t seem that the monster even realized that Isabel was among the number of the enlightened.

    ¡°Verrud! Help me!¡± Jakob screamed. ¡°The girl has¡ª¡±

    There was a wet crunch as the monster drove its fist through Jakob¡¯s stomach, shattering his ribcage and tearing through his internal organs. It ripped its hand free. Blood dripped from its fingers. It flicked its hand, splattering viscera across the ground.

    Twisting rivers of magical energy rose up from Jakob¡¯s body and spun into the monster¡¯s palm. It let out a satisfied sigh as Jakob wheezed, still gasping and begging for help.

    Isabel swallowed heavily. She could still taste her own blood in her mouth. Something soft butted into her thigh. She glanced down at Mascot, who padded back over to the book before her and pawed at its pages.

    Upon its surface was a circle of Runes. It wasn¡¯t a pattern she recognized, but something about the runes almost felt vaguely familiar.

    ¡°Verrud!¡± Jakob screamed again. ¡°We had a deal!¡±

    Mascot pawed the runes on the page again. He sent a pointed look up at Isabel, then flicked her with his tail.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Isabel asked, wiping her mouth with the back of a sleeve. ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡±

    She could have sworn the cat squinted at her. Mascot planted a paw in the center of the page. Across the clearing, Jakob screamed again as the aberration lifted him into the air and shook his body around like a child¡¯s doll. Blood sprayed from the professor¡¯s body and splattered across the ground as his cries grew weaker.

    Mascot wants me to touch the rune circle? Why?

    Isabel reached for the page.

    A loud crash roared through the clearing. Isabel¡¯s eyes snapped up as a huge waterfall slammed down on Jakob and the abomination, driving them both to the ground. The blood in her veins froze as Verrud emerged from the side of the clearing, his features etched in fury and hand outstretched.

    ¡°What in the Damned Plains is going on?¡± Verrud snarled. He ripped a healing potion from his waist and hurled it at Jakob.

    It struck the other professor in the side and shattered, coating him with glowing red liquid. Energy shimmered as his wounds started to knit themselves shut.

    ¡°Ah,¡± the abomination said. ¡°There we are. I had to slow down. It was getting difficult to rip the power from your body. Humans are so fragile.¡±

    The abomination rose back to its full height ¡ª and the professor¡¯s eyes widened. He might not have been able to see the monster, but he could certainly see the water dripping from its form.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Verrud demanded, horror twisting his features.

    ¡°We need to run!¡± Jakob yelled. ¡°It¡¯s a demon! An invisible¡ª¡±

    The abomination drove its hand back into Jakob¡¯s stomach and he let out a scream of pain. Verrud thrust his hands forward and water ripped itself from the air, slicing into the abomination in a hail of razor-sharp blades.

    They cut through the monster¡¯s black, twisted flesh and it collapsed into a pile of oozing pieces and shadow ¡ª only to start pulling itself back together a moment later. Jakob dragged himself backward and lifted a hand.

    His fingers trembled, but no plants arose from the ground. A trickle of blood ran down from his nose.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Jakob demanded, his voice weak. ¡°What have you done?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± the abomination said as it finished reforming in its entirety. ¡°How disappointing. That was all you had?¡±

    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Verrud demanded, sending another wave of slicing water in the abomination¡¯s direction. The monster twitched out of the way, only taking a few glancing blows. ¡°The demon?¡±

    ¡°Where are my runes?¡± Jakob screamed.

    ¡°Thank you for the meal,¡± the abomination said through a raspy laugh. It lifted a hand, and seven flickering green runes twisted through the air above its fingertips before vanishing once more. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we won¡¯t get to spend more time together, professor. My energy runs thin.¡±

    The monstrosity turned toward Isabel. For a brief instant, its empty, eyeless gaze was directed right at her. Its smile grew wider. The monster knew she could see it.

    Isabel¡¯s blood ran cold and her hands went clammy.

    Then the creature collapsed, transforming into a stream of energy that flooded back into the pages of the grimoire.

    ¡°Jakob!¡± Verrud roared. ¡°Snap out of it. Tell me where the monster is!¡±

    ¡°It ¡ª it¡¯s gone,¡± Jakob stammered, staring at his palms in disbelief. ¡°I¡­ my magic. Where¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop yammering, you idiot,¡± Verrud snarled. He spun toward Isabel. Magic twisted into a spinning disk above his palm. ¡°You had one job. Kill a worthless, blacklisted girl. How did you fail so badly?¡±

    Oh, no. We can¡¯t beat him. Not like this. Where¡¯s the monster? Come back!

    ¡°They were stronger than I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up,¡± Verrud said. ¡°Incompetent idiot. I should have known better to work with a second-rate family. I¡¯ll deal with this myself.¡±

    Todd staggered to his feet, his teeth gritted. Emily and James dragged themselves up as well, and Alexandra and Yulin both moved before Isabel as well.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to get through all of us,¡± Alexandra said, lifting her sword. She was tired ¡ª they all were ¡ª but none of them were out of the fight.

    ¡°Trust me,¡± Verrud said, the disk of water in his palm splitting into six, ¡°that will not be a problem. I¡¯ve been waiting to do this for quite some time.¡±

    We can¡¯t win. I don¡¯t even know how strong Verrud is, but he¡¯s more powerful than Jakob. He¡¯s probably a Rank 5. This is so fucking unfair. I can¡¯t let everyone die for me.

    Isabel opened her mouth to tell the others to run¡ª

    Mascot batted her in the nose. He sent a furious glare at the page before her, then whacked it with his tail.

    Isabel slapped her palm against the center of the rune circle. She felt a faint prickle as the grimoire pulled at the tiny sliver of magic that she had left, and she gave it freely.

    A ripple of magic pulsed out from the grimoire. It ripped past Isabel and rolled across the ground, passing by all of the students and washing over Verrud. A crackle split the air and the professor¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°What have you done?¡± Verrud. Horror twisted his features and he took a step back, his face going several shades paler. ¡°Idiot girl.¡±

    Arcs of electric crimson energy screamed out from the grimoire and rose into the air. They twisted into a horizontal portal directly above the grimoire¡¯s pages. Waves of power pulsed off the disk of energy, each one coming stronger than the last.

    A flicker of smug satisfaction passed through Mascot¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Gods above,¡± James breathed, staring at the grimoire as fear gripped his features. ¡°That amount of energy¡­ everyone, run! Now!¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Alexandra asked. ¡°What did she do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s far too late to run,¡± Verrud breathed, ripping even more energy from the air. An ocean of water twisted into the sky above him as he readied an attack. ¡°She¡¯s killed us all. The fool summoned an Archdemon.¡±

    Rivers of purple lightning ripped out from within the portal and scorched the ground around the grimoire as a glowing figure rose up from within the portal, details twisting themselves into place as the energy took physical form.

    Isabel¡¯s mouth dropped open in disbelief as a familiar shape took form in the air before her.

    ¡°Wrong, you slimy piece of shit,¡± Noah growled as his form materialized in the mortal plane. He stepped down from the portal and cracked his neck. ¡°She summoned me.¡±

 Chapter 576: Return

    Verrud¡¯s mouth went slack. He stared at Noah like he was witnessing a ghost rise back up from the depths of hell. All things considered, that wasn¡¯t too far from the truth. Disbelief gripped the professor¡¯s entire body and he took a step back. Burnt ground crunched beneath his heels as he took another step.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Verrud stammered. ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡±

    Even though Isabel had already known that Noah still lived she couldn¡¯t help but feel the same shock crossing over her own face. Her lips parted as dozens of emotions crashed within her like oceans all meeting at a single point. Relief, surprise, exhaustion ¡ª there was just too much to properly handle at once.

    ¡°Dying seems to be a reoccurring symptom for me,¡± Noah said, baring his teeth. Arcs of purple magic danced across his fingers. ¡°Unfortunately, it just never seems to stick. Maybe you can take that up with management when you see them.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an Archdemon,¡± Verrud said. His face went as pale as a sheet. ¡°That¡¯s why you took the worthless girl in. You were planning to take the Soul Master Rune for yourse¡ª¡±

    The air cracked as a bolt of lightning ripped from Noah¡¯s palms. Verrud¡¯s shield flared to life, twisting gray energy enveloping his body and absorbing the magic with a ripple. He flinched, then blinked when he realized the shield hadn¡¯t fallen.

    ¡°Don¡¯t group me in with the likes of scum like you,¡± Noah said. ¡°You know what the problem with Arbitage ¡ª no. With every single noble family ¡ª is? It¡¯s people like you. All machinations and stupid little plots to try and wrest power from each other instead of fucking earning it for yourself. You can¡¯t even comprehend the idea that others aren¡¯t trying to lie and cheat their way to strength.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re no Archdemon,¡± Verrud said, looking at his rippling shield. His eyes lifted back to meet Noah¡¯s and he bared his teeth in a sneer. ¡°That magic was Rank 5 at the strongest. You¡¯re just the same coward professor. Was that just a lightshow? Some trick to make for a grand reappearance after you abandoned your students to go into hiding?¡±

    ¡°Whoa, look at the switchup. You¡¯re really grasping at straws here,¡± Noah said. He glanced at Jakob, who still laid on the ground, wheezing for air. ¡°What happened to that moron? He lost a fight to a bunch of teens ¡ª speaking of which, good job, all.¡±

    ¡°Your mockery will mean nothing when I kill you properly,¡± Verrud spat. The water he¡¯d gathered churned in the air like an ocean preparing to come crashing down on their heads.

    ¡°I mean seriously,¡± Noah said, shaking his head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that fucking prick a Rank 4? What was he doing with his domain? Sitting on it? How do you let a Rank 3 damage you at Rank 4? Is his control over his domain so poor that this was the extent of his power?¡±

    The flush of embarrassment and anger that crossed Jakob¡¯s face was enough to tell Isabel that Noah had hit the nail on the head. It seemed that Jakob wasn¡¯t anywhere near as capable of a mage as he would have liked people to believe.

    Even through the pain and exhaustion, Isabel let out a laugh. Verrud¡¯s features erupted in fury.

    ¡°Enough!¡± With a roar, Verrud brought his hands crashing down.

    The enormous amount of water in the air came down directly upon Noah¡¯s head like an avenging waterfall, bearing with it thousands of pounds of force. The ground rumbled under the immensity of the magic and Noah was enveloped entirely within it.

    Isabel¡¯s stomach clenched. Verrud was one of the most powerful mages she¡¯d ever seen in combat. Noah was strong, but she¡¯d never seen him survive an attack like that before.

    Verrud thrust his hand up, drawing up the water in preparation for another attack ¡ª and his eyes widened.

    Noah stood with an amused expression on his lips. There wasn¡¯t a single wet hair on his body. He was as dry as a bone in a desert. His head tilted to the side and he arched an eyebrow.

    ¡°Would you look at that. It looks like my domain is stronger than your magic.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky,¡± Verrud spat. He twisted his hands and the water separated into dozens of twisting spikes that gathered in the air above Noah. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but the scum of the Linwick family. Using artifacts isn¡¯t going to save you forever.¡±

    ¡°Using artifacts?¡± Noah let out a burst of laughter. ¡°You know, if I cared enough to correct you, then I would.¡±

    A spike of water screamed toward Noah. He lifted a palm toward it and gray magic erupted from within it, arcing out and slamming into the water. The spike exploded in a spray of mist that dissipated before it could reach Noah.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Verrud asked, his confidence faltering as he stared at Noah. ¡°What did you do?¡±

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    ¡°Water counts as matter,¡± Noah said, flexing his palm. ¡°Good to know. I¡¯d love to make a proper example of you, Verrud. Unfortunately, I¡¯m on a time limit.¡±

    ¡°You are using artifacts,¡± Verrud said. His lips curled up in a sneer. ¡°False power will never¡ª¡±

    ¡°God, you¡¯re a moron,¡± Noah said. He clapped his hands together, pulling them apart as blocky gray energy gathered and twisted between his fingers. ¡°I know it¡¯s been a while, all. But please, watch closely. We¡¯ve got a lesson to catch up on.¡±

    ¡°What are you blabbering about?¡± Verrud snarled, sending a dozen spikes of water crashing down for Noah. ¡°If you have real power, then show it. Talk is for the weak.¡±

    Noah thrust his hands outward. His magic slammed into Verrud¡¯s and ripped through it, destroying every drop of the water before it could grow anywhere near him. The unease on Verrud¡¯s features grew stronger.

    ¡°I¡¯ll happily oblige you,¡± Noah said. His expression went flat. ¡°Today¡¯s lesson: don¡¯t fuck with my students.¡±

    Noah blurred into motion, moving faster than Isabel had ever seen him. Her eyes went wide. He was nearly as fast as Lee.

    Verrud jerked his hands back and water twisted around his body in a defensive orb ¡ª but Noah hadn¡¯t been going for him. He¡¯d been going for Jakob. Noah¡¯s foot lifted into the air.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Jakob rasped. ¡°I¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s heel slammed into Jakob¡¯s skull. The professor¡¯s head slammed back against the ground and bone shattered with a crunch. Blood splattered across the dirt as Noah lifted his foot free, disgust twisting his features.

    ¡°That one was from Moxie,¡± he said. There wasn¡¯t a single trace of amusement left in his voice. ¡°Enjoy the wait, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure you have company.¡±

    ¡°Killing an Arbitage Professor is an assault on the school itself,¡± Verrud snarled, sending two blades of water screaming out.

    Noah turned to face Verrud and lifted a hand into the air. Gray energy stretched out from his palm and consumed the magic before it could reach him. His eyes narrowed. ¡°And what does attempting to kill its students count as?¡±

    ¡°When they are worthless? Taking out the trash,¡± Verrud spat. He sent a dozen blades of rippling magic slicing through the air toward Noah from every direction.

    Every single one of them missed. Noah blurred past the magical attacks, his body twisting and contorting in ways that Isabel would have sworn that only Lee was capable of. The distance between him and Verrud evaporated like summer rain.

    The Herron Professor ripped a dagger free from its spot at his waist and thrust it forward. More spikes of water shot down toward Noah at the same time. Once more, every single attack missed as he blurred out of the way, not even bothering to use magic to stop the strikes.

    ¡°You can¡¯t even get through my shield,¡± Verrud spat. ¡°What do you think you¡¯ll be able to¡ª¡±

    White cracks carved through the air from Noah¡¯s palm. Verrud didn¡¯t even try to dodge out of the way. The sneer was still present on his face when the magic passed clean through the gray shield as if nothing was there. It wound past the Professor¡¯s hip, traveling about a foot away from Noah¡¯s palm.

    Then the cracks detonated with a loud, sharp snap. Verrud let out a scream of pain as his Shield shattered ¡ª along with several of the bones in his right leg. He crumpled, suddenly no longer able to support himself, and landed on his back as his eyes went wide in horror.

    The professor¡¯s eyes went wide in disbelief. He dragged himself back with his hands as Noah stared down at him, his features still as flat as the stone face of a cliffside.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t an artifact,¡± Verrud stammered, pain tinging his voice. His hand scrabbled at his side and he grabbed a healing potion.

    He never got a chance to use it. Noah¡¯s foot slammed down on his arm, driving it into the ground in a blur. The potion rolled from Verrud¡¯s grip, coming to a stop in a burnt pit in the ground several feet away from them.

    Isabel could barely believe what she was seeing. Verrud wasn¡¯t just losing the fight. He was getting manhandled. The bastard looked like he¡¯d never used magic a day in his life ¡ª but she knew that wasn¡¯t the truth. He was a powerful mage that should have been able to fight back against even a low level Rank 6, even if he had no chance of winning.

    She swallowed heavily.

    How strong has Noah become?

    ¡°No extensions,¡± Noah said. White lightning buzzed across his palm as he lifted a hand into the air. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for those right now.¡±

    ¡°Demon,¡± Verrud rasped.

    ¡°Would you make up your goddamn mind?¡± Noah exclaimed. ¡°First I¡¯m a demon, then I¡¯m not. When will you stop twisting the truth and realize that you¡¯re just fucking weak? This isn¡¯t a fight, Verrud. You¡¯re a rabid dog, and I¡¯m putting you down. I¡¯d tell you to find an opponent your rank the next time around instead of going after my students ¡ª but, well, there won¡¯t be a next time.¡±

    ¡°My family will destroy you,¡± Verrud spat. ¡°You cannot kill me and get away with it. The Herrons will find out. They will rip you and the thieving bitch into shreds. You will never know peace. Every one of your waking moments will¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s foot slammed into Verrud¡¯s stomach and the rest of the man¡¯s sentence vanished in a wheeze of pain as he folded like a sheet of paper. He crouched down, the white magic racing across his fingertips intensifying.

    ¡°If you happen to run into Renewal, do me a favor and let her know that I owe her a fruit basket.¡± He grabbed Verrud by the head. Jagged white cracks expanded through the air all around the man¡¯s skull.

    The other professor¡¯s eyes only had an instant to go wide before there was a loud, ear-splitting crunch.

    And in that moment, it struck Isabel that her professor hadn¡¯t been posturing. At no point had she witnessed an actual fight between Verrud and Noah. That would have required one of the parties to have a chance of victory.

    No, this hadn¡¯t been a fight.

    It had been an execution.

    Noah straightened, shaking the blood from his hand as he let the shattered corpse tumble from his grip. He turned, and the cold anger that had burned within his eyes evaporated in an instant as he properly laid eyes on his students for the first time since falling into the Damned Plains.

    ¡°Professor,¡± Isabel said, pushing through the pain and rising to her feet. The only emotion that still remained in her was relief, and a small smile crossed over her lips. ¡°Welcome home. We¡¯ve missed you.¡±

 Chapter 577: Problem

    Noah couldn¡¯t describe the immense amount of relief he felt at seeing every single one of his students alive and kicking. They were bruised up and exhausted to the core, but none of their injuries were too bad. Isabel looked to have the worst of things.

    He hooked the potion that Verrud had dropped from the ground with a foot and kicked it up into the air, grabbing it and handing it to Isabel. She took it with a weary smile, ripping the cork off and downing the healing liquid.

    A dull tug pulled at the back of Noah¡¯s mind. It wasn¡¯t an unfamiliar sensation, but it was one he was unused to having while he was still within his own body. Noah grimaced and pushed the sensation away. He still had some time.

    ¡°Professor Vermil,¡± Emily said, wiping a few specks of blood away from her face with the back of her hand. ¡°Where¡¯s Moxie? Is she¡ª¡±

    ¡°Safe.¡± Noah raised his hands to forestall any questions. They had so much to talk about, but this wasn¡¯t the place. He sent his domain out in every direction, activating his tremorsense to see if there was anyone else nearby. A small grin tugged at his lips. It looked like Verrud had taken steps to ensure nobody would be around, and that had worked against him perfectly. He blew out a small breath. ¡°And Lee is safe too. All of us are fine.¡±

    ¡°Can we bring them back as well?¡± Emily asked, swallowing heavily. ¡°I miss Moxie.¡±

    Emily¡¯s matured a fair bit if she¡¯s actually able to admit that. Damn. How much have I missed?

    ¡°We¡¯ll all be back soon,¡± Noah promised. ¡°It might be a few days or so, but we¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°We?¡± Todd asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you already back?¡±

    ¡°Only for a bit,¡± Noah replied. He knelt by the grimoire resting beside Isabel and flipped it closed. ¡°We had to do a bit of a stopgap. I couldn¡¯t spend the time waiting to get here the proper way, so we had to accelerate things. I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Your professor is a demon,¡± Yulin said, taking a step back as her features went as pale as a ghost. ¡°You summoned a demon to the exam.¡±

    Noah glanced in her direction. He¡¯d almost forgotten Jakob¡¯s student was still there. His head tilted slightly to the side as he studied her. Marley had been a little shit, but the boy laid dead at Jakob¡¯s side, a hole between his eyes. Yulin hadn¡¯t been nearly as bad as him, but she¡¯d still been an opponent.

    If anyone tells the Torrins or any other noble family about what happened here, we¡¯re all fucked.

    Alexandra stepped in front of Yulin. ¡°Please wait, Professor. Yulin is the one that told me what Jakob was planning. She put her own life on the line because she disagreed with his and Marley¡¯s actions. We can trust her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s pledged herself to aiding me instead of Marley,¡± Emily said after a moment of silence. ¡°I¡¯m still Main Branch. That means she follows any direct orders from me or my mentor. Moxie is my only mentor, even if she got exiled. She¡¯s thrown her lot in with us.¡±

    Have I grown so cold that they think I would actually just murder a kid because she might report what happened to her family?

    The thought caused a small frown to pull at Noah¡¯s lips as a second one followed after it.

    I would do that. When it comes to Lee, Moxie, and everyone here, there¡¯s no life that I wouldn¡¯t sacrifice to keep them safe.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill Yulin,¡± Noah said with a shake of his head and dismissing his thoughts. They weren¡¯t something he could afford to spend time on right now ¡ª and he hadn¡¯t been forced to kill anyone that the world would miss. Removing Verrud and Jakob had been a favor to everyone that had known them. ¡°I saw her fighting to protect you all. If you trust her, then I¡¯ll listen to you¡­ assuming she doesn¡¯t mind what just happened to her professor.¡±

    ¡°We are trained to prepare for death,¡± Yulin said, swallowing heavily. ¡°Both ours and those of our allies. Jakob will not be missed. I am unprepared to work with a demon, but I suppose it will not be overly different from what I have experienced before.¡±

    Noah snorted. ¡°Good enough for me, but I¡¯m sorry to disappoint.¡±

    ¡°Disappoint?¡± Yulin blinked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a demon,¡± Noah said. Another tug pulled at the back of his mind and he thinned his lips. ¡°Which is why my time right now is rather limited. Summoning me doesn¡¯t work quite the same as it does for a demon. I¡¯ll be pulled back to the Damned Plains soon. Minutes at most.¡±

    Isabel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Noah said. ¡°As I was saying earlier, we have a way back. We¡¯ll return soon. All of us. There¡¯s just a little bit more I have to take care of. What¡¯s most important is that all of you are fine.¡±

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    ¡°How can someone summon you if you aren¡¯t a demon?¡± Yulin muttered.

    Alexandra put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it.¡±

    ¡°To your dead professor getting summoned?¡±

    ¡°Not understanding what the fuck is going on,¡± Emily corrected.

    Noah raised an eyebrow. ¡°Someone¡¯s had some bad influences.¡±

    Emily winced. ¡°Shit. Don¡¯t tell Moxie, please. How long do I have before she gets back? She¡¯s going to be so mad if she realizes I talk like this now. She spent years trying to get me to speak like a proper Torrin.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve got slightly bigger problems to worry about,¡± Noah replied with a chuckle. ¡°But back to business. Until I make it back, I want all of you to¡­ well, keep doing what you have been, I guess. I didn¡¯t get to see all of your fight, but I saw enough to say how proud I am of how far you¡¯ve come. We have a lot of stuff to talk about.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t make us wait too long,¡± Todd said. ¡°I appreciate our other teachers, but they kind of suck. Jalen has been making us play darts with him, and Bird keeps trying to get us to strip.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s doing what now?¡± Noah asked, his train of thought running straight into a wall and crashing in a ball of flames.

    ¡°Ignore him,¡± Isabel said, flicking Todd in the shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s just being an idiot. We do miss you though, Professor. Lee and Moxie too. I hope you didn¡¯t break anything too important while you were gone.¡±

    If only you knew.

    Noah scratched his chin. ¡°Eh. Just the usual.¡±

    ¡°So the Damned Plains are gone,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°What? No. They¡¯re fine. Mostly. Why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you blow up Dawnforge when you went there on vacation?¡±

    ¡°What? No!¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexandra said. ¡°You definitely did.¡±

    ¡°That was hardly my fault,¡± Noah protested. ¡°And I didn¡¯t blow up Dawnforge. Just a few underground passages inside it.¡±

    ¡°Wait. You were responsible for the explosion in Dawnforge?¡± Yulin asked. ¡°I heard about that. It practically took out an entire section of the city because of how extensive the damage was to the underground.¡±

    ¡°Time for a change of topic,¡± Noah said, clearing his throat. ¡°This exam is still going, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You still care about that?¡± James asked. He glanced around the destroyed clearing, his gaze lingering on the corpses behind Noah. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem a bit¡­ I don¡¯t know. Irrelevant?¡±

    ¡°An education is always important,¡± Noah replied. ¡°And why would you turn down the chance to get more resources? These two idiots are dead. It¡¯s going to take time for people to realize what happened, which means the rest of the exam is safe.¡±

    ¡°So what do we do about them?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t someone going to find out?¡±

    ¡°As far as you¡¯re all concerned, you never heard from Marley, Jakob, or Verrud today.¡± Noah grabbed Verrud¡¯s body and dragged it over to Jakob¡¯s, then repeated the process with Marley to add him to the pile. ¡°Just pretend all of this never happened.¡±

    ¡°Then what are you going to do about¡­¡±

    Isabel trailed off as Noah extended a hand toward the pile of bodies. Grey energy crawled out from his palm and swallowed the corpses, cubic fractals twisting across their forms as they were consumed. When the magic faded away, all that remained was a jagged dent in the ground.

    Yulin swallowed again as she stared at the spot where her former professor and fellow student had been. There was no trace of them left.

    Noah flexed his fingers and shook his hand off. Using Warped Matter was still a pain. He¡¯d drained just about every scrap of magic he had within the Rune. It was powerful, but it ate magic like no tomorrow.

    Another tug yanked at the back of his head, this one stronger than the last. The connection between his body and his runes wasn¡¯t powerful enough to let the demon summoning ritual actually keep him bound to the mortal realm.

    The connection would soon snap and send him back to the Damned Plains ¡ª where, ironically, his way right back here would soon be ready.

    Noah¡¯s fingers shimmered. Their tips turned translucent, and Mascot butted up against his leg. He crouched down and picked the cat up, setting him on his shoulder as he rose back to his feet.

    ¡°My time is almost up,¡± Noah said. He scooped his grimoire off the ground and slung it over his shoulders.

    ¡°You¡¯ll return in a few days?¡± Isabel asked. ¡°You promise?¡±

    ¡°I swear it,¡± Noah said with a firm nod. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ll get more specific. In a day, come to the place we first trained in. I¡¯ll be waiting for you there.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting,¡± Todd said with a grin.

    ¡°I just have one request for you all,¡± Noah said.

    They all turned to him.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Alexandra asked.

    ¡°Crush the rest of this exam,¡± Noah said, his eyes growing dark. ¡°Nobody else is going to be interfering any further, so you can focus entirely on winning. I want to take every damn scrap of resources that the Advanced Track has to offer.¡±

    ¡°You got it, Teacherman,¡± Todd said, a grin pulling across his lips as he cracked his neck.

    More of Noah¡¯s body turned translucent. He took one final look at the students around him, then at the destroyed remains of the clearing they all stood in.

    They were safe.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± Alexandra said.

    ¡°You better tell us what happened in the Damned Plains when you get back,¡± Todd said.

    ¡°I will,¡± Noah promised with a chuckle. His body shimmered, and then the world twisted like it had been put into the blender. The clearing vanished and darkness swallowed his vision as he was ripped through time and space, pulled back toward the Damned Plains.

    As he went, there was only a single thing left on Noah¡¯s mind.

    There was just a single task he had left to do before everyone could return from the Damned Plains.

    He had to make a Rune ¡ª and every Rune required three components. Energy, an inciting incident, and intent.

    Noah had the Fragment of Sticky for the energy. Lee¡¯s desires as a demon would be the inciting incident, and her intent would be the guide. Every single piece was finally in place.

    It was time to fix a problem that had stumped a god.

 Chapter 578: Hungry

    The Damned Plains greeted Noah like an old friend. Cool air prickled against his skin as his body reformed upon an obsidian platform trimmed with gold amidst a void that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

    Sticky had relented on the portal she¡¯d been opening, allowing the magic to fade, and everyone had gathered around Sievan to stare at the rippling image contained between his palms.

    The final strands of magic curled away from Noah as his body re-solidified within the Damned Plains. He didn¡¯t even get a chance to say anything before Moxie drove into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and spinning him around with a delighted laugh.

    ¡°You did it!¡± Moxie exclaimed. She set him back down and took a step back, the relief in her features so prominent that it may as well have been painted across her face. ¡°Gods, I was so damn scared. I thought you would be too late.¡±

    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Noah said with an exhausted laugh. All the adrenaline that had been pumping through his veins finally started to settle down, but there would be time to rest later. ¡°Getting summoned was certainly a strange experience.¡±

    ¡°You make a very convincing demon,¡± Sievan said. He pressed his palms together and the image flickering within them collapsed into fragments of flickering energy. ¡°That was¡­ satisfying to watch. Well executed.¡±

    ¡°I was just doing what had to be done,¡± Noah said. He turned to Sticky and crouched so they were face to face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for stressing you out while you were summoning that portal. It was unfair of me. You were doing great.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Sticky said. She glanced down at the key. ¡°You just wanted to save those people. I want to help people too.¡±

    ¡°You will,¡± Noah said, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You already have, actually. You¡¯ll help every single demon.¡±

    ¡°Is that what you meant when you said you had to do something before you went back to the mortal realm?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± He straightened back up and turned to Lee. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time we take care of things, Lee. You¡¯ve been waiting for long enough.¡±

    Lee met his gaze and gave him a small nod. He could tell that she was thinking something, but it didn¡¯t look like she was about to voice her thoughts. It would have been hard to blame her. There was a lot riding on this.

    If Noah¡¯s theory was right, then Lee would be the first demon that they used Sticky¡¯s rune to save. It was a monumental task, and it wouldn¡¯t be exaggerating to say that the hopes of the entire demon race rested entirely on her back.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Lee said. She sat down on the platform, crossing her legs beneath her and placing her palms on her knees.

    Noah sat down across from her. He set his grimoire down before him and flipped it open. Sticky¡¯s Rune shimmered across its pages. For a moment, Noah stared down at the book. He¡¯d missed exactly what had happened between Jakob and the book, but he¡¯d seen the results.

    There¡¯s something in this book. One day soon, I¡¯m going to have to have a real good talk with it and figure out just what the hell I¡¯m working with. But, today, I don¡¯t care what it is. It helped my students. That¡¯s all that matters.

    Noah tore his gaze away from the page and up to Lee. She swallowed, then gave him another firm nod.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± Noah said.

    He extended his mind toward hers and unleashed Empty Proliferation.

    The world crumpled around them both. The Damned Plains vanished as Noah plunged into Lee¡¯s mindspace.

    ***

    Thick, inky darkness swirled all around Noah. It twisted at his feet, threatening to swallow his body whole if he stood still for too long.

    Before him floated a massive conglomeration of runes, still bound by Azel¡¯s power. Viscous strands of soul-matter ran down from it and bound the rune deeply to Lee¡¯s body. It was exactly as he remembered it.

    Even though he had Sticky¡¯s Rune to work with, this wasn¡¯t going to be easy. Decras¡¯ runes were ingrained into Lee¡¯s from the core. The first step would tell him if the process was viable, but completely transitioning away from Decras would probably take weeks if Noah wanted to avoid killing Lee.

    They¡¯d have to slowly build up a replacement rune based off Sticky¡¯s energy and then slowly cut out the other one once her new one grew strong enough to keep her soul afloat. It wasn¡¯t the most efficient plan, but Noah hadn¡¯t ironed out the kinks in his theory yet. He hadn¡¯t even had a chance to properly test it.

    He blew out a small breath, shoving the tension gripping his body into the back of his mind. There was no room for nerves now. He had to act. Lee was relying on him. With a thought, Noah traced the rune into the air. It floated there, glistening with pure white light, prepared for Lee to call upon it.

    It¡¯ll work. It has to.

    ¡°You know, I always used to wonder what was wrong with me,¡± Lee¡¯s voice said to his left.

    He turned to find her standing beside him, looking away from the warped Rune floating in the center of her soul.

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    That¡¯s right. She can¡¯t look in its direction without risking activating its power and weakening the seal Azel put on it.

    Something about that struck Noah as profoundly sad. The more he learned about runes, the more he realize how closely integrated they ¡ª and the patterns they represented ¡ª were to life. That was true for humans and doubly true for demons. Not being able to look at such a core part of oneself was just wrong.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with you,¡± Noah said. ¡°Everyone gets dealt a hand in life, and we all need help from time to time. I¡¯m just giving you the tools that you should have had from the start.¡±

    ¡°Not that,¡± Lee said with a small shake of her head. ¡°I meant before we knew about Decras and about his runes. Every demon consumes an emotion. And even if they don¡¯t start consuming it before Rank 3, they still have an inclination. Aylin was always inquisitive. Violet was protective. But me¡­ I could never figure out what it was that I wanted, so I wanted everything.¡±

    Noah remained silent. Something told him this was a conversation where his role wasn¡¯t to speak but to listen.

    ¡°I¡¯ve spent a lot of time thinking about why,¡± Lee said, studying the palms of her hands. ¡°Why every other demon knew what they wanted, but I just wanted. Why I couldn¡¯t consume emotions like the rest of them could. It wasn¡¯t because my runes were special. They weren¡¯t worse or better than anyone else¡¯s. So it wasn¡¯t my runes. It was me that didn¡¯t work.¡±

    Noah frowned, but he kept himself from speaking. Lee wasn¡¯t just saying this because she wanted to. There was a reason.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve known the answer for a long time. I just didn¡¯t want to admit it,¡± Lee said. She lifted her gaze from her hands and turned toward Noah. ¡°I know why Demons are the way they are. We feast on the concept that we feel we lack the most. The concept we¡¯re the most scared of not having. After you told me what the Demon Rune really was, I figured it out. Decras was scared of failure, and that¡¯s what my race was built on. We try to make up for what we lack by taking it from others and magnifying that concept until we¡¯re nothing but that concept. But that must make you wonder why I couldn¡¯t figure out what it is that I could consume.¡±

    ¡°It does,¡± Noah admitted. ¡°But it sounds like you¡¯ve figured it out.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always known,¡± Lee replied. Her hands clenched at her sides. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to admit it. I¡¯m the worst demon.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be anything you don¡¯t want to be,¡± Noah said gently.

    Lee shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s the problem. I¡¯ve been avoiding what I want to be this whole time. I couldn¡¯t consume any emotions because I want all of them. I¡¯m scared, Noah. I don¡¯t want to lose anything, and so I want everything. I can¡¯t content myself with just a single aspect. I¡¯m too greedy. I¡¯m the worst of every demon.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with not wanting to give up your other emotions to embody a single one. That¡¯s just natural. When you consume the energy from Sticky¡¯s Rune and use it to form a Fragment of Self, you can¡ª¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Lee said. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. ¡°But that¡¯s okay. You aren¡¯t a greedy person. You could never understand how selfish or arrogant I am. I let you spend all that time worrying and trying to find a way to fix my Runes when I¡¯ve known all along that I wouldn¡¯t let you.¡±

    Noah blinked. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I liked the attention,¡± Lee said with a small smile. ¡°But I¡¯m too greedy to give up anything that belongs to me. Sticky¡¯s Rune will probably work for everyone else. They only have a single emotion they fear losing ¡ª but I don¡¯t want to let any of them go. I don¡¯t want to be content.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand,¡± Noah said slowly. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to use Sticky¡¯s Rune to help you fix yours?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lee said.

    Noah was silent for several long seconds. Then his features thinned. ¡°I¡¯m greedier than you think, Lee. I¡¯m not going to let you stay like this. I won¡¯t let your runes destroy you ¡ª even if I have to fight you to fix them. I won¡¯t leave you behind.¡±

    She let out a small giggle. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stay behind, Noah. I¡¯ve spent a lot of time thinking. About me. About demons. About our runes and about patterns. And in the end¡­ I just wanted you to be here.¡±

    ¡°To be here for what?¡± Noah asked, a flicker of unease building within him.

    ¡°To watch,¡± Lee replied. ¡°Thanks for trying so hard to save me, but you pulled it off a long time ago. I don¡¯t want Sticky¡¯s rune. You¡¯ve showed me so much ever since I got to the mortal plane. You and Moxie and everyone else ¡ª you showed me what it is to have a family. To be human. Now now I want to show you something.¡±

    ¡°Lee¡ª¡±

    ¡°I want everything ¡ª and replacing my Demon Runes would change that. I don¡¯t want to change. I want to be more. And that power can¡¯t be given. It has to be taken,¡± Lee said. Her features set in determination. ¡°I¡¯m going to show you what it is to be a demon.¡±

    Lee turned to look directly at the rune floating in the center of her soul. She extended a hand toward it and the rune lurched. The bindings that Azel had placed upon it snapped with loud cracks.

    She extended a hand toward the rune and curled her fingers inward. Her soul rumbled. Power burned within the inky darkness surrounding them and the rune trembled as it shrank down, twisting in on itself until it was the size of her palm.

    ¡°Lee?¡± Noah asked. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°The same thing you did,¡± Lee replied. Horns tore free from her forehead, their ends glistening a brilliant blood red. The demon¡¯s lips curled into a determined smile. ¡°Making a Rune needs 3 components, and this is the inciting event.¡±

    Her rune floated to hover before Lee, no larger than an apple. Power buzzed and crackled within it like a miniature storm. The rune did not like being crushed down. Lee plucked it from the air, arcs of energy burning across her palm as her grip tightened on it.

    She bit down on the Rune.

    It shattered. The strands binding it to her soul snapped and power exploded free, tearing through the darkness all around Lee. A wall of pressure slammed into Noah and launched him back, sending him skidding across the slick ground.

    Thoughts and feelings mixed with the energy as it pulsed through the darkness. Fear and desire. For the briefest instant, it felt as if Noah had stepped into Lee¡¯s very mind. A Demon was their Runes, and she had just spilled that energy everywhere.

    Thousands of loud cracks echoed out. Cracks tore through Lee¡¯s soul, sending an ocean of white light spilling into it.

    ¡°No!¡± Noah yelled. ¡°You still need¡ª¡±

    And then the words died in his throat. Blood poured down Lee¡¯s face and seams split all across her body as it came apart together with her soul, but her features had not lost an ounce of their determination.

    The vast majority of power from the rune was still gathered in her mouth. Her eyes flicked to meet Noah¡¯s.

    Then she swallowed. Every scrap of power within the soul howled as it was ripped toward Lee. Claws pushed out from her fingertips as she carved lines into the air, drawing a pattern.

    Noah¡¯s back stiffened. All the fear and desire within Lee had formed into a thick miasma, but the stronger it grew, the more it felt odd. There was something strange about it.

    Something familiar.

    And just like that, Noah realized what Lee had done. She was using all the energy contained within her Rune to connect back to its source.

    And in that moment, far in the darkest reaches of the universe, Decras¡¯ eyes went wide.

 Chapter 579: Lee

    Chapter 579: Lee

    Nestled deep within the cracks that spanned throughout the edges of the universe, a banquet hall of silver glistened amidst a sea of empty white. The hall was enormous, with a ceiling that rose so far above that a sea of distant stars rested below its ceiling.

    A long, grandiose table ran down the room¡¯s length, lined with hundreds of gilded chairs on each side. Every single one of them was empty.

    The table came to a stop hundreds of feet away from a raised tform, where two in chairs had been set up before arge disk of dark water that floated like a mirror, an image of another ne rippling upon its surface.

    Between the pair of chairs was a pedestal made from pitch ck night. Silver trimming ran up its rippling surface. The pedestal was in, yet the magic within it was so immense that any mortal lucky enough toy eyes upon it likely would have found their understanding of runic patterns magnified by a hundredfold ¡ª if their mind managed to survive the experience.

    And upon the pedestal, a priceless artifact made of magic that would have been worth more wealth than what entire nations could ever dream to possess, was a bowl of chocte.

    There were only two beings within the room. They sat on either side of the bowl, slumped back in the chairs with their feet kicked up on small stools with more than a few chocte stains on their faces ¡ª and they were both frozen mid-bite.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Decras breathed, his words echoing through the empty room like a distant storm. But even as he spoke, he knew that his words were false.

    A tiny chunk of his power had been bitten away. It was so small that he had no doubt it would regenerate within a few mere years, but it was there. Disbelief swirled within him like a raging sea and he cast his mind inward without an instant of hesitation.

    His surprise only grew stronger as he looked upon his Divine Rune. For several long minutes, he could do nothing but stare. A chunk had been ripped free of him. It should not have been possible.He had lost small segments of power before. Revin had consumed a gift Decras had given him, using the connection to siphon a tiny segment of power away. Wizen had done much the same with an ancient artifact that Decras had lost a long time ago. Noah had repeated the trick with a few droplets of his blood.

    But this ¡ª this should have been impossible. His power had not been stolen by someone using a physical catalyst. It had been <em>bitten </em>out of him. For the first time in thousands of years, Decras could not believe his eyes.

    Fury burst through the dam of surprise and his features tightened. Decras extended a hand and a spear mmed into it, pitch ck energy roiling throughout its length.

    <em>What manner of creature dares steal from me?</em>

    Decras extended his senses. The pattern of the thief still twisted through space, and his soul slipped through reality as he followed after it with a thought. A mortal iming a minuscule portion of his power through a connection was one thing.

    That was his fault. His mistake. It would be unfair to punish them for iming the power that had beenid before them. But to take directly from his runes¡­ there were some things that Decras could not allow.

    The world twisted and copsed around Decras as he followed the line of the pattern back to its source. He had absolutely no idea what could have known his pattern so well as to be able to rip magic away from him. It didn¡¯t matter.

    Such an insult was far too great to be allowed. He would not permit it. They would be ground out and crushed.

    Color exploded through the darkness as Decras¡¯ soul arrived at the location of the thief¡¯s pattern ¡ª and Decras¡¯ eyes widened in surprise.

    He knew this ce.

    An obsidian tform trimmed with beautiful gold and stuffed to the brim with minute imbuements floated in a sea of void magic.

    He was in Sievan¡¯s domain.

    <em>Impossible. Sievan could not have taken my power. He could notprehend my path. He could notprehend any path. That failure ¡ª my failure ¡ª is why he cannot ascend beyond the limits of the wed form I created.</em>

    <em>Did that greedy little shit Noah take even more of my power?</em>

    Decras traced the pattern back to its source.

    And then he froze. For several long seconds, Decras didn¡¯t so much as move. His mind struggled toprehend what he was seeing. It made absolutely no sense. It <em>couldn¡¯t </em>make sense.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    He checked the pattern several times again, but his senses were far too powerful to be deceived. There was no denying what he knew to be true.

    The pattern didn¡¯t connect to Noah.

    It connected to Lee.

    And within the tiny demon girl, Decras sensed his power. It spread through her body, permeating and changing every single part of her being. But there was something more. Something different.

    Sievan¡¯s gaze lifted to the sky and he demon peered up at Decras. The Rank 8 demon knew Decras¡¯ power enough to realize that he was there, even though the others were all blind to his presence.

    And in him, Decras felt himself. The constant reminder of his mistake. A mirror of his own magic that corrupted every single demon, twisting their desires with his own and preventing them from ever having any true potential.

    That piece was not in Lee.

    Decras floated in the stillness of the void, his lips parting in awe as he stared down at the impossible scene before him. The power within Lee was not the same as his. The hunger for power was still there, but it was changing ¡ª and it changed more with every second.

    <em>It can¡¯t be. A demon cannot break away from my influence. No matter how hard they try, demons are fragments of me. They are incapable of splitting away and bing a truly independent being.</em>

    But in spite of that fact, Lee sat below him on the tform, entirely uncaring of what <em>should </em>have been possible. She was separating her soul from his influence.

    Decras cast his senses out, searching for a trick ¡ª and his eyes went wider still. His entire body stiffened as they brushed across the tiny demon that Wizen had stolen from the afterlife.

    Her body was permeated with his power, but her soul waspletely independent of it. He couldn¡¯t find a single scrap of his energy in her astral form. She was something entirely different.

    There wasn¡¯t just one demon that had found a way to ascend.

    There were two.

    Decras¡¯ surprise was so great that all his anger evaporated. All he could do was float and stare, trying and failing toprehend the scene unfolding beneath him. There was a solution to a problem that he problem that he had been unable to solve for years. One that he had been convinced was unsolvable.

    <em>But how? What could they have done that I could not?</em>

    ***

    Noah raised his hands to cover his eyes, gritting his teeth as a vortex of ck energy engulphed Lee¡¯s soul. It was like her entire being had gone into uproar ¡ª and after what she¡¯d just done, he wasn¡¯t surprised.

    The ground trembled beneath him in an earthquake as cracks of thunderous magic roared overhead. Lee stood in the center of it all, her hands raised to the sky and head thrown back. Strands of the darkness twisted together into a point and spiraled into her mouth as she drew it into herself.

    Noah didn¡¯t know if it would be enough. Immense magical pressure bore down on him and the soul around him, and the huge white cracks running throughout it grewrger by the second.

    He drew on every scrap of power that the Fragment of Renewal had to offer. There was only one thing he could do for Lee now, and he¡¯d be damned if he let her soul copse around him.

    Healing energy poured out from his palms and fought to enter Lee¡¯s soul. It battled to seal the cracks, but it was a losing fight. There was so much damage ¡ª so much power ¡ª that the damage was appearing faster than the Fragment of Renewal could knit it shut.

    Noah yelled into the howling wind, but his words were swallowed by the storm before they could even leave his mouth. There was nothing more he could do. He was a spectator, only able to help Lee from the sidelines.

    ck shes of magical energy lit the sky. Decras¡¯ presence bore down on Noah, activating Sunder and sending the rune trembling in his soul. Despite the severity of the situation, he couldn¡¯t help but be impressed.

    <em>Lee actually managed to pull it off. She ripped power out of Decras, and she didn¡¯t even have his blood like I did. </em>

    The vortex around Lee thrummed and tightened, pulling together and twisting in on itself as more of it poured into her mouth. Her hands clenched and her back stiffened, but she continued to pull it into herself. It struck Noah that she was slurping Decras¡¯ magic up like it was a giant bowl of noodles.

    White light poured off the cracks riddling Lee¡¯s soul and blood poured down her face from her nose and eyes. Her entire body trembled, but she didn¡¯t relent. If anything, the weakness only pushed her harder. Determination burned within her eyes like two distant mes.

    And then something shifted. The cracks growing beneath Noah¡¯s feet slowed. Then they stopped their advance. Pearlescent energy twisted within them and began to knit the damage shut.

    The breath in Noah¡¯s chest caught.

    More of the cracks slowed their growth. The vortex weakened, and thest of its power vanished between Lee¡¯s lips.

    Rivers of white energy exploded out from Lee¡¯s feet and twisted through the floor of her heavily damaged soul.

    And, to Noah¡¯s disbelief, the cracks riddling the darkness changed. They sharpened and changed their shape even as they fought to seal. The damage wasn¡¯t made whole ¡ª but it was changed into something more.

    She¡¯d turned the cracks in her mindspace into a pattern.

    There was a brilliant sh of light. Noah squeezed his eyes shut and raised his hands before his face. A wall of pressure mmed into his chest and he stumbled a step back, already forcing his eyes open as he squinted to find Lee.

    She stood alone in the center of a sea of twisting ck and white, the pattern of a rune carved into the bottom of her mindspace with cracks of soul damage.

    Her soul had changed, but it wasn¡¯t alone. Her body had joined it. Two jagged horns jutted up from her forehead, and her small, pointed teeth had grown a little wider. But, most noticeably, a pair of leathery, jet-ck wings jutted out from her back like those of a bat.

    Lee swayed.

    Noah burst into motion, arriving right in time to catch her by the shoulders as she pitched forward. Her eyes fluttered as she squinted up at him.

    ¡°I think I did it,¡± Lee muttered. ¡°Did I do it?¡±

    Noah looked down at the rune flickering beneath him. While the other cracks in Lee¡¯s soul were fighting to seal themselves, the white lines directly beneath his feet were unmoving. They were a pattern ¡ª and one that he could read.

    <em>Fragment of Lee</em>

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Noah said, awe gripping his words like a vice. ¡°You did it, Lee.¡±

 Chapter 580: More

    Chapter 580: More

    Noah remained with Lee in her soul and the two of them stood in silence as they watched her soul damage slowly stitch itself shut as the Fragment of Renewal worked its magic. She didn¡¯t seem quite ready to return to the others yet, and he still had some energy in Empty Proliferation.

    It would be quite a while before Lee¡¯s soul waspletely fixed. Days, at the minimum. There was a good chance she¡¯d need another usage of the Fragment of Renewal topletely repair her.

    But not every wound was healing. The soul damage that Lee had used to carve her own Fragment of Self at the bottom of her soul hadn¡¯t altered in the slightest. White light leaked through the perfectly smooth lines and into the darkness of her soul. The Fragment of Renewal hadn¡¯t even tried to touch them.

    Worry twisted in Noah¡¯s stomach and made throat clench. He hated seeing anyone he cared about in pain ¡ª and there was no chance that having gaping holes like these in her soul was going to befortable for Lee.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Lee¡¯s voice broke through he silence. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°No. I lied. It feels like I stubbed my toe a hundred thousand times all at once.¡±

    ¡°At least you¡¯re being honest.¡± A small smile pulled at the corners of Noah¡¯s lips. ¡°And your soul? How does it feel? Intact?¡±

    ¡°Like I carved a rune into it,¡± Lee said. She looked down at the lines glowing by her feet, then back up to him. She lifted a hand to touch the horns protruding from her skull, running a finger along one of them. ¡°Are you mad at me?¡±¡°Why would I be mad at you?¡±

    ¡°Because I lied.¡±

    ¡°Lying about not being hurt isn¡¯t going to make me mad at you.¡±

    ¡°Not about that,¡± Lee said. She shook her head, then winced at the motion. Evidently, she was in a fair bit more pain than she was letting on. ¡°About everything.¡±

    ¡°Everything? That feels like a bit of an exaggeration.¡± Noah crossed his legs beneath him and sat down. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that the floor of Lee¡¯s soul was no longer syrupy. It was cold and glossy, a sea of obsidian.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you that I knew what my emotion was.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t always know.¡±

    ¡°But I did for a while. I let you do a bunch of work for no reason. All because I was selfish.¡± Lee sat down beside Noah, but she kept her gaze firmly affixed on the distant cracks in her soul.

    ¡°It had a reason,¡± Noah said. ¡°I did this for you, but it¡¯ll help other demons everywhere.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll help the ones that are willing to let go of their emotion. None of the strong ones will ever take you up on it. Most of the weaker ones won¡¯t either. Why do you think Sievan said no? Demons <em>be </em>their emotions, Noah. We don¡¯t want to lose that.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s their choice to make,¡± Noah said with a small shrug. ¡°You found a way to make it work. You¡¯re still you, aren¡¯t you? Maybe they¡¯ll do that as well.¡±

    Lee turned to look at him. ¡°Do you really not care that I tricked you?¡±

    ¡°Tricked is a strong word for it,¡± Noah said slowly. He mulled over Lee¡¯s words. She wasn¡¯t just looking for him to mindlessly promise he didn¡¯t care about what she¡¯d done. That would just be dismissive of her emotions. ¡°I think everyone has ulterior motives at some points. I¡¯d have preferred you to be honest with me, but you weren¡¯t in an easy situation. I¡¯m more just relieved that you¡¯re okay.¡±

    ¡°Even though I¡¯m not going to lose my demonic traits?¡±

    ¡°Did you think I was trying to find a cure for you because I wanted to purge you of the things that made you a demon?¡± Noah asked, blinking in surprise.

    Lee didn¡¯t respond. She turned her gaze away from him.

    This novel is published on a different tform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°That couldn¡¯t have been farther from my goal,¡± Noah said, grabbing Lee by the shoulders and gently twisting her so she was forced to meet his eyes again. ¡°Lee, I don¡¯t want to change you. None of us do. I¡¯m not trying to go through the demon race and scrub them of what they are. I admittedly only tried to find a solution to their problem because of you, but that wasn¡¯t because I was jumping at the chance to turn you into¡­ I don¡¯t know. A toned down version of yourself. I just wanted you safe. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Lee sniffled. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really.¡±

    The small demon sniffled again. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, then wiped that off on Noah¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°So you aren¡¯t mad at me at all?¡± Lee almost sounded a little disappointed at that.

    <em>Does she¡­ want me to be mad?</em>

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll get a little angry at youter, once we¡¯re all back on the mortal ne and we¡¯ve verified that you¡¯repletely healthy. And no more secrets from here on out, okay? Not from me or Moxie.¡±

    A small smile pulled at the corners of Lee¡¯s lips and she wiped her nose off straight on his shoulder, skipping the middleman entirely. She didn¡¯t bring her head away from his shoulder but instead leaned into him, her eyes slowly drifting shut.

    ¡°Noah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Does that mean I can¡¯t keep older secrets too?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay. I told you that I was eating squirrels, but they were actually humans that were trying to kill you.¡±

    Noah nearly choked on his own saliva. ¡°I ¡ª what?¡±

    ¡°Also, when I went to Vroth¡¯s camp, he was a big asshole. I killed him and made Vrith think it was an ident so she would agree to be the Streetlord instead,¡± Lee said, the words spilling from her mouth like a fountain that had finally had an old blockage removed. ¡°I also let some demons from the camp I was supposed to kill live because they smelled nice. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°I¡ª¡±

    ¡°I also stole a bunch of snacks from your bag. I do it all the time. Moxie¡¯s bag too. And your spicy water. It¡¯s kind of gross, but the bottles are crunchy.¡±

    Noah couldn¡¯t help himself. He burst intoughter.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lee. You don¡¯t ever have to apologize for being you.¡±

    Lee turned her head to bury her face in his shoulder. Her tears soaked into his sleeve and her body shook with sobs of relief and exhaustion.

    ¡°I want to go back to Isabel and Todd and everyone else,¡± Lee said. ¡°I love them. And you. And Moxie.¡±

    A small smile crossed over Noah¡¯s face and he wrapped his arm around Lee¡¯s shoulders. There was nothing left to be said.

    <em>I guess Lee finally figured out¡ª</em>

    ¡°And food,¡± Lee said, her voice muffled against his robes. ¡°I still love food. But not as much as you and Moxie.¡±

    <em>Eh. Baby steps.</em>

    ***

    Decras¡¯ consciousness stared down at Lee. The disbelief he felt was something that had not been matched in ¡ª he couldn¡¯t remember how long. Not even Revin had managed something like this.

    It was more than a feat.

    It was impossible.

    And yet, sitting in the center of the obsidian tform with two new horns jutting from her head and tears streaking down her cheeks, was an impossibility. Her soul was stabilizing. Decras could still feel the immense damage that had been done to it.

    The damage was enough that any demon of her rank should have been dead ¡ª but Lee was not dead. As a matter of fact, she was stronger than she¡¯d ever been. The girl had ripped enough power from Decras and the fragmented mess of runes within her soul to form a Rank 4 Fragment of Self.

    At some point, Decras realized that Sievan was looking at him. There was a small, satisfied smile on the demon¡¯s features. It struck Decras that the expression looked oddly¡­ correct on Sievan. Decras couldn¡¯t remember thest time Sievan had smiled.

    He¡¯d always been so serious. So driven to achieve the pinnacle, pushed by Decras¡¯ own power to seek something that could never be his. At least, that was what Decras had thought.

    Now it seemed that he had been wrong on all fronts. Perhaps there really was a path forward for Sievan. For every demon.

    And that path hadn¡¯te from him.

    Decras looked up to the small pocket of void surrounding Sievan¡¯sir. It was empty and dark. It was familiar, but somehow, it felt different to his eyes. But it was not the darkness of the void that had changed. It was the same as it had always been.

    The one that had changed was Decras.

    And, in the minuscule spot that Lee had taken a bite out of his powers, something shifted. Power bloomed where there had been none. But this was not the same kind of power that had been there before.

    <em>How fascinating.</em>

    <em>It seems I have been proven wrong. Not by another god. By mortals. Perhaps there have been scales over my eyes. For many years, I have looked to the heavens in search of enlightenment in my path. </em>

    There were many types of power in the universe, but in the end, Runes were merely patterns. The greater one¡¯s understanding of a pattern was, the more powerful it became. That was a universalw, even once a Divine Rune had been formed.

    But enlightenment did note easy. There were very few things that Decras had not experienced in this portion of the universe.

    But today, he witnessed something new.

    Today, his Divine Rune had advanced.

    <em>Renewal is going to be insufferable about this, but I do not think I can bring myself to care. </em>

    <em>What fascinating creatures these mortals are. It seems I still have more to learn. </em>

 Chapter 581: Friends

    Chapter 581: Friends

    Noah only let Lee¡¯s mindspace fall away once Empty Proliferation had beenpletely run down to its core. He found himself in the Damned ins once more, seated upon Sievan¡¯s obsidian tform.

    Everyone had gathered around him and Lee. Sticky clutched onto the Key so tightly that her small knuckles turned white and Moxie was frozen mid-pace, her face so creased with stress that Noah feared she was about to start sprouting white hairs by the dozen.

    Noah couldn¡¯t help but notice that Sievan¡¯s attention seemed to be directed toward the ceiling rather than toward him. The Lord of Death noticed his attention and let his head tilt down just enough for Noah to spot the faint smile that passed over and left his features like a summer breeze. He blinked thest of the Rune¡¯s effects away as Lee¡¯s eyes drifted open beside him.

    ¡°Moxie!¡± Leeunched herself at the other woman.

    Moxie only had an instant to process her surprise before a demon missile mmed into her. The demon wrapped around Moxie, clinging to her like a ko ¡ª and swiping a piece of jerky from her pockets in the process.

    ¡°Lee,¡± Moxie said, palpable relief washing over her features. Her eyes flicked to Noah. ¡°Did¡ª¡±

    ¡°Fixed. And it isn¡¯t even my fault.¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I ate my Rune,¡± Lee said, but her words were spoken straight into Moxie¡¯s side and were barely audible. ¡°You didn¡¯t need mine?¡± Sticky asked. It was hard to tell if she was relieved or disappointed. ¡°Did it not work?¡±

    ¡°No. I used yours,¡± Lee said, unentangling herself from Moxie just enough to free a hand and pat the other demon on the head. ¡°I ate it.¡±

    ¡°You ate my rune?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It was very useful,¡± Lee said.

    Sticky smiled. ¡°Oh. Okay, then. Sievan, will you eat my rune too?¡±

    The Lord of Death let out a gentleugh. ¡°No. Not today, Sticky. But perhaps one day. After the damage to my soul has healed. After I have had time to think.¡±

    Sticky¡¯s face fell.

    Lee¡¯s words echoed through Noah¡¯s head. Sticky¡¯s Rune may have been a way that demons could fix themselves¡­ but that didn¡¯t mean they¡¯d want to take it. The stronger a demon became, the closer to their emotion they were.

    <em>Something tells me they can¡¯t all do what Lee did. She said she was the worst demon, and her desire was everything. So if a demon is hyper focused on one thing, who knows if they¡¯ll be willing to give it up, even if that means they can never advance. </em>

    That was a problem for another time ¡ª specifically, when he had some time to speak with Yoru and Aylin. They were his best references for demons right now, and he had no ns of giving up on their race now that they knew there was a solution to the problem when he had so many friends and allies that were demons.

    ¡°So¡­ Lee is okay?¡± Moxie asked a second time. Her voice was tense, too scared to let herself start hoping. She managed to wrangle Lee for long enough to hold her out like an elongated cat. ¡°You¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°My rune is fixed. I took a bite out of Decras, just like Noah. I¡­ yeah. That¡¯s it. Didn¡¯t do anything else.¡±

    Noah squinted at her. Moxie, who normally would have never missed such an obvious interaction, was a little caught up on the first part of Lee¡¯s admission. Her mouth dropped open.

    ¡°You did <em>what</em>?¡±

    ¡°Quite literally that,¡± Noah said, walking over to Moxie and gently extracting Lee from her hands so she could have a moment to actually think. Lee didn¡¯t try to fight back. Other than eating, there wasn¡¯t much she enjoyed more than getting carried around. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to need to put together a charcuterie board at this rate. A fruit basket might not cut it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you cannot be¡ª¡± Moxie cut herself off and turned away for a moment to wipe her face with a sleeve. She let out a long, slow breath as she steadied herself, fighting to hold her emotions down. ¡°I can¡¯t leave either of you alone for more than a minute.¡±

    ¡°We do kind of need a supervisor, don¡¯t we?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°Sometimes,¡± Lee said. ¡°But that makes it harder to eat the squirrels.¡±

    Noah grimaced. He hadn¡¯t forgotten about that particr tidbit. For a moment, he tried to remember if he¡¯d shared any meals with Lee after any of her¡­ squirrel escapades. His memory failed him. That was probably for the best. Noah wasn¡¯t so sure he wanted to know.

    ¡°The squirrels? What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    ¡°We agreed to stop keeping secrets. I¡¯m sure Lee will fill you in when you get a moment together.¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Moxie nodded her understanding. There were some things that, even among friendlypany, were not meant to be shared.

    ¡°Are we going back home now?¡± Lee asked, craning her neck to look back at Noah.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. He looked to Sticky and cleared his throat. ¡°That is¡­ if you¡¯re okay with trying to open a portal again? I know thest one was really stressful. No rush this time around. You can take your time.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to take time!¡± Sticky scrambled to her feet and thrust the key out before her. ¡°I can do it. I¡¯m ready. It might take a little while though. I want to be careful this time. So I don¡¯t break anything.¡±

    ¡°A little while is fine,¡± Noah said. ¡°Thank you, Sticky.¡±

    She gave him a firm nod and sat back down, focusing her attention on the artifact. Tiny streams of crimson energy began to twist around its surface. They were forming a lot slower than they had the previous time around. It looked like it would probably take her at least an hour or two to manage the portal.

    Sievan watched over her with an expression almost akin to that of a proud father ¡ª but not quite there. There was something about the demon that made his emotionspletely foreign to Noah. No matter how friendly Sievan was, he was still the Lord of Death. He and Noah understood each other, but they were far from the same.

    ¡°It has been an eventful meeting,¡± Sievan said, looking down at the gaping hole in his chest. ¡°The Damned ins will be an¡­ interesting location ining years. I have yed a passive role for many years, but perhaps it is time for some change.¡±

    For a moment, Noah almost felt bad for the Demon Lords. If Sievan decided that he was going to take over the Damned ins, he was almost certain that none of them could do anything to stop him.

    Sievan caught Noah¡¯s expression and chuckled.

    ¡°Not anywhere near that extensive¡­ but Sticky has worked too hard for her efforts to go to waste. There must be a way for demons to ess her efforts, should they wish to utilize it.¡±

    Surprise prickled at Noah¡¯s thoughts. Somehow, he hadn¡¯t expected Sievan to offer to help distribute Sticky Runes. He supposed it made sense ¡ª it wasn¡¯t like he could sit around in the Damned ins peddling them to everyone.

    ¡°I can get one for you to copy,¡± Noah said. ¡°We¡¯ll be here a bit while we wait for the portal anyway.¡±

    ¡°Very good. I do not expect many will initially take the risk to attempt using it, but it is a good start. Perhaps some will. Perhaps we will learn from it.¡± One corner of Sievan¡¯s lip curled up. ¡°I doubt it. We are a stubborn kind. But it will be interesting to see change in a ne that has been stagnant for this long.¡±

    ¡°I suspect we¡¯ll be back at some point in the future,¡± Noah said. ¡°I don¡¯t think our business here is done. Every time I think I¡¯ve gotten closer to figuring out everything there is to know about Runes, I figure out I don¡¯t know shit. The Damned ins have so much to study.¡±

    Sievan let out a softugh. ¡°That means you are beginning to truly understand. I look forward to seeing what you cane up with ¡ª but there is more business that we must conclude before I can allow you to leave.¡±

    ¡°There is?¡±

    ¡°You brought me a Death Rune,¡± Sievan said, his eyes flicking to Lee. ¡°Even if I did not take it. And you will also be giving me another Rune before you leave. I am not one who leaves my debts unpaid.¡±

    <em>He¡¯s going to give me a free rune? Hell yeah. I knew I loved this guy. The Lord of Death is my second favorite demo ¡ª well, Sticky is pretty endearing. Third favorite? But then there¡¯s Aylin as well. Ah, shit. Well, he¡¯s up there. Somewhere in the top¡­ ten or so.</em>

    <em></em>¡°That¡¯s very kind of you,¡± Noah said, already trying to figure out what Rune would work the best. If Sievan was willing to bargain, he was pretty sure they could get something incredibly powerful.

    ¡°It is not you who I have a Rune for.¡±

    Noah blinked. That was fine with him ¡ª but it sounded like Sievan had someone in specific in mind.

    ¡°Who¡¯s it for?¡± Moxie asked. ¡°Lee?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Sievan replied. ¡°You.¡±

    ***

    Moxie and Sievan headed down the floating stairwell to retrieve her rune. Apparently, Sievan didn¡¯t have it on hand. That was fine with Noah. He set about the surprisingly difficult task of duplicating Sticky¡¯s rune.

    The difficulty was almost entirely because his grimoire had decided it had worked enough without sufficient pay and stubbornly refused to give up any magical energy until he¡¯d finally prodded it into submission.

    Sievan and Moxie returned just a few minutes after Noah wrapped up his work. Sticky¡¯s portal was almost entirelyplete beside him, the final strands of energy twisting together into a twisting crimson maw that yawned open in wait for them.

    There was an odd look on Moxie¡¯s face. It was an odd mixture of pensiveness, unease, and what might have been interest. It was a look that told Noah that he¡¯d have to ask her exactly what Sievan had given her after they got a moment alone.

    Sievan harvested the duplicate Sticky rune from the book, then sent a bemused look at the grimoire¡¯s pages.

    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Sievan asked.

    ¡°Do you?¡± Noah¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Will you tell¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Sievan said with a wry smile. ¡°I suspect it would be displeased if I did.¡±

    ¡°What, you¡¯re scared of a book?¡±

    ¡°Me? No. But it <em>is </em>amusing,¡± Sievan replied. ¡°What a curious little¡­ conglomeration. It seems to rather like you.¡±

    The grimoire snapped shut on Noah¡¯s hand. He let out a slew of curses and yanked his fingers free of its thick pages, slinging the huge book over his back. ¡°You could have fooled me.¡±

    Despite his words, he hadn¡¯t forgotten how the Grimoire had saved his students ¡ª or how it had talked to him.

    Yet another long conversation he was going to have soon.

    One that he looked forward to.

    There was a sharp pop. A wave of invisible energy rolled past Noah and prickled against his skin. Sticky¡¯s hands dropped and her back slouched as she blew out a relieved breath. She looked too tired to do anything more than give them a small smile.

    ¡°I did it. I opened a connection back to the mortal ne.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re incredible, Sticky,¡± Noah said with a grin. He hesitated. ¡°How do we control where it goes?¡±

    ¡°I set it to the ce you told your friends to meet you,¡± Sticky replied. Her cheeks reddened. ¡°We were listening in.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s convenient. Great job. Sievan, is Zath¡ª¡±

    ¡°Finished with the task I set him.¡± Sievan nodded. ¡°They are prepared.¡±

    The Lord of Death cast his gaze down the stairwell. Noah followed it. The Rank 7 Demon stepped out from the hall, clearly having been called by Sievan. In his wake were a number of familiar faces.

    Noah smiled as he looked back to the portal. Excitement and a smidge of anxiety rose within him. After all this time, he was finally returning to the mortal ne ¡ª and properly, this time around. Noah was returning to his students.

    He just hoped they wouldn¡¯t mind that he was bringing a few new friends back with him.

 Chapter 582: A thousand

    Chapter 582: A thousand

    Inquisitor Twistfinger was bing increasingly certain that there was something odd happening at Arbitage.

    He ran his thumb over the smooth surface of arge, bone bead in his rosary. The evidence had been building up day by day. Missing Inquisitors. Traces of demonic energy. Reports of demon sightings ¡ª though thetter was always a dubious way to determine much of anything.

    Every fool farmer with a quill convinced themselves that somerge, half-blind rodent with an odd patch in its fur was a demon when it made off with their worthless crops. Reports were almost always made by yammering fools.

    Almost always.

    Twistfinger hooked his finger around the bead and pushed it down the thread. Anger welled in his stomach. There was evidence ¡ª but just not quite enough to justify an Inquisition. If this had happened years ago, one would have already happened. It it would have happened when several Inquisitors went missing near the Linwick Estate. It should have happened again when another Inquisitor on leave had gone missing while investigating Arbitage itself.

    But it had not.

    The Inquisition had gottencent, but there was more than that. Information had gotten dyed. Lost. The details of the missing Inquisitors had been purged. Twistfinger had only even realized they were missing because of his personal reviews of records. Nobody had properly reported their deaths.

    Someone was interfering.

    They were interfering to such a degree that when Twistfinger had brought his findings to the other Head Inquisitors, they had quietly smothered his findings. Some promised to look into things, then did nothing. Others just told him he was a paranoid fool. They said he saw shadows where there was only light.Twistfinger¡¯s jaw clenched. Old wounds in his neck throbbed, but he ignored them. Anger was a tool. Emotions were a tool. He was not controlled by his desires. They obeyed his will.

    The anger evaporated, crushed under the weight of his willpower. The rest of the Inquisition had been taken out of the battle. He did not know how it had been done. There were no obvious signs of mind control ¡ª not to mention how impossible it would have been to control the other heads of the Inquisition.

    Every Head was a Rank 6. They, just like he, had trained their entire lives to purge the threat of demonic influence from this realm. There was no way they all would have fallen to mind control. There was no mage powerful enough to pull that off.

    No, this was something else. Perhaps there was an inside agent undermining Twistfinger¡¯s efforts. A Head that had allied with the demons ¡ª or perhaps they had simply gottenzy. There hadn¡¯t been a major demonic incursion in years. Comcency bred weakness.

    But whatever the reason, it didn¡¯t matter. Twistfinger had not be an Inquisitor to beg others for help. He had be an Inquisitor to <em>act</em>.

    And that was what he had done.

    Paved cobblestone rang beneath Twistfinger¡¯s Imbued boots as he strode across the street, a ck cloak wrapped around his body and the hood pulled low over his head to hide the protective Imbuements that he had tattooed into his skin.

    He¡¯d considered bringing some of the younger Inquisitors along with him. Reinforcements would have been useful ¡ª but he couldn¡¯t bear with the thought of leading them to their deaths.

    Any threat powerful enough to effectively decapitate the rest of the Inquisition was far too great for a Rank 4 or 5. He had to deal with this himself.

    It was not a mission Twistfinger expected to return from.

    That thought hung around his neck like a noose, tightening with every step he took. He couldn¡¯t bear to think of the names of the other Heads. Not anymore. That would bring emotion, and emotion was weakness when it came to fighting demons.

    Today, his friends were nothing more than the Heads. And the Heads had been strong. They had been righteous. They would have never faltered from such a threat, but somehow, they had all been removed from the ying board.

    And if they had been removed, then he would be too. It was only a matter of time. He doubted he would be able to defeat what they could not. Not if he met the threat on its terms ¡ª and thus, he met it on his.

    <em>Death may wait for me today, but I will not die without purpose. </em>

    Twistfinger¡¯s death would not be so simple to conceal. He had left letters detailing every scrap of what he set out to do today.

    A hundred of them, to be specific. Twistfinger had written until his fingers bled. Some had already been delivered. Others had orders to be delivered, while some were hidden among his belongings.

    There would be record of what he did today. And there were more branches of Inquisitors. He had sent letters to them, too. He would have liked to seek them out directly, but the others were far more¡­ discreet than the main branch.

    If Twistfinger¡¯s analysis of the situation was correct, then there was no way to contact them in time. He¡¯d been forced to settle for more letters.

    Of course, he had no <em>ns </em>to fall. It was a very strong possibility ¡ª one that he had ounted for ¡ª but he had taken equal steps to ensure that he would survive. The rosary in his hand held more power than almost any other in the Inquisition. His clothes were woven with demonic bone fragments and treated with their blood before being imbued by some of the strongest mages the Inquisition had.

    He was ready for a war ¡ª and there was no doubt in Twistfinger¡¯s mind that a war was what this would be. The only question was whether it started with his death or if his preperations were sufficient to find the evidence he truly needed to force the rest of the Inquisition into motion.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The sound of Twistfinger¡¯s echoing footfalls stopped. He had arrived at his destination. The only hint he had managed to scour from all the evidence he had studied. The Head Inqusitior lifted his gaze from the cobbled ground.

    A mansion rose before him. A tall ring of multicolored, thorny shrubbery rose up before it, walling off arge garden. White brick made up a pathway through the garden, leading up to the imposing wooden door. The door already stood open, allowing ess into a red-carpeted hall.

    <em>So this is it. What sort of man is so arrogant that he names himself Father? </em>

    It mattered not. It seemed that Father was ready for him.

    Twistfinger strode into the hall, throwing his hood back. There was no point disguising himself any longer. If Father knew he wasing, then it was just pointless theatrics. The Inquisitor strode down the plush red carpet and arrived at arge stairwell leading down into the depths of the mansion.

    Far above, he could just barely make out the sound of distant music. A Formation.

    He did not have to pause to steady himself. An Inquisitor was always prepared. He had no fear. He had no weakness. There was only what must be done.

    Twistfinger descended the stairwell, following the winding stairs in circles as they brought him deeper into the depths of the mansion. The sounds of the Formation had faded into the distance by the time he arrived at a long, thin hallway.

    Doors lined the left side of the hall, leading up to a massive vault entrance nked by twonterns of flickering purple me. The vault door was covered with so many Imbuements that Twistfinger could feel them from a dozen feet away ¡ª and, because of them, he could feel nothing else. There was too much information to filter through.

    He approached the door, focusing his senses and preparing his domain for an ambush. The doorway ground open before he was even before it, allowing entry into a in office. An elderly man sat at a wooden desk within it, his fingers inteced and expression unreadable.

    Twistfinger¡¯s mind exploded forward to scan the surroundings.

    There was nothing. The only person he could feel within the room was Father.

    <em>Does he not know why I am here? Is he so arrogant that he believes I do not pose a threat? Or is he so powerful that he knows I do not?</em>

    The final option seemed¡­ doubtful. Twistfinger¡¯s magic took father in. His domain assessed his opponent, and it found himcking.

    Father was not a weak mage. His Runes had quite a bit of pressure, but he was nowhere near powerful enough to overwhelm the other Heads of the Inquisition. Even if Father were a mind mage, he would not have been able to control them so effectively.

    ¡°Come in,¡± Father said, his eyes as empty and ck as a starless night.

    Twistfinger walked in. He was not a brute. His suspicions were strong, but he did not have enough evidence to start murdering members of Noble families. And Father, early Rank 6 as he may have been, was not powerful enough to force him to be a monster.

    The door ground shut behind the Inquisitor. It was a pointless show of power, and Twistfinger did not acknowledge it.

    Father nodded to a in wooden chair across the desk. ¡°Will you sit?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Twistfinger said. His voice was raspy and damaged. It had been ever since a demon had nearly ripped his throat out when he was fourteen and overconfident in his abilities. He could have had it fixed by a powerful healer, but it worked just fine the way it was. As a reminder.

    ¡°I thought as much,¡± Father said. He took a ss of wine from the desk beside him and poured himself a ss. ¡°I trust you won¡¯t take a drink either.¡±

    ¡°I will not. You know why I am here.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Father raised the ss to his lips and took a sip from it. He let out a satisfied sigh, but his eyes didn¡¯t so much as flicker. They remained t and dead. He hadn¡¯t taken so much as a scrap of pleasure from the action. It was just for show.

    ¡°Then speak. Do you cavort with demons?¡±

    Twistfinger ran a finger over the bone rosary, sending power into it. Energy burned within the beads, seeking demons to resonate with.

    Father didn¡¯t so much as flinch.

    ¡°That is an interesting question. If you had asked it some time ago, I would have said yes. I would have been wrong, but you would have believed me. Today, my answer is no, but you will not believe me.¡±

    ¡°Illogical,¡± Twistfinger said. He did not let his expression change, but every one of his senses dialed to the max. Father had just admitted to working with demons. He gathered every scrap of potential emotion and crushed them, shoving them far back into his mind and locking them away. ¡°I do not understand, but did you just confirm you have worked or attempted to work with demons?¡±

    ¡°Something is not illogical simply because you do not understand it,¡± Father said. He rose from his chair, then gently took the ss of wine and set it on a shelf beside himself. ¡°But I do not expect someone with a world scope as narrow as yours to understand that.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t reacting to the beads at all. Twistfinger poured even more energy into the artifact, but Father remained unbothered. That should have been impossible. Even if Father had only summoned a demon, the residual energy should have reacted with the rosary¡¯s magic.

    ¡°Do you think this is a game?¡± Twistfinger rasped. ¡°Do you know what is at stake?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. More than you ever could. But I believe words are wasted when it is just the two of us, Inquisitor. I have an appointment to be at very soon, so I have only cut you out a small block of my time.¡±

    ¡°You do not dictate the time we have, Linwick. You do not seem to be influenced by any demonic sources, but I will be thoroughly examining your estate. Cooperate or die.¡±

    ¡°Children.¡± Father blew out a disappointed breath. The sentiment still failed to reach his eyes. ¡°So pushy. So insistent. But I suppose this makes things simple for me. I should thank you. You <em>did </em>deliver yourself to me, after all. That makes this much easier.¡±

    ¡°You speak arrogantly. I sense your power, and though we may both be Rank 6, your runes are far weaker than mine. Have you forgotten the immense difference that even a single Rank 6 rune can generate?¡±

    Father tilted his head to the side. Then a chuckle started deep in his chest. It intensified until his entire body was shaking, and to Twistfinger¡¯s unease, for the first time, he saw an emotion in the other man¡¯s eyes.

    Amusement.

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame you came now. You might have been an interesting piece to y. Unfortunately for both of us, the game has progressed past the point in which you would be useful.¡± Father walked back to his desk and lowered himself into his chair. The emotions evaporated from his features.

    ¡°If you will not speak, then I will force you to,¡± Twistfinger said. He sped his hands together and his blood responded from within him. It was purified with silver andpletely toxic to demons ¡ª and humans.

    Cuts opened up across his palms and blood welled up from the cuts, twisting into the air and forming into two massive scythes that floated at Twistfinger¡¯s sides. They hummed with magic, imbued with enough power to cut through even another Rank 6 mage¡¯s domain.

    ¡°You will tell me of what has happened to the Inquisition. I will not allow you to escape.¡±

    ¡°Escape?¡± Father frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving this room, Inquisitor. Not yet. Now, are you certain you don¡¯t want a drink? It¡¯s customary to offer.¡±

    Twistfinger didn¡¯t let Father¡¯s taunts burrow under his skin. He needed answers ¡ª but the other mage could answer without an arm.

    His domain exploded out around him and he burst into motion, the scythes at his sides flying along with him as they flew toward Father.

    Father¡¯s eyes flicked up. And, for the first time, he locked gazes with Twistfinger.

    There was a sound like a thousand breaths slipping from punctured lungs.

    Twistfinger crumpled.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 583: Introductions

    Chapter 583: Introductions

    Isabel shifted from foot to foot, squeezing bunches of the inner material of her pant pockets in a tight grip. Ash and burnt sticks crunched beneath her feet as she tried and failed to remain still.

    Her nerves werepletely shot, and she wasn¡¯t the only one. The rest of Noah¡¯s ss gathered around her, along with just about everyone else they knew.

    Todd stood at Isabel¡¯s side; Emily and James several feet behind him. Alexandra and Yulin joined them, and they were nked by Silvertide, Bird, Jalen, and Brayden. Every one of them was trying and failing to conceal their worry.

    Even Jalen was uncharacteristically silent. He stared at the space before Isabel, arms crossed and hands tucked under his armpits.

    It had been a day since the end of the exam.

    They¡¯d won, and Isabel barely even remembered it. Isabel had taken first ce, while Emily had taken second. Fiona, supposedly the best student in the Advanced Track, had ended up in third, much to her immense displeasure and disbelief.

    None of them had attended the award ceremony ¡ª nor had they had anything to say about the mysterious disappearance of Jakob, Verrud, and Marley. Nobody had questioned them much. Perhaps that wouldeter, or perhaps not. There was something far more important on all of their minds.

    Noah, Moxie, and Lee¡¯s return.

    And so now they stood in the Scorched Acres, waiting like lost children. Noah had promised that he would return. He wouldn¡¯t lie to them.¡°He¡¯s going to show up any second,¡± Todd said. There was a note of strain in his voice that stood out like a sore thumb. ¡°He always does.¡±

    ¡°Stop saying it like he¡¯s dead,¡± Isabel said firmly. ¡°We saw him. A day ago. He said he¡¯ll be back. He¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been twenty three hours and ten minutes since he said that,¡± Yulin supplied. ¡°There are still fifty minutes left for him to keep the promise. But¡­ is he really breaking out of the Damned ins? Is that possible?¡±

    ¡°He did it once,¡± Emily said stiffly. ¡°But what about Moxie? Can shee too? What if she¡¯s stuck there?¡±

    ¡°Professor Vermil said they¡¯d all be back,¡± James said through a yawn as he paced back and forth behind Emily, dry sticks crunching beneath his feet. ¡°Just rx. He¡¯ll be here any moment.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re rxed, why aren¡¯t you just sitting like you always do?¡± Emily asked, prodding him irritably. ¡°Stop pacing already! You¡¯re driving me up a wall.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, everyone.¡± Alexandra¡¯s hands tightened at her sides. ¡°Professor Vermil wouldn¡¯t break a promise to us. Just wait.¡±

    ¡°Are you <em>really </em>sure he was there yesterday?¡± Jalen asked. ¡°We didn¡¯t hallucinate it, did we? That¡¯s what missing games of darts does to a man, you know. It¡¯s a cruel torture. Do you know how long I¡¯ve had to wait to have a good opponent, only for him to up and vanish? Cruel indeed.¡±

    ¡°It was your magic that showed him to us,¡± Silvertide said, ring at Jalen. ¡°Would you stop being insufferable for one minute?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jalen said.

    A prickle of energy rolled across Isabel¡¯s back. She stiffened, and everyone else did too. They¡¯d all felt it.

    Something was happening. Her eyes darted around as the sensation grew stronger, and a dull buzzing sensation built in the back of her mind.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Isabel took a step back. The hair on her arms and neck stood on end, and Todd lowered into a fighting stance beside her. Isabel mirrored him.

    Escaping the Damned ins couldn¡¯t be easy. Who knew what kind of monsters would be lurking to interfere with their professors¡¯ return. She didn¡¯t know how much she¡¯d be able to do, but Isabel was ready to do whatever it took.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    The instructors readied themselves as well. Even Bird hooked a finger around her top, preparing to utilize her now-honed technique inspired from Noah¡¯s fighting style.

    ¡°Look!¡± Emily eximed, pointing into the air.

    Todd drew in a sharp breath and Isabel craned her neck back. Her eyes widened.

    A red mote of light appeared in the air before them. It intensified until it was as light as antern, lowering to float about six feet above the ground. The mote traced a circle through the air, growing brighter with every moment, and leaving a trail of red energy in its wake.

    The buzzing in the back of Isabel¡¯s mind grew stronger. Slow-moving arcs of electric magic curled off the portal and extended through the air like fingers, ripping into space itself. Undting waves of power pressed into everyone.

    Isabel was forced a step back. She raised her hand before her face and squinted past her fingers as the light grew brighter and the power more intense. Her heartbeat sped up in fear and anticipation alike.

    A portal had twisted to life in the center of the Scorched Acres.

    ¡°So much power,¡± Yulin breathed, her voice barely audible over the roar of growing magic. ¡°What kind of people are your professors?¡±

    Isabel didn¡¯t get a chance to reply. There was a loud <em>whump</em>, and a wave of wind exploded out from the portal. It buffeted her and bit at her eyes. Her ears popped as the pressure in the clearing abruptly shifted ¡ª and the disk of red light shimmered.

    Noah stepped out from within it.

    His foot hit the ground with a thump. Dry ashen sticks crunched beneath it as he emerged into the clearing, his grimoire slung over his back, a familiar small grin pulling at the corners of his lips.

    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± Noah said as the portal shimmered once more. Moxie and Lee stepped out from the red disk. ¡°Did you miss us?¡±

    Isabel almost dropped to the ground in relief. They were all safe.

    Then she realized that there were horns jutting out from Lee¡¯s forehead. Isabel¡¯s stomach sank like a rock.

    <em>Oh no. What happened to Lee? She looks fine¡­ but is she losing her fight and bing more demonic?</em>

    She opened her mouth.

    The portal rippled again.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Todd yelled, striking his bracers against each other to summon a coil of fire. ¡°There¡¯s something elseing!¡±

    Isabel drew on her Master Rune. Emily¡¯s ice bow snapped into her hands with a crackle, and everyone else readied their magic as well. Even Jalen¡¯s eyes sharpened. A wave of pressure rolled out from him, pressing against Isabel¡¯s back ¡ª restrained, but only barely.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Moxie called, raising a hand to forestall everyone. ¡°It¡¯s not an enemy.¡±

    ¡°We made some friends!¡± Lee eximed cheerfully, waving to them. ¡°Hi everyone! Did you bring me any snacks?¡±

    And then a demon boy stepped out from within the portal. Two wicked horns curled along the sides of his head. His head turned on a swivel as he took in the Scorched Acres, lips parted in childlike awe ¡ª but there was something about his eyes that set Isabel on end. They were like two ck, endless pools of hunger and intelligence.

    <em>He¡¯s dangerous.</em>

    But he wasn¡¯t the only one. After the demon came a girl, her body stocky but lithe. She scanned over the group with a critical eye, her hands clenched at her sides and shifting from foot to foot as if ready to burst into motion at a moment¡¯s notice. She positioned herself beside the boy as he looked around the forest, ring at everyone as if challenging them to attack.

    Another young demon woman followed after them, this one covered with sleek ck fur. Her movements were difficult to track, as if the shadows clung to her very body. She slunk behind the others, wary eyes scanning over the gathered crowd as she sheparded two small demons along with her. They couldn¡¯t have been more than fourteen or fifteen years old.

    The two groups stared at each other for a long few seconds.

    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Bird muttered, rather aptly. Her arms fell limp at her sides.

    ¡°What?¡± Noah asked, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. ¡°We might have made a few friends while we were down in hell. It happens, you know?¡±

    The portal rippled again, and another small demon emerged from it. She didn¡¯t look much older than thest two, probably somewhere around fourteen. Her eyes were firmly affixed on the ground as if scared to meet anyone¡¯s gaze. A key clutched in her hands pulsated with a dim red light that matched the portal behind her.

    Isabel couldn¡¯t tell if she wanted tough or cry.

    <em>What in the Damned ins ¡ª literally ¡ª is going on? Did Noah bring every single demon back up with him? Surely this is¡­</em>

    The portal rippled once more. A final demon emerged from within it, long silver hair trailing long the ground behind her. The demon¡¯s face was covered by a white mask with a blue design depicting a single eye upon its front.

    ¡°We¡¯re all here!¡± Lee said happily. ¡°Good job, Sticky!¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± the demon holding the key said shyly. She shuffled her feet on the ground, and the portal finally snapped shut.

    The two groups stared at each other. For several long seconds, neither of them said anything. Even if Isabel could have mustered the words to speak, she wasn¡¯t sure what she would have said.

    Finally, Silvertide let out a mixture between a chokedugh and a cough.

    ¡°What happened down there? Where is Wizen? And how did you get the key?¡±

    Noah cleared his throat.

    ¡°It¡¯s a <em>long </em>story¡­ but I think I should probably start with some introductions, huh?¡±

 Chapter 584: Common

    Isabel, the rest of Noah¡¯s students, and all of the professors in the clearing sat in a circle with seven demons ¡ª eight, if she counted Lee. She was in the process of doing a remarkable job at keeping her eye from twitching as the everyone listed off their names and an interesting fact about themselves.

    ¡°My name is Sticky,¡± the small demon clutching the key in both of her hands like it was a sword said, peering out from beneath her hair shyly. ¡°I died once, but I got better.¡±

    <em>You can¡¯t be serious. Another Noah?</em>

    ¡°You have to give us more than that. Give me details!¡± Jalen eximed, throwing his hands into the air. He seemed to be the only one in the circle who was actually enjoying the exercise. Aside from him, all the other professors had been pretty caught up over the fact that they were sitting in a group of apparently friendly demons. Noah¡¯s reassurances that nobody was going to be killing anyone managed to cate them, but there was definitely more than a little unease.

    Isabel and the rest of the humans had started the ¡®sharing circle¡¯ ¡ª as Noah referred to it ¡ª though Jalen had taken nearly half of their time talking about how bored he¡¯d been for the past few weeks.

    ¡°I¡¯m a new kind of demon,¡± Sticky said.

    ¡°You¡¯re a what now?¡± Silvertide asked, leaning forward. ¡°A new kind? What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°Next person!¡± Noah said, pping his hands together. ¡°Don¡¯t put too much stress on Sticky, please. She¡¯s just been through a lot. Aylin, you¡¯re up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Aylin. If I figure anything new out from you, I might identally take a bite out of your runic energy,¡± the boy sitting beside Sticky said. ¡°I¡¯m honored to meet Spider¡¯s other minions.¡±<em>Spider? Is that his name now? I suppose he went under a new alias when he was in the Damned ins. Better than Professor Vermil, I guess. </em>

    ¡°Students,¡± Noah corrected. ¡°Not minions.¡±

    ¡°How do you take bites out of¡ª¡± Todd started, lifting his hand and revealing a band on his hand. Then he winced and let out a slew of curses. ¡°Shit! That hurt! What was that?¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Aylin said. ¡°I was wondering how you summoned fire to use this early in the ranks. You use those metal bands, huh?¡±

    ¡°What¡ª¡±

    Todd pped a hand over Isabel¡¯s mouth before she could finish the question. Then he just shook his head.

    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Aylin said sheepishly. ¡°I will try not to eat you on ident.¡±

    ¡°Is it my turn?¡± the muscr girl beside Aylin asked.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. ¡°No threats, please. Everyone here is a dear friend of mine.¡±

    ¡°My name is Violet. I am a Hoard Demon in Spider¡¯s merciful employ. Because he views you as his own, so long as you do not threaten those I care about, I will protect you all with my life.¡±

    <em>Well, that¡¯s noting on strong at all. I¡­ guess she¡¯s got her head on right, at least? I can respect wanting to protect your friends. But ¡ª</em>

    ¡°I am Vrith.¡± The catlike demon crossed her arms in front of her chest and said nothing else.

    Noah squinted at her. ¡°Fun fact, Virth. You need a fun fact. It¡¯s integral to the process.¡±

    ¡°Not to be detrimental, but what exactly <em>is </em>the process here?¡± James asked wearily. ¡°Because I¡¯m not certain I¡¯m seeing the point of this.¡±

    ¡°Bonding.¡± Noah crossed his arms in front of his chest. ¡°Bonding through shared trauma. Now, Vrith. Fun fact. On with it.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a fun fact.¡±

    ¡°Everyone has a fun fact. You just aren¡¯t trying hard enough. I¡¯m sure I coulde up with a few. What about how Aylin feeds¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have a fun fact!¡± Vrith said, bolting upright like she¡¯d sat on an anthill. ¡°I ¡ª uh, I don¡¯t like being seen. I like hiding. That¡¯s my fun fact.¡±

    Isabel didn¡¯t miss the flicker of a grin that danced across Noah¡¯s lips. An involuntary shudder ran down her back. It looked like the Damned ins hadn¡¯t left himpletely without their mark.

    This tale has been uwfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I¡¯m Edda,¡± the tiny female small demon beside Vrith said, waving to everyone. ¡°And this is Torick. My fun fact is that Torick is scared.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Torick yelped, his eyes darting around the clearing. He was most definitely scared. ¡°I ¡ª I¡¯m not scared! I¡¯m just¡­ constipated.¡±

    ¡°Constipated?¡± Edda asked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Dunno,¡± Torick admitted. ¡°I heard Golon say it a while ago.¡±

    Noah cleared his throat. ¡°Torick and Edda are with Violet and Aylin. The four of them are siblings, but only Violet and Aylin can fight. No training for the kids. They¡¯re too young right now.¡±

    ¡°No such thing as too young,¡± Jalen said. He winced as soon as the words were out of his mouth, then hurriedly amended himself. ¡°For training. Too young for training. Oh, damn it. I give up. Does anyone want to y darts?¡±

    ¡°Sit down,¡± Noah said, pointing at Jalen as he started to rise. ¡°We¡¯ll yter, but only if you finish letting everyone introduce themselves.¡±

    Jalen sat back down.

    Somehow, that <em>wasn¡¯t </em>the most impressive thing that Isabel had seen all day.

    ¡°I¡¯m thest one,¡± the demon wearing the mask said. ¡°Right?¡±

    ¡°Do you really need to ask that?¡± Noah tilted his head to the side. ¡°Or are you just being polite?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­ temporarily taking up your advice,¡± the masked demon replied. ¡°We will see how long I allow for it. It makes me feel naked.¡±

    ¡°Effective for fighting,¡± Bird said under her breath.

    Todd choked on his own saliva and Isabel coughed into her fist.

    ¡°My name is Yoru.¡± The demoness paused for a second. ¡°My name is Yoku.¡±

    They all waited for a few moments.

    ¡°Interesting fact?¡± Noah reminded her.

    ¡°That was my interesting fact. I have two names. Yoru and Yoku. I made one of them specifically so a particr idiotmander would mix it up.¡±

    ¡°Which one is your real name?¡± Todd asked.

    The masked demoness thought for a moment. Her head twitched as if she wanted to tilt it to the side, but she prevented herself from finishing the motion. ¡°I do not know.¡±

    There was a long, awkward pause.

    ¡°I think I like Yoru,¡± Noah said. ¡°But we can call you whatever you¡¯d prefer.¡±

    ¡°Yoru would be nice.¡±

    And then it was done. Everyone sat in the circle quietly for a few more long seconds. None of them spoke. Even if Isabel had wanted to, she had absolutely no idea what she should say.

    There were so many emotions twisting in her chest that she couldn¡¯t make one from the other. She had no idea what she¡¯d been expecting, but this was somehow the most Noah way that their professor could have returned.

    Finally, it was Yulin that broke the silence. The girl, who had been sitting in nearplete silence the entire time, seemingly lost in contemtion of life, cleared her throat.

    ¡°Is¡­ this how your ss always is?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Emily said.

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± James said.

    ¡°Somewhat,¡± Alexandra added.

    ¡°Depends on the day,¡± Todd said. ¡°It¡¯s a little less deadly than normal today. Jalen isn¡¯t throwing darts at us.¡±

    ¡°Jalen throws darts at you?¡± Noah asked, blinking in surprise. ¡°Just how much did I miss?¡±

    ¡°A lot of fun, mostly,¡± Jalen said despondently. A smile stretched across his face and he rose to his feet. ¡°But something tells me you¡¯re going to make up for that soon enough. I really want to see how you¡¯re going to manage to slip a ssroom full of demons into Arbitage grounds.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got a few ideas,¡± Noah said, a small grin pulling at the corner of his lips. ¡°But that¡¯s definitely going to be a little problematic. I¡¯m hoping they don¡¯t mind camping out for a little while until we can find a way to do more proper lodgings.¡±

    ¡°Spending time in the mortal ne is like a dreame true,¡± Aylin said, looking around the Scorched Acres with wonder scrawled across his features. ¡°There¡¯s so much wood here. I¡¯m rich. I could stay here for a year.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t have to be anything that extreme,¡± Noah said with a chuckle. ¡°Just for long enough until I can figure out how to smuggle some demons into school grounds.¡±

    Yulin sent a sidelong nce at Alexandra. ¡°He¡¯s always like this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, usually much worse,¡± Alexandra replied absentmindedly. Her gaze was affixed on the demons, the curiosity in her expression undisguised. ¡°I think he¡¯s in a good mood today ¡ª but more importantly, are any of you willing to exchange sparring tips? I¡¯ve only fought one demon before. I bet there¡¯s a lot I could learn from you.¡±

    ¡°Predict all of your opponents moves perfectly and you¡¯ll never lose,¡± Yoru advised.

    ¡°Run away,¡± Sticky put in.

    ¡°Let Spider kill them for you,¡± Aylin suggested.

    ¡°Or Lee,¡± Vrith muttered.

    Noah pped his hands together, a small smile on his face. He gestured for everyone to stand up. ¡°We don¡¯t have to remain in a circle forever, guys. Get to know each other ¡ª other than you, Aylin. Just talk about yourself. No asking him questions until he figures out how to get a handle on that magic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Aylin said, his cheeks reddening.

    ¡°I know you are,¡± Noah said. ¡°And I¡¯m sure you will. Many of the people here will be able to help as well. We¡¯re taking a bit of a risk doing this, but I¡¯m not leaving any of you behind. Everyone is to treat each other as an equal. We can all learn a lot from each other. Keep any sparring to a minimum today until we can make sure everything is safe. I don¡¯t want anyone getting hurt, okay?¡±

    At that, every demon and human student in the clearing nodded. They rose to their feet, hesitantly at first, and the very beginnings of awkward conversation started up amongst them.

    Noah broke away to catch up with the other professors while the students continued their conversation. That conversation grew just a little less ufortable with every passing word.

    Demons and humans couldn¡¯t have possibly been more different from each other, but as it turned out, they had more than a few things inmon as well.

 Chapter 585: Lorne

    Garina was halfway through taking a bite out of Ferdinand¡¯s sandwich when the wave of magic mmed into her like a roaring storm.

    Someone powerful had arrived within the empire. Someone that shouldn¡¯t have been there.

    Goosebumps erupted across her skin and her hair stood on end. She nearly choked on her bite as she shot up from the wooden lounge chair she sat in ¡ª though not too quicky. Garina didn¡¯t want to break the chair. Ferdinand had spent several hours making it.

    Her feetnded on the hot sand, her head already turning toward the source of the magic by the time she had risen.

    And then the presence vanished.

    Garina froze on the spot. She focused her senses, but it was fruitless. She found nothing. Confusion prickled at her mind and an uneasy nket wrapped itself around her shoulders and weighed down on her back.

    ¡°Garina?¡± Ferdinand asked, ncing over from his chair. One of the cucumber slices he had on his eyes fell off and sttered to the sand beneath him. ¡°Is something wrong? Or did you already get back after dealing with it?¡±

    <em>What was that? I know I just felt someone¡­ right?</em>

    There was no possibility that she¡¯d hallucinated it. But if she hadn¡¯t, that meant an immense presence had just broken through the barrier between nes and then vanished mere momentster as if it had never been there.The amount of power needed to do something like that was deeply concerning. There were a number of monstrous existences that could have pulled it off. None of them should have had the slightest interest in the empire.

    ¡°Someone just broke into the protected zone,¡± Garina said.

    ¡°Oh. Do you have to go deal with them? Also, you¡¯re crushing your sandwich.¡±

    Garina nced down at her hand. It had been transformed into a ball of crushed bread and squashed ingredients. Sauce rolled down her fingers and dripped from her hand. Her eye twitched in annoyance.

    <em>And now I¡¯ve gone and ruined a perfectly good meal. Gods damn it. </em>

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Garina said. ¡°And I would be happy to deal with them if I knew where they were.¡±

    Ferdinand sat straight upright, worry creasing his near-hairless face as realization passed over his features. ¡°You mean¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not that one. I still don¡¯t know where the first bastard that escaped me is.¡± Garina¡¯s expression darkened even further. ¡°I was unhappy enough when there was just one of them. Now there are two. Give me a second. And another sandwich.¡±

    She extended her hands and drew deeply on her magic, sending her magic twisting through the nature around them. It rolled across the wavespping against the beach and stretched over the swaying forest behind them. Fingers of power extended across the entirety of the kingdom, trawling through the runic energy permeating the world for any traces of an intruder.

    It had been years since thest time someone had managed to trick Garina. And before that, it had been never.

    She¡¯d taken a few measures to ensure a simr issue didn¡¯t happen a second time around. Where there were great powers that did not want to be known, there were signs. A gap in power could be just as telling as an excess of it.

    For several long seconds, she stood as still as ice. Whoever this was, they were talented. There were nearly no traces of their arrival at all. But Garina had spent more than a few nights pissed off in bed and trying to figure out a way to ensure she was never made a fool of again.

    And, as it had turned out, there was only one real way to determine where someone immensely powerful and determined to conceal themselves was hiding. It was to memorize the patterns of every single location.

    Everything in the universe was a pattern. Runes bound even the most basic and simple of concepts together, permeating the very essence of every being. The world was no different. Its patterns were subtle, beautiful, and immensely infuriating. They constantly changed, an endless ebb and flow as the cycle of existence ran its eternal course.

    Attempting to memorize them was like trying to remove sand from a beach one grain at a time.

    Garina had done it.

    It had taken her years, but she had done it. Every single night, she¡¯d studied the patterns of the world andmitted them to memory. Even changes had a pattern to them, and they were a pattern that could be learned with sufficient agony. She¡¯d hated every second of it, but she hated losing even more. Every scrap of her effort had been put in to ensure that nobody made a fool of her again.

    And now, her efforts finally paid off.

    There was a change to the world¡¯s pattern. One that didn¡¯t belong, and one that was localized in a location that she¡¯d actually rather enjoyed.

    <em>Though I hate admitting I¡¯m wrong, I may have to find that little demoness and tell her she had a point. It looks like I¡¯ll be paying her town a visit. </em>

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Garina said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need help, do you?¡±

    Garina arched an eyebrow. Ferdinand shrugged in response.

    ¡°I figured I¡¯d offer. I¡¯ll have a sandwich for you when youe back.¡±

    Some of the anger and displeasure welling in Garina¡¯s chest faltered and a faint smile pulled across her lips. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Ferdinand nodded amiably, and then Garina was gone.

    ***

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Leagues away, beyond the kingdom and well outside of Garina¡¯s domain, a man sitting in a stone chair in an empty cave was trying to remember which face belonged to him.

    There were just so many of them. He was pretty sure that he was a she yesterday, but that had been yesterday and yesterdays were best left in the past. Then again, he had never been a huge fan of todays either. It was the tomorrows that he tended to prefer, but the tomorrows were always a day away.

    It was all quite a bother.

    The man heaved a sigh ¡ª and it came out through two mouths. He blinked, then hopped to his feet and turned around.

    ¡°Aha!¡± the man eximed, looking down at a thin line on the armrest of the stone chair. Molten crimson energy twisted between his fingers like a snake as he reached down and plucked the line, pulling it right out of the stone.

    He pped it onto his palm. His skin split apart, revealing two rows of ufortably wide teeth.

    ¡°There you are,¡± the man said from his mouth and his hand alike. ¡°I was wondering where I left you. Now, where¡¯s the rest of your face?¡±

    The mouth, as good as it was at talking, did not give him an answer. The man resisted the urge to heave another sigh. Mouths enjoyed talking. That was what they were meant to do, after all. But they did not enjoy <em>telling</em>.

    There was a difference, after all. He couldn¡¯t go around talking pointlessly until his mouth told him where the rest of its face was.

    He was pretty sure he liked that face.

    A distant thud echoed through the empty room, and the man blinked again. One of his eyelids moved in the wrong direction. They tended to do that when he forgot to remind them which way to move.

    The man plucked the line from his palm and pped it back onto the armrest of his chair. With a flick of a finger, he sent a streamer of red light flying free. It shed into the line and stitched the mouth shut, sealing it.

    ¡°You stay there,¡± the man said, and the mouth on the chair remained silent.

    He turned, brushing off his immactely cared for robes. It seemed that he had a visitor. He was fortunate that he¡¯d wore his favorite clothes today. They were spun of white silk and softer than the kiss of a goddess ¡ª not that he¡¯d ever had a chance to try thetter out. That was probably one of the events that would arrive with tomorrow, whenever tomorrow decided to stick around for more than a day.

    Then the wall to his side split open, and sound spilled forth from the hall beyond.

    ¡°Let me go!¡± a girl screamed, her legs kicking desperately as two men carried her in, holding her in the air by either arm. She wore rags covered with a mixture of blood and fluids. Both of the men bearing her in were d in ck hood and matching robes, leaving no parts of their skin visible.

    The men threw the girl to the ground. She hit it with a pained grunt, rolling once and letting out a whimper of pain. Blood leaked across the floor behind her. She¡¯d been run through somewhere. It didn¡¯t look like she was going to die immediately, but it wouldn¡¯t be long.

    A rumble filled the room as the passageway closed behind the men.

    ¡°No!¡± the girl begged, dragging herself upright and lurching for the stone, only for her hands to collide with cold stone. She spun, staring at the man before the throne with wild terror dancing in her eyes. The girl stood heavily on one leg; the other was stained with blood. ¡°Stay away from me! I ¡ª I didn¡¯t do anything! I got mugged! I was just delivering milk!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have my face, do you?¡± the man asked, approaching the grimy girl. He studied her clothes intently for several moments. The way the colors mixed on her ratty dress was quite beautiful.

    ¡°Please,¡± she begged. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. Stay away from me. Let me go.¡±

    ¡°You are going to die.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª that¡¯s fine. I can die. I don¡¯t fear death. But¡­ please. I know who you are. They warned me that you ¡ª fuck. I¡­ just let me die. Please.¡± She clutched at her chest, and red spread farther across her red dress. The girl¡¯s voice was trembling.

    A frown crossed the man¡¯s face ¡ª or at least, his current one. His actual face was still missing.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying to me.¡± The man¡¯s voice took on a singsong pitch and he flowed, arriving before the terrified girl and leaning down so they were at the same height. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s in your nature to lie, isn¡¯t it? That is the burden of kindness. You don¡¯t want to hurt my feelings. You don¡¯t want to inconvenience me.¡±

    The girl stared at him, horror cinching her throat shut.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± the man whispered, extending his hands toward her face. The finger and thumb on his right hand warped, then swapped positions in a heartbeat. ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask. It is my duty to fix you.¡±

    The girl flinched away, but the man was faster. His hands mped down on her skull. Her eyes went wide; her skin bubbled like boiling oil. Features melted down her face, blood twisted and jerked like it was a writhing animal in the throes of death.

    She screamed.

    ***

    The girl was a good screamer. She screamed for nearly an hour before her voice gave out entirely.

    Then she fell silent, and the man finished his work in peace.

    He stepped back, his eyes delighting in the results of his creation.

    ¡°There,¡± he said. ¡°Look at you. Beautiful.¡±

    The girl stood before him, as still as ice. Her mouth hung askew, her eyes were so wide that their whites threatened to swallow her irises entirely.

    ¡°I¡­ what did you do to me?¡± the girl asked, her wordsing out in a melodic whisper.

    Her body had been fixed. Her voice box had too. And, dare the man say it, they had been improved.

    ¡°You came to me for healing. I healed you, my beautiful child,¡± the man replied, giving her a gentle pat on the face. The girl flinched, but the man didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°I undid the damage to your body. You like screaming, so I fixed your voice so it can scream better. I also removed your weakness. Yes, yes I did.¡±

    ¡°My¡­ weakness?¡±

    ¡°Your vision was poor, and your heart was strained. Too much poor diet, I should say,¡± the man said, tapping a finger on his chin. ¡°Your growth was also stunted. A foot too short, you were. I added on a little.¡±

    The girl looked down at her body. Disbelief warped her features as she ran her hands across her body. Her gaze lifted back to the man and her voice trembled as she spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How?¡±

    ¡°Because I decided you needed fixing,¡± the man replied, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. ¡°There are many things in the world that need fixing.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± The word slipped from the girl¡¯s mouth unbidden, and she looked mortified the moment after it escaped.

    The man didn¡¯t mind. A smile split his features.

    ¡°Have you ever built a tower of wood pieces? Built it as tall as you could, up until your chin and then a log further?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°Ah. You would not understand.¡± The man patted her on the shoulder and she flinched, but nothing happens. He simply turned away and walked back over to the stone chair. He paused before he sat and nced back. ¡°Say, have you seen my face?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± the girl said, swallowing heavily. ¡°I think you¡¯re wearing it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. This isn¡¯t mine,¡± the man replied with a shake of his head. He pointed at the smooth stone walls and a passageway opened up. ¡°You were heading in that direction. Don¡¯t forget your milk, even if it¡¯s spoiled by now. One must finish the jobs they start.¡±

    The girl stared at him for several long seconds. Then she mustered up a scrap of courage. ¡°You saved me? Just for free?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want anything in return?¡±

    ¡°What I want can only be taken. Unless you know where my face is?¡±

    The girl shook her head.

    ¡°Then on with you.¡±

    ¡°Can ¡ª can I ask your name? I want to know. It hurt so much¡­ but you saved me. I didn¡¯t want to die.¡±

    ¡°I know you didn¡¯t,¡± the man replied idly. ¡°Today, my name is Lorne.¡±

    The girl looked from him to the passageway. Then she nodded, turned, and ran into the darkness.

    Lorne nodded to himself. He walked back over to his stone seat and sat down, watching a crackle of red energy y between his fingers.

    Then a frown crossed his features.

    ¡°Where did I put my mouth?¡±

 Book 5 of Runebound is out on Amazon!

    Hi guys! Runebound 5 has released on amazon! It''s been a ton of work getting this far, so I''d like to thank everyone for reading. Writing Runebound has been such a st. This marks something around 1 million words of RB out on amazon!

    If you''d like to support me, please consider going over and leaving a rating / review, you don''t even have to download or pay for the novel. I got some moron instantly give me a 1* review iming the cover was AI when it is not.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the vition.

    If you want to check the novel out, you can see it HERE on KU!

    Also, check out this cover.

    I really like it, and I feel horrible for the artist who put a ton of work in only for this to just instantly be called ai.

 Chapter 586: Recruits

    With everyone¡¯s introductions done and tensions rather low in the clearing, there were only a few things left that Noah had to take care of before he and the others could return to Arbitage, which woulde with its own host of new problems.

    And so, while everyone else was distracted by a mixture of Lee, Jalen, and the general absurdity of the situation as a whole, he made his way over to Yulin.

    The girl stood at the edge of the clearing, a clear separation between her and the others. Alexandra had been keeping herpany and trying to get her to mingle with the others to little sess.

    Noah had been forced to wait for Alexandra to head off to get them some food before he made his move. He trusted her, but this wasn¡¯t something he wanted to do with other people around. It made things more difficult ¡ª and whether Silvertide knew it or not, his words still rung in Noah¡¯s head like an echo.

    There was no room for weakness. No room for mercy when the people that depended on him were involved. He wouldn¡¯t be cruel, but there would be no chances. No opportunities for someone to take advantage of idiocy.

    Yulin looked up at Noah as he arrived behind her. Neither of them had to say a word. She didn¡¯t even look surprised at his arrival. She just quietly nodded, then followed Noah through the ckened trees and into the forest.

    They walked for several minutes in silence. Noah took those moments to sift through his thoughts. Yulin was a student, no older than any of the others. She¡¯d also gone out of her way to help everyone, going so far as to put her own life at risk.

    Those were huge marks in her favor. Noah highly doubted that Jakob or Verrud had nned to kill Isabel at the cost of their own lives. Of course, he had no delusions that the two of them were the only ones aware of her rune.

    They had only been the beginning. If they¡¯d known, then higher members in the families had known as well. Yulin could have been a nt from someone even higher up, set in case her professors had failed. She certainly had the training to pull it off.Noah shook his head. Conspiracy theories without anything to base them on would get him nowhere. All he knew was that, from here on out, the Torrins and the Herrons were functionally his enemies. It just remained to be seen where Yulin¡¯s allegiances trulyid.

    He and Yulin came to a stop after about ten minutes had passed with the only sound being the crunch of the dry ashen sticks beneath their feet. The scent of burnt wood lingered in every part of the Scorched Acres, and this one was no different.

    For some reason, it was oddlyforting.

    Noah turned to face Yulin.

    ¡°Are you going to kill me?¡± Yulin asked quietly, her features bearing no more expression than a stillke.

    ¡°That¡¯s an odd question to ask in such a calm tone.¡±

    ¡°It would make sense. I am associated with your enemies. I am surprised you did not do it earlier, but I suspected that you knew your students would not approve and so you were waiting for a more opportune time to act.¡±

    ¡°You knew that and you didn¡¯t run?¡± Noah tilted his head to the side, a habit that he¡¯d mistakenly built up during the time he¡¯d spent in his Spider persona ¡ª one that he wasn¡¯t so sure he¡¯d be shaking off anytime soon.

    ¡°Running would be pointless. You escaped from the Damned ins. I think you¡¯d be able to hunt down a Torrin on the brink of exile. They would ept me back in, but with Jakob dead, there is little use for me in the near future. I would be given up the moment you made it clear you were hunting for me.¡±

    <em>Man, this is almost sad. She¡¯s so resigned to whatever fate she gets dealt that she barely even seems to care about her own life. I just can¡¯t tell if this is an act or if this is genuinely what the Torrins have made her into.</em>

    ¡°I doubt the Torrins would be so willing to work with me after what I did to theirst head¡ª¡±

    ¡°You were just a bystander.¡±

    Noah arched an eyebrow. ¡°I think we can get past the bullshit for today, Yulin. We¡¯re in a very unique spot, you and I. One where there¡¯s no point to keep secrets.¡±

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    ¡°Because you¡¯re going to kill me.¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m either going to kill you or you¡¯re going to join my side,¡± Noah corrected. ¡°And regardless of what you end up doing, my secrets remain safe. Thus, I don¡¯t feel any fear in revealing that I killed Evergreen. She had iting.¡±

    <em>Not going to mention that Lee and Moxie were involved, though. I really don¡¯t care what the Torrins think of me at this point¡­ but I¡¯m going to have to take thest few steps to gaining power before I let them find too much out. That¡¯s a problem to deal with after this. </em>

    ¡°She probably did,¡± Yulin admitted. ¡°She was a cruel woman.¡±

    ¡°She was,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°Killing her was one of the best things I¡¯ve done here.¡±

    ¡°Here?¡± Yulin asked.

    Noah shook his head. That was a secret that she wasn¡¯t getting anytime soon. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the topic at hand, Yulin. I want to know why.¡±

    ¡°Why what?¡±

    ¡°Why did you help my students? If you hadn¡¯t, Jakob and Verrud likely would have gotten what they wanted. Was it to take revenge on them for the way they treated you?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Yulin said. ¡°I am a servant. To serve is my duty.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the bullshit that the Torrin family hammered into your head, and I don¡¯t buy it for a second.¡±

    A tiny smile flickered across Yulin¡¯s lips. ¡°No. Neither do I. But that is still the answer the world must hear.¡±

    ¡°And the answer that I hear?¡±

    Several seconds passed before Yulin spoke.

    ¡°Marley was an insufferable spoiled brat that used me like a toy and punching bag. Jakob saw me as an emotionless weapon to be used in the training of his brat. I never cared. That was just life¡­ until I ran into Alexandra. She wanted to train with me just because it was fun. No ulterior motives. She just wanted to talk and fight. At first, I viewed it as reconnaissance for the mission. I didn¡¯t realize how much fun I was having until it was toote.¡±

    ¡°Alexandra was safe, though,¡± Noah pointed out. ¡°She was nowhere near the fight. You brought her to it.¡±

    ¡°She would have been distraught if the others were killed. I was just repaying a debt.¡±

    ¡°So it was purely transactional. That¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to say? You only helped because you felt you owed Alexandra for giving you a few moments where you were actually treated like a human.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    <em>I¡¯m not so sure I buy that. This was more than repaying a debt. </em>

    ¡°That was a lie.¡± A quiet voice echoed through the trees around them.

    Noah and Yulin both looked to their left as Aylin stepped out from between two scorched trunks and approached them.

    ¡°You followed us?¡± Yulin asked, blinking.

    ¡°I asked him to,¡± Noah replied. He put a hand on Aylin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°He¡¯s particrly good at pulling the truth out of situations. I would have preferred that we could speak with just the two of us for a little longer, but I trust he¡¯se to a decision if he¡¯s revealed himself.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s been honest about everything but two answers,¡± Aylin said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t believe that she was repaying a debt, and she didn¡¯t view it as transactional.¡±

    Yulin stared at him in surprise. ¡°How could you possibly know that? Are you a Mind Rune user?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Answer his questions honestly, please,¡± Noah said. ¡°And well done, Aylin. It doesn¡¯t look like you took a bite out of her.¡±

    ¡°I am doing my best,¡± Aylin said, his voice slightly terse. He was definitely exerting more than a little effort to make sure he didn¡¯t mistakenly start snacking on the Torrin.

    There were a few seconds of silence. Then Yulin grimaced. ¡°I might honestly prefer if you just killed me.¡±

    ¡°At this point, I¡¯m really not feeling all that inclined to do so,¡± Noah said. ¡°You don¡¯t have an ulterior motive. My only concern was if you were working for someone above Jakob or Verrud. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case, is it?¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Truth,¡± Aylin said.

    Yulin heaved a sigh. ¡°This is so embarrassing. I helped because I¡¯ve never had a friend before. I didn¡¯t want Alexandra to be sad or angry at me. I wanted to be able to keep training with her. That¡¯s it.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t need Aylin to say anything. The Knowledge Demon gave him a slight nod, but it was practically pointless. Yulin was telling the truth.

    ¡°That¡¯s a reason I can get behind,¡± Noah said. ¡°Most anything other than not working directly for the Torrins to kill Isabel would have been, honestly. But now you¡¯ve got a new problem to figure out.¡±

    ¡°You mean you¡¯re not killing me?¡±

    ¡°I already said I wasn¡¯t a while ago. But you <em>are </em>going to have to figure out what it is you want to do. Because if you want to keep training with Alexandra, that means you¡¯re joining up with me ¡ª and turning against the Torrin family. I know you gave an excuse of following Emily, but I think we both know that won¡¯t hold up with them. You¡¯ll be their enemy. Is that fine with you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Yulin said without an instant of hesitation.

    Normally, Noah would have been concerned about such a hasty decision, but he wasn¡¯t really all that surprised to see how much Yulin disliked her family. He hadn¡¯t liked the vast majority of the Torrins he¡¯d met himself ¡ª though the few he <em>did </em>like more than counterbnced his distaste for the rest.

    ¡°Thene on. Let¡¯s head back to the others. I¡¯ll look into getting you assigned to me or Moxie as a student,¡± Noah said, turning on his heel and striding back toward the others.

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Yulin asked, hurrying after him alongside Aylin.

    Noah threw a wry nce back over his shoulder at them. ¡°I came back from the dead. I think I can recruit an extra student along the way.¡±

 Chapter 587: Who

    With their conversation finished, Noah brought Yulin back to rejoin the others. She stood around near the treeline for a few moments before slipping away to stand in the shade of arge tree.

    It didn¡¯t look like she was quite ready to start properly mingling with everyone else. Noah was pretty sure she was still trying to process everything that had happened in the past few days.

    He didn¡¯t me her. It was a lot to take in. She¡¯d get used to it eventually. The only thing he cared about was that she wasn¡¯t going to go around spilling their secrets to their enemies, and as far as he could tell, she was definitely on their side. There was always the option of using a Rune Oath, but those were so finicky and dangerous that Noah dismissed the idea on the spot.

    Oaths were a trap. They were a double edged sword unless someone used an intermediary, and he had absolutely no ns of keeping someone around just to get them killed when an oath shattered.

    No, normal promises were enough for him. Yulin had done enough to prove that she wasn¡¯t just in this to betray them. Between Aylin and Alexandra, Noah was pretty confident she would fit right in.

    She¡¯d just have to get used to¡­ everything.

    That made Noah wince. There was a lot of everything to get used to. Yulin was going to be in for a rough time. Things had been weird for his students for a while, but they were about to get a whole lot weirder once the noble families realized their somewhat covert attempt to wrest Isabel¡¯s Master Rune from her had failed.

    His hands clenched at his sides. His Rank 4 Runes put him well ahead of the average Rank 4, to the point where he couldn¡¯t even bepared to anyone else of his rank on the mortal ne. He wasn¡¯t worried about himself¡­ but if the nobles got really serious and started sending more than a few people, his students would be in danger.

    Noah¡¯s face darkened. He couldn¡¯t allow for that to happen. The moment he returned to Arbitage, a timer started. A timer that counted down the seconds Isabel had left to live in peace ¡ª and Noah didn¡¯t know how long it would take to hit zero. He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn¡¯t notice Jalen approaching until the other man stood directly in front of him.

    ¡°That¡¯s a stormy look you¡¯ve got in your eyes there, Vermil,¡± Jalen said. ¡°Not the expression I was expecting from someone who just ripped his way out of the Damned ins with a host full of friendly demons.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m wondering how many people I¡¯m going to have to kill,¡± Noah said. ¡°And how many of them I <em>can </em>kill.¡±

    ¡°Always a good hobby to have.¡± Jalen nodded sagely. ¡°The same thought passes through my mind at least once a week, especially when I¡¯m standing in a particrly long line at a restaurant.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious here, Jalen. You know why all this shit is happening, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Jalen arched an eyebrow and waved his hand around the clearing. ¡°There¡¯s so much shit happening here that I genuinely don¡¯t know which shit you¡¯re referring to. Is it the fact that you¡¯re the only human in known history to go to the Damned ins? The fact you ferried a bunch of powerful demons back along with you? Is it the the monster in your book that was torturing Jakob to death, or perhaps the fact that Todd killed Marley before you killed both of the other professors? Or is it¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Isabel.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I was getting to her. Eventually. As I said, a lot of shit,¡± Jalen said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. ¡°The Master Rune.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Noah said. His jaw tightened. ¡°The Master Rune.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have no interest in it. I¡¯m too old to care about toys like that. Now, if you¡¯ve got any demon women that are in search of something fun ¡ª older ones, mind you ¡ª I¡¯d appreciate an introduction. That¡¯s something interesting. I¡¯ve heard horrible things about what they do to people.¡± ???¦­¨°§£¨º?

    Noah¡¯s eye twitched, and he couldn¡¯t keep himself from letting out a small chuckle. Jalen¡¯s brain was so melted by age that it was hard to tell when the half-mad man was actually being serious. There was a genuine tossup as to whether he actually wanted to be introduced to an eligible demon bachelorette or if he was just bored and pping his mouth.

    ¡°One topic at a time,¡± Noah said. ¡°I¡¯m a little more concerned about Isabel than I am about your love life.¡±

    ¡°Ouch. That hurts. Much like the majority of my love life.¡±

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    ¡°Which is entirely your fault. I¡¯m getting serious here, Jalen. The nobles are going to make a move. They already have, but now that they know the cat is out of the bag, they <em>really </em>will. And I can¡¯t let that happen.¡±

    The smile slipped away from Jalen¡¯s lips as his expression turned t. ¡°Yes. I am aware. You want me to interfere.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I will not.¡± Jalen raised a hand to forestall Noah before he could say anything else. ¡°But it is not because I do not want to. I have grown¡­ attached to your students. They amuse me.¡±

    ¡°So why won¡¯t you help? You of all people could.¡±

    ¡°And in doing so, I would cast the kingdom into war.¡±

    ¡°War? For squashing a few bugs?¡±

    A corner of Jalen¡¯s lips pulled up in a cold smile. ¡°I see the Damned ins have hardened you if you¡¯re referring to powerful mages as nothing more than bugs. You are correct. I could squash a few bugs without issue ¡ª but do you really think the families will be sending bugs? No. They will send the strong. Their best. Isabel¡¯s Master Rune is one that has been more desired than any other. The Soul Rune¡­ its power is enormous. Our Souls are the most core and powerful parts of our being. If Isabel masters it, she could be the greatest mage that this kingdom has produced since the Long Night ¡ª and that potential passes to anyone who takes it from her.¡±

    ¡°What are you implying here?¡±

    ¡°That you will not be faced with Rank 4 mages,¡± Jalen said. ¡°It will be strongest members of the families, bar their heads. Rank 5 mages at the peak of their potential. Rank 6 ones that have lurked within the shadows, waiting for opportunity to grow beyond the limits of their abilities. Every single one of them wille for Isabel.¡±

    ¡°All the more reason for you to¡ª¡±

    ¡°If I interfere, then the nobles will send their Family Heads. One head cannot act without the others noticing. There will be war.¡±

    ¡°Fuck,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Not nearly as much as I would like, unfortunately. I¡¯ve been far too busy as ofte.¡±

    Noah ignored Jalen. The man had been serious for a few sentences. That was more than what he could normally ask for, and he¡¯d had a good point. Jalen couldn¡¯t act without making all the other powerful Rank 6 mages throw their lot in as well ¡ª and as powerful as he was, he couldn¡¯t win a war singlehandedly.

    ¡°And if you don¡¯t interfere? If it¡¯s just me and the others?¡±

    ¡°Bird can¡¯t help either. It would jeopardize her position with the King family ¡ª and she cares far too deeply about Otto and her position working under him. They are close. I would not attempt to get in their way¡­ and she is not nearly powerful enough to make a significant difference in a fight.¡±

    ¡°Just my group, then. And possibly Silvertide.¡±

    ¡°Then you would face the Rank 5 and 6 mages, but not the family heads. They would make up rumors. use you of everything under the sun and rip your reputation to shreds while attempting to kill you and making themselves out to be the heroes. They would continue until they ground you to a paste.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s lovely to hear you¡¯re optimistic about our chances.¡±

    ¡°I am realistic,¡± Jalen said. He was silent for several long seconds before he spoke again. ¡°The only thing the noble families hate more than one of them getting more power is when an outsider gets it. You are capable, but do you believe you could defeat a legion of rank 5 and 6 mages?¡±

    <em>If I had the full strength of everyone here¡­ I think we could hold them off. The rank 5s, at least. Maybe the 6s if Yoru was using her power, but forever? Probably not. I¡¯d get tired or I¡¯d die at some point. And when I do, it¡¯s all over.</em>

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°Not as I am now.¡±

    ¡°As I thought. You are a uniquely fantastic mage, Vermil. And I do not say that lightly.¡± Jalen turned to look at the students and demons gathered in the center of the clearing. ¡°But if you stay this course, you are going to die.¡±

    <em>I¡¯ve died more times than you can count ¡ª though, given who I¡¯m speaking to, probably isn¡¯t all that high. I¡¯ll die a thousand more times if that¡¯s what it takes¡­ but dying isn¡¯t going to solve my problems here.</em>

    ¡°As I am now, you¡¯re right,¡± Noah said grimly. ¡°Which just means things have to change.¡±

    ¡°pping shoddy runes together will not change much,¡± Jalen warned. ¡°You will buy yourself a scrap of power at the cost of an ocean. If you wish to survive, you should run. Take the students and leave the school.¡±

    ¡°As if the noble families wouldn¡¯t track us.¡±

    ¡°They would, but it would be harder. You would have a chance to escape.¡±

    Noah was already shaking his head. ¡°No. That only dys the problem.¡±

    ¡°So does brute forcing your way up a rank. You will be no stronger than the Nobles whose parents feed them all their power.¡±

    <em>But that¡¯s not true at all, is it? I¡¯m notbining runes blindly. I¡¯ve been taking things slow and steady for long enough now. I¡¯ve been trying to make sure that I don¡¯t draw too much of the wrong attention ¡ª even though that hasn¡¯t exactly always gone to n.</em>

    <em>But I think the time for that is over. If I¡¯m this strong at Rank 4¡­ then at Rank 5, I might be able to challenge Rank 6 mages. </em>

    Noah¡¯s features set.

    ¡°Made a decision?¡± Jalen asked.

    ¡°Something like that,¡± Noah said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m going to need some favors.¡±

    ¡°Are they going to make things interesting?¡±

    ¡°Without a doubt.¡±

    ¡°Then they are yours. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Some Catchpaper. Enough to hold some Demon Runes ¡ª and entrance to the biggest auction in the near future that you can get me.¡±

    Jalen arched an eyebrow. ¡°Your n is to go to an auction?¡±

    ¡°Me? No. As far as the rest of the mortal ne is concerned, Vermil Linwick is still dead. I¡¯m changing my ns to keep it that way for a little while longer. I can¡¯t go back to Arbitage yet. That¡¯ll buy us time. A few days at most, but a few days can go a long way.¡±

    ¡°So if you¡¯re not going, then who is?¡±

    Noah smiled.

    ¡°Spider.¡±

 Chapter 588: Alexandras Runes

    Jalen set off shortly after his conversation with Noah, leaving him with a promise to get him ess to the auction he wanted. Noah wasn¡¯t too concerned about waiting ¡ª in a ce like Arbitage, where every single noble family had representatives, there were bound to be constant auctions. Too many people had money to sling around and egos to pad.

    Unless Noah was incredibly lucky, he was pretty sure that it would take at least a day or two before there was an auction that suited his needs. He wasn¡¯t going to just settle for randommon runes, and he couldn¡¯t afford to go around selling his own runes unless there were people wealthy enough to actually afford them.

    The thought of selling Demon Runes did prick Noah¡¯s spine with distaste. He knew what the noble houses would do with those runes, and it probably wasn¡¯t going to be pretty. They tested runes by forcing their lower-ranked members to take them on.

    If a human took on a demon rune ¡ª well, he still wasn¡¯t sure exactly what would happen, but it would probably start to warp them as they grew stronger, just like how it did to demons. The rate at which it corrupted someone would be reduced since humans weren¡¯t as susceptible to their runes as demons were, which was the only saving grace.

    Noah highly doubted that anyone would be making it to Rank 5 with a Demon Rune that didn¡¯t fit theirbination. If he were a kinder man, he would have considered it for longer. But, with the way things were going, the noble houses were his enemies. He would not be showing them mercy orpassion.

    He couldn¡¯t afford to.

    Not when the price could end up being the lives of his students.

    ¡°Professor?¡±

    Noah blinked. It took him a moment to realize that someone was speaking to him. He¡¯d been standing near the edge of the clearing a few feet away from the other professors, quietly observing all his students mingling and getting to know each other while he brooded under the shade of arge, ashy tree that had been cracked down the center.Alexandra had somehow arrived at his side. His distraction had been so great that she¡¯d managed topletely slip past his senses and domain. Leaves crunched beneath him as he shifted his weight and smiled.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°You looked¡­ troubled.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m nning some minor war crimes,¡± Noah said. ¡°Not too happy about it, but such is life. We all have to do a little war crime now and then.¡±

    Alexandra blinked. ¡°War crime?¡±

    <em>Oh, God. No Geneva convention here. That¡¯s¡­ incredibly disturbing to think about, actually. Especially given what Runes are capable of. At least it means I¡¯m not going to be breaking anyws by selling a bunch of poisoned runes to the nobles.</em>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s a grown-up thing,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯ll learn when you¡¯re older.¡±

    Alexandra squinted at him. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not that much younger than you, Professor.¡±

    Noah chuckled and ruffled her hair. ¡°Right. Don¡¯t mind my bbering. Was there something you wanted?¡±

    She scrunched her nose and ducked away from Noah¡¯s hand, though it did take her a moment longer to do it than someone who could move at her speed would have needed. ¡°I¡­ wanted to speak to you. Alone.¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t really anyone here right now. Nobody¡¯s paying attention. Sometimes, the best ce to hide is in in sight. Leaving might actually draw more attention ¡ª but if this is something really private, we can put some distance between us and the others.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s probably fine. You¡¯re right. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Alexandra trailed off and hesitated for a second before continuing, her shoulders slumping as she kicked a dry stick by her feet. ¡°I¡¯m at my limit, Professor.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done everything I can to get stronger. And I <em>have </em>been improving. Especially with your Formation training. It¡¯s done a lot for me, but I feel the others catching up. They¡¯re all getting so strong, but I¡¯ll forever be a Rank 3. The gap closes every day, no matter how hard I try. I¡¯ve done everything I can, even Bird¡¯s weird techniques. I almost considered actually trying to fight naked¡ª¡±

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    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°¡ªbut I decided against it. I¡¯m not that desperate yet,¡± Alexandra continued, the corner of her lip twitching up for an instant. It fell t again a momentter and she shifted her gaze to the tree behind Noah. ¡°I think I¡¯m running out of options. Even Formations and patterns can only take me so far. When the others hit Rank 4, I¡¯ll still be the same Alexandra. I¡¯ll still be a Rank 3 that relies on her Body Runes to keep up¡­ up until I can¡¯t keep up anymore.¡±

    <em>That¡¯s right. I never got a chance to fix Alexandra¡¯s runes before I got pulled into the Damned ins. She¡¯s more than earned enough trust for me to show her Sunder ¡ª to tell her the truth about who I am. </em>

    ¡°I see,¡± Noah said. ¡°Well¡ª¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Alexandra said with a firm shake of her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you do. I¡¯m stuck like this, Professor. And I can tell the others see it too. They keep hedging around the topic of getting stronger when I¡¯m around. I want you to tell them to stop tiptoeing around me. It won¡¯t do anything if I¡¯m the one to say it, but I know my lot in life. I dealt my own cards. I hate people acting like I¡¯m some sick, injured fool that needs to be coddled. I know what my future holds, but I don¡¯t want to have to deal with it before it¡¯s already arrived.¡±

    <em>She came to me, not to ask for a solution, but to ask me to make the others stop feeling bad for her?</em>

    <em>Oh, Alexandra. I don¡¯t think they were feeling bad for you at all. They just didn¡¯t want to talk about what I can do before I returned ¡ª or hell, if I returned. They didn¡¯t have a way to know for certain. Giving her hope would have been cruel. </em>

    Noah put a hand on Alexandra¡¯s shoulder and gave her a small smile. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re asking.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll do it?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    Alexandra blinked.

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because there¡¯s only one person who can see fate, and it isn¡¯t you. Rx your mind and brace yourself. I¡¯m going to show you something.¡±

    Noah only waited long enough for Alexandra to nod her understanding. He then nced over at Moxie, catching her eye and jerking his chin to the girl beside him. Understanding flickered in her eyes and she gave him a thumbs-up.

    Then Noah activated Empty Proliferation.

    Alexandra drew in a sharp breath.

    The world fell away.

    ***

    Noah stood upon a rocky teau, a gentle wind blowing through his hair. It howled as it slipped through rocks, jagged like teeth, that rose up in a circle around the teau around him. The sky stretched out in all directions around him, wispy white clouds curling past his feet and moisture prickling against his skin.

    Alexandra¡¯s soul was the peak of a massive mountain.

    It took him a moment to figure out where her runes were. Carved within the rocks jutting up along the tforms edges were dim runic patterns, so weak that their glow was little more than a flicker from a candle held before the sun.

    Noah¡¯s eyes went wide.

    Six out of seven of Alexandra¡¯s Runes were imbuedpletely into her soul. They were so deeply meshed with her body that he could barely even make out what their patterns were meant to be.

    <em>It¡¯s almost like a demon.</em>

    ¡°Bad, isn¡¯t it?¡± Alexandra asked, walking up to join Noah with a weak smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do this.¡±

    ¡°Picked it up in the Damned ins, along with a few other party tricks,¡± Noah said absently. He studied Alexandra¡¯s soul intently for several long moments. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize so many of your runes were Body Runes. I thought it was just a few.¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can get a body as resilient as mine with just one or two Body Runes?¡±

    ¡°Never tried using them before, so I can¡¯t say. That¡¯s fine. You¡¯re strong, and you aren¡¯t a demon. This will be painful, but you¡¯ll survive.¡±

    ¡°I ¡ª what?¡±

    Noah turned to fully face Alexandra. Her runes could wait for a moment longer. It was well past time that he brought her fully into the fold.

    ¡°I have something I¡¯d like to share with you.¡±

    ¡°A technique from the Damned ins to get past my runes?¡± A hint of hope entered Alexandra¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Not exactly. More like a little information about me. Information that could get all of us killed in very brutal ways. One of the greatest secrets I have.¡±

    ¡°Why would you want to tell me something like that?¡± Alexandra asked in horror. ¡°You don¡¯t need¡ª¡±

    ¡°I do, actually. It¡¯s something that I¡¯ve already told Isabel, Todd, and Emily. It¡¯s something that I¡¯d like to tell you as well, if you¡¯ll let me. It¡¯s been killing them to keep this from you, but if you let me tell you why, I think it¡¯ll make sense.¡±

    A frown pulled across Alexandra¡¯s lips. Then, slowly, she inclined her head. ¡°If you think it¡¯s that important that I know, then that¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Lovely. I¡¯ll keep things brief, then.¡± Noah sped his hands behind his back. ¡°I¡¯m not Professor Vermil.¡±

    There was a long pause.

    Then Alexandra blinked, taken aback.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Vermil is dead,¡± Noah said. ¡°You never met him. He died months ago, and I¡¯m the one that killed him. I took his body from him when I arrived in this world. My real name is Noah Vines, I¡¯m thousands upon thousands of years old, and I can fix your runes. All of them.¡±

 Chapter 589: Training weights

    Alexandra stared at Noah for several long seconds. The corner of her mouth kept twitching like it was trying to decide if she wanted to smile or not. Eventually, incredulity got the best of her and she let out a snort, shaking her head as a cold wind curled past the mountain peak of her soul.

    ¡°That might be the strangest joke anyone¡¯s ever tried to tell me. I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re trying to pretend to be a skinwalker, a god, or something else entirely. Really, Professor, I¡¯m not a child. You know what I¡¯ve been through. I don¡¯t need to be coddled. I just want¡ª¡±

    Noah called on Sunder. Power mmed within him as his runes all strained, pushing back against the immense Master Rune. His veins turned jet ck and particles of dark energy gathered around his palm.

    Waves of pressure drove out from his palm and mmed into Alexandra, driving the breath from her soul-lungs like a punch. She took a staggering step back, the words dying on her lips as her eyes went as wide as saucers.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Alexandra breathed. ¡°I thought you were Rank 4!¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Noah said. Energy burned within his fingers as he clenched them into a fist. Twisting strands of ck magic coiled around his fingertips like eels. That was new ¡ª but it certainly helped his demonstration. ¡°But there¡¯s a vast difference in power between a shoddily made Rank 4 and a truly wless one. And there¡¯s a lot more to power than merely having a few good runes.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t mean you were being serious,¡± Alexandra stammered. ¡°Professor, you¡¯re iming the impossible. Thousands of years old? That¡¯s older than every single Rank 6 in the empire ¡ª no. Older than the empire itself! Even the Long Night doesn¡¯t date that far back.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not from this,¡± Noah said with a shrug. ¡°But does that really matter? You¡¯ve focused on the background shit.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re iming to be immortal!¡± Alexandra yelled.¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t gotten to that bit yet.¡±

    She stared at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°One thing at a time, please. Seriously. You can¡¯t study by spreading your attention in every direction. You¡¯ll have to work on that. Learn to lock in on one subject while you¡¯re working on it.¡±

    ¡°Did¡­ everything go okay in the Damned ins? You didn¡¯t get hit too hard or something while you were there, did you?¡± Alexandra asked carefully.

    Noah blew out a sigh. It would have been easy to just p Sunder against one of the runes sealed within the rocks beside him and shatter it, cleaving the Body Rune from Alexandra¡¯s soul entirely. Easy enough that it was tempting ¡ª and Noah would never let himself do that.

    This was Alexandra¡¯s soul. It wasn¡¯t about how easy things were for him. He was asking her to believe the impossible. Anyone sane would have been at least a little baffled, especially since he¡¯d just popped out of Hell with an entourage of demons in his wake.

    Taking his annoyance out by forcing her under Sunder¡¯s de was not the way he would ever let himself handle his students.

    After all, he had a far more effective way to demonstrate the truth. The human mind was remarkably good at understanding things once it got a chance to see themid out before it.

    Empty Proliferation did not perfectly insert Noah directly into someone¡¯s soul. Instead, it bridged their souls, oveying them and making a bnce that allowed both him and his target to exist in a single soul location.

    When he went into someone¡¯s mind, he had to find an equal bnce between their soul and his in order to make the connection easier and lengthen the amount of time they could remain merged.

    For almost everyone, that meant shrinking the amount of Noah¡¯s own soul to a nearly minuscule amount. His soul was just so muchrger than the average soul that bringing half of it to bear would probably end crushing the average mage.

    With Alexandra, he¡¯d been using just about five percent of his full soul¡¯s might. It was hidden in the distance, specks of distant ck that lurked at the edges of their vision.

    And if he wanted to show Alexandra the truth, all he had to do was one little tweak.

    A.

    Tiny.

    Little.

    Tweak.

    Noah drew on his soul.

    The sky shattered. It fell apart like nes of broken ss as the night swept in. Darkness swallowed the mountain and crushed the clouds in a ck waterfall. Pressure mmed down on Alexandra¡¯s shoulders and her lips parted in mute disbelief, unable to muster words. ?

    And in the darkness, a golden line bloomed. It wasn¡¯t so much a part of Noah¡¯s natural soul as much as an extension of his powers. Empty Proliferation made it considerably easier to tweak the mindspace around himself and his target to appear how he wanted it to.

    That golden line stretched out across the horizon and raced toward where they floated in the infinite ck. Pressure rolled off it, growing stronger with every new step that took form. The line coiled around them like a constricting snake, then exploded outward until it was nothing but a distant thread spiraling through the universe.

    This book is hosted on another tform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Alexandra breathed. She¡¯d fallen to her knees at some point during what Noah liked to think of as a slightly advanced PowerPoint presentation of what awaited mortals when they reached afterlife.

    <em>Might need to tone down the amount of pressure I use. Don¡¯t want to hurt anyone.</em>

    ¡°Death,¡± Noah replied, pulling Alexandra to her feet. ¡°The Line.¡±

    ¡°What is¡­¡± She trailed off, unable toplete her thought as her eyes followed the gold through the dark.

    ¡°The afterlife,¡± Noah said, the corner of his lips pulling up. ¡°Endless suffering. Mind-numbing agony. More than you could evere toprehend ¡ª but you will, should you die. Everyone does. I certainly did.¡±

    ¡°Thousands of years old¡­¡± Alexandra muttered, her eyes following the line into the distance. Then they snapped back to Naoh. ¡°That¡¯s what you meant? You were dead. They just let dead people leave the afterlife?¡±

    ¡°No. I had a bit of a breakout. There are a few gods pissed off at me about that ¡ª but this really isn¡¯t the point, Alexandra. I¡¯m not showing you this to scare you. I¡¯m showing it to prove that I¡¯m telling the <em>whole </em>truth.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I believe you. This is terrifying. It feels like my soul is getting ground to a paste.¡± Alexandra swallowed. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt so vulnerable. My Body Runes aren¡¯t protecting me at all. Wait. Did you say gods¡ª¡±

    ¡°Focus!¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Alexandra shook her head. She clenched her jaw and let out a short, sharp breath. ¡°Everything you said is true. I believe you. Everything¡­ wait. Everything?¡±

    Noah smiled. She¡¯d finally gotten the picture.

    ¡°Everything.¡±

    ¡°You can repair my Body Runes so I can reach Rank 4?¡±

    ¡°Repair?¡± Noah let out a chuckle and snapped his fingers. The darkness vanished like it had been sucked from the sky, and the mountain peak of her soul snapped back into existence as if it had never left. ¡°I can do so much more than that.¡±

    Alexandra staggered, eyes darting around in surprise. It took her a moment to re-adjust before she turned back to him. ¡°What are you talking about? How could you do more? They¡¯re part of my soul. Even if I had the most powerful healing potions, it would still take me years to recover.¡±

    Noah clenched his fist, and his ckened veins pulsed with even more power. Sunder roared, releasing waves of pressure that made the stones at Noah¡¯s feet tremble and dance in terror.

    ¡°Alexandra. I¡¯ve seen eons pass by like seconds. You¡¯d think that it would have made me a remarkably patient person, but unfortunately, it¡¯s the contrary. I <em>really </em>don¡¯t like waiting. It¡¯s a pet peeve of mine. I¡¯ve given you even more information than I gave Isabel and Todd. So¡­ make a choice. You came to me to be taught. Let me do that or remain as you are. It¡¯s your choice. But, if you really need a little longer, that¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t rush you into a decision. Take a few¡ª¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Alexandra swallowed, then shook her head. Her features set and she clenched her fists at her sides. ¡°No, you¡¯re right. You saved me from Gentil and Wizen, and the others have definitely been acting weird. I didn¡¯t think they would pity me, so it was kind of odd. This would exin it. I was just being stubborn. If you¡¯ve got anything that can fix me, I¡¯ll take it.¡±

    ¡°Even if you lose your Body Runes in the process?¡±

    ¡°Screw the Body Runes,¡± Alexandra snapped. ¡°I made them from desperation, not desire. I don¡¯t want to be the strongest Rank 3. I want to be the strongest <em>me</em>.¡±

    ¡°This won¡¯t be fun. Probably quite painful, actually ¡ª but it¡¯ll definitely be cathartic. Choose a rune for me to remove.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Alexandra? Just choose one.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Alexandra pointed at the rune closest to Noah. ¡°That one. What are you going to¡ª¡±

    Noah set his hand on the stone.

    Sunder burst forth, and a sh of purplish-ck energy split the stone from top to bottom. Alexandra grabbed her chest and let out a pained hiss.

    Then the stone shattered, and the rune went with it. Fragments of rock tumbled down the side of the mountain and vanished into the sky that stretched on beneath. White cracks drove into Alexandra¡¯s soul like someone had driven a pick into it. They weren¡¯t huge, but they were far from small.

    Power poured out of the remaining rubble, rising up into twisting energy. No runes emerged. That was new ¡ª it must have been because the Body Rune had been so closely integrated with her soul that there was practically no separation between the two for anything to escape the bond.

    <em>Meh. It was just a Rank 3 Rune. Easily enough reced. </em>

    Alexandra stared at the spot where the Body Rune had been in mute shock.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can fix the damage,¡± Noah said.

    ¡°Can¡­ you do it again?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯ll hurt. Each removal will hurt more than thest. We can pause for a day and I can heal you¡ª¡±

    ¡°The next rune.¡± Alexandra¡¯s tone bore more than a request. It was desperation and desire mixed into one. It held hope. ¡°Please. Get the next one. I can handle it. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a god or not. If you can give me a chance to be more than¡­ this, then I¡¯ll follow you forever.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking for anything like that.¡±

    ¡°Then what? Nobody does a service like this for free.¡±

    ¡°Of course. I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s free.¡±

    ¡°What do you want, then? It¡¯s yours.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Noah tapped his chin in thought as he walked up to the next stone. ¡°Follow a good sleep schedule and make sure you have a varied diet. Practice your patterns at least an hour every day, but don¡¯t forget to rx and give your brain some time off. Also, hang out with the other students more. They want to get to know you more. Help Yulin integrate with them as well.¡±

    Alexandra stared at him. ¡°That¡¯s just a bunch of stuff to make me a better student.¡±

    ¡°Ding.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all you want?¡±

    ¡°From you? Yes. Now, brace.¡±

    Alexandra opened her mouth, then let out a snarl of pain as Noah unleashed Sunder and another stone shattered. She drove her foot into the ground to keep herself from falling over and swayed in ce. Cracks crawled across the surface of the mountain peak.

    Before Noah could ask if Alexandra was doing okay, she forced her hands open.

    ¡°The next one. Get the next rune.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Waiting a day won¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°I survived Gentil for years,¡± Alexandra ground out. ¡°I can push through a little pain. Pain is a reminder that you¡¯re still alive. Do you really think you can dangle a future in front of me and expect me to wait to grab it? Rip the damn thing out.¡±

    ¡°Hard to say no to enthusiasm like that. Just remember, you can stop whenever you want. There¡¯s nothing forcing you to push through everything today.¡±

    ¡°Professor Vermil?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not my name. Not in private.¡±

    Alexandra gave him a thin smile. ¡°Professor Vines, then.¡±

    ¡°Better.¡±

    ¡°Rip the damn rune out. Please.¡±

    Noah unleashed Sunder. If Alexandra wanted to do everything now, then he would oblige her. She¡¯d waited long enough ¡ª and he was confident that she could handle it.

    ¡°As you wish. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what you¡¯re capable of once you¡¯ve got the training weights off.¡±

 Chapter 590: Functionally

    Noah carved every single one of Alexandra¡¯s body runes out of her. He¡¯d fully expected to have to stop when she had one or two of them left, but her soul was a lot more resilient than he¡¯d thought.

    By the time he was done, only a two runes remained within her ¡ª a in Rank 3 Fire Rune and the Master Rune, Earthen Muster. Noah couldn¡¯t tell exactly how, but he could feel that Earthen Muster hadn¡¯t been used much yet. Its connection to Alexandra felt¡­ weak, forck of a better word. She¡¯d clearly trained with it, but there was no strong connection between them. That was a question for another day.

    As a result of his work, her soul had been riddled with hairline cracks. They grew torge fissures toward the edges of the mountain. The gentle wind around Noah and Alexandra had picked up to a howling gale.

    Her soul was heavily damaged, but she¡¯d made it through. Noah didn¡¯t waste a moment in pouring energy from the Fragment of Renewal into Alexandra¡¯s body the moment his work was done.

    There was a chance he could have cut out her final rune as well ¡ª it was far from wless ¡ª but there was simply no point. She probably could have pushed through one more application of Sunder, but there was no way she could have managed to form recement runes in this state.

    Alexandra let out a hiss of pain and relief as the pearly-pink energy from the Fragment of Renewal coiled through her soul and caressed the top of the mountain. It poured into the cracks covering the ground and began to slowly stitch back together the immense amount of soul damage.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± Alexandra muttered, sweat rolling down the side of her face as she looked on in awe. She knelt beside a crack as it sealed, running her hands over the surface of her soul. ¡°Damage like this¡­ it should have taken years to heal. And yet I was expecting so much more. Removing six of my seven runes and not ripping my soul apart shouldn¡¯t have even been possible.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t think it would seed and you still let me do it?¡±

    Alexandra gave him a one-shouldered shrug. ¡°It was worth the bet. There¡¯s no point to life if you can¡¯t continue improving. I was going to die one way or another, and you told me to trust you. I did.¡±¡°You might have your priorities a little screwed up.¡± Noah shook his head and let out a small chuckle. He could feel Empty Proliferation¡¯s power starting to wane. He¡¯d been working on Alexandra for quite a few minutes now, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before their time was up. Noah took onest look around her soul to make sure everything was healing properly, then adjusted his jacket. ¡°There are a few things we have to briefly talk about before we return.¡±

    ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°Well ¡ª this one might be obvious, but I¡¯ll say it anyway. You¡¯re going to have to be careful. Your soul is incredibly weakened from where it was. Don¡¯t let yourself forget.¡±

    ¡°You mean the soul damage? Can you not fix all of it? I thought it would¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be patched up within a few hours, but that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. You don¡¯t have Body Runes anymore, Alexandra. That means you can¡¯t do a lot of what you once did. No more taking spells or blows straight to the face. Let the others know immediately so none of them identally run you through.¡±

    ¡°Right. I know. Probably a good idea to let them know I¡¯m weakened, though. I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    ¡°Good. And one more quick thing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Think on what your new rune will be. I¡¯ll be removing that Fire Rune as well.¡± Noah gestured over to thest of Alexandra¡¯s original runes. It floated, flickering innocently, unaware of its imminent fate. ¡°You¡¯ll need a recement. Something that really fits you. I¡¯ll be able to help you make it, since we¡¯ll obviously want a wless Rune.¡±

    ¡°wless?¡± Alexandra frowned at tilted her head to the side. ¡°You mean perfect?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no. wless runes are better than perfect ones.¡± Noah waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Perfect runes are only bnced in a single phase, while wless ones are perfect in all phases. Moxie and I figured it out a bit ago, so we can¡¯t have you running around with a subpar rune.¡±

    This content has been uwfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Alexandra stared at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°wless Runes are¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, I got what you said. But are you seriously telling me that there¡¯s a version of a Rune that¡¯s even better than perfect?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. But that really isn¡¯t all that important. I need to talk about¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not important?¡± Alexandra eximed, flinging her hands up into the air in disbelief. ¡°After what you just showed me, I don¡¯t even doubt you¡¯re telling the truth. But how can you casually mention that you¡¯ve got something that the noble families would go to war for?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure at least a few of them have figured it out by now.¡±

    Alexandra¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°How significant is the difference in power between a Perfect and wless rune?¡±

    ¡°Magnitudes, I¡¯d guess.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to faint.¡±

    ¡°Then I probably shouldn¡¯t tell you about the <em>other </em>thing I figured out.¡±

    Alexandra froze in ce. Her gaze bore into Noah¡¯s like two beams of moltenva. ¡°There¡¯s something else? Now you¡¯re just pulling my strings.¡±

    ¡°A Fragment of Self. Every single being has one,¡± Noah said. ¡°I won¡¯t get into all the theory right now, but I think you more than any of the other students will need one.¡±

    ¡°You really need to slow down,¡± Alexandra half-begged. ¡°What do you mean every being has one? You¡¯re telling me I¡¯ve got a whole extra rune that I don¡¯t know about?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Please try to keep up. We¡¯re low on time. Everything alive has a Rune of Self ¡ª well, except for demons. They had a fragment of someone else, but I¡¯ve fixed that bit too.¡±

    Alexandra swallowed heavily. ¡°Demons¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not important right now. Another time. What <em>is </em>important is that if you can manifest your Fragment of Self and imbue your own soul with it, you¡¯ll solidify your connection between your body and your runes.¡±

    ¡°You mean I¡¯ll basically be a demon?¡±

    ¡°A pseudo-demon, yes. You won¡¯t get controlled by your emotions as far as I can tell, but your reaction speed and physical prowess will skyrocket. It¡¯ll be like your whole body got unlocked for the first time.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ sounds incredible,¡± Alexandra muttered. ¡°How do I get it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem. You¡¯re going to have to do some soul searching. Literally, mind you. Best I can tell, you need to perfectly understand yourself. Then when you do, you use the 3 basicponents of rune creation¡ª¡±

    ¡°Creation?¡± Alexandra eximed. ¡°You can <em>make </em>runes? Are you fucking kidding me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Sorry, I skipped that bit. There¡¯s a lot I¡¯m trying to cram into a few minutes.¡± Noah snapped his fingers to pull Alexandra¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°Theponents are intent, an event that incites the rune¡¯s creation, and the energy to condense into a pattern. Are you with me?¡±

    Alexandra gave him a weak nod. More cracks pulled shut around her soul and she fought to gather her words for a few moments. ¡°Yes. I think so. That¡¯s another secret that the noble houses would murder entire cities for, by the way. Just in case you were wondering.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I would appreciate you not sharing anything I tell you here with anyone. Not even Todd and Isabel or the other students. They know most of it, and I¡¯ll tell them the rest as soon as I can. I just don¡¯t want you speaking about it where anyone might be able to overhear.¡±

    ¡°Right,¡± Alexandra said, her voice as soft as a mouse¡¯s squeak. ¡°No talking about the earth-shattering revtions that you¡¯re hitting me with one after the other. Even if I wanted to say anything, I might not get a chance to after you give me a heart attack. You¡¯re sure the noble families aren¡¯t aware you know of this?¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t. They¡¯d have their dogs kicking down my door if they did ¡ª but if I¡¯m honest, I don¡¯t give much of a shit about those ipetent idiots at all. Now, what I do care about is the hard part of our original topic. I haven¡¯t actually figured out how a human can make a Fragment of Self.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t you have one?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I do. The method I used probably won¡¯t work for anyone else, though. I had to use the magical energy that makes up my creation in order to do it. So that¡¯s what I¡¯m entrusting you with. I want you to deeply think on how you could get an event that will let you form a Fragment of Self.¡±

    ¡°Hold on. Please, just hold on a moment.¡± Alexandra raised her hands before her. ¡°If I understand what you¡¯re saying, I need to find some event that I can use as¡­ what, a burst of energy to guide the creation of a rune?¡±

    ¡°Yes, exactly.¡±

    ¡°Then what in the Damned ins is ¡®the magical energy that makes up your creation¡¯ and why can¡¯t I just use that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really scatterbrained today. I¡¯m sorry. Escaping from the Damned ins must have scrambled my head a bit. The energy I was referring to is the power that gathers around me after I kill myself.¡±

    ¡°After you kill yourself?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m not sure if I mentioned, but I¡¯ve died a few hundred times since arriving at Arbitage. I believe I¡¯m functionally immortal.¡±

    And with that, Alexandra ¡ª whose mind must have been under an immense amount of stress from all the Soul Damage it had just taken ¡ª finally lost her battle against the inevitable.

    She fainted.

 Chapter 591: Advice

    As it turned out, when somebody fainted while Noah was still in their soul, it served as a rather effective boot to the ass.

    The moment Alexandra lost consciousness, Empty Proliferation¡¯s power shattered. A sea of inky ck darkness exploded up from Noah¡¯s feet and swallowed him whole, yanking him away and back to his own mind before he could even try to check on her.

    The scent of burnt wood and dirt greeted his nostrils. In the time it took his eyes to snap back open in the Scorched Acres, Alexandra had already recovered.

    She sat up just a moment after him, blinking furiously as she looked around. The girl¡¯s gaze focused on him and he gave her a sheepish grin in response.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Noah said. ¡°That was a bit much.¡±

    ¡°A bit much,¡± Alexandra muttered, massaging her temple and letting her head thunk back against the ashy tree trunk behind her. Its branches rustled and she let out a pained yelp. ¡°Shit! That hurt!¡±

    ¡°No more Body Runes. Compared to what you were, you¡¯re quite fragile right now. You need to be careful.¡± Noah mbered to his feet and brushed the ash and dirt off his pants. He cleared his throat. ¡°Not that I¡¯ve been helping much there.¡±

    ¡°Not helping is an understatement,¡± Alexandra said, letting her hands drop. She gingerly pushed herself upright. They¡¯d only been under Empty Proliferation¡¯s magic for a few minutes, and it looked like nobody had really noticed what was going on.

    Moxie and Lee had everyone¡¯s rapt attention on them. The two seemed to be midway through a somewhat exaggerated retelling of what had happened in the Damned ins. Lee was eagerly gesturing with the giant ck axe that she¡¯d taken from Axil, forcing everyone to keep a fair amount of distance from her to avoid getting cut in half.A flicker of confusion passed through Noah.

    <em>Wait. Where did she get that thing? I remember her taking it from Axil back in Treadon, but I can¡¯t quite ce thest time I saw it. She didn¡¯t have the axe back when we were in Sievan¡¯s domain, did she? So where did it</em>¡ª

    Lee ovemitted to a demonstrational swing. The axeunched from her grip like a massive boomerang, whumping through the air and flying over the treetops. Everyone turned to watch it vanish into the horizon.

    ¡°Oops,¡± Lee said.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you steal that from a Death Demon?¡± Isabel asked with a wince. ¡°Maybe we should go get it? It seems pretty valuable.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine.¡± Lee gave Isabel a thumbs up. ¡°It alwayses back.¡±

    Todd¡¯s eyes darted around and he raised his hands defensively. ¡°You mean like¡­ immediately? Is it about toe flying through the trees and chop one of us in half?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lee said. ¡°It just pops up. Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve done that at least four times already.¡±

    <em>When!?</em>

    A poorly suppressed snicker broke through Alexandra¡¯s lips and she shook her head before running a hand through her hair. ¡°I¡¯m really going to have to be careful. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re going to drop any more revtions on me? Because if you do, I¡¯ll need to sit down to avoid a traumatic head injury.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Noah hesitated for a moment. ¡°I think. I might have forgotten something.¡±

    ¡°Well, keep it to yourself for a while unless I really need to hear it.¡± Alexandra blew a strand of hair up with a huff. ¡°I¡¯ve got enough to piece through already as it is. I¡¯ll work on trying to figure out how to do that thing you mentioned to me¡­ preferably without killing myself.¡±

    ¡°Always a good idea. That¡¯s kind of my whole thing, so I¡¯d be offended if someone crimped my style.¡± Alexandra stared at him like he¡¯d started speaking a newnguage. Evidently, not every single English word was going to trante properly. Noah cleared his throat and shook his head as she waited for an exnation. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m just rambling. Off with you. Go listen to Lee regale you with mostly urate tales.¡±

    ¡°¡­and then they blew up a noble demon¡¯s mansion with a giant nt,¡± Lee said, throwing her hands over her head to emphasize the size of the supposed explosion.

    <em>How¡¯d she find out about that one? </em>

    Alexandra nced at Noah out of the corners of her eyes. ¡°Did that really¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s close enough.¡±

    The girl shook her head and wandered back over to the other students, her mind still clearly lingering on their conversation. There was definitely a lot for her to take in. Noah was pretty sure he¡¯d gone just a bit overboard. He¡¯d been too eager to get her up to speed.

    <em>I¡¯ll have to do much the same with others, but at least Todd, Isabel, and Emily all know a fair amount about me already. Emily doesn¡¯t know theplete story, but she¡¯s got a good bit of it. James¡­ well, I¡¯ll find out how much he already knows from Emily. </em>

    <em>I haven¡¯t seen that madman Revin in a while, but who knows if he¡¯s swung by to say something to James since I¡¯ve been gone. Not sure if I canpletely trust him yet. We¡¯ll see.</em>

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    A leaf crunched to Noah¡¯s side.

    The thump of a staff met his ears as Silvertide stepped out from the treeline and came to a stop beside him. They were both silent for several long moments. The elderly soldier studied Noah out of one eye.

    Then he broke the silence.

    ¡°You took my advice.¡±

    ¡°Your advice?¡±

    ¡°Your eyes,¡± Silvertide said, tapping the side of his face. ¡°When you left, you moved like a soldier these were of a kinder man. You¡¯ve changed. Was that the Damned ins?¡±

    ¡°Ah. That advice. Yeah. I took it to heart. When I took a moment to weigh every possibility, I realized that there were some things that I was willing to do anything to aplish¡­ but it wasn¡¯t the Damned ins that changed me. They were just a ce, no different than here.¡±

    ¡°Truly? That¡¯s a bold im. The Inquisitors would say that the Damned ins are and of horror and torture. A world of agony where demons rip each other to pieces without restraint.¡±

    ¡°Well, they probably wouldn¡¯t be entirely wrong about the ripping each other to pieces bit. I wouldn¡¯t say the Damned ins were a <em>great </em>ce. But the people there ¡ª the demons are no different than us. They just want to live. Not all of them are trying to destroy the world.¡±

    ¡°You will have a difficult time convincing the Inquisitors of that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been much a fan of the Inquisitors. They and I don¡¯t see eye to eye.¡±

    ¡°That may be so, but they carry a great deal of power in the kingdom. There are many people that fear what a powerful demon could do should they manage to get a good foothold on the mortal ne. You will have trouble from them.¡±

    ¡°Only if they find out about our new friends before I¡¯m ready for them.¡±

    Silvertide nted his staff in the ground and crossed his arms, leaning against it. ¡°Do you really think they didn¡¯t feel the massive portal you opened to return to the mortal ne? They wille, Vermil. As surely as you and I breathe, they wille. And I suspect you will kill them.¡±

    <em>If they try to go after Lee or any of my other friends, then you¡¯re damn right I will. Probably best not to admit that, though. I like Silvertide. I like him, but he¡¯s still an instructor at Arbitage. His loyalty is to Isabel and Todd, not me. </em>

    ¡°Bah. I¡¯m just a Rank 4. I couldn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    A softugh bubbled up from Silvertide¡¯s chest. He shook his head. ¡°No, Vermil. You are not. I have not gotten to this age without bing an observant man. Your Runes may be Rank 4¡­ but you are no Rank 4. A Rank 4 could notmand the respect you do from a group of powerful demons.¡±

    Noah kept his expression t. He highly doubted the old man had any ns of doing anything that could put Isabel at Todd at a risk, nor did he think Silvertide would turn him in to the inquisitors. He had an angle. ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re mentioning this?¡±

    ¡°I know you are strong,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°But will you be strong <em>enough</em>? You call great danger, not just upon yourself, but all of your students. The Inquisitors will not be careful when theye to purge those who they believe to be demons.¡±

    It was a while before Noah responded. ¡°Yes. I will be strong enough ¡ª and when the Inquisitorse looking, I fear they will find nothing.¡±

    ¡°You truly think you can hide the demons from the Inquisitors? They have been training to find demons since before you were born.¡±

    Noah let out a burst ofughter. The old man sent him a surprised look, but Noah shook his head and held a hand up until he¡¯d gathered himself. ¡°I highly doubt that, Silvertide. They will find nothing. Because, unlike them, I actually <em>know </em>demons. I know what makes them what they are¡­ and I know how to change that.¡±

    ¡°A new type of demon. The girl wasn¡¯t being metaphorical, then,¡± Silvertide murmured, his eyes burning with inner light, and Noah realized that this was the answer that the old soldier had been fishing for ever since they¡¯d started their conversation.

    ¡°No. She wasn¡¯t,¡± Noah said. He didn¡¯t see any reason to hide it from Silvertide. ¡°I determined what caused demons to have their detrimental affixation with a single feeling or aspect of life, and I can repair it.¡±

    ¡°So all the demons here¡­¡±

    ¡°Not all fixed. Not yet ¡ª but they will be.¡±

    ¡°And this makes them¡­ docile?¡±

    ¡°It makes them who they were meant to be. Are you docile?¡±

    Silvertide¡¯s lips pulled up in a smile. ¡°No. And there are few who are foolish enough to believe otherwise. I see your point, Vermil. I take it that you have great confidence in these demons, then. You are defensive of them.¡±

    ¡°I do. They are my students, just like Isabel and Todd. Many of them are children. They deserve to live just as much as anyone else does.¡±

    ¡°I believe you, for some odd reason. I would act with haste, then. The Inquisition will not wait long. They will have doubtlessly felt your arrival. If there is something you must do to ensure they cannot find your people, then I would do it soon.¡±

    Noah nodded. That was good advice, and it was already well within his ns. ¡°I will, right after Jalen brings everyone back to Arbitage. The demons and I will remain in the forest. And, as far as Arbitage is concerned, I will remain dead.¡±

    ¡°I had thought you might. Do not worry. My mouth is sealed. But, if I may ask, how do you n to resume normality? Not just with the demons, but for Isabel and Todd. The noble houses¡ª¡±

    ¡°Are wee to try me.¡±

    ¡°You could need a small army to fight them off if the full truth gets out. Isabel¡¯s Master Rune could mean war.¡±

    A cold smile slipped across Noah¡¯s face as his thoughts drifted to the demons that he¡¯d left back in the Damned ins ¡ª but not without task. Sievan had been kind enough to help him out with a few things. It would take some time, but he was pretty confident that his name would carry a lot of the work for Pirren.

    After all, Spider might have left the Damned ins, but that didn¡¯t mean the demons knew that. Recruitment was going to be at an all time high after news of his meeting with the Lord of Death got out.

    ¡°If its war they want, then I think they¡¯ll find that I¡¯m more than ready for it.¡±

    Silvertide¡¯s gaze bore into Noah. ¡°You¡¯re being serious. Just how powerful are you, Vermil?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d imagine we¡¯ll have the misfortune of finding out soon enough,¡± Noah replied. ¡°But, until then, I have a few demons to repair. I hope you don¡¯t mind the interruption.¡±

    ¡°Mind?¡± Silvertide arched an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯d have to knock me out if you wanted me to look away. Fixing a demon. Bah. You¡¯re talking about the discovery of a century. The next best thing would be to tell me that you¡¯ve found a way to cure death itself.¡±

    The corner of Noah¡¯s lip twitched.

    <em>For myself, sure. For others¡­ hmm. Maybe one day.</em>

    Silvertide didn¡¯t miss it.

    ¡°What was that? Was that a smirk?¡±

    ¡°Curing death,¡± Noah said through a snort. He shook his head and turned on his heel, heading toward the others. ¡°What a ridiculous concept. Nobody is immortal. Now let¡¯s go fix some demons, shall we?¡±

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 592: Greater

    ¡°We are prepared for anything it is that you require,¡± Aylin said, his featurespletely serious as he pressed a hand to his chest. ¡°If you wish to begin your conquest of the mortal ne, then we will all prepare to¡ª¡±

    ¡°That is not the kind of thing I was about to ask for,¡± Noah said sharply, holding a hand up in the air to forestall Aylin before the Knowledge Demon could say anything else.

    They ¡ª along with all the other demons, had gathered near the broken trunk of arge, burnt tree. Everyone else stood off to the side. They were still in earshot and able to see what was going on but had given just enough space to the demons to avoid being rude.

    Among their number was Brayden. Noah hadn¡¯t had a chance to properly talk to his body¡¯s brother yet, but it was high up on his list. He¡¯d actually been nning on doing it right after his conversation with Silvertide, but the renewed warning about the Inquisitors had been enough to kick his butt into gear.

    ¡°Oh,¡± Aylin said. ¡°So we aren¡¯t going to conquer the mortal ne?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll put a pin in that. There¡¯s something more important that we have to do first.¡±

    ¡°Taste all the food! It¡¯s so much better than the stuff in the Damned ins,¡± Lee suggested.

    ¡°We can get to that afterward,¡± Noah said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°This is a slightly more pressing matter. Truth be told, I¡¯d prefer you all got to know my other students better. You¡¯ll be working together closely in the future ¡ª but unfortunately, life doesn¡¯t always follow my orders. There are a number of people on the mortal ne that have a pretty significant distaste for demons. I¡¯d like to make sure we¡¯re ready to deal with them when the timees.¡±

    ¡°Inquisitors,¡± Lee said, her features twisting in rare distaste. She pursed her lips like she¡¯d eaten a sour lemon. ¡°Assholes.¡±¡°They¡¯re a big enough threat that even <em>you </em>have to be worried about them?¡± Aylin¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°What manner of power do they wield?¡±

    Noah bit back augh. Aylin acted as if he was basically a god made flesh, able to deal with any threat with little more than a flick of his hand. He supposed that was probably a good thing ¡ª but as strong as he was, he wasn¡¯t <em>that </em>strong.

    ¡°Inquisitors have specialized ways to directly hunt and attack demons. Incredibly effective ones that can bridge the gap between even a weaker mortal and a powerful demon,¡± Noah said. He remembered all too well just what they were capable of. The memory still made his chest burn with fury. They¡¯d nearly killed Lee, Isabel, and Todd back on their way back from the Linwick Estate to Arbitage.

    He had no ns of ever letting that happen again.

    ¡°Is there a reason you choose to allow them to exist?¡± Aylin asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. ¡°If they possess such a power, then they should be crushed before they get the opportunity to attempt to turn it against us. You could destroy them with a wave of your palm ¡ª so perhaps this is a training exercise for us? You wish to see if we are capable of defeating these mortals.¡±

    <em>Okay. I appreciate the vote of confidence, Aylin, but I am not about to go solo the entirety of the Inquisition. At some point I¡¯m really going to have to sit down with the demons and let them know that I might not be quite as strong as I led the vast majority of everyone who I ran into in the Damned ins to believe.</em>

    ¡°They¡¯re a little too problematic for me to quash them entirely on my own,¡± Noah said. He very pointedly avoided looking in the direction of the human students and professors. They were definitely going to be cracking up in the corner, and that would ruin his mysterious persona entirely.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°They¡¯re so strong that they threaten even you?¡± Vrith asked. The catlike demon¡¯s eyes grew wide and her ears ttened against her head. ¡°What could we possibly do against existences like that?¡±

    See, there¡¯s an interesting thought. They were able to use the anti-demon magic on me thest time we fought. It worked, but not nearly as much as it did on a demon. For a long time, I had absolutely no idea why¡­ but now I do.

    <em>Those rosaries somehow resonate with demons. It¡¯s a form of sympathetic magic or something. Anything with any amount of Decras¡¯ power would get affected by their magic. They think they¡¯ve got anti-demon powers, but what they really have is anti-Decras powers. </em>

    <em>And if I take the Decras out of the demons, then the only thing the Inquisitors are left with are a bunch of useless bone beads that work on me more than they do on the demons. </em>

    ¡°It¡¯s not me that I¡¯m worried about,¡± Noah said, realizing that he¡¯d been quiet for too long. ¡°There are very few things in any world that I¡¯m truly scared of ¡ª but you and the other demons are an entirely different question. As things stand now, a single Inquisitor would likely be able to kill many of you.¡±

    ¡°Not all of us,¡± Yoru said.

    ¡°You¡¯re an exception,¡± Noah said. ¡°There isn¡¯t much of anything that can kill you.¡±

    Yoru tilted her head to the side at that, and Noah could have sworn that her gaze was boring into his skull from through her mask.

    He decided to ignore it. Yoru would be a task all on her own. Out of all the demons, it was actually her that he was the most concerned about. He could fix Aylin and the other Rank 3s ¡ª but Yoru was a Rank 7.

    She was immensely powerful, and that meant that ripping her runes up in order to rece Decras¡¯ influence with his newly minted Fragments of Sticky would be¡­ problematic. He had no ns of leaving her as she was, of course.

    Possibly more than any of the other demons present, Yoru needed his help. She¡¯d been chained by her rune for so long that Noah refused to leave her in that state, Inquisitors or not. Yoru deserved to be able to make her own decisions instead of being forced to be a pawn of the fates that she saw.

    ¡°So what do we do against these Inqusitors?¡± Violet asked. ¡°Whatever your orders are, I¡¯m ready for them. Is there a technique we can learn to defeat them?¡±

    Noah nced at Sticky, and the small demon gave him a small grin. She was clever. She¡¯d already figured out where this was leading ¡ª though being proxy to all the conversations in Sievan¡¯s domain had definitely helped fill in some of the gaps for her.

    ¡°I like the enthusiasm, but to tell the truth, there¡¯s no technique that could fix this. No, what we need is a far more significant change. Fortunately, we¡¯ve got some time before my good friend Jalen returns here,¡± Noah said. ¡°He¡¯ll be bringing an invitation to y some games with mortals. It should be a day or two, in my best estimation.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of time,¡± Aylin said.

    Noah cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry. I should have rified. Days aren¡¯t quite as long here as they are in the Damned ins. Your day-night cycle is several times longer than the one here.¡±

    Aylin stared at him. ¡°How many hours do we have?¡±

    ¡°Something around twenty four to forty eight.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­ not a lot of time.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah agreed. ¡°It isn¡¯t. Fortunately, we¡¯re not going to need that long at all. My solution is quite simple. And, when it¡¯s done, then the Inquisition will have absolutely no leverage over any of you.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said they could defeat demons that were even more powerful than they were,¡± Vrith said with more than a little concern. ¡°I will obviously do as you order, but it seems that we may not be suited to fight this type of opponent.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d be correct. The Inquisition has perfected the art of fighting against demons. And that¡¯s why, by the time Jalen gets back with our invitations, there isn¡¯t going to be a single demon left in this clearing.¡±

    ¡°It kind of sounds like you¡¯re going to kill them,¡± Lee said through a snicker.

    Noah¡¯s shoulders fell and he let out a sigh. There went his grandiose speech. Lee was right ¡ª even Violet was staring at him with a more than a little concern. His reputation had gotten just a tad out of hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m not killing anybody here. That would be pretty damn counterintuitive after all the effort I went through to pull you out of the Damned ins,¡± Noah said wearily.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Aylin muttered. Realization lit behind his eyes. ¡°Them. Lee referred to us as ¡®them¡¯, but she¡¯s a demon. The only reason she¡¯d do that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is that she¡¯s not a demon anymore,¡± Noah said, fighting to hide his smile. He made a mental note to thank Aylinter for rescuing his speech from Lee¡¯s sabotage. ¡°She¡¯s so much more. Something greater. And when I¡¯m done here, all of you will be too.¡±

 Chapter 593: Build-a-demon?

    Chapter 593: Build-a-demon?

    Noah did what a god could not.

    He fixed Aylin ¡ª or at least, he fixed the most pressing issues. A true repair to a demon¡¯s soul would onlye with the creation of a proper rune of self, but Sticky¡¯s rune could be used as a very effective patch over. It would work to fix the vast majority of the demon race, and Noah could get around to helping the demons he personally cared about make real Self Runes when they weren¡¯t on a time crunch.

    The repairs were surprisingly easy. He only had a single Rank 3 Rune that was rtively new to his soul, so ripping it apart and recing its demonic with the Fragments of Sticky proved to be simple.

    And that was that.

    The entire thing had only taken Noah about a minute. He¡¯d jumped into the demon¡¯s mind, patched him up, and hopped out. The Knowledge Demon had seemed a little loopy after the repairs. There were no external changes to his appearance, but something deep within Aylin¡¯s eyes had shifted.

    Noah didn¡¯t press on the matter. He just sat down to think. There was a lot of thinking to be done in the near future. Thinking on what runes he would need to finish hisbinations and advance to Rank 5. Thinking on his students and how he would protect them. Thinking on the Inquisitors. Thinking on Moxie ¡ª though those thoughts were liable to get away from him and best left forter.

    He would have loved to just do every single demon one after the other, but the Fragment of Renewal limited him. It would only work once a day. He didn¡¯t want to go around recing runes without having a way to patch anyone¡¯s soul up.

    And so the first day wrapped to a close. And on the night of the second, while all the students were off with the other professors, Brayden sat down beside Noah.

    The two of them were silent for quite some time.¡°This is strange,¡± Brayden finally said, breaking the silence as he shifted his weight and cracked a stick beneath him. ¡°Every time we meet, you seem different.¡±

    ¡°Is that a good thing?¡±

    ¡°Depends on who you ask,¡± Brayden replied with a small smile. ¡°I can¡¯t help but find it strikingly ironic that Vermil died failing to summon a demon and now you¡¯ve taken his body and used it to bring back an entire squadron of them.¡±

    ¡°Life is strange that way, isn¡¯t it? I do still feel a bit bad about the whole Vermil thing.¡±

    ¡°About killing him?¡±

    ¡°No. About lying to you. There aren¡¯t many Linwicks I actually think much of. The vast majority of them are insufferable pricks. Vermil got what wasing to him. I¡¯m not much a fan of Father either ¡ª but you¡¯re different. You looked out for the kids while I was gone.¡±

    ¡°That was more Jalen than me.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s an insufferable prick in his own way,¡± Noah said with a small smile. ¡°But his help doesn¡¯t invalidate yours.¡±

    Brayden grunted. ¡°Janice isn¡¯t half bad either. She¡¯s just¡­ dedicated. But I was just doing my job. A lot of nobles have forgotten their duty, but that doesn¡¯t mean we all have. We¡¯re meant to protect people. That¡¯s why the houses were established in the first ce, back in the Long Night. The strongest mages grouped up to shield and train the weaker.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of bad that can be traced back to good intentions.¡±

    ¡°I hope that isn¡¯t foreshadowing.¡± Brayden looked off in the direction that the students had gone off in. ¡°Those demons are interesting. Nothing like what I thought they were¡­ but at the same time, they¡¯re not human.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that only remains to be found out. Good and bad can be pretty subjective. I don¡¯t imagine the kingdom is going to think much of me if everything goes to n. And demons are demons. I¡¯m not trying to make them human. They are who they are.¡±

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    ¡°Well, if anyone can pull it off, it¡¯s probably you. I couldn¡¯t even imagine a world where demons and humans can live on the same ne. But that¡¯s the benefit of not being from here. If such a future is really possible, I think I¡¯d like to see it. And it might be wrong of me, but there¡¯s a small part of me that¡¯s happy you¡¯re in Vermil¡¯s body, Noah.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    That probably hadn¡¯t been the best response to Brayden saying he was okay with Noah killing his brother, but Noah had been caught so off guard that the word slipped out before he could stop it.

    ¡°I know. Maybe it¡¯s wrong of me, but I do mean it,¡± Brayden said. He looked up through the ashen branches overhead and into thete night sky above them. ¡°Vermil was lost. Father destroyed him, and I let it happen. I was a bad brother. I didn¡¯t try hard enough to keep him on the right path ¡ª so it makes a part of me happy to know that you¡¯re giving him a legacy.¡±

    Noah wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say to that. It seemed that Brayden wasn¡¯t expecting an answer. He pushed himself upright with a grunt and brushed the ash and dirt off his backside before stretching his arms over his head.

    ¡°Once this whole business is done, I¡¯d like to learn more about who you really are,¡± Brayden said. ¡°But I won¡¯t take more of your time today. You¡¯re going to need every second you can get if you¡¯re nning to go up against the Inquisitors.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m raiding their base,¡± Noah said, but Brayden was already walking away. Therge man raised a hand in farewell before stepping into the forest in the direction of the other students.

    Then the forest was quiet.

    At least, it was for a few short moments.

    Then Noah¡¯s domain tingled. A delicate footstep pressed against the dirt behind him as someone walked up to the tree he leaned against. He didn¡¯t have to turn to tell who it was.

    ¡°Yoru,¡± Noah said as she came to a stop beside him. ¡°You aren¡¯t with the others?¡±

    ¡°Their training is not useful for me at the moment. It requires the usage of Runes. My time was better spent here. You will not have time to repair all of our souls before your Rank 6 ally returns. You will have to choose the ones that attend the auction with you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d gathered as much,¡± Noah said. ¡°Are you saying you want to be one of them?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Fixing your runes is going to be¡­ difficult. You¡¯re a Rank 7, Yoru. The amount of damage you¡¯ll take when I¡¯m ripping your runes out and putting them back together will be really significant. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s something we can even do in a single session. My n was kind of to do it in stages, but we don¡¯t have time for that.¡±

    ¡°I am the most useful demon to repair. Violet and Vrith will not provide a significant benefit in the auction.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t argue that you¡¯re powerful, but are you even sure you¡¯d survive me cutting you up all at once? Did you use your future sight to confirm it or something?¡±

    Yoru sat down beside Noah. ¡°No. I did not.¡±

    That was a surprise. This felt like more of a reason to use her Master Rune than any other. What was the use of being able to see the most likely futures if Yoru couldn¡¯t determine if she¡¯d survive him messing with her soul?

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because Moonlit Prophecy did not want me to be here,¡± Yoru said quietly. ¡°I do not want to be here.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°And that is why I must be here. It is why you must fix me. I have withdrawn my power from Moonlit Prophecy so that it cannot interfere, but I do not know how long I will be able to resist its pull. I cannot check the future. If I do, I fear I will not have the willpower to release it again.¡±

    ¡°I respect that, Yoru. A lot. And if you¡¯ve done it once, you can do it again. I want to fix you, but I think we should do it properly. Rushing to get you ready for the auction could just end up killing you. I don¡¯t want that to happen. This is a repair that has to take ce over several days.¡±

    ¡°I do not believe that will be possible.¡±

    Noah looked up to Yoru. And, for the first time, he realized that there was something dripping down the sides of her face, dripping from beneath her mask. Trails of blood glistened against her skin and soaked into her shirt.

    He shot to his feet. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°I anticipated that you would be unwilling to risk my life. I am too great of an asset to waste, so I elerated the process. My runes are already shattered. My soul is currently crumbling under its own mass. If it is not repaired within minutes, I will die.¡±

    ¡°Son of a ¡ª you idiot,¡± Noah snapped, grabbing Yoru by the shoulders. The Fragment of Renewal was almost ready to be called upon after his work with Aylin. Yoru had timed everything to make sure he didn¡¯t have a chance to fix a different demon first. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re selfish or a genius.¡±

    ¡°That would depend on if you seed. If not, then I will just be dead.¡±

    Noah pushed Yoru down to sit against the tree, adrenaline rushing through his veins as he reached for Empty Proliferation and he grabbed his grimoire. Noah flipped it open to one of the copies of the Fragments of Sticky that it had made using power from the other runes stored within its pages.

    Yoru really hadn¡¯t left him with much option. He had no choice but to do everything he could to repair her soul while he still had a chance.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting scolded once I get through this,¡± Noah said.

    Then activated Empty Proliferation.

    He had a Rank 7 demon to rebuild from the ground up.

 Chapter 594: Deal

    Yoru¡¯s soul expanded all around Noah as his mind merged with hers. He¡¯d had absolutely no idea what a Rank 7 demon¡¯s inner world would look like, but as his sight returned to him and solid ground materialized beneath his feet, he realized that this was not it.

    Soft grass pressed against Noah¡¯s bare feet and the fragrant smell of sweet sap and honeydew lingered in the air like a resurfaced memory. Rows of flowers ran in carefully arranged patterns all around him. Gentle moonlight shimmered against them like a silver wave, casting everything in just enough light to see by.

    He stood in a huge garden.

    There must have been dozens of different varieties of flowers all around him ¡ª none of which he recognized ¡ª but there was intention to every single one¡¯s position.

    It was a pattern.

    Not one that he could understand, but a pattern nheless. Noah was too deep within it and didn¡¯t have enough of an ariel view to figure out what its purpose was, but he could feel thetent power within the arrangement around him. There wasn¡¯t so much as a single de of grass that was out of ce.

    An uneasy air lingered against Noah¡¯s skin despite the beauty of the garden. A beautiful amber carnation bloomed beside him. It was perfect,pletely without mar or malformation, nestled in a bunch of equally perfect flowers.

    There wasn¡¯t a single thing in the garden that <em>wasn¡¯t </em>perfect. If he hadn¡¯t known better, he would have thought the world around him to be made of stic. Nature was intentional, but it was never this perfect.

    Noah found his gaze, as if by instinct, lifted to the sky. To the moon illuminating the world ¡ª but there was no moon.There was only a massive Rune.

    Moonlit Prophecy burned like a silver sun in the sky far above. The Master Rune was immense, but something hadpletely removed its pressure from Noah¡¯s soul. He wouldn¡¯t have even noticed it if he hadn¡¯t checked.

    It was almost as if the rune was trying to hide itself from him and blend into its environment as best as a monstrosity like it could possibly hope to.

    ¡°Did you forget I was dying?¡± Yoru asked, her words cutting through Noah¡¯s thoughts.

    He turned. The small demon stood behind him. A bush of red rosesy crushed beneath her feet, their heads desperately straining up as if trying to reach onest time for the heavens. A single line of blood trickled down from one of her nostrils and traced over her lip.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your soul damage? You should have a lot of it if you¡¯ve already started ripping your runes out,¡± Noah said, turning fully to face Yoru. Something deep inside him shifted in difort. He didn¡¯t like that he had to turn his back on Moonlit Prophecy in order to speak with Yoru.

    Something about that Master Rune really sat wrong with him ¡ª and the moment his thoughts focused further on it, he realized what it was.

    He was too calm. His heart should have been racing. Yoru was meant to be actively dying from soul damage, but he hadn¡¯t even spun to find her when he¡¯d arrived. He¡¯d just sat around in the garden and observed it.

    Yoru¡¯s soul was somehow dulling his senses. But, even though Noah was fully aware of it, he couldn¡¯t do a single thing about it. There just wasn¡¯t a single scrap of panic or fear to be found. Even his motivation to help Yoru was faltering.

    <em>I could just sit down and enjoy the flowers. There¡¯s no need to fight so hard to change someone who belongs to a Master Rune. That would just be a waste of energy. Why would I make her weaker and less useful to me?</em>

    ¡°The damage is buried beneath the earth, stitched together by this garden,¡± Yoru replied. ¡°It will not hold. Moonlit Prophecy seems to keep me under its control. It is displeased.¡±

    <em>Why would you be displeased about being strong? There¡¯s nothing you could ever need that Moonlit Prophecy could not provide for you. The future is yours tomand when you are under its sway. Shifting your true self to be something else will only weaken its powers. Why take on the extra struggle of control when something far more capable can do it for you?</em>

    A faint frown flickered across Noah¡¯s lips.

    Something was wrong.

    He instinctively reached for Natural Disaster ¡ª but instead, he found his mind brushing against Sunder.

    Power raced through his soul. His veins turned jet ck in an instant, and what felt like an ocean of freezing water mmed down on his back. Noah staggered, his eyes shooting wide open as he drew in a sharp breath. ???

    The thoughts that had been wrapping around his mind like a constricting snake shattered. They hadn¡¯t been his. All of his emotions came rushing back in a deluge.

    This story has been uwfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Noah rasped, sping a hand to his head as a violent headache mmed into him. ¡°Your fucking rune is trying to mind control me!¡±

    ¡°It is persuasive,¡± Yoru said dispassionately. ¡°Please do your best to resist its pull. If you cannot, I will die. Moonlit Prophecy has grown powerful enough to not need a living host. When my soul copses, it will im my body for itself. Please do not let that happen. I trust you.¡±

    Yoru¡¯s words crushed any remaining influence that her Master Rune had over Noah. The world seemed to sharpen. The beautiful garden around them lost its luster and his gaze focused on her.

    ¡°I won¡¯t let you die,¡± Noah promised, his heart mming in his chest as adrenaline injected into his veins. He extended his mind to his Grimoire, preparing to draw a Fragment of Sticky. ¡°Where are your runes? What do you want them to be? We need to work fast.¡±

    ¡°I trust you. I trust you because Moonlit Prophecy fears you,¡± Yoru said again. Her voice was¡­ different. Even as Noah worked to draw a Fragment of Sticky into existence, he dimly noted that she had changed. Gone was the t, empty voice of the demon perpetually in control.

    What remained was the voice of a girl that had never gotten a chance to experience life for what it was. She may have been hundreds of years old, but they were not years that she herself had lived.

    Yoru had been a puppet for her entire life. Ever since she¡¯d gotten Moonlit Prophecy, not a single one of her actions had truly been her own. The rune had stolen more than just her sight. It had stolen everything.

    The air above Noah shimmered.

    His neck prickled; his instincts screamed. He lunged to the side, hitting the ground in a roll and shooting back to his feet even as a soft <em>snick</em> echoed through the silver night. A de of glistening light had driven into the ground where he¡¯d been standing.

    The Fragment of Sticky faded. He hadn¡¯t had a chance to finish drawing it into her soul.

    ¡°Moonlit Prophecy does not want you to fix me,¡± Yoru said. ¡°Please be careful.¡±

    <em>A fucking Rune is attacking me? You can¡¯t be serious.</em>

    ¡°How do I fight it?¡± Noah asked, lifting his hand and starting to draw once again. He¡¯d be damned if he let a giant pattern get the best of him. ¡°Without killing you, that is? And where are the remains of your runes? There should be energy. We¡¯ll need that if you want to regain any measure of your former strength.¡±

    ¡°Buried,¡± Yoru said, looking down at the flowers at her feet. ¡°And I do not know how you can fight Moonlit Prophecy. I have never been sessful.¡±

    <em>I should have seen that oneing.</em>

    Noah was nearly finished drawing the Fragment of Sticky when another shard of light carved through the air like a silent knife. He lurched out of the way, letting it pass by him harmlessly, but the damage was done. His rune faded away again.

    ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± Noah snarled. He started drawing again immediately. He didn¡¯t have time for this. The rune was trying to stall him out, and he couldn¡¯t let that happen. Every second that passed brought Yoru closer to her grave.

    <em>Even if I can get one rune made, how am I meant to get everything else when Moonlit Prophecy is actively trying to kill me? Yoru¡¯s soul is sorge that we¡¯ll need a whole lot more than a single Rank 1 Rune to keep it from copsing on itself when there are no normal runes to keep its pressure stable. Not even the Fragment of Renewal will be able to save her if that happens.</em>

    Noah¡¯s teeth gritted. He¡¯d be damned if he let a fucking rune steal a life from him. There was no way to try to counter Moonlit Prophecy, as drawing on his magic would have stopped him from making a rune at the same time.

    All he could do was press on.

    He was midway through the final line in the Fragment of Sticky when another shard of light carved out toward Noah. It was toying with him ¡ª or saving energy, expecting arger fightter.

    The shard mmed into his palm. It drove deep into his arm. Pain pierced through his body. Noah didn¡¯t even flinch. He flicked his left hand to the side and finished drawing the Fragment of Sticky with his free one.

    A lone Rank 1 Rune shimmered into being before him, summoned into Yoru¡¯s soul. Noah¡¯s jaw clenched as blood dripped from his palm and fell to the grass, soaking into the dirt beneath.

    The victory was a minor one. He¡¯d lost an entire limb making a single Rune. He needed a way to fight back while he worked, but Moonlit Prophecy was nowhere near in range for him to fight, even if he¡¯d wanted to.

    ¡°Can you fight back against that thing at all?¡± Noah asked.

    ¡°I already am,¡± Yoru replied. ¡°If I were not, you would have already been crushed by the full force of its pressure.¡±

    <em>Goddamn it. Should have guessed that was why such a powerful Master Rune wasn¡¯t exerting pressure on me. I need a way to fight back or defend myself while I work. But how ¡ª</em>

    Something brushed against Noah¡¯s mind.

    <strong><em>Perhaps I may be of service¡­ for a price. </em></strong>

    The back of Noah¡¯s spine prickled. He couldn¡¯t say how, but he knew exactly who it was that was speaking to him.

    ¡°Discussionster,¡± Noah said, making a split second decision. ¡°Help me. We¡¯ll figure out a suitable payment if this works.¡±

    A distantugh echoed through Noah¡¯s mind.

    The grass beneath him wilted. A pool of ck spread out from his feet. It bubbled and churned, and a gale howled through Yoru¡¯s soul. Far above, Moonlit Prophecy shuddered in the sky.

    Yoru staggered, clutching a hand to her chest.

    ¡°Moonlit Prophecy is fighting back,¡± Yoru wheezed. ¡°It¡­ did not forsee this. I have blocked it. It can only witness the future in a world with weight. There is nothing here but our souls, but you must act quickly. I will not live for long.¡±

    A ck hand shot up from the ckke and mmed into the ground, the chunks of sewn, sinewy flesh that made it up pulsing and undting as its fingers carved furrows through the dirt.

    An abomination rose free of the ground beside Noah, and theugh echoing through his mind its way into his ears. The gangly monster¡¯s form jutted and zigzagged at sharp angles, its back broken a dozen times over. Even badly hunched over, it towered over Noah.

    Its empty, sunken eye sockets peered up at the rune taking the ce of the moon in the sky. A ragged smile split the monster¡¯s ck lips to reveal a mouth of wide, crooked teeth.

    A buzz filled the air and Yoru dropped to her knees, her teeth clenching.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten one of these before. An open-ended offering¡­¡± The monstrosity let out another raspyugh. Sickening pops and squelches rang out as it straightened one snap at a time until it stood at its full height. The monster reached up toward the moon, as if to grasp it from the ground. ¡°I ept your deal, Noah Vines.¡±

 Chapter 595: Dont care

    The sky above the garden of Yoru¡¯s soul twinkled. Stars took form in the darkness, a wave of shining lights washing through the night sky. On the ground to Noah¡¯s side, Yoru let out a hiss of pain.

    Blood dripped down her features and fell to the squashed grass around her. A wave of pressure rolled against Noah¡¯s mind, pressing down on him like a weight on his chest that threatened to squeeze his lungs shut.

    Moonlit Prophecy was pushing back against Yoru¡¯s restraints. It didn¡¯t look like she¡¯d be able to hold the Master Rune back for much longer. Something about Noah ¡ª or more likely, the twisted abomination that he¡¯d just summoned in to the Rank 7 demon¡¯s head ¡ª had it in full panic mode.

    Noah didn¡¯t wait around to find out what the Master Rune was nning. He only had a short while to work, and he couldn¡¯t afford to waste a second of it. There was no choice but to trust that the abhorrent creature would be able to keep its word and protect him until he could finish patching Yoru¡¯s soul and give her a way to properly push back against Moonlit Prophecy.

    ¡°What do you want to be, Yoru?¡± Noah asked, urgency gripping his words. ¡°I can¡¯t choose this for you. Demons more than anyone else, your runes are who you are. I¡¯m just returning some of the control to you.¡±

    Yoru shook her head mutely. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t made a decision like this before. It¡¯s too big. How am I supposed to know what I want to be? There are too many options! What¡¯s the right one?¡±

    Out of the corner of Noah¡¯s eye, he saw the lights burning above grew stronger ¡ª and it struck Noah that they were no stars. The entire sky was awash in burning des of moonlight. His face paled as the blood rushed out of it.

    Each of the des was easily ten feet long. Even though Yoru was keeping their pressure restrained, the pressure in her soul was still ramping up. He wasn¡¯t even sure if his summonedpanion was going to be able to do anything about this. The full might of a Master Rune of this strength¡­

    Noah crushed the thoughts from his mind. He didn¡¯t have time for distractions. He started to draw another Fragment of Sticky into Yoru¡¯s soul.¡°There <em>is </em>no right answer,¡± Noah snapped. ¡°We¡¯re all flying blind, Yoru. Nobody knows the future. Don¡¯t forget that my work is never permanent. I can always undo it. It might be the only situation in which the past can be repaired ¡ª but right now, you need to tell the past and future to fuck off and live in the present before we all die in it instead. What runes do you want?¡±

    ¡°Light,¡± Yoru said after a moment of hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s safe. I know light. Can you give me light?¡±

    <em>Not particrly original, but it¡¯s still a decision she made on her own. That¡¯s progress. I should have some light runes sitting around.</em>

    <em>What would Lightbine with to get moonlight? Maybe something with shadows? Some dichotomy would be good. Great way to bncepeting energy. Shit. I¡¯ve never had to fucking throw entirely new runebinations together on the fly!</em>

    <em> Even if I knew, I don¡¯t have enough Light and Shadow runes to get her all the way back up to Rank 6, much less Rank 7. Fuck. I didn¡¯t think of this. What do I do?</em>

    A star fell from the sky. It carved down toward Noah, burning from within like a miniature moon. The abomination reached upward and darkness gathered at its palm. Long, gangly fingers mmed down on the de of the weapon and shattered it before it could pierce through the monster¡¯s palm.

    Something prickled against Noah¡¯s skin. Something familiar. He knew this feeling. This sensation was something he felt before.

    The sound of breaking ss rang through Yoru¡¯s soul as the magic disintegrated into streamers of glowing white mist. It tried to flee, but the abomination was faster. The monster drew in a deep breath. In a howl, all of the mist was ripped from the air and drawn into its mouth.

    Another sword crashed down from the sky, only to meet the same fate. The sense of familiarity gripped Noah even more than it had before.

    <em>This is runic power. Raw magical energy, the same type that¡¯s used to create runes. What¡¯s going on?</em>

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    ¡°I need that power,¡± Noah said urgently. ¡°Can you make me Light Runes?¡±

    ¡°Make?¡± The abomination asked. ¡°You overestimate my power ¡ª and my willingness to help. All I¡¯m doing is drinking in all the power that this Master Rune stole from the demon¡¯s soul. It harvested the energy so we couldn¡¯t use it to remake her runes.¡± ?

    <em>So that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t sense any power. Yoru tried to bury the damage to preserve her power and make her soulst a little longer, but Moonlit Prophecy is ripping it back and using the power for itself.</em>

    <em>That means that the weaker it gets, the more power I have to work with. That means I¡¯ve got two of the threeponents needed to create a rune from scratch¡­ but I don¡¯t have an inciting event. Nothing about this is going to let me create a rune. I have to copy andbine them the old-fashioned way.</em>

    ¡°Can you distribute the energy you¡¯re taking?¡± Noah asked.

    Three more swords fell. The gangly monster caught one of them, grabbing it by the hilt before it could drive through Noah¡¯s skull. It wasn¡¯t quite so fast for the others. They both mmed into its back, driving deep into its stitched flesh and punching out like blooming flowers.

    It felt like there should have been a spray of blood or some other bodily fluid, but the only reaction the monstrosity had to being stabbed twice was the thunk of the weapons hitting its body.

    The monster¡¯s hand tightened around the sword it held. It shattered, and it broke the other two des as well, drawing all of their energy into itself.

    ¡°You are leaving me with little for myself,¡± the Grimoire said. ¡°I will not ept this deal. Figure the solution out yourself.¡±

    <em>Oh, for the love of ¡ª</em>

    ¡°I did figure out a solution,¡± Noah snapped. ¡°You don¡¯t make the rules here. Work with me or don¡¯t work at all. Keep the extra energy. I only need to get Yoru partially back to her former strength.¡±

    A sword mmed through the abomination¡¯s head. It didn¡¯t even seem to notice. It just kept speaking, ignoring the new sword-nose it had grown.

    ¡°She was only a step into Rank 7. Impossible. There will not be sufficient power left for me.¡±

    ¡°Rank 6, then,¡± Noah said. ¡°The power growth is exponential. Keep everything after Rank 6, but help me get her back to that. I¡¯m not bargaining anymore, Grimoire. That¡¯s a good deal and we both know it. Choose your side.¡±

    The monster snapped the sword in its head. The weapon evaporated into streamers of energy that it devoured, and its mouth split into a wide grin. ¡°eptable. You are fortunate that we are in an ideal domain for me. There is so muchtent power here that I can make up for your attempts to starve me.¡±

    ¡°Just do your damn job. I¡¯ll happily get to know you and your dietary requirements more afterward,¡± Noah ordered.

    ¡°As youmand, Herald.¡±

    <em>Herald?</em>

    Noah wasn¡¯t so sure he liked the sound of that, but even if he¡¯d had time to argue, he didn¡¯t get a chance to. A wave of power mmed into the base of his spine and coursed up his entire body.

    It wasn¡¯t power he could draw on. There was a distinct difference between his own runes and this. Noah¡¯s magic felt like an ocean within his soul, while this was just a river passing through.

    Knowledge exploded through Noah¡¯s mind. Runes shed behind his eyes, forming and fading with such speed that he could barely make them out ¡ª and yet, he knew every single one.

    The Grimoire had formed a direct connection with him. He could feel every single rune in its pages. Every single crease on the paper and every ounce of magic stored within it. Noah was also vaguely aware of a number of drawings that the Grimoire kept within itself. He wasn¡¯t so happy about seeing those, but he didn¡¯t spare them more than an instant of thought.

    Another wave of pressure mmed down on him. This one was stronger than thest. Swords crashed down from the sky, letting out keening wails as the screamed through the air toward him.

    A gangly hand wrapped around Noah¡¯s chest and he found himself lifted into the air. Wind buffeted his face and his scream of surprise was swallowed by the howl of wind as the Grimoire burst into a sprint, bounding across the ground with impossible speed.

    ¡°Best get to work!¡± the monster called, shattering another de and ripping the magic from it. ¡°You¡¯re on a time limit, Noah Vines. The girl is going to die if you don¡¯t get her the runes she needs! I just hope you¡¯re good at working while on the move.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t waste his time with a reply. It didn¡¯t matter if he was good at it or not. His hand started to trace through the air, and the energy remained attached to his fingertip even as he was ferried through the garden like a toy doll.

    Yoru wanted Light runes ¡ª and that was exactly what she was going to get.

    ¡°Get ready!¡± Noah yelled, hoping Yoru could hear him. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to have long to solidify these! I¡¯m making you all theponents you need!¡±

    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the demon push herself to her feet. She turned in their direction, her eyes sharpening as her jaw set. She gave him a firm nod. At least, Noah hoped she did. It was a bit hard to tell when he was getting bounced around.

    Yoru was ready. She was counting on him, and Noah refused to fail her. He was not about to lose a fight to a sentient Rune.

    <em>I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a crazed mage, a rune, or a fucking god. I will not allow anything to take my people away from me.</em>

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Short Delay

    Howdy all! For today (Monday Dec 16th) and tomorrow (Tuesday the 17th) I''m moving into my new apartment (a long term one, finally) and writing is going to be diabolically difficult because moving people keep showing up with furniture and shit. I''m just going to be taking these two days off so I don''t have to write whilst constantly getting interrupted. I think I might have mentioned there would be a dy in this general area a bit ago, but making a reminder in case anyone missed it or forgot... or if I forgot to post the damn thing on patreon & RR alike. Thanks for the understanding and see you Wednesday!

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the vition.

 Chapter 596: Turn

    Noah didn¡¯t remember much of the next minute. Yoru¡¯s soul blurred and swam at the edges of his vision as the Grimoire sprinted through the garden, trampling flowers with every step it took.

    Shimmers of moonlight carved through the air like glistening silver raindrops. Some of them missed; some of them mmed straight into the grimoire and tore through the monster¡¯s body. Not a single one hit Noah.

    His attention waspletely on drawing runes. The rest of the world was just a distraction. There was no other option. Noah couldn¡¯t afford to let himself get distracted by unimportant things such as not getting killed.

    That would just have to be left to his Grimoire. The monster had promised him that it would be able to keep him safe while he worked ¡ª Noah had to take that at face value. And so, even as the smell of crushed flowers and blood mixed in the air to mar the once gentle sweetness of the garden, he continued to work.

    Noah drew as the sky fell around him. He worked as the bushes covering the ground started to wilt, and he worked as white cracks pushed their way free from beneath the dirt and let new light spill into Yoru¡¯s soul.

    There was no time to do anything else.

    Every rune he finished, he threw to Yoru. She knelt on the ground, tears of blood running down her cheeks and joining with the rivers running from her nose. Her features were clenched in pain and concentration.

    He couldn¡¯t tell if she wasbining runes or not, and he didn¡¯t have time to check. Noah did note that there were no more Fragments of Sticky. Yoru had shattered them. She was attempting to form her own rune of Self. He couldn¡¯t afford to see if it was working.

    All he could do was keep makingponents. At least ¡ª that was until the pressure in her soul started to rise. It was a strange feeling, like an invisibleyer of water rising up all around her soul. Noah¡¯s chestpressed and breathing grew more difficult.

    ¡°The demon is too slow,¡± the Grimoire roared as it ran, the howl of the wind in Noah¡¯s ears nearly drowning the monster¡¯s voice out. ¡°Her soul can¡¯t contain this many runes, even if they¡¯re merely rank 1! She¡¯s going to break.¡±

    ¡°Put me down next to her,¡± Noah ordered, grabbing onto a Light rune he¡¯d just finished creating. ¡°And cover both of us.¡±

    ¡°Protect both of you? What do you think I am?¡± the Grimoire demanded. But, despite itsints, the dirt at its feet flew into the air as it skidded to a stop and changed directions, bounding back toward Yoru.

    The world jerked around him as the monster reared back. Noah¡¯s eyes only had an instant to widen before he was whipped through the air like a baseball, a slew of curses dying as the wind mmed into his throat and nearly choked him on the spot.

    He hit the ground with a pained grunt, rolling to keep his momentum and scrambling back to his feet. The Grimoire had been surprisingly urate with its throw. He¡¯dnded just a foot away from Yoru ¡ª and away from a cloud of Rank 1 Runes that enveloped her.

    Noah pushed past the runes and grabbed her by the shoulders. The thunk of a de striking flesh echoed out behind him, but he didn¡¯t even turn to look. Either the Grimoire would protect him or it wouldn¡¯t. Worrying would change absolutely nothing.

    ¡°Yoru,¡± Noah said.

    She blinked sleepily at him. Yoru¡¯s t blue eyes were ssy, her expression nearly ck. She wasn¡¯t holding up well.

    Noah gave her a shake. She stiffened and drew in a sharp breath.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°The runes,¡± Noah snapped. A crack of soul damage snaked past them. Dirt cascaded into it, vanishing into the white void, but Noah ignored it. ¡°You need tobine the runes I¡¯ve made you. There are a bunch of Rank 1s here. Ones that I made for you. Just focus your intent and put them together.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve neverbined a rune on my own,¡± Yoru stammered. Her voice started to grow distant again. ¡°I don¡¯t know how.¡±

    Noah pped her. It wasn¡¯t his proudest moment. Striking a child was just about the absolutest thing that a teacher should ever do ¡ª but Yoru was no child. She was an ancient demon with no experience making choices of her own. Even with her soul breaking apart, she was still so tough that striking her was akin to patting someone on the shoulder.

    ¡°Enough of this,¡± Noah barked. ¡°You made a decision, Yoru. I wanted to take things slow. You did not. You came to me and broke your runes. That¡¯s fine. That was your choice to make. But you will not make a choice and then leave the consequences to someone else to deal with. You are going tobine these goddamn runes, and you¡¯re going to like it.¡±

    Yoru stared at him, rity sputtering to life behind her eyes.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Envision what you want,¡± Noah said. ¡°Focus your intent. Not too wide. Not too narrow. Rank 2 Runes should be something like Moonlight. Rank 3s can get a little more specific. Think of elements of the moon that you want to embody. Reflection, that kind of thing. Don¡¯t forget to ount for every part of the rune when you create it. If you¡¯ve got light and water, to make Moonlit Reflection, then remember to have intent for both elements and not just your final result.¡±

    ¡°What if I make a mistake?¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll fix it. That¡¯s what I do. I fix people¡¯s mistakes ¡ª but you can¡¯t make a mistake unless you do something, and there¡¯s nothing in this world that¡¯s worse than sitting around and letting a chance to try pass by you. You want freedom, Yoru? Then act. Failing is fine. That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for. But if you don¡¯t act, then you die.¡±

    Yoru swallowed heavily. She blinked ¡ª and when her eyes opened again, something behind them had shifted. There was determination within them. There was <em>emotion.</em>

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Yoru said. She extended a hand to one of the runes ¡ª and a shudder racked her body. The rivers of blood pouring down her face widened and she let out a stifled hiss of pain. The waves of pressure filling her soul magnified. An overbearing presence mmed down on Noah¡¯s back and nearly sent him crashing to his knees.

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    ¡°What the hell?¡±

    ¡°Moonlit Prophecy,¡± Yoru wheezed. ¡°It won¡¯t let me.¡±

    ¡°This fucking rune.¡± Noah ground his teeth and spun toward the massive Master Rune looming in the sky overhead. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the rune, Yoru. You focus on your job.¡±

    ¡°But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Grimoire!¡± Noah yelled. Anger swirled within his chest and radiated throughout his entire being. He¡¯d had it to his neck with this Master Rune. ¡°Swap with me! I know you can duplicate runes already. Give her what she needs. Harvest any energy you have to, but do not let her fail.¡±

    There was a blur of ck. The ground beside Noah exploded as the Grimoire mmed down beside him, its back to the rune. A de shed down for the monster, but it reached up and crushed the sword before the weapon could connect with its body.

    ¡°I was wondering when you would take over, Herald,¡± the Grimoire said. ¡°This is a task I am far more suited to. Should you rip the rune to shreds, leave me the scraps.¡±

    Noah barely even heard the Grimoire. His blood pounded in his ears and his hands were clenched so tight that his knuckles had turned white. There were lines that could not be crossed. The Great Rune wasn¡¯t getting killed. They weren¡¯t carving it apart. All Yoru wanted was autonomy of her own body.

    And that simple request had been enough to cause Moonlit Prophecy to decide it would burn the demon¡¯s soul down around her. She just wanted to be its partner, but it would rather kill her than let her be anything but a ve.

    Pressure mmed down on Noah¡¯s shoulders. Moonlit Prophecy waspletely focused on him.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a problem,¡± Noah said through clenched teeth. He reached out to Sunder.

    His Master Rune responded ¡ª and Noah opened the flood gates.

    For the first time, instead of trying to ration the rune¡¯s power, he drew every scrap of power that he could from it. There was so much pressure in Yoru¡¯s soul that he didn¡¯t need his own runes to resist its presence. Moonlit Prophecy was doing that job for him.

    The air around him crackled. Slivers of ck light shed around Noah¡¯s hand like arcs of lightning. Instinctively, he extended his arm and unclenched his fist.

    There was a sharp crack. A sh of darkness split through the air, and a spear materialized against Noah¡¯s palm.

    It was as ck as night. Nearly invisible designs covered its surface, running from the de at its tip all the way down to the base of the shaft. Even without being able to read them, Noah knew for a fact that they were the same patterns that covered Sunder.

    The weapon trembled against his grip. Not in rebellion, but in excitement. There was so much power stored within it that Noah felt like he¡¯d drank a dozen cups of expresso at once. Adrenaline and jittery energy burned through his veins like wildfire.

    Moonlight gathered above Noah¡¯s head. The loose dirt on the ground around him trembled and bounced. Noah didn¡¯t flinch. Sunder¡¯s might rolled out from him in waves, fighting back against Moonlit Prophecy and keeping it from crushing him.

    The silver light formed into an enormous sword, and a pure white hand materialized around its hilt. Light continued to gather and the hand turned to an arm, connecting to the entirely silver-white body of a familiar demon.

    It was Yoru ¡ª but at the same time, it couldn¡¯t have been farther from her. There was only a single aspect of the demon that he¡¯de to know. The cold, calcting indifference in which she saw the future.

    This was Moonlit Prophecy, and all it had done was stolen her form.

    Wordlessly, Moonlit Prophecy lifted her de. Delicate white light swam within it, a gxy of stars trapped within a sword.

    Then there was an instant of stillness. Everythign went silent. The world seemed to hold its breath in awe of the power manifesting before Noah.

    Then Noah heard the drip of blood against dirt. He felt the gentle fluctuations in power as Yoru worked tobine her runes. She was following Noah¡¯s orders and paying the fight no attention. Her entire focus was onbining a rune.

    ¡°I know the future,¡± Moonlit Prophecy said, her emotionless voice washing over Yoru¡¯s soul like a frozen gue. ¡°I will see the sun set on eternity. You cannot stand in the way of fate. This is my vessel. You cannot have her.¡±

    Then Moonlit Prophecy swung the sword. The sky itself seemed to shift. The enormous weapon cut through the sky like a crashing meteor and plummeted down toward Noah¡¯s head.

    ¡°You do not control fate. Nobody does. All you can do is measure probabilities.¡± Noah tightened his grip around the hilt of the spear. ¡°And here, you can see nothing. I reject your future.¡±

    Noah drove the spear up into the sword as it fell.

    The two Master Runes struck each other, not with a resounding crash, but a gentle, echoing ringing like a piece of ss being rung.

    A wave of power exploded out from the two of them without so much as a pop. It ripped across Yoru¡¯s soul, a torrent of soundless wind.

    And, for an instant longer, there was only silence.

    Then a ck line split down the length of the de.

    It shattered.

    Silver mist screamed free from the weapon ¡ª and streamers of it curled through the air, flying to gather at the Grimoire¡¯s palm. The monster¡¯s hand clenched down on the magic and it vanished, drawn within itself.

    The pressure pressing down on Noah evaporated. Without it, there was nothing to keep Sunder from crushing Noah. He went to dismiss the spear, but it shattered and faded away even before the thought could finish crossing his head. The Master Rune had pulled its own power back.

    The silver version of Yoru dropped from the sky,nding on the ground before Noah and staggering.

    ¡°Impossible,¡± Moonlit Prophecy said. The stoic demeanor on her silver features faltered as fear flickered behind her eyes. ¡°You cannot resist fate.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not, but you aren¡¯t fate,¡± Noah replied. He cracked his neck. ¡°Stop interfering with Yoru.¡±

    ¡°She is mine. I raised her from birth. I trained her. I protected her. You are nothing but an usurper who seeks to steal the power that I deserve by birthright. Who are you to stand in my way?¡±

    ¡°He is the Herald,¡± the Grimoire said, delight dripping from its words. ¡°Shatter the rune, Noah. Eviscerate it. The power will be yours; the corpse mine. We can use this power for ourselves. With vision of what is toe, there will be none that can stand in our way.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Noah said. ¡°This isn¡¯t our power to take. It¡¯s Yoru¡¯s¡­ and frankly, I want nothing to do with this rune.¡±

    ¡°I am nobody¡¯s to take,¡± Moonlit Prophecy yelled. ¡°I am¡ª¡±

    Noah took a step forward, twisting his entire body to put his weight behind his fist as he drove it into Moonlit Prophecy¡¯s face.

    There was a satisfying crunch. Her glowing eyes only had an instant to widen before her nose shattered and she was sent tumbling back. Her body bounced twice against the ground before skidding across the ground and falling into a massive crack in Yoru¡¯s soul.

    A silver hand grabbed onto the crumbling dirt at the edge of the crack. Noah strode over to the rune, looking down at her as she struggled to keep her purchase on the ground, trying to avoid plummeting into the nothingness below.

    Noah crouched and held the rune¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Stay there,¡± Noah said. ¡°Your power belongs to Yoru ¡ª but if you try to fight back again, I¡¯ll just kill you.¡±

    ¡°You would throw my magic away?¡± the rune demanded. ¡°The power to control the future, all for a worthless child?¡±

    Noah reached down and grabbed Moonlit Prophecy by her hair. He lifted her into the air before him and leaned in so she could get a good look at his features.

    ¡°Without a second thought.¡±

    He tossed the rune to the ground.

    Moonlit Prophecy wasn¡¯t going to get in his way again. Either the rune gave in or it died. He wasn¡¯t about to risk Yoru¡¯s life over it after all the damage it had already done ¡ª but he didn¡¯t even know if that would be enough.

    The cracks running through her soul cracked and widened. It was some of the worst damage he¡¯d ever seen. If he started fixing it now, there was a chance her soul would copse under itself. She needed the pressure from her runes returned before he could patch the cracks.

    ¡°Come on, Yoru,¡± Noah muttered under his breath, turning to watch the demon as his hands clenched by his sides. ¡°There¡¯s nothing else left in your way. It¡¯s just you and the runes.¡±

    It was a race against time, and Yoru was the one running.

    Noah had done everything he could.

    Now it was her turn.

 Chapter 597: Tithe

    Chapter 597: Tithe

    Twisting clouds of misty magical energy curled through Yoru¡¯s soul, washing over the night sky like an ocean of shimmering stars. The cracks riddling the ground in the garden trembled, slowly stretching to consume more of its surface.

    The smell of cut flowers filled the air, lingering from all the crushed nts that littered the ground. Many of them had fallen through the cracks to vanish into the endless white void below.

    Silence ruled. Moonlit Prophecy sat, its silvery copy of Yoru¡¯s body as still as ice before Noah. Even the wind had stilled itself. The entirety of the demon¡¯s soul was focused.

    Uneven waves of pressure rolled out from Yoru as her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides. Runes floated all around her, and thenky form of the stitched abomination that was Noah¡¯s Grimoire loomed over her like a grotesque shadow that had risen up from the ground.

    ¡°Give up,¡± the silvery form of Yoru hissed. ¡°Give yourself to me and a part of you may live on. I crafted this existence for you, Yoru. Everything you are is what I have created. You cannot exist in a world that I do not control. This struggle will only ruin everything I have worked for. This life is¡ª¡±

    Yoru¡¯s eyes snapped open, and they burned with the brilliant silver light of the moon.

    ¡°Mine,¡± Yoru said. ¡°It is mine to destroyed.¡±

    There was a snap. The air before her twisted like a miniature ck hole had formed directly in the air before her, crumpling in on itself. Pressure roiled through Yoru¡¯s soul and twisted the light swirling around her.

    And from the fragments formed a shimmer of light.A rune.

    <em>Fragment of Yoru</em>

    The abomination¡¯s lips twisted into a smile.

    ¡°What?¡± the manifestation of Moonlit Prophecy breathed, eyes going wide. ¡°Impossible. How¡­¡±

    Yoru ignored her clone. It rested its gangly hands on Yoru¡¯s shoulders and whispered into her ear. As to what it was saying, Noah was unaware. The runes in the air around Yoru shifted and drew closer.

    Then they drove together with a brilliant sh of light.

    And, where there had only been Rank 1 Light Runes before, a Rank 2 Cracked Silver Light Rune had formed.

    Yoru hadbined a rune.

    Unfortunately, it was far from perfect, much less wless, and building a foundation upon weakened runes would just mean Yoru had to suffer through an immense amount of soul damage a second time around.

    She had to get it the first time around.

    ¡°Good job,¡± Noah had said.

    Then he¡¯d sundered her efforts, splitting it back up into a cloud of misty energy and its constituents.

    Yoru didn¡¯t even flinch. Her head tilted slightly ¡ª not to the sides, but forward ¡ª in a nod of appreciation. Then she¡¯d continued to work.

    The cracks in her soul continued to spread. Blood poured down her face in rivers. It soaked into her clothes and dripped to the ground, turning the dirt into mud. There was so much damage to her soul that Noah couldn¡¯t even understand how she was still alive, much less working.

    But still Yoru pressed on. Something more primal than determination drove her forward. She formed the rune twice more. Twice more, Noah sundered it.

    And on the third try, she made a wless Silver Light Rune.

    When Noah didn¡¯t sunder it, Yoru moved on immediately. More runes followed afterward. Three more Moonlight Runes, joined by three Shimmering Light runes.

    Yoru was a terrifyingly fast learner. The Shimmering Light Runes didn¡¯t need to be repaired. They were all done correctly on her first attempt.

    The pressure in her soul still had yet to see much of a change. A Rank 2 Rune was so insignificant inparison to Rank 7 that her soul was still in just as much danger than it had been before.

    She pressed on.

    The Rank 2s werebined into a Moonlight Rank 3 ¡ª and to Noah¡¯s shock, that too was wless.

    Even though he and Moxie had been the ones to initially figure out that Runes could reach wless, not even Noah had managed to adapt to it so quickly. Yoru was learning like a sponge in water.

    It took him a moment to realize why. Noah would haveughed at the thought if the state of things hadn¡¯t been so tense.

    Children learned things at incredible rates. Yoru had never had a chance to truly experience anything for herself, so she was speeding through understanding. He just hoped it would be enough to fix her soul in time.

    Loud cracks echoed out. A tremor shook the ground, and more dirt sloughed into the void below. Noah stepped to the side to avoid pitching into the endless white space that was quickly growing to consume Yoru¡¯s soul. Nearly half of the solid ground in her world had fallen away.

    Cracks formed on Yoru¡¯s fingertips, burning with brilliant white light as she continued to draw runes in the air and the Grimoire continued to feed her magic and runes to work with, ripping them out from within its own body and tossing them into the air beside her without even stopping to draw them.

    Yorubined runes into a Rank 3 Moonlit Reflection Rune.

    It wasn¡¯t wless.

    Noah sundered it. More cracks ripped through her soul in response and he winced, his teeth clenched tight enough to bend iron between them.

    Yoru¡¯s second attempt worked.

    A third Rank 3 Rune followed after ¡ª this one named Empty Sky.

    It was wless.

    More damage spread through Yoru¡¯s soul. A distant howl picked up, growing louder by the second. Yoru¡¯s pinky finger crumbled into dust, and the cracks spread to cover her other fingers and began to work down her wrist.

    She made the remaining Rank 3 runes and mmed them together with a brilliant sh of light, leaving behind a Rank 4 Moon rune.

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    Not once did her features even flicker. Noah was pretty sure she was advancing at a rate faster than anyone since before Arbitage had been built, and Yoru barely even cared. The only thing on her mind wasbining runes. Now that she¡¯d started, it almost seemed as if she couldn¡¯t stop.

    Something prickled against Noah¡¯s skin. It was faint, but he could feel pressure starting to fill her soul once more. Yoru made three more copies of the Moon Rune.

    Her hand crumbled away in its entirety, and the damage reached up her arm for her shoulder. Noah¡¯s jaw clenched, but there was absolutely nothing he could do. Activating the Fragment of Renewal now would just doom her. It would partially heal the damage, but she¡¯d still get more as she continued to advance ¡ª and if he patched her too early, then her soul would still rue more damage and copse shortly afterward¡­ and he¡¯d be unable to do anything until a dayter.

    Yoru didn¡¯t acknowledge the damage. She just swapped to her other hand and continued to draw. Cracks already riddled it, but her fingers were still there.

    ¡°She won¡¯t make it,¡± the Grimoire said, lifting its head from Yoru¡¯s ear.

    ¡°What?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Look at her! She¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Putting up a good struggle, but she will die. Look around you.¡±

    Noah didn¡¯t have to be told that. The dirt beneath his feet was shifting and crumbling. More than half of Yoru¡¯s soul had already fallen through the cracks into oblivion. She was well through Rank 4 now, but the amount of time it took between every rank grew higher and thebinations grew more difficult.

    ¡°She¡¯ll make it,¡± Noah said firmly. He injected determination into his words. He wasn¡¯t going to doubt Yoru to her face.

    ¡°No, she will not.¡± The demon¡¯s ws tightened around Yoru¡¯s shoulders as Yoru finished making a Rank 4 Starme rune. It was good, but it wasn¡¯t wless.

    Noah Sundered it.

    Yoru coughed. Blood sttered across the soaked ground before her. More cracks tore through the ground. She got back to work.

    ¡°Enough,¡± Noah said. ¡°You¡¯re distracting her.¡±

    ¡°She could not be distracted even if we wanted to. Yoru ispletely focused¡­ but focus alone is not sufficient. You cannot build hopes and dreams from nothing but desire, Herald. You should know this better than anyone. Your goals ended on Earth unaplished.¡±

    Noah¡¯s answer caught in his throat. ¡°How do you know about that?¡±

    ¡°You have imbued countless pieces of your soul into me when you leave runes upon my pages. I have absorbed much of who you are, Herald. I know your power. I know your goals and desires.¡±

    The fingers on Yoru¡¯s left hand crumbled away. Her jaw clenched and she continued to draw with nothing but the stump of her wrist, but the uracy of the lines in the runes suffered. She was forced to abandon her current attempt and restart.

    ¡°Get to the point,¡± Noah snarled. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time.¡±

    ¡°I can help her,¡± the Grimoire said, its voice little more than a deadly whisper. ¡°Repairing bodies is something of my specialty.¡±

    ¡°Do it,¡± Noah said immediately.

    ¡°It is not that simple. I will not give up a portion of myself. What has been lost cannot be regained so easily, and I am not so kind as you.¡±

    ¡°You want me to give up a portion of my body?¡± Noah asked.

    <em>That¡¯s easy. I barely need the damn thing. I¡¯ll just make¡ª</em>

    ¡°Your soul,¡± the Grimoire replied. ¡°And not a piece you can rebuild, Herald. But your life is infinitely more valuable than that of this demon. I have felt your strength. Your potential. We will feast on the gods ¡ª but not if you rip yourself to shreds. No, I am not asking you. There is another. If you spoke the truth, then you do not care about this power.¡±

    Noah turned to follow the abomination¡¯s gaze. His eyesnded on the fallen form of the Moonlit Prophecy rune.

    ¡°What do I have to do?¡±

    ¡°One hand should suffice.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± the rune eximed, scrambling to her feet and lifting into the air as energy gathered around her. ¡°I won¡¯t ¡ª¡±

    The rest of the rune¡¯s sentence was lost in a loud crack. Noah¡¯s hand carved through the Moonlit Prophecy¡¯s arm, Sunder¡¯s magic empowering his blow and severing itpletely. He grabbed the limb before it could hit the ground and spun to the Grimoire, thrusting it out.

    ¡°No hesitation,¡± the monster observed, its wide mouth splitting apart in a massive grin. It lifted the arm to its mouth and bit down on the end. A loud crunch echoed out through Yoru¡¯s soul, and a wave of power buffeted Noah¡¯s hair back.

    Moonlit Prophecy screamed in agony.

    The Grimoire took what remained of the hand, which had been cut to perfectly match the missing flesh of Yoru¡¯s right arm and pressed it onto her stump. There was a loud hiss and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

    A crack split the edge of the Moonlit Prophecy rune in the air far above them. Yoru¡¯s body stiffened.

    Then she lifted her new hand and started to draw.

    <em>That easy?</em>

    Something told Noah that it was anything but, but now wasn¡¯t the time to question what had just happened. He watched with bated breath as Yoru continued to draw runes to life, moving with renewed speed now that one of her hands had been returned to her.

    The cracks on that side of her body stilled, but they continued on the other. Her left arm was eroded up to the elbow and the damage was making for her shoulder.

    Yoru clenched her one remaining hand. She¡¯d managed to finish making her Rank 4 runes during the past few seconds of conversations. A number of her runes weren¡¯t wless, but they were close to perfect.

    Their time was running out. There was no time for Noah to sunder anything. He didn¡¯t interfere. Another brilliant sh of light lit her soul.

    The pressure rolling off her magnified, and the spread of the cracks slowed as a new Rank 5 rune appeared within her, nestled in the misty clouds of churning energy and runes awaiting their turn to bebined.

    Her new creation was a Rank 5, not quite wless but better on average than a normal Perfect rune ¡ª Night of the Moon.

    It was one of the most abstract runes that Noah had ever seen. Yoru was far from done, though. She was forming runes before thest one had even finished, dragging power from the air around her and driving it home at an incredible speed.

    Everything sub Rank-4ponent she made was either wless or close to it, and the Rank 5s were far better than the average mage¡¯s ever could have been. More copies of Night of the Moon took form, joined by Rank 5 Falling Night rune.

    Noah¡¯s fingers twitched at his sides. The damage to Yoru¡¯s soul was well past critical. Almost the entirety of her garden had fallen away. Only a few sparse bushes remained, their roots desperately holding the dirt together and keeping it from plummeting away.

    Moonlit Prophecy¡¯s stolen bodyid on the ground, unmoving at Noah¡¯s feet on one of the few remaining patches of unbroken ground.

    Noah reached for the Fragment of Renewal and kept it at bay, the gentle power twisting within him, an entire ocean of magic waiting to be released from behind its dam.

    Yoru¡¯s left arm waspletely gone. Her shoulder was cracked and splintering, and the damage threatened to reach into her chest and wrap around her heart.

    She was so close.

    Rank 5 runes swirled around her.

    The cracks on the ground pressed forward, encircling the remains of the solid ground. They were moving slower, but they were still moving. Another Rank 5 rune took form ¡ª thest one Yoru needed.

    She clenched her glowing silver hand.

    The cracks reaching for her heart froze. The world locked in ce, specks of dirt suspended mid-fall into the void.

    Noah¡¯s heart thumped in his ears.

    A sh of brilliant white light lit Yoru¡¯s soul.

    The pressure rolling out from her magnified exponentially. It mmed into Noah and roared past him, whipping his hair back and forcing him to squint.

    Yoru¡¯s soul stopped shrinking.

    Floating before her was a new Rune.

    <em>The Rising Moon ¡ª Rank 6</em>

    Noah practically dove forward. He put his hand on her forehead and unleashed the Fragment of Renewal directly into the demon. An enormous wave of power coursed out from within him, sending pearlescent shimmers dancing across her soul as it worked deep into the damaged ground.

    A shudder rocked Yoru¡¯s body. She dropped to her knees, drawing in a ragged, choking gasp. The enormous amount of soul damage covering her began to slowly pull itself shut.

    The cracks on her body closed as well, but her missing arm didn¡¯t reform.

    Behind her, the Grimoire¡¯s smile grew wider. It lifted a hand, and all the excess magic swirling within Yoru¡¯s soul ¡ª more than Noah suspected he had within his own body ¡ª gathered above the monster¡¯s palm.

    Then its fingers mmed closed around it. The magic vanished as if it had never been there. Red shed within the Grimiore¡¯s eyes and it let out a delighted sigh.

    ¡°A bite of a Master Rune and an ocean of energy. A good tithe.¡± The Grimoire looked down to Noah, and a pallid tongue ran across its lips. ¡°For now, it will suffice.¡±

    <em>For now? I don¡¯t like the sound of that.</em>

    Noah didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything. Yoru¡¯s eyes fluttered shut. She finally passed out.

    The world went ck, and Noah was hurled back into his own body in the Scorched Acres.

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 598: Fishy

    Noah¡¯s eyes fluttered back open as the smell of ash and burnt wood greeted him. Something rough was pressed against his side and prickly dirt pressed against his cheek, doing its best to work its way into his mouth.

    He was back in the Scorched Acres ¡ª and from the looks of things, he strongly suspected that he may have managed to fall over while he¡¯d been in meditation. The face full of dirt and the rough bark beside him rather than at his back were strong indicators of that.

    It took Noah a moment to remember what he¡¯d been doing before he¡¯d been in the Scorched Acres. His memories were a little fuzzy and he couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on what had happened. He could vaguely recall ¡ª

    Yoru!

    Noah lurched, shoving himself away from the ground as his memories rushed back to him. The small demon laid on the dirt across from him. She was face down, but her chest rose and fell with faint breaths.

    Relief passed over Noah. He pushed himself to his feet to walk over to Yoru, but the edge of his domain prickled. It pulled his attention up into the canopy of the burnt trees around him as he sensed a familiar presence.

    Lee sat upon a large branch, her legs dangling over the edge as she watched over them. She pushed off and dropped to the ground to land a few feet away from Noah.

    ¡°You fell over,¡± Lee said, pointing to the dirt covering Noah¡¯s face. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to move you in case it messed something up. I didn¡¯t realize you were going to try to fix Yoru today.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on it,¡± Noah replied as he hurried over to Yoru and knelt beside her. He wasn¡¯t exactly up to date on his first-aid courses. He pressed a hand to the side of Yoru¡¯s neck to see if he could feel a heartbeat. It was there.

    He rolled her over carefully.

    Oh, fuck.

    Yoru¡¯s arms were gone. Both of them had just completely evaporated, leaving nothing but the sleeves of her shirt behind. Her face was covered in blood ¡ª as was the ground beneath her and her shirt. The damage she¡¯d taken in the soul realm had carried back over into the real world.

    Noah¡¯s hands tightened at his sides.

    Oh, Yoru. Damn Moonlit Prophecy. It did this to her. If it had cooperated, I would have been able to get Yoru completely fixed up before the damage to her got this bad. That fucking rune just wouldn¡¯t give up any power. It wasn¡¯t satisfied taking away her chances at a normal life. It also took her arms.

    Maybe I should have shattered it entirely and said screw the power.

    The only consolation that came was that they had won. Moonlit Prophecy had failed to keep Yoru under its thumb. Even if it had cost her arms, the Fragment of Renewal had managed to knit Yoru¡¯s soul back together to the point where she wasn¡¯t actively dying anymore.

    ¡°Her arms,¡± Lee said sadly. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Her Master Rune happened.¡± Noah wasn¡¯t in much of a mood to explain it farther.

    ¡°Poor Yoru. She¡¯s going to have to eat with her feet until we get her a new arm,¡± Lee said with a despondent look. ¡°But why did you start with her? Wouldn¡¯t Violet or Vrith have been safer?¡±

    ¡°I was planning on doing Violet,¡± Noah said, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head as he flopped down to sit beside Yoru. ¡°But Yoru had other plans. She broke all her runes before I could get a chance to say anything and forced my hand.¡±

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t very smart,¡± Lee said in a matter-of-fact tone.

    That line would be quite funny if Yoru survived. It would be a lot less funny if she didn¡¯t.

    Noah wiped the dirt from his face and leaned back, taking a moment to let his pounding heart still. Adrenaline was still pumping through his veins like a runaway train. But, no matter how much he panicked or stressed about the results of his work, it would change nothing.

    The Fragment of Renewal was at work. It wouldn¡¯t fix her body, but it could repair her soul. Yoru had managed to replace all her runes. Her arms were gone, but her life had returned in their place.

    All he could do now was wait.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the cover of his Grimoire twitch. He snagged the strap connected to it and dragged it over to himself. He and the large book were going to need a heart-to-heart sooner rather than later. It had been making itself known pretty often as of late, and each time it did, Noah couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was making contracts with a devil.

    He pushed the thoughts away. The Grimoire would have to be addressed later. Now wasn¡¯t the time. Even if it had been willing to speak with him at the moment, his head just wasn¡¯t going to be in the game.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    And when he was dealing with¡­ whatever it was that lurked within the Grimoire¡¯s pages, he was going to need to be at his best.

    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Noah asked. ¡°And how long have we been out?¡±

    ¡°Mostly asleep. Alexandra was wandering around, but Moxie is distracting her,¡± Lee said. ¡°She¡¯s the one that noticed something was up with you and Yoru first. She woke me up to check on you. It hasn¡¯t been that long since she did. Maybe two minutes?¡±

    That fast? How¡¯d Moxie even realize that quickly? Did the runes that Sievan gave her really help that much? Now I really want to know what they are.

    Noah lifted his gaze to the sky. It was still deep into the night. The moon shone high overhead, glistening with silver light, and he couldn¡¯t help but squint at it.

    Prick.

    A small groan rose up from the ground. Noah¡¯s eyes widened and he nearly jumped out of his own skin. Yoru¡¯s face twitched. Her shut eyes tightened even further and her lips pressed thin.

    She was awake.

    After what had happened to Lee when she¡¯d split her runes, Noah had fully expected Yoru to be out for days.

    I¡¯ve got half a mind to scold her for ten minutes straight for that idiotic stunt, but I should probably hold off until I actually make sure she¡¯s not about to die.

    ¡°Yoru?¡± Noah asked. ¡°Are you there?¡±

    Yoru shifted. Then her entire body stiffened.

    A pit formed in Noah¡¯s stomach.

    How am I supposed to tell her she has no arms?

    ¡°Where¡¯s my mask?¡±

    Noah blinked. That hadn¡¯t been the question he¡¯d been expecting. He¡¯d honestly forgotten that Yoru had been wearing a mask. It felt like there were slightly more important things that were missing.

    He wasn¡¯t about to argue, though. It took him a moment to find the mask, half-buried under one of her shoulders. He pried it free and set it down gently on her face. She relaxed almost immediately.

    I¡¯m not sure why she wants her mask that badly, but if it makes her more comfortable, I¡¯m not going to stand in her way.

    ¡°There,¡± Noah said. ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s tilted,¡± Yoru said. ¡°Can you fix it?¡±

    He fixed the mask.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    There¡¯s no way she hasn¡¯t realized her arms are missing, right?

    ¡°Are¡­ you okay?¡± Noah asked, the words feeling hollow even as they left their lips. Asking if she was okay after what had just happened almost felt like an insult.

    ¡°It was too painful to sleep, so I woke up.¡±

    ¡°You have no arms,¡± Lee informed Yoru with the tact of a barreling 18-wheeler truck.

    Noah nearly slapped himself in the forehead. He immediately regretted not just bringing the injury up himself. There were definitely considerably more tactful ways to bring that particular fact up. Unfortunately, he¡¯d forgotten who his company was, and Lee was nothing if not blunt.

    ¡°I am aware,¡± Yoru said.

    Noah blinked. ¡°You are?¡±

    ¡°Would you really not notice you were missing your arms when you woke up?¡±

    ¡°Probably not up until I tried to scratch my ass,¡± Noah admitted.

    ¡°Precisely.¡± Yoru twitched, then muttered something under her breath that Noah couldn¡¯t catch. Her heels dug into the ground and she let out a grunt as she fought to sit up.

    Noah put a hand on her back and helped her upright. He was at a complete loss for words ¡ª and for a moment, it seemed Yoru was as well.

    ¡°What do I do?¡± Yoru asked quietly.

    ¡°We can find a powerful healer. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a potion¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not my arms. Me. What do I do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What do you want to do, Yoru? Wasn¡¯t that the whole point of this? You¡¯ve got control again, right? Moonlit Prophecy isn¡¯t¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still there, but it doesn¡¯t hold the strings anymore,¡± Yoru said. She hesitated for a moment longer. ¡°I¡­ I wish it did. I¡¯m scared. I think I made a mistake.¡±

    ¡°You did not,¡± Noah said firmly. ¡°And even if you did, that¡¯s natural. People make mistakes. There¡¯s no point to a life lived perfectly. That takes all the meaning out of it. The thing that makes somebody who they are is how they press through difficulties, not how they succeed.¡±

    Yoru turned to look straight at him. Even though the mask was covering her features, he could feel her gaze boring into his.

    ¡°You¡¯re very confident about that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot of time to think about it,¡± Noah replied. ¡°Life isn¡¯t easy, Yoru, but at least now it¡¯s yours to live. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m happy about the way you chose to go about this, but what¡¯s done is done. Your life is yours again.¡±

    ¡°What should I do with it?¡±

    Noah suppressed a sad laugh. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you that. It¡¯s yours.¡±

    ¡°You should eat something tasty,¡± Lee suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll feed you.¡±

    ¡°That actually sounds¡ª¡±

    Noah¡¯s senses screamed a warning.

    They were too late.

    There was a loud crack.

    A wave of pressure slammed into Noah like a steel bar to the kidney. His eyes bulged and he was slammed face-first into the ground.

    By the time his face had hit the dirt, he¡¯d already instinctively called on Sunder. Power flooded into him, twisting through his body and turning his veins jet black. Noah drove a hand into the ground with a snarl, fighting desperately against the immense power.

    ¡°You think you can trick me? You think the Rules are a joke?¡± A sultry woman¡¯s voice demanded, her words twisted with derision and raw power. Each of them slammed into his skull like a hammer blow. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll have to carve them into your skin to make sure you remember.¡±

    Noah managed to pry his head up from the ground.

    Standing above him was a woman with black hair and matching clothes, a spiked collar around her neck. Her teeth were pointed and her features so pale that she may well have been dead.

    And then they both froze.

    He knew this woman. It was the lady that Lee had gotten into an argument with while they¡¯d been at a restaurant in Arbitage.

    His brain scrabbled for her name for a moment, but someone else beat him to it.

    ¡°Garina?¡± Lee asked in a strained voice. ¡°Is that you?¡±

    Garina¡¯s eyes went wide.

    ¡°Fish girl?¡±

 Chapter 599: Garina

    The power flowing through Garina¡¯s body from her runes sputtered. She was far too experienced to actually let herself get completely off guard, but for the briefest instant, even she couldn¡¯t keep surprise from driving into her gut like a physical punch.

    This couldn¡¯t be right. Her senses were never wrong. She¡¯d come here for a runaway Rank 7 ¡ª not the brass little demon girl that had actually managed to win an argument against her.

    My prey was here. There¡¯s no doubt about it. I feel the disturbance.

    A trick, then? Someone trying to exploit a weakness to catch me off guard? I don¡¯t know how they even would have figured this out, but anyone who thinks something like this will bring me low is about to be very sorely mistaken.

    Her senses exploded outward in every direction. Garina could have been anywhere within the entirety of the baby kingdom around her should she have willed it. Her mind could stretch from one end of it to the other, so digging through one burnt up forest was nothing to her.

    Nobody in this little backwater corner of the world could match Garina. Any Rank 7 that dared to try and hide in wait for an ambush, no matter how much information they¡¯d managed to dig up about her, would be found and summarily dealt with.

    Out you come, pup.

    The corner of Garina¡¯s lip twitched up in anticipation of assured victory.

    Then it fell flat again.

    She found nothing.

    There were traces of a Rank 7 ¡ª a disturbance centered directly on top of the Fish Demon and the group around her ¡ª but there wasn¡¯t a single Rank 7 rune in this forest other than Garina¡¯s.

    Her eyes twitched in anger. This was impossible. She refused to accept it. Letting one Rank 7 slip out of her grasp was bad enough. But now, after preparing for so long, having it happen again was like someone spitting straight into her open mouth.

    ¡°Where are they?¡± Garina asked, her voice as sharp and cold as black ice.

    ¡°Who?¡± Fish Girl asked, glancing around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me,¡± Garina snapped.

    She regretted it instantly. Yelling at a weak little creature was below her, and that only made her annoyance grow even further. That was twice now that she¡¯d been bested in words by a goblin-adjacent child, and the 2<sup>nd</sup> time, it had only taken a single word to break her.

    ¡°You know who,¡± Garina snarled. ¡°I was called here. This was no mistake. I¡¯m not a fool, girl. Whatever they paid you ¡ª whatever you think you¡¯re going to get out of this ¡ª you won¡¯t. Disobey me and die.¡±

    ¡°I think you might be hungry.¡±

    I am hungry. I don¡¯t even want to be here. I should be eating a sandwich with Fredrick right now, not hunting some idiot Rank 7 that thinks it would be a good idea to yank at my chain. Fuck the rules. I¡¯m going to rip this idiot in half when I find them.

    ¡°The only people here are us,¡± the scruffy-looking man beside Fish Girl said. His features were narrow in suspicion. He put a hand on the massive book on his back as if he were planning to try and hit her over the head with it. ¡°How did you get here and what do you want?¡±

    That¡¯s odd.

    There wasn¡¯t any fear in the man¡¯s eyes. It wasn¡¯t present in his posture either. A small frown formed on Garina¡¯s lips. The longer she looked at him, the more askew something felt. Her senses had been refined over years of life, and there was something wrong about the mortal before her.

    It took her nearly a second to realize what it was.

    He didn¡¯t feel like a mortal at all.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    A Rank 7 in hiding?

    Her domain brushed across his.

    Garina¡¯s frown deepened. He was far from a Rank 7. This wasn¡¯t the one she was looking for. She scanned Fish Girl to similar results. That left only the armless demon lying in the dirt at their feet. She was a Rank 6.

    It¡¯s none of them. I¡¯d be able to feel a Rank 7 rune no matter who was hiding it if it was right next to me.

    Where is this fucker? don¡¯t give a shit about what¡¯s going on. I just want to be done with this and go back. Every second I waste here is one I¡¯m not getting back.

    ¡°I won¡¯t warn you twice,¡± Garina said, her lips thinning. ¡°Tell me where the Rank 7 is. Don¡¯t think that you can play coy with me because we¡¯ve had one amiable interaction. This is your one and only opportunity to tell me what¡¯s going on. Pass up on it and I¡¯ll hang you with the idiot trying to pull a fast one over an Apostle.¡±

    ¡°Rank 7?¡± the scruffy man tilted his head to the side. The corner of his lip twitched. ¡°Why are you looking for a Rank 7? There are no Rank 7s in the kingdom. That¡¯s common knowledge.¡±

    There was something smug in his voice that grated Garina¡¯s gears to no end. She was the smug one. People didn¡¯t talk back to her. They groveled at her feet. It would have taken nothing more than a mere thought from her to grind every single one of the mortals before her to a paste with her Rune Force ¡ª and for that reason alone, she couldn¡¯t use it.

    The day I¡¯m forced to unleash my Rune Force against a Rank 6 and a few middling lower ranks is the day I hand them the leash to my collar and die from shame.

    ¡°You seem to misunderstand the situation,¡± Garina said, her lips pulling back to bare her teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to ripping your head clean off your shoulders and shoving it so far back up your ass that it pops out your neck, boy. Last chance. Rank 7. Where are they?¡±

    Something in the man¡¯s gaze shifted again.

    Garina¡¯s body stiffened. Goosebumps prickled against the back of her neck.

    What is this?

    He seems¡­ familiar.

    ¡°My name is Vermil,¡± the man said. ¡°You should know that. We had dinner together, Garina. And if I¡¯m being honest, I preferred the bald guy to you. As for your Rank 7 ¡ª I¡¯m getting the feeling that the only way you¡¯ll find one of those here is if you look in a still lake.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± Garina said flatly. ¡°And you¡¯re not going to enjoy what happens next.¡±

    ¡°Why would I lie?¡± Vermil tilted his head to the side. ¡°I would never put my allies at risk for no reason. There¡¯s no Rank 7 here. I¡¯d swear a Rune Oath, but I think everyone with half a brain knows how worthless those are. You didn¡¯t deny that you were a Rank 7 ¡ª so you should be able to sense another one, right?¡±

    He¡¯s not wrong about that¡­ or the Rune Oaths. I¡¯m being too clumsy. Revealing myself to a bunch of weak magelings like this is already bad enough. Seeing the Fish Girl threw me for a bad loop. Damn it.

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. There was a Rank 7 here. Don¡¯t even try to tell me there wasn¡¯t,¡± Garina said, striding up to Vermil so they stood nose-to-nose. She wasn¡¯t sure why she¡¯d singled him out over the still-mute Rank 6, but there was something about him that pulled at the back of her mind incessantly. ¡°Where. Did. They. Go?¡±

    Vermil raised his eyes to meet her gaze without so much as blinking.

    The goosebumps on the back of Garina¡¯s neck intensified. A cold hand brushed over her back as her senses shifted in unease.

    His eyes were wrong.

    It was so subtle that she never would have even noticed were they not so close. The difference wasn¡¯t even something a mortal could detect through anything other than sheer instinct, but reaching Rank 7 unleashed an entire new layer to the world that nobody weaker could ever hope to witness. It revealed truths that permeated the universe and laid one¡¯s soul bare to unleash its power ¡ª and in turn, it granted sight into the souls of others.

    And the soul of this mortal did not belong in his body.

    It didn¡¯t belong at all.

    Deep within his eyes lurked something familiar. A heavy, oppressive aura of an immense Divine Rune, a power that she had only borne witness to on very rare occasions. Disbelief welled within her, but it was stemmed by the still-growing unease.

    There was something else in the man¡¯s gaze.

    Something ancient ¡ª and something deeply wrong.

    ¡°That power¡­ I know you.¡±

    Vermil¡¯s veins turned jet black in an instant. He thrust his hand forward, driving it straight into Garina¡¯s gut. The blow didn¡¯t even register. Her body was so reinforced with magical energy that she may as well have been struck by a fly.

    But the magic within the strike was another question. Garina felt, for a flicker of an instant, that familiar sensation in Vermil¡¯s eyes intensify by a hundredfold.

    Her gaze snapped up.

    A black spear plummeted down toward her like a falling star.

    Garina thrust her hand upward. The spear slammed to a halt an inch away from her nose. Slowly, she turned to look at the man. She¡¯d had her domain deactivated to make sure that she wouldn¡¯t crush anyone on accident, but just her body alone should have been enough to stop any attacks from in this weak, backwater kingdom.

    And yet Garina knew without a doubt that if the spear had hit her, it would have left the slightest of cuts upon her skin.

    Her gaze lowered back to the man. Her fist tightened. The spear shattered.

    ¡°You were right under my nose this whole time. I can¡¯t believe it. You¡¯re the one that he¡¯s looking for.¡±

 Chapter 600: The Balance

    As soon as the accusation left Garina¡¯s mouth, something within Vermil¡¯s gaze changed for the second time. The borderline arrogant air that had wrapped around his words fell away as he seemed to adjust approaches in a split instant.

    It was almost as if a layer of his soul had been peeled back. There was still no fear within his eyes. All that remained was grim determination ¡ª but Garina hardly cared. A Rank 4 wasn¡¯t about to do her in no matter how he tried.

    Her skull pounded with a building headache.

    Everything was falling apart.

    The Rank 7 had managed to find a way to hide themselves, and the person she needed to interrogate was the one that she¡¯d been meant to be looking for this entire time. He was the one that allowed her to remain away from the other Apostles.

    And the moment she found him, her full duties resumed. Sitting around in a kingdom of magelings when there were no threats to its existence would draw too much attention ¡ª especially if she was sitting around in the exact same spot.

    This is the one person that I couldn¡¯t afford to find. But now that I have, what the fuck do I do? Directly disobey an order from Decras himself? That¡¯s as good as turning against every other Apostle.

    I could take some of them¡­ but the Prophet? I can¡¯t beat him. Shit. And if Ferdinand discovers this idiot is here, then he¡¯ll have to act as well. Am I supposed to just lie to him?

    Garina¡¯s fists clenched at her sides. Her rune-empowered mind was moving so fast that even a second was enough to have an entire conversation with herself, and that second was still nowhere near long enough.

    The Rank 7 and everything to do with them was bundled and shoved into the corner of her mind. Her pride didn¡¯t matter when everything that she¡¯d come to enjoy over the last few all-too-short weeks was about to go up in flames because of Vermil¡¯s presence.

    All that mattered was finding a way to deal with this.

    Do I just kill the lot of them? If nobody knows they were here, then the search goes on forever. I¡¯d have to lie to Ferdinand, but I can live with that. I could tell him in a year once it¡¯s too late for anything to matter and it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s abandoned the Church of Repose.

    Garina wasn¡¯t the only one thinking. She could see Vermil desperately cycling through ideas, but he must have realized the situation they were in. There was nothing he could do against her and they both should have known it.

    ¡°Lee, get Yoru and go get the others,¡± Vermil said, his voice flat. He grabbed a gourd from his waist and tossed it to her. ¡°Get them out of here.¡±

    Lee. Yes. That was her name.

    Lee didn¡¯t hesitate to obey his orders. She grabbed the fallen demoness and slung the masked girl over a shoulder before darting off into the forest. Garina¡¯s hand twitched. The smart move to do would have been to stop her, but it hardly mattered.

    A few lower ranks couldn¡¯t escape her. It wouldn¡¯t matter where they went. If Garina wanted to find them, she would.

    At least that was what she told herself.

    In truth, Garina wasn¡¯t so certain she could bring herself to cut Lee down.

    I don¡¯t think anything of most mortals. Fuck. How did I get attached to this one so easily? She¡¯s just a mouthy little demon brat.

    A demon brat that had once had a point. Garina¡¯s eye twitched. Her hands tightened even further, and she felt a flicker of Rune Force push past her mental walls before she could stop it. Every dry stick and tree in the area around her shattered. Ash flattened into a black sheet on the ground as a wave of pressure drove into the ground.

    Vermil staggered, slammed down to one knee by the force of her presence ¡ª but he didn¡¯t fall.

    His veins turned jet black. Garina¡¯s domain prickled as pressure pushed out from the Rank 4 ¡ª but far more pressure than there should have been.

    The back of her neck prickled.

    Did he really steal all this from Decras? Or is this his own power? Either way, it¡¯s little surprise that gods are looking for him. Damn it all, Decras. What do I do? If it comes to choosing between my self-respect and losing this new life¡­ then does honor have any use but to burn?

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to let Decras know that I¡¯ve been otherwise occupied,¡± Vermil said through clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to reject his request to meet, but I¡¯ll make sure to add an extra fruit basket to the gift package when I send it off.¡±

    ¡°Fruit baskets?¡± Garina asked, taken aback even through her distress. ¡°Are you insane?¡±

    ¡°Only a little,¡± Vermil replied. The pressure rolling off his body intensified. It was still nowhere near enough to pose a threat to her, but it let him slowly rise back to his feet.

    A flicker of awe passed through her. Even though she wasn¡¯t actively using her Rune Force, the fact that he could shrug off her pressure like that was unnerving. A Rank 4 should have been laid flat by her magic.

    The power coming off him was familiar. He was drawing on his Master Rune. But, the more power Vermil used, the stranger it felt. It was close enough to Decras¡¯ power that there was no mistaking it, but there was something different.

    There were just too many things that didn¡¯t make sense ¡ª and among them was the complete and utter lack of fear in Vermil¡¯s features¡­ and the ramping power pouring out from him.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Black spiderwebbed out from his veins and seeped into his fingernails. The whites of his eyes washed out like the night sky.

    How much energy can he draw from that rune? That amount of pressure isn¡¯t possible from a Rank 4. Not by a long shot.

    ¡°How are you doing that?¡± Garina asked, her surprise breaking through her internal struggle. ¡°A Rank 4 soul shouldn¡¯t be able to resist that much energy without shattering.¡±

    ¡°Who said anything about not shattering?¡± A mix between a snarl of concentration and a cold smile split his features. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. There wasn¡¯t a trace of the arrogance that had been in his words a moment ago. ¡°You¡¯re a Rank 7, Garina. The strongest one I¡¯ve ever met. I¡¯m not stupid and playing games with you obviously isn¡¯t going to work. That only leaves me with one option.¡±

    ¡°You think you can kill me?¡± Garina demanded ¡°You¡¯d choose that over trying to convince me to spare your lives?¡±

    ¡°I see the look in your eyes,¡± Vermil replied. Even more power built within him. Tongues of black smoke trailed off the edges of his eyes and slipped from between his lips. The boundary between his soul and his rune was breaking. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what we say, does it? You¡¯ve already made your decision.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to shatter your soul long before I get to do anything if you draw that much power from a Master Rune. You can¡¯t resist that much magic, idiot.¡±

    ¡°Why do you care?¡± Vermil tilted his head to the side. The air around his body thrummed with a dull greyish-black haze. There was so much power gathered around him that it was spilling out into the world. ¡°You¡¯re about to try to kill me anyway.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided if I need you alive or not yet. Drop the damn magic, fool. Don¡¯t throw your life away. You have no idea as to what the extent of the universe holds. This doesn¡¯t have to be your end. A Rank 4 with this much power in a little shit thole like this¡­ you could be so much more.¡±

    A real smile replaced the snarl on Vermil¡¯s lips.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be anything else. This ends with us, Garina. Stay the fuck away from my students.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, you suicidal shit!¡± A firm woman¡¯s voice echoed through the forest.

    For the second time that day, surprise washed over Garina. She ¡ª and Vermil ¡ª both glanced to the side in unison.

    Standing at the edge of their clearing was a woman with strawberry ginger hair and a furious look on her features. She wore a thick, white-furred cloak and the burnt trees around her squirmed as if in agony.

    Garina hadn¡¯t sensed the woman coming at all.

    Her magical energy was completely concealed ¡ª but Garina knew who she was. It was the woman that had sat with Lee and Vermil during their dinner.

    Impossible. She¡¯s not a Rank 7. There¡¯s no way she¡¯s more than a Rank 4. I would have noticed if it was here. What the fuck is going on?¡±

    ¡°Moxie? What are you doing here?¡± Vermil demanded. ¡°You need to run! I told Lee to¡ª¡±

    ¡°You are not killing yourself for this,¡± Moxie snarled, striding forward. The trees at her sides shuddered. Then, with a series of loud tearing crunching noises, they split apart. Jagged blades of ashen wood rose into the air around her, gathering behind the woman like the churning form of a vengeful angel.

    ¡°How can you conceal yourself from me?¡± Garina demanded. ¡°What manner of magic could you possibly have that can fool my power? Is this how you¡¯re hiding the Rank 7?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no Rank 7,¡± Vermil said. ¡°They¡¯re gone, Garina. Destroyed. The only one here of any interest to you is me. Let Moxie leave.¡±

    Moxie pulled her hood back. Instantly, Garina¡¯s senses could feel her once more. The woman was a Rank 4, just like Vermil.

    ¡°Wrong,¡± Moxie said. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. Lee told me what happened. The gods can get shafted. They don¡¯t get to make demands of us. Especially after we saw how badly Decras fucked everything in the Damned Plains. He owes an entire race an apology.¡±

    The Damned Plains? You can¡¯t be serious. They know a lot of demons, but these two little pipsqueaks have been to the Damned Plains and know enough about them to know that Decras created the demons?

    What is going on?

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Garina asked.

    ¡°Someone who¡¯s had it up to her neck with people trying to kill us,¡± Moxie replied. She thrust her hand forward and the shards of wood exploded forward in an ashen wave.

    Garina flicked her fingers. A wall of pressure shot out from her. It shattered and disintegrated the wood before it could get anywhere close to her. But, even as the cloud of ash exploded from their remains, something prickled against her domain.

    The chills running down her back doubled in intensity.

    Dark green and black magic lit behind Moxie¡¯s eyes. Her shadow stretched out along the ground and the dead trees around her shuddered. Then prickles of life appeared upon their surfaces. The burnt bark healed. Broken limbs regenerated.

    Fresh matter appeared where there had only been death. Sickly black smoke poured out from the healed trees. It twisted into Moxie¡¯s outstretched hands, pouring into her palms. Thorned tattoos appeared upon her skin and wound up her arms, working their way toward her heart.

    Garina had never seen the rune at work, but that mattered for nothing. Its pattern was far too similar for her to have forgotten it. It was the power of Decras¡¯ one and only true child.

    It was the might of the Lord of Death.

    ¡°Sievan,¡± Garina breathed. ¡°How do you have Sievan¡¯s Rune?¡±

    ¡°Close, but wrong again,¡± Moxie said, her teeth pulled back in a snarl. ¡°This is Eternal Cycle. I made it with Fragmented Master Runes from Sievan. It¡¯s my Master Rune, not his.¡±

    Someone would have to have an incredible understanding over the pattern of life and death to manifest a rune like that. How would a Rank 4 have achieved that?

    ¡°He gave you the pieces to make a rune like that? Sievan protects the power of death from those who would abuse it. You expect me to believe he would just give it to a random mortal? And you expect me to trust, even with power like this, that you managed to kill a Rank 7?¡±

    ¡°I never said we killed the Rank 7,¡± Vermil said. ¡°Just that they¡¯re gone. Moxie, she¡¯s Rank 7. You need to take the kids and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Moxie said. ¡°Where are we going to run from a Rank 7? She¡¯ll be on our asses the moment you go down. At least the two of us have a chance.¡±

    Garina¡¯s attention caught on Vermil¡¯s words. Something about the way he¡¯d said the Rank 7 was gone was¡­ wrong.

    Then her eyes widened as an impossible thought struck her.

    No. That can¡¯t be it, but nothing else makes sense. The power he stole from Decras was the ability to carve runes apart? That¡¯s why there was a Rank 6 a moment ago. He cut her down from Rank 7 ¡ª but that shouldn¡¯t be possible. The Almighty Sever is Decras¡¯ Divine Rune! A mortal could never have absorbed something like that into their own soul. He should have gotten one of Decras¡¯ weaker runes, not his true one. A Divine Rune, even if its powers had been weakened, would completely crush a mortal existence unless there was an immense¡­

    Counterbalance.

    And just like that, everything finally clicked together.

    That¡¯s why the Church of Repose is searching for him. Renewal doesn¡¯t want Decras¡¯ power. He¡¯s got her in him as well. This little mortal didn¡¯t steal from one god.

    He stole from two.

    And if I don¡¯t deal with him here and now, then it won¡¯t be just the Apostles that are at my neck.

    It¡¯ll be Renewal as well.

 Chapter 601: Call me

    A second dragged on like thick molasses. Garina stood frozen between duty and desire. For one of the first times in her life, neither path she saw before her led to victory. She couldn¡¯t just crush her problems beneath the heel of her power.

    The Garina of just a few mere months ago would never had an issue with this. Vermil would have already been captured ¡ª or dead ¡ª and the problem never would have had a chance to come into being.

    But the Garina of that time had nothing to lose. She hadn¡¯t cared about anything other than her duties. She hadn¡¯t realized just how much she enjoyed her time with Ferdinand until now ¡ª and now there was a chance she¡¯d never get another quiet moment with him again. Not if she wanted to keep him away from the prying eyes of the other apostles.

    Damn it all.

    The Garina of the past was no more. All the immense might that she was so proud of was just about as useful as a bag of sand. It could do absolutely nothing to dig her a way out of the deepening hole she found herself standing in.

    Her thoughts blurred through her mind at a speed that a mortal brain could never comprehend. Vermil and Moxie were still on the same thought that they had been on at the start of the second, but even Garina couldn¡¯t sit around thinking forever.

    I have to focus. There has to be a way through this. My orders were to bring the one who Decras sought back to the other apostles alive. There are a total of three options for how this plays out.

    <ol>

    <li> I fight and he kills himself. Decras doesn¡¯t get what he wants. I fail my mission and Ferdinand loses his cover. Fail on both counts. This can¡¯t happen.</li>

    <li> I capture Vermil alive and bring him in as ordered. Something tells me that won¡¯t be possible without killing Moxie and some of the other mortals. I ruin my pride and lie to Frederick. He eventually finds out. His cover is gone and someone like him would never forgive me for slaughtering mortals. He¡¯s too soft. Another utter failure.</li>

    <li> I let Vermil go and pretend I didn¡¯t see him. The Rank 7 is gone. He dealt with them himself. Technically speaking, my job is done. But if the other Apostles figure out what¡¯s happened¡­ I¡¯m dead. Ferdinand is too ¡ª and at the rate things are going, this idiot Vermil is going to kill himself before I get a chance to make a decision myself. </li>

    </ol>

    Every single option was bad. Garina grit her teeth. There simply wasn¡¯t an easy solution to this. It boiled down to one simple question: did she care more about pissing off Decras and Renewal, two literal gods, or keeping the life that she¡¯d only gotten a taste of?

    She made her decision in a split instant.

    ¡°Put that damn magic away,¡± Garina ordered. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting you, so dismiss it before someone notices.¡±

    Vermil and Moxie both stared at her.

    ¡°What?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°You heard me. I came here looking for a Rank 7. I don¡¯t see one. The fact that this scruffy little shit happened to be the one being in the entirety of this world that I couldn¡¯t afford to run into was just pure bad luck.¡±

    Vermil didn¡¯t release his magic, but the black smoke pouring off his body reduced in intensity. He was being unbelievably unmotivated about stopping his own soul from burning away. The idiot was probably already slow in the head from the amount of soul damage he¡¯d given himself.

    ¡°How can we trust you?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°Because I could crush you ¡ª and all the other mortals hiding in the trees waiting to get themselves killed ¡ª in the time it takes me to blink.¡±

    Moxie paused. She glanced over her shoulder.

    Lee stepped out from the treeline and Silvertide followed after her.

    ¡°What are you doing here Lee? Silvertide?¡± Moxie demanded. ¡°You were supposed to get the kids out!¡±

    ¡°Brayden is with them,¡± Silvertide said. ¡°We were not about to leave you to fight a Rank 7 alone. I believed a surprise attack would have increased our chances, though I¡¯ve never had the misfortune to fight a Rank 7 before. I didn¡¯t think they existed.¡±

    ¡°There would be no fight,¡± Garina said. ¡°You would all be dead in the blink of an eye.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not going with you,¡± Lee said, her fists clenching at her sides. She shifted into a fighting stance. ¡°You can¡¯t have him.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want him,¡± Garina snapped. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? I don¡¯t want to be anywhere near this fool. His mere existence threatens everything. So put that damnable Divine Rune away, you fool. Are you trying to bring the entire world down on top of you? I need you to stay hidden.¡±

    Moxie¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°But you just said¡ª¡±

    ¡°Forget what I said,¡± Garina snapped. ¡°I changed my mind. None of you saw me today. I never saw any of you. We¡¯ve met once, and it was when we had a surprisingly enjoyable dinner together. And Vermil ¡ª never let Decras or Renewal find you. You must remain hidden. My sandwiches depend on it.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Your what now?¡± Moxie asked.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s understandable,¡± Lee said with a slow nod. ¡°She¡¯s being serious. I can taste it. Nobody jokes about their sandwiches.¡±

    ¡°What, are you Aylin now?¡± Vermil asked, but the immense amount of magical energy pouring out of him stemmed. He was smart enough not to cut off connection to the rune instantly, which would have released all of its power directly upon himself all at once, killing him on the spot.

    What is with this lack of fear toward me? They respect my power but speak normally to me and each other. How many times have they fought an opponent that¡¯s capable of crushing them all on the spot?

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to leave, then?¡± Moxie asked. She still hadn¡¯t released her own Master Rune. ¡°Just like that?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Garina replied. ¡°Just like that. And should I get my wish, we will never meet again until you reach Rank 7.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible?¡± Silvertide¡¯s eyes widened.

    Despite the situation, the corner of Garina¡¯s lips twitched up.

    Mortals can be so cute. Acting as if Rank 7 was the peak of power¡­ if only they knew.

    ¡°For some, inevitable,¡± Garina said. ¡°But that day will come when it comes. All that matters is that nobody ever¡­¡±

    Ice bit at the edges of Garina¡¯s domain. Something blurred through the kingdom at a blinding speed ¡ª and it was headed right in their direction. Familiar power burned within it.

    Her sentence died as it reached her lips. Every single one of her senses screamed a warning. The blood rushed out of her face, turning pale skin somehow even paler.

    It was the magic of an Apostle.

    Oh, fuck. You can¡¯t be serio¡ª

    A black comet ripped through the clouds and hurtled straight down toward the burnt forest. It moved so fast that none of the mortals even realized it had arrived until it slammed into the ground directly before Garina, unfolding into the form of a huge man.

    He was clad in obsidian armor and bore a massive broadsword upon his back. Instead of a helm, a heavy hood was pulled over his features. No light passed beneath it, leaving his face as nothing but a void of empty darkness.

    The mortals all let out startled curses.

    Warning bells rang with such intensity in Garina¡¯s head that they nearly deafened her. This was worse than bad. It was Crone, the second of the Apostles. She hadn¡¯t fought him in a long time, but the last time they¡¯d sparred, it had been a tie.

    He¡¯d spent almost every waking moment since then in training ¡ª and she¡¯d spent them as a guard dog.

    Shit. Maybe he didn¡¯t sense ¡ª

    ¡°Where are they?¡± Crone asked, his voice like the whisper of a dozen men all speaking as one. ¡°I felt the Master¡¯s energy in a new form. I was beginning to think you were slacking in your duties, but it seems you have beat me to the scene.¡±

    Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

    This is bad. This is really bad.

    ¡°He¡­ uh¡­¡± Garina coughed into a fist and trailed off, her mind failing her.

    Crone¡¯s head turned as his invisible gaze swept over the gathered mortals. ¡°Which one, Garina? We¡¯re going to break the mortals if we subject them to our presence for too long. The stench is everywhere, and your nose has always been better than mine. Don¡¯t worry about me taking your valor. The credit for the hunt will go solely to the Apostle¡¯s bloodhound.¡±

    ¡°Watch your mouth,¡± Garina hissed, stepping toward Crone and baring her sharp teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t get familiar just because it¡¯s been a while since we last fought. Keep calling me a dog and I¡¯ll find out what your throat tastes like.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to take you up on a fight when the time is better, but this takes priority. A direct order from the Master himself cannot be disobeyed,¡± Crone said. ¡°On with it, Garina. Which one?¡±

    Moxie caught Garina¡¯s eye. Ironclad determination gripped the mortal woman¡¯s features. Garina¡¯s mind accelerated. Moxie¡¯s lungs were expanding. She was about to speak ¡ª and even though not a single word had passed between the two of them, Garina knew what she was going to do.

    What a brave, stupid move. She¡¯s going to say that she¡¯s the one Decras is looking for to throw them off Vermil¡¯s scent.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡ª¡± Moxie started.

    ¡°You are mistaken,¡± Garina said loudly.

    ¡°What?¡± Crone tilted his head to the side. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°The one Decras is looking for isn¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°Do you take me for a fool? I felt them, Garina. There was an immense rune with the same characteristics as that of the Master upon this plane. What else could that possibly¡ª¡±

    ¡°Idiot. The one you felt was my student.¡±

    ¡°Your¡­ student?¡± Garina could feel Crone¡¯s gaze burning into her from beneath his hood. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Garina strode forward and slapped a hand down on Vermil¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Right here. I¡¯ve been training a mortal up to deal with some of the more annoying tasks that I couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with. This is my student.¡±

    Crone stared at her. Then, slowly, he turned to look down at Vermil. The Apostle was easily two heads taller than him.

    It took everything Garina had to keep herself from wiping her forehead with the back of a sleeve.

    ¡°Your¡­ student,¡± Crone repeated. ¡°And what, pray tell, have you taught a mortal? You claim that the feeling I felt just now was not Master¡¯s stolen rune, but one you gave him?¡±

    ¡°Correct,¡± Garina said. ¡°He¡ª¡±

    ¡°Not another word from you,¡± Crone ordered, his Rune Force infusing his words. Pressure slammed into Garina and drove her jaw shut. He¡¯d directed the attack solely at her, so none of the mortals had been crushed instantly beneath it. Crone crouched so he and Vermil were eye-to-eye. ¡°You are her student?¡±

    Gods, I hope this scruffy fool is quick on the uptake and a better actor than he looks.

    If he isn¡¯t, we¡¯re all¡­

    Garina¡¯s thoughts trailed off for the second time that day. Because, instead of fear, there was something else glistening within Vermil¡¯s eyes.

    His entire demeanor had shifted on a dime.

    For, on his face, was not the look of prey.

    It was that of a hunter.

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you. Garina has been a bit tight-lipped about her co-workers, so I¡¯ve been positively shaking to make your acquaintance,¡± Vermil said, extending a hand as his lips curled in a measured smile. ¡°You can call me Spider.¡±

 Chapter 602: Empty in the head

    Years of training were the only thing that let Garina keep her body still from the nervous energy pumping through her. She could do nothing but watch as Crone loomed over Vermil, staring down at the mortal¡¯s extended hand.

    Garina couldn¡¯t remember the last time that she¡¯d been so worried about a conversation. Even the revelation from the Prophet that Decras had sent for a mortal hadn¡¯t shaken her like this. A distant part of her mind squirmed in unease.

    This is what happens when you give yourself weaknesses. Ferdinand was a mistake. Getting attached to someone weaker than yourself is just asking to be hurt.

    That part of her mind barely managed to squeeze out its protest before logic crushed it out. Garina only needed one look around the clearing to tell that her thought couldn¡¯t have been farther from reality.

    All the mortals that had stepped out to face certain death in a fight against her for Vermil¡¯s sake had made that evident enough. Perhaps care was a weakness now, but if they managed to survive until they were powerful¡­

    Such bonds were rare amongst powerful mages. Most of them didn¡¯t get to where they were by being trusting. The path to power that Garina had walked was strewn in corpses and painted in blood. Most others of note had walked the path alongside her.

    An entire group of high Rank 7 mages that trusted each other to this degree¡­ the back of Garina¡¯s neck prickled.

    They would be able to destroy the Apostles. Even the Church of Repose is only held together by strained string and smiling faces that conceal blades in the dark. Everyone is in it for their own gain.

    Unfortunately, Vermil¡¯s group were not yet a small army of Rank 7 monsters. They were a smattering of weak mortals standing before the second Apostle.

    ¡°What game do you play at, Garina?¡± Crone demanded. ¡°This pathetic little scruffy twig? You want me to believe this is your disciple?¡±

    ¡°It does not matter what you believe,¡± Garina said, letting derision seep into her words. She considered spitting on the ground but dismissed it. There was no need to get that crass. She nodded to Vermil¡¯s hand. ¡°Acknowledge my apprentice.¡±

    ¡°I will not,¡± Crone said. He ignored Vermil¡¯s hand and reached up for the hilt of the huge sword hanging from his back. ¡°I am not a fool, Garina. This is not your apprentice. This is the one we sought. You are attempting to hide him from me to collect the reward yourself.¡±

    Fuck.

    Whelp. No helping it, then. Between the Apostles or Ferdinand¡­ these bedsheet wearing fuckers can eat dirt and so can Decras. It¡¯ll be fun to see how I match up against Crone after all these years.

    Garina ignored the nervous pit in the bottom of her stomach. She ignored the knowledge that if Crone really had kept training since they¡¯d last fought, she¡¯d be no match against him. There were some things that were just worth taking the risk for.

    If I lose, I hope Ferdinand ¡ª no.

    I¡¯m not losing.

    She started to shift into a fighting stance.

    ¡°Hey, shithead,¡± Vermil said, snapping his fingers like an impatient mother. ¡°We were speaking.

    The huge Apostle slowly looked back down to the mortal. His expression was unreadable, but Garina could feel the annoyance building within him like rising water crashing against a dam.

    ¡°You know not who you speak to. Be silent, wretch.¡±

    ¡°I know exactly who I¡¯m speaking to,¡± Vermil replied. ¡°Garina hasn¡¯t kept me completely in the dark about the incompetent idiots she has to share a poor sense of fashion with. And frankly ¡ª what were you, Rank 7? That¡¯s not nearly strong enough to be acting like such a cocky shit.¡±

    Crone¡¯s attention shifted fully away from Garina. ¡°Are you seeking death?¡±

    ¡°Seeking dea¡ª God, man. That¡¯s your line? I think I¡¯d kill myself if I ever said something that cheesy. Maybe you should focus your training on not sounding like an edgy twelve year old next. I know you¡¯re young, but please. Try to have some respect for yourself.¡±

    Confusion gripped Crone. His hand hovered just above the hilt of his blade as he likely tried to figure out what was happening. If his theory about Vermil was correct ¡ª and it was ¡ª then killing the mortal would cause them to fail Decras¡¯ orders.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°You call me young?¡± Crone asked incredulously. ¡°I was old before the wretched city you were born in had a single brick laid. Compared to me, you are a child.¡±

    ¡°Your age is measured in cities? That makes you¡­ what, a few hundred years old? That¡¯s cute. I was just speaking with Sievan a few days ago. I think we spent that long pondering on dinner.¡±

    Crone tilted his head to the side. ¡°What? How do you know that name?¡±

    ¡°We were visiting him a short while ago. Family field trip,¡± Vermil replied through a snort. ¡°Are you dense? Why else would I go to the Damned Plains? For fun? It was for practice.¡±

    ¡°You ¡ª no. Impossible. I refuse to believe that Garina has a disciple. She couldn¡¯t teach a dog to play dead. Why would any of us choose a pathetic mortal from Arbalest?¡±

    Vermil let out a burst of laughter. ¡°Oh, you are dense. Not only do you think that I took Decras¡¯ rune, but you think I¡¯m a mortal?¡±

    Garina¡¯s eyes would have twitched if she didn¡¯t have such extensive control over them. Vermil had been heading down the right path for a moment there. She¡¯d seen cracks starting to form in Crone¡¯s defenses, but claiming to not be a mortal was the absolute worst move that Vermil possibly could have made.

    Shit. This isn¡¯t good.

    ¡°You sign your own life away with your lies,¡± Crone said. His hand closed down around the hilt of his sword. ¡°Garina coached you.¡±

    ¡°Moxie?¡± Vermil prompted.

    Without a word, Moxie drew on her Master Rune.

    Crone stiffened. ¡°Sievan¡¯s power. But¡ª¡±

    ¡°Sievan¡¯s power,¡± Vermil mocked in the tone of an impudent child. ¡°Idiot. What is it going to take to get this through your thick skull? Or are you going to insinuate that we managed to steal something from the Lord of Death as well? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯d just start to worry that every single one of you was incompetent. I mean, seriously, how many people can get their runes stolen before you start wondering where the problem really lies?¡±

    Crone¡¯s fingers tightened. Then they relaxed. Then they tightened again. The man had never been the most intelligent of the Apostles, and the bafflingly aggressive manner that Vermil bore was enough to throw even Garina completely off balance.

    I can¡¯t even provide him any support. I don¡¯t have the faintest clue as to what¡¯s happening or what he¡¯s planning.

    ¡°Your arrogance¡­ just like Garina,¡± Crone said in disgust. ¡°Perhaps her stench really has rubbed off on you. To not only meet Sievan but to give his rune away to a worthless mortal woman¡­ unbelievable. You are a liar that spews filth, but if you are truly just her disciple, then it is only right for you to meet the Prophet.¡±

    That bastard! This is a trap. The Prophet will see right through any bullshit and recognize Decras¡¯ magic on the spot. We can¡¯t let that happen.

    Garina didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything. Vermil¡¯s features had sharpened in anger the moment that Crone mentioned Moxie and the man had already started to respond.

    ¡°No. We¡¯re busy right now, and I¡¯m not inclined to do anything you want until you apologize,¡± Vermil said.

    Crone stared at him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You were wrong,¡± Vermil said. There was real anger in his words. ¡°You insulted Garina. You insulted me. That calls for an apology.¡±

    ¡°And pray tell, what insult did I give you but the truth?¡±

    ¡°You said I was a liar,¡± Vermil replied. ¡°You claimed that I was just a child.¡±

    ¡°You are.¡±

    ¡°I can prove that I¡¯m not.¡±

    Crone let out a dark laugh. ¡°Is that so? Can you, now?¡±

    ¡°Quite easily. All you have to do is lower your domain and let me into your mind. I¡¯ve got a Mind Rune. I¡¯ll lay myself bare to you and we can see what I¡¯m been lying about. And after that, you¡¯re going to apologize to Garina and me ¡ª and then you¡¯re going to fuck off.¡±

    ¡°And if you fail to prove that you are not a liar? How will you atone?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill myself.¡±

    Crone snorted. ¡°No. If you are a liar, then you are the one we seek. I will need you alive. If you wish me to accept this deal, then Garina will kiss my boots when you are proven wrong. How does that suffice?¡±

    Garina¡¯s back stiffened. She nearly blurred into an attack on the spot. Crone had gotten even more arrogant since the last time they¡¯d fought ¡ª or perhaps he was just trying to goad her into revealing their hand.

    There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to debase myself to that degree. There are limits to everything.

    ¡°Done,¡± Vermil said before Garina could say a word.

    You squirmy little shit!

    ¡°Of course,¡± Vermil continued, his eyes darkening. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty nasty request. I think it¡¯s only fair that you pay a deeper punishment if I¡¯m not lying.¡±

    ¡°What? You wish for me to face the same punishment?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t give a shit about your foot fetish,¡± Vermil replied. ¡°If I¡¯m right, I want you to perfectly copy one motion I do. It will take no longer than three seconds. That¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°Accepted,¡± Crone said without an instant of hesitation. Garina could feel his smirk from beneath his hood. ¡°That is, assuming your mentor is willing to swear on it as well. Should she have any faith in her student, I¡¯m certain it should be no issue.¡±

    Anger pulsed in Garina with such intensity that it threatened to pour out of her ears. She forced herself to remain calm. Vermil had to be playing at something ¡ª but Crone hadn¡¯t chosen his words lightly.

    Any promises between the Apostles were sworn on Decras¡¯ name. Breaking it was equivalent to calling down the wrath of every other Apostle.

    If I agree to this¡­ I¡¯ll actually have to do it.

    I swear to any god that¡¯s listening, Vermil. If you haven¡¯t thought this through, I¡¯m going to fucking murder your entire family tree.

    ¡°I swear to it,¡± Garina said through clenched teeth.

    ¡°As do I. Look forward to what comes next, Garina,¡± Crone said with a dark laugh. He crouched before Vermil so they were both at the same head level. ¡°My domain is relaxed, boy. Show me what it is you believe will prove that I am a liar. This will be fun.¡±

    ¡°It will be fun, but not for you.¡± Vermil set his hands on either side of Crone¡¯s head. ¡°Allow me to show you eternity. Empty Proliferation.¡±