Return of the Runebound Professor

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 — 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?”

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—”

“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.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“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 — 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—”

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?”

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