Return of the Runebound Professor

Two hours later, everyone trudged out of the grassy yard, leaving it matted and ruined behind them. Lee had, as usual, started things with a particularly painful few minutes of stretching. Noah had been slipping the stretches into his routine whenever he remembered to, but it felt like Lee knew he was skipping out every once and a while and had decided to fit all those missing sessions into a few minutes by intensifying it by a dozen times.

After that, she’d sparred all of them, barring the use of any magic but Body Imbuements. That, of course, meant they all got grass stains on their asses. Todd performed the best out of all of them, as Noah’s current Body Imbuement didn’t do anything other than reinforce his lungs to protect them from his Pyroclastic Resonance Rune.

“Where are you headed?” Lee asked as Noah shook his limbs out and trudged dirt through the house. Isabel and Todd both quickly broke away from them, heading for the room before Lee could think up any other training exercises.

“To get started with the work that Father wants me to do,” Noah replied.

“Sounds fun,” Lee said, rubbing her hands together. “I’m coming.”

“No. Not this time, Lee.”

Lee blinked. “What? Why? Did I do something wrong?”

Noah headed up the stairs, then headed into his room. Lee followed at his heels as he tossed his belongings into his closet and closed the door before turning to look back at her. “Not at all. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m still stronger than you,” Lee said, crossing her arms with a scowl.

“Maybe,” Noah agreed. “But that’s not the point. Don’t you remember the conversation we had back in the Scorched Acres?”

“We had a lot of those.”

“The one about valuing life.”

“Somehow, I think we might have had a few of those too.”

Noah sighed. “My life is expendable. Yours is not.”

Lee lowered her gaze and her frown deepened. “So you think you can take on a Rank 5 entirely on your own? You’re impulsive, but that seems a few steps beyond stupid. Incompetent or not, he’s still three entire Ranks above you. You’re going to get squished. Hellreaver all over again.”

“If I recall correctly, I killed the Hellreaver.”

“And nearly got yourself screwed in the process. You still might. That’s not finished biting you on the ass yet. They’ve got your corpse, you know. I doubt the investigation is already done.”

“I know,” Noah said. “But this is different.”

“How?”

“I have a reason for doing it,” Noah replied. “And it isn’t my own survival. Why do you think we came here?”

“To avoid the terrifying demon that’s probably roaming around Arbitage somewhere, looking to find Vermil and rip him up when it figures out that you’re still alive.”

“Except we’re going back in two weeks. Add in a little extra time to train with Moxie, but we’ll be back in Arbitage in a month or two at the most. The survival exam comes after that. We’ll be in the area, and so will the demon.”

Lee arched an eyebrow. “And?”

“I came here to figure out how to kill the demon,” Noah said. “Anyone who’s summoning one of them is going to know how to destroy one. I wasn’t certain when we first left, but I am now. Father would never take a risk like that without some sort of failsafe. I need to figure out what that is, and that means either forcing his hand to make him use it or getting him to give it to me if it can be learned or purchased.”

“Good luck with that. He didn’t seem like the most giving type.”

“No, I don’t think he is,” Noah said, heading back down the stairs. “But if I give him what he needs, I think he’ll play ball. Either that, or I find a way to steal it. Either way, it starts with dealing with Dayton.”

“Which you still can’t kill.”

“Don’t worry,” Noah said with a wry smile. “I can be very persuasive.”

Noah took a small bunch of Flashgrass out of its bag, pausing to check how much of it was left. He hadn’t had a chance to kill many monsters recently, and the Imbued grass was suffering from it. It was less than a quarter full. Noah grimaced.

“Could you hold onto this for me? I forgot to put it away when I was in my room and I’m too lazy to go up the stairs again.”

“Sure,” Lee said, taking the bag from him and sniffing at it. She scrunched her nose in distaste. “Gross. Doesn’t smell very edible.”

“That’s because it isn’t,” Noah said. “Watch over the kids for me. Make sure they don’t get into any trouble that’s too difficult for them to handle.”

“Fine,” Lee said. “Promise not to be too stupid?”

Noah paused. “Define stupid.”

Lee sighed. “Never mind. Good luck.”

Noah reached for the door, then paused. “You know what? I actually just got an idea. I know how you could help me without putting yourself at any risk.”

Lee’s eyes lit up. “What is it?”

“I need you to be me. Go take a stroll through the market, and make sure you’re still wandering around after about an hour. After that, do what you want. Probably head back here and make sure the kids haven’t somehow kicked a hornet’s nest.”

Lee tilted her head to the side, then nodded. “Okay, sure. No problem.”

“Thanks,” Noah said. Then he pushed the door open and strode out of the house, striding out into the street.

It took him a few seconds to realize he didn’t actually know where Dayton’s house actually was. He could have gone back to find Lee and get her to tell him where it was, but after his exit, that hardly felt appropriate.

Instead, Noah flagged down a guard and got directions from him. He set off once again, this time actually knowing where he was headed.

A few minutes later, he arrived. The hedges around the mansion really were garish – the bright orange shrubbery looked like a toddler had painted them over with his ugliest paint. Noah hid his distaste as he stepped onto the path leading through the garden and approached the front door.

He raised his fist to knock, but the door swung open before it could even land. Noah hid his surprise as the weathered face of a well-dressed butler stared back at him.

“Master Dayton is expecting you,” the man said, taking a step back. “Will you follow me?”

Noah mutely stepped inside and let the butler lead him up a beautifully carved wooden stairwell up to the second floor.

Oooh, creepy. Wonder how he figured that out. Was it Lee slaughtering his guards, or is there a leak in Father’s information? He’d be pissed if that was the case. Or, wait. What if they’re working together, and this is some sort of set up or a way to test my ‘loyalty’? Damn. I can’t believe this, but I preferred when all I had to do was punch monkeys.

They headed down several halls, then arrived at a large, metal inlaid door. The deep lines running throughout it were the telltale mark of Imbued items that Noah suspected had been disguised to protect the Runes upon them.

I really need to figure out how that works. I’ll ask Lee or Todd, they know the most about this stuff.

The butler rapped on the door.

“Come in,” a reedy voice called.

Inclining his head to Noah, the butler pushed the door open and stepped aside, allowing Noah entrance into a lavishly decorated office. In stark contrast to Father, Dayton had spared absolutely no effort in making sure that everyone knew just how rich he was.

The floor was tiled with gold and his large desk studded with glittering gemstones. There wasn’t a single speck of paperwork anywhere, and the huge, purple wood shelves lining the walls were stuffed full of trophies from monsters and even more riches.

Walmart brand dragon’s lair. God, this is tacky.

Sitting in a massive, tall, backed chair that was only a tiny step away from being a throne, was a gaudily dressed man. His features were gaunt and sharp, with a hooked nose and cold eyes beneath a thin mat of blond hair.

A tiny chair sat across from the desk, less than a quarter the size of Dayton’s. Noah’s eye twitched. He was slightly surprised that Dayton didn’t have his throne on a swivel so he could spin around ominously to greet people.

Where’s the cat? Even Father had one. Dayton’s slacking.

“Ah. I was wondering when you’d come,” Dayton said. “I didn’t think you’d actually just stride up and knock on the door.”

“I’ve been told I’m unpredictable.” Noah stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. “What was it that told you I was coming?”

Dayton leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on his desk and crossing them over one another. “You ripped a few of my guards up yesterday. Come on, now. Half the Linwicks are after me. It wasn’t hard to figure out that someone hired an assassin.”

“And so you told your guards to welcome anyone that walked up into your house? What makes you think I’m the assassin?”

“You’re one of the only few people to enter the Linwick Estate in the last week,” Dayton replied. “I’ll admit it surprised me, as Father has never actually shown me any hostility. I thought he might actually be in agreement with my methods.”

I see. That’s… quite a leap to make, though. Just because new people are in an area doesn’t mean you can just decide they’re the ones that came to kill you. It’s not like Dayton’s wrong, though.

Noah let out a burst of laughter. “That’s cute. Do you really think Father would register the assassin he hired to kill you? That would be extraordinarily stupid.”

Dayton opened his mouth, then frowned.

Wait, that actually stumped him? I was just trying to buy time. There are probably a dozen reasons why he’d register an assassin he hired, even if just to argue that no idiot would register their assassin.

“Why are you here, then?” Dayton asked with a frown. “I thought you were coming to try to kill me.”

“Do you even see how strong I am?” Noah asked. “You can feel the strength from my Runes or something, no?”

“Well, yes.”

“And?”

“Rank 3 at most.”

Noah stared at him. “So you thought the assassin was a Rank 3 that just… waltzed up to your front door after killing a bunch of your guards?”

“Well, why else would you come here? To bask in my glory?”

The way Dayton worded the last sentence gave Noah the very strong inclination to believe that Dayton thought that might be a genuine reason why someone would seek him out.

“No.”

“Then my patience runs thin,” Dayton said, pushing back from his desk. “I had hoped you were coming to give me some entertainment, but it seems like you’re just here to die.”

“I haven’t done a single thing to give you any reason to think I’m trying to kill you or make you think killing me is a good idea.”

“I don’t like you. That’s reason enough. The Linwicks have gotten soft. All this politics. All this reliance on other families and treading carefully.” Dayton spat on the ground. “Weak cowards. If we’re to regain our former strength, we can’t keep wasting resources playing around and talking. We need action, and that starts with following our hearts – and mine says that you can’t be trusted.”

I’m not sure if I should be impressed or incredibly disappointed. He’s a savant moron. Got the absolute right conclusion in the dumbest way he possibly could have.

Noah let out a heavy sigh. He combusted the Flashgrass behind his back, controlling the smoke to keep it around his feet and out of Dayton’s vision. He used more energy than normal, burning it at a rapid rate. “Well, I’m disappointed to hear that. I was hoping we could have a chat before things started to deteriorate for you.”

“For me?” Dayton asked incredulously. “You think you can do literally anything to hurt me? You, a Rank 3?”

Crackles of black energy swirled across Dayton’s fingertips and arced between his hands. A cold smile crossed his face as he drew on his Runes, forming a swirling ball of dark lighting in the air.

“Two pieces of advice,” Noah said with a cold smile. The last of the Flashgrass burned away, leaving him with a significant amount of smoke to work with.

“Oh?” Dayton arched an eyebrow and gave Noah a smug, confident look that made Noah want to put a fist through his teeth.

“One – things aren’t as you seem to think. I’m not even who you seem to think I am,” Noah said.

“The next sentence will be your last words. Chose them well.”

“Two – don’t wear combustible clothing.”

Noah drew in a deep breath and all the smoke he’d gathered streamed into his mouth and into his lungs. His grin grew wider as he combusted it within his lungs – the very lungs that were reinforced by Pyroclastic Resonance.

Heat erupted within his chest as the flame combusted and gas filled his lungs, trying to find a way to escape. It only took an instant, but that was enough for the pressure to multiply the force of his magic by several times over. It forced its way out from between his lips – but that wasn’t fast enough to contain the rapidly expanding flames.

Noah exploded in a ball of fire that washed forward, rolling over Dayton. Dayton threw his hands up in surprise, but the magic hit an invisible barrier in a small sphere around him, vanishing before it could get close. The rest of the room wasn’t as lucky. Fire scorched anything that could burn in the room, blackening and burning it.

The flames faded away a few seconds later, leaving Dayton staring in shock at the smoldering remains of Noah’s corpse. He floated above them in his soul form, observing the damage he’d done. The tiles directly beneath his feet had been warped and Dayton’s desk was badly burnt – parts of it were still aflame. His shelves hadn’t fared much better.

“What in the Damned Plains?” Dayton breathed.

See you tomorrow, Dayton. I can’t wait to see the look on your face.

Noah felt a tug at his neck and gave himself to it, allowing Sunder to yank him back toward his gourd in the closet. He was going to need his rest before he visited Dayton again. Something told Noah that their next meeting would be interesting.

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