Return of the Runebound Professor

The Church of Repose was in chaos. White robed men scrambled around the courtyard like children, desperately trying to provide some semblance of order and entirely unaware that they were only adding to the confusion.

Several hundred mats had been laid out within the church’s main hall, bathed in the multicolored light streaming through the beautiful stained glass windows that made up the entire ceiling and of the massive building.

The mats all surrounded an enormous stone dais. Surrounded by intricately carved marble pillars and majestic murals along the walls, the dais stood in stark, plain solitude. It was a simple ring of stone with a pillar perched above it.

And yet, despite its simplicity, it was the subject of every single man and woman’s attention. The Cardinals and Archbishops raced around it, moving faster than they had in hundreds of years as they rushed to prepare everything.

Men who had spent centuries in service to the church and hadn’t done an ounce of physical work in decades worked together with the barest of laborers as they rushed to make sure that all would be perfect.

And, amidst all the chaos, Bishop Ferdinand sat on his mat and waited. He’d been one of the lucky few to have been close enough when the first calls had gone out, and had managed to secure a spot near the base of the dais before all the higher ranking members of the church could arrive.

He’d half expected to be told to leave, despite the church’s rules of equality, but was delighted to find that not a single person even tried to take his spot. Ferdinand’s appreciation of the great Church of Repose grew to even greater heights as he watched an Archbishop take the mat behind him, not even thinking about trying to move him.

Over the course of the next few minutes, more and more members poured into the enormous room. They sprinted to the first mats they could find and practically dove onto them to claim their spots.

It didn’t take long before every single mat was full, but that didn’t stop anyone. They filled the edges of the room, standing along the walls or kneeling on the empty spaces on the ground.

It hadn’t even been thirty minutes since the call had gone out, but the church was already packed full. The enormous, several dozen foot tall doors slammed shut, sending a booming echo throughout the church and silencing all the nervous, excited mutters that had been running through it.

The room’s motion ground to a halt together with the doors. If it hadn’t been for the church’s rules against the usage of Runes within its walls, Ferdinand was confident that things would have been considerably less efficient.

Instead, they all waited in rapt attention. Bishops and Cardinals sat side by side, their eyes wide and hearts thundering akin. An announcement like this happened only once in a lifetime, and the chance to hear it firsthand was a rarity that they could boast about for centuries to come.

The dais trembled. Ferdinand’s skin prickled, and the feeling in the room shifted. All the glowing lights shining through the stained glass windows started to shift. Rosy reds and vibrant greens melded together. The blues and oranges joined as well.

All the colors merged together, turning into a single, brilliant white. The light gathered of its own accord, moving to illuminate the dais and casting the rest of church into darkness. The silence was so acute that Ferdinand could hear the blood pumping through his body. He didn’t even dare to swallow.

From the brilliant beam of light falling down on the dais, a form appeared. Flawless alabaster skin and flowing white robes, trimmed with gentle coral accents emerged from the beam.

The light faded away, revealing the rest of the form of a tall woman standing upon it. Her face was covered with a glittering veil, and her robes hung so low from her arms that they were nearly at her feet.

A ring of gently sparkling pink gemstones floated behind her, interlocking patterns of complex Runes weaving throughout them. Seven Runes burned within the circle, so powerful that Ferdinand couldn’t even comprehend them. Even at the distance she was at, Ferdinand’s shoulders trembled and his back creaked. The energy radiating off the woman was so great that he could barely withstand it.

Unmistakable Runic energy filled the room all around them – the power of the Great Goddess. The longer Ferdinand stared, the more the form of a Rune seemed to take shape behind the woman. It was so tangible that he could almost feel it, but even the slightest attempt to draw on the Rune’s power could end in only one way – instant death.

A single man at the front row rose to his feet. Unlike everyone else, he seemed largely unaffected by the incredible pressure emanating off the woman. Ferdinand recognized him, even though he could only see the back of the man’s head.

One of the Cardinals, Alabaster. One of the highest Rank 7 members of the church. If anyone has a chance of reaching Rank 8 other than the Pope, it would be him.

“Great Prophet,” Alabaster said, his voice reverential. “The honor we feel to have been chosen is beyond the might of spoken or written word. We have heard your call and come to hear your command. How may we serve?”

“The Great Goddess has given me a vision,” the Prophet said. Her words, while gentle, echoed through the room like a booming roar.

But not even her presence could contain the murmurs that broke out. Ferdinand barely kept his heart from leaping out of his chest. The Prophet came, not bearing a command of her own desire, but one directly from the lips of the Great Goddess.

“We serve without question,” Alabaster swore, pressing a hand to his chest and bowing low.

“I have come to issue a request on the Goddess’ behalf,” the Prophet said. “A being upon this beautiful realm of existence has captured the faintest sliver of her attention.”

If her previous statement had caused murmurs, this one caused a dull roar. It passed through the room like a wave, then silenced instantly as the pressure coming off the Prophet intensified slightly in admonishment.

“Who is it, Prophet?” Alabaster asked. “Is it a member of the church?”

“The Goddess did not say. She simply seeks a being. It takes me a great deal of energy to even hear a few of her sacred words, and in her infinite grace, she understands the limitations of my frail body. But, fret not. We are not entirely without guidance. We know her power. We have felt it – and so has the one that we are to seek out. They are imprinted by her magic. This is the task the Goddess delivers unto you. Locate the one who possesses the airs of the Goddess and deliver them to me.”

Alabaster lifted from his bow, still pressing his hand to his chest. “We will do as you command, Prophet. The one you seek will be delivered unto you, no matter the cost or what we must do. We will not fail.”

“I know,” the Prophet replied. Behind her veil, Ferdinand caught just the faintest glimpse of a smile.

And then she was gone, leaving behind only the sensation of a great, flowing river rushing through all of their bodies to deliver them unto salvation. The room rose to their feet as one, fervor pumping in their veins.

“You have all heard the command of the Prophet,” Alabaster boomed. “Spread the word. The Church has once again received orders. Send runners to every noble family in every kingdom. We will not rest until the Goddess has received that which she requested.”

Alabaster’s hands fell and the doors to the church slammed open. Ferdinand joined the rush of people as they rushed outside. As soon as their feet left the church, many of them transformed into blurs of light or leapt into the air, shooting off on flying swords or other devices.

Ferdinand could barely contain his excitement. A holy crusade to find someone that had managed to capture even a glimpse of the Goddess’s attention. Finding such a being would be sure to earn him appreciation from the Church of Repose.

He would not disappoint the Goddess. The Church would find her target.

No matter what it took.

***

Six figures sat in a circular cave upon carved chairs, their features cast in unnatural shadow. A brazier flickered between them, purple and black flame curling up from within it. It had been centuries since they’d last gathered like this.

Rune Force filled the air all around them. Even though they’d all taken steps to hide their Runes from view, their energy manifested itself with such intensity that it would have ground a lesser being into paste simply by being in their presence.

“Where is he?” a large man growled. He was over three times taller than the rest of them and had to sit hunched, his shoulders touching the ceiling and his head bowed low, just to avoid destroying the ceiling. The ratty cloak he wore hung loose and draped over his features, just barely managing to conceal them. “We have been waiting for hours.”

“He’s never on time,” a short woman said from beside him. She wore the same clothes as he did. A massive axe leaned against her side, more appropriately sized for the man that had spoken first.

The brazier crackled before anyone else could speak. All of them froze, turning toward it as the flames crackled and rose into the air. From within them, a foot clad in black armor emerged.

A man stepped out of the flame, his entire body covered in heavy plate. The armor was so dark that it seemed to suck the light from the room, and he bore a jagged spear in one of his hands.

“You’re late, Prophet” the huge man said, putting extra stress on the last word like it was a curse more than a blessing.

“I was preoccupied,” the armored figure replied. “It is difficult to understand the vibrations of the cosmos. I invite you to try, should you so desire.”

“Ignore him,” a female voice said from the other side of the room, where a woman sat so deeply in the shadows that she was almost invisible. “Just tell us why you called us here. I trust it’s important, because I didn’t agree to being a dog at your beck and call.”

The Prophet let out a laugh. “Important? We shall see. I have received communication from the Master.”

All of them stiffened.

“What is it?” the short woman asked. “The last time, you called us together to say the Master was going to court someone. Complete waste of time.”

“I may have misinterpreted his words,” the Prophet admitted. “That was not him speaking directly to me – but this was.”

“Directly?” the large man nearly choked. “Tell us already, you rotting shit.”

“One that walks this world has drawn his attention. We are to find and collect them,” the Prophet replied. “This is of utmost importance. We will all be greatly rewarded if we succeed. I trust you all understand?”

Silence washed over them. The Prophet turned to the woman who sat in the shadows.

“Is that important enough for you?”

“I’ll put a collar on and start barking,” she replied.

“I don’t care what you do. Just find the one that has drawn the Master’s attention,” the Prophet said. “Go. And try not to destroy too many things in the process. We don’t need to start another war yet.”

They all inclined their heads. Each of the six figures sitting around the fire vanished. The Prophet turned and stepped back into the flames, disappearing into their depths. Behind him, the fire sputtered and burned away, dying out and leaving only faint wisps of smoke behind.

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