Return of the Runebound Professor

You’ve got to be kidding me. Again? Does everyone walk around with a damn demon-detector?

Noah shifted, his mind spinning into overdrive. Lee hadn’t reacted to Evergreen’s proclamation, but if someone had a way to sense demons, then there was a good chance that they were about to face a repeat of what had happened with the Inquisitors.

The best move would be to act before they could. There was no way he could kill Evergreen, but Garrick was the one that noticed him. If he could distract the man until Lee escaped, then things could be handled more discreetly later.

“A demon? In the middle of Arbitage?” Noah asked, his eyes going wide in apparent shock. “Are you serious?”

Garrick’s stance shifted and he drew a pair of long, jagged daggers from his belt. The air around him rippled – and then he was gone.

Noah stiffened, spinning toward Lee, but Garrick wasn’t there. There was a loud crack behind him and Noah spun once more, only to see Garrick slam to the ground. Revin stood above him, a wry smile on his face.

Rolling back, Garrick shot to his feet and lowered into a fighting stance. He watched Revin warily.

“Well, isn’t that uncomfortable,” Revin said with a laugh. “I didn’t think you’d be traveling with an Inquisitor, Magus Evergreen.”

Garrick vanished again. Revin let out a heavy sigh. He reached out, his scythe dematerializing from where it was jammed into the ground and reforming in his hands. Revin whipped the blade out, hooking it into the air to his side and yanking it down.

The air bent around its blade and Garrick was yanked down. Revin had flattened the edge of the blade to keep it from cutting the man’s throat, but the mercy ended with his knee as it drove up into Garrick’s nose, breaking it with a loud crack.

Garrick didn’t even flinch. He thrust both of his daggers forward, driving them straight into Revin’s chest – or rather, straight through it. His entire body passed through Revin and he stumbled.

“Slow,” Revin drawled, hooking his scythe out and yanking Garrick’s feet out from under him. Garrick fell, turning it into a roll and rising to his feet once more. A ripple of silver energy enveloped Garrick’s daggers and he faded once more.

Shadow burst from Revin’s chest as a dagger plunged into it. A second one carved through his head, but Revin’s body just molded around the blows. Revin reached back, grabbing the air and driving his fist down.

Eline let out a startled gasp as Garrick slammed to the ground with a grunt, ripped out of his invisibility once more.

“As fun as this is, I think we should probably stop,” Revin said. He brought his foot down on Garrick’s wrist as the man tried to lift his dagger. “There has unfortunately been a slight misunderstanding.”

“You claim that you are not a demon, and that Garrick’s assessment was wrong?” Evergreen asked, not looking particularly concerned for her compatriot’s wellbeing.

“Correct,” Revin said.

“Garrick’s instincts have never been wrong before. You will not be able to bargain your way out of this.”

“Well, he’s not entirely wrong,” Revin said. Garrick vanished from beneath him, then reformed beside Evergreen. He flexed his hand, then grabbed his nose and yanked it back into place with a pop. The blood running from his nose stemmed up as if the wound had never been there.

“Entirely?” Evergreen asked, raising an eyebrow.

“There is in fact demonic energy present,” Revin allowed. “But I am not a demon. Your good – if slightly incompetent – man has stumbled across my eye.”

For the first time, Noah noticed something in Evergreen’s expression change. “Your eye?”

“Quite so. Killed a demon some time ago, back in my younger days,” Revin said, tapping his right eyebrow. “Damn thing took my eye out, though. So I took something to replace it. Occasionally sets off Inquisitors, but I can assure you that I am no demon.”

Garrick took a step forward. Evergreen raised her hand, stopping him. Eline stared at her in shock.

“Can you prove it?” Evergreen asked.

“Gladly, if he has the capability to sense small shifts in energy,” Revin replied. “It’s not like he can hurt me, so I’d be more than willing to let him examine me. I’d prefer an examination from a woman, though. I don’t suppose you’ve got one of those around?”

Evergreen gave Revin a flat stare.

“Oh, my bad,” Revin said. “Not you. You’re too old. Not the girl either – she’s too young. I’d prefer around twenty-five, but I’ll go up to ninety. Black hair is nice. Aversion to government is a must. Got anyone?”

“Revin,” James hissed. “This is not the time.”

Revin sighed. “Come on, then. Have the mute dagger-wielding idiot examine me.”

Evergreen jerked her chin forward. Garrick approached Revin, watching him intently. When Revin made no moves, Garrick prodded him in the stomach. His brow furrowed and he took a step back, frowning.

“He… is not lying,” Garrick said, speaking loud enough for them to hear for the first time. His voice was raspy and airy, like there was a hole somewhere in his neck that was letting the words out before they reached his mouth. “The demonic energy is concentrated in his right eye, but it is dense enough that it feels like it’s coming from this entire area.”

“Keep going and you’ll make me blush,” Revin said.

“I was… unaware it was possible to implant part of a demon into your own body,” Evergreen said. Her attention was fully on Revin now – the rest of them had been completely forgotten.

Revin blushed.

You’ve got to be kidding me. What’s wrong with this guy?

“How is it that a Rank 3 mage was able to do something like that?” Evergreen asked. “Do you possess a unique technique?”

“Of course I do,” Revin said. “And being at Rank 3 is very much voluntary, I assure you. I just like it down here. It’s nice and peaceful.”

Noah was pretty sure not a single person believed him. Nobody actually wanted to stay weaker if they could get stronger. Revin had originally told Noah that he’d stuck at Rank 3 to work on Formations.

Judging by how Evergreen is reacting, though, this seems a lot more than just a minor advantage. An old Rank 6 like her isn’t going to be interested in anything that isn’t incredibly rare or powerful.

“Would you be willing to share that technique with me? You’d be handsomely rewarded,” Evergreen said.

Revin rubbed his chin. “How? I’ll think it over.”

“I’m sure we could come to an agreement,” Evergreen said with a smile. “I can–”

“Thought it over,” Revin said, cutting Evergreen off. “Not interested anymore. You should have brought cooler compatriots if you wanted to sway me.”

Moxie let out a muffled mixture between a choking noise and a snort. It was quiet enough that nobody noticed it other than Noah. Evergreen’s eyes narrowed and she peered down the bridge of her nose at Revin.

“You are trying to intentionally antagonize me.”

“Wow, you caught on fast,” Revin said. “Look, grandma. You aren’t cool. At all. Pushing people around weaker than you is pretty lame. I’m not interested in working with anyone like that. I hope the girl is trained better than her mentor, though. If she isn’t, my boy James is going to wipe the floor with her face.”

Revin thrust a finger toward James, who went white as a sheet as Evergreen and Eline both turned toward him. Noah could practically feel the boy inwardly cursing his professor.

“Are you challenging Magus Evergreen?” Eline demanded. “You’re full of it! That kid is practically shaking in his boots. There’s no way he’s going to be able to do anything against me, even with two deadweight nobodies on his team.”

“Is that a bet?” Revin asked, his eyes flashing with delight. “I heard rumors that a particularly upstart professor weaseled a Rank 1 Great Rune out of a family member with a bet. That would be fun.”

Eline glanced at Evergreen.

“Can’t make decisions for yourself, eh?” Revin asked, clicking his tongue in disappointment. “I suppose the Torrins just have a bunch of puppets that dance when Magus Evergreen pulls the strings. That’s a little disappointing. I thought you were supposed to be more interesting than the Linwicks.”

“You are pushing your luck,” Evergreen said softly. “If we weren’t on Arbitage grounds, I would not let you speak like this.”

“Good thing we are, then. So, what’s it going to be? Gonna let the girl lose a bet, or are you going to cover her ass?”

“Eline is perfectly capable of making decisions for herself,” Evergreen said, her eyes cold. Noah almost felt bad for Eline. Evergreen hadn’t even glanced back at the girl – her eyes were focused on Revin.

She doesn’t care what happens to Eline at all. Win or lose the bet, I think Evergreen actually ends up learning more about Revin either way. I’m not so sure making any sort of bet with her is a good idea.

“I’ll do it,” Eline said glaring at Revin. “What are the terms?”

Revin rubbed his chin. “Let’s see. You don’t have a team, do you?”

“No, I don’t. I won’t need one.”

“Good, good,” Revin said. “Let’s just keep things simple, then. Pass the survival exam. If you do and James doesn’t, you win. If he does and you don’t, he wins. If you both do, then it’s a tie. You said he’s pathetic and you don’t think much of his team, so this should be an easy win for you, right?”

Eline shrugged. “Fine. What do I get if I win?”

“What do you want?

Eline thought for a few moments. Evidently, she hadn’t expected Revin to turn the question around on her. Noah grimaced. Judging by how Eline had been looking to Evergreen for approval, he got the feeling that he knew what she was going to pick.

“Your eye,” Eline said with a cold smile. “You have to give it to Evergreen if I win.”

Satisfaction flickered in Evergreen’s eyes for just an instant, but it never reached her features.

“Oh, that’s a steep price.” Revin clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“So you’re going to back out of it like a coward?”

“I never said anything of the sort. I just feel like you should be willing to pay something just as steep in return. For my eye – well, considering Evergreen herself was interested in it, I’d say it costs a pretty hefty sum of gold, wouldn’t you?”

“Ten thousand gold?” Eline offered.

“What a joke. Ten thousand? Absolutely not,” Revin said with a snort. “That’s an amusingly low amount. Do you think gold can buy true power at that price? No. I’d say a hundred thousand, perhaps.”

“We have that,” Evergreen said. “It can be arranged.”

“No, I don’t think so.” Revin shook his head. “This is a bet between me and Eline, isn’t it? Can’t have you interfering. Eline doesn’t have a hundred thousand gold, does she?”

“Of course I don’t,” Eline said. “What do you want, then? You’ve clearly got an angle.”

“Well, if you want me to be blunt, then I will be. You possess nothing worth what you ask for, so if you lose I will simply take the greatest offering you can give – your life.”

That’s cold. He’s going to kill her if she loses? That’s going a step too far, isn’t it? She’s just a kid trying to show off and get her family head’s attention.

Eline stood like a wet cat, her hands clenched at her sides. Revin had perfectly trapped her in. The benefit of winning would be a massive boost to her standing with the Torrin family, but the cost of defeat was ultimate. And, if she refused the bet, then Evergreen certainly wasn’t going to be seeing her in any favorable light.

“Deal,” Eline said, pressing her lips together. “Get ready to hand that eye over.”

“I don’t think I will, but good luck,” Revin said, chuckling. “You’re going to need it.”

Revin vanished into a wisp of shadow, curling up into the air and leaving no trace of his passing. The rest of them all stared at where he’d been standing, silence ruling the air for just a few short moments.

Well, shit. Just what we needed. Even more things riding on this exam. At least it’s going to be interesting.

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