Return of the Runebound Professor

Tenfort, Rank 6 mage and the strongest Enforcer in Arbitage, was panicking. He’d been a Rank 6 for forty-three years, and had just managed to form two Rank 6 Runes – three less than the headmaster, but still more than enough to put him on even footing with some of the most powerful mages in the Arbalest Empire.

He could even stand against some of the strongest family heads – but, against Ferdinand, he’d felt like he was a fly fighting a giant. Whoever the man was, he was at least as strong as the headmaster.

Shit. If I was alone, I’d get out of here and never come back, but I won’t abandon the students. The transport cannon doesn’t have any way for us to reset the timing on the recall, so we’re stuck here for the next few days. I won’t leave, but I just don’t know if there’s going to be much I can to do defend anyone against a monster like that – much less the woman that attacked him.

Tenfort squinted at the rubble of the former mountain, trying to figure out if he could make anything out within it, but there was nothing. The two mages were there somewhere, but he had no idea where.

And, as long as he could avoid it, Tenfort had absolutely no plans of trying to find out. He vastly preferred himself alive.

Tenfort pressed a hand to his collar, pushing in on a small button. It shattered, and a streak of energy flashed out of it. He was pretty certain that someone had already observed the strange mages, but he wasn’t going to take any risks. The rest of the Enforcers would be called to the exam grounds as soon as they felt the distress signal – if they weren’t already on their way.

Shaking his head, Tenfort drew a deep breath and steadied himself before raising his voice, amplifying it so that it could be heard anywhere within the testing grounds.

“Students, the exam is over. Take cover immediately. If you are found fighting from this point onward against any other students, you will be expelled. Instructors will be coming to aid you shortly.”

***

“I’m honored,” Ferdinand said, waving a cloud of dust away from his face. Gentle swirls of pink energy surrounded his body like a school of fish. The woman standing across from him watched silently, her dark robes rippling in the wind.

He knew who she was – though, if Ferdinand were entirely honest with himself, he wasn’t feeling honored in the slightest. The woman standing across form him was well known to the Church of Repose – Garina, one of the Apostles. He’d seen drawings of her more than enough times to recognize her, but seeing the woman in true was different. The only difference between the images he’d seen and the true woman was a spiked collar around her neck.

Her impossibly pale skin stuck out in stark contrast to her clothing. If Ferdinand didn’t know better, he would have assumed that she were already dead. The only color on her face were her blood red lips, which were pressed together in displeasure.

“And I don’t even know who you are,” Garina said. She spat on the ground. “I know your make, though. Church of Repose. What are you doing here? You know the laws just as well as any other.”

“My passings are none of your concern,” Ferdinand said, brushing some dust from his shoulders and straightening his white robes. “I could ask you the same, for that matter. I’m Rank 6. By the laws, I am still allowed entry. You, on the other hand, are not.”

“I enforce the law,” Garina said, her face unflinching. “Don’t try to quote it to me. I was there when it was written.”

“I’m well aware of how old you are,” Ferdinand said. Garina’s eyes narrowed in annoyance at the jab, and he repressed a grin. The Church of Repose did not encourage self-indulgence, and he was pretty sure Garina would kill him if he smiled.

“Then I suggest you leave before I send you back to your church in pieces.”

“I break no laws by being here. Even if you bend it for yourself, you can’t break it for others. By what manner am I being expelled?”

“By manner of getting on my damn nerves. I really don’t need much excuse to beat another one of you into the ground. And even if you haven’t broken a law yet, telling them about the Church is toeing the line. No outside interference is permitted.”

“I had given them nothing that they couldn’t have found within the Arbalest Empire,” Ferdinand replied. He chose his words carefully. “You know, you shattered an artifact by striking me. I only have a few of those. They’re quite expensive.”

Garina smirked. “Are you asking me to repay you? That’s bold. Not something I typically see from you rats.”

“You confuse our kindness for fear and weakness. We have neither.”

“Kindness isn’t what I’d call what you do. You’re wearing my patience thin. There’s a difference between you and a freshly baked Rank 7. They have excuses for being morons. You don’t.”

Ferdinand raised an eyebrow. “You realize that, if you do kill me, you’ll start a war?”

“Why do you think you’re still alive?” Garina crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’m still figuring out how to deal with you properly.”

“That punch would have killed any normal Rank 6.”

“I just had faith that the Church of Repose would have members so weak that they’d die to a single blow.” Garina gave Ferdinand an emotionless grin, and it told him that, if he had died, she really would have blamed his own weakness for his death.

Crazed woman. Why was this the Apostle I had to run into? Out of all six, Garina is the one I know the least about. Everyone just says to avoid her. At least this isn’t their head. If it were, I’d be dead already. Goddess, the things I do in your name.

“Surely there’s a reason someone like you is playing around in this pointless empire,” Ferdinand said. “If you were truly on patrol, you wouldn’t have cared about my arrival. There’s something more, isn’t there?”

Garina’s gaze felt like it was going to burn through Ferdinand’s eyes and into the back of his skull. “None of your concern.”

“I see. Well, I wouldn’t dream of prying into the actions of an Apostle, even if your god is a vile stain on the universe,” Ferdinand said. “It sounds like we both have our hands tied, though. My Church has given me an order, and I will execute it. I have broken no laws in my arrival, and if you kill me, then even your order will face consequence.”

“The follower of a worthless goddess calling my Master vile is laughable. Your entire organization can barely stand up against the six of us.” Garina lowered her hands and took a step toward Ferdinand, pressing a finger into his chest. “And what makes you think that anyone will ever find any trace of your passing if I decide to kill you?”

“Then you haven’t decided to kill me?” Ferdinand asked, latching onto the last sentence.

Garina’s lips pressed thin. “Not yet.”

“Then I thank you for your mercy, and I shall continue on with my task,” Ferdinand said. He inclined his head and turned. Garina was dangerous, but she wouldn’t actually break the treaties that had been in place for years. At least, he hoped she wouldn’t.

Footfalls behind him caused a frown to flicker across Ferdinand’s face. He turned around. Garina stood a foot behind him, her face so close to his that their noses were nearly touching. Ferdinand leapt back, his heart slamming in his chest.

“What are you doing?”

“Following you.”

“Why?”

“Because I can. This empire is my territory, and you’re encroaching on it,” Garina replied with a wry smile. “If you haven’t broken any laws yet, then all I have to do is wait until you do. Something tells me it won’t take long. I hope you weren’t planning on playing along until the last moment, then grabbing whatever you came here for and running with it to escape my judgment.”

Ferdinand swallowed. That had pretty much been his plan to the dot.

“Surely you wouldn’t waste so much time–”

“Oh, I absolutely would. I love wasting time.” Garina bared her teeth in a smile that made it impossible to tell if she was telling the truth or being sarcastic. Either way, it looked like she wanted to rip Ferdinand’s throat out with her suspiciously sharp canines.

She had him in a corner. If he refused, then Garina would be able to easily justify her suspicion of him, and Ferdinand suspected he wouldn’t leave the Arbalest Empire alive. But, if she came along, then it would be impossible to do anything without her figuring out his true goals.

Bah. It hardly matters. There’s no way that the person the Goddess is searching for is in this horrid backwater empire. I’m sure one of my brothers or sisters will find them, and then I’ll be able to leave once I get the news. I just have to tolerate this she-demon tailing me until she gets bored.

In the end, I just need to make sure she doesn’t figure out what we’re searching for.

“I… would be thrilled to have you along,” Ferdinand said with a weak smile.

“So, where to? Harassing weak mages again?”

“Certainly not. They already told me what I needed,” Ferdinand lied. “I think I’ll investigate the woods.”

“The woods.” Garina gave him a flat stare.

“Yes. They look very nice. You’re certain you want to accompany me?”

“I’ve always wanted to have a picnic. I hope you packed sandwiches.”

Ferdinand, in fact, had two sandwiches he’d prepared that morning tucked into his travel supplies. He swear the bag got heavier as Garina’s eyes landed on it, but he dismissed the thought. She’d just made a lucky guess. He refused to give her the satisfaction of putting him off guard.

He set off, heading in the opposite direction of the Rank 6 mage. With every step Ferdinand took, he could feel Garina’s cold breath on the back of his neck.

This might be the worst assignment I’ve ever gotten.

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