Return of the Runebound Professor

The rest of class went without further incident, and everyone set off in their own directions once it ended. Alexandra politely refused an invitation to lunch from the other students, setting a course for her own room.

I’ve got too much to work on and I don’t want to let my thoughts slip out of my head before I can get them worked out. It’s just a change of mindset, but I feel like my swordsmanship improved tremendously in just a few days of practice. If I can keep working on patterns, I could make up for the Body Runes that’ll hold me back when everyone else can keep getting stronger.

She couldn’t tell if she was impressed or terrified at Vermil’s abilities. She’d seen firsthand what he could do back in Dawnforge, and something told her that he’d been holding back in the fight against Gentil.

Something about him and the other professors felt… off. Not necessarily in a bad way, but they didn’t fit. At least the differences were obvious with Lee – she was just a bit odd, but it was easy to read her intentions.

Moxie was a bit harder to understand, but even she wasn’t too far beyond the realm of comprehension. She cared deeply about Emily and the other students, though she clearly didn’t like showing it too much.

But Vermil was something else. He was considerably stronger than he appeared, but instead of flaunting his power or using it to claw his way up the ranks of his family, he was completely content sharing it with his students.

He was content sharing it with her – someone he’d only run into because he was in the process of slaughtering the criminal group that she was part of. And it wasn’t like the information he was sharing was common knowledge either.

Vermil was basically giving away secrets that people would kill for and asking for nothing in return but their own secrecy. It made absolutely no sense, but Alexandra definitely wasn’t going to complain.

I’ll make sure I live up to whatever it is that he wants from us. If this is what Vermil is willing to share now, he definitely has even more hidden away for the future. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll do whatever he wants me to if it means I’ll learn more.

Alexandra was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn’t realize that someone was standing in the path in front of her until she was nearly upon them. She jerked to a halt as she stepped into their shadow, looking up.

A heavyset man with a large mouth and matching nose stood before her, his clothes marking him as a noble. He only had a few wisps of hair left on his head, but Alexandra wouldn’t have put him a day over thirty.

“I didn’t scare you, did I?” The man asked, holding his hands up and giving Alexandra an easygoing smile. It was made slightly less comforting by the width his mouth stretched to and the unnaturally wide molars behind his lips.

Her guard went up instantly. She’d met more than enough dangerous people in her life to recognize when someone was more interested in her than they should have been – and the way that the man’s beady eyes were locked onto hers told Alexandra that he hadn’t been just standing around for no reason.

“No,” Alexanda said, stepping to the side to walk past him. “You didn’t. Excuse me.”

She made to move past him, but skipped back as she felt the man shift. His smile lengthened as they stared each other down, and it struck Alexandra that there wasn’t anyone else in the area. Her eyes narrowed.

“I’d like to have a moment of your time, if you don’t mind,” the large man said.

“You’ve already taken a moment. Now you’re taking more.”

“I can be a bit greedy,” the man let out a greasy chuckle then held his hands out by his shoulders. “You got me. I’ll ask for more than a few moments, then. My name is Gero.”

There wasn’t an obvious change, but the air around him seemed to grow more intense. Alexandra shifted her hand to the pommel of her sword. Even though she couldn’t sense domains yet, something told her that the man before her was a higher Rank than she was.

“What do you want?”

“That depends on your answer,” Gero said. “Your professor – Magus Vermil – he recently received an invitation to enroll himself and his students in the advanced track.”

Alexandra kept her features flat, not willing to give any information away until she found out what Gero’s goals were. “Is that so?”

“Cautious. Interesting. Yes, that is so. The thing is, we know about Vermil. We know his other students – but we don’t know you.” Gero tapped a finger on his flabby chin. “Hence, the purpose of my visit.”

“That hasn’t explained anything at all. If you want me to tell you something, you’ll have to be more specific about what you want.”

Gero chuckled. “Not just cautious. Very cautious. That’s perfectly fine with me. To be blunt, I am here to determine if you deserve to be in the advanced track. We only allow students of a certain caliber to enter, and considering you only just joined Arbitage, your abilities are unknown.”

Alexandra tiled her head to the side. “So you want to see if I know how to fight or something?”

“Precisely. We have no interest in allowing those without potential into the program. I’m glad you understand. Of course, it’s up to you. Feel free to continue past me and go back to your rooms. But, if you do, you will not be permitted into the advanced track.”

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It only took Alexandra a moment to decide. She drew her sword and let energy ripple through her body as her Body Runes pumped magic through her muscles. “What’s the test?”

“Eager to prove yourself as well,” Gero observed, as if he were taking notes to the air. He gave Alexandra a small nod. “The test will be the same as any test in the real world. I will try to kill you. You will try to survive.”

Alexandra smirked and lowered into a fighting stance. “Do you make it a habit to kill students in the advanced track?”

“No,” Gero replied with a wide smile. “But you are not in the advanced track yet. Last chance to continue on. If you remain, then we will begin.”

She didn’t budge. It was hardly a surprise that the advanced track was going to try to vet everyone that entered, and she hadn’t even been at Arbitage for a month. When they’d gotten the news that they were getting offered entrance into some fancy program, it had been fairly obvious that it had been meant for the others and not for her.

That’s fine. I’ll just earn the way in myself.

“If you don’t make the first move, I will,” Alexandra said.

Gero smiled. Then he blurred. A fist hurtled toward Alexandra’s face like a crashing meteor. She swayed out of the side, not letting herself get surprised by the large man’s speed. Her sword flicked out, biting for Gero’s side.

To Alexandra’s surprise, the blade struck him. It passed clean through his body, but there was almost no resistance. Her sword came free and she skipped back, narrowly avoiding a brutal tornado kick. The wind from it whipped her hair and made her squint.

“Good reaction time,” Gero said. He drove his foot down, throwing himself forward in an open-armed charge. Alexandra met his dash, vaulting into the air and brining her sword down for Gero’s shoulder.

Once again, the blade passed through his body as if nothing was there. Even though Alexandra was watching for some sort of trick, she found nothing. It truly seemed like her attacks were going right through Gero.

She landed on the ground behind Gero and dodged back as he lunged for her, her mind whirring as she tried to figure out what magic Gero was using.

He’s definitely physically here. That kick nearly took my head off, and I could feel the wind from it. Either Gero is some master of illusions or he’s got a way to make his body incorporeal.

Gero intensified his assault, forcing Alexandra to dance and weave around him as she sought a way to fight back. His fists hurtled past her face, each one coming closer and closer to connecting.

The sheer force behind his strikes told Alexandra that even with her reinforced body, she was incredibly unlikely to remain in fighting shape if even a single one landed.

If he’s using magic to change himself, then the best way to fight back would be to use magic of my own. My Body Runes hardly lend themselves to a fight like that, though. I could use the Imbuement on my sword to set it on fire, but I feel like that might not do much better. It’s not like I’ve got a choice, though.

Alexandra abruptly shifted from her retreat to an attack. She sent a wave of Runic power into her sword and the blade erupted in flame as she sent it snaking out to bite at Gero’s stomach. Or, at least, it should have ignited.

Instead, as soon as the magic left her palm, it sputtered and dissipated as if it had never been there. Alexandra suppressed a curse and ducked under a spinning kick. Gero had a domain, and he was using it.

How is a student supposed to fight against someone at a minimum of Rank 4? Even if he’s clearly holding back, I can’t use my magic at long ranges! I don’t have the power for it.

Alexandra crouched, then threw herself back as hard as she could. Gero’s hand shot out, but he just barely missed grabbing her collar. She vaulted back, putting more space between them as she tried to reassess the fight.

“Quick to respond to inconveniences,” Gero observed as he strode toward her. “But she has still yet to inflict any lasting damage or determine a functional strategy.”

“Surviving is a strategy,” Alexandra countered, but she could feel the stress starting to build. Fighting someone at or above her level was one thing, but Gero’s domain was an entirely different problem.

If he had a way to prevent her physical attacks from connecting and he had a way to keep her from using magic to empower them, there wasn’t any way for her to actually win. Her teeth grit and she sprinted at Gero, spinning out of his grip and slashing at his shoulder.

As soon as the first attack passed through him, she jabbed again, trying to catch him off guard. Once more, her sword passed harmlessly through Gero. His leg shot back, nearly colliding with her chest, but Alexandra managed to lean back just far enough to avoid it. She spun to the side and hopped back again, dodging out of the way of another punch.

There’s no way I can damage him if I keep this up. I’m eventually going to get hit, and if I don’t land a single blow, there’s no way they’ll let me into the advanced track. I need to find a way to get around this.

Her arm tingled as a memory from just a few minutes ago surfaced. The Formations they’d been practicing. If she couldn’t actually damage Gero, perhaps she could impress him enough with her swordwork.

It was a long shot, but it was the only thing that Alexandra could come up with. Summoning the state of peace that she’d needed for the demonstration in class wasn’t easy, but she’d been in far worse situations before – and, in the time that Gentil had controlled her body, Alexandra had gotten remarkably good at sinking into her own mind and tuning out the outside world.

Alexandra drew in a deep breath. Gero’s hand flicked past her head as she tilted it out of the way. She stepped to the side, avoiding a kick, exhaling and steadying her nerves.

Another punch flew at her stomach. Alexandra stepped to the side. Her sword rose, flitting out like a stinging insect. It brushed across Gero’s sleeve to no effect, but came back an instant later to strike at him from a different angle.

Gero lunged forward and Alexandra nimbly hopped back. The world almost felt like it was slowing as her assault continued. Each individual sword strike held little strength behind it, but they passed through Gero’s body with increasing speed.

A flicker of confusion passed across Gero’s face, and for an instant, Alexandra felt as if the tip of her sword caught on something. She didn’t let herself get distracted for long enough to figure out what, though.

Her entire body was in complete concentration. There wasn’t room for any distraction. All that mattered was the flow of her blade as it carved through the air. In the complete chaos of the aggressive, rapid attacks, there was order.

There was a pattern – and Alexandra was wholeheartedly focused on it. Her Runes burned as she pushed her body to its limits, trying to drag every last drop of energy to push herself farther.

And then the concentration snapped. She lost her spot in the intricate weave of movements and stumbled. The world snapped back to its normal speed and Alexandra drew in a ragged breath, nearly dropping her sword as a wave of exhaustion slammed into her.

Shit! My Runes are nearly empty! How did I drain them so quickly?

Alexandra tensed, preparing to dodge another attack, but it never came. She blinked in surprise. Gero stood across from her, his head tilted to the side. If he’d continued his commentary over her last assault, Alexandra couldn’t remember any of it.

“What are you doing?” Alexandra rasped, taking the moment to draw in deep, ragged breaths. “I’m not done.”

“Yes, you are,” Gero replied. “Sheath your sword. This exam is complete.”

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