Return of the Runebound Professor

“Was there anything else that happened while you and the others were out?” Noah asked after giving Lee enough time to fully process their conversation. “Or was that the extent of the damage?”

“That’s it,” Lee said. She hesitated for a second, then wrung her hands together. “Should we break my runes now? So they can’t hurt anyone?”

“Do you feel like it’s going to overwhelm you?”

“I… don’t think so, but I don’t know. I don’t know how long whatever Azel did will hold, though.”

“Then we’ll take a look at it as soon as we get home with a Mind Meld potion,” Noah said. “If it really looks like everything is going to fall apart, then I’ll separate it on the spot and we’ll figure out a different way for you to reach Rank 4.”

“What if it looks like it’s going to hold, then breaks later?” Lee asked. “I could hurt someone.”

“Possibly,” Noah admitted. He wasn’t going to deny it on the spot – that would have just been plain stupid, not to mention dismissive of Lee’s feelings. “But even Azel wasn’t strolling around and randomly killing people. I mean, sure, he was stuck in my head, but he feeds on emotions, not murder. And his emotions were definitely more aggressive than yours, right?”

Lee nodded slowly. “I – yeah. I guess so.”

“For that matter, did you figure out what your Emotion was? What is this Rank 4 Demon Rune you made?”

“What? How?” Noah asked. “You can’t make a Rune without knowing what it is. Can’t you just… read it?”

“I don’t want to. The more I know about it, the stronger it’ll become.”

“I’m not sure I follow,” Noah said. “Your Rank 4 Rune should be made up of all the Rank 3s you put together, and you had to put them together with intent. How could you do that without knowing what Rune you were making?”

“It doesn’t work the same way for demons as it does for you,” Lee explained, pausing as she searched to find the proper words. “We’re similar, initially. But the stronger we get, the more that changes. Think about it. You don’t have Human Runes, do you? They’re just Runes.”

“Yeah,” Noah allowed with a thoughtful frown. “I suppose that’s true. I didn’t really think too much about it, but maybe I should have. You don’t have domains either, right?”

“Not the same way humans do.” Lee nodded. “At Rank 4, our runes and our bodies become much closer. They’re two parts of the same whole. So, while humans keep their runes exactly as they are and combine them without interference, the Rank 3s that I had were more like fuel for the combination, not the only components.”

“Your body played a part as well,” Noah muttered, finally realizing what Lee was getting at. “It was like an 8th rune?”

“Something like that. It took the other runes and changed them into what fit me – but how do you know what that is? How do I know what that is? I don’t know what kind of rune fits me, and my body is just going to choose the one that lets me survive. That means it’s probably some kind of emotion, and obviously not a good one.”

“I could be talking out of my ass here, but that doesn’t seem like the full story,” Noah said after thinking for a few seconds. “Everything I know about rune combinations tells me that they become what we tell them to be. Runes don’t have minds of their own. Are Demon Runes different?”

“No, I don’t think so. But they can affect your mind. It’s the same thing.”

“It isn’t,” Noah said, shaking his head. “You still made that rune, Lee. There is a part of you that desired it to be the way it is. It might not have turned out exactly how you wanted it to, but it should have still become what you wanted.”

“You mean you think I wanted to become a monster?” Lee’s features crumpled. “Like it’s latent in me, or something?”

“No!” Noah exclaimed. “That’s not what I meant at all. I meant you’re assuming this rune is so bad, but you don’t even know what it is. Understanding something isn’t going to make it stronger. If it’s dangerous, then we’ll find a way to control it. If it’s truly just evil and a threat, then we’ll destroy it. But don’t treat a part of yourself as… reprehensible, or whatever it is you’re picturing. You’re you. I didn’t care that you were a demon before, and I don’t particularly care now. We just have to make sure you can make it to the point where you can control yourself like Azel, right?”

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Lee’s brow furrowed in thought. A second later, her eyes went wide. Noah would have laughed if Lee hadn’t looked so stressed. It didn’t look like she’d registered the fact that Azel, despite being a Rank 5, was fully in control of himself.

Sure, he’d been an asshole, but he’d also chosen to sacrifice himself for Lee. If he’d really been completely consumed by his Runes to the point where he was just a slave to his desires, it shouldn’t have been possible for him to make any decisions like that.

“You’re right,” Lee muttered. “Maybe I just need to reach Rank 5.”

“Whatever it may be,” Noah said with a shrug. “We’ll figure it out. Worst case, you stay at Rank 3 while we gather runes and fill them up so you can jump all the way up to Rank 5 in a single session.”

Lee nodded, some of her usual energy entering her posture as a small smile pulled across her lips. “Yeah. We can do that. But… if for some reason my Rune gets away from me and I do try to hurt someone, will you make sure I can’t?”

“You don’t even have to ask, but I don’t think it’ll come to that,” Noah said. He nodded to the lift in the center of the tower, which had returned shortly after Moxie and the others had left. “Shall we? If you’re concerned about that rune, we should go get a Mind Meld potion and check it out as soon as possible.”

“Yeah,” Lee said, stepping onto the lift. Noah followed after her. It rattled away, lowering them down to the bottom floor, and they started across the grass in the direction of the market so they could buy a potion.

“By the way,” Noah said. “I was told Brayden showed up. Did he leave already or something?”

“No. He got sent back for a longer amount of time. It’ll be a few more hours before he gets back. I think he was expecting a really difficult fight. He kind of showed up after everything was done, though. He didn’t do anything.”

“Well, I suppose it’s the thought that counts,” Noah said. “What about Tim? He’s always in the tower. Moxie said he was the one that ran into Tim, but do you have any idea where he went? Can you smell him out or something?”

“I probably could,” Lee said. “His scent was really strong back in the tower, but aside from the concern he left behind when the Inquisitor first pushed past him, I can’t smell anything else. I think he’s fine.”

“Huh,” Noah said, chewing the insides of his cheeks. Tim had done his absolute best to save everyone’s lives. He’d been saying that he’d find a way to replace the elderly man’s runes for far too long.

Lee seems confident he’s fine, so I’m going to find Tim tomorrow and just straight up tell him that I’m fixing his runes. Forget hiding my abilities – the old guy is in our corner and I’m not leaving him hanging any longer.

***

Noah and Lee got back to Moxie’s room about an hour later. They’d initially just planned to stop at the markets on the way back to get a Mind Meld potion, but the literal instant Lee spotted the first food vendor, Noah realized they weren’t going to be leaving without spending at least a gold or two on snacks. At least, he’d only planned to spend a few gold.

All things considered, any amount of gold was a small price to pay to get Lee’s mind off what had happened. She mowed through twelve pies, a dozen hot dogs, some dead rats, and a not-so-dead squirrel that hadn’t been fast enough to avoid her watchful gaze – and that was just on the way over to the alchemist.

Noah’s pockets were lightened of more coins as Lee ate her way through all the vendors on the way back over to the T building. He still had no idea where she put all the weight, but he wasn’t about to ask.

The food seemed to bring Lee at least a little distraction, and he didn’t want to bring her thoughts to anything possibly related to being a demon. They got back to the room and Lee opened the door for Noah, whose arms were full of meat pies that he’d picked up for Moxie whilst following the wake of Lee’s tour de force.

A tiny flicker of concern passed through Noah as the door opened and he didn’t immediately see anyone, but a relieved sigh replaced the worry as he finally spotted Moxie at her desk, balancing on the back two legs of her chair.

She hurried to stand as Noah and Lee entered the room, nearly knocking her chair down. A vine shot out, grabbing the chair at the last second and straightening it before sliding it back over to the desk.

“How are you doing, Lee?” Moxie asked.

“Noah’s gonna look at my Rune,” Lee replied, sitting down at the base of the bed. “But I’m alive, and I think I should be fine.”

Moxie nodded, looking over to Noah. Her eyes caught on the pies in his arms. “Are those–”

“For you, yes,” Noah said. “It’s probably a stupid question considering you’re just sitting here, but I have to ask – the kids made it back okay?”

“Yeah. They’re both fine. Emily is a bit shaken up, but Alexandra was talking formations with her on the way back. That girl has been through a lot,” Moxie said with a sigh. “She shouldn’t be so used to near-death situations.”

“Aren’t you only a little older than her?” Lee asked.

“Oh, I already get that from Emily. I don’t need it from you,” Moxie said with a mock glare. “Just because I had to live through shit doesn’t mean I want others to, you know?”

Noah laid the pies out on the table and handed the Mind Meld potion to Lee. She raised it to her mouth and Noah grabbed her wrist. “Make sure to only drink half. No eating the glass.”

“Oh. Right,” Lee said, working the first wax seal off.

Moxie walked up beside Noah and tapped him on the shoulder, a pie in her other hand. He glanced over to her just as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his.

“It was my turn to apologize for almost dying,” Moxie pulled back and gave him a small grin. “Thanks for the pies as well. And don’t worry, Lee. We’ll figure something out with your runes.”

“I know,” Lee said, tipping the potion back and swallowing half of the shimmering liquid. She handed the bottle to Noah, who removed the second seal and sat down beside her.

“Keep watch to make sure no stupid shit happens?” Noah asked.

“What else would I do?” Moxie replied, rolling her eyes. “Besides, I’ve got a bunch of pies to keep me occupied. I’ll be here. Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Noah said, tipping the potion back. “But we won’t need it. Lee’s determination is going to be more than enough.”

A familiar buzz enveloped his mind, and then the world was gone in a swirl of color.

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