Return of the Runebound Professor

Noah watched with rapt attention as the first rune came up for auction. It was a Rank 2 Demon Rune that had barely been filled to fifty percent at formation, but it wasn’t the rune he was interested in. It was the reaction of the crowd. The majority of the yells had trailed off the moment the announcer started speaking, but a few rowdy demons had continued on with their conversations.

“20 gold,” a demon from a balcony below them called.

“I’ll do 30,” another countered from across the arena.

Several more bids rose into the air in succession, quickly reaching 45 gold before grinding to a halt and being sold to a gold-skinned demon with a row of spikes running along the back of his spine and up his bald head.

While the Rank 2 Rune hadn’t stunned anyone, it had definitely caught a fair amount of attention from the demons in the crowd. That was good news. It meant the Rank 3 Sandy Gale Rune he’d put up for auction would probably hit pretty hard.

He couldn’t help but notice that, aside from the fact that everyone could see each others’ faces, there hadn’t been any major differences in this auction and the one he’d attended in Arbitage.

I was fully expecting the demons to start flinging threats around or something. Maybe they save that for the higher ranked runes?

Another rune went up as soon as the first one was sold — a second Rank 2 Demon Rune of similar strength.

“Not as impressive as I was hoping,” Moxie said in a low tone. “We could have gotten runes of this quality just hunting outside the city. Cheap, though.”

“Yeah. You could make a fortune bringing a ton of these back home,” Noah said with a chuckle. “Not worth buying, though. I assume they’re going through the trash before getting to the more interesting things. The only runes I’m interested in are ones Lee might be able to use or ones that I can make my next rune with.”

“Your assumption is correct,” Yoru said from where she sat at the end of the table, her knees hugged to her chest. “The runes of worth will arrive in due time.”

God, it’s so weird listening to her talk. Actually, she’s just weird in general. Who offers people a drink and then changes their mind a few seconds later? And how does she know about Mascot? Did the damn cat do something to her? Is it the reason she’s here in the first place?

He wasn’t about to ask. Not here. Asking would only give information away. Yoru was a problem that he could handle after the auction was done. After all the effort he’d put into getting here — which admittedly wasn’t all that much — he didn’t plan to let the auction go to waste because he was distracted.

The second and third runes that went up both sold without a hitch. Noah was just starting to get a little bored when the announce raised his hands to draw the crowd to silence for a few brief moments.

“That’s it for our Rank 2 Runes today,” the announcer called. He’d still yet to actually introduce himself, so Noah had no idea what to think of the winged demon as.

“Bring out something worth our time!” A massive, potbellied demon called as he raised a chicken leg the size of an entire sheep into the air like a club. He sat in the platform across and slightly above from theirs, taking up nearly its entire space with his bulk. The demon ripped a bite out of his meal, crunching through bone and flesh as one, and chewed with his mouth open as more jeers came from the rest of the crowd.

There’s a Gluttony demon if I ever saw one.

“Someone tell Fibog to stop talking as if he can afford anything more than the trash that already sold,” a caped demon said from another balcony, his words sharp and snide. “I’d do it myself, but I suspect his ears are stuffed full of mutton and I have no desire to get close enough to smell him.”

A few demons cackled and Fibog bared his teeth up at the demon above him. “We’ll see if you put your money where your mouth is, Matis. I don’t recall the last auction going all that well for you.”

“Times change. I think you’ll find that I have always been just as equipped with coin as you are with wasted flesh,” Matis countered. “I — unlike you — simply know the value of biding my time for something truly desirable.”

“You wouldn’t know the meaning of the word desirable if it slapped you in the face,” Fibog said with a rumbling laugh.

The announcer made no move to silence either of the demons. He stood patiently on the stage, his face a perfect mask of false positivity that only an overworked customer service representative could have ever had the misfortune to learn. The demons’ argument intensified and Noah tuned them out.

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“Who are they?” Noah asked, nodding to the demons. “Big shots?”

“Rank 5s,” Pirren replied. She’d slumped so far back in her chair that her face was about to dip below the table. “Fibog is powerful. He’s a Gluttony demon, if you haven’t figured that part out yet. His ego is just as big as his ass.”

“I take it you aren’t friends — unless that was a compliment?”

“It was not.”

“Not friends, then,” Noah said with a knowing nod. “And Matis?”

“A Slaughter demon,” Pirren said.

Noah tilted his head to the side. That was certainly quite the feeling to consume. It sounded a fair bit more intimidating than gluttony.

“A middling creature,” Yoru said, the derision so evident in her voice that Noah could nearly taste it. She spoke as if she were looking at a smear of shit on the bottom of her shoe. “Hardly worth attention. They are nothing but aggressive insects, a poor reflection of true death.”

It didn’t look like she was the only one that felt that way. A demon with skin as white as glossy ceramic watched the Rank 5s argue with her brilliant red lips pursed in a mixture of displeasure and disgust. A single, jagged wing extended from one of her shoulders, the other looking to have been ripped off at some point and leaving only a single sticklike appendage behind.

“Who’s the one glaring at them?” Noah asked.

“Sinclaire. She’s a Rank 5 as well.” Pirren sunk even lower in her chair and her jaw clenched. There was more than just a little recognition in her eyes. She’d dealt with Sinclaire before — Noah would have bet on it.

“Is she strong?” Noah asked.

Pirren’s eyes flicked to the side. It was a second before she spoke, and even then, her voice was curt and taut with anger. “Yes.”

Maybe better not to press too hard on that right now. I don’t think Pirren is going to have great relations with any of the stronger demons given how the previous auctions went for her… but that only makes me want to know how the hell she knows Yoru even more.

The argument between the two demons finally started to peter out. There was a second of silence and the announcer capitalized upon it to take control of the floor back before too many people lost their interest.

“The first of the next round is a Rank 3 by the name of Bleeding Blades. It is also our first standard rune, so it’s perfect for any combinations you may be looking to finish up,” the announcer called, his wings snapping out behind him with a crack that split the air like a gunshot to draw everyone’s attention back. “A rather exciting find, if I say so myself. The rune was 25 percent full upon formation. It’ll be starting at a minimum price of 100 gold.”

“125,” Matis said instantly, barely waiting until the announcer had even finished talking. “This is mine.”

“150.” Fibog’s wide features split into a shit-eating grin. “I hope you’ve got the coin, Matis.”

“175,” the thin demon countered. He leaned over the edge of the ledge, and long, pale claws glistened in the light. Each one was nearly as long as Noah’s forearm. It was like a whole drawer of kitchen knives were taped to his fingers. That thought completely broke any of the fear that Matis’ claws could have struck into him and he repressed a snicker. The Slaughter demon snarled down at Fibog. “Don’t challenge me. All that fat won’t keep me from ripping you into pieces.”

“Try it,” Fibog said. He took another huge bite from his drumstick and pointed its remains at Matis. “You’re barely worth using as a toothpick, but I’ll make an exception. 200 gold.”

Noah almost found himself looking forward to see how the other demon would respond. This was definitely a very different approach than a bunch of people hiding behind masks and trying to tiptoe around each other to figure out which of their goals were.

These are the antics I was expecting. How fun. So do I just have to call people a bunch of creative insults and —

Matis leapt from his balcony in a blur. Noah’s eyes widened as the Rank 5 flashed through the air toward the Gluttony demon. Fibog shot to his feet with a roar and swung his drumstick like a club.

A crunch rang out and Matis rocketed away, hurtling down toward the stage. The announcer stepped to the side and the thin demon slammed into the ground with a crunch loud enough to make Noah wince.

Matis rolled back to his feet, one of his arms hanging limp at his side. Fibog looked down at him from his balcony, but the massive grin on the huge demon’s face had vanished. His drumstick — along with a good portion of his arm — had been shredded to ribbons. Blood poured down his side, but he barely even seemed to notice.

“210 gold,” Matis snarled, spitting on the ground. “Raise the price again. See what happens. I think we both know who comes out on top.”

Fibog clenched his jaw. For a second, Noah thought he’d go through with it. Then the Gluttony demon shook his head and sat back in his chair with a derisive snort.

“You aren’t worth the effort, pond scum. You’ve already wasted more than enough money on this trash. I don’t need it.”

Matis leapt into the air, landing back on the edge of his balcony and sitting down in his chair before kicking his feet up on the railing. The attendant waited patiently for several more seconds, but no other demons put up a bid. Matis had made his threat more than clear enough.

“Sold,” the announcer proclaimed. “But don’t let your excitement dwindle yet. We’ve got a Rank 3 Demon Rune next. Falling Shadow was formed at an impressive twenty percent. Bids will start at 120 gold.”

Lee could use that. I need runes to rip apart when we’re remaking her Rank 4.

“120,” Noah called.

And, at the same time, Matis spoke once more. “120.”

The Slaughter demon’s eyes snapped over to them. Warning flashed within them, but Noah didn’t so much as hesitate.

“150,” Noah said, a smile crossing his lips beneath his face coverings. Moxie rolled a seed between her fingers and he locked eyes with Matis, meeting the challenge within them.

Looks like I get to partake in the fun even earlier than I expected.

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