Return of the Runebound Professor

Thanks to all the demons that had kindly donated their savings and Yoru’s interference on the Rank 4 Unstable Mass Rune, Noah waited patiently for something worth buying as the auction pressed on.

Rank 4 Runes turned to Rank 5s and the prices everything sold for steadily rose and grew closer to the upper limits of what he could afford to compete with. There were a few runes that Noah briefly considered bidding for, but none were quite interesting enough for him to put too much effort in.

The demons competing in the auction now were stronger than the ones that had partook in the earlier parts. He wasn’t confident he could kill anyone without having to rely on the Fragment of Renewal, Sunder, or possibly even getting himself killed in the process.

Noah had no plans of playing any of his trump cards just for an auction. Surprises were only good if nobody else knew you had them, and none of the Rank 5 runes thus far had truly been worth the effort.

Minutes ticked by. Several more demons fought each other, much to the delight of the crowd, though nobody else died. They almost felt more like posturing than proper fights, where a demon was forced to fight to protect their image or honor but had no desire to actually get killed in the process of it.

I suppose that makes sense. Aside from a few kinds of feelings, I don’t imagine the majority of demons are going to be any keener on fighting to the death than anybody else. Their society is seventy percent posturing and threats and thirty percent actually carrying through on them. Definitely makes for more of a spectacle than a bunch of nobles sneering at each other, though.

Eventually, the bids started to slow. The quality of the runes dropped as they grew higher in rank even as their cost grew. Fewer demons were willing to bid on something that just wasn’t useful.

Noah was just starting to think that the auction was wrapping up when the announcer’s wings snapped out in his signature move, cracking like a whip breaking the sound barrier.

“My good demons, we’ll be entering the final part of today’s auction,” the auctioneer called. “We’re all out of runes that fit within our more standard categories, so next up is the lightning round where we toss up everything that didn’t quite fit. Remember — ten seconds per item and bids start at 1000 gold for everything. Whatever the latest highest offer is at the end of ten seconds wins the item, no questions. Nothing is in order of rarity or strength in this round, so bid on what you want and spend all that money! We’ll be opening with the jaw of a Rank 5 Bone demon that was recovered from the Wastes! It’s estimated to be about four hundred years old, so it’s still got a good bit of efficacy left in it!”

Bids flowed from the masses like a river. Noah blinked in surprise as the price rapidly shot up all the way to 1600 gold before slowing down over the next few seconds. Even though most demons were only raising the price by 20 or 30 gold with each increment, there were so many of them competing that the price skyrocketed.

That ten second time limit is smart. It forces people to just fling money out and not give them much time to think on if the item is actually worth increasing their bid or not.

The next two items flashed by, but both were other demon parts and didn’t interest Noah much. He’d never really taken to the whole ‘bathing in monster parts’ strategy for strengthening his runes. It was much easier to just kill them.

Using alternative methods to gather magical energy was useful for noble families trying to get their members stronger without actually putting them through fights. There was no point going through the hassle when he could just kill a few dozen monsters instead. Sure, there was a chance he’d get killed in the process, but that was just a minor inconvenience.

“Up next is another Rune for the bold and inquisitive among you,” the auctioneer called, but something in his voice was different. Noah couldn’t quite place the emotion, but it almost sounded like unease. “This is a rare offering, but I can assure we have permission to sell it. A Broken Master Rune, Deathly Night!”

Yoru stiffened, but Noah barely even noticed as her posture shifted and she moved to speak.

Another Broken Master Rune? That’s perfect. It could be invaluable to figure out what happened to Lee’s Runes.

“1500 gold,” Noah yelled without a second of hesitation, then drew in a breath in preparation to jack the price up even higher the moment someone else placed a bid.

But, to his confusion, the auction house was dead silent. Not a single demon spoke a word. Noah blinked.

Huh. I guess I really put on quite a show. Nobody wants to bid against me… or is this like those damn eBay auctions I always used to lose because some assholes would wait until the last second to place a bid?

Noah’s eyes narrowed and he prepared to yell out again if someone attempted to steal the Broken Master Rune from him in the last second. Seconds ticked by. Silence reigned — and then the time was up.

“Sold,” the auctioneer said. “We’ve got a Unisteel horn up next! Go!”

Bids filled the air once more as if nothing had happened. Yoru’s posture returned to normal and she slipped back into her chair, her head tilted slightly to the side.

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“Well,” Noah said slowly, sitting down in his chair as his brow furrowed. “That was… odd. I didn’t think my reputation was that impressive yet. Lucky me.”

“It’s not you,” Pirren said, fidgeting nervously in her seat. “You just bought a Death Rune.”

“Right. That was in the name. They sold it. I bought it. That’s how auctions work,” Noah said with a frown. “What else are you meant to do?”

“Sievan has purchased almost every single Death Rune above Rank 4 that’s ever been found in the Damned Plains,” Yoru said, tapping her fingers on her knees in thought. “A Broken Master Rune is still a Master Rune.”

“I don’t see how that’s my problem. You can’t tell me he’s going to throw a tantrum because I bought a rune that he wasn’t even here to bid on,” Noah said. “Isn’t he a Demon Lord or something? That feels a bit petty.”

“He will not be angry, but he may attempt to reach out, and few are eager to meet with anyone from Sievan’s entourage,” Yoru mused. “Someone choosing to sell the rune here rather than in the City of Gold means they are at odds with Sievan. They most certainly would have gotten a better price from him than they did here.”

“Eh. Sounds like something I’ll deal with when it comes. I need the rune,” Noah said with a half-shrug. He only wanted the Broken Master Rune for research at the moment. If Sievan wanted to try to buy it off him, they were more than welcome to.

Though there’s a chance Moxie might be able to use something like this. I feel like Death kind of fits in her whole cycle of life pattern that she’s got going. We’ll see. I can’t really be bothered worrying about some Demon Lord in a city across the Damned Plains. He’s not going to make the trip all the way out here to get a middling rune that was only worth a few thousand gold at best. And if he sends his people… well, then we’ll talk.

“You aren’t concerned about Sievan?” Pirren asked, swallowing her surprise and straightening in her chair as she squinted at Noah. He could almost see the gears turning in her head as she tried to figure out what Rank he truly was. Then she gave up. Pirren blew out a sigh, sinking lower into her chair.

“I want a nap,” she muttered.

***

The auction ended a short while later. Attendants headed over to their balcony, handing him the winnings from his entirely above-the-table sale of his rune shortly before collecting the 1910 he owed for the things he’d purchased.

They gave him two sheets of tanned leather with Runes embossed upon them crackling faintly with energy, then handed another one to Yoru. It seemed the short demon had some form of pay system already set up with the auction house, because they didn’t bother trying to get any gold from her.

By the time the attendants left, Yoru had already hopped down from her chair and strode over to the door. Noah supposed he had agreed to meet her after the auction ended. Judging by how she was clutching the leather bearing the rune she’d yoinked from him, he got the feeling she didn’t plan to hand it over until they’d made it to her place.

Yoru led them all outside and back into the streets of Treadon. Pirren went to slip away, but Yoru grabbed the snake demon by the arm before she could even take a step in any other direction. Shoulders hunched in defeat like a weary mom being led to the toy section of a store by her toddler, Pirren let Yoru drag her along.

I wonder if Yoru is actually just the kid of some powerful demon. She does come off as just a bit spoiled. Definitely doesn’t know the value of money. She talks a bit odd, but that could be because she’s trying to mirror her mom or dad.

Noah squinted at the back of Yoru’s head as they followed her down winding roads. She had to hold her hair with one hand to keep it from dragging along the ground and getting dirty. He nodded to himself.

Yeah. She even wanted to pet Mascot. Still don’t know how she found out about him, but Yoru acts like a little kid. Could be a strong little kid. The Noble families could manufacture some really strong mages back in the mortal world, so the same could easily go here. Being young doesn’t mean weak.

Maybe she’s a prodigy of some sort since she was somehow predicting the magic I was going to use. I’ll have to make sure to be nice to her. It’s important to be a good role model for the easily impressionable.

“Hey,” Noah whispered, leaning over to Moxie as they entered a doorway and headed down a stairwell leading deeper into the city. “I think Yoru is a kid.”

“You just came to that conclusion?” Moxie asked in the same tone. “She’s half our height.”

“Short people exist, you know.”

Moxie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. But she sounds like a kid. That doesn’t mean we can let our guard down. A kid like this—”

“Yeah. Young doesn’t mean weak. She almost certainly has a really strong rune or a lot of talent. To be honest, I’m mostly just curious to see what she wants and how she knows Pirren.”

Moxie nodded in mute agreement. They didn’t get any more time to speak as Yoru pushed open a plain stone door, revealing a wide hall beyond it. Gentle blue light illuminated it from far above, and a tall wooden table rested in its center, long enough to easily seat twenty people. Plain but well-carved chairs lined the table’s sides in wait of someone to use them.

The air was still like a bated breath, and the smell of fresh dew washed away the musty stench of the tunnel behind them.

“Whoa,” Noah said. “Nice place, Yoru. Is this where you live?”

“No. This is a greeting room,” Yoru replied. She made her way over to the chair at the head of the table and hoisted herself into a raised chair at the table’s end. Noah had to bite back a laugh. She looked like a kid playing princess.

Well, I suppose it can’t hurt to play along. She did spend over 1000 gold on me.

“So, what is it that you wanted?” Noah asked. “And I have to know, how did you find out about our cat? Did someone tell you?”

“The cat can wait,” Yoru said. She pointed at the chair to her side. “Sit.”

Noah shrugged and did as she requested. Moxie took the chair beside him and Aylin took the one beside her while Pirren edged toward the one at the farthest spot on the table. Yoru’s masked face lifted to stare in the snake demon’s direction.

She didn’t even have to say a word. Pirren’s shoulders slumped and she walked back over to join them, sitting down beside Moxie.

“If not the cat, then what is it?” Noah tilted his head to the side. His senses scanned over the room to see if this was some sort of trap, but he didn’t feel anyone else in the area.

“I want you to do something for me, Spider,” Yoru said in her typical icy, soft whisper. “Would you be so kind as to grant my request?”

“Oh?” Noah tilted his head to the side. “What is it?”

Yoru lifted her hands lifted to her mask.

“I want you to look into my eyes.”

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