Return of the Runebound Professor

The trip back to the Web’s camp was quiet and went without any incident or events of note. There were a few demons wandering around in the market square and standing watch from the rooftops around it. None of them did anything to draw Noah’s attention, though that was probably more out of self-preservation than any other reason.

“Well, here we are,” Noah said as they came to a stop in front of the large command tent. “I’d imagine there should be an empty tent somewhere, so we can—”

“That one,” Yoru said, pointing to a small tent to the right of the one that Noah, Moxie, and Lee had taken up residence in. “It is newly vacant.”

“Is it?” Noah asked, arching an eyebrow. “I was unaware. How did you know?”

“Because I will make it vacant.”

Ah. I suppose I should have seen that coming. She’s still a rich kid, after all. A rich kid in a demon society.

“I’m sure we can find a tent that isn’t occupied,” Noah said. He couldn’t hold Yoru’s actions against her. She hadn’t had any guidance — and if she had, it was probably from the wrong kind of people. But just because her past wasn’t ideal didn’t mean he was going to let her just keep acting that way if she was going to join his camp. “There are a lot of tents. No point being an asshole to someone just because you can. Save it for a purpose, yeah?”

Yoru tilted her head to the side. “You imply that the demon inside that tent has a greater worth to you than I do?”

“That’s not how things work, Yoru,” Moxie said gently. “It’s about giving people a place they can want to return to. A lot of demons are relying on Aylin right now and he’s trying to prove that he’s the best of all the streetlords. There would be no reason to follow him when Spider isn’t around if that doesn’t hold true. Nobody will want to be here if they’re constantly worried another demon will just take what is theirs.”

“That does not make sense. Those without power cannot expect to possess anything. All you own is only yours so long as you can protect it. This is a fact that every demon knows well. It will not surprise them.”

“That may be true in the rest of the Damned Plains, but this is Aylin’s camp — and through him, it is mine,” Noah said, putting a hand on Yoru’s shoulder. “And we have enough enemies outside our walls to avoid making new ones within them. You’ll have a tent that suits your needs and doesn’t require you to steal it from someone weaker. Besides, doesn’t it feel a bit bad punching down?”

“No. Victory is victory, regardless of the opponent.”

“Right,” Noah said with a small sigh. “We’ll work on that. How about I introduce you and Pirren to the other important members of the camp?”

“You implied that everyone in your camp was important. Are we going to meet all of them?” There was a note of faint amusement buried deep within Yoru’s tone.

Great. Not just a kid, but a rebellious one.

“This isn’t the place to get into a philosophical debate over the worth of lives. I think we’d be at it for a while. For now, suffice to say everyone in my camp has value, but some have more value than others. An ill kept sword will rust and shatter when brought to battle. I just like some swords more than others.”

“So they are all tools and you do not wish them damaged. I understand.”

Noah sighed. Out of everything he’d been trying to get across, that hadn’t been the bit he’d hoped she’d fixate on. At least it meant she probably wouldn’t go around attacking random members of his camp because she liked the way their shirts looked and wanted them for herself.

Viewing everyone as a tool was still a pretty bad way to view life, but at least she saw them as useful tools that weren’t to be damaged. She was still a demon after all. Small steps toward progress were key.

“Close enough,” Noah decided, guiding Yoru and the others toward the entrance of the large tent. “There are a few people you should meet now, though. They’re powerful demons that are instrumental to my plans.”

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His tremorsense picked up on several demons within it. Two smaller forms sat near the middle of the tent, while a third paced back and forth in front of them. One was slumped in the chair in front of the seated demons, while the final stood near the entrance, as stiff as a rod.

Noah pushed the tent flap open and headed inside with the rest of his group. The demon at the entrance was none other than Vrith, who peered right past Noah with a look of concern on her features. She spotted Aylin and some of the tension left her stiff shoulders before she hurriedly set about looking bored.

Violet didn’t even bother hiding anything. She’d been pacing in front of Torick and Edda, but her eyes lit up when she saw them return and she ground to a halt.

The demons sitting on the ground behind her — who Noah was unsurprised to find to be Torrick and Edda — both looked over, faces stuffed chock-full of food. Torick’s eyes widened in surprise and he choked, grasping at his neck.

Edda smacked him on the back with enough force to launch all the food from his mouth, which she wasted absolutely no time in stealing and shoving into her own.

There was a small pile of dried meats and cheeses between them and the throne, in which Lee had draped herself. She looked like a discarded beach blanket and was currently in the process of stretching out one of her feet in attempt to snag something without having to actually stand up.

Lee looked up as they all made their way inside. She raised a hand in greeting, accidentally losing her grip on the chair, and fell onto her backside with a grunt. That somehow didn’t stop her from snagging the piece of cheese she’d been reaching for.

Noah repressed a sigh.

Glad to know we’ve still got first impressions under good wraps.

“Well, this is convenient. Everyone’s in one spot,” Noah said. “I’d like to properly introduce you all.”

“We’ve already met,” Lee said.

Noah blinked. “You have?”

“Yes. This is Torrick, and this is Edda.” She pointed to the small demons in turn. “The one pacing around and worrying about Aylin is Violet, and the one that was pacing around and worrying about Aylin before she went over to stand at the door and pretend like she was relaxed is Vrith.”

Vrith’s shoulders slumped as her cover was blown.

“I meant the new demons, Lee,” Noah said, but he was fairly certain that Lee should have already known that. She should have smelled them coming from a mile away — which meant she was either incredibly distracted or trying to act dumber than she was. Either way, it was proably best to just play along until he figured out what it was. “Pirren visited briefly before, but this is Yoru. She’s going to be staying in the camp with us for a little while.”

“Oh, yeah. I remember Pirren.” Lee squinted at them. Then her nose scrunched and her head tilted to the side. “Yoru smells.”

Noah tensed. He trusted Lee’s nose a whole lot more than he did any of his own observations. If Yoru was manipulating them or was a threat, he refused to let himself be caught off guard.

It really didn’t seem like Yoru was planning to try and screw us over, but if Lee caught something that I missed…

“You should take a bath,” Lee continued. “It’s been too long since your last one.”

It took every scrap of willpower Noah had to avoid letting out a surprised laugh. He hadn’t expected Lee to be speaking about a literal smell. He hadn’t really noticed anything off about Yoru, but it wasn’t like he’d been going around sniffing her either.

The small demon looked down at her hands, then back up at Lee. “I do?”

“Yes.”

“There are probably slightly more polite ways to say that, Lee,” Noah said gently. “But we have all been walking around for a while. I’m sure we could all use some tidying up but let me finish introductions first.”

“There is no need,” Yoru said. Her head tilted to the side and nearly five seconds of uncomfortable silence passed before she returned to her normal position. “I have familiarized myself with everyone present.”

“It takes more than a brief introduction for that,” Noah said. “I know you’re used to living alone, but it’s important to make friends.”

“I am already aware of their names and desires.” Yoru pointed at Vrith. “This is Vrith. She is thinking about stabbing me. She is also thinking about Aylin.”

Noah blinked.

“I’m sure she isn’t—”

“No, I was,” Vrith said, staring at Yoru with wide eyes. “It’s important to find the fastest way to kill anyone when you first meet them in case they try to betray you… but I most certainly was not thinking about Aylin.”

Embarrassment tinged her cheeks with enough intensity to make it absolutely clear to Noah that Vrith was lying through her teeth. Yoru had read her perfectly.

“It was in your eyes,” Yoru replied. She turned to the rest of the room and pointed at one demon after the other. “Torrick. He wants to hide. Edda. She is hungry. Lee. She wants to eat me. She also thinks I smell bad. Violet. She loves Aylin and is worried I pose him a threat.”

Noah stared at Yoru in disbelief. This was more than just finding a way to detect the magic that someone else was using.

That’s not the first time Yoru has known more than she should. What the hell is up with her? Does she have a way to read people’s minds or something? God, I really hope she’s not a Mind Rune user. I hate Mind Runes.

“How did you know that?” Violet demanded, saving Noah from having to figure out a way to ask the very same thing. She took a step forward and her lips thinned as she watched the other demon warily. “Who are you?”

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