Return of the Runebound Professor

Noah and Zath stared at each other for a long second. The towering demon seemed to be waiting for Noah to say something or otherwise respond. Unfortunately for him, Noah was still trying to figure out how they’d been found so quickly.

Does Axil have some way to telepathically contact the other members of Sievan’s group or something? If she does, why wouldn’t she have tried doing that sooner? It really looked like this dude just showed up on a whim, so he could have popped out at any point while I was smacking her with the corpse-book.

“I think kidnapped would probably be more accurate,” Noah said, breaking the silence before it could grow too long. “Your subordinate is still alive. I generally don’t count something as killing unless your victim stays dead. At best, that’s just attempted murder.”

“I think Spider is right,” Zorin said, scratching at his chin. “You can’t have killed someone if they aren’t dead.”

“You most certainly can. Death is temporary,” Zath said with a firm shake of his head. “And a great number of things don’t know how to stay dead. I’ve killed quite a number of my subordinates myself, and none of them are dead.”

“Then what’s the issue?” Noah asked, tilting his head to the side. “And I should note that Axil attempted to kill me first.”

“She didn’t kill you?” Zath’s head tilted to the side. “She’s normally quite good at that part, even for a Rank 5.”

“No, she killed me,” Noah said. “I just didn’t stay dead.”

Zorin stared at Noah. He raised a finger into the air, as if to ask a question.

“You are making fun of me,” Zath said, his voice flat.

“A little,” Noah agreed. “I don’t tend to appreciate it when any group tries to kill me, even when their efforts are largely ineffective.”

“She succeeded,” Zorin pointed out.

“I didn’t stay dead,” Noah replied. “I generally don’t. The idea of it generally displeases me. Ideological differences with the whole concept of passing on and entering the afterlife. I just don’t get on well with the idea of dying, so I don’t. You know the deal.”

“No,” Zorin said. “I don’t.”

“This is understandable,” Zath said with a nod. “You speak of a concept well known to me. A concept that should not be under your domain. The power to deny death is one that belongs to Lord Sievan alone. A blessing that he gives only to his greatest followers.”

“There are more ways to power than through Sievan alone,” Noah said with a one-shouldered shrug. “But I am not interested in debating the source of my strength. I do not care when one of my bodies is cut down, but I don’t enjoy it. Your subordinate wasted my time. I hope you haven’t arrived to do the same.”

“I am here to retrieve the object that she was sent to seek. I have no desire to waste any more time here than you do,” Zath said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and tapping a foot against the ground. “This was originally Axil’s task, but Lord Sievan informed me that it was likely she has failed.”

“Actually, we’d come to an agreement,” Noah said. “An agreement that involved you. I was under the impression she’d had some way to summon you here.”

Zorin looked from Noah to Zath and then back again, trying and failing to follow the conversation as the confusion spread farther across his features and into his body language. This definitely was not how the Commander had envisioned the meeting going.

There was more than a little trepidation in his eyes. Zorin evidently recognized Zath’s name — and probably not because they were just similar enough to mildly annoy Noah. He had no idea how powerful Zath was, but if a Rank 6 was this wary around him, then something told Noah that the massive, black-armored demon was not to be trifled with.

Peak of Rank 6? Or could he be even higher? A Rank 7? That doesn’t exist in Arbitage, but the Damned Plains are not Arbitage. I was pretty sure the reason people got stuck at Rank 6 back there was because their runes are so poorly combined.

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Maybe the demons have found a different way to advance past Rank 6. It could have something to do with their unique biology with regard to Runes, or perhaps there’s something else entirely. If that’s the case… maybe he’ll tell me how he reached Rank 7.

Even if Zath isn’t Rank 7, this Sievan character is definitely that strong — if not stronger. The amount of fear his name commands makes it impossible for him to be a mere Rank 6… as ironic as saying ‘mere’ Rank 6 sounds when I’m only a Rank 4.

“Axil cannot summon me,” Zath said through an amused snort, breaking Noah from his thoughts. “She lacks the power. Her only duty was to retrieve a rune, but it seems the task was too great a challenge for her. That would be a mistake on my part. I was unaware of your presence. Had I originally known the one who owned the Rune was one such as yourself, I would have approached to handle the situation personally.”

There was something in Zath’s voice that almost bordered on respect. It was somewhere just between acknowledgement and interest, with just a little uncertainty mixed in. He didn’t know what Noah was capable of.

Noah also caught something else in the demon’s words. A thread of dishonesty. It didn’t seem like Zath was used to lying, because something told Noah that Axil would have been sent to bother him no matter what. Despite Zath’s words, the towering demon wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.

He didn’t see Noah as a threat. Noah just wasn’t sure if that was because Zath was confident in his own abilities or Sievan’s. If Sievan really could just bring people back to life on a whim from wherever in the world he was…

A shiver ran down Noah’s back.

That was power beyond even what Sunder could offer. Far, far beyond it.

“No harm done,” Noah said with a small shrug. “Well, not to me. Axil might be on discount for the foreseeable future.”

“Discount?” Zath and Zorin asked at the same time.

“Half off,” Noah replied, the corner of his lips quirking up. “But we can get right to the point. I don’t mind bargaining with you any more than I do with Axil — and we were planning on finding you in the first place. I’m willing to sell the Rune you want.”

“Sell?” Zath’s head tilted to the side.

“You don’t think I’m just going to give it to you, do you?”

“It is for Lord Sievan.”

“Who is more than capable of paying for it,” Noah said with a flat smile. “Or is he so desperate for this rune that he has to resort to begging? Because that does not seem like the Lord Sievan whom I have heard of.”

Noah and Zath watched each other for several long seconds. Then Zath inclined his head.

“Perhaps we can come to an agreement.”

“Hold on,” Zorin said, speaking up after his period of silence. The Commander’s features were thin with displeasure. “I will not interfere with Lord Sievan’s business, but I am not here on a personal task. I was sent here by Lord Belkus.”

Zath’s head tilted to the side. “I see. I apologize for the interruption. Finish your conversation. I will wait.”

“We cannot conclude it here,” Zorin said with a firm shake of his head. “Lord Belkus has requested that I retrieve Spider for an audience. It must be done immediately. He awaits our return.”

“You wish to make Lord Sievan wait?” A dangerous note entered Zath’s voice. “You ask the Lord of the City of Gold to sit and bide his time for his lessers?”

“Our Lords have an accord,” Zorin said tersely. Tension gripped the demon’s entire body, stiffening his back and tightening his fists.

Noah didn’t blame him. A fight against an unkillable Rank 6 or 7 demon was difficult enough already. A fight when Zorin hadn’t even brought any weapons along with him and preferred to handle tasks at a range was suicide.

A smarter demon probably would have pulled back on the spot.

But Zorin was not a smarter demon. He was a single-minded demon. One who accomplished his task and let no distraction or deviation stand in his path.

“We will not take long,” Zath said.

“Lord Sievan’s concept of time is renowned for being poor,” Zorin said. He shook his head. “I will complete my task. This is Lord Belkus’ city. The meeting must be held. Spider has already accepted.”

Zath’s helmeted head turned to Noah. “You have?”

“My companions and I accepted the offer about a second before you popped up, actually. I feel like we’ve spent more time debating who gets to talk first than it would have actually taken to—”

“Ah. I see,” Zath said. He tapped his fingers on the hilt of his sword, then inclined his head. “If you have already agreed, then it would go against Lord Sievan’s commands for me to insist otherwise. Then it is decided.”

Noah and Zorin looked at him.

“You will wait?” Zorin asked.

“Wait? No. I will not wait,” Zath replied. He grabbed the massive sword that he had planted in the ground and drew it free from the stone in a smooth motion. Noah tensed, but the huge demon just slung the blade over his back and clapped his hands together. “His companions were invited to attend, yes?”

Oh, no. Please don’t. I do not need to get dragged into a geopolitical dick measuring contest between two Demon Lords. Just sit here and watch the smoke in the sky or something.

Noah’s telepathic thoughts never made it to Zath.

“Then this will be no issue. I can be counted among these companions,” Zath, the Harbinger of Sievan and uncomfortable meeting atmospheres, said. “I will attend the audience.”

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