Return of the Runebound Professor

Noah’s sleep was interrupted by a hand violently shaking his shoulder. His eyes snapped open and a blade of wind swirled to life at his fingertips as he jumped back, preparing to dive out of the way of a Slasher. Moxie yanked her hand back, vines whipping around her defensively.

“Whoa! Relax,” Moxie said.

Noah blinked. He let his magic fade away, slowly lowering his hands. “Moxie? Why are you here?”

“Because I was looking for you, idiot. You weren’t in your room.”

“Brayden was snoring too loudly.”

“I could tell. He slept through me breaking in,” Moxie said, her lips pursing. The vines slithered back into her clothes and she shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I figured something out. I’m glad I caught you alone. You’re in danger.”

“Actually, I’m not–”

“Lee isn’t a Skinwalker,” Moxie said, cutting Noah off. “I was thinking about what you told me. I’ve been studying Skinwalkers. At first, I thought she was either a very powerful one or a new breed. We know so little about the monster species that it was possible, but after what we talked about yesterday, I realized I was too focused in. Maybe I’m the idiot.”

“Moxie–”

“Not now,” Moxie snapped. “Just listen. I don’t know how I didn’t catch this sooner. That demon threat you were worried about – it’s not hiding out and lurking. It’s in plain sight. Lee is the demon.”

Moxie stared at Noah, waiting for him to react. He just rubbed the back of his head.

“Is that a bad thing?”

Moxie blinked. Then she drew a deep breath and let it out in a violent huff. “Yes. Skinwalkers are motivated by hunger, as far as we’re aware. Demons aren’t. There’s very, very little known about demons, but we know one thing – they’re incredibly dangerous. They seek out suffering. I could possibly believe that a Skinwalker could be convinced to lie low, but not a demon. It’s more likely that she’s just biding her time, waiting for the proper moment.”

“I don’t really think that’s the case. I don’t know a lot about demons, but even if Lee is one, aren’t there different kinds or something? She’s not like that. You’ve spent a good amount of time with her. You know that.”

“Demons are one of the most dangerous monsters that have been discovered since the Long Night. You’ve got no idea what you’re talking about if you think there’s the slightest possibility that a demon would ever be benevolent. They are literally born with Runes that can only gain power through causing suffering.”

“Wait. There are Runes that can get strength through things other than just normal energy?”

“Yes, there – damn it, Vermil. Not now. Focus. Where is Lee? We need to find a higher ranked teacher and take her down before she starts killing people. She’s the threat you were so worried about, and she’s probably just hiding her Rank. I don’t know what her end game is, but it doesn’t matter. If we don’t act now, I don’t want to think about how much damage she could cause.”

Noah opened his mouth, then paused.

How do I know Lee wasn’t actually the literal demon that Vermil was trying to summon? She says she just slipped through, but I don’t have a way to know that for sure. I could try to make her swear a Rune Oath, but if Moxie is right, then I doubt she’s going to –

No.

She wasn’t lying. I refuse to believe it. Moxie’s fears aren’t unjustified, but Lee isn’t like that.

“I don’t think you’re correct,” Noah said. “I won’t try to pretend I understand much about demons, but I know Lee. She’s not some scheming monster that’s just waiting to strike when my guard is down. You said yourself that not a lot is known about demons, right? Maybe she’s different. It’s not fair to treat her like that when we have no reason to believe it.”

“She’s a demon.”

“And I’m Vermil.”

Moxie clenched her hands. “Something tells me you don’t have any idea how serious this is. Stop being idealistic for a moment. Ignore your emotions and think logically, you idiot. I also liked Lee. But we need to put the students first. She’s a threat.”

“She is not.”

“Vermil. Enough. We both know that I know more about this than you. You aren’t just betting your own life on this. It’s the lives of your students and mine as well, not to mention anyone else who could get caught up in this.”

“It’s not a bet. I trust her. And besides, even if I’m wrong, it’s only –”

“It’s only what?” Moxie asked. “Death?”

Yes.

“Never mind.” Noah shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. Have you even considered speaking to her for a second?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Noah saw the pile of leaves that Lee had buried herself beneath shift. He gritted his teeth. The worst possible thing that could happen would be for Lee to reveal herself now. He wasn’t sure Moxie wouldn’t just attack on sight.

“Speak to her? Why? I’m not immortal, and we know how fast she is. I’m not confident I could beat her in a fight. We need a stronger professor to handle this.”

“Not to trick her, Moxie. To find out if she’s really this terrible being like you’re making her out to be.”

Moxie’s brow furrowed. Then her eyes went cold and she shifted her stance, understanding washing across her features.

“You knew. You already knew.”

“Only for a day,” Noah replied. “And I know she wouldn’t do anything like what you’re saying. Just have a conversation with her, Moxie. Give her a chance. Keep your guard up more around her or something, but it’s completely unfair to judge her for – what, rumors you read in a book? You can’t say that we know almost nothing about demons and also say every single one of them is evil.”

Moxie drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry, Vermil. I can tell you want to see the best in everyone. I wish I could do the same, but I put the life of my student above my feelings. And not just her. The lives of your students. Surprisingly, even your life. I won’t let you risk everything because of a gut feeling. I came here to warn you, but if you aren’t cooperating, then I’ll just have to do things without you.”

Noah’s hands clenched. He gritted his teeth and reached into the pocket of his coat, pulling out his pipe. Despite having it for some time now, he still hadn’t had a chance to use it properly. It was on his list of things to try now that he’d gotten Combustion, but he just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Noah pinched a large bunch of the Flashgrass off and put it into the pipe.

“Please don’t,” Noah said softly.

“This isn’t about what we want,” Moxie ground out. “It’s about our students. We can’t let emotion cloud our decisions.”

She spun. Noah drew on his Wind Rune and shot forward, passing Moxie and spinning to face her. Moxie’s lips pressed together and vines curled at her feet, slithering out from the hems of her pants.

“Don’t,” Moxie warned. “You know what happened the last time we fought.”

Noah put the pipe between his teeth. “That was last time, Moxie. Things change. Just like people. That’s how it works. And that’s why you should be giving Lee a chance to at least give you her side of the story before you do something rash. She’d never do something stupid like trying to fight you.”

He put extra force on the last sentence as he saw the leaves twitch. If Lee came out, the chances of him convincing Moxie of anything would probably drop to zero. She’d assume they were working together to actually try to kill her, and then all holds would be off.

“Last chance,” Moxie said, her tone banded with steel. “Get out of my way, Vermil. I don’t want to hurt you. You’re a decent person, but I’ve made my stance clear.”

Noah raised a finger to the pipe. The Flashgrass combusted instantly, a thin plume of smoke rising into the air as it started to burn.

“Maybe we’ll just have to let our magic do some of the talking.”

“You don’t have a shield. If you attack me, I’m going to treat you like a real enemy. You’re aiding a demon. There won’t be any talk afterward. You’ll be dead.”

“Only if you win.”

The plume of smoke rising up from Noah’s pipe erupted, turning into a writhing snake of flame. Ash intermixed with the fire, roiling like a black sea within it.

Vines whipped out for Noah. He shot himself out of the way with a burst of wind, leaving a trail of glittering black and red smoke behind him. It whipped down, burning through several of Moxie’s vines.

The acrid smoke stung Noah’s throat and his eyes watered, but he grabbed all of it before it could enter his lungs and forced it away. He exhaled, blowing a thick cloud of the smoke out toward Moxie. Then, as it passed by his lips, he ignited it with Combustion.

A sheet of roiling fire washed out in a roar. Moxie’s eyes widened and she thrust her hands toward it. Her body flashed green as her shield lit up, blocking the attack. At the same time, the plants all around Noah rustled to life.

He ducked under a flower as it whipped past his head, then narrowly avoided a huge tree branch as it creaked down, trying to impale him.

Damn. This is the absolute worst spot for me to try to fight Moxie. There’s going to be too much damage if I let this go on for more than a few seconds. This fight can’t drag out.

The last of the flames faded away, revealing Moxie had enveloped herself in a leafy cocoon. Noah’s magic had scorched it, but her plants had somehow avoided catching fire. The cocoon unfurled and Moxie stepped out, her face cold.

“You hit Rank 2,” Moxie said.

Noah drew in another deep breath, catching the smoke and allowing it to curl out from his lips. This was going to have to be fast. Moxie was too smart to let the fight run long, and she was still stronger than he was.

He blew, causing the cloud to stretch out before him and carrying it even further with his Pyroclastic Resonance rune. Then he let out a sharp whistle. The fire cloud lurched forward, expanding like a blanket toward her even as Noah combusted it. Moxie whipped vines forward, attacking him and blocking the explosion at the same time. She was already starting to adapt, but Noah had no plans of letting her figure any more out.

As soon as the fire blocked him from her vision, he dropped to the ground and, using the cover of the flame as a shield, darted forward. Moxie spotted him quickly and went to redirect her magic. Plants grabbed at Noah’s feet, nearly tripping him up.

He directed the cloud of smoke between them and ignited it. Moxie flinched back as the fire erupted, and she raised her hands defensively to keep it from reaching her. Noah called on Combustion once more, but he didn’t summon any flame.

Instead, he canceled it, turning the air inert. The ash went out instantly, starved of any way to ignite, and Noah threw himself through the cloud. He slammed into Moxie, driving his shoulder into her stomach and knocking her to the ground.

The breath was knocked from her lungs with a woosh, and her eyes widened as she tried and failed to draw a breath. Noah grabbed her in a bear hug, not letting her escape.

“Enough of this. I could detonate my magic right now. Would your shield save you? Just listen to me, damn it.”

Moxie pressed her lips together, not willing to waste air on responding. Despite that, her plants swayed at the ready, refraining from attacking for the time being. Noah’s lungs started to burn from lack of oxygen, but he was in a better spot than Moxie was.

“If Lee wanted you dead, she would have fought. Even though this is to protect her, she isn’t doing anything.”

“What?” Moxie asked.

Noah released Combustion and air rushed back into their lungs. He jerked his chin toward the pile of leaves.

“Lee. Come out.”

They rustled, and Lee’s head poked out of the pile. Her eyes were slightly redder than normal. Moxie stiffened in Noah’s grasp.

“If she was this self-centered monster that you think all demons are, don’t you think she would have helped me fight you?” Noah demanded. “You were threatening to get her killed.”

“I – I don’t understand,” Moxie muttered. “Is this a plan? Just to trick me?”

“How could it be? You’re the one that came to find me,” Noah replied.

Lee sniffled. She turned and shot off in a blur, vanishing into the garden. Moxie stared at where the demon had been standing. Then she slumped in Noah’s arms, and the garden was silent once more.

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