Return of the Runebound Professor

Moxie opened her mouth. Then she closed it. A pensive look passed over her face as she realized what Noah was implying.

“You’re going to pretend that the summoning went exactly as it was supposed to, and that the demon is actually trapped inside you?”

“Exactly. That would account for the missing memories and give me a perfect position to hide and wait out this whole debacle while I figure out what the Linwicks were actually up to and just how much threat this demon will actually pose.”

“And what about when they test you? There’s no way they’ll just take your word for it.” Moxie crossed your arms. “They’ll test you. How are you planning to pass off as a demon that powerful?”

“I’ve got some ideas on that,” Noah replied. “I’ll need to do a little research on demons to make sure I properly understand how they work and what they act like, but I think I could pull it off.”

Moxie chewed her lower lip. “If there’s really a powerful demon here, getting away is a good idea, and now would be the best time to do it since there are still a few months until the next exam. If Brayden agreed and you really did manage to pull a fast one over the Linwicks, then you might be onto something. But what about your students?”

“I’ll have to speak with them. I haven’t been doing my job ever since the exam. I’ve got some makeup to do. A lot of it. I’m going to tell them everything I just told you. They need to be able to make an informed decision themselves.”

“I see,” Moxie said. “Well, it sounds like you’ve actually put a little thought into this. It’s not the best plan, but if you really do manage to keep your cover, it isn’t terrible. I might have to take Emily somewhere as well. I don’t want to be around when a high Rank demon attacks. Even with equivalently strong mages, there’s going to be a lot of damage.”

“You could come with us,” Noah offered. “I promised to let you shadow my training, but then I didn’t do anything since then. There will be a lot of opportunities for that at the Linwick estate.”

A bark of laughter slipped out of Moxie’s mouth. “Seriously? Did you forget who I am? I’m a Torrin, Vermil. If I showed up at the Linwick’s estate, even with you, I’d probably get killed in my sleep. There’s no way I can go there, and I wouldn’t send Emily there either.”

Noah winced. He had forgotten. “Oh. Right.”

“We might join for the first portion of the trip, though,” Moxie mused. “I’ve been meaning to get her some more practical survival experience. As long as we break away before we get too close to the Linwicks, everything should be fine.”

“Trip?” Noah asked. “They used a portal to send Brayden here. I thought they’d let us use that again.”

“Brayden got a portal because it was an urgent matter. Magic like that needs a specialized, high Rank mage. There’s no way they’d waste time and energy making a portal back for you. It’s going to be a week or two of normal travel.”

“Ah. I suppose Brayden would know the way back, then,” Noah said. “I’ll just have to convince him this is the right call. I don’t think that should be too hard. You’ll join us, then? Assuming Isabel and Todd agree to go.”

“If you can convince Brayden that it’s a good idea to let us come for the first part of the journey. If you’re finally ready to get your ass in gear and show me what I was originally waiting for, then I’ll come. Just don’t get your hopes up too much – I don’t think you’re going to be able to convince Brayden.”

“I’ll focus on Isabel and Todd first,” Noah said. “I think he’ll be more than pliable. I’m going to go find them before it’s too late today.”

Moxie shrugged. “You know where to find me. Don’t get killed by a demon on the way out.”

Noah rolled his eyes and headed out of Moxie’s room, closing the door behind him before starting down the hall toward the exit of the T building. When he stepped outside, Lee was already waiting for him, leaning against the wall.

“Did you find what you needed?”

“Yeah. Did you overhear?”

“I did. I’ve got very good hearing. Good senses in general.”

“I gathered, based on how you kept smelling things that shouldn’t actually have any smell. I’m not sure how you watch over things from outside, but I’ll just trust that it works. Do those senses of yours happen to know where Isabel and Todd are? They’re next on the list of people to speak with.”

“I can find them. I memorized their scents,” Lee said.

On a list of things that I wouldn’t want to be caught dead ever saying, that would be pretty close to the top.

“Fantastic. Could you get them and tell them to come meet me in our classroom? It’s better than my room, considering Brayden is still sleeping in there. It won’t take long.”

Lee nodded and blurred, sprinting off faster than Noah’s eyes could track. He shook his head in disbelief.

She’s supposed to be Rank 1?

Now that Noah thought about it, they’d never really addressed her Rank after the demon revelation had come out. There was a very good chance that Lee had told him she was a Rank 1 to keep his guard down when he’d originally thought she was a Skinwalker.

I’d put her more like a Rank 2 or 3, I think. She was able to fight Moxie, but Moxie also wasn’t using magic, which is the majority of her strength. Not a very good reference to judge things off.

Noah shook his head. It didn’t particularly matter at the moment. He had more important things to worry about. When Lee got back, he’d just ask her.

He headed over to his room in building G, following the winding hallway that he’d now grown somewhat familiar with until he stepped through the doorway into the room. The desks were still aligned from when Moxie had fixed them, but the light filtering in through the roof was dim due to clouds obscuring the lowering sun.

Noah walked over to stand by the podium.

And then he did one of his least favorite things in the world.

He waited.

***

Lee didn’t make Noah wait long. She walked into the classroom just twenty minutes later, joined by Isabel and Todd. Both of the students had confused expressions on their faces.

“Is this an extra class or something?” Isabel asked. “Things are going crazy right now. I’m not sure this is the best time to do it. Someone killed the Hellreaver Ape.”

“So I’ve heard,” Noah said. He cleared his throat and tapped a finger on the podium. “This won’t take too long. I just wanted to discuss something with you.”

Isabel and Todd exchanged a glance, then lowered into two of the desks.

“Normally, when I hear that, it means I’m in trouble,” Todd said.

“Neither of you did anything wrong. Don’t worry,” Noah said with a wave of his hand. “It’s more on my end, really. I’d like to apologize.”

“Apologize?” Isabel asked. “For what?”

“I’ve been a piss poor professor over the last few days. After the exam finished, I let a… personal project consume too much of my time. As your professor, it is my duty to ensure that you receive all the time you are entitled to. My own pursuits should be done without impacting yours.”

“I just figured you got tired after suddenly doing work after years of being a bum,” Todd said, rubbing the back of the head. “I do that too.”

“You are a student. I’m a teacher,” Noah said. “The standards are different. I don’t rely on your continued interest. That’s all on you. If you don’t put effort into the class, then that’s on you. But if I don’t put the effort in, then I’m hindering you. This isn’t me trying to get pity. I am simply making a promise to do better in the future.”

“Thank you. We appreciate it,” Isabel said, shifting uncomfortably. “That couldn’t have been what this was about. Are you sure something didn’t happen?”

“I didn’t say that,” Noah said, clasping his hands together and leaning forward. “I won’t make you do this, but I’d like to request both of you make a promise that you won’t share anything that I’m about to share with you.”

Isabel and Todd’s eyebrows rose.

“Whoa. A secret? I’m in,” Todd said with a huge grin. “On my Runes –”

“Wait!” Noah snapped. “Not a Rune Oath. A promise. A normal one.”

Todd blinked, then nodded. “Okay. I swear not to share anything you tell me in the next ten minutes with anyone else.”

Isabel shot Todd a sharp look, then shook her head and sighed. “I swear not to share anything you tell me in the next ten minutes with anyone else.”

“Accepted,” Noah said. “Thank you.”

“Just tell me the juicy things,” Todd said eagerly. “Come on. You know something about the Hellreaver, don’t you?”

“Lee, please ensure we aren’t disturbed,” Noah said.

Lee nodded and slipped out the doorway.

“Yes,” Noah said once she’d left.

Todd rubbed his hands together, raising slightly from his chair in excitement. “Oh, that is too cool. So? Was it a conspiracy? Are the Linwicks trying to take down Arbitage because they don’t like how the school is using their money? Or is it a rival family? Is it the Torrins?”

Noah opened his mouth, then paused. “Just how into gossip are you?”

Todd reddened and sat back. He cleared his throat. “Not at all. I just pick things up every once and a while, you know? It isn’t on purpose.”

“He’s obsessed with it. Fortunately, he still knows how to keep a secret when he’s properly motivated,” Isabel said. “You’ve got my interest too, though. Especially if something bad is happening to the noble houses.”

“Right. Well, I won’t beat around the bush. I killed the Hellreaver Ape.”

Isabel and Todd stared at him, both clearly waiting for a punchline to a joke that never came. The grin on Todd’s face faltered.

“What? You?”

“It had a… grudge against me,” Noah said. “Because of all the monkeys I killed in the forest. And I felt the same way toward it.”

“Gods above,” Isabel murmured. “It was a Great Monster. A weak one, but a Great Monster. You’re Rank 1. How did you possibly manage to take it down? If it was Magus Moxie I would have seen it, but… Rank 1.”

“I cheated,” Noah said plainly. “It shouldn’t have been my victory, but it came down to me or it. Unfortunately, I think you can imagine what the problem is now.”

“Yeah,” Todd said, quickly turning serious. “You’re dead if they figure out you did it. Are they onto you? Do you need our help escaping?”

Noah chuckled. “No, but you aren’t that far off either. I don’t think they really suspect me for the same reasons you were surprised, but I’ve recently learned about a significant threat in the vicinity of Arbitage – a demon, to be precise. One that’s around Rank 5. It isn’t anything I can deal with or even report, due to the circumstances of the Hellreaver. Thus…”

“You’re leaving,” Isabel finished, her face darkening.

“I’m proposing a field trip,” Noah corrected. “I won’t leave if you don’t. The threat hasn’t acted yet, so who knows. Maybe it won’t. I don’t know.”

“Where would they even let you go? If they suspect you of something, they won’t let you leave Arbitage,” Todd said.

“The Linwick estate. One of the investigators is my brother,” Noah said. “I’m pretty sure he’ll agree to take us there. There’s an obvious drawback, though.”

“Yeah. We have their runes,” Isabel said, swallowing heavily. “That’s not the safest spot for us to go.”

“Which is why I won’t make the decision for you,” Noah said. He pushed away from the podium and stepped around it. “Don’t choose now. Think on it overnight. I don’t think they have any way to detect your runes are from them, but I’m not sure. It may very well be safer to stay here. I won’t choose for you.”

“We’ll think on it and tell you our decision by tomorrow morning,” Isabel said, exchanging a look with Todd. “It sounds like we might be in danger either route we take.”

“Possibly,” Noah agreed. “For now, I’ll wait until my brother wakes up from the drunken stupor I put him in. I’ve got to convince him anyway if we want to get anywhere.”

“You put an investigator in a drunken stupor while he was investigating a murder that you did?” Isabel asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No comment,” Noah replied.

“That’s badass,” Todd said with a huge grin. “Were you always this awesome?”

“I’m not sure awesome is the right word here.” Isabel shook her head. “This is some pretty dangerous information, Professor. Why did you share it with us without using a Rune Oath?”

“Maybe he thinks we’re going to get killed,” Todd said. “Could be possible, especially with a Rank 5 demon strolling around.”

“It’s not that,” Noah said with a sigh. “I was thinking about Rune Oaths – actually, this might as well be our lesson for today. I haven’t been a great teacher these past few weeks, so it’s time I get started again.”

“A lesson about Rune Oaths?” Todd asked. He scrunched his nose. “What about you just tell us how you killed the Hellreaver? That sounds a lot more fun.”

“Another time,” Noah replied. “You can start, though. Tell me what a Rune Oath is.”

“Unbreakable promise,” Todd said promptly. “One that screws both people over if one of the two dies. It can shatter your runes or even kill you.”

“Right,” Noah said with a nod. “Let’s focus on the first half. Unbreakable is a really bold word, don’t you think?”

“I’d say it’s pretty accurate.” Isabel crossed her arms and leaned forward, her brow darkening. “I’ve seen how they work. I’ve seen what they do.”

There’s a can of worms behind those words.

“I’m not arguing that they work,” Noah said, raising a hand. “Rather, I’m arguing how they work. Let’s make a hypothetical. You and I are mortal enemies. We’ve been trying to kill each other for years. We’re tired. We want out of the fight – but neither of us trust each other.”

“Sure,” Isabel said with a shrug. “I see where you’re going. So we make a Rune Oath to stop fighting each other.”

“Great,” Noah said. “Tell me what oath you’d swear.”

Isabel thought for a few moments. Beside her, Todd’s brow furrowed in concentration as well.

“Something simple, maybe? Like – I promise not to harm you as long as you do the same toward me,” Todd offered.

Noah hid a smile. This was a far cry from their first lesson, where both Isabel and Todd had been barely willing to cooperate with him, much less actively volunteering information without him prompting them.

“No,” Isabel said, shaking her head before Noah could even speak. “That leaves way too much up for interpretation. Harm is too subjective of a word. What if I reached a higher Rank than Professor Vermil? I could do something to him that I don’t consider harmful and possibly slip past the Rune Oath’s restrictions. As long as he survived, I wouldn’t get any backlash.”

“Damn. Good point,” Todd said, pursing his lips. “What would you do, then?”

“I’d have to really think on it,” Isabel admitted. “I can’t come up with a single oath that could possibly encompass everything this quickly.”

“And therein lies the problem, at least for me,” Noah said. “I’m not saying that Rune Oaths don’t work. But I’m not a contract expert. The more general I make the terms of the Oath, the less it actually binds you. And the more specific I get, the more loopholes I leave. If I extensively studied Rune Oaths, I’m sure I could figure out a way to write one that was borderline unbreakable by all but another expert.”

“There are people that do that,” Todd provided. “They aren’t cheap, though.”

Figures. Lawyers exist here too, I guess.

“As I said, they’ve got a place,” Noah said with a nod. “I had Moxie swear a Rune Oath just a little while ago.”

“So why not us?” Todd asked.

“Because you’re my students,” Noah replied. “Moxie has her own commitments to her family and the school. If she didn’t swear a Rune Oath, there are probably people that could have forced her to answer the question. This way, she has an excuse to avoid it. Granted, if she really tries, I have no doubt she could find a way to slip around it. But the two of you didn’t ask to be dragged into this. Moxie’s family will protect her if things go poorly – but you don’t have that, do you?”

Isabel and Todd both looked to the side.

“You didn’t make us swear an Oath because you want us to have a way to wash our hands of you if someone figures it out?” Isabel asked.

“Yes. If someone tries to force information out of you, just give it to them. Nobody can do that to Moxie, but from everything I’ve seen, they won’t have such scruples with you. You are not responsible for my failures. I’m your teacher. The burden is on me.”

“I’m not telling anyone shit. That’s not how I do things.” Todd said, crossing his arms. He paused for a moment. “Okay, normally it is. But not this time.”

“Me neither,” Isabel said. “I’m not helping any nobles. Good riddance to the Hellreaver.”

“I certainly won’t complain, but don’t put yourselves in any extra danger,” Noah said. “And you might not want to be too happy the Hellreaver is gone. It was what was keeping the monkeys in a state where we could train easily against them. I’m afraid I’ve messed up our practice grounds.”

“We can just go somewhere else,” Todd said.

“Yeah.” Isabel nodded. “We have to start fighting monsters that think for themselves eventually.”

“I agree,” Noah said. “But keeping the training wheels on can’t hurt. Either way, we’ll figure something out. There are other places with Great Monsters. For now, though, I need the two of you to think on what you want to do in regard to the trip.”

“We will,” Isabel promised. “Tomorrow morning, next to the transport cannon.”

“Tomorrow morning,” Noah confirmed. “Take this seriously, Todd. I see that look in your eyes.”

Todd cleared his throat. “Yeah, we will.”

“I always do,” Isabel said.

“Good,” Noah said. He bid them farewell and left the classroom. There was still a lot he had to prepare for, no matter what decision his students made.