Return of the Runebound Professor

Moxie spun toward Noah, her features clad in shock. She still had a red mark on the side of her cheek, and she stared at him in disbelief.

“Vermil?”

Noah’s attention was on the other woman. A foot taller than Moxie, she also wore green and grey clothing, though they didn’t seem to be of Arbitage make. She had long, vibrant red hair and a face that would have been pretty if Noah didn’t want to put his fist between her eyes so badly.

“Vermil?” the woman repeated, her arrogant green eyes flicking from Moxie to Noah. “This? You brought him here? Just how incompetent can you be?”

The rage that was swirling in his chest was bordering on unnatural, a spark that had been lit into a roaring forest fire. If he’d been in a better position, Noah would have tried to figure out why he was so furious. Instead, all he could do was press onward.

“I was just taking a stroll through the garden,” Noah replied. “You’re the idiot holding an important conversation in open air. You seem to like the word incompetent, which seems ironic to me. Sounds like the upper management of the Torrin family are the incompetent ones.”

Moxie looked like a cornered cat. She pressed her back to the hedge, disbelief and shock mixing in her face as she struggled to form words.

“But… how? You were–”

“I got better,” Noah replied, not taking his eyes off the other woman. “How about it, miss? Care to introduce yourself to me now that we’re face to face?”

“You may refer to me as Miss Contessa, Rank 2 from the Torrin family, working for the main branch. Feel free to beg me to not deal with this problem my fool of a servant has caused.”

Aha. Just a Rank 2. Then I should outmatch her. No need to hold back. And… working for the main branch? That’s a funny way to say you technically aren’t part of the main branch.

Noah scrunched his nose. “I fail to see how your own inability to properly execute on a plan is Moxie’s fault. There are backup plans for a reason, genius. Why’d you stack all your cards on someone who’s already busy protecting Emily?”

Contessa’s eyes narrowed in anger and she took a step forward. “What do you know of Emily, cretin?”

Noah gave her an award-winning smile. “I know she’s currently with my partner, training for the survival exam. But, as much as I’d love to continue this conversation, you’re going to have to apologize.”

“Apologize? Are you delusional?”

“You hit Moxie,” Noah said.

“Vermil, stop,” Moxie said. “This isn’t–”

“Shut up,” Contessa said. Moxie’s teeth clicked as she closed her mouth. Contessa pierced Noah with her cold eyes. “Please, Linwick scum. Continue. Tell me what I have to do.”

“You hit her,” Noah said, drawing a deep breath from the pipe as he ignited the Flashgrass. He blew a stream of smoke out into the air above them. “Twice. So, if you want to keep talking, apologize.”

Contessa smirked. “You must have forgotten the differences between the Linwick and the Torrin family. Look around you. Is there anyone to save you? Any allies to stop me from killing you here and now, after everything you just overheard? The only reason you still exist is because I need to determine the exact extent of the damage that my idiot servant has allowed to happen under her supervision.”

Noah sucked on his teeth, keeping the bubbling anger in his chest from showing on his face. “That’s the worst apology I’ve ever heard. Let’s try this again.”

Moxie spotted Noah draw in a deep breath. She immediately did the same, clearly having remembered exactly what happened the last time they’d fought. Combustion’s power flared within Noah’s soul as its passive effect activated.

Contessa, who had been midway through preparing to say something – choked on her own words. Her eyes widened and she clutched her throat as all the air in her lungs froze, turning inert.

“What is this?” Contessa asked.

Noah just raised an eyebrow.

Idiot. Wasting air. This isn’t a fighter. She’s a jumped up bureaucrat.

Contessa snarled and a nearby plant creaked, reaching down to grab Noah. It was both slower and more obvious than the attacks Moxie had used on him before when they’d fought, and he easily avoided it.

Noah strode forward, grabbing a vine as it whipped for his head and shredding it to pieces with Howling Maelstrom.

The ability to use both a soul-Imbued Master Rune and my normal Runes at the same time really is convenient. It’ll make this all the more satisfying.

Contessa took a step back, a flicker of fear finally passing over her features. “Don’t take a step closer, Linwick! I swear, I’ll–”

Her head snapped to the side as Noah slapped her across the face. She sputtered and stumbled, gasping for air that didn’t come. Noah grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and raised her into the air.

He didn’t say a word. He just stared. A vine reached for his leg, but a violent tremor raced out of Noah’s leg as soon as the vine touched it, tearing it apart. Contessa’s magic was laughable. He was pretty sure that Isabel or Todd could have wiped the floor with her.

Contessa’s hand shot down to her side and she grabbed a dagger. She drove it at Noah’s throat. He leaned back, letting the blade whip harmlessly past his face, then threw Contessa to the ground.

She hit it with a pained grunt, wasting even more air. As she started to push herself back upright, Noah’s foot crashed down on her chest and slammed her back into the ground. The last of her air escaped her lungs with a woosh.

Noah leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knee as he stared down at Contessa. His attempts to contain his simmering anger failed, and some of the bubbling fury that had been churning inside his chest slipped out through his eyes.

Contessa gasped desperately for air and she called on more vines to try and push him off, but all of them met the exact same fate as the first few. Panic filled her eyes and she beat weakly at Noah’s foot. It was futile.

Her mouth worked, trying to form words, but she had nothing left to say them with. Her eyes locked with Noah’s desperation burning within them. Noah could see the surrender within them.

He didn’t bring the air back. The fury only grew with every breath Contessa failed to take. Noah didn’t just want an apology anymore. He wanted to kill her. This pathetic creature had dared stand in his path. Had dared to challenge him, when it didn’t even have the strength to protect itself.

The smoke rising up from Noah’s pipe warped and danced, swirling around his body and crackling with red energy. He felt the heat gathering around his shoulders, but ignored it. The only thing he cared about was watching the worm beneath his feet suffocate to –

A hand fell on Noah’s shoulder. His head shot to the side, and he blinked. Moxie had reached through the crackling smoke and was trying to yell something.

Idiot. Don’t waste your air. It’ll ruin –

“Vermil!” Moxie yelled. “Please! Stop!”

Noah blinked. The smoke swirling around him collapsed, turning back to just ash, and he released Combustion. Contessa drew in a desperate, ragged gasp for air so quickly that it turned into a strangle cough.

What the hell just came over me?

“I’m sorry,” Contessa rasped. “Damned Plains, I’m sorry. Just get off me.”

Noah lifted his foot and took a step back. Even though the wind that had been filling his sails had suddenly vanished, it didn’t change things.

“You’re apologizing to the wrong person,” Noah said flatly. “Maybe direct that to the only reason I didn’t fill your insides with molten ash and see how long it takes it to burn out of you.”

“She’s just a servant!” Contessa protested. “Why do you care?”

Noah leaned forward, making eye contact with her once more. Then he ripped the air out of her lungs once more.

“I’m sorry,” Contessa wheezed, turning her gaze to Moxie. “Please.”

The air returned to its normal state and Contessa quickly sucked in a breath. Noah could feel her heart hammering beneath his foot, but her fear only made him want more.

Noah flinched as Moxie touched him on the shoulder again. He ground his teeth together. Something was going on with his thoughts, but this wasn’t the time to address it.

“Much better,” Noah said, lifting his foot. “Maybe we can talk like respectable humans now. How does that sound?”

Contessa stared at him in terror.

“I asked you a question,” Noah said, another jolt of fury roiling through his chest. He clamped down on it, refusing to let the anger control his actions again.

“Better.” Contessa edged away from him.

“If you try to leave, I’m going to kill you,” Noah said with a heavy sigh. “You said it yourself. We have a problem. That’s on me, I admit. I probably should have done this a little more privately. I apologize. See? Look how easy that was.”

“You’re insane.”

“What was it you said? Ah – the only reason you still exist is because I need to determine the exact extent of the damage that my actions have caused. I changed it a bit, but I think the meaning remains the same. So why don’t you tell me why I shouldn’t kill you, Contessa?”

“Vermil, you need to stop,” Moxie said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but–”

“Do you see this?” Noah asked, looking down at Contessa. “Your servant is trying so hard to keep your incompetent ass alive. Why don’t you help her out a bit? I’d hate to disappoint her.”

“What do you want?” Contessa asked. “Are you working with Moxie for some plot? It won’t work. If you kill me, the Torrin family will know. You’ll never get away with it.”

If Moxie is really in this bad of a spot with her family, then I can’t actually let any of the blame go on her.

“You seem to seriously be misunderstanding the situation,” Noah said with a shake of his head. “Moxie has nothing to do with this. We’re acquaintances, but I feel some appreciation toward her for assistance she’s given me. I take my debts very seriously, you see.”

“You’re just a Rank 1 Linwick. What do you know about any of that?”

So she cut off information about me sometime before we left. A while ago, then.

Noah arched an eyebrow. “Do I look like a Rank 1 to you? We must have gotten off on the wrong foot, Cont. Can I call you Cont? It’s easier on the tongue.”

Contessa swallowed heavily. “Yes.”

“Lovely. I knew you’d be amicable. Sit up, Cont. I’m going to give you a secret. In return, you’re going to give me a Rune Oath. How’s that sound?”

Contessa blinked, and Noah knew why. Offering a Rune oath was akin to promising her that she would be allowed to leave alive.

“I – What is it?” Contessa stammered.

“Simple. You’ll swear that if Evergreen ever discovers any part of what I am about to tell you – including swearing this Rune Oath, regardless of how she finds out, you will immediately find an isolated location and kill yourself.”

“What? But…”

Noah smiled. “The backlash I’ll suffer from your death is so insignificant that I couldn’t care less if you die or not. It’s all up to you. Moxie isn’t going to interfere. Not because she doesn’t want to, but because she can’t. There’s absolutely nothing she can do to me. Make the choice. Either I kill you right now, or you buy yourself a chance to survive.”

Contessa ground her teeth, then let her shoulders slump. “I swear on my Runes that, if Evergreen ever discovers any single part of what you tell me – including swearing this Rune Oath, regardless of how she discovers it, I will immediately find an isolated location and kill myself.”

“Accepted,” Noah said as ice raced down his spine, signifying the Rune Oath had taken place. “Here’s the information you just bought. I’m not Vermil. I’m the demon that killed him.”

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