Return of the Runebound Professor-Chapter 852: Wrong play

“Custom commissions take a week.”

Noah stared at the shopkeeper. He didn’t even bother trying to keep his eye from twitching. That was one of the benefits of wearing a mask. Minor motions in his features were completely obscured from anyone watching.

“It’s a cloth. A fancy cloth,” Noah said. “And all it has to do is some basic blocking.”

“That’s lovely,” the sharp-nosed merchant replied. She adjusted her frilly coat, then sent Noah an annoyed look. “Except I have a dozen more interesting commissions at the moment, and all of them pay considerably better than what you’re offering. You do realize that Aqua Terra is hosting a tournament, don’t you? And you really think that the best usage of my time is going to be making you a fancy handkerchief that you can tie around your dick to keep the missus from realizing you’ve been sticking it in places you shouldn’t have been?”

Goddamn it. She kind of has a point. Not the dick bit, but — oh, fuck it. I wish Elania was here. That crazy lady made an entire magical outfit in an hour, and I’d be willing to bet the dick in question that it’s a dozen times better than anything in this shop.

“Yeah. Fair enough,” Noah said through a sigh. “Do you have something premade? Like a box or the like?”

“Seriously? You want to put your d—”

“Oh, come of it,” Noah snapped. “You know that’s not what this is for.”

“Somebody’s snappy,” the merchant said with a snicker.

“Yeah, well, I haven’t gotten a good night of rest in God knows how long. I’m in a bad mood,” Noah said. “Do you have a box or not?”

“No box,” the merchant said with a shake of her head. She thought for a moment. “You’ve got no information on the object you’re trying to contain?”

“None,” Noah confirmed. “Just that it’s fairly powerful. And I want easy access to it on the occasion that I might need it. That’s just about it. Anything you’ve got is better than nothing.”

“I mean… it’s not an uncommon Imbuement. Give me a second. I should be able to find something sitting around in the back,” the merchant allowed. She turned around and stepped through the door behind her counter, leaving Noah standing alone in the shop behind her.

He resisted the urge to blow out a sigh. His eyes wandered across the shelves lining the walls. They were laden with weapons and all manners of items ranging from potions to rings. A part of Noah wondered how she’d gotten so much. Imbuing was a very taxing profession, and it was one that consistently drew permanent strength from the runes of the creator unless every single item they made was self-sustaining.

I suppose the techniques they use outside Arbalest are probably much, much better than what I know of, and my understanding of Imbuement was already painfully lacking. Todd must be in heaven. I wonder how far he’s come.

He shifted his footing and resisted the urge to keep glancing around the shop like a lost child. It was important to keep up at least some degree of appearances. He didn’t want to come off as too much of a tourist. That was just asking for someone to try and rob him.

It was just a little odd to be alone again. Lee was off getting her hands on her badge for the tournament. She also wanted to grab breakfast, but Noah couldn’t quite bring himself to eat at the moment. He just wasn’t hungry.

They’d agreed to meet back up at their tavern in an hour. Unfortunately, that meant he needed to figure out how to kill an hour without somehow getting into any trouble. His original plan had been to just wait around while someone finished up a basic commission for him, but he’d spent thirty minutes just finding this one store — and something told him every other Imbuer in Aqua Terra was going to be equally busy.

Whatever. Maybe I’ll find something to eat anyway. I’m a little too used to getting energy from killing things and skipping meals altogether. That’s not going to be sustainable in the middle of a city without any monsters.

The door behind the counter swung back open and the clerk emerged from behind it, a leather scabbard held before her.

“Here.” She plonked the unwieldy item down on the counter between them. “This is the only thing I’ve got that’ll do anything to prevent any active imbuements within it from functioning.”

“A scabbard?”

“You’d be surprised to know how many idiots buy a sword imbued to slice through just about anything but don’t consider the fact that said sword will also cut through its housing. Makes it a damn pain in the ass to store.” A sly smile crossed the woman’s face. “It’s a good side-business. They sell out fast. You’re lucky.”

“Seriously? How many people order all-cutting swords?”

“All the ones that really shouldn’t be. Namely, a lot,” the merchant replied. “I don’t suppose you’re in possession of one?”

“Unfortunately not. That’s not what I need this for.”

“Damn,” the merchant replied. “Suppose I can’t upcharge you, then. 5 crystals.”

5? Isn’t that a ton? Well, this is an Imbuement. I suppose it’s not too out of line. They’re never cheap. My clothes were much, much more expensive — and I’m pretty sure Elania gave me a discount on them anyway.

“About how strong are the imbuements on the scabbard?” Noah asked.

“That’s hard to answer without knowing what it is you’re trying to stick in here,” the merchant said with a shrug. “But I’d say this is rated to deal with handle just about anything that can threaten a Rank 7. Interfering with imbuements is a whole lot easier than making them.”

Taken from novelbuddy, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Eh. Good enough for me. And she’s right about that last part. Destroying is far, far easier than creating. I know that firsthand.

“Sold,” Noah said. He extended his hand, summoning 5 crystals from Lee’s ring with a thought. That reminded him — he’d still yet to go sniffing around the ring he’d taken off the idiot that he’d gotten the tournament badge from.

Then again, given how I got tracked down by the badge, maybe I should wait until putting that thing on. I don’t want to somehow curse myself.

The merchant stared at Noah, looking from him to the crystals on the table.

“Really?”

“What?” Noah asked.

The merchant shook her head. She waved her hand over the crystals. All of them vanished into her ring. Then she slid the scabbard across the counter toward him.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Is anyone?” Noah asked. “There’s a big ass tournament going on, after all. It can’t be that much of a surprise that you’ve got newcomers.”

“That isn’t what I meant. You’re definitely not from Aqua Terra. But I don’t think you’re from the Coral Empire either,” the merchant said.

“What makes you say that?” Noah asked casually. He took the scabbard from the counter and started to attach it to his belt. “Is it the way I speak?”

“No. It’s the way you completely forgot to bargain.” The merchant nodded to the ring on Noah’s hand. “And you don’t have to summon anything onto the counter. Just shaking my hand works. As long as you’re trying to give up the same amount of crystal as the person you’re in contact with is hoping for, it’ll automatically transfer. The rings were specifically made for this. Anyone who’d grown up in the Coral Empire would know that.”

Goddamn it.

“I’m not from here,” Noah admitted. “Thanks for the advice, though.”

“No problem. You more than paid for it,” the merchant replied with a laugh. “For future reference, I wouldn’t pay more than 3 crystals for an imbuement like this. Don’t get me wrong. It’s good. But 5 crystals is steep for something basic like this.”

“Ah.” Noah grimaced. “Well… thank you. I guess.”

“Any time,” she said. “Anything else you want me to overcharge you on? Because I’d be more than happy to part a rich man from more of his wealth. For the good of the people, you know?”

“I think I’m good for now.” Noah patted the scabbard. It was a bit unwieldy and looked quite odd given the fact he didn’t even have a sword, but it would do the trick. “Good luck scamming the other tourists.”

“Appreciate it,” the merchant said. “Good luck in the tournament. I assume that’s why you’re here. You’ve got quite the getup. High-quality imbuements, at that. I don’t think I’ve seen their like. Are you somebody I should recognize?”

“No,” Noah said. “I don’t imagine so.”

The merchant squinted at him for a moment. Then she shrugged. “Fair enough. I suppose I’ll find out one way or another if you perform well enough in the tournament.”

“Maybe so,” Noah agreed. He gave her one last nod, then turned and headed back out into the street.

The sun hung high overhead, golden rays slicing through the swirling rivers twisting through the sky to dance across the ground in a shimmering rainbow. Whoever had created Aqua Terra definitely knew how to make a statement.

A sizable crowd milled along the center of the street around him. There weren’t so many people that walking was impossible, but there were still more than enough to fill the air with the droning buzz of conversation and beat of feet against the ground.

Noah yawned.

And then, midway through it, he caught a flicker of ice silver hair slipping through the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

A Torrin?

His mouth snapped shut. He nearly choked on his own saliva as he spun in the direction of the hair. There were only a handful of Torrins that possibly could have survived the collapse of Arbalest, and fewer still will silver hair.

Was that Emily?

Noah was moving before his brain had even finished processing that thought. Even though the chances were astronomically low, he had to double check. He darted into the crowd, but he only made it one step before he drove straight into a barrel-chested man.

Both Noah and the man he’d strode into took a stumbling step back.

The hell? Nobody there a moment ago. How — actually, I don’t care.

“Shit,” Noah said. “Sorry.”

He moved to step around the man.

The man shifted to stay in front of him.

“Hold on there,” he said, speaking through a bushy black beard. “Before you head off in such a rush—”

Noah strode around him. Whatever the man was selling, he wasn’t interested. His domain didn’t work in Aqua Terra. Every single wasted second was vital. There was no time to deal with whatever this guy was trying to sell him.

A hand landed on Noah’s shoulder, dragging him to a halt. The grip was far from weak.

“I was talking to you,” the man growled.

Noah’s eyes narrowed. He nearly sliced the man apart with Sunder on the spot before he caught himself. Killing random people on the street was not a particularly good idea in any city, much less the capital of an empire.

“Get your hand off me if you want to keep it,” Noah said, turning to look over his shoulder.

“Relax,” the other man said with a chuckle that sent disgust writhing through Noah’s chest. “I won’t take more than a moment of your time. You look like a busy man. One heading to the tournament, I’d reckon. Saw you coming out of that store in a right hurry. That’s the kind of man that might be interested in my wares.”

“I’m not,” Noah said.

He yanked his shoulder free from the large man’s grip and spun, striding away.

“You won’t find an offer like this anywhere else,” the man said, striding after Noah. “A personal Imbuer! Dedicated entirely to you, loaned for the duration of the tournament! Think of what you could accomplish with a host of runes at your back!”

“I can’t afford it,” Noah said, continuing in the direction he’d seen the silver hair last. “I’m not interested.”

“I’m certain you can. My rates can’t be beat. My Imbuers work day and night. They’re right bright, they are. Some of the best in the game. This is a rare offer. You won’t be able to get talent like this for such a rate from anyone else.”

“If they’re so good, then why the hell are they working for cheap?” Noah asked, still striding through the crowd.

“Bad habits,” the man replied with another grating laugh, easily matching Noah’s pace. He was infuriatingly persistent. “Debt can be tough to pay off. You know how it is. And that’s where I come in. I give the kids a way to work it away… eventually. And that gets people like you good deals.”

Noah skidded to a halt.

The man drew up alongside him, a shit-eating grin pulling across his lips. “That got your attention, did it?”

Whoever the owner of the silver hair had been was gone. If he wanted to catch up with them in this crowd, he’d have to run as fast as he could to even have a chance.

But his brain had shorted out.

One of the man’s words had indeed caught his attention.

“I think I might have misheard you,” Noah said, slowly turning to look back at the bearded man. One of his fingers twitched. A shimmer of runic power coiled down through him with an angry hiss. “Did you say you worked with indebted kids?”