Return of the Runebound Professor-Chapter 853: Contributions and Consequences

If the large, bearded man could have seen Noah’s eyes behind his mask, it was very likely he would have turned around and walked away right there. He might have even ran. It probably wouldn’t have gotten him very far, but it doubtlessly would have been the smartest move he could have made.

But he couldn’t see Noah’s eyes. The only thing he could make out was the blank expression on the mask concealing his features.

“Don’t you worry,” the bearded man said with an easygoing chuckle. “They’re more than capable. Just because they’re young doesn’t mean they can’t Imbue properly. All of them have been taught extensively and passed our very high standards.”

“Our?” Noah repeated. The word came out of his mouth like a brick of lead. Any plans of trailing after the woman that might have been Emily fell away along with that word. If it was Emily, then she’d find him in the tournament.

It was only a few days. After how long he’d already waited, that was nothing. Nothing at all. There were more important things to deal with.

“Maybe I should introduce myself properly. The name’s Clarke,” the man extended a hand giving Noah a wide grin. “I knew you’d be interested. My spotter is one of the best. He knows his shit, he does.”

“Does he?” Noah asked tersely. He made no move to shake the other man’s hand. No part of his body would let him so much as make a friendly twitch in Clarke’s direction. “My compliments to him.”

“And you are?” the man asked after a slight awkward pause. He let his hand drop. “I prefer to know what to think of my business partners as.”

“Spider,” Noah replied. “You can call me Spider.”

Clarke laughed. It was a fake, disgusting thing, like a piece of plastic food left to sit out and melt in the sun. There was absolutely nothing appealing or honest in it whatsoever. “Spider, is it? That’s quite the name. You born with it?”

“Yes,” Noah replied. “I was.”

“I’d hate to meet your mom, then,” Clarke said. He jerked his chin over his shoulder. “Let’s walk, shall we? Tell me what it is you’re looking for.”

“I think I’d prefer to see what it is you’re capable of pulling off before I go sharing what I want. That seems like a great way to give information to my competitors,” Noah said as he fell in alongside the other man.

“You offend me,” Clarke said. “I can assure you, there are far more profitable ways to make money than selling your information.”

“I’m sure there are,” Noah said.

He offered up nothing else. They walked quietly for a few seconds. Then Clarke awkwardly cleared his throat. He glanced to an alleyway near them. “Well. You’d obviously need to see our capabilities anyway before making any purchases. I’m more than happy to show you the workshop.”

“Good,” Noah said. That part, at least, he meant. He was on a bit of a time limit. No part of him planned on missing his planned rendezvous with Lee. This wasn’t going to take long. “How many workshops do you have? Your spotter is better at his job than you thought. I have a great deal of items I need made. You may have found yourself a very lucrative client.”

Clarke’s eyes sparkled in delight. “Damn right. I’ll introduce you properly to him over dinner. If you’re as big of a client as it sounds like you are, then Brent will be getting a good bonus for his abilities. We reward our people well. As for workshops, Mr. Spider—”

“Just Spider, please,” Noah said. “There’s nothing polite about me.”

Clarke let out that grating, fake laugh of his again. “Spider, then. Don’t you worry at all. We only have one workshop right now. We’re new to Aqua Terra. It takes time to expand.”

“I see,” Noah said slowly.

Sounds more like you don’t give them much of a choice. But there’s only one location. Good. That makes things a hell of a lot easier for me. I won’t have to go hunting for other spots when this is all done. Should be able to keep to my time limit.

“Fear not. I’m sure we’ll be able to come to an agreement. Time will not be a problem, even with how close the tournament is. There are still three days. With that, we can make you every single item that you can buy. We never fail to meet our clients’ expectations. Our Imbuers are skilled at working under time pressure.” Clarke sent Noah a smug grin. He then glanced to the side.

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Noah followed his gaze. Sitting on a barrel at the edge of an alley was a short-haired man with a snaggletooth in plain clothes. The man nodded to them.

“That your friend?” Noah asked.

“Brent,” Clarke nodded to the man as they continued along. “He’ll get more time to talk with you and do a proper introduction over dinner, like I mentioned. If you make a big purchase… well it’ll be on us. After all, time is of the essence right now, is it not? Wouldn’t want to go wasting yours.”

“No,” Noah agreed. “You wouldn’t.”

He was tempted to press for more information, but he held himself back. Pushing too hard would just make Clarke suspicious of him. For now, the best — and fastest — thing he could do was to just follow along.

So that was what he did.

***

Brent stood as stiff as a brick of ice. Cold sweat prickled against the back of his neck in spite of the smile plastered across his features. Blood pounded in his ringing ears. His mouth felt dry and his palms clammy.

He could do nothing but sit there and helplessly watch as Clarke cheerfully strode away alongside the man clad in shimmering black silks. Trying to call out a warning was pointless.

Clarke was blissfully unaware of the monster walking by his side. A monster that Brent himself had pointed out to him — but not under any will of his own. His heart urged him to call out a warning. To scream at Clark to run.

To scream that he’d been betrayed.

But his morals were far from stronger than his own desire to live. And right now, he had much bigger problems than whatever Clarke was being set up for. His own life took priority. Clarke would have understood. That was just the way things went. Loyalty didn’t keep the heart beating.

That didn’t make him feel much better.

He sat there in stiff silence, keeping the fake smile on his face until nothing remained of Clarke and the masked man but the fading memory of their passing. Then he finally let himself swallow, the thundering beat of his heart so loud that it threatened to deafen him.

“There,” he whispered. “It’s done. I told him to target your man, just like you said. It’s done. Right? It’s done?”

“Well done,” a cold voice whispered from just a few feet behind him. “Your part is almost finished. Don’t make any sudden noises. I don’t want to get any blood on my clothes. Just turn around. Slowly.”

Brent swallowed. Then, slowly, he turned around.

A short figure stood behind him. Some would have called it a child, but they would have been sorely mistaken. This was no child. It was some abhorrent abomination that had taken on the form of one out of what must have been mere perverse amusement.

Silver rivers of moonlight flowed down their back in the guise of hair, but there was no peace or comfort within its shimmer. All that Brent could see within it was death.

The figure’s face was covered by a ceramic white mask with a blue eye painted across its center. That was a minor blessing. He’d looked into its eyes once, for no more than a brief instant, and that alone had been enough to nearly shatter everything that he could have called a consciousness.

What is this monstrosity planning? Why does it care about Clarke? And if this is one of them, then what in all the hells is its companion? Do they get stronger when they age? Is it even more powerful than —

No. I don’t care. It’s Clarke’s problem now. I just need to get out of this city.

“I’m done, right?” Brent whispered. He couldn’t conceal the tremor in his voice. Just the memory of what he’d seen within that instant was something he feared he would never be able to wipe away again. “I did everything you asked. You don’t need anything more from me, right? I swear I’ll leave. I won’t tell anyone about—”

“Calm,” the figure said softly. They raised their hands — both made of glistening moonlight — into the air before them in what should have probably been a placating gesture. “There is only one more thing I need you to do for me. Your part is nearly done.”

One more part. Okay. I can do this. I’ve done jobs for some fucking terrifying people before. This is nothing different. Forget everything else. Just do it and get out.

“Of course,” Brent said. “I — yes. What do you need me to do? Consider it done.”

“Just this,” the figure replied. They rested their glowing hands on the ceramic mask covering their face. Then, in a smooth, almost gentle motion, they pulled it away. “Look into my eyes.”

A wall of Rune Force slammed into Brent before he could even start to turn, locking him in place. He tried to squeeze his eyelids shut, but even that was denied to him. Brent could do nothing but stare ahead into the two empty, pale blue voids swirling before him.

“May it comfort you,” the figure whispered, their words echoing through his skull like crashing thunder, “that your end will be far preferrable to that of your companion. Thank you for your contribution to my legend.”

Then the barriers surrounding Brent’s mind shattered like a dam of twigs placed in the way of the storming sea. Moonlight poured into his soul, tearing through everything that could have ever called itself Brent and washing it away.

Even his scream was stolen from him. His lips parted, but no sound came from them. A second of silence passed. His head lolled back, eyes staring sightlessly onward, and he collapsed to the ground in a limp pile of limbs.

All that remained of the man that had once been called Brent was nothing but an empty husk and an already distant memory fading under the pale light of the rising moon.