Return of the Runebound Professor

Chapter 891: Bad Deal

“You haven’t guessed yet?” The ceramic-masked woman asked, tilting her head to the side. “Someone gives you something for free, and you haven’t managed to garner a suspicion as to what would have caused such a thing?”

“I know you want something from me,” Zeth replied. He watched the short mage across from him warily for a long second, but he couldn’t pick up the faintest amount of intent from her. It was like trying to read a brick wall. His eyes narrowed slightly. “The question is what — and if you’re strong enough to take it.”

“Strong enough?” There was a faint note of amusement in the woman’s voice, now. It sent a shot of annoyance pumping through Zeth’s veins. She was looking down on him.

“Do not mistake my curiosity for weakness,” Zeth hissed. He rose slightly from his seat. “I have humored you because you clearly know something. But your help is unneeded. I could have gotten here without any of your interference. I owe you nothing.”

“Sit back down. I didn’t expect you to owe me anything,” the woman said, unmoving. “There are far better ways to get someone into my debt than getting them a few Crystals worth of a gift and a few well-chosen words. I laughed because I have no desire to take anything.”

Zeth’s lips pressed thin. A part of him wanted to stride away then and there. Another part wanted to find out just how powerful this strange mage was. It would have only taken a quick touch to find out. If she wasn’t strong enough to withstand his magic, then she wouldn’t be worth his time.

But the risk of getting kicked out of the tournament was too great. There were things he planned to accomplish, here. Nothing that he would throw away just for the sake of a brief moment of satisfaction. And try as he might… he still couldn’t get the faintest read on the woman at all. And that, almost more than anything, had his attention.

Zeth hesitated for a moment longer. Then he slowly lowered himself back into his chair.

“Tell me what you seek,” Zeth said. “And start with your name, stranger. I do not do business with those who do not have the honor to introduce themselves.”

“I am the Rising Moon,” the woman said simply. “That is all you need to know of my identity. And my goals are equally simple. There are pieces on this board that I want to remain where they are — and there are pieces that I want removed. I do not care about anything else. Your purposes align with mine, Zeth.”

I already know that you’ve researched me. But how does she know my name? I have not left evidence of it anywhere in my passing.

“And what do you believe my purposes to be?” Zeth asked.

“Are you certain you want me to say that out loud? Here?” The amusement had returned to the Rising Moon’s voice.

Zeth hesitated for a moment. She was probably bluffing.

But that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.

“Continue,” he said flatly. “What do you wish of me? And why do you think I would bother helping you, even if our goals do align? If you know anything of me, then you know I have no desire to hitch myself to another’s whims. I fight only for myself.”

“Mostly for yourself,” the Rising Moon corrected. “There’s something else you want. Something I can give you. How much would you give to know the locations of the ones you seek… and the ones that seek you?”

Zeth’s back stiffened.

She knew.

He didn’t know how, but she knew.

Is she one of them?

That thought was dismissed as quickly as it arose. The Truthseekers were nothing like this strange mage. They were obsessed. Insane. And they weren’t nearly as competent.

“What do you know?” Zeth asked.

“That isn’t how this works,” the Rising Moon replied. “You’re going to do as I request. It won’t be anything overly difficult. Nothing that you wouldn’t already be doing. And, in turn, I will give you the information you seek.”

“Why would I agree to terms like that?” Zeth asked. “They’re too vague. You could simply turn and vanish after I assisted you.”

“I could,” the Rising Moon allowed. “And, at the same time, you could threaten to do the opposite of what I suggest if I don’t give you the information you seek right now. You might believe that you could interfere with my plans by going against what I want to force me to assist you.”

Zeth’s mask hid his smile. “And if I did?”

“Then you would die and I would replace you.”

This time, Zeth couldn’t keep himself from letting out a hissing snort of laughter.

“You have no humility at all. Is it arrogance or confidence that drives you?”

“It is certainty,” the Rising Moon replied. “And I already know that you will agree to work with me. You would not be willing to pass up on the information. Or do you not want to know where Og is?”

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Zeth froze.

All his amusement dried up in an instant.

If there had been any doubt that the Rising Moon knew about the Truthseekers, it was gone now. And the fact that she knew Og himself…

She’s like me, isn’t she?

“Tell me what you seek,” Zeth said. “Then we will see if I am willing to assist you. I will not promise that I will help you. I hold to my word. More than the filth that call themselves mages in this kingdom do. But I will not interfere if we fail to come to an agreement. Not unless your plans go against my nature or goals.”

“That is acceptable. Then we will begin,” the Rising Moon said. “Very soon, there will be an incident.”

“An incident?” Zeth asked. “How soon? And what do you mean by that?”

“Very soon,” the Rising Moon repeated. She paused for a moment, her head tilting to the side. “In approximately two minutes.”

Surprise flashed through Zeth’s thoughts.

That fast? She’s trying to play games within the masquerade? That’s bold. Really, really bold. The Faction Heads won’t take kindly to that at all. If she manages to ruin this for them…

“Relax,” the Rising Moon said. “I will not be doing anything that they disapprove of.”

Zeth blinked.

Does… she know what I’m thinking? No. That isn’t possible. If she was a Mind Mage, I would have felt the intrusion. It was just a good—

“Guess,” The Rising Moon said.

“What?” Zeth asked.

“It was just a good guess,” the Rising Moon said.

He stared at her. His scales felt like he’d taken a dip into an icy river. There was no way she could have known what he was thinking. His domain hadn’t been broken — and he refused to accept the possibility that even a Rank 7 could have slipped past his defenses without at least alerting him.

“How are—”

“That isn’t part of our deal,” the Rising Moon replied, and he could hear the smile hidden within her voice. “Now, we don’t have much time to discuss before it will be too late. Will you aid me or not? I have no desire to waste either of our time.”

“What do you want?” Zeth finally asked. “I will not commit to anything until you have made it clear what you seek.”

“There will be a woman passing through the room just a short distance behind us. It will be shortly after the commotion begins,” the Rising Moon said. “She will have a large, very obvious stain on her shirt. It may also be upon her mask. When you become aware of her, I will require you to stall her. I do not care how you do it. Flirt with her. Attack her. It does not matter. I simply require you to burn as much of her time as possible.”

“You must be serious,” Zeth said. “That’s what you want me to do? Be a distraction?”

“Yes,” the Rising Moon said simply. “You have proven yourself very apt at slipping away from altercations. Do it again. It should be little trouble for you.”

Zeth thought for a moment. If all he had to stall someone, that wasn’t actually too difficult. All he had to do was wait for someone with a stain to come by, then discretely trip them. He could easily slip into the crowd and continue harassing the Rising Moon’s target for quite some time. It seemed entirely pointless… but if this was all she wanted, it would be straight-forward enough. All he had to do was avoid being too forward. It wasn’t like the Faction Heads would care about what amounted to little more than bothersome pranks.

“Demeaning,” Zeth said. “But very well. I can do this.”

The Rising Moon nodded. “Very good. Distract her for as long as you possibly can. I will need every second. But I would avoid getting caught. Things will go poorly if you do.”

“I have no plans of sacrificing myself for you,” Zeth said. “The distraction will last so long as I can ensure my escape.”

“At least one minute,” the Rising Moon countered. “After that, any extra you get will be greatly appreciated. I will be willing to offer up more knowledge as compensation. But if you cannot even distract my target for a minute, you get nothing.”

Zeth narrowed his eyes. Then he inclined his head. A minute wasn’t too long. He could do that quite easily without anyone ever noticing him. “Very well. I can agree to that.”

“The deal is struck. I will send for you after the masquerade is done,” the Rising Moon said. “And don’t forget what I wrote in the letter, Zeth. Your life will depend on it.”

He let out a hissing snort. “We will see.”

The woman pushed her chair back.

“So we shall,” the Rising Moon said. She took the mug from the table before her and rose to her feet, raising the mug in a slight toast. “It seems it is time to begin.”

A loud, piercing note sliced through the room. It was followed by a faint wave of magical pressure.

Zeth’s domain flared in warning.

His eyes went wide.

Someone was trying to cast a Formation in the center of the dining area across the crowd. And if he’d felt it from this far away… the Formation was powerful.

What kind of idiot goes casting something like that in the middle of a masquerade?

“Best of luck,” the Rising Moon said. “Stand up. Walk with me.”

Zeth rose. “Very well.”

The Rising Moon waited until Zeth had risen o join her, then started off toward the crowd.

“Remember your task,” the woman said. “One minute. No less.”

“I am more than aware,” Zeth said. “Once we see your target, I will begin. But I don’t see anyone with a stain on them.”

“Give it a moment,” the Rising Moon said, and for some reason, Zeth could have sworn he could hear a note of wry amusement in her voice. “Impatience ill suits you. You will find what you seek before you shortly.”

***

Vivian’s eyes snapped away from the crowds as the notes of a song twisted through the air.

Some idiot was casting a Formation in the middle of her hall and disrupting the entire party. Normally, that would have been offensive enough to deal with herself. But there was something far more important going on.

The Beyond.

She could feel it. There was nothing more than the faintest of whispers, little more than a fading remnant, but it was there. She doubted it had anything to do with the actual Formation being manifested. Nobody with any control of the Beyond would be stupid enough to dare let it interact with their other runes. If the did, they likely would have been consumed already.

This was far more offensive.

They’re trying to use the commotion to play with me, are they? Cocky bastard.

Vivian set off at a brisk pace. She didn’t need to draw the attention of the other Faction Heads. They couldn’t know what her goals were. But her senses had already affixed themselves to the Beyond-user. She’d been waiting for this, and they were somewhere next to where the Formation was coming from.

They had practically already been caught. Every scrap of her attention and domain locked in, focusing on the source of the Beyond and narrowing it down to a tiny fragment of the room within moments—

Frothy, cold liquid splashed across Vivian’s chest and face.

She drew in a sharp breath, equal parts shock and disbelief. Her mind snapped back into her body, the sheer surprise tearing her thoughts away from her task. Her shirt was completely soaked through.

And, standing before her, was a man staring off into the masses, grasping an empty mug as he glanced around, clearly pretending to try and search for someone. But they were still several feet away from the crowd — and he was the only person anywhere near Vivian.

Disbelief and anger exploded through her mind.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She hissed.

The man stared at her. He looked down at the mug in his hands, as if surprised to find it there. Then let out a hissing curse.

“You have to be fucking with me.”