Return of the Runebound Professor

Chapter 381: Mix and match

Chapter 381: Mix and match

Lees mindspace was different than Noah remembered it. Inky darkness still surrounded him when he took form, strands of jet-black crisscrossing through the air around them. Where there had once been seven runes remained only a single Demon Rune. The rune was, as expected, completely unreadable to Noahs eyes. It looked like a child had been force-fed sugar and let loose with a growing crayon.

Squiggles and lines twisted around each other, pulsating with faint energy. Even though the rune was a Rank 4 the same as Natural Disaster a faint sense of unease settled on Noahs shoulders.

But, even if Noah could have read the Rune, he wouldnt have been able to see all of it. Thick bands of grey energy wrapped around it, faint motes of dull orange ember rising off them.

Noah went to take a step and nearly tripped over his own feet. The ground felt softer and more pliable than he recalled, and he could feel his feet sinking ever so slightly into it. It took a little more effort than hed expected to raise a foot, and tiny strands of black snapped away from it.

Its like putty. Odd.

Lee barely even seemed to notice Noahs arrival. She stood beside him, staring up at the Demon Rune with wide eyes. The faint orange-red light washing off the Rune illuminated her face in a ruddy hue.

You okay? Noah asked, squelching over to Lee.

Yeah, Lee said after a moment, not even looking in Noahs direction. She reached up to her head, massaging her temple with a pained grimace. There it is.

So I can tell, Noah said. He craned his neck back, squinting into the darkness in search for the Broken Enveloping Dark Master Rune. He couldnt seem to spot it, but that wasnt that much of a surprise. Lees mindspace was pitch black, and the pressure coming off the rune wasnt enough to give Noah much hesitation. His own Master Runes were considerably stronger, and it being broken probably wasnt doing anything to help its power.

Maybe thats for the best. I want to figure out what I can do with a Broken Master Rune and maybe fix it at some point, but Lee doesnt need more things to deal with right now. Having it weakened should go a pretty long way for reducing its power and any potential problems but damn, it shouldnt be this hard to find. It was a bloody Master Rune.

Lee? Noah asked.

Yeah? Lee still didnt pull her eyes away from the glowing Rune.

Wheres your Master Rune?

Lee finally tore her eyes away and looked up. The frown on her lips deepened and she blinked, her features furrowing in confusion. After a second, she shook her head. I I have no idea. It vanished!

She sounded as if she were half-drunk. As Lee turned back to look at her Rune again, Noah caught her by the shoulders and gently turned her so that her back was to it.

Look at me, Noah said, tightening his grip slightly to keep Lees attention. Youre stronger than the Rune, Lee. Its part of you, not all of you. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly, then focus on me.

Lee gave him a weak nod and did as he said. Her eyes sharpened faintly and she repeated the breath, shaking her head.

Okay. Im here. Sorry. The rune is just so beautiful. I want to touch it but I dont want to touch it either. I dont know what will happen if I do, but I get the feeling it might get stronger and break Azels bonds.

Perhaps lets hold off on that until we figure out whats going on, Noah said. Remember, weve only got around thirty minutes to deal with this, so lets go as quickly as possible. Whats the name of your Rune?

Im not sure, Lee admitted reluctantly. Her head twitched but she caught herself before she could look back at the glowing energy. I was so certain it was Gluttony. It would have made sense. I like eating.

So you do.

But it isnt Gluttony, Lee said. I know the rune for Gluttony, and that isnt it. I dont recognize whatever that Rune is.

I didnt realize that was possible. I thought you could read Demon Runes.

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I thought I could too, Lee muttered. I dont know why I cant read it. I should be able to. Its literally meant to represent me. How am I supposed to be represented by a rune I cant even understand?

Noah squinted at the rune over Lees shoulder. It really didnt look all that different from any other Monster Runes that hed seen. If it hadnt been for Azels magic binding it together, he would have assumed it was just a random powerful rune.

Is it possible that Azels magic is actually hiding the identity of the Rune from Lee to keep her from understanding it?

Thats fine, Noah said. Dont stress over it. It would have been nice to figure out what the rune does, but its not mandatory by any means. We already know its powerful, so whats more important is figuring out if its actively hurting you and if theres anything we have to do to make sure it doesnt break free.

Right, Lee said, but she didnt sound particularly convinced.

Just stay here for a second, Noah said. Im going to take a closer at your rune. Dont turn around, okay? Not until Im back, at least.

Okay, Lee said. I can do that.

Noah stepped past her and approached the rune. Energy prickled at his skin and pressure built the closer he got, but his own runes were still more powerful than Lees. Compared to Sunder and the Fragment of Renewal, this Demon Rune was nothing.

Noah drew to a stop just before it, studying the energy wrapping it. Whatever Azel had done looked pretty sturdy. He didnt want to mess with it in risk of possibly damaging the demons work, but the restraints around the rune didnt show any signs of giving in.

Energy crackled faintly along where Azels bindings met the rune, but he couldnt feel the energy from either the rune or its constraints weakening in any way. At least as far as he could tell, the restraints would hold for quite some time.

His primary purpose accomplished, Noah took a few minutes to just study the rune itself. It was definitely more complex than the other Demon Runes that hed seen in the past nestled within Lees mindspace, but that wasnt really a surprise.

The other runes Noah had seen had been Rank 3s, while this was a Rank 4. But, even in comparison to his own Rank 3 and 4 Runes, the complexity of this rune felt like it was a little higher than it should have been.

I wish I could read the damn thing. Normally, this is where Id ask Azel what the hell I was looking at, but I guess I wont be doing that anymore.

Noah was surprised to find that he felt a faint sense of regret at that, and not even because of what Lee had revealed. Hed always known that things were likely to end in a fight between him and Azel, but hed actually started relying on the demon.

Unfortunately, regret wasnt going to change anything. Azel wasnt around to help, which meant Noah had to figure something out on his own. He couldnt read a Demon Rune, but that didnt mean he couldnt try to decipher it.

Noah walked around the rune, chewing the insides of his cheeks as he thought. Every rune had a pattern. That was a fundamental of nature, and the core of what his studies had revealed to him. There was no reason that demons would be an exception, so there had to be a pattern in this one as well. It wasnt easy to find, but it had to be there.

And, as Noah studied the rune, he occasionally found lines and swirls that felt like they were part of a pattern but the thread of logic vanished into squiggles the moment he started to follow it.

The pattern just didnt make any sense. Noahs frustration grew as minutes ticked away. Lee had claimed that demons and humans were different, but he refused to believe that there was such a chasm between their races.

Magic is magic. It might be different magic, just like music and rune circles are different ways to use Formations, but I refuse to believe that demons are just random worthless squiggles while humans have nice patterns in their Runes. Theres more to it.

Noah completed another loop around the rune, then came to a stop before it again. He wasnt even sure how much time had passed now, but he still hadnt come any closer to understanding how the rune worked.

Lee had been patiently waiting for him all this time, and he didnt want to come back to her with nothing more than a shrug and an empty promise that things would turn out all right. If he wanted to be able to tell her anything, he needed to understand.

Come on. Theres a pattern in there. I know there is. I see the traces of one, but none of them go anywhere. Its almost as if

Noahs thoughts ground to a halt and his eyes went wide. He walked back to the other side of the Rune, staring at it for a few seconds before making his way back over to the first side. He walked a few more circles around it, excitement building in his chest.

I figured it out! Noah exclaimed.

You did? Lee asked. What is it? What did you find? You can read the Demon Rune?

No, not that, Noah said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Possibly something more important, though. I know why you cant read your Rune.

You do? Lees hands twitched at her sides as she fought to keep herself from turning around to face Noah. He took pity on her and walked back over so Lee could see him again.

Yeah, Noah said. I thought it was weird that I couldnt find the pattern in it, you know? I mean, sure Demon Runes arent the same as normal ones, but there still has to be some form of pattern in them. Thats how magic works!

Lee squinted at Noah. Please just tell me whats wrong with my Rune.

Oh, right. Sorry. Theres nothing wrong with your Rune, Lee. At least, Im almost certain there isnt. The reason you cant figure out what the heck is going on with it is because you arent looking at a Demon Rune at all.

What? Lee asked, frowning. How is that possible?

Its the reason your Master Rune is missing, Noah said, shaking his head in disbelief. When I was studying your Rune, I realized that the reason I couldnt find a pattern was because there were two patterns overlaid on top of each other. You somehow merged your Demon Rune with the Master Rune, and Ive got no idea what it left you with.