Chapter 43: Deals

Chapter 43: Deals

Noah’s trip to the A building was so fast that it was hardly even worth remembering. After locating it on a map, Noah determined that the A building was actually a small hut with a piece of paper and a quill and ink next to a message box.

Several other professors that Noah recognized from the exam were gathered around it. Noah peeked over one of their shoulders to see what they were writing. It was plainer than he’d expected – just the names of their students, together with either pass or fail.

Well, easy is good. It’s still hard to think completely straight right now. I need a full night of sleep, damn it. I hate the Hellreaver so much.

When Noah’s turn in line came, he quickly jotted down both Isabel and Todd’s success, then deposited the paper in the box. Then he was on his way.

As it turned out, there actually was a pizza restaurant. Noah wasn’t sure if that made sense or not. On one hand, every campus he’d ever taught on had pizza somewhere in the near vicinity. It was either on the campus itself or on the street corner right next to it. On the other hand, it was pizza in an entirely different world. Granted, they just called it Tomato Pie, but it was the same thing.

Does this mean that pizza is a common denominator? Wherever there are humans, they’ll invent pizza regardless of the level of technology or the presence of magic? I wish I could have done my thesis on this.

Noah was pleased to discover that the pizza wasn’t out of his budget. He ordered two of them, for two silver each, and asked the chef to make them on the morning of the following day. Beyond pleased with himself, Noah headed home with a smug grin plastered across his face.

Now that the exam was over, pathways opened up before him into the future. Each one tempted him in its own way, splitting his attention. He still needed to figure out what to do about the Linwick family, but he was also needed to find a way to replace his Lesser Wind Runes so he could start combining them.

Then there was his Master Rune. He wasn’t sure if he could handle it yet, but he wanted to get a handle over it before he actually combined anything. And none of that had even gotten to the Hellreaver, though that would have to wait until he confirmed his control over Sunder.

Noah ran his hands through his hair and let out an excited huff. It had been too long since he’d had literally anything to look forward to, and now there were so many things on his plate that he was fairly certain he was going to start forgetting them.

Still lost in thought, Noah turned the corner in the hall leading up to his room and nearly ran straight into Moxie. He ground to a halt just in time, stumbling over his own feet.

“Smooth,” Moxie said.

“I wasn’t expecting someone to try to bowl me over the moment I got back to my room. What are you doing here?”

Moxie raised an eyebrow. “You really think I’m going to leave our conversation from this morning off at that? You agreed to trade some answers, so here I am.”

Noah scrunched his nose and stepped past Moxie, sliding his key into the lock and opening his door. “Impatient, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you be planning your student’s party or something?”

“Already did that,” Moxie said, striding past Noah and claiming his chair before he could even enter the room. “I told her we’d be attending your party.”

Noah shook his head, stepping in after her and closing the door behind them. “Lazy.”

“Innovative,” Moxie corrected with a snicker.

Noah headed over to his bed and pulled his coat off. He tossed it into the corner of his closet and sat down, stretching his arms over his head and yawning.

“Okay, fine. We’ll play ball. Trade question for question. You want to go first? I need to think about what I’m going to ask about.”

Moxie blinked, as if she hadn’t expected Noah to agree to her request so quickly. She frowned and rubbed her chin. Several times, she opened her mouth and then closed it again, reconsidering.

“You don’t have to be so careful with your first question,” Noah said. “If I don’t like it, I just won’t answer.”

“Fine. Why’d you choose to... remake yourself?”

“I told you. Self-improvement. My turn. Do you know a way I could get information about the Linwick family other than the book in the library? That brat Edward took the book and now I can’t research them at all.”

“Hold on, that hardly answered my question.”

“You should have been more specific.” Noah grinned. “You can try again after you answer mine.”

Moxie huffed in annoyance. “He’s got some time before he has to return it, so if you’re in a rush, you’ll have to get another copy. There should be another one of those books in all of the Bastions, as well as any city that the Linwicks have influence over, which is quite a few. You could send for one of those pretty easily.”

Moxie nodded slowly.

“Back to the Linwick question, then,” Noah suggested.

“They’re powerful. Not the strongest noble family in the Arbalest Empire, but they’re up in the top ten. Not a group that anyone would willingly want to cross.”

And I finally have a name for the place I’m in. Arbalest Empire. Very medieval. I guess it’s a monarchy, then. And maybe I shouldn’t have pissed Allen off that much, but I refuse to let that prick push Isabel or Todd around. I can’t imagine the entire family are all pricks... right?

“I see,” Noah said. “What’s your next question?”

Moxie shifted in her chair, thinking for a few moments before she spoke again. “Were you serious about how you trained? You’ve been fighting Slashers nonstop without a Shield?”

“Yes. It was dangerous, but once I figured out how they fight, it became very good practice – not to mention that all the energy my Runes get for killing them is very helpful.”

Moxie shook her head. “It’s just very strange. Taking so much risk when most people could just save up for a while and buy a Shield... you’re crazy. What if you mess up and die? You’re acting more like a soldier than a professor. If Isabel or Todd had noble backing, their families would be out for blood.”

Noah shrugged. “Then I suppose it’s a good thing they aren’t. They needed an option, and this is the only one I could think of that would let them catch up to Edward and where I presume all the other students are.”

“Somehow, it’s working, but shouldn’t you cut it off while you’re ahead? You’re going to get yourself – or worse, your students – killed.”

“Don’t worry about that. I meant it when I said there’s absolutely no way a Slasher could ever kill me. If you’d fought them as many times as I have, you’d know it as well. How do you train your student? Do you just spar with her and help her kill monsters?”

“Pretty much,” Moxie admitted. “That’s what everyone does. Some sparring, some tips while they train on their own, and then beat monsters until they’re weak and let her finish them off. Add that in with normal training and it’s much safer and more reliable, even if it isn’t as fast. These kids – most of them, at least – are nobles. They’ve got their whole future ahead of them. They don’t want to have to risk their life when they have no reason to. Time isn’t exactly an issue.”

“That seems like it wouldn’t teach them much in the way of fighting monsters practically. What if your student gets hit? I understand prioritizing safety, but it almost seems like you’re taking it too safe.”

“That’s what a Shield is for.”

“And if she gets surprised? Using the Shield like a crutch will inevitably fail one day. Better to be able to fight without it and have the Shield as a backup, no?”

Moxie’s gaze fell downward. She fell silent, staring at her hands.

“My turn,” Noah said after giving her a little time to process his words. “Just how rare are Greater Wind runes? I need one.”

Moxie frowned, still clearly not fully done digesting Noah’s warning. “Greater Runes are very expensive. Easily a few hundred gold, depending on how commonly the Rune is used in combinations. Wind is one of the most popular because of its ability to fly, so you’d probably be looking at around five hundred gold or more.”

“Shit. That’s a lot. What about finding it from a monster?”

“You’d have to go somewhere with monsters that used Wind Runes. There’s a list of that somewhere. I could help you find it. I need a Wind Rune myself for the combination I’m currently working on.”

Noah’s eyes lit up. “That would be great.”

“But not for free,” Moxie said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I want something in return.”

Noah tilted his head to the side. “What?”

“I want to shadow your class with Emily. You took two students that hadn’t done any work since the start of this year – ones that had absolutely no prospects and no right to even stand on the same footing as Edward – and crushed him completely. That means you’re either lying to me, or I’m doing my job wrong.”

Noah rubbed his chin. “That’s fine with me. I’ll make the educated guess that Emily is your student. I don’t mind adding the two of you to the roster for a little while.”

“So I’ll find you that book on the Linwicks as well as a location to look for a Greater Wind Rune and a method to get it. In return, you let us tag along for a while. Deal?”

“Deal.” Noah extended his hand, and Moxie clasped it.