Chapter 549: An Idea

Chapter 549: An Idea

“This would be your subordinate,” Noah replied, hoisting Axil slightly. “She’s a bit smaller than normal, but if you take a close look, you’ll see who it is. Ah — we did confiscate her axe. Spoils of war.”

“Not her,” Zath snapped. “That is obviously Axil. I am referring to...”

The demon’s words trailed off. His head tilted to the side. For several seconds, he said nothing. Then he arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Zath tapped a foot on the ground, nodding slightly as if agreeing with someone.

Noah and Moxie exchanged a glance.

“What’s up with him?” Moxie whispered.

“I was hoping you were going to have the answer to that,” Noah replied. He rotated Axil around so he could look at her face. The demoness’ eyes were still screwed shut and her face was twisted into a grimace. Noah shook her slightly. “Oi. Wake up.”

“What is it?” Axil asked, making absolutely no move to open her eyes.

“What’s your boss doing?” Noah asked, glancing over Axil’s head at Zath. The demon now muttering something under his breath, staring at an empty patch of air in the middle of the Web’s camp.

Every single interaction he had with Sievan’s men made Noah suspect that there was something seriously wrong with all of their heads. Then again, there had to be something wrong with anybody that voluntarily decided that they wanted to serve the literal embodiment of death.

“He’s talking,” Axil said.

Ah, yes. I couldn’t tell that bit.

“You disgust me,” Zath informed the empty patch of air.

Axil nodded in agreement, even though she’d yet to open her eyes.

“To whom?” Noah asked in exasperation.

Axil screwed her lips up. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and said nothing else. Noah blew out a sigh. He glanced over his shoulder at Lee, who gave him a small shrug. She didn’t seem to have the slightest idea of what was going on either.

“I will not be doing that,” Zath informed the air.

Noah coughed into a fist. Zath ignored him.

“That’s hardly a good reason,” Zath said, now shaking his head. The disgust on his features had turned to mild curiosity, but there was still an edge in his posture that made it clear he was uncomfortable.

If anything, that was what started to ring alarm bells in Noah’s own head.

A Rank 7 demon, one who served under Sievan, the literal Lord of Death in the Damned Plains, was uncomfortable.

Zath had looked uncomfortable when he’d seen Noah come back out of the tent with Axil, but he’d made it clear that the source of his disgust wasn’t the fact that Axil shrinkflation-ed herself.

The only other change that had occurred in the span of Noah’s departure and return from the tent...

His eyes lifted to the book on his back. Axil had reacted horribly to it because of all the squished up demon corpses that made it up. But Zath was actively talking to something. Unless he’d gone completely insane —

Is it even the book he’s interested in?

He shook his head and pulled the grimoire off his back as he made his way across the tent and over to Moxie’s bed of vines. He sat down on it, flipping the huge book open in his lap.

“I hope Zath is very distracted, because it’s going to be a few more hours before my magic comes back,” Noah said as Moxie took seat in the viney chair across from him.

She rocked the chair onto its back legs and crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving him a slight nod.

“Sounds like a good opportunity to tell me what happened in Belkus’ estate,” Moxie asked. “I’m thoroughly lost.”

“Yeah. That and plan for what Rune I’m going to make. Just help me think of some excuses to stall Zath out if he decides he wants to leave soon. But, with regard to the estate... let’s see. It’s kind of a long story, but I’ll try to summarize it. Yoru is also Yoku. Our guess about her being older than we thought is right. She’s a Rank 7 demon. One that’s apparently in some huge conflict with Belkus. Also, Mascot showed up.”

“Gathered that bit,” Moxie said dryly. “What did he break?”

“Thus far, nothing. Give him time. I figure he’ll get around to it eventually. But... more importantly, we’ve found Wizen.”

Moxie’s eyes widened slightly. “You have? Where?”

“He’s apparently trying to annoy Sievan into fighting him,” Noah replied with a shrug. “I’ve got no idea why — or how. He’s somehow taking out Rank 7 demons. He even killed a Demon Lord. I think that key has to be helping him against demons somehow. Wizen was strong, but he’s not defeating Rank 7 enemies strong.”

“The artifact should only form a connection between planes,” Moxie said, her forehead creasing in a frown. “I read about it pretty thoroughly. I can’t really see how it would be making Wizen stronger. I’ll think over it and see if I can recall anything that he could be abusing.”

“It could also be his Mind Runes,” Noah said. “With how connected Demons are to their runes...”

“Yeah.” Moxie’s features were grim. “That could be it. I take it that’s why you were talking about Mind Runes when you got back?”

“Belkus gave ‘em to me. He’s surprisingly reasonable. The only thing he wanted in return is for us to get lost and not partner with Yoru against him.” Noah flipped through the pages of the grimoire. They were all blank, which was a surprise. The book was normally more responsive than this. He tapped its pages. “Give me those Mind Runes, please. I need them.”

A second passed. Then the pages abruptly flipped, as if the grimoire had just remembered what it was, and turned to a page covered with Rank 5 Mind Runes. Moxie arched an eyebrow in question; Noah shrugged in response.

His book was weird enough normally. He was just happy it wasn’t trying to draw anything inappropriate.

Moxie looked down at the grimoire, examining the runes in its pages, then lifted her gaze back to Noah as she tilted her head to the side. She didn’t quite look suspicious, but there was a note of discomfort in her expression.

“What are you going for with these? Mind Runes... they’re not really, well...”

“I know,” Noah said. His features darkened. “I have no plans of becoming Wizen. I’m not using the vile shit he does, but I need a way to keep him from using those powers on me. I figure the best way to do that is with more Mind Runes.”

Moxie nodded. Her expression softened slightly. There was no immense relief in her features, but only because it seemed she’d never actually held enough doubt about his actions to feel relieved over avoiding them.

“You’ve got a disaster in mind that somehow relates to the mind, then?”

Noah’s expression tightened. His thoughts drifted back. To the line — to the agony that had ground down on his mind like a mill, ripping away memories and past until only the monotony remained. The mental torture of being able to do nothing but take steps in an endless walk, future unknown and past slipping away.

“Yeah,” Noah replied in a grim tone, placing his hand on the surface of the grimoire. “I think I’ve got an idea.”