Return of the Runebound Professor

Chapter 388: Busy man

Chapter 388: Busy man

Noah extended his senses to the grimoire pressed against his hand in the outside world, sending it a mental request for an Earth Rune. He knew hed gotten a fair number of them from all the monsters hed killed during vacation with Moxie and Lee, but he wanted to make sure the book hadnt decided to eat any of them before he started cutting anything of Tims up.

Fortunately, the book responded, albeit reluctantly. Energy gathered at Noahs palm and he traced his hand through the air, forming a Rank 2 True Earth Rune in the air before him. It only took a few moments for him to create the relatively simple Rune.

It was roughly half full, and though Noah couldnt remember the exact amount the rune had been filled when hed put it into the book, he was pretty sure it was less than what it had now though not by much.

The book seemed to like taking the energy from the runes and distributing it amongst them. As to why, Noah still hadnt managed to find out. The artifact was clearly far more than just a storage item.

Perhaps it just liked screwing with his runes, or maybe there was some purpose to what it did. For the moment, all that mattered is that he had the rune that Tim needed. Noah turned his attention to Tims existing runes.

Tim already had an earth-based rune that hed pulled closer for Noah to work on while hed been drawing the True Earth Rune. The mere sight of Tims rune made Noah grimace. There was no word to describe it but horrendous.

Shattered Craggy Earth Rank 2

Part of Noah was surprised that the rune was even holding itself together. He wasnt sure hed seen such a poorly crafted rune before. Not all of Tims runes were this awful, though most werent much better, but this one seemed like a great spot to start the repairs to Tims soul.

After one more glance to make sure that Tim wasnt watching, Noah called on Sunder. He didnt want to wait around with an extra Rune in Tims soul for long. With how weak his runes were, there was a good chance his soul wouldnt be able to safely contain an extra high-quality Rank 2 Rune without a lot of undue stress.

Noah carved his hand downward, and a streak of black light carved down the center of Tims pathetic rune. It shattered instantly, a tiny sputter of wispy energy rising up from its remains. Seven Rank 1 Runes flew out from it its sputtering remains.

The ground beneath Noahs feet bucked and he stumbled as a thick white crack split through the grass just a short distance from him, pouring glowing light into Tims soul. Behind him, Tim let out a wheeze of pain and stumbled, falling to his knees.

Holy shit. His soul is so weak that even Sunders much more surgical removal still managed to damage it?

Noah hurriedly released Sunder and summoned the Fragment of Renewal. The crack in the ground was massive far larger than anything Noah felt was remotely safe to let stick around.

Gentle pink smoke poured out of his palms, infusing itself into the crack. The damage started to knit itself immediately. To Noahs relief, the weakness of Tims soul worked to his advantage instead of his detriment.

Because of how little soul there was to heal, the Fragment of Renewal worked at a remarkable speed. It knitted around the damage, pulling the grassy field back together and sealing over the white light in just a few seconds.

Now that the damage was averted, Noah turned to the seven Rank 1 Runes that had come out of the one hed just destroyed. They were still part of Tims soul, but they were going to cause trouble if he left them floating around Tim didnt have a large enough soul to store too many extra runes.

Also, it might be wise to avoid letting him know exactly how I took his rune out. If he sees seven Rank 1s, he might be able to realize that Im not just changing runes, but Im splitting them apart.

Noah extended his senses to the seven rank 1 runes. They shuddered at his mental touch. Their connection to him felt weak and feeble. Noah paused, a thought striking his head. The remains of the Fragment of Renewals energy were still twisting within Tims mind, leaving him room to do a little extra work.

Cutting the original rune with Sunder must destabilize them. I think I can just

Noah summoned the runes to him, then pressed his hand to the first one. He felt the grimoire warm against his touch in the real world. There was a soft pop, and the rune disappeared. The grimoire had eaten it through Noah.

Tim didnt seem to be too pained by the theft, so Noah did the same to the rest of the Rank 1s. The grimoire sent Noah a warm, satisfied feeling of approval. Something told him that none of the Rank 1 runes had survived the trip out of Tims mind.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Whatever. I need to feed it anyway, and those werent particularly important.

Several small cracks formed in the grass from the removal of the already-destabilized runes, but the remaining energy from the Fragment of Renewal handled them before they could go anywhere.

Tim, Noah called. You can turn around.

Tim spun, his eyes going wide as he saw the Rank 2 Rune floating before Noah. His eyes darted around his mindspace, searching for any traces of his original rune, but they were gone.

I how? Tim stammered.

Worry about drawing this first, Noah suggested, sending the Rank 2 Rune toward Tim. He tried to keep the smug grin from his face, but he wasnt so sure hed succeeded. The expression of delighted disbelief on Tims face was difficult to ignore.

Tim hurried to comply. He placed a hand on the Rune, then started tracing it with his other. It took him a lot longer than it would have taken Noah, but Noah had more experience drawing Runes than most people.

Tim managed to get the Rank 2 Rune secured in his soul after about two minutes of work. His hand dropped in relief, his eyes sparkling as the new rune drifted back through the air, joining the rotation of the other six.

I cant believe it, Tim muttered, swallowing heavily as he turned to watch the runes slow flight through the air. I never thought He trailed off, not even able to finish his sentence. Shaking his head, Tim looked back to Noah. Thank you. I dont know why you did this, but I never thought Id have such a nice rune. Ill cherish it. With this, I may actually have a chance of pushing to Rank 3.

What, with the rest of what youve got here? Noahs eyes widened as he gestured to the other runes around them. We still need to get you six more, Tim. One good one isnt going to do you any good. Even if you managed to cobble this into a Rank 3, it would be terrible.

You can fix my other runes? Tim asked, his mouth hanging agape. All of them?

Well, yes. Why would I just fix one and leave it at that?

I just didnt think

Dont think, Noah suggested with a grin. The less you think about what Im doing here, the better it will be for the both of us. The best way you can thank me is to completely forget that Im the one that helped you at all. Just think of this as the universe paying you back for your kindness.

Tim chewed his lower lip, clearly uncomfortable with all the help Noah was giving him. It wasnt like he could refuse Noah wasnt just offering him power. The stronger runes would expand his lifespan and open up countless opportunities. New runes were quite literally a new lease on life.

Finally, Tim nodded. I dont know if I can forget it completely, but I can assure you that not a word of anything that happened here will ever so much as grace my thoughts. It will be banished to the deepest recesses of my memory and I will die twice before I speak of it.

Or live once, Noah offered. Im not doing all this shit so you can get yourself killed.

Tim let out a laugh. I think I can do that, Professor Vermil. Are you

Going to do the rest now? Noah finished. No. Id like to, but your soul is really fragile. It wouldnt be able to handle more modifications today. Well have to come back to it tomorrow, or on whatever day youve got some time.

Id make time in the middle of the night if that was what it took, Tim said with a bark of laughter. Whenever you can slot me in will be perfect. Its not like I have a very busy schedule. Its just me and the transport cannon.

Tomorrow, then, Noah said. Hed have to get another Mind Meld Potion, as he was keeping the extra one hed bought for Lee in case her Rune became too problematic and he had to Sunder it for her safety. Weve got a little more time before the potion wears off, so you might as well get used to your new Rune.

Tim didnt need to be told twice. Energy curled around his hands as he called on the True Earth Rune, and Noah couldnt help but smile as he watched the old man play with the magic like a child that had just gotten a new toy.

Its strange how much a Rank 2 Rune has changed for me. There would have been a time when getting one would have been an enormous change. Now, I can harvest them at will with almost no effort.

I hope Tims future combinations are much better once I get him all fixed up. It would be a shame if he ends up having a bad Rank 3 combination. Ill talk to him a bit about combination theory after I replace all his runes so he can avoid that.

If Noah was honest with himself, Tims situation sat poorly with him. The man was clearly hard working he basically never left the transport cannon and always kept it running. An attitude like that should have served him well in school.

He was failed. His teachers should have ensured that he had the tools to succeed, but they didnt because he wasnt a noble. And, because he wasnt a noble, he wasnt able to get good runes either. Compound that with no guidance on combinations and its no wonder he got stuck at Rank 2.

How many other people are like this? Its such an enormous waste. The noble houses are literally crippling everyone by suppressing information and runes just for the sake of keeping their power.

Noah wasnt sure if there was anything he could do about it. Squaring up against every noble house sounded like a great way to get his students killed. And, if Noah was honest with himself, he didnt properly care about anyone other than the people close to him.

Im not putting any of their lives at risk for someone I dont know. Its just not worth it. But, one day, it would be nice to find a way to help everyone that deserves it. Just not at the cost of anyones safety.

Noah sat as Tim tested his new Rune, waiting out the rest of the Mind Meld potions time until he felt a buzz building in the back of his head.

Thats time, Noah said, rising to his feet. As more of your runes get repaired, we should be able to fix them faster. Id say this should only take two or three more sessions.

Thank you, Tim said. Ill make time whenever youre ready, but dont feel pressured. Im sure youre a busy man.

Noah nodded, and the buzzing intensified. His soul slipped out of Tims and into a sea of darkness as it shot back toward its proper body.