Return of the Runebound Professor Chapter 937: Bid

The Faction Heads were silent for a few seconds. Even as Baun got next round got started, not one of them said a word. Then the Imperator of Man let out a hissing laugh to break the quiet.

“Well, Baress. I hope you brought more than one interesting candidate. You really did get quite unlucky with that matchup.”

“So she did,” Rake said. He didn’t sound nearly as amused as the other man. Vivian could feel his gaze boring into her skull. “How unfortunate.”

Vivian bit back a laugh.

“It’s not like anything changes,” Vivian said with a small shrug. “Kali was clearly already aligned with Baress. That basically means she got what she came to the tournament for. The only thing she could have done at this point was crush other mages that might have had potential but no experience. I’m not too put out by the loss.”

Baress finally got control of her expression again. Her lips thinned for a moment before giving a small nod.

“Vivian is correct. Kali came to the tournament purely out of desire to get a good fight and further her skills. She received what she wanted. I cannot complain about the results of this fight. They were… beneficial.”

“Quite right,” Vivian said. She leaned back in her chair. “So there’s really no need to worry. We should just keep watching the tournament. I’m quite certain that Spider will be far from the only interesting character making himself known soon.”

“I can agree with that,” the Imperator said with a hissing chuckle. “I want to see how my choices perform. Can you arrange for an interesting fight for them sometime soon?”

“I don’t arrange any of the fights,” Vivian said flatly. “They are entirely random and chosen by the badges automatically. It would not be an impartial tournament if I were involved to such a degree.”

The Imperator’s tongue flicked out to taste the air in annoyance. “Come on. I don’t think any of us would object if you shifted the battles to ensure they were a little more interesting. Half of them aren’t worth our time at all.”

“The ones toward the end will be,” Vivian said. She smiled. “Sit back, Imperator. Enjoy a meal. Be patient. What you seek will come to you.”

The Imperator heaved a sigh. He leaned back in his chair. “Insufferable.”

Rake turned silently back to look down at the arenas. His features were as unreadable as ever. But, as for Baress, the red-haired woman rose to her feet.

“I believe I will take my leave for a short while,” she said. “Vivian, do send for me if anything worthwhile happens. Given you have no interest in recruiting anyone else at this stage, I trust I can count on you.”

She was gone before Vivian could respond.

If Vivian was honest, she really didn’t care if Baress was present or not. There were far bigger things for her to worry about than a Faction Head throwing a temper tantrum that her favorite candidate had gotten stomped into the ground before she could show off her powers.

Namely — the Apostles and whatever the hell the Truthseekers were trying to do in her city. She’d still yet to locate any new information about them. They were gearing up for something, and she didn’t know what. That concerned her more than anything else.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Vivian’s teeth clenched. She needed to get the next social event started as soon as possible. That would be the best way for Noah to get in with the Apostles and try to get some information on what the hell was going on. She needed to be proactive. Because, if she couldn’t, then the only thing that Aqua Terra would be able to do in response to the Truthseekers would be to desperately clean up all the damage they caused and pray the tournament didn’t come crashing down around her.

***

Baress was a step beyond displeased.

Not just because Kali had lost. She’d been more than aware of Kali’s limitations. The mage was powerful, but she was arrogant and overly-leveraged into a single type of magic. Her power was unbalanced. Her chances of actually winning her bracket of the tournament had been very low.

She had expected Kali to make it at least toward the final fights. But Baress had been embarrassed before. Such things were the nature of a long life. People disappointed her all the time. That was never a reason to let her own mood be negatively impacted.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t just a disappointment. Kali had been quite literally knocked out in one of her first fights. It hadn’t even been close. She’d just been tossed around like a toy, then collapsed. And that had been it. Doing that right after Baress had voiced her confidence…

That on its own normally wouldn’t have been enough for Baress to drop her mask. An embarrassing defeat was nothing more than that in isolation. But now she’d lost one of her tools, and that would make the rest of the tournament far more difficult.

And on top of all of that… she’d let her mask fall in front of the other Faction Heads.

So it was quite accurate to say that Baress was fucking furious.

And there was one person that could be solely be blamed for it.

She stared into the darkness in the corners of the empty, undecorated room that Vivian had provided her with. Her scowl deepened.

“Come out,” Baress hissed. “I know you’re lurking there.”

Several seconds of silence passed. Then the shadows rippled. They bubbled up and formed into a roughly humanoid form before Baress.

“I didn’t—”

“I don’t want your excuses, Maria,” Baress growled, cutting the shadows off with a cold glare. “You said that they were the relationship. So why is it that Spider was able to slaughter Kali like that? You told me it was fake!”

“It was!” Maria exclaimed. “I was there for the whole thing! I — I mean, most of it. Not all of it. But I know that every bit of their arrangement is complete bullshit. The only reason Spider is aligned with Vivian is because Rake got involved and forced Vivian’s hand. They had to come up with a lie to keep Vivian’s honor intact. She had to have been helping him with everything he pulled off. He’s just a Rank 5! There’s no way the whole thing isn’t a scam!”

“Is that so?” Baress’s eyes even further narrowed into thin slits. She took a step toward Maria. “Then how do you explain the results of that match? Spider is no Rank 5. He tore through Rune Force. He was able to draw on enough magical pressure to literally crush Kali into submission. How is that the act of a man who is only faking a relationship with Vivian?”

Maria’s shadowy form rippled. “I don’t know. It makes no sense. But I can assure you, he was a Rank 5. He touched one of my badges. I felt his rune layout. Roughly, at least. There’s no doubt that he was Rank 5!”

“Or you got fooled,” Baress growled. “And your shadows aren’t nearly as wise as you want to claim. Because, to me, it looks like we got thoroughly trounced. Vivian did not interfere with that fight. I was next to her the entire time. There is absolutely no doubt at all that it was only Spider fighting.”

“I — maybe it was Sievan,” Maria muttered. “He could have been—”

“Sievan?” Baress exclaimed. “You think the Lord of Death would help someone working with Vivian? Are you a complete fool? How is it that you reached Rank 8?”

“He likes the Rank 5,” Maria defended. “I saw it. Myself.”

“I don’t care if he’s allies with him,” Baress snarled. “Not even Sievan would be able to interfere so brazenly. That was all Spider, and you are in denial if you think otherwise. You have completely failed me, Maria. You said that you would be able to control the results of the tournament. Instead, you have eliminated one of my best cards. I am of half a mind to tell Vivian of your traitorous soul just to see her tear you apart.”

“You won’t,” Maria said. Her eyes sharpened in the shadows. “Because she would come for you too. It would be admitting that you tried to cheat during the tournament, Baress. And you are not strong enough to fight Vivian in the seat of her power. Especially not when the other Faction Heads would side with her. You are in breach of the Rules.”

Baress ground her teeth. “Which is the only thing keeping you alive right now, you worthless excuse for a mage. Is your other information equally as flawed as this?”

“No,” Maria said with a firm shake of her head. “I am certain that it is true. Spider is an anomaly. I don’t understand what is happening with him. But—”

“I don’t care,” Baress growled. “If you fail me again, I will tear you apart myself. There is a world of difference between you and I, Maria. Do not forget it. And when I tell Vivian that you are a traitor, I suspect she will be more than pleased to let me do as I will, the Rules be damned.”

Maria flinched back. “I—“

“Am I understood?” Baress asked sharply.

“Yes,” Maria said. Her shadowy hands clenched. “Completely.”

“Good,” Baress said in a flat tone. “Then go do as you were bid.”

Then she was gone.

Maria stood in silence for a moment. Then her shadows faded as well, and the room was empty once more.