Return of the Runebound Professor

Chapter 895: Spider

Vivian swirled the drink around in her glass. Technically, it wasn’t even her glass. It belonged to the mage sitting across the table from her. But he’d given it to her. And if she got even more technical, it was her glass. She owned this hall and everything in it.

And yet, quite ironically, even after bargaining for the right to drink what was in many rights already hers… she couldn’t drink it.

She’d been so flustered from the absolute shitshow that had been unfolding that she’d forgotten that taking her mask off wasn’t so easy a task. Most of the competitors here didn’t have anything to hide about their identities. Nobody knew them. And of those that did know them, there were so many people present that the chances of running into one were astronomically low.

But Vivian wasn’t in the same situation. The chances of somebody recognizing her here were immense. People were acutely aware that the Faction Heads were present somewhere within the masquerade, hunting for their next acquisition targets. It didn’t matter that Vivian had absolutely no desire to go around recruiting anyone.

If anyone saw her face, then she’d be swarmed in seconds. It didn’t help that the other Faction Heads would hear about what had happened and send out feelers of their own. Her moment of silence would burn away like dry grass set aflame.

She snuck a glance at the cloth-masked man sitting beside her. A small grin twitched at the corner of her lips. He hadn’t taken a sip of his drink before giving it to her. It had just been sitting on the table. From the looks of things, there was a pretty good chance that he’d gone through the exact same realization that she had.

It was amusing. The man didn’t have the faintest idea who sat by him. He was probably caught within a cage of thoughts, trying to figure out how to properly position himself to get the most benefits out of the tournament, entirely unaware that the person whose attention he was about to fight for was sitting right beside him.

I wonder what makes him so concerned to hide his face. Is he a criminal? From Coral, or from somewhere else entirely? What middling fears does he have, and what would he think if he knew the truth?

This was why Vivian liked masquerades. At least for the briefest moment, everyone was brought to the same level. They were all equal. Well, almost all.

She still knew she was.

I really should get back out. If I’m completely complacent, then the other Faction Heads are going to wring me dry. Even though I’ve got no damn plans to try to recruit anyone at all… I can’t just let them dance around and take their pick of the litter. At the very least I need to make things a bit more difficult for them.

But even if she’d had the motivation to rise from the table, her goals were easier said than accomplished. She’d already lost a lot of time. The Faction Heads and those working with them would have scattered through the hall by now. Even she would have trouble finding them.

I’m sure the Mistress is keeping an eye on things, but she’s not powerful enough to go head to head with any of the other Faction Leaders.

“What a pain in the ass,” Vivian muttered under her breath.

“Tell me about it,” the man beside her said. He let out a huff. “Insufferable, really.”

Did I say that out loud?

That would have been somewhat embarrassing if anyone had actually known who she was. But so long as the mask stayed on… so long as she didn’t reveal her magic, her odd companion didn’t have the faintest idea of her identity. There was really no need to hold back. Not when she was going to have to put on her real mask the moment this fake one came off at the end of the masquerade.

“You haven’t been a fan of the tournament?” Vivian asked, nodding out to the milling crowd. She couldn’t be bothered to make out any of the conversations. There was really only one person she’d had any interest in finding today, and she’d already whiffed her chance to find him. The information she needed wasn’t going to show up in some random mage’s gossip.

“It’s a tournament. I don’t really care,” the man said with a small shrug. “I suppose it’s doing its job. But all the shit around it is — as you put it — a pain in the ass.”

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That’s a little odd. He doesn’t sound all that excited to be here in the first place. Why would someone strong enough to join the tournament bother joining if they didn’t want to come up in the first place? It’s not like this is some upstart Rank 3 mage trying to make a name for himself and get picked up by a teacher. Doesn’t sound like he wants a teacher at all.

“Yeah?” Vivian asked. It really didn’t matter. The conversation should have been leagues beneath her. But something about its bluntness was too appealing to let it lie. “What do you mean by that? I can’t help but agree, but I expect for different reasons than yours.”

The man waved his hand vaguely around himself. “All of this. The shit around the tournament. Everyone’s trying to get their hands on something or another. This tournament is basically just a front for a bunch of power struggles. It’s like a play with people beating the life out of each other as a cover for all the real shit that’s happening below the covers, yeah? And it’s not like I’m pointing out some forbidden information. The organizers basically straight up said it. The whole point is to get recruited by a faction. That means the factions will be competing over the top people.”

“Wouldn’t you say that’s a good thing for you — us?” Vivian asked, tilting her head to the side. “Getting recruited is the goal, isn’t it?”

“I couldn’t care less about that,” the man said with a wave of his hand. “I don’t recall anyone saying the only purpose of the tournament was getting picked by someone so you can dance in the palm of their hand like a monkey on strings. It’s a tournament. The point of a tournament is putting on a show.”

Vivian blinked. She studied the man for a moment. “But that is the point of the tournament. Don’t you want to get taken in by a Faction’s elite? It would give you access to their resources. Their magic. The combinations and techniques they’ve studied, not to mention safety and power.”

The man turned toward her. Even though his black mask completely blocked out his features, Vivian could tell he was amused.

“You know, I don’t think anyone has ever become truly great by doing something for someone else. Power comes to the people that seek it out themselves. Having a teacher is great. A good teacher is a guide. But that isn’t what all these people are. The Faction Heads are just trying to build themselves up by recruiting the strongest mages they can find,” he said with a shrug. “What’s the point of wanting to join up with a faction like that? You’ll just get used, chewed up, and spit out. A little extra power means nothing if you don’t really have the freedom to use it.”

“So why are you here?” Vivian asked curiously. This wasn’t the attitude she’d expected from one of the competitors. Not at all. It was actually a little more interesting than she’d expected. A mage showing up to not just any tournament, but hers… without the faintest interest in the potential rewards. That was definitely a bit odd. “Surely your time would have been better served elsewhere.”

“Why am I here?” The man paused for a moment. Then he let out a small laugh. “I suppose it’s to put on a show.”

“A show?” Vivian asked. “That’s it? That’s why you’ve joined one of the biggest tournaments in all of Obsidia?”

“What, do you never do anything for fun?” The man countered. “Why are you here? Hoping to get picked by one of the Faction Heads?”

“I — no. I suppose not,” Vivian admitted. Then she hesitated for a moment. “But I wouldn’t be mad if I were.”

“Oh? Which one? To be honest, I don’t know too much about most of them. They haven’t been on the forefront of my mind.”

“I suppose I don’t mind,” Vivian said, trying not to trip over her own words. She had absolutely no problems managing conversations when she was the Prophet. But talking about herself in what was rapidly approaching third person was getting too egotistical, even for her. “Any of them would be fine. You can get a lot of power from attaching yourself to someone like that.”

“You think? I’d imagine they’re way too busy to babysit someone properly. They’ll probably just toss a bunch of resources at you and then lock you in a room until they need to show one of the other Factions that they’re better. But even if that weren’t the case… I think I’d rather earn my power myself. Real understanding comes through application. You have to be hands on. If someone just tells you everything to do and hands you the keys to success, you’re going to miss things.”

Vivian was surprised to find she didn’t have an answer to that. Not, at least, from behind her mask.

The man was right.

None of her true power had been gifted. Even the strength that had come from others had been nothing until she put it to use.

Before she could say anything else, her companion let out a sigh.

“It’s been good, but I reckon I’ve killed enough time — and I think a few people found me. Time to get going.”

Vivian blinked. Then she glanced away from the table.

He was right. A dozen men had encircled them. Though they were keeping some distance, the mages were definitely watching them. Half the thing keeping them from making a move was the fact that they were from different factions. To her surprise, a few of her own mages were amongst their number.

Just what did this guy do to get so much attention?

“What was your name, again?” Vivian asked. “I don’t think I caught it.”

“Spider,” the man replied.

Then he was gone, slipping into the crowd as a group of mages passed just a bit too close to them. Vivian remained at the table, untouched glass in her hand, watching the space where Spider had been moments before with a small frown lingering on her lips behind her mask.

That was surprisingly interesting.

I wasn’t planning on recruiting anyone during the tournament. But this Spider… perhaps I should keep an eye on him.