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.”

“How?”

“Nope,” Moxie matched Noah’s grin. “My turn. How did this change of captain happen?”

Noah chewed his lower lip. He wasn’t willing to share the story of how he arrived in this world, and he certainly wasn’t going to share the secret of Sunder. Even though he was starting to trust Moxie, if word of the Master Rune’s abilities got out, he’d never live a free man again. It had to be kept secret until he was much, much stronger. Not to mention that he couldn’t think of an allegory that was vague enough to give as an answer that wouldn’t incriminate him if Moxie did turn out to not be an ally.

“Sorry,” Noah said with a shake of his head. “I don’t feel like answering that one. Let’s just suffice to say that the old captain learned the error of his ways and the new one is set on self-improvement. I’ll let you ask a different question if you want.”

Moxie pursed her lips and tapped a finger against her thigh. “Why do you know so little about everything?”

Noah thought for a while before he answered to try to find a way to safely answer her question. “Self-improvement is a difficult journey. I needed to go back to the things that the old captain once knew and find out if I truly knew them or not.”

“Haven’t you tried seeing a healer? That sounds pretty bad.”

“Sure have. Thankfully, he couldn’t find anything wrong with me, and that’s because there’s nothing to fix. I won’t count that as a question against you out of the kindness of my heart.”

Moxie studied Noah for a few moments. He could practically hear the gears turning inside her head. Moxie’s eyes widened and she leaned forward. “Healers can’t detect damage to the soul. That’s what you are. A soul that consumed Vermil’s soul and stole his body?”

Noah’s heart skipped a beat. Moxie was quick. She’d gathered a very close rendition to what had actually happened within just a few seconds.

“I’m not sure we’re on the same page. I’m talking about self-improvement here, not murder. It’s a state of mind.”

Moxie scrunched her nose in annoyance.

“My turn,” Noah said. “You’ve gotten enough from that question. Let’s see – can you show me how to get that book on the Linwicks?”

“I can get the damn thing for you.”

“Deal.”

“Hardly a deal,” Moxie grumbled. “But fine. What sparked this sudden bout of self-improvement? Did you just decide to change one day?”

“I had a very convincing drink that made me rethink the errors of my ways. Forever.”

Moxie’s brow creased in confusion. Then her eyes widened and immediately shot to the gourd at Noah’s waist. “Poison. You asked about the healing potion earlier. That’s why, isn’t it? Someone poisoned, you.”

Damn, you’re good at connecting dots. That’s fine, though. I was already certain it wasn’t Moxie that tried to poison me, so having someone else that’s actually on my side will be helpful.

Noah nodded. “Yeah. Someone poisoned my potion. It made for a very strong attitude change.”

“Oh, shit,” Moxie muttered. “I joked that I would have poisoned it. Did you think I was actually the one that tried to kill you?”

“I don’t think you get how this game is supposed to work. That’s two questions in a row,” Noah said with a playful chuckle. “And, actually, our talk convinced me that you didn’t. The offhand manner you mentioned poisoning the potion was very clear that you were making a joke, which means it wasn’t likely you actually did it. But I want to know who did.”

Moxie leaned back and rubbed her chin. “I can imagine. I know what your question is, but I don’t think I can answer it. I have no idea who gave that to you. There are a lot of people that don’t like you. It’s too bad you didn’t decide to set sail earlier and get that captain changed out a few years ago.”

“Not just the captain. I am trying to improve every part of myself. But, in the spirit of challenging things I once knew – who were you to me? We clearly had history.”

“I was the professor that was hired right before you were. I showed you the ropes around Arbitage. It… didn’t go well. You were a creep, and the Linwicks only sent you here to get you out of their hair and keep you away from too much attention.”

“Just how powerful are the Linwicks?” Noah asked with a worried frown.

“Nope. My turn. If you’re so set on this journey of improving yourself, why have you taken on the tasks that Vermil once did?”

“Because I’m a teacher. I couldn’t leave students floundering. Improving yourself doesn’t mean abandoning your past decisions. I still have to make up for what was done, even if I’m not the same ship.”

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.”

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. Also, I already let you sit in on one of my classes, so it’s fair trade.”

Noah rubbed his chin. “That’s fine with me. 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.