Noah and Lee stood beneath a river.

  Not under it. Beneath it.

  The rushing water passed through the very air about a dozen feet above their heads. It wasn’t just floating there on its own. A faint shimmer of translucent energy swirled all along and beneath the river to keep it contained. It did nothing to stop the sunlight filtering through the water, sending patterns dancing down to transform everything beneath the river into a moving artwork.

  Calling it beautiful would have been an understatement. This was something that would have been the centerpiece of a museum somewhere. A marvel of magical engineering whose creation Noah couldn’t even begin to comprehend. It wasn’t like someone could stick Imbuements on water.

  The two of them probably would have appreciated it a little more if they weren’t hopelessly lost.

  “I hate this,” Lee said. She looked around the wide alley they’d meandered their way into, then blew out an exasperated huff. “This city sucks.”

  They’d been wandering around Aqua Terra for the better part of a few hours. Perhaps saying that they were lost was a bit of a misnomer. Noah roughly knew where they were. They’d already found an inn and purchased a room for a week at the cost of one of the crystals in Lee’s ring, bringing them down to a total of 13.

  But they hadn’t stuck around long. They’d only taken a glance into the room before heading out into the city to see what else it held.

  The answer to that was a hell of a lot. Aqua Terra somehow managed to feel even bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. There was so much to it that Noah was pretty sure they could have wandered the streets for years without seeing everything.

  “Come on, now. That’s hardly fair. You have to admit it’s a really cool city,” Noah said. “This is beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t care if it’s beautiful,” Lee grumbled. “I can’t smell anything. How would you like wandering around with your eyes sewn shut?”

  Noah grimaced. “Okay. Yeah. Fair point. Sorry. I’m sorry, Lee. But we’re going to have to put up with it for now. At least until we find the others. If they’re not already here, then they will be soon. There’s no way I’m leaving before we’re all back together.”

  “Yeah. I know.” Lee blew out a long-suffering sigh. “It’s fine. I just feel so… helpless. I can’t tell where I am. I don’t know where we’ve been. I’ve never had to navigate anything without being able to smell at all.”

  I never really thought about how much she’d rely on her sense of smell for normal things. I know smell is heavily associated with memory. That must be even more true for her. No wonder she’s so disoriented.

  “We’ll figure something out soon,” Noah said. “Maybe we can find a way to temporarily lessen or remove the effects. If this is some big imbuement, there may be something we can buy to weaken it or something.”

  Lee sent a sidelong look at Noah. “That would completely defeat the purpose of having a barrier like this.”

  “Probably. I was just trying to make you feel better,” Noah admitted. “I know it’s got to be really difficult for you right now. But just bear with it for a little longer. There are only a few more days until the tournament.”

  “We could have found everyone here already if my nose worked,” Lee muttered. “Maybe we should just wait outside the city and catch them while they arrive.”

  “Unless they’re already inside it,” Noah said. He shook his head. “Our best bet is the tournament. And, speaking of which, we really need to figure out how exactly I can get into that.”

  “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea. But…” Lee scrunched her nose. Then she glanced over her shoulder. “I think I’d like to lie down. My brain is melting. Do you think I can head back to the inn and sleep? I need to adjust.”

  “Of course,” Noah said. “I didn’t realize it was affecting you this badly, Lee. I should have—”

  “It’s fine. I’m just… disoriented,” Lee said. She shook her head like a wet dog, then pulled the copper ring off her finger and held it out to Noah. “Here. Take this. In case you need to buy something. Get me some snacks on your way back?”

  Noah slipped the ring onto his pinky. “Will do. You think you can find the way back?”

  Lee leveled a flat stare at him. “I’m not that hopeless, Noah. It was only a few streets back. Good luck getting enrolled in the tournament.”

  Noah nodded. “Understood. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

  Lee nodded. “Yup. And if you kill anyone important, make sure nobody sees you.”

  “I’m not going to kill anyone, Lee,” Noah said with a laugh. “Where’s your faith in me? I’m just signing up for the tournament and heading right back to the room. That’s all.”

  Lee arched an eyebrow. “Right. Sure. Whatever you say.”

  ***

  Noah was going to kill someone.

  In particular, he was going to kill the attendant manning the streetside table before him. The table which had a giant banner sewn from gold and black cloth fluttering above it. A banner which proclaimed Tournament of Heaven’s Path in bold, beautifully crafted letters.

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  “What do you mean?” Noah asked through a clenched jaw.

  “The cost to sign up for the tournament is 50 crystals,” the attendant, a thin man with wide spectacles and teeth that jutted out from his upper lip like those of a rabbit, repeated. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “That’s the law. You want to sign up, then you’ll need 50 crystals.”

  “That’s fucking ridiculous,” Noah said. He didn’t have the best idea of how much crystals were worth, but he was completely certain that they were worth way too much to charge 50 just to sign up for a tournament. “You’re trying to rob me.”

  The attendant gave Noah a one-shouldered shrug. “Say what you want. It’s the rules.”

  “The last guy that signed up didn’t pay 50. You told him it was 5.”

  “He was part of the Coral Empire,” the attendant replied. “You are not. And you are not on my registered guest list. That means you pay 50.”

  Yeah, right. This is such a damn scam. This guy is probably lining his own pockets. I’ll go find another place to sign up. I bet there are more, and there’s no way the real cost is 50 crystals. I refuse to believe it.

  “I’ll pass,” Noah said with a shake of his head. “I get the feeling I’m going to get a much better price from the next guy I talk to.”

  “Only if he’s actually got an entry badge to sell you.” A wry grin crossed the attendant’s lips. “They’re almost sold out, you know. The tournament is only 5 days away… and a lot of people still want to get in. This might be your last chance.”

  Noah’s jaw clenched. Then he turned on his heel and strode away. Even if he’d wanted to take the man up on his offer, he just didn’t have 50 crystals in the first place.

  Crap. What do I—

  “Hey. You there,” a voice came from an alley. “In the black.”

  Noah paused. He glanced toward the speaker.

  A man in a dark, hooded cloak stood in the shadows of the alleyway. A crooked grin split his cracked lips as he waved Noah over. “You looking to enter the tournament?”

  Ah. What a trustworthy looking individual. Is he intentionally trying to look like he’s going to stab me the moment I take a step toward him?

  “I am,” Noah said. “But that vendor is power tripping. There’s no way the badges are 50 crystals.”

  “It’s quite close to the tournament,” the haggard-looking man said. “Getting your hands on a badge now isn’t going to be easy, especially if you don’t want to pay the coin. But I could help you with that.”

  “What, are you selling counterfeits or something?”

  The man let out an amused snort. Then he took a step backward into the darkness of the alley. “No. Those would never work. But I know how you can get a badge. A real easy way.”

  “Oh?” Noah tilted his head to the side. He stepped into the alley, and the man took another step back, maintaining the distance between them. “Pray tell.”

  “Come with me,” the man said. “I’ll—”

  “Nah,” Noah said. “We can talk here. I’m not following you to some random spot when there’s nobody all that close to us anyway. We’re already out of view. And you aren’t exactly hiding the fact you’re here. I’d imagine you call out to everyone that calls that vendor on his shit.”

  The man’s grin split the darkness. “To the point, you are. Fair enough. Then I’ll make this simple for you. There are all sorts of people in this city. Some of ‘em have enemies. Enemies they want to be rid of without getting themselves wrapped up in things. You know how it is.”

  “Ah,” Noah said. “You want me to kill someone for… what, someone else?”

  “Right on,” the man said. “You’re a random passerby. No association with anybody at all. Makes the deed pretty hard to trace. You’ll be safe. The one that hired me will be safe. And I’ll get you that badge. We’ll all be happy.”

  He isn’t even assuming I’d have a problem with murdering some random person. I suppose this outfit does make me look a bit ominous, but damn. That’s just cold.

  “Unless I get myself killed,” Noah observed. “And then you don’t exactly shed a tear either.”

  The man chuckled. “True enough. The separation goes both ways. A fair enough offer, is it not?”

  “Depends,” Noah said. “You’re really not the most trustworthy individual I’ve ever met, considering you’re asking me to kill some random, potentially innocent person. You got any information on this bloke?”

  “Swear a Rune Oath to do immediately go and kill your target and obey my orders,” the man replied. “Do that, and I’ll give you the information. He’s a low Rank 6. Should be more than doable for someone bold enough to register for the tournament.”

  If he needs help dealing with a Rank 6, then he’s definitely not Rank 7 himself.

  And no denying the innocent part, huh? If the person isn’t very strong, this is either two weaker individuals who have some kind of fight going on or some kind of political assassination. Either way, I have no desire to get wrapped up in that shit.

  On the other hand…

  Noah’s lips twitched up into the faintest smile behind his mask.

  “On my Runes, I swear to obey your orders for the purposes of killing this individual — so long as you show me the badge and swear a Rune Oath while holding it that it is a badge that grants me access to the tournament,” Noah said. “And you have to swear the oath while showing me the badge. Not before.”

  Can’t let him slip out of the oath, after all. Too easy to lie if he isn’t swearing the oath while actively fulfilling its requirements.

  The man chuckled. Then he reached into his pocket, pulling free a small black badge. A glossy patch of gold wax sat in its center.

  “On my Runes, I swear this is the badge you seek. All you have to do is press your thumb into this and it’ll bond with you permanently. It will grant access to the tournament.”

  A cold chill rolled over Noah’s back as the chains of the Rune Oath bound around his soul.

  “Lovely,” Noah said. He extended his hand. “Shake on it? Then you can give me all the details of our target.”

  “My first order is to avoid harming me in any manner,” the man said promptly.

  The chains binding Noah’s soul grew tighter.

  Noah laughed. “Paranoid, are we?”

  “You have to be in this line of work,” the man replied. He grinned. “But I knew you’d be willing to take me up. I can spot a killer in a crowd no matter what manner of mask they’re wearing. And if this goes well, there’s more business for you. Lots of opportunity in Aqua Terra.”

  Noah shrugged one shoulder. “We’ll see if I enjoy the experience. But, in my country, we shake on deals.”

  He waggled his hand.

  The man let out a raspy laugh. Then he stepped out from the darkness and took the offered hand.

  Noah shaped his soul.

  The Rune Oath slipped, sloughing away like nothing more than water.

  A line of black sliced through the air, so fast and thin that the other man barely even had a chance to notice what was happening. He blinked. A flicker of confusion passed over his features.

  Then the man’s body split apart down the center. His left half fell to the ground with a wet splat. Noah held the other half aloft by its hand.

  Power flowed into him from the dead man, but he barely even noticed. Noah quietly reached into the man’s pocket, pulling the badge free. Then he blew out a disgusted sigh and let the second part of the corpse drop to the ground.

  “Paranoid,” Noah said, turning on his heel and striding out from the alley. “But not paranoid enough.”

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