Dungeon Runner (Book 1 and 2)

Stepping Up, Chapter 09

Instead of using water to dry himself, Tibs used fire. He'd used most of his water essence surviving and he needed to practice with the other ones. He brought it to the surface, and the water steamed away.

Once he and his clothes were dry, he absorbed the essence back—this hadn't cost him any—and stepped to the edge of the pool. The surface was a jagged field of broken ice, now that the stone pillars were down again.

"I guess this means there's no safe way across anymore," Jackal said, while Tibs pulled water essence from the iced pool to refill his reserve and amulet.

"Unless I deactivate the traps." Tibs nodded to the wall. He could just make out the edge of the essence maze there.

"Is it worth it?" Mez asked. "You made the ice because it was simple. The bridge isn't that difficult."

"Unless the dungeon has changed that too." Khumdar stepped on the bridge. "What I am able to feel of this trigger and the next one seems to be unchanged."

Tibs felt Jackal's gaze as he finished filling his reserve. "He isn't talking. Other than to encourage us, or mock us, he doesn't talk about the room or how he set them up."

"I don't—" Sto stopped. "Hmm. Okay, I do mock you once in a while, but there are times your team deserves it."

"No, we don't." Tibs stood. "You're just evil." He saw the way the others looked at him and hurried to add. "I'm not serious." As the only one who heard Sto, he needed to remember the others took his comments about the dungeon seriously. "How about we keep going? Loot and all that."

The others headed through the exit, and Tibs didn't move. "Did you..." He swallowed. Visions of the massacre he ran through when chasing Bardik. "Is it different now? Than before he..." his throat constricted.

Pain filled him, ate him alive. The corruption wouldn't leave anything of him, as it turned his own essence against him.

He jumped at a hand on his shoulder.

"Tibs?" Carina asked gently.

"I'm okay," he hurried to reply, then forces his breathing to slow. The pain was only a memory. He'd already lived through it. Survived the corruption.

"If this is too hard, we—"

"I'm fine," he snapped. "Sorry."

She nodded.

He forced himself to walk to the other room, and she stayed with him.

"No obvious changes here," Jackal said of the five Whippers and dozen stone rats. "Let's stay on our guard for any surprises the dungeon might have added, but otherwise, we know how to do this."

Tibs nodded and took out his knife.

It was quicker than the last time they fought them, and this time only they had small cuts and bruises by the time everything was destroyed. No one needed his help, and he was glad for it. After how his help to Jackal had left the fighter; he'd rather not risk using his corrupted essence on his friends.

"Tibs," Jackal called, lobbing an amulet at him.

"You're in luck." Mez pulled another one from the rubble. "This makes a full set."

"Sto," Ganny said, an edge to her voice while Tibs added the two amulets to his pouch. Three in one run was a first.

"Hey Ganny, I didn't notice you returning. How's the work going?"

"It's going, but don't change the subject. We need to have a talk."

"But they're heading to the Ratling camp."