Dungeon Runner (Book 1 and 2)

Stepping Up, Chapter 22

Jackal looked over the people Tibs brought to the fighter's training field. "I thought you said we'd train a team. I count nine of them."

"They're Omega," Tibs replied. "Teams kinda loose back then, remember?" It had started with a friend of Fedora's, the archer that made her blush, asking if Tibs could get his team's archer to give her pointers, then an Omega fighter at a table next to theirs had asked for help too, and then a sorcerer had seen them talking and soon, well, Tibs had hurried to leave before every surviving Omega in the inn was at the table.

He'd still been surprised when there had only been eight of them, including Fedora, here this morning. The way people were talking, he'd expected them to tell everyone his team had agreed to train them, which would have pulled in even more people.

"And you want us to train them?" Jackal's tone was neutral; no excitement or annoyance. He'd been all for it when Tibs had proposed it. Now, looking at them, that was gone.

"Are we even allowed to do that?" Mez asked. Once Jackal had agreed, he'd sent a message to the archer and where to join them. By his expression, this wasn't what he'd expected their team activity to be.

"The rules say we can't talk about the dungeon," Carina said. Her study of the assembled Runners was more cordial. She hadn't been overjoyed at the proposition, but she was willing to help. "There's nothing there preventing us from helping the new arrivals."

"I believe," Khumdar said, "that is because new conscripts are not usual after the initial group. There is an expectation that those who come after, since they must pay to do so, have received all the training they need for the level they wish to take on."

Jackal grinned. "Well then, if it ain't in the rules, we can't be breaking them. Once Knuckles hears we're doing this, he'll probably change the rules so we can't, but until then, we might as well make the best of it." He looked them over again. "Okay, so which ones of you are the fighters?" He leaned to Tibs and whispered. "Shouldn't it be easier to tell them apart?"

Two girls and a guy stepped forward. The guy, the fighter who'd insisted Fedora and the archer be on his team, was bouncing in place with excitement.

"If you fight with swords, get them and join me..." Jackal looked around and pointed to a vacant area. "Over there."

The guy was back from the box with the swords, having taken the first one he pulled out, and talking with Jackal as they walked. He motioned excitedly, nearly stabbing Jackal with it. The girls were slower to get moving and took their time testing the swords before heading for where Jackal was waiting.

Mez sighed. "Archers?" a guy stepped forward along with Fedora's friend. Mez looked at Tibs, annoyed, then back to the two of them. "Come on. I can't train you here. We're heading to the archery field, and you can tell me what kind of training you've received." For someone claiming nobles were about helping people, Mez wasn't particularly enthusiastic.

Carina pointed to two guys. "You and you are the sorcerers." They nodded, surprised. "I'm not sure how much practice you'll be able to get in without an amulet of your own, but we can cover theory so that—" she stopped looking at the two amulets Tibs offered her. "Where did you get that?" she asked suspiciously.

"They're a loan from Darran. I have a few more. Once it was clear I couldn't limit who would come, I got more than I thought we'd need."

"Do I want to know where he got them?"

This shrugged. "He's a merchant. I expect he bought them off someone." That was true enough. Now where that someone might have gotten them, Tibs didn't want to hazard a guess. He hadn't heard of any rogues getting caught stealing, but Darran had said more than once he'd be willing to buy anything Tibs found lying around on his nocturnal walks.