Dungeon Runner (Book 1 and 2)

Stepping Up, Chapter 56

Tibs limped into Tirania's office and she raised an eyebrow, looking him over.

He had a black eye, a split lip, and more injuries she couldn't see. He had them wrapped in his essence, but broken and dislocated bones were still painful.

"Training," he told her, motioning for the seat.

She nodded, and he gingerly took it.

"Do you want me to call a cleric?"

"I'll rest until my next run and I'll get healed at the door."

She smiled. "You want me to get you one, then. It closed its door to graduate. It's part of why I asked to see you."

If Sto was graduating, it was time for him to prepare for his trip to the purity dungeon and not having injuries would help. He nodded.

She took the messaging crystal from her desk and Tibs sensed it and, inadvertently, the room. There was a lot of essence in the walls. He knew the guild building was protected by it, but with seven elements he could sense, he had a better sense of how tightly it was woven, even if there was so much he still couldn't differentiate.

Even the desk was composed of a weave so tight Tibs wondered if essence was all it was made of.

The door opened a few seconds after she put the crystal away and a young man in the white cleric's robes entered, placed a hand on Tibs, causing all his pain to vanish, then left. On top of being able to move without problems, he felt as if he'd just stepped out of bed.

Tirania placed a bracelet with a yellow gem on the desk. "I know you don't like having your status acknowledged; which is why I'm doing this here."

"That's the bracelet we get so we can leave the town."

"Yes, and once the dungeon is ready for runners again, it will turn red. Unlike those the others will receive, this one will not turn black. It will turn green."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that instead of paying a reward for the return of the bracelet, regardless of if you are attached to it or not. We will only do so if you are with it and unharmed."

Tibs bit off his protest. He was heading into a dungeon with no idea how long it would take to get in or get his audience once inside.

"Understand, Tibs, that this is a show of trust I've never given a Runner." Her glimmering eyes were fixed on him. "But you protected a dungeon at the risk of your life. You went beyond what I'd expect an adventurer would. And Harry keeps complaining about how you are trying to take over his job. You care for the people here. I see a great future for you as an adventurer."

The silence stretched, and Tibs wondered if she expected him to respond.

"But I understand the temptation freedom represents," she continued. "If you run, I will see to your punishment myself, and the trust I am showing you will never be shown again, not even if you nearly kill yourself for the dungeon a second time." She pushed the bracelet toward him. "So treat this with the respect it deserves."

He placed it around his wrist and snapped it shut. The pain was sharp and immediate, and once it passed, the bracelet was tight against his skin.

She smiled. "Keep it covered until the gathering is called in a few hours, and stay at the back so no one will notice. Then you can enjoy your travels."

* * * * *

The gathering before the closed dungeon went much like the previous one, except that instead of guards moving through the Runners, handing out the bracelets. They had to line up before tables, where their names were checked against a list. As far as Tibs saw, everyone who had survived Sto's rampage got one, and to his surprise, a few of the recruits also received one.