Dungeon Runner (Book 1 and 2)

Stepping Up, Chapter 66

"I'm sorry," Tibs told Carina. He wasn't surprised at her reaction. He'd failed utterly at keeping the town and its people safe and comfortable.

"For what?" she asked.

"For letting this happen. For letting people be hurt. I should have made Sebastian understand he shouldn't be doing this. That there are better ways to get the comfort he's after."

"Jackal," Carina called, without looking away from Tibs. "You need to come here and look at his eyes."

"I saw them," the fighter said, looking in their direction as he walked to a burned man, crawling away. He paused. "Okay, so he can make them blue too," he said, surprised. Then resumed walking.

Tibs raised a wall of water between the fighter and the other man, who was looking to escape the pain he was in.

"Tibs?" Jackal asked.

"I won't let you hurt him any more."

"Think of it as me making sure he doesn't suffer anymore," the fighter said.

"No. Killing him is not the solution."

Jackal looked at Tibs. "He was part of those who hurt these women, killed those two men." He indicated two bodies who had escaped being burned by already being stretched on the ground. "You're the one who burned him, Tibs. I'd think you want me to finish the job."

He had caused the pain. It was an act he would have to live with, atone for. "Because I made a mistake doesn't mean I can let you make one, too. Violence isn't the way to solve anything."

"Tibs," Carina said. "You need to let the essence go."

Go? "What do you mean? I can't let go, it's me."

Carina looked around, pausing on the burned buildings and corpses. "No, Tibs. The essence isn't you. And I think..." she looked at him. "I know they're affecting how you think."

"No. That's wrong. I thinking clearly, finally." He frowned. If he was thinking clearly now. What did it mean for before? Hadn't he felt like his thinking was clear when he wanted to consume everything and everyone? Or when he'd wanted to lie there and ponder all the possible solutions instead of going and helping take the pain away?

No, it had just been an illusion of clarity then. Imposed by the essence he manipulated. But this was him. Water was his first element, after all.

But the concern in Carina's eyes worried him. He should do what he had to, so it would go away. To calm her, make her feel better.

"Once Jackal promises not to hurt that man." But he couldn't do that at the expense of someone else's death.

"Tibs," Jackal whined.

"Jackal," Carina said. "Come over here."

"But he's trying to get away."

She looked at the wall of water. She couldn't sense the man on the other side. The pain he had to be in. Tibs didn't sense that. Only how he was slowly moving away. Once Carina was appeased, Tibs would go see to that man; soothe him. Beg forgiveness for causing the pain.

"He's probably just trying to get away from you. Come here and he'll stop trying to escape. And Tibs wants to be sure you aren't going to rush to hurt him once the wall falls. We'll talk about how to deal with him afterward." She smiled at Tibs. "That's okay, right?"

Tibs smiled back. He knew she'd understand. Carina didn't enjoy causing pain, either. She was simply limited in how she could resolve conflicts.

Jackal dragged his feet, leaving furrows in the hard dirt. "I'm not happy about this," he said once he was nearer to them.