Dungeon Runner (Book 1 and 2)

Stepping Up, Chapter 106

Tibs straightened, trying to make out what the increased illumination at the back of Sebastian's camp was about. There had been activity all night long, with distant sounds of hammering and large objects being dragged about. Unfortunately, no matter what roof he stood on, he couldn't see anything that told him what was happening.

Now, in the pre-dawn lightning of the sky, it looked like Sebastian's people had lit a bonfire.

There was a distant clunk and Tibs stood, stunned, as a large ball of fire arched over the town and fell onto a building somewhere deeper, splashing and sending flames flying on the surrounding ones. The tar like smell that trail the ball snapped him back and he ran toward the fire, jumping roofs using air, uncaring who might see him. He had to go put the fire out before it could spread.

Runners were already fighting it as he dropped from the closest roof. They kept the fire from spreading and pulled the air away in an ineffectual attempt to smother the flames. A couple of Earth users were trying to do the same, but they didn't have the training to affect only small patches of the ground and they damaged a building attempting to save it.

With all of them there, Tibs had no choice but limit himself to water, and he pulled essence out, ready to unleash a torrent on—

An explosion sent rubble and a badly burn Runner flying, and Tibs redirected the water to catch them. Trying to process what had happened.

"Don't use water!" someone yelled. Cross tackled a Runner concentrating on a ball of water before them, breaking their concentration. "Water's only going to make things worse!"

Two other Water users looked in her direction and dismissed her.

"Do what she says!" Tibs ordered. The Runner he was laying on the ground was also a water user. "Cross, what is going on?" The other runners looked in his direction before letting go of the water essence they'd been collecting.

"You're dealing with Everburn," she told him, pulling the runner to her feet. "Water just makes the stuff burn hotter."

"Magic?" he asked, even if he didn't feel any sort of weave under the fire. How else could water help fire?

"Alchemy," she replied. "Which I guess is a sort of magic, but it doesn't need people to have an element.

People without elements could do magic? "Why hasn't the guild told us that's a thing?"

"You're going to have to ask them," she replied, letting go of the now steady, if still confused, runner. "I know about it because one of the caravan I was a guard on, years ago, had an alchemist traveling with them. Her 'act' was based around Everburn, challenging anyone to put out a small fire with it at its base. She also made stuff that would keep infections from setting in and speed up healing, but the Everburn trick was how she attracted the attention."

"How do we stop it?" one of the Water user asked, joining them.

"You don't," she replied. "That's why it's called Everburn. The only thing you can do it make sure the fire doesn't spread while it consumes itself."

Tibs cursed as Runner ran off, calling others to themselves and combining elements to control the flames. If the fire consumed the Everburn, then there was a way to put it out quickly, but Tibs didn't have the time to figure out how right now. "It came flying from Sebastian's camp. Is that something an alchemist can also do, or does it mean we're sure he has adventurers now?"

"He has a catapult," Quigly said, running. "I've never seen one used to send Everburn, but if they have a way to put it in its bowl before lighting it, it'll work."

Something else Tibs would have to ask about once this was done.

"It's going to cost him the catapult," Cross said. "Everburn doesn't care what it's in. Once lit, it'll burn it, and the stuff sticks like tar."