Breaking Step (Dungeon Runner 3)

Breaking Step, Chapter 21

Tibs sighed on seeing the man on the other side of the door. Unlike the usual guard Irdian had watching Tibs, this one's armor was fancier. The metal work clean, the fabric draped over it in gold and black. Regalia, Quigly had told him it was called after those better dressed guards had escorted some of the caretakers off the platform. He also had an element, fire, which marked him as an adventurer. Epsilon for certain, maybe Delta.

"What does he want now?" Tibs asked, unimpressed that Irdian now resorted to an adventurer.

"Guild Leader Tirania requests the presence of Tibs Light Fingers and Don Arabis to a function held at the guildhall on the seventeenth of Mertal, two hours before zenith," he said in a bored tone, then looked down at Tibs. "She will expect you to dress properly."

"Is there anything else we need to know?" Don asked as the man turned away.

"Be on time."

Tibs closed the door.

This was the month of Mertal, and the seventeenth was in three days. The schedule would be up five days after that, so he didn't have to worry about it interfering.

He opened the chest and turned his armor over to access the hidden compartment. How many coins would he need? He wasn't dressing like a noble, no matter what she might want, but even the set of good clothes Carina had made him buy wouldn't do.

He put three silver in his coin pouch and hid two and zero more on himself.

"What are you doing?" Don asked as Tibs reached for the door.

"I need to buy the right kind of clothes for the event."

"No. What are you doing, Tibs?"

He looked at the sorcerer, seated on his bed, book on his lap ignored in favor of studying Tibs.

"I told you."

"You're being summoned like some pet to be put on display," Don replied, his tone growing hot. "And you're just going to buy clothing for that?"

"I need to play the part if I'm to get the information I—"

"And you okay with that?" Don screamed, jumping to his feet; the book clattering on the floor.

The cracks in the ice refilled as quickly as they appeared without Tibs having to think about it. "It needs to be done."

"You don't have to be so fucking calm about it! The Tibs that saved me, the one that had me pulling my hair out, wouldn't be standing there calmly going through the steps needed for his plan to word. He'd have slammed the door in that adventurer's face. He'd be screaming and bitching about the kind of person Tirania is, and only then would he get on with his plan."

"And that Tibs would have destroyed this building in the process of venting his anger. I can't afford to have him around right now. Once the guild has paid, then I'll have the luxury of getting angry."

Don was next to him, grabbing his arm, before Tibs could react. Then the sorcerer looked at the hand holding Tibs, frowning.

"You're suffused with water." Anger gave way to curiosity. "How are you able to do that already?" He let go of Tibs.

"How can you tell? You can't sense water."

"I can sense essence, just like you can. We all can with enough training. When I grabbed you, there was a lot there. More than anyone I've touched. The only time I've felt it was when my teacher had me practice suffusing myself." He paused. "You have to stop. The little I've read about suffusing says it's a bad idea to do it for too long."

"Is that what you're reading?" Tibs nodded to the book on the floor.

"No." Don picked up the book and looked it over for damage. "It's a treatise on the role corruption plays in the proper functioning of the world. My teacher's obsessed with demonstrating that corruption is a good thing, and he's had me read all sorts of stuff that's got nothing to do with my training, so I can echo his stupid beliefs."