Breaking Step (Dungeon Runner 3)

Breaking Step, Chapter 26

"Tibs!" Khumdar yelled, and he ignored him too. His friends could deal with the rest of—he staggered from the arrow's impact and glared at the golem archer. He'd deal with that one next.

The golem sorcerer looked at Tibs now. A gesture and an etching formed. Now that he wasn't bothering trying to understand it, he saw the lightning come at him. It hit and traveled over him. This one stung but didn't quite qualify as pain before it sank into the floor. Tibs grinned as he kept walking

The golem sorcerer sent lightning after lightning at him while still stopping Don and Mez's attacks. The stinging increase as Tibs got closer, but he didn't care. Whatever he had to go through, he was going to make that golem pay for that initial pain.

No emotions showed on that featureless face, but Sto had to be wondering what was going on; if he was even paying attention. The dungeon didn't seem to be around his team all that much anymore.

Something else Tibs would address. If Sto liked him like he claimed, why was he spending so much time not watching him defeat his creatures?

He added earth to the metal as he raised his arm and gritted his teeth in pain as more lightning hit. This close, they definitely hurt, but he'd heal himself afterward. He punched it in the stomach and the golem flew against the wall. With the step he took to go finish it, corruption and fire impacted the golem and it crumbled.

Tibs ground his teeth. That had been his kill. Something else to address after he took care of the other golem who had hurt him.

The archer staggered from the corruption, and Khumdar broke it with a hit of his darkness covered staff.

Another of his kills they're taken from him. He was going—

"Stop." Jackal stood before him.

"They—"

"I said, stop."

"I will not—"

"I'm the team leader," Jackal stated, earth essence spreading through his body. "You follow my orders. Don't make me stop you."

Tibs glared up at the man. They were supposed to be friends. Why wasn't he letting him—

"Now," Jackal growled quietly. "Let go of it."

"I need to—"

"Not like this," he whispered through clenched teeth. "Not until we've had a talk about you keeping this from me. Water. Now."

Tibs glared, considered putting his unending reserve of metal to the test against Jackal's vast one of earth; as well as the years of practice the fighter had at kicking asses. He relaxed. There would be time later. When his friend wasn't expecting it. Tibs was a rogue, after all. He shouldn't be looked to fight face to face.

He let metal go, and heat flared. Carina's reproachful dying expression. Sebastian's gloating laugh. Tirania parading him before nobles who drank in her lies. Water filled him, and the pain lessened. The heat tempered, making his loss almost bearable.

He iced the water. Bearable wasn't enough. He needed it gone.

"I'm good."

Jackal snorted. "I doubt that, but that's also for another time."

"I'm sorry for—"

"Later, Tibs." Jackal turned from him. "What do we have?"

"A pair of boots," Mez said, taking them from Don, who stared at Tibs. "An iron bracer from the fighter."

"Coins from the rogue," Khumdar said, "eight silver." He nodded to where the archer had been, and only the bow was left.

Tibs looked at where the sorcerer had crumpled, and a leather tube lay in its place. He checked it for traps, then removed the end-cap. He pulled four pages out with lines and symbols on them; He recognized some as Arcanus. "Don, what are these?"