Breaking Step (Dungeon Runner 3)

Breaking Step, Chapter 34

Tibs looked at the plate Russel handed him as he reached the bar. He then took it, along with the tankard at the cook's insistence, and made his way to his table. His team was already there and, other than Jackal, were done eating.

He ignored their eyes on him as he sat and started eating. If he didn't, Kroseph would nag him when he passed by. The thick slab of meat was drenched in a spicy sauce, with vegetables drizzled with sweet oil.

"We need to talk," Jackal said as he pushed his empty plate away.

Tibs nodded, continuing to eat. He was halfway done.

"I said we need to talk, Tibs."

"I can eat while you talk." He replied, and went back to eating.

"I'd rather you focus on us. The food can wait."

Only, if he waited too long and Kroseph again felt like Tibs wasn't eating enough, he'd nag and nag about it. The server was getting annoying. By Jackal's expression, he was going to be just as nagging about whatever he wanted to say. Well, if Kroseph passed by now, he could point at his man as the reason and the server could nag him about how he felt it was important Tibs ate.

He looked at the fighter.

"You have to let go of water. It's starting to cause problems."

"Did..." Tibs glanced at Don. "He tell you something?" He then realized Sto couldn't have told Jackal anything, since the fighter couldn't hear the dungeon.

"Fine," the sorcerer said. "Yes, I'm the one who brought it up. I thought you'd listen to him more than me."

"Why would I listen to him? You're smarter."

They stared at him.

"That, right there, is kind of what the problem is, Tibs," Mez said.

"Not that I'm the smarter one," Don added, "but that you're so blatant about pointing it out."

"That statement," Khumdar said, "sounds suspiciously like you are wishing you were not."

Don rolled his eyes. "It isn't because I'm the smartest person in this town that I think I'm better than everyone."

"Yes, you do," Tibs said.

Don sighed. "This is me trying to be more humble."

The cleric hid his smile behind his tankard. "You will need to continue practicing."

"Look, there's only so much awesome I can hide, okay?"

"Hey," Jackal exclaimed. "I'm the awesome one here. You have to settle for being great."

Don raised an eyebrow. "I don't settle," he stated. "So that man of yours is going to have to get used to his man not being all that awesome anymore."

Jackal snorted. "You are going to have to try a lot harder if you want my man to think you're more awesome than I am."

"Your man's going to have to keep imagining you're so awesome then, because even to prove you wrong, I'm not getting in bed with him."

"That's good," the server said, putting tankards down and taking the empties. "I'm starting to like you, and I'd rather not have to punch you." The server looked at Tibs's half finished plate as he stacked the empty ones, and Tibs readied himself for the tirade.

"It just means there's one less person in the lineup," Don replied, taking the server's attention away from Tibs. "It's not like I'm going to notice."

It also caused the others to stare at the sorcerer instead of him.