Breaking Step (Dungeon Runner 3)

Breaking Step, Chapter 52

Cold hit Tibs as the world materialized around him. The wind pushed it in through the jacket he wore over his armor, and the still unrepaired gaps in it. He imagined this was what it felt like to have ice unexpectantly appear in your trousers. At least, Jackal's reaction when Tibs had made that happened matched how this felt.

The fighter might have become immune to Tibs kicking his shin, but he still felt cold. Of course, he hadn't considered how direct Jackal was in dealing with problem, so his solution to removing the ice had been to pull his trousers off. Tibs had seen his friend without them often enough while they shared a room to be unbothered, but the rest of the inn hadn't.

The ensuing commotion had been amusing to Jackal, but Kroseph hadn't been pleased with Tibs for causing it.

"Of course, it's raining," the archer grumbled, looking beyond the column. Unlike the platform in Kragle Rock, Mountain Sea, Kadalisayan, as well as the other cities he'd traveled to in his search for where he'd been taken from, this platform had a roof connecting the pillars keeping the rain from falling onto it. "Come on, we need to get you an overcoat before this kills you. Considering the holes in that armor, that jacket isn't going to help."

"I'm fine." Tibs replied sharply. He couldn't control the cold itself; it wasn't something linked to water, even if he could create it when he made ice. But he could use air to keep the wind from reaching him and making it worse. The cold that still made it through he dealt with by creating a layer of water between him and his armor and warming it with fire.

"You only think that," the man said, heading for the opening. "The wind's going to force that rain in those holes and you're going to get cold sick."

"Water is my element," he snapped, following him.

The wind shoved them back as soon as they stepped into the rain and the archer cursed. "Well, I need something to keep the wind and water out."

Tibs could keep the man dry, and since he knew about air, even keep the wind from bothering him. But he didn't offer. Tibs was in no mood to make the man's life easier after how hard he'd made it for Tibs.

No, he couldn't bring his team, or even only Jackal. No, they couldn't delay so he could have a talk with Don. No, he couldn't tell anyone where they were going and why. It had almost been no to Tibs getting his armor, but he'd made it clear he wasn't breaking into any building without his equipment.

The archer had choice words when he saw the state of Tibs's armor. Four days hadn't been long enough to repair even half the damage it had suffered, but Tibs felt better in it than even the armor he'd worn out of the dungeon. If nothing else, the hidden places that were repaired enough he could put fingers in, still had their contents. However the extra space worked, it had protected them.

In the process of equipping himself, he'd distracted the archer enough to write a quick note for jackal, then pass it to the rogue he'd signaled on the way in, as they exited. It only had that he was leaving and with whom, since he knew nothing more, so the fighter wouldn't worry about Tibs vanishing.

So, as far as Tibs was concerned, the archer could freeze the entire time they were here. So long as he told him which building, and where in it was the safe with the coins, the archer could catch the cold sickness and die of it.

Maybe once he was no longer angry at the man, he'd feel different.

The archer pulled Tibs into the first building, which sold ponchos similar to the ones they'd bought to go up the mountain in Mountain Sea, but instead of being thick wool, it was thinner and coated in beeswax. He put on the one the archer bought for him, and once outside, he barely had to use essence to keep the wind and water from bothering him. The archer still had to use a hand to keep the rain out of his eyes, but they moved faster.