Stepping Up, Draft 1, CH 43 (Patreon)

Tibs forced an eye open as someone shook him.

“You okay?” Jackal asked, crouched next to him, holding a healing potion. Tibs tried to snort, but it came out as a pained groan. The fighter smiled. “Drink this, you’ll feel better.” He pressed the bottle to Tibs’s lips, and he drank deeply.

The pain vanished instantly, then he felt the bone in his leg knit back together, the muscles wriggle as it healed, the flesh closed. It was an odd sensation, but it passed quickly.

“Next time, you do it.” Tibs offered his hand to Jackal, who laughed as he pulled him to his feet.

“No problem, then you’ll take over fighting the boss?”

“Even half-dead, you wouldn’t let anyone else have that fight,” Tibs replied, stretching. The potion worked, but it always left the healed muscles stiff.

“See, this is why we get along so well. I know you, you know me. It’s like we are meant for one another.”

“I’m telling Kroseph you’re putting the move on another guy,” Mez said as he walked by them.

Jackal opened his mouth, then closed it. “Did he just make a joke?” he asked Tibs.

“I don’t know. Are you putting the move on me?”

Jackal made a face. “You’re like my brother, Tibs. That’d be just weird.”

“Then he’s making a joke,” Tibs said.

“I didn’t think he knew how. He’s always so serious since coming back.”

Tibs headed for the last room. “He has serious stuff to think about now.”

“That’s no way to live.”

“Some people don’t get to choose how they live.”

Jackal patted the archer’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll do everything I can to make sure you remember to have fun in life.”

Mez closed his eyes and let out a pained breath. “I have a bow. I can shoot you before you’re close enough to do that.”

“There you go, you’re already remembering to make funny quips at me.”

“He’s not joking,” Carina said.

“That’s what makes it so funny,” Jackal replied.

“I believe we have more important matters to deal with.” Khumdar pointed to the Bigger Brute with the two Big Brutes on each side and the sea of rats and bunnies, as well as the handful of Ratlings and Bunnylings.

“That is a lot of monsters,” Carina said.

“We can handle those,” Mez replied. “It’s the boss that worries me.”

“This is going to be fun,” Jackal said, grinning.

Bigger Brute no longer looked like a mass of stone stuck together in the vague shape of a person. He looked like a person, with defined muscles on his limbs, and even clothing as an armless armor and skirt Tibs had seen some fighters wear, except theirs were in leather and BB’s was made of stone like the rest of its body.

“Before you comment,” Ganny said, “Sto hadn’t dressed the previous one, and we got stranger reactions from the Runners about fighting someone naked.”

Tibs chuckled. “Jackal wouldn’t have minded, but Kroseph might have.”

The fighter looked at him and Tibs shook his head. There was no point in distracting Jackal with what might have been. Or get it in his head to demand such a fight next time.

“Me, Tibs, and Khumdar rush in,” Jackal said. “We start by clearing the room until all that’s left are the brutes. If they join the fight, we deal with them, but the last times they let the horde soften us up. There’s a circle a dozen paces around them. If we don’t cross it, they don’t get involved.”

“Unless the dungeon changed things up,” Mez said.

“That’s why we stay aware of them. Mez, Carina, go for area-of-effect when we’re not there. The more you can take out, the better shape we’ll be to deal with the boss.”

“Don’t you mean you’ll be in?” she asked.

“I’ll need the rest of you to keep the two other busy so they can’t come and heal the boss.” He looked up. “Yes, I remember that trick.”

“He has you,” Sto said, “I have my brutes.”

Tibs took out his knives and looked at them. He was tiring of having to go in so close to kill the monsters. He sheathed one and called water to his hand, then formed it into a short sword before turning it into ice. It ended up with a ragged edge, almost looking like teeth, and he wasn’t sure how solid it was, so he wove earth through it, dirtying the clear weapon.

“That looks vicious,” Jackal said, smiling. “Are you doing anything else to it?”

Tibs considered adding corruption, but he didn’t know if he could keep it from affecting the essence his weapon was made of. “I’m done.”

Jackal looked at the others, who nodded. “Then let’s fill this room with rubble.” He stepped into the large room and it came alive.

Tibs ran past the fighter, throwing his air imbued knife ahead of him and controlling it so it cut through two of the jumping bunnies before getting stuck in the third. He sliced his sword in the rats swarming at his feet and grinned in satisfaction as it easily separated them into two.

Wind buffeted him as it detonated on the other side, and it was followed by small pieces of stone raining over him. A louder explosion heated the room and the stone that rained down afterward was hot enough to be painful when bounced off his cheeks.

A Ratling jumped at him with a screech and Tibs quickly iced his arm to bat it aside, then turned and threw a knife at it, and missed.

Maybe he should just give up throwing normal throwing knives and spend the coins on air imbued ones. He located the one he’d thrown on the floor next to a wrapped bundle and recalled it, turning to face the Ratling who was hissing at him. Tibs caught the knife without looking and ran, sword held high.

The Ratling dodged and swiped, its claws leaving scratches on the leather armor. Tibs threw the knife at a Bunnyling, who attempted to use the fight to sneak closer. It jumped out of the way as Tibs blocked another swipe with an ice-covered arm, but he had both the Bunnyling and his knife in his sense, so even without looking, he had it turn and slam in the Bunnyling’s back. He cut the arm off the Ratling when it attack again, then cut its head off.

He caught his returning knife as he quickly assessed the battlefield. Like Jackal said, the Brutes remained in place. The fighter was smashing creatures left and right, while Khumdar’s staff only seemed to smack them away with minor damage. Tibs ran to help, slashing rats and bunnies on the way.

“I have your back,” he said, shouldering the Ratling that had been approaching from that direction.

“It is appreciated,” the cleric said.

Tibs swung at the returning Ratling, who jumped out of the way to expose a Bunnyling in mid-leap, arms extended in Tibs’s direction, claws out, fangs bared. Tibs only had the time to raise an ice-covered arm and the Bunnyling bit into it, through the leather, and into his arm.

Tibs felt the corruption seep in as he noticed this monster’s eyes were the purple of the element. He stopped its progress as he stabbed through its chest, cleaving it in two.

“Watch for the eyes,” he told the clerics. “Some have a corruption-based poison with their bites.”

“Which creature?” Khumdar’s staff swung by Tibs’s side to smack the Ratling under the muzzle and send it flying.

“The Bunnyling had it, but it’s probably not limited to only them.”

“Is it possible for you to target them specifically? The dungeon has made them tougher against blunt attacks. There is only so much damage my robes can absorb before a bite or claws will make it through.”

Tibs tried to feel for the difference, but he had to focus on a group of bunnies rushing him. Three made it through his defense and while the impact did little damage, they pushed him against the cleric who nearly fell.

“Too many of them,” Tibs said. “The eyes give them away.”

“I have had enough of this,” Khumdar growled. Tibs felt, instead of heard the impact of the staff’s tip against the ground, then a wave of darkness rushed past him and he dropped to a knee, barely able to breathe. There was air, he could feel it all around him, but pulling it into his lungs was like trying to lift one of the giant swords some fighters used. How was he so tired? Where had his strength done to?

He forced his head up and before him, the rats and bunnies were dissolving while Ratlings and Bunnylings struggled to get to their feet. Khumdar stepped around Tibs and swung at them hard, and they dropped back to the ground before dissolving and leaving a silver coin in their place.

He looked around, and within a dozen paces, only Ratlings and Bunnylings were still alive, until the cleric reached them to end it with his staff.

Khumdar’s wave of dark had weakened them, and him. Tibs tried to counter it with his own darkness, but it did nothing. He felt it now, seeping into his body. It reminded him of when the corruption that had incapacitated him for so many weeks and lingered for much longer. He used his essence and pushed against the darkness, and it made slow progress until it suddenly was all that was there and Tibs could breathe again.

“I am sorry,” Khumdar said, hand on Tibs’s shoulder. “But these tougher creatures were simply more than I was able to handle in the normal way.”

“It’s okay,” he answered, enjoying the feel of the air filling his lungs. “I didn’t know you could do that.” He stood, and Khumdar had to steady him. Not all the strength the cleric’s darkness had taken had returned.

Khumdar smiled. “It’s in the nature of my element not to reveal everything.”

Tibs rolled his eyes.

“Are you two okay?” Carina called. With a gesture, she sent an air slice to one of the few groups of rats left and they died. Mez fired arrows at Bunnylings and Jackal kicked anything that approached him hard enough they shattered.

“I’m good,” Tibs said. “Just getting over what Khumdar did.”

“You should have protected him from the effect,” she chastised.

“Not all of us have the luxury of being able to—”

Jackal let out a loud whistle. “We’re not done. Assign blame later.” He pointed to the three brutes waiting.

“Shouldn’t we rest, since they aren’t going to attack?” Mez said.

“I’m fine,” Tibs stated. Now that he didn’t have to push against Khumdar’s darkness, his essence was filling his body again, and with it, his strength returned.

“I’m not waiting to find out the dungeon had a surprise in store for anyone who thinks this is a rest time,” Jackal said. “We’re still in the middle of a boss fight.”

Sto’s chuckle made Tibs sense as far as he could. “There’s a warren system under the floor,” he called. “I’m not sensing any monsters in it, but it reaches beyond what I can feel.”

“None of the Bunnylings jumped out of trap doors,” Carina said.

“Which means they’re for reinforcement,” Mez said, then cursed. “I hate it when Jackal’s right. I can take it from the rest of you, but he’s Jackal! I’m smarter than he is!”

“Now you get it,” the fighter replied, and the archer simply shook his head in confusion before looking at Tibs.

“He’s Jackal,” he said. “Trying to understand him is a waste of time.”

“Kroseph seems to manage it,” Carina said.

“People, I have a boss to fight. I’m doing it with or without you!” Jackal yelled.

“You think he can win against all three of them?” Mez asked as Tibs headed for the fighter. He wasn’t finding out.

“I wish you guys didn’t have to deal with the smaller brutes,” Jackal said when Tibs reached him.

“You’re not fighting all three.”

“I know, but you’re going to be too busy to watch me fight. Who’s going to recount it afterward.”

“One,” Carina said, “we can’t talk about our run outside the dungeon. Two, you’re going to be telling everyone about it, regardless.”

Jackal smiled. “But it would sound so much more awesome if it was someone else saying how awesome I was.”

“Let’s get this done,” Mez said, raising his bow. “You said you didn’t want to wait.”

Jackal reached Bigger Brute before Mez released the fire arrow at the Brute to the left. Tibs ran for the one on the right and saw BB block Jackals’ punch, then deflect the fighter’s momentum to the side.

Sto let out a whoop!

And Tibs was busy fighting his own Brute.

He used his old trick of icing the ground under the golem’s feet, but even if it weren’t directly controlled by Sto, it was more agile than before. It leaped aside before Tibs iced it, then threw a punch in his direction. Khumdar staff intercepted it and turned it aside as Tibs slid on the ice. He slashed at its back, the edge of the sword breaking on the stone and barely leaving a mark.

He absorbed it and used his knives instead. They survived the slashing, but barely left more cuts than the sword had. On the other side, Khumdar held his own, stopping the attacks, but couldn’t get blows in.

On the other side, Mez and Carina seemed to have as much difficulty. These Brutes were much tougher, just like BB was an all-around better fighter. Jackal dodged a punch, only to get a kick in the side.

Tibs contemplated absorbing the essence out of the golem, even if Sto considered that cheating. They could argue about how unfair this fight was after.

But as with previous times he thought about doing it, Sto’s warning and threat that he’d have to increase the difficulty to compensate gave him pause, and it was enough for him to realize he didn’t have to take anything from the golem to help this fighter. He could push something in.

Not Corruption. With what had been done to Sto with it, he’d have protected his creations, but Tibs had felt the impact of darkness, he’s seen the result and while he doubted he was anywhere near as strong as the cleric, he had a full reserve and his bracer.

He coated his knife in darkness and planted it in the golem’s back. It sunk in to the hilt, to Tibs’s surprise, and he pushed more of it in, guiding it towards the brightest concentration of the essence it shared with Tibs, what gave it life.

It staggered and Khumdar took a step back and to the side. He smiled at Tibs. “You are a surprisingly fast learner.”

“I see more than everyone. I’m targeting its strength, instead of having to overwhelm it, but it’s resisting, so I’d really love it if you stopped standing there and hit it as hard as you can.”

“It will be my pleasure.” The cleric slowly spun his staff and as it moved faster, darkness started trailing it. He raised it and spun as he brought it down sideways against the golem’s neck. The staff stopped without even chipping stone, but the trailing darkness caught up to it and went through the neck and chest. The stone slid against itself as the golem fell into two pieces.

Tibs turned to see how Mez and Carina were faring, in time to see BB catch Jackals punch in a fist and spin, slamming the fighter into the wall, then reading to punch him.

“Sto, stop!”

BB froze in mid-swing. The fist was aimed at Jackal’s head and the fighter looked too stunned to react.

“My fight,” Jackal slurred.

“He’s going.”

“My fight.” Jackal’s tone was hard.

Tibs wanted to protest. He couldn’t lose Jackal, Kroseph couldn’t lose him.

“This is how things have to be,” Khumdar said. “We get stronger, or we fall.”

“We die,” Tibs said. “I hate it when you use some other word like it makes it better. Jackal’s going to die if I don’t stop it.”

“Jackal’s never going to forgive you,” Carina said, putting a hand on Tibs’s shoulder.

BB kept looking at him. The silent request for permission to continue. Tibs wanted Sto to say something, to justify his actions, instead of having Khumdar do it. He swallowed and nodded.

The fist was in motion as if it had never stopped.

Jackal caught it in a hand. “Here’s the thing,” he said, no trace of slurring, and a grin on his face, “that you didn’t think about.” BB tried to pull the fist, but neither it, nor Jackal’s hand, moved.

“How?” Sto asked, confused.

“You’re stone, I’m earth, which stone is part of. We’ve been fighting like this and it’s been fun, but I was never going to lose. Want to know why?”

“Why?” Sto asked.

“I’m going to act like you just asked because otherwise, I can’t gloat. I wasn’t going to lose, because I cheat.” Jackal twisted his hand and BB’s fist broke off at the wrist. “Stone on stone, I can absorb it, which means you aren’t that tough.” He pulled the other hand and the fingers holding it in place shattered. “Better luck next time.” Jackal planted his fist through BB’s head and the golem fell to rubble.

Jackal grinned at Tibs, who stomped toward the fighter. “See, I—”

Tibs kicked him in the shin. “I thought you were going to die!”

“Come on, Tibs, I’m—”

Tibs kicked him again.

“I’m stone, Tibs. I’m not even feeling them.”

Tibs glared at the fighter and coated his hand in darkness. “I learned a new trick today. Do you want to see what happened with I fill you with darkness? How tough you’re going to be then? I’m also going to kick high enough Kroseph’s not going to be able to enjoy special time with you.”

“I would advise against antagonizing him further,” Khumdar said. “Darkness steals strength. And Tibs learns quickly.”

Tibs gave the fighter the nastiest smile he could and moved his hand close to his chest.

“I’m sorry, Tibs. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to surprise the dungeon.”

“He did,” Sto said. “That was well played. I should have known you’d do something. I’ve listened to you talk often enough of fights you’ve been in.”

“He can’t hear you,” Tibs snapped. “And I’m not repeating it. I don’t need you encouraging him with compliments.”

Jackal beamed and immediately made his face neutral as Tibs narrowed his eyes at him. Tibs sighed and hugged the fighter.

Jackal wrapped his arms around him. “I am sorry.”

“You should have told me what you were going to do. I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“I know, but I wanted the fight to be awesome. It wouldn’t have been as awesome if you’d known what I was doing.”

Tibs kicked him in the shin again.

“I said I’m—” Jackal closed his mouth as Tibs readied for another kick. “I will warn you the next time I’m going to do something awesome.”

“You better.”

“It was awesome,” Carina said.

“Don’t encourage him,” Tibs warned. “You not stone. So you’re going to feel the kick.”

She smiled. “That’s only if you connect Tibs.”

“Do you want me to test it?” he asked.

“That is enough,” Khumdar said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Your anger at Jackal is justified, but Carina did nothing to deserve it. We are all well. It’s time to let the anger go.”

“I’m telling Kroseph what you did!” Tibs yelled and smiled at the cleric. “Now I can let it go.”

“I think that’s called torture in some kingdoms,” Mez commented.

“I deserve it,” Jackal said with a sigh. “Let’s collect the loot deal with the guild so I can get my punishment and start telling everyone how awesome I was.”

“If you’re not careful Tibs,” Sto said. “I’m going to start liking him more than you.”

“You’re welcome to him,” Tibs replied, and gave Jackal an innocent look when the fighter raised an eyebrow.