Breaking Step, Draft 1, CH 38 (Patreon)

(quite note: in draft two, I’ll be adding a conversation between Tibs and Sto about him no longer being iced. So this is written as the dungeon being aware of it)

The guards by the door looked at them askance as Tibs and his team entered the dungeon. “What’s up with them?” He heard one of them whisper once they were inside. Tibs didn’t care enough about guards opinion to attempt to hear the reply.

They reached the doorway in silence, and Jackal opened it, then the one to the third floor. Tibs paused at the intersection, looked the tiles over. “There’s been a change,” he stated. “Give me a few minutes.” It took him five to work out how the new sequence repeated so it would open all three passages.

The others waited in silence until he instructed them. Don watched judgingly, but didn’t comment.

The Gnolls didn’t fall on them in the same part of the corridor, as they had before, and other than Tibs warning the others which of the colored tiles were the traps, they fought silently. And had dispatched the creatures in a few minutes.

“Okay,” Sto said, “just what’s going on?”

Tibs glared at Don, who simply looked back as if he was too insignificant to matter. Tibs rolled his eyes and unlocked the cache, inside were a set of clothing fit for a noble with a loose weave within it. Light, Darkness, Purity and others.

He looked at Don. “Yeah, you’re too good for them.” Before putting them in Jackal’s pack.

“Okay, where’s the reply?” Sto asked. “Where, there banter? Tibs, what is going on?”

“Don’t bother lying,” Tibs told Don. The only way he could think to inform Sto of who was responsible. “We all know just how superior to even nobles you are.”

“I have never made such a claim,” the sorcerer said, and the word didn’t glow.

“You never had to say anything,” Tibs replied with a roll of the eyes. “Your behavior speaks loudly enough.”

“I thought that you not being ices would make it easier for you to deal with stuff like people lying,” Sto said, “it’s not like he’s the first to do it, of the only one. Seems to me people are always lying about one thing or another.”

Tibs wanted to scream that this wasn’t the same. People didn’t lie when they claimed to be their friends, especially not about how they were forced in the situation. People didn’t like about big stuff like that!

There was another fight, this one against golem people. It took longer, they had elements, and once it was over, they used the healing potions the Gnolls dropped and they moved on once Tibs confirmed there was no cache there.

The board crest was quickly unlocked and then they were looking at the Conquest board with the five dungeon pieces on it.

“Where do you want us?” Jackal asked the sorcerer.

“Me?” Don replied, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you were the leader. The one who made all the decision? How would you trust me, after all the times I worked along side you and your team, not to  maneuver you to your death?”

“It could have been our team,” Tibs stated. “If you hadn’t lied.”

“Don,” Jackal said. “I am the leader of this team, which you’re still a part of, and I’m telling you to take care of this puzzle. As for you causing one of us to die?” the fighter’s smile was nasty. “What would it looked like if you caused one of your teammate’s death?”

Tibs hear the sorcerer grind his teeth as he fought not to reply.

“Okay,” Sto said. “This is about the team. I understand why you might be angry, but I really wish you’d move away form them so you could explain what’s going on. This isn’t as amusing for me as you might think it is.”

Tibs glared a the ceiling. Did Sto think this was for his entertainment?

“If you’re done admiring the ceiling,” Don said. “Go take your position.” He pointed to a square. Tibs rolled his eyes, looking at the positioning. Of course he had him in position of infantry; the least valuable piece.

* * * * *

Tibs grumbled his congratulation under his breath after everyone else, even Mez, did so. He was forced to admit Don had, again, done a great job of controlling the board. Even once Tibs thought Ganny had maneuvered them into a trap, the sorcerer had revealed the one he’d set up, and had her on the defensive for the next five moves, at which point, he took down the Lord, of course. Who else but Don was good enough to go against the Dungeon’s leader piece?

Tibs ignored the glare and checked the chest for traps. Once he confirmed there wasn’t on, he opened it and considered closing it. Was this some joke on Ganny’s part? She hadn’t commented on any of it, but what else could a deep purple sorcerer’s robe be? It had the standard enchantment on it. More resistant to damage, better armor, but the weave felt denser. Maybe it was a stronger version?

“So, am I too good for this too?” Don asked, standing over Tibs and looking in the chest.

Tibs grabbed and shoved the robe in the sorcerer’s chest before walking away. “I’m clearing the way to the next crest. Don’t step on the wrong tiles and lock me in.” Immediately he heard someone following and turned, ready to tell Jackal he needed to be alone. The fighter would know what he meant.

Except it was Don, shoving the robe in his pack, who was joining him. “I’m part of this team,” the sorcerer said. “I’m not letting you leave me behind.” 

“I don’t need your help.”

“You think this is about helping you?” the disdain was thick. “This is about helping myself.” The words glowed. “I need you to survive if we’re going to get through all the rooms.” Those didn’t.

Tibs dismissed the whys of the lies. He didn’t care what Don was lying about. He was always lying.

“It might be best if we all remain together,” Khumdar said, “to ensure nothing happens to one of us.”

Tibs rolled his eyes at the look the cleric gave him. He wasn’t going to stab the sorcerer. Unlike him, he know what it meant to be part of a team.

The Gnolls they encountered had elements, making the fight tougher, and there went more potions. He couldn’t wait for Don to convince Tirania to let him leave the team so they could find someone they trusted and Tibs could tell them his secret and he could tell Sto what he thought of his comments during the runs.

There was that Upsilon sorcerer Tibs has seen training in a way different from all the others with eyes that light orange(need a proper color for kinetics). He’d never seen that color before. She had to be more trustworthy than his team’s current sorcerer.

The lion’s crest solved, Tibs had his team moving through the shifting floor. Don didn’t question his instructions, but Tibs felt the suspicion each time. And he saw the sorcerer look over the room, probably seeing if he could come up with a better path.

This chest had a bandoleer to attack knives to, or potion bottles, Mez pointed out.

There were no attacks on the way to the Dragon crest, which did not make Tibs any more comfortable. If Ganny wasn’t attacking them now, she was setting something up for later.

As before, the dragon crest was harder to resolve, and Don snorted anytime Tibs made a mistake. He was temped to walk away and let the sorcerer deal with it, but that was Don wanted, and then they’d be here until they ran out of time.

Tibs was surprised with how quickly they’d made it this room. The time shield hadn’t even reached the halfway mark. Maybe there was something to ignoring the sorcerer for most of time.

Tibs entered the room. “Don’t touch anything,” he told Don.

“When do I ever do something to ruin the run?”

Tibs rolled his eyes. Of course he’d say that. Until now he’d had to pretend to be part of the team. He’d probably hoped that Jackal would end up dying so they’d nominate the sorcerer as leader. Then he’d been lording over them like the noble he was. At least finding out about the lie had been good for that. They would never let him take charge now.

Tibs lead them to the first chest room, then the second. They dealt with the ‘surprise’ attack by the golem people efficiently. Then Tibs opened the way past the first switch to open the entry door and let them leave. He made it to the second one on the knowledge he’d built from the previous runs, and ignored it. The switch they were looking for would be with the final chest.

Past it, Tibs was back to testing each walls, but he was systematic, and unlike before, his team was only a step behind, so when another surprise attack happened, they were there to deal with it. Two more minor chest room, another attack, this one nearly killing Mez. Don stepping before the golem person fighter and taking the sword in the side in the archer’s stead had saved him. And Tibs saw the gratefulness.

It wasn’t like Don had been all that hurt. His robe had absorbed some of the damage, and the sorcerer had copied Tibs’s trick of using his element as extra armor, so the sword had melted on contacting the coating of corruption, rendering it even less deadly.

Don had probably planned it that way anyway.

The section of all moved, revealing an opening with a chest, and a the dragon crest over it and a switch next to that.

“We made it?” Jackal asked. “Yes, we made it.” He ran to the chest and Tibs was tempted to let him open it and find out if there was a trap the hard way. But the fighter stopped before reaching for it. “Letting my enthusiasm get the better of me again.” He grinned at Tibs. “Been trying to work on that.”

Don snorted.

This was starting to get on Tibs’s nerves. Which had to be why he kept doing it.

The chest did have a trap on it. A simple trigger release on opening raising the lid. It was ease neutralized and then the contents were revealed.

One and five healing potions.

“I think this is a warning about the next room,” Mez said.

“I guess that means the next room is the boss room.” Jackal rubbed his hands together. “That means big loot.”

“And a harder fight,” Khumdar said.

For once, Don didn’t comment, and when Tibs glanced in his direction, he could have sworn the sorcerer looked worried, before he was glaring at him again.

They collected the potions, three to each, and pulled he switch. Even Don, Mez and Khumdar looked around when the floor vibrated this time. 

“That feels close,” Mez said.

“That’s not a reason to get careless,” Jackal said. And all four of them were staring at him. “I’m never careless.”

Don wasn’t the only one to snort this time.

Tibs took the lead, examining the floor. He couldn’t find any triggers as they wound their way until they returned to the corridor that would lead to the triple crest.

“I do not recall there being a passage here,” Khumdar commented

“Probably one of the many shifts we heard but couldn’t see,” Don replied, with an edge to his voice. “This feels too simple.”

Tibs stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Don was right, for once. Ganny should have put something on the way here. Have more triggers to trick them with. At least one attack.

“Maybe the dungeon knows that by the time we’re done with the three rooms we’re low on time.” He pointed to the time shield. There was more than Tibs expected, about a quarter of it left, but that still wasn’t all that much.

“Dungeons aren’t that smart,” Don stated.

“Really?” Ganny said. “And what do all the traps and fights and oh, the three caches you missed, Tibs, say about how smart I am? What happened to him since the last run? Know it all use to have a sense of what he was dealing with here.”

Tibs was tempted to go back and figure out where they were. They had to be in the last section. He’d been too focused on the floor to notice much of the walls.

Jackal was already moving, watching where he stepped.

The crest were gray.

That had to indicate they were unlocked.

After a visual inspection of each, for more traps, and not finding any, Tibs touched the Lion one. There was a click, grinding and the wall parted.

On the other side was a room larger than any they’d come across before, even larger than the pool room. The walls were decorated with etchings, some of which Tibs thought might be people, but they were too far to make out the detail. Maybe fighting.

“That,” Don said, sounding worried, “is a dragon.” He had to mean the only creature in the room with them, at the other end of it. It didn’t look imposing to Tibs, until he remembered how large the room was, so how big the dragon had to be for it to seem like it was only three time his height.

“Have you seen the size of the chest it’s sitting on?” Jackal asked, awed. “Come one!” He ran at it, turning stone gray.

“Don’t!” Don yelled. And Tibs smirked and followed after his leader. If the sorcerer thought now was the time to assert his leadership, he was mistaken. He heard the others behind him as he reached Jackal, then skidded to a halt as a ball of fire flew at them Tibs made a wall of ice, and it exploded on impact, filling the room with steam.

Hidden from sight, Tibs channeled fire and absorbed the second fireball before it’s heat did more than register.

“Right,” Ganny said, “you’ve been sticking to channeling water for long enough I stopped thinking of the other elements. Still it’s not going to save you.” She sounded far too pleased with herself. Tibs returned to water and absorbed the steam.

Between them and the dragon were at least two and zero creatures. Other than the rats and bunnies, every other kind they’d encountered on the floors were represented.

With a whoop, Jackal ran at the Whipper closest to them, catching the whip and yanking hard enough to pull it off its feet. Tibs made a sword and shield and approached the Ratling group. By the time he engaged them, Khumdar was fighting a golem person, and flaming arrows were peppering the creatures.

The Ratlings were better than those Tibs remembered from the second floor, but they weren’t on his level. Once he dispatched them, he was dealing with a Gnoll, who had metal as his element, and Tibs was distracted by sensing how he used it. There was the obvious coating himself and his weapon, but he also did something else, that Tibs didn’t understand until he stepped out of the way of the swipe and still felt the slice across his chest. Any closer or if he didn’t have metal as an element, and he’d have been cut in half even if only the point of the sword touched him.

Tibs couldn’t use metal essense until he gained control of the element, since he had no reserve of it, but that didn’t mean he was defenseless. What Tibs had, was training.

When the Gnoll came for another attack, Tibs parried and blocked normally, waiting for the change in the essence that was the distance cut again. When it came, instead of stepping away, Tibs stepped forward, focusing his will on the essence around the sword and ripping it apart, leaving he sword normal, and Tibs within easy striking range. One hard swipe of his one sword and the surprised Gnoll lost its head.

Then he was fighting a golem person that might be part cat, with the way she was jumping around and over Tibs. She cut him, over and over as she dodged his attacks with far too much ease for how she didn’t have an element. Or at least one he could see or sense. Maybe she was doing the equivalent of suffusing herself and that—

The distraction let her plant her sword in him and Tibs discovered that even if it looked like metal, it was something else, because it hurt.

A lot.

He greeted his teeth, stabbed her, causing his ice sword to explode in her chest, then pulled the sword out and suffused himself with purity. He was still unsteady on his feet as he stood and blasted another golem person running at him with the reliable ‘x’ attack. He wasn’t running the risk of screwing it up and someone ending up hurt.

He dispatch a Whipper, then a Bunnyling, and only him and his friends were left. Don was a distance away, but there was enough corruption melted bodied Tibs didn’t comment on his cowardness.

Khumdar, Mez and Jackal downed potions and their injuries vanished.

“Let’s go get that loot,” Jackal said.

“Down!” Tibs yelled, sensing he light essence taking shape as a line, then darkness washed over them from behind and when the line met it, the two seem solid and as if they were struggling against each other.

Darkness lost, being sliced apart, but it had taken enough out of the light Tibs didn’t think it would have done any serious damage if any had been hit.

Khumdar was on a knee, pale and panting. He pulled a blue bottle and drank form it and color returned.

He stood and spun his staff, giving Tibs a nod.

“Can we now—”

“Don’t move,” Don ordered.

“I’m the team leader.”

“And you intend in leading everyone in to that?”

Tibs looked ahead, and what seems like twice the number of creatures shimmered between them and the dragon.

“We can,” Jackal said, then lost some of his bravado. “Tibs? Mez, Khumdar?” he paused. “Don? Opinions?”

“They have the numbers on us, no contest,” Mez said, sounding worried.

“I was under the expectation that the dungeon only created challenges that could be overcome,” Khumdar commented.

“But not always the way you think,” Don snapped. “This is obviously ment to look like a battle of strength.”

“Which we can’t win,” Mez said.

“Therefore, it must be something else.”

“Tibs?” Jackal asked.

He looked around for a clue as to what this was about.

“Tibs?” the fighter asked again.

“I don’t know!” He snapped, then glared at the sorcerer. Tibs should have the one to catch on. He knew Ganny. He knew she didn’t go for the obvious. “You—” He closed his mouthed and breathed. Accusing anyone wasn’t going to help. “We rushed in without thinking. We got overconfident.”

He looked the next group over. “I don’t think we can fight through them. And I think that any movement we make in a direction other than back, will cause them to attack.”

Jackal nodded. “So we retreat and come back to fight another day?”

They nodded. Even Don did so without smirking.

“You win this time Dungeon,” Jackal said. “But we are going to come back and that chest is mine.”