Dungeon Runner
The Tiger Writes
sciencefiction
sciencefiction
31K5
Tibs survived by picking pockets; until he's caught.
Instead of losing a hand, he's sent away and told he must now survive a dungeon.
How is a kid who knew nothing more than his ...Bottom Rung, Chapter 25
"What's the count?" Jackal asked Tibs.
"Four and eight coppers," he answered without having to check, he'd wrapped each ten coins separately, letting him easily keep track. It felt strange that having so many coins in his pouch now felt normal. He could remember the day he'd seen his first whole copper coin, how unreal it had felt.
"You mean forty-eight," Pyan said, and he felt his face heat up.
"He's new to numbers higher than fifteen," Jackal replied, "so let him count it the way he prefers."
Tibs smiled at the fighter. "And this time there were ten silvers in the warrens. That gives us two silvers each and we can pay the guild's cut with the coppers, then split what's left."
"We need to split first," Geoff said. "I owe them for the leather chest." He tapped his armor.
"That still leaves enough we each can pay with the coppers," Carina said.
"How's everyone feeling?" Jackal asked.
"I could use a breather," Pyan said. "As much as I like the versatility of this armor, it's heavy."
"This went fast enough we can afford a break."
This had been the smoothest run Tibs had been on. He had a scrape on his cheek, but that was from jumping out of the way from a rabbit and losing his helmet before he landed and slid on the floor. The strap had been chewed on by a rat on a previous run and he hadn't thought to get it repaired. No one else had gotten hurt.
Geoff had the cache's item, a Glove of the Archer. It gave his bow pull more strength and was the main reason they'd made it this far with no injuries, that, and his exploding arrows. He could make crystal arrows that exploded on impact; with a good aim he'd taken multiple rats out at the same time.
"What do you think of Carina?" Jackal asked Tibs, keeping his voice low. The sorceress was speaking with the archer.
"She hasn't had much to do, but her air slice worked well against the rats and rabbits here."
"I was thinking more about her helping you with your plan; like I did. After that, we'd just need to find someone for fire and you'll have done them all."
Tibs looked in her direction. Something she said made Geoff chuckle, and she smiled. "I'd have to tell her why; explain what I'm doing. If she's not going to be on the team, she could tell someone."
"Okay, but don't you think needing her help is enough to have her join? She isn't any worse than the other sorcerers I've run with."
Tibs nodded. "Let's see how she is with the last room."
"Works for me." Jackal turned to the other. "Rest over. Pyan, you have the key, so the door is yours. Geoff, get in position. If it behaves the way I've seen it do before, it's going to turn to face the door as the light comes up. You're going to have a clear shot, please don't miss."
The archer moved his gloved fingers. "With this, there is no missing that target. I think it does more than give my pull more strength."
"Once it's blinded, we charge. We still need to be careful once we're in close combat since it'll be able to tell where we are as we hit it." He motioned to the door and Pyan removed the keyhole cover and inserted the key. Then she and Jackal pulled it open.
The inside of the room went from pitch black to fully lit as the golem turned to face them. It was the same height as before, much taller than Tibs, and seemed more massive this time, with its right arm ending in a black whip instead of a hand. While the eyes were the same stone as the rest of it, Tibs couldn't help sense a maliciousness behind them.