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 38
The commotion drew Tibs out of the inn along with Khumdar. Jackal was with Kroseph doing their thing, Mez was at the archery field and Carina was off; reading, Tibs suspect by how evasive she'd been when he'd asked what she intended to do for the rest of the day.
A tall woman in green and red and gold glared down her nose at Harry; he simply stared back at her. Runners were watching from along the buildings, while the townsfolk changed direction on noticing the group. With her were four others, one of which Tibs recognized as the man who'd wanted to know how they had defeated the boss. Except for him, they all looked like fighters. One was holding his arm against his stomach.
"How dare you touch one of my servants," she shrilled at Harry. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"You're a Runner, just like the rest of them," Harry replied with disdain. "The fact you paid to be here doesn't mean you can ignore my rules."
"Your rules?" She sneered. "I do not obey a man. I am Lady Cabera of Seteniel. I am first of the third matriarchs, next in line to rule the holding of Desmerie, sister to the High Lady of Praditfar, who is the cousin to the Queen Farial herself." She huffed at the fighter.
"You done?" Harry demanded.
"I am done?" she didn't seem to know how to react to the question.
"Yeah. Or do you intend on prattling more lines of meaningless linage?"
"Meaningless?" Her voice rose high enough Tibs winced in pain. "I am—" She froze in place, light coming out of her open mouth. Tibs saw her strain to move, her eyes growing wide in fear.
"You're lucky I can't just throw you in a cell or beat the shit out of you for trying to pull this rank bullshit with me."
The man to the woman's right took a step forward, pulling a sword out of a scabbard, and Harry's hand swung at him. It was nowhere close to touching, but there was a flash of light, and the man flew across the road to hit a building. He then crumpled to the ground.
"But you pull a sword on me," Harry said, smiling, "and things change." He motioned to the unconscious man and three guards in green and black moved out from the crowd to pull him to his feet and drag him away. "Don't expect to see him anytime soon," he told the woman.
Now, even nobles were assembled, staying apart from the other Runners. Harry looked around and nodded.
"Okay, looks like enough of you are here, so listen up! There are rules, my rules, and they are not to be broken! Those of you who paid to be here were told what they are." He fixed his gaze on the immobile woman. Tibs thought the light was seeping through her clothing. "If you weren't, take it up with them. One of those rules was that no one discusses what takes place in the dungeon outside of it. I know that before I took charge, the enforcement of those rules wasn't exactly important. I'm here now, so you are going to keep your mouth shut."
He raised a hand and pushed it toward the woman, who moved back, her feet making furrows in the packed earth of the street. "You can consider yourself lucky all I'm allowed to do is send you back to that comfortable bed in whatever city you call home. Because you should see what's going to happen to the team that told you how they beat the floor boss."
He walked, following her, no, guiding her, Tibs realized. Somehow, Harry was using his light essence not only to hold her still but move her against her will. Tibs followed them, along with most of the Runners, old and new. He was curious what he was going to do with her.
Her servants stayed by her as she moved backward, two looking like they were trying to figure out how to stop her, and the third, the man who'd spoken with Tibs's team, only walking backward, eyes on Harry, hands inside his sleeves, and Tibs was certain the man was a thief.