Tibs spent the next three days barely conscious. When he wasn’t at his morning lessons, or with Alistair, or with Bardik, he spent his time seated in his room staring at the tankard of water. He caught Jackal looking at him oddly, but the fighter didn’t comment. Tibs sensed the water in the tankard, as well as that on his hand, but as soon as he tried to move it, he lost grasp of the sense of what was in the tankard.

By the fourth day, Alistair ordered him to take a break because it was affecting the rest of his lessons. And as if his teacher had instructed Jackal, the fighter dragged Tibs out of their room to spend time at the inn.

“You’re looking better,” the server said as he placed the plate and tankard.

“Thanks,” Jackal said. “I’ve been—”

“Are you hearing something?” Kroseph asked Tibs. “I think I’ve been standing too close to the fire and ambers flew in my ears.”

Tibs looked at the exasperated Jackal and their server. “I’m not going to get involved in this. I have too much to do already.”

Kroseph winked at him. “And that marks you as the wise one of the team.”

“I said I was sorry,” Jackal grumbled as the server headed back to the kitchen. “You think he’s going to be mad at me long?”

Tibs narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know, and I’m not getting involved.”

“It’s just, I didn’t know it was a special day. We’ve been—”

“Jackal,” Tibs said.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t want to know.”

“But.”

Tibs glared. “You pulled me away from my practice, I’m not exactly in a forgiving mood.”

“You needed a break. You’re walking around like one of those undead monsters from stories. Just with this meal you’re looking better, just like Kroseph said.”

“Fine,” Tibs grumbled. “It’s just so hard and I want to get it.”

“You’re not going to tell me what that is, are you?”

Tibs shook his head. “You and Kroseph.”

“We’re friends.”

“Like you and the merchant’s daughter?”

Jackal chuckled. “Not quite.”

Tibs nodded. “So you want to fix that with him?” He made sure not to react to the approaching server.

Jackal shrugged. “I’d be happy with him just talking with me. If he isn’t interested in the rest, that’s his choice.” The slap at the back of the head barely made the fighter react.

With a curse, Kroseph shook his hand. “I know you’re hard-headed, but did you have to be literal about it?” He dropped in the chair next to Jackal.

“Sort of. Are you talking to me now?”

“Of course I am. Just pay attention when I tell you stuff like what days are important to me.”

“In my defense—”

Tibs took his plate and tankard and stood.

“Where are you going?” Jackal asked.

“Out of striking range.”

“I’m not—” Jackal looked at Kroseph’s darkening expression.

“In your defense?” the server asked.

“I’m an idiot?” Jackal offered.

Tibs sat back down. “What day was it?”

Kroseph studied Jackal, who gave him as innocent a look as he could manage. Tibs would have to give him pointers, he was trying too hard.

“It’s called High Wind. Back home, it marks the first day of the melt. When the wind comes from the sea and will send anything flying that isn’t nailed down.” He smiled. “It’s beautiful. I wanted to go back for it, but dad needs me here. So I asked Jack here—”

“It’s Jackal,” the fighter said sharply, which earned him a glare.

“—to stand with me in the field so we could measure ourselves to the wind. And do you think he was there?”

“Can we go to the field?” Tibs asked.

Jackal looked hopeful.

“It’s within the town’s limit,” Kroseph said.

“I’m sorry,” Jackal said again. “I will make it up to you.”

“I’ve no doubt.”

“Kro!” the innkeeper yelled. “Get back to the kitchen, you have work to do.”

“And I have to go back to being a slave.” He squeezed Jackal’s arm. “Be safe in the dungeon, okay?”

“We will.”

Tibs raised an eyebrow.

“If you’d bothered checking the schedule, you’d know we’re up this afternoon.”

Tibs rolled his eyes. “I have looked at it. It isn’t like the stuff from the dungeon that tells me what it means; it’s normal letters. Which I don’t know.”

“You don’t even know your name?”

“It’s Tibs.”

“The written version,” Jackal said.

Tibs shrugged. “I didn’t know that was something.”

“I’ll show it to you on the way to the dungeon.”

* * * * *

When they arrived at the waiting area, the adventurer there stared at them, then glared. With a yell, he sent another one running to the town, then went back to glaring at them.

“Next time, pick your own team.”

“Can we do that?” Tibs asked, which only made the adventurer, a fighter in chain mail with a metal staff and gray eyes, stare at him; Tibs noticed those on a lot of adventurers who wore metal.

“If we can,” Jackal said, “No one told us.”

“And do I look like your mother?” he asked.

Jackal barely stopped a snortle. “No, definitely not.”

“Then don’t expect me to tell you everything. You’re grown men.” He looked at Tibs, then back to Jackal. “Well, you are. So you can figure out those things for yourself. Stay here until your team’s full.” He left them alone.

At the equipment table, containing good looking guild equipment, which the few Runners walking by ignored. Bardik looked bored. Tibs considered going to speak with him, if only to confirm if they could form their own teams—He didn’t trust any other adventurers—but he recalled what the other rogue said about being noticed together. It was one thing to run into one another in town, but unless he was going to buy something from the guild, he had no reason to be at the table.

In the distance, he saw an adventurer return with three people in tow. A woman fighter, an archer, and a man in robes that were almost black. Even in the distance, Tibs felt sick as they locked eyes. The sorcerer stopped and after arguing with the adventurer, turned around and headed back the way they’d come.

“That’s a first,” Jackal commented as the adventurer grabbed a sorceress who was headed back and pulled her along toward them.

“That was Don. You don’t want him on our team.”

The adventurer left the three by Tibs and Jackal and grumbled about self-entitled runts and doing things Tibs didn’t wish even on someone like Don, as he headed away.

The fighter wore armor in a mix of leather and bronze. Her eyes were metal gray. The archer’s eyes were the same odd color-shifting that Tirania’s eyes were, and the sorceress’s eyes were the pale blue of air. The three studied them as intently. The fighter looking at Tibs longer and not looking impressed.

“I’ve done the dungeon,” she said, “so if you do what I say, we’re going to be good. Last time, my team almost beat the boss.”

“Apparently we need to clarify something,” Jackal said. “Me and Tibs are the team. You’re helping us. Don’t worry, the split’s going to be even, but we don’t take orders. I’ll listen to opinion and experience, but in the end, we make the decisions.” He fixed the fighter. “If that’s going to be a problem, we can find someone to replace you.”

“Not if you want to keep your spot, Mister High and Mighty,” Bardik said. “You’re going next.” He looked at the crack in the mountain. “Although it might take a bit. The runs are taking longer now, but if you leave, and aren’t back before this team exits, who ever’s after you goes and you have to wait until your next turn comes around.” He looked at the crack again. “And something tells me you’ll be waiting a while.” Before Tibs could ask the adventurer what he meant, Bardik left, not even giving him a nod of greeting.

“I won’t be a problem,” the fighter said. “I didn’t mean to take over, I’m just used to running things. I’m the leader of my team.”

“He’s the leader,” Tibs said, indicating Jackal.

“You could be the leader,” the fighter protested.

Tibs snorted and indicated everyone looking down on him. “Who’s going to take me seriously?”

“You’re Tibs, right?” the archer asked, which earned him cautious looks from Tibs and Jackal. “Radkliff and me are the only ones left from our team. He told me about you.”

“If he had bad things to say,” Jackal stated, “keep them to yourself.”

“No-no.” The archer raised his hand placatingly. “He said you did something with your water to unlock a door, and that after that, the adventurers said there were four rooms. He said you’re the one who found out about it.”

“He is,” Jackal said. “He found it on a previous run, actually. But that was before he had a way to open it.”

“What water?” the fighter asked. “His eyes are brown, and the normal kind of brown.”

Tibs almost missed the woman’s comment. He was trying to remember if Jackal or Radkilff had been on that team. He didn’t think they had. Which meant he’d been on a team with someone who had and they’d talked.

Jackal looked at him. “You want to show her?”

With a shrug, Tibs formed a pool of water in his palm.

“How? My teacher said the eyes always tell you about someone’s affinity.”

Tibs sighed. “It’s my age. I’m so young my teacher says I’m not fully into my element or something like that. It’s why I can’t do a lot with it.”

“You’re still alive, so you can do plenty,” the fighter said.

“So, you and Radkliff are a team?” Jackal asked the archer.

“Geoff, and I’m not sure. With only the two of us, it’s probably going to depend on if they put anyone worthwhile with us on the next run.”

“I think you can pick your own team now,” Tibs said. “When we got here, the adventurer was unhappy we hadn’t.”

“You sure?” the fighter asked. “I’m Pyan. If he’s right, I can use an archer on my team. Radkliff is a rogue, right? I already have one.”

“I’d like to finish dealing with what’s going to affect this run, Pyan,” Jackal said. “Unless you mind?”

“Sorry,” she replied.

“What’s your element, I’ve seen those eyes before, but never got to ask.”

“Crystal. It’s more practical than you think.”

“Not arguing,” Jackal replied. “Every element has value to someone who knows how to use it.” He turned to the sorceress, “And you are?”

“Carina. Air sorceress, but you can tell that. I’m not on a team if that’s your next question. I was like Geoff, but Tandy was offered a position on the last team she rounded up.”

“Are you okay to do this run?” Jackal asked. “It looked like you were leaving when the adventurer grabbed you.”

“I’m good, I was here just walking. The town gets stifling after a while.”

“Tandy?” Pyan asked. “Rogue, this high?” she raised her hand a bit higher than Tibs was. Carina nodded. “I’m sorry, I’m the one who grabbed her.”

“It’s okay.” The sorceress said. “At this point, I think it’s going to be tough for someone not to have at least heard of someone else. Let alone worked with them. Does anyone know how many of us are left?”

“I know we started with around four thousand people,” Geoff said. Tibs didn’t bother asking for clarifications and simply decided it was a lot. He remembered the crowd and how everyone had pressed against each other in this field.

“We’re definitely nowhere near that anymore,” Jackal said. “Not to put pressure on you, Carina, but you can consider this your audition for our team if you’re interested. We already have a team room paid for, and this run will let us add at least two weeks.”

“If we survive,” Pyan said.

“We will,” Tibs ordered.

“Tibs’s right,” Jackal continued. “I have nothing to prove. The moment I don’t think we have a chance to survive the next encounter, I’m pulling us out. If you have any doubt, I pulled us out when our sorcerer died in the trap room without any coins to speak of. If you’re more interested in pushing your luck until you die, tell me now.”

They all shook their head. Tibs figured the overly greedy and impatient ones had all been eaten by the dungeon at this point.

“So here’s the plan. Tibs gets us through the trap room. If there’s a cache, he gets the content and we decide who gets it. Something for a specific class goes to that person, no arguments. Something more general we can discuss, clear?”

Nods.

“The boulder room is simple. Me, Pyan and Tibs will draw the rats out of hiding by standing in the room. Carina and Geoff take as many of them out when they’re on top of the boulders. We kill whatever they can’t. Once it’s clear, we collect the coins then Tibs holds on to them. Don’t argue,” he told Pyan, who closed her mouth and blushed. “He has a coin pouch, and if you don’t trust a rogue by now, that isn’t something I’m dealing with. In the warren room—”

“What about the key?” Pyan asked.

“We have Tibs so there’s no point bothering trying to find it,” Jackal said.

“We don’t have to search,” she said. “I know where it is, and so long as four of us survive the boulder room, we can get it. I’m not saying I don’t care if someone dies,” she cut Jackal off. “Just that it only needs four to unlock. It’s the four boulders at the corner of the room, you turn them at the same time and it opens a compartment in the central pillar with the key in it.”

Tibs looked around in case one of the adventurers could overhear them. When he confirmed they were safe, Jackal was looking at him. “The rats have always distracted me,” Tibs said.

“Alright, we get the key and move on. The warren room is simple if we’re careful. The three of us rush the rats. You two take the rabbits that come for us. No need to kill them on the first shot, the point is to keep them from getting us. Questions?”

They shook their head.

“Alright, has anyone here killed the boss?” he asked.

“As far as I know, no one has,” Carina said.

Pyan nodded. “Yeah, the day that happens, I don’t think they’ll be able to keep it a secret.”

“What do you know about the room?” Jackal asked. “We didn’t try it when Tibs found it.”

“That whip arm hurts.” Pyan rubbed her shoulder. “And it has reach. I haven’t seen it bother defending itself because it can reach anyone anywhere in the room from the center of it.”

“Actually, that’s easy to deal with,” Geoff said, “all you need is to blind it.”

“It’s a golem, it can’t be blinded,” Pyan replied.

“It can. Whatever the rules in the dungeon are, the golem has eyes and they’re set up that if you destroy them, it doesn’t see anymore. That’s how we managed to get out on my last run. I got in a lucky shot and blinded it. I lost a teammate as we ran, so we couldn’t keep the coins we found, but it could have been worse.”

“Is it real stone,” Tibs asked, remembering how easily the rats could be cut.

“As much as it needs to be,” Geoff said, “but the stuff in the dungeon doesn’t always behave like what it looks like.”

“I haven’t gone up against it,” Carina said, “So, I don’t know how it’ll react to air attacks. I asked around but no one would give me details, claiming that secrecy thing the adventurers enforce.”

“So Geoff blinds it and we hit it as hard as we can and hope we kill it?” Jackal asked.

“Best plan I’ve heard of yet,” Pyan answered.

A few minutes later the other team exited, bloodied, tired, but all five of them. Their defeated expression said they hadn’t beaten the boss.